A/N: I don't have much to add here regarding the story, per se. But I wanted to take a quick moment to give a shoutout to Kyrin ( cosmokyrin on twitter) for the awesome new cover art for this story. They did an amazing job on it and I think you all should go check them out when you can.
So yeah, go give Kyrin a follow over on twitter, and enjoy this new chapter!
Power Plant
"Rei Shénshòujìng rei zizzl"
(Waikyō Shénshòujìng begins to play)
A pillar of purple light erupted from where Miku stood, forcing Kuriyo to shield her eyes as it lit up the night sky. Not too long after the fact, however, Kuriyo could tell that the light had dissipated, allowing her to see what had become of her friend, and she was shocked by what she saw. "Hina?"
Standing before the Lydian student was Miku, now dressed in armor colored in various shades of purple, white, and black, with a dark purple visor over their face, larger pieces purple armor around their legs and two long black ribbons extruding from her arms with a reflective metal at their tips. At first, Miku stood still, but she quickly looked around herself and became visibly surprised. "What the hell? Where did this armor come from?!" Miku asks aloud, before then tugging at the visor over her face. "And how do I get it off of me?!"
"Is that you, Hina?" Kuriyo asked again, this time getting Miku's attention as she turned to face her. "What happened to you?"
"I... I don't know." Miku replies. "That weird scientist lady told me about that pendant and injector, but she never told me about... Well... This!"
"Weird scientist lady?" Kuriyo asked, but before she could follow up on the question, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. "Hina! Behind you!"
Miku quickly turns around and gasps when she saw the Noise had started charging towards her. She was terrified and wanted to run, but as she was about to start running, her visor suddenly snapped shut and started to glow. After that, as if on instinct, Miku hovered off of the ground, charged towards the Noise, and sent the black ribbons on her armor flying towards the Noise by waving her arms around, leaving Kuriyo speechless as the ribbons wiped out every single Noise they came into contact with.
Reverberation
After a short while, the rooftop the duo stood upon was rid of the Noise that surrounded them, and the visor around Miku's face opened once again, letting Kuriyo see that Miku was just as surprised by what just happened as she was. "How did you do that, Hina?" Kuriyo asked.
"I... I don't know!" Miku replies, looking down at her ribbons in confusion. "I don't know how to describe it, but it was like someone or something was telling me what to do, and my body just went along with it!"
"That doesn't make any sense..." Kuriyo said, but before she could question it further, she heard the sound of more Noise over the edge of the building, and her heart sank when she saw that indeed more were on their way. "But you know what, things not making sense seems like the least important thing at the moment. We need to find a way out of here. NOW!"
Miku saw more Noise coming over the various rooftops as Kuriyo noticed the ones climbing the building. While she could somehow fight them off, she couldn't do that and make sure her friend was safe. The only other option was to take Kuriyo and run, but at their current height, they wouldn't be able to get far. That is, until Miku came up with an idea. "Kuriyo, get on my back!"
"What?!" Kuriyo asked. "Why?"
"I'm getting us out of here, so hurry up and get on!" Miku restates. "Or would you rather I hold you in a bridal carry?"
Kuriyo blushed briefly at the offer, but she quickly snapped out of it and got on Miku's back, which surprised both of the girls when Miku seemed to have little struggle standing up with Kuriyo on her. But much like most of what has happened within the last couple of minutes, neither wanted to question it. "What's the plan, Hina?"
"You still trust me, right?" Miku asks.
"Nothing's really changed since the last time you asked." Kuriyo replied.
"Good." Miku nods. "Then hang on tight!"
Kuriyo raised a brow at Miku's request. "Why do you need me to hold oOOOOOOOOOOONNNN!" Miku suddenly began to run for the side of the building, leaping off of the edge and sending the two of them flying through the air. "HIIIINNNAAAAAAA!"
Miku made sure to keep her grip on Kuriyo as tight as she could so that she wouldn't fall off as her friend did the same to keep herself on the armored girl's back. "I really hope this works!" Miku said to herself as she closed her eyes and braced for impact with the ground, but the impact never came. When Miku opened her eyes, she saw that she was still standing straight up, but more than that, she was floating, inches off the ground with Kuriyo's fear-filled grip being the only slightly painful feeling in her body.
Seeing that they were okay, Miku began to chuckle. "Well, that went better than I thought." She says aloud, before looking over her shoulder to see that Kuriyo had practically blacked out from the shock of the jump. "You can let go now, Kuriyo. We're okay!"
Kuriyo snapped out of her shock to see that Miku was telling the truth, which made her quickly jump off of Miku's back as she started laughing. "We're alive!" She cheered, before giving Miku a nasty look. "Never force me to do something like that again, Hina!"
"Believe me, I hope we never end up in a situation like that again, either." Miku chuckles, before another roar takes the both of them by surprise as they look over and see not only a horde of more Noise, but a giant green one accompanying them. "You've got to be kidding me!"
"There's more of them?!" Kuriyo gasped.
"Let's get out of here before they surround us again!" Miku shouts.
"Too late!" Kuriyo replied, pointing to a horde of Noise approaching from behind them. "We're trapped! What do we do now?"
"INCOMING DEEEESSSS!"
