Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, everybody~! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
With their mission and destination set in their mind, the Symphogear Girls and Phantom Thieves rushed on over to the dark tower, the tower that was most likely where Picora and his Shadow were to be. The former group had changed into their gears, upon the thieves insistence, in case they get ambushed by Shadows and/or Alca-Noise. And after what happened last battle, they didn't want to take any chances of Picora appearing out of the blue and giving his minions commands to take them out easier. Even Lioness was in her Symphogear outfit.
"Hey Lioness. What's it like to wear that thing over your Phantom Thief outfit?" Skull asked as they traveled around.
"In all honesty... quite like having an awakening for the first time," she answered.
"I can believe that, going by what happened before you donned into that thing," Panther said.
"You can say that again," Mona agreed. "And I gotta say, that gear looks quite like your Phantom Thief attire. Think it has to do with the fact that it's linked to the Metaverse?"
"It's a possibility. Then again, it could be because its user is a Phantom Thief," Queen said.
"If that's true, then maybe we can wear that thing," Kong stated.
"Doubt it, Monkey," Lioness instantly responded.
"You know so well it's 'Kong', Kitten!"
"Want a rapier up yours instead, Ahotaku?"
Before things got worse, a certain mediator between the pair placed a hand on both their shoulders in a tight, painful grip. "Enough, both of you," Queen warned.
"Y-... Yes, ma'am..." both painfully replied.
The Symphogear Users all sweat dropped at the interaction between them.
"Those two really don't like each other, do they?" Kanade spoke.
"You can... say that," Joker said.
Oracle picked up something on her radar and said, "Hold it guys! Stop!"
The group did as told and stopped in their tracks.
"What's wrong, Oracle-san?" Serena asked.
"Wait for it..." Next they knew, a light shone right in front of them, right where they would've been had Oracle not stopped them in time.
"What was that just now- death?" Kirika gasped.
"A searchlight. If Oracle hadn't stopped us, the Shadows would've been alerted of our presence, and we would've had to fight a big battle," Kong explained.
"More so, the king would know where we are in this Jail, and most likely come to assist his minions in giving us hell," Lioness added.
This baffled the thieves, as they grew even more glad to have Oracle on their side.
"But what do we do now?" Shirabe asked.
"Shirabe's right. This is the shortest way to that tower," Maria stated.
"Please. Since when do the Phantom Thieves ever take the easy way?" Mona said.
"If we can't go through, we have to go around," Joker elaborated. "Oracle. Is there another way around?"
"Way ahead of you," the hacker answered, using her Persona's ability to scan the whole area. "Okay. I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
"What's the bad news?" Miku asked, as though answering for everyone.
"All the other paths on the surface either have a bunch of Shadows patrolling around or more searchlights that'll be even more difficult for us to avoid. So to say, it'll be a miracle if we managed to get past them all, and find the mechanism to shut the lights off."
"If that's the bad news, then what's the good news?" Noir questioned.
"Good news is, it's only the paths on the surface that's heavily populated with the lookouts and searchlights."
This confused the Gear Users, but not the thieves.
"We have to go underground to bypass them," Fox explained to the girls.
The Gear Users were baffled at those words. "Underground? You mean the sewers?!" Chris asked.
"Do you have a better idea?" Lioness questioned.
"Besides, it won't be the first time the Phantom Thieves have to go underground," Sophie added.
"We had to go to the sewers, too, to fight off against Alca-Noise," Hibiki pointed out.
"I... can't argue with that," Chris said. "It's just... If the Metaverse made our city look like this, I don't want to imagine what it did to the sewers..."
"That... would be quite worrying," Maria agreed.
"As far as I can see, there are enemy signals underground, but not as much as on the surface," Oracle informed. "Don't worry. We'll be fine. It's not like there'll be any ghosts appearing in the sewers."
At the one, certain word, two certain members flinched and shivered slightly.
