Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, folks! As many of you may know, Fanfiction went a bit... wonky with us in a way where we were unable to read any new chapters for a while. Due to that, I decided to hold off on this update until the situation was fixed. And it was unexpectedly a long wait... SO! Now that that's all fixed up, and we are back to being able to read the latest updates of whatever stories we wish to read, say hello to the newest chapter of Symphogear XD: Free the Hearts and Dreams with a Song! In this long chapter, we have ourselves the second part to our characters' bonding session. How will this session go? Well then... That we will find out!

With Guren, after spending some time reminiscing the past, she was in the shopping district, just having left the cafe from playing some piano for the kids, and was just wandering aimlessly, eating a pastry she got before she left. While everyone else was either training or still forging their bonds, she still struggled. Yes, she wasn't keeping the Symphogear Girls away from the fight, and yes, she was at least trying to be less rude to them. However, there was a part of her that wondered if this really was for the best. Mostly the part that was stubborn to be wrong like she was before. With how things were now, she was unable to make an answer.

Just then, she heard a couple people nearby asked, "Who's that little girl?"

"She looks so interesting. Is she a cosplayer?"

Guren's ever-present eavesdropping caught this detail, wondering if it was someone of interest to her. Could it be Sophia? She looked to where they were looking, and was a little surprised. It wasn't Sophia, but rather Lavenza, window-shopping as she examined a gift shop. This was surprising for Guren, only because it was not in the norm for the Velvet Room attendant to be out and about like a normal person.

"So these are what humans afford to satisfy their hearts?" Guren heard her mutter. "Many of these are rather trifle little trinkets. Although... I wonder if I should get one for the Master when he returns."

"Lavenza?" Guren addressed her, getting her attention.

"Oh. Hello, Realizer," Lavenza greeted in response.

Guren was a bit uncomfortable at being just called a 'Realizer', considering she was rather forced to become one, rather than not being the true one like Akechi. However, considering it was Lavenza, she chose not to correct her. Instead, she asked, "What are you doing here? Kind of unusual for you to be out here without Ren with you."

"Considering the Trickster is busy with improving his bond with the Symphogear User, I believe it would be best not to distract him in such a task that could improve our chances at besting the one who brings turmoil to this world," Lavenza answered. "Besides, I felt an urge to go and experience the world outside of the S.O.N.G Headquarters, so I decided to, as you say, stretch my legs." She began doing leg stretching exercises at the last three words.

"It's... not quite that literal of an expression." She kept forgetting that Lavenza was not completely use to the terms humans regularly use, or how they live.

Lavenza stopped stretching, looking up at Guren for a second. "I can tell something is troubling you, Realizer. Do you need some assistance?"

"Well..." Guren wasn't sure if she should say anything. However, considering Lavenza's position, her opinion might be more important than anyone else. "I am still concerned about having those people get involved in this fight. I know that our enemy uses alchemy and Alca-Noise, and their weapons are important in taking them down, but... are you satisfied with having people who are not Persona users to fight against Shadows?"

"Humans with different powers from ours, they may be. However, I would say they are not too different from the Phantom Thieves. Additionally, they are important in stopping an adversary who is using the power of this world and the Metaverse."

"Yeah, I know. But still, a battle this important and dangerous. I just... I don't want to hold responsibility to them getting killed."

"Realizer, you may not have noticed, but those girls have all ended up fighting in battles where the fate of the world was involved more times than even I can see," Lavenza stated. "I have researched their past confrontations. Not only fights against Noise and Alchemists, but monsters of many other sorts, deities comparable to gods, humans who chose to bring the world to ruin out of their own selfishness and trauma, or even fighting amongst themselves when one has lost their way. And they did so in many alternate worlds, as well. Their accomplishments are even more impressive than yours, if I may be frank. I do not believe they are capable of dying as easily as you think."

Guren was a bit taken aback. She kinda expected that these girls had their fair share of skirmishes, but for Lavenza not only list out the enemies they had to fight, but even state they were more impressive than the Phantom Thieves was not something she would say lightly.

"I am rather curious about all of those who wield the Symphogear, but the one I am most intrigued by is the one named Tachibana Hibiki," Lavenza continued, deciding to walk along the street, with Guren following her.

"The monkey girl? She's that interesting to you?" Guren asked, finding it hard to believe that she caught her attention.

"Yes. From the records I have seen, she has not only experienced many things the others have not, but brought all those girls together, and even performed miracles comparable to the Trickster. I would go so far as to say that she could very well be the 'Trickster' of this world; one who has defied not only her own fate, but the fate of those around her, friends and foes alike."

"Well, she certainly doesn't seem that way to me. But I guess after witnessing her and Ren unleashing that combination technique so easily, I can tell they do think more alike than I'd like to admit."

Lavenza looked back at her. "Realizer, I know that the God of Control has resulted in how your heart has taken shape today, but do not let that cloud your judgement of others. You have already proven you are able to surpass even what he tried to turn you into, and still sided with the Trickster and his friends instead of leading the world to ruin. In order to prevent yourself from leading both worlds to ruin, you must learn to defy that fate by fighting alongside this world's Trickster and her friends."

"In other words, I have to allow the Symphogear Users to fight alongside us to stop the enemy," Guren sighed, but was able to see reason in Lavenza's words. She didn't want her own stubbornness to result in the ruin that she spoke of, after all. "Guess I'll just have to figure out how I can tolerate all this. It won't be easy, but I'll at least try to open up to them a bit more. Thanks for the talk, Lavenza."

The Velvet room attendant smiled back at her.

"As a reward, is there anywhere you want to go here? I wouldn't mind taking you to some places I learned here and there," the thief then offered.

"There are a few places that have peaked my interest," Lavenza answered. "Those girls spoke of a place called 'Flower' as a place of nourishment. I would like to know if it is as delectable as they stated."

"Sure. I'll take you there. Follow me. It's not too far off."

Back at headquarters, after they had lunch, the group decided to split up in their pairs to deepen their bonds with their respective thief/gear user. Even though Guren's willing to play her piano to the girls, they decided it wouldn't hurt to master the Showtime Duet, as Haneru called it, in case if the girl couldn't play for them. That, and after they heard of loss and sorrow, the Phantom Thieves thought it was a good idea to clear the Gear User's heads somehow.

With Ryuji and Miku, the pair were on another jog together. The two were practically neck-to-neck, having yet another friendly race between them. By the time they were done, they sat at a bench, each with a bottle of water in hand.

"Man, we ran a lot today," Ryuji sighed.

Miku recalled the guy was still in rehab with his knee and apologized, "Sorry. I guess I got too into our run."

"Don't apologize; my knee's fine. If anything, I feel all the more refreshed. It's been a while since I had a serious run like that. In fact, it makes me wonder even more why you quit the track team. I know I said you don't have to tell me, but I can't help but get more curious. What made you quit?"

Miku was hesitant to answer. She knew Ryuji was a really nice guy, but she was also afraid of what he, a person passionate for track, would think if she told him why she stopped track. Then again, Miku also knew if she kept it in, it may impact their future battle against the Alca-Noise, Shadows, and Alca-Shadows.

"It's kind of silly but, the truth is... I get really, really competitive back when I ran in track," she began. "Back then, I thought of everyone as a rival and only thought about winning. I never wanted to see anyone from behind, and only saw them as an obstacle..."

"Hmm... I kinda get ya," Ryuji admitted. "I mean, who isn't competitive when they are out on the track field? You're just afraid you could never allow yourself to be an equal with someone else afterwards."

"Right! After being with Hibiki for so long, I was afraid of thinking of her as an obstacle. I didn't want that. I wanted to stay by her side. So, I gave up track and field as a result," Miku said, brightened up at the fact that her companion understood her feelings toward track.

"But isn't that what you want? What about Hibiki?"

Miku was confused with the question. "What about her?"

"I mean, would she really allow herself to slow down her close friend, instead of letting them succeed?" Ryuji's next question took her off guard. "I know my friends won't. In fact, Ren inspired me to get back into the track team, even with my knee. Before I met him, I pretty much kept to myself, feeling like I betrayed the track team thanks to what Kamoshida did. I was just some punk who was called the 'Track Traitor' because I let them down. I ended up causing our team to be disbanded because I stood up to that guy. However, Ren got me to get back up and fight against him again, regardless of my reputation. That's how I ended up becoming one badass Phantom Thief."

"That's how you gained your power?" Miku asked, recalling on what they told before about unlocking their power through their rebellious will.

"Yeah. After that, me, Ren, Morgana, Ann, Haneru, Mia, and Guren. We all went and changed that bastard's heart, and made him confess his crimes. As for me, during my second year in high school, Ren and I worked together to get myself back into better shape, and we even helped reform the track team back at school to be better. However, I knew I wanted to run again, so that's why I went to rehab. It's kept me away from everyone for a while, but we all came back together again to spend our summer vacation, better than ever."

"Wait, where are you going with this?" Miku asked, suddenly realizing they were getting off track to where they were before.

"Oh, right. Guess I got into my life story without realizing. I, uh... I guess what I was trying to say is that my friends push me to do better, just like how I want them to do their best. We're all competitive in our own way, but we're still friends in the end. I'm saying you don't have to hold back to consider Hibiki's feelings. I bet she wants you to go at your hardest, like how you want her to be the best she can be. Ain't I right?"

"Well... I do want Hibiki to stay the same person as she always has been. She has grown as a person, but I don't dislike it. I especially don't after gaining Shenshoujìng, as I can now fight with her, instead of sitting on the sidelines."

"Then stop worrying about whether you find her as an obstacle," Ryuji told her. "You like your friend, and proved it to her time and time again. Now, you should think about yourself, and what you wanna do."

