Taking a nice, hot drink right after a long night's rest never once failed to lift Maria's exhausted spirits. As the boots of her Adaptor uniform thumped against the corridor's metal flooring, six steaming mugs of cocoa sat on top of a tray that Maria held in her hands. She hummed a nostalgic tune to herself on the way to the Adaptors' personal cabin, all while exchanging pleasant greetings with the S.O.N.G. personnel she regularly passed by in the submarine's accommodation module. A few of the personnel even went out of their way to congratulate Maria on her recent marriage. Since no operations were currently being conducted, the crew of the underwater vessel were clearly savouring the pleasure of inactivity.

Maria soon arrived at the doorstep of the Adaptors' quarters and steadied her face in front of the retinal scanner which was built into its entrance. Once the security lock emitted with a confirming ring, the sliding door opened up, letting Maria leave the corridor to head inside the Wielders' designated quarters. "If anyone needs something to warm yourself up with, Tomosato's made some hot cocoa for us," Maria said, announcing her arrival along with the tray of drinks she had brought.

As part of the privilege that came with being S.O.N.G.'s six Symphogear-Wielders, the group's personal cabin was remarkably larger than the ones that were provided to the rest of the crew. There was a large table near the door for Maria to place her tray of drinks on, along with a monitor screen which hung on one side of the cabin, giving the Adaptors a way to tune into any broadcasting station from all around the world. Built into the wall opposite of the entrance were three comfortable bunk beds that the Wielders had grown quite familiar with by now. Each bunk provided a ladder for someone to climb onto the top, but Hibiki and Kirika more often than not ignored it in favour of simply jumping onto their beds.

Kirika's bed was completely empty, but the closed curtains on Shirabe's bunk below it gave Maria a good indicator on where the mischievous blonde was right now. Tsubasa had climbed down from her own bed to sit down on Maria's bunk, a data-pad held in her hands as she was clearly occupied with signing digital documents from the Kazanari household. Meanwhile, Hibiki was happily texting away on her own bunk to a certain woman back in Japan as Chris busied herself beneath her with a movie on her smartphone, and an opened bag of potato chips at her side. Downtime for the Adaptors appeared to be mundane as it usually was, Maria mused to herself, taking off her boots so she could leave them on a nearby shoe rack.

Maria promptly made herself comfortable next to Tsubasa and handed the busy chairwoman a mug of cocoa before sipping her own warm drink. Her eyes still focused on Tsubasa's paperwork-covered device, Maria relished the taste of hot cocoa on her tongue, and directed a question at the snow-white woman on her right. "Has anything interesting come up yet, Chris?"

"Huh?" Chris mumbled through a mouthful of chips. "Oh, right." Tossing aside her smartphone for now, the short woman got off her bunk bed and eagerly fetched herself a mug of cocoa. With the steaming drink in her grasp, Chris washed down her snack through a single, hearty swig before turning back to the women with a satisfied sigh. "The Old Man actually sent out an announcement just now," she said, not even caring to wipe her now-dirtied mouth clean, "turns out that Jiang woman is officially now an Adaptor."

"Really?" Hibiki exclaimed, rolling on her bed to lean on its edges' metal railing. "That's amazing!"

With the last of her current paperwork now accomplished, Tsubasa placed her data-pad within the drawers of Maria's bunk bed, and graciously warmed herself with the drink her wife had provided. "It should not be too surprising considering the influence that the council has on our affairs," Tsubasa commented, dabbing her mouth with a napkin she promptly pulled out from a breast-pocket. "Our new recruit aside, I'm most curious about this 'SG-r04'. The world council was quite adamant in its creation, which makes me wonder what lies within that so-called 'next-generation' Symphogear."

"Does the Kazanari household have any information on it?" Maria asked, resting her head on Tsubasa's shoulder. She felt her cheeks turn a bit warm when the chairwoman's other hand smoothly placed itself on Maria's waist.