(Tegami begins to play)
As if to answer their cries, a familiar voice came from behind the flanking horde, shredding the Noise in seconds with flashes of pink and green. Once the Noise were destroyed, Miku and Kuriyo saw two girls, one clad in green armor with a matching hat and scythe while the other was clad in pink armor with a giant monowheel that carried the both of them. The monowheel came to a halt right in front of the duo, which surprised them when they saw who their armored saviors were. "Katsu?! Tsuku?!"
"Kuri-san?!" Kirika gasped in reply. "What are you doing in a place like this dess?"
"As much as I'd love to explain that, I think you two have a LOT more explaining to do!" Kuriyo retorted. "Starting with why the both of you have armor similar to Hina's!"
"'Hina'?" Shirabe asked, looking over at the purple-armored girl, before her eyes went wide. "Miku-san?! You're the one who stole the Shénshòujìng relic?!"
"Stole it?!" Miku gasps. "No no no! You've got it all wrong! There was this scientist lady an-"
Just as Miku was about to explain everything, the giant Noise roared, catching everyone's attention. "We need to deal with that before it causes any more damage." Shirabe said. "Can you fight, Miku-san?"
Miku wasn't sure how to answer. While she was able to fight off the Noise before, she also felt like she wasn't fully in control of herself. "Well... I... I don't know..."
"You don't know?" Kirika asked. "Whatever that means, just use it to keep Kuri-san safe. Shirabe and I will handle things from here dess. Or at least until Maria shows up."
"Until who shows up?" Kuriyo asked, but her question was ignored as Shirabe and Kirika dashed off into the Noise, making quick work of the oncoming horde just as they had the flanking one. While the girls were surprised by Shirabe and Kirika destroying the Noise with such little effort, that name the latter mentioned stuck with Kuriyo and Miku. "Katsu totally said 'Maria', right Hina?"
"I'm more than certain she did." Miku answers.
"Do you think that they were talking about...!" Just as Kuriyo was about to finish her sentence, she looked up and saw the giant Noise from earlier looming over them, which made her scream while Miku could only stare at it in horror.
"Crap! The big one got past us dess!" Kirika exclaimed.
Hearing this, Shirabe looked over at where Miku and Kuriyo were and gasped. "We're too far away to get to them in time!" She said.
"Don't worry, Shirabe. I've got this under control!" A voice said over Shirabe and Kirika's communicators. "There's just something I need you two to do first..."
"Hina, if you can fight like you did before, now would be a good time to do it!" Kuriyo shouted.
"I got lucky the first time!" Miku replies. "How do you expect me to fight THAT?"
"GET DOWN!"
"DUCK!"
Shirabe and Kirika shouted from across the power plant at Miku and Kuriyo. At first, they didn't know what they were shouting about, but then Miku noticed a flash of purple out of the corner of her eye, and when she realized it was getting closer, she quickly tackled Kuriyo to the floor, making sure to land on her back so as to not crush Kuriyo.
HORIZON†SPEAR
The girls shielded their eyes as the massive laser shot past them, barely missing the duo thanks to Miku. Once the light dissipated, the girls uncovered their eyes and saw the massive Noise that was towering over them now with a giant hole in the middle of it, before the monster suddenly turned into ash. "What the hell was that?" Kuriyo asked.
"I... I don't know." Miku replies, before looking over to where the laser came from and seeing a silhouette of someone wearing a huge cape and holding a massive two-pointed spear that closed itself as she approached the two through the smoke. "But I think I found who just saved our lives."
"Maria!/Maria dess!" Shirabe and Kirika exclaimed as they ran over to the mystery spear-wielder.
"You two really need to work on not running off before the Commander gives us orders." Maria said as she emerged from the smoke, revealing her long pink hair and black and orange armor to Kuriyo and Miku, the latter of which was able to recognize almost instantly. "Granted, you two did a good job making it here before it was too late, but that was still a very reckless move."
"Sorry about that, Maria..." Shirabe replied.
"We won't be as reckless next time dess..." Kirika added.
"Good." Maria nodded, before turning towards Miku and Kuriyo. "Apologies for the startle just now with that attack. Here, let me help you up."
Maria extended her hand out for the girls, which they both gladly took, allowing the spearwoman to hoist them back up to their feet. "Thanks for saving us!" Kuriyo said gratefully.
"You're welcome." Maria replied. "I'm just glad we were able to show up before it was too late."
"Sucks that you can't talk about this, though." Kirika added. "I mean, it's not everyday you get to say you got saved by someone who could fight the Noise dess."
"Kiri-chan!" Shirabe hissed, making Kirika flinch in response.
"I'm just saying!" Kirika replied.
"Actually, this wouldn't be the first time you've saved me." Miku says, confusing everyone. "You've saved me once before, Maria-san."
"I have?" Maria asked. "But I don't recall-"
Just as Maria was about to finish that sentence, Miku's armor suddenly started glowing, and eventually, her armor disappeared, reverting back to her Lydian uniform. "What the?"
"Hina, your clothes! They're back!" Kuriyo gasped.
"Wait a minute... That bow..." Maria said, recognizing Miku's white bow on the back of her head. "It can't be..."
