Paleb05
A Believer of Optimism in the World
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Either something has gone utterly FUBAR or this is a trap.
Something went FUBAR it is, I am somehow more surprised by this than I probably should of been.
-
For all readers and writers
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Distortions (Symphogear) (Spoilers for Those Who Haven't Seen XV!)
- Thread starter obssesednuker
- Start date
Either something has gone utterly FUBAR or this is a trap.
Something went FUBAR it is, I am somehow more surprised by this than I probably should of been.
Chapter 37: My Heart-Wrenching Voice
obssesednuker
Commander of 10 Million Men
- Location
- In the Kremlin, activating Perimtr.
Distortions
Chapter 37
My Heart-Wrenching Voice
----
Chapter 37
My Heart-Wrenching Voice
----
Laodicea Electronics Industries. Founded more than a decade ago as a modest electronics start-up, it had been purchased by an unknown buyer in March, a mere month following the destruction of Yggdrasil, after which it had abruptly catapulted to international significance with a slew of new technological innovations. As the same happened with a number of other companies across the globe, nobody had taken notice of it, until the Horsemen's arrival drew some quite sharp attention to the corporate associates of the Black Unit.
Even then, the company's downfall was not immediate. Suspicious as it was, the company was big enough in Turkey to mobilize political capital and block serious investigations. But that capital evaporated with the revelation that one of the company's hottest new products, the NERVgear, utilized Horsemen technology. The company's board of directors were detained and confessed their association with the Horsemen for the most banal of reasons: simple profit.
Raids next fell upon their facilities, only for some of them to turn out to have White Unit garrisons. Even in places where the Turkish Army did manage to overcome the tenacious defense, casualties were staggering. And there were plenty of places where they didn't.
Which is why Tsubasa and Maria now found themselves storming up the neck of a peninsula jutting into the southern bank of Van Gölü, Turkey's largest lake.
Ah… what resounds on the wind is the song of the melancholic sword.
Tsubasa's melody cut through the fusilade of grasers and electromagnetic guns as she slammed a piece of Heaven's Wrath down on a Horsemen IFV maneuvering for a shot on her. The vehicle was split in twain, its engine dying in a torrent of sparks and short-lived fire. An instant later, Maria surged past Tsubasa, moving towards the new cover provided by both the giant sword and dead armored vehicle. She held out two of her armed gears in front of her and to the side, trailing a long energy shield that jerked and shuddered under the Horsemen's weapon fire, but otherwise held.
Tsubasa followed her, waving forward the Turkish soldiers who followed in their wake as they bounded forward closer to the Horsemen's defense line. They were so close: she could see the Staples manning the trenches from here, their gas masked visages illuminated by the violet flashes of graser beams.
Though… if they were that close.
Even tigers fear the rumbling "Blue Flash"
On your way to Hell, once, twice
Take count of your sins.
Tsubasa raised her sword, pointing it to the sky to summon A Thousand Falling Tears. The blue energy blades pelted down on the forward trenches, Staples literally coming apart under the barrage and falling into gory chunks. The weapons fire slackened considerably as whole companies of the clone soldiers were simply wiped out.
"Tsubasa!" Maria shouted over her shoulder as she reached the previously dropped Heaven's Wrath, drawing the swordswoman's attention. But she said no more, letting the silent conversation pass between them in an instant.
Tsubasa turned to the soldiers moving up behind her and said. "The weapons fire has died down enough that we can cover the last bit of ground!" She gestured to herself and Maria. "Once we are in their midst, the Horsemen are likely to focus their fire on us."
"Got it!" The officer replied, somewhat breathless from following the two superpowered girls from cover to cover. "We'll shelter here until then. Once their focus is on you we'll take up position and provide supporting fire! Follow-on-forces are…" He glanced down at his watch for a moment. "They'll be here soon!"
Tsubasa nodded, turning back to Maria. Together, they leapt out from behind the cover of the giant sword.
Ah… the flowers are in bloom; your parting gift shall be bloodied cherry blossoms
Ah… on the battlefield
Sheaths cry and rave
Even tonight
The next few minutes were a whirlwind of sound and fury. Tsubasa and Maria ignored the stings of coilguns and grasers, ducked around railgun volleys, and just bulled through missile barrages. Staples and Automen fell in spurts of blood and oil. Energy beams, condensation lines caused by the passage of electromagnetic rounds, and tracers from the Turkish Army streamed all around them. Vehicles and gun emplacements detonated under their more high-powered attacks. Ever-damnable clouds of Anti-LiNKER shifted and swirled with the force of the explosions, the sting of the backlash now taken off by Elfnein's BREAKeR.
Gods above, it felt so good that Tsubasa could slice apart a Horsemen's tank without having to enlarge her blade. Turning, she swung her sword into the air, a Blue Flash of energy ripped through a squad of Automen before it slammed into the side of a tank aiming at Maria. The vehicle lurched violently, then streams of flame burst from the hatches as the attack ignited it's fuel tanks. It didn't explode, there were no chemical charges for a railgun that might cook off, but the violent fire was more than enough.
Now these wings march forth, even if it's God
I shall not forgive dishonor
If I meet Buddha, I shall cut Buddha
I shall slash your windpipe
Tsubasa barely noticed when the fight moved into the Horsemen's facility proper. The trenches and pillboxes gave way to office buildings and warehouses. Many had been reinforced, their windows lined with sandbags and converted into firing positions. Tsubasa and Maria leapt into and between structures, slicing through any of the Horsemen's combatants they found within and raining heavier attacks on those they found outside. They only left the occasional pockets of Staples that were left culled and exposed enough that the following Turkish Army would be able to eliminate them with ease.
Bursting from another strongpoint, Tsubasa found no other building within range even with her Gear-endowed superhuman jumping range. Landing in a crouch, she glanced around instead to find that she had leapt out onto a airstrip. A few VTOL aircraft lay about, including some partially-loaded or unloaded combat ones, but she saw nothing else...
A roar of jet engines from above cut in through the cacophony behind her. Glancing up, Tsubasa rolled aside just in time to avoid a pair of tremendous, metal feet slamming into the ground. Even as she came back to her feet, the large-type Automan whirled around toward her, its rotary railguns already spinning. Not intending to give it a chance to open fire, Tsubasa summoned another Heaven's Wrath from above and sends it hurtling down upon the giant robot.
In a rather incongruous-looking maneuver given its design, the Large-Type simply sidestepped the impact of the sword and opened fire.
The first few rounds found Tsubasa's stomach before she was able to move, deflecting the next dozen or so rounds and then pulling ahead of its aim. So, the Horsemen had updated their combat programming. Or perhaps Red Unit had anticipated the attack, Tsubasa wasn't sure which actually applied to it. Her mind flashed quickly, considering other options, and picked one. She turned, raising her sword as it grew and--
A torrent of swirling blue energy smashed right through the Automan's central chassis, piercing all the layers of modular armor and blasting right out the other side. The robot stood there for a moment, giant smoking hole and all, then tottered over like a puppet with its strings cut, landing with a thunderous crash.
"Ha! I knew that'd do the trick!" Maria proclaimed, grinning broadly and fiercely as she strode forward, pulling Airgetlamh from her gauntlet as it shifted back out of the HORIZON†CANNON.
Tsubasa stared at her fellow wielder, backlit by the burning fires of the battle. For a moment, and not for the first time, she was struck by Maria's beauty. Tall, confident poise, lean with muscle yet still bursting with voluptuous feminine curves. Pink hair so silky that she was able to do them up into those ridiculously pretty cat ears. Not even the splashes of blood across her armor's chestplate seemed to mar her. A positively electrical current seemed to infuse her poise...
Tsubasa caught herself staring and shook her head, chiding herself. She was in the middle of battle, how could she let herself get distracted by Maria? She saw her every day, after all. Quickly, she pulled her view away, looking for where they should go next.
But she couldn't see anywhere else to go. The airfield rested right at the end of the peninsula they had fought their way up. Then Tsubasa realized that the noise of battle behind them was also fading, the crackle of gunfire and sounds of the Horsemen's more exotic weapons dying down.
Still, it never hurt to make sure. Tsubasa keyed her communicator. "Fujitaka, I need tasking."
The SONG agent replied quickly. To his credit, Fujitaka worked nicely when he wasn't too pressured. "Turkish Army reports no serious resistance. I'm getting no active fusion reactions for Automen. No active vehicles that are not the Turks. But just in case the Horsemen have any surprises hidden, hook back up with the Turk lead elements."
Before Tsubasa could reply with her acknowledgement, Maria cut in. "I'd like permission to begin searching a structure for useful evidence. I thought I saw something while fighting."
Tsubasa looked over at her comrade. Maria was staring up at one of the office buildings, her gaze intent. It took another moment for Tsubasa to realize that Maria had leapt out of that office building to engage the Automan, something the swordswoman had only noticed peripherally at the time.
"I can still hook back up with the Turks while Maria investigates." Tsubasa said, deciding to back Maria's decision up.
This time Fujitaka's response took a bit longer, but finally he relented. "If you're ambushed by something you can't handle—"
"—I'll lure it back to Tsubasa." Maria affirmed for him, cutting the communication. She quickly shot Tsubasa a nod before leaping out and up to the structure. Tsubasa simply watched her go for a moment then turned and began to retrace their original path, this time sticking entirely to the rubble-strewn streets.
As she walked back, Tsubasa noticed something she hadn't before when the tunnel vision of battle had been thrust upon her. The facility wasn't as industrial as she had come to expect of the Horsemen's Black Unit. There were plenty of warehouses, yes, but not as many as the other ones they had raided. And there were almost no factories. Thinking back, Tsubasa only recalled seeing maybe… one or two assembly lines as she had crashed through the Horsemen's forces indoors.
On the other hand, there were a lot more of what at first glance seemed to be office buildings, but upon closer inspection she realized they were a bit too squat and horizontal for that. Thinking back again to her indoor experience, Tsubasa recalled her previous missions when she had stormed through those structures, letting her memory of the internal infrastructure guide her. She recalled sterile corridors and rooms, filled with banks of inactive computers, whiteboards with equations mostly erased, and other, more extravagant science equipment. Like Elfnein's lab...
A White Unit facility! Tsubasa perked up at that thought. Picking through one of the Horsemen's dedicated science facilities was bound to grant them a bevy of intelligence.
With more jaunt now in her step, Tsubasa turned the corner into an alleyway she recalled cutting through and immediately deflected the burst of rifle fire aimed right at her head. She tensed, automatically falling into a stance as a follow-up before she realized that had been conventional rifle fire.
"Oh fu—!" The Turkish pointman leading the squad in front of her gasped. His comrades lowered their own weapons as they saw who it was their teammate had just fired on, their faces a mix of astonishment, awe, and horror. The one next to the pointman, the squad commander, quickly reached out and gave him a light smack.
"You almost shot—!"
"Good reaction time, soldier." Tsubasa quickly said, getting ahead of the reprimand. "If I was a Staple, you would certainly have eliminated me." She turned her attention to his superior. "Where is your CO?"
The squad leader made a reasonable impression of a fish, his mouth opening and closing, before he finally gestured further back. "He should be further down the road that way."
Tsubasa nodded, clapping the astonished man on the shoulder as she walked by. "Be proud of your soldiers, their reflexes are sharp."
Then she carried on, the rest of the squad parting for her like a congregation for an angel. Tsubasa stepped out onto the road to find herself amidst a bustle of activity. It seemed as if all the Turkish forces that had been following in her and Maria's wake were flowing down this single street. Intellectually, Tsubasa knew that couldn't be so: it would be tactically suicidal for the Turks to try and line their forces all down one street like that.
But the stream of vehicles and soldiers barely impeded her. Instead, much like the squad she encountered earlier, the soldiers seemed to instinctively step out of her way. They didn't even seem to notice they were doing it, though they definitely noticed Tsubasa. Everywhere she went, heads momentarily turned and backs stiffened. She even received a few formal salutes, which she quickly and somewhat more hesitantly returned.
Something nagged at her though, and it took a moment for Tsubasa to place it. Here she was, standing amidst a column of military force on the move. Trucks, tanks, personnel carriers, and fighting vehicles all streamed past her. To a layperson — and though she may have been somewhat read into military affairs Tsubasa knew quite well she was a layperson — it should have been impressive.
Maybe it was because she had just finished tearing apart a force so much more powerful than that? And if she was to be frank, the Turkish Army wasn't even as powerful as the US Marines or the Chinese forces she had taken note of back at Panau, never mind the Horsemen. Well, they were better than Val Verde at least. And that wasn't to get into the more arcane, eldritch, and downright alien sights she had seen in her time as a Symphogear adaptor: Kadingir, the Frontier, the Marduk Complex, the interior of Yggdrasil… compared to all of that, the Turkish forces streaming by seemed downright quaint.
Tsubasa paused and glanced down at her armed gear, resting in its scabbard. The power she had…
A commotion to her left tore Tsubasa out of her thoughts. She turned toward the alcove along the street it was coming from, noting another break in the crowd. But this time the passing soldiers seemed to deliberately avert their eyes from what was occuring. Quickly pushing through, she arrived just in time to see several soldiers shove a beaten, bloodied man in torn up overalls to the ground.
"P-please!" He sputtered, "I… I just did archival work! They didn't—"
"I don't want to hear it, traitor!" The apparent ring leader of the soldiers cut him off, kicking the man in his stomach. "We should have figured the likes of—"
"What is this?" Tsubasa demanded. She kept her voice dispassionate and level, but it still cut through the tirade as assuredly as her sword. The ring leader started and whirled around, his compatriots shifting as all the previous anger and confidence evaporated instantly. Even though the rumble of passing vehicles behind Tsubasa continued, the subsequent silence seemed far more deafening.
Tsubasa stepped forward, walking up to the man and kneeling down to inspect him. It was clear to her that the soldiers had been beating him for some time now. Blood streamed from his nose and mouth, a few of his teeth lay on the sidewalk next to his head where they had been punched out, and he could only blink up at her through one eye, the other swollen shut by the bruises.
Tsubasa immediately looked at one of the soldiers who had simply stopped to watch the confrontation. "Get a medic." She commanded. The soldier hesitated, glancing at the ringleader. "Now." The man turned and rushed off.
Tsubasa spun on the ringleader and then paused as she properly took in the insignia on his uniform. He was an officer. Possibly even the CO she had asked the squad earlier about.
"Would you care to explain yourself, Lieutenant?" Tsubasa demanded, her voice thunderous. Overhead some clouds slid in front of the sun, the overcast reinforcing the grim, accusing glare she focused on the man.
The officer couldn't help the pall of sweat that broke across his face under her gaze. His eyes darted to his men, but they simply shifted nervously as they watched. "T-This man is… he was working for the Horsemen."
But Tsubasa's glare didn't let up at all. If anything, it intensified. "And?"
"He's your enemy!" The officer shouted, taking a step forward as he tried to push back against her aura, tried to reassert his authority. "And he betrayed my country! I will not be talked down to for defending my country—"
"By beating a clearly defenseless man?" Tsubasa's growl cut him off. The officer's mouth snapped shut as his eyes went wide at her tone.
The soldier Tsubasa had sent away returned, a medic in tow. Tsubasa glanced away from the officer and indicated the beaten man. "Treat this man."
The medic nodded and began to move towards the prone figure. Then he froze as the officer shouted. "B-belay that order, corporal!"
"What?!" Tsubasa snapped, whirling on the lieutenant. More clouds rolled in, plunging the previously sunny day into a deep overcast. "This man is in urgent need of medical care because of your actio—"
"You are not in command here, Adaptor Kazanari!" The Lieutenant shouted, anger overcoming his nervousness as he poured vitriol into the title. "You do not order my men around!"
"I do not care about your command!" Tsubasa said. "This man's life is at risk as a result of your actions! If he is involved with the Horsemen, then he will be judged for such crimes in a court of law, not by your whims, not by the soldiers, and not by mine!" She spun towards the medic. "So treat him now!"
Her command was punctuated by a distant rumble of thunder, echoing out across the street and mixing with the sound of her voice, as if it was a part of it. The medic flinched and quickly hurried to obey, kneeling down next to the man to crack open his first aid kit. With a satisfied nod, Tsubasa turned back to the officer and gave him a hard look, daring him to try and order the medic to stop his work.
The officer gaped, his mouth opening and closing before he scowled. "I'll be reporting you for this, Adaptor Kazanari."
Had Tsubasa been a less reserved person, she might have laughed in his face at that. "If you wish." She answered, another rumble of distant thunder punctuating the proclamation. She took a quick glance at his nametag and committed it to memory before turning away. She would file her own report, both with SONG and with the Turkish Army.
The officer started at that before scowling one last time and storming away. Tsubasa silently scoffed as he stormed away. Really? He would report her? She wanted to shake her head, it was almost too much like the board. She had all the cards: witnesses, reputation, and even her own armor's recording. He'd just be engineering his own destruction.
Shoving the lieutenant out of her thoughts, Tsubasa instead quietly kneeled down next to the medic. "How is he?"
"He's stable." The medic answered as he set the man's shattered arm and began wrapping it in gauze. "No internal bleeding, but I think he suffered some organ bruising."
The man coughed, his lips moving as some blood spat from his mouth. "Th-than—"
Tsubasa silenced him by laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Take it easy. You should not exert yourself." She glanced at the medic. "Once you've done all you can, medevac him to a hospital like all the rest. He'll be placed into SONG's custody."
The medic just nodded his acknowledgement. "Ma'am."
Tsubasa let out a sigh and stood up, quickly wiping the blood from her hands. Stepping away, she reached up and activated her combead. "Fujitaka, Tsubasa here. I need to make a report."
As she dictated her brief, Tsubasa idly noted the skies overhead clearing up. Hm, how curious. For a moment there, she thought there would be a storm.
Even then, the company's downfall was not immediate. Suspicious as it was, the company was big enough in Turkey to mobilize political capital and block serious investigations. But that capital evaporated with the revelation that one of the company's hottest new products, the NERVgear, utilized Horsemen technology. The company's board of directors were detained and confessed their association with the Horsemen for the most banal of reasons: simple profit.
Raids next fell upon their facilities, only for some of them to turn out to have White Unit garrisons. Even in places where the Turkish Army did manage to overcome the tenacious defense, casualties were staggering. And there were plenty of places where they didn't.
Which is why Tsubasa and Maria now found themselves storming up the neck of a peninsula jutting into the southern bank of Van Gölü, Turkey's largest lake.
Ah… what resounds on the wind is the song of the melancholic sword.
Tsubasa's melody cut through the fusilade of grasers and electromagnetic guns as she slammed a piece of Heaven's Wrath down on a Horsemen IFV maneuvering for a shot on her. The vehicle was split in twain, its engine dying in a torrent of sparks and short-lived fire. An instant later, Maria surged past Tsubasa, moving towards the new cover provided by both the giant sword and dead armored vehicle. She held out two of her armed gears in front of her and to the side, trailing a long energy shield that jerked and shuddered under the Horsemen's weapon fire, but otherwise held.
Tsubasa followed her, waving forward the Turkish soldiers who followed in their wake as they bounded forward closer to the Horsemen's defense line. They were so close: she could see the Staples manning the trenches from here, their gas masked visages illuminated by the violet flashes of graser beams.
Though… if they were that close.
Even tigers fear the rumbling "Blue Flash"
On your way to Hell, once, twice
Take count of your sins.
Tsubasa raised her sword, pointing it to the sky to summon A Thousand Falling Tears. The blue energy blades pelted down on the forward trenches, Staples literally coming apart under the barrage and falling into gory chunks. The weapons fire slackened considerably as whole companies of the clone soldiers were simply wiped out.
"Tsubasa!" Maria shouted over her shoulder as she reached the previously dropped Heaven's Wrath, drawing the swordswoman's attention. But she said no more, letting the silent conversation pass between them in an instant.
Tsubasa turned to the soldiers moving up behind her and said. "The weapons fire has died down enough that we can cover the last bit of ground!" She gestured to herself and Maria. "Once we are in their midst, the Horsemen are likely to focus their fire on us."
"Got it!" The officer replied, somewhat breathless from following the two superpowered girls from cover to cover. "We'll shelter here until then. Once their focus is on you we'll take up position and provide supporting fire! Follow-on-forces are…" He glanced down at his watch for a moment. "They'll be here soon!"
Tsubasa nodded, turning back to Maria. Together, they leapt out from behind the cover of the giant sword.
Ah… the flowers are in bloom; your parting gift shall be bloodied cherry blossoms
Ah… on the battlefield
Sheaths cry and rave
Even tonight
The next few minutes were a whirlwind of sound and fury. Tsubasa and Maria ignored the stings of coilguns and grasers, ducked around railgun volleys, and just bulled through missile barrages. Staples and Automen fell in spurts of blood and oil. Energy beams, condensation lines caused by the passage of electromagnetic rounds, and tracers from the Turkish Army streamed all around them. Vehicles and gun emplacements detonated under their more high-powered attacks. Ever-damnable clouds of Anti-LiNKER shifted and swirled with the force of the explosions, the sting of the backlash now taken off by Elfnein's BREAKeR.
Gods above, it felt so good that Tsubasa could slice apart a Horsemen's tank without having to enlarge her blade. Turning, she swung her sword into the air, a Blue Flash of energy ripped through a squad of Automen before it slammed into the side of a tank aiming at Maria. The vehicle lurched violently, then streams of flame burst from the hatches as the attack ignited it's fuel tanks. It didn't explode, there were no chemical charges for a railgun that might cook off, but the violent fire was more than enough.
Now these wings march forth, even if it's God
I shall not forgive dishonor
If I meet Buddha, I shall cut Buddha
I shall slash your windpipe
Tsubasa barely noticed when the fight moved into the Horsemen's facility proper. The trenches and pillboxes gave way to office buildings and warehouses. Many had been reinforced, their windows lined with sandbags and converted into firing positions. Tsubasa and Maria leapt into and between structures, slicing through any of the Horsemen's combatants they found within and raining heavier attacks on those they found outside. They only left the occasional pockets of Staples that were left culled and exposed enough that the following Turkish Army would be able to eliminate them with ease.
Bursting from another strongpoint, Tsubasa found no other building within range even with her Gear-endowed superhuman jumping range. Landing in a crouch, she glanced around instead to find that she had leapt out onto a airstrip. A few VTOL aircraft lay about, including some partially-loaded or unloaded combat ones, but she saw nothing else...
A roar of jet engines from above cut in through the cacophony behind her. Glancing up, Tsubasa rolled aside just in time to avoid a pair of tremendous, metal feet slamming into the ground. Even as she came back to her feet, the large-type Automan whirled around toward her, its rotary railguns already spinning. Not intending to give it a chance to open fire, Tsubasa summoned another Heaven's Wrath from above and sends it hurtling down upon the giant robot.
In a rather incongruous-looking maneuver given its design, the Large-Type simply sidestepped the impact of the sword and opened fire.
The first few rounds found Tsubasa's stomach before she was able to move, deflecting the next dozen or so rounds and then pulling ahead of its aim. So, the Horsemen had updated their combat programming. Or perhaps Red Unit had anticipated the attack, Tsubasa wasn't sure which actually applied to it. Her mind flashed quickly, considering other options, and picked one. She turned, raising her sword as it grew and--
A torrent of swirling blue energy smashed right through the Automan's central chassis, piercing all the layers of modular armor and blasting right out the other side. The robot stood there for a moment, giant smoking hole and all, then tottered over like a puppet with its strings cut, landing with a thunderous crash.
"Ha! I knew that'd do the trick!" Maria proclaimed, grinning broadly and fiercely as she strode forward, pulling Airgetlamh from her gauntlet as it shifted back out of the HORIZON†CANNON.
Tsubasa stared at her fellow wielder, backlit by the burning fires of the battle. For a moment, and not for the first time, she was struck by Maria's beauty. Tall, confident poise, lean with muscle yet still bursting with voluptuous feminine curves. Pink hair so silky that she was able to do them up into those ridiculously pretty cat ears. Not even the splashes of blood across her armor's chestplate seemed to mar her. A positively electrical current seemed to infuse her poise...
Tsubasa caught herself staring and shook her head, chiding herself. She was in the middle of battle, how could she let herself get distracted by Maria? She saw her every day, after all. Quickly, she pulled her view away, looking for where they should go next.
But she couldn't see anywhere else to go. The airfield rested right at the end of the peninsula they had fought their way up. Then Tsubasa realized that the noise of battle behind them was also fading, the crackle of gunfire and sounds of the Horsemen's more exotic weapons dying down.
Still, it never hurt to make sure. Tsubasa keyed her communicator. "Fujitaka, I need tasking."
The SONG agent replied quickly. To his credit, Fujitaka worked nicely when he wasn't too pressured. "Turkish Army reports no serious resistance. I'm getting no active fusion reactions for Automen. No active vehicles that are not the Turks. But just in case the Horsemen have any surprises hidden, hook back up with the Turk lead elements."
Before Tsubasa could reply with her acknowledgement, Maria cut in. "I'd like permission to begin searching a structure for useful evidence. I thought I saw something while fighting."
Tsubasa looked over at her comrade. Maria was staring up at one of the office buildings, her gaze intent. It took another moment for Tsubasa to realize that Maria had leapt out of that office building to engage the Automan, something the swordswoman had only noticed peripherally at the time.
"I can still hook back up with the Turks while Maria investigates." Tsubasa said, deciding to back Maria's decision up.
This time Fujitaka's response took a bit longer, but finally he relented. "If you're ambushed by something you can't handle—"
"—I'll lure it back to Tsubasa." Maria affirmed for him, cutting the communication. She quickly shot Tsubasa a nod before leaping out and up to the structure. Tsubasa simply watched her go for a moment then turned and began to retrace their original path, this time sticking entirely to the rubble-strewn streets.
As she walked back, Tsubasa noticed something she hadn't before when the tunnel vision of battle had been thrust upon her. The facility wasn't as industrial as she had come to expect of the Horsemen's Black Unit. There were plenty of warehouses, yes, but not as many as the other ones they had raided. And there were almost no factories. Thinking back, Tsubasa only recalled seeing maybe… one or two assembly lines as she had crashed through the Horsemen's forces indoors.
On the other hand, there were a lot more of what at first glance seemed to be office buildings, but upon closer inspection she realized they were a bit too squat and horizontal for that. Thinking back again to her indoor experience, Tsubasa recalled her previous missions when she had stormed through those structures, letting her memory of the internal infrastructure guide her. She recalled sterile corridors and rooms, filled with banks of inactive computers, whiteboards with equations mostly erased, and other, more extravagant science equipment. Like Elfnein's lab...
A White Unit facility! Tsubasa perked up at that thought. Picking through one of the Horsemen's dedicated science facilities was bound to grant them a bevy of intelligence.
With more jaunt now in her step, Tsubasa turned the corner into an alleyway she recalled cutting through and immediately deflected the burst of rifle fire aimed right at her head. She tensed, automatically falling into a stance as a follow-up before she realized that had been conventional rifle fire.
"Oh fu—!" The Turkish pointman leading the squad in front of her gasped. His comrades lowered their own weapons as they saw who it was their teammate had just fired on, their faces a mix of astonishment, awe, and horror. The one next to the pointman, the squad commander, quickly reached out and gave him a light smack.
"You almost shot—!"
"Good reaction time, soldier." Tsubasa quickly said, getting ahead of the reprimand. "If I was a Staple, you would certainly have eliminated me." She turned her attention to his superior. "Where is your CO?"
The squad leader made a reasonable impression of a fish, his mouth opening and closing, before he finally gestured further back. "He should be further down the road that way."
Tsubasa nodded, clapping the astonished man on the shoulder as she walked by. "Be proud of your soldiers, their reflexes are sharp."
Then she carried on, the rest of the squad parting for her like a congregation for an angel. Tsubasa stepped out onto the road to find herself amidst a bustle of activity. It seemed as if all the Turkish forces that had been following in her and Maria's wake were flowing down this single street. Intellectually, Tsubasa knew that couldn't be so: it would be tactically suicidal for the Turks to try and line their forces all down one street like that.
But the stream of vehicles and soldiers barely impeded her. Instead, much like the squad she encountered earlier, the soldiers seemed to instinctively step out of her way. They didn't even seem to notice they were doing it, though they definitely noticed Tsubasa. Everywhere she went, heads momentarily turned and backs stiffened. She even received a few formal salutes, which she quickly and somewhat more hesitantly returned.
Something nagged at her though, and it took a moment for Tsubasa to place it. Here she was, standing amidst a column of military force on the move. Trucks, tanks, personnel carriers, and fighting vehicles all streamed past her. To a layperson — and though she may have been somewhat read into military affairs Tsubasa knew quite well she was a layperson — it should have been impressive.
Maybe it was because she had just finished tearing apart a force so much more powerful than that? And if she was to be frank, the Turkish Army wasn't even as powerful as the US Marines or the Chinese forces she had taken note of back at Panau, never mind the Horsemen. Well, they were better than Val Verde at least. And that wasn't to get into the more arcane, eldritch, and downright alien sights she had seen in her time as a Symphogear adaptor: Kadingir, the Frontier, the Marduk Complex, the interior of Yggdrasil… compared to all of that, the Turkish forces streaming by seemed downright quaint.
Tsubasa paused and glanced down at her armed gear, resting in its scabbard. The power she had…
A commotion to her left tore Tsubasa out of her thoughts. She turned toward the alcove along the street it was coming from, noting another break in the crowd. But this time the passing soldiers seemed to deliberately avert their eyes from what was occuring. Quickly pushing through, she arrived just in time to see several soldiers shove a beaten, bloodied man in torn up overalls to the ground.
"P-please!" He sputtered, "I… I just did archival work! They didn't—"
"I don't want to hear it, traitor!" The apparent ring leader of the soldiers cut him off, kicking the man in his stomach. "We should have figured the likes of—"
"What is this?" Tsubasa demanded. She kept her voice dispassionate and level, but it still cut through the tirade as assuredly as her sword. The ring leader started and whirled around, his compatriots shifting as all the previous anger and confidence evaporated instantly. Even though the rumble of passing vehicles behind Tsubasa continued, the subsequent silence seemed far more deafening.
Tsubasa stepped forward, walking up to the man and kneeling down to inspect him. It was clear to her that the soldiers had been beating him for some time now. Blood streamed from his nose and mouth, a few of his teeth lay on the sidewalk next to his head where they had been punched out, and he could only blink up at her through one eye, the other swollen shut by the bruises.
Tsubasa immediately looked at one of the soldiers who had simply stopped to watch the confrontation. "Get a medic." She commanded. The soldier hesitated, glancing at the ringleader. "Now." The man turned and rushed off.
Tsubasa spun on the ringleader and then paused as she properly took in the insignia on his uniform. He was an officer. Possibly even the CO she had asked the squad earlier about.
"Would you care to explain yourself, Lieutenant?" Tsubasa demanded, her voice thunderous. Overhead some clouds slid in front of the sun, the overcast reinforcing the grim, accusing glare she focused on the man.
The officer couldn't help the pall of sweat that broke across his face under her gaze. His eyes darted to his men, but they simply shifted nervously as they watched. "T-This man is… he was working for the Horsemen."
But Tsubasa's glare didn't let up at all. If anything, it intensified. "And?"
"He's your enemy!" The officer shouted, taking a step forward as he tried to push back against her aura, tried to reassert his authority. "And he betrayed my country! I will not be talked down to for defending my country—"
"By beating a clearly defenseless man?" Tsubasa's growl cut him off. The officer's mouth snapped shut as his eyes went wide at her tone.
The soldier Tsubasa had sent away returned, a medic in tow. Tsubasa glanced away from the officer and indicated the beaten man. "Treat this man."
The medic nodded and began to move towards the prone figure. Then he froze as the officer shouted. "B-belay that order, corporal!"
"What?!" Tsubasa snapped, whirling on the lieutenant. More clouds rolled in, plunging the previously sunny day into a deep overcast. "This man is in urgent need of medical care because of your actio—"
"You are not in command here, Adaptor Kazanari!" The Lieutenant shouted, anger overcoming his nervousness as he poured vitriol into the title. "You do not order my men around!"
"I do not care about your command!" Tsubasa said. "This man's life is at risk as a result of your actions! If he is involved with the Horsemen, then he will be judged for such crimes in a court of law, not by your whims, not by the soldiers, and not by mine!" She spun towards the medic. "So treat him now!"
Her command was punctuated by a distant rumble of thunder, echoing out across the street and mixing with the sound of her voice, as if it was a part of it. The medic flinched and quickly hurried to obey, kneeling down next to the man to crack open his first aid kit. With a satisfied nod, Tsubasa turned back to the officer and gave him a hard look, daring him to try and order the medic to stop his work.
The officer gaped, his mouth opening and closing before he scowled. "I'll be reporting you for this, Adaptor Kazanari."
Had Tsubasa been a less reserved person, she might have laughed in his face at that. "If you wish." She answered, another rumble of distant thunder punctuating the proclamation. She took a quick glance at his nametag and committed it to memory before turning away. She would file her own report, both with SONG and with the Turkish Army.
The officer started at that before scowling one last time and storming away. Tsubasa silently scoffed as he stormed away. Really? He would report her? She wanted to shake her head, it was almost too much like the board. She had all the cards: witnesses, reputation, and even her own armor's recording. He'd just be engineering his own destruction.
Shoving the lieutenant out of her thoughts, Tsubasa instead quietly kneeled down next to the medic. "How is he?"
"He's stable." The medic answered as he set the man's shattered arm and began wrapping it in gauze. "No internal bleeding, but I think he suffered some organ bruising."
The man coughed, his lips moving as some blood spat from his mouth. "Th-than—"
Tsubasa silenced him by laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Take it easy. You should not exert yourself." She glanced at the medic. "Once you've done all you can, medevac him to a hospital like all the rest. He'll be placed into SONG's custody."
The medic just nodded his acknowledgement. "Ma'am."
Tsubasa let out a sigh and stood up, quickly wiping the blood from her hands. Stepping away, she reached up and activated her combead. "Fujitaka, Tsubasa here. I need to make a report."
As she dictated her brief, Tsubasa idly noted the skies overhead clearing up. Hm, how curious. For a moment there, she thought there would be a storm.
—
Maria's face scrunched up, repressing her gag reflex and worse as she walked down the hallways of a Horsemen laboratory. It was easy to forget precisely how gruesome a path they left when in the heat of combat, but walking through the aftermath brought that all home now. What a Symphogear Adaptor going all-out could do to a crowd of regular humans — or close enough, in this case — in close-quarters just wasn't pretty. The blood on her gauntlets simply had nothing on the soaked walls, let alone the physical human remains..
She knew that it bothered the other Adaptors occasionally, but it always bothered Maria. Since it proved a reminder of that one time, in what already seemed to be another lifetime. That one horrible time, when she had painted the walls with truly human blood.
Maria shook her head, forcing the memories away. She knew there was no use dwelling on that. She kicked aside an Automan's arm to pry open a door and peek into the room beyond. Finding nothing, she shook her head and carried on. She was sure she had spotted it somewhere around here.
In order to stop her mind from tracking onto old memories, Maria decided to consider more recent and relevant issues as she searched. So she started running through a checklist in her head. Reservations? Yes, all sorted out. Suitably private, luxurious, and romantic. Security preparations? Not a problem. She had discussed it quite thoroughly with Fujitaka and the heads of her and Tsubasa's security teams. The confession?
At that question, Maria pursed her lips as she picked her way through a holed-in security door only to find a series of computer terminals. Some were shattered, but those that weren't stubbornly displayed the same message: [SYSTEM ERROR. FACILITYWIDE PROTOCOL-8 IN EFFECT. ALL PERSONNEL SHELTER.] She settled for glaring at the taunting letters, a means of channeling the slight frustration and anxiety over both this and the other matter.
From the moment they had first met, Maria had always been fascinated and delighted by Tsubasa Kazanari, that determined, stubborn, infuriatingly beautiful sword. But Maria was also quite aware that Tsubasa was, in a word, dense. And that meant not only did Maria already have to scratch several attempts to figure out how she might broach the subject at the dinner she had planned, but she still hadn't figured out any alternative.
"How did Kanade Amou ever manage it?" Maria thought ruefully as she scanned another shattered lab filled with equipment that she figured Elfnein might be able to identify at a glance. A few labels in English made her pause, but she resumed her search when she saw they were just safety precautions. She wasn't entirely sure what an "Impact Stress Analyzer" was, but she could take a guess and it didn't sound like something relevant to SONG.
The others knew the confession was coming. Maria had let it slip in a message home. Hibiki had quickly sent her eager well-wishes. Miku had been more reserved, but still supportive. Whereas Chris had been… terse. Maria was barely able to refrain from laughing aloud as she recalled it. "Don't act like the other horndogs," indeed. And Kirika and Shirabe...
Maria's good humor faded. Kirika and Shirabe hadn't sent back anything. She could guess why. And maybe it was for the best. School was just a few days away and they probably couldn't afford the distractions. Maybe… she shouldn't tell them it succeeded? Not until after they had gotten over it.
Maria frowned and shook her head. No, it didn't sound right to phrase it that way. It wasn't fair to Shirabe and Kirika. They had every right to feel the way they did over what happened in China. And no way in hell would she not want to share such news with them, her remaining little sisters.
Maria hefted aside a pipe that had collapsed when she stormed through this hallway earlier and stepped through a armored door with a her-shaped hole in it, before freezing at a subtle light in the corner of her eye. Her head turned, current thoughts about her plans with Tsubasa or relationship with Kirika and Shirabe immediately shifted to the sidelines. The light was coming from a lone computer terminal which did not display one of those abominable error messages.
Though now that Maria thought about it, the Staples in this room had been deployed a bit weirdly. Looking over the corpses and other terminals in the room, some of them shot out husks and others just completely dead, she realized that they had been busy shutting these terminals down. And when she had stormed the room, they didn't hesitate blasting through the material to get at her, since that would destroy it anyway. That they hadn't managed to get this last one was a stroke of luck.
Stomping over the parts of Automen and Staples alike, she quickly rushed up to the beautiful blue screen, detaching her communicator. "Fujitaka, it's Maria." She quickly said, "I've found a working Horsemen computer terminal. I think it was disconnected from the Red Unit network before we stormed the facility."
"What? Really?!" Fujitaka clearly was as surprised as she was. "How much data does it have on it?"
"I'm checking now." Maria answered as she pulled a wire out of her device and plugged it into the computer port. "Standby for a transfer."
She glanced at the screen. It seemed like a variant on the usual desktop interface. A quick glance at the toolbar showed her communicator was hooked in. A window was open and she quickly clicked it open to find herself looking at some sort of message program, though there was no missing the prominent words [OFFLINE - CANNOT RECEIVE OR SEND MESSAGES] at the top. Maria quickly noted what was in the inbox, separating the potentially important from the inane. SONG might be interested in whatever "Project 21B203 Cancellation, Liquidation, & Transfer" entailed, but they couldn't care less about "New Water Cooler Locations''.
"Are you ready, Fujitaka?" Maria chimed in as she minimized the screen.
"Give me another moment..." Fujitaka's voice grunted back, slightly strained. Maria knew he was setting up a computer that would be isolated from the rest of SONGs systems to receive the files. That way, if this was a trap, they could scan and eliminate any back doors before transferring files for analysis in the greater network. "Got it. Hooking into your communicator and beginning transfer."
As he spoke, Maria looked over the other files on the desktop. Almost all of them were named in the random alpha-numeric designations that the Horsemen adored marking their projects in. But she quickly picked one that stood out: "Unnatural Phenomena Data".
Opening it, Maria scanned the next batch of files and immediately zeroed in on a file marked "Metaphysically Abnormal Items Status List". The resulting document was… sprawling.
Trident of Poseidon: Liquidated.
Goliath: Inaccessible. Location under surveillance.
Vase of Morpheus: Mobile, Southeast Europe. Fifth Seal operatives advisement: watch for HVT Romeo-India.
Apple of Discord: Location Unknown, Possibly Mobile.
Vimana: Liquidated.
On and on the list went, a staggering array of relics destroyed, missing, inaccessible, or in active use. It was even more comprehensive than the list they had retrieved from Panau. Eventually, Maria gave up reading and scrolled down toward the bottom of the list, to see if there was anything actually relevant.
She paused as she found there was a concluding paragraph. She read it, blinked, and then read it again.
"Threshold value may already have been reached, but we lack confirmation. Further data is needed. University facility involved with prior Photosphere/Underground Abnormal Energy Net-derived research has possible data, flagged for raid. Failing that, provisions leading to Situation-8 offer guaranteed data retrieval."
Maria stared down at the screen, her eyes locked on that familiar word: "Photosphere". Her mind raced, this… this was gold. If she was what she thought it was... "Fujitaka. The university the Horsemen tried to raid was involved with Leylines research, correct?"
"Uh… yeah." Fujitaka answered, puzzled.
"Tell the analysts to prioritize anything talking about a 'Situation-8'." Maria hurriedly said. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it's key to the Horsemen's next move."
Miku's stomach churned as she stared at the doorway in front of her. This was the first time she could recall actually seeing the wooden doors, but the way they loomed over her made her feel as if she was in front of that one gate from one of Yumi's older anime; the one where mankind was protected from hostile giants by stupidly huge walls.
She couldn't imagine what Lydian's headmistress would want with her. Well, no, that wasn't quite true. She could guess it probably had something to do with her or Hibiki's status as a Symphogear wielder. Even if Miku was in trouble, and both her disciplinary and academic record were as solid as they could be, the revelation of their status would likely have killed any sort of punitive action against her on the school's part.
Still, she couldn't just stand out here forever. Not only would it be impolite, Miku had agreed to a meeting time when called. Not to mention it also felt ridiculous to be nervous. She had faced down killer robots, psychopathic super soldiers, creatures that existed just beyond the veil of reality, and the instrument of a crazed god. Compared to that, a meeting with a school principal should not seem so intimidating.
"Isn't that an is-ought problem?" Miku wondered to herself as she knocked, vaguely recalling the concept from last semester's philosophy class.
"Come in." The muffled voice rang out from beyond the door. It was one Miku had heard over a microphone at many school assemblies, but never up close.
"Excuse me for the intrusion." Miku greeted as she opened the door and stepped in. The sight of the attendants brought her up short, however. The Headmistress seated behind her desk was a given. Her homeroom teacher, and Hibiki's perpetual bane, Kumiko Nakane was more of a surprise, but also made sense. But the third person in the room was what really brought her up short.
"Yoshigara-san?" Miku said. "When did you arrive?"
"Not long." The SONG PR Chief quickly glanced at his watch. "About five minutes ago."
"I… see." Was all Miku could think to say as she walked further into the room towards the three. Normally, students called to the Headmistress would have to stand, but both Yoshigara and Nakane were seated and there was a third, empty chair on the visitors side of the desk. Miku paused when she was a few steps away, glancing at the Headmistress hesitantly.
"Go ahead, Kohinata-san." The woman said, smiling kindly. "You're not in trouble. And I'm not about to have one of the heroines of the world stand."
Ah, so her status was a part of it. "I don't know if I really deserve that title." She said, nevertheless taking the seat. "Hibiki and the others have been active far longer than me and done so much more."
"Would you prefer the alternative?" The Headmistress asked. "'The wife of the heroine of the world'?"
Miku almost toppled out of her chair at that, her head swinging to Yoshigara. "Do people really call me that?!"
The man had the good graces to look a little embarrassed, coughing into his hand. "It's… the rarest of the epithets applied to you. 'Rainmaker' is far more common at this point."
Nakane also shuffled awkwardly, but the Headmistress chuckled with a shake of her head. "I have to confess." She said, "I had an inkling…"
"Oh? How much did…?" Miku trailed off, slightly afraid to complete the sentence. She had never really thought about how much the Headmistress knew about Lydian's secret, but now that she was bringing up the subject she couldn't help her curiosity being piqued.
"Quite a bit. They would hardly have been able to keep me out of the loop." The Headmistress answered, quickly glancing at Nakane. "Commander Kazanari was quite clear he wanted someone from the education field to oversee the school, that it should still be an institute of learning for young ladies first and foremost rather than… well, what FiS turned into."
"I wish I was informed." Nakane muttered, her eyes narrowing darkly as she hunched forward. "Headmistress, I apologize for any impropriety, but that my students were research subjects like--"
"You have expressed your reservations already and I understand." The Headmistress replied, her voice even. "But I do have to thank you, Kumiko-san, for not resigning like some of our other faculty."
"Only because it's clear that program has passed." Nakane sniffed, leaning back. "And I can't leave these girls, not after…" She trailed off, quickly glancing at Miku before looking away.
"Nakane-sensei…" Miku said, pausing at the pang of nervousness when the teacher looked back at her. But she summoned up her courage and pushed on. "Hibiki's looking forward to class starting again. She loves it here."
She had hoped the words would reassure her homeroom teacher, but instead the woman's eyes fell, her face becoming masked by her hair. Across from Miku, the Headmistress also frowned, tilting her head. "Kumiko-san?"
"It's nothing." Nakane answered, shaking her head.
"Please." Miku pressed on. "You… you don't have to treat Hibiki or me any differently than you used to."
But Nakane chuckled at that. "I'm… that's not possible, not anymore. Particularly not for Tachibana-san, not since..."
Miku blinked in confusion, as her teacher trailed off. She glanced at the Headmistress and Yoshigara, but the two were simply nodding in understanding and… sympathy? It was clear that something was going over Miku's head, so instead she sighed. "Can you at least make the attempt? It actually made Hibiki uncomfortable, the way you changed during that last week."
She could sense Yoshigara and the Headmistress looking at her curiously, but Miku kept her attention squarely on Nakane. The blonde woman glanced up in surprise at Miku before shifting a bit more and looking at the Headmistress, who shrugged in response.
"It… may not exactly be the same." Nakane said at last, after several moments of awkward silence. "I have to keep in mind the perception of the other students. Of you, Tachibana-san, and me."
"I… well, thank you, sensei. For trying." Miku answered, though she didn't fully get it. There was still something she was missing here. Something about the way they reacted whenever the subject switched to Hibiki.
"If that is settled?" Yoshigara finally spoke up, looking over at the Headmistress. "You've already informed me, but Kohinata-san still needs to be consulted."
"Consulted about what?" Miku asked, her attention returning to the Headmistress. The woman drew herself up fully and placed both hands on the desk, clasping them together before she answered.
"We would like you to give the third-year student welcoming address in the fall semester opening ceremony."
Miku's mouth fell open as she blinked repeatedly, trying to process what she had just heard. She couldn't help but be aware of the light blush crossing her face. The class student welcoming address was the highest prestige any student could hope to have during either an opening or closing ceremony.
Miku wasn't under the slightest illusion that her status as an adaptor and the attraction it brough was the main motivation for the offer. In fact, now that she was considering it, the revelation of who they were and where they attended school probably ensured Lydian's existence until the end of time. After all, who wouldn't want to attend the same school that almost all the heroines of the world had?
"Why not Hibiki?" Was the first question that Miku asked, once she recovered from the initial shock. Even with as little deliberate attention as they were trying to pay to the media, she could not fail to notice how highly popular Hibiki was, both within and without Lydian.
"Oh, naturally she was considered." The Headmistress' eyes sparkled with laughter, though thankfully none of the mirth reached her voice. "But we decided we should keep her in reserve for the graduation ceremony."
"Oh." Miku answered dumbly, her mind still somewhat reeling at the prospect. She looked over at Yoshigara, her eyes voicing the wordless question: what was SONG's position?
The man adjusted the briefcase on his lap and looked over to the Headmistress. "To be clear, Madame Headmistress, SONG has every confidence that should Kohinata-san choose to accept your offer, she will perform and reflect well on herself, her fellow adaptors, SONG, and Lydian Academy. I say that not only on behalf of the organization, but also as my own personal expert opinion."
He paused and then looked at Miku. "However, it is SONG's standing policy that the adaptors be permitted as much freedom in their choice of when, how, and whether to appear in public as possible. Therefore, should Kohinata-san decide she does not want to speak, we will respect that wish and hope that Lydian Academy does likewise."
That was, Miku reflected, a whole lot of words to say it was up to her. It was nice to know she had SONG's resident PR expert's vote of confidence if she decided she did want to do it. Which left the obvious question: Did she want to do it?
Miku had been in the limelight only once before: at the press conference. Though maybe that time in the emergency shelter outside Kamogawa counted? She wasn't sure about that. Maybe she should ask Tsubasa and Maria.
Maybe she was distracting herself from answering. Maybe she didn't even know the answer.
"School's only in a few days. How soon do you need a reply?" Miku asked, looking up at the Headmistress.
"We can wait as soon as the day before." The Headmistress answered, smiling sympathetically. "We do have an alternate lined up who we know will agree if you choose to turn it down."
"I see." Miku said. "You have contact with SONG?"
"Yoshigara-san has been generous enough to share his contact information." The Headmistress nodded to the PR man. "I assume you wish to work through him?"
"If he is fine with it." Miku replied, looking at him.
"Of course." Yoshigara answered primly and professionally.
"Then please give me some time to think about it." Miku confirmed. "If that is all?"
"Yes." The Headmistress said, leaning back in her chair. "Thank you for coming, Kohinata-san, Yoshigara-san. Kumiko-san, if I could have a little more of your time?"
At the obvious dismissal, Miku and Yoshigara both rose to leave. Miku shot one last glance at Nakane, trying to gauge her mood. The teacher smiled a farewell to her, but still didn't look her in the eye and instead quickly glanced over to the Headmistress. Miku's last sight of her homeroom teacher before the door shut was that of her blonde hair, covering her head like a blanket over a chest.
"Kohinata-san." Yoshigara's voice brought Miku's attention back to him. "If you do decide to accept the Headmistress's offer and you need any assistance, I can contact one of several speech writers I know."
"Ah…" Miku blinked, momentarily taken aback by the sudden offer. "Thank you. But I don't know if that will be necessary, Yoshigara-san."
"Of course. It's your decision." SONG's PR man shifted his suitcase from one hand to another. "I'm just trying to provide as much support as I can. Give my best wishes to Tachibana-san too."
At that, he began to walk away. But Hibiki's name reminded Miku of what she needed to ask about, so she quickly called out. "Yoshigara-san, wait!"
The man stopped, having only gone a few feet. Miku quickly stepped forward herself so she could lower her voice, conscious that this might be a conversation to be discreet about. "I've been meaning to ask…"
She paused, trying to find a way to broach the question. 'Why was everyone acting so weird about Hibiki?' sounded… well, rather sudden to ask. Not to mention rather non-specific. Maybe she should try a different tack?
"It's about Hibiki's popularity." Miku finally said. "We noticed how highly she's rated. And, well, I don't fault her for that. But it seems… so unusual that she's just that popular." Now that she was talking about it, it did seem rather startling at how often Hibiki led the scoreboard. Miku couldn't recall seeing a poll at less than 90%.
As amazing as Miku thought Hibiki was, she was conscious that hadn't stopped her from being bullied back in Middle School. It gave her some satisfaction that the world could see how wonderful her girlfriend was now, even if those years in Chiba where they had treated her like dirt tainted it with some bitterness. Yet really, that contrast was precisely part of her question.
"We were just wondering why that was. I'd think that even as good and personable a person as Hibiki would have maybe a few… more… um… Yoshigara-san?" Miku trailed off as she noticed the utter disbelief in Yoshigara's stare.
"You don't know?" The professional tone in Yoshigara's voice broke as he stared dumbfoundedly at her. "How could you not…" He paused, realization sweeping across his face. Then he shook his head. "Oh, of course. You… you wouldn't have been in a position to know."
"Know what?" Miku asked, completely lost.
"I'm sorry Kohinata-san, it was just…" Yoshigara paused, "Such a universal experience that it didn't occur to me that you wouldn't have experienced it." He sucked in a big breath. "It was during the battle against Shem-Ha, you see."
"Oh." Miku said, goosebumps surging up her arms. But she shoved them and the accompanying memories back down. This… this had to be about Hibiki.
"Do you know how Tachibana-san saved you?" Yoshigara asked.
That sent Miku back into confusion. "Umm, yes? I was told Hibiki collected everyone's feelings to-oh." Realization hit Miku like a truck full of anvils. "Oh."
"That's right." Yoshigara nodded. "At that moment, Tachibana-san tapped into the same network that Shem-Ha herself was using to fuse and control humanity. To connect with humanity. And at that moment, every human on the planet shared her feelings. Hope. The reclamation of our future. Hers, yours, mine, everyone's. To save all the people we cared about most deeply. That we loved."
Now Miku blushed heavily. She had to fight down the urge to run away and hide in a bathroom stall from raw embarrassment. Of course, of course! Leave it to Hibiki to broadcast how much she loved Miku and wanted her back to the entire human race and get them to essentially share the same conviction to boot.
Thankfully, if Yoshigara noticed her embarrassment, he didn't comment on it. Instead he continued, "And now everybody knows who that person was. Everyone knows that the savior who brought them all together was the energetic girl who holds you dear. They'll be telling their children and their children's children about that time, Hibiki Tachibana, became the literal emotional core of humanity. And every time they think of her, they'll think of that moment. The moment when they were going to get their future back."
Yoshigara finished, lapsing into silence to quietly watch Miku as she absorbed the information. And put that way, Miku understood perfectly why Nakane acted as she did. Because every time she looked at Hibiki, she was reminded that the girl she had yelled at and chewed out, however well-meaningfully, had also unknowingly been the one to save them all, to fill them all with such utmost hope.
It was then that Miku realized something else, something that didn't quite make sense. "If that's so…" She said, frowning as she looked back up to Yoshigara. "Why do the people who work for the Horsemen feel so differently?"
Yoshigara let out a long sigh, "I wish I knew the answer to that, Kohinata-san."
"I see." Miku said in disappointment. That was a thought which was certainly going to linger with her. Maybe in their next fight with the Horsemen, if she saw the White Noise squad, she might be able to ask one of them about it? An irrational hatred borne towards the one she loved, in defiance of all the evidence of how wonderful she was… Miku's teeth clenched at the thought. Even when her girlfriend was on top of the world, some sort of bottom-feeders kind of bottom feeders tried to drag her down.