"Nay, unfortunately," Tsubasa responded, clearly trying to relax her own tense body. "It seems that Uncle and the Professor are the only ones who are well-aware of the circumstances behind that Symphogear." She took another sip of her hot drink and tapped one foot on the cabin floor in thought. "I would order Ogawa to investigate it, but I fear it would only incur the wrath of the council."

Chris' mug of cocoa was already half-empty by the time she dropped back onto her bunk bed. "Sounds about right, to be honest. Politicians and their hush-hush crap. Still, it's been a hot minute since we've gotten a new Wielder to rub shoulders with, huh?" Chris dryly remarked, stuffing another handful of chips into her mouth. It was almost impossible for Maria to comprehend her next words when Chris decided to speak before swallowing. "Guess it's just how it is when Symphogears don't exactly just rain from the sky."

Her head still comfortably placed on Tsubasa's shoulder, Maria watched on while Hibiki hopped of her bunk bed, earning herself a complaint from the crimson Adaptor in the lower bunk when she landed on the floor with the grace of a crashing meteorite. "A new teammate means we've got a new opportunity to meet someone!" Hibiki chirped, crossing her arms over her chest the same way the Commander often did. "Which is why we should-!" Hibiki's words soon came to a halt at the sight of the death glare which Chris was suddenly shooting right at her. Unlike Maria and Tsubasa, it took a couple seconds for Hibiki to notice that her sudden landing had caused what was left of Chris' cocoa to spill onto the woman's uniform.

Maria would have attempted to halt the upcoming chaos if Tsubasa hadn't dissuaded her with a shake of her head.

Hibiki released a nervous laugh. "Chris? Do you need a tissue-?"

"Why, you-!"

"I'm so sorry!"

As Maria and Tsubasa enjoyed each other's company with hot mugs of cocoa in their hands, Chris sprung forth from her bed to imprison Hibiki within a tight headlock. Despite the height advantage that the golden god-slayer possessed, Hibiki could not break herself free from the crimson gunslinger's hold, leading her to let out a few helpless pleas for release. Unsurprisingly, the sudden commotion within their cabin seized the attention of the sleeping duo on Shirabe's bunk bed. Its curtains were subsequently pulled aside and the group immediately spotted Shirabe and Kirika all cuddled up within their private space. The fact that they were sleeping up until now made Maria wonder what they were even doing last night.

Rubbing one eye with an exhausted groan slipping between her lips, Kirika's blonde hair was the epitome of the word 'bed-head'. "I was only half-listening to everything... But did someone say something about getting a new... v-velociraptor?" she mumbled with half-open eyes, wiping a bit of drool off the corner of her mouth.

"'Adaptor', Kirika," Maria corrected her with an amused smile, taking her attention away from the ongoing close-quarter-combat exercise in front of them. "It's about that Jiang woman. Commander Kazanari's just announced that she will be joining us as a new teammate soon."

Shirabe refused to leave the comforts of her slumber as she continued lying down on top of Kirika. With her arms still wrapped around the blonde's body, Shirabe buried her face into her partner's chest, both of their bodies visibly kept warm by the jackets they were using as makeshift blankets. "It's so noisy in here..."

Maria couldn't disagree with the twin-tailed woman's muffled remark. So, after Maria settled her drink down on a small table near her bunk bed, she stood back up and calmly tried to end the ongoing commotion in their cabin. "Come on now, you two. That's enough," she said, practically acting like the group's mother while Chris released the chestnut-haired woman from her iron grip. Appearing well-satisfied after all their tussling, Chris dusted her hands with a cocky smirk as Maria handed her a small napkin to clean herself up with. "You might want to get yourself changed. That is, unless you intend on meeting the new recruit with a stain on your uniform."

Chris gave a casual shrug. "Yeah. But it's not like anyone in this room has actually had a 'normal meeting' with each other anyway," Chris dryly remarked while she started wiping away at the brown spill on her jacket. As the freed Hibiki went over to the room table to grab her own mug of cocoa, the gunslinger glanced right at Maria, apparently noticing something which was on the older woman's face. Her next words were just low enough for only the two of them to hear. "Startin to remember old things, I'm guessing?"