"Isn't that a bit selfish?" Miku questioned. "What if I just turn back to the person I was?"

"Then don't. Be competitive, but not in the way that you'll hate yourself. Hell, I'll bet anything Hibiki and the others'll definitely be behind you one hundred percent. Besides, I bet my rehab that if you do show signs of going back to that person, Hibiki will be there to drag you back to your original self. She kind of reminds me of Ren, and at one point, he helped us remember who we were when we lost our way."

Miku looked down in thought at those words. When Ryuji puts it that way, she knew he was right. She couldn't count the number of times she was saved by Hibiki when she lost her way. When she was swayed and controlled by Dr. Ver in using the Shenshoujing of her world, when she became controlled by Shem-Ha... It was thanks to Hibiki Miku was still as she was today, and she knew it.

"Looks like you got your own answer," Ryuji noticed. He then stretched his arms out with a sigh. "Man, I actually really feel like a proper senpai, now!"

Miku sweatdropped at that. "I don't think a 'proper senpai' would actually say that."

"Ah, don't kill the mood." Ryuji gulped down the last of his water and tossed it in a trash can. "Okay! I'm thinking of going for another run. Another race?"

Miku was all in for that, as she also finished her drink and tossed it in the trash. "Where's the goal?"

With Ann and Shirabe, the pair were at a cafe, enjoying some nice parfait together. Well, one of them was.

"Mmm~ This chocolate parfait is out of this world~!" Ann commented.

Shirabe simply nodded, absentmindedly eating her dessert. While she knew how important it was to bond with her partner Phantom Thief at the moment, she honestly couldn't find a way to even have a decent conversation with her. For one thing, she didn't really know how to start up a conversation. If it was Kirika, Maria, or Serena, or any of the other Symphogear Users, she'd be fine having a conversation, especially with Kirika. Unfortunately, she wasn't with any of them. In fact, she was actually quite nervous. Sure they had a bonding session once before at the mall, which led to her getting an autograph for Kirika, but even so... She wasn't sure how to go forward with this.

"Is something wrong, Shirabe?" Ann asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? No. Nothing's wrong," she answered.

"You sure? You look like you're troubled about something."

"No. I'm fine." Shirabe said nothing else, and stuffed her mouth with another spoonful of her treat.

Ann knew the look Shirabe had on her face. The doubtful, worried look she had was clear as day, and one she had seen before in her own reflection. "Am I a bit too awkward for you?" she asked.

"No, that's not it," the Shul Shagana User answered.

"I know I speak a lot at times, but I do want to have you get a say in the matter. You shouldn't bottle yourself up around me, and just tell me anything that's on your mind. Otherwise, we won't get anywhere like this."

Shirabe knew she was right, but even so, it was not like she could just tell her she didn't know how to start a conversation. For one thing, it'd be quite embarrassing.

"Let me guess; you aren't even sure where to even start, huh?" Ann guessed.

Her assumption was so accurate, Shirabe coughed out some of her parfait. "H-How did you...?"

"I thought so... Truth is, I kind of know where you've been." Those words caught the younger teen's attention. "You're with someone you don't know too well, you're not very sociable, and most of all, you don't know how to start a conversation with the person as well as you would to a friend."

"You speak as though you were in the same situation once," Shirabe noticed.

"That's because I was. I mentioned once before that I'm quarter American. It's because of that I was isolated by my peers back home, before I became a Phantom Thief. I was living abroad for a while, before returning to Japan. My parents were not around, as they traveled about, and I was an outcast to everyone else in my school. I was convinced I didn't have a place to be in. At least, in my world. That is... until a girl came up and bluntly told me my painting sucked."

"That was quite rude of her."

Ann chuckled at that. "Yeah, it kind of was. Except, the way she said it, it wasn't out of malice. Not only that, she was the first and only person who actually approached me, and the girl who became my best friend, Shiho Suzui." Shirabe was surprised to hear that. "Ironic, isn't it? The girl who insulted my painting became my best friend. And the best friend anyone could ever had. Heck, she was too good a friend for someone like me..."

"What do you mean?" Shirabe asked.

It was then, she realized it was the wrong thing to say, as Ann had a gloomy look in her eyes.

"... Remember back when we told you about Palaces, and Ryuji mentioned a PE teacher in our school harassing female students? My friend and I... We were two of his victims." The Gear User was shocked to hear that. "I know it was bad for Ryuji, especially after he broke his leg, and he was physically abusing the volleyball team. But for me... Unlike everyone else, I wasn't doing it for my sake, but for Shiho's."

"For Shiho?" Shirabe echoed.

"She was part of the volleyball team at our school, and that bastard Kamoshida used her position as a bargaining tool. If I didn't act like his girlfriend, she would lose her position in the team." Ann gripped her spoon hard at the memories of those times she had to be with that monster. "I did all I could, all for Shiho's. I thought following his orders would be enough, as it would protect my best friend. I endured for her sake, no matter what he asked, or the false rumors that people told of our relationship. However... at one point, it went to far. He wanted me to come home with him, and you can guess what he really meant by that. You are at the age, after all." Shirabe only needed a second to realize what she meant, and already gained hatred for the man Ann spoke of. "I tried to make every excuse not to do that. And in the process... Kamoshida went after Shiho instead."

"That man... He sounds horrible," Shirabe muttered, not wanting to imagine what happened to the girl.

"Disgusting, isn't it? All this time, I endured being that bastard's girlfriend to ensure my best friend's position on the team, only to get that very friend into the problem in the worst way possible. Bad enough that happened, it even drove Shiho to... commit suicide. She survived, but I became furious with Kamoshida. I wanted to exact my revenge on what he had done to her. That's when I overheard Ren and Ryuji talking about getting revenge for what he did."

"And it led to you getting to the Metaverse and gain a Persona," Shirabe caught on, still in shock with what she heard.

"Yeah. After that, we managed to have Kamoshida get a change of heart. Frankly, I wanted to kill him for what he did, but doing that wouldn't solve much of anything. Instead, I felt he should be locked away by the law, forever haunted by the acts he had done. He should suffer, but not by death."

The words made Shirabe shudder. It was both amazing and creepy coming from Ann's mouth to speak about how she exacted her revenge against him in the end. Ann noticed her expression and responded, "Sorry. I guess I got off topic, didn't I? I wanted to talk about how to speak up to a good friend, and I ended up making it a story about me."

"No, it's okay," Shirabe assured. "I didn't know... you went so far for your friend's sake. Speaking of, is she doing okay?"

"Oh, yeah. She went through therapy and is doing a lot better, now," Ann answered. "She had to transfer to a different school, but we stay in touch with one another. I hope to see her again, one day."

"I know you will. You two are close, and you did everything you could to save her. It... kinda reminds me about what happened between Kiri-chan and I at one point."

"Did you do something to protect her?" Ann questioned, feeling that she had a sort of connection with herself.

"Sort of, though it was more her trying to protect me," Shirabe answered. "It was during a time where Kiri-chan, Maria-san, and I were on opposing sides with Hibiki-san, Tsubasa-san, and Chris-senpai. The three of us were part of a group of people were descendants of Fine, a person who was going to be reincarnated into one of us."

"Reincarnated? How was that possible?" Ann asked.

"She was cursed to be constantly reborn in one of her descendants every time she died. One of us was suppose to be next in line. Maria claimed to be the next reincarnation of her, and Kiri-chan and I believed her. However, when the truth came out, Kiri-chan feared she was the next reincarnation. I ended up getting captured by S.O.N.G, once I realized what we were doing at the time was wrong. However, Kiri-chan was still going through with it, wanting to stop me while she was still herself. We fought with all we had against each other. It was a hard battle for me."

"That's horrible... But I guess losing who you are to something else beyond your control just scared Kirika into doing the things she did."

"That's true, except... she wasn't the one Fine's soul ended up in. It was me."

"What?!" Ann gasped, causing some people nearby to stare. She noticed the attention, and brought her voice down. "So, does that mean that you...?"

"No. I'm not Fine," Shirabe answered. "I was saved by her, though. When Kirika realized I was the true incarnation, the guilt she felt almost made her commit suicide. I managed to save her... and almost died myself. Fine gave up her life to save my own."

"She sounds like a really honorable person."

"She actually played the role of villain throughout our world's history, and had been involved with many great wars and other tragic historical events."

The facts really made Ann take a second guess at what she had just said. "Well... I guess she had a change of heart. Makes me wonder if there are people like us in this world."

"There is. Hibiki," Shirabe answered. "I was opposed to her ways when I first met her, but she ended up winning me over in the end. She's become an amazing person that all of us seem to rally behind."

"Just like Ren," Ann compared. "He was the reason I continued to be a Phantom Thief, and was the biggest reason why I am the person I am today. No wonder he and Hibiki work so well together." The two of them giggled at this statement. "Well, at least you and I finally have a conversation. I was worried for a while that I couldn't get anything out of you."

"Yeah... I'm so use to my other friends, I don't know how to talk with others," Shirabe stated. "Kinda makes me think on how I was able to work together with Tsubasa-san at one point."

"Ooh, why don't you tell me about that?" Ann suggested. "And if you need to ask me about anything, let me know."

"Okay." At her own answer, Shirabe wondered what to ask. She had thought for a second about how Ann avoided being a nude model for Yusuke, but decided it was best she didn't follow through with that. Still, she wanted to know about Ann, and hoped she could gain a strong bond with her.

To the other pairing in question, the senpai was teaching his kouhai all about dancing. They went through exercises, and had gone through the routine Haneru set up for her. One would think that a Symphogear User would have a slight talent for dance, given their musical background, and how three of the nine are idols, however...

"You're one step behind the beat! Pick it up!"

"D-Death...!"