"Thank you for saving me, Ma'am!"
"Don't mention it. Now, it's best if you get out of here before more Noise show up."
"R-Right. Thank you again!"
Remembering that moment, Maria smirked. "It seems fate has a funny way of making us meet up again." She said to herself.
"Wait, you know Miku-san, Maria?" Shirabe asked Maria.
"Wait, you've met this woman before, Hina?" Kuriyo asked Miku.
"It's a long story, but yes." Miku answers. "She saved my life from a Noise attack a little over a year ago."
Kuriyo's jaw dropped hearing this. "And you never thought to say anything about it?"
"What was I supposed to say? 'Hey girls, I got saved by a woman that looked just like the Idol Maria Cadenzavna Eve in black armor in an alleyway'?" Miku asks. "No one would believe a single word of that!"
Kuriyo was going to retort Miku's claim, but she immediately shut her mouth in hindsight. "You do have a point, Hina. We probably would've thought you were crazy." She admitted. "Either way, Yumi's gonna be extremely jealous that we got to meet Maria Cadenzavna Eve."
"I'm kinda surprised that you aren't really freaking out over the fact you were just saved by her dess." Kirika said.
"Don't get me wrong, that alone is a lot to take in by itself, but so much has already happened tonight to the point that I doubt it's the last new thing I'm going to see within the next couple of hours." Kuriyo replied.
"Yeah, I guess that's fair dess..." Kirika chuckled.
Suddenly, the sounds of cars pulling up to the power plant could faintly be heard in the distance. "And I'm afraid that you're not wrong about that." Maria said. "As much as I hate to say it, you two have to come with us, preferably without any resistance."
"What?!" Miku and Kuriyo both gasp.
"What did we even do?!" Kuriyo asked.
"Actually, you're fine. You'll just need to follow me back to our agents, sign some documents that you're required by law to fill out, ensuring that you do not tell anyone about what has happened tonight, and then you're free to go." Maria said to Kuriyo. "Your friend here, however, has to come back to our headquarters for some questions. Starting with how she got her hands on government property."
"But that's-"
"I'll go." Miku interjects, surprising Kuriyo. "But Kuriyo's coming with me."
"Miku, was it? I'm afraid I can't allow that." Maria said. "And considering just how severe the situation you've put yourself in already is, you're in no position to make a request like that."
"Then how about this: If Kuriyo doesn't come with us, I won't talk." Miku states. "And, I'll spill every little detail of the secret base underneath Lydian."
"The what?!" Kuriyo gasped.
Maria, Shirabe, and Kirika all looked at Miku in shock. "You're bluffing!"
"Oh, but I'm most certainly not." Miku reassures the trio. "The way I see it, I'm only going to let this end one of two ways: Either you take us both back to base and I cooperate willingly, or you take me to these agents, have me fill out the documents Kuriyo would have to sign too, and you can take this back to your base like nothing happened." Saying this, Miku took out the pendant and held it out in front of her, swinging it back and forth like a pendulum.
Maria scoffed at Miku's demands. "Even if what you said is true, you don't have any way of proving it without-"
"Physical evidence?" Miku interjects, letting go of the pendant and pulling out her phone, which made the trio worry again. "You think I wouldn't plan ahead for a situation like this? The moment I found that secret base, I knew I would be in trouble, so I made sure to record everything I saw, in case I was forced into a corner like this."
"Hina. Are you insane?" Kuriyo whispered to Miku, but she didn't respond. Miku knew the moment she broke eye contact with Maria, the spearwoman would see right through her bluff, and it was working better than expected.
"Now you're just being chil-"
"Uh-di-di!" Miku says, holding up a finger as she cuts Maria off. "You have my demands, Maria: Kuriyo comes with us, we both walk away from this and keep quiet, or your secret base goes viral! Considering I could easily talk about what happened a year ago since you never had me sign these supposed documents then, you only have yourself to blame for this ultimatum. So go on, pick your poison!"
"This is bad dess..." Kirika said.
"What should we do, Maria?" Shirabe asked.
Maria remained silent, continuing her staredown with Miku, neither of them daring to even blink. However, Maria finally gave in and closed her eyes. "Very well. If you're this adamant on having her come with us, then so be it." Maria said, making Miku smirk as a result, before returning a smirk of her own. "Ogawa, cuff them both."
Before either one of them could process what Maria had said, a man with short brown hair in a black suit appeared practically out of thin air and put huge metal handcuffs on their wrists, making Miku drop her phone as a result. "Sorry about this in advance. I'm just following orders." The man apologized.
Meanwhile, Maria walked over and picked up Miku's phone. "Now that we've agreed to bring your friend along, I'm just going to make sure you weren't lying about having footage of our base, lest you decide to blackmail us with it in the future." Maria said.
"Hey! Don't scroll through my phone!" Miku shouts.
"If you didn't want me to do this, don't use it as a bargaining chip next time!" Maria retorted. "You can have it back when we reach HQ."
Miku grit her teeth, but she didn't resist anymore as Ogawa led her and Kuriyo back to the other agents, in order to be led to Maria and co.'s secret base.
