Sky Striker Ace, but Symphogear - Chapter 70

Those around her shared the same feeling; after Raye spoke, the slight chaos that had existed in the environment vanished as if an angel had passed by.

In everyone's minds at that moment, the words of that girl, who was still somewhat unfamiliar to them, sounded as convincing as those of a gentle mother who had cared for them for a long time.

"Okay, that works."

Then, Kohinata Miku saw that Raye, as if she had breathed a sigh of relief, sheathed her black and red blade, walked past them, and came to a wall.

"Based on the prior investigation, hmm, this is it... I'll use a little magic next, but don't worry, it won't hurt you."

After placing her hand on the wall, Raye muttered something to herself before turning around and speaking to the inexplicably calm women.

Crackling sound - snapping sound

As Raye spoke, a scene as if by magic unfolded before their eyes, with a regular hexagon radiating an earthy yellow light spreading out from where Raye's hand touched.

The next moment, the originally smooth and solid concrete wall obeyed her command like a soldier, creating a passage that allowed the two of them to pass side by side.

The wall has been opened.

The shock of seeing such a scene for the first time echoed in Kohinata Miku's mind, and at that moment, the girl who had finished her work appeared in front of her.

"Your name is Kohinata Miku, right? Kohinata, [calm down], nothing will happen again. I won't let anything happen to you, so [cheer up]."

My hand was grasped, and at the same time, these words came from the person in front of me.

[It's amazing, I feel like I have more strength in my body.]

After being treated this way, a sense of peace welled up from my heart. The gloom that had been hanging over me because of the treatment I had been subjected to for so long was dispelled by the warm sunshine that seemed to come from nowhere.

While Kohinata Miku was still savoring the moment, she saw the girl who had said those words to her run off to the others who were also in the room.

Then, just as he would with himself, he first called them by name, and then—soothed their emotions.

In the blink of an eye, the suddenly appearing girl calmed everyone's tense emotions caused by fear and gained their trust.

What happened next needs no further elaboration. They followed the passage opened up by Raye and arrived at an underground waterway.

The cement wall blocking their path was moved aside by an earthen-yellow magic circle; the water that had been blocking their way was frozen into a path by a blue magic circle; the strange, terrifying poisonous gas was purified by a green magic circle; and a red magic circle that had been running above them all the time was releasing warm heat.

In this way, under Raye's leadership, no one fell behind, and they successfully arrived at a very large building.

"Alright, that's enough for now. Your parents are waiting for you outside. [Don't worry if you don't see them yet, just stay here and wait patiently. I'll help you.] Okay, I have some other things to do, so I'll be leaving now."

Raye, who led them to the gymnasium, opened the door to freedom for them, and then, after making this request, disappeared from their sight.

After that, everyone, including myself, passed through the gate and, just as Raye had said, saw their parents and family members waiting anxiously in the lobby, each with a different expression.

"Wait, Kohinata, are you sure you're talking about Raye, and not someone else? She sounds completely different from the person I know."

While listening to Kohinata Miku's story, Tsubasa Kazanari couldn't help but interrupt and made this comment.

"No, I didn't lie at all. What I just said was my true experience and how I truly felt at the time."

Upon hearing Tsubasa Kazanari's question, Kohinata Miku, who had temporarily stopped her story, replied with great determination.

"But, it sounds too bizarre. The Raye who pressed me like a raging storm during our battle is so different from the Raye you Kohinata, who was so gentle it was unbelievable. The difference is just too great."

Tsubasa Kazanari still found it somewhat hard to accept.

The difference between Raye, who achieves her goals through a series of rapid, coordinated attacks and possesses strong initiative, and the Raye Kohinata as appearing like a savior, providing reassuring care to everyone, is somewhat too great.

Although she had discerned the genuine kindness hidden within Raye from various details, she still found it hard to believe what Kohinata Miku was telling her, because it contradicted her own understanding.

"Phew... Miss Tsubasa, most of this information was recorded in Second Division's investigations. I assumed you already knew this beforehand, so I have no reason to lie about such things."

Seeing Tsubasa Kazanari's disbelief, Kohinata Miku quietly told Tsubasa Kazanari the fact she had just learned.

"Is... is that so? Damn it, what a disgrace. As a member of the defense, I've taken the enemy for granted and haven't bothered to investigate. I guess I need to find some time to learn more about the Second Division."