"Your arm movements are too loose! Tighten it up!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

Yeah... Kirika was having a hard time once Haneru switched to 'strict dance teacher' mode. She was going through the last parts of the music, dancing to the routine she watched Haneru do a couple times, but she still struggled. This was amplified slightly by the orders shouted from Haneru as she tried to keep up.

"Get ready for the final moves, and... pose!" Haneru shouted, and Kirika entered the final pose of her dance. Just as she was about to relax, Haneru barked, "Hold it for a few seconds after the song is over!" She stiffened her pose, more out of nerves from Haneru, waiting for a few seconds. Haneru then gave the call, and she relaxed, panting heavily.

"Hmm..." Haneru hummed, thinking back on the routine. "It is pretty sloppy. I know you only just started, but I thought you would pick it up quicker than this, considering your music background."

"I'm a singer, not a dancer- death!" Kirika exclaimed. "I really don't know how Maria and Tsubasa-senpai do it..."

"With hard work and time. They are professional idols, so they had to go through a lot of training regiments to get to who they are right now. Besides, if you think I am tough, try meeting some of my coaches. They were tougher than I am."

"Death..." Kirika whimpered, already guessing what kind of people they were.

Haneru could tell he was wearing her down pretty badly. "Let's... take a small break, okay?"

"Thanks..." she weakly thanked him, walking towards a bench and sat down on it. Haneru pulled out a bottled water from his bag and tossed it to Kirika, causing her to fumble, but managed catch it.

"I'm probably doing the exact opposite of 'harmonizing our hearts'. Sorry about that," he apologized, sitting right next to her, taking his own bottle and drinking his water.

"I don't get it. You are so different when you flip off your otaku switch- death," Kirika noted. "From studying hard in your homework, to your aggressive training regiment- death. You are completely different to what you claim yourself to be- death."

"It's all part of me. I did homework so I can enjoy my otaku life. I was like that even before my change."

"Before your change? What do you mean- death?" Kirika questioned.

Haneru looked up, thinking back to when his life had changed. "Back in my old hometown, I was a very solemn kind of guy, and not very sociable. I was still the total otaku back then, but I didn't try to make friends. Anyone I tried to to be friends with found me too weird, so I ended up giving up on that. I was always dreaming of having friends, being a hero, but I never really acted on those impulses. Course, it was also a problem due to my evil landlord."

"Eh? Evil landlord- death?"

"Yeah, he was pretty tough, ruling with an iron fist on the apartment complexes he owned, including my mom and I. And when his house was damaged, he ended up putting all the blame on me, and made others believe I was the culprit, too. Not to mention he was enraptured by my mom. And on the week we planned to move, he even placed up a huge bill on us just out of spite for me, and to make sure I left and mom stayed."

"What a load of crap- death! That sounds just as bad as Guren-san's life- death!" Kirika stated.

"Yeah. And he was the first person I ended up pursuing as a Phantom Thief," Haneru stated. "I gained the Meta-Nav at that point, and ended up going into his Palace, where I learned many horrible things, including how he really hated me only because I reminded him of my father, a guy who saw through a crime of his at one point, ending his former career as a police officer, and a corrupt one at that. In fact, he staged his house getting damaged and put the blame on me out of spite."

"What the crap! Why would anyone do something like that-death?!" Kirika demanded angrily.

"Hey, I wasn't the only one, as our leader, Ren, had a similar experience of someone setting him up for his life to be ruined," Haneru pointed out. "But anyways, after hearing all of that, from his hatred of my dad being directed towards me, to his lust for my mother, it caused me to rage. I refused to let someone like that keep going and not pay for their actions. I was done wishing I was a hero, and decided to fight people like him head on, and if people see me as a hero, villain, or anti, I didn't care, so long as I become the person I really am deep down. So, I unlocked the power to use a Persona after that, and took up the name 'Kong'; not just to work with the monkey reference that was like my mask, but also to be strong and one not to be messed with."

Kirika was pretty amazed at Haneru's backstory. He looked and acted like a goofball, but deep down, he had a sense of resolve and a pride that he held strong to, becoming his true self, and not caring what other people think.

"After that, and moving to a place close to Shibuya, things only got crazier," Haneru continued, smiling as he thought back on all the things he had done. "I ended up becoming part of the Phantom Thieves, found a dance team, learned to dance on a competitive level, gained a girlfriend, and saved the world. I had to seriously get better and mature more with all that I had to go through. In the end, I found my calling in wanting to become a professional dance teacher."

"So, why a dance teacher- death?" Kirika asked, intrigued by his choice of profession.

"I want to be a person who can bring others to do their very best, and express their true selves through dancing. That's why I try so hard. Also, because I want to make sure I get Sae's approval to stay with her younger sister. She's a tough person to gain the approval of."

"Seeing Makoto, I can't imagine what her older sister is like- death..."

"Here, I got a picture." Haneru grabbed his smartphone, scrolled through the pictures, and showed a photo. It was a picture of him, Makoto, Mia, and Sae together, before Mia left to Brazil to be an international doctor. From Kirika's perspective, she saw Sae as a mature woman, much like Maria, with the same authoritative vibe as her.

"Death... She reminds me a lot of Maria-san- death..." Kirika compared.

"Except Maria isn't a former public prosecutor turned to defense attorney," Haneru pointed out. "It would be too difficult to explain everything, but she had gone through a lot because of us being the Phantom Thieves, too. Especially with Makoto. She's even had me take kickboxing lessons with her. She is very tough..."

"I bet- death..." Kirika muttered, as Haneru placed his phone away.

"You know, I spoke about myself a lot, but I don't know a whole ton about you," Haneru realized. "So spill it. Why don't you tell me about yourself."

Kirika looked a bit surprised at this. "Like what- death?"

"Let me see... Oh! How about you tell me how you became part of S.O.N.G? I would like to know that, along with how you became a Symphogear User."

Haneru could tell, a second he made this request, that he might've touched a bit of a difficult subject. She looked a bit nervous upon this request, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to answer. He wasn't sure if he should press her, however, Lavenza's words did slightly echo in his head on how they needed to 'harmonize their hearts'.

He then patted her on the shoulder and stated, "It's okay if you don't want to tell me right now. I just want to know about you, since you know so much about me."

"Well..." she muttered, feeling really nervous now. It was a backstory that had a lot of pain for her, and one that she worried Haneru would judge her for. However, she decided that she was gonna at least try to start out, only to let Haneru know about her. "I don't really know about my earlier life, but I was part of a group known as F.I.S. Maria-san, Shirabe, this world's Serena, and I were all part of the research institute. We gained our relics, and were experimented on during that time."

"Experimented on? What for?" Haneru asked in surprise. Based on how she wasn't even adding 'death', this was a bit of a serious topic.

"We were all descendants of a person named 'Fine', who founded the institute. One of us was going to be the next vessel for Fine, after she died. She had lived her life being reborn from one vessel to another, and we were made to be the next. We went through so much harsh treatment in order to be ready to be her next vessel. A lot happened during that time..." She had a painful expression on her face, recalling some of the harsh treatments she had to go through, thanks to Fine, Dr. Ver, and Professor Nastassja.

"I can't imagine what you must've gone through..." Haneru muttered. "So, what happened that led you to being with S.O.N.G?"

"Well, after Fine died, we thought one of us was the next vessel for Fine," Kirika explained. "However, Dr. Ver, a crazy scientist, along with Professor Nastassja, or Mom as Maria-san, Shirabe, Serena and I called her, led us into a plan to try to save the world from the falling moon. We ended up doing a lot of bad things during that time, making enemies with the world, including with S.O.N.G. We fought Hibiki, Tsubasa, and Chris quite a bit during that time, while Maria-san pretended to be the reincarnation of Fine, even fooling Shirabe and I. Though, after we found out, I was convinced that I was the next reincarnation, due to an incident while I was protecting Shirabe." She looked even more guilty, as she curled up into a ball, continuing, "I even went along with Dr. Ver's plans, which even involved killing most of the people on the planet, and become the hero who saved humanity."

"Killing people in order to save them? That's a seriously confusing hero disorder," Haneru pointed out. "And you were okay with this?"

"I wanted to do what was right, before I lost myself to Fine. I even fought Shirabe when she changed sides. However, it was then that I learned that I wasn't the one who was the reincarnated Fine; Shirabe was."

"Shirabe was?! Then, is she...?"

"Fine is not possessing her now. She actually saved her when I... attempted to kill myself, only for Shirabe to take the blow instead. But after we stopped Dr. Ver, along with saving the world from both the moon and a monster called a Nephilim, we ended up turning ourselves into S.O.N.G. Now, we fight by Hibiki, Tsubasa, and Chris-senpai's side, and have been friends with them ever since. We've had a lot of other fights, mostly against Alchemists, but our bonds became stronger and stronger each time- death."

Haneru took the full story in, amazed at how she was able to be this upbeat girl, despite her background. I guess a lot can change, especially with friends around. He knew that from experience.

"I'm amazed, Kirika," he told her. "I really underestimated you. You are a lot stronger than I took you for. And you think dance practice is tough?"

"When you say it like that, after all I said, I almost feel like why am I complaining for- death?" Kirika questioned, causing the two to chuckle at one another.

"Well, I'm glad I got to hear all about you. I know that must've been difficult, but now that I know the dark sides of what you have gone through, I can fully accept you as the person you are, Kirika."

"Huh? What do you mean- death?"

"I mean, we have sides we are not exactly proud of. I didn't expect you to be this vulnerable of a person, and you probably don't like to show it either. However, if I couldn't accept that part of you, then us Phantom Thieves, who use our powers by unveiling our true, rebellious selves, would be considered hypocrites. So don't be afraid to show both your upbeat and vulnerable personality, Kirika."