"Y-Y-Yeah. Besides, the last time we experienced an erosion, there were... questionable enemies, but no ghosts," Queen stated.
"'Questionable'? Like what?" Maria asked.
The thieves knew exactly what Queen meant and chose to stay silent, especially the girls, as Lioness had an expression that said she wanted to puke.
"You don't want to know. Really, you don't," Noir said.
"Especially the young ones," Lioness added.
Annoyed as Kirika and Shirabe were that the thief was still treating them as kids, her one statement also slightly frightened them, and Maria for Serena's sake.
"In any case, where's the way to the sewers?" Joker asked Oracle and Sophie.
"There's a manhole cover that way," Oracle pointed.
"I sense a few enemies that direction as well," Sophie added.
"But nothing we can't handle, right?" Tsubasa asked.
"Indeed."
"We know where to go, now. Let's get going," Kong said, and the large group headed to the manhole cover.
On their way to their destination, lookouts suddenly appeared before them.
"Wah! Where did they come from?!" Hibiki gasped.
"They're the enemies I sensed," Sophie explained.
"Intruders! Arrest them at once!" one of the Shadows shouted.
Next the Gear Users knew, all the Shadows suddenly bursted in black and red liquid, and appearing before them were, to their surprise...
"B-B-Black dragons- death?!"
As Kirika said, a trio of black dragons appeared before them, all glaring down at the group.
"They're Seth!" Pixie informed.
"Careful! These guys are pretty strong!" Oracle warned, getting into her Persona. "Hit them with Bless, and avoid using Fire or Wind Skills!"
"Right!" At their response, they split into three groups, each targeting a dragon. Lioness, though, was the only one staying behind, as she brought her keytar in front of her and started playing a song for the Gear Users.
(Insert: 'Gekisho Infinity' by Hibiki Tachibana, Tsubasa Kazanari, and Chris Yukine)
As the music played, the Symphogear Girls all felt a familiar surge of power rise within them, as they shot towards the trio of Seths and separated them. Once they parted the Shadows, the Phantom Thieves came in, swinging on their grappling hooks, and struck the adversaries with their melee weapons. Once they got their strikes in, three of the nine Gear Users started singing along to the song.
Now, we soar
(Let's fly)
Into the sky!
Now, we head
(Let's fly)
Towards tomorrow!
The greatest symphony is
When our voices become one!
Is there a dream
(Let's fight)
In your heart?
Why do you
(Let's fight)
Sing so passionately?
We let our
Enthusiasm
Surge forth
Until it bursts
Our limitless souls are
Connected by our hands
Resounding infinitely!
As they sang, Hibiki, Tsubasa, and Chris began their assault on their respective Seths. Hibiki was relentlessly landing punches and kicks on the Shadow, Tsubasa was landing some nice cuts on her Seth, and even deflected some of its attacks with her sword, and Chris was bombarding her Shadow with nothing but arrows, yet was still dealing a bunch of damage as though she was firing numerous cannons at it.
"Whoa, shit!" Skull gasped.
"I know this isn't the first time we saw this boost, but I'm still impressed with the damage," Mona said.
"We can be impressed after the battle," Queen told them.
"Yes, that's right. We're in the middle of a fight," Fox agreed.
"Let's go!" At Joker's words, the thieves charged at their respective Seth once more.
I'll swing my fists at anyone in the red zone
Not even a single cloud will fearlessly
Drift into the range of my sentinel's sword
Show us your back
And I'll nock my bow
Because we know you're there
So that never again
Will come a day
We have regrets
Even in darkness
We'll seize our
Heart's power and
Clench our teeth against the pain
We sing with
(Let's fly)
All our souls
We sing with
(Let's fly)
All our emotions
Even if we're separated
We swear to be brave for you!
Now, once again
(Let's fight)
The wind blows
Now, once again
(Let's fight)
We prepare ourselves
No matter how many times
We shed tears
No matter how many times
We shed bleed
Do you think we've built up to
The days we can call love?