Lydian
After a car ride that felt like it took forever, Kuriyo, Miku, Ogawa, and Maria and co. arrived back at Lydian, which came as a confusing surprise to the former as they walked through the quiet hallway. "Wait, were you not joking about the base underneath the school?" Kuriyo asked Miku.
"I wish I was." Miku answers. "But this is exactly where I went when I followed Kirika and Shirabe here."
"You followed us dess?!" Kirika gasped, giving Miku an angry glare. "Why?"
"Wait, was that the night you tried finding Katsu to return her Student ID?" Kuriyo asked, which made Kirika drop her angry glare as she received two in kind from Maria and Shirabe.
"Why am I not surprised that you were somehow responsible for Miku-san finding our base, Kiri-chan?" Shirabe asked.
"H-Hey! Don't look at me like that!" Kirika spluttered. "It's not like I wanted to lose my ID!"
"And how many times have you lost it up to this point, Kirika?" Maria asked.
"Well... I..." Kirika paused, her face turning bright red with embarrassment. "Why am I suddenly the one that's in trouble dess?!"
Just then, the group reached the elevator door that Miku saw Kirika and Shirabe use before, stopping just before it as Ogawa opened the door. "We'll need to take two trips in order to safely get everyone into HQ." He said.
"Understandable." Maria said. "Then, if it's alright with you, I'll go with Miku and her friend. You, Kirika, and Shirabe go on ahead, Ogawa."
"Understood." Ogawa nodded, entering the elevator with Kirika and Shirabe.
With that settled, the three girls stood in the quiet hallway, waiting patiently for the elevator to return. However, in the midst of their silence, Maria handed Miku back her phone. "I know now's probably not the best time to return this, but it's better if I did so now before I forgot to return it later." Maria said.
Seeing her phone, Miku quickly took it back and started scrolling through it to make sure everything was still the way she had it before, letting out a quiet sigh when she saw nothing had been deleted. "Thank you." She says.
"That was a risky move you made back there." Maria said with a stern expression on her face, before quickly softening it. "But I'll admit, you even had me believing your bluff for a moment."
"You knew I was bluffing?" Miku asks, getting a nod from Maria as a response. "But then, why didn't you call me out on it?"
Maria smirked at the question. "Because I probably would've done the same thing if I were in your shoes." She said. "That, and the Commander accepted your demands."
"Really?" Miku asks. "With the way you made it sound before, I thought that your Commander would've been against my request."
"He can be strict with some negotiations, yes, but he was willing to make an exception this time around." Maria said. "Granted, he can be rather lenient when it comes to making sure people are happy at HQ, as you'll surely find out here in a moment."
Just then, the elevator door opened back up, allowing the trio to enter the elevator as Maria walked over to the panel at the back, letting the device scan her ID, which in turn barred the doors and brought out the handlebars in the floor. "What's with these?" Kuriyo asked.
"I suggest you should hold on to that." Maria answered. "Believe me, you'll thank me later."
Kuriyo was confused at first, but then she saw Miku holding on to the one opposite her and nodding. "O... kay?" Kuriyo replied, hesitantly grabbing onto the handlebar. "But I'm still a little confused as to why- WOAH!" Before she could fully understand the handlebar's purpose, Kuriyo quickly learned why it was there when the elevator shot downwards at a rapid pace, taking the three of them straight to the secret base below Lydian.
Section Two HQ
After a few seconds, Kuriyo got adjusted to the elevator's rapid descent, letting out a sigh as she recomposed herself. "Well... That was surprising..." Kuriyo chuckled nervously.
"The drop takes anyone by surprise their first time through." Maria stated. "Eventually, you get used to it."
"I'll take your word for it." Kuriyo replied, before the walls of the elevator shaft suddenly disappeared, revealing the cavern filled with metal pillars and mysterious paintings. "Woah... What is all of this?"
"To be honest, I'm not quite sure." Maria answered. "These paintings were here even when myself and the others came to Section Two, and as far as I've asked, no one else seems to know either."
"Odd..." Miku and Kuriyo both said.
After another minute of trying to understand the mysterious cavern, the elevator started to slow to a crawl as the trio reached their destination. "I should probably give you both one final warning before the doors open." Maria said.
"And that is?" Kuriyo asked.
"While this is a top-secret military base, things can get... Interesting... When special events happen." Maria answered.
"Interesting how?" Miku asks.
Before Maria could answer, the elevator door opened, greeting the trio of girls to the sound of party favors being popped as they saw applauding agents gathered around various tables covered with various deserts, a banner that read "Welcome Miku Kohinata and Kuriyo Ando.", And at the very front of the agents stood a tall, muscular man with red hair, wearing a matching red shirt, khaki pants, a pink tie tucked into a shirt pocket, and a black top hat.
"Welcome to the last line of defense for humanity, Special Disaster Response Team, Section 2!" The man cheered, surprising Kuriyo and Miku.
"That's how." Maria sighed.
"I'm so glad the experiment worked, Miku-chan!" Ryoko cheered as she ran over and hugged Miku in celebration.
"Too... Tight..." Miku wheezes as she struggles to break free from Ryoko's embrace.
