Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

Rei's explanation opened a new wound in Tachibana Hibiki's heart, dealing another blow to her already depressed state of mind.

If Rei herself is unwilling to speak out, then Hibiki Tachibana will have no chance of getting any useful information from her, and therefore will be unable to understand her. The naive idea of ​​using understanding to eliminate the struggle will become a rootless duckweed, with no possibility of being realized.

"Is there no other way? Waaah."

The idea she had painstakingly come up with, something she was capable of doing, ultimately proved futile. Tachibana Hibiki's expression grew even more dejected, and she unconsciously sat down on the folding chair opposite Rei's on the table.

"You look really down. Want some chocolate? Sweet treats are great for a bad mood, and you've just been through a tough battle, so you must be really hungry."

Noticing that Hibiki Tachibana was showing signs of becoming withdrawn, Rei thought for a moment, took a chocolate bar from the pile of snacks, put it into the mouth of the dejected Hibiki Tachibana, and said this.

If Hibiki Tachibana is in a bad mood, it may affect the fusion state of the artifacts, which may lead to unexpected problems in her mission. Therefore, if necessary, Rei will try to solve her psychological problems.

"Thank you, but I don't have an appetite right now."

Even though the food was brought to her mouth, the sad Hibiki Tachibana had no appetite as usual.

However, Zero's actions still had an impact; at least she successfully left Tachibana Hibiki temporarily at a loss as to how to deal with her, causing her to become withdrawn.

"Is that so? It seems that Feng Mingyi's serious injury has indeed been a great blow to you."

Seeing this, Rei gained a deeper understanding of the extent of Tachibana Hibiki's current mental state.

However, even knowing things would turn out this way, Lingyi wouldn't regret doing it. After all, the threat to her life was a bit too great, and in order to make her battle more secure, she would not refuse a plan that could seal the performer's final song.

"Well, in that case, how about I treat Fengmingyi? I do have some experience treating injuries caused by Juechang, and judging from Fengmingyi's suitability, saving his life shouldn't be a problem."

Then, faced with this situation, Lingyi naturally proposed this solution.

At this moment, since the airspace reclamation was basically completed, the laptop she had just used for work was closed, and the Flash Blade was no longer connected to the computer but hung on her waist.

"Rei, what are you doing? What do you want to do to Tachibana!?"

The one who responded to Rei was not Hibiki Tachibana, but Genjuro Kazanari, who noticed the dangerous distance between Hibiki Tachibana and Rei.

At this moment, he seemed to have finished explaining what happened afterward to Sakurai Ryoko, and after listening, Sakurai Ryoko hurriedly began to check the traces of the battle.

"It's nothing. I just made a simple suggestion to Tachibana Hibiki, but I don't think she'll agree."

Seeing that Commander Kazekage had noticed this, Rei also left Tachibana Hibiki's side, keeping a distance that wouldn't touch the Second Division's sensitive nerves.

"Phew, Tachibana, are you alright? She didn't do anything to you, did she?"

Ignoring Rei's words, Commander Kazami once again stood in front of Hibiki Tachibana and asked the withdrawn Hibiki Tachibana.

"I told you, I really didn't do anything to her. Well, never mind, the work is done, I won't waste any more time here."

Seeing Commander Kazemura protecting Hibiki Tachibana, Zero said helplessly, then ignored them and picked up the computer desk and chair she had just brought here, and put them back in their original positions using the Multi-Task Battle Blade.

"Goodbye. I'll take Tachibana Hibiki with me next time we meet. You can be on your guard if you want."

After confirming that all the components had been recovered, Lingyi took a red crystal out of her pocket and casually smashed it on the ground.

A flash of red light appeared, and the girl's figure disappeared from the battlefield, thwarting the Second Division's attempt to track her down.

"Did she really just leave like that?"

As he watched the figure disappear into the red light, Kazanari Genjuro thought to himself.

"Hmm, what's that?"

After confirming that Rei had probably really left, Kazanari Genjuro breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he noticed that in the place where Rei had just worked, there was still a box containing miscellaneous items that hadn't been there before.