At least she could understand the hate directed at herself.
She shook her head as she reached into her pocket. "I'll keep your earlier offer in mind, Yoshigara-san."
"Of course," The man said, nodding his farewell as he turned to leave again. "You know where to contact me."
"Yes." Miku answered, watching him go as she took out a pair of sunglasses. Then she too turned, dwelling on what she had learned.
Hibiki was beloved by mankind, because everyone living at the time of Shem-Ha, sans Miku, had felt what she felt. On a personal level, Miku didn't know whether she should be angry at Shem-Ha that she had to miss out on that, jealous that everyone else got to experience something with Hibiki she didn't, or happy that Hibiki's feelings for her had just proven that powerful. So she set that question aside for the moment and turned to the more pressing, practical issue. The foremost of which was the school's offer to give a speech at the opening ceremony.
Miku ran it through in her head again and again, running through the pros and cons. On the one hand, she had handled herself well at the press conference, despite having the literal attention of the world upon her. On the other hand, it was still something she could still mess-up. And if she did, it would reflect poorly not just on herself, but on SONG as well. And maybe even Hibiki. Or… perhaps…
"Kohinata-san is so lucky."
"Luckier than she deserves…"
"No." Miku said to herself, "Stop it. Hibiki hates it when you think that way." But the echoing words wouldn't leave her. Instead, new voices seeped into her mind, their words no less painful just because they were imaginary.
"Oh, to believe that is what Tachibana-san has to put up with."
"Is she really a hero? Look at what she did. She's threatened the world more than she has saved it."
Then a beaming voice burned through the demeaning whispers, shining with the light of the sun. The light purified the voices and the feelings that came with them, the guilt boiling away under its rays. And best of all, this voice was real. "Miku!"
Miku looked up and smiled as Hibiki dashed towards her from just within the gate, behind a column so as to remain out of sight of the crowds on the road. Her girlfriend wore her own sunglasses as well as a purple hat, with the additional orange hat that Miku wore on the way over tucked under her arm. It was remarkable, Miku reflected, how Hibiki's mere presence could lift her spirits up, as if her sun were pushing her own happiness through their bond.
"How did it go?" Hibiki asked as she handed Miku the last bit of her own disguise back. "Was it trouble?"
Miku shook her head gently before placing the hat back on her head. "No. Quite the opposite." She shifted a little, glancing away in modest self-consciousness. "They wanted to know if I would give the third-year introduction speech for the semester opening ceremony."
"Really?!" Hibiki's eyes widened, her mouth falling open for a moment before it clicked back together and the biggest, full-toothed grin spread across her face. "That's great! I'm so happy for you!"
And then she lunged forward, wrapping Miku up in a giant hug. Miku barely had time to process it before Hibiki planted a quick kiss on her cheek. Hibiki's Sunshine blushed, very glad they weren't out on the street. No way they would have avoided attention there. "Hibiki!"
"Eh-hehe." Hibiki chuckled, as she pulled away from the hug, though she kept her hand in Miku's. Together, they left the school, quietly alternating between avoiding crowds or—if that was not possible—sticking to the most crowded parts of the street so as to blend in.
"So what are you going to talk about?" Hibiki finally asked when they reached a stretch of street that seemed empty enough. Casual conversation meant a loss of concentration and greater risk of someone recognizing their voice, but with virtually nobody around that was hardly any sort of concern.
"Well…" Miku grimaced, hesitating as she worried about how Hibiki might take it. But that proved to be a mistake. In an instant, Hibiki's eyes were on her, filled with worry. Surprised by the sudden attention and depth of concern, Miku blurted the rest out. "I'm not sure if I want to do it."
"Why not?"
Miku just grimaced again. She… didn't know how to explain her self-consciousness to Hibiki, how she was terrified of messing up, like she had done in her first time in battle. How that would reflect not just on herself, but on everyone else. Guiltily, she tried to draw her hand out of Hibiki's, but her girlfriend tightened her grip.
"No. Not again." Hibiki said as she pulled Miku around, reaching forward to cup her cheek and gently lifting her head so their eyes would meet. "Miku… please. I'll understand, I promise."
Miku stared, wanting to lose herself in Hibiki's gold eyes. But she couldn't, not out in the open like this when anyone might notice. So instead she sighed, closing her eyes as she reached up to grab Hibiki's other hand and pulled it away. Hibiki didn't resist her.
"Not… here." She managed, making a decision. If she was going to tell Hibiki this, it was better it would be somewhere more private. A place where even their invisible shadows couldn't hear them. "I'll explain at home," She opened her eyes again, looking straight into Hibiki's again. "I promise."
Hibiki looked at her for a moment, searching. But Miku wasn't lying and that must have gotten through because the Gungnir wielder finally nodded and offered an encouraging smile. They continued on, hands still locked reassuringly together.
Their approach became more cautious when they reached their street. Even though the numbers had died down, there was still a rotating camp of paparazzi who hung around, and a few had even clued into the back door the complex owner had let them use. Thus, as they reached the corner, the two girls quickly first peeked around it to identify where the cameramen were and plan their approach.
This let them spot the commotion even from down the street. Several men in black from the team assigned to make sure their house was safe when they were out stood outside the lobby's main entrance, blocking the trio of reporters quickly snapping photographs over their shoulders. Miku and Hibiki shared a quick glance, but quickly darted out from where they were hiding, dashing down the street.
The SONG agents, facing outward, saw the duo coming and let them pass. But the paparazzi, focused inward, didn't. The two girls were able to weave around the reporters so quickly that by the time they even realized that it was the two Symphogear wielders who had just brushed past them, the adaptors were already pushing through the entrance.
"Please, I don't mean to cause any trouble," A half-forgotten voice, filled with both desperation and exhaustion, filtered out from the lobby. Both Hibiki and Miku froze, glancing at each other in almost disbelief. "I just… need to talk to them!"
"You have made that clear, sir." The professional and calm voice of another SONG agent came back. "Nonetheless, if they do not wish to see you, then we will have to remove you from the building. If you persist, we will have to detain you."
"You don't do anything to those paparazzi outside!"
"They don't try to force their way onto private property." The tone of the agent's voice was wistful, as if hoping that they'd try.
"Do you have to be so harsh on the boy?" A third, older voice rang out. It was their landlord.
"Apologies sir," The agent replied, more respectfully. "But the Horsemen have us on edge."
At that, Hibiki unfroze, her face descending into a mask of unreadability that set off warning bells in Miku's mind. But before she could react, the Hibiki pushed forward, walking through the next set of doors and into the lobby, turning towards the voices coming from the waiting foyer. With a start, Miku rushed after her.
Three men were in the room. Their landlord was next to his officer door, watching another SONG agent as he stood with a gentle but firm hand on the shoulder of the third man, seated in one of the waiting chairs. The man looked over as Hibiki came into view, his eyes widening in surprise and recognition. His former student froze as they locked eyes.
Hiro Furuta. Their old junior high school teacher, looking even more dishevelled and tired than he did when they last encountered him at the scene of the Horsemen's attempt against Miku's family. And even more afraid.
"Kohinata-san, Tachibana-san." He nodded in greeting, then he indicated Furuta with a slight gesture. "This man wants to see you." He quickly glanced between the teacher and the duo, uncertain as to what to make of the sudden shift in atmosphere of the room. "Do you want me to escort him away?"
She knew that it bothered the other Adaptors occasionally, but it always bothered Maria. Since it proved a reminder of that one time, in what already seemed to be another lifetime. That one horrible time, when she had painted the walls with truly human blood.
Maria shook her head, forcing the memories away. She knew there was no use dwelling on that. She kicked aside an Automan's arm to pry open a door and peek into the room beyond. Finding nothing, she shook her head and carried on. She was sure she had spotted it somewhere around here.
In order to stop her mind from tracking onto old memories, Maria decided to consider more recent and relevant issues as she searched. So she started running through a checklist in her head. Reservations? Yes, all sorted out. Suitably private, luxurious, and romantic. Security preparations? Not a problem. She had discussed it quite thoroughly with Fujitaka and the heads of her and Tsubasa's security teams. The confession?
At that question, Maria pursed her lips as she picked her way through a holed-in security door only to find a series of computer terminals. Some were shattered, but those that weren't stubbornly displayed the same message: [SYSTEM ERROR. FACILITYWIDE PROTOCOL-8 IN EFFECT. ALL PERSONNEL SHELTER.] She settled for glaring at the taunting letters, a means of channeling the slight frustration and anxiety over both this and the other matter.
From the moment they had first met, Maria had always been fascinated and delighted by Tsubasa Kazanari, that determined, stubborn, infuriatingly beautiful sword. But Maria was also quite aware that Tsubasa was, in a word, dense. And that meant not only did Maria already have to scratch several attempts to figure out how she might broach the subject at the dinner she had planned, but she still hadn't figured out any alternative.
"How did Kanade Amou ever manage it?" Maria thought ruefully as she scanned another shattered lab filled with equipment that she figured Elfnein might be able to identify at a glance. A few labels in English made her pause, but she resumed her search when she saw they were just safety precautions. She wasn't entirely sure what an "Impact Stress Analyzer" was, but she could take a guess and it didn't sound like something relevant to SONG.
The others knew the confession was coming. Maria had let it slip in a message home. Hibiki had quickly sent her eager well-wishes. Miku had been more reserved, but still supportive. Whereas Chris had been… terse. Maria was barely able to refrain from laughing aloud as she recalled it. "Don't act like the other horndogs," indeed. And Kirika and Shirabe...
Maria's good humor faded. Kirika and Shirabe hadn't sent back anything. She could guess why. And maybe it was for the best. School was just a few days away and they probably couldn't afford the distractions. Maybe… she shouldn't tell them it succeeded? Not until after they had gotten over it.
Maria frowned and shook her head. No, it didn't sound right to phrase it that way. It wasn't fair to Shirabe and Kirika. They had every right to feel the way they did over what happened in China. And no way in hell would she not want to share such news with them, her remaining little sisters.
Maria hefted aside a pipe that had collapsed when she stormed through this hallway earlier and stepped through a armored door with a her-shaped hole in it, before freezing at a subtle light in the corner of her eye. Her head turned, current thoughts about her plans with Tsubasa or relationship with Kirika and Shirabe immediately shifted to the sidelines. The light was coming from a lone computer terminal which did not display one of those abominable error messages.
Though now that Maria thought about it, the Staples in this room had been deployed a bit weirdly. Looking over the corpses and other terminals in the room, some of them shot out husks and others just completely dead, she realized that they had been busy shutting these terminals down. And when she had stormed the room, they didn't hesitate blasting through the material to get at her, since that would destroy it anyway. That they hadn't managed to get this last one was a stroke of luck.
Stomping over the parts of Automen and Staples alike, she quickly rushed up to the beautiful blue screen, detaching her communicator. "Fujitaka, it's Maria." She quickly said, "I've found a working Horsemen computer terminal. I think it was disconnected from the Red Unit network before we stormed the facility."
"What? Really?!" Fujitaka clearly was as surprised as she was. "How much data does it have on it?"
"I'm checking now." Maria answered as she pulled a wire out of her device and plugged it into the computer port. "Standby for a transfer."
She glanced at the screen. It seemed like a variant on the usual desktop interface. A quick glance at the toolbar showed her communicator was hooked in. A window was open and she quickly clicked it open to find herself looking at some sort of message program, though there was no missing the prominent words [OFFLINE - CANNOT RECEIVE OR SEND MESSAGES] at the top. Maria quickly noted what was in the inbox, separating the potentially important from the inane. SONG might be interested in whatever "Project 21B203 Cancellation, Liquidation, & Transfer" entailed, but they couldn't care less about "New Water Cooler Locations''.
"Are you ready, Fujitaka?" Maria chimed in as she minimized the screen.
"Give me another moment..." Fujitaka's voice grunted back, slightly strained. Maria knew he was setting up a computer that would be isolated from the rest of SONGs systems to receive the files. That way, if this was a trap, they could scan and eliminate any back doors before transferring files for analysis in the greater network. "Got it. Hooking into your communicator and beginning transfer."
As he spoke, Maria looked over the other files on the desktop. Almost all of them were named in the random alpha-numeric designations that the Horsemen adored marking their projects in. But she quickly picked one that stood out: "Unnatural Phenomena Data".
Opening it, Maria scanned the next batch of files and immediately zeroed in on a file marked "Metaphysically Abnormal Items Status List". The resulting document was… sprawling.
Trident of Poseidon: Liquidated.
Goliath: Inaccessible. Location under surveillance.
Vase of Morpheus: Mobile, Southeast Europe. Fifth Seal operatives advisement: watch for HVT Romeo-India.
Apple of Discord: Location Unknown, Possibly Mobile.
Vimana: Liquidated.
On and on the list went, a staggering array of relics destroyed, missing, inaccessible, or in active use. It was even more comprehensive than the list they had retrieved from Panau. Eventually, Maria gave up reading and scrolled down toward the bottom of the list, to see if there was anything actually relevant.
She paused as she found there was a concluding paragraph. She read it, blinked, and then read it again.
"Threshold value may already have been reached, but we lack confirmation. Further data is needed. University facility involved with prior Photosphere/Underground Abnormal Energy Net-derived research has possible data, flagged for raid. Failing that, provisions leading to Situation-8 offer guaranteed data retrieval."
Maria stared down at the screen, her eyes locked on that familiar word: "Photosphere". Her mind raced, this… this was gold. If she was what she thought it was... "Fujitaka. The university the Horsemen tried to raid was involved with Leylines research, correct?"
"Uh… yeah." Fujitaka answered, puzzled.
"Tell the analysts to prioritize anything talking about a 'Situation-8'." Maria hurriedly said. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it's key to the Horsemen's next move."
----
Miku's stomach churned as she stared at the doorway in front of her. This was the first time she could recall actually seeing the wooden doors, but the way they loomed over her made her feel as if she was in front of that one gate from one of Yumi's older anime; the one where mankind was protected from hostile giants by stupidly huge walls.
She couldn't imagine what Lydian's headmistress would want with her. Well, no, that wasn't quite true. She could guess it probably had something to do with her or Hibiki's status as a Symphogear wielder. Even if Miku was in trouble, and both her disciplinary and academic record were as solid as they could be, the revelation of their status would likely have killed any sort of punitive action against her on the school's part.
Still, she couldn't just stand out here forever. Not only would it be impolite, Miku had agreed to a meeting time when called. Not to mention it also felt ridiculous to be nervous. She had faced down killer robots, psychopathic super soldiers, creatures that existed just beyond the veil of reality, and the instrument of a crazed god. Compared to that, a meeting with a school principal should not seem so intimidating.
"Isn't that an is-ought problem?" Miku wondered to herself as she knocked, vaguely recalling the concept from last semester's philosophy class.
"Come in." The muffled voice rang out from beyond the door. It was one Miku had heard over a microphone at many school assemblies, but never up close.
"Excuse me for the intrusion." Miku greeted as she opened the door and stepped in. The sight of the attendants brought her up short, however. The Headmistress seated behind her desk was a given. Her homeroom teacher, and Hibiki's perpetual bane, Kumiko Nakane was more of a surprise, but also made sense. But the third person in the room was what really brought her up short.
"Yoshigara-san?" Miku said. "When did you arrive?"
"Not long." The SONG PR Chief quickly glanced at his watch. "About five minutes ago."
"I… see." Was all Miku could think to say as she walked further into the room towards the three. Normally, students called to the Headmistress would have to stand, but both Yoshigara and Nakane were seated and there was a third, empty chair on the visitors side of the desk. Miku paused when she was a few steps away, glancing at the Headmistress hesitantly.
"Go ahead, Kohinata-san." The woman said, smiling kindly. "You're not in trouble. And I'm not about to have one of the heroines of the world stand."
Ah, so her status was a part of it. "I don't know if I really deserve that title." She said, nevertheless taking the seat. "Hibiki and the others have been active far longer than me and done so much more."
"Would you prefer the alternative?" The Headmistress asked. "'The wife of the heroine of the world'?"
Miku almost toppled out of her chair at that, her head swinging to Yoshigara. "Do people really call me that?!"
The man had the good graces to look a little embarrassed, coughing into his hand. "It's… the rarest of the epithets applied to you. 'Rainmaker' is far more common at this point."
Nakane also shuffled awkwardly, but the Headmistress chuckled with a shake of her head. "I have to confess." She said, "I had an inkling…"
"Oh? How much did…?" Miku trailed off, slightly afraid to complete the sentence. She had never really thought about how much the Headmistress knew about Lydian's secret, but now that she was bringing up the subject she couldn't help her curiosity being piqued.
"Quite a bit. They would hardly have been able to keep me out of the loop." The Headmistress answered, quickly glancing at Nakane. "Commander Kazanari was quite clear he wanted someone from the education field to oversee the school, that it should still be an institute of learning for young ladies first and foremost rather than… well, what FiS turned into."
"I wish I was informed." Nakane muttered, her eyes narrowing darkly as she hunched forward. "Headmistress, I apologize for any impropriety, but that my students were research subjects like--"
"You have expressed your reservations already and I understand." The Headmistress replied, her voice even. "But I do have to thank you, Kumiko-san, for not resigning like some of our other faculty."
"Only because it's clear that program has passed." Nakane sniffed, leaning back. "And I can't leave these girls, not after…" She trailed off, quickly glancing at Miku before looking away.
"Nakane-sensei…" Miku said, pausing at the pang of nervousness when the teacher looked back at her. But she summoned up her courage and pushed on. "Hibiki's looking forward to class starting again. She loves it here."
She had hoped the words would reassure her homeroom teacher, but instead the woman's eyes fell, her face becoming masked by her hair. Across from Miku, the Headmistress also frowned, tilting her head. "Kumiko-san?"
"It's nothing." Nakane answered, shaking her head.
"Please." Miku pressed on. "You… you don't have to treat Hibiki or me any differently than you used to."
But Nakane chuckled at that. "I'm… that's not possible, not anymore. Particularly not for Tachibana-san, not since..."
Miku blinked in confusion, as her teacher trailed off. She glanced at the Headmistress and Yoshigara, but the two were simply nodding in understanding and… sympathy? It was clear that something was going over Miku's head, so instead she sighed. "Can you at least make the attempt? It actually made Hibiki uncomfortable, the way you changed during that last week."
She could sense Yoshigara and the Headmistress looking at her curiously, but Miku kept her attention squarely on Nakane. The blonde woman glanced up in surprise at Miku before shifting a bit more and looking at the Headmistress, who shrugged in response.
"It… may not exactly be the same." Nakane said at last, after several moments of awkward silence. "I have to keep in mind the perception of the other students. Of you, Tachibana-san, and me."
"I… well, thank you, sensei. For trying." Miku answered, though she didn't fully get it. There was still something she was missing here. Something about the way they reacted whenever the subject switched to Hibiki.
"If that is settled?" Yoshigara finally spoke up, looking over at the Headmistress. "You've already informed me, but Kohinata-san still needs to be consulted."
"Consulted about what?" Miku asked, her attention returning to the Headmistress. The woman drew herself up fully and placed both hands on the desk, clasping them together before she answered.
"We would like you to give the third-year student welcoming address in the fall semester opening ceremony."
Miku's mouth fell open as she blinked repeatedly, trying to process what she had just heard. She couldn't help but be aware of the light blush crossing her face. The class student welcoming address was the highest prestige any student could hope to have during either an opening or closing ceremony.
Miku wasn't under the slightest illusion that her status as an adaptor and the attraction it brough was the main motivation for the offer. In fact, now that she was considering it, the revelation of who they were and where they attended school probably ensured Lydian's existence until the end of time. After all, who wouldn't want to attend the same school that almost all the heroines of the world had?
"Why not Hibiki?" Was the first question that Miku asked, once she recovered from the initial shock. Even with as little deliberate attention as they were trying to pay to the media, she could not fail to notice how highly popular Hibiki was, both within and without Lydian.
"Oh, naturally she was considered." The Headmistress' eyes sparkled with laughter, though thankfully none of the mirth reached her voice. "But we decided we should keep her in reserve for the graduation ceremony."
"Oh." Miku answered dumbly, her mind still somewhat reeling at the prospect. She looked over at Yoshigara, her eyes voicing the wordless question: what was SONG's position?
The man adjusted the briefcase on his lap and looked over to the Headmistress. "To be clear, Madame Headmistress, SONG has every confidence that should Kohinata-san choose to accept your offer, she will perform and reflect well on herself, her fellow adaptors, SONG, and Lydian Academy. I say that not only on behalf of the organization, but also as my own personal expert opinion."
He paused and then looked at Miku. "However, it is SONG's standing policy that the adaptors be permitted as much freedom in their choice of when, how, and whether to appear in public as possible. Therefore, should Kohinata-san decide she does not want to speak, we will respect that wish and hope that Lydian Academy does likewise."
That was, Miku reflected, a whole lot of words to say it was up to her. It was nice to know she had SONG's resident PR expert's vote of confidence if she decided she did want to do it. Which left the obvious question: Did she want to do it?
Miku had been in the limelight only once before: at the press conference. Though maybe that time in the emergency shelter outside Kamogawa counted? She wasn't sure about that. Maybe she should ask Tsubasa and Maria.
Maybe she was distracting herself from answering. Maybe she didn't even know the answer.
"School's only in a few days. How soon do you need a reply?" Miku asked, looking up at the Headmistress.
"We can wait as soon as the day before." The Headmistress answered, smiling sympathetically. "We do have an alternate lined up who we know will agree if you choose to turn it down."
"I see." Miku said. "You have contact with SONG?"
"Yoshigara-san has been generous enough to share his contact information." The Headmistress nodded to the PR man. "I assume you wish to work through him?"
"If he is fine with it." Miku replied, looking at him.
"Of course." Yoshigara answered primly and professionally.
"Then please give me some time to think about it." Miku confirmed. "If that is all?"
"Yes." The Headmistress said, leaning back in her chair. "Thank you for coming, Kohinata-san, Yoshigara-san. Kumiko-san, if I could have a little more of your time?"
At the obvious dismissal, Miku and Yoshigara both rose to leave. Miku shot one last glance at Nakane, trying to gauge her mood. The teacher smiled a farewell to her, but still didn't look her in the eye and instead quickly glanced over to the Headmistress. Miku's last sight of her homeroom teacher before the door shut was that of her blonde hair, covering her head like a blanket over a chest.
"Kohinata-san." Yoshigara's voice brought Miku's attention back to him. "If you do decide to accept the Headmistress's offer and you need any assistance, I can contact one of several speech writers I know."
"Ah…" Miku blinked, momentarily taken aback by the sudden offer. "Thank you. But I don't know if that will be necessary, Yoshigara-san."
"Of course. It's your decision." SONG's PR man shifted his suitcase from one hand to another. "I'm just trying to provide as much support as I can. Give my best wishes to Tachibana-san too."
At that, he began to walk away. But Hibiki's name reminded Miku of what she needed to ask about, so she quickly called out. "Yoshigara-san, wait!"
The man stopped, having only gone a few feet. Miku quickly stepped forward herself so she could lower her voice, conscious that this might be a conversation to be discreet about. "I've been meaning to ask…"
She paused, trying to find a way to broach the question. 'Why was everyone acting so weird about Hibiki?' sounded… well, rather sudden to ask. Not to mention rather non-specific. Maybe she should try a different tack?
"It's about Hibiki's popularity." Miku finally said. "We noticed how highly she's rated. And, well, I don't fault her for that. But it seems… so unusual that she's just that popular." Now that she was talking about it, it did seem rather startling at how often Hibiki led the scoreboard. Miku couldn't recall seeing a poll at less than 90%.
As amazing as Miku thought Hibiki was, she was conscious that hadn't stopped her from being bullied back in Middle School. It gave her some satisfaction that the world could see how wonderful her girlfriend was now, even if those years in Chiba where they had treated her like dirt tainted it with some bitterness. Yet really, that contrast was precisely part of her question.
"We were just wondering why that was. I'd think that even as good and personable a person as Hibiki would have maybe a few… more… um… Yoshigara-san?" Miku trailed off as she noticed the utter disbelief in Yoshigara's stare.
"You don't know?" The professional tone in Yoshigara's voice broke as he stared dumbfoundedly at her. "How could you not…" He paused, realization sweeping across his face. Then he shook his head. "Oh, of course. You… you wouldn't have been in a position to know."
"Know what?" Miku asked, completely lost.
"I'm sorry Kohinata-san, it was just…" Yoshigara paused, "Such a universal experience that it didn't occur to me that you wouldn't have experienced it." He sucked in a big breath. "It was during the battle against Shem-Ha, you see."
"Oh." Miku said, goosebumps surging up her arms. But she shoved them and the accompanying memories back down. This… this had to be about Hibiki.
"Do you know how Tachibana-san saved you?" Yoshigara asked.
That sent Miku back into confusion. "Umm, yes? I was told Hibiki collected everyone's feelings to-oh." Realization hit Miku like a truck full of anvils. "Oh."
"That's right." Yoshigara nodded. "At that moment, Tachibana-san tapped into the same network that Shem-Ha herself was using to fuse and control humanity. To connect with humanity. And at that moment, every human on the planet shared her feelings. Hope. The reclamation of our future. Hers, yours, mine, everyone's. To save all the people we cared about most deeply. That we loved."
Now Miku blushed heavily. She had to fight down the urge to run away and hide in a bathroom stall from raw embarrassment. Of course, of course! Leave it to Hibiki to broadcast how much she loved Miku and wanted her back to the entire human race and get them to essentially share the same conviction to boot.
Thankfully, if Yoshigara noticed her embarrassment, he didn't comment on it. Instead he continued, "And now everybody knows who that person was. Everyone knows that the savior who brought them all together was the energetic girl who holds you dear. They'll be telling their children and their children's children about that time, Hibiki Tachibana, became the literal emotional core of humanity. And every time they think of her, they'll think of that moment. The moment when they were going to get their future back."
Yoshigara finished, lapsing into silence to quietly watch Miku as she absorbed the information. And put that way, Miku understood perfectly why Nakane acted as she did. Because every time she looked at Hibiki, she was reminded that the girl she had yelled at and chewed out, however well-meaningfully, had also unknowingly been the one to save them all, to fill them all with such utmost hope.
It was then that Miku realized something else, something that didn't quite make sense. "If that's so…" She said, frowning as she looked back up to Yoshigara. "Why do the people who work for the Horsemen feel so differently?"
Yoshigara let out a long sigh, "I wish I knew the answer to that, Kohinata-san."
"I see." Miku said in disappointment. That was a thought which was certainly going to linger with her. Maybe in their next fight with the Horsemen, if she saw the White Noise squad, she might be able to ask one of them about it? An irrational hatred borne towards the one she loved, in defiance of all the evidence of how wonderful she was… Miku's teeth clenched at the thought. Even when her girlfriend was on top of the world, some sort of bottom-feeders kind of bottom feeders tried to drag her down.
At least she could understand the hate directed at herself.
She shook her head as she reached into her pocket. "I'll keep your earlier offer in mind, Yoshigara-san."
"Of course," The man said, nodding his farewell as he turned to leave again. "You know where to contact me."
"Yes." Miku answered, watching him go as she took out a pair of sunglasses. Then she too turned, dwelling on what she had learned.
Hibiki was beloved by mankind, because everyone living at the time of Shem-Ha, sans Miku, had felt what she felt. On a personal level, Miku didn't know whether she should be angry at Shem-Ha that she had to miss out on that, jealous that everyone else got to experience something with Hibiki she didn't, or happy that Hibiki's feelings for her had just proven that powerful. So she set that question aside for the moment and turned to the more pressing, practical issue. The foremost of which was the school's offer to give a speech at the opening ceremony.
Miku ran it through in her head again and again, running through the pros and cons. On the one hand, she had handled herself well at the press conference, despite having the literal attention of the world upon her. On the other hand, it was still something she could still mess-up. And if she did, it would reflect poorly not just on herself, but on SONG as well. And maybe even Hibiki. Or… perhaps…
"Kohinata-san is so lucky."
"Luckier than she deserves…"
"No." Miku said to herself, "Stop it. Hibiki hates it when you think that way." But the echoing words wouldn't leave her. Instead, new voices seeped into her mind, their words no less painful just because they were imaginary.
"Oh, to believe that is what Tachibana-san has to put up with."
"Is she really a hero? Look at what she did. She's threatened the world more than she has saved it."
Then a beaming voice burned through the demeaning whispers, shining with the light of the sun. The light purified the voices and the feelings that came with them, the guilt boiling away under its rays. And best of all, this voice was real. "Miku!"
Miku looked up and smiled as Hibiki dashed towards her from just within the gate, behind a column so as to remain out of sight of the crowds on the road. Her girlfriend wore her own sunglasses as well as a purple hat, with the additional orange hat that Miku wore on the way over tucked under her arm. It was remarkable, Miku reflected, how Hibiki's mere presence could lift her spirits up, as if her sun were pushing her own happiness through their bond.
"How did it go?" Hibiki asked as she handed Miku the last bit of her own disguise back. "Was it trouble?"
Miku shook her head gently before placing the hat back on her head. "No. Quite the opposite." She shifted a little, glancing away in modest self-consciousness. "They wanted to know if I would give the third-year introduction speech for the semester opening ceremony."
"Really?!" Hibiki's eyes widened, her mouth falling open for a moment before it clicked back together and the biggest, full-toothed grin spread across her face. "That's great! I'm so happy for you!"
And then she lunged forward, wrapping Miku up in a giant hug. Miku barely had time to process it before Hibiki planted a quick kiss on her cheek. Hibiki's Sunshine blushed, very glad they weren't out on the street. No way they would have avoided attention there. "Hibiki!"
"Eh-hehe." Hibiki chuckled, as she pulled away from the hug, though she kept her hand in Miku's. Together, they left the school, quietly alternating between avoiding crowds or—if that was not possible—sticking to the most crowded parts of the street so as to blend in.
"So what are you going to talk about?" Hibiki finally asked when they reached a stretch of street that seemed empty enough. Casual conversation meant a loss of concentration and greater risk of someone recognizing their voice, but with virtually nobody around that was hardly any sort of concern.
"Well…" Miku grimaced, hesitating as she worried about how Hibiki might take it. But that proved to be a mistake. In an instant, Hibiki's eyes were on her, filled with worry. Surprised by the sudden attention and depth of concern, Miku blurted the rest out. "I'm not sure if I want to do it."
"Why not?"
Miku just grimaced again. She… didn't know how to explain her self-consciousness to Hibiki, how she was terrified of messing up, like she had done in her first time in battle. How that would reflect not just on herself, but on everyone else. Guiltily, she tried to draw her hand out of Hibiki's, but her girlfriend tightened her grip.
"No. Not again." Hibiki said as she pulled Miku around, reaching forward to cup her cheek and gently lifting her head so their eyes would meet. "Miku… please. I'll understand, I promise."
Miku stared, wanting to lose herself in Hibiki's gold eyes. But she couldn't, not out in the open like this when anyone might notice. So instead she sighed, closing her eyes as she reached up to grab Hibiki's other hand and pulled it away. Hibiki didn't resist her.
"Not… here." She managed, making a decision. If she was going to tell Hibiki this, it was better it would be somewhere more private. A place where even their invisible shadows couldn't hear them. "I'll explain at home," She opened her eyes again, looking straight into Hibiki's again. "I promise."
Hibiki looked at her for a moment, searching. But Miku wasn't lying and that must have gotten through because the Gungnir wielder finally nodded and offered an encouraging smile. They continued on, hands still locked reassuringly together.
Their approach became more cautious when they reached their street. Even though the numbers had died down, there was still a rotating camp of paparazzi who hung around, and a few had even clued into the back door the complex owner had let them use. Thus, as they reached the corner, the two girls quickly first peeked around it to identify where the cameramen were and plan their approach.
This let them spot the commotion even from down the street. Several men in black from the team assigned to make sure their house was safe when they were out stood outside the lobby's main entrance, blocking the trio of reporters quickly snapping photographs over their shoulders. Miku and Hibiki shared a quick glance, but quickly darted out from where they were hiding, dashing down the street.
The SONG agents, facing outward, saw the duo coming and let them pass. But the paparazzi, focused inward, didn't. The two girls were able to weave around the reporters so quickly that by the time they even realized that it was the two Symphogear wielders who had just brushed past them, the adaptors were already pushing through the entrance.
"Please, I don't mean to cause any trouble," A half-forgotten voice, filled with both desperation and exhaustion, filtered out from the lobby. Both Hibiki and Miku froze, glancing at each other in almost disbelief. "I just… need to talk to them!"
"You have made that clear, sir." The professional and calm voice of another SONG agent came back. "Nonetheless, if they do not wish to see you, then we will have to remove you from the building. If you persist, we will have to detain you."
"You don't do anything to those paparazzi outside!"
"They don't try to force their way onto private property." The tone of the agent's voice was wistful, as if hoping that they'd try.
"Do you have to be so harsh on the boy?" A third, older voice rang out. It was their landlord.
"Apologies sir," The agent replied, more respectfully. "But the Horsemen have us on edge."
At that, Hibiki unfroze, her face descending into a mask of unreadability that set off warning bells in Miku's mind. But before she could react, the Hibiki pushed forward, walking through the next set of doors and into the lobby, turning towards the voices coming from the waiting foyer. With a start, Miku rushed after her.
Three men were in the room. Their landlord was next to his officer door, watching another SONG agent as he stood with a gentle but firm hand on the shoulder of the third man, seated in one of the waiting chairs. The man looked over as Hibiki came into view, his eyes widening in surprise and recognition. His former student froze as they locked eyes.
Hiro Furuta. Their old junior high school teacher, looking even more dishevelled and tired than he did when they last encountered him at the scene of the Horsemen's attempt against Miku's family. And even more afraid.
"Kohinata-san, Tachibana-san." He nodded in greeting, then he indicated Furuta with a slight gesture. "This man wants to see you." He quickly glanced between the teacher and the duo, uncertain as to what to make of the sudden shift in atmosphere of the room. "Do you want me to escort him away?"
----
"Chris-san!"
Chris could have never imagined how the combination of her name and a particular face could send her spirits soaring. The sight of Komichi smiling at first sight of her, in sharp contrast to the last two times Chris had come over during the height of the media frenzy following the leaks, seemed to be a more beautiful sight then she could even imagine.
"Christ, when did I become such a sap?" Chris thought, conscious of how dopy the grin that spread across her face must be, but aloud she said. "Yo, Komichi. Said I'd be over as soon as I could, when I got back. Technically would have been sooner, but—"
"Oh, it's fine!" Komichi waved away any concerns on that part, instead stepping back to let Chris in. "Come in, come in!"
"You know," Chris said as she walked in, taking off her shoes. "You should come over to my place sometime."
"Your home? Wait... " Komichi frowned puzzlingly. "Do you still live at the same address?"
"Yeah." Chris shrugged as she turned into the kitchen to drop off the gift bag she had brought with her. "The ninja-commander—" That earned a confused blink from Komichi, "—did offer to move me when everything blew up. But I ain't gonna let some paparazzi pests chase me out of my home."
It was the truth, but there was also more to it than that. Her home had also been a gift from someone she had treasured, someone who had saved her… someone who was gone now. Shaking off the pang of sadness, Chris plopped the gift bag on the table, though she kept hold of the case she had slung over her other shoulder. She then reached up, removed the sunglasses she had on, and took off her sunhat to let her hair tendrils freely hang out.
"That looks good on you." Komichi complimented, stepping over the snacks Chris had brought before sitting down to sort through them.
"Thanks." Chris answered as she turned the hat over in her hand. "Got it in China. It's almost as good as the wig in hiding my hair and a whole lot less itchy. Though..."
She turned and walked around the table right up next to Komichi. The extended pause was enough to cause the brunette to turn towards her friend in curiosity and once she was facing Chris, the sun hat was plopped down onto Komichi's head. Chris stepped back, tapping a finger to her chin for a moment before smiling. "Yeah, it looks even better on you."
Komichi blinked as she processed that statement, her cheeks heating. "N-No way." She reached up to grab the rim of the hat, taking it off. "I… I can't have this!" She tried to hand it to Chris, but the Ichaival wielder simply backed away, her smile turning smug.
"Nuh-uh. That's a souvenir from me to you." She said, "Plus, I bought a second pair so we can match when we hang out."
"M-matching!" Komichi breathed, her eyes shrinking as her face turned even redder. "M-me and Chris-san?!"
"Oh my god." Chris thought, "She's so cute! Is this what the dummy and all the others think when they make me blush?!"
Feeling a light shade of red making its presence known on her own face, Chris quickly looked away lest she give in to this unnatural desire to hug the adorable creature in front of her. "H-hey! Don't get too worked up about it, it'll help keep the sun off ya, that's all." She shifted somewhat guiltily, knowing that her next words might depress Komichi a little. "Particularly since I won't be on campus as much."
Komichi froze at that, her face falling as her eyes darted about. Slowly, she reached up and removed the sunhat Chris just placed on her head. But all she could think to say was, "What?"
"I'm loading up on online classes this semester." Chris admitted, her eyes falling down to the floor as she plucked at one of the tips of her hair. But she scowled and quickly added. "But don't you dare think this is the end! It's like I said: I'm not letting you go!"
Chancing a look back at Komichi again, Chris was relieved to see her straighten up a bit. With more confidence, the Ichaival wielder placed her hands on her hips. "So we're just gonna have to do all sorts of stuff together!" For emphasis, Chris jabbed a finger at the brunette. "And you will be coming to my place some time, got it?"
Komichi giggled at that, causing Chris to arch an eyebrow and blush again, the self-consciousness roaring back. What about that had she found funny? And why did Komichi's giggle have to make Chris's insides feel so weird. Dammit, love was strange!
"Okay!" Komichi said, bringing Chris back to the here and now. Though the brunette's eyebrows did furrow. "Though, those reporters?"
"Fuck 'em." Chris waved her hand as she turned decisively for the living room. "I'll talk with my security team. They so much try and touch a hair on your head, and the men in black will have to protect them from me! Bet on it."
Komichi blinked, but nodded and followed Chris into the living room. As they walked, the brunette's eyes slid down, alighting on the case that Chris still carried at her side. "Erm… Chris-san. That case…"
"Hm?" Chris paused at the sofa, only partly seated. She herself glanced down at the case before she smiled and fully took a seat. "Oh yeah. Figured I'd do something special for you today. You know, to thank you for sticking with me."
"You don't have to." Komichi blushed, even as she sat down next to Chris.
"But I wanna." Chris said as she set the case on her lap. Jocularly, she added. "So you're gonna have to deal." Clicking the latches open, she lifted the lid.
Komichi's eyes widened. "Chris-san… that's…"
"Yep." Chris said as she removed the beautiful, Scott Cao Superior high-end violin. "You know, before the Horsemen came roaring out of the shadows, I was thinking of writing a song. Maybe even trying out some professional playing." She pursed her lips, recalling Shirabe's own plan to help Kirika. "I think I might return to that first idea, some time."
A silence fell over the two girls as Chris tuned the instrument, adjusting it exactly where she wanted it to be. Then she shouldered the instrument, pulling out the bow before glancing at Komichi and cocking her head questioningly. "Well…?"
"Well…?" Komichi repeated dumbly, her mind trying to catch up with the question.
Chris rolled her eyes. "I'm asking you if there's anything you want me to play, Komichi. Figured I'd give you a solo performance."
Komichi blinked a few times, processing that. Her eyes flicked to the violin, then to Chris, then the violin again. Then she closed her eyes, humming in thought. Chris arched an eyebrow as the silence drew out, a twinge of nervousness plucking at her heart.
"No." Komichi finally said.
"No?" Chris started, taken aback by the sudden, blunt rejection.
"No wait!" Komichi's eyes snapped open, panic clear in her features. "I meant… As in I wanted to say…" She paused, sucking in a deep breath before finally adding. "Just, wait here."
Then she got up, quickly circling back around the couch and darting down the hallway into her room. Chris just stared after her, confusion and worry gnawing at her. That… wasn't a rejection? Or was it?
Before she could dither on the problem more, Komichi reappeared. Chris blinked as she saw what her friend was carrying then broke out into a smile. "Huh, y'know… you never did show me that before."
"Well," Komichi considered as she sat back down and tuned her ukulele. "Better late than never?"
"Sure." Chris grinned, "So, you've got any idea for a song?"
Komichi frowned thoughtfully as she adjusted the knobs. "Well, something that's a duet, definitely."
"Definitely." Chris agreed.
"But…" Komichi shook her head as she finished tuning, taking up the ukulele with her fingers on the strings. "I… can't really think of anything more specific..."
Chris hummed. "Well, maybe." She trailed off, nothing coming to mind until she just shrugged. "One of us starts playing something and the other picks up?"
"Sounds good." Komichi said. She picked at a few notes for a moment, the sounds echoing around the room. Then she paused again, her brow furrowing in thought with her eyes on her lap.
Chris just sat there, violin against her shoulder, watching Komichi contemplate how she might start. Quietly, despite their earlier agreement, Chris decided to delegate starting the song to her friend. Komichi had found the courage to throw this modification into her plans, so she might as well quietly encourage her to take the first step as well.
But after a few seconds, Chris began to second-guess herself. Komichi was still staring down, her eyes listlessly drifting across the floor. What if she decided to back out? Maybe Chris should start, should take the lead. She had been the one most often offering her hand all this time, so—
And then Komichi strummed the first note.
Taken by surprise, it took Chris a few moments to actually pay attention to what Komichi was playing. And only then did Chris realize Komichi wasn't really playing any specific song. Instead, she was freestyling it. Linking together notes and melodies reasonably enough, but not actually taking it in any direction.
Because she was waiting for Chris to join in.
At that realization, Chris smiled. Fully readying her violin, she closed her eyes and cocked her head, waiting for the song to drift in just the right way. And at the opportune moment, she too began to play.
Komichi's playing stumbled for a moment at her intrusion, as if she didn't actually expect Chris to join her. But Chris followed the downward swing so smoothly that soon Komichi corrected, swinging upward once again. Within just another few seconds, their melodies joined perfectly. The song that rolled through the room was joyful yet meandering. It became a journey, one that may never hope to get anywhere but which nonetheless they would never wish to abandon for a moment.
At first, the journey had its stops and starts as one girl hesitated against the other, for one reason or another. But every time, the other girl would reply and get her partner moving again. Chris pushed, Komichi pulled. Finally their vying advance descended into a steady partnership, and soon it was as if they were strolling side by side through a field of red flowers and yellow tulips.
The sun beat down on them as they stopped together atop a nearby hill, peering off into the horizon. Their hands intertwined with each other, and at the same time, so did their hearts. They turned to each other, violet meeting green as they stared into each other's souls. Connecting as one in a way words could never express.
And then it was over, the vision fading with the music as Komichi and Chris, together, found a conclusion. A realization and promise were strung together in those last notes, fading out into the room as their hands stilled and silence fell.
Chris released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding as she opened her eyes, head turning so her gaze locked with Komichi's. The two lowered their instruments as their faces drifted towards each other, either unable or unwilling to break their mutual trances.
Komichi knew. Chris had felt it in the music and could see it in her eyes as she stared into them now. That song they had played together… it meant Komichi knew, she understood, she realized. And Chris knew too, understood as well. Her best hopes and dreams realized: Komichi returned her feelings.
All she had to do was seal it, just cross the little distance that now lay between them and it would be done. Chris was so close, it wouldn't take much movement…
But she hesitated. Komichi didn't know about the other thing. As much as Chris wanted to take this last step, it wouldn't be fair unless Komichi knew. Chris couldn't start the relationship with that last secret hanging over them. She'd have to tell her about Sumphonia.
But that wasn't just Chris' secret to share.
So she glanced away, breaking the spell. "I'm sorry." She said, squeezing her eyes shut. She didn't want to see the hurt on Komichi's face. "But… There's one last thing I have to tell ya. And it's not something I can just go off and say. I have… I have to talk it over with the others first."
Silence met her proclamation. Chris didn't know how Komichi was taking it. Betrayal? Sadness? Anger? "I understand if you're hurt. But please, I promise you, it's—"
"Chris." A hand slipped into her own. A warm, gentle hand. Chris's eyes snapped open as she first looked down at the palm laid over her own. Then she lifted her face to look at Komichi.
"It's alright." Komichi softly smiled, eyes filled with understanding. "If there's only one more thing… Then that is fine. I can wait."
Chris' shoulders sagged with relief, tears pricking at her eyes that she hastily wiped away with her free hand. "Thank you." She said, intertwining the fingers of her hand with Komichi's. "I'll… I'll try to move as fast as I can on it. But I—once I can tell you, what you hear... You might hate me for it."
"Never." Komichi answered with a certainty that Chris had never heard from the brunette before. The hand squeezed her own. "That will never happen."
Chris' heart leapt into the clouds, soaring through the sky like it had obtained its own X-Drive. She couldn't stop the grin that broke out across her face, looking up to meet Komichi's own eyes before she chuckled. "Alright, alright…" She gave her own squeeze back before letting go of Komichi's hand, the brunette gladly acquiescing. Chris glanced back to her violin again, resting in her lap. "In the meantime..."
Komichi quirked an eyebrow curiously as Chris picked up the instrument and hurriedly retuned it.
"How about we try something like… oh, 'Fly Me To The Moon'?" Chris suggested, as she shouldered her violin again.
Picking up her ukelele, Komichi smiled. The tiny little gap in her stomach, which had once been a yawning chasm of inadequacy... it was now gone. "I'd love to."
Chris could have never imagined how the combination of her name and a particular face could send her spirits soaring. The sight of Komichi smiling at first sight of her, in sharp contrast to the last two times Chris had come over during the height of the media frenzy following the leaks, seemed to be a more beautiful sight then she could even imagine.
"Christ, when did I become such a sap?" Chris thought, conscious of how dopy the grin that spread across her face must be, but aloud she said. "Yo, Komichi. Said I'd be over as soon as I could, when I got back. Technically would have been sooner, but—"
"Oh, it's fine!" Komichi waved away any concerns on that part, instead stepping back to let Chris in. "Come in, come in!"
"You know," Chris said as she walked in, taking off her shoes. "You should come over to my place sometime."
"Your home? Wait... " Komichi frowned puzzlingly. "Do you still live at the same address?"
"Yeah." Chris shrugged as she turned into the kitchen to drop off the gift bag she had brought with her. "The ninja-commander—" That earned a confused blink from Komichi, "—did offer to move me when everything blew up. But I ain't gonna let some paparazzi pests chase me out of my home."
It was the truth, but there was also more to it than that. Her home had also been a gift from someone she had treasured, someone who had saved her… someone who was gone now. Shaking off the pang of sadness, Chris plopped the gift bag on the table, though she kept hold of the case she had slung over her other shoulder. She then reached up, removed the sunglasses she had on, and took off her sunhat to let her hair tendrils freely hang out.
"That looks good on you." Komichi complimented, stepping over the snacks Chris had brought before sitting down to sort through them.
"Thanks." Chris answered as she turned the hat over in her hand. "Got it in China. It's almost as good as the wig in hiding my hair and a whole lot less itchy. Though..."
She turned and walked around the table right up next to Komichi. The extended pause was enough to cause the brunette to turn towards her friend in curiosity and once she was facing Chris, the sun hat was plopped down onto Komichi's head. Chris stepped back, tapping a finger to her chin for a moment before smiling. "Yeah, it looks even better on you."
Komichi blinked as she processed that statement, her cheeks heating. "N-No way." She reached up to grab the rim of the hat, taking it off. "I… I can't have this!" She tried to hand it to Chris, but the Ichaival wielder simply backed away, her smile turning smug.
"Nuh-uh. That's a souvenir from me to you." She said, "Plus, I bought a second pair so we can match when we hang out."
"M-matching!" Komichi breathed, her eyes shrinking as her face turned even redder. "M-me and Chris-san?!"
"Oh my god." Chris thought, "She's so cute! Is this what the dummy and all the others think when they make me blush?!"
Feeling a light shade of red making its presence known on her own face, Chris quickly looked away lest she give in to this unnatural desire to hug the adorable creature in front of her. "H-hey! Don't get too worked up about it, it'll help keep the sun off ya, that's all." She shifted somewhat guiltily, knowing that her next words might depress Komichi a little. "Particularly since I won't be on campus as much."
Komichi froze at that, her face falling as her eyes darted about. Slowly, she reached up and removed the sunhat Chris just placed on her head. But all she could think to say was, "What?"
"I'm loading up on online classes this semester." Chris admitted, her eyes falling down to the floor as she plucked at one of the tips of her hair. But she scowled and quickly added. "But don't you dare think this is the end! It's like I said: I'm not letting you go!"
Chancing a look back at Komichi again, Chris was relieved to see her straighten up a bit. With more confidence, the Ichaival wielder placed her hands on her hips. "So we're just gonna have to do all sorts of stuff together!" For emphasis, Chris jabbed a finger at the brunette. "And you will be coming to my place some time, got it?"
Komichi giggled at that, causing Chris to arch an eyebrow and blush again, the self-consciousness roaring back. What about that had she found funny? And why did Komichi's giggle have to make Chris's insides feel so weird. Dammit, love was strange!
"Okay!" Komichi said, bringing Chris back to the here and now. Though the brunette's eyebrows did furrow. "Though, those reporters?"
"Fuck 'em." Chris waved her hand as she turned decisively for the living room. "I'll talk with my security team. They so much try and touch a hair on your head, and the men in black will have to protect them from me! Bet on it."
Komichi blinked, but nodded and followed Chris into the living room. As they walked, the brunette's eyes slid down, alighting on the case that Chris still carried at her side. "Erm… Chris-san. That case…"
"Hm?" Chris paused at the sofa, only partly seated. She herself glanced down at the case before she smiled and fully took a seat. "Oh yeah. Figured I'd do something special for you today. You know, to thank you for sticking with me."
"You don't have to." Komichi blushed, even as she sat down next to Chris.
"But I wanna." Chris said as she set the case on her lap. Jocularly, she added. "So you're gonna have to deal." Clicking the latches open, she lifted the lid.
Komichi's eyes widened. "Chris-san… that's…"
"Yep." Chris said as she removed the beautiful, Scott Cao Superior high-end violin. "You know, before the Horsemen came roaring out of the shadows, I was thinking of writing a song. Maybe even trying out some professional playing." She pursed her lips, recalling Shirabe's own plan to help Kirika. "I think I might return to that first idea, some time."
A silence fell over the two girls as Chris tuned the instrument, adjusting it exactly where she wanted it to be. Then she shouldered the instrument, pulling out the bow before glancing at Komichi and cocking her head questioningly. "Well…?"
"Well…?" Komichi repeated dumbly, her mind trying to catch up with the question.
Chris rolled her eyes. "I'm asking you if there's anything you want me to play, Komichi. Figured I'd give you a solo performance."
Komichi blinked a few times, processing that. Her eyes flicked to the violin, then to Chris, then the violin again. Then she closed her eyes, humming in thought. Chris arched an eyebrow as the silence drew out, a twinge of nervousness plucking at her heart.
"No." Komichi finally said.
"No?" Chris started, taken aback by the sudden, blunt rejection.
"No wait!" Komichi's eyes snapped open, panic clear in her features. "I meant… As in I wanted to say…" She paused, sucking in a deep breath before finally adding. "Just, wait here."
Then she got up, quickly circling back around the couch and darting down the hallway into her room. Chris just stared after her, confusion and worry gnawing at her. That… wasn't a rejection? Or was it?
Before she could dither on the problem more, Komichi reappeared. Chris blinked as she saw what her friend was carrying then broke out into a smile. "Huh, y'know… you never did show me that before."
"Well," Komichi considered as she sat back down and tuned her ukulele. "Better late than never?"
"Sure." Chris grinned, "So, you've got any idea for a song?"
Komichi frowned thoughtfully as she adjusted the knobs. "Well, something that's a duet, definitely."
"Definitely." Chris agreed.
"But…" Komichi shook her head as she finished tuning, taking up the ukulele with her fingers on the strings. "I… can't really think of anything more specific..."
Chris hummed. "Well, maybe." She trailed off, nothing coming to mind until she just shrugged. "One of us starts playing something and the other picks up?"
"Sounds good." Komichi said. She picked at a few notes for a moment, the sounds echoing around the room. Then she paused again, her brow furrowing in thought with her eyes on her lap.
Chris just sat there, violin against her shoulder, watching Komichi contemplate how she might start. Quietly, despite their earlier agreement, Chris decided to delegate starting the song to her friend. Komichi had found the courage to throw this modification into her plans, so she might as well quietly encourage her to take the first step as well.
But after a few seconds, Chris began to second-guess herself. Komichi was still staring down, her eyes listlessly drifting across the floor. What if she decided to back out? Maybe Chris should start, should take the lead. She had been the one most often offering her hand all this time, so—
And then Komichi strummed the first note.
Taken by surprise, it took Chris a few moments to actually pay attention to what Komichi was playing. And only then did Chris realize Komichi wasn't really playing any specific song. Instead, she was freestyling it. Linking together notes and melodies reasonably enough, but not actually taking it in any direction.
Because she was waiting for Chris to join in.
At that realization, Chris smiled. Fully readying her violin, she closed her eyes and cocked her head, waiting for the song to drift in just the right way. And at the opportune moment, she too began to play.
Komichi's playing stumbled for a moment at her intrusion, as if she didn't actually expect Chris to join her. But Chris followed the downward swing so smoothly that soon Komichi corrected, swinging upward once again. Within just another few seconds, their melodies joined perfectly. The song that rolled through the room was joyful yet meandering. It became a journey, one that may never hope to get anywhere but which nonetheless they would never wish to abandon for a moment.
At first, the journey had its stops and starts as one girl hesitated against the other, for one reason or another. But every time, the other girl would reply and get her partner moving again. Chris pushed, Komichi pulled. Finally their vying advance descended into a steady partnership, and soon it was as if they were strolling side by side through a field of red flowers and yellow tulips.
The sun beat down on them as they stopped together atop a nearby hill, peering off into the horizon. Their hands intertwined with each other, and at the same time, so did their hearts. They turned to each other, violet meeting green as they stared into each other's souls. Connecting as one in a way words could never express.
