Sky Striker Ace, but Symphogear

"Over the past week, Second Division had been discussing this matter with higher-ups, but for some reason, many people in the government were extremely enthusiastic about 'capturing Raye.' They put a great deal of pressure on us and demanded that we act as soon as possible."

Genjuro Kazanari added. The expression on his face as he explained made it clear that this matter was indeed giving him a headache.

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

After Genjuro Kazanari said that, Hibiki Tachibana could not help asking.

"Of course. I had 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 truly cannot take on a mission like this right now. Raye is not a mindless Noise. No matter how one looks at it, she is an enemy that our Second Division currently cannot defeat.]

[Commander Kazanari, you do not understand the value of the Relics Raye possesses. You do not know what we could accomplish if we obtained the Relics in her hands.]

[Of course we understand that. The Relics in her possession are indeed extremely powerful, but...]

[Oh, since Commander Kazanari understands, then there is no problem.]

[You just said that Raye is very powerful, correct? In that case, we will provide you with more material support and command authority over more troops. We hope you can bring us the results we want.]

[Wait, that is not what I meant.]

[Commander Kazanari, understand your position. Do not be too greedy. Only by doing what you ought to do can you make up for the mistakes your Second Division made in the past.]

[...]

Just like those meeting records, no matter how Genjuro Kazanari emphasized Raye's danger and the difficulty of capturing her to the government personnel, all he received was even greater pressure demanding that he capture Raye.

The only thing that could be called fortunate was that the higher-ups had not asked them to capture Raye with wooden sticks and shouted abuse. After all those meetings, the resources he could mobilize had inexplicably grown greater and greater. For fighting a single battle, they could practically be called lavish.

"Anyway, that is the situation. You understand now, Tachibana."

Genjuro Kazanari said.

"So, whether I brought it up or not, we would have to fight Miss Raye in the near future?"

With Commander Kazanari's explanation, Hibiki Tachibana understood the current situation as well. And after understanding it, her feelings could only be described as complicated.

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

"That is roughly it. Since we have to set a trap to capture Raye no matter what, arranging it based on your voluntary actions, Tachibana, would naturally make it more covert."

Genjuro Kazanari nodded as he spoke.

"So as long as I cooperate with you, Master, I can go watch the meteors? I understand. I'll work hard!"

Having understood the cause and effect, although she still felt somewhat conflicted, Hibiki Tachibana no longer refused. There was no reason for her to reject something that could both help everyone and fulfill her wish to watch the meteors.

"Mm, as Little Hibiki's temporary physical condition manager, I also think this is good for her. As long as Little Hibiki's heart is strong enough, not only will the chance of going berserk be greatly reduced, but the melody of her singing will also allow Symphogear to unleash even greater power."

Ryouko Sakurai, standing nearby, nodded as she spoke. Little Hibiki regaining her spirits seemed to make her happy as well.

"Eh, is that so?"

It was the first time Hibiki Tachibana had heard such a thing.

"Ryouko is right. The physical training I had you undergo, Tachibana, was also more about tempering your will, allowing you to adapt to the power of more Symphogear."

Genjuro Kazanari confirmed.

"Okay, if that is the case, then I need to work even harder."

Though she did not really understand it, Hibiki Tachibana would do her very best regardless. That was simply her style.

P.S. Good evening?

Leaked Intelligence and Countermeasures

A door with understated luxury styling was pushed open forcefully. A lively girl with short flaxen hair burst in like a whirlwind, drawing the attention of the intellectual girl inside, who wore a white bow on her head.

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

The lively girl looked extremely happy. The moment she returned, she ran over to the intellectual girl, who seemed to be very close to her, and loudly poured out the joy in her heart.

[Eh, Hibiki, really?]

The lively girl's words seemed to greatly surprise the intellectual girl, and after hearing the news, joy involuntarily appeared on her face as well.

[Of course! Then we can go watch the meteors together. Ah, I'm really looking forward to it, going to watch the meteors with Miku.]

The lively girl spoke happily, her eyes filled with anticipation for that day.

