Sky Striker Ace, but Symphogear

It's truly hard to believe that someone like her would now resort to such ruthless methods to commit evil, even indiscriminately harming people's lives.

The cold ground and damp soil, a situation that would normally make one uncomfortable, actually helped Kohinata Miku emotional turmoil.

[...]

Feeling the coolness spreading throughout her body, Kohinata Miku began to think for a long time.

[Hibiki was threatened and taken away by Raye. Yes, it must have been very painful, but if it's Raye, I believe her. I believe she would never harm Hibiki's life.]

Finally, after a rather lengthy period of thought, and despite having no basis for it, Kohinata Miku chose in her heart to trust the Raye she remembered.

Of course, it's also possible that Kohinata Miku current state, is unwilling to consider and accept the possibility that things could be even worse.

P. S. Maybe it's just "Good morning"?

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Departure

"Do you really enjoy lying on the ground that much? I remember the Grappling Anchor I used on you wasn't very tight; you could only move a little."

While Kohinata pondering, Raye had already quickly finished her tasks and, using the faintly glowing blade as light, walked to Kohinata Miku's side, who was lying on the ground.

"... Raye."

White combat boots landed on the ground not far in front of him. Looking up, he saw Raye in the same posture as when they first met.

[Should I ask Hibiki what will happen...? If I ask, will Raye tell me?]

The next moment after seeing Raye, this thought popped into Kohinata Miku's mind.

She was worried about Raye's changes, but she was also concerned about what kind of treatment her friends, who had been taken away by Raye, would receive.

[No, never mind. Regardless of whether things are as I believe, if I ask, Raye will probably only give me the worst possible answer.]

However, Kohinata Miku dismissed this idea.

"Phew, I don't understand your thinking. Oh well, never mind."

Seeing that Kohinata Miku hadn't responded and seemed lost in thought, Raye shook her head and dropped the subject.

"Once I get you up there, my job for today will be done. So, please get up from the ground first." 59

Then, as she spoke, Raye used her hand, which was covered by the black lining of the armor, to Grappling Anchor on Kohinata Miku and pull her up from the ground.

"Huh?"

Suddenly pulled up from the ground, Kohinata Miku, whose body had not fully recovered from the electric shock, almost fell again.

Fortunately, her body was supported by an object outside her body in time, preventing her from suffering secondary injury.

"Stand still and follow me. Don't waste my time."

After regaining her footing, Kohinata Miku felt Raye's voice enter her ears from beside her, and the next moment, the hand that had been supporting her body left her.

Kohinata Miku watched as Raye, who was pulling herself along by the restraints on her body, moved in a certain direction.

"Okay, I understand."

Kohinata Miku responded and followed Raye's lead in the direction she was heading.

[This feeling... I'm a little nostalgic. I remember being taken away in the same way back then.]

Silently following Raye, Kohinata Miku of free time, felt her thoughts begin to stir slightly.

[I really don't understand you anymore, Raye. What exactly have you been through since then? And why are you doing something like kidnapping Hibiki?]

He pondered silently, and as time went on, the initial shock of the intellectual girl had subsided.

After calming down, she unconsciously began to think about the causes of her current situation.

No, I still don't understand. There are just too many things I don't know.

However, lacking the necessary information, she obviously couldn't deduce the truth of the matter and could only follow Raye to the edge of this not-so-large space in futile contemplation.

"Since no one is here anymore, let's fill this space back in. Otherwise, if something unexpected happens later and causes a collapse, it won't be good. This will come in handy."

Reaching the edge of the space, to a damp but sturdy wall, Raye turned around and said this to the space where the clutter had been recycled, squatting down and placing her hands on the ground.

[Is this feeling... Is Raye going to use that magical ability?]

Seeing Raye's actions, Kohinata Miku quickly recalled the magical abilities the girl in front of her had once displayed.

The next moment, under her gaze, Raye did something, and a large light array composed of small, earth-yellow hexagons appeared at the bottom of this dark underground space.

