Symphogear, but with Sky Striker Ace

[I really don't want to lose, but I can't beat Raye... So, as long as I'm on Raye's side, I won't lose, right?]

Kohinata Miku thought to herself without any psychological burden.

P. S. Goodnight.

Chapter 120, including its language

After changing the Yugi to a cooperative Yugi instead of a two-player game, Kohinata Miku felt that she could still enjoy playing Yugi.

After experiencing what wasn't imprisonment, the time they spent together flew by.

One hour, two hours, three hours... the constantly updated Yugi types kept things quite fresh and somewhat immersive.

As the clock hands turned round and round, Kohinata Miku experienced this simple and meaningless life for quite some time.

In the past few days, compared to her usual routine, apart from being a little too immersed in the Yugi, Kohinata Miku's life hasn't changed much.

Every morning when I get up, I have an extra helper and an extra workload when I comb my hair; during meals, there is an extra set of bowls and plates and a portion of food on the table; and when I review my lessons, there is an extra teacher and a study partner next to me.

It's just a tiny, barely noticeable change like this.

Compared to this insignificant change, minor alterations occurring elsewhere were far more worthy of her attention.

"Shall we continue today?"

A girl with platinum blonde hair, dressed in a thin shirt, stood in front of the Yugi, hugging her smooth legs, and asked softly.

"Well, what do you think, Raye?"

Wearing casual pajamas Kohinata Miku smiled and asked this question in return.

"Me...?"

After hearing the question, Raye paused for a very short time before appearing to be thinking.

"No, it's up Kohinata you, Hinata."

Then, like a deflated balloon, Raye stopped giving her opinion.

"Is that so? Let me decide."

Kohinata Miku echoed, a sense of joy welling up inside her.

More and more similar scenes are gradually appearing, and this development makes her very happy.

This means that the embers within the girl, who was once almost reduced to ashes, are gradually heating up and turning into flames.

Even though this flame was not only invisible to the naked eye, but so faint that it seemed as if a slight breeze could shatter it.

However, compared to the worrying gloom of the past, this spark, however small, is still more reassuring and gives us hope for the Miku.

If I had to decide... I think I'll pass. I have other things to do today.

Kohinata Miku's tone was slightly drawn out, giving herself space to think. After considering it, she rejected Raye's suggestion.

"Sigh, are we not continuing?"

It existed for only a moment, but it truly existed; the girl emanated an emotional fluctuation called loss.

[Ugh... It's like taking care of a child.]

Such thoughts involuntarily popped into Kohinata Miku's mind, even though Raye looked to be the same age as her.

"Okay, let's not continue. I have other things to do today, and I want to do them with Raye."

Kohinata Miku shook her head, both to answer Raye's question and to shake off the strange thoughts in her mind.

"Other things?"

Raye asked instinctively.

"Want to go out for a walk together, Raye? Of course, you don't have to if you don't want to."

In response to Raye's question, Kohinata Miku said something that was both an answer and an invitation.

[While the Yugi is indeed very fun, being confined indoors all the time does make it a little stuffy.]

[Raye seems to have gotten a little used to her current life, but that won't do; such a change alone isn't enough.]

As Kohinata Miku awaited Raye's reply, these thoughts lingered in her mind.

"I..."

When faced with Kohinata Miku's question, Raye was momentarily speechless.

"... Okay, let's go together."

But in the end, Raye accepted Kohinata Miku's invitation.

Although her expression clearly conveyed something like, "[This is only because of Kohinata's invitation; I didn't have such intentions myself.]"

That day, the sun was shining brightly, but it was so bright that it made people feel a little hot. While it wasn't completely impossible to go out, it was definitely not the most suitable time of day.

The air temperature, slightly closer to human body temperature, reduced the skin's heat dissipation efficiency, causing a clear, transparent liquid to seep out from the shade of the wide sun hat.

In this kind of weather, if you want to take a stroll, the best option is to go indoors where you can use air conditioning, one of humanity's great inventions.

However, this reasonable choice did not materialize. At this moment, the two girls with different hair colors were walking side by side in a place that was the least artificial in the city, which was full of artificial traces.

In other words, areas broadly referred to as nature parks are places where you can hardly see any people.

Walking under the lush green trees, the meager shade offered only a slight respite from the intense heat emanating from my skin.

"What's the point of this? Why do it?"

At this moment, Raye looked at Kohinata Miku, who had become somewhat listless due to the slightly higher temperature, and asked her this question.

She seemed to have no idea why Kohinata Miku would go out and suffer in such weather, which was not suitable for leisurely strolling.

In this kind of weather, the best thing to do is, like before, stay indoors in an air-conditioned room and continue with a series of Yugi that are fun enough to keep you entertained indoors.

"Hmph... meaning, maybe it does, maybe it doesn't, I just wanted to do it."

In response to Raye's question, Kohinata Miku wiped the dampness from her forehead and replied, looking somewhat tired.

Several hours had passed since they went out for a stroll. Although they weren't physically tired because of the low level of exercise, they were still mentally exhausted.