[That said, Hibiki, how much of your report is left? Don't forget that day is the deadline for the report. If you do not finish it before then, Hibiki...]

After calming down, the intellectual girl asked the lively girl in a somewhat worried tone.

[Ah!]

Upon hearing the intellectual girl's question, the lively girl's expression, which had been immersed in joy, suddenly froze. She seemed to have remembered something terrible.

[Oh no! I was so absorbed in training lately that I completely forgot about the report. How could this happen? I finally got such a rare chance.]

The lively girl clutched her head, her expression seemingly agonized as she let out a miserable wail.

[It can't be helped, Hibiki. I'll stay with you. This week, let's do our best to finish the report.]

The intellectual girl looked somewhat helpless. It seemed that she had long expected the lively girl's behavior.

[Thank you, Miku. I-I'll work hard too!]

Though she was about to face a painful future, with the help of the intellectual girl she called Miku, the lively girl regained her spirits and walked toward the desk they shared, preparing to begin a difficult battle with her school report while hoping that a miracle like the one before summer vacation ended would happen again.

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

Originally, she had only intended to routinely monitor Hibiki Tachibana's daily life, to see whether she could analyze any information from it. Then she saw the scene before her.

"This is a trap. This is undoubtedly a trap."

Raye immediately thought.

She did not believe that under her pressure, Second Division could still be confident enough to let Hibiki Tachibana leave the defensive perimeter around headquarters.

And if Hibiki Tachibana's current display was genuine, then other than a trap, Raye could not think of any other possibility.

"Although after failing to capture Hibiki Tachibana, I understood that Second Division would sooner or later set some sort of trap using Hibiki Tachibana to ambush me, only one week has passed. Isn't this far too hasty?"

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

"Hmm... Rationally speaking, making such a move after only a week was clearly unreasonable. No matter how quickly they acted, the damage I caused would take a long time to repair. In other words, was there outside interference? Some force that could not only influence Second Division's decisions, but also provide it with sufficient resources... the government?"

"Let's investigate a little."

After a brief period of thought, Raye conducted a simple investigation in a certain direction based on her hypothesis.

"Abnormal troop movements, abnormal weapons transfers, abnormal transfers of all sorts of miscellaneous supplies... Hmm, there are even meeting records with Second Division... As expected, it was pressure from certain government officials that made Second Division act so quickly. In other words, they might urgently need to do something to shut the higher-ups up."

Very quickly, Raye obtained information on the unusual transfers of weapons, troops, and supplies through certain means, then made her own deductions.

Though Second Division's own defenses were impregnable, the government was an institution made up of many people, and some civil servants did not possess any special awareness of security precautions.

By investigating the loopholes created by those careless personnel and the people around them, she could glimpse relatively confidential intelligence through those unusual actions.

"That should be the general situation. The specific reliability will depend on later investigation. For now, the question is how to respond to the other side's move accordingly."

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

For Raye, rather than exploiting flaws in Second Division headquarters, whose defenses were already extremely complete and might grow stronger by the day, breaking through a hastily constructed trap would be easier.

"From our previous actions, they should already have a basic understanding of my fighting style and the abilities I possess. In other words, given sufficient manpower, this trap should be thoroughly prepared to counter every aspect of me and deal with all conventional situations."

Thoughts began turning through Raye's mind. Judging from the scale of their personnel movements, the other side was extremely well supplied in both manpower and resources this time, giving them enough tactical freedom to target her.

"If that is the case, then this time it is necessary to use abilities I have never shown them, as well as new tactics based on those abilities..."

After understanding this, Raye made her decision.

Her known combat methods would be countered, so she would use methods and techniques that the other side would not normally be able to anticipate.

And quite conveniently, due to her tireless collection of Relics and her ruthless exploitation of the Bavarian Illuminati, Raye possessed quite a wide variety of Heresy Technology.

"Hmm... Considering the Heresy Technology I currently possess, along with concealment, surprise, and practicality... Mm, I have it. This could work. If I do this, not only will the probability of success be assured, but escaping will also be convenient if it fails."

