Sky Striker Ace, but Symphogear

Facing Hibiki Tachibana's words, Miku merely shook her head lightly, then asked with a trace of concern in her expression.

"Um, yes, that's right. I still have training this afternoon. Sorry..."

Hearing Miku's question, Hibiki's gaze drifted away. In the end, she pressed her palms together, apologizing as she explained her thoughts.

"Hibiki, you don't need to apologize to me. Since you didn't tell me, there must be some difficulty that you can't share with me. I understand. I know."

Kohinata Miku turned her head and moved her gaze away from Hibiki Tachibana. Hiding her expression from Hibiki, she spoke in the same gentle tone she always used.

[Yeah, that's right. That's how it is. This is normal. I don't need to care about it.]

Kohinata Miku thought to herself.

After all, when it came to keeping secrets, she too had hidden something from her closest friend—a matter she had always regretted in her heart, one for which she could never forgive herself, yet could not confide in anyone, not even her closest friend.

[Ugh, Miku definitely got angry seeing me like this. I really should think of another way, shouldn't I? But all I can do is work hard.]

However, unaware of Miku's thoughts, Hibiki Tachibana naturally took Miku's current behavior as proof that she was angry.

"Ah, Miku... It's not like that. Actually, I, um..."

Thinking that, Hibiki awkwardly tried to explain, but because of the confidentiality agreement, she had no idea how to do so.

"Miku, don't worry. I'll write the report right now. I'll definitely finish it before the deadline, and then I'll go watch the meteor shower with you."

In the end, unable to figure out what she should do, Hibiki chose a very Hibiki-like way of handling things: putting it aside for now and getting to work.

[I absolutely have to work hard. I can't disappoint Miku. This is the only thing I can do for her.]

With that in mind, Hibiki took action.

Very soon, under Kohinata Miku's watchful gaze, she flipped off the bed, jogged over to the dorm desk, opened her notebook, picked up a pen, and began her usual battle with reports.

"Hibiki, that's not what I meant... Sigh, fine. I'll help you today."

The moment Hibiki acted, Miku realized that Hibiki had misunderstood her.

But because she had already missed the best time to explain, and because she did not know how to explain herself either, she could only let the misunderstanding stand. Slowly climbing down from the bed, she planned to keep Hibiki company while writing their study reports.

Thus, taking advantage of the gap between morning and their first class, the two immersed themselves in arduous study—arduous for Hibiki, and worrying for Miku.

"It really looks like I won't finish... Maybe I should ask the teacher to push the deadline back a few days. Like, until next week."

Not long afterward, Hibiki Tachibana lived up to expectations and despaired at how little her study report had shrunk.

"Hibiki, are you really sure you can persuade the teacher? There probably isn't much of your impression score left with them."

Miku replied while writing her own report.

"What if? What if a miracle really happens? Um, Miku, do you know how I should write this part?"

As she said words she did not even believe herself, Hibiki began asking Miku for help.

"I'd rather you didn't use miracles for this kind of thing. For this part, I recommend that you look at this website and copy the content from it."

Miku helplessly teased her while patiently giving guidance in a way Hibiki could understand and carry out.

"Okay, got it. Let me look... Ah, what's going on? The internet seems kind of laggy?"

After receiving Miku's teasing and advice, Hibiki made a tearful expression, picked up the study tablet set beside her, opened a search engine, and prepared to search for the study site Miku had mentioned.

[Even if I say that, can Hibiki really learn anything through a report like this? Well, never mind. I shouldn't think about that. I should work hard too, finish quickly, and help Hibiki.]

Kohinata Miku thought this, then turned her attention to her own study report. If she could finish it quickly, perhaps she could take some of Hibiki's workload off her hands.

"Um... Ah, Miku, it looks like a miracle really happened."

Just as Kohinata Miku was thinking that, her close friend's words interrupted her thoughts.

"A miracle?"

Kohinata Miku raised her head in confusion.

Then she saw her close friend, Hibiki Tachibana, showing her the screen of her tablet. On that screen, Kohinata Miku saw the true form of the miracle Hibiki had pointed out.

[Professional copywriting and report ghostwriting. Daily assignments and study reports alike can be written for you. Revisions guaranteed! Satisfaction guaranteed!]

Beneath the search bar was an ad column that was obviously crudely made and looked hastily thrown together. Kohinata Miku understood that the miracle Hibiki meant seemed to be the service advertised there.

"So, Hibiki, are you really planning to rely on this? Are you sure?"

Watching Hibiki, who was excited as though rain had fallen after a long drought, Miku asked helplessly.

"I-I know this isn't right, of course. It's better to write homework and stuff yourself, but... Ugh, I really have no other way."

Hibiki spoke mournfully. It was clear that the pressure had truly driven her half out of her mind. If she kept writing, she suspected that before anyone came to take her away, she might suddenly die from writing reports.

"That's not what I mean. Usually, ads like this are probably scams."

Miku shook her head and voiced what she truly thought.

As for her close friend's behavior, having personally witnessed how excessively hard Hibiki had worked and hoping that Hibiki could relax a little, Miku naturally had no objection.

She was merely worried whether the ad on which her close friend had placed such hopes might be some kind of scam. An advertisement that practically had "I'm a scammer" written across its face was simply too unsettling.

"A scam... Ah, I never even considered that possibility. So I can't use it...?"

Hearing Miku's explanation, Hibiki wilted, her expression darkening as she put the tablet back on the desk.

"At least let's verify it first. If it's real, then it would be great if it could make things easier for you. But you'd better not get your hopes up too much."

Miku sighed, took Hibiki's tablet, and planned to help her close friend assess whether the ad was genuine.

"Please, Miku."

Knowing she was not good at this sort of thing, Hibiki could only ask Miku for help while continuing to seize the time to write her report.