And then it was over, the vision fading with the music as Komichi and Chris, together, found a conclusion. A realization and promise were strung together in those last notes, fading out into the room as their hands stilled and silence fell.
Chris released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding as she opened her eyes, head turning so her gaze locked with Komichi's. The two lowered their instruments as their faces drifted towards each other, either unable or unwilling to break their mutual trances.
Komichi knew. Chris had felt it in the music and could see it in her eyes as she stared into them now. That song they had played together… it meant Komichi knew, she understood, she realized. And Chris knew too, understood as well. Her best hopes and dreams realized: Komichi returned her feelings.
All she had to do was seal it, just cross the little distance that now lay between them and it would be done. Chris was so close, it wouldn't take much movement…
But she hesitated. Komichi didn't know about the other thing. As much as Chris wanted to take this last step, it wouldn't be fair unless Komichi knew. Chris couldn't start the relationship with that last secret hanging over them. She'd have to tell her about Sumphonia.
But that wasn't just Chris' secret to share.
So she glanced away, breaking the spell. "I'm sorry." She said, squeezing her eyes shut. She didn't want to see the hurt on Komichi's face. "But… There's one last thing I have to tell ya. And it's not something I can just go off and say. I have… I have to talk it over with the others first."
Silence met her proclamation. Chris didn't know how Komichi was taking it. Betrayal? Sadness? Anger? "I understand if you're hurt. But please, I promise you, it's—"
"Chris." A hand slipped into her own. A warm, gentle hand. Chris's eyes snapped open as she first looked down at the palm laid over her own. Then she lifted her face to look at Komichi.
"It's alright." Komichi softly smiled, eyes filled with understanding. "If there's only one more thing… Then that is fine. I can wait."
Chris' shoulders sagged with relief, tears pricking at her eyes that she hastily wiped away with her free hand. "Thank you." She said, intertwining the fingers of her hand with Komichi's. "I'll… I'll try to move as fast as I can on it. But I—once I can tell you, what you hear... You might hate me for it."
"Never." Komichi answered with a certainty that Chris had never heard from the brunette before. The hand squeezed her own. "That will never happen."
Chris' heart leapt into the clouds, soaring through the sky like it had obtained its own X-Drive. She couldn't stop the grin that broke out across her face, looking up to meet Komichi's own eyes before she chuckled. "Alright, alright…" She gave her own squeeze back before letting go of Komichi's hand, the brunette gladly acquiescing. Chris glanced back to her violin again, resting in her lap. "In the meantime..."
Komichi quirked an eyebrow curiously as Chris picked up the instrument and hurriedly retuned it.
"How about we try something like… oh, 'Fly Me To The Moon'?" Chris suggested, as she shouldered her violin again.
Picking up her ukelele, Komichi smiled. The tiny little gap in her stomach, which had once been a yawning chasm of inadequacy... it was now gone. "I'd love to."
----
Next Chapter: Don't Leave Me Alone
----
A/N: HAHA! Made it on time! So yeah… I actually don't have much else to say for once. Uh, enjoy?
Paleb05
A Believer of Optimism in the World
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Good chapter.
Why though does this make me very worried about what is going to happen next?
Why though does this make me very worried about what is going to happen next?
BritishGrenadier
Summon The Elector Counts!
- Location
- Nova Scotia Halifax
My own two cents on this.
While the horsemen have extremely questionable motives. Tsubasa is in the right for while it is true that the Geneva conventions don't apply to insurgents or non state actors in combat (possibly the reason why the soldiers thought that they could torture the poor sod). The Article 3 of the Geneva convention (which turkey is a signatory). Provides that non combatants (including people who surrender) working for non state actors still have basic human rights and should be afforded at least the opportunity for a fair trial
ARTICLE 3
In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each Party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:
(1) Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed ' hors de combat ' by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.
To this end, the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:
(a) violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;
(b) taking of hostages;
(c) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment;
(d) the passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court, affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.
(2) The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for.
An impartial humanitarian body, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, may offer its services to the Parties to the conflict.
The Parties to the conflict should further endeavour to bring into force, by means of special agreements, all or part of the other provisions of the present Convention.
The application of the preceding provisions shall not affect the legal status of the Parties to the conflict.
In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each Party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:
(1) Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed ' hors de combat ' by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.
To this end, the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:
(a) violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;
(b) taking of hostages;
(c) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment;
(d) the passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court, affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.
(2) The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for.
An impartial humanitarian body, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, may offer its services to the Parties to the conflict.
The Parties to the conflict should further endeavour to bring into force, by means of special agreements, all or part of the other provisions of the present Convention.
The application of the preceding provisions shall not affect the legal status of the Parties to the conflict.
So not only is it a PR disaster for the Turkish government if this gets out. It is a also a war crime that violates the Geneva Convention which would get that officer a one way ticket to the Hague.
- Location
- in the trash
I wonder if any of the Illuminati/other underground occult groups are still active in some form. It's implausible the Horsemen got all of them, even if they already were in disarray from the loss of their high level leadership. And they've stayed hidden for a long time and should have some tricks left up their sleeve.
Anyway I'm just thinking, hypothetically if any splinter groups survived in some form, they should be open to working together to kick the shit out of a certain bunch of assholes.
Last edited:
Grue
滅亡迅雷
- Location
- -
Instructions unclear, accidentally blew a hole into an entirely different anime via shitposting.
(The Illuminati canonically got hammered badly after AXZ, hence how Fudou could pick up Noble Red.)
- Location
- in the trash
Yeah, that's probably the main reason why the Horsemen could even mess them up that badly, they already got utterly routed twice and lost their immortal leaders who probably had most of the knowledge.
Chapter 38: Don't Leave Me Alone
obssesednuker
Commander of 10 Million Men
- Location
- In the Kremlin, activating Perimtr.
Distortions
Chapter 38
Don't Leave Me Alone
----
Chapter 38
Don't Leave Me Alone
----
Several minutes after reaching the lobby, Miku and Hibiki were back in their apartment and with them—formally invited now—was Furuta.
Miku was in the kitchen, fixing some tea. Hibiki and Furuta were seated at the dinner table across from each other, the former glancing at their guest. Furuta, on the other hand, seemed to glance at everything but Hibiki. His eyes slowly roamed around, leaping over the Gungnir wielder every time they were about to directly look at her.
It was only now as she studied him that Hibiki realized just how awful Furuta looked. Even compared to that day with the Horsemen and the helicopter and Miku's parents. He was thinner than she remembered, his eyes sunken with exhaustion and ringed by dark circles. His clothes seemed to drape over from his skin.
It was a far cry from the junior high school teacher Hibiki remembered, the one who had transitioned from a kindly caretaker to a cold, demonic onlooker that had spat at her to not come whining to him about the other students. And as she sat here, she was reminded about another time she abruptly had to meet a figure from her past life. She didn't know whether to be happy that this meeting was happening in the security of her home or worried that it might violate that same security.
"Here you go, Furuta-san." Miku said, as she arrived to place one of a trio of steaming mugs of tea in front of him. But her voice lacked any sort of warmth, and the man flinched away from her piercing gaze.
"Thanks." He mumbled back meekly, taking the mug between his hands but making no move to lift it towards his mouth.
"Miku." Hibiki said, inflecting a multitude of meanings into the name. Acceptance, understanding, admonition, warning… she actually surprised herself at how she managed it. And that Miku caught them all, her expression melting as she gave Hibiki an apologetic smile before handing over her own cup of tea. Then, the Shenshoujing wielder took the seat next to Hibiki, affecting an air of nonchalance even as she primly and pointedly did not look at Furuta.
Glass shaking, Furuta took his first sip and placed it back down. Then he locked his eyes to a point somewhere just over Hibiki's head, sucked in a deep breath, and said, "Tachibana-sama, I…"
But just as he opened his mouth to speak, the words died in his throat. Beside her, Miku scowled but Hibiki ignored that, and instead gave a comforting smile. "Hibiki-san is fine. Or Tachibana-san. Whichever you prefer, sensei."
That got Furuta to look at her for the first time since they had seen each other in the lobby. It lasted only a few seconds before he looked away. For her part, Miku just shook her head with a sigh.
"Sensei..." Furuta said, almost to himself. "I don't deserve to have you call me that, Tachibana-san. And that… I failed you." He picked up his tea again. "No, worse. I tried to crush you, just like all the others did. So... Furuta-san, please." At that he took another sip, his eyes focused on the table.
"I…" Hibiki paused again, furrowing her brow before she shook her head and leaned back with a sigh, "Okay, Furuta-san." She tried to offer a comforting smile. "If it's any consolation, it's been… a while since what happened back then bothered me."
Miku's eyes quickly flickered to Hibiki, but she managed to avoid giving her girlfriend a flat look. Instead, she quickly slid her free hand under the table to grab Hibiki's, only to get a reassuring squeeze back.
Furuta let out a hollow laugh. "It had been a while since I had thought of you too." His stare fixated on his reflection in his tea. "The news was a shock. That it was you..."
Hibiki blinked, but Miku instantly knew what their former teacher was referring to.
"Then I run into you, desperately trying to save Shiraishi-san… and agonizing over all the rest." His mouth tightened, "More children I failed as well."
"That wasn't your fault." The words were out of Hibiki's mouth before she even realized what she was doing. "The Horsemen… they were after us."
Miku bit her lip at that, but Hibiki's grip grew tighter as if she was trying to squeeze the wave of guilt out of her Sunshine. "Not your fault either." It said, loud enough that Miku could practically hear the words as if Hibiki had actually said them.
"No." Furuta-san said sharply, looking up. "I unfairly blamed you too much for something in the past to let you--"
"Then blame the Horsemen. Or whoever, so long as you don't suck Hibiki into your pity-party." Miku interrupted, unable to keep venom from dripping into her voice. She felt a pang of satisfaction as Furuta looked down into his tea again and then a pang of guilt as Hibiki shot her an admonishing look.
Miku closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. It was… easier than she anticipated, the disdain and hate burning away as if she had personally purged them. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and in a level tone asked, "Why are you here, Furuta-san?"
"I want to apologize." He said, running a hand through his head. "After the news broke and after our encounter, it's been… well, I'm sure you can tell." He glanced away. "I don't know if you'll forgive me. I don't know if I even deserve your forgiveness. But I do want you to know… I'm sorry."
Miku shook her head, a strange blend of satisfaction and disappointment rolling over her at what she knew was coming. But she wasn't about to stop it or object. For her part, Hibiki blinked, before smiling. The answer was a no-brainer. "Oh! Of course I forgive you." She laughed, "As I said, that stuff… It's all in the past. And really, I got over it a while ago."
She turned and shot Miku an almost blinding smile. A faint dash of red spreading across her cheeks, Miku returned with her own, more gentle. Across from them, Furuta seemed to sag as if Hibiki had just shattered an enormous weight from his back, though his eyes drifted between the couple.
"I see…" He said, before his eyes dipped and a tiny smile drew across his face, a smile which made Miku's blush deepen. "I'm glad."
But then Hibiki's smile dimmed, "Though…" She turned back to him, her features growing serious. "If something like that were to ever happen again... Well, I'd rather you never do something like that again, actually."
But both of them blinked as Furuta let out a forlorn chuckle, slumping in his seat. "Oh… you don't have to worry about that."
Hibiki and Miku exchanged a confused glance before turning back, the latter giving voice to their curiosity. "What do you mean?"
Furuta smiled sadly, letting his eyes rest on the ceiling. "Around the turn of the month, a team came in from the prefecture to conduct 'a surprise performance review'. They went through everyone's records over the last five years." He sat back up, grabbing his tea cup. "Suffice to say, much of the staff has been dismissed. The school even has a new headmaster."
And with that matter-of-fact statement, he downed the rest of his tea as Hibiki and Miku stared, their minds whirling as they put it all together. They could read between the lines: Furuta had been fired for his past role in aiding and abetting Hibiki's bullying, along with much of the rest of the staff. But as they came to terms with that information, Furuta continued.
"I suppose, in some way, it's fortunate." A slight clink as he placed his now-empty cup back in the holder. "I might have been too busy to apologise to you. I don't think I could have continued to function without it." Then he stood up and offered them a slight bow. "I… thank you for hearing me out."
The movement pulled Hibiki out of her shock. She didn't know how to feel about the news that many of her old bullies had lost their jobs, but one burning question quickly thrust itself to the forefront of her mind. She blurted out, "What will you do now?!"
Furuta blinked at the question and then shuffled, glancing aside. "I don't know. It'll be on my record now… not many good jobs I could get with something like that." He shrugged, "I'll make do."
"No." Hibiki thought, "That won't do." She thought of her dad, not as he was now but as he had been as a result of what happened to her. Of how that had crushed him, and in turn he had helped crush her. And once again, someone in front of her would suffer on her account. And that in turn...
She wouldn't let that happen again. Not if she could prevent it. In a flash of inspiration, she let go of Miku's hand and shot to her feet. "Wait here, I'll be right back."
"Hibiki?" Miku asked, but her girlfriend was already dashing off towards their bedroom and she sighed with a shake of her head. Hibiki said she would be back quickly and she wasn't leaving the apartment, so Miku chose to believe her.
Another silence, even more awkward then the earlier one before the conversation, now settled over the room. Furuta also stared after Hibiki until she vanished into their bedroom before glancing uncertainly back at Miku.
Miku's gaze immediately sharpened as their eyes met, some of the earlier feelings she had suppressed rumbling back. The ex-teacher winced and quickly looked away, shifting nervously.
"No, stop it. Hibiki forgave him, you could try to do so too." Miku thought to herself, closing her eyes. "Even if all you can do is just try."
"Furuta-san." Miku said aloud. She had carefully schooled her features and modulated her voice to seem as neutral as possible, but still he winced at the tone of her voice. Miku paused for a moment before deciding to ignore it, "I want to know; if our identities hadn't been outed, if you didn't know we were now the Symphogear wielders, if you didn't know that it was Hibiki who did that all the way back in February…"
She looked him square in the eyes before finishing.
"Would you have ever felt this guilt? Would you be here apologizing?"
The question seemed to hang in the air like an artillery shell which had reached the apogee of it's arch only to suddenly be frozen in time. Furuta gaped at Miku for a moment before shutting his mouth, his eyes narrowing in thought. Then he closed his eyes and sighed.
"No. I don't think so." He answered, opening his eyes. "It had been almost two years since I thought about Tachibana-san at all." He looked away. "I'm sorry."
"I see." Was all Miku said, her hand coming up to her own chin. Credit where credit was due, Furuta had been honest with her. It wasn't much of a shift of her opinion of the man, but it was a start.
"Here!" Hibiki marked her return with an exclamation and dash into the kitchen, excitedly waving a piece of paper. She rushed up to Furuta and thrust it towards him. "Take this with you."
The teacher stared at her for a moment before accepting the proffered slip. Glancing down, his eyes widened. "Tachibana-san, this is…"
"Yeah, it's my phone number." Hibiki said, backing away. From the table, Miku just smiled and shook her head. "We all had to change ours after the leaks, so the currently public ones are out of date, but I figure you can use me as a reference."
Furuta gaped, and after a moment his hand trembled. "Tachibana-san… I… thank you."
"Hey, helping people is my hobby… no, practically my job!" Hibiki beamed for a second, but then her smile grew slightly dimmer as her eyes turned more serious. "But like I asked before, if you see someone else in trouble from here on out, someone being picked on like I was… I'd like you to help them."
"Yes." Furuta answered instantly, bowing gratefully. "I promise, I will!"
"Eh-heh…" Hibiki chuckled somewhat uncertainly, taken aback by suddenly getting bowed to like that. Her eyes turned to Miku who just smiled reassuringly.
"Well," Miku said cheerfully, calmly standing up. "If that is all resolved..."
"Oh, of course." Furuta nodded, straightening back up. They escorted him back to the door and Hibiki's heart lifted a little to notice that her old teacher now had a little pep back in his step. After he put his shoes back on and opened the front door, he turned and continued. "I'm sorry for imposing, and again I can't thank you enough for… well, everything."
"Come on." Hibiki answered him again with a grin, "It's nothing, it's really nothing."
Furuta gave a small smile back and then stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. Silence fell yet again over the room, as Hibiki and Miku looked at each other.
"Well…" Miku remarked, brushing down her skirt and glancing over her shoulder at the clock. "I suppose it's about time for dinner?"
"Oh, yeah!" Hibiki's eyes lit up. She wasn't exactly hungry, but she could always go for more of Miku's cooking. Excitedly, she practically skipped back towards the table, excitedly chiming. "Dinner from Miku, dinner from Miku~."
Miku suppressed a giggle as she followed her girlfriend back to the kitchen and dining area. Grabbing her cooking apron, she set about pulling out the knives, cutting board, pans, and other cooking utensils. For her part, Hibiki took a seat. She may always help Miku do the dishes afterward, but she knew better than to try and help her sunshine with cooking. The last time she tried… hadn't ended well.
So instead, Hibiki sat back in her chair and hummed as she watched Miku work. Basking in the good feeling of having genuinely helped someone, even if it was someone from her past. And the way he had looked up to her… well, it was still quite different from how Waki had looked up to her, but Hibiki could see the resemblance. It still felt strange how many people seemed to view her in such a light, but Hibiki couldn't deny that it didn't feel bad either.
And, thinking back to the shelter, Hibiki recalled that the others had been receiving similar reception from people, if to a lesser extent. Why, even Miku had received that offer from Lydian to—
Hibiki's good mood came crashing to a halt as she abruptly remembered Miku's indecision and uncertainty when they had talked about it. Miku had offered to talk about it once they were back home, but then they had run into Furuta and gotten sidetracked with his apology.
Should she ask about it now? She considered it, eyeing her girlfriend. But the more she thought about it, the more she watched her Sunshine work on her dinner, the more Hibiki thought she could figure out what it was. It was like she was pulling on their connection to unveil her beloved's feelings.
Miku was still afraid of messing up, somehow. Of being "unworthy" of her. A ridiculous notion to Hibiki. There was no way in the entire rest of eternity that Miku could ever be that. But it wasn't just Hibiki's thoughts at play. If Miku went up and gave a speech, there would be other people watching. They would judge her, compare her to Hibiki. And if she messed up… well, that might pressure them.
It was nice, for once, thinking leading to understanding.
"Miku…" Hibiki said, her voice serious enough that her girlfriend stopped and turned to look at her.
"Yes?" Miku asked with uncertainty, her eyebrows furrowing.
"I think you should take up the offer from Lydian." Hibiki said. Miku froze, her eyes widening, but Hibiki pushed on. "You won't mess up. You can't mess up. I know this because you're Miku Kohinata, my sunshine. The warmest place is when I'm next to you, and that's the place I always return to. It's always been that way, and it always will be so."
Miku's eyes fell as her cheeks heated. She had heard Hibiki say that a thousand times before, but it never failed to make her pulse race. Rising from her seat, Hibiki walked over to her embarrassed girlfriend and enveloped her in a hug.
"You're so wonderful." She continued, now whispering the words into Miku's ear. "And I want to see you up on that stage, showing the world that this person who is all mine is so wonderful. So would you grant me this selfish little favor?"
For several seconds, Miku remained silent. But Hibiki didn't push any further and didn't release the hug to see Miku's face, instead she just held her girlfriend and waited patiently. Finally, she heard Miku sigh.
"I suppose you aren't going to let go until I agree, are you?"
"Nope!" Hibiki chirped as her heart leapt for joy. Yes, success!
"Then I guess I don't have much of a choice." Miku said, a bit of wonder creeping back into her voice. "How could I refuse my brilliant sun?"
"Yay!" Hibiki cheered, quickly pulling back to deliver a kiss to Miku's cheek. Her girlfriend giggled in response, before adding, "I'll give the Headmistress a call after we clean up from dinner." She said, then her voice grew mischievous. "But you might want to let go of me before the rice burns~"
"Oh no!" Hibiki reeled back at that, quickly breaking away from Miku. "Not the rice!"
Miku just outright laughed at her antics, her giggling melodic and pure.
Miku was in the kitchen, fixing some tea. Hibiki and Furuta were seated at the dinner table across from each other, the former glancing at their guest. Furuta, on the other hand, seemed to glance at everything but Hibiki. His eyes slowly roamed around, leaping over the Gungnir wielder every time they were about to directly look at her.
It was only now as she studied him that Hibiki realized just how awful Furuta looked. Even compared to that day with the Horsemen and the helicopter and Miku's parents. He was thinner than she remembered, his eyes sunken with exhaustion and ringed by dark circles. His clothes seemed to drape over from his skin.
It was a far cry from the junior high school teacher Hibiki remembered, the one who had transitioned from a kindly caretaker to a cold, demonic onlooker that had spat at her to not come whining to him about the other students. And as she sat here, she was reminded about another time she abruptly had to meet a figure from her past life. She didn't know whether to be happy that this meeting was happening in the security of her home or worried that it might violate that same security.
"Here you go, Furuta-san." Miku said, as she arrived to place one of a trio of steaming mugs of tea in front of him. But her voice lacked any sort of warmth, and the man flinched away from her piercing gaze.
"Thanks." He mumbled back meekly, taking the mug between his hands but making no move to lift it towards his mouth.
"Miku." Hibiki said, inflecting a multitude of meanings into the name. Acceptance, understanding, admonition, warning… she actually surprised herself at how she managed it. And that Miku caught them all, her expression melting as she gave Hibiki an apologetic smile before handing over her own cup of tea. Then, the Shenshoujing wielder took the seat next to Hibiki, affecting an air of nonchalance even as she primly and pointedly did not look at Furuta.
Glass shaking, Furuta took his first sip and placed it back down. Then he locked his eyes to a point somewhere just over Hibiki's head, sucked in a deep breath, and said, "Tachibana-sama, I…"
But just as he opened his mouth to speak, the words died in his throat. Beside her, Miku scowled but Hibiki ignored that, and instead gave a comforting smile. "Hibiki-san is fine. Or Tachibana-san. Whichever you prefer, sensei."
That got Furuta to look at her for the first time since they had seen each other in the lobby. It lasted only a few seconds before he looked away. For her part, Miku just shook her head with a sigh.
"Sensei..." Furuta said, almost to himself. "I don't deserve to have you call me that, Tachibana-san. And that… I failed you." He picked up his tea again. "No, worse. I tried to crush you, just like all the others did. So... Furuta-san, please." At that he took another sip, his eyes focused on the table.
"I…" Hibiki paused again, furrowing her brow before she shook her head and leaned back with a sigh, "Okay, Furuta-san." She tried to offer a comforting smile. "If it's any consolation, it's been… a while since what happened back then bothered me."
Miku's eyes quickly flickered to Hibiki, but she managed to avoid giving her girlfriend a flat look. Instead, she quickly slid her free hand under the table to grab Hibiki's, only to get a reassuring squeeze back.
Furuta let out a hollow laugh. "It had been a while since I had thought of you too." His stare fixated on his reflection in his tea. "The news was a shock. That it was you..."
Hibiki blinked, but Miku instantly knew what their former teacher was referring to.
"Then I run into you, desperately trying to save Shiraishi-san… and agonizing over all the rest." His mouth tightened, "More children I failed as well."
"That wasn't your fault." The words were out of Hibiki's mouth before she even realized what she was doing. "The Horsemen… they were after us."
Miku bit her lip at that, but Hibiki's grip grew tighter as if she was trying to squeeze the wave of guilt out of her Sunshine. "Not your fault either." It said, loud enough that Miku could practically hear the words as if Hibiki had actually said them.
"No." Furuta-san said sharply, looking up. "I unfairly blamed you too much for something in the past to let you--"
"Then blame the Horsemen. Or whoever, so long as you don't suck Hibiki into your pity-party." Miku interrupted, unable to keep venom from dripping into her voice. She felt a pang of satisfaction as Furuta looked down into his tea again and then a pang of guilt as Hibiki shot her an admonishing look.
Miku closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. It was… easier than she anticipated, the disdain and hate burning away as if she had personally purged them. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and in a level tone asked, "Why are you here, Furuta-san?"
"I want to apologize." He said, running a hand through his head. "After the news broke and after our encounter, it's been… well, I'm sure you can tell." He glanced away. "I don't know if you'll forgive me. I don't know if I even deserve your forgiveness. But I do want you to know… I'm sorry."
Miku shook her head, a strange blend of satisfaction and disappointment rolling over her at what she knew was coming. But she wasn't about to stop it or object. For her part, Hibiki blinked, before smiling. The answer was a no-brainer. "Oh! Of course I forgive you." She laughed, "As I said, that stuff… It's all in the past. And really, I got over it a while ago."
She turned and shot Miku an almost blinding smile. A faint dash of red spreading across her cheeks, Miku returned with her own, more gentle. Across from them, Furuta seemed to sag as if Hibiki had just shattered an enormous weight from his back, though his eyes drifted between the couple.
"I see…" He said, before his eyes dipped and a tiny smile drew across his face, a smile which made Miku's blush deepen. "I'm glad."
But then Hibiki's smile dimmed, "Though…" She turned back to him, her features growing serious. "If something like that were to ever happen again... Well, I'd rather you never do something like that again, actually."
But both of them blinked as Furuta let out a forlorn chuckle, slumping in his seat. "Oh… you don't have to worry about that."
Hibiki and Miku exchanged a confused glance before turning back, the latter giving voice to their curiosity. "What do you mean?"
Furuta smiled sadly, letting his eyes rest on the ceiling. "Around the turn of the month, a team came in from the prefecture to conduct 'a surprise performance review'. They went through everyone's records over the last five years." He sat back up, grabbing his tea cup. "Suffice to say, much of the staff has been dismissed. The school even has a new headmaster."
And with that matter-of-fact statement, he downed the rest of his tea as Hibiki and Miku stared, their minds whirling as they put it all together. They could read between the lines: Furuta had been fired for his past role in aiding and abetting Hibiki's bullying, along with much of the rest of the staff. But as they came to terms with that information, Furuta continued.
"I suppose, in some way, it's fortunate." A slight clink as he placed his now-empty cup back in the holder. "I might have been too busy to apologise to you. I don't think I could have continued to function without it." Then he stood up and offered them a slight bow. "I… thank you for hearing me out."
The movement pulled Hibiki out of her shock. She didn't know how to feel about the news that many of her old bullies had lost their jobs, but one burning question quickly thrust itself to the forefront of her mind. She blurted out, "What will you do now?!"
Furuta blinked at the question and then shuffled, glancing aside. "I don't know. It'll be on my record now… not many good jobs I could get with something like that." He shrugged, "I'll make do."
"No." Hibiki thought, "That won't do." She thought of her dad, not as he was now but as he had been as a result of what happened to her. Of how that had crushed him, and in turn he had helped crush her. And once again, someone in front of her would suffer on her account. And that in turn...
She wouldn't let that happen again. Not if she could prevent it. In a flash of inspiration, she let go of Miku's hand and shot to her feet. "Wait here, I'll be right back."
"Hibiki?" Miku asked, but her girlfriend was already dashing off towards their bedroom and she sighed with a shake of her head. Hibiki said she would be back quickly and she wasn't leaving the apartment, so Miku chose to believe her.
Another silence, even more awkward then the earlier one before the conversation, now settled over the room. Furuta also stared after Hibiki until she vanished into their bedroom before glancing uncertainly back at Miku.
Miku's gaze immediately sharpened as their eyes met, some of the earlier feelings she had suppressed rumbling back. The ex-teacher winced and quickly looked away, shifting nervously.
"No, stop it. Hibiki forgave him, you could try to do so too." Miku thought to herself, closing her eyes. "Even if all you can do is just try."
"Furuta-san." Miku said aloud. She had carefully schooled her features and modulated her voice to seem as neutral as possible, but still he winced at the tone of her voice. Miku paused for a moment before deciding to ignore it, "I want to know; if our identities hadn't been outed, if you didn't know we were now the Symphogear wielders, if you didn't know that it was Hibiki who did that all the way back in February…"
She looked him square in the eyes before finishing.
"Would you have ever felt this guilt? Would you be here apologizing?"
The question seemed to hang in the air like an artillery shell which had reached the apogee of it's arch only to suddenly be frozen in time. Furuta gaped at Miku for a moment before shutting his mouth, his eyes narrowing in thought. Then he closed his eyes and sighed.
"No. I don't think so." He answered, opening his eyes. "It had been almost two years since I thought about Tachibana-san at all." He looked away. "I'm sorry."
"I see." Was all Miku said, her hand coming up to her own chin. Credit where credit was due, Furuta had been honest with her. It wasn't much of a shift of her opinion of the man, but it was a start.
"Here!" Hibiki marked her return with an exclamation and dash into the kitchen, excitedly waving a piece of paper. She rushed up to Furuta and thrust it towards him. "Take this with you."
The teacher stared at her for a moment before accepting the proffered slip. Glancing down, his eyes widened. "Tachibana-san, this is…"
"Yeah, it's my phone number." Hibiki said, backing away. From the table, Miku just smiled and shook her head. "We all had to change ours after the leaks, so the currently public ones are out of date, but I figure you can use me as a reference."
Furuta gaped, and after a moment his hand trembled. "Tachibana-san… I… thank you."
"Hey, helping people is my hobby… no, practically my job!" Hibiki beamed for a second, but then her smile grew slightly dimmer as her eyes turned more serious. "But like I asked before, if you see someone else in trouble from here on out, someone being picked on like I was… I'd like you to help them."
"Yes." Furuta answered instantly, bowing gratefully. "I promise, I will!"
"Eh-heh…" Hibiki chuckled somewhat uncertainly, taken aback by suddenly getting bowed to like that. Her eyes turned to Miku who just smiled reassuringly.
"Well," Miku said cheerfully, calmly standing up. "If that is all resolved..."
"Oh, of course." Furuta nodded, straightening back up. They escorted him back to the door and Hibiki's heart lifted a little to notice that her old teacher now had a little pep back in his step. After he put his shoes back on and opened the front door, he turned and continued. "I'm sorry for imposing, and again I can't thank you enough for… well, everything."
"Come on." Hibiki answered him again with a grin, "It's nothing, it's really nothing."
Furuta gave a small smile back and then stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. Silence fell yet again over the room, as Hibiki and Miku looked at each other.
"Well…" Miku remarked, brushing down her skirt and glancing over her shoulder at the clock. "I suppose it's about time for dinner?"
"Oh, yeah!" Hibiki's eyes lit up. She wasn't exactly hungry, but she could always go for more of Miku's cooking. Excitedly, she practically skipped back towards the table, excitedly chiming. "Dinner from Miku, dinner from Miku~."
Miku suppressed a giggle as she followed her girlfriend back to the kitchen and dining area. Grabbing her cooking apron, she set about pulling out the knives, cutting board, pans, and other cooking utensils. For her part, Hibiki took a seat. She may always help Miku do the dishes afterward, but she knew better than to try and help her sunshine with cooking. The last time she tried… hadn't ended well.
So instead, Hibiki sat back in her chair and hummed as she watched Miku work. Basking in the good feeling of having genuinely helped someone, even if it was someone from her past. And the way he had looked up to her… well, it was still quite different from how Waki had looked up to her, but Hibiki could see the resemblance. It still felt strange how many people seemed to view her in such a light, but Hibiki couldn't deny that it didn't feel bad either.
And, thinking back to the shelter, Hibiki recalled that the others had been receiving similar reception from people, if to a lesser extent. Why, even Miku had received that offer from Lydian to—
Hibiki's good mood came crashing to a halt as she abruptly remembered Miku's indecision and uncertainty when they had talked about it. Miku had offered to talk about it once they were back home, but then they had run into Furuta and gotten sidetracked with his apology.
Should she ask about it now? She considered it, eyeing her girlfriend. But the more she thought about it, the more she watched her Sunshine work on her dinner, the more Hibiki thought she could figure out what it was. It was like she was pulling on their connection to unveil her beloved's feelings.
Miku was still afraid of messing up, somehow. Of being "unworthy" of her. A ridiculous notion to Hibiki. There was no way in the entire rest of eternity that Miku could ever be that. But it wasn't just Hibiki's thoughts at play. If Miku went up and gave a speech, there would be other people watching. They would judge her, compare her to Hibiki. And if she messed up… well, that might pressure them.
It was nice, for once, thinking leading to understanding.
"Miku…" Hibiki said, her voice serious enough that her girlfriend stopped and turned to look at her.
"Yes?" Miku asked with uncertainty, her eyebrows furrowing.
"I think you should take up the offer from Lydian." Hibiki said. Miku froze, her eyes widening, but Hibiki pushed on. "You won't mess up. You can't mess up. I know this because you're Miku Kohinata, my sunshine. The warmest place is when I'm next to you, and that's the place I always return to. It's always been that way, and it always will be so."
Miku's eyes fell as her cheeks heated. She had heard Hibiki say that a thousand times before, but it never failed to make her pulse race. Rising from her seat, Hibiki walked over to her embarrassed girlfriend and enveloped her in a hug.
"You're so wonderful." She continued, now whispering the words into Miku's ear. "And I want to see you up on that stage, showing the world that this person who is all mine is so wonderful. So would you grant me this selfish little favor?"
For several seconds, Miku remained silent. But Hibiki didn't push any further and didn't release the hug to see Miku's face, instead she just held her girlfriend and waited patiently. Finally, she heard Miku sigh.
"I suppose you aren't going to let go until I agree, are you?"
"Nope!" Hibiki chirped as her heart leapt for joy. Yes, success!
"Then I guess I don't have much of a choice." Miku said, a bit of wonder creeping back into her voice. "How could I refuse my brilliant sun?"
"Yay!" Hibiki cheered, quickly pulling back to deliver a kiss to Miku's cheek. Her girlfriend giggled in response, before adding, "I'll give the Headmistress a call after we clean up from dinner." She said, then her voice grew mischievous. "But you might want to let go of me before the rice burns~"
"Oh no!" Hibiki reeled back at that, quickly breaking away from Miku. "Not the rice!"
Miku just outright laughed at her antics, her giggling melodic and pure.
----
Maria wasn't nervous. She wasn't running through all the various plans and details she had cooked up for tonight. She wasn't clutching either of her arms tightly. And she most assuredly could take her eyes off the positively enticing creature sitting almost right next to her in the rear car.
And if she were Pinocchio, her nose most assuredly would not be long enough to cross over the Bosphorus Straits.
"Maria." Tsubasa's concerned voice almost sent Maria through the roof, despite the fact she was looking right at her. It took everything she had to avoid screaming at that moment. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes!" The words tumbled out of her mouth faster than her mind could process them. "It's just… you're beautiful."
Tsubasa's cheeks heated in a way that set off Maria's most desirous instincts yet simultaneously only stimulated her anxiety.
Maria had made clear to Tsubasa that they should both dress up to look their best for this dinner getaway. Tsubasa had blinked curiously but went along with it. Maria had been expecting to have to assist Tsubasa when she arrived at the swordswoman's hotel room. She had not expected Tsubasa to be dressed in a long, glittering blue cocktail dress that seemed to flow down across her body. A pearl necklace that had been a gift from Chris ringed her neck and Maria could have sworn it glittered in the moonlight. Make-up and lipstick had been applied like an artist, rendering her lips shimmering red — and eminently kissable — while still managing to make her indigo eyes sparkle. And to top it all off, a pair of small golden rings adorned her right wrist brought the whole ensemble together.
Tsubasa must have had assistance from her security team or her staff. It was the only conceivable explanation Maria could think of as to how she had managed to dress up so expertly. This was the girl who couldn't color coordinate her underwear! Who trashed rooms just by existing in them! Who smudged both her cheeks with grease when she worked on one of her bikes! The sword simply did not deserve to look so cute and elegant at the same time!
If they really were turning into Demi-Goddesses, then Tsubasa looked the part. At least, Maria thought so.
"You look good yourself." Tsubasa finally managed to respond.
Now it was Maria's turn to blush, and she was afraid she did so more than she usually did. She had broken with her own colors a bit, opting for an orchid v-neck chiffon dress that still showed off some leg, with short sleeves and a dash of lace. Similarly colored satin dress gloves covered her hands and a layered set of silver necklaces that she had been preserving for just such a special occasion were draped around her neck.
"Thank you." Maria said, raising a gloved hand to hide both her blush and her silent squee. She probably shouldn't be getting so worked up about each and every little thing. But… Tsubasa complimented her looks! Tonight, of all nights, Maria couldn't help but feel like that was an extra special achievement.
A polite cough from the passenger seat tore both adaptors' attention from each other. "Kazanari-san, Eve-san, we're here." The agent in the passenger seat said, nodding towards his window before immediately getting out and moving to open the door.
"Of course," Maria said, quickly stepping out into the cobblestone corner of the street in the Edirnekapı District of Istanbul, in the shadow of the Chora Church. With a flourish, she turned and proffered her hand to help Tsubasa. "Shall we?"
Tsubasa blinked at the offered hand, having only removed her seatbelt, before breaking into a smile that made Maria's pulse accelerate once again. "We shall." Tsubasa answered, as she took it.
After assisting Tsubasa out of the car, Maria quickly glanced around to make sure there weren't too many people on the night streets before quietly twining Tsubasa's arm in her own. Tsubasa paused at the touch, looking down at their connection before hastily doing her own check of the street. Fortunately, the streets were almost empty of people. The tourists who would normally be bustling about to see the preserved Byzantine church had long left and so had the many vendors who catered to them had long retired to their own hotels.
Maria smiled reassuringly as Tsubasa finished checking the street and looked at her again. For all the progress made in worldwide attitudes over the last few decades, this was still a much more conservative part of the world with much more… traditional views on such matters. They wouldn't have to worry about breaking any discriminatory laws anymore, but they still would have likely caused a public commotion had she been so bold in the midst of a Turkish crowd.
Tsubasa relaxed and Maria nodded to their escorting agent. The man bowed and once again got back into the passenger seat. As the vehicle drove off to park somewhere until they were ready to be picked up, the pair walked arm-in-arm to their final destination: not the church, but the opulent restaurant built right next to it.
Maria had selected the Asitane not just for it's exotic Turkish menu and location, but also for the highly esteemed and luxurious reputation its reviewers held it in. She figured the establishment made for the perfect blend of tourist dining and romantic environment for a confession that had been a long time coming.
The host straightened up as they entered, a polite smile quickly crossing his face. Maria noticed one of his eyebrows rise as he glanced at their intertwined arms, but tactfully he said nothing. "Madames Kazanari and Cadenzavna Eve, I take it?" He asked rhetorically, moving right on. "We are honored to have you attend our establishment. Right this way please."
He led them down the hall, bypassing the main dining room and up some stairs. Sets of Islamic art and framed documents written in flowery Turkish handwriting covered walls painted a deep royal purple. The shining wooden floor was intermittently covered in ornate Ottoman rugs, whose beauty and well-preserved patterns belied their age.
As they walked, Maria snuck another glance at Tsubasa both to see how she was doing and get another eyeful of her beauty. Her partner walked primly and properly alongside Maria, casually scanning the walls, admiring the decor, and taking in all the surface level details. Maria was almost certain that Tsubasa wasn't actually noticing some of the glances they were getting from the host or the passing servers, especially since none of them bespoke hostility. She probably didn't even think much of the fact Maria had wanted to walk with their arms wrapped together or realized what the significance of that was.
Maria glanced away again and suppressed a sigh. Tsubasa's obliviousness was as endearing as it was frustrating.
"Your room, ladies." The host said, opening a wood door. Maria had to suppress a smile as Tsubasa let out an audible, if very small gasp.
Their private dining room was perched in the northeastern corner of the restaurant's top floor. The view was indeed breathtaking. On the left loomed the Church, resplendent in its Byzantine glory. On the right, the cityscape of Istanbul opened up before them in all its nightly brilliance. Between the elevated floor and the hillside the restaurant was perched on, they could see clear across the Thracian side of the city and even all the way to the dockyards and piers on the Anatolian side. Moving lights and shadows on the waterways stood out from the more stationary bridges, marking the passage of ships.
Compared to the sight, the table seemed almost downright simple by comparison. One draped for two, the chairs arranged diagonally together so they had merely to turn their heads slightly to look out either window or at each other. The lighting was low, only bright enough so they'd be able to read their menus but still dim enough to instill an atmosphere of simultaneous exoticness and romance.
The host saw them to their seats. Invariably, this had to be where their arms parted way and Maria had to consciously avoid raising her other hand to touch the tricep where Tsubasa's hand had rested. Receiving their menus, the host assured them their waiter would be along shortly and then bid them both adieu.
"How much did this cost you?" Tsubasa said, once the door clicked shut. Her eyes scanned over the city in front of her again and again, enthralled by the array of lights.
"Quite a bit." Maria admitted with a chuckle. And it had, though she could easily afford it.
The waiter arrived promptly, interrupting their conversation already. Fortunately, it was just to take their initial drink orders. Tsubasa required some recommendations and was surprised to learn they actually did serve alcohol here despite the local religion, but soon enough they were alone again and took to studying their menus.
"Piruhi sounds nice." Tsubasa murmured, her finger hovering over the item. "But it's a pasta dish? Is that usually Turkish?"
"I suppose it would be interesting to speculate whether it's wholly indigenous or Italian-influenced." Maria agreed, glancing at the item. Her eyes flickered to the introduction date. 1844. So probably Italian-influenced then? She left such speculation behind and moved on to the main course. "I think I will have the Mutanjene for the main course."
"Really? Let me see…" Tsubasa quickly followed along, until she hit something that sounded appealing enough. "Sea Bass 'Biryan' for me I suppose."
"Seafood?" Maria teased, smiling coyly. "Don't feel like being adventurous?"
"It's Turkish seafood." Tsubasa retorted, though her tone also remained light. "I must honor my commitment and see how well it measures up to that of my homeland." She emphasized the counter-jab with a imperious up turn of her nose.
Maria raised an eyebrow as Tsubasa held the posture for a moment, before both young women broke into giggles. As they calmed down, their waiter returned with the drinks and to take their orders.
Once he left, Tsubasa turned back to Maria, an odd glint of hope in her eyes. "Have you heard anything from Tsukuyomi and Akatsuki yet?"
Maria paused, glass held just below her lips as her good mood waned. She… didn't want to think about the tiff she was having with her little sisters. Not tonight. But she wouldn't withhold that information. She downed a sip before speaking, taking time to gather her thoughts. "No. But I suppose that's only inevitable. They have… what, two days before Lydian starts back up?"
"I suppose." Tsubasa agreed, her eyebrow furrowing. "But that didn't prevent either them, Tachibana, or Kohinata from replying to my messages." She thoughtfully ran a finger over the edge of her own drink's glass. "Maybe you should reach out?"
"I don't know." Maria said softly. "I'm afraid they won't listen to me. Shirabe… gets quite intense when she is mad and Kirika is fiercely protective of her." After another moment of quiet thought, she shook her head. "When they are ready to listen, they'll come to me. And then I'll apologise as best I can."
"Apologise?" Tsubasa inquired, "Are you sure it's you who should be apologising? Given the situation…" She trailed off, letting the inquiry hang.
"Oh, I suppose I was making the best of a bad situation, to be sure." Maria said, "But that doesn't make it right any more than the other options." Her eyebrows furrowed, a frown playing across her lips. She thought of Nastassja. "Sometimes… there are no right decisions. Not like that."
She punctuated the statement with another sip. Tsubasa frowned as well, before seeming to shrug it off and take a gulp of her own drink. They lingered in silence, the dim lighting now seeming… more somber than before. Not liking the new mood, Maria changed the subject.
"Have you heard what punishment that Turkish Officer is receiving?"
To Maria's consternation, Tsubasa's lip curled. "Reprimand."
"Reprimand?!" Maria repeated in disbelief. "He beat a man within an inch of his life and tried to prevent you from getting him medical aid, and all he gets is…"
"Apparently," The venom dripped from Tsubasa's lips. "There were complicating factors. The victim had a prior history independent of the Horsemen." Her glare intensified. "He was a known member of the PKK."
Maria's growing outrage stumbled into shock on that bit of news. "He's Kurdish?"
Tsubasa sighed, the anger suddenly draining around to be replaced with sadness. "As were several other prisoners captured there. Apparently there is a deal between them and the Horsemen. Munitions for non-clone manpower, people who can perform more complicated tasks that Staples or Automen cannot. Our intelligence even connected some shipments sent out from some of the sites we raided to PKK attacks in the past few months."
"The PKK's desperate." Maria murmured, dredging up almost-forgotten information that hadn't seemed relevant when she first learned it. "The Turkish Government's been pressing them hard after the collapse of the last cease fire and with their presence in Syria done for… yes, it makes sense the PKK would take the Horsemen's aid, even knowing where it came from."
"That does not matter." Tsubasa murmured, her voice becoming melancholic. "It should not matter. Yet… I was there, Maria. For the debrief with the oversight committee. When the German representative informed everyone else on the UN, they all shrugged their shoulders and basically said 'oh, that's that then.' They didn't want to look any deeper into it." She shook her head, "Yet it is wrong."
Outside, the first raindrops fell down onto the window.
"I did some reading after that." Tsubasa continued after another moment, causing Maria to blink. "A bit more on the history of the region. I always knew it was bad but just... the Kurds, the Yazidi, the Palestinian and Jewish Diasporas, all the rest." She ground her hands into her eyes. "Oppressed, beaten, used as political tools, or all of that at once and yet the world just sits by and watches… we just sit by and watch."
"Tsubasa?" Maria asked, alarm creeping into her voice. She wasn't certain where Tsubasa was going with this, but she had an idea and she prayed…
"No, don't worry, Maria." Tsubasa dropped her hands, shaking her head. "I won't lie. The thought did occur to me." She looked down at her purse, where her pendant currently rested. "We have incredible power. And if the Horsemen are right, we will only be getting more powerful. The power to do the right thing regardless of whatever the UN, Japan, the US, China, or whoever else thought."
"Tsubasa!" Now Maria well and truly straightened up in alarm. "But if we do that—"
"I know!" Tsubasa interrupted, her voice sharp. Then it fell off again. "I know, Maria. The disruptions that would cause. The reactions of those people, lashing out in fear as we moved against their interests, possibly doing far more harm than whatever good we wound up doing." She laughed, her voice hollow. "It would be exactly what the Horsemen expect of us. I suspect that sort of thing may have been what drove my grandfather over the edge as well. But it is just… it is just so hard to sit here and have to ignore it."
Maria bit her lip. She could tell where Tsubasa was coming from. It was a temptation that had seized Maria once, only for it to almost explode in her face and destroy everything she had loved. And hadn't Chris too once stumbled down the same path? And yet if they could do something about the injustices of the world… shouldn't they?
"It is a conundrum." Maria murmured as she reached across the table and took Tsubasa's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "I'm sure Hibiki might figure a way out?"
Maria wasn't sure if she meant for that to be a question or not.
"She does have a knack for dealing with such dilemmas, doesn't she?" Tsubasa laughed fondly, sending a reassuring squeeze back, "Though I do not recall her ever resolving them by thinking things through. She tends to be rather… direct."
They were interrupted as the waiter returned, carrying their meal. Quietly, Maria found herself partially thankful for the interruption, the subject of their dinner conversation had grown heavier than she'd like. She didn't hesitate to move away from questions of ethics and morality.
"So?" Maria asked as she watched Tsubasa take the first bite of her own dish. "How does Turkey's Sea Bass measure up to that of most sacred Japan's?"
Tsubasa held her face steady for several seconds as she chewed thoughtfully before her face blossomed into a bright-eyed wonder Maria had only seen a few times before and finally swallowed. "It is good! Delicious!"
Maria lifted a hand to cover her grin. It felt so good to see Tsubasa acting so cute again! Even the brief downpour had stopped. This was how tonight was supposed to go, a way to get away from the heavy topics.
"What about yours?" Tsubasa asked.
"Ah?" Maria paused for a moment considering the question, before scooping up another mouthful of the Mutanjene. "It's quite excellent. The apricots are what brings it all together, I think." And with that she took another bite.
But Tsubasa quickly waved her hand. "No, no… well," She paused, her lip adorably jutting out as she considered her words. "Actually, yes. I was wondering about that. But not just your food. I mean what you found in the facility, any news on that?"
Maria paused, internally debating for a moment whether to continue. On the one hand, it was closer to the issue of everything that pressured them these days. On the other hand… It featured genuinely good news. So, acceptable enough.
"Yes." She answered, "The Horsemen are definitely interested in the Leylines for some reason. They had records of mom's photosphere, her map of them, and marked quite a number of points on them. Multiple references to one of their projects, all of which appear to be working towards a 'Situation-8'. Director Ogawa says he's pursuing several promising leads that might tell us exactly what that entails."
"Any clues at all?" Tsubasa asked, leaning forward in anticipation. "The Horsemen's endgame?"
"Given the priority they seem to accord to it, it's either that or a large-step towards it." Maria agreed. She tapped, frowning thoughtfully. "Though… it seems off, somehow. The Sixth Seal was supposed to be their endgame, wasn't it?"
"Then an important step forward, somehow." Tsubasa said, her face growing determined. "But in a way, it doesn't matter. If they want it, it will undoubtedly be used to hurt innocent people. We must deny them it."
Maria smiled as she put her spoon into her now empty bowel. "That's the stubborn, determined, protective girl I know."
"Don't you mean the sword?" Tsubasa challenged lightly as she finished off the last bite of her own meal. But Maria shook her head.
"Oh, no. Though now that you mention it…" She leaned forward, sliding her fingers into Tsubasa's lingering hand. "You've always been quite the cute sword as well."
For the first time that night, Tsubasa blushed, blinking down at Maria's hand in her own. It felt so nice, so warm. She… she didn't really know what to say in response to that, finding her own tongue tied. But she had to say something! Come on Kazanari, reply, reply…
"Yeah, well… you're really pretty!" Tsubasa choked out, all of her earlier bravado vanishing. Maria laughed, her giggles sending Tsubasa's heart fluttering.
In truth, Maria didn't really have the first clue what she was doing either. This hadn't exactly been in the plan, but she wasn't about to object to it. Instead, she scooted closer to Tsubasa. Her chair shifted, clacking across the floor. "I'm pretty?" She asked instead, fluttering her eyelids. "How?"
"You're tall." Tsubasa couldn't stop the words that were tumbling out of her mouth. She wasn't sure if she wanted to. "I do not have the first clue how you do your hair, but it's always so beautiful. You always act with so much grace and determination…"
"You're plenty graceful as well, you know?" Maria said, only vaguely aware that their faces were drifting closer. "Anyone who has seen you fight or dance could tell you that."
"But I do not mean just that!" Tsubasa objected, "Even when you just walk, everyone can see your confidence."
"And when you walk, I can see your confidence." Maria retorted. They were so close now that Tsubasa felt the other woman's breath on her lips, but she couldn't tear herself away from the deep cyan eyes peering into her own. They were searching, asking… asking for what? Maria reached up and cupped Tsubasa's cheek. "You're not just a sword, Tsubasa. You're not just a sentinel. You're a beautiful, amazing woman who I could not bear to see leave my life."
"I…" The words died in Tsubasa's throat, everything seemed paralyzed, her mind foggy. Something about Maria's words were tickling at her brain, trying to drill in beyond the surface meaning.
And all at once, realization struck. Tsubasa's own eyes widened in astonishment. For her part, Maria's heart leapt as she saw the expression of realization break across her partner's face. She couldn't hold back any more, so she pressed forward, her lips closing the gap and—
Tsubasa's free hand shot-up and pressed against Maria's chest, stopping her. The spell broke and Maria blinked, confused. In her dizziness, she managed to register Tsubasa's hand, abruptly pulling out of her own. "Tsubasa?"
A pang of guilt shot through Tsubasa's heart as she saw the hurt expression that swept across Maria's face. "Maria, I…" She swallowed, her own mind reeling. Astonishment, joy, and terror all swirled around and around. It made forming a coherent thought hard. She lunged almost at random to seize onto one course of action.
"Thank you for the dinner." Tsubasa said, abruptly coming to her feet. She turned to leave.
Maria stared for a second, letting Tsubasa take several steps. What? This couldn't be happening. This wasn't how it was supposed to go! "Wait!" She cried, lunging forward to stop Tsubasa from leaving.
There was a crash followed by clattering. In her haste, Maria hadn't taken account of the table and her left hip had knocked it over, sending the whole thing toppling over. Plates and silverware crashed into the ground, Maria's bowl with its remnants of the Mutanjene shattered. Maria herself stumbled, toppling forward, but she still had the wherewithal to land on her knees with one hand shooting out to seize Tsubasa by the wrist.
Tsubasa jolted and turned, half because of the grab and half because of the noise. She glanced back and froze as her eyes met Maria's. The contact lasted only a moment before Tsubasa hastily broke it, looking away again, but it was too late: Maria saw the raw fear in them and it made her heart stop.
Silence fell in the aftermath of the cacophony for a painful few seconds. A few seconds that seemed to stretch on and on, into eternity.
"Why?" Maria finally asked, her voice cracking slightly. "Tsubasa, why? I saw it… you know, you return it. So please, why? What's stopping you?"
Tsubasa just stood there, looking away, and for the briefest moment Maria got the impression that it wasn't the back of Tsubasa — the protective yet beautiful singer always so stubbornly full of life — she was looking at. For a moment, she stared at the back of a Kazanari. A cold, impenetrable wall that sealed all of it's feelings behind sharpened steel.
But the impression only lasted a moment. Had Maria been anyone else, she might have missed the minute shake in Tsubasa's shoulder. That broke the spell. That reminded Maria that yes, this was Tsubasa.
"No." She said, pushing forward. "No, you are not shutting me out. I once told you I will always pull you back, so here I am, pulling you back! Now tell me why?!"
Initially, silence was still all she got in return. Maria's teeth clenched and she was about to yank on Tsubasa's wrist, to force her to turn around and talk to her when Tsubasa finally spoke.
"Everyone I love dies." Her voice hitched with the final word.
Tsubasa might as well have dumped a bucket of ice on Maria's back. She stared, her grip going slack. She opened her mouth to retort, but couldn't find any words. Her head had gone blank.