Resounding infinitely!
After landing hit after hit, Hibiki eventually knocked down her Seth. Her assault was followed up by Miku, who wrapped her cables around the Shadow's legs and tail and dragged it along the ground. As she flew, the Shenshoujing User shot beams at the Shadow from her fan, injuring it even more. She then flipped over the dragon, tossing it over to Skull and Mona. The cat-like creature got on his ally's weapon, as Skull swung his mace forward, launching the small thief toward the dragon. Mona spun with his weapon in hand, and left quite the gash on the dragon. Serena tossed a pair of her daggers at the Seth via 'Fairial Trick', causing her pair of Armed Gear replicas to rush and strike at the Shadow from every angle. Joker followed it up by summoning out Mithra, and using a Bless Skill that dealt critical damage to it.
On Tsubasa's side, the sakimori distanced herself from the dragon and transformed her Armed Gear into a larger sword. She swung and unleashed a 'Blue Flash' at Seth, in which it avoided, only to then be assaulted by a wave of daggers and bullets, courtesy of Maria's 'Infinite Crime' and Noir's Persona's Gun Skill. The duo attacks were so powerful, some of the daggers got embedded into it, while the bullets messed up its wings. With the Shadow downed, Kanade and Fox charged in with their spear and sword, respectively. The former then jumped into the air and started descending down at high speed, positioning her spear below her, tip-first. Fox rushed past the large Shadow and sheathed his sword. The moment he concealed his blade, the Seth was encased in ice, and Kanade landed on top of the thing with a hard 'Gravity Pain', injuring it heavily and breaking its icy hold. Just as the Seth was about to get back up and retaliate, Queen rode Johanna over to it and, using the remaining ice as makeshift footing, drove up to its face. Once close enough, she tossed a bomb at its face, which exploded in a bright flash and blinded it.
As for Chris's end, the third Seth tried to get its opponents away by preparing a powerful Gun Skill to take down the humans, only for the Ichaival User to intervene by firing her own missiles at it right in the mouth, thus causing the skill to backfire on it. With the opponent dazed, Shirabe and Kirika prepped their Armed Gears for a good set of team attacks, leaving multiple gashes on their foe. The Seth let out a pained cry, as it attempted to get back up, only to be smacked by a whip to the face, followed by a staff to the head, and a pair of yoyos tied around its neck and torso. Sophie pulled her weapons down, causing the Seth to be downed once more. Pixie then took this chance to summon Cordelia and use her own Bless attack at it, causing it to be dazed like its allies.
As they fought, unknown to them, there was one other entity among them. That one entity lurked in the shadows behind Lioness, and prepared a dangerous Curse Skill. Before it had the chance to do so, however, it got struck by a large sword from behind... by Alanna. The figure stumbled out of the shadows, revealing it to be a Nebiros, as it fell right by Lioness's feet. The girl turned to it and revealed her maskless face.
"Gonna have to try better than that," she told it, as she gave the Shadow a good kick in the face, causing it to dissipate away.
If we
Close our eyes
And quietly pray
With all we have
Even in darkness
We'll seize our
Heart's power and
Clench our teeth against the pain
Now, we soar
(Let's fly)
Into the sky!
Now, we head
(Let's fly)
Towards tomorrow!
The greatest symphony is
When our voices become one!
Is there a dream
(Let's fight)
In your heart?
Why do you
(Let's fight)
Sing so passionately?
We let our
Enthusiasm
Surge forth
Until it bursts
Our limitless souls are
Connected by our hands
Resounding infinitely!
With the trio of Seths downed and weakened, it was time for the finale.
"All-Out Attack!" Joker called, as they all rushed at the Shadows. While two of the three faded away, one still remained however.
"There's still one left!" Kanade shouted.
"Hibiki!"
"Right, Joker!" Hibiki shouted.