"Then there's the cost. Let me think, what are some things that we don't need for the time being, or that are no longer useful?"

Raye pondered, looking at Kohinata Miku Mirai. She then stepped forward and disassembled the Widow Anchor.

"Use this, plus this one that was hastily made but has lost its momentum."

Next, Raye opened the white portal and took out several yellow mechanical arms that Kohinata Miku was very familiar with.

"Hmm, that should be enough. If it's just about filling up space, this is sufficient."

As Raye said this, she threw all the aforementioned items into the light array on the ground. Then, these items melted before Kohinata Miku's eyes, turning into an earth-yellow symbol that she didn't recognize.

"As expected, if Alchemy doesn't use memories as a price, then this is all it can achieve. In terms of convenience and speed of execution, it's completely inadequate for combat."

"We still need to find a sustainable energy source, along with appropriate armor, to make the best use of this technology."

As the strange, yellowish-brown markings were filled in, ordinary soil began to grow on the ground. Raye looked at this scene and muttered to herself thoughtfully.

[It seems that Raye's use of this ability is much stronger than when I first met her. I remember back then she could only break through walls.]

On the other side, Kohinata Miku freed from her restraints, looked at the scene before her and thought to herself.

"Let's go, stop looking. If you don't want to be buried in the ground, stick close to me."

Just as Kohinata Miku was pondering, Raye's voice came from behind.

"Okay, I understand."

Turning around, and looking at Raye had already carved out a new space on the mud wall, Kohinata Miku didn't say anything and followed her.

After she stepped inside, she turned to look at the entrance and saw that it had begun to slowly close.

In an instant, the two of them went from a spacious outdoor area to a completely dark space, only slightly larger than a home bathroom.

It's so dark, I can't see anything.

The cramped and narrow space made it difficult for Kohinata Miku to breathe for a moment.

"Don't get distracted, or I won't be responsible if you fall and get swallowed by the ground."

Raye's voice rang out again from the darkness ahead, offering this reminder.

"Hmm... I understand."

Upon hearing this, Kohinata Miku remained silent for a short while, suppressing the growing doubt in her eyes, and responded.

"That's fine then... So, um, location confirmed, destination selected... and the direction is this direction."

Seeing that the girl had regained her attention, Raye also spent a short time confirming the next steps, and the light from the magic circle in her hand illuminated the dark space.

P. S. Good afternoon.

Chapter 100: The Final Exchange

Above the pitch-black night sky, a bright moon, still disc-shaped and without any strange halo, hung in the air, its pure white light casting a white blanket over a smooth, deserted road.

Along the roadside of this deserted highway, a patch of ground, overgrown with weeds and not covered by cement, shimmered with a faint, earthy yellow light. The damp soil first bulged up like a mound, then cracked like a volcano.

Finally, when everything returned to silence, a sloping pit appeared out of nowhere on the ground.

Inside, there was a slightly tired black-haired high school girl whose school uniform was covered in mud and dust, and a platinum-blonde girl wearing black and white armor who was supporting an earth-yellow magic circle with one hand and half-supporting a light green magic circle with the other.

These two Kohinata Miku and Raye, who had just returned to the surface from deep underground using Heresy Technology.

"Alright, I'll stop here. You should be able to walk up by yourself, right?"

After dispelling the two magical arrays in her hands, Raye turned around and glanced at Kohinata Miku behind her, asking this question.

"Yes, that's fine."

Kohinata Miku nodded; as a former member of the track and field club, she certainly possessed that level of physical fitness.

"That's good. I'll be going now. Oh, by the way, do you have your own way home?"

Raye had just taken out the red crystal she used for teleportation when she suddenly remembered something and casually asked a question.

"Um, I have my phone with me... Oh, where's my phone?"

Kohinata Miku was about to say no problem, but just as she was about to take it out of her clothes to show it, she belatedly realized that she didn't have her phone with her.

Prior to this, for convenience, she and Hibiki Tachibana had placed some luggage-like items aside, including their cell phones. However, with the subsequent series of events, it became even less likely that she would be able to retrieve her phone.