Kirika was pretty amazed about how open and caring Haneru was. She was worried he would treat her differently, or more distantly considering her dark backstory. However, he was accepting it. This was something she had no idea how to respond to. However, once the initial shock was gone, she suddenly laughed at this.

"Man, you guys are seriously weird- death," she chuckled. "When I first met you, claiming to be a total otaku, I never expected to be this mature- death!"

"You're not the only one..." Haneru stated embarrassingly, rubbing the back of his head.

"However, hearing what you were, and what you decided to become, I'm pretty impressed- death. I got a little more respect for you, Haneru-senpai- death!"

"Thanks. Now let's get back to dancing again. Although, let's change up the routine. I want us to show our true selves in our dance routine, alright?"

"Sure! Let's do it- death!" Kirika exclaimed, ready to get back to dancing.

With Tsubasa and Makoto, the pair were at the former's workplace, where she was doing some rehearsal for a new song. The idol met up with the otherworlder on her way to work in Ogawa's car and offered her to come with, in which Makoto accepted.

"Wow... She's really good. I can hardly believe this is rehearsal," Makoto said to Ogawa.

"It's better for her to practice as though this is a real show rather than just a rehearsal," he said.

"Is it the same for the other girls or is it just her?"

"Tsubasa-san's the only pro idol in SONG. Though, Kanade-san is also a pro idol in her world, and Maria-san only does her idol work when singing in a duet with Tsubasa-san. Upon Tsubasa-san's request, that is."

"I see..."

It was silent between the pair, as they continued to watch Tsubasa rehearse. "Um... How was Sakura-san?" Ogawa asked.

"Guren's fine. She'll be just fine," Makoto answered. "This isn't the first time she was reminded of the death of someone close to her. As much as I want to do something to comfort her, at times like this, she's best left alone." She noticed Ogawa's worried expression still plastered on his face and said, "Of course, I'm worried for her, but she'll be fine after she gets it out of her system."

"If you say so." Just then, Ogawa's phone rang, and he went to answer it. "Hello? ... Yes... Yes... I understand. I'll be there soon." As he hung up his phone, he turned to Makoto and said, "I have to go. Got managerial work to take care of."

"I understand," she assured, letting the guy go.

After rehearsal was over, Tsubasa met back with the female thief. "Sorry for the wait," she apologized.

"I didn't wait long," Makoto said. "That was quite the rehearsal back there."

"Thinking of practice as the real thing helps in perfecting strategies. Whether it's in idol work or combat."

"I see. So, now that you're done with rehearsal, what do you want to do? I thought of some trust exercises we can do together. Of course, if you want, we can spar again."

"Actually... If it's possible, I was to talk to you about something."

"Huh? About what?"

Tsubasa looked around, knowing that where they were now was not really the right place to talk about what she wanted to talk to Makoto about. "Let's go somewhere to rest first."

The two stopped at a cafe, having some nice refreshments to drink.

"So... what did you want to talk about?" Makoto asked again.

"Back in that battle we had, before we became allies, was it true what you said?" Tsubasa spoke.

Makoto tilted her head at the question. "About... what?"

"Your father." That made her take a pause. "You said he also wanted to prevent the innocent from being suppressed, that he was the reason why you strive to be a police officer. But, didn't you say adults in your world are all...?"

"If that's true, Mia wouldn't be on our side," Makoto pointed out.

"That's true, but..."

The red-eyes girl leaned back in her seat. "My father isn't like most officers, or adults in general, really. Unlike most adults, he actually had a true sense of justice. So much so... he died on a case."

Hearing that made Tsubasa flinch. "He... He did?"

"Yeah. He was also one of the very few people Guren trusted and respected, and that's saying something, considering her life. Unlike many police officers at home, who believe in the voice of the true offenders and the fake evidences left in front of them, my father looked deeper in the cases revolving around her, and managed to prove her innocence."

A small smile formed on the idol's face. "Your father sounds like a great man."

"He was... It's embarrassing to say, but he was something like a hero to me. What about your father? What's he like?" Makoto asked, changing the subject to Tsubasa.

Tsubasa glanced away at the question. "It would... depend on which you mean exactly."

Her response confused Makoto. "What do you mean?"

"... I have a father who brought me to the world, and I had a father who raised me, who was also son of my birth father."

This surprised the otherworldly girl. "Wait... Are you telling me that...?"

"The father who raised me, who was Genjuro's older brother, was also my half-brother. He was the man I respect and admire. In fact, in order for me to achieve my dream of being an idol, he deliberately pushed me away from the Kazanari household. Not only that, but ever since I left home, he kept my room the way it was to remember me."

This made Makoto pause a bit, as she thought back to Tsubasa's apartment. 'If her apartment was like that, I can only wonder what her room back then looked like,' she thought. 'But then again, if it was purposely kept the was it was, it truly showed how much her father really cared about her.'

"Your father, the one who raised you, must've cared a great deal about you," Makoto said out loud.

"Yeah... To this day, I am grateful for everything he did for me. Even brought me back to the right path, when the father who gave birth to me... brainwashed me into doing horrible things to my comrades," Tsubasa added on, to her companion's horror.

"Your birthfather... did what?"

"I'm not proud of it, myself. I just couldn't believe I let myself be so blinded so easily. And here I am, suppose to be the sakimori who protects those who needed it."

Makoto reached across the table and held Tsubasa's hand. "There's no shame in making a mistake, no matter what the mistake was. There's only shame if you don't overcome it."

"You speak as though you know my situation well. To be used by my own family as nothing but a tool, and only coming back to my senses after another member of my family sacrificed his own life to protect me..." Tears started to form in Tsubasa's eyes as she thought back to her father/half-brother's final moments.

"You're right; I don't. But I know what it's like to have a complicated conflict against a member of your family." Those words made Tsubasa look up at her in confusion. "We told you about how Palaces come to be."

"That they were form by criminals who pick on the weak, criminals who are untouchable because of their position in society."

"Not all Palace owners are like that," Makoto stated. "My own sister... She also had a Palace."

Hearing that baffled the idol. "Your... sister...? But, I thought you said she helped in proving Guren's innocence."

"True as it was, it also helped in creating her Palace. My mother died giving birth to me, so growing up, Sis often acted as a mother I never knew. But then, when dad died in line of duty, things got more stressful for her, especially from the work pressure. She worked as a prosecutor back then, always finding ways to find people guilty of crimes they didn't do."

Hearing that surprised Tsubasa. "But... Wouldn't that mean she and Guren-?"

"Oh! Don't mistake me, though. Despite her occupation and Guren's curse at the time- or rather, it's because of her occupation- Sis often find ways to prove Guren's guilty by pinning the crime back to the people who actually committed them, or someone else entirely. And like I said before, Guren's curse helped in creating her Palace. Because of Sis's obsession over success back then, a Palace was formed, and that clouded her judgement, thus made her trust all the wrong people."

"And despite that, you had to do what was right and do to her what you did to the other Palaces..." Tsubasa spoke.

Makoto only nodded. "Yeah... But it was okay. Because of that, Sis is back to being the Sis I know and love. Though it was still tough, having to fight her. Both physically, and emotionally."

Even though the situation was different, Tsubasa could sense how much Makoto cares about her sister, despite everything that happened between them. Although... "By the sounds of it, your situation with your sister is more similar to my situation with my father. Makes me wonder, if my heart was twisted enough, what would my Palace look like?"

"It would depend on how one views a place. Though my guess is your Palace would've been some master dojo or a castle fit for shoguns, or something along the lines of either."

Tsubasa couldn't deny the assumption, especially going by her personality.

Back inside S.O.N.G Headquarters, in the lab that contained Gjallarhorn, Haru, and Mona, in his Metaverse form, stood looking up at the relic as it was glowing. The Cadenzavna Eve sisters were making their way towards Serena's timeline, where they were placing in reports of what was happening in this world.

"A place that has alternate worlds and timelines..." Mona muttered.

"Is something on your mind, Mona-chan?" Haru asked.

"Well, I was kind wondering if there were other timelines in our world, too. Like, timelines with different versions of us."

"It would be amusing to see what we are like in other timelines. Perhaps there's one where we are opposite to our personalities, or one quite like Maruki's version of our world. The possibility is endless. Maybe there's an irresponsible Mako-chan in one world, a kind and caring Guren in another world, a studious Haneru-kun, a popular Futaba-chan, a Ren who never got falsely charged for assault... Maybe there's one where Ryuji was our leader."

"I can't imagine Ryuji ever being a leader, though," Mona stated, really finding the idea disturbing. "But yeah... Maybe we all look different, too. Maybe... I might even be human in one world." This sentence caused Haru to look at him with sympathy, knowing how deep he wanted that wish.

Just then, the Gjallarhorn shined, and the sisters reappeared in their Symphogear, immediately removing them once they returned.

"How did it go?" Haru asked.

"The Mom in Serena's world said that the Shadows hadn't appeared in our timeline, so things should be okay. Seems this threat is here in this world," Maria answered.

"Mom was surprised to hear about the new kind of monsters, but she believes our two groups will be able to take care of them," Serena informed. "As such, she gave me permission to come back again."

"Good, cause I'm gonna need your help so that we can stop those Alca-Shadows," Mona stated to Serena. "We still need to perfect our Showtime Duet, so let's hop to it!"

"Yes, sir!" Serena answered.

"You're rather demanding for this, Mona," Maria noted, glaring at him. "You can at least be more polite about it."

"S-Sorry, ma'am," Mona apologized. "I just... don't wanna slow the others down."

"Mona, you don't slow us down one bit. We already told you once before, remember?" Haru assured him.

"Yeah..." Mona admitted.

"What are you talking about?" Maria asked curiously.

