Striker, but Symphogear - Chapter 43

"For this entire week, Second Division has been discussing this matter with the higher-ups, but for some reason, many people in the government have shown tremendous enthusiasm for 'capturing Raye.' They've put us under tremendous pressure and demanded that we act as soon as possible.

Genjuro Kazanari continued. From his expression as he explained, it was clear that this matter truly gave him a headache.

"The government... But Master, didn't you explain to them how terrifying Miss Raye is?"

After Genjuro Kazanari said that, Hibiki Tachibana couldn't help asking.

"Of course. I already described her strength to them in detail, but..."

Hibiki Tachibana's question reminded Genjuro Kazanari of the many meetings he had held with government officials over the past week.

[Sorry, but we really have no way to take on a mission like this right now. Raye isn't a mindless Noise. No matter how you look at it, she's an enemy Second Division currently has no way to defeat.]

[Commander Kazanari, you don't understand the value of the Relics Raye possesses. You have no idea what we could accomplish if we obtained those Relics.]

[We understand that perfectly well. The Relics in her possession are indeed extremely powerful, but...]

[Oh, since you understand that, then there's no problem.]

[You just said Raye was extremely powerful, didn't you? In that case, we'll provide you with more supplies and give you command over additional troops. We hope you can bring us the result we want.]

[Wait, that's not what I meant.]

[Commander Kazanari, remember your position. Don't be too greedy. Only by doing what you're supposed to do can you make up for the mistakes Second Division made in the past.]

[...]

Just like in the meeting records above, no matter how much Genjuro Kazanari emphasized Raye's danger and the difficulty of capturing her, the only thing he ever received in return was even greater pressure to capture Raye.

The only thing that could be considered good was that the higher-ups hadn't at least ordered them to use sticks and shouting to capture Raye. After meeting after meeting, the resources he could call upon had inexplicably grown larger and larger. For a single battle, the support could practically be called lavish.

"In short, that's how things stand. Do you understand, Tachibana?"

Genjuro Kazanari said this.

"So regardless of whether I brought it up or not, we'll have to fight Miss Raye soon?"

Under Commander Kazanari's explanation, Hibiki Tachibana also understood the situation. Once she did, however, her feelings could only be described as mixed.

On the one hand, because of this matter, she could do something that made her incredibly happy: watch a meteor shower with her best friend. On the other hand, because of this matter, she had to prepare to fight Raye in a week.

"That's more or less it. Since we have to set up a trap to capture Raye no matter what, an arrangement based on your own initiative, Tachibana, will naturally be more covert."

Genjuro Kazanari nodded as he spoke.

"So as long as I cooperate with your operation, Master, I can go watch the meteor shower? I understand. I'll do my best!"

After understanding the cause and effect, Hibiki Tachibana no longer refused, despite the conflict in her heart. This was something that would both let her help everyone and fulfill her wish to watch the meteor shower, so she had no reason to refuse.

"Mm. As Little Hibiki's temporary physical trainer, I also think this is good for Little Hibiki. As long as her spirit is strong enough, the possibility of her going berserk will be greatly reduced. The melody she sings will also allow Symphogear to unleash even greater power."

Ryouko Sakurai nodded from the side as she spoke. Hibiki Tachibana's renewed determination seemed to make her happy as well.

"Eh? Is that how it works?"

It was the first time Hibiki Tachibana had heard such an explanation.

"Ryouko is right. The physical training I had you do, Tachibana, was mostly intended to temper your will and help you adapt to more of Symphogear's power."

Genjuro Kazanari confirmed it as well.

"Okay. In that case, I'll work even harder."

Although she didn't understand it very well, Hibiki Tachibana would give it her all. That was simply her style.

PS. Good evening?

Chapter 73: Leaked Intelligence and the Response

A door decorated in a luxurious yet understated style was shoved open. An energetic girl with short flaxen hair burst in, drawing the attention of the intelligent girl inside, who wore a white bow in her hair.

[I'm back, Miku! Good news! We can go watch the meteor shower next week.]

The energetic girl looked extremely happy. As soon as she returned, she ran over to the intelligent girl, who seemed to have a close relationship with her, and loudly shared the joy in her heart.

[Eh? Hibiki, really?]

The energetic girl's words seemed to surprise Miku greatly. After hearing the news, joy naturally appeared on her face as well.

[Of course! Let's watch the meteor shower together then. Ah, I'm really looking forward to watching it with Miku.]

