Sky Striker Ace, but Symphogear - Chapter 8

"That was everything about how Kanade was wounded by that person. After that, I threw myself into battle alone, but no amount of fighting could wash away the humiliation that day brought me.

After the two of them entered the elevator, Tsubasa Kazanari pressed the button and spoke to Hibiki Tachibana.

"So that's how it was. So that's why you hate Raye so much, and why you treated me like that yesterday..."

After hearing Tsubasa's account, Hibiki felt she understood why Tsubasa reacted that way whenever Raye was mentioned, as well as why she had treated Hibiki like that yesterday.

"Hate her... Is that what you think? No, Tachibana, you've got it wrong."

However, faced with Hibiki's words, Tsubasa clenched her fists and said this to her.

"What I truly hate is myself for never managing to make up my mind to hate that person. I can't forgive myself. Back then, when she stopped Kanade's Swan Song, deep down in my heart, I actually had the weak and shameful thought, Thank goodness she stopped Kanade's Swan Song."

As she spoke, Tsubasa slammed a fist into the elevator wall.

"Ah—Miss Tsubasa, your hand is bleeding!"

Startled by Tsubasa's action, Hibiki noticed a faint trace of red liquid flowing from her palm and immediately spoke up in concern.

"Even though I knew that person was the culprit who stole the Bronze Serpent Armor and Durandal and caused the Noise incident, deep in my heart, I still had the thought of being grateful to her for 'stopping Kanade from carrying out her Swan Song.'"

"That's why I've kept fighting so hard. Only by erasing this shameful weakness in my heart through endless battle and tempering my body and mind into an unwavering sword of protection can I face Kanade, who held the resolve to die and fought until the very end."

Looking at her reflection in the elevator's smooth inner wall, Tsubasa spoke without knowing whom she was addressing.

The elevator rose slowly, without the slightest tremor from Tsubasa's actions. After saying those words, Tsubasa fell into a long silence.

Before long, as time passed, the elevator was about to reach the first floor, and Hibiki and Tsubasa's brief conversation was drawing to an end.

"But Miss Tsubasa, you don't have to blame yourself like this. In the end, didn't you protect so many people from the Noise? You already did your best, didn't you?"

Hibiki tried to comfort Tsubasa, who had become overwhelmed by her emotions.

"I didn't protect them."

However, after Hibiki said that, Tsubasa's expression did not improve at all. Instead, it became even worse than before.

"What?"

Hibiki was confused.

"That day, after she took away Kanade's ability to fight, I charged forward desperately, trying to defeat her, but..."

As she recalled the past, Tsubasa remembered what had happened then.

Her weak self had screamed and attacked the golden figure standing beside Kanade. Yet the other woman had not even used the weapon she had used against Kanade. With only a single blade, she had neutralized all of Tsubasa's attacks and deprived her of her ability to fight.

[So you're Tsubasa Kazanari... You don't look like much of a threat, so I'll let it go. Making a Level One Sky Striker Mecha is still troublesome, so I won't waste it here.]

Beside Tsubasa, whose blade had shattered, the golden-haired figure had uttered those insulting words. Not only that, she had then done something even more humiliating.

[And then there are these Noise. I really don't understand why she released things she can't even control yet.]

The golden figure glanced at the grotesque creatures charging toward her, then raised the blade in her hand.

[Oh, well. I've built up too much stress today anyway. I might as well vent it on you things, and test what kind of results Sky Striker can produce against a body adapted to fighting Noise.]

The golden figure then swept through the entire venue like thunder. The Noise that Tsubasa and Kanade would have had to struggle to defeat were slaughtered as swiftly as melting snow the moment they encountered her.

By the time Tsubasa came to her senses, not a single one of the countless Noise that had filled the venue remained, and the golden figure had vanished at some unknown point.

"In the end, I wasted the power meant to protect people on my anger, while the person I was supposed to protect could only be saved through the enemy's momentary mercy."

"Everything she did showed how weak I was. Not only had I failed to prepare myself mentally for the sacrifice of those around me, but I had nearly betrayed everything I was meant to protect through my actions. I hate myself for being so useless, for being unable to do anything."

At the end of her account, Tsubasa nearly lost control of her emotions again.

Hiss.

The elevator doors opened.

Hibiki was somewhat worried about Tsubasa's condition, but after her recent slip of the tongue, she hesitated, afraid that anything she said might upset Miss Tsubasa further.

"Have we arrived...? Tachibana, you should go back first."

Tsubasa spoke after finally calming down from her emotions.

"But, Miss Tsubasa... Are you really all right?"

Hibiki stepped out of the elevator, looked back at Tsubasa, and asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, Tachibana. It's only this much. As long as I spend some time tempering myself at the base, I'll recover completely. It won't affect my fighting at all."

As she spoke, Tsubasa pressed the button to close the elevator doors.

"So, see you tomorrow, Tachibana."

The elevator doors slowly closed, and Tsubasa's figure gradually disappeared from Hibiki's sight.

"Yeah, goodbye, Miss Tsubasa..."

Watching the elevator doors close completely, Hibiki said goodbye as well. The elevator then began descending.

"Ugh, my head's such a mess. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do."

After seeing the elevator carrying Tsubasa descend, Hibiki let out a helpless sigh.

"More than anything, the feelings in Miss Tsubasa's heart are so strange. Raye's actions allowed Miss Kanade to survive, so why did they make Miss Tsubasa suffer so much?"

Hibiki felt lost. The emotions Tsubasa had displayed were something Hibiki could not understand at all.

"If only I could meet Miss Raye. I really want to know what she was thinking back then and why she did those things. So where is Miss Raye now?"