"I'm sorry." Tsubasa said before she darted forward, yanking her wrist out of Maria's hand and practically dashing out the door. Maria stared after her for another eternal second before she finally pushed herself up onto her feet. As she did so, rain outside poured down once again.
Feeling numb, Maria turned to the window. She absently watched the raindrops patter onto the glass and run down it's length, Tsubasa's words turning over and over in her head again.
"Everyone I love dies."
So that was it. The same terror that Tsubasa had expressed at that other dinner, hosted at her place all those months ago. It only now dawned on Maria that Tsubasa's staff had been trying to set them up then. She probably would have found that hilarious under other circumstances.
Bitterness welled up in her, a sudden rage overtaking her. First Shirabe and Kirika, now Tsubasa. The anger was like electricity, flowing through her and making all the hands on her skin stand straight up. Why the hell-!
"Madame Eve."
Maria whirled around at the voice. She couldn't see her face, but the way the host at the door recoiled away at the sight of her gave her an abrupt idea of what it must have looked like. Maria sucked in a deep breath, forcing herself to be calm. "Yes?"
There were probably going to be rumors about this. First among the restaurant staff, and then from there to the media. But Maria couldn't care less about that at the moment.
"I-um… we heard a crash and saw Madame Kazanari leaving in a rush." The host said, his eyes drifting down to the toppled table. "Is everything--"
"Yes." Maria interrupted, keeping her voice cool, clamping down on all the emotions she wanted to let out right now. That required not having to give detailed explanations. "Something came up so Tsubasa had to leave early. And I accidentally knocked over the table shortly afterwards. I was just about to call you about that."
As she spoke, she noticed the light from the door revealed a series of dark wet spots in the carpet, just now fading. Maria's mind flashed back to the sight of Tsubasa's shaking shoulders, and in an instant, all her emotions were crushed beneath a fresh wave of determination. She had promised to always drag Tsubasa back, back then and now. And Maria wasn't about to exclude Tsubasa's own fears from the things she'd drag her away from.
"We did finish the main course, so you can go ahead and bring the dessert menu." Maria said, flashing the host a smile as she primly took her seat. She reached into her purse to retrieve her communicator, knowing she'd best clarify with their security teams' that they would need two cars. "And I'll still be ordering for two. I promised Tsubasa I'd get her something anyway."
And if she were Pinocchio, her nose most assuredly would not be long enough to cross over the Bosphorus Straits.
"Maria." Tsubasa's concerned voice almost sent Maria through the roof, despite the fact she was looking right at her. It took everything she had to avoid screaming at that moment. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes!" The words tumbled out of her mouth faster than her mind could process them. "It's just… you're beautiful."
Tsubasa's cheeks heated in a way that set off Maria's most desirous instincts yet simultaneously only stimulated her anxiety.
Maria had made clear to Tsubasa that they should both dress up to look their best for this dinner getaway. Tsubasa had blinked curiously but went along with it. Maria had been expecting to have to assist Tsubasa when she arrived at the swordswoman's hotel room. She had not expected Tsubasa to be dressed in a long, glittering blue cocktail dress that seemed to flow down across her body. A pearl necklace that had been a gift from Chris ringed her neck and Maria could have sworn it glittered in the moonlight. Make-up and lipstick had been applied like an artist, rendering her lips shimmering red — and eminently kissable — while still managing to make her indigo eyes sparkle. And to top it all off, a pair of small golden rings adorned her right wrist brought the whole ensemble together.
Tsubasa must have had assistance from her security team or her staff. It was the only conceivable explanation Maria could think of as to how she had managed to dress up so expertly. This was the girl who couldn't color coordinate her underwear! Who trashed rooms just by existing in them! Who smudged both her cheeks with grease when she worked on one of her bikes! The sword simply did not deserve to look so cute and elegant at the same time!
If they really were turning into Demi-Goddesses, then Tsubasa looked the part. At least, Maria thought so.
"You look good yourself." Tsubasa finally managed to respond.
Now it was Maria's turn to blush, and she was afraid she did so more than she usually did. She had broken with her own colors a bit, opting for an orchid v-neck chiffon dress that still showed off some leg, with short sleeves and a dash of lace. Similarly colored satin dress gloves covered her hands and a layered set of silver necklaces that she had been preserving for just such a special occasion were draped around her neck.
"Thank you." Maria said, raising a gloved hand to hide both her blush and her silent squee. She probably shouldn't be getting so worked up about each and every little thing. But… Tsubasa complimented her looks! Tonight, of all nights, Maria couldn't help but feel like that was an extra special achievement.
A polite cough from the passenger seat tore both adaptors' attention from each other. "Kazanari-san, Eve-san, we're here." The agent in the passenger seat said, nodding towards his window before immediately getting out and moving to open the door.
"Of course," Maria said, quickly stepping out into the cobblestone corner of the street in the Edirnekapı District of Istanbul, in the shadow of the Chora Church. With a flourish, she turned and proffered her hand to help Tsubasa. "Shall we?"
Tsubasa blinked at the offered hand, having only removed her seatbelt, before breaking into a smile that made Maria's pulse accelerate once again. "We shall." Tsubasa answered, as she took it.
After assisting Tsubasa out of the car, Maria quickly glanced around to make sure there weren't too many people on the night streets before quietly twining Tsubasa's arm in her own. Tsubasa paused at the touch, looking down at their connection before hastily doing her own check of the street. Fortunately, the streets were almost empty of people. The tourists who would normally be bustling about to see the preserved Byzantine church had long left and so had the many vendors who catered to them had long retired to their own hotels.
Maria smiled reassuringly as Tsubasa finished checking the street and looked at her again. For all the progress made in worldwide attitudes over the last few decades, this was still a much more conservative part of the world with much more… traditional views on such matters. They wouldn't have to worry about breaking any discriminatory laws anymore, but they still would have likely caused a public commotion had she been so bold in the midst of a Turkish crowd.
Tsubasa relaxed and Maria nodded to their escorting agent. The man bowed and once again got back into the passenger seat. As the vehicle drove off to park somewhere until they were ready to be picked up, the pair walked arm-in-arm to their final destination: not the church, but the opulent restaurant built right next to it.
Maria had selected the Asitane not just for it's exotic Turkish menu and location, but also for the highly esteemed and luxurious reputation its reviewers held it in. She figured the establishment made for the perfect blend of tourist dining and romantic environment for a confession that had been a long time coming.
The host straightened up as they entered, a polite smile quickly crossing his face. Maria noticed one of his eyebrows rise as he glanced at their intertwined arms, but tactfully he said nothing. "Madames Kazanari and Cadenzavna Eve, I take it?" He asked rhetorically, moving right on. "We are honored to have you attend our establishment. Right this way please."
He led them down the hall, bypassing the main dining room and up some stairs. Sets of Islamic art and framed documents written in flowery Turkish handwriting covered walls painted a deep royal purple. The shining wooden floor was intermittently covered in ornate Ottoman rugs, whose beauty and well-preserved patterns belied their age.
As they walked, Maria snuck another glance at Tsubasa both to see how she was doing and get another eyeful of her beauty. Her partner walked primly and properly alongside Maria, casually scanning the walls, admiring the decor, and taking in all the surface level details. Maria was almost certain that Tsubasa wasn't actually noticing some of the glances they were getting from the host or the passing servers, especially since none of them bespoke hostility. She probably didn't even think much of the fact Maria had wanted to walk with their arms wrapped together or realized what the significance of that was.
Maria glanced away again and suppressed a sigh. Tsubasa's obliviousness was as endearing as it was frustrating.
"Your room, ladies." The host said, opening a wood door. Maria had to suppress a smile as Tsubasa let out an audible, if very small gasp.
Their private dining room was perched in the northeastern corner of the restaurant's top floor. The view was indeed breathtaking. On the left loomed the Church, resplendent in its Byzantine glory. On the right, the cityscape of Istanbul opened up before them in all its nightly brilliance. Between the elevated floor and the hillside the restaurant was perched on, they could see clear across the Thracian side of the city and even all the way to the dockyards and piers on the Anatolian side. Moving lights and shadows on the waterways stood out from the more stationary bridges, marking the passage of ships.
Compared to the sight, the table seemed almost downright simple by comparison. One draped for two, the chairs arranged diagonally together so they had merely to turn their heads slightly to look out either window or at each other. The lighting was low, only bright enough so they'd be able to read their menus but still dim enough to instill an atmosphere of simultaneous exoticness and romance.
The host saw them to their seats. Invariably, this had to be where their arms parted way and Maria had to consciously avoid raising her other hand to touch the tricep where Tsubasa's hand had rested. Receiving their menus, the host assured them their waiter would be along shortly and then bid them both adieu.
"How much did this cost you?" Tsubasa said, once the door clicked shut. Her eyes scanned over the city in front of her again and again, enthralled by the array of lights.
"Quite a bit." Maria admitted with a chuckle. And it had, though she could easily afford it.
The waiter arrived promptly, interrupting their conversation already. Fortunately, it was just to take their initial drink orders. Tsubasa required some recommendations and was surprised to learn they actually did serve alcohol here despite the local religion, but soon enough they were alone again and took to studying their menus.
"Piruhi sounds nice." Tsubasa murmured, her finger hovering over the item. "But it's a pasta dish? Is that usually Turkish?"
"I suppose it would be interesting to speculate whether it's wholly indigenous or Italian-influenced." Maria agreed, glancing at the item. Her eyes flickered to the introduction date. 1844. So probably Italian-influenced then? She left such speculation behind and moved on to the main course. "I think I will have the Mutanjene for the main course."
"Really? Let me see…" Tsubasa quickly followed along, until she hit something that sounded appealing enough. "Sea Bass 'Biryan' for me I suppose."
"Seafood?" Maria teased, smiling coyly. "Don't feel like being adventurous?"
"It's Turkish seafood." Tsubasa retorted, though her tone also remained light. "I must honor my commitment and see how well it measures up to that of my homeland." She emphasized the counter-jab with a imperious up turn of her nose.
Maria raised an eyebrow as Tsubasa held the posture for a moment, before both young women broke into giggles. As they calmed down, their waiter returned with the drinks and to take their orders.
Once he left, Tsubasa turned back to Maria, an odd glint of hope in her eyes. "Have you heard anything from Tsukuyomi and Akatsuki yet?"
Maria paused, glass held just below her lips as her good mood waned. She… didn't want to think about the tiff she was having with her little sisters. Not tonight. But she wouldn't withhold that information. She downed a sip before speaking, taking time to gather her thoughts. "No. But I suppose that's only inevitable. They have… what, two days before Lydian starts back up?"
"I suppose." Tsubasa agreed, her eyebrow furrowing. "But that didn't prevent either them, Tachibana, or Kohinata from replying to my messages." She thoughtfully ran a finger over the edge of her own drink's glass. "Maybe you should reach out?"
"I don't know." Maria said softly. "I'm afraid they won't listen to me. Shirabe… gets quite intense when she is mad and Kirika is fiercely protective of her." After another moment of quiet thought, she shook her head. "When they are ready to listen, they'll come to me. And then I'll apologise as best I can."
"Apologise?" Tsubasa inquired, "Are you sure it's you who should be apologising? Given the situation…" She trailed off, letting the inquiry hang.
"Oh, I suppose I was making the best of a bad situation, to be sure." Maria said, "But that doesn't make it right any more than the other options." Her eyebrows furrowed, a frown playing across her lips. She thought of Nastassja. "Sometimes… there are no right decisions. Not like that."
She punctuated the statement with another sip. Tsubasa frowned as well, before seeming to shrug it off and take a gulp of her own drink. They lingered in silence, the dim lighting now seeming… more somber than before. Not liking the new mood, Maria changed the subject.
"Have you heard what punishment that Turkish Officer is receiving?"
To Maria's consternation, Tsubasa's lip curled. "Reprimand."
"Reprimand?!" Maria repeated in disbelief. "He beat a man within an inch of his life and tried to prevent you from getting him medical aid, and all he gets is…"
"Apparently," The venom dripped from Tsubasa's lips. "There were complicating factors. The victim had a prior history independent of the Horsemen." Her glare intensified. "He was a known member of the PKK."
Maria's growing outrage stumbled into shock on that bit of news. "He's Kurdish?"
Tsubasa sighed, the anger suddenly draining around to be replaced with sadness. "As were several other prisoners captured there. Apparently there is a deal between them and the Horsemen. Munitions for non-clone manpower, people who can perform more complicated tasks that Staples or Automen cannot. Our intelligence even connected some shipments sent out from some of the sites we raided to PKK attacks in the past few months."
"The PKK's desperate." Maria murmured, dredging up almost-forgotten information that hadn't seemed relevant when she first learned it. "The Turkish Government's been pressing them hard after the collapse of the last cease fire and with their presence in Syria done for… yes, it makes sense the PKK would take the Horsemen's aid, even knowing where it came from."
"That does not matter." Tsubasa murmured, her voice becoming melancholic. "It should not matter. Yet… I was there, Maria. For the debrief with the oversight committee. When the German representative informed everyone else on the UN, they all shrugged their shoulders and basically said 'oh, that's that then.' They didn't want to look any deeper into it." She shook her head, "Yet it is wrong."
Outside, the first raindrops fell down onto the window.
"I did some reading after that." Tsubasa continued after another moment, causing Maria to blink. "A bit more on the history of the region. I always knew it was bad but just... the Kurds, the Yazidi, the Palestinian and Jewish Diasporas, all the rest." She ground her hands into her eyes. "Oppressed, beaten, used as political tools, or all of that at once and yet the world just sits by and watches… we just sit by and watch."
"Tsubasa?" Maria asked, alarm creeping into her voice. She wasn't certain where Tsubasa was going with this, but she had an idea and she prayed…
"No, don't worry, Maria." Tsubasa dropped her hands, shaking her head. "I won't lie. The thought did occur to me." She looked down at her purse, where her pendant currently rested. "We have incredible power. And if the Horsemen are right, we will only be getting more powerful. The power to do the right thing regardless of whatever the UN, Japan, the US, China, or whoever else thought."
"Tsubasa!" Now Maria well and truly straightened up in alarm. "But if we do that—"
"I know!" Tsubasa interrupted, her voice sharp. Then it fell off again. "I know, Maria. The disruptions that would cause. The reactions of those people, lashing out in fear as we moved against their interests, possibly doing far more harm than whatever good we wound up doing." She laughed, her voice hollow. "It would be exactly what the Horsemen expect of us. I suspect that sort of thing may have been what drove my grandfather over the edge as well. But it is just… it is just so hard to sit here and have to ignore it."
Maria bit her lip. She could tell where Tsubasa was coming from. It was a temptation that had seized Maria once, only for it to almost explode in her face and destroy everything she had loved. And hadn't Chris too once stumbled down the same path? And yet if they could do something about the injustices of the world… shouldn't they?
"It is a conundrum." Maria murmured as she reached across the table and took Tsubasa's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "I'm sure Hibiki might figure a way out?"
Maria wasn't sure if she meant for that to be a question or not.
"She does have a knack for dealing with such dilemmas, doesn't she?" Tsubasa laughed fondly, sending a reassuring squeeze back, "Though I do not recall her ever resolving them by thinking things through. She tends to be rather… direct."
They were interrupted as the waiter returned, carrying their meal. Quietly, Maria found herself partially thankful for the interruption, the subject of their dinner conversation had grown heavier than she'd like. She didn't hesitate to move away from questions of ethics and morality.
"So?" Maria asked as she watched Tsubasa take the first bite of her own dish. "How does Turkey's Sea Bass measure up to that of most sacred Japan's?"
Tsubasa held her face steady for several seconds as she chewed thoughtfully before her face blossomed into a bright-eyed wonder Maria had only seen a few times before and finally swallowed. "It is good! Delicious!"
Maria lifted a hand to cover her grin. It felt so good to see Tsubasa acting so cute again! Even the brief downpour had stopped. This was how tonight was supposed to go, a way to get away from the heavy topics.
"What about yours?" Tsubasa asked.
"Ah?" Maria paused for a moment considering the question, before scooping up another mouthful of the Mutanjene. "It's quite excellent. The apricots are what brings it all together, I think." And with that she took another bite.
But Tsubasa quickly waved her hand. "No, no… well," She paused, her lip adorably jutting out as she considered her words. "Actually, yes. I was wondering about that. But not just your food. I mean what you found in the facility, any news on that?"
Maria paused, internally debating for a moment whether to continue. On the one hand, it was closer to the issue of everything that pressured them these days. On the other hand… It featured genuinely good news. So, acceptable enough.
"Yes." She answered, "The Horsemen are definitely interested in the Leylines for some reason. They had records of mom's photosphere, her map of them, and marked quite a number of points on them. Multiple references to one of their projects, all of which appear to be working towards a 'Situation-8'. Director Ogawa says he's pursuing several promising leads that might tell us exactly what that entails."
"Any clues at all?" Tsubasa asked, leaning forward in anticipation. "The Horsemen's endgame?"
"Given the priority they seem to accord to it, it's either that or a large-step towards it." Maria agreed. She tapped, frowning thoughtfully. "Though… it seems off, somehow. The Sixth Seal was supposed to be their endgame, wasn't it?"
"Then an important step forward, somehow." Tsubasa said, her face growing determined. "But in a way, it doesn't matter. If they want it, it will undoubtedly be used to hurt innocent people. We must deny them it."
Maria smiled as she put her spoon into her now empty bowel. "That's the stubborn, determined, protective girl I know."
"Don't you mean the sword?" Tsubasa challenged lightly as she finished off the last bite of her own meal. But Maria shook her head.
"Oh, no. Though now that you mention it…" She leaned forward, sliding her fingers into Tsubasa's lingering hand. "You've always been quite the cute sword as well."
For the first time that night, Tsubasa blushed, blinking down at Maria's hand in her own. It felt so nice, so warm. She… she didn't really know what to say in response to that, finding her own tongue tied. But she had to say something! Come on Kazanari, reply, reply…
"Yeah, well… you're really pretty!" Tsubasa choked out, all of her earlier bravado vanishing. Maria laughed, her giggles sending Tsubasa's heart fluttering.
In truth, Maria didn't really have the first clue what she was doing either. This hadn't exactly been in the plan, but she wasn't about to object to it. Instead, she scooted closer to Tsubasa. Her chair shifted, clacking across the floor. "I'm pretty?" She asked instead, fluttering her eyelids. "How?"
"You're tall." Tsubasa couldn't stop the words that were tumbling out of her mouth. She wasn't sure if she wanted to. "I do not have the first clue how you do your hair, but it's always so beautiful. You always act with so much grace and determination…"
"You're plenty graceful as well, you know?" Maria said, only vaguely aware that their faces were drifting closer. "Anyone who has seen you fight or dance could tell you that."
"But I do not mean just that!" Tsubasa objected, "Even when you just walk, everyone can see your confidence."
"And when you walk, I can see your confidence." Maria retorted. They were so close now that Tsubasa felt the other woman's breath on her lips, but she couldn't tear herself away from the deep cyan eyes peering into her own. They were searching, asking… asking for what? Maria reached up and cupped Tsubasa's cheek. "You're not just a sword, Tsubasa. You're not just a sentinel. You're a beautiful, amazing woman who I could not bear to see leave my life."
"I…" The words died in Tsubasa's throat, everything seemed paralyzed, her mind foggy. Something about Maria's words were tickling at her brain, trying to drill in beyond the surface meaning.
And all at once, realization struck. Tsubasa's own eyes widened in astonishment. For her part, Maria's heart leapt as she saw the expression of realization break across her partner's face. She couldn't hold back any more, so she pressed forward, her lips closing the gap and—
Tsubasa's free hand shot-up and pressed against Maria's chest, stopping her. The spell broke and Maria blinked, confused. In her dizziness, she managed to register Tsubasa's hand, abruptly pulling out of her own. "Tsubasa?"
A pang of guilt shot through Tsubasa's heart as she saw the hurt expression that swept across Maria's face. "Maria, I…" She swallowed, her own mind reeling. Astonishment, joy, and terror all swirled around and around. It made forming a coherent thought hard. She lunged almost at random to seize onto one course of action.
"Thank you for the dinner." Tsubasa said, abruptly coming to her feet. She turned to leave.
Maria stared for a second, letting Tsubasa take several steps. What? This couldn't be happening. This wasn't how it was supposed to go! "Wait!" She cried, lunging forward to stop Tsubasa from leaving.
There was a crash followed by clattering. In her haste, Maria hadn't taken account of the table and her left hip had knocked it over, sending the whole thing toppling over. Plates and silverware crashed into the ground, Maria's bowl with its remnants of the Mutanjene shattered. Maria herself stumbled, toppling forward, but she still had the wherewithal to land on her knees with one hand shooting out to seize Tsubasa by the wrist.
Tsubasa jolted and turned, half because of the grab and half because of the noise. She glanced back and froze as her eyes met Maria's. The contact lasted only a moment before Tsubasa hastily broke it, looking away again, but it was too late: Maria saw the raw fear in them and it made her heart stop.
Silence fell in the aftermath of the cacophony for a painful few seconds. A few seconds that seemed to stretch on and on, into eternity.
"Why?" Maria finally asked, her voice cracking slightly. "Tsubasa, why? I saw it… you know, you return it. So please, why? What's stopping you?"
Tsubasa just stood there, looking away, and for the briefest moment Maria got the impression that it wasn't the back of Tsubasa — the protective yet beautiful singer always so stubbornly full of life — she was looking at. For a moment, she stared at the back of a Kazanari. A cold, impenetrable wall that sealed all of it's feelings behind sharpened steel.
But the impression only lasted a moment. Had Maria been anyone else, she might have missed the minute shake in Tsubasa's shoulder. That broke the spell. That reminded Maria that yes, this was Tsubasa.
"No." She said, pushing forward. "No, you are not shutting me out. I once told you I will always pull you back, so here I am, pulling you back! Now tell me why?!"
Initially, silence was still all she got in return. Maria's teeth clenched and she was about to yank on Tsubasa's wrist, to force her to turn around and talk to her when Tsubasa finally spoke.
"Everyone I love dies." Her voice hitched with the final word.
Tsubasa might as well have dumped a bucket of ice on Maria's back. She stared, her grip going slack. She opened her mouth to retort, but couldn't find any words. Her head had gone blank.
"I'm sorry." Tsubasa said before she darted forward, yanking her wrist out of Maria's hand and practically dashing out the door. Maria stared after her for another eternal second before she finally pushed herself up onto her feet. As she did so, rain outside poured down once again.
Feeling numb, Maria turned to the window. She absently watched the raindrops patter onto the glass and run down it's length, Tsubasa's words turning over and over in her head again.
"Everyone I love dies."
So that was it. The same terror that Tsubasa had expressed at that other dinner, hosted at her place all those months ago. It only now dawned on Maria that Tsubasa's staff had been trying to set them up then. She probably would have found that hilarious under other circumstances.
Bitterness welled up in her, a sudden rage overtaking her. First Shirabe and Kirika, now Tsubasa. The anger was like electricity, flowing through her and making all the hands on her skin stand straight up. Why the hell-!
"Madame Eve."
Maria whirled around at the voice. She couldn't see her face, but the way the host at the door recoiled away at the sight of her gave her an abrupt idea of what it must have looked like. Maria sucked in a deep breath, forcing herself to be calm. "Yes?"
There were probably going to be rumors about this. First among the restaurant staff, and then from there to the media. But Maria couldn't care less about that at the moment.
"I-um… we heard a crash and saw Madame Kazanari leaving in a rush." The host said, his eyes drifting down to the toppled table. "Is everything--"
"Yes." Maria interrupted, keeping her voice cool, clamping down on all the emotions she wanted to let out right now. That required not having to give detailed explanations. "Something came up so Tsubasa had to leave early. And I accidentally knocked over the table shortly afterwards. I was just about to call you about that."
As she spoke, she noticed the light from the door revealed a series of dark wet spots in the carpet, just now fading. Maria's mind flashed back to the sight of Tsubasa's shaking shoulders, and in an instant, all her emotions were crushed beneath a fresh wave of determination. She had promised to always drag Tsubasa back, back then and now. And Maria wasn't about to exclude Tsubasa's own fears from the things she'd drag her away from.
"We did finish the main course, so you can go ahead and bring the dessert menu." Maria said, flashing the host a smile as she primly took her seat. She reached into her purse to retrieve her communicator, knowing she'd best clarify with their security teams' that they would need two cars. "And I'll still be ordering for two. I promised Tsubasa I'd get her something anyway."
----
"Do you think we should see Emily later today?" Kirika asked as they walked up the familiar gangway to SONG headquarters.
Shirabe hummed as she considered it. "We'll have the time. Though..."
"Still think she's weird?" Kirika teased.
"Yes." Shirabe said, glancing aside awkwardly. "But I think I'm used to it by now."
Kirika just shook her head at that.
"Hey! Shirabe-chan, Kirika-chan!" The two glanced over their shoulders at the familiar voice to see Hibiki racing up the ramp behind them, Miku and Chris trailing behind her.
"Hibiki-san!" Kirika cheered back, waving enthusiastically before the older girl leapt forward, slinging an arm over each of their shoulders.
"Ready to go back to Lydian?" Hibiki asked.
"Kinda." Shirabe answered, "I'm hoping things have gotten better."
"They have to!" Kirika said, wiggling around in Hibiki's grip to point at Miku. "Miku-san's giving the opening address for her year!"
"Yes, well…" Miku blushed lightly. "You better pay attention. You or Shirabe might be asked to do it next year."
Both of the second year's eyes widened at the suggestion, their stares drifting from Miku to each other. "Do you really think so?" Shirabe asked, her eyes wide.
"Damn straight!" Chris said, tossling Shirabe's hair. "You bunch'll be the most famous students at Lydian once the year's over with." She gave a cheeky grin. "God help us all."
"Hey! Whaddya mean!" Kirika shouted, presenting mock outrage at the dig.
Chris's grin simply grew smugger as she winked and slid around them, "C'mon. We gotta get to the briefing." She said in lieu of any answer. But at the door into the conning tower, she paused, glancing back over at her friends. "By the way, any of you hear from Senpai or Maria since last night?"
Hibiki and Miku simply shook their heads, but Chris couldn't help but notice the dark look that came over Shirabe's face. Kirika glanced at her girlfriend nervously, before looking away guiltily.
"No." Shirabe answered sharply. Chris's own eyebrows furrowed, but before she could prod at that, Shirabe grabbed Kirika's hand and quickly pushed past the rest. Kirika stumbled with a quick "Dess!" but quickly steadied to let herself be pulled along.
"They're still mad about that, huh." Hibiki murmured, looking sadly at the door the Zababa duo had vanished through.
Chris snorted, "'Course." She threw her arms wide. "As far as they're concerned, their trusted big sis spat on the memory of their family. You think you could get over that in just a few weeks?" She sighed. "Thing is, I don't know if they realize just how much that decision hurt her too."
"Maybe we should try and talk to them about it?" Miku suggested. Chris shook her head, but then paused, tilting it thoughtfully instead as she looked back.
"You're helping the other kid with her song, right?"
Miku nodded, "Shirabe-san will be meeting with me about that, yes. It seems like an ideal time."
"Mmm, at least for her." Chris remarked as they resumed the journey, pushing through the door as well. "But then she's the prime driver on that side."
With that, they made their way down familiar corridors toward the bridge. Predictably enough, Kirika and Shirabe had reached the helm before them. The former guiltily didn't raise her eyes to meet her senpai's as they stepped in while the latter coolly kept her attention on the Ogawa brothers despite the fact they were clearly waiting for the others.
"Hibiki-san, Miku-san, Chris-san." Commander Ogawa greeted as the trio stepped into the command center.
"Yo, ninja commander." Chris idly waved in reply, then she glanced down at a familiar blue-haired figure occupying her station. "And you! I thought we put you on leave; what gives?"
"It's up." Tomosato replied, hefting her cast for emphasis. "And this will be coming off in a couple of days anyway. Please, Chris-san, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
Chris scowled but didn't say anything while Hibiki glanced around, searching for an old shock of blonde hair that she couldn't find. "Where's Elfnein-chan?"
"She's with your father working on a project in the lab." Souji said from his own position, idly leaning against a console. "It's fine, since very little of what we have right now requires her."
"In that case, let's begin." Ogawa said, "First things first, I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that Tsubasa and Maria-san are coming home."
"Really?!" Hibiki perked right up at that, though the Zababa duo shifted uncomfortably. "That's great!"
"Yes. But they might not be able to stick around for long." Ogawa continued. "They've found data regarding something called 'Situation-8'. The information is still fragmentary, but we've discovered that the Horsemen are setting up a network parallel to the Leylines."
"A network of what?" Kirika asked, her head tilting.
"Well, that's the missing puzzle piece." Ogawa admitted. "However, the information conclusively points to another corporation, Lifewyze, as a Horsemen front and a key component in the structure of the network. The information is probably there."
"Oh, another one? How many of these things have the Horsem—" Chris paused, her rant falling short as the name twigged at her memory. "Hold one. Weren't Lifewyze the guys who rented out the office space they shot the old man from?"
Ogawa grimly nodded. "It seems Tsubasa-san's suspicions were vindicated."
Chris's nostrils flared as her hand curled into a fist. Stephan, Sonya, the old man… was there anybody these demons wouldn't take away from her? She glared hard up at the main screen. "Does she know?"
"Not yet." Souji said, "Information's been flowing slower than usual, but she'll definitely be briefed when she gets back."
"She'll want to go for sure." Chris murmured under her breath, eyeing the data flowing across the computers. "And after Maria had worked up the nerve to confess to her too…" She thought.
"We're going to have to send one of them over to America for the raid on Lifewyze's headquarters." Ogawa continued.
At that, Chris made a decision. "Yeah, no. I'll go."
"Eh?" Miku turned at that. "You sure, Chris?"
"'Course!" Chris crossed her arms. "I just have my online classes and I can get that done. Senpai and Maria deserve a rest." She glanced over at Ogawa. "'Sides, it's just a quick hop across the ocean, right?"
"Erm…" Ogawa hesitated a moment, taken aback by Chris's offer. "Yes. We have not uncovered much in the way of significant Black Unit facilities under the Lifewyze aegis. Shutting down their clinics can be handled by local authorities… it's really just their headquarters in Los Angeles that represents any concern."
"Then that's where I'll go." Chris grinned, cracking her knuckles. "A little payback for the old man and the last bit of info to figure out whatever the hell this Scenario-8 is. Hell, maybe we can even get some clues on Sonya and Stephan."
"We're looking for them, Chris-san." Souji reassured her, "Unfortunately, we have zero information so far. If we could get it narrowed down to at least the region of a city..."
"Not a whole city?" Shirabe asked, the words coming out sharper than she intended.
Souji raised his hands defensively. "A small city, sure. But something the size of Tokyo? That's too much. We need a lead."
"We'll keep an eye out for any intelligence on them, for sure." Ogawa confirmed, nodding to Chris. "I'll arrange things for the flight to America. On other matters… I believe you had something for Miku-san, Yoshigara-san?"
"Ah, yes." The PR man quickly retrieved something from his briefcase before standing up from his and walking up the stairs from the lower bridge floor. He approached Miku, proffering a sheet of paper. "Your speech came in. I already reviewed it myself and it fit most of your prescribed parameters. You'll want to review it yourself and make suitable modifications."
"Thank you." Miku replied, accepting the script. Her heart twinged a little with nerves as she quickly did an initial scan. It wasn't much, less than a page long. But Miku couldn't help but think about how she would be up in front of the entire Lydian student body. It seemed ridiculous: the press conference hadn't been quite as nerve-wracking as this for her! But then maybe that was because she shared the world's attention with the others?
A hand curled around her waist, shaking Miku from her revelry. Her head twisted around to find Hibiki's beaming face, melting her worries away as assuredly as the sun. Miku smiled back, reaching up to clasp her hand over Hibiki's. "Thank you."
Before Chris could mutter her signature response, Souji pulled the two out of their intimate moment with a cough. "On the subject of returning to school, we have a new security procedure regarding your pendants."
"Our pendants?" Hibiki asked, blinking curiously..
"It's a precaution against the Horsemen that's meant to stop students at the school from trying to steal your relics during times where you have to take off your pendants. Like in PE." Ogawa explained. "We're fortunate you didn't have any during testing week. It gave us time to come up with a procedure."
Shirabe's head whipped around in alarm. "They're targeting other Lydian students?"
"We know they've tried." Souji said, "We initiated a review during the break and discovered a few cases where the Horsemen had attempted to blackmail some families into obeying them. Those families have been offered clemency for their misdeeds in return for their cooperation."
"No way." Hibiki muttered, her jaw clenching. Every time she thought the Horsemen couldn't stoop to a new low...
"Still," Ogawa continued, "We have to safeguard against us possibly missing someone." He held up what appeared to be a necklace briefcase. "Elfnein-san came up with this. She integrated some of the tougher Horsemen materials into it too. It's practically indestructible to anything short of a nuclear device and will be gene-locked to each of you. You'll place your pendants in here during such activities."
"Gene-locked?" Chris muttered, raising an eyebrow. "The Horsemen have clones of us. Braindead ones, sure, but you don't need much brain activity to have your hand put on a genescanner."
"We've accounted for that." Souji reassured her. "The Horsemen's cloning process does have a minute degree of genetic drift. It's not a lot, but it's enough that we could program a detectable difference."
"It's rather small though." Kirika murmured, looking at the case thoughtfully. "Can't they just steal the case and get it open out there?"
"We've covered that too." Souji replied. "The case includes a tracker, if they try and steal that, your onsite bodyguard will be able to track it down."
"Oh, sounds reason—" It took a moment for Hibiki's tongue to catch up with Souji's words. "Wait, onsite bodyguard?"
"Oh yes. You're meeting her today. I've been training her personally. In fact, she's in the simulation room right now." Souji said, glancing down at Tomosato, "Is she done?"
Tomosato pressed a few buttons before glancing at her screen. "Almost. She should be finishing momentarily."
"I suppose it's best if you head down there." Ogawa said, "It's the last thing we had to cover anyways."
"Very well, if you all will come with me." Souji pushed off the wall, walking past the adaptors and out into the hall. The quintet of wielders shared a quick look before following him, their minds already wondering what this clan member would be like.
Souji didn't take them directly to the simulator room, but rather made for the control room where they could observe ongoing training sessions. The agent manning the control panel nodded his acknowledgement as first the clan leader, then the wielders stepped into the door. The girls turned towards the observation screen, expecting to see someone either totally unassuming like Shinji or shady like Souji.
Their expectations were immediately dashed as a Staple took a bullet through the neck, blood spurting onto the ground as he toppled onto a grass field. The trainee practically danced from cover to cover so fast that she left an after-image in her wake in a technique that Shirabe immediately recognized, the shadow drawing almost as much fire as the actual person. Their new bodyguard would dart behind a piece of cover, fire off a precise burst from a machine pistol to topple down a Staple or two, and then dart away towards a new piece of cover.
"No way." Chris murmured as she watched Yumi Itaba sprint across what she recognized as the central plaza for Lydian Academy. The Staple squads constantly advanced and oriented on her, trying to envelope and swamp her like they often did the adaptors or pin her down and flank like they did more conventional forces. But she constantly outmaneuvered them, evading their snares and refusing to let them get bogged down.
Miku's breath drew in sharply at one point when it appeared the Staples had her, swarming in on Yumi as she leaned against a tree. But then "Yumi" exploded, a claymore perforating the squad that had closed in on her for the kill. One of the Staples survived and immediately pushed himself up only for Yumi to step out of the bush behind him and expertly plant three rounds in the back of his head.
Souji ignored the scene, instead turning to the agent. "How's she doing?"
"Her best run yet." The Agent said, "Figure she's ready for the boss."
Souji paused, quietly turning over the suggestion in his mind, before nodding. "Do it."
It was Kirika who had enough presence of mind to shake herself out of her shock and twist her head around to ask. "What's the boss?"
The agent just grinned and pressed a button in response.
Down in the simulator, Yumi ejected a spent magazine from her MAC-10 and slammed in a replacement in a single swift motion before glancing around for more Staples. But she found none… or at least, none that were still alive. She barely had time to frown before a wall exploded as a large humanoid form barrelled through it. The Automan's metallic hide gleamed in the sunlight as its glowing red eye fixated on the small brunette.
"An Automan?!" Chris shouted, whirling around on Souji and the agent. "You've gotta be shitting me, pipsqueak can't take an Automan!"
"It's just a standard-type." The agent said, raising his hands defensively.
"So fucking what?!" Chris spat, "She's still only human."
Souji just quietly replied: "Watch."
An explosion cut off Chris's retort and she turned her head to witness Yumi seemingly teleporting from point to point, barely keeping ahead of the barrage of coilgun fire from the Automan's weapon.
A frown played across Chris's face as she watched the otaku zig-zag across the field towards the robot. The signature Ogawa technique was clear enough, but instead of using it to escape or even to just evade the shots, Yumi was clearly using it to close the distance with the Automan. Which was insane. Chris knew the Automen were capable of tearing apart composite armor with their bare hands. Even if Yumi had been taught some Ninja fighting style, the girl simply lacked the muscle power to even annoy the machine.
Sure enough, as Yumi darted within reach of the machine, it swung out with its other arm. But the brunette rolled beneath the blow, leaving behind a "shadow" which the arm tore through instead. Yumi came back up right by the machine's leg and as she exited the roll her hand lashed out to slap a thin strip onto the side of its knees.
The Automan paused for a moment, shot a glance at the fading Yumi shadow it had just punched, and then swung around after the girl. Yumi had already put a good few dozen feet between her and the killdroid, but it coolly raised its gun-arm and drew a bead on the small girl.
"Oh no, it's got her!" Kirika yelled, grabbing at her hair in frustration.
And then Yumi pressed the detonator and the strip of explosives she had applied to the Automan's knee detonated. The machine vanished in a torrent of dust and smoke that obscured it from view. The smaller girl, on the other hand, simply smiled as she confidently strode away, only glancing back as the dust cleared.
The machine lay on the ground, missing its legs. All of the covering kevlar had been stripped off and it lay on the ground motionlessly, sparks sputtering from the gaping metal gaps. Its glowing red eye stared towards the sky listlessly.
"She did it." Miku murmured in amazement, releasing the breath she had been holding in. Down in the simulator, Yumi pumped her fist and then flashed a victory sign.
Then the Automan raised its gun-arm and fired a burst from its coilgun right into Yumi's chest.
Shirabe winced. Kirika and Hibiki both screamed and hugged each other. Chris slammed her hands down on the instrument panel in front of her. Miku slapped her hands over her eyes. But Yumi just blinked at the trio of tungsten darts that hovered in thin air right over the center of her chest. The confusion only lasted a moment before it was replaced with a frustrated scowl.
"Ah, man! I forgot that wasn't enough to damage the fusion reactor." Yumi lamented, glancing around at the Staples corpses. "Should have grabbed a grenade for a follow-up."
At that, the big red words [MISSION FAILED - TERMINAL DAMAGE SUSTAINED] flashed across the wall and the darts, along with everything else, vanished as the simulation terminated.
"Impressive." Souji said, "We didn't tell her about that weak point on that type of Automan but she still exploited it instinctively. She's also learned my techniques quickly. I think the NERVgear influenced her mindset and willingness to learn."
Deafening silence from the wielders met his statement. They were too busy catching flies, their mouths hanging wide open. Kirika was the first to speak up. "Is that Itaba-senpai? You sure you didn't… like, have one of your guys dress up as her or something?"
"That can't be her." Miku murmured, though the daze in her voice made clear the statement wasn't made in agreement with Kirika's question. The image of Yumi from that night under Kadingr, breaking down in tears over Hibiki going berserk and Tsubasa dying, kept flashing through her mind.
Hibiki lurched forward, raising an arm to steady herself against the wall. That drew Miku's worried attention away from the surreal sight in the simulator and to her girlfriend, but any words of concern died on Miku's lips as she saw Hibiki's face. It was the same sort of wide-eyed incomprehension that Miku was sure she had as well.
Chris blinked several times, then squeezed her eyes shut before opening them wide again as if expecting to see something different. Shirabe kept rotating her head from the simulator room to Souji, opening her mouth as if to add to what Kirika said, before she clicked it shut and looking back to the simulator again.
"I assure you, it is her. After what happened at the university, she was a natural choice." Souji explained, "She not only provided a lot of insight into Horsemen operations, but clearly demonstrated the basic and even advanced skill sets. I've simply been… expanding them."
"You're seriously pressing the pipsqueak into the bodyguard roll?" Chris groaned, rubbing her temples. "Please at least tell me you got her parents' permission?"
"The Itabas were willing to accept their daughter's choice, once she expressed her own wishes." Souji reassured her. Then he leaned forward and pressed the button to the intercom. "Good job, Itaba-san."
"Oh, hey Ogawa-sensei!" Yumi grinned, turning to look up at the camera. "So what's next?"
"Just a moment, it'll become apparent soon." Souji reassured her. Then he turned to the wielders. "Well, if you want to see her…" He trailed off, letting the statement hang.
For a few seconds they stared at him in dumb surprise, but Hibiki was the first to react and raced for the door. That broke the spell on the others and they took off after her.
"Yumi-chan!" Hibiki shouted as she raced into the room, the other wielders on her heels. "I can't believe it!"
At that, Yumi's expression immediately turned around, the biggest grin possible shooting across her face. "Oh hey guys! Guess what? I'm a ninja now! This is so anime!"
Shirabe hummed as she considered it. "We'll have the time. Though..."
"Still think she's weird?" Kirika teased.
"Yes." Shirabe said, glancing aside awkwardly. "But I think I'm used to it by now."
Kirika just shook her head at that.
"Hey! Shirabe-chan, Kirika-chan!" The two glanced over their shoulders at the familiar voice to see Hibiki racing up the ramp behind them, Miku and Chris trailing behind her.
"Hibiki-san!" Kirika cheered back, waving enthusiastically before the older girl leapt forward, slinging an arm over each of their shoulders.
"Ready to go back to Lydian?" Hibiki asked.
"Kinda." Shirabe answered, "I'm hoping things have gotten better."
"They have to!" Kirika said, wiggling around in Hibiki's grip to point at Miku. "Miku-san's giving the opening address for her year!"
"Yes, well…" Miku blushed lightly. "You better pay attention. You or Shirabe might be asked to do it next year."
Both of the second year's eyes widened at the suggestion, their stares drifting from Miku to each other. "Do you really think so?" Shirabe asked, her eyes wide.
"Damn straight!" Chris said, tossling Shirabe's hair. "You bunch'll be the most famous students at Lydian once the year's over with." She gave a cheeky grin. "God help us all."
"Hey! Whaddya mean!" Kirika shouted, presenting mock outrage at the dig.
Chris's grin simply grew smugger as she winked and slid around them, "C'mon. We gotta get to the briefing." She said in lieu of any answer. But at the door into the conning tower, she paused, glancing back over at her friends. "By the way, any of you hear from Senpai or Maria since last night?"
Hibiki and Miku simply shook their heads, but Chris couldn't help but notice the dark look that came over Shirabe's face. Kirika glanced at her girlfriend nervously, before looking away guiltily.
"No." Shirabe answered sharply. Chris's own eyebrows furrowed, but before she could prod at that, Shirabe grabbed Kirika's hand and quickly pushed past the rest. Kirika stumbled with a quick "Dess!" but quickly steadied to let herself be pulled along.
"They're still mad about that, huh." Hibiki murmured, looking sadly at the door the Zababa duo had vanished through.
Chris snorted, "'Course." She threw her arms wide. "As far as they're concerned, their trusted big sis spat on the memory of their family. You think you could get over that in just a few weeks?" She sighed. "Thing is, I don't know if they realize just how much that decision hurt her too."
"Maybe we should try and talk to them about it?" Miku suggested. Chris shook her head, but then paused, tilting it thoughtfully instead as she looked back.
"You're helping the other kid with her song, right?"
Miku nodded, "Shirabe-san will be meeting with me about that, yes. It seems like an ideal time."
"Mmm, at least for her." Chris remarked as they resumed the journey, pushing through the door as well. "But then she's the prime driver on that side."
With that, they made their way down familiar corridors toward the bridge. Predictably enough, Kirika and Shirabe had reached the helm before them. The former guiltily didn't raise her eyes to meet her senpai's as they stepped in while the latter coolly kept her attention on the Ogawa brothers despite the fact they were clearly waiting for the others.
"Hibiki-san, Miku-san, Chris-san." Commander Ogawa greeted as the trio stepped into the command center.
"Yo, ninja commander." Chris idly waved in reply, then she glanced down at a familiar blue-haired figure occupying her station. "And you! I thought we put you on leave; what gives?"
"It's up." Tomosato replied, hefting her cast for emphasis. "And this will be coming off in a couple of days anyway. Please, Chris-san, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
Chris scowled but didn't say anything while Hibiki glanced around, searching for an old shock of blonde hair that she couldn't find. "Where's Elfnein-chan?"
"She's with your father working on a project in the lab." Souji said from his own position, idly leaning against a console. "It's fine, since very little of what we have right now requires her."
"In that case, let's begin." Ogawa said, "First things first, I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that Tsubasa and Maria-san are coming home."
"Really?!" Hibiki perked right up at that, though the Zababa duo shifted uncomfortably. "That's great!"
"Yes. But they might not be able to stick around for long." Ogawa continued. "They've found data regarding something called 'Situation-8'. The information is still fragmentary, but we've discovered that the Horsemen are setting up a network parallel to the Leylines."
"A network of what?" Kirika asked, her head tilting.
"Well, that's the missing puzzle piece." Ogawa admitted. "However, the information conclusively points to another corporation, Lifewyze, as a Horsemen front and a key component in the structure of the network. The information is probably there."
"Oh, another one? How many of these things have the Horsem—" Chris paused, her rant falling short as the name twigged at her memory. "Hold one. Weren't Lifewyze the guys who rented out the office space they shot the old man from?"
Ogawa grimly nodded. "It seems Tsubasa-san's suspicions were vindicated."
Chris's nostrils flared as her hand curled into a fist. Stephan, Sonya, the old man… was there anybody these demons wouldn't take away from her? She glared hard up at the main screen. "Does she know?"
"Not yet." Souji said, "Information's been flowing slower than usual, but she'll definitely be briefed when she gets back."
"She'll want to go for sure." Chris murmured under her breath, eyeing the data flowing across the computers. "And after Maria had worked up the nerve to confess to her too…" She thought.
"We're going to have to send one of them over to America for the raid on Lifewyze's headquarters." Ogawa continued.
At that, Chris made a decision. "Yeah, no. I'll go."
"Eh?" Miku turned at that. "You sure, Chris?"
"'Course!" Chris crossed her arms. "I just have my online classes and I can get that done. Senpai and Maria deserve a rest." She glanced over at Ogawa. "'Sides, it's just a quick hop across the ocean, right?"
"Erm…" Ogawa hesitated a moment, taken aback by Chris's offer. "Yes. We have not uncovered much in the way of significant Black Unit facilities under the Lifewyze aegis. Shutting down their clinics can be handled by local authorities… it's really just their headquarters in Los Angeles that represents any concern."
"Then that's where I'll go." Chris grinned, cracking her knuckles. "A little payback for the old man and the last bit of info to figure out whatever the hell this Scenario-8 is. Hell, maybe we can even get some clues on Sonya and Stephan."
"We're looking for them, Chris-san." Souji reassured her, "Unfortunately, we have zero information so far. If we could get it narrowed down to at least the region of a city..."
"Not a whole city?" Shirabe asked, the words coming out sharper than she intended.
Souji raised his hands defensively. "A small city, sure. But something the size of Tokyo? That's too much. We need a lead."
"We'll keep an eye out for any intelligence on them, for sure." Ogawa confirmed, nodding to Chris. "I'll arrange things for the flight to America. On other matters… I believe you had something for Miku-san, Yoshigara-san?"
"Ah, yes." The PR man quickly retrieved something from his briefcase before standing up from his and walking up the stairs from the lower bridge floor. He approached Miku, proffering a sheet of paper. "Your speech came in. I already reviewed it myself and it fit most of your prescribed parameters. You'll want to review it yourself and make suitable modifications."
"Thank you." Miku replied, accepting the script. Her heart twinged a little with nerves as she quickly did an initial scan. It wasn't much, less than a page long. But Miku couldn't help but think about how she would be up in front of the entire Lydian student body. It seemed ridiculous: the press conference hadn't been quite as nerve-wracking as this for her! But then maybe that was because she shared the world's attention with the others?
A hand curled around her waist, shaking Miku from her revelry. Her head twisted around to find Hibiki's beaming face, melting her worries away as assuredly as the sun. Miku smiled back, reaching up to clasp her hand over Hibiki's. "Thank you."
Before Chris could mutter her signature response, Souji pulled the two out of their intimate moment with a cough. "On the subject of returning to school, we have a new security procedure regarding your pendants."
"Our pendants?" Hibiki asked, blinking curiously..
"It's a precaution against the Horsemen that's meant to stop students at the school from trying to steal your relics during times where you have to take off your pendants. Like in PE." Ogawa explained. "We're fortunate you didn't have any during testing week. It gave us time to come up with a procedure."
Shirabe's head whipped around in alarm. "They're targeting other Lydian students?"
"We know they've tried." Souji said, "We initiated a review during the break and discovered a few cases where the Horsemen had attempted to blackmail some families into obeying them. Those families have been offered clemency for their misdeeds in return for their cooperation."
"No way." Hibiki muttered, her jaw clenching. Every time she thought the Horsemen couldn't stoop to a new low...
"Still," Ogawa continued, "We have to safeguard against us possibly missing someone." He held up what appeared to be a necklace briefcase. "Elfnein-san came up with this. She integrated some of the tougher Horsemen materials into it too. It's practically indestructible to anything short of a nuclear device and will be gene-locked to each of you. You'll place your pendants in here during such activities."
"Gene-locked?" Chris muttered, raising an eyebrow. "The Horsemen have clones of us. Braindead ones, sure, but you don't need much brain activity to have your hand put on a genescanner."
"We've accounted for that." Souji reassured her. "The Horsemen's cloning process does have a minute degree of genetic drift. It's not a lot, but it's enough that we could program a detectable difference."
"It's rather small though." Kirika murmured, looking at the case thoughtfully. "Can't they just steal the case and get it open out there?"
"We've covered that too." Souji replied. "The case includes a tracker, if they try and steal that, your onsite bodyguard will be able to track it down."
"Oh, sounds reason—" It took a moment for Hibiki's tongue to catch up with Souji's words. "Wait, onsite bodyguard?"
"Oh yes. You're meeting her today. I've been training her personally. In fact, she's in the simulation room right now." Souji said, glancing down at Tomosato, "Is she done?"
Tomosato pressed a few buttons before glancing at her screen. "Almost. She should be finishing momentarily."
"I suppose it's best if you head down there." Ogawa said, "It's the last thing we had to cover anyways."
"Very well, if you all will come with me." Souji pushed off the wall, walking past the adaptors and out into the hall. The quintet of wielders shared a quick look before following him, their minds already wondering what this clan member would be like.
Souji didn't take them directly to the simulator room, but rather made for the control room where they could observe ongoing training sessions. The agent manning the control panel nodded his acknowledgement as first the clan leader, then the wielders stepped into the door. The girls turned towards the observation screen, expecting to see someone either totally unassuming like Shinji or shady like Souji.
Their expectations were immediately dashed as a Staple took a bullet through the neck, blood spurting onto the ground as he toppled onto a grass field. The trainee practically danced from cover to cover so fast that she left an after-image in her wake in a technique that Shirabe immediately recognized, the shadow drawing almost as much fire as the actual person. Their new bodyguard would dart behind a piece of cover, fire off a precise burst from a machine pistol to topple down a Staple or two, and then dart away towards a new piece of cover.
"No way." Chris murmured as she watched Yumi Itaba sprint across what she recognized as the central plaza for Lydian Academy. The Staple squads constantly advanced and oriented on her, trying to envelope and swamp her like they often did the adaptors or pin her down and flank like they did more conventional forces. But she constantly outmaneuvered them, evading their snares and refusing to let them get bogged down.
Miku's breath drew in sharply at one point when it appeared the Staples had her, swarming in on Yumi as she leaned against a tree. But then "Yumi" exploded, a claymore perforating the squad that had closed in on her for the kill. One of the Staples survived and immediately pushed himself up only for Yumi to step out of the bush behind him and expertly plant three rounds in the back of his head.
Souji ignored the scene, instead turning to the agent. "How's she doing?"
"Her best run yet." The Agent said, "Figure she's ready for the boss."
Souji paused, quietly turning over the suggestion in his mind, before nodding. "Do it."
It was Kirika who had enough presence of mind to shake herself out of her shock and twist her head around to ask. "What's the boss?"
The agent just grinned and pressed a button in response.
Down in the simulator, Yumi ejected a spent magazine from her MAC-10 and slammed in a replacement in a single swift motion before glancing around for more Staples. But she found none… or at least, none that were still alive. She barely had time to frown before a wall exploded as a large humanoid form barrelled through it. The Automan's metallic hide gleamed in the sunlight as its glowing red eye fixated on the small brunette.
"An Automan?!" Chris shouted, whirling around on Souji and the agent. "You've gotta be shitting me, pipsqueak can't take an Automan!"
"It's just a standard-type." The agent said, raising his hands defensively.
"So fucking what?!" Chris spat, "She's still only human."
Souji just quietly replied: "Watch."
An explosion cut off Chris's retort and she turned her head to witness Yumi seemingly teleporting from point to point, barely keeping ahead of the barrage of coilgun fire from the Automan's weapon.
A frown played across Chris's face as she watched the otaku zig-zag across the field towards the robot. The signature Ogawa technique was clear enough, but instead of using it to escape or even to just evade the shots, Yumi was clearly using it to close the distance with the Automan. Which was insane. Chris knew the Automen were capable of tearing apart composite armor with their bare hands. Even if Yumi had been taught some Ninja fighting style, the girl simply lacked the muscle power to even annoy the machine.