"Is that so? It's good that I asked, otherwise it would have been troublesome. The security at night is not exactly safe."

Looking at Kohinata Miku's answer on the screen and her somewhat troubled movements, Raye said this.

"Well, I think the security situation here is alright. After all, Raye, you've already taken down so many of those awful people... well, you know. So in my opinion, the security here has always been pretty good."

Upon hearing Raye's statement, Kohinata Miku organized her thoughts briefly before correcting Raye's statement.

At least from her own experience, the number of serious crimes in the city dropped precipitously after that day.

"Disarm? Oh, you mean what I did casually before? Please, Kohinata, don't underestimate the malice in people's hearts. What I did won't deter anyone for long."

Raye made this statement after noticing Kohinata Miku's correction.

"And, aren't you being a little too casual with me? Don't forget, it was me who just used your life as a tool to kidnap your friend."

Then, below the screen, Raye's eyes narrowed slightly as she gave Kohinata Miku the same reminder, emphasizing the same point once again.

"I know that, but I can't bring myself to see Raye as that kind of bad person."

Faced with Raye's emphasis, Kohinata Miku, who had been thinking for a long time and had made up her mind, spoke gently and calmly.

"Why? You know your friend is currently in a state of uncertainty, like Schrödinger's cat, with no clear answer to life or death. How can you be so calm?"

Raye was somewhat confused. She couldn't understand why, as time went by, Kohinata Miku, who had been a little flustered before, had become so calm.

"Because..."

Hearing Raye's question, and looking at the girl in front of her, whose expression was cold but seemed to be limited to that, Kohinata Miku once again recalled the other's actions and everything the other had done in the past.

"... I believe that you, Raye, would not hurt Hibiki. In fact, knowing Raye you've done before, no one would believe you would become someone who carelessly takes other people's lives."

Finally, covered in dust Kohinata Miku, under the full moonlight, calmly but firmly gave this answer.

"Ha?"

Looking at Kohinata Miku's answer displayed on the screen, Raye was speechless for a moment.

"You two are actually quite compatible in some ways. One tries to reach an understanding with the enemy on a battlefield where the two are clearly on opposing sides, while the other, after witnessing me do such a terrible thing, inexplicably believes me without any reason or evidence. You're both equally strange."

Raye couldn't help but complain that she felt Hibiki Tachibana and Kohinata Miku might have some kind of mental problem.

"Hibiki, has she ever done that? Hmm, it does seem like something she would do?"

After hearing what Hibiki Tachibana had done from Raye, Kohinata Miku spoke gently.

"Forget it, continuing this conversation is just a waste of time. I'll leave after I've taken care of how you get home."

Anyway, what Kohinata Miku isn't important, Raye is completely too lazy to do anything more to correct her.

"What should I do, Raye? Are you planning to take me back?"

Kohinata Miku asked with some curiosity.

"How could that be? I don't have that time. Of course, I'll find someone who has the time, energy, and free time to take you home."

Raye said this naturally, and then with a slight thought, a portal emitting white light appeared beside her.

"Armed Request: Tiger Shark Cannon; Special Ammunition Request: Illumination flares."

With Raye's command, the white-glowing portal flickered, and the next moment, it spat out a black, double-barreled cannon-like object.

"Preparations complete, then the phone call... oh, I need to deactivate the armor first."

Then, at a speed that left Kohinata Miku completely speechless, Raye removed the tight-fitting armor from her body. A white light enveloped her body, and as the light dissipated, her original casual clothes were revealed.

The main body consists of a simple black and white dress and black stockings that cover almost the entire length of Raye's body from bottom to top.

The only glimpse of her fair and beautiful skin that was visible was her seemingly slender and delicate hands, and the absolute territory that was faintly visible between her stockings and dress.

"Raye, what are you wearing?"

This was the first time Kohinata Miku had seen Raye dressed like this. She had seen her dressed before, usually in casual shirts and trousers.