The energetic girl spoke happily, her eyes filled with anticipation.

[That may be true, Hibiki, but how much of your report is left? Don't forget that day is the deadline. If you haven't finished your report by then...]

After calming down, the intelligent girl asked the energetic girl with some concern.

[Ah!]

Upon hearing the question, the energetic girl's joy-filled expression suddenly froze. She seemed to have remembered something terrible.

[Oh no! I've been so absorbed in training lately that I completely forgot about the report. How could this happen? It was so hard to finally get this chance.]

The energetic girl clutched her head and let out a despairing cry, her expression agonized.

[It can't be helped, Hibiki. I'll help you. Let's do our best to finish the report this week.]

Miku wore a somewhat helpless expression. It seemed that she had long since expected this behavior from the energetic girl.

[Thank you, Miku. I-I'll do my best too!]

Although she was about to face a painful future, with the help of the intelligent girl she called Miku, the energetic girl regained her spirits. She walked toward the shared desk, preparing to begin a grueling struggle with her school report while hoping that a miracle like the one at the end of the previous summer vacation would happen again.

Watching the high-definition footage from the surveillance camera, Raye fell silent.

She had originally intended to monitor Hibiki Tachibana's daily life as usual and see whether she could extract any useful information. Then she saw the scene before her.

"This is a trap, right? Without a doubt, this is a trap."

Raye realized it immediately.

She didn't believe that, under the pressure she had exerted, Second Division would still have the confidence to let Hibiki Tachibana leave the defensive perimeter around headquarters.

And if Hibiki Tachibana's behavior at that moment was genuine, Raye could think of no other possibility besides a trap.

"Although I understood after the failed attempt to capture Hibiki Tachibana that Second Division would sooner or later set some kind of trap around her and ambush me, it's only been a week. Isn't this a little too hasty?"

Raye was slightly puzzled. Where did their confidence come from?

"Hmm... Rationally speaking, doing this after only a week is clearly unreasonable. No matter how quickly they act, the damage I caused would require a long time to repair. In other words, did outside forces intervene? Some power capable not only of influencing Second Division's decisions but also of providing it with sufficient resources. The government, perhaps?"

"Let's investigate a little."

After thinking briefly, Raye conducted a simple investigation in the direction suggested by her guess.

"Abnormal troop deployments, abnormal weapons transfers, and abnormal transfers of all kinds of miscellaneous supplies. Hmm, there are even records of meetings with Second Division... As expected, pressure from certain government officials is what made Second Division act so quickly. In other words, they may be in a hurry to do something to silence the people above them."

Before long, Raye obtained information about unusual deployments of weapons, troops, and supplies through various channels and formed her own deduction.

Although Second Division itself was protected like an impregnable fortress, the government was an organization made up of many people, and some civil servants had no particular awareness of security.

By investigating the careless people involved and the loopholes formed by those around them, she could catch glimpses of relatively confidential intelligence through their unusual actions.

"That should be the general situation. The exact level of reliability will depend on the investigation afterward. For now, the question is how to respond appropriately to this move of theirs."

Whatever the reason, whether Second Division had set a trap using Hibiki Tachibana as bait or not, Raye would not let this opportunity pass.

For Raye, compared with exploiting the loopholes of the fully prepared Second Division headquarters, whose defenses might grow stronger by the day, breaking through a hastily constructed trap would be easier.

"Based on their previous encounters with me, they should have gained a basic understanding of my fighting style and abilities. In other words, with enough manpower, this trap should be thoroughly prepared to counter me and deal with all sorts of conventional situations."

Thoughts began to turn through Raye's mind. Judging by the scale of their mobilization, the other side had abundant manpower and material resources this time, giving them enough tactical freedom to target her.

"If that's the case, then this time I need to use abilities I've never revealed to them before, along with new tactics based on those abilities..."

After understanding this, Raye made her decision.

Her known fighting methods would be countered, so she would use methods and techniques that the other side could never imagine under ordinary circumstances.

As it happened, thanks to her tireless collection of Relics and her exhaustive assault on the Bavarian Illuminati, Raye possessed quite a wide variety of Heresy Technology.

"Hmm... Considering the Heresy Technology I currently possess, as well as concealment, surprise, and controllability... Hmm, I've got it. I can do this. That way, not only will the chances of success be assured, but escaping if it fails will also be easier."

Before long, a preliminary plan appeared in Raye's mind. Taking into account the actions and arrangements the other side might make, this tactical approach had the highest chance of success.