Maria had forgotten how sharp Chris could be sometimes. Through a smile and wave of her hand, Maria partially brushed off Chris' subtle concerns. "Maybe. It's been a long time now since I've looked back in the past, honestly," Maria quietly insisted, glancing over to Tsubasa who was still relaxing on her bunk bed, eyes now closed shut. The chairwoman was nothing if not steadfast considering the amount of paperwork Tsubasa was expected to handle over the past few days. "I do wonder if we should prepare something for that Jiang woman, though," Maria soon added. "She wasn't exactly brought here gently, so maybe we could arrange a sort of event for her now that she's joined us?"

After downing an entire mug of hot cocoa in one go, Hibiki spun around on her heel to face the gathered woman with a fist held high in the air, and a 'mustache' made out of foam on her lips. "That's a great idea, Maria! We should definitely do some kind of celebration." Her fiery spirit raged on like an unstoppable inferno, even when a still-annoyed Chris decided to toss a potato chip right at Hibiki's forehead. The small snack simply bounced off her without Hibiki even commenting on the act. "I remember being brought in with handcuffs, too. But right after that, it turns out that Master had actually prepared a welcoming party when I first arrived with Gungnir!"

The proposal of a party was the equivalent of a match being held right next to a stack of stationary fireworks. As Hibiki's words practically roused both Kirika and Shirabe out of their comfortable slumber, the latter eager poked her head out of their bunk bed, pink eyes practically glowing with the light of an aspiring chef. "This sounds like a good opportunity to show off what we've learned in university."

"Agreed-death!" Kirika added with the same growing level of enthusiasm as her partner.

While Maria simply smiled at the excitement which the three were now emanating, Chris exited the room to get herself changed, and Tsubasa took out her data-pad again to continue carrying out her daily paperwork. The Adaptor team - as chaotic as they often were - now had seven members to its name. A number they had not reached ever since the battle against Shem-Ha all those years ago. Even so, a part of Maria couldn't help but feel something subtly tug at her chest whenever the woman placed the thought of their newest Adaptor on the forefront of her mind. Knowing full-well on how Maria herself had acted after the loss of Serena, she could only wonder for now on how Jiang was dealing with the recent passing of her own little sister.


'Symphogear-Wielder'. The very weight of that name had only just started to settle within Lanfen's mind. This was not a dream and this was not a nightmare either. It was merely the path which Lanfen now treaded on. Over half a decade ago, Lanfen had experienced events such as the Frontier incident, the Magical Girl incident, and the Shem-Ha incident, all through the eyes of a helpless civilian. And now here she was, operating in the same organization that her parents had once served in. It was Lanfen's hand which had been chosen to wield the Sword of Damocles, all because a mysterious stranger had gifted her the SG-r04 on the very night the Distortions chose to descend upon this world.

As Lanfen finished tidying up her unkempt hair into a neat braid on her left shoulder, her wrist device rang with a message from Commander Genjuuro. A quick tap on its holographic interface projected the incoming message: "You can take a look around the place while we set things up for you, Lanfen. Once you're needed on the bridge, we'll send for someone to escort you here."

Withdrawing the small hologram into her wrist device, Lanfen exited her detainment room, and walked out into the brightly-lit corridors with two smartphones kept within her uniform. The keychain that hung from Lanfen's own device stuck out from her pocket, swinging back-and-forth with a faint jingle while she wordlessly questioned if it was a good idea for her to be all by herself. Considering that she had been stuck in the same room for almost two days now, a part of Lanfen almost could not complain about the leniency they were suddenly providing her. Tapping into her wrist device again, she opened up a holographic map, and started navigating her way throughout the place once she found her bearings.

"To think I was their prisoner just a moment ago," Lanfen whispered to herself, taking in her surroundings to memorize its spacious, metal corridors.