Did she forget to take it?

Kazanari Genjuro thought for a moment, then quickly stepped forward to check the items inside.

...

Somewhere in the suburbs of the city, at Finney's private residence, accompanied by a flash of red light, Zero, whose figure had just disappeared from the battlefield, appeared in the room.

"Chris, I'm back."

Having finally finished all her work, Lingyi returned to her base, to Chris's side.

"Hmm, oh, Lingyi, you're back. By the way, how's work going?"

After Zero entered, the white-haired girl dressed in red, Xueyin Chris, paused briefly in thought before asking a question.

She only knew what kind of work Lingyi did, but not the specifics.

Because after Zero pulled her away, she said something like, "I have important work to do, Chris, you go back first, I'll be there later," which made Chris feel confused and sent back to the base.

She had been idly waiting at the base for nearly two hours before Lingyi finally appeared.

"The main objective failed, but with the remaining equipment, we've temporarily rendered that Windwing incapable of fighting. In the next battle, we shouldn't need to consider Windwing as a fighting force. *yawn*"

As Zero explained to Chris, she seemed a little sleepy.

The continuous work, fighting, calculation and analysis had taken a heavy toll on both her mental and physical strength. After returning to a safe area, a deep fatigue emerged from all parts of her body.

"Is that so? Well, anyway, things should still be under your control, Lingyi. Also, why don't you go get some sleep? You look exhausted."

Chris said.

Zero's explanation reassured Chris somewhat, but Zero's seemingly exhausted appearance worried Chris.

"It's alright, I can hold on for a while longer. I'm going to sleep now, after I've sorted out the data I got today... Phew, anyway, Chris, you can handle it yourself. See you tomorrow."

After saying that, the girl's body swayed as she passed through a door and disappeared from Chris's sight.

As expected, she's still the same old Lingyi.

Seeing Lingyi's worryingly strained appearance, Chris nodded, as if confirming something in her heart.

"call"

Yukine Chris rubbed her forehead and removed the telepathic communication device that Zero had previously stuck to her forehead. Now that they were back at a safe point, they no longer needed to use it to communicate.

What exactly happened back then is now finally being understood to some extent.

Chris thought to herself.

Although she had never believed that Zero would do such a terrible thing, she had always had doubts in her heart because she had no evidence.

But today, she finally realized that the truth about the explosion a few years ago was definitely not what Lingyi had portrayed to her before.

What made Yukine Chris so certain was the information she obtained from the cashier in the hot spring town. After learning the cashier's identity, she earnestly asked if the cashier had heard about the explosion and the news about Zero.

Finally, as she expected, she obtained two pieces of information, though few, that were enough to overturn her previous conclusion.

[I don't know much about that explosion either. Any information is fine, even rumors? Okay, let me think...]

[Hmm, a rumor. By the way, speaking of which, I heard a rumor that someone saw strange noise wandering around the orphanage before the explosion, but because it disappeared immediately, everyone suspected he was mistaken.]

[Hmm, are there any other related rumors, little Chris? Yes, there are, but... well, I hope you won't get your hopes up after hearing them.]

[It is said that after that disaster, the resentment of the survivors in the orphanage lingered, turning into ghosts that haunted this place. And the image of that ghost is said to be a platinum-haired girl with long hair, holding a red scythe and wearing tattered white clothes...]

P.S. I thought about it all night, so anyway, that's all for now.

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Hibiki Tachibana's Resolve

Lydian Conservatory of Music, Higher Division

"Have you heard? There seems to have been a gas explosion in the hot spring area yesterday."

"A gas explosion? No way."

"It's true. I saw the scene from afar last night. It was the first time I had ever seen an explosion and mushroom cloud of that magnitude. It was really terrifying."

"If you ask me, we should thoroughly investigate the gas company responsible for laying the pipelines there. I heard that a gas explosion also occurred in that area a few years ago, and the hot springs were discovered because of that explosion."

"So, what exactly happened? Such a big thing occurred."