"Oh, sorry about that! Got a little carried away there." Ryoko apologized as she let go of Miku, who coughed as she gasped for air. As she was doing that, Ryoko took out her phone and pulled both Miku and Kuriyo in for a selfie. "We should get a photo together to celebrate your accomplishment! Say 'Cheese'!"
"Woah Woah Woah! Slow down for just a second!" Kuriyo interjected, pulling herself and Miku away from the camera. "First of all, I'd personally rather not have a photo of myself in handcuffs, especially with someone I've never met before. Secondly, how in the world do you know either of our names when, as I just said, I've never met anyone in this place besides Katsu and Tsuku!"
"Section Two here used to be a kind of secret service organization back during the second world war." The man explained. "With our expertise, investigating your backgrounds was rather easy."
Just as the man said this, Ryoko came by holding a bag that one of the girls recognized almost immediately. "Hey! That's my bag!" Kuriyo shouted. "Is your so called 'expertise' just you going around and rummaging through our things without our permission?"
Suddenly, Miku and Kuriyo felt a tap on their shoulders, causing them to turn around and see the man that cuffed them in the power plant. "Sorry to intrude on your conversation, but would you mind showing me your handcuffs for a moment?" Ogawa asked.
After a brief moment, Ogawa uncuffed Miku and Kuriyo, allowing the girls to freely move their arms, and rub their sore wrists. "Much better..." Kuriyo sighed. "Thanks for that."
"My pleasure." Ogawa replied. "If anything, I owe you both an apology for cuffing you out of the blue like that."
"Well, I didn't exactly leave the best first impression either..." Miku chuckles.
"Now then, allow me to properly introduce myself." The man said as he dusted off his hat and put it away. "I'm Genjuro Kazanari. I'm in charge around here."
"Kazanari?" Miku asks.
"Wasn't that the name of one of the members of Zwei Wing?" Kuriyo added.
Everyone fell silent when that question was asked. But the sound of Ryoko clearing her throat brought the conversation back on track. "Miku-chan and I have already met, but I'm Ryoko Sakurai, known for getting most of, if not all of, the work around here done."
"Excuse you!" A man with silver hair, wearing a white and purple lab coat scoffed. "If it weren't for myself and Nastassja, a majority of your work would still be in its testing phases, and nowhere near complete, for that matter."
Ryoko rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'm one of the people known for getting things done around here." She said, before leaning down to whisper to the duo. "But between you and me, he's on the lowest part of the work totem-pole."
"I heard that!" The man said. "Dr. Sakurai's egotistical ramblings aside, my name is Dr. John Wayne Vercingetorix. But you may call me Dr. Ver for brevity's sake."
Ryoko scoffed. "I'm egotistical? Have you met yourself?"
"Every time I look in a mirror, why do you ask?" Ver sarcastically replied, which made Ryoko roll her eyes.
"Would you two please stop acting like children in front of the newcomers?" A woman asked as she rolled over to the group in her motorized wheelchair. The woman in question had indigo-colored hair and she wore a black dress with a light-purple turtleneck underneath it, while also wearing an eye-patch over her right eye. "Forgive my colleagues for their less-than-formal introductions. I am Nastassja Sergeyevna Tolstaya. While those two are in charge of the upkeep of our Wielders' Symphogears, I am in charge of research in other forms of heretical technology found within Section Two. Pleased to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too, Nastassja-san." Kuriyo replied. "I may not fully understand what's going on here, but it's nice to have one calm introduction. N-No offense, Genjuro-san."
"None taken. I'm sure this was a lot to take in all at once." Genjuro said. "That being said, I'm sure you're wondering why we've called you both here. To put it simply, we'd like to ask for your help."
"Our help?" Kuriyo asked.
"Help with what, exactly?" Miku adds, before getting an idea as to what he could be referring to. "Does it have anything to do with that weird pendant Ryoko-san gave me?"
"You gave Miku-kun the Shénshòujìng Symphogear, Ryoko-kun?" Genjuro asked.
"It's a long story, but to put it briefly, yes." Ryoko answered. "To be completely honest, I didn't expect Miku-chan to pull it off, but I'm glad she exceeded my expectations!"
"Thanks for the vote of confidence..." Miku sighs. "Now can you please explain what that was?"
"Gladly. However, before I do, there are a few things I need to ask of you both." Ryoko said. "First, you cannot talk about anything that has happened today. And Second..."
"Don't tell me..." Miku says in a worried tone. "More tests?"
"Well, well! You know me so well, and we've only talked twice!" Ryoko cheered, before shooting a cheeky grin over at Dr. Ver. "Perhaps I should have Miku-chan be my lab partner instead of you, Dr. Hero."
Ver sighed at the insult. "Sometimes, I regret telling you things in confidence..."
"Hold on just a second." Kuriyo interjected. "What does she mean by 'tests', Hina?"
Miku didn't answer. Instead, she looked at the floor as her face was red with embarrassment. "Hina?"
Before Kuriyo could make a break for it, Ryoko pulled the girl in close and whispered in her ear. "There's no need to worry. I promise it won't hurt."
Kuriyo felt her skin turn pale as she started sweating bullets. "Why..."
"WHY ME?!"