The two clasped each other's hands, and Joker tossed Hibiki to their remaining enemy. As he did so, Arsene appeared by her and dove into the Gungnir User. His wings appeared on Hibiki once more, and rockets were summoned on the girl's gauntlets. Engulfed in Curse-elemented energy, the girl rammed her fist straight through the Seth in a 'Tachibana-Joker Style: Phantom Striker', causing it to dissipate away, as the music came to an end.
"That's the last of them, folks!" Oracle informed, as she exited out of her Persona.
"Now to the sewers," Sophie stated.
As the group went down the manhole, two of the many members were scared stiff by how dark it was in there.
"Queen, Chris-san. Are you two okay?" Serena asked, noticing them trembling.
"H-Huh?! O-Of course we are!" Chris stuttered.
Suddenly, a loud screech came from a nearby section, though it was quite dark to tell. Because of that, two screams were heard in their party, and Queen and Chris panicked as the former grabbed onto Kong's leg for dear life, while the other immediately grabbed the nearest person to her and clung on tight. In this case, it was Lioness.
"Wha- Hey!" Lioness shouted, blushing a bit as she felt her arm being embodied into the crevice of Chris's chest.
"What was that- death?!" Kirika questioned, scared not from the sound, but the screams.
"Just some rats," Pixie answered, as a few of the said rodents scuttled past them. "No need to panic."
Lioness turned her eyes towards Chris as she was being held close. "I know this was confirmed back on that movie night, but I guess it isn't just Makoto that's like this, huh?"
"Yeah... Chris is frightened to bones by ghosts," Hibiki muttered, with Miku giving an embarrassed chuckle.
"Likewise..." Maria simply trailed off, looking at the other scared girl.
The majority of the group looked to Queen, who held onto Kong's leg, whimpering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please save me, sis! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Kong rolled his eyes and crouched down, and started petting his girlfriend's head. "Shh, shh. It's okay, Queen. Nothing to fear. Nothing's coming out. It's okay. It's okay." Everyone else was looking to the scene somewhat bemused.
"He's truly used to this, isn't he?" Maria asked Noir.
"Yep. And all because of..." Oracle trailed off there, as she and the other thieves turned to the girl responsible for Queen's fear, as did the rest of the Gear Users, plus a brief glare by Kong.
Lioness irritably looked away and shoved Chris off her. "Yes, yes. My bad! One bad scare at a Test of Courage when you are kids, and the blame comes back to haunt you. Can you stop that?!"
"Nope," Oracle and Kong answered simultaneously, causing her to sigh in frustration.
"You gonna be okay, Chris-chan?" Hibiki asked the gunslinger.
Chris blushed in embarrassment and looked away with her arms crossed. "I'll be fine! I was fine before, and I'm fine now!" Others who knew her and were used to her tsundere attitude rolled their eyes at this.
Meanwhile, Queen rose back up with Kong.
"You gonna be okay, now?" he asked her
"Yeah. Thank you, Kong..." she thanked him, blushing underneath her mask.
With the two scaredy cats now calm, the group walked on down the path, keeping their guard up for enemies. Oracle may be able to sense them coming with her Persona's powers, but one can never bee too careful. As they walked, Chris decided to ask something that had been on her mind for a while. "By the way, I've been wondering for a while, but what's with the codenames?"
"What are you saying, Chris-chan? These guys are Phantom Thieves! A codename is a must!" Hibiki exclaimed.
"I highly doubt it's that simple a reason, idiot!" Chris said, whacking the brawler on the head.
"Ouch!"
"Though, now that she mentioned it, how do you guys get your codenames?" Maria asked next.
"Actually, Hibiki isn't far off," Mona admitted, to the Gear Users' surprise.
"Huh?!" Chris especially gasped.
"Think about it. What kind of phantom thief gives their real name to enemies?" When he puts it that way, none of the girls could argue against it.
"As expected~" Hibiki said in awe.