Sure enough, as Yumi darted within reach of the machine, it swung out with its other arm. But the brunette rolled beneath the blow, leaving behind a "shadow" which the arm tore through instead. Yumi came back up right by the machine's leg and as she exited the roll her hand lashed out to slap a thin strip onto the side of its knees.
The Automan paused for a moment, shot a glance at the fading Yumi shadow it had just punched, and then swung around after the girl. Yumi had already put a good few dozen feet between her and the killdroid, but it coolly raised its gun-arm and drew a bead on the small girl.
"Oh no, it's got her!" Kirika yelled, grabbing at her hair in frustration.
And then Yumi pressed the detonator and the strip of explosives she had applied to the Automan's knee detonated. The machine vanished in a torrent of dust and smoke that obscured it from view. The smaller girl, on the other hand, simply smiled as she confidently strode away, only glancing back as the dust cleared.
The machine lay on the ground, missing its legs. All of the covering kevlar had been stripped off and it lay on the ground motionlessly, sparks sputtering from the gaping metal gaps. Its glowing red eye stared towards the sky listlessly.
"She did it." Miku murmured in amazement, releasing the breath she had been holding in. Down in the simulator, Yumi pumped her fist and then flashed a victory sign.
Then the Automan raised its gun-arm and fired a burst from its coilgun right into Yumi's chest.
Shirabe winced. Kirika and Hibiki both screamed and hugged each other. Chris slammed her hands down on the instrument panel in front of her. Miku slapped her hands over her eyes. But Yumi just blinked at the trio of tungsten darts that hovered in thin air right over the center of her chest. The confusion only lasted a moment before it was replaced with a frustrated scowl.
"Ah, man! I forgot that wasn't enough to damage the fusion reactor." Yumi lamented, glancing around at the Staples corpses. "Should have grabbed a grenade for a follow-up."
At that, the big red words [MISSION FAILED - TERMINAL DAMAGE SUSTAINED] flashed across the wall and the darts, along with everything else, vanished as the simulation terminated.
"Impressive." Souji said, "We didn't tell her about that weak point on that type of Automan but she still exploited it instinctively. She's also learned my techniques quickly. I think the NERVgear influenced her mindset and willingness to learn."
Deafening silence from the wielders met his statement. They were too busy catching flies, their mouths hanging wide open. Kirika was the first to speak up. "Is that Itaba-senpai? You sure you didn't… like, have one of your guys dress up as her or something?"
"That can't be her." Miku murmured, though the daze in her voice made clear the statement wasn't made in agreement with Kirika's question. The image of Yumi from that night under Kadingr, breaking down in tears over Hibiki going berserk and Tsubasa dying, kept flashing through her mind.
Hibiki lurched forward, raising an arm to steady herself against the wall. That drew Miku's worried attention away from the surreal sight in the simulator and to her girlfriend, but any words of concern died on Miku's lips as she saw Hibiki's face. It was the same sort of wide-eyed incomprehension that Miku was sure she had as well.
Chris blinked several times, then squeezed her eyes shut before opening them wide again as if expecting to see something different. Shirabe kept rotating her head from the simulator room to Souji, opening her mouth as if to add to what Kirika said, before she clicked it shut and looking back to the simulator again.
"I assure you, it is her. After what happened at the university, she was a natural choice." Souji explained, "She not only provided a lot of insight into Horsemen operations, but clearly demonstrated the basic and even advanced skill sets. I've simply been… expanding them."
"You're seriously pressing the pipsqueak into the bodyguard roll?" Chris groaned, rubbing her temples. "Please at least tell me you got her parents' permission?"
"The Itabas were willing to accept their daughter's choice, once she expressed her own wishes." Souji reassured her. Then he leaned forward and pressed the button to the intercom. "Good job, Itaba-san."
"Oh, hey Ogawa-sensei!" Yumi grinned, turning to look up at the camera. "So what's next?"
"Just a moment, it'll become apparent soon." Souji reassured her. Then he turned to the wielders. "Well, if you want to see her…" He trailed off, letting the statement hang.
For a few seconds they stared at him in dumb surprise, but Hibiki was the first to react and raced for the door. That broke the spell on the others and they took off after her.
"Yumi-chan!" Hibiki shouted as she raced into the room, the other wielders on her heels. "I can't believe it!"
At that, Yumi's expression immediately turned around, the biggest grin possible shooting across her face. "Oh hey guys! Guess what? I'm a ninja now! This is so anime!"
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Next Chapter: Atoms of My Memories
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A/N: The Asitane is a real restaurant in Istanbul actually located next to a preserved Byzantine Church (there was a brief attempt to turn it into a Mosque, but as of this writing that has been suspended), though I don't have the first clue whether they offer private rooms. I also don't strictly know if their location would offer the sort of view described, but eh…
Also, yet another passing in the family has struck. Another grandfather, and within the same year as the last one. I am now left with one grandparent, my paternal grandmother, left in my life. I am not too upset with their passing, because like my maternal grandfather, William McKenna lived a long and fulfilling life. But nevertheless, a certain melancholy is always a natural emotional reaction when a beloved family member passes. Goodbye, grandfather, I'll miss you too.
An ordinary rainstorm beginning, or is the weather reacting to Tsubasa's emotions?
Ah, the hero's thorny dilemma, when they find themselves at a fork where they must make a choice between Lawful or Good, for the laws stand in the way of Good.
Yeah, Hibiki tends to solve problems by punching them really hard. Though even Hibiki knows that it's really only the simple problems that can be solved that way.
The Leylines? Oh dear. WTF could they be planning? Adam used them to channel in Divine Power, Carol tried to use them to dissect the entire planet. Yes, they CAN be used for good, as they channeled the power of the entire world to Maria to reboot the Moon and power up the Symphogear wielders into EX Drive Mode, but I seriously doubt the Horsemen have anything so altruistic in mind. More likely somewhere on the order of Adam or Carol's plans.
An accidental hip bump knocked over the whole table? Either that thing was extremely rickety, or Maria's getting quite strong even when not powered up.
Ouch. Right in the feels. Poor Tsubasa. Kanade, her dad, Genjuro, I think she even loved her asshole grandpa even though he didn't deserve it. She's pushing Maria away to try to protect her from the same curse that got her other loved ones. Tsubasa would rip her own heart out of her chest and smash it to pieces on the ground to protect Maria. But does she realize that in that same motion she's doing the same to Maria?
A substitution! But instead of a simple log she leaves behind something much more.. energetic. So Yumi has gone from ordinary schoolgirl to badass ninja bodyguard. It's like she's a character in an anime!
Yeah, I guess it really is
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Paleb05
A Believer of Optimism in the World
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Wait it is possible to burn rice? (sarcasm)
That went how I though it would go. Also Tsubasa really needs a hug.
Congratulations, you have found a way to stun the Adaptors.
Chapter 39: Atoms of My Memories
obssesednuker
Commander of 10 Million Men
- Location
- In the Kremlin, activating Perimtr.
Distortions
Chapter 39
Atoms of My Memories
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Chapter 39
Atoms of My Memories
----
Hibiki couldn't believe it. She couldn't land a hit!
Her opponent ducked and weaved, sometimes seemingly teleporting out of the way of her fist. Doubles slipped into and out of existence, popping up only to be smashed away.
But Hibiki smiled. Her opponent was showing off, but in doing so was messing up badly. Years of experience had taught Hibiki that each mistake was a learning opportunity. Each blow that failed to connect was an additional lesson that would lead to the blow that would.
Then her opponent made the error. She tried to counterattack.
Hibiki's smile broke into a wide grin as she easily sidestepped the lunge and spun around to grab Yumi by the shoulder. It actually surprised her how easy it was to put the brunette into a headlock. She barely had to do anything to keep the girl locked in place. For a moment, she had to stop and marvel at how strong she had gotten. Was it all her own progress or—
"You gotta say it shorty!" Chris called from the sideline.
"Alright, uncle!" Yumi shouted back, going limp after another moment. "Uncle, I say!"
That broke Hibiki out of her musing. "Ah, right! Sorry, Yumi-chan."
She let go of her friend, the smaller girl immediately whirling away with a pout. "I wasn't that clumsy, was I?!"
Hibiki actually had to pause to take a moment to think about that. "Not… exactly? If you've really been at this for just a few weeks, that was... pretty good, actually." She paused for a moment, a frown working it's way across her face as Genjuro's face flashed through her mind. He had been a lot better. "Not good enough…" She murmured to herself, under her breath. A gnawing feeling in her gut, present since she had first come to terms with the sight of Yumi training, began to grow.
"We've just been at this longer." Kirika chipped in as she skipped in from the sidelines.
"A lot longer." Shirabe added, following her girlfriend.
"I suppose that's true." Yumi agreed, shrugging. "Can't get through it all with just a montage and a song, I guess."
For some reason, both Hibiki and Chris had to suppress an awkward coughing fit at that remark. And neither knew why.
Putting that aside, Hibiki considered the match some more. "Why didn't you try to make a move earlier, though? I'm pretty sure I left a few openings that you could have used..."
Yumi grinned awkwardly at that. "In truth, I was kinda nervous. I mean… I don't actually know all that much hand-to-hand. A lot of it mainly, plus a few things Ogawa-sensei showed me. And by comparison… Well, it's you, Bikki. You're so good you can kill Gods."
Hibiki chuckled, scratching the back of her head. "I don't really like thinking of it that way."
Chris patted Hibiki on the shoulder. "You're about as good at fisticuffs as I am. I don't do melee that much either."
"Oh? Maybe I should spar with you then, Kuri-senpai." Yumi said, perking up a bit at that. "Wait, you know that gun-fu stuff. That could come in handy since I'll have a gun too!"
"It's called kata." Chris groaned. "And I'm sure Chief Ninja knows that anyway." She glanced over her shoulder at Souji for confirmation.
The Ninja leader nodded back. "It's on the list."
"Though, frankly, I have problems with this."
Yumi blinked. "What?"
Chris looked at Souji. "Look, our security teams are mainly there as a warning, right?"
"Among other things." Souji said, "But yes, it's mainly to prevent you from being struck by surprise like the former commander was." Hibiki shuffled at that, lowering her head so her bangs fell over her eyes. The image of Yumi's head exploding, just like her old masters, flashed through her mind. That gnawing feeling's steady growth seemed to surge.
"Thing is, once they move into the assault, the Horsemen close on their target fast. That ain't an issue for our tripwires, because they're well away from us." Chris pointed at Yumi. "But you? You'll be right there most of the time and you're bound to get caught up in it. Now, we just saw you can handle the masked freaks alright, but what about the 'bots? What about the pet psychopathic badasses?"
"Ah, right." Yumi scratched at her hair. "Well, I'm getting training to cover half of it. But for the other half…" She smiled awkwardly as she glanced at Hibiki, Miku, and the Zababa duo. "I think I'm going to have to rely on you all."
The four exchanged confused glances. "Umm…" Miku piped up after a moment. The way Yumi had said it gave her the impression that she had not meant that she'd be relying on them for protection. "I'm not sure I understand, Yumi-chan?"
Souji clarified. "Given the higher risk nature of her position, Itaba-san has volunteered to undertake Apegear implantation."
"Yep!" Yumi flashed a thumbs-up. "That way I will be able to keep pace with you guys even in battles where you gotta transform!"
Another round of stunned silence met that proclamation. All the assembled wielders stared at Souji, their eyes swinging from him to Yumi and back in stunned disbelief. Finally, the silence broke as they chorused as one.
"WHAT?!"
Yumi winced and chuckled, shuffling her feet. "Maybe I should have told you guys this earlier."
"Are you sure about this?!" Hibiki urgently asked, clasping a hand on Yumi's shoulder. In her mind's eye, she had a terrible vision of Tsubasa bleeding out back when she sang her Swan Song. Only instead of Tsubasa, it was Yumi. The gnawing feeling intensified further. "What about the operation risks?"
"Ah, it wasn't that big a deal." Yumi shrugged, reaching up to brush aside her large, left bang to reveal a small row of stitches already in an advanced state of healing. "Elfnein-chan already did it."
Chris shook her head, taking a step back to rub her temple. "Look Shorty…" She began, only to trail off a bit. What else could she say? That job was already done. "Are you sure you want to stick your neck this far out for us?"
"Don't worry, Kuri-senpai!" Yumi grinned, flashing her a salute, "I'll be running on your level before you know it!"
The gnawing feeling in Hibiki's gut leapt yet again, straight up her throat and exploded out of her mouth, "That's not it!"
Yumi took a step back at the outburst, her eyes widening in astonishment and alarm. Chris jerked back momentarily, staring at Hibiki like she had just grown a second head. Even Miku blinked, her mouth dropping open as she looked over at Hibiki in shock.
"The Horsemen can fight us, Yumi-chan!" Hibiki continued, lunging forward to grab the brunette by the shoulder again with a visibly shaking hand. Yumi's slackjawed stare abruptly brought her to awareness and she sucked in a breath, trying to calm herself. Hibiki loosened her grip, trying to make it feel more friendly. "You're our friend and we don't want you to get hurt!"
"Yeah!" Chris agreed, recovering her balance from Hibiki's outburst, but she rounded on Souji. "And you! Didn't we tell you she's not just some damn tool?"
"You did." Souji's expression hardly changed. "And it is precisely because she's not a tool, and your friend, that I believe this is the best move. As a formal member of SONG, we can guarantee more thorough protection to her and her family. And we can't discount the Horsemen exploiting her NERVgear based training to possibly figure out some way to undermine her subconsciously."
"Protect her against subtle threats by throwing her as a shield against the overt ones? After that… deal you cut with that bastard in China?" Shirabe said, her voice icing over, "I can't accept that."
"It's not like that!" Yumi said, batting Hibiki's hand off her shoulder. "He made clear I had a choice—"
"He put the idea in your head, death!" Kirika cut in. "They did that back in the orphanage too! Tricky… stupid psycho-manipulation!"
Now Yumi actually glared at Kirika, "I'm not being manipulated! This is my choice! Why can't you accept that?"
"Because you're going to be fucking shot at!" Chris emphasized, smacking her fist into her hand. "Don't you get that?!"
"OF COURSE I KNOW THAT, YOU DUMBASS SENPAI!" Yumi shrieked at the top of her lungs, eyes squeezed shut. The outburst was so sudden, so severe that the adaptors actually reeled away from the otaku girl, their eyes wide.
Silence reigned in the following seconds, as Yumi stood doubled over, breathing in shock. Then she sucked in a deep breath, "I've been shot at before, in more ways than one." This time the sentence came out more quietly. Yumi straightened up, squaring her shoulders as she opened her eyes and gazed right into Miku's. Miku blinked in surprise at the sudden edge of steel in the emerald irises, shimmering with a hard intensity. "Hina, when the Horsemen attacked Jindai's campus, for a moment… I was back at Lydian. The first Lydian. You know, on that day?"
Miku blinked at that, but Yumi carried on. "Did I ever tell you about the soldier I saw die? I honestly can't remember if I did. Well, I saw him die. He was just trying to help us and a Noise impaled him right through the chest. I saw his life bleed away and I screamed. And you know what happened down in the shelters, how I broke down. How long it took me to get myself together and do something. And that… that almost happened again down at Jindai."
Yumi looked down at her hands. "I saw another man die, murdered in cold blood, and I couldn't do anything to save him. I could only scream and hyperventilate like I did back then." She clenched her hands into fists and looked back up at Miku. "And then suddenly I knew things. I knew how I could help, how I could fight back. How I could stop more people from dying."
Then she moved forward, walking out from the semi-circle her friends had made around her and pushing past Miku, Yumi headed over to a section of floor where a knife from the earlier simulation run against the Staples lay. Quietly, she reached down and picked the knife up, holding it up so the room's lighting glinted off the blade.
"I know it's not actually a game or an anime." Yumi murmured. Miku blinked, and in the space of the action the knife vanished from the brunette's hand, sliding down into her sleeve so fast that only Souji saw it. Yumi turned back to them. "I was scared at Lydian, I was scared when we saw that mad professor, I was scared when that Autoscorer girl confronted us, I was scared at Jindai… I'm scared now."
Her eyes drifted down again, unfocusing for a moment. Then they sharpened again as she scowled.
"But I'm tired of being scared!" At the exclamation, Yumi stomped her feet to exercise her point and planting her hands on her hips. "I want to help you however I can. When you can do these things, but you don't, and then the bad things happen... they happen because of you."
"That's pretty rich, don't'cha think?" Chris asked. She smirked, and with a playful shove, added "You're always saying stuff like 'This isn't an anime', but comparing real life to some old movie quote from a quarter-century ago's perfectly okay now? Get outta here!"
"Don't be like that." Yumi glared right at Chris, "So what if it's just a quote from some old movie; It doesn't mean it isn't any less true, is it? If I can't help now, now that I have the ability to do so… then I'll be even worse than anime!"
Miku sucked in a breath at that last line, her teeth clicking together. So that was that then, Yumi couldn't be dissuaded. "I see." Miku murmured, closing her eyes before shaking her head and smiling. "Tell me…"
Miku opened her eyes and asked the other question which had been gnawing at her. "How is Shiori handling it?"
Yumi blinked at that, coming up short for a moment. "Umm..." She bit her lip, eyes drifting upward as tension was replaced by thoughtfulness. "Okay… I guess? She agreed not to tell you guys, to preserve the surprise. Let me think."
Miku frowned, no longer expecting a clear answer. She had to resist the temptation to sigh. How the otaku could be so dense when it came to those close to her Miku… well, actually Miku could quite well believe it. She had fallen for her own idiot, after all. She'd have to track down Shiori at Lydian and ask her herself.
The class speech, talking with Shirabe, helping her with her song for Kirika, talking to Shiori… the start of the semester was looking busy indeed.
"Yeah," Yumi finally answered, growing more certain. "Shiori seemed okay with it. Why?"
"I had to know." Miku said, glancing from Hibiki, to Chris, to the Zababa duo. Each nodded back in turn. Looking at Souji, she tilted her head towards a distant corner in the rather large room, "Could we have a moment? To discuss amongst ourselves?"
The five wielders grouped up together, huddling together in a circle with their hands on each other's shoulders. Souji and Yumi quietly and respectfully backed away, stepping into the far corner.
"So what do you think?" Chris murmured, "She's throwing away so much to try and be with us..."
"She isn't going to back down." Miku asserted, her mind drifting back. Of the five, she knew Yumi the best. All those times back when Hibiki had to go out on a extended mission, leaving her alone, she'd always drop in with Shiori and Kuriyo to keep her company. To buck up her spirits.
To make sure she wasn't alone. Miku quietly bit her lip, suddenly unsure of herself. Rejecting Yumi might drive her away, leaving her feeling alone and that wasn't anyway to repair that service. And yet, there was also Shiori to consider. With Yumi as their bodyguard and Kuriyo transferred away wouldn't that leave her alone?
"I…" Kirika started, only to hesitate, looking away. Shirabe squeezed her shoulder, pulling her slightly away from Chris.
"It's okay, Kiri-chan, what is it?"
Kirika sucked in a deep breath and gave her an unsteady smile before continuing. "I think we should give her a chance."
Chris's mouth fell open for a few moments, "Seriously?!"
Hibiki cocked her head, but Miku and Shirabe both remained quiet, watching Kirika. Their eyes urged her to go on. Summoning up her courage, the Igalima wielder continued.
"Yeah." She threw a look over her shoulder at Yumi and Souji, "What she said about being afraid. Of not wanting to be afraid any more… I… it reminded me of when I was afraid. I almost messed up and messed up badly there. Because I couldn't communicate it." Her eyes fell, "And here she is, able to do that."
"Yeah, she's out of her depth." Chris pointed out.
"So was I, when I started." Hibiki murmured, but her voice didn't exactly sound argumentative. "But… things have changed so much since then. It's been two years. For all of us, except for Miku—" Hibiki's mouth abruptly clicked shut and her head whirled towards her girlfriend, apology shimmering in her eyes.
But Miku simply smiled and shook her head. "No, Hibiki, you're right. But…" She also threw a quick look towards the pair before continuing, "We can't exactly cut her out. How would we do that? We'll be seeing her at Lydian anyways."
"Plus, there's what Director Ogawa said." Shirabe said. "She's already under threat, so long as the Horsemen are at large. At least she's not in the public eye like we are, so if we can deal with the Horsemen..."
"And how long do you think that's gonna take?!" Chris snapped. "It's almost been three months since those assholes came crashin' into our lives!"
"And they've crashed into her life too, senpai!" Kirika retorted.
Shirabe sucked in a frustrated breath as she closed her eyes in contemplation, mostly tuning out the back-and-forth that started between Kirika and Chris. Her first instinct had also been to reject Yumi, her senpai who had so much more to lose getting this deep. But then Yumi had talked about fear and Kirika had shared her own feelings, making Shirabe think back to before she herself had gotten her Symphogear. The fear and terror they felt at the hands of the FiS instructors and how getting their gears had liberated them from that. Now she wasn't sure.
Inspiration struck in like lightning. Eyes snapping open, Shirabe said, "I've got an idea."
A moment's silence fell in the aftermath of that proclamation. Four sets of eyes immediately turned towards her, questions dancing in their eyes. Shirabe smiled and started explaining.
Across the room, Yumi slouched against the wall, her eyes downcast. This… hadn't gone at all the way she thought it should. Had she come off as too excited, initially? Did they think she was showing off? Not taking this seriously? She scowled briefly at that, the memory first of the police officer gunned down at Jindai and then the soldier impaled at old Lydian flashing through her mind.
Of course she understood! She knew the risks, but this was her choice. They were her friends and she wanted to help. And Yumi was sure that as long as they had her back and as long as she could be with Shiori, everything would turn out okay.
Yumi sagged a little as the anger was flooded out by a nervous melancholy. Why didn't they see that?
A sudden weight on her head pulled her from her thoughts. Looking up, she found that Souji had placed his hand on her head. The Ninja Chief was still quietly watching the huddled adaptors.
Yumi only really knew Souji as her teacher and superior. He was respectful, firm, and informative but otherwise distant and cold. She was, ultimately, being trained as a member of SONG's security staff, not as one of his clan. But despite that, she could pick up the reassurance in the head pat. "Don't worry." It said, "They won't leave you out in the cold."
Yumi closed her eyes and sighed. She hoped not.
Then the weight was gone. Yumi opened her eyes again to see that the others had finished consulting with each other. They were crossing back towards her and Souji. Straightening up, Yumi tried her best to surpass the flash of nervousness. This was probably it… the moment of truth. A make-or-break moment not just for what she wanted, but perhaps for some very valued friendships.
She could only hope they understood.
"Alright, Yumi-chan… we'll accept this." Hibiki began. Yumi's eyes lit up, her spirits soaring. But Hibiki quickly raised a finger. "With one condition."
Souji raised an eyebrow. Yumi frowned again, her spirits faltering but said nothing and just crossed her arms.
"If shit goes down," Chris said, "Then yeah, we get you'll have to fight for at least a bit. But first chance you get, you bail and leave the heavy liftin' to us."
"If you need to get people away." Miku added, "That's fine. We'll cover you as best we can." Her hand silently drifted up to her pendant. "It's what I did and you'll probably be able to do it even better. But we don't want you to put yourself at risk any more than you have to."
"If you're okay with that, then we'll help you as much as we can." Hibiki stepped forward and held her hand out.
Yumi bit her lip, eyebrows furrowing as she turned the proposal over in her head. Then finally she nodded, stepping forward to take Hibiki's hand. "Yeah. I'll do that. I promise."
A wave of relief washed across the adaptors as Hibiki smiled and shook her friend's hand. The Gungnir wielder in particular had to resist the urge to sag, keeping up a strong front for her friend, though she could feel Miku's concerned gaze burning into the back of her head. The vision of Yumi suffering Genjuro's fate receded… not entirely, but mostly. The compromise may not have been perfect, but it seemed for the best.
Souji coughed, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "If all our concerns are settled now, I think it would be best if we start acclimatizing Itaba-san to the capabilities of the Apegear now."
Yumi's eyes lit up in excitement, "Really?!"
Chris frowned, "Already? After the throwdown shorty just had with the idiot?"
"We won't be doing anything strenuous." Souji reassured her, "Not combat training. Simply getting her used to moving on your level."
"Does she really need it?" Kirika asked, waving her arm around the sim room. "She was moving so fast earlier!"
"Eh-heh, not… quite." Yumi's smile turned smug. "A lot of that is more—"
She paused, glancing at Souji, who shrugged as if to say "Yeah, you can tell them."
Permission received, Yumi pushed forward. "A lot of ninja tricks really rely on all sorts of optical illusions. So I wasn't actually moving as fast as it looked like I was. Be interesting to see how I might be able to mix it when I have access to some phonic gain. Oh!" She clapped her hands in realization. "I'll be a magical girl ninja. How cool is that?!"
"Oh!" Kirika began, "Ohohohoyoyoyoyoy—!"
"Spit it out!" Chris snapped.
"Can you do the Shadow Sewing thing?"
"I think it's 'weaving', Kiri-chan." Shirabe gently corrected, shaking her head.
Kirika's head tilted curiously. "Weaving Sewing, doesn't make much sense though?" Chris facepalmed.
"Eh…" Yumi waggled her hand. "Kinda. I've gotten started on learning it but…" She looked at Souji. "Actually, can I demonstrate, sensei?"
The knife from earlier slid down out of Yumi's sleever, into her hand. She closed her eyes, turned toward Kirika, and sucked in a deep breath. Then she snapped her eyes open and simultaneously flicked the knife up into the air, sending it arcing up and down… to land right in Miku's shadow, the point impaling itself into the floor.
"Eh?" Miku felt something pull on her body. Her eyes darted down to the knife before her brows furrowed, and she moved to stand. There was a moment's resistance and the noise of steel against ceramic tile before the knife popped back out of the ground.
"It usually ends up like that. Sorry if I surprised you, Hina." Yumi smiled sheepishly, though a moment later her eyes rose in thought. "Though it does take a few more seconds."
"She needs to work on her wrist movements a bit, among other things." Souji explained. Kirika and Shirabe exchanged a glance at that.
"So it's all in the wrist?" Shirabe asked.
"Maybe not all." Kirika pointed out. "He did say 'among other things'."
"I wouldn't stress out about it." Chris admonished them.
Souji decided to return to the original subject at hand, "Let's begin then. Tsukuyomi-san, we'll start with you."
Shirabe nodded, getting the logic immediately. Her synch rate remained the lowest individual one. Given the possible side-effects of phonic gain intake, starting with her just made sense. Souji and the other wielders backed off towards the edge of the training room again as Shirabe grabbed Shul-Shagana and sang…
In a flash of blinding light, her Symphogear materialized. At the same time, Yumi jolted as if struck by lightning and then doubled over. "Woah!"
"Are you okay, Yumi-senpai?" Shirabe quickly asked, rolling forward. But Yumi held up a hand and waved, panting heavily.
"Y-yeah! Just wasn't prepared for that jolt." She said after a moment before straightening back up, as her breathing became regular again. Yumi looked down at one of her fists, opening and closing it, "I mean, wow… wow! Do you always feel like this when you transform?"
"I suppose I got used to it." Shirabe said. Now that she thought about it, she could recall the first time she transformed too. A flash of pain followed by what seemed to be a tsunami of energy and strength echoing out of a song within her heart.
The wielder glanced over towards Souji, who was on the intercom with the agent in the simulator control room. The ninja chief turned back and nodded.
"Vital signs are good, her body is adjusting quickly." He said. "We're going to run an obstacle course simulation to get her used to moving. Tsukuyomi-san, just guide her as best you can. Itaba-san."
"Yes, sensei!" Yumi said as the ninja leader and the other wielders faded from view, the featureless room turning into a flat, wide-open plain. A network of tracks, jumps, ropes, pits, and other obstacles now spread out before them. Yumi took a moment to take it all in before turning to Shirabe and bowing. "I guess you're the senpai when it comes to this. I'll be in your care!"
Despite her reservations, Shirabe couldn't help but puff up a little at that. "You can depend on me. Let's start."
—
"Neural hub status?"
"It's good."
"Occipital jack?"
"Clean."
"Grafting software?"
"Bug check shows no errors."
"Engram safeguard compatibility?"
"Accepted."
"Antimony degeneration check?"
"Umm…" That caused Akira Tachibana to pause. He always did, when the alchemical side of their work reared its head. It was something he was still learning his way around. He squinted at the screen in front of him, his mouth twisting. "I think there is no sign?"
Sliding her goggles up onto her forehead, Elfnein swivelled her chair away from her station and stood up on her tiptoes to peer over Akira's shoulder. Her eyes quickly scanned the lines of code and feedback checks, quickly locking in on the same set of data. Then she gave a satisfied nod before plopping back down in her chair.
"Yes. That's right." She said as she tore her goggles off and dropped them down onto an empty spot on the table. "We can move onto the next stage then."
"Already?" Akira blinked and turned at that, but the small blonde was already moving with a speed that belied her size. Carefully removing the cables from the singular microchip she had been working on, she carried it across to the large chair in the opposite corner of the lab. Leaping up atop it, she pried open a panel on the headrest just below the connecting hook holding the helmet aloft overhead. Picking out the only empty slot left, she inserted the chip into its circuit and resealed the panel. Then she hopped back down, stepping back to admire the completed work.
The original mind-palace Elfnein had created from recreating the Direct Feedback System had been a relatively small piece of headwear that could be hooked into any number of SONG computers. Similarly, the open-variant NERVgear was a piece of consumer electronics designed to be easily carried around. Extrapolating it to the closed-variant, the ones the Horsemen used internally to train the Staples, had proven to be a little bit bulkier, but not by much.
But melding them together, even with alchemy, had caused the size of the resulting machine to swell considerably. Over the past month since Elfnein had started the project, her, Akira, and the rest of the SONG technical had essentially had to design a dedicated station complete with its own integrated computer and power source in order to run what she had decided to dub the "NERV Palace". It was something that would probably drive the Horsemen nuts if they knew about it: human high technology married together with an alchemical cousin. The only way it might drive them further up the wall is if they put a relic in it.
Elfnein had actually considered that. She even had identified the perfect relic for it, the Rauðskinna. Integrating it would have meant they could dispense with much of the bulky machinery. She had put in a request with its holders in the Spanish Government. Her frustration knew no bounds when they informed her the lab the Rauðskinna had been held was destroyed by what the time had been believed to be Basque Separatists, but was now thought to be a Horsemen strike team.
Elfnein frowned at the memory, ruefulness overcoming the initial satisfaction at work completed. Once again, they had been a step ahead.
"Elfnein-san!" Akira's voice snapped Elfnein out of her reverie. "Are you sure about this? Shouldn't we run more tests?"
"We are. That's what the next phase is." Elfnein answered, stepping forward again and hoisting herself up onto the armrest. She punched a button on the arm rest, the arm holding up the helmet lowering down onto her head, but the mounted display did not flip down. "We have to keep moving forward or we'll be playing catch up with the Horsemen forever. We need to get ahead of them."
Akira's eyes almost bugged out, his mouth plopping open. "Wha—... but you are…"
Elfnein simply smiled back. "I'm the one who knows this system best. It's what I did with the Mind Palace, even before I used it with Maria-san. I tested it on myself."
Akira sucked in a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "But you can't even run this by yourself."
At that, Elfnein actually laughed. "Of course not!" She said, rolling her eyes. "That's why you are here."
"But connecting your mind with this system…" Akira trailed off, letting the implied objection hang. But Elfnein was more than ready for that.
"We haven't hooked it up to any network yet." She pointed out, "It's all running internally at the moment, on a closed loop. The only thing in the system will be me, my mind, and the NERV palace. And we won't be starting out with anything complicated, just… remember that meditative program I had you modify for this?"
"Yes." Akira answered, almost absentmindedly. "The code was fascinating. Clearly machine programmed. The bots I had to create to reprogram it were…" Realization caught up with him. "Oh."
"See? As safe as we can make it." Elfnein said.
"Elfnein-san…" Akira murmured, his brow furrowing and then he let loose a prolonged sigh, rubbing his temple. "Tell me, are you that eager to bring your… well, sister back?"
Elfnein blinked, "I'm sorry?"
"Sorry if I'm being a bit presumptive there." Akira explained, "But I have been paying attention and though I may be a fool, I do know my field. I also had to look over the DFS data to help you with this." He looked up at the machine. "It could do that, can't it? Bring Carol-san back."
Elfnein's eyes fell to the floor. In the intense quiet that followed, Akira shuffled nervously. Suddenly he was worried that he overstepped some kind of boundary but before he could back away from the question she replied.
"Yes, it could." Elfnein said, leaning further back as she looked up wistfully. "But I'm not trying to bring Carol back."
Akira blinked. But Elfnein gently smiled up at him and continued. "It's not like I didn't consider it. I was tempted, sorely tempted. But I thought of our last conversation and… well…" She closed her eyes. "She didn't want to. You likened me to her sister and… I guess that isn't too inaccurate."
She opened her eyes again and looked Akira square in his own. "But I think it would be just as accurate to call me her daughter."
Akira's mouth fell open, forming a small silent "o". He shuffled a bit, suddenly unable to meet Elfnein's eyes. Elfnein also glanced away, but this time her face grew solemn. "This isn't about Carol. This is about the Horsemen."
Now Akira looked back up, his brow furrowing. "How so?"
"Because I need to know how. How do they know so much about alchemy, about heretical technology, when they refuse to use it. When they try to destroy everything related to it." Elfnein's fists tightened. "Carol was the most powerful human alchemist in the world, Saint Germain the most knowledgeable. And the Horsemen's data we've retrieved indicates they know more than both of them, despite their rejection of it. Despite supposedly not having the Sefer HaChaim."
She raised her eyes, as if trying to look up at the helmet on her head. "This is a step towards figuring that out. The Red Unit must hold the answer. We don't have the capacity to match it with high technological means and no alchemy yet devised has operated on that digital plane. Meanwhile, many of our untried relic options have been pre-emptively shut down by the Horsemen themselves. That leaves us with one option."
"Fusing alchemy with high technology." Akira murmured, now also looking up at the machine with new eyes. He let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I see."
"Heretical and high technology put together led to the birth of the Symphogear system. But alchemy is much more replicable than heretical technology has ever been." Elfnein nodded, leaning back. "But you're right, we still have to test it out. Please, start the program."
Akira hesitated, stepped up to the panel on the side of the chair's rear, and then hesitated again. Finally, he said, "The moment it looks like something is going wrong, I'm using the abort override."
Elfnein smiled as she closed her eyes and flipped down the helmet's visor, her other hand flipping switches along the armrest. "I'd expect nothing less, Akira-san."
Akira paused one last time at that, before shaking his head and punching in the commands needed on his end. First he made sure to pull up monitors showing Elfnein's brain activity, vital signs, and the NERV Palace's active software run codes. Only then did he bring the meditation program online.
As the final run box popped up, he glanced towards Elfnein one last time. "Ready?"
"Ready." Elfnein said, even as her grip on the arm rest tightened.
Akira took a deep breath and clicked on the [PROGRAM START] command.
And everything for Elfnein went black.
—
Then there was light. Blinding light. Not as bad as staring into the sun or a fusion blast, but more akin to looking into an array of floodlights that had suddenly turned on. Instinctively, Elfnein raised a hand even as she screwed her eyes shut, desperately wishing they would adjust to the light. They didn't, but they didn't take long either and nothing happened until the pain died away and she was able to blink them open again.
A featureless, white plain met her eyes, stretching out in every direction. A pure blue sky stretched overhead, totally barren. Not a cloud. Not even a sun for that matter. There wasn't actually any perceivable light source. It stretched off into infinity, with no perceivable horizon.
It occurred to Elfnein that she should probably be feeling some kind of vertigo from a lack of any horizon and apparent mid-dayness-with-no-sun, but she didn't. Rather, the lack of anything came off as… promising to her. As if there was a potential here and all she had to do was tap into it.
"Testing, testing." She called, only raising her voice a little. The way it broke the stillness all around her would have been unnerving if she hadn't been expecting it. Elfnein shook her head and murmured, "Quite different from that time with Maria-san."
Shrugging that thought off, Elfnein clapped her hands and this time did indeed start at the way the sharp sound pierced the air. Recovering from the surprise, she chuckled awkwardly. "R-right, I guess I should get started then."
Closing her eyes, Elfnein concentrated. The meditation program was meant to simultaneously relax a person, relieving them of any stress, as well as stimulating the brain to make it more open to learning once the subject was disconnected. But while the original program for the NERVgear came with a number of generic preset environments — temples, shrines, soothing grass fields, waterfalls, stuff like that — which could only be edited via programming, Elfnein hoped that the NERV Palace's version could allow her to create soothing environments on the fly.
So Elfnein thought of the most relaxing setting she knew of. The world around her morphed: walls rose out of the earth, the ground paved itself with panelling, a ceiling rolled out overhead, and furniture steadily faded into existence. They cohered, settling into place, and Elfnein could feel when the last element "snapped" into place, letting her know she was done. She opened her eyes and smiled.
She was now standing in a perfect replica of her laboratory.
With a wide grin, she skipped over to her usual workstation and plopped down onto the chair. Settling in, she quickly booted up her monitor and opened a piece of programming. Her fingers took up their classic position as her desktop popped into view… and only then did it occur to Elfnein what she had just did.
She had recreated her laboratory inside her head. While she was already inside her laboratory.
She was pretty sure there was an old meme that fit for this situation. One that Carol had hated, so naturally Garie had used it every chance she got. But Elfnein couldn't recall it. Nevertheless, a flush rose to her cheeks and she chuckled sheepishly as she — reluctantly — pushed away from the workstation.
Standing up, she looked around as she considered her options. Okay, maybe her primary means of relaxation was a little… redundant, at the moment. So she should consider alternatives.
Closing her eyes again, Elfnein concentrated and again the room morphed around her. The room elongated, becoming more rectangular yet closing into a smaller, more cozy space. Individual work benches, consoles, and seats melded together before rearranging into couches, tables, and a flat screen TV along one wall. The lights dimmed, the floor becoming carpeted and plush.
When Elfnein opened her eyes once more, she was standing in the Karaoke parlour Hibiki and Miku had taken her and Tsubasa to that previous winter. While the events that ended and then immediately followed that excursion were certainly unpleasant enough, Elfnein still had fond memories of the outing itself. Singing to her friends at that parlour had kindled a memory of another outing, a rare one in which Carol had been the one to take her out…
The smile still on her face, Elfnein picked up the remote and quickly scrolled through a selection of songs. She quickly decided against the song she had sung on that particular day, instead selecting a different one from the same genre. Grabbing the microphone, she gave a playful bow to the empty sofas and began to sing.
The good mood didn't last another minute. As she sang, Elfnein found that something was… off, somehow. She wasn't enjoying it like she had the other times. Trailing off mid-verse, she stared forlornly over the empty room. The original singer's lines echoed out alone as Elfnein ignored how her score on the machine quickly fell away like a rock.
It just wasn't the same without others.
Sighing, Elfnein snatched the remote back up and killed the song. Plopping down on the sofa, she chewed on her lip as she surveyed the room. Still, she probably shouldn't view this as a failure. Her memory of this room had been far more sketchy than with her laboratory yet the details in this simulation were no less vivid. She'd have to review the code and consult with Akira on how much of it was genuine and how much was her mind filling in what she thought was there.
As for the primary program… well, she'd have to go for a solo activity after all. That meant clothes shopping was out and eating food was a totally pointless exercise. There was one other thing she could resort to. The pleasant solitude of educational reading. She'd start with something light. For all the ill and horror they had wrought, the Horsemen's hypotheses on quantum gravitation were fascinating.
Her decision made, Elfnein stood up again and closed her eyes. For a setting, she decided to go back even further, a bout of nostalgia causing her to decide on the Château de Tiffauges' archives. Elfnein couldn't help the small smile that flitted across her face at the hours she had whiled away in there. Sometimes with Carol, sometimes with Garie…
The thought of the Autoscorer made her pause. Elfnein had already discounted trying to bring Carol back, but her servants? Could Elfnein do that? The same principle could be applied to them just as well as to Carol. Memories of them becoming programming for them.
Maybe a probe of the possibility, Elfnein decided. A test case. Create a likeness, but not the full thing. Just to see how it went. Her mind made-up, she forced the adjustments to the front of her mind and waited for the feeling of completion. When the final "snap" echoed through her mind, Elfnein opened her eyes one last time… and stared in total bemusement.
This wasn't the Château's archive.
She was instead now standing in a nondescript, deep within a city block. It was night, the darkness mainly broken by overhead lights filtering down from above. The bulb for the one Elfnein was standing under flickered, probably on the verge of going out, moths flitting around it in a hypnotized dance. The alchemist couldn't be any more confused: why had the program generated some random alleyway? Had there been a glitch?
But there as Elfnein glanced around, she felt this itching sensation of... familiarity. She couldn't place why, the alleyway could have just been one of the innumerable numbers which dotted the landscape of Tokyo.
Then a shout broke the silence, causing Elfnein to whirl around. "HEY! Who a—"
The young man's exclamation was cut short and quickly followed as a feminine scream pierced the night air. Elfnein's eyes widened in shock and horror at the scene in front of her. Now she knew why the alleyway looked familiar, now she knew very well.
Garie stood at the edge of another pool of light, a man in her robotic grip and her lips locked with his. A young woman stood a few feet back, her back pressed against the wall as she stared, shaking like a leaf. As horrible realization dawned on Elfnein, the man withered like a plant exposed to a sudden frost.
The alchemist couldn't help herself. The second shriek of the woman, the thrashing of Garie's victim. It was too real.
"No! Garie, stop!" Elfnein shouted, charging forward towards them. She probably couldn't actually force Garie off the man, but maybe the surprise at her sudden presence would give the autoscorer pause.
Elfnein passed through them both like they were both ghosts. Startled, she tried to turn only for her feet to collide with each other, sending her sprawling onto the ground.
"It's not physical?" She murmured as she pushed herself back up to her feet. Her mind was a whirl as she tried to piece everything together. Why was the program playing the record from Sefer HaChaim? And why was it doing so in a way she couldn't interact with it?
As Elfnein got back to her feet, Garie dropped the desiccated husk that was left of the man and licked her lips. "Delicious."
"Program halt!" Elfnein shouted, trying to drown out the woman begging Garie not to hurt her with her own command. "Cease! Stop functioning!"
Nothing happened. Garie menacingly shauntied toward the terrified lady, just like how Elfnein had seen her do so before. "Oh come on dearie, I won't bite. I'll just give you a little kiss, and it'll all be over."
Hopefully Fujitaka was getting some kinda error message, but Elfnein had no sense of the relative time passage within the program and outside of it. That was one of the unknowns they had to take into account, a part of why she was running this test.
She just hoped it would happen before she saw Garie murder this hapless woman again.
The lady bolted and Elfnein cringed as Garie cackled before leaping up, bounding forward off the walls. "Garie, wait!" Elfnein cried aloud as she took off after the Autoscorer, while internally she kept trying to will the program back into cooperation. "Let her hear me. Let her hear me!"
But even in a sim, Elfnein was not in any shape to go chasing after a terrified woman running on adrenaline, let alone a superhuman Autoscorer. It wasn't long until she fell behind, gasping for air. Her lungs burned and vision swam as she desperately craned her head, looking for signs of Garie's passage to lead her.
Finally she stumbled to a halt at an intersection, doubling over as she heaved for air. Once her sight stopped spinning, she straightened up and glanced around. Nothing. She was hopelessly lost.
Elfnein abruptly felt an uncharacteristic urge to punch something. Why was it going wrong?! Was this really the result of trying to even get a facsimile of Garie going interacting with the program and the record that the Pale Man had shoved into her? It was the only thing she could think of.
Suddenly a wave of vertigo hit Elfnein as the entire alleyway seemed to tilt, bend, and shift. The walls rushed by her as the world around her seemed to rush by, though she didn't move a jot, and she had to clasp a hand over her mouth to ward off a rush of nausea, screwing her eyes shut. What was going on now?
The phenomenon stopped as quickly as it started. Sucking in a deep breath as her nausea faded, Elfnein chanced a look up just in time to see Garie drop down to land behind the woman. The alchemist couldn't believe it. The simulation had brought her to where the event was taking place. The rational part of her noted she'd have to look into the reason for that. Was it because the record only covered this event?
But that was just the rational part. For the moment, Elfnein's concern was dominated by the sight of someone she had cared about doing something she abhorred.
"Why won't you cooperate?!" Elfnein's shout drowned out Garie's taunting of her victim, but it did nothing to alter the outcome as the Autoscorer yanked the woman up and kissed her full on the lips. Rather than watch, Elfnein turned away, closing her eyes as the sounds of struggle died behind her with the innocent person, one of many lives someone she had regarded as a friend had taken.
It will all be over soon. It had to be over soon.
Finally the muffled screaming behind her died away. Shaking, Elfnein slowly forced herself to turn around, to see the aftermath. One part of her recalled that when she had received the record, it had been from the point of view of Garie's victim. There hadn't been an aftermath there. Despite being resigned to it, Elfnein still couldn't help sucking in a gasp as the murder scene came back into view.
Garie still stood there, holding the corpse of the lady. The doll simply stood stock still, her face oddly blank as she stared down at her victim. Then her head twitched, turning in Elfnein's direction and for a moment the two locked eyes. And the alchemist blinked as Garie gave her a sad smile and shook her head, "Sorry you had to see that."
Elfnein barely had time to process that Garie had just spoken to her before the autoscorer, the body, and indeed the entire scene vanished into thin air. The distant rumble of traffic was replaced by the low hum of computers. The feel of crisp night air was replaced by a more sterile stillness. She was now staring at an opaque glass-metal visor. She blinked again before she realized what happened.
She was out. Back in the real world.
"Elfnein-san!" Elfnein felt a hand clasp against her shoulder. Pre-empting Akira, she grabbed the NERV Palace's helmet and lifted it away. "Are you okay?!"
"I-I'm fine!" Elfnein pre-empted him, putting on what she hoped was a convincing smile as she looked up. "What is it? What happened?"
Hibiki's father stepped back and stared down at her for a moment, a concerned frown working his way across his face. "Are you sure? You were crying…"
Elfnein blinked and reached up to wipe at her cheeks as she realized they were wet. So her physical body had reacted to the scene just as well.
"Really, Akira-san, I'm fine." She quickly tried to assuage his concerns. "It was just a distressing experience, but not a harmful one. And not one I hadn't encountered before. I wasn't able to terminate it myself, however so… thank you." She took in another breath, wiping away the remaining tears before straightening up. "What was the experience on your end? How long was I in there?"
"About a minute." Akira answered, confirming to Elfnein that there was a relative experience of time. Everything she had experienced in there hadn't remotely lasted just a minute. "Everything was going fine up until the last couple of seconds. Then I saw this weird scrap code suddenly start getting generated. That's when I terminated the program."
He paused, walking over to the monitor he had manned and tapping at several diagnostic tools. A frown crossed over Akira's face as he looked it over before he let out a sigh. "It doesn't seem to have done any permanent damage, but I recommend we wait to review it with the rest of the programming department before we do any more tests with the NERVpalace."
"I agree." Elfnein said as she hopped down out of the chair. "Create a backup of the code and then shut down the palace completely for now."
"Sure thing." Akira confirmed, before glancing over at her. "Are you absolutely sure you're fine?"
The worry in his voice made Elfnein smile and she nodded again, "Yes, Akira-san, I'm perfectly okay."
But no sooner were the words out of her mouth than the thought occurred, "Are you though?"
At that, Elfnein froze. That thought hadn't been in her voice. It had been in Garie's. The alchemist's eyes widened as she immediately recalled the last thing the Garie in the simulation had done right before the program ended.
"Hello? Garie?" She thought, deliberately this time. Nobody replied. Had it just been her imagination?
It didn't take long for Akira to notice her standing still, staring off into space. "Elfnein-san?"
The interruption startled Elfnein. "Yes! I think I'm going to take a quick break." It was what she had planned regardless of what happened in the test, a precaution against possible short-term physical aftereffects. She quickly whirled around, her mind racing. As she reached the door, she paused as an idea flitted through her head. "And Akira-san…"
Akira looked over at her.
"Could you send a copy of that scrap code to me? I'd like to look over it later."
A fresh breeze proved a welcome reprieve from the heat as Kenta Tsukikage took the moment to wipe his brow and take a drink. The day had been particularly busy for the Chief Priest of the Tsuki shrine, as one of the older statues had developed a noticeable crack that threatened to collapse it. Having to deal with a mason company was quite the addition to his usual duties of checking the rest of the Shrine grounds, monitoring the offerings, and dealing with the usual rush of tourists.
A gaggle of teenage boys and girls quickly walked by, chattering eagerly amidst themselves. A few broke off from their group to come over to the stall he was manning, bowing some greeting the maiden he had manning the stall before looking over the various charms and additional trinkets. Watching from his own perch by the Torii, Kenta noted a few school uniforms, the first he had seen since July. A puzzled frown worked its way across his face. He was fairly sure that school didn't start until tomorrow, so were they just trying them out or something like that?
He shrugged off his idle ruminations as the group departed down the street, turning away to do another round along the shrine grounds. He glanced up at the trees, inspecting them carefully as he walked across the extensive field. The leaves were still bright green for the moment, but fall would be here soon and that would mean a lot of raking.
"My poor back." He thought ruefully. Once again, the thought of retirement passed through his mind but he pushed it aside. The shrine was all he had left and he had devoted his life to it.
He turned another corner and paused as he noticed someone standing by the Shrine's keystone. The man was calmly standing in front of it, hands clasped behind his back as his head craned towards the top. Kenta frowned as something about the guest poked at his mind. Given the skin tone and facial features he guessed the man was a foreigner, but his get-up seemed rather overly formal for a tourist.
Kenta approached the man, intending to pull the old "sudden wizened old man" trick. He tried to move quietly, but the rustle of his sandals in the grass must have given away his approach as the man's head tilted slightly, turning a little in the priest's direction as acknowledgement of his presence.
Kenta quickly shifted gears with the experience of age, smiling benignly as if he wasn't trying to sneak up on the man. "Good day."
The man didn't reply verbally, but simply nodded his own greeting politely. Kenta simply slid in easily beside him, maintaining an appropriate distance. "Interested in the Keystone?"
"Some." The man answered, turning his head fully back to look up at the top. His Japanese was perfect, but accentless. "Know about intellectually. Never seen personally."
Kenta nodded, that made sense. "It's a good place for rest and relaxation." He acknowledged as he turned away. "I hope it brings you plenty of peace. If you need anything, I'll be checking the offerings."
The Pale Man limited himself to a polite, but non-committal, grunt. He didn't have any interest in the old priest. It was slightly unusual the priest had even noticed him while disconnected from humanity's perception. If he had to guess, the Pale Man supposed a lifetime career as a priest and working in a shrine set-up around the leylines may have left him more attuned to things that may be related to the supernatural. Fortunately, it did not appear to be a short-term threat and it was not like it would matter in the long run. Once the bio-terminals had unknowingly done their job, the engine would render things like that… an irrelevancy.
He turned his attention back up to the keystone. This anchor in the leylines. By themselves, they were merely an irrelevance to his plan. Something that would be swept aside along with everything else. But they were a key indicator that would tell him if he was on the right track. What he was doing was largely theoretical. Not even the Custodians had ever actually tried to do it.
It was a tricky balancing act, to use the bio-terminals this way. He could nudge things. He could have people suspecting of him nudging things. But for them to know… now that, that would be far too big a nudge. It would throw everything out of whack. Shem-Ha certainly couldn't have relied on it, certainly not for the purpose she intended. She had no choice but to go the direct route.
In a way, the Pale Man envied her for it. It would be so much more simple if he could do that as well. But, even leaving aside the mechanism for that was gone, the system could never have the outcome he wanted through such blatant means. It had to be tricked into it. And hence, the balancing act.
It was a tricky balancing act. In his previous form, he could not have acted at all. In this form, his knowledge was so much more limited. He knew what was, what could be, but not what is and what will be. Not to mention the issue of something wholly new, like himself. Trying to rope everyone into their requisite rolls had also proven more work than he anticipated, even given his own unique nudges. He recalled a saying: people are predictable… most of the time. But occasionally, they'll surprise you. That had been perfectly accurate, he supposed.
On the one hand, it was… disconcerting, not being able to know with the surety of local omniscience. But there was a thrill to that too. Not that he had been capable of such feelings prior, but looking back his prior existence certainly had been a whole lot more boring.
If everything went like it was supposed too, would he be there on the other side once it was done? He wasn't sure. He was without precedent and thus whether the engine would affect him like it should the relics, the leylines, or alchemy… well, he supposed it didn't matter much. So long as it was done, he would be content.
The Pale Man checked to make sure he was still alone before quietly reaching into a chest pocket, the Pale Man pulled out a small vial filled with a swirling black substance. Idly, he tossed it onto the keystone. The container shattered, the black substance reacting to its freedom by devouring the glass shards that trickled down before swarming around the base of the keystone. They roiled there for a moment, a single black ring encircling the anchor. And then they sank into the ground, vanishing beneath the earth. Just as programmed.
With his latest nudge completed, he turned and walked back across the Shrine grounds, his steps through the grass failing to jostle a single bristle. Turning the corner to the front, the Pale Man spotted Kenta conversing with a subordinate, a shrine maiden who had been summer interning. Deciding not to interrupt, he hung back and watched them talk.
It was beautiful.
Oh, to be sure, it wasn't as good as it could be. They didn't honestly have that much to communicate and the old priest's experience meant he picked up many of the messages that the girl was signalling, intentionally or otherwise. But he didn't pick up everything. For example, he was misinterpreting her nervousness as the usual worries about beginning a new school, completely unaware that she was also troubled by the return of a parent she was estranged from. As a result, he wasn't actually taking the right tack to assuage her doubts.
Of course the girl missed so much more, lacking the necessary experiences and pumped up with the vigor of youth. His grandfatherly concern largely rolled right past her, fixated as she was with imminent events. And she could never hope to notice the quiet pain the priest carried with him, buried so deep within that none could ever hope to pry it out.