"If I do this, the preparations will be a huge undertaking. I'll also have to act before they begin setting everything up, so time is a little tight. Looks like I'll have to hand some of the less important parts over to Chris."

Raye thought it over.

The method she had chosen had advantages in every respect, but it had one drawback: the preliminary preparations were extremely troublesome. It was a plan that exchanged a massive amount of preparatory work for overwhelming superiority in battle.

"I'll make a plan first, then go find Chris after I finish. Come to think of it, I haven't seen her in a while. I've been wrapping up the defensive work here these past few days."

Thinking this, Raye closed the surveillance window on the computer, opened a 3D map and modeling software, and began creating the schematics required for her plan.

PS. Good night.

Chapter 74: The Dream

Neon lights hung throughout the streets and alleys. A dazzling, intricate sea of colors filled my vision, while the noisy, lively voices of the crowd reached my ears from every direction. Many people were playing, and many people were laughing.

[Where is this?]

I couldn't help asking that question. My memories told me that I had clearly been sitting at a desk just moments ago. Why was I in a place that looked like a festival?

[Chris-chan.]

Before I could figure it out, something suddenly pressed against my face.

I couldn't feel anything at all, yet I knew what it was, and I knew exactly how I would react.

[Wha—Raye, don't scare me like that.]

As I spoke, I shifted my gaze slightly and saw the figure holding a can of drink in each hand.

Platinum hair flowed down her back like a waterfall. Her slender body was wrapped in a beautiful yukata decorated with intricate patterns. Although her left eye was covered by a white eyepatch, her carefully made-up face was still beautiful.

That girl—the girl I remembered being called Raye—had appeared before me.

The hot festival, the slightly crowded streets, and the dreamlike girl standing before me.

I understood. I was lost. I was intoxicated. Everything was so beautiful. All my troubles were distant, unreal bubbles, and all my suffering was an illusory dream, as impossible to truly feel as mist and clouds.

"What's wrong, Chris-chan? We finally came out to have fun together, so why are you spacing out? Weren't you the one who said you wanted to walk around this festival with me?"

Her clear, calm voice, carrying a hint of excitement, entered my ears. No—it was a delightful voice that echoed through my mind.

My original reason began to melt away. My consciousness, which had been about to break free, grew hazy. I had completely forgotten why I was there. All my thoughts were consumed by the beauty of the scene before me.

[Ah, I know. I'm just... this is my first time attending this festival, so I don't know what to do.]

In the confused dream, I answered the girl before me. A joy that nearly overwhelmed my nerves burst forth from the depths of my heart.

"Is that so? But this is my first time at a festival like this too. What should we do? Perhaps we should go back the way we came?"

The girl in the yukata tilted her head slightly. Her right eye narrowed, her lips pursed faintly, and she raised an index finger beneath her lips, as if she found the situation extremely difficult.

[Hehe, stop pretending. I know you must have already made a detailed plan, Raye.]

I laughed and exposed the little act of the friend before me, just as I always did.

She had always been like this. No matter what she did, she planned everything thoroughly from beginning to end, making her incredibly reliable. Someone like her could never panic simply because she lacked a plan.

[Ah, did I make one or not? If I overslept today and forgot about this, it's not impossible that I didn't make a plan. So, did I make one or not?]

Although she said that, the girl before me had already reached behind her and pulled out a small notebook that looked both brand-new and old.

[Tada! Ultimate Summer Festival Guide. What do you think? Aren't I amazing? I spent ages putting together this guide to the summer festival, one that would let us visit every stall and see the best shows.]

The platinum-haired girl proudly showed off the little notebook in her hand. Its new cover and old pages perfectly displayed the effort she had put in.

[That's amazing. You really went all out, Raye. Wasn't it exhausting?]

I put on an appropriately surprised expression.

I had always known that Raye was good at gathering information and making plans, but the level of detail she had reached still exceeded my imagination.

"Well, seeing that expression on your face, Chris-chan, means my effort wasn't wasted. Anyway, let's check the time. The recommendation is... Hmm, let's buy some portable snacks first."

The girl before me took my hand. I couldn't feel anything at all, yet genuine happiness rippled through my heart.

After that happiness, the images began to flash and overlap. At one moment, I was troubled as I tried to win a game at a stall; at another, I was delighted by food I had never seen before.

Every stop touched some unknown nerve within me, filling my mind with dreamlike happiness.

I couldn't remember what I had just experienced, because the shapes of those scenes had already become indistinct.