Lydian
The next day, Miku and Kuriyo went back to class, waiting to hear back from Section Two about their test results. As classes wrapped up for the day, Miku and Kuriyo waited until the coast was clear to talk about what had happened yesterday. "Hey, Kuriyo?" Miku asks.
"Yeah?" Kuriyo replied.
"Sorry for getting you wrapped up in all of this..." Miku says. "Hell, I shouldn't have gotten myself wrapped up in any of this mess, but I let my own curiosity get the better of me and..."
Miku stopped talking the moment she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning to see Kuriyo looking back at her. "It's alright, Hina." She said. "Besides, it's better that I found out like this, instead of forcing you to suffer in silence, especially since we're roommates."
Miku smiles upon hearing this. "Thank you, Kuriyo." She says. "But now, I can't help but feel bad that we have to keep this from Yumi and Shiori..."
"Hey girls!" Yumi says, startling both Miku and Kuriyo as herself and Shiori walk over to them.
"H-Hey, Yumi." Miku replies. "What's up?"
"Shiori and I are gonna go to Flower again." Yumi said. "Wanna come with?"
Kuriyo chuckled nervously. "We'd love to, but we sadly can't today. The teachers need us for something." She said. "Maybe next time?"
"The teachers need you two?" Shiori asked. "What for?"
"It's... Complicated." Miku answers.
"Geez, you two are out here having the most anime high school experience possible. First you're walking around town during a Noise attack, now the teachers have you doing complicated stuff. I'm honestly jealous." Yumi sighed. "Well, see you later, I guess."
"See you later!" Miku and Kuriyo reply, watching them leave the now empty classroom before letting out sighs.
"If only she knew..." Kuriyo said.
"Yeah..." Miku agrees.
Suddenly, the duo overheard Yumi in the hallway, talking with someone other than Shiori.
"Hiya Yumi-san! Have you seen Miku-san and Kuri-san anywhere?"
"We just got done talking with them in the classroom over there. They should hopefully still be there."
"Thank you dess!"
Seconds later, Kirika and Shirabe arrived outside the classroom. "There you two are!" Kirika cheered.
"You need to come with us to HQ." Shirabe added.
Kuriyo and Miku looked at the duo and nodded. "Lead the way."
Section Two HQ
After the four arrived at Section Two, they were brought into the command center, where the agents, scientists, and Commander were waiting for them, alongside Maria who had taken a seat on the nearby couch. "Ah! There you are!" Ryoko cheered. "Welcome back!"
"You say that like they had somewhere else to be." Ver chuckled.
"Quiet you." Ryoko retorted.
"I take it you called us here about the medical checkups?" Miku asks.
"Correctamundo, my ever-so curious friend!" Ryoko answered. "As I mentioned yesterday, your tests were more or less to make sure you were still in tip-top shape after your first time activating a Symphogear. Rest assured, there were no lasting side-effects on you from neither the LiNKER nor the Gear itself, so you're perfect!"
"That's a relief, I guess." Miku says.
"Then what exactly were my tests for?" Kuriyo asked. "I never used those things you mentioned, and you never told me why I had to get tested either."
"Well, that's because I was running the tests I had previously ran on Miku-chan on yourself for another project I've been working on." Ryoko explained. "It's still in the early stages and nowhere near ready for human usage, but what I can say for certain is that you've more than qualified for it once it's ready!"
"I'm not sure whether I should be happy about that news or scared." Kuriyo sighed.
"Now that we've done as you've asked, I believe there's something you promised to tell us in return?" Miku asks, as she pulls out the Shénshòujìng pendant to jog Ryoko's memory.
"No need to worry, girls, I haven't forgotten." Ryoko replied, before looking over at Maria, Kirika, and Shirabe. "Girls? If you would?"
In unison, the trio pulled out their own pendant necklaces and presented them to the girls. "They look just like yours, Hina." Kuriyo said. "What are they?"
"Gungnir, Igalima, and Shul Shagana." Genjuro stated. "They are the third, fifth, and sixth relics, belonging to Maria, Kirika, and Shirabe respectively."
"Relics?" Miku asks.
"To put it simply, relics are the products of heretical technology referenced far and wide in ancient legends. However, despite the fact they were made in the distant past, they're next to impossible to create with the technology we have today." Ryoko explained. "The only place you can find such things in today's world is by visiting ancient ruins and getting lucky enough to find one, but even then, finding a relic that isn't badly damaged by time and has any remaining power is even harder to come across."
"These three relics, as well as the one you hold, are examples of these: Mere fragments of what they used to be." Genjuro added.
"Must be a massive amount of power left if they can do what we saw them do the other day." Kuriyo commented.
"You wouldn't be wrong to assume that's the case, but that's only due to that remaining power getting drawn out of the relic and amplified to much more than they have within." Ryoko stated. "And the only thing that can achieve that is a specific wave that vibrates at a special frequency."
"A who what now?" Kuriyo asked.
"In other words, songs." Genjuro answered. "The relics are powered by songs."
"Songs?" Miku thought aloud, before remembering what happened when she activated the Gear. "Now that I think about it, I do remember singing when I was fighting the Noise briefly."