It may seem so small, in the grand scheme of things. But the grand scheme of things was built upon countless such small events, innumerable such misunderstandings some of which were larger and more significant. There would be pain and loss as a result, but also experience and, from that, a kind of rebirth. The sort of thing that had driven mankind, ever since the Custodians fled and terminated the universal language in their wake.
It was literally what the Pale Man lived for.
Tying up their conversation, the shrine maiden gave a farewell bow before darting away to change back into casual clothes, so she could head home. She never noticed the Pale Man even as she darted past him. The chief priest quietly remained where he was for a moment, surveying the entrance to the shrine. The Pale Man stepped up behind him...
"You have a great and terrible purpose, don't you?" Kenta said.
The Pale Man paused, his head inclining slightly. He must have underestimated the degree to which the Chief Priest was affected by living by the leylines. "You can see."
"Yes." Kenta answered, now turning around. "Though I'll admit, I had to go over our first meeting in my mind a few times before it clicked."
"Acknowledging risky," The Pale Man pointed out.
"If you intended to kill me, I imagine you would have already done that." Kenta shrugged, his eyes drifting towards the shrine. He smiled fondly, "And even if you acted now, I've lived a good life, with plenty of achievements. There may be things I wish I could change, but I've long accepted that what is done is done."
The Pale Man straightened up. "It does not hurt?"
Kenta shook his head at that, folding his hands. "No, it does. But I've learned to live with it. What other choice do I have?"
Silence hung between them for a few moments as the Pale Man considered Kenta's words. Process, analysis, revision, update...
"The girl," The Pale Man finally said, deciding to change track now that line of inquiry was exhausted. If he had underestimated the priest's knowledge of himself, then his initial impression of the priest's conversation with that shrine maiden may also have been off. "Do you know?"
Kenta smiled sadly and shook his head, "I have an inkling it's something more than high school jitters. I was hoping Sokabe-san would open up to me about it by the end of summer. Fortunately, I think she'll take the job again in winter break and she's certainly promised to visit plenty." His eyes narrowed, "I take it you have better insight?"
The Pale Man nodded his confirmation, "Wish to know?"
To his surprise, Kenta shook his head. "My approach is that she opens up on her own. When she tells me, it will be on her own initiative."
"Not only approach." The Pale Man observed, turning his head to glance at the door the girl had gone into. Given what he knew about the layout of the shrine and the average time it would take a human female to change, she'd probably be just about done by now.
"No." Kenta agreed. "It might not even be the best approach. There might not be a best approach. But I hope it will at least be an approach that works. Sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith."
Faith was not something the Pale Man put stock in outside as a motivating force for others. But it seemed sensible enough in those terms. And it mattered little to him whether it motivated Kenta, particularly not for this.
"Very honest." The Pale Man said, switching tracks again.
"Well, you haven't asked me anything that really demands I engage in deception. Plus, I get the sense you are a very canny… person." Kenta smiled crookedly before adding. "Mostly."
That actually made the Pale Man pause for a moment as he wondered whether the chief priest was making fun of him there. He quickly decided it didn't matter. Whether a human mocked him or not made little difference.
There was the question of what he should do about this. Try as he might, the Pale Man couldn't seem to get a grip on disconnecting the priest. He was simply too close and had become too involved over the years in maintaining the Shrine. That was a potential risk. Perhaps he should kill the priest and be done with it?
"Tsukikage-sensei!" The shrine maiden stepped back out of the door, now out of her miko robes. "I'm heading home…" She paused, her head tilting in befuddlement as she noted the old man still in the same spot from earlier. Hadn't he moved at all? And had she just heard him talking with someone?
Smiling grandfatherly, Kenta answered, "Have a good trip. And good luck with school."
She shook herself out of her stupor, returning the smile with some bemusement. "Of course!"
With a final farewell bow, she quickly walked past Kenta and the Pale Man, stepping out beyond the Torii.
"So," Kenta said as he watched her vanish down the steps, now out of earshot. "Perhaps you could answer some questions for—" He stopped, glancing back toward the Pale Man only to confirm there was now no one there.
"Hm. Not exactly the most polite departure. Should follow Sokabe-san's departure." He shook his head, turning back towards the shrine. He'd have to make a call to the Shrine Association about this. And probably SONG too.
The Pale Man watched him go from the roof of a real estate agency across the street, peering between the branches. He could deduce what the man's next move would be, but it mattered little. After all, there would only be further suspicion and that wasn't a risk to the plan.
Besides, his business here was finished for now. All he had to do was sit back and watch. Whatever happened next, whether the old man would find out or not… well, the data was sure to be fascinating regardless. Old habits died hard.
The Pale Man brushed some dust from the rooftop off his suit, turned away, and vanished into the air with a step.
Her opponent ducked and weaved, sometimes seemingly teleporting out of the way of her fist. Doubles slipped into and out of existence, popping up only to be smashed away.
But Hibiki smiled. Her opponent was showing off, but in doing so was messing up badly. Years of experience had taught Hibiki that each mistake was a learning opportunity. Each blow that failed to connect was an additional lesson that would lead to the blow that would.
Then her opponent made the error. She tried to counterattack.
Hibiki's smile broke into a wide grin as she easily sidestepped the lunge and spun around to grab Yumi by the shoulder. It actually surprised her how easy it was to put the brunette into a headlock. She barely had to do anything to keep the girl locked in place. For a moment, she had to stop and marvel at how strong she had gotten. Was it all her own progress or—
"You gotta say it shorty!" Chris called from the sideline.
"Alright, uncle!" Yumi shouted back, going limp after another moment. "Uncle, I say!"
That broke Hibiki out of her musing. "Ah, right! Sorry, Yumi-chan."
She let go of her friend, the smaller girl immediately whirling away with a pout. "I wasn't that clumsy, was I?!"
Hibiki actually had to pause to take a moment to think about that. "Not… exactly? If you've really been at this for just a few weeks, that was... pretty good, actually." She paused for a moment, a frown working it's way across her face as Genjuro's face flashed through her mind. He had been a lot better. "Not good enough…" She murmured to herself, under her breath. A gnawing feeling in her gut, present since she had first come to terms with the sight of Yumi training, began to grow.
"We've just been at this longer." Kirika chipped in as she skipped in from the sidelines.
"A lot longer." Shirabe added, following her girlfriend.
"I suppose that's true." Yumi agreed, shrugging. "Can't get through it all with just a montage and a song, I guess."
For some reason, both Hibiki and Chris had to suppress an awkward coughing fit at that remark. And neither knew why.
Putting that aside, Hibiki considered the match some more. "Why didn't you try to make a move earlier, though? I'm pretty sure I left a few openings that you could have used..."
Yumi grinned awkwardly at that. "In truth, I was kinda nervous. I mean… I don't actually know all that much hand-to-hand. A lot of it mainly, plus a few things Ogawa-sensei showed me. And by comparison… Well, it's you, Bikki. You're so good you can kill Gods."
Hibiki chuckled, scratching the back of her head. "I don't really like thinking of it that way."
Chris patted Hibiki on the shoulder. "You're about as good at fisticuffs as I am. I don't do melee that much either."
"Oh? Maybe I should spar with you then, Kuri-senpai." Yumi said, perking up a bit at that. "Wait, you know that gun-fu stuff. That could come in handy since I'll have a gun too!"
"It's called kata." Chris groaned. "And I'm sure Chief Ninja knows that anyway." She glanced over her shoulder at Souji for confirmation.
The Ninja leader nodded back. "It's on the list."
"Though, frankly, I have problems with this."
Yumi blinked. "What?"
Chris looked at Souji. "Look, our security teams are mainly there as a warning, right?"
"Among other things." Souji said, "But yes, it's mainly to prevent you from being struck by surprise like the former commander was." Hibiki shuffled at that, lowering her head so her bangs fell over her eyes. The image of Yumi's head exploding, just like her old masters, flashed through her mind. That gnawing feeling's steady growth seemed to surge.
"Thing is, once they move into the assault, the Horsemen close on their target fast. That ain't an issue for our tripwires, because they're well away from us." Chris pointed at Yumi. "But you? You'll be right there most of the time and you're bound to get caught up in it. Now, we just saw you can handle the masked freaks alright, but what about the 'bots? What about the pet psychopathic badasses?"
"Ah, right." Yumi scratched at her hair. "Well, I'm getting training to cover half of it. But for the other half…" She smiled awkwardly as she glanced at Hibiki, Miku, and the Zababa duo. "I think I'm going to have to rely on you all."
The four exchanged confused glances. "Umm…" Miku piped up after a moment. The way Yumi had said it gave her the impression that she had not meant that she'd be relying on them for protection. "I'm not sure I understand, Yumi-chan?"
Souji clarified. "Given the higher risk nature of her position, Itaba-san has volunteered to undertake Apegear implantation."
"Yep!" Yumi flashed a thumbs-up. "That way I will be able to keep pace with you guys even in battles where you gotta transform!"
Another round of stunned silence met that proclamation. All the assembled wielders stared at Souji, their eyes swinging from him to Yumi and back in stunned disbelief. Finally, the silence broke as they chorused as one.
"WHAT?!"
Yumi winced and chuckled, shuffling her feet. "Maybe I should have told you guys this earlier."
"Are you sure about this?!" Hibiki urgently asked, clasping a hand on Yumi's shoulder. In her mind's eye, she had a terrible vision of Tsubasa bleeding out back when she sang her Swan Song. Only instead of Tsubasa, it was Yumi. The gnawing feeling intensified further. "What about the operation risks?"
"Ah, it wasn't that big a deal." Yumi shrugged, reaching up to brush aside her large, left bang to reveal a small row of stitches already in an advanced state of healing. "Elfnein-chan already did it."
Chris shook her head, taking a step back to rub her temple. "Look Shorty…" She began, only to trail off a bit. What else could she say? That job was already done. "Are you sure you want to stick your neck this far out for us?"
"Don't worry, Kuri-senpai!" Yumi grinned, flashing her a salute, "I'll be running on your level before you know it!"
The gnawing feeling in Hibiki's gut leapt yet again, straight up her throat and exploded out of her mouth, "That's not it!"
Yumi took a step back at the outburst, her eyes widening in astonishment and alarm. Chris jerked back momentarily, staring at Hibiki like she had just grown a second head. Even Miku blinked, her mouth dropping open as she looked over at Hibiki in shock.
"The Horsemen can fight us, Yumi-chan!" Hibiki continued, lunging forward to grab the brunette by the shoulder again with a visibly shaking hand. Yumi's slackjawed stare abruptly brought her to awareness and she sucked in a breath, trying to calm herself. Hibiki loosened her grip, trying to make it feel more friendly. "You're our friend and we don't want you to get hurt!"
"Yeah!" Chris agreed, recovering her balance from Hibiki's outburst, but she rounded on Souji. "And you! Didn't we tell you she's not just some damn tool?"
"You did." Souji's expression hardly changed. "And it is precisely because she's not a tool, and your friend, that I believe this is the best move. As a formal member of SONG, we can guarantee more thorough protection to her and her family. And we can't discount the Horsemen exploiting her NERVgear based training to possibly figure out some way to undermine her subconsciously."
"Protect her against subtle threats by throwing her as a shield against the overt ones? After that… deal you cut with that bastard in China?" Shirabe said, her voice icing over, "I can't accept that."
"It's not like that!" Yumi said, batting Hibiki's hand off her shoulder. "He made clear I had a choice—"
"He put the idea in your head, death!" Kirika cut in. "They did that back in the orphanage too! Tricky… stupid psycho-manipulation!"
Now Yumi actually glared at Kirika, "I'm not being manipulated! This is my choice! Why can't you accept that?"
"Because you're going to be fucking shot at!" Chris emphasized, smacking her fist into her hand. "Don't you get that?!"
"OF COURSE I KNOW THAT, YOU DUMBASS SENPAI!" Yumi shrieked at the top of her lungs, eyes squeezed shut. The outburst was so sudden, so severe that the adaptors actually reeled away from the otaku girl, their eyes wide.
Silence reigned in the following seconds, as Yumi stood doubled over, breathing in shock. Then she sucked in a deep breath, "I've been shot at before, in more ways than one." This time the sentence came out more quietly. Yumi straightened up, squaring her shoulders as she opened her eyes and gazed right into Miku's. Miku blinked in surprise at the sudden edge of steel in the emerald irises, shimmering with a hard intensity. "Hina, when the Horsemen attacked Jindai's campus, for a moment… I was back at Lydian. The first Lydian. You know, on that day?"
Miku blinked at that, but Yumi carried on. "Did I ever tell you about the soldier I saw die? I honestly can't remember if I did. Well, I saw him die. He was just trying to help us and a Noise impaled him right through the chest. I saw his life bleed away and I screamed. And you know what happened down in the shelters, how I broke down. How long it took me to get myself together and do something. And that… that almost happened again down at Jindai."
Yumi looked down at her hands. "I saw another man die, murdered in cold blood, and I couldn't do anything to save him. I could only scream and hyperventilate like I did back then." She clenched her hands into fists and looked back up at Miku. "And then suddenly I knew things. I knew how I could help, how I could fight back. How I could stop more people from dying."
Then she moved forward, walking out from the semi-circle her friends had made around her and pushing past Miku, Yumi headed over to a section of floor where a knife from the earlier simulation run against the Staples lay. Quietly, she reached down and picked the knife up, holding it up so the room's lighting glinted off the blade.
"I know it's not actually a game or an anime." Yumi murmured. Miku blinked, and in the space of the action the knife vanished from the brunette's hand, sliding down into her sleeve so fast that only Souji saw it. Yumi turned back to them. "I was scared at Lydian, I was scared when we saw that mad professor, I was scared when that Autoscorer girl confronted us, I was scared at Jindai… I'm scared now."
Her eyes drifted down again, unfocusing for a moment. Then they sharpened again as she scowled.
"But I'm tired of being scared!" At the exclamation, Yumi stomped her feet to exercise her point and planting her hands on her hips. "I want to help you however I can. When you can do these things, but you don't, and then the bad things happen... they happen because of you."
"That's pretty rich, don't'cha think?" Chris asked. She smirked, and with a playful shove, added "You're always saying stuff like 'This isn't an anime', but comparing real life to some old movie quote from a quarter-century ago's perfectly okay now? Get outta here!"
"Don't be like that." Yumi glared right at Chris, "So what if it's just a quote from some old movie; It doesn't mean it isn't any less true, is it? If I can't help now, now that I have the ability to do so… then I'll be even worse than anime!"
Miku sucked in a breath at that last line, her teeth clicking together. So that was that then, Yumi couldn't be dissuaded. "I see." Miku murmured, closing her eyes before shaking her head and smiling. "Tell me…"
Miku opened her eyes and asked the other question which had been gnawing at her. "How is Shiori handling it?"
Yumi blinked at that, coming up short for a moment. "Umm..." She bit her lip, eyes drifting upward as tension was replaced by thoughtfulness. "Okay… I guess? She agreed not to tell you guys, to preserve the surprise. Let me think."
Miku frowned, no longer expecting a clear answer. She had to resist the temptation to sigh. How the otaku could be so dense when it came to those close to her Miku… well, actually Miku could quite well believe it. She had fallen for her own idiot, after all. She'd have to track down Shiori at Lydian and ask her herself.
The class speech, talking with Shirabe, helping her with her song for Kirika, talking to Shiori… the start of the semester was looking busy indeed.
"Yeah," Yumi finally answered, growing more certain. "Shiori seemed okay with it. Why?"
"I had to know." Miku said, glancing from Hibiki, to Chris, to the Zababa duo. Each nodded back in turn. Looking at Souji, she tilted her head towards a distant corner in the rather large room, "Could we have a moment? To discuss amongst ourselves?"
The five wielders grouped up together, huddling together in a circle with their hands on each other's shoulders. Souji and Yumi quietly and respectfully backed away, stepping into the far corner.
"So what do you think?" Chris murmured, "She's throwing away so much to try and be with us..."
"She isn't going to back down." Miku asserted, her mind drifting back. Of the five, she knew Yumi the best. All those times back when Hibiki had to go out on a extended mission, leaving her alone, she'd always drop in with Shiori and Kuriyo to keep her company. To buck up her spirits.
To make sure she wasn't alone. Miku quietly bit her lip, suddenly unsure of herself. Rejecting Yumi might drive her away, leaving her feeling alone and that wasn't anyway to repair that service. And yet, there was also Shiori to consider. With Yumi as their bodyguard and Kuriyo transferred away wouldn't that leave her alone?
"I…" Kirika started, only to hesitate, looking away. Shirabe squeezed her shoulder, pulling her slightly away from Chris.
"It's okay, Kiri-chan, what is it?"
Kirika sucked in a deep breath and gave her an unsteady smile before continuing. "I think we should give her a chance."
Chris's mouth fell open for a few moments, "Seriously?!"
Hibiki cocked her head, but Miku and Shirabe both remained quiet, watching Kirika. Their eyes urged her to go on. Summoning up her courage, the Igalima wielder continued.
"Yeah." She threw a look over her shoulder at Yumi and Souji, "What she said about being afraid. Of not wanting to be afraid any more… I… it reminded me of when I was afraid. I almost messed up and messed up badly there. Because I couldn't communicate it." Her eyes fell, "And here she is, able to do that."
"Yeah, she's out of her depth." Chris pointed out.
"So was I, when I started." Hibiki murmured, but her voice didn't exactly sound argumentative. "But… things have changed so much since then. It's been two years. For all of us, except for Miku—" Hibiki's mouth abruptly clicked shut and her head whirled towards her girlfriend, apology shimmering in her eyes.
But Miku simply smiled and shook her head. "No, Hibiki, you're right. But…" She also threw a quick look towards the pair before continuing, "We can't exactly cut her out. How would we do that? We'll be seeing her at Lydian anyways."
"Plus, there's what Director Ogawa said." Shirabe said. "She's already under threat, so long as the Horsemen are at large. At least she's not in the public eye like we are, so if we can deal with the Horsemen..."
"And how long do you think that's gonna take?!" Chris snapped. "It's almost been three months since those assholes came crashin' into our lives!"
"And they've crashed into her life too, senpai!" Kirika retorted.
Shirabe sucked in a frustrated breath as she closed her eyes in contemplation, mostly tuning out the back-and-forth that started between Kirika and Chris. Her first instinct had also been to reject Yumi, her senpai who had so much more to lose getting this deep. But then Yumi had talked about fear and Kirika had shared her own feelings, making Shirabe think back to before she herself had gotten her Symphogear. The fear and terror they felt at the hands of the FiS instructors and how getting their gears had liberated them from that. Now she wasn't sure.
Inspiration struck in like lightning. Eyes snapping open, Shirabe said, "I've got an idea."
A moment's silence fell in the aftermath of that proclamation. Four sets of eyes immediately turned towards her, questions dancing in their eyes. Shirabe smiled and started explaining.
Across the room, Yumi slouched against the wall, her eyes downcast. This… hadn't gone at all the way she thought it should. Had she come off as too excited, initially? Did they think she was showing off? Not taking this seriously? She scowled briefly at that, the memory first of the police officer gunned down at Jindai and then the soldier impaled at old Lydian flashing through her mind.
Of course she understood! She knew the risks, but this was her choice. They were her friends and she wanted to help. And Yumi was sure that as long as they had her back and as long as she could be with Shiori, everything would turn out okay.
Yumi sagged a little as the anger was flooded out by a nervous melancholy. Why didn't they see that?
A sudden weight on her head pulled her from her thoughts. Looking up, she found that Souji had placed his hand on her head. The Ninja Chief was still quietly watching the huddled adaptors.
Yumi only really knew Souji as her teacher and superior. He was respectful, firm, and informative but otherwise distant and cold. She was, ultimately, being trained as a member of SONG's security staff, not as one of his clan. But despite that, she could pick up the reassurance in the head pat. "Don't worry." It said, "They won't leave you out in the cold."
Yumi closed her eyes and sighed. She hoped not.
Then the weight was gone. Yumi opened her eyes again to see that the others had finished consulting with each other. They were crossing back towards her and Souji. Straightening up, Yumi tried her best to surpass the flash of nervousness. This was probably it… the moment of truth. A make-or-break moment not just for what she wanted, but perhaps for some very valued friendships.
She could only hope they understood.
"Alright, Yumi-chan… we'll accept this." Hibiki began. Yumi's eyes lit up, her spirits soaring. But Hibiki quickly raised a finger. "With one condition."
Souji raised an eyebrow. Yumi frowned again, her spirits faltering but said nothing and just crossed her arms.
"If shit goes down," Chris said, "Then yeah, we get you'll have to fight for at least a bit. But first chance you get, you bail and leave the heavy liftin' to us."
"If you need to get people away." Miku added, "That's fine. We'll cover you as best we can." Her hand silently drifted up to her pendant. "It's what I did and you'll probably be able to do it even better. But we don't want you to put yourself at risk any more than you have to."
"If you're okay with that, then we'll help you as much as we can." Hibiki stepped forward and held her hand out.
Yumi bit her lip, eyebrows furrowing as she turned the proposal over in her head. Then finally she nodded, stepping forward to take Hibiki's hand. "Yeah. I'll do that. I promise."
A wave of relief washed across the adaptors as Hibiki smiled and shook her friend's hand. The Gungnir wielder in particular had to resist the urge to sag, keeping up a strong front for her friend, though she could feel Miku's concerned gaze burning into the back of her head. The vision of Yumi suffering Genjuro's fate receded… not entirely, but mostly. The compromise may not have been perfect, but it seemed for the best.
Souji coughed, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "If all our concerns are settled now, I think it would be best if we start acclimatizing Itaba-san to the capabilities of the Apegear now."
Yumi's eyes lit up in excitement, "Really?!"
Chris frowned, "Already? After the throwdown shorty just had with the idiot?"
"We won't be doing anything strenuous." Souji reassured her, "Not combat training. Simply getting her used to moving on your level."
"Does she really need it?" Kirika asked, waving her arm around the sim room. "She was moving so fast earlier!"
"Eh-heh, not… quite." Yumi's smile turned smug. "A lot of that is more—"
She paused, glancing at Souji, who shrugged as if to say "Yeah, you can tell them."
Permission received, Yumi pushed forward. "A lot of ninja tricks really rely on all sorts of optical illusions. So I wasn't actually moving as fast as it looked like I was. Be interesting to see how I might be able to mix it when I have access to some phonic gain. Oh!" She clapped her hands in realization. "I'll be a magical girl ninja. How cool is that?!"
"Oh!" Kirika began, "Ohohohoyoyoyoyoy—!"
"Spit it out!" Chris snapped.
"Can you do the Shadow Sewing thing?"
"I think it's 'weaving', Kiri-chan." Shirabe gently corrected, shaking her head.
Kirika's head tilted curiously. "Weaving Sewing, doesn't make much sense though?" Chris facepalmed.
"Eh…" Yumi waggled her hand. "Kinda. I've gotten started on learning it but…" She looked at Souji. "Actually, can I demonstrate, sensei?"
The knife from earlier slid down out of Yumi's sleever, into her hand. She closed her eyes, turned toward Kirika, and sucked in a deep breath. Then she snapped her eyes open and simultaneously flicked the knife up into the air, sending it arcing up and down… to land right in Miku's shadow, the point impaling itself into the floor.
"Eh?" Miku felt something pull on her body. Her eyes darted down to the knife before her brows furrowed, and she moved to stand. There was a moment's resistance and the noise of steel against ceramic tile before the knife popped back out of the ground.
"It usually ends up like that. Sorry if I surprised you, Hina." Yumi smiled sheepishly, though a moment later her eyes rose in thought. "Though it does take a few more seconds."
"She needs to work on her wrist movements a bit, among other things." Souji explained. Kirika and Shirabe exchanged a glance at that.
"So it's all in the wrist?" Shirabe asked.
"Maybe not all." Kirika pointed out. "He did say 'among other things'."
"I wouldn't stress out about it." Chris admonished them.
Souji decided to return to the original subject at hand, "Let's begin then. Tsukuyomi-san, we'll start with you."
Shirabe nodded, getting the logic immediately. Her synch rate remained the lowest individual one. Given the possible side-effects of phonic gain intake, starting with her just made sense. Souji and the other wielders backed off towards the edge of the training room again as Shirabe grabbed Shul-Shagana and sang…
"Various Shul Shagana tron."
In a flash of blinding light, her Symphogear materialized. At the same time, Yumi jolted as if struck by lightning and then doubled over. "Woah!"
"Are you okay, Yumi-senpai?" Shirabe quickly asked, rolling forward. But Yumi held up a hand and waved, panting heavily.
"Y-yeah! Just wasn't prepared for that jolt." She said after a moment before straightening back up, as her breathing became regular again. Yumi looked down at one of her fists, opening and closing it, "I mean, wow… wow! Do you always feel like this when you transform?"
"I suppose I got used to it." Shirabe said. Now that she thought about it, she could recall the first time she transformed too. A flash of pain followed by what seemed to be a tsunami of energy and strength echoing out of a song within her heart.
The wielder glanced over towards Souji, who was on the intercom with the agent in the simulator control room. The ninja chief turned back and nodded.
"Vital signs are good, her body is adjusting quickly." He said. "We're going to run an obstacle course simulation to get her used to moving. Tsukuyomi-san, just guide her as best you can. Itaba-san."
"Yes, sensei!" Yumi said as the ninja leader and the other wielders faded from view, the featureless room turning into a flat, wide-open plain. A network of tracks, jumps, ropes, pits, and other obstacles now spread out before them. Yumi took a moment to take it all in before turning to Shirabe and bowing. "I guess you're the senpai when it comes to this. I'll be in your care!"
Despite her reservations, Shirabe couldn't help but puff up a little at that. "You can depend on me. Let's start."
—
"Neural hub status?"
"It's good."
"Occipital jack?"
"Clean."
"Grafting software?"
"Bug check shows no errors."
"Engram safeguard compatibility?"
"Accepted."
"Antimony degeneration check?"
"Umm…" That caused Akira Tachibana to pause. He always did, when the alchemical side of their work reared its head. It was something he was still learning his way around. He squinted at the screen in front of him, his mouth twisting. "I think there is no sign?"
Sliding her goggles up onto her forehead, Elfnein swivelled her chair away from her station and stood up on her tiptoes to peer over Akira's shoulder. Her eyes quickly scanned the lines of code and feedback checks, quickly locking in on the same set of data. Then she gave a satisfied nod before plopping back down in her chair.
"Yes. That's right." She said as she tore her goggles off and dropped them down onto an empty spot on the table. "We can move onto the next stage then."
"Already?" Akira blinked and turned at that, but the small blonde was already moving with a speed that belied her size. Carefully removing the cables from the singular microchip she had been working on, she carried it across to the large chair in the opposite corner of the lab. Leaping up atop it, she pried open a panel on the headrest just below the connecting hook holding the helmet aloft overhead. Picking out the only empty slot left, she inserted the chip into its circuit and resealed the panel. Then she hopped back down, stepping back to admire the completed work.
The original mind-palace Elfnein had created from recreating the Direct Feedback System had been a relatively small piece of headwear that could be hooked into any number of SONG computers. Similarly, the open-variant NERVgear was a piece of consumer electronics designed to be easily carried around. Extrapolating it to the closed-variant, the ones the Horsemen used internally to train the Staples, had proven to be a little bit bulkier, but not by much.
But melding them together, even with alchemy, had caused the size of the resulting machine to swell considerably. Over the past month since Elfnein had started the project, her, Akira, and the rest of the SONG technical had essentially had to design a dedicated station complete with its own integrated computer and power source in order to run what she had decided to dub the "NERV Palace". It was something that would probably drive the Horsemen nuts if they knew about it: human high technology married together with an alchemical cousin. The only way it might drive them further up the wall is if they put a relic in it.
Elfnein had actually considered that. She even had identified the perfect relic for it, the Rauðskinna. Integrating it would have meant they could dispense with much of the bulky machinery. She had put in a request with its holders in the Spanish Government. Her frustration knew no bounds when they informed her the lab the Rauðskinna had been held was destroyed by what the time had been believed to be Basque Separatists, but was now thought to be a Horsemen strike team.
Elfnein frowned at the memory, ruefulness overcoming the initial satisfaction at work completed. Once again, they had been a step ahead.
"Elfnein-san!" Akira's voice snapped Elfnein out of her reverie. "Are you sure about this? Shouldn't we run more tests?"
"We are. That's what the next phase is." Elfnein answered, stepping forward again and hoisting herself up onto the armrest. She punched a button on the arm rest, the arm holding up the helmet lowering down onto her head, but the mounted display did not flip down. "We have to keep moving forward or we'll be playing catch up with the Horsemen forever. We need to get ahead of them."
Akira's eyes almost bugged out, his mouth plopping open. "Wha—... but you are…"
Elfnein simply smiled back. "I'm the one who knows this system best. It's what I did with the Mind Palace, even before I used it with Maria-san. I tested it on myself."
Akira sucked in a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "But you can't even run this by yourself."
At that, Elfnein actually laughed. "Of course not!" She said, rolling her eyes. "That's why you are here."
"But connecting your mind with this system…" Akira trailed off, letting the implied objection hang. But Elfnein was more than ready for that.
"We haven't hooked it up to any network yet." She pointed out, "It's all running internally at the moment, on a closed loop. The only thing in the system will be me, my mind, and the NERV palace. And we won't be starting out with anything complicated, just… remember that meditative program I had you modify for this?"
"Yes." Akira answered, almost absentmindedly. "The code was fascinating. Clearly machine programmed. The bots I had to create to reprogram it were…" Realization caught up with him. "Oh."
"See? As safe as we can make it." Elfnein said.
"Elfnein-san…" Akira murmured, his brow furrowing and then he let loose a prolonged sigh, rubbing his temple. "Tell me, are you that eager to bring your… well, sister back?"
Elfnein blinked, "I'm sorry?"
"Sorry if I'm being a bit presumptive there." Akira explained, "But I have been paying attention and though I may be a fool, I do know my field. I also had to look over the DFS data to help you with this." He looked up at the machine. "It could do that, can't it? Bring Carol-san back."
Elfnein's eyes fell to the floor. In the intense quiet that followed, Akira shuffled nervously. Suddenly he was worried that he overstepped some kind of boundary but before he could back away from the question she replied.
"Yes, it could." Elfnein said, leaning further back as she looked up wistfully. "But I'm not trying to bring Carol back."
Akira blinked. But Elfnein gently smiled up at him and continued. "It's not like I didn't consider it. I was tempted, sorely tempted. But I thought of our last conversation and… well…" She closed her eyes. "She didn't want to. You likened me to her sister and… I guess that isn't too inaccurate."
She opened her eyes again and looked Akira square in his own. "But I think it would be just as accurate to call me her daughter."
Akira's mouth fell open, forming a small silent "o". He shuffled a bit, suddenly unable to meet Elfnein's eyes. Elfnein also glanced away, but this time her face grew solemn. "This isn't about Carol. This is about the Horsemen."
Now Akira looked back up, his brow furrowing. "How so?"
"Because I need to know how. How do they know so much about alchemy, about heretical technology, when they refuse to use it. When they try to destroy everything related to it." Elfnein's fists tightened. "Carol was the most powerful human alchemist in the world, Saint Germain the most knowledgeable. And the Horsemen's data we've retrieved indicates they know more than both of them, despite their rejection of it. Despite supposedly not having the Sefer HaChaim."
She raised her eyes, as if trying to look up at the helmet on her head. "This is a step towards figuring that out. The Red Unit must hold the answer. We don't have the capacity to match it with high technological means and no alchemy yet devised has operated on that digital plane. Meanwhile, many of our untried relic options have been pre-emptively shut down by the Horsemen themselves. That leaves us with one option."
"Fusing alchemy with high technology." Akira murmured, now also looking up at the machine with new eyes. He let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I see."
"Heretical and high technology put together led to the birth of the Symphogear system. But alchemy is much more replicable than heretical technology has ever been." Elfnein nodded, leaning back. "But you're right, we still have to test it out. Please, start the program."
Akira hesitated, stepped up to the panel on the side of the chair's rear, and then hesitated again. Finally, he said, "The moment it looks like something is going wrong, I'm using the abort override."
Elfnein smiled as she closed her eyes and flipped down the helmet's visor, her other hand flipping switches along the armrest. "I'd expect nothing less, Akira-san."
Akira paused one last time at that, before shaking his head and punching in the commands needed on his end. First he made sure to pull up monitors showing Elfnein's brain activity, vital signs, and the NERV Palace's active software run codes. Only then did he bring the meditation program online.
As the final run box popped up, he glanced towards Elfnein one last time. "Ready?"
"Ready." Elfnein said, even as her grip on the arm rest tightened.
Akira took a deep breath and clicked on the [PROGRAM START] command.
And everything for Elfnein went black.
—
Then there was light. Blinding light. Not as bad as staring into the sun or a fusion blast, but more akin to looking into an array of floodlights that had suddenly turned on. Instinctively, Elfnein raised a hand even as she screwed her eyes shut, desperately wishing they would adjust to the light. They didn't, but they didn't take long either and nothing happened until the pain died away and she was able to blink them open again.
A featureless, white plain met her eyes, stretching out in every direction. A pure blue sky stretched overhead, totally barren. Not a cloud. Not even a sun for that matter. There wasn't actually any perceivable light source. It stretched off into infinity, with no perceivable horizon.
It occurred to Elfnein that she should probably be feeling some kind of vertigo from a lack of any horizon and apparent mid-dayness-with-no-sun, but she didn't. Rather, the lack of anything came off as… promising to her. As if there was a potential here and all she had to do was tap into it.
"Testing, testing." She called, only raising her voice a little. The way it broke the stillness all around her would have been unnerving if she hadn't been expecting it. Elfnein shook her head and murmured, "Quite different from that time with Maria-san."
Shrugging that thought off, Elfnein clapped her hands and this time did indeed start at the way the sharp sound pierced the air. Recovering from the surprise, she chuckled awkwardly. "R-right, I guess I should get started then."
Closing her eyes, Elfnein concentrated. The meditation program was meant to simultaneously relax a person, relieving them of any stress, as well as stimulating the brain to make it more open to learning once the subject was disconnected. But while the original program for the NERVgear came with a number of generic preset environments — temples, shrines, soothing grass fields, waterfalls, stuff like that — which could only be edited via programming, Elfnein hoped that the NERV Palace's version could allow her to create soothing environments on the fly.
So Elfnein thought of the most relaxing setting she knew of. The world around her morphed: walls rose out of the earth, the ground paved itself with panelling, a ceiling rolled out overhead, and furniture steadily faded into existence. They cohered, settling into place, and Elfnein could feel when the last element "snapped" into place, letting her know she was done. She opened her eyes and smiled.
She was now standing in a perfect replica of her laboratory.
With a wide grin, she skipped over to her usual workstation and plopped down onto the chair. Settling in, she quickly booted up her monitor and opened a piece of programming. Her fingers took up their classic position as her desktop popped into view… and only then did it occur to Elfnein what she had just did.
She had recreated her laboratory inside her head. While she was already inside her laboratory.
She was pretty sure there was an old meme that fit for this situation. One that Carol had hated, so naturally Garie had used it every chance she got. But Elfnein couldn't recall it. Nevertheless, a flush rose to her cheeks and she chuckled sheepishly as she — reluctantly — pushed away from the workstation.
Standing up, she looked around as she considered her options. Okay, maybe her primary means of relaxation was a little… redundant, at the moment. So she should consider alternatives.
Closing her eyes again, Elfnein concentrated and again the room morphed around her. The room elongated, becoming more rectangular yet closing into a smaller, more cozy space. Individual work benches, consoles, and seats melded together before rearranging into couches, tables, and a flat screen TV along one wall. The lights dimmed, the floor becoming carpeted and plush.
When Elfnein opened her eyes once more, she was standing in the Karaoke parlour Hibiki and Miku had taken her and Tsubasa to that previous winter. While the events that ended and then immediately followed that excursion were certainly unpleasant enough, Elfnein still had fond memories of the outing itself. Singing to her friends at that parlour had kindled a memory of another outing, a rare one in which Carol had been the one to take her out…
The smile still on her face, Elfnein picked up the remote and quickly scrolled through a selection of songs. She quickly decided against the song she had sung on that particular day, instead selecting a different one from the same genre. Grabbing the microphone, she gave a playful bow to the empty sofas and began to sing.
The good mood didn't last another minute. As she sang, Elfnein found that something was… off, somehow. She wasn't enjoying it like she had the other times. Trailing off mid-verse, she stared forlornly over the empty room. The original singer's lines echoed out alone as Elfnein ignored how her score on the machine quickly fell away like a rock.
It just wasn't the same without others.
Sighing, Elfnein snatched the remote back up and killed the song. Plopping down on the sofa, she chewed on her lip as she surveyed the room. Still, she probably shouldn't view this as a failure. Her memory of this room had been far more sketchy than with her laboratory yet the details in this simulation were no less vivid. She'd have to review the code and consult with Akira on how much of it was genuine and how much was her mind filling in what she thought was there.
As for the primary program… well, she'd have to go for a solo activity after all. That meant clothes shopping was out and eating food was a totally pointless exercise. There was one other thing she could resort to. The pleasant solitude of educational reading. She'd start with something light. For all the ill and horror they had wrought, the Horsemen's hypotheses on quantum gravitation were fascinating.
Her decision made, Elfnein stood up again and closed her eyes. For a setting, she decided to go back even further, a bout of nostalgia causing her to decide on the Château de Tiffauges' archives. Elfnein couldn't help the small smile that flitted across her face at the hours she had whiled away in there. Sometimes with Carol, sometimes with Garie…
The thought of the Autoscorer made her pause. Elfnein had already discounted trying to bring Carol back, but her servants? Could Elfnein do that? The same principle could be applied to them just as well as to Carol. Memories of them becoming programming for them.
Maybe a probe of the possibility, Elfnein decided. A test case. Create a likeness, but not the full thing. Just to see how it went. Her mind made-up, she forced the adjustments to the front of her mind and waited for the feeling of completion. When the final "snap" echoed through her mind, Elfnein opened her eyes one last time… and stared in total bemusement.
This wasn't the Château's archive.
She was instead now standing in a nondescript, deep within a city block. It was night, the darkness mainly broken by overhead lights filtering down from above. The bulb for the one Elfnein was standing under flickered, probably on the verge of going out, moths flitting around it in a hypnotized dance. The alchemist couldn't be any more confused: why had the program generated some random alleyway? Had there been a glitch?
But there as Elfnein glanced around, she felt this itching sensation of... familiarity. She couldn't place why, the alleyway could have just been one of the innumerable numbers which dotted the landscape of Tokyo.
Then a shout broke the silence, causing Elfnein to whirl around. "HEY! Who a—"
The young man's exclamation was cut short and quickly followed as a feminine scream pierced the night air. Elfnein's eyes widened in shock and horror at the scene in front of her. Now she knew why the alleyway looked familiar, now she knew very well.
Garie stood at the edge of another pool of light, a man in her robotic grip and her lips locked with his. A young woman stood a few feet back, her back pressed against the wall as she stared, shaking like a leaf. As horrible realization dawned on Elfnein, the man withered like a plant exposed to a sudden frost.
The alchemist couldn't help herself. The second shriek of the woman, the thrashing of Garie's victim. It was too real.
"No! Garie, stop!" Elfnein shouted, charging forward towards them. She probably couldn't actually force Garie off the man, but maybe the surprise at her sudden presence would give the autoscorer pause.
Elfnein passed through them both like they were both ghosts. Startled, she tried to turn only for her feet to collide with each other, sending her sprawling onto the ground.
"It's not physical?" She murmured as she pushed herself back up to her feet. Her mind was a whirl as she tried to piece everything together. Why was the program playing the record from Sefer HaChaim? And why was it doing so in a way she couldn't interact with it?
As Elfnein got back to her feet, Garie dropped the desiccated husk that was left of the man and licked her lips. "Delicious."
"Program halt!" Elfnein shouted, trying to drown out the woman begging Garie not to hurt her with her own command. "Cease! Stop functioning!"
Nothing happened. Garie menacingly shauntied toward the terrified lady, just like how Elfnein had seen her do so before. "Oh come on dearie, I won't bite. I'll just give you a little kiss, and it'll all be over."
Hopefully Fujitaka was getting some kinda error message, but Elfnein had no sense of the relative time passage within the program and outside of it. That was one of the unknowns they had to take into account, a part of why she was running this test.
She just hoped it would happen before she saw Garie murder this hapless woman again.
The lady bolted and Elfnein cringed as Garie cackled before leaping up, bounding forward off the walls. "Garie, wait!" Elfnein cried aloud as she took off after the Autoscorer, while internally she kept trying to will the program back into cooperation. "Let her hear me. Let her hear me!"
But even in a sim, Elfnein was not in any shape to go chasing after a terrified woman running on adrenaline, let alone a superhuman Autoscorer. It wasn't long until she fell behind, gasping for air. Her lungs burned and vision swam as she desperately craned her head, looking for signs of Garie's passage to lead her.
Finally she stumbled to a halt at an intersection, doubling over as she heaved for air. Once her sight stopped spinning, she straightened up and glanced around. Nothing. She was hopelessly lost.
Elfnein abruptly felt an uncharacteristic urge to punch something. Why was it going wrong?! Was this really the result of trying to even get a facsimile of Garie going interacting with the program and the record that the Pale Man had shoved into her? It was the only thing she could think of.
Suddenly a wave of vertigo hit Elfnein as the entire alleyway seemed to tilt, bend, and shift. The walls rushed by her as the world around her seemed to rush by, though she didn't move a jot, and she had to clasp a hand over her mouth to ward off a rush of nausea, screwing her eyes shut. What was going on now?
The phenomenon stopped as quickly as it started. Sucking in a deep breath as her nausea faded, Elfnein chanced a look up just in time to see Garie drop down to land behind the woman. The alchemist couldn't believe it. The simulation had brought her to where the event was taking place. The rational part of her noted she'd have to look into the reason for that. Was it because the record only covered this event?
But that was just the rational part. For the moment, Elfnein's concern was dominated by the sight of someone she had cared about doing something she abhorred.
"Why won't you cooperate?!" Elfnein's shout drowned out Garie's taunting of her victim, but it did nothing to alter the outcome as the Autoscorer yanked the woman up and kissed her full on the lips. Rather than watch, Elfnein turned away, closing her eyes as the sounds of struggle died behind her with the innocent person, one of many lives someone she had regarded as a friend had taken.
It will all be over soon. It had to be over soon.
Finally the muffled screaming behind her died away. Shaking, Elfnein slowly forced herself to turn around, to see the aftermath. One part of her recalled that when she had received the record, it had been from the point of view of Garie's victim. There hadn't been an aftermath there. Despite being resigned to it, Elfnein still couldn't help sucking in a gasp as the murder scene came back into view.
Garie still stood there, holding the corpse of the lady. The doll simply stood stock still, her face oddly blank as she stared down at her victim. Then her head twitched, turning in Elfnein's direction and for a moment the two locked eyes. And the alchemist blinked as Garie gave her a sad smile and shook her head, "Sorry you had to see that."
Elfnein barely had time to process that Garie had just spoken to her before the autoscorer, the body, and indeed the entire scene vanished into thin air. The distant rumble of traffic was replaced by the low hum of computers. The feel of crisp night air was replaced by a more sterile stillness. She was now staring at an opaque glass-metal visor. She blinked again before she realized what happened.
She was out. Back in the real world.
"Elfnein-san!" Elfnein felt a hand clasp against her shoulder. Pre-empting Akira, she grabbed the NERV Palace's helmet and lifted it away. "Are you okay?!"
"I-I'm fine!" Elfnein pre-empted him, putting on what she hoped was a convincing smile as she looked up. "What is it? What happened?"
Hibiki's father stepped back and stared down at her for a moment, a concerned frown working his way across his face. "Are you sure? You were crying…"
Elfnein blinked and reached up to wipe at her cheeks as she realized they were wet. So her physical body had reacted to the scene just as well.
"Really, Akira-san, I'm fine." She quickly tried to assuage his concerns. "It was just a distressing experience, but not a harmful one. And not one I hadn't encountered before. I wasn't able to terminate it myself, however so… thank you." She took in another breath, wiping away the remaining tears before straightening up. "What was the experience on your end? How long was I in there?"
"About a minute." Akira answered, confirming to Elfnein that there was a relative experience of time. Everything she had experienced in there hadn't remotely lasted just a minute. "Everything was going fine up until the last couple of seconds. Then I saw this weird scrap code suddenly start getting generated. That's when I terminated the program."
He paused, walking over to the monitor he had manned and tapping at several diagnostic tools. A frown crossed over Akira's face as he looked it over before he let out a sigh. "It doesn't seem to have done any permanent damage, but I recommend we wait to review it with the rest of the programming department before we do any more tests with the NERVpalace."
"I agree." Elfnein said as she hopped down out of the chair. "Create a backup of the code and then shut down the palace completely for now."
"Sure thing." Akira confirmed, before glancing over at her. "Are you absolutely sure you're fine?"
The worry in his voice made Elfnein smile and she nodded again, "Yes, Akira-san, I'm perfectly okay."
But no sooner were the words out of her mouth than the thought occurred, "Are you though?"
At that, Elfnein froze. That thought hadn't been in her voice. It had been in Garie's. The alchemist's eyes widened as she immediately recalled the last thing the Garie in the simulation had done right before the program ended.
"Hello? Garie?" She thought, deliberately this time. Nobody replied. Had it just been her imagination?
It didn't take long for Akira to notice her standing still, staring off into space. "Elfnein-san?"
The interruption startled Elfnein. "Yes! I think I'm going to take a quick break." It was what she had planned regardless of what happened in the test, a precaution against possible short-term physical aftereffects. She quickly whirled around, her mind racing. As she reached the door, she paused as an idea flitted through her head. "And Akira-san…"
Akira looked over at her.
"Could you send a copy of that scrap code to me? I'd like to look over it later."
----
A fresh breeze proved a welcome reprieve from the heat as Kenta Tsukikage took the moment to wipe his brow and take a drink. The day had been particularly busy for the Chief Priest of the Tsuki shrine, as one of the older statues had developed a noticeable crack that threatened to collapse it. Having to deal with a mason company was quite the addition to his usual duties of checking the rest of the Shrine grounds, monitoring the offerings, and dealing with the usual rush of tourists.
A gaggle of teenage boys and girls quickly walked by, chattering eagerly amidst themselves. A few broke off from their group to come over to the stall he was manning, bowing some greeting the maiden he had manning the stall before looking over the various charms and additional trinkets. Watching from his own perch by the Torii, Kenta noted a few school uniforms, the first he had seen since July. A puzzled frown worked its way across his face. He was fairly sure that school didn't start until tomorrow, so were they just trying them out or something like that?
He shrugged off his idle ruminations as the group departed down the street, turning away to do another round along the shrine grounds. He glanced up at the trees, inspecting them carefully as he walked across the extensive field. The leaves were still bright green for the moment, but fall would be here soon and that would mean a lot of raking.
"My poor back." He thought ruefully. Once again, the thought of retirement passed through his mind but he pushed it aside. The shrine was all he had left and he had devoted his life to it.
He turned another corner and paused as he noticed someone standing by the Shrine's keystone. The man was calmly standing in front of it, hands clasped behind his back as his head craned towards the top. Kenta frowned as something about the guest poked at his mind. Given the skin tone and facial features he guessed the man was a foreigner, but his get-up seemed rather overly formal for a tourist.
Kenta approached the man, intending to pull the old "sudden wizened old man" trick. He tried to move quietly, but the rustle of his sandals in the grass must have given away his approach as the man's head tilted slightly, turning a little in the priest's direction as acknowledgement of his presence.
Kenta quickly shifted gears with the experience of age, smiling benignly as if he wasn't trying to sneak up on the man. "Good day."
The man didn't reply verbally, but simply nodded his own greeting politely. Kenta simply slid in easily beside him, maintaining an appropriate distance. "Interested in the Keystone?"
"Some." The man answered, turning his head fully back to look up at the top. His Japanese was perfect, but accentless. "Know about intellectually. Never seen personally."
Kenta nodded, that made sense. "It's a good place for rest and relaxation." He acknowledged as he turned away. "I hope it brings you plenty of peace. If you need anything, I'll be checking the offerings."
The Pale Man limited himself to a polite, but non-committal, grunt. He didn't have any interest in the old priest. It was slightly unusual the priest had even noticed him while disconnected from humanity's perception. If he had to guess, the Pale Man supposed a lifetime career as a priest and working in a shrine set-up around the leylines may have left him more attuned to things that may be related to the supernatural. Fortunately, it did not appear to be a short-term threat and it was not like it would matter in the long run. Once the bio-terminals had unknowingly done their job, the engine would render things like that… an irrelevancy.
He turned his attention back up to the keystone. This anchor in the leylines. By themselves, they were merely an irrelevance to his plan. Something that would be swept aside along with everything else. But they were a key indicator that would tell him if he was on the right track. What he was doing was largely theoretical. Not even the Custodians had ever actually tried to do it.
It was a tricky balancing act, to use the bio-terminals this way. He could nudge things. He could have people suspecting of him nudging things. But for them to know… now that, that would be far too big a nudge. It would throw everything out of whack. Shem-Ha certainly couldn't have relied on it, certainly not for the purpose she intended. She had no choice but to go the direct route.
In a way, the Pale Man envied her for it. It would be so much more simple if he could do that as well. But, even leaving aside the mechanism for that was gone, the system could never have the outcome he wanted through such blatant means. It had to be tricked into it. And hence, the balancing act.
It was a tricky balancing act. In his previous form, he could not have acted at all. In this form, his knowledge was so much more limited. He knew what was, what could be, but not what is and what will be. Not to mention the issue of something wholly new, like himself. Trying to rope everyone into their requisite rolls had also proven more work than he anticipated, even given his own unique nudges. He recalled a saying: people are predictable… most of the time. But occasionally, they'll surprise you. That had been perfectly accurate, he supposed.
On the one hand, it was… disconcerting, not being able to know with the surety of local omniscience. But there was a thrill to that too. Not that he had been capable of such feelings prior, but looking back his prior existence certainly had been a whole lot more boring.
If everything went like it was supposed too, would he be there on the other side once it was done? He wasn't sure. He was without precedent and thus whether the engine would affect him like it should the relics, the leylines, or alchemy… well, he supposed it didn't matter much. So long as it was done, he would be content.
The Pale Man checked to make sure he was still alone before quietly reaching into a chest pocket, the Pale Man pulled out a small vial filled with a swirling black substance. Idly, he tossed it onto the keystone. The container shattered, the black substance reacting to its freedom by devouring the glass shards that trickled down before swarming around the base of the keystone. They roiled there for a moment, a single black ring encircling the anchor. And then they sank into the ground, vanishing beneath the earth. Just as programmed.
With his latest nudge completed, he turned and walked back across the Shrine grounds, his steps through the grass failing to jostle a single bristle. Turning the corner to the front, the Pale Man spotted Kenta conversing with a subordinate, a shrine maiden who had been summer interning. Deciding not to interrupt, he hung back and watched them talk.
It was beautiful.
Oh, to be sure, it wasn't as good as it could be. They didn't honestly have that much to communicate and the old priest's experience meant he picked up many of the messages that the girl was signalling, intentionally or otherwise. But he didn't pick up everything. For example, he was misinterpreting her nervousness as the usual worries about beginning a new school, completely unaware that she was also troubled by the return of a parent she was estranged from. As a result, he wasn't actually taking the right tack to assuage her doubts.
Of course the girl missed so much more, lacking the necessary experiences and pumped up with the vigor of youth. His grandfatherly concern largely rolled right past her, fixated as she was with imminent events. And she could never hope to notice the quiet pain the priest carried with him, buried so deep within that none could ever hope to pry it out.
It may seem so small, in the grand scheme of things. But the grand scheme of things was built upon countless such small events, innumerable such misunderstandings some of which were larger and more significant. There would be pain and loss as a result, but also experience and, from that, a kind of rebirth. The sort of thing that had driven mankind, ever since the Custodians fled and terminated the universal language in their wake.
It was literally what the Pale Man lived for.
Tying up their conversation, the shrine maiden gave a farewell bow before darting away to change back into casual clothes, so she could head home. She never noticed the Pale Man even as she darted past him. The chief priest quietly remained where he was for a moment, surveying the entrance to the shrine. The Pale Man stepped up behind him...
"You have a great and terrible purpose, don't you?" Kenta said.
The Pale Man paused, his head inclining slightly. He must have underestimated the degree to which the Chief Priest was affected by living by the leylines. "You can see."
"Yes." Kenta answered, now turning around. "Though I'll admit, I had to go over our first meeting in my mind a few times before it clicked."
"Acknowledging risky," The Pale Man pointed out.
"If you intended to kill me, I imagine you would have already done that." Kenta shrugged, his eyes drifting towards the shrine. He smiled fondly, "And even if you acted now, I've lived a good life, with plenty of achievements. There may be things I wish I could change, but I've long accepted that what is done is done."
The Pale Man straightened up. "It does not hurt?"
Kenta shook his head at that, folding his hands. "No, it does. But I've learned to live with it. What other choice do I have?"
Silence hung between them for a few moments as the Pale Man considered Kenta's words. Process, analysis, revision, update...
"The girl," The Pale Man finally said, deciding to change track now that line of inquiry was exhausted. If he had underestimated the priest's knowledge of himself, then his initial impression of the priest's conversation with that shrine maiden may also have been off. "Do you know?"
Kenta smiled sadly and shook his head, "I have an inkling it's something more than high school jitters. I was hoping Sokabe-san would open up to me about it by the end of summer. Fortunately, I think she'll take the job again in winter break and she's certainly promised to visit plenty." His eyes narrowed, "I take it you have better insight?"
The Pale Man nodded his confirmation, "Wish to know?"
To his surprise, Kenta shook his head. "My approach is that she opens up on her own. When she tells me, it will be on her own initiative."
"Not only approach." The Pale Man observed, turning his head to glance at the door the girl had gone into. Given what he knew about the layout of the shrine and the average time it would take a human female to change, she'd probably be just about done by now.