"How are your codenames given?" Serena asked.
"Mostly on appearance, as you can see," Pixie answered.
At her response, the Gear Users looked at each thieves for a moment.
"... Oh, that's true- death," Kirika spoke.
"You cannot mean to tell me you all just now realized where our codenames came from," Lioness sighed.
"But Queen's codename doesn't match her appearance," Maria pointed out.
"Mine's more based on personality, if anything," said thief explained.
"I can see that, considering how easy it is for you to keep Lioness and Kong in line," Tsubasa nodded.
"Then, what would our codenames be?" Hibiki wondered.
"You want a codename, Hibiki?" Miku asked.
"I mean, it's more Phantom Thief-like! And we're doing Phantom Thief stuff. We gotta have a codename for this!"
"Then... Maybe Brawler?" Skull said.
"Ooh! That sounds cool~" Hibiki accepted.
"Not sure if it's that fitting," Lioness said.
"You're saying it because it's not your idea, are you?" Kong asked in a slight tease.
"No, because of what Lavenza told me." At her words, all attention turned to her. "Apparently, Hibiki here's this world's version of Ren."
"Meaning...?"
"She's basically the Trickster of her team. To give her a name as simple as Brawler is unfitting."
"Then what name do you think fits her?" Sophie asked.
"I don't know. Wild?" Lioness answered.
"Your naming sense is questionable as ever, I see..." Kong muttered, in which the lion-masked thief overheard.
"Want to repeat that?"
"Wild... That actually does fit Tachibana," Tsubasa admitted, to the thieves' surprise.
"True. That idiot just doesn't know when to give up when the going gets tough," Chris added.
"Didn't she learn her moves just from watching movies? I think you can definitely define that as 'wild' then," Queen recalled.
"Um... Am I being complimented here or insulted?" Hibiki asked.
"Take it as a compliment," Miku told her.
"Then what about the others?" Noir wondered.
"Tsubasa would definitely be Sakimori," Chris instantly stated.
Said swordswoman turned to her in bafflement. "Why?!"
"Because you're always going on about 'sakimori' this and 'sakimori' that," Maria explained, agreeing to the name.
"Can't you give me something that sounds more like a name? Like Nobunaga or Muramasa," Tsubasa requested.
"Those all sound too macho- death," Kirika stated.
"Then what about Masamune?" Queen suggested.
"That sounds like a good codename," Shirabe said.
"Masamune... Yeah. I like that name," Tsubasa approved.
"Of course you do," Chris sighed.
"I wonder what Chris-chan's codename would be..." Hibiki said.
"I don't need a codename! We're not actual phantom thieves, after all. But... if you really insist..."
"Tsundere~" Oracle teased.
Chris instantly turned to her at the word. "I am not!"
"'Tsundere'? That does fit Chris-chan, but as a codename?" Hibiki asked.
"We are not calling me 'Tsundere'!"
"Then how about Firearm?" Miku asked.
"You make it sound like I appear on scene with guns blazing about so... no."
"Bust Babe," Shirabe suggested.
Chris turned to her in bafflement at the name. "Why?!"
Everyone else turned to her and saw the Shul Shagana user staring at Chris's chest when she made the suggestion, prompting the guys especially to stare as well.
"Well... I have no complaints to that," Skull stated.
"Indeed, the name would be fitting, in that area," Fox agreed.
Chris faced the boys in fury. "Get those heads out of the gutter!"
"Oh Kong~" Queen sang. "I know you're not the kind of guy, but truly... Is that really necessary?"
"I ain't seeing nothing! I swear!" Kong said in a panic.
"Joker, if I ever see your girlfriend when we get back, I will tell," Lioness blackmailed.
"I wasn't looking," the guy said, turning away from the Ichaival User.
"Body temperature seems to be slowly rising, especially around the face area. Joker, are you okay?" Sophie asked.
"It's just your imagination."