Upon hearing Kohinata Miku's explanation, Tsubasa Kazanari looked extremely embarrassed and could only offer the same assurance.

"It's probably because Raye has changed so much. To be honest, I almost didn't recognize her when I first saw her."

Kohinata Miku understands Tsubasa Kazanari's thoughts.

"Yes, if it's really Kohinata you said, then Raye's change is indeed enormous. But what exactly caused this change?"

Sitting on the hospital bed, Tsubasa Kazanari nodded, reluctantly agreeing with Kohinata Miku's statement, while similar questions unconsciously arose in her mind.

"I might know something about this, perhaps it's related to what I'm about to say. This is something only I know, I haven't told anyone else, and it's what I want to tell you, Miss Yi."

Upon hearing Tsubasa Kazanari's question, Kohinata Miku's face showed a visible sense of guilt, and she revealed her true feelings.

"Kohinata?"

Tsubasa Kazanari felt confused, somewhat unable to understand the emotions Kohinata Miku was currently displaying.

"Phew... Miss Yi, I hope you can do me a favor after you hear what I'm about to say."

Under Tsubasa Kazanari's gaze, Kohinata Miku regained her composure, then looked firmly at Tsubasa Kazanari and made this request.

"Kohinata... tell me, what kind of request is it?"

Tsubasa Kazanari's expression hardened, his demeanor becoming calm as he prepared to listen to the request from this intelligent young woman.

"I hope that, if Miss Yi is ever able to defeat Raye one day, she can try to understand her and save her."

With Kohinata made this request to the blue-haired girl sitting on the hospital bed.

"Yes... I will."

Tsubasa Kazanari immediately agreed.

"I know this might be a bit difficult, because no matter the reason, Raye is ultimately doing something wrong, but I still hope... Ah, Miss Yi, you've agreed to Eryin Wuqi San?"

Tsubasa Kazanari agreed so quickly that Kohinata Miku didn't react for a moment.

"If Raye is truly as Kohinata you, then she wouldn't be an enemy to be fought with swords, and I'm willing to believe that."

The blue-haired girl said with a determined look in her eyes.

"Is that so? Thank you, Miss Tsubasa."

Faced with the trusting look in the other person's eyes, Kohinata Miku's expression was somewhat moved.

"Since that's the case, I trust Miss Yi. Therefore, I will tell Miss Yi everything I know, hoping it will be helpful in your struggle with Raye."

Then, with this thought in mind, Kohinata Miku organized her thoughts a little and began to tell the story she knew for the first time, a story she had never told anyone else.

About two or three months after that incident, Kohinata Miku's life returned to normal.

During this time, she would occasionally hear about the incident from adults, as well as the official characterization of the incident.

According to official statements, the main content of this incident was that multiple gangs in the city organized a large-scale indiscriminate kidnapping and trafficking operation, and a significant number of children were abducted into these gangs and resold to war-torn areas.

Then, according to the official statement, they took this incident very seriously and immediately organized a special operation against the evil force " Er Yi {Wu Qi [` Huo Liu" Shan II.

Then, with the help of the special operations team, the operation went very smoothly, and most of the kidnapped people were successfully returned to their original homes. The subsequent developments were even more encouraging.

First, all local societies, from their leaders to their members, were arrested. It is said that many members suffered from incurable physical disabilities, and some developed severe mental illnesses.

According to Kohinata Miku mother, her confidence in walking alone at night has inexplicably increased recently.

Then, all related black industries, regardless of their business operations, were shut down. After the funds and violence supporting their operation disappeared into thin air, they eventually could not sustain themselves and vanished without a trace.

In response, Kohinata Miku's father said that several filthy gathering places he used to pass by have now been transformed into perfectly respectable restaurants and milk tea shops.

Finally, those internal connections who had once provided them with protection were almost all exposed for scandal in a very short time, and then brought down by the efforts of their competitors.

Kohinata Miku's feeling about this is that many of the important figures she used to see in the news have disappeared, and several of them have appeared in recent months with new faces she doesn't recognize.

"Things are going a little too smoothly, aren't they? Or is this smooth sailing also related to Raye?"

Sitting at a table in the school cafeteria, thinking about the almost surreal news she had learned over the past few months, Kohinata Miku couldn't help but think of this.

"What's wrong, Miku? Why are you suddenly not eating?"

A worried voice from her friend directly opposite her interrupted Kohinata Miku back to her senses. She looked at Hibiki Tachibana, who had also stopped eating because of her.