Before long, an initial idea appeared in Raye's mind. Combined with the actions and preparations the other side might make, this tactical concept had the highest chance of success.

"If I do this, the preparations will be a massive undertaking, and I have to act before they begin making their arrangements. Time is a little tight. It seems I can only leave some less important parts to Chris."

Raye thought.

The method she had chosen had advantages in every aspect, but it had one flaw: the preliminary preparations were extremely troublesome. It could be considered a plan that traded massive advance work for a major advantage in battle.

"I'll draw up a plan first, then go find Chris after I finish. Come to think of it, I have not seen her for a while. These past few days, I have been wrapping up the defensive work here."

Thinking this, Raye closed the surveillance window on her computer, opened 3D mapping and modeling software, and began creating the planning diagrams necessary for her scheme.

P.S. Good night.

Dream

Neon lights filled the streets and alleys. Colorful, tangled lights flooded the field of vision, while the clamorous voices of a lively crowd entered from every direction. Many people were playing, and many people were laughing.

[This is...?]

I could not help asking. My memories told me that she had clearly been sitting at a desk just moments ago, so why was she in a place that looked like some kind of festival?

[Chris.]

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

Even though I felt nothing, I knew what it was, and I knew what kind of reaction I would have.

[Uwah—Raye, don't scare me like that.]

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

Platinum-blonde hair cascaded down to her waist. Her slender body was wrapped in a beautiful yukata decorated with intricate patterns, and though her left eye was covered by a white eyepatch, her carefully dressed face was still lovely.

That girl—the girl called Raye in my memories—appeared before me.

A blazing festival, a slightly crowded sea of people, and the dreamlike girl before me.

I understood. I was lost. I was intoxicated. Everything was so beautiful. Every worry was a phantom bubble far beyond the horizon, and every hardship was a dream like clouds and mist, impossible to truly feel.

[What's wrong, Chris? We finally came out to have fun together. Why are you spacing out? Didn't you say you wanted to visit this festival with me?]

A clear, calm voice with a trace of excitement slipped into my ears. No, it was a voice that brought joy, echoing through my mind.

My original rationality began to melt away. The consciousness that had been about to break free became blurred. I had already completely forgotten why I was in this place, and all my awareness greedily clung to the beautiful scene before me.

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

Within that chaotic dream, I answered the girl before me. A pleasure that nearly crushed my nerves burst forth from the depths of my heart.

[Is that so? But it's my first time attending a festival like this too. What should we do, then? Maybe we should go back the way we came?]

The girl in the yukata tilted her head slightly, narrowed her right eye, gently pursed her lips, and placed her raised index finger beneath them, as though she found the matter quite troublesome.

[Pfft, stop pretending. I know you, Raye. You definitely already made a detailed plan, didn't you?]

I laughed and, just as I always did, exposed my friend's little act.

She had always been like this. No matter what she did, she would carefully make plans from beginning to end, making her feel incredibly dependable. Someone like her could not possibly panic because she was unprepared.

[Ah, did I make one or not? Maybe I slept in today and forgot about it. It's not impossible that I do not have a plan, so did I make one or not—]

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

[Ta-da! The Ultimate Summer Festival Guide! What do you think? I'm amazing, right? I spent a very long time putting together this summer festival guide, one that will definitely let us visit every stall and watch the best events.]

The platinum-haired girl proudly showed off the little notebook in her hands. Its new cover and worn pages perfectly displayed her efforts.

[That's amazing. Raye, you worked way too hard on this. Won't it be exhausting?]

I put on a suitably surprised expression.

Raye had always been good at gathering information and making plans. I had always known that, but this level of detail still exceeded my expectations.

[Well, seeing that expression on Chris's face means my efforts were not wasted. Anyway, looking at the time, the recommendation is... Mm, let's first buy some portable snacks.]

The girl before me took my hand. Even though I felt nothing, genuine joy rippled through my heart.

After that joy, the scenes began to flash and overlap continuously. Sometimes we struggled before game stalls in pursuit of victory; sometimes we were delighted by foods we had never seen before.

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

I did not remember the scenes I had just experienced, because their forms had already become vague and indistinct.