"Regardless, I am not having people call me 'Bust Babe' either!" Chris exclaimed.
"Then... What about Canon?" Pixie suggested.
"Canon?" Serena repeated.
"It's a musical term, and it almost sounds like 'cannon'."
"Hmm... Well, it's better than everyone else's, so I can take that." Chris responded.
"What about the others?" Hibiki asked in an excited tone.
"Maybe Panther 2.0 for Maria?" Skull suggested.
"Is it because her weapon is similar to mine?" Panther questioned.
"Yeah, I'd rather not be called like some robot, either," Maria stated.
"You seem more like an angel than a feline. Especially when you use your shield to protect us," Noir pointed out. "How about Angel?"
"I like it- death! It really fits Maria- death~!" Kirika agreed.
"She used to look after us like a mother, too," Shirabe pointed out.
"Yeah! It's perfect for sis!" Serena agreed.
"C-Come on. You girls are making me blush," Maria said, blushing at the many compliments. "If I'm Angel, then what's Serena's?"
"Fairy," Lioness answered.
"Indeed, Serena's appearance seems similar to that of a fairy," Sophie agreed.
"Yeah, I totally see that!" Panther also agreed.
"The name is cute, too," Noir added.
"Small and cute she may be, she's also a tricky one. Just like a fairy," Mona added on.
"Next, next! What am I- death?!" Kirika called.
"No matter how I look at you, 'Reaper' is the first thing that comes to mind," Lioness stated.
"That's too creepy of a codename- death! Shirabe, you can think of something, can't you- death?"
Shirabe placed a finger on her chin in thought, unable to really think of a name that fits her best friend. "Um... Sorry, Kiri-chan..."
"No way- death..."
"If Reaper's no good, how about Grimm?" Kong asked.
"Oh! I like that- death! As expected of senpai- death~!"
Some of the people sweat dropped at her acceptance.
"How is that any better than 'Reaper'?" Lioness muttered.
"Then Shirabe will be... Hmm... Hm? What would you be- death?" Kirika asked.
"Shirabe is a tricky one..." Pixie stated.
"I'm voting for Buzzsaw Girl," Skull said.
"Why?" Sophie asked.
"Because of back when they were pursuing us when we weren't on the same side. I still see that buzzsaw in my dream..."
"I'm going to have to agree with you there..." Mona admitted.
"I'm uh... sorry?" Shirabe apologized.
"Oh come on, guys. That's not fair on her," Panther scolded. "Give her something cute. Like Flowers or Yo-Yo."
"I understand Yo-Yo, but why Flowers?" Miku asked.
"Because of our little bonding session. Shirabe makes the perfect flower girl~"
"Eh? What is this? I never heard of this- death," Kirika said.
"I'll... explain after this," Shirabe told her.
"Then what about me and Miku?" Kanade asked.
"Sunshine~!" Hibiki answered for her bestie.
Miku blushed at the codename. "Hibiki, calling me that in front of others is a bit..."
"But it's a good codename."
"Sounds like a good codename to me. Why not use it?" Skull asked her.
"You numbskull..." Lioness sighed, understanding Miku's hesitance.
"It would be embarrassing to have others call her that," Noir said, also in understanding.
"Would it? Why?" Sophie questioned.
"You'll understand some day, Sophie," Oracle replied.
"If Sunshine isn't working out, then what codename do you want?" Joker asked.
"We can choose our own?" Kanade asked back.
"I did," Oracle answered.
"And I," Noir followed.
"Why didn't you ask us that earlier then?" Chris questioned.
"For one thing, we weren't sure if the one you girls were coming up with were going to be ridiculous. I mean, before Fox's was official, he wanted to be called Da Vinci," Kong explained.
"We're pretty much capable of coming up with our own codenames, thank you," Tsubasa retorted.
The rest of the Gear Users stared at Tsubasa upon those words, especially given the names she wanted to call herself.