"Oh, uh... it's nothing, really,"

"Mona actually quit the Phantom Thieves last year," Haru started, causing the not-cat to be a bit shocked at her bluntness.

"You quit the Phantom Thieves?" Maria asked, now a bit curious.

"Why would you do that? You're their mascot, right?" Serena added.

"I am NOT a mascot! I'm a bonafide member of the Phantom Thieves!" Mona hissed back. "Without me, the Phantom Thieves wouldn't even be able to work efficiently!"

Serena took a step back at his anger. "S-Sorry. I didn't mean to say that," she apologized.

Mona quickly realized how harsh he was, then sighed as he replied, "Yeah, I know. Sorry about that."

"N-No, I should be sorry," Serena apologized as well.

"Thing is, he's right," Haru added. "In fact, if he didn't temporarily quit, he wouldn't have found me, and I wouldn't have become a Phantom Thief."

"So Mona was the reason you became one, too?" Maria asked. "Would it be too much trouble for me to ask how you guys got together, and how you joined, or in Mona's case, rejoin the Phantom Thieves?"

"I would like to hear that, too!" Serena added.

The three thieves looked to each other, before Mona sighed, "Well, if we're going to want our Showtime Duet to work out, we might as well tell you everything."

"He's right. The moment I became a thief... it was also pretty difficult for me," Haru noted, drawing Maria's attention, as the female thief looked pretty sad at this. The older Airgetlam User wondered if this was something too uncomfortable for her.

Suddenly, Serena's belly gave a grumble, and everyone looked to the little girl wrapping her arms around her stomach, blushing in embarrassment.

"Let's talk about this over lunch," Haru said.

They entered into the cafeteria, getting the food they want, before sitting down together to eat. Mona still remained in his Phantom Thief form, eating as he was. Once he finished a few bites, the story time was about to begin.

"So, how come you left the Phantom Thieves in the first place, Mona-chan?" Serena asked.

Mona placed down his silverware before answering, "During that time, I lost all my memories before meeting Ren and the others. Up till that point, I felt like I was using them to infiltrate Palaces and steal Treasures so that I can learn who I am and where I came from. However, after Futaba came around, my role in the team became limited. Ryuji was even calling me useless because of that."

"That was rude of him," Maria scoffed.

"Ryuji-kun's already apologized for his actions, and learned his lesson afterwards," Haru assured her hastily.

"Well, some things happened, and I chose to leave the others in order to infiltrate the next Palace by myself," Mona continued. "I was doing that partially so that I wouldn't be a burden to the team. I was just a person who had no place to truly belong to. At least, that's what I told myself. My only reason for gathering up the Phantom Thieves was for selfish reasons. However, I realized I was pretty pathetic on my own, and I couldn't even get one thing right."

"I ended up inside a Palace when I found Mona-chan," Haru then spoke. "That's when the two of us came together, and I even partially unlocked my Persona powers because of him, though not fully. I respected his wishes, and even chewed out the other Phantom Thieves for not being true thieves. I was one to talk at the time, but I was only doing it all to support Mona-chan. And because of other things."

"What 'other things'?" Maria asked.

"The Palace we met in, the person many of our fans wanted us to target, was actually my father's," Haru explained, looking sadly down at her food. "He became obsessed with his business, which was a fast food chain called 'Big Bang Burger'. His business, his employees, and even I were just stepping stones to his path on entering the political world. He didn't care about any pain or stress he placed upon others. Overcome failure at any cost, even if it means betraying others. That was the motto he lived by."

"Wait, for real? How horrible," Maria sympathized with Haru. "Was he always like that?"

"No. He used to be a kind and caring person, and cared for his business. I'm not sure how he ended up the person he was, but his ambitions took him over, and he became obsessed with victory, even becoming the next prime minister. That's why I became a Phantom Thief in the first place; to save my father."

"So how did you two end up coming back to the others?" Serena asked Mona.

"They ended up saving me and Haru after her ex-fiance, who was arranged by her father, was being abusive with her," Mona explained. "I tried to stop him, but in my cat form, I was pretty much useless."

"It was only after we talked things out that Mona admitted that he didn't want to be anywhere else than with the Phantom Thieves. He even became even more useful to us a few times, such as freeing the others from a trap set up by my father's Shadow. It was pretty cool to see him then," Haru said.

"Ah, stop it~" Mona said, blushing in pride and embarrassment.

"So, were you able to change your father's heart?" Maria asked. "Surely, you were successful?" The question caused the three, especially Haru, to be stung by the memories of what happened next. Maria felt that she really triggered something bad.

"We…were able to steal his Treasure," Haru answered. "However, we didn't realized that as we left, someone killed my father's Shadow. As a result, he suffered a mental shutdown, and died." Maria and Serena were horrified at this.

"Turns out, Haru's dad was being used by the true enemy," Mona stated. "Thanks to this, the Phantom Thieves were blamed as murderers, and we ended up being blamed for the mental shutdown cases that happened all before this. They egged us Phantom Thieves into falling into the popularity we have established, and it backfired. It took a hell of a lot to overcome our defeat and even defeat the person responsible for that trick," Mona added on.

"And... you still continued as a Phantom Thief after that painful time?" Maria asked Haru.

"I did. Part of it was for revenge against the murder of my father, but it was also because of the injustice that was going on in the world. No one was doing a thing about it, so I had to do something to stop them," Haru said.

"Continuing on, even after your parent's death... I can understand the ambition to right the wrongs of the world. If it only were that simple for me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... my mom, or at least the one in this timeline, also was murdered," she started. "Before that, I was helping her, along with Shirabe and Kirika, in trying to save the world from the moon falling to Earth, along with a man named Dr. Ver, who was the only one capable of sustaining my mother's illness. It was how I even became an idol. I rose up the ranks in the US, and was able to even sing a duet with Tsubasa. That was actually part of the plan, though."

"A plan?" Mona echoed.

"Yes. We had the power of a relic that was used to call out the original Noises, as well as a monster named Nephilim. In order for us to stop the falling piece of the moon, I labeled myself as the next vessel of Fine, the one who ended up breaking part of the moon in the first place. You see, Shirabe, Tsubasa, and I were all members of a group known as the Receptor Children, who were potential vessels to Fine, should her body perish. Her soul would be passed onto one of us afterwards. I took the role, and even declared war against the world with the power we had. I did so not only for my mother's sake, but also for Serena's, who died in this timeline."

"I see..." Haru looked to the Serena with them, right now. "So, does that mean in your timeline, your Maria was..."

"Yeah. She's saved me after I used my Climax Song to stop Nephilim when it was out of control," Serena answered.

"The role was reversed in this one, where Serena used her Climax Song, and died afterwards." Maria stated.

"So it was survivor's guilt that led you along that path afterwards," Haru understood. "Though, it seems kinda hard to be declared a villain when your Symphogear makes you look more like an angel."

"Well, I was wearing a different gear at the time; a Black Gungnir, like Hibiki and Kanade's."

"So back to your story. Were you able to stop the moon?" Haru then asked.

"Yes. We did act as enemies to the world, but we stood strong in our mission to stop the moon. Dr. Ver... took things way too far due to his warped hero complex. He was a monster, and a demented one, in my book. He even forcefully adapted Miku into a different Shenshoujing relic at the time to activate Frontier, a floating island that was able to connect with the moon and return it to its natural orbit. The goal at that time was to acquire phonic game by singing to the world, so we could gather enough energy to return the moon to its orbit. However, not only did it not work, but Dr. Ver chose to follow his own ambitions of becoming the world's hero, and betrayed us, including forcing the moon's fall to descend faster and sending Mom into space, thus killing her in the process. However, her last act, along with a song Serena and I sung together, we were able to restore the moon to its normal orbit, and stop Dr. Ver and the Nephilim."

"Man, that was a heck of a lot to go through," Mona stated.

"But we still continue on, even after both of our parents passed away," Haru stated, looking to Maria. "The world may have cruel people who take away those who raised us, but we continue fighting, making sure no one goes through the same pain we went through."

"Exactly. I don't want anyone else to suffer the same way I did. It's why I push so much, sometimes a little too far, in order to stop threats and save people. It was kind of the reason I hated Guren for a while. She was kind of like me at the time."

"Until we learned about how nice Guren really is," Serena added. "She is really strong, too. I only wished I was as strong as her, though."

"Really? You seem pretty strong to me," Mona stated.

"Thanks, but if I'm honest, I don't think I'm as strong as everyone else. I still struggle at times. I'm far behind on experience compared to my sis and everyone else."

"How? Were you not allowed to fight?" Haru asked.

"More like she couldn't," Maria answered. "Remember the Climax Song Serena used. The song already taxes harshly on one's body, under normal circumstances. Serena was no different at the time, so she was placed in cryo-stasis for seven years until she was healed."

"Cryo-stasis?! I only heard about stuff like that in science fiction shows and movies!" Haru stated. "And you were in that for seven years?"

"Yes. When I woke, I was weak, and was told Maria and the others were sent to a different facility," Serena answered. "It was a lie to prevent me from suffering from a mental breakdown, especially since I woke up recently. However, just as I was forced to face off against our timeline's Nephilim, Maria saved me."

"At the time, I couldn't believe it. Both Serena and my mother were still alive in one timeline," Maria stated. "All other Relic users were gone, so it was only Serena that remained."

"That's quite a daunting task to be the only Symphogear User. Especially from one so young," Mona muttered.

"Eventually, I learned the truth. However, I was able to accept it, since I have this Maria-neesan right here." Serena went and hugged Maria, startling her. "Maria-neesan is still Maria-neesan, no matter what timeline she is from. And it is thanks to her and everyone else that I slowly overcame my weaknesses, and was able to be the person who can fight alongside my friends and family."