Why do you say that?

Upon hearing Kohinata Miku's answer, doubt began to grow in Raye's eyes.

It seems that Kohinata Miku's actions have caused her great confusion.

"... This bench seems like a good place to rest, maybe for a bit."

However, Kohinata Miku did not reply. Instead, after seeing a bench, she slumped down on the wooden public facility shaded by trees, saying this as she did so.

"Rest... okay."

Raye, who could sense the fatigue on Kohinata Miku's body, naturally had no objections and sat down next to the black-haired girl who was slumped against the facility.

"So... why do something so meaningless?"

Then, Raye, who was sitting next to the girl, asked the question that had not been answered before, in a tone that showed some concern.

However, she still didn't get the answer she wanted.

Kohinata Miku, who was resting quietly, paid no attention to the growing emotions in Raye's eyes.

Time ticked by, and the cicadas' chirping echoed in the sweltering air, adding even more tranquility to the already quiet atmosphere.

I don't understand.

"There's an inexplicable contradiction between what you think and what you actually do, which I just can't understand."

"I can't figure out what kind of person you want me to become, Kohinata."

After an unknown amount of time, as if she could no longer bear the questions in her heart, Raye asked with even greater doubt.

However, despite her efforts, Kohinata Miku seemed not to hear her and did not respond in any way.

"?"

Raye looked at her side with a puzzled expression.

Then she saw that the person she was questioning was now like some common small mammal, with his not-so-large hands curled up and his whole body relaxed as if he didn't have bones.

[I'm a little sleepy. I shouldn't have stayed up all night playing Yugi with Raye.]

With her eyes half-closed, Kohinata Miku was in a semi-conscious state.

[Raye asking me something? Hmm, how should I answer? I'm so listless.]

Although she could still sense the comments and emotions from those around her, she couldn't muster the energy to respond.

[Never mind, it's too late now. I'll just take a short nap and then answer. That should be fine, right?]

Finally, with this thought in mind, Kohinata Miku's consciousness entered an indescribable chaos, greatly reducing her perception of the outside world.

That memory is too vague, and it's impossible to verify exactly what happened.

But what I remember is a feeling of peace and relaxation, like falling into safe, soft velvet, which was very comforting.

So much so that when Kohinata Miku woke up, she even felt that the air temperature was no longer hot; on the contrary, it was slightly cool.

Then, when she opened her eyes and clarity returned to her mind, looking at the thick clouds with lightning and constant raindrops, she realized that it wasn't just a feeling, it was actually getting cooler.

"You're awake."

A familiar sound entered my ears, and a slight vibration came from the soft, plush pillow I was leaning against.

This situation finally allowed Kohinata Miku to regain consciousness at an exponential rate, and in the next moment, countless pieces of information flooded into her brain from her senses.

She relied on Raye's soft and elastic thighs.

What appeared in the sky were the unchanging dark clouds typical of summer.

What sheltered her and Raye from the rain was the colorful light array that Raye had used before.

Finally, she understood everything that was happening.

"Raye, did you make these?"

Moving away from the resting spot where she had almost sunk in, Kohinata Miku sat up, looked around at the scene, and said with a hint of amazement.

"Yes, it's because it started raining shortly Kohinata you fell asleep, so I did something small so as not to disturb your sleep."

Raye replied, and around her, the colorful magic array continued to operate steadily, diverting the damp water from the outside to the surroundings, keeping the area around her dry.

"Yeah."

Upon hearing the other party's affirmative answer, Kohinata Miku's emotions seemed to involuntarily become more lively, and her words carried a sense of relief.

Until just now, she wasn't sure if what she had done was right, but after seeing Raye's actions, she was finally able to suppress her unease and be certain that her efforts had not been in vain.

"So, this is the kind of person you wanted me to be. If that's the case, why didn't you tell me in the first place?"

Seemingly noticing the change in the girl's emotions, Raye asked with a hint of concern, her voice slightly somber.

"No, that's not it. I never thought about making Raye become anything like that."

Kohinata Miku immediately denied Raye's words.

"But, you're happy now, Kohinata, isn't that the reason?"

Raye paused for a moment, and after thinking for a while, asked with a puzzled look.

"No, in a way it is, but in essence it's different. The reason I'm happy is because, Raye, you finally did something according to your own wishes."

Kohinata Miku said in a way that would not cause any controversy, "At this most opportune moment..."

"What did I do?"

Raye was momentarily stunned and asked instinctively.

"It's this. I didn't ask you to do it; it was something you did voluntarily, Raye."

Kohinata Miku gestured to Raye with her eyes, drawing her attention to the Alchemy array that was still in operation.

"...

Raye was momentarily stunned by Kohinata Miku's reminder, as if she had just realized what she had done.

The rain continued to fall from the sky, washing and cleansing the earth, but it could not penetrate the area shrouded in this sliver of light.

Have I changed?

After an unknown amount of time, a glimmer of understanding appeared in Raye's eyes, which had been clouded by chaos.