"No." Kenta agreed. "It might not even be the best approach. There might not be a best approach. But I hope it will at least be an approach that works. Sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith."
Faith was not something the Pale Man put stock in outside as a motivating force for others. But it seemed sensible enough in those terms. And it mattered little to him whether it motivated Kenta, particularly not for this.
"Very honest." The Pale Man said, switching tracks again.
"Well, you haven't asked me anything that really demands I engage in deception. Plus, I get the sense you are a very canny… person." Kenta smiled crookedly before adding. "Mostly."
That actually made the Pale Man pause for a moment as he wondered whether the chief priest was making fun of him there. He quickly decided it didn't matter. Whether a human mocked him or not made little difference.
There was the question of what he should do about this. Try as he might, the Pale Man couldn't seem to get a grip on disconnecting the priest. He was simply too close and had become too involved over the years in maintaining the Shrine. That was a potential risk. Perhaps he should kill the priest and be done with it?
"Tsukikage-sensei!" The shrine maiden stepped back out of the door, now out of her miko robes. "I'm heading home…" She paused, her head tilting in befuddlement as she noted the old man still in the same spot from earlier. Hadn't he moved at all? And had she just heard him talking with someone?
Smiling grandfatherly, Kenta answered, "Have a good trip. And good luck with school."
She shook herself out of her stupor, returning the smile with some bemusement. "Of course!"
With a final farewell bow, she quickly walked past Kenta and the Pale Man, stepping out beyond the Torii.
"So," Kenta said as he watched her vanish down the steps, now out of earshot. "Perhaps you could answer some questions for—" He stopped, glancing back toward the Pale Man only to confirm there was now no one there.
"Hm. Not exactly the most polite departure. Should follow Sokabe-san's departure." He shook his head, turning back towards the shrine. He'd have to make a call to the Shrine Association about this. And probably SONG too.
The Pale Man watched him go from the roof of a real estate agency across the street, peering between the branches. He could deduce what the man's next move would be, but it mattered little. After all, there would only be further suspicion and that wasn't a risk to the plan.
Besides, his business here was finished for now. All he had to do was sit back and watch. Whatever happened next, whether the old man would find out or not… well, the data was sure to be fascinating regardless. Old habits died hard.
The Pale Man brushed some dust from the rooftop off his suit, turned away, and vanished into the air with a step.
----
Next Chapter: Sliding Into Class
----
A/N: Greetings from Montreal! Though I am returning back to my home in Georgia tomorrow. The American state, that is. Not the Caucasian country. In any case, I actually had this completed before I left near the end of October, but you know how it is: editting, betas, and so-on. It's a thing, we can roll with it.
Still, don't be all eager for a second November release, I'm probably gonna take a break for most of the month. But once we come back in December, it'll also be time for the Geahs to come back… to school!
Last edited:
- Location
- Around here
You might want to fix this.
Paleb05
A Believer of Optimism in the World
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Am I the only one that finds that training montage in G odd?
obssesednuker
Commander of 10 Million Men
- Location
- In the Kremlin, activating Perimtr.
Thanks for pointing it out.
- Pronouns
- he/him
Chapter 40: Sliding Into Class
obssesednuker
Commander of 10 Million Men
- Location
- In the Kremlin, activating Perimtr.
Distortions
Chapter 40
Sliding Into Class
----
Chapter 40
Sliding Into Class
----
Miku's nerves caught up with her on the ride over in the car.
She had been reading her speech when the enormity of what was happening struck her. She immediately tried to reason with herself: after all, hadn't she done just fine at the press conference? There the entire world had been watching, after all.
"But this isn't the entire world." A nasty little voice, the same one that used to berate her for getting Hibiki injured piped up. "These are your fellow students. Your fellow classmates. You see them every day. Imagine what they'll think if you mess up?"
Miku inhaled slowly, trying to steady herself. That shouldn't matter. She had her friends, she had Hibiki. So long as they were together, it should be okay. They would understand…
"But that's just it, isn't it." The nasty voice said. "All those other people will think, 'ah, that poor Tachibana that she has a girlfriend like that'. And she'd be disappointed too wouldn't she? Understanding, but still disappointed."
Miku's slow exhale stopped in its tracks as she locked up. No, there was no way that would happen. Shut up. Shut up.
"You're going to fuck up. You'll disappoint your wonderful girlfriend, too wonderful for you."
Shut up.
"But isn't that just natural? You've always been a disappointment. After all, you still haven't gotten your amalgam-"
The voice was cut off as a strong, warm arm was flung across her shoulder, followed a moment later by a quick peck on her cheek. Miku had to strangle a surprised shriek at that.
"Hibiki!" She whispered, turning to her girlfriend as a blush spread across her face. Hibiki just gave her a heart-melting, lopsided grin as she pulled Miku into a shoulder arm as much as their belts would allow. Blush intensifying, Miku's eyes quickly darted toward the front of the car, but thankfully their drivers-slash-bodyguards were studiously keeping their eyes focused outside of the vehicles, scanning for ambushes.
"It's all fine, Miku." Hibiki said, pulling Miku's attention back to her. Her smile took on something of a sheepish quality, "'Sides, figure I should apologize."
Miku blinked. "What?"
"Yeah…" Hibiki released her from the hug, but her hand quickly found its way into Miku's own. "I figure I did kinda pressure you into accepting, after all. I just want to remind you that no matter what happens, you're still my sunshine." Her smile regained its blinding quality, that brightness which couldn't help but make Miku's heart beat, and she said, "You could never disappoint me."
Miku's mouth fell open in astonishment, even as she brought a hand up to her heart in relief. As reassuring as those simple words were, she couldn't help but wonder how Hibiki had precisely zoomed in on what was bothering her.
Miku shook her head, unable to help the smile that came across her face. To think that Hibiki had learned to read her so excellently… That had to be it. It was… pleasant. Squeezing her beloved's hand, Miku let her worries melt away in its warmth. "Thank you."
Hibiki's smile grew even wider as she nodded, then it dwindled ever so slightly as she glanced forward. Following her gaze, Miku caught sight of Lydian's gates up in front of them. A sour note made its way back into her own gut at that. Seeing the front of Lydian shouldn't make Hibiki feel anxious.
Miku squeezed her girlfriend's hand again, only to receive another in return. "I'm fine." It said. Miku certainly hoped so.
"Did you hear anything from Maria or Tsubasa-san yet?" Hibiki asked as the car drew up towards the curb. A clear attempt to distract from all their concerns with other worries.
Miku shook her head, a puzzled frown. "It is strange." But she shrugged. "But we'll see them this evening when they get in."
"Yeah…" Hibiki said, as the car pulled into park and their bodyguards got out to open the door. She turned her head, glancing to the other SONG car that had joined up behind them several minutes earlier. "Maybe Kirika or Shirabe-chan have heard some from Tsubasa-san."
That they wouldn't hear anything about Maria from them went unsaid.
"It's too bad Chris won't be able to greet them." Hibiki added, just as the door opened. Their best friend would already be on a plane to America by now to take down the Horseman front over there. Miku just made a sympathetic hum of agreement as they climbed out of the car.
"Oy-yoyo!" Kirika cheered to Miku and Hibiki in greetings as she leapt from her own car, although her movement still lacked it's usual bounce. Shirabe followed sedately in her path. A few heads turned in their direction at her voice, mostly other students, but Miku quickly spotted a few cameramen as well.
Thankfully, there were a lot fewer camped out in front of the grounds than there had been in that first week following the leaks and the SONG agents' own glowering demeanor was still enough to be a sufficient deterrent to them approaching. They simply raised their cameras, snapping surreptitious shots from a distance. Ignoring them, Hibiki met Kirika's greeting with her own inarticulate call.
"Have you guys heard anything from Tsubasa-san?" Hibiki quickly added as they set off towards the gate, getting straight to that topic. But the Zababa pair sighed and shook their heads.
"Nothing." Shirabe shook her head, as a frown wormed its way across her face and her eyebrows furrowed. "It's actually a little concerning."
"I'm sure they're fine!" Kirika laughed a little, though it didn't sound entirely convincing. "SONG would definitely inform us if they were in trouble."
"Yo guys!" Yumi's voice up ahead quickly tore their attention forward. The diminutive brunette was already standing at the gate along with Shiori, a wide smile on her face. Yumi's gaze quickly shifted over their shoulder and the four wielders almost missed the surreptitious, businesslike nod she gave them. Miku glanced over her own shoulder just in time to see their bodyguards return it, only slightly less covertly. A few of them even had ghosts of smile's on their faces.
It seemed their security detachments had grown fond of the enthusiastic otaku. Miku wasn't sure how to feel about that, so instead she turned to Shiori.
"Good morning, Shiori-san." Miku intended to follow up the greeting with an inquiry about meeting with her privately later, but the follow-up question died on her lips as she got her first good look at the blonde since their last meeting, back at Maria's birthday party
"Good morning, Kohinata-san." Shiori answered easily. On the surface, she still seemed the picture perfect oujo, prim and proper. But her serene smile had this slight edge to it. And there was a slight tightness in her eyes. Any onlooker would have found them nigh-invisible, but Miku was not just any onlooker. She knew these signs all too well.
After all, she herself had worn them on a regular basis for almost four years.
"Shiori-senpai, hello! Good to see you!" Kirika cheered, flinging a hand up as they began to walk together into the main entrance. She seemed none the wiser to the signs. Miku quickly looked to Shirabe as the smallest adaptor gave a simple nod for her own greeting. She seemed no more aware than Kirika.
"Shiori-chan… are you okay?" Hibiki asked, a note of concern in her voice. Miku's head turned in shock at that, while Yumi straightened up in alarm, quickly whirling toward her roommate as if she was about to vanish.
"I'm doing well, Tachibana-san." Shiori replied. "Yourself? I heard you had quite a trip to China." At that, Miku blinked and frowned as she noted that same slight hitch at the start. And that deflection… if not for the fact it was delivered in Shiori's unfailingly polite tone, Miku could have sworn she had just heard a recording of herself prior to this past February.
"I…" Hibiki hesitated, glancing at Miku quickly before apparently deciding not to press the point. "Yes! It was quite an adventure."
Yumi smacked her fist into her hand in realization. "Oh yeah, you guys didn't mention much of that yesterday." The edge in Shiori's smile sharpened minutely, sending another case of deja-vu through Miku. Totally oblivious, Yumi carried on. "You have to give me the deets! At least, those you can."
"Maybe at lunch." Shirabe interjected, nodding up towards a clock on the wall. "It's a rather long story."
"Speaking of which…" Shiori glanced over at Miku as the group immediately set off down the path towards the auditorium. "Congratulations on giving the third-years' commencement speech, Kohinata-san."
Internally, Miku hesitated. Was there more meaning to that than was on the surface? Probably not. If Shiori really was beating herself up about what had happened to Yumi, then all that loathing was purely directed at herself. That was how it had been for Miku, after all. So she returned Shiori's smile and said, "Thank you."
"That's my Miku for you!" Hibiki puffed up, "Naturally they chose her over me."
"I actually have reliable sources that they're 'saving you' for the graduation ceremony." Yumi said.
"School rumor is not a reliable source, senpai." Shirabe interjected.
"Wha--!" Yumi blinked, faking chagrin. "Aw, c'mon! You don't even think the position makes me more reliable on that count?"
"No." Shirabe said so bluntly that even Shiori laughed.
Of course, they were far from the only ones making their way towards the auditorium for the season opening ceremony. Other students still looked their way, eyes widening in amazement and awe when they were spotted, and excited whispers among groups.
But whereas before the feeling had been one of uncertainty, awkwardness, and even a little hostility, now other girls waved — some hesitantly, some more enthusiastically — or even called out greetings.
"Tachibana-sama! Thank you!"
"Akatsuki-sama, you're really cool!"
"Kick those Horseman dirtbags in the shins, Tsukuyomi-sama!"
Shirabe blinked, pausing for a moment to look at the girl who called that out. The first-year blinked at the sudden scrutiny, but Shirabe simply tilted her head a little quizzically. "Because of my height?"
The girl's friends giggled as she sputtered and flailed about in denial until Shirabe reassured her she wasn't offended.
The friendlier atmosphere seemed to improve Hibiki's mood. Her girlfriend gained an extra pep in her step, her already blinding smile becoming impossibly warmer as she eagerly returned each greeting with a wave. Miku couldn't help the relieved smile that crossed her face as she watched.
This was supposed to be what coming to Lydian was like for Hibiki. A place that welcomed her, not one that didn't know what to do with her.
"Looks like everyone's coming to terms with things." A new voice, already somewhat familiar cut in. They turned to find Kawada walking up to them, her friend Aimi Teratimo in tow. Whereas Kawada approached easily enough, Miku immediately noticed how the other girl shuffled a bit. Though she hadn't seemed to notice that Yumi was behind her…
Miku did a double take before glancing back to Shiori to confirm that, yes, Yumi was no longer by the blonde's side. Shiori had also suddenly noticed her crush's absence at her side, and her eyes darted about in panic until they found Yumi again, at which point she minutely relaxed.
"Umm… Kohinata-sam—I mean, san. And Tachibana-san." Aimi's voice pulled Miku's attention back to her. "I'm Aimi Teramoto, Kawada's best friend. I… umm, I just wanted you to know that…" She quickly bowed, "I'm a really big fan! Thanks for everything you've done!"
"It's fine, it's fine!" Hibiki smiled, waving the compliment off easily. "And thanks for using -san, instead of -sama. That's a bit of a relief."
"Tsukuyomi-san told me you didn't like it." Aimi answered, some of the nervousness melting away. Then she looked over to Shiori and Yumi, the latter of whom had rejoined the former again without anyone noticing, at which point her eyebrows furrowed. "Oh, ah… umm… are you also friends?"
"Yep, old friends!" Yumi nodded, before glancing at the four wielders in the group. "And don't worry guys, she's clean!"
"Clean?" Kawada asked as Aimi arched an eyebrow herself. "What are you talking about?"
Yumi started, suddenly aware she had just messed up a little. "Nothing!" She quickly said, frantically looking around until her eyes landed on a hall clock and found good salvation. "Ah! It's almost time for the opening ceremony to start!"
She seized Shiori's hand and ran, heedless of how her friend yelped and blushed as she was dragged along. The rest of the group quickly followed in them, charging down hallways and across the school grounds toward the auditorium. Turning the last corner, they came to a stop as one of the teachers at the door held up a hand and called politely, "Kohinata-san!"
"Yes!" Miku instinctively replied, instantly becoming deferential herself out of long habit. The teacher smiled awkwardly at that, scratching the back of her neck for a moment before replying.
"Since you're a key speaker, we have a seat for you up on the stage, in one of the wings." She nodded to the others, "The rest of you can take your usual places."
Miku hesitated, glancing at Hibiki. Her girlfriend responded by darting forward and laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. Pressing her own forehead against hers, the heroine of the world said, "You'll do great, Miku. I'll be right there rooting for you." She squeezed reassuringly, backing away slightly and granting another dazzling smile. "See you after the ceremony?"
Her heart thumping, Miku couldn't muster any reply except to dumbly nod. Why did Hibiki always have to steal her breath with just the simplest actions or reassurances? Glancing aside, Miku found that the others had used the opportunity of Hibiki's reassurance to steal away into the auditorium already. But the teacher who had stopped them was still there, glancing away as they pretended not to see Hibiki's display of affection. That brought a blush to Miku's face as the embarrassment of the teacher transferred to her a little.
Heedless as usual, Hibiki gave her one last reassuring squeeze and then slipped through the auditorium doorway as well. At that the teacher quietly turned and gave Miku a questioning look.
"I'm ready." Miku lied easily. Without Hibiki there, it proved to be easy.
The teacher escorted Miku down the halls and around the main auditorium, over to the backstage where the school's drama club usually assembled prior to their plays or other activities. Pushing past all the ready rooms and storage closets, they emerged into the right wing of the back stage, where the other speakers were gathered.
The mouth of the keynote speaker for the 1st year dropped open in shock as she glanced up to spot Miku approaching. Miku could only offer her an awkward smile to the younger girl in an attempt at reassurance as she took the empty chair clearly saved up next to her. The 2nd year keynote speaker, on the other hand, just took a glance up at Miku, gave a self-confirming nod, and the looked back down at the notes in her hands. Closest to the stage, the headmistress offered a warmer smile that said, "Thank you, Kohinata-san."
Miku simply nodded her reply before placing her bag in her lap and snapping it open to retrieve her speech. Taking a quiet breath, she quickly checked her phone's timer before silencing it. They were down to the last minute.
Well, the last minute before the ceremony began. It would be a while yet before Miku herself stepped out onto the stage. The Headmistress would give the introduction remarks and lead the school through the usual traditions, then the homeroom teachers would introduce themselves. Only then would Miku step out and deliver her, to be followed by the 2nd and 1st year speakers in turn.
But as the ceremony began and the Headmistress got up to step out onto the stage, the first piano notes of the Lydian Anthem rang out. Miku couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she, along with the teachers and the unseen audience beyond the wing wall, got to her feet and began to sing. She recalled that one time when Hibiki had confided to her how much she had loved the school's anthem, how much she loved the school. The first place in a long time she had felt truly safe. Even Finé's attack had only temporarily managed to ruin it for them.
Miku could only pray the same would be true of the Horsemen's own attempt. She could only hope the signs so far pointed in the right direction
The anthem ended, everyone returned to their seats, and as the Headmistress spoke, Miku was left alone with her thoughts. It was some dozens of minutes before she had to step out there yet.
Far too long as it turned out, as her worries steadily crept back in. A frown twisted on her face as she stared down at a page of her speech, not really seeing the words. Why couldn't she be confident? Why did she need Hibiki to embolden her spirits? Was she really so dependent on her?
"Well, why wouldn't you be? After all, she's the strong one." The nasty inner voice returned again, as if it was a snake worming it's way out the back of her mind to whisper into her ear. "That's even what they say on the internet, after all. The whole world can see it!"
Miku bit her lip. That didn't matter. Those people didn't matter.
But as usual, the inner voice latched onto that rebuke. "They didn't matter? Well, isn't that just like you!" It taunted. "The whole world can go to hell, so long as it's just you, Hibiki, and your precious little friends. Did Emily not matter prior to her stepping into your life and trying to shove a knife into your stomach? How many of those girls out on the stage do you think lost homes or loved ones when Yggdrasil's trunks ripped up the earth? And now you want to look them in the eye and smile as you tell them how great Lydian is."
Miku squeezed her eyes shut and breathed deeply, slowly, fighting down tears with far too much practice. A quick glance to either side told her that her act was at least still convincing to anyone who wasn't Hibiki. None of the teachers or the two classmates also seated in the wing gave her more than a glance.
"Still such a great liar. Although apparently not great enough to stop Hibiki from worrying about you."
Miku's teeth clicked together.
"And now, we'd like to introduce our third-year speaker!" The Headmistress's voice shook Miku up out of her spiral with a start. What? Had so much time already passed?! Panic surged together with her nerves, even as she numbly got her feet. She had barely reviewed the speech!
Heedless of her own turmoil, the Headmistress continued on. "I'm sure you've heard plenty about her, but she'd like to discuss our school in her own words. Let us welcome, Miku Kohinata!"
Applause swept across the auditorium as Miku stepped out into view, walking for the Headmistress. Her hands quietly shook by her side and she did not dare look out into the crowd of her peers, for fear of the expression on their faces. Sure, the applause sounded polite enough, but then that was the expectation at events like this.
With what she hoped was a pleasant smile on her own face, Miku exchanged a polite bow with the Headmistress and stepped up to the podium. She was able to procrastinate yet another few moments as she laid her speech before her and adjusted the microphone.
This was it, she was going to fail. She'd let down Hibiki andthe other wielders. What cruel joke was this, how she had just managed to master combat, only to fall apart for the public.
With herculean effort, Miku forced herself to look up and meet the eyes of the audience, of the full student body of Lydian.
In retrospect, she hadn't been sure what she had expected to see. Excitement and amazement, that it was Miku Kohinata, one of the world famous Symphogear Wielders? Disgust, that it was Miku Kohinata, one who had almost ended the world twice? Disappointment, that she wasn't Hibiki or even someone more distinguished like Kirika or Shirabe?
Instead, she beheld eagerness. Thousands of eager eyes, peering down at her in quiet anticipation. Of course, there were exceptions. Almost immediately, she picked out Hibiki, brimming with quiet pride. But no hostility, no disgust, no disappointment. Not even hero-worshiping excitement.
Miku blinked, taking in the room and all the anticipation all at once. And just like that, she gave a soft, genuine smile. She didn't even have to think any further.
She took one last breath, and found it in herself to speak.
"Aw, c'mon!" Chris growled, trying to glare a hole in the SONG agent standing over her airplane seat. An hour into her flight across the Pacific, she had decided to give Komichi a call. But grabbing one of the phones built into the private jet, she discovered it was apparently inoperable. When she had asked some of the accompanying agents for a working one, the answer she got… did not leave her pleased.
"Sorry, Yukine-san." The agent held up both of his hands apologetically. "But we can't afford the risk of the Horsemen homing in on this flight. Once we've landed, it should be fine, but…"
"Feh," Chris grumbled, slapping the useless phone down. "Let 'em try." She'd had to defend three helicopters from a flying heavy missile cruiser in Val Verde. A single civilian plane? That'd be a piece of cake, no matter how many drones the Horsemen threw at them.
But she was just bellyaching. Chris knew it would do her no good to have to fight the entire almost eleven hour flight left to Los Angeles. The agent wasn't aware of that though, so he raised a nervous eyebrow and hovered by her for a few moments before figuring out that his principal wasn't about to do anything rash.
As he walked back towards the front of the airplane, Chris's bored eyes drifted across the cabin. Neither of the Ogawa brothers could come with her on this trip and Tomosato's injury still left her Japan-bound, so she was going to meet-up with Fujitaka flying into LA from Turkey. That meant the only other people on the plane — pilots aside — were from her security team.
Besides the dude doing the equipment checks she had just spoken too, there were two other black suits sitting across from each other. They were crouched over a board of tiles, each one's attention firmly focused on the slate in front of them.
Eyebrows furrowing, Chris got up and walked over to look down, trying to make sense of the mess of figures in front of her. "What's this?"
The two men jumped at her voice, so enthralled in their game that they hadn't noticed her approach. Neither answered as they stared at her, mouths open. It was quite the difference from the usually steely facade they tended to put up.
"Aw, c'mon." Chris groused as she grabbed the third chair and plopped down. "It can't be that hard, can't it?"
They glanced at each other, shifting awkwardly a bit. Clearly they were a bit too used to protecting her from afar.
Chris snorted at the thought. Around her neck, she had more firepower than some armies. The "protection" these guys offered was nothing more than a tripwire. If they were going to put their lives on the line for her like that, she wasn't going to let them remain that anonymous. Especially not if she didn't have that much else to do for eleven hours while trapped with them like this. She arched an eyebrow. "Well?"
"It's Mahjong, Yukine-san." One of the men finally said.
"Oh?" Chris glanced down at the board, everything clicking together now that she had a name. Naturally, she had heard of it. But 16 years of isolation from Japan at large had left with little idea of what it looked like and the several years of reintegration she had since hadn't left much time for familiarization. Well, no time like the present. "Right, deal me in."
They boggled at her again. "Uh… Yukine-san, we mean no disrespect…" The other man-in-black began, only to trail off.
"Nah-ah-ah!" Chris wagged her finger at him. "You can't get away with being so anonymous now. You guys already know way too much about me just from following me around. Time for me to learn a bit more about you."
They exchanged another look at that. Finally the other spoke-up. "It's not that." He said, "It's just, well… you didn't know it was Mahjong until we told you…"
Again with the trailing off! Although another moment of consideration and Chris's mind clicked. "Oh! Right." She shrugged. "Don't worry about that. You gotta already know I'm a quick learner. So!" She grinned, indicating the chips. "Deal me in."
"You did so well, Kohinata-san!"
"It was nothing." Miku repeated for what felt like the hundredth time over the last hour. Despite her words and the content smile with which she answered the congratulations, she couldn't help the swell of pride within her. She had done it. Not a word misspoken, and every emotion she wanted to convey, conveyed.
Just as elsewhere, the mood in their homeroom had changed massively compared to that first week. Before, their students had been cautious, skittish, and distant. Now, Hibiki and Miku were positively swamped by their classmates, and had been from the moment they took their seats. Yumi hovered surreptitiously nearby and Miku swore she noticed the otaku quietly escorting one girl away at one point, but she was so distracted by the onrush of her eager classmates that she wasn't sure.
And boy, were her classmates supportive. Supportive… and quite inquisitive.
"What's it like to be able to fly?!" One girl asked as she managed to supplant the one who had complimented earlier.
"It's… pretty nice." Miku answered, managing to tamp down the slight blush as her romantic moment with Hibiki came to mind. Even if it had been ruined, it was nice while it lasted.
But her classmate blinked momentarily, "Come on, you've gotta be able to say more than that?"
Miku hummed thoughtfully, considering a more detailed answer, but before she could assemble a more coherent answer, a girl with deep green, neck-length hair clasped a hand on the shoulder of Miku's interrogator. "Come on, Reiko! I'm sure it's something that's hard to describe." Naoki Higuchi glanced over to Miku and gave a sympathetic smile. "She was bugging me about it, given everything that happened."
It took Miku a moment to figure out what her classmate was talking about. Naoki had been one of the few in their class at the original Lydian when Finé had attacked. She had been amongst those who sang when Miku had asked. "Oh, yes!" Miku nodded, "Thank you for your help back then."
"Ah, it wasn't a problem." Naoki waved her hand dismissively before grinning, "How often do you get to help save the world? And hey, I can even talk about it now."
Next to her, Reiko rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You haven't been able to stop bringing it up since summer break began." She sighed, "Man, I can't believe I was out that day."
"Don't be." Miku said immediately, drawing a surprised look from Reiko. Suddenly feeling the need to elaborate, she continued. "It was dangerous."
"Yeah, it was pretty scary." Naoki murmured, glancing over at Hibiki. Following her gaze, Miku lifted a hand to hide her grin at the sight of Hibiki up out of her seat, surrounded by adoring eyes as she gave a recounting of one of the battles against the Noise. Complete with her imitating the moves as a visual aid.
"And then one tried to smash into Chris-chan from behind, but KAPOW!" She exclaimed, doing a high kick, albeit she was careful not to do it too high. Her school uniform included a skirt after all.
"So cool!" A half-dozen voices squealed back. Hibiki blushed a bit, laughing awkwardly at the admiration as she scratched her hair. Miku rolled her eyes at that, but there was no ill will in the gesture.
"I'm glad Tachibana-san is looking better." Reiko said, a bit of guilt working into her voice.
"You all have a lot to do with that." Miku tried to reassure her, but it didn't seem to work. Instead, Reiko glanced down at her feet.
"Yeah, I guess we could have responded better in that first week. But, well…" She trailed off.
"It was such a shock." Naoki chipped in, "I mean, I may have been there for Kadingr but… like, some of that other stuff was even wilder. For crying out loud, Kohinata-san, you were possessed by a goddess!"
Miku's face fell a little at that, prompting Naoki to throw her hands up.
"Sorry, sorry!" Naoki quickly apologized. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. You don't have to talk about it."
"Thanks." Miku mumbled, deciding to glance back towards Shiori to distract herself from the memories. Her polite friend was quietly watching the crowd, along with most other girls who weren't up and surrounding the two wielders. Occasionally, Yumi would wander up there to idly chat and Miku couldn't help but notice how the subtle gloom that hung over Shiori would seem to dry up every time the otaku kicked off these conversations.
But Yumi chatted with one eye on the crowd and invariably she would be pulled away to go hover watchfully around the edges of the crowd surrounding the two celebrities of the room. Then the subtle gloom would return to Shiori's eyes. Miku's eyebrows furrowed. She had hoped to pull Shiori aside once they had reached the classroom, but getting mobbed the moment they stepped through the door had scuppered that plan.
"But you have to tell us!" Reiko's hands slamming down on the table yanked Miku's attention back to her current admirers. "How long have you been going out with Tachibana-san?"
"Come on, Reiko." Naoki replied, "You've known those two have been attached at the hip since they got here."
"Actually…" Miku couldn't keep the blush off her face, "We only officially started going out back in February." Her blush only intensified at the astonished stares she got back. Not willing to meet their gaze, Miku looked over to Hibiki and her embarrassment faded as she noticed that the girls pressing on that side of the table had moved in even closer.
Not that Hibiki had noticed, as she was finishing up her story. "So Chris-chan shot the little lock-thing keeping the cars together — dunno what that's called — but I still had to push them apart a bit. Once I got the detached car rolling further behind the train a bit, I leapt off and ran up to the mouth of the tunnel."
She raised her fist and reeled it back, leaning forward a bit in her chair.
"Just like Chris-chan said, it tried to phase right through the car once it caught up to it. But I was right on the other side and just like I hoped, it popped out right as the car also reached the other side of the tunnel at which point…" She swung forward with a "Hiyah!"
"Right in the nose! The Noise went up and took the train car with it, and the ammo got all the other flying Noise too!"
"Kyaa!"
"So cool!"
"Tachibana-sam-uh, -san is so amazing!"
Hibiki blinked as she realized how close all the girls had gotten, leaning back in her chair and scratching at her hair. "Eh-heh, I didn't really think that much at the time." She chuckled as she glanced about, clearly now uncomfortable yet unwilling as ever to let anyone down. Okay, Miku decided, it was probably about time to lay down the law a little.
She leaned over and wrapped her arms around Hibiki. "That's part of what's so amazing about it." Miku said. Hibiki momentarily tensed at the touch, but then she melted into it as she realized it was her girlfriend. Then she blushed as Miku planted a quick peck on Hibiki's cheek and smiled cheekily at the other girls. "Though it's probably for the best that everybody remembers who you're mine."
There were some squeals of joy, some cooed "daws", and some disappointed sighs, but the girls around them backed away slightly. Miku's grin took on a satisfied edge to it… only for it to vanish and be replaced by surprise as Hibiki abruptly turned in her grip, reached around to Miku's waist, and pulled her in even closer.
"Just so long as everyone remembers that you're mine too!" Hibiki proclaimed.
This time, the squeals were a lot louder and much more numerous. Miku's blush came back with a vengeance. "That's unfair, Hibiki." She complained internally. "Could you be any more amazing?"
The first bell rang, cleaving the air like one of Shenshoujing's beams punching through an Alca-Noise. It ripped through Miku's haze just as well, and she glanced around as the crowd dispersed. Those girls from the same class, including Naoki and Reiko, quickly returned to their desks while those from adjoining classes dashed back into the hall to try and make it before the final bell rang.
After taking a few moments to watch them go, Miku finally was ready to risk her eyes again and turned to look into the blazing brilliance of Hibiki's own smile. To Miku's inordinate relief, it was a pure, genuine Hibiki smile and she couldn't help but return it.
"Enjoying the attention?" Miku asked as they separated and settled fully into their seats. Having already gotten both of their textbooks out, Miku slid Hibiki's over to her side.
"They got a little intense towards the end there." Hibiki said, smiling, "Still. I'm glad they're approaching again. It feels… right."
"Like Lydian is supposed to." Miku nodded in satisfaction. At least all was right again here.
The final bell rang and the door opened to admit their homeroom teacher, who quickly walked over to her desk. Kumiko's gaze swept across the room, pausing as they landed on Hibiki and Miku for a moment. She frowned momentarily and opened her mouth, only to pause before shaking her head and continuing on.
Miku frowned as she heard Hibiki sigh. Well, almost everything was right again.
—
"Akatsuki-san, you're so… toned…"
"DeSS?!" Kirika's voice shot up an octave as a finger traced along her back. Shirbe whirled around, snatching the offending girl's hand, who gave out a little shriek herself.
"Yurikawa-san," Shirabe said levelly, the towel clasped up to cover her front doing nothing to detract from her piercing glare. "You can do whatever you like with your girlfriend, but don't touch others inappropriately."
As if in emphasis, an arm bapped into the back of the blonde's head. "Yeah, Hana-chan. You really should know better." Yotsuya couldn't keep out the jealousy of her voice.
"Aaah, sorry, Miko-chan, Akatsuki-san, Tsukuyomi-san!" Yurikawa groaned, rubbing her head. "It's just… I don't know how we never noticed before. Look how built they are!"
"Good grief." Yotsuya breathed, grabbing her significant other's arm and shooting an apologetic look to Shirabe and Kirika before dragging the still-protesting blonde away.
"Aww, I wanted exercise tips!"
"If you're concerned about losing weight, maybe you should eat less?"
"So mean!"
Shirabe exhaled as the bickering couple vanished and glanced around the locker room, but their classmates hurriedly got back to changing into their gym clothes rather than risk the Shul-Shagana wielder's wrath by continuing to try and oogle.
"Are you okay, Kiri-chan?" Shirabe turned to check on her girlfriend, only to find the blonde quite hurriedly trying to pull her gym shirt down. So hurriedly that she had gotten stuck. Rolling her eyes, Shirabe reached out and began to assist.
"I'm fine, Shirabe!" Kirika's voice echoed out from within. With a quick tug from Shirabe and a final "hurk", her head popped back out. "Hana-san just surprised me a bit, is all."
"Ah, with popularity comes attraction." A new voice cut in. Turning, the zababa duo spotted Kawada — already fully changed — walking up, an easy smile on her face. "Though it's still nothing compared to how they look at Tachibana-san."
"Hibiki-san's always been popular." Shirabe murmured, quickly sliding into her shirt. "Though I don't think she's become aware of it until recently."
Kawada blinked for a moment. "Wha-really? I still remember last year, when all the girls gathering to watch her when her year had swimming classes."
Kirika just shrugged as she tugged her pendant out and reached into grab the cases SONG had provided them with. Kawada's eyes snapped to the ruby crystal, then to Shirabe's as she too handed her own to Kirika.
Kawada's hand flexed, but she forced herself to relax with a deep breath. No, the timing was all wrong. There were too many people here. She couldn't have witnesses. She released the breath as Kirika finished putting the two gems in the case.
"Are those it?" Another girl's voice cut through the stillness of the air. The trio flinched at it. They hadn't noticed the way the changing room had grown silent or how a crowd had suddenly gathered.
"Your Symphogears, I mean." The same girl asked again, although she shuffled now as she realized how awkward the sort of attention they were getting.
Kirika and Shirabe looked at each other, a quick, voiceless conversation passing between them. Shirabe finally shrugged before looking back and nodding. "Yes, they are."
Then she reached over, took the case from Kirika, and snapped it shut. The sound of it clicking closed seemed to break whatever spell over which had brought the crowd together, the girls sheepishly dispersing, moving towards the changing rooms exit. It was time for the proper class to begin.
"Man…" Aimi groaned as she fell in alongside Kawada. "I hate PE."
"You need to be more motivated." Kawada chided the girl.
"I don't mind it!" Kirika cheered.
Shirabe just shrugged. She was the least physically capable of the wielders, trailing even behind Chris, but given their extensive training that still rendered her as rather more than above-average in the class.
At least the track and field here was rationally shaped. Kirika and Shirabe had heard about the track at the old Lydian from Hibiki and Miku, among its other architectural oddities. It sometimes left Shirabe wondering whether, had Lydian retained its original hidden purpose, they might have rebuilt the current one into the same shape.
The class began with stretches of course, with Kirika and Shirabe pairing off as was common. While Kirika remained cheerfully — albeit forcefully so, to Shirabe's eternal frustration — oblivious, Shirabe couldn't help but notice how the other girls glanced at them. At first, she thought it was more ogling, but then she noticed while pushing on Kirika's back how the other girls would then look back down at their own bodies. They weren't checking them out, they were comparing posture.
Wait, were they being looked up too as examples? That idea set off a weird, squirming sensation in Shirabe's gut. But while strange, she couldn't exactly say it was an unpleasant sensation. Then an idea struck her.
"Kiri-chan." She whispered low as they switched positions. Her girlfriend placed her hands on her back, but didn't immediately start pushing instead, cocking her head with an inquiring hum instead.
Shirabe went ahead and began to stretch anyway, "The other girls are watching us."
Kirika froze and blinked before hastily looking around. She didn't see it, but then she didn't realize she was being too obvious. "Are you sure?" She hastily whispered back.
"Yeah. But it isn't anything bad." Shirabe smiled, looking over her shoulder. "In fact, I think they're using you as an example."
"An… example?" Kirika repeated, her voice growing distant.
"Yeah." Shirabe pointed out, "You know, of what to do right."
Kirika's face remained blank, but Shirabe could practically hear the gears grinding away in her head. And the final click came as Kirika's face broke out into one of her rare, genuine grins.
"Ehehehe…" She giggled, blushing lightly. "I guess we don't want to let our juniors down, then."
Shirabe nodded her agreement before she quickly resumed stretching, feeling Kirika redouble her efforts to help her do it just right. Shirabe's own slight smile took on a satisfied tinge. Kirika had always had worries about being useful to others, so being able to turn one of her neurosis on itself felt good. It sure beat shielding her from the harsher criticism that circulated online or their current tiff with Maria…
Shirabe's good mood fell at that thought, a frown working across her face as she paused to stare at her feet. A complicated worm of anger tinged with guilt worked its way through her gut, along with gnawing doubt.
Was she being unreasonable? It was all done by now. The former Director Jianjun was now in a quiet retirement on the edge of Tokyo, tacitly now out of sight of the Chinese Government and keeping himself out of trouble under SONG's watch. The Horsemen's influence in China had been shattered. And Director Ogawa had noted that the severance of material shipments led to the Horsemen making increased canvasses on various black markets, a clear sign of some material difficulty. It had worked out for them.
And yet…
Midori's quiet, warm laughter flickered through her memory. A laugh that she would never hear again outside of her memories. A laugh that was betrayed by a man she had to help.
"Shirabe?" Kirika's worried voice snapped Shirabe out of her recrimination. The smaller girl quickly berated herself as she doubled forward to complete the stretches. It would do no good to worry Kirika and ruin what she had achieved so far.
"I'm okay." She said, quickly resuming the stretches. Kirika paused momentarily but didn't press.
They finished up soon after, the class filing out onto the track. They were going to test their speed first. The order had been randomized, but neither of the Zababa duo anticipated being up first, so they started towards some shade by the benches only to pause as they heard the PE teacher shout, "Tsukuyomi-san!"
Shirabe's head turned and she blinked a few times at the PE Teacher. The woman abruptly started at her gaze, before shrugging apologetically and pointing at the clipboard in her hand. Shirabe gave a sigh before glancing at Kirika, who simply flashed her a thumbs-up before jogging off towards their usual spot.
Taking her place at the starting position, Shirabe glanced at the other four girls on the track with her. There was Aimi, looking unenthusiastic as ever. She didn't personally know the nervous-looking green-haired girl, but the fourth person…
Ayumi Miyoshi was their class's lead runner. As the brown haired girl noted Shirabe looking her way, she grinned excitedly and brushed back the bangs she let drape over her blue eyes. "Hope all this stuff being out means you'll stop holding back. I kinda wanna see if I could really beat a genuine heroine."
Shirabe blinked for a moment, before shrugging. "It's nothing, Miyoshi-san. I'm sure you'll do well."
"Aww, c'mon!" Ayumi pressed, pouting a little. For a moment, Shirabe considered pointing out that her physical capabilities outside of her Symphogear weren't enhanced that much, but then she shrugged that off and simply leaned forward into a ready stance. Whether she decided that was an acceptance of the challenge or just decided not to press further, Ayumi quickly followed as well along with the other girls.
"Ready. Set…" The Teacher announced, "Go!" The pop gun fired. And they were off.
Though it was September, it was still summer. The humidity should have quickly brought Shirabe short of breath. She should have begun to sweat in short order. The droplets should have clung to her like leeches, slowly rolling down her skin and refusing to evaporate in the wet heat.
It wasn't until she hit the first corner that Shirabe realized none of that was happening. The signs of tiredness, the leadening of her limbs that should have signaled her slowing… they weren't coming. She felt as spry as when she had stepped out onto the track.
She turned the next corner and only then did she realize she didn't see Ayumi. Shirabe glanced over her shoulder and almost tripped over herself in shock as she spotted the class's star athlete only just hitting the previous corner. Ayumi herself looked as surprised as Shirabe's felt, but as their eyes met the expression vanished. The runner's eyes hardened with determination and she pushed forward with a burst of effort…
… And barely made any progress in closing the distance.
Despite the warmth outside and her continued stride, Shirabe's insides twisted coldly. She had trained plenty during August, but entirely with her fellow adaptors. Elfnein's medical inspections had become much less frequent since they returned from China. They had never considered how they might compare to human baselines by now or how that might manifest on the field. They should have realized this was coming after that incident back in China when Maria, Hibiki, and Miku outran a crowd of fans.
The teacher's blow of the whistle jolted Shirabe out of her concerns. She hadn't even realized she had crossed the finish line already. She staggered to a halt, arresting her momentum before shuffling awkwardly. The teacher stared at one of the stopwatches before her in disbelief, her eyes darting between them and the scorecard in her.
"School… no, prefectural record?" She muttered, just loud enough that Shirabe picked it up. The teacher shook her head after another moment before nodding to Shirabe. "Alright, Tsukuyomi-san, you made your point."
Then she put her whistle into her mouth and blew it again. "Ayumi! You know to pace yourself better than that!"
"S-sorry, s-sensei!" Ayumi's halting reply caused Shirabe to turn to find the class star doubled over, wheezing as she shook her head. The girl had thrown everything she had into just trying to catch up with Shirabe and failed. Taking pity on the brunette, Shirabe grabbed an extra water bottle and went over to the athlete, proffering it silently.
"Thanks." Ayumi wheezed, though she only took a quick gulp before she looked up at Shirabe. "But jeez, when I said stop holding back I didn't think…" She shrugged, before shaking her head and chuckling good-naturedly. "Well, heh, guess that's what I get for challenging a superheroine!"
"Sorry." Shirabe shifted awkwardly, "I didn't really mean to—"
"Nah," Ayumi waved her off, "As I said: I was the one who made the challenge. I'd ask ya to join the track team on behalf of the club, but I'm guessing you've already got your hands full with the terrorists and everything…"
Shirabe nodded at that, wiping away sweat that wasn't all from the heat. Her eyes quickly darted towards the crowd of the rest of her class, most of the girls were chattering excitedly with each other over her performance. They didn't seem to clue into the fact that Shirabe's performance was that abnormal. Had it not been in the leaked files? Or maybe her classmates hadn't read the material all that carefully?
Now Shirabe was really glad she hadn't tried to correct Ayumi's misperceptions. She might have been facing some awkward questions. Then she looked at Kirika, sitting in the shade and with Kawada sitting a respectful distance next to her. Kirika was glancing at the other girls just as worriedly as Shirabe had been, but Kawada had her eyes on Shirabe, a puzzled frown on her face.
"Okay, Teramoto-san. Good job hanging in there!" At the teacher's voice, Shirabe turned to see Aimi stagger across the finish line. The haggard girl's appearance actually reminded her of Chris after a particularly hard workout. Had Shirabe not been so caught up in her unusually high performance, she might have laughed at the sight.
Grabbing a water bottle, she walked over to offer it to Aimi. Her friend-slash-fan seized the bottle like it was a lifeline, chugging away before releasing a loud sigh of relief. "That's… just what I needed. God, this heat." Aimi shook her head, before grinning widely at Shirabe. "But you, Tsukuyomi-san! You were amazing! I didn't know you could do that sorta thing even without your Symphogear!"
Again, Shirabe shifted uncomfortably a moment before she just quietly offered Aimi a shoulder to help the sputtering girl back towards where Kawada and Kirika sat. Behind them, the teacher was already calling on a new set of names.
"Shirabe!" When the two drew near, Kirika couldn't keep the concern out of her voice as she leapt up, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Kiri-chan." Shirabe said. Kawada's questioning stare bore into her. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer. She turned her own stare right back on her. "What is it, Kawada-san?"
At that Kawada flinched, she steeled herself, opened her mouth… then shut it again before glancing away. "N-nothing."
"Akatsuki-san, you're up!" The teacher's voice called out.
"Coming!" Kirika shouted before glancing in concern towards Shirabe. Shirabe gave a confused shrug in return.
"Make sure to pace yourself, I guess."
"Ah!" Kirika nodded, "Got it!" And with that, she took off at a jog towards the track start line.
As Shirabe sat down, Kawada gave another glance and frowned at her before turning her attention back to Kirika. Unlike her classmates, Kawada had read the released documents, carefully and thoroughly. And she remembered how they had said that the enhanced physical abilities in the Symphogears did not translate outside of transformation.
"So then what on earth is this?" She wondered to herself as she watched Kirika run down the track, leaving the other girls — including ones who had always been faster than her in previous runs — in her dust.
—
Shiori splashed some water on her face and sighed with relief at the refreshing coolness. Careful not to let any drops slide down into her shirt, she grabbed a paper towel and quickly dried it off.
Straightening up, Shiori tried to fix her makeup. She had to straighten everything up just so nobody would notice when she got back to the others.
"I thought you would be in here."
Shiori paused momentarily at the sudden voice from behind her, fighting down the immediate urge to leap out of her skin. Leaning a little to the side, she brought Miku into view in the mirror before smiling a little and smoothly resuming her work.
"I didn't want to cause anyone any concern." Shiori answered, carefully tugging at a little loose eyeliner, "Particularly since Yumi is so busy with her new job."
Miku didn't answer at first and instead simply stared at Shiori intently as the blonde finished up her make-up. Finishing up her make-up, Shiori turned and cocked her head slightly, smiling serenely. "Can I help you, Kohinata-san?" She didn't give Miku time to respond to the question, however, moving immediately on. "You and Tachibana-san did amazingly in PE today."
Miku sighed, pushing off the wall she had been leaning against and said a single word. "Shiori-san."
Shiori winced, her smile plummeting off her face. Miku's simple utterance of her name seemingly stripping away the whole mask the oujo had put up, leaving her exposed. Barren of her disguise.
Pure.
She tried to recover, desperately scrambling for a new conversation piece. "You know, your eyes… their color shifts with the light?" She wanted to wince again at how lame that came out. She wasn't used to this. Being thrown off to begin with was something that never happened, let alone so… easily.
"I once wondered if anything ever got to you or not." Miku continued as she solemnly walked up to Shiori. "Before your concerns with Yumi-san, that is. And I will say, your mask is good. Amazing. But…" She laid a hand on the stunned blonde's shoulder. "It's—"
"Don't." Shiori breathed, allowing the first tremble through. "Don't say 'it's not my fault'. We knew something was wrong with Yumi. I knew that something was wrong with Yumi."
"But that is no reason to blame yourself." Miku continued, steadying her friend by grabbing the other shoulder. "I should know. I have been there."
"But it's so much more obvious!" Shiori struggled to keep her voice steady, a long ingrained habit wrestling with the emotions now churning up. She had to be polite. Be proper. Smile, so everything would be okay. But she couldn't get the smile back on her face. "She wasn't sneaking out at night. She was always right there, playing with that headset… that… awful machine! And then the militant bent her interests took. The exercise."
She couldn't help it. Shiori scowled, as if she could burn through the wall behind Miku, whose eyes she couldn't quite meet. "I should have smashed that thing across the street the night she showed it off!"
A snarl pulled across her face as Shiori spoke. A violent loathing that seethed over her eyes, unbecoming on the normally prim blondes face. Maybe if she turned around and smash her own reflection in the mirror, she could find some of the pain she deserved for missing what was happening to her beloved.
Then she stiffened and gasped as Miku pulled her into a hug. "If only it were so simple." She said, "If only we had the wisdom to see it all, the knowledge to put it all together before we all could be hurt by it."
The pressure in Shiori overflowed, the jagged cracks in the dam rupturing. She began to cry, sobbing into Miku's shoulder. Miku just held her friend and let the tears flow, stroking her hair comfortably.
And Shiori had never thought crying could feel so good. It was like some ritual, a sacrifice: tears in exchange for her pain. For the second time since Miku had entered the room, Shiori felt pure. But this time, it wasn't the purity of exposure, but of relief. A soft calm chasing away the storm of self-doubt.
As her sobbing died down, Shiori blinked and shook her head a bit before pushing away. Miku let her friend go, "Feeling better?"
Shiori took a deep breath before smiling anew and nodding. "Yes… I'm fine."
"Shiori…" Miku's soft expression fell slightly as her eyes narrowed. "That's not what I asked."
"But--" Shiori's objection was cut off by Miku's raised hand.
"You're not fine." Miku's voice softened again as she looked away, her hand falling back to her side. "Maybe you think you are. Maybe you convinced yourself you are." Then she looked back, staring Shiori straight in the eyes. "But you are not. Not until you've sat down with Yumi and truly talked with her. About everything."
"But…" Shiori held a hand up to her chest, her eyes falling. "She… wants to. I can't deny Yumi that. Especially not…" She paused, looking back to Miku. "Has she explained before? About her fear?"
"Yes." Miku blinked, "She told you?"
"From the outset." Shiori smiled again, but it was a smile tinged with a bittersweet sadness. "She confided in me that, right from the beginning. And after bearing her heart and soul just like that… to me…" She shook her head, "How could I object to that?"
Miku paused, tilting her head before she let out a sigh. The parallels all just kept adding up, more and more. God, was she glad she had gone through all this before. Miku only wished that she take Shiori's place, that she could do what she knew only Shiori could do. Had to do.
But all Miku could do was push.
"That only makes it even more urgent for you two to talk about it." Miku said after letting a few seconds tick by. "And for you to come clean with your feelings. Otherwise, it's all just going to eat you up from the inside until you explode again. And when it does…" Her eyes fell to the floor. "It may threaten to tear apart exactly that which you bottled it up to protect."
"At least this time, it shouldn't lead to the world almost ending." Miku thought irreverently. Shiori wasn't her after all. Not remotely as good at lying to herself The prior breakdown was proof enough. Had the roles been reversed, it would have taken more than a hug. Her ability at self-deception was just too much. But she had a lot more practice at it.
And maybe Shiori would have been a bit nicer about it too.
"Kohinata-san…" Shiori murmured, trailing off into uncertainty. Silence enveloped the two, the only sound the hum of the air conditioning. She fidgeted for another moment, finally opening her mouth…
The bathroom door banged open, causing the pair to jump as another third-year traipsed in laughing, her head turned over her shoulder to chat with a friend coming in behind her. "--And I just couldn't believe it, ya know? Some random truck driver? Really?!"
"Certainly far-fetched." Her friend agreed, though the easy smile on her face fell off into surprise as she noticed Miku up ahead, "Ah, Kohinata-sam—er-san!"
"Wha—" The lead girl blinked, her head whipping around to stare at Miku in shock. There was a several moments silence as the two stood there dumbly gawping at one of the local school celebrities.
Miku took advantage of the silence to glance towards Shiori, who had quickly turned back to the mirror and was putting on a show of adjusting her makeup again. Or possibly actually adjusting her makeup. She did just have a good cry after all. With that thought, she turned back to the new pair and put on a friendly smile, although even that gesture couldn't shake the suddenly awkward atmosphere in the room. "May I help you?"
"Oh, it's nothing!" The lead girl started at that, turning away and prodding at her friend's shoulder. "Sorry to bother you! We'll find another—!"
"Oh, no." Miku hastily interjected, but then she hesitated, glancing again at Shiori. "I was just about finished here anyway, please go ahead." Then she hastily stepped up to the sink next to Shiori, turning on the faucet to wash her hands. Sure she didn't exactly need to, but it made a good show without having to have her leave immediately.
Glancing up in the mirror, she saw the pair of girls hesitate for a moment, before exchanging a look and quickly walking down towards the stalls, disappearing into a pair. Miku sighed before glancing over at Shiori, keeping her voice low for their benefit. "Please, at least consider what I said. I've done all I can to help you, Shiori-san. The rest is on you." She lowered her head in apology. "I'm sorry I can't do more."
Shiori winced, turning to reply. But Miku pushed off and quickly moved for the door. With the heady mix of emotions from the conversation roiling in her stomach, she didn't even realize how fast she moved, by the time Shiori had completely turned around to track her movement, she was already out the door.
Shiori stared over her shoulder for a long moment, before breathing out a sigh. She leaned forward, steadying herself against the sink. She looked up, squinting into the glass, trying to determine who it was she saw in the reflection.
The steadfast oujo-sama, who chased for what she wanted and could face any surprise?
Or a girl who was going to allow her guilt and her fears about her emotions eat her alive?
Shiori shook her head. No, Miku was right. She had to talk with Yumi about everything. For the first time in a month, certitude crashed back into the blonde. And what a relief it was. Better than the cry she just had with Miku! She straightened up, squaring her shoulders, ready to face the world again.
But first she had to truly fix her makeup. She looked in the mirror, focusing on her eyeliner first…
Shiori's eyebrow furrowed, all her concerns being briefly replaced by curiosity. How odd. Not a speck of her makeup was out of place.
She had been reading her speech when the enormity of what was happening struck her. She immediately tried to reason with herself: after all, hadn't she done just fine at the press conference? There the entire world had been watching, after all.
"But this isn't the entire world." A nasty little voice, the same one that used to berate her for getting Hibiki injured piped up. "These are your fellow students. Your fellow classmates. You see them every day. Imagine what they'll think if you mess up?"
Miku inhaled slowly, trying to steady herself. That shouldn't matter. She had her friends, she had Hibiki. So long as they were together, it should be okay. They would understand…
"But that's just it, isn't it." The nasty voice said. "All those other people will think, 'ah, that poor Tachibana that she has a girlfriend like that'. And she'd be disappointed too wouldn't she? Understanding, but still disappointed."
Miku's slow exhale stopped in its tracks as she locked up. No, there was no way that would happen. Shut up. Shut up.
"You're going to fuck up. You'll disappoint your wonderful girlfriend, too wonderful for you."
Shut up.
"But isn't that just natural? You've always been a disappointment. After all, you still haven't gotten your amalgam-"
The voice was cut off as a strong, warm arm was flung across her shoulder, followed a moment later by a quick peck on her cheek. Miku had to strangle a surprised shriek at that.