"I admit, you got some serious ambition, Serena," Mona stated. "You're pretty impressive, despite all the pressure placed upon you, especially at your age."

"You're just as amazing, too, Mona-chan. You may be totally different from all the other Phantom Thieves, but you are able to pull your weight and be useful to everyone."

"I agree to that. You may be a... well, human-turned-cat monster, but you are quite skilled on the battlefield. Not to mention your ability to turn into a van is quite impressive, too," Maria stated.

"I'll overlook the whole 'cat monster' this once, but only to thank you for the compliment, Maria," Mona thanked, with a smug, but stern demeanor. Haru giggled at Mona's statement.

Meanwhile, at one of the waterways in town, Kanade found herself in an unexpected situation. She had on her Symphogear attire, but there was no enemies around. So why was she in it? Because Yusuke asked her to pose in her attire, with her standing on one end of the waterway, posing with her spear in a battle-stance, while Yusuke was on the other side, drawing with intense concentration at her.

"Um... Yusuke?" Kanade called out, an embarrassed, unsure expression on her face. "Is it really wise for me to have my armor on in broad daylight like this?"

"Please, just give me a couple minutes more. I am nearly complete," the artist answered, drawing still. "Just hold that position. Try not to move."

Kanade could not help but feel all the more awkward at this. Sure, this was an area that didn't have a lot of people coming about, but there were still a few people who had passed by, looking very confused at the sight of a girl who looked like a dead idol in a crazy getup. Fortunately, Kanade was able to call out that she was cosplaying for the sake of her friend, to which she was somehow able to convince all these people. After all, who would be crazy enough to wear something that skintight for anything other than a drawing or some sort of convention. What she found more ludicrous is how Yusuke managed to talk her into doing this. And at one of the waterways at that. Sure, he wanted a change in scenery to make for a better drawing, but still.

"Done... At least with the rough drawing," Yusuke called. "You may relax, Kanade."

The Symphogear User sighed in relief as she relaxed her body. She made sure no one was around and disengaged her Symphogear, reverting back to civilian attire. "It better be good," she grumbled, making her way towards a pipeline nearby, and crossing over the water to reach Yusuke. "I have never felt so embarrassed since my first swimsuit model as an idol."

"I believe it is the start of a genius creation." Yusuke held his drawing aloft to show it better in the sunlight.

Kanade came to his side and looked at it. She was quite baffled once she laid her eyes on it. The drawing was clearly one of her, her spear included, but it not only had a slight change to her armor, thus making her more medieval, but he even drew her reflection on the water. The reflection was even more shocking, as it was shaded darker, more ominous that the one on top.

"Okay, now I am impressed!" Kanade stated. "You did all this in just a short period of time? And you even altered my look!"

"It was a rather easy task," Yusuke answered. "Truth be told, I was inspired while I was washing my face in the bathroom this morning."

The otherworldly idol looked at him in surprise. "You were inspired by that, of all things?! You really have artist mind 24/7, don't you?" She looked back at the drawing once more. "So... what is it suppose to be?"

"A drawing that replicates the fierce battle. A warrior that stands in the fight, the very essence of grand, brave, and noble. But in truth, there exists one from the opposite spectrum; a warrior of self-glory, a bringer of despair, bloodying their hands with no consideration for who she pierces with her weapon. Who is the real one, whereas who is fake? Are they both real? Are they both facades? Who is to say which is the true version, and who is merely the persona?"

There was a moment of silence after Yusuke's description from both he and Kanade, looking at the picture. It was such a strong description to them, though each of them had thoughts about it in different ways.

"You... really thought this one through, didn't you?" Kanade questioned. "Any idea where that description came from? And please tell me it wasn't also from washing your face."

"No, though I had wished it were easier to stomach as that," Yusuke answered, closing his drawing book, and looking down sadly. Kanade looked to him curiously, and he looked only for a second at her curious expression, before looking back down at his book.

"You... wanna talk about it?" Kanade asked, sitting down next to him. "Honestly, I kinda have a connection to that description you gave. But I can tell you mine if you tell me what this idea reminded you of."

Yusuke paused for a moment before he gave his answer. "... Very well, if you so insist. In truth, when I drew this picture, thinking on the description that I gave it, I had a clear vision of my sight on my sensei."

"Your sensei? What, as in a teacher?"

"My art teacher, yes. Though, to me, he was more of a father figure to me. His name was Madarame. He raised me when I was just a child. My mother was taught under him, as well. When she passed away, he took me into his home, taught me to use my talents as an artist, and helped me in my dream of becoming one. He was actually a famous artist in my world, and took many other students under his wing to help them hone their artistic nature."

"I get the feeling there's a certain angle to this person, though," Kanade interrupted.

"You are correct. While kind, humble, and fatherly on the outside, the truth was... he was a horrible man. He clung onto his fame and fortune, too filled with vanity to let go of it, and used the paintings of all his students, placed his name on them, and took all the glory. He blackmailed those students, as well, permanently ruining their careers in the artistic world should they ever attempt to accuse him, or if their usefulness ran out."

"What a bastard!" Kanade shouted in anger. "How could someone be able to be famous and not infamous with a record like that is beyond me!"

"I, too, was used by him, but I chose for the time to allow myself to be used only because I didn't want to admit this man was truly this cruel," Yusuke admitted, surprising Kanade in his willingness to be used.

"Jeez, there is a limit to being someone's tool for their sake."

"But he was a father to me. He took care of me after my mother passed away, and I was inspired by one of his greatest pieces, the Sayuri, to become a great artist." Yusuke pulled out the photo of the said portrait, and showed it to Kanade. The picture was that of a woman looking down lovingly at a baby in her arms.

"Wow... It's a beautiful picture," Kanade stated in awe. "I'm not art critic, but even I can tell this is truly amazing. There seems to be a lot of love placed in this picture. You sure your sensei made this?"

"That was what I thought for a while..." Yusuke continued, his grip on the smartphone tightening. "But even that was a lie that I had no clue about... until I met my sensei's Shadow, and he exposed the truth behind it. This painting... was a self-portrait of my mother. Her final piece. Her health was failing her, and when she suffered a seizure... he let her die then, and stole her painting for his own glory. He even changed it so that the baby in the picture was blotched out, to add a hint of mystery to the painting, as he so nonchalantly explained."

At this, Kanade looked like she could blow her top off. "Now that's going way too far!" she barked, shooting up to her feet. "He allowed her to die, took the painting for himself, and I take it the baby he hid was you, huh? That man is absolutely the worst thing ever!" Kanade was so angry, a person nearby fled at her voice.

"You are not wrong about how cruel this man was," Yusuke admitted. "But drawing that picture of you made me think; I only wanted to see the one version of my sensei, and downright refused to see the darker, more detestable side of him. In truth, I merely ran away from that truth. I didn't want to admit it. It was only thanks to the Phantom Thieves, who kept pushing me and breaking through the barrier that I had placed up in order for me to see clearly. I was able to stop my sensei by changing his heart, and stealing his Treasure, which was the true Sayuri."

"Right. I think you guys said the Treasure was the source of their distorted desires, huh?" Kanade calmly recalled. "So what happened to that?"

"It hangs in a place called 'Cafe LeBlanc' in my world, a little cafe that was owned by Guren's uncle and Futaba's adopted father, Sojiro, who was also taking care of Ren while he was on probation for a year. There, it stays, a reminder of the love of my mother, as well as the pain I had to go through to admit the true version of my sensei."

Yusuke finished his story, and he looked like he had just gone through the ordeal of emotions all over again. He seemed exhausted from explaining all of this to Kanade, who in retrospect...

"Honestly, your story really sounds a hell of a lot harder than what I had to go through," she admitted. "Back then, I was only thinking about how I had to deal with Tsubasa in this world."

"Oh, that's right. You are not of this world, but a different one. And from what I could tell, you and Tsubasa have a strong bond."

"Yeah. The two of us, or rather the two other versions of us from each world, were part of an idol pair called Zwei Wings. We were idols in the world in one life, but also Symphogear Users in our secret lives. We started out a little rough, but we eventually became close to one another. She always felt she needed to depend on me, but in truth, I was the one who really wanted to depend on her. I felt afraid and weak without her around. I held her close because of my insecurity, and hid it behind a sort of elder sister persona. However, after one grave incident, when a whole ton of Noise attacked a concert hall full of people, Tsubasa and I ended up overwhelmed by their numbers. That's... when Tsubasa sang her Climax Song."

"A Climax Song? What is that?" Yusuke asked.

"Basically, the last-ditch effort. An attack that is incredibly threatening, both to the enemy and the user. It was too much for Tsubasa in my world to survive... and she died that day."

"I'm sorry..." Yusuke apologized. Then, a thought occurred to him from her words. "Wait, so does that mean in this world...?"

"Yep. The role was reversed, and the me here was the one who gave up her life to save the Tsubasa here. The me in this world was also the one who ended up giving a piece of her Gungnir to Hibiki, which led her to becoming a Symphogear User, too."

"Incredible. So two separate timelines, with two versions of you perishing to save everyone." Yusuke found the whole idea very intriguing, and possibly an idea to create another piece of art. However, the expression on his face made Kanade clear her throat to draw his attention back to her.

"Anyway, I quit my idol life after that day, and continued on as a Symphogear User, fighting nonstop. I hated my weakness back then, and I couldn't sing without Tsubasa in my life. Instead, I was filled with regret, anger, and vengeance against the Noise. I kept fighting, stopping them, refusing to show any signs of weakness as I tried my best to save people. Then suddenly... Tsubasa came back into my life. She came to my world from her own, and suddenly, I found myself facing a second Tsubasa. I was conflicted by the memories of my version and the new one, who was not only far stronger than the one I knew, but had so many others with her. I was always alone, with no other Symphogear User with me. I couldn't accept this new one, even if she was the same person deep down. I was pretty stubborn for a while, and felt weak and helpless compared to the rest of them."