As Miku said this, Ryoko pulled up a silhouette of a person with the relic over their chest. "When the relic is activated by song, it turns into pure energy, which then in turn is reconstructed into a suit of armor." Ryoko explained. "This anti-Noise armor that you and the others wear is what we call Symphogears."
"Though it's important to note that, while they're activated by singing, Symphogears can't be activated with any song you like. If it were that simple, we'd have an entire army of Symphogear Wielders at our disposal." Ver added, getting glances from everyone after that last comment. "...I'm just saying."
Getting back on topic, Genjuro cleared his throat to get the girls' attention. "As Dr. Ver mentioned, we call the few who are capable of activating the relics, and thus wear the Symphogears, 'Wielders'. That title belongs to Maria, Kirika, Shirabe, and yourself." He said.
"Well? Does that help explain the power that you were able to awaken the other day, Miku-chan?" Ryoko asked.
"It did answer a good amount of my questions, that's for sure." Miku answers.
"Great to hear!" Ryoko cheered. "And, of course, if there's any other questions you may have, feel free to come to me and ask away! After all, I am the one responsible for creating Sakurai Theory, which is what makes extracting the power stored away in relics possible."
"I have a question." Kuriyo said.
"I'm all ears, Kuriyo-chan!" Ryoko replied.
"If these relics are capable of fighting the Noise so effectively, why do they have to be kept a secret from the world?" Kuriyo asked, which brought the mood of the room down.
"You see, if anyone were to learn about the Symphogears, or more specifically that you have one, it could endanger anyone and everyone that's associated with you." Genjuro explained. "Friends, family, anyone that has any attachment to you, their lives would be at risk."
"Their lives?" Miku and Kuriyo thought about this warning, thinking about Yumi, Shiori, and their parents. This wasn't a burden they wanted to put on their shoulders.
"We're not trying to protect a secret by keeping this knowledge private. We're trying to protect the lives that would be unintentionally put at risk if we let it come out." Genjuro continued. "We would like to ask the both of you to keep this power a secret so that we may continue to protect those lives."
"In short, we want you to understand that with this great power, comes an even greater responsibility." Ryoko added.
"Humanity as a whole cannot defeat the Noise." Ver stated. "As you've probably seen, when humans make contact with the Noise, we're reduced to dust within a matter of seconds, and even then, no normal weapon can so much as lay a scratch on them."
"The only exception to this are the Valkyries clad in Symphogear armor." Genjuro added. "And so, as head of the Japanese government's Special Disaster Response Team, Section 2, I would like to ask for your help once more. Miku Kohinata, will you use the power of the Shénshòujìng Symphogear to help us fight the Noise?"
Miku thought about this for a moment, remembering not just all the times that the Noise have hurt humanity as a whole, but remembering what they took from her on that fateful day. With that memory at the front of her mind, Miku had her answer. "I'll do it."
"You will?" Genjuro asked. "Keep in mind, Miku-kun, there's no shame in taking some time to think this through. After all, we're asking a lot from you as is."
"If it means that I can help put a stop to the Noise, then I'll fight." Miku answers. "I'll use the Shénshòujìng Symphogear to fight for the future!"
"Something tells me her mind's made up, Genji." Ryoko replied. "Welcome to the team, Mi-"
Suddenly, the Noise alarm went off and the lights within the command center dimmed as the agents ran to their seats. "Noise are materializing!" Sakuya reported.
"Tell Section one that we'll take care of this matter." Genjuro ordered.
"The Noise have been located. Putting the coordinates on screen now." Aoi reported, before letting out a gasp. "They're within 200 units of the school?!"
"I'll take care of this!" Maria said, running out of the command center to go fight the Noise.
Suddenly, without warning, Miku started running off towards the exit of the command center as well. "Hina?!"
"Don't be reckless, Miku-kun!" Genjuro shouted. "You've only just-"
"I can use this power to save people, right? And it's only with this power that the Noise can be stopped?" Miku asks, getting a confused nod from Genjuro. "Then consider this my first mission!"
With that said, Miku ran after Maria, and in doing so, ran towards the Noise. "She knows the danger and she still wants to help." Sakuya stated. "She must be a kind girl at heart to put others before herself."
"Is that really true?" Nastassja wondered, confusing Sakuya. "Unlike Maria and the others, Miku hasn't had the experience of wielding a Symphogear for more than a day. She's just a girl who was living a normal life until she was told that she could use a special power to save lives by throwing hers into danger in return. Can you say someone like that isn't even slightly twisted?"
There was a moment of silence amidst the crowd, before Ryoko finally shrugged. "I think that just means she's a lot like us in a way."
However, while they were all questioning Miku's willingness to jump into the fray on a moment's notice, Kuriyo had something else on her mind. "That look in your eye when you agreed to join the fight... What are you thinking, Hina?"
Meanwhile, Maria had just made it to where Section Two had their LiNKER stored in the medical wing. Just as she grabbed one of the vials and loaded it into her injector, she heard the door open behind her. "I'm coming with you!" Miku said.
Maria was shocked by this. "You only just started as a Wielder, and you want to take on the Noise now?!" Maria asks.
"You may be right on me not having experience fighting the Noise, but I'm not going to just sit around while they're this close to the school!" Miku stated. "So either you let me come with you, or we can waste our time arguing about my lack of experience."
