Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

Upon hearing Tsukuyomi's words, Akatsuki asked with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

"I'm not entirely sure yet. I'll talk to you about it later, and I'll think about it some more."

After pondering for a moment, Tsukuyomi ultimately decided not to share her thoughts with those around her.

"Hmm...okay, to be honest, I did a lot of things today, I'm so tired."

Seeing this, Xiaoqiege stopped asking questions and shifted her attention to the fatigue that welled up in her body after relaxing.

"Let's go to sleep tonight, Chef, it's getting late." "Agreed, Death."

Tsukuyomi made this suggestion, and Akatsuki agreed. She leaned back and lay down on the bed, and soon her breathing became even.

[…Phineas, do you know anything about Kohinata Mirai?]

After the people around her fell asleep, Tsukuyomi did not immediately go to sleep herself, but instead asked herself this question.

[I don't know. That must be something that happened to Lingyi in this era. As I said before, I don't know anything about her in this era.]

Finnie's soul emerged from Tsukuyomi's heart, shook her head, and informed Tsukuyomi of this somewhat regrettable fact.

[Is that so? There's another question. Ms. Finney, did you also provide the same information as me regarding Case Number One of Fusion Syndrome?]

After this question went unanswered, Tsukuyomi asked about another matter that was on her mind.

Indeed, since she asked me, I gave her the information I knew. After all, the more people who know about this kind of thing, the more help Lingyi can get.

Finney openly revealed to Tsukuyomi what she had done before.

At that time, after she let go of her obsession, Hibiki Tachibana asked her about Rei. Out of consideration for their past friendship, Finney was happy to offer some help to anyone who wanted to help Rei.

[Help, Finney, do you have any specific ideas? Is telling me about those things part of some kind of plan?]

Upon learning this, Tsukuyomi paused for a moment before asking this question.

After learning that Hibiki Tachibana knew the same thing as her, she realized that Finney might have more to say than she did.

You've overestimated my capabilities. If I could, I'd like to have something similar, but unfortunately, there's not much I can actually do in my soul form.

Furthermore, there's a major problem: I know nothing about Lingyi's experiences in this era, nor do I understand her goals, so I don't know where to begin.

Finney rejected Tsukuyomi's speculation about her and stated this.

[That's true. We have too little information right now, and with Sister Lingyi deliberately concealing things, we can't understand her true thoughts at all.]

Upon hearing what Finney said, Tsukuyomi also realized the current difficulties and felt somewhat troubled.

If one were to offer assistance, one would need to know the source of the difficulties. However, the problem is that Lingyi has skillfully concealed this information and has never revealed it.

In short, my current plan is to observe her closely, paying attention to her actions. If she still wants to achieve her goals, she will inevitably reveal her weaknesses.

By then, whatever actions we take won't be like headless flies, wasting our time. So relax for now, don't rush things.

"Looking at the troubled Tsukuyomi, Finney said this in order to free him from his troubled state."

[I'm anxious. Indeed, ever since I learned about that side of Lingyi, I've noticed that Lingyi's current state is definitely not right.]

Finney's nagging made Tsukuyomi realize this.

Having witnessed the other person's joy, she realized how sad Lingyi was, and thus hoped even more to help her.

My advice is to get some sleep now, then quietly wait and see how things develop, and take decisive action at the crucial moment.

Finney made this suggestion.

【Um……]

Tsukuyomi Chō understood that the most important thing at hand was to get to sleep, and like Akatsuki Kira, he closed his eyes and began to have a good sleep.

While Tsukuyomi was peacefully falling asleep, another girl who knew the same information was experiencing a different situation.

"According to the test results, Ms. Hibiki's body can no longer continue to fight. Although the fusion has been inhibited by the use of reagents, the effect of the reagents will become less and less if it continues."

Inside the medical testing room of the Second Division, Elfnein drew this conclusion based on the report and explained it to the four people in the room: Kazanari Tsubasa, Yukine Chris, Tachibana Hibiki, and Kazanari Genjuro.

Since being sent here by the Bavarian Light Society, she has been staying here as a channel of communication between the two sides. Because she was concerned that she was the only one with nothing to do, she took the initiative to provide support to the musicians of Section Two as a heretical technology expert.