"It sounds a lot like me with Madarame before I faced his Shadow self," Yusuke compared. "Not wanting to accept this other version of one person you knew is a hard thing to swallow. The only difference is I met the true persona of my sensei, whereas you met an alternate version of your dear friend."

"Well, unlike you, I didn't hate Tsubasa... Well, maybe I was frustrated at her, due to how strong she was, and I didn't want to remove the memories I had of my Tsubasa for this new one. However, it took a long while before I learned to accept this different version. She was certainly a lot quicker to accept me as not the Kanade she knew, but a different one. I guess having friends around to helps you be more open. I was filled with hatred and vengeance for a while, so I had no one to turn to... until Tsubasa and her friends helped me out of the darkness I sunk myself in."

"Learning to accept another version is not easy, and we know that from experience," Yusuke stated, looking down at the drawing he made. "Perhaps I should think along that line when doing the final pieces of this work."

Kanade looked back at him then to the work. "... Hey, mind if I watch you and make suggestions? I mean, if you wouldn't mind a second person to help you out with your art."

"That is something I am not sure I ever had experienced: having someone add things to my art. But it might be a refreshing new change for me to try. Kanade, let us try to imbue our emotions into this drawing together, to make it one that screams our anguished souls before bringing out the acceptance and hope afterwards."

"Whatever you say, art boy," Kanade teased, punching his shoulder lightly, smirking at him. Yusuke closed his eyes and smiled as well at this prosperous idea.

Back in the shopping district, Mia and Chris had left the pharmacy, carrying bags of medical supplies and nourishments.

"These seriously help you in your battles?" Chris question, looking at an energy drink she got.

"Sure. Medicine, snacks and drinks are actually pretty useful when fighting in battles, or even recovering outside of them, so we don't waste energy on healing skills," Mia explained, pulling out some bandaids. "See, the cognitive world allows these things to heal our stamina and energy, allowing us to fight more. They are not all overpowering healing supplies, but they are useful in a pinch."

Chris could only stare at her, unable to believe what she heard. "I... can't believe it until I see it."

"What is wrong with you?!" a shout came from across the street. They turned to see a young man and woman standing there, the man glaring fiercely at the latter, who looked meek and afraid. "You couldn't get reservations, and you instead want to just go and eat at home?! You just said a couple days ago you plan to take me out, and you betray me?!"

"Th-that's not it," she whimpered. "I-Tt's just-"

"It's just what?! You want me to be your boyfriend, then you better damn impress me!" He raised his hand, ready to smack her. She flinched, frightened at what was gonna happen.

Just then, he was hit with a fist to his cheek, courtesy to Chris, who went by her instincts. He gagged, as he felt the pain of the attack, though it wasn't too strong that he wasn't able to stand on his feet.

"Just what the hell is wrong with you?!" Chris growled at the man. "You said you are her boyfriend? What kind of guy like that decides to hit their girlfriend?"

Meanwhile, Mia had dropped her bags and rushed to the young lady's side. "Are you okay?" she asked.

The surprised girl looked startled at her sudden saviors.

"You stay out of this, bitch!" the man barked. "This is between me and my girl!"

"You talk to 'your girl' like this in public?!" Chris demanded. "Go treat her with some respect!"

"Tch! I bet you think I should act like the proper gentlemen in public, right? Bet your mommy and daddy taught you that, huh? Well, they ain't really here to agree with you, aren't they?" The words ended up wounding Chris a bit mentally, as he hit a sore spot from her past.

"It's something more than just what your parents tell you," Mia spoke up, getting his attention. "And before you ask, no. I am not her mother. But I am one, nevertheless, as well as a wife to a man who listened to me, rather than hurt me before I get a say in the matter!" Her glare pierced right through this man, scaring him slightly, while the girlfriend was amazed.

"I-It's not my fault!" he argued. "She's always so timid and unable to speak up, that I have to act as the more dominant person!"

"Then why don't you help her improve herself to be able to speak up instead of taking the masculine role?!" Mia's demanding words shushed him up. She then turned to the girl and asked, "I did overhear what you were speaking about. Please tell him in your own words why you are unable to fulfill his request."

The girl looked worried, her face blushing a bit. "Because... Because we have to save up our money! We have to... since I learned...something yesterday."

The boyfriend looked puzzled, while Chris was still in a bit of shock, as Mia asked, "And what would that be?"

The girl went into her pocket and pulled out something. From an instant look, Mia could easily tell what it was; a pregnancy test device.

"Because... I just found out about this..." she answered, handing the thing to her boyfriend, who looked a bit surprised. "The results... came out positive. I'm pregnant."

The man was shocked beyond belief, as were Chris and Mia. "You... you're serious?" he asked, stunned.

The girl nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't get that reservation for that restaurant you wanted to go to," she apologized, bowing to him. "But... I wanted to start saving up for something even more important; our child's future. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I was afraid! Please forgive me!"

Mia smiled at her gently. "Well, that is very smart of you, and congratulations on your results." She then glared up at the young man. "Now you understand the truth? Instead of losing your temper, try to act like a better man to her, and better yet, someone who is about to be a father. You understand? What would you do if we hadn't stopped you in time?"

The boyfriend looked startled, before looking regretful at what would've happened without Chris and Mia's intervention. "I'm sorry, Hazui. I should've listened to what you had to say. But... You're pregnant? You're sure?"

"Yes," she nodded, looking a bit tearful. "I... I just want to be ready. I didn't want to ruin our time together."

"No, no. It's okay. I'm sorry I snapped. But... Oh my god."

After a bit of a sweet moment, the two left Chris and Mia, the girlfriend thanking them for their help. Mia waved them off, but Chris was still silent. This caught the young adult's attention.

"Are you okay?" she asked Chris.

"Yeah... I'll be fine," the Gear User answered.

"You don't look fine. I could tell something he said really hurt you."

"It's nothing, okay?"

Mia looked towards the wandering couple, watching the young girl resting her head on his shoulder. "You know, she isn't the only one who needs to be honest. You need to trust me with what's bothering you, as well."

"Why? Because you are an adult?" Chris retorted.

"No. It's because I understand what it means to hold back your honest self," Mia answered, getting a look from Chris. "Believe it or not, when I was around your age, I was not able to speak up and be honest. I was just a smart, pretty girl who was placed on a pedestal by my principle in high school. However, I learned to open up thanks to Noriaki. He changed me, helped me become more opinionated on what I truly wanted to be, besides the star of the school. Thus, that was how I first became a Persona user."

"What is this, your backstory?"

"Just letting you know what I was, and trying to let you know about me. So tell me what he said that hurt you, Chris."

The young tsundere paused, thinking on the words that he last told her, and she grimaced. They were trying to find ways to trust one another, after all. However, she wasn't planning to tell her anything in a place like this.

Mia could feel Chris wanted a change in location. "Come on. There's a place not far back that we can go to. No one will interrupt us, there." Chris nodded, and they gathered their belongings, and backtracked.

Moments later, they found themselves sitting on a bench, the bags of medicine and supplies at their feet. There was barely anyone around, and no one to disturb them. It was there that Chris started to explain herself.

"What he said about my parents... It made me think of mine," she began. "My parents died when I was eight years old. They were musicians during a war time, and were trying to help refugees through their music. They... ended up getting killed by a bomb."

Mia covered her mouth, shocked at this. She never expected Chris to have such a horrific loss of her parents like this. What she didn't expect was how the story continued to get worse.

"I ended up getting kidnapped by terrorists, sold into slavery, and... I ended up dealing with a lot of hell for a while. Afterwards, I was saved, brought to Japan, and was taken by Fine. She convinced me she was gonna use me to help bring peace across the world, using the Noise, as well as use me for her experiments. It was how I gained Ichaival. Even though I had awakened to that power, I refused to use it. I only considered Ichaival a weapon of destruction, and because I had resented my parents for their failure at bringing peace, I hated to sing. I still fought for Fine's cause. I used a different armor, as well as the Noise, and did bad things to not only innocent civilians, but senpai and that idiot as well. In the end, like a tool, when I was not able to help out Fine, I ended up getting tossed aside. Had it not been for that crazy idiot, as well as the commander, I would've been..."

The past still inflicted wounds on Chris, to the point that she even started to cry, fearing what would've happened if she wasn't saved, if she wasn't brought to her senses. She was lucky, unlike her parents, to be saved when she did. She missed her family terribly, hurt by the wounds of not only the terrorists and her slavery, but of what Fine put her through.

Just then, a warm pair of hands pulled her in, as Mia gently embraced her. Chris was a bit startled, though not as much as when she felt the drips of tears from Mia's eyes. "I'm sorry, Chris. I had no idea you had such a horrific past like that," she apologized. "You... really went through so much to get to where you are. And I guess I understand something else."

"What?" Chris questioned.

"When I asked back in the library about you being around the Lunar Attack. You were a part of everything that had happened, right?"

Chris forgot about that conversation, but nodded all the same.

"I know that must've been a really rough time in your life, huh? Most people are not as strong as you, nor as lucky. You lost a lot, and the pain of reality never goes away. However, you gained people who care about you, and love you. Do you appreciate where you are, and what you are doing?"

"I mean, of course I do," Chris muttered. "Despite how that idiot acts, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. Same goes for senpai, Miku, old man, and the rest of S.O.N.G. I even get to be a senpai to Kirika and Shirabe. Though... I do miss my parents. I wish I could see them again." She had not included the alternate world version of her parents, when she ended up in one such world that had a different Fine, who was far kinder than the one she knew.