Knowing there was nothing she could do to stop Miku from following her, Maria sighs as she tosses Miku a LiNKER injector. "Just promise me you won't try anything reckless."
"I'll do what I can." Miku agreed.
In the City
Minutes later, Maria and Miku set out from HQ, spotting the Noise on one of the highways, which made them stop driving as they got out and readied their injectors at their necks. "Keep damage to as much of a minimum as you can." Maria states. "Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Miku replied as they both pulled out their pendants and began to sing.
"Granzizel bilfen Gungnir zizzl"
(EX:FUTURIZE begins to play)
Once the Wielders finished their transformations, they watched as the horde of Noise before them suddenly started to melt onto the highway, before just as suddenly fusing together and forming one giant Noise, which roared at the duo. "They can merge together?!" Miku gasps.
"Sometimes, yes." Maria answers as she readies her spear. "But don't let your guard down!"
"R-Right!" Miku replies, trying her best to imitate the fighting style she pulled off yesterday with her ribbons. "Let's do this!"
And so, the duo charged at the massive Noise, who in turn shot projectiles the size of the Noise that fused into it, forcing the girls to dodge and block, something that came easy for Maria, but Miku was not as fortunate, as she was knocked away by one of the shots. "Miku!" Maria shouts.
"I'm fine." Miku replies as she gets up from the ground and shakes off the hits she took. "This thing is not going to go down as easily as the other Noise did... I wish there was something more I could do..."
As she thought this, her visor suddenly shut once again, but instead of giving her directions on how to fight with her ribbons, it showed a picture of a silhouette holding their arm to the side with text that simply said "Summon Armed Gear". Miku was confused by this, but she did just what the visor said, and when she held out her arm, a weapon suddenly shot out from it. The weapon in question was shaped like a futuristic version of a closed Chinese fan that was about as long as her leg and it matched the same color scheme as her armor. On the very end of it, there was a reflective silver metal circle, similar to the metal on the tips of her ribbons.
Miku examined the weapon for a brief moment, but as she was, the visor had another prompt: "fire" next to another silhouette that held the fan out in front of them, pointing the mirror-like circle outwards. Miku was still really confused as to who or what was sending her this information, but she decided to go along with it for now and did as the tutorial showed.
At first, nothing happened, but before long, a purple ball of energy formed at the tip of the fan and shot out towards Maria and the Noise. "Maria! Look out!" Miku shouts.
Luckily, Maria heard Miku and was barely able to avoid the purple laser with a moment to spare. After she dodged, Maria looked back at the Noise, seeing a massive hole through the middle of it. Both Maria and Miku were shocked by this, but this gave the latter an idea. "Miku! Whatever you did, keep doing it!"
Maria couldn't see Miku's expression through the visor, but it changed from a look of confusion to a look of determination in seconds. "Got it!" She replies.
And so, Miku shot another laser, and then another, and another, filling the giant Noise full of holes as it screamed out in agony. "Now to finish you off!" Maria shouts, holding out her spear as the tip of it opens up, charging a laser of its own, which she then fires and proceeds to wipe the Noise out of existence.
HORIZON†SPEAR
The girls watched as the remains of the Noise faded into dust in the wind, letting out a sigh of victory as it happened. "I'm not sure what you did back there, Miku, but excellent work!" Maria says, holding out her fist for a fist bump. "I look forward to seeing what else you can do with Shénshòujìng."
Miku smirks as she returns Maria's fist bump. "I'll try not to disappoint." She says, looking forward to her own growth as much as Maria was, but not just for the sake of being of use to Section Two... "With this power, I'll make the Noise suffer for everything they've done..."
"I'll avenge everyone, especially you, Hibiki..."
A/N: And with that, we end the chapter!
Now to answer a few questions you might have with this chapter:
When I was first coming up with what I wanted to do for S1's events in GS, I originally had Kuriyo playing the role Miku did in OG S1, but then I had another idea for her, one that I'm sure a good amount of you might be able to see coming as this part continues. But for now, I'll keep that a secret until the time is right. Stay tuned :)
As for Maria and the other members of F.I.S., I decided to keep their personalities mostly the same as canon since, aside from joining Section Two (which will be explained as to how that happened in an upcoming chapter during the S1 arc, don't worry), most of their past remained the same. This is why Maria isn't exactly as distant towards Miku and Kuriyo as S1 Tsubasa was with Hibiki (granted, there were other reasons for that starting point in their relationship, but still).
While I'm on the topic of F.I.S. in GS, I felt that having Ryoko and Ver practically act like clashing siblings while Nastassja is the mature one of the three is too perfect to pass up. Felt like it would add to the comedic part of this story instead of forcing Kirika to just be goofy all the time and calling it a day.
And lastly, Miku. I'm sure there are many questions about how I've gone about Miku with Shénshòujìng in this chapter, but I'm trying to make it so she's more or less learning how to use her Gear thanks to the direct feedback system, using it for her own gain instead of someone else's. But that last bit will be shown in better detail as this part goes on.
But with that, I think this is a good place to leave off for now. Thank you all so much for reading this chapter. I shall see you in the next one!