At Hibiki's request, Miku clicked on the strange ad Hibiki had found.

[Hello, how may I serve you? (·ó)]

The instant she entered, Miku saw that in the center of a crude website page that looked like a college student's rushed graduation project, such a line popped up at an almost AI-like speed, complete with a cute emoticon.

[As expected, is it a scam site?]

Seeing a page like this, Miku no longer held much hope for it.

[...]

Yet though her hopes were low, as she looked at the line of text on the page, an inexplicable feeling rose in her heart, and so she continued.

[It's like this, I wanted to ask...]

Starting with that, Kohinata Miku began judging the website's authenticity.

"Miku, how do I write this part, Miku?"

After an unknown amount of time, Hibiki Tachibana ran into another problem with her report. She reflexively went to ask Miku, only to discover that her close friend was staring blankly at the screen in her hands.

"What is it, Miku?"

Hibiki tilted her head, rose curiously, walked over to Miku, and looked at the screen in her hands.

[Can this really work?]

[Yes, no problem. Honesty and mutual benefit are our principles. Please trust our reputation. (·ω·)◇]

Then she saw that conversation on the screen.

"Mm, Hibiki, what is it? Is something wrong?"

Noticing Hibiki's movement, Kohinata Miku snapped out of her daze, turned slightly, and asked.

"There's a bit of a problem. I don't really understand what I should do here."

Hibiki found it strange, but still answered.

"This... Mm, let me think."

Hearing Hibiki's question, Miku shifted her attention to Hibiki's report and prepared to think it over.

"Wait, more importantly, Miku, were you looking at that website this whole time? That expression just now... Was it really a scam site after all?"

Before Miku could start thinking, Hibiki asked curiously. Compared to the report, her close friend's behavior just now interested her more.

"The website... Ah, no. Hibiki, I was just happy about how lucky you are."

After Hibiki mentioned the website, Miku paused briefly, then gently shook her head and gave an answer different from what Hibiki had expected.

"Huh, lucky? Wait, if you're saying that, does that mean this site is real?!"

Realizing what Miku meant, Hibiki immediately understood the implication of her words.

"Yes, that's right. Although the website is rather crude and the form of its advertising leaves much to be desired, I think she can be trusted. In other words, your study report should be saved."

Kohinata Miku said with a smile.

"She?"

Hibiki was slightly puzzled by Miku's wording, unable to understand how Miku knew the gender of the person on the other side of the internet. It was not even a voice message.

"...Never mind. So that means I can safely hand part of the study report to her, right? Great, I'll organize it right away."

But Hibiki soon stopped caring about such a minor matter and happily began sorting out the report questions.

"However, as payment, you may have to spend some of your allowance. That means you might have to eat a little less lately."

Looking at the delighted Hibiki, Miku smilingly delivered a reminder that might deal her close friend a megaton blow.

"N-No problem. It's absolutely no problem. In order to watch the meteors with Miku, I can endure this much sacrifice. Gulp."

After receiving the reminder, Hibiki forced down the feeling of her heart bleeding and continued organizing the report with a strained smile.

"Good luck."

Miku offered Hibiki that encouragement, then shifted her attention away from her and returned to the conversation she had just had with that "customer service representative."

[That distinctive Japanese, Chinese-style phrasing mixed with bits of dialect, and those emoticons at the ends of sentences... Could it be her? Or is it just a coincidence...?]

Miku's thoughts were in complete turmoil, and she did not know what to do.

[Forget it. Even if it really is her, she has nothing to do with me now. I should focus on the present.]

Suppressing her tangled thoughts deep inside, Miku immersed herself in her own report. Hibiki had been forced to rely on outside help, but Miku still had to finish hers independently as much as possible.

P.S. Good morning.

Reason? Emotion!

At Fine Mansion, when Chris woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. Having worked all day yesterday and gone to bed late, she had spent the entire night comfortably nestled in the soft bed.

"Yawn, I slept a little too long. How's Raye doing? She didn't really work all night, did she?"

Straightening her messy hair and tidying up her appearance, Chris headed toward Raye's workspace, which she had visited before.

Soon, accompanied by the creak of the wooden door, Chris opened the door to Raye's workspace.

"Raye, are you here? I'm up now. What was it you said you needed me to do yesterday?"

Entering the room, Chris Yukine began looking for Raye.

"Chris, you're here? Good evening... Ah, it should be morning now. Anyway, good morning, Chris."

The moment Chris called out, the girl named Raye, wearing only a white undershirt, shakily rose from her seat and greeted the entering Chris with difficulty.

"R-Raye, what exactly did you do last night?"

At the first sight of Raye in her current state, Chris was startled.

Her platinum-blonde hair hung casually down her back without being tended to. Dark circles caused by blood pooling had appeared beneath her pretty face, and though she was standing, her body looked as if it could collapse at any moment.

Without a doubt, Raye had not only failed to rest at all last night, but had also done extremely intense work.

"What did I do? I just put together a website, gathered and looked into Lydian Music Academy's course content, and tried writing some of those reports. Yawn..."

Raye answered Chris's question while yawning.

"Oh, right, Chris, you don't need to go to Lydian Music Academy anymore. I more or less established a trusting relationship with Hibiki Tachibana just now. From now on, we only need to send the reports over online."

Then Raye rubbed her temples and continued introducing the results of her night's work, her eyelids drooping fitfully.

"And this is what I need to ask you to do, Chris. These are Lydian Music Academy's study materials and the requirements for the study reports. I've already tried doing the more difficult reports. As for the remaining reports, the ones that can be quickly understood and completed, I'll leave those to you to do whenever you have time."

Finally, Raye pulled a USB drive from her computer tower and handed it to Chris as she spoke.

"Raye..."