Thinking this, Hibiki left the Central Building and headed toward her dormitory beneath the night sky.

"Achoo!"

Beneath the same night sky, on the roof of the white mansion, Raye sneezed while installing a pot-lid-like device.

Chapter Fifteen: Chris's Troubles

More than ten days later...

In a dim room, Chris Yukine was singing an unknown song. A broken sword lay before her.

As Chris sang, the broken sword seemed to tremble faintly, but the reaction soon vanished without a trace.

"Tch. So even the String Gain produced by a suitable wielder like Chris still isn't enough for a Complete Relic of Durandal's level...? No, it's Chris's output. For some reason, it's much lower than expected."

Separated from Chris Yukine by a glass partition, Fine sat in an armchair and looked at the data on the screen, speaking with some dissatisfaction.

The reason she had asked Raye to bring back this broken sword was so that Chris Yukine could help activate it for comparison.

"Never mind. There's no need to rush. I still have plenty of time. At worst, I can wait a little longer."

Thinking this, Fine opened the door beside the glass partition and walked in with her cool, graceful figure.

"Fine?"

"That's enough, my adorable Chris. The String Gain you can produce today has already reached its limit. Continuing won't be efficient."

After entering the room, Fine stopped Chris from continuing to activate Durandal.

String Gain was something produced by people with special talents. It was usually released through songs that welled up from the heart, and activating a Relic required a large amount of specific String Gain.

"Sorry, Fine. I did my best, but for some reason, I just can't raise the level of my String Gain."

Chris hugged her head and spoke with slight self-reproach.

She knew activating this Relic was important to Fine, but she simply could not focus her mind and concentrate on activating it.

"I see. That really is troublesome."

Fine's brows knitted tightly. If Durandal could not be activated, her plans would be seriously delayed.

However, the two people with the highest compatibility among those currently found had already tried to activate Durandal, while the plan of holding concerts to obtain String Gain was no longer approved because of the accident two years ago.

"Ah, Chris, why is this happening? Why has your String Gain level dropped so much? When you activated the Staff of Solomon before, you gave me such a pleasant surprise."

The forthright woman stroked Chris's face, her expression extremely grim.

At this rate, she would have to wait at least another year before she could activate Durandal. Who knew what changes might occur during that time?

"I'm sorry. I'm too immature, Fine."

Facing Fine like this, Chris looked somewhat uneasy. Seeing how useless Chris seemed, Fine's expression darkened further.

[Come to think of it, the strength of String Gain seems to be related to the user's emotions. Could Chris's anxiety over my actions be the reason her String Gain has weakened so much?]

Fine thought carefully. Now that her plan had reached this stage, she did not want any more complications.

"...Chris, have you been troubled by something lately?"

Testing her theory, Fine bent slightly at the waist and questioned the timid Chris Yukine face-to-face.

"Fine... You already know?"

Like a cat whose weak spot had been poked, Chris's expression changed.

"And it has something to do with Raye, doesn't it?"

Seeing Chris's reaction, as well as remembering how Chris had acted when Raye first arrived, Fine felt she had figured out why Chris's String Gain level had fallen over the past half month.

"Even that, you know, Fine...? Then, Fine, I want to know what Raye really..."

Seeing Fine like this, Chris asked urgently, but before she could finish, Fine stopped her with a finger.

"You really do have an adorable little worry, Chris."

Fine chuckled. Her mood was excellent now that she had finally found the reason for the decline in Chris's String Gain after searching for half a month.

As long as this problem was solved, combined with Yukine's high String Gain output, the activation of Durandal would be just around the corner.

"Adorable? What are you talking about, Fine!"

Chris spoke with embarrassed irritation at Fine's description.

"All right, Chris. I know you're worried that Raye has replaced you."

Fine smiled faintly as she leaned her smooth back against the glass window.

"Um, Fine..."

Hearing Fine's words, Chris seemed about to say something.

"However, your worry is completely unnecessary. Chris, your position is irreplaceable. You're very important to me, so you don't need to worry about being replaced by her."

Without noticing Chris's movements, Fine continued speaking earnestly.

"Fine, actually, I'm not worried about that. What I've been troubled by lately is something else... Well, of course, that is part of it too."

Faced with Fine's confident declaration, Chris did not want to contradict her, but to prevent her from continuing to misunderstand, she still explained the matter.

"Huh?"

Confusion surfaced in Fine's mind. She could not understand why this was happening. Based on her observations, that conclusion should have been the most likely of all the possibilities.

If it wasn't that, then had Raye traumatized Chris into developing an M complex, and did she want to be traumatized again? Fine did not remember Chris having such a perverse inclination.

"It's like this, Fine. I actually knew another girl named Raye before."

After slowly making up her mind, Chris spoke to Fine.

"So, Chris, you mean you and Raye knew each other before?"

After hearing what Chris said, Fine asked her.

"Maybe..."

Faced with Fine's question, confusion and hesitation appeared on Chris's face.

"Maybe?"

Fine stared at Chris and questioned her.

"Because this Raye and the Raye I knew are so different that I've never been sure whether she's really the same Raye I knew."

Chris revealed what had troubled her throughout the past half month.

"Why do you think that? What was the Raye you knew like?"

Since this concerned the activation of her Durandal, Fine continued asking with great patience.

"The Raye I knew? Actually, I don't know how to describe her either. In my memory, she was always full of hope for the future and always worked hard. She was the kind of person who could still smile bravely even after suffering tremendous hardships."

Hearing Fine's question, Chris Yukine described her that way.

"I remember that when we first met..."