"We all have that kind of wish. Though honestly, I learned that through painful experiences, we learn that the pain sometimes guides us to better futures we want," Mia told her. "Trust me when I say I know that all too well."

"What?"

Mia unfurled one hand, and looked at her wedding ring resting on the hand. "Remember a while back, when we spoke about Guren's past? I said my husband, along with many of my friends, were brainwashed by the God of Control. We found them, fought each of them individually. My son and Ren ended up facing my husband by themselves, and eventually defeated him, breaking him out of his stupor. When the deity almost killed us, Noriaki and the others managed to protect us one last time... sacrificing themselves for us."

Mia could clearly remember the last action of the previous Phantom Thieves, her thieves, before Noriaki gave up his life, along with the others, to give the new group a chance against Yaldabaoth. Chris could only look at her as she gazed at her ring.

The older woman collected herself and continued, "However, a man by the name of Dr. Maruki had gained a power that rewrote the populace's cognition of reality. Suddenly, I was living a life where my husband and my friends never ended up leaving to take on the deity. My son and I were living a very happy life, with my husband alive and with us. But... Noriaki was able to acknowledge the reality was not true, and while it was a wish fulfilled, it was costing the bonds we made with the other Phantom Thieves, as well as our rebellious spirits, and the futures we wanted to grasp. He eventually pulled Haneru and I out of our stupor and brought us back to the reality. We did spend a good amount of time with my husband, who helped alongside the rest of the Phantom Thieves to steal Maruki's heart, and break everyone out of the reality he made. My husband did disappear again, as he no longer was alive in our true reality, but what he did, and what he taught my son and I, still lives on."

She looked to Chris, smiling as she said, "Pain is a part of growth, as it is a means to bond with others. The lessons of those close to us will live on in our hearts, as well as the love they give us. Your parents in your heart, and my husband and my friends in mine."

Chris looked to her heart, touching it softly with her hand. She knew of the lesson before, but to think that she learned from someone who experienced two realities, one with someone she loved, and one that she had to live without him, and the latter was the one she chose. Chris wondered if she had dealt with the same experience as Mia, would she pick the reality where her parents were alive, or the one she was living now? Not even her other counterpart had that experience, since her past was almost the same as her own, with some changes that drastically changed her.

Chris looked down, stating, "If my parents did survive that day, and were still alive today... I don't think I would've even been close to senpai or the idiot, or any of my other friends that I have right now. I don't even think I would be able to fight the Noise because it was Fine who gave me Ichaival. So... who knows what would've happened?"

"If your parents saw you right now, would they be proud of you?" Mia asked.

"Maybe... They would probably be shocked by the amount of damage I was doing, but they could see that I was protecting people with my power." Mia giggled at this. "Don't laugh at that!"

"Sorry. But my husband was the same. He saw my son and I still fighting as vigilante Phantom Thieves, changing peoples hearts underneath the noses of authority, and was proud of everything. I'm sure your parents are the exact same."

Chris blushed, thinking of her parents saying such a thing. She felt a pat on her head from Mia. "Maybe that's where we can learn to forge our bonds and trust to one another; knowing that those who are no longer with us are still proud of what we do. Let's go from there, okay, Chris?"

"Y-Yeah..." she answered, trying not to allow herself to be swayed by emotions to be honest, but still finding comfort and a connection to Mia. It seems that even she, an adult, can relate very closely to a teenager like herself.

Back to Guren, after showing Lavenza to Flowers for an okonomiyaki lunch, the girl had wandered around on her own again, while the Velvet Room attendant returned to headquarters. Lavenza had asked if she wanted to return with her, but Guren turned her down, saying she wanted a little more time of peace for herself before going back. Well, that was what she told her, but the truth was that she didn't feel like going back, not after how she left the group the way she did. So to say, she was embarrassed to return now.

"Now then... what to do during this spare time...?" she wondered aloud.

"Oh! Guren!" came a voice all too familiar to her.

Holding back a 'giku' that almost came out of her mouth from the voice, Guren turned and saw Hibiki, Ren, and Futaba on the other side of the street.

"Yahoo, Guren!" Hibiki, the one who called her earlier, waved.

As much as she hoped to avoid them a little longer, specifically one of the three, the pianist knew she shouldn't, that she should try to get along with the Symphogear Users like she did with her fellow Phantom Thieves. Before she could get the chance to be mentally prepared, she suddenly felt someone tackle her into a hug from behind.

"Guren! Hey, come hang out with us!" Hibiki, the one hugging her, exclaimed.

"Huh?! Why should I?!" Guren demanded. She may be willing to try to open up to them, but that was moving a little too fast for her.

"It's fine, isn't it? We're supposed to be bonding anyway~"

"You mean you and Ren were supposed to be! Not that you needed it anyway since you already have your duet."

"Oh, come on, Guren. It'll be fun," Futaba told her.

"Futaba... Could you not help her in convincing me?" Guren requested.

Ren could only hold back a laugh at this. He then dug into his pocket as Hibiki and Futaba continued to talk Guren in hanging out with them and pulled out his phone. He searched through the text history, looking at the one he had just a day before he ended up in this world.

It was from his long-distance girlfriend, Sumire Yoshizawa. This was her last text to him, indicating her going to a competition, and readying herself for internationals. She had also stated that she was hearing about the Phantom Thieves rising up again, acknowledged that they must have had a reason to return, and wished them the best of luck. Seeing this brought a smile on Ren's face.

"Hey, what're you looking at?" Hibiki broke her conversation to see Ren's smile.

Guren, realizing who this might be, stated in a smug demeanor, "Probably looking at his text from his girlfriend, right? God, you are just a hopeless romantic."

"It's not like that," Ren retorted with a light blush.

"Oh, that's right! You did tell me you had a girlfriend the first night you hung out with us!" Hibiki recalled. "What's she like? What's her name? What does she do?"

"Stop with the questions, and he'll tell you!" Guren barked, silencing her as she pulled her back.

"Guren, calm down!" Futaba told her cousin, patting her hard on the back, though not hard enough for Guren to feel much pain.

Ren scrolled to his pictures and pulled up the one he had with Sumire during New Years. "Her name's Sumire Yoshizawa. She's a second year in high school as of now, but I met her when she was a first-year."

"In other words, she's our junior," Guren summed up.

"And my senior," Futaba added.

"She's training hard as a gymnast now, aiming to reach internationals," Ren continued, scrolling to a picture of her mid-routine in one of her performances. "She's our dear friend, as well as a former Phantom Thief."

"So she was a Phantom Thief, too?" Hibiki asked, more curious than ever.

"Somewhat. She ended up joining us after a lot of crazy things happened," Guren stated.

"She awoken to her Persona once before, but didn't really join us until much later, when we had to deal with a... unique threat," Futaba explained.

"Unique?" Hibiki echoed.

"It's too long and too complicated to explain." Guren shut Ren and Futaba up before either could start. "Let's just say the majority of us had to go through... let's call it a reality identity crisis, before we straightened ourselves out, and got back our true reality. Sumire had it worse, out of all of us, though."

"Yeah. Sumire thought, for a long time, that she was her sister, Kasumi," Ren explained. "Kasumi sacrificed herself to save Sumire from an oncoming car, and that survival guilt broke her. However, thanks to a man by the name of Takuto Maruki, who had a bit of power at the time to rewrite someone's cognition of reality, she believed for the longest time she was Kasumi. It took some... heavy situations to help her regain her identity as Sumire, and accept herself again."

"Wow... That sounds really tough for her," Hibiki admitted, kinda relating herself to Sumire. She had a bit of survival's guilt once before, involving what happened to this world's Kanade, and how she sacrificed herself to save her. However, it was thanks to her words to never give up on her life that she continued on to this day.

"And eventually, he ended up starting dating that girl," Futaba stated with a sly grin. "From what I overheard, she confessed her feelings to him, and he ended up stating his feelings were mutual. After that, you two started to have a relationship."

"Yeah, I even heard you spent time with her on Valentine's Day, and surprised her with a last-minute date on White Day," Guren added. "Sojiro had to pull some strings for you because you almost forgot."

Ren looked embarrassed on that blunt truth.

"That sounds beautiful," Hibiki stated. "Was Haneru like that on White Day, too?"

"He was a lot more prepared than I was," Ren admitted. "He actually set up a great date with Makoto that day."

"I'll admit, he was serious in his preparations," Guren sighed. "He really wants this relationship to work. And considering how he really is making her happy, I'll only accept his relationship so long as he keeps her happy."

Hibiki blushed, acknowledging that feeling. After all, she had only recently become more romantic with Miku herself, even though she was questioning how to approach this relationship differently from how they were before.

"Sumire's currently training hard to make internationals, right now," Ren brought the subject back to where it was. "We do text and call one another from time to time. But she told me that once she makes it, she will send a ticket to bring me over to watch her win. I know she will. I have faith in her."

The three girls looked at the guy with smiles on their faces, clearly seeing how much Ren believes and loves his girlfriend. Just then, their time of peace was rudely interrupted by a familiar beeping sound from Futaba's phone. The young teen pulled her device out and opened it.

"Shadow Attack?" Guren guessed.

"Yeah. And it'll be at Tokyo Skytree in... Huh?!" Futaba let out a gasp at the time being shown.

"What's wrong?" Hibiki asked.

"No... No, no, this can't be right! For real?!"

Hearing the panicked tone in her voice got the older teens on guard. Before any of them can ask Futaba what was wrong, all four of their phones rung, signaling a phone call. They all picked up, and were horrified with what they heard next.

"All of you, Symphogear Users and Phantom Thieves alike, move to Tokyo Skytree immediately! The Shadows are all there now!"