"Fortunately, I heard that there was a minor noise disaster there, and some officials were evacuating people, so there were no casualties."

"That's good, but even so, it's still scary, with noise and gas explosions."

"Let's not talk about that. Did you guys watch TV yesterday...?"

The high school girls chatted and laughed, discussing all sorts of things in a lively atmosphere, using this as nourishment to maintain their social connections.

However, for Hibiki Tachibana, who had personally experienced everything yesterday, this atmosphere was like a thin but insurmountable barrier, making it difficult for her to integrate.

This absolutely cannot continue; I have to do something.

[Someone as weak as me would only be a burden to everyone in the fight; I can't do anything.]

But what can I do? Even Armed Gear can't summon me, so what can I possibly do?

In Hibiki Tachibana's mind, thoughts like those described above were intricately intertwined.

She wanted to help others and protect this ordinary daily life, but for some reason, she couldn't summon the Armed Gear that belonged to Gungnir, and her thoughts were stuck.

To become stronger, she should be like Ms. Tsubasa and Ms. Kanade, but she couldn't even take the first step. She was trapped in a whirlpool from which she couldn't escape, and at the center of the whirlpool was the weak her.

"ring."

A gentle voice rang out, stopping Tachibana Hibiki's chaotic thoughts.

"future?"

Looking up, Tachibana Hibiki saw her best friend, a girl with a white ribbon in her hair, Kohinata Mirai, watching her from a short distance away.

"Has something happened lately? Hibiki doesn't seem very active, and she didn't come home to sleep last night."

Mirai tilted her head slightly and asked Tachibana Hibiki, who was sitting alone on the bench during this rare lunch break.

"Haha, I've just run into a few things lately. I'm working in a different place and I'm a little tired. It's okay. Once I get used to it, it won't be like this anymore."

When asked by her close friend, Tachibana Hibiki's eyes darted around, and she forced a smile and laughed it off.

"ring."

In response, Wei Lai simply sat down next to her, looking at the person beside her with gentle eyes.

"Um, sorry."

Noticing the look in her eyes, Hibiki Tachibana realized how clumsy her act of pretending nothing had happened was.

"There's no need to apologize, and Hibiki, you're forcing yourself to do something that's really difficult."

Mirai shook her head, then, with certainty, spoke based on her understanding of Hibiki Tachibana.

"As expected, I couldn't hide it from you in the future. But let me think about it for a while longer. This is something I need to think through."

Hibiki Tachibana, whose disguise had been exposed by the future, spoke with a melancholy expression.

"Well, I see."

In response, he said.

As time passed, Hibiki Tachibana, still lost in thought and frowning, was unable to come up with her own answer.

"Hey, Hibiki, I think that no matter what kind of difficulties you face, as long as you can maintain your style, you will definitely be able to overcome them in the best way."

Seeing Tachibana Hibiki's unusually calm demeanor, Kohinata Mirai pondered for a moment before speaking.

"This is my style, but is it really okay?"

Hibiki Tachibana asked with doubt, both about the future and about herself.

Can doing things in your own weak way, instead of learning from the style of a strong person like Ms. Yi, really change your weakness?

"A sound must have a sound style, that's the right way. If you do things the way a sound does, I believe you can definitely do it."

Kohinata Mirai said gently.

"...But I've already failed. Even with all my strength and exhaustion, I still couldn't do it. Is it really possible to do it this way?"

Hibiki Tachibana said, recalling how she had tried to understand Rei in her own way, but ultimately failed.

Thinking of this, her expression became uneasy again.

"Is that so? Hibiki failed."

He fell into deep thought, placing his hand on his abdomen.

"However, if we are afraid to move forward simply because of failure, we cannot undo the failure. Only by moving forward can we avoid the same failure."

After a moment of contemplation, the black-haired girl with the bow spoke gently yet firmly to Hibiki Tachibana.

"...Keep moving forward."

Feeling encouraged by her best friend, Hibiki Tachibana unconsciously recalled that someone had said something similar to her at some point.

"If it's about sound, I believe sound can do it, because that's the power of sound."