"... So. What codename do you have in mind, Miku?" Kanade asked.
"Why did you all just brush me off...?" Tsubasa questioned.
"Um... I'm not so sure. Maybe something having to do with light?" Miku answered Kanade.
"Like what? Flash?" Skull suggested.
"That sounds way too simple," Panther rejected.
"What about Celestial? Or Celes for short," Fox said.
"Celes sounds nice but... It sounds too good for me," Miku denied.
"If you're Hibiki's sunshine, would Solar do?" Queen asked.
"That sounds like a cool name!" Mona exclaimed.
"Yeah! It's perfect for Miku~!" Hibiki agreed.
"If Hibiki thinks so, then I'm fine with it," Miku said.
"Which leaves us with Kanade," Lioness said.
The otherwordly Gungnir User placed her hands on her hips and said, "Go ahead. Lay it on me!"
"Coming from you, it almost sounds like you want us to attack you..." Kong muttered.
"Considering the help you made for me in drawing an inspiring picture, I shall give you a name of great finesse." Fox told her, "Something like Mona Lisa, or Artemisia, or Sofonisba."
"Those are all art names, aren't they?" Skull assumed.
"I feel like Artemisia would sound more of a Persona name, too. Not sure why, though..." Pixie noted.
"Sorry, but no," Kanade shut Fox's ideas. "I want something a little more powerful, not finesse."
"But... they are all incredible names for you!" Fox pleaded.
"Ignore him," Lioness brushed him off, looking at Kanade. "Well, I know you use the same relic as Hibiki, but you use a lance, too."
"Could just 'Lancer' work- death?" Kirika questioned.
"I think she's better than something simple as that," Noir responded.
"Hey, since she is part of 'Zwei Wings', maybe 'Zwei' would work!" Hibiki suggested.
"It can't work. Zwei is a name Tsubasa and I share together," Kanade stated, looking to the said swordswoman.
"Stop it, Kanade..." she responded, embarrassed for some odd reason.
"Then, what else should we name her?" Miku asked.
"Well... If Gungnir is her Relic, maybe it can relate to Odin, the owner of the weapon in mythology," Queen spoke up.
"Then why not just 'Odin'," Maria asked. "She does seem as strong as him."
"I can't argue with that," Tsubasa agreed.
"Okay, I guess I can live a name like 'Odin'," Kanade agreed.
As the conversation went on, Pixie had a thoughtful look on her face.
"What's wrong, Pixie?" Joker asked, noticing the expression.
"Nothing, it's just... I feel like we've had this sort of conversation before. But where...?" she answered.
"Can I ask something?" Sophie asked.
"What's wrong?" Hibiki asked back.
"Why are we giving you guys codenames?"
"'Why'? Because we're doing Phantom Thief stuff! We have to have codenames!"
"Yeah- death! Can't do this without codenames- death!" Kirika agreed.
"I thought you guys are working with the government? If you guys are with the law, you shouldn't be doing Phantom Thief work."
"You say that, but Zenkichi is part of the law and he's with you," Chris pointed out.
"For unavoidable reasons. Plus, he isn't a Phantom Thief like us. If you girls are caught doing Phantom Thief work, aren't you going to get in trouble with the law after?"
The group went silent at those words, and looked at each other.
"I'm not so sure if the law is going to matter in this situation..." Maria stated.
"Let's just forget about the codenames. Besides, there's really no point in giving you codenames since you guys aren't coming with us as thieves. You're here as authorities assisting thieves in robbing the king," Lioness said.
"Aww... That's too bad," Shirabe sighed.
"But I'm glad," Hibiki spoke. "If this was before, Lioness wouldn't want us here."
"That's true. This is quite the improvement," Tsubasa nodded in agreement.
"Shut up..." the lion-masked thief said with a light blush on her face. "I'm leaving without you guys." She dashed on ahead.
"Hey! Wait for us!" Queen called.