P.S. Good afternoon.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Communication

"What does this mean... Tachibana, will you die?"

Hearing Elfnein's conclusion, Kazunari's expression turned slightly serious, and he subconsciously asked this question.

"Yes, if her activity hadn't been suppressed at the last moment, Ms. Hibiki's body would probably have become something between a human and a relic by now."

"But even if it is suppressed, if Miss Hibiki continues to fight, her body will undergo irreversible collapse, and her life will eventually perish in a short time."

Elfnein then explained the information she had obtained to those present.

"Don't you alchemists, as an organization that also uses heretical techniques, have any way to cure this?"

After a moment of silence, Kazanari Genjuro asked Elfnein this question.

Although a better solution would be to stop Tachibana Hibiki from fighting, he knew that this was an extremely difficult task, as he was aware of his disciple's will.

So if possible, even at some cost, he would do his best to remove obstacles in Tachibana Hibiki's path.

"I was only given the most basic alchemical knowledge to meet my needs, but I don't have any relevant experience... Maybe Carolo could help me."

"However, because of Miss Zero's existence, she dares not reveal her whereabouts. Carolo does not intend to take any further action before Miss Zero is defeated."

Elfne felt somewhat guilty as she revealed that they were also powerless to help.

"I really don't know what you did to offend Lingyi, that she's targeting you like this, and you don't even dare to reveal your whereabouts."

Although it wasn't the first time Chris had heard this information from Elfnein, she still couldn't help but feel a little disgusted.

"So, if we don't defeat Rei, we can't treat Tachibana Hibiki?"

Feng Mingyi muttered to himself in a low voice, his expression grave, making the atmosphere somewhat oppressive. After all, everyone present knew the difficulty of this matter.

"Ahaha, so, before defeating Zero-chan, we should use Gungnir as little as possible in the battle? I understand."

Just then, Tachibana Hibiki, who had already sat up from the medical equipment, said this with a smile, trying to ease the atmosphere.

"As much as possible... What do you mean by 'as much as possible'? You clearly mean that you, Tachibana Hibiki, are strictly prohibited from any fighting activities. Do you even realize the seriousness of the problem?"

Seeing Tachibana Hibiki's silly grin, Kazunari Tsubasa couldn't control his emotions and shouted at her.

Although she was somewhat worried about Hibiki Tachibana's health, she had been suppressing her anxiety because she had medication to alleviate it.

But this time, Hibiki Tachibana's reckless fighting style brought about such consequences that she could no longer bear the worry of losing her comrades.

"Miss Yi..."

Hibiki Tachibana was startled by the sudden increase in Kazanari Tsubasa's voice and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

"Actually, there are other ways besides these, but I don't think they are very feasible."

Elfnein, who was a little out of breath from the heavy atmosphere, recovered and continued.

"Any method, no matter how small, is acceptable as long as it can solve Tachibana-kun's health problem."

Upon hearing this, Kazanari Genjuro immediately followed up with a question.

"...Among those who understand Hibiki's physical condition best, it should be Ms. Zero. She designed the reagent to suppress Hibiki's fusion state, and she may also have a way to solve Hibiki's current physical problems." Faced with the question, Elfne hesitated before tentatively offering her opinion.

After he spoke, the people present fell silent again for various reasons.

"I need to ask Zero-chan for help... Ahaha, indeed, this method doesn't seem very feasible."

Seeking help from the enemy right after a single battle is an absurd idea, even to Tachibana Hibiki.

"No, perhaps it's feasible."

But after thinking it over, Kazanari Genjuro didn't think so.

"Master?"

Hibiki Tachibana looked at Genjuro Kazunari with surprise.

"Now that we know FIS's purpose, there is no fundamental conflict between us and them. If what they say is true, then seeking help at some cost is not difficult." Kazanari Genjuro calmly made this analysis.

The previous conflict arose because they didn't know what the other party was doing. If what they said is true, then cooperation might not be a bad idea.

"...Wait, Uncle, there's a problem. Based on my conversations with Maria during our battle, the FIS doesn't trust us because of government reasons."

After learning of Kazanari Genjuro's thoughts, Kazanari Tsubasa pondered for a moment and then raised this question.

While Hibiki Tachibana and Chris were fighting, Tsubasa Kazanari was also fighting Maria. During the battle, Tsubasa Kazanari questioned Maria about her reasons for being enemies with Section 2.