Despite Hibiki Tachibana's seemingly normal appearance now, in reality, according to Kohinata Miku's understanding, Hibiki Tachibana was extremely worried during the time she was missing.

He has always paid close attention to related matters in his daily life, and for a period of time he was even unable to attend school normally due to mental health issues.

"Sorry, Hibiki, I was thinking about what happened when I was kidnapped."

Returning to the present, Kohinata Miku spoke naturally to her friend, seemingly no longer caring about the misfortunes, just like everyone else who had suffered.

"That matter... Ah, speaking of the Miku, I suddenly remembered seeing on the news that those who weren't rescued in time and were sent abroad were brought back yesterday."

Upon hearing what Kohinata Miku said, Hibiki Tachibana first fell into deep thought, then, as if suddenly remembering something, happily spoke to Kohinata Miku.

"It was sent back yesterday, could it be... Hibiki, do you know why?!"

Faced with the information given by Hibiki Tachibana, Kohinata Miku had an unfounded suspicion in her mind and asked her best friend about it.

"Well, I heard it's because of some war or something in that place, which I don't understand, it's been ended, and as a result, everyone who was sent there has been sent back."

After Kohinata Miku, Hibiki Tachibana explained all the information she knew without reservation.

P. S. Good afternoon.

Chapter 115 Changes

Did she really do those things? And will things turn out the way I suspect?

Kohinata Miku thought to herself, and after learning from Hibiki Tachibana that something might be related to Raye, she immediately looked up relevant news information.

From those materials, through a simple analysis of the relevant information, she had determined that the matter was most likely related to Raye.

[But even if I knew this, what difference would it make? We're ultimately from two different worlds. Someone as capable as her probably does things I can't even imagine.]

[What's the point of me paying attention to her affairs? It's better to focus on my own things than worrying about these things.]

Thinking this, Kohinata Miku glanced at the plastic bag full of ingredients in her hand, shook her head, and suppressed those pointless thoughts from her mind.

I remember it was dusk; she had just bought groceries from the convenience store and was walking home alone.

Because her family has been a bit busy lately, she volunteered to help with grocery shopping at the supermarket.

That was all she could do. She tried to help in the kitchen, but her mother would gently usher her out after a short while.

[I never imagined that a convenience store that was operating normally before would be forced to cease operations due to licensing issues, forcing me to travel so far to buy things.]

After shifting her thinking, Kohinata Miku began to contemplate lighter things.

[Hmm, this woodland, wouldn't it be shorter and cooler to go through from here? But wouldn't there be a lot of mosquitoes in the woods?]

As they walked, Kohinata Miku. She realized that if she walked through the mud-brick path in the middle of the forest, she could reduce the distance considerably.

Moreover, it was the height of summer, and even at dusk, the temperature was still quite high and somewhat stuffy. The relatively lower temperature inside the woods made it much more comfortable.

[Let's go this way. As long as you pay attention to your clothes and walk quickly, you shouldn't have any problems.]

Without much thought, Kohinata Miku walked onto this secluded path.

Soon, as we ventured deeper into the woods, the already dim light became even dimmer, accompanied by a cool sensation akin to stepping into an air-conditioned room on a hot summer day.

[Mmm, that feels good.]

Kohinata Miku thought to herself.

A gentle breeze, a slightly higher oxygen content, and lush greenery of suitable density surrounding the roadside at dusk.

However, what attracted even more attention was the platinum-colored unidentified object lying on the side of the road.

"... ah?"

Kohinata Miku wondered if she was hallucinating. How could that energetic and powerful girl be lying on the side of a dark forest path?

"Miss Raye, is it Miss Raye?"

Before her thoughts could fully comprehend it, Kohinata Miku's body took the first action.

She placed the groceries she had bought on the ground and walked briskly toward the girl lying on the ground with long platinum blonde hair and a guitar bag on her back, wanting to ask her about her condition.

Snap-Cheng

Then, the moment she got close enough, the clasp on the guitar case snapped open, revealing the black and red blade she had seen before, held against her neck as a warning.

"Um, I meant no harm, I just wanted to check on Miss Raye's condition."

Seeing the blade's seemingly lifelike act of protecting its master, Kohinata Miku tried to explain.

However, the blade remained in front of her, its red light flashing intermittently, like the intimidating stance some creatures display when facing an enemy, showing no sign of backing down.