"Hibiki!" She whispered, turning to her girlfriend as a blush spread across her face. Hibiki just gave her a heart-melting, lopsided grin as she pulled Miku into a shoulder arm as much as their belts would allow. Blush intensifying, Miku's eyes quickly darted toward the front of the car, but thankfully their drivers-slash-bodyguards were studiously keeping their eyes focused outside of the vehicles, scanning for ambushes.
"It's all fine, Miku." Hibiki said, pulling Miku's attention back to her. Her smile took on something of a sheepish quality, "'Sides, figure I should apologize."
Miku blinked. "What?"
"Yeah…" Hibiki released her from the hug, but her hand quickly found its way into Miku's own. "I figure I did kinda pressure you into accepting, after all. I just want to remind you that no matter what happens, you're still my sunshine." Her smile regained its blinding quality, that brightness which couldn't help but make Miku's heart beat, and she said, "You could never disappoint me."
Miku's mouth fell open in astonishment, even as she brought a hand up to her heart in relief. As reassuring as those simple words were, she couldn't help but wonder how Hibiki had precisely zoomed in on what was bothering her.
Miku shook her head, unable to help the smile that came across her face. To think that Hibiki had learned to read her so excellently… That had to be it. It was… pleasant. Squeezing her beloved's hand, Miku let her worries melt away in its warmth. "Thank you."
Hibiki's smile grew even wider as she nodded, then it dwindled ever so slightly as she glanced forward. Following her gaze, Miku caught sight of Lydian's gates up in front of them. A sour note made its way back into her own gut at that. Seeing the front of Lydian shouldn't make Hibiki feel anxious.
Miku squeezed her girlfriend's hand again, only to receive another in return. "I'm fine." It said. Miku certainly hoped so.
"Did you hear anything from Maria or Tsubasa-san yet?" Hibiki asked as the car drew up towards the curb. A clear attempt to distract from all their concerns with other worries.
Miku shook her head, a puzzled frown. "It is strange." But she shrugged. "But we'll see them this evening when they get in."
"Yeah…" Hibiki said, as the car pulled into park and their bodyguards got out to open the door. She turned her head, glancing to the other SONG car that had joined up behind them several minutes earlier. "Maybe Kirika or Shirabe-chan have heard some from Tsubasa-san."
That they wouldn't hear anything about Maria from them went unsaid.
"It's too bad Chris won't be able to greet them." Hibiki added, just as the door opened. Their best friend would already be on a plane to America by now to take down the Horseman front over there. Miku just made a sympathetic hum of agreement as they climbed out of the car.
"Oy-yoyo!" Kirika cheered to Miku and Hibiki in greetings as she leapt from her own car, although her movement still lacked it's usual bounce. Shirabe followed sedately in her path. A few heads turned in their direction at her voice, mostly other students, but Miku quickly spotted a few cameramen as well.
Thankfully, there were a lot fewer camped out in front of the grounds than there had been in that first week following the leaks and the SONG agents' own glowering demeanor was still enough to be a sufficient deterrent to them approaching. They simply raised their cameras, snapping surreptitious shots from a distance. Ignoring them, Hibiki met Kirika's greeting with her own inarticulate call.
"Have you guys heard anything from Tsubasa-san?" Hibiki quickly added as they set off towards the gate, getting straight to that topic. But the Zababa pair sighed and shook their heads.
"Nothing." Shirabe shook her head, as a frown wormed its way across her face and her eyebrows furrowed. "It's actually a little concerning."
"I'm sure they're fine!" Kirika laughed a little, though it didn't sound entirely convincing. "SONG would definitely inform us if they were in trouble."
"Yo guys!" Yumi's voice up ahead quickly tore their attention forward. The diminutive brunette was already standing at the gate along with Shiori, a wide smile on her face. Yumi's gaze quickly shifted over their shoulder and the four wielders almost missed the surreptitious, businesslike nod she gave them. Miku glanced over her own shoulder just in time to see their bodyguards return it, only slightly less covertly. A few of them even had ghosts of smile's on their faces.
It seemed their security detachments had grown fond of the enthusiastic otaku. Miku wasn't sure how to feel about that, so instead she turned to Shiori.
"Good morning, Shiori-san." Miku intended to follow up the greeting with an inquiry about meeting with her privately later, but the follow-up question died on her lips as she got her first good look at the blonde since their last meeting, back at Maria's birthday party
"Good morning, Kohinata-san." Shiori answered easily. On the surface, she still seemed the picture perfect oujo, prim and proper. But her serene smile had this slight edge to it. And there was a slight tightness in her eyes. Any onlooker would have found them nigh-invisible, but Miku was not just any onlooker. She knew these signs all too well.
After all, she herself had worn them on a regular basis for almost four years.
"Shiori-senpai, hello! Good to see you!" Kirika cheered, flinging a hand up as they began to walk together into the main entrance. She seemed none the wiser to the signs. Miku quickly looked to Shirabe as the smallest adaptor gave a simple nod for her own greeting. She seemed no more aware than Kirika.
"Shiori-chan… are you okay?" Hibiki asked, a note of concern in her voice. Miku's head turned in shock at that, while Yumi straightened up in alarm, quickly whirling toward her roommate as if she was about to vanish.
"I'm doing well, Tachibana-san." Shiori replied. "Yourself? I heard you had quite a trip to China." At that, Miku blinked and frowned as she noted that same slight hitch at the start. And that deflection… if not for the fact it was delivered in Shiori's unfailingly polite tone, Miku could have sworn she had just heard a recording of herself prior to this past February.
"I…" Hibiki hesitated, glancing at Miku quickly before apparently deciding not to press the point. "Yes! It was quite an adventure."
Yumi smacked her fist into her hand in realization. "Oh yeah, you guys didn't mention much of that yesterday." The edge in Shiori's smile sharpened minutely, sending another case of deja-vu through Miku. Totally oblivious, Yumi carried on. "You have to give me the deets! At least, those you can."
"Maybe at lunch." Shirabe interjected, nodding up towards a clock on the wall. "It's a rather long story."
"Speaking of which…" Shiori glanced over at Miku as the group immediately set off down the path towards the auditorium. "Congratulations on giving the third-years' commencement speech, Kohinata-san."
Internally, Miku hesitated. Was there more meaning to that than was on the surface? Probably not. If Shiori really was beating herself up about what had happened to Yumi, then all that loathing was purely directed at herself. That was how it had been for Miku, after all. So she returned Shiori's smile and said, "Thank you."
"That's my Miku for you!" Hibiki puffed up, "Naturally they chose her over me."
"I actually have reliable sources that they're 'saving you' for the graduation ceremony." Yumi said.
"School rumor is not a reliable source, senpai." Shirabe interjected.
"Wha--!" Yumi blinked, faking chagrin. "Aw, c'mon! You don't even think the position makes me more reliable on that count?"
"No." Shirabe said so bluntly that even Shiori laughed.
Of course, they were far from the only ones making their way towards the auditorium for the season opening ceremony. Other students still looked their way, eyes widening in amazement and awe when they were spotted, and excited whispers among groups.
But whereas before the feeling had been one of uncertainty, awkwardness, and even a little hostility, now other girls waved — some hesitantly, some more enthusiastically — or even called out greetings.
"Tachibana-sama! Thank you!"
"Akatsuki-sama, you're really cool!"
"Kick those Horseman dirtbags in the shins, Tsukuyomi-sama!"
Shirabe blinked, pausing for a moment to look at the girl who called that out. The first-year blinked at the sudden scrutiny, but Shirabe simply tilted her head a little quizzically. "Because of my height?"
The girl's friends giggled as she sputtered and flailed about in denial until Shirabe reassured her she wasn't offended.
The friendlier atmosphere seemed to improve Hibiki's mood. Her girlfriend gained an extra pep in her step, her already blinding smile becoming impossibly warmer as she eagerly returned each greeting with a wave. Miku couldn't help the relieved smile that crossed her face as she watched.
This was supposed to be what coming to Lydian was like for Hibiki. A place that welcomed her, not one that didn't know what to do with her.
"Looks like everyone's coming to terms with things." A new voice, already somewhat familiar cut in. They turned to find Kawada walking up to them, her friend Aimi Teratimo in tow. Whereas Kawada approached easily enough, Miku immediately noticed how the other girl shuffled a bit. Though she hadn't seemed to notice that Yumi was behind her…
Miku did a double take before glancing back to Shiori to confirm that, yes, Yumi was no longer by the blonde's side. Shiori had also suddenly noticed her crush's absence at her side, and her eyes darted about in panic until they found Yumi again, at which point she minutely relaxed.
"Umm… Kohinata-sam—I mean, san. And Tachibana-san." Aimi's voice pulled Miku's attention back to her. "I'm Aimi Teramoto, Kawada's best friend. I… umm, I just wanted you to know that…" She quickly bowed, "I'm a really big fan! Thanks for everything you've done!"
"It's fine, it's fine!" Hibiki smiled, waving the compliment off easily. "And thanks for using -san, instead of -sama. That's a bit of a relief."
"Tsukuyomi-san told me you didn't like it." Aimi answered, some of the nervousness melting away. Then she looked over to Shiori and Yumi, the latter of whom had rejoined the former again without anyone noticing, at which point her eyebrows furrowed. "Oh, ah… umm… are you also friends?"
"Yep, old friends!" Yumi nodded, before glancing at the four wielders in the group. "And don't worry guys, she's clean!"
"Clean?" Kawada asked as Aimi arched an eyebrow herself. "What are you talking about?"
Yumi started, suddenly aware she had just messed up a little. "Nothing!" She quickly said, frantically looking around until her eyes landed on a hall clock and found good salvation. "Ah! It's almost time for the opening ceremony to start!"
She seized Shiori's hand and ran, heedless of how her friend yelped and blushed as she was dragged along. The rest of the group quickly followed in them, charging down hallways and across the school grounds toward the auditorium. Turning the last corner, they came to a stop as one of the teachers at the door held up a hand and called politely, "Kohinata-san!"
"Yes!" Miku instinctively replied, instantly becoming deferential herself out of long habit. The teacher smiled awkwardly at that, scratching the back of her neck for a moment before replying.
"Since you're a key speaker, we have a seat for you up on the stage, in one of the wings." She nodded to the others, "The rest of you can take your usual places."
Miku hesitated, glancing at Hibiki. Her girlfriend responded by darting forward and laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. Pressing her own forehead against hers, the heroine of the world said, "You'll do great, Miku. I'll be right there rooting for you." She squeezed reassuringly, backing away slightly and granting another dazzling smile. "See you after the ceremony?"
Her heart thumping, Miku couldn't muster any reply except to dumbly nod. Why did Hibiki always have to steal her breath with just the simplest actions or reassurances? Glancing aside, Miku found that the others had used the opportunity of Hibiki's reassurance to steal away into the auditorium already. But the teacher who had stopped them was still there, glancing away as they pretended not to see Hibiki's display of affection. That brought a blush to Miku's face as the embarrassment of the teacher transferred to her a little.
Heedless as usual, Hibiki gave her one last reassuring squeeze and then slipped through the auditorium doorway as well. At that the teacher quietly turned and gave Miku a questioning look.
"I'm ready." Miku lied easily. Without Hibiki there, it proved to be easy.
The teacher escorted Miku down the halls and around the main auditorium, over to the backstage where the school's drama club usually assembled prior to their plays or other activities. Pushing past all the ready rooms and storage closets, they emerged into the right wing of the back stage, where the other speakers were gathered.
The mouth of the keynote speaker for the 1st year dropped open in shock as she glanced up to spot Miku approaching. Miku could only offer her an awkward smile to the younger girl in an attempt at reassurance as she took the empty chair clearly saved up next to her. The 2nd year keynote speaker, on the other hand, just took a glance up at Miku, gave a self-confirming nod, and the looked back down at the notes in her hands. Closest to the stage, the headmistress offered a warmer smile that said, "Thank you, Kohinata-san."
Miku simply nodded her reply before placing her bag in her lap and snapping it open to retrieve her speech. Taking a quiet breath, she quickly checked her phone's timer before silencing it. They were down to the last minute.
Well, the last minute before the ceremony began. It would be a while yet before Miku herself stepped out onto the stage. The Headmistress would give the introduction remarks and lead the school through the usual traditions, then the homeroom teachers would introduce themselves. Only then would Miku step out and deliver her, to be followed by the 2nd and 1st year speakers in turn.
But as the ceremony began and the Headmistress got up to step out onto the stage, the first piano notes of the Lydian Anthem rang out. Miku couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she, along with the teachers and the unseen audience beyond the wing wall, got to her feet and began to sing. She recalled that one time when Hibiki had confided to her how much she had loved the school's anthem, how much she loved the school. The first place in a long time she had felt truly safe. Even Finé's attack had only temporarily managed to ruin it for them.
Miku could only pray the same would be true of the Horsemen's own attempt. She could only hope the signs so far pointed in the right direction
The anthem ended, everyone returned to their seats, and as the Headmistress spoke, Miku was left alone with her thoughts. It was some dozens of minutes before she had to step out there yet.
Far too long as it turned out, as her worries steadily crept back in. A frown twisted on her face as she stared down at a page of her speech, not really seeing the words. Why couldn't she be confident? Why did she need Hibiki to embolden her spirits? Was she really so dependent on her?
"Well, why wouldn't you be? After all, she's the strong one." The nasty inner voice returned again, as if it was a snake worming it's way out the back of her mind to whisper into her ear. "That's even what they say on the internet, after all. The whole world can see it!"
Miku bit her lip. That didn't matter. Those people didn't matter.
But as usual, the inner voice latched onto that rebuke. "They didn't matter? Well, isn't that just like you!" It taunted. "The whole world can go to hell, so long as it's just you, Hibiki, and your precious little friends. Did Emily not matter prior to her stepping into your life and trying to shove a knife into your stomach? How many of those girls out on the stage do you think lost homes or loved ones when Yggdrasil's trunks ripped up the earth? And now you want to look them in the eye and smile as you tell them how great Lydian is."
Miku squeezed her eyes shut and breathed deeply, slowly, fighting down tears with far too much practice. A quick glance to either side told her that her act was at least still convincing to anyone who wasn't Hibiki. None of the teachers or the two classmates also seated in the wing gave her more than a glance.
"Still such a great liar. Although apparently not great enough to stop Hibiki from worrying about you."
Miku's teeth clicked together.
"And now, we'd like to introduce our third-year speaker!" The Headmistress's voice shook Miku up out of her spiral with a start. What? Had so much time already passed?! Panic surged together with her nerves, even as she numbly got her feet. She had barely reviewed the speech!
Heedless of her own turmoil, the Headmistress continued on. "I'm sure you've heard plenty about her, but she'd like to discuss our school in her own words. Let us welcome, Miku Kohinata!"
Applause swept across the auditorium as Miku stepped out into view, walking for the Headmistress. Her hands quietly shook by her side and she did not dare look out into the crowd of her peers, for fear of the expression on their faces. Sure, the applause sounded polite enough, but then that was the expectation at events like this.
With what she hoped was a pleasant smile on her own face, Miku exchanged a polite bow with the Headmistress and stepped up to the podium. She was able to procrastinate yet another few moments as she laid her speech before her and adjusted the microphone.
This was it, she was going to fail. She'd let down Hibiki andthe other wielders. What cruel joke was this, how she had just managed to master combat, only to fall apart for the public.
With herculean effort, Miku forced herself to look up and meet the eyes of the audience, of the full student body of Lydian.
In retrospect, she hadn't been sure what she had expected to see. Excitement and amazement, that it was Miku Kohinata, one of the world famous Symphogear Wielders? Disgust, that it was Miku Kohinata, one who had almost ended the world twice? Disappointment, that she wasn't Hibiki or even someone more distinguished like Kirika or Shirabe?
Instead, she beheld eagerness. Thousands of eager eyes, peering down at her in quiet anticipation. Of course, there were exceptions. Almost immediately, she picked out Hibiki, brimming with quiet pride. But no hostility, no disgust, no disappointment. Not even hero-worshiping excitement.
Miku blinked, taking in the room and all the anticipation all at once. And just like that, she gave a soft, genuine smile. She didn't even have to think any further.
She took one last breath, and found it in herself to speak.
----
"Aw, c'mon!" Chris growled, trying to glare a hole in the SONG agent standing over her airplane seat. An hour into her flight across the Pacific, she had decided to give Komichi a call. But grabbing one of the phones built into the private jet, she discovered it was apparently inoperable. When she had asked some of the accompanying agents for a working one, the answer she got… did not leave her pleased.
"Sorry, Yukine-san." The agent held up both of his hands apologetically. "But we can't afford the risk of the Horsemen homing in on this flight. Once we've landed, it should be fine, but…"
"Feh," Chris grumbled, slapping the useless phone down. "Let 'em try." She'd had to defend three helicopters from a flying heavy missile cruiser in Val Verde. A single civilian plane? That'd be a piece of cake, no matter how many drones the Horsemen threw at them.
But she was just bellyaching. Chris knew it would do her no good to have to fight the entire almost eleven hour flight left to Los Angeles. The agent wasn't aware of that though, so he raised a nervous eyebrow and hovered by her for a few moments before figuring out that his principal wasn't about to do anything rash.
As he walked back towards the front of the airplane, Chris's bored eyes drifted across the cabin. Neither of the Ogawa brothers could come with her on this trip and Tomosato's injury still left her Japan-bound, so she was going to meet-up with Fujitaka flying into LA from Turkey. That meant the only other people on the plane — pilots aside — were from her security team.
Besides the dude doing the equipment checks she had just spoken too, there were two other black suits sitting across from each other. They were crouched over a board of tiles, each one's attention firmly focused on the slate in front of them.
Eyebrows furrowing, Chris got up and walked over to look down, trying to make sense of the mess of figures in front of her. "What's this?"
The two men jumped at her voice, so enthralled in their game that they hadn't noticed her approach. Neither answered as they stared at her, mouths open. It was quite the difference from the usually steely facade they tended to put up.
"Aw, c'mon." Chris groused as she grabbed the third chair and plopped down. "It can't be that hard, can't it?"
They glanced at each other, shifting awkwardly a bit. Clearly they were a bit too used to protecting her from afar.
Chris snorted at the thought. Around her neck, she had more firepower than some armies. The "protection" these guys offered was nothing more than a tripwire. If they were going to put their lives on the line for her like that, she wasn't going to let them remain that anonymous. Especially not if she didn't have that much else to do for eleven hours while trapped with them like this. She arched an eyebrow. "Well?"
"It's Mahjong, Yukine-san." One of the men finally said.
"Oh?" Chris glanced down at the board, everything clicking together now that she had a name. Naturally, she had heard of it. But 16 years of isolation from Japan at large had left with little idea of what it looked like and the several years of reintegration she had since hadn't left much time for familiarization. Well, no time like the present. "Right, deal me in."
They boggled at her again. "Uh… Yukine-san, we mean no disrespect…" The other man-in-black began, only to trail off.
"Nah-ah-ah!" Chris wagged her finger at him. "You can't get away with being so anonymous now. You guys already know way too much about me just from following me around. Time for me to learn a bit more about you."
They exchanged another look at that. Finally the other spoke-up. "It's not that." He said, "It's just, well… you didn't know it was Mahjong until we told you…"
Again with the trailing off! Although another moment of consideration and Chris's mind clicked. "Oh! Right." She shrugged. "Don't worry about that. You gotta already know I'm a quick learner. So!" She grinned, indicating the chips. "Deal me in."
----
"You did so well, Kohinata-san!"
"It was nothing." Miku repeated for what felt like the hundredth time over the last hour. Despite her words and the content smile with which she answered the congratulations, she couldn't help the swell of pride within her. She had done it. Not a word misspoken, and every emotion she wanted to convey, conveyed.
Just as elsewhere, the mood in their homeroom had changed massively compared to that first week. Before, their students had been cautious, skittish, and distant. Now, Hibiki and Miku were positively swamped by their classmates, and had been from the moment they took their seats. Yumi hovered surreptitiously nearby and Miku swore she noticed the otaku quietly escorting one girl away at one point, but she was so distracted by the onrush of her eager classmates that she wasn't sure.
And boy, were her classmates supportive. Supportive… and quite inquisitive.
"What's it like to be able to fly?!" One girl asked as she managed to supplant the one who had complimented earlier.
"It's… pretty nice." Miku answered, managing to tamp down the slight blush as her romantic moment with Hibiki came to mind. Even if it had been ruined, it was nice while it lasted.
But her classmate blinked momentarily, "Come on, you've gotta be able to say more than that?"
Miku hummed thoughtfully, considering a more detailed answer, but before she could assemble a more coherent answer, a girl with deep green, neck-length hair clasped a hand on the shoulder of Miku's interrogator. "Come on, Reiko! I'm sure it's something that's hard to describe." Naoki Higuchi glanced over to Miku and gave a sympathetic smile. "She was bugging me about it, given everything that happened."
It took Miku a moment to figure out what her classmate was talking about. Naoki had been one of the few in their class at the original Lydian when Finé had attacked. She had been amongst those who sang when Miku had asked. "Oh, yes!" Miku nodded, "Thank you for your help back then."
"Ah, it wasn't a problem." Naoki waved her hand dismissively before grinning, "How often do you get to help save the world? And hey, I can even talk about it now."
Next to her, Reiko rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You haven't been able to stop bringing it up since summer break began." She sighed, "Man, I can't believe I was out that day."
"Don't be." Miku said immediately, drawing a surprised look from Reiko. Suddenly feeling the need to elaborate, she continued. "It was dangerous."
"Yeah, it was pretty scary." Naoki murmured, glancing over at Hibiki. Following her gaze, Miku lifted a hand to hide her grin at the sight of Hibiki up out of her seat, surrounded by adoring eyes as she gave a recounting of one of the battles against the Noise. Complete with her imitating the moves as a visual aid.
"And then one tried to smash into Chris-chan from behind, but KAPOW!" She exclaimed, doing a high kick, albeit she was careful not to do it too high. Her school uniform included a skirt after all.
"So cool!" A half-dozen voices squealed back. Hibiki blushed a bit, laughing awkwardly at the admiration as she scratched her hair. Miku rolled her eyes at that, but there was no ill will in the gesture.
"I'm glad Tachibana-san is looking better." Reiko said, a bit of guilt working into her voice.
"You all have a lot to do with that." Miku tried to reassure her, but it didn't seem to work. Instead, Reiko glanced down at her feet.
"Yeah, I guess we could have responded better in that first week. But, well…" She trailed off.
"It was such a shock." Naoki chipped in, "I mean, I may have been there for Kadingr but… like, some of that other stuff was even wilder. For crying out loud, Kohinata-san, you were possessed by a goddess!"
Miku's face fell a little at that, prompting Naoki to throw her hands up.
"Sorry, sorry!" Naoki quickly apologized. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. You don't have to talk about it."
"Thanks." Miku mumbled, deciding to glance back towards Shiori to distract herself from the memories. Her polite friend was quietly watching the crowd, along with most other girls who weren't up and surrounding the two wielders. Occasionally, Yumi would wander up there to idly chat and Miku couldn't help but notice how the subtle gloom that hung over Shiori would seem to dry up every time the otaku kicked off these conversations.
But Yumi chatted with one eye on the crowd and invariably she would be pulled away to go hover watchfully around the edges of the crowd surrounding the two celebrities of the room. Then the subtle gloom would return to Shiori's eyes. Miku's eyebrows furrowed. She had hoped to pull Shiori aside once they had reached the classroom, but getting mobbed the moment they stepped through the door had scuppered that plan.
"But you have to tell us!" Reiko's hands slamming down on the table yanked Miku's attention back to her current admirers. "How long have you been going out with Tachibana-san?"
"Come on, Reiko." Naoki replied, "You've known those two have been attached at the hip since they got here."
"Actually…" Miku couldn't keep the blush off her face, "We only officially started going out back in February." Her blush only intensified at the astonished stares she got back. Not willing to meet their gaze, Miku looked over to Hibiki and her embarrassment faded as she noticed that the girls pressing on that side of the table had moved in even closer.
Not that Hibiki had noticed, as she was finishing up her story. "So Chris-chan shot the little lock-thing keeping the cars together — dunno what that's called — but I still had to push them apart a bit. Once I got the detached car rolling further behind the train a bit, I leapt off and ran up to the mouth of the tunnel."
She raised her fist and reeled it back, leaning forward a bit in her chair.
"Just like Chris-chan said, it tried to phase right through the car once it caught up to it. But I was right on the other side and just like I hoped, it popped out right as the car also reached the other side of the tunnel at which point…" She swung forward with a "Hiyah!"
"Right in the nose! The Noise went up and took the train car with it, and the ammo got all the other flying Noise too!"
"Kyaa!"
"So cool!"
"Tachibana-sam-uh, -san is so amazing!"
Hibiki blinked as she realized how close all the girls had gotten, leaning back in her chair and scratching at her hair. "Eh-heh, I didn't really think that much at the time." She chuckled as she glanced about, clearly now uncomfortable yet unwilling as ever to let anyone down. Okay, Miku decided, it was probably about time to lay down the law a little.
She leaned over and wrapped her arms around Hibiki. "That's part of what's so amazing about it." Miku said. Hibiki momentarily tensed at the touch, but then she melted into it as she realized it was her girlfriend. Then she blushed as Miku planted a quick peck on Hibiki's cheek and smiled cheekily at the other girls. "Though it's probably for the best that everybody remembers who you're mine."
There were some squeals of joy, some cooed "daws", and some disappointed sighs, but the girls around them backed away slightly. Miku's grin took on a satisfied edge to it… only for it to vanish and be replaced by surprise as Hibiki abruptly turned in her grip, reached around to Miku's waist, and pulled her in even closer.
"Just so long as everyone remembers that you're mine too!" Hibiki proclaimed.
This time, the squeals were a lot louder and much more numerous. Miku's blush came back with a vengeance. "That's unfair, Hibiki." She complained internally. "Could you be any more amazing?"
The first bell rang, cleaving the air like one of Shenshoujing's beams punching through an Alca-Noise. It ripped through Miku's haze just as well, and she glanced around as the crowd dispersed. Those girls from the same class, including Naoki and Reiko, quickly returned to their desks while those from adjoining classes dashed back into the hall to try and make it before the final bell rang.
After taking a few moments to watch them go, Miku finally was ready to risk her eyes again and turned to look into the blazing brilliance of Hibiki's own smile. To Miku's inordinate relief, it was a pure, genuine Hibiki smile and she couldn't help but return it.
"Enjoying the attention?" Miku asked as they separated and settled fully into their seats. Having already gotten both of their textbooks out, Miku slid Hibiki's over to her side.
"They got a little intense towards the end there." Hibiki said, smiling, "Still. I'm glad they're approaching again. It feels… right."
"Like Lydian is supposed to." Miku nodded in satisfaction. At least all was right again here.
The final bell rang and the door opened to admit their homeroom teacher, who quickly walked over to her desk. Kumiko's gaze swept across the room, pausing as they landed on Hibiki and Miku for a moment. She frowned momentarily and opened her mouth, only to pause before shaking her head and continuing on.
Miku frowned as she heard Hibiki sigh. Well, almost everything was right again.
—
"Akatsuki-san, you're so… toned…"
"DeSS?!" Kirika's voice shot up an octave as a finger traced along her back. Shirbe whirled around, snatching the offending girl's hand, who gave out a little shriek herself.
"Yurikawa-san," Shirabe said levelly, the towel clasped up to cover her front doing nothing to detract from her piercing glare. "You can do whatever you like with your girlfriend, but don't touch others inappropriately."
As if in emphasis, an arm bapped into the back of the blonde's head. "Yeah, Hana-chan. You really should know better." Yotsuya couldn't keep out the jealousy of her voice.
"Aaah, sorry, Miko-chan, Akatsuki-san, Tsukuyomi-san!" Yurikawa groaned, rubbing her head. "It's just… I don't know how we never noticed before. Look how built they are!"
"Good grief." Yotsuya breathed, grabbing her significant other's arm and shooting an apologetic look to Shirabe and Kirika before dragging the still-protesting blonde away.
"Aww, I wanted exercise tips!"
"If you're concerned about losing weight, maybe you should eat less?"
"So mean!"
Shirabe exhaled as the bickering couple vanished and glanced around the locker room, but their classmates hurriedly got back to changing into their gym clothes rather than risk the Shul-Shagana wielder's wrath by continuing to try and oogle.
"Are you okay, Kiri-chan?" Shirabe turned to check on her girlfriend, only to find the blonde quite hurriedly trying to pull her gym shirt down. So hurriedly that she had gotten stuck. Rolling her eyes, Shirabe reached out and began to assist.
"I'm fine, Shirabe!" Kirika's voice echoed out from within. With a quick tug from Shirabe and a final "hurk", her head popped back out. "Hana-san just surprised me a bit, is all."
"Ah, with popularity comes attraction." A new voice cut in. Turning, the zababa duo spotted Kawada — already fully changed — walking up, an easy smile on her face. "Though it's still nothing compared to how they look at Tachibana-san."
"Hibiki-san's always been popular." Shirabe murmured, quickly sliding into her shirt. "Though I don't think she's become aware of it until recently."
Kawada blinked for a moment. "Wha-really? I still remember last year, when all the girls gathering to watch her when her year had swimming classes."
Kirika just shrugged as she tugged her pendant out and reached into grab the cases SONG had provided them with. Kawada's eyes snapped to the ruby crystal, then to Shirabe's as she too handed her own to Kirika.
Kawada's hand flexed, but she forced herself to relax with a deep breath. No, the timing was all wrong. There were too many people here. She couldn't have witnesses. She released the breath as Kirika finished putting the two gems in the case.
"Are those it?" Another girl's voice cut through the stillness of the air. The trio flinched at it. They hadn't noticed the way the changing room had grown silent or how a crowd had suddenly gathered.
"Your Symphogears, I mean." The same girl asked again, although she shuffled now as she realized how awkward the sort of attention they were getting.
Kirika and Shirabe looked at each other, a quick, voiceless conversation passing between them. Shirabe finally shrugged before looking back and nodding. "Yes, they are."
Then she reached over, took the case from Kirika, and snapped it shut. The sound of it clicking closed seemed to break whatever spell over which had brought the crowd together, the girls sheepishly dispersing, moving towards the changing rooms exit. It was time for the proper class to begin.
"Man…" Aimi groaned as she fell in alongside Kawada. "I hate PE."
"You need to be more motivated." Kawada chided the girl.
"I don't mind it!" Kirika cheered.
Shirabe just shrugged. She was the least physically capable of the wielders, trailing even behind Chris, but given their extensive training that still rendered her as rather more than above-average in the class.
At least the track and field here was rationally shaped. Kirika and Shirabe had heard about the track at the old Lydian from Hibiki and Miku, among its other architectural oddities. It sometimes left Shirabe wondering whether, had Lydian retained its original hidden purpose, they might have rebuilt the current one into the same shape.
The class began with stretches of course, with Kirika and Shirabe pairing off as was common. While Kirika remained cheerfully — albeit forcefully so, to Shirabe's eternal frustration — oblivious, Shirabe couldn't help but notice how the other girls glanced at them. At first, she thought it was more ogling, but then she noticed while pushing on Kirika's back how the other girls would then look back down at their own bodies. They weren't checking them out, they were comparing posture.
Wait, were they being looked up too as examples? That idea set off a weird, squirming sensation in Shirabe's gut. But while strange, she couldn't exactly say it was an unpleasant sensation. Then an idea struck her.
"Kiri-chan." She whispered low as they switched positions. Her girlfriend placed her hands on her back, but didn't immediately start pushing instead, cocking her head with an inquiring hum instead.
Shirabe went ahead and began to stretch anyway, "The other girls are watching us."
Kirika froze and blinked before hastily looking around. She didn't see it, but then she didn't realize she was being too obvious. "Are you sure?" She hastily whispered back.
"Yeah. But it isn't anything bad." Shirabe smiled, looking over her shoulder. "In fact, I think they're using you as an example."
"An… example?" Kirika repeated, her voice growing distant.
"Yeah." Shirabe pointed out, "You know, of what to do right."
Kirika's face remained blank, but Shirabe could practically hear the gears grinding away in her head. And the final click came as Kirika's face broke out into one of her rare, genuine grins.
"Ehehehe…" She giggled, blushing lightly. "I guess we don't want to let our juniors down, then."
Shirabe nodded her agreement before she quickly resumed stretching, feeling Kirika redouble her efforts to help her do it just right. Shirabe's own slight smile took on a satisfied tinge. Kirika had always had worries about being useful to others, so being able to turn one of her neurosis on itself felt good. It sure beat shielding her from the harsher criticism that circulated online or their current tiff with Maria…
Shirabe's good mood fell at that thought, a frown working across her face as she paused to stare at her feet. A complicated worm of anger tinged with guilt worked its way through her gut, along with gnawing doubt.
Was she being unreasonable? It was all done by now. The former Director Jianjun was now in a quiet retirement on the edge of Tokyo, tacitly now out of sight of the Chinese Government and keeping himself out of trouble under SONG's watch. The Horsemen's influence in China had been shattered. And Director Ogawa had noted that the severance of material shipments led to the Horsemen making increased canvasses on various black markets, a clear sign of some material difficulty. It had worked out for them.
And yet…
Midori's quiet, warm laughter flickered through her memory. A laugh that she would never hear again outside of her memories. A laugh that was betrayed by a man she had to help.
"Shirabe?" Kirika's worried voice snapped Shirabe out of her recrimination. The smaller girl quickly berated herself as she doubled forward to complete the stretches. It would do no good to worry Kirika and ruin what she had achieved so far.
"I'm okay." She said, quickly resuming the stretches. Kirika paused momentarily but didn't press.
They finished up soon after, the class filing out onto the track. They were going to test their speed first. The order had been randomized, but neither of the Zababa duo anticipated being up first, so they started towards some shade by the benches only to pause as they heard the PE teacher shout, "Tsukuyomi-san!"
Shirabe's head turned and she blinked a few times at the PE Teacher. The woman abruptly started at her gaze, before shrugging apologetically and pointing at the clipboard in her hand. Shirabe gave a sigh before glancing at Kirika, who simply flashed her a thumbs-up before jogging off towards their usual spot.
Taking her place at the starting position, Shirabe glanced at the other four girls on the track with her. There was Aimi, looking unenthusiastic as ever. She didn't personally know the nervous-looking green-haired girl, but the fourth person…
Ayumi Miyoshi was their class's lead runner. As the brown haired girl noted Shirabe looking her way, she grinned excitedly and brushed back the bangs she let drape over her blue eyes. "Hope all this stuff being out means you'll stop holding back. I kinda wanna see if I could really beat a genuine heroine."
Shirabe blinked for a moment, before shrugging. "It's nothing, Miyoshi-san. I'm sure you'll do well."
"Aww, c'mon!" Ayumi pressed, pouting a little. For a moment, Shirabe considered pointing out that her physical capabilities outside of her Symphogear weren't enhanced that much, but then she shrugged that off and simply leaned forward into a ready stance. Whether she decided that was an acceptance of the challenge or just decided not to press further, Ayumi quickly followed as well along with the other girls.
"Ready. Set…" The Teacher announced, "Go!" The pop gun fired. And they were off.
Though it was September, it was still summer. The humidity should have quickly brought Shirabe short of breath. She should have begun to sweat in short order. The droplets should have clung to her like leeches, slowly rolling down her skin and refusing to evaporate in the wet heat.
It wasn't until she hit the first corner that Shirabe realized none of that was happening. The signs of tiredness, the leadening of her limbs that should have signaled her slowing… they weren't coming. She felt as spry as when she had stepped out onto the track.
She turned the next corner and only then did she realize she didn't see Ayumi. Shirabe glanced over her shoulder and almost tripped over herself in shock as she spotted the class's star athlete only just hitting the previous corner. Ayumi herself looked as surprised as Shirabe's felt, but as their eyes met the expression vanished. The runner's eyes hardened with determination and she pushed forward with a burst of effort…
… And barely made any progress in closing the distance.
Despite the warmth outside and her continued stride, Shirabe's insides twisted coldly. She had trained plenty during August, but entirely with her fellow adaptors. Elfnein's medical inspections had become much less frequent since they returned from China. They had never considered how they might compare to human baselines by now or how that might manifest on the field. They should have realized this was coming after that incident back in China when Maria, Hibiki, and Miku outran a crowd of fans.
The teacher's blow of the whistle jolted Shirabe out of her concerns. She hadn't even realized she had crossed the finish line already. She staggered to a halt, arresting her momentum before shuffling awkwardly. The teacher stared at one of the stopwatches before her in disbelief, her eyes darting between them and the scorecard in her.
"School… no, prefectural record?" She muttered, just loud enough that Shirabe picked it up. The teacher shook her head after another moment before nodding to Shirabe. "Alright, Tsukuyomi-san, you made your point."
Then she put her whistle into her mouth and blew it again. "Ayumi! You know to pace yourself better than that!"
"S-sorry, s-sensei!" Ayumi's halting reply caused Shirabe to turn to find the class star doubled over, wheezing as she shook her head. The girl had thrown everything she had into just trying to catch up with Shirabe and failed. Taking pity on the brunette, Shirabe grabbed an extra water bottle and went over to the athlete, proffering it silently.
"Thanks." Ayumi wheezed, though she only took a quick gulp before she looked up at Shirabe. "But jeez, when I said stop holding back I didn't think…" She shrugged, before shaking her head and chuckling good-naturedly. "Well, heh, guess that's what I get for challenging a superheroine!"
"Sorry." Shirabe shifted awkwardly, "I didn't really mean to—"
"Nah," Ayumi waved her off, "As I said: I was the one who made the challenge. I'd ask ya to join the track team on behalf of the club, but I'm guessing you've already got your hands full with the terrorists and everything…"
Shirabe nodded at that, wiping away sweat that wasn't all from the heat. Her eyes quickly darted towards the crowd of the rest of her class, most of the girls were chattering excitedly with each other over her performance. They didn't seem to clue into the fact that Shirabe's performance was that abnormal. Had it not been in the leaked files? Or maybe her classmates hadn't read the material all that carefully?
Now Shirabe was really glad she hadn't tried to correct Ayumi's misperceptions. She might have been facing some awkward questions. Then she looked at Kirika, sitting in the shade and with Kawada sitting a respectful distance next to her. Kirika was glancing at the other girls just as worriedly as Shirabe had been, but Kawada had her eyes on Shirabe, a puzzled frown on her face.
"Okay, Teramoto-san. Good job hanging in there!" At the teacher's voice, Shirabe turned to see Aimi stagger across the finish line. The haggard girl's appearance actually reminded her of Chris after a particularly hard workout. Had Shirabe not been so caught up in her unusually high performance, she might have laughed at the sight.
Grabbing a water bottle, she walked over to offer it to Aimi. Her friend-slash-fan seized the bottle like it was a lifeline, chugging away before releasing a loud sigh of relief. "That's… just what I needed. God, this heat." Aimi shook her head, before grinning widely at Shirabe. "But you, Tsukuyomi-san! You were amazing! I didn't know you could do that sorta thing even without your Symphogear!"
Again, Shirabe shifted uncomfortably a moment before she just quietly offered Aimi a shoulder to help the sputtering girl back towards where Kawada and Kirika sat. Behind them, the teacher was already calling on a new set of names.
"Shirabe!" When the two drew near, Kirika couldn't keep the concern out of her voice as she leapt up, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Kiri-chan." Shirabe said. Kawada's questioning stare bore into her. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer. She turned her own stare right back on her. "What is it, Kawada-san?"
At that Kawada flinched, she steeled herself, opened her mouth… then shut it again before glancing away. "N-nothing."
"Akatsuki-san, you're up!" The teacher's voice called out.
"Coming!" Kirika shouted before glancing in concern towards Shirabe. Shirabe gave a confused shrug in return.
"Make sure to pace yourself, I guess."
"Ah!" Kirika nodded, "Got it!" And with that, she took off at a jog towards the track start line.
As Shirabe sat down, Kawada gave another glance and frowned at her before turning her attention back to Kirika. Unlike her classmates, Kawada had read the released documents, carefully and thoroughly. And she remembered how they had said that the enhanced physical abilities in the Symphogears did not translate outside of transformation.
"So then what on earth is this?" She wondered to herself as she watched Kirika run down the track, leaving the other girls — including ones who had always been faster than her in previous runs — in her dust.
—
Shiori splashed some water on her face and sighed with relief at the refreshing coolness. Careful not to let any drops slide down into her shirt, she grabbed a paper towel and quickly dried it off.
Straightening up, Shiori tried to fix her makeup. She had to straighten everything up just so nobody would notice when she got back to the others.
"I thought you would be in here."
Shiori paused momentarily at the sudden voice from behind her, fighting down the immediate urge to leap out of her skin. Leaning a little to the side, she brought Miku into view in the mirror before smiling a little and smoothly resuming her work.
"I didn't want to cause anyone any concern." Shiori answered, carefully tugging at a little loose eyeliner, "Particularly since Yumi is so busy with her new job."
Miku didn't answer at first and instead simply stared at Shiori intently as the blonde finished up her make-up. Finishing up her make-up, Shiori turned and cocked her head slightly, smiling serenely. "Can I help you, Kohinata-san?" She didn't give Miku time to respond to the question, however, moving immediately on. "You and Tachibana-san did amazingly in PE today."
Miku sighed, pushing off the wall she had been leaning against and said a single word. "Shiori-san."
Shiori winced, her smile plummeting off her face. Miku's simple utterance of her name seemingly stripping away the whole mask the oujo had put up, leaving her exposed. Barren of her disguise.
Pure.
She tried to recover, desperately scrambling for a new conversation piece. "You know, your eyes… their color shifts with the light?" She wanted to wince again at how lame that came out. She wasn't used to this. Being thrown off to begin with was something that never happened, let alone so… easily.
"I once wondered if anything ever got to you or not." Miku continued as she solemnly walked up to Shiori. "Before your concerns with Yumi-san, that is. And I will say, your mask is good. Amazing. But…" She laid a hand on the stunned blonde's shoulder. "It's—"
"Don't." Shiori breathed, allowing the first tremble through. "Don't say 'it's not my fault'. We knew something was wrong with Yumi. I knew that something was wrong with Yumi."
"But that is no reason to blame yourself." Miku continued, steadying her friend by grabbing the other shoulder. "I should know. I have been there."
"But it's so much more obvious!" Shiori struggled to keep her voice steady, a long ingrained habit wrestling with the emotions now churning up. She had to be polite. Be proper. Smile, so everything would be okay. But she couldn't get the smile back on her face. "She wasn't sneaking out at night. She was always right there, playing with that headset… that… awful machine! And then the militant bent her interests took. The exercise."
She couldn't help it. Shiori scowled, as if she could burn through the wall behind Miku, whose eyes she couldn't quite meet. "I should have smashed that thing across the street the night she showed it off!"
A snarl pulled across her face as Shiori spoke. A violent loathing that seethed over her eyes, unbecoming on the normally prim blondes face. Maybe if she turned around and smash her own reflection in the mirror, she could find some of the pain she deserved for missing what was happening to her beloved.
Then she stiffened and gasped as Miku pulled her into a hug. "If only it were so simple." She said, "If only we had the wisdom to see it all, the knowledge to put it all together before we all could be hurt by it."
The pressure in Shiori overflowed, the jagged cracks in the dam rupturing. She began to cry, sobbing into Miku's shoulder. Miku just held her friend and let the tears flow, stroking her hair comfortably.
And Shiori had never thought crying could feel so good. It was like some ritual, a sacrifice: tears in exchange for her pain. For the second time since Miku had entered the room, Shiori felt pure. But this time, it wasn't the purity of exposure, but of relief. A soft calm chasing away the storm of self-doubt.
As her sobbing died down, Shiori blinked and shook her head a bit before pushing away. Miku let her friend go, "Feeling better?"
Shiori took a deep breath before smiling anew and nodding. "Yes… I'm fine."
"Shiori…" Miku's soft expression fell slightly as her eyes narrowed. "That's not what I asked."
"But--" Shiori's objection was cut off by Miku's raised hand.
"You're not fine." Miku's voice softened again as she looked away, her hand falling back to her side. "Maybe you think you are. Maybe you convinced yourself you are." Then she looked back, staring Shiori straight in the eyes. "But you are not. Not until you've sat down with Yumi and truly talked with her. About everything."
"But…" Shiori held a hand up to her chest, her eyes falling. "She… wants to. I can't deny Yumi that. Especially not…" She paused, looking back to Miku. "Has she explained before? About her fear?"
"Yes." Miku blinked, "She told you?"
"From the outset." Shiori smiled again, but it was a smile tinged with a bittersweet sadness. "She confided in me that, right from the beginning. And after bearing her heart and soul just like that… to me…" She shook her head, "How could I object to that?"
Miku paused, tilting her head before she let out a sigh. The parallels all just kept adding up, more and more. God, was she glad she had gone through all this before. Miku only wished that she take Shiori's place, that she could do what she knew only Shiori could do. Had to do.
But all Miku could do was push.
"That only makes it even more urgent for you two to talk about it." Miku said after letting a few seconds tick by. "And for you to come clean with your feelings. Otherwise, it's all just going to eat you up from the inside until you explode again. And when it does…" Her eyes fell to the floor. "It may threaten to tear apart exactly that which you bottled it up to protect."
"At least this time, it shouldn't lead to the world almost ending." Miku thought irreverently. Shiori wasn't her after all. Not remotely as good at lying to herself The prior breakdown was proof enough. Had the roles been reversed, it would have taken more than a hug. Her ability at self-deception was just too much. But she had a lot more practice at it.
And maybe Shiori would have been a bit nicer about it too.
"Kohinata-san…" Shiori murmured, trailing off into uncertainty. Silence enveloped the two, the only sound the hum of the air conditioning. She fidgeted for another moment, finally opening her mouth…
The bathroom door banged open, causing the pair to jump as another third-year traipsed in laughing, her head turned over her shoulder to chat with a friend coming in behind her. "--And I just couldn't believe it, ya know? Some random truck driver? Really?!"
"Certainly far-fetched." Her friend agreed, though the easy smile on her face fell off into surprise as she noticed Miku up ahead, "Ah, Kohinata-sam—er-san!"
"Wha—" The lead girl blinked, her head whipping around to stare at Miku in shock. There was a several moments silence as the two stood there dumbly gawping at one of the local school celebrities.
Miku took advantage of the silence to glance towards Shiori, who had quickly turned back to the mirror and was putting on a show of adjusting her makeup again. Or possibly actually adjusting her makeup. She did just have a good cry after all. With that thought, she turned back to the new pair and put on a friendly smile, although even that gesture couldn't shake the suddenly awkward atmosphere in the room. "May I help you?"
"Oh, it's nothing!" The lead girl started at that, turning away and prodding at her friend's shoulder. "Sorry to bother you! We'll find another—!"
"Oh, no." Miku hastily interjected, but then she hesitated, glancing again at Shiori. "I was just about finished here anyway, please go ahead." Then she hastily stepped up to the sink next to Shiori, turning on the faucet to wash her hands. Sure she didn't exactly need to, but it made a good show without having to have her leave immediately.
Glancing up in the mirror, she saw the pair of girls hesitate for a moment, before exchanging a look and quickly walking down towards the stalls, disappearing into a pair. Miku sighed before glancing over at Shiori, keeping her voice low for their benefit. "Please, at least consider what I said. I've done all I can to help you, Shiori-san. The rest is on you." She lowered her head in apology. "I'm sorry I can't do more."
Shiori winced, turning to reply. But Miku pushed off and quickly moved for the door. With the heady mix of emotions from the conversation roiling in her stomach, she didn't even realize how fast she moved, by the time Shiori had completely turned around to track her movement, she was already out the door.
Shiori stared over her shoulder for a long moment, before breathing out a sigh. She leaned forward, steadying herself against the sink. She looked up, squinting into the glass, trying to determine who it was she saw in the reflection.
The steadfast oujo-sama, who chased for what she wanted and could face any surprise?
Or a girl who was going to allow her guilt and her fears about her emotions eat her alive?
Shiori shook her head. No, Miku was right. She had to talk with Yumi about everything. For the first time in a month, certitude crashed back into the blonde. And what a relief it was. Better than the cry she just had with Miku! She straightened up, squaring her shoulders, ready to face the world again.
But first she had to truly fix her makeup. She looked in the mirror, focusing on her eyeliner first…
Shiori's eyebrow furrowed, all her concerns being briefly replaced by curiosity. How odd. Not a speck of her makeup was out of place.
----
A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2022 sure feels like something, huh? I know this chapter was supposed to come out last month, but I slammed into a bit of writer's block around the middle of the month. I was able to overcome it around Christmas, so here we are!
The final scene was consciously modelled after a similar one in another Symphogear story by one of my beta's, Tiny Gay Robot's (AoO3 username) Down the Steps of Steeper Slumber. Only here there's a little role-reversal compared to that scene. You should read it by the way, it's fantastic.
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Chapter 41: From Protocol - Announcement of Cancellation
obssesednuker
Commander of 10 Million Men
- Location
- In the Kremlin, activating Perimtr.
I regret to inform everyone that I have made the decision to cancel Distortions. I had already been in a writing rut for the past several months, but with my new job, the start of my full career, I simply cannot devote the attention that the ambition of the story requires any more. In order to avoid leaving everyone hanging, I have decided to upload chapter 41 in it's incomplete state with an additional link to the story notes. I have already edited those notes with a rough outline of what I had intended for the story to come. I'd like to thank everyone here for their input and assistance with the story as it has developed. It means so much to me that you were willing to help me get this far.
Distortions - Chapter 41 - ObssesedNuker - Senki Zesshou Symphogear [Archive of Our Own]
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
archiveofourown.org
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! This is my favorite Symphogear story! 
It is so sad to know that it's being abandoned
It is so sad to know that it's being abandoned
neutronium95
Mad Rocketeer
- Location
- The launch pad
I'll admit that I fell off from this story a while back, but that was much more about me and my issues than anything to do with the quality of the writing. I really enjoyed what I read, and I hope that you come back someday in the future. There aren't too many long Symphogear fics, and Distortions was one of the best.
- Location
- in between
Thanks for the ride, buddy. I was glad to help what little I could.
Thy-Robocop
Fairy Chess Player
- Location
- Southampton
Bit late to the party, but I just wanted to add my thanks for writing the story. I'm sorry to hear that you are having to abandon it, but I can understand how things can be disrupted (one might say... distorted? XD) by changes in real life, both the good and the bad, and I especially wish you good luck with your new career as a teacher!
I'd also like to thank you for posting the rest of your story notes, and not leaving us hanging! It was really interesting to see where the story was headed, and taking a peek at the behind-the-scenes of the story and worldbuilding has been quite insightful, enough to inspire some ideas to include in my own stories ! I could probably go into more detail about all the pros and cons of posting story notes of abandoned stories, but I'd say it would be best to leave that for a separate discussion.
If I were to say the things that I liked about this story, then the thing I really enjoyed most was the ongoing fallout of the reveal of the truth to the world, and how the main cast reacted to it, as well as the world's reactions to them. The Four Horsemen group were also an interesting set of villains to see the Symphogears face against, with their unconventional and more realistic (for a magical girl show) tactics, and their concept of defeating the Symphogears with pure technology and no supernatural assistance.
One idea I really wanted to see developed more was the new Symphogear candidates recruited from around the world. I was a bit disappointed on how things turned out for Qiao Cai, and I'm still holding out for the possibility of her or others to become Symphogears themselves, even though I understand that it made sense in-universe for the Four Horsemen to shut down that option as soon as possible. Perhaps we could see this idea developed elsewhere as a short story AU?
In any case, thanks again for writing the story, and I wish you good luck for your future endeavours, whether they be in real life or in new stories in the Symphogear world or beyond!
I'd also like to thank you for posting the rest of your story notes, and not leaving us hanging! It was really interesting to see where the story was headed, and taking a peek at the behind-the-scenes of the story and worldbuilding has been quite insightful, enough to inspire some ideas to include in my own stories ! I could probably go into more detail about all the pros and cons of posting story notes of abandoned stories, but I'd say it would be best to leave that for a separate discussion.
If I were to say the things that I liked about this story, then the thing I really enjoyed most was the ongoing fallout of the reveal of the truth to the world, and how the main cast reacted to it, as well as the world's reactions to them. The Four Horsemen group were also an interesting set of villains to see the Symphogears face against, with their unconventional and more realistic (for a magical girl show) tactics, and their concept of defeating the Symphogears with pure technology and no supernatural assistance.
One idea I really wanted to see developed more was the new Symphogear candidates recruited from around the world. I was a bit disappointed on how things turned out for Qiao Cai, and I'm still holding out for the possibility of her or others to become Symphogears themselves, even though I understand that it made sense in-universe for the Four Horsemen to shut down that option as soon as possible. Perhaps we could see this idea developed elsewhere as a short story AU?
In any case, thanks again for writing the story, and I wish you good luck for your future endeavours, whether they be in real life or in new stories in the Symphogear world or beyond!
- Location
- in between
Glad to hear you enjoyed! Ironically, there was actually an idea me and Nuker plotted out for a sequel at one point involving XDU. Might still have those notes somewhere...
Thy-Robocop
Fairy Chess Player
- Location
- Southampton
That sounds interesting, would love to hear more about it.
And I guess I should be thanking you too, for the forum post omakes for this story! I expecially liked the reactions to the interviews, and the TACHIBANA WHY moment. I haven't read many of the other Symphogears stories on SV, but I'd be surprised if this hasn't become a meme here already.
Back a few years ago (and blimey it is getting on to being years ago, man how time flies!) I did start a collaborative project called Maho Social, which was about magical girls communicating via forum posts. The project sadly didn't take off, but had it continued I can definitely imagine that it would look very much like what you have written to support Nuker's story. Indeed, rereading them again has inspired me to pick up some of my stories again, so I have to thank you for that too!
- Location
- in between
I'm very glad to hear it! I might post something about the intended sequel later, if @obssesednuker is okay with it.