Perhaps due to their experience living in America, their ultimate response was that they could not trust those who worked for the government.

"Moreover, one of my goals was to establish communication with Lingyi. It was she, not us, who refused to communicate."

Chris couldn't help but complain.

Ultimately, if Lingyi had revealed what she truly wanted to do, even if it was a deception, there would have been no need to escalate the battle to that extent beforehand.

“Indeed, this is a problem, but it is not unsolvable. Based on previous intelligence observations, she does not seem to be opposed to the form of communication of ‘transaction’.”

"If we offer something in exchange that satisfies her, and try to cure Tachibana through a transactional relationship, that should be feasible."

Kazanari Genjuro made this analysis.

"I'm sorry, my willfulness has caused trouble for Master."

Hibiki Tachibana said guiltily.

"It's alright, Tachibana. In fact, the world might need the kind of willfulness that kids like you have to make it a better place. So, let's leave it at that for today."

Kazanari Genjuro waved his hand dismissively and then prepared to begin their work.

"Commander, I'm sorry, but we've detected an unidentified signal here. It seems there's a spy facility planted here!"

Just as everyone was finishing their conversation, Shinji Ogawa suddenly walked in with a serious expression and issued a warning.

"Spy equipment? Where is it?!"

Kazanari Genjuro's heart also tightened, and he subconsciously began to be wary of his surroundings.

"The signal was detected originating from... Ms. Tachibana's clothing!"

Shinji Ogawa looked in surprise at the place in the room where Hibiki Tachibana's clothes were kept and said.

P.S. Good afternoon.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Situation Eased

After being hacked several times, Section Two intensified its monitoring of internal signals to prevent further intrusions without the victim's knowledge.

After finishing up the cleanup work for this operation, the counterintelligence personnel returned to their posts and discovered a provocative signal source that seemed to completely disregard them.

Naturally, they began their search and, without much time, pinpointed the source of the signal to Tachibana Hibiki's ward, and further located the signal's position.

Now, almost instantly, Shinji Ogawa pulled a very rudimentary device from Hibiki Tachibana's coat. It was so rudimentary that a normal person could make it in a few days by learning how to use it.

"How could this be? Why would there be something like this on Tachibana-kun's clothes... Is it her? No, it's impossible. Although I don't want to admit it, it's almost impossible for a spy device she made to be so rudimentary. Moreover, this device has no function other than emitting signals." Upon seeing this device, Kazanari Genjuro's thoughts were momentarily stuck. He couldn't understand why such a device with no discernible purpose would appear on Tachibana Hibiki's body.

"Ogawa, is it possible to find out the origin of this thing?"

Having considered this, Kazanari Genjuro could only conduct a basic investigation first.

"The images have been sent to the intelligence section. They have just been analyzed based on the information provided and have been sent over. Commander, please take a look."

But at this time, Shinji Ogawa had already submitted the report back. Because it was surprisingly easy to investigate, the intelligence department found out the cause and effect of the device with almost no effort.

"Let me see, what is this?! How could this be, Hinata?!"

After quickly glancing at the information in the report, Kazanari Genjuro's pupils widened slightly; this situation was completely unexpected.

"What's wrong? Did something happen in the future?"

Upon hearing Kazanari Genjuro utter his familiar surname, Tachibana Hibiki's heart tightened, and she asked in slight panic.

"According to the investigation, the parts for this device were purchased online from Lydia Music Academy, and the recipient made no attempt to hide it; it was none other than Tachibana's best friend, Kohinata Mirai."

After thinking for a moment, Kazanari Genjuro finally informed Tachibana Hibiki of the investigation results, since there was no point in hiding it anymore.

"In the future, a transmitter was installed on me... Why? If there's anything in the future I want to know, I can tell her?"

Hibiki Tachibana, stunned by this fact, was unable to understand the logic behind her best friend's actions for a moment.

"Because there's one piece of information that you, Tachibana, would never tell Kohinata, and that's the destination we go to for each mission."

"According to the intelligence department's analysis of the surveillance footage, Kohinata's purpose was to follow you out of the school shortly after you left, Tachibana, and then disappear from the battlefield where you fought with Rei and the others."