The sheer size of the map initially gave Lanfen the impression that she was inside some sort of underground base. But she couldn't have been more incorrect. It was - in fact - an underwater vessel. Judging by the hologram on her wrist, the submarine was designed with its own gym, some sort of 'simulation room', a commons lounge, a movie theatre, and every other basic commodity that a person would need to survive beneath the oceans. Its crew members would also give Lanfen a friendly greeting or two whenever she occasionally passed by them, and although the Symphogear-Wielder had little issue with being treated like one of their own so soon, Lanfen's gut feeling constantly warned her of one simple thing.

She was being monitored.

It wasn't surprising when Lanfen remembered how she was dragged all the way here in the first place. Still, while her lone exploration of the submarine went on completely uninterrupted the entire time, she could never shake off the feeling that there was someone, somewhere, lurking within her shadows with each and every purposeful step that Lanfen took across the vessel's long corridors. She was almost starting to prefer the intrusive glare of a ceiling camera, if she was being honest with herself. There was no point in pretending to be lenient with her after Lanfen had gone out of her way to join this organization.

The sudden rise of a warm sensation prompted Lanfen to abruptly halt in the middle of an empty corridor. As she felt something trailing down her cheeks, Lanfen brought a gloved hand to her face, brushed her fingertips against her brown skin, and slowly wiped away what felt to be a few lingering teardrops. Lanfen did not even realize she was crying. Perhaps she was just getting used to it, she mused within her thoughts. Drawing the recycled air into her lungs, Lanfen leaned her body against the corridor's hand-railing before taking out her smartphone to stare at the keychain which hung from it by a silver chain. The longer Lanfen's purple eyes lingered on the small toy, the tighter her grip on the device became.

Her sword-hand twitched at her side. It was aching for a fight.

But Lanfen knew that all she could do for now was wait. Wait until the Distortions showed themselves again. Until then, the officiation of her duty as a Symphogear-Wielder - as well as her introduction to S.O.N.G.'s six other Wielders - were the two things that she expected to deal with first. "Mei," she whispered, switching on her smartphone to wistfully stare at the device's wallpaper. It was a picture of Kai's 17th birthday celebration. It had only been a week ago when Lanfen took this image, and yet, it felt like an eternity had already passed since then.

Gripping the railing she leaned against with one aching hand, the minutes passed on while Lanfen paused her exploration of the vessel to recollect herself. No one was walking through this part of the submarine's module, so Lanfen received the silence that she needed to calm her mind, all while Lanfen's wistful gaze continued to remain on a memoir of moments long-past. Her ears then picked up the sound of approaching footsteps to her right, followed up by a woman's voice which sounded both curious and concerned at the same time.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Slipping her smartphone back into her uniform, Lanfen slowly looked aside to notice that she had been approached by a woman with short, chestnut-coloured hair. The stranger appeared to be around Lanfen's own age, judging by their equal height and similarly-youthful looks. As Lanfen pushed herself off the corridor's hand-railing, the sight of the specialized uniform that the woman was wearing quickly made Lanfen draw in a sharp breath. "You..." She stared at the tie that the stranger wore around her neck. Its colours were two shades of distinct yellow compared to Lanfen's own black-and-white.

Lanfen couldn't find any words to greet the person with. Not even when the stranger suddenly extended an open hand for a friendly handshake.

"... I'm fine." Slowly lifting one arm from her side, the stranger's grip felt hard, but welcoming when Lanfen grabbed onto her hand. The gentle smile which the chestnut-haired woman gave her was probably the brightest one that Lanfen had seen in this vessel thus far. After she retracted her gloved hand, Lanfen felt a bunch of words slowly placing themselves on her tongue. "Sorry about that. It's nothing you really have to worry about," she claimed, placing a hand on her hip. "The name's 'Cassandra Jiang Lanfen'. I take it that you're also an... Adaptor?"

All the unique terminology that was being used in her new line of work still hadn't quite registered themselves in Lanfen's mind just yet.

"You bet," the chestnut-haired woman chirped, stepping a bit closer to Lanfen. Almost too close in her opinion. "I don't really have a rank like some people here do, so you can just call me 'Tachibana Hibiki'! And if my guess is correct..." Right after Tachibana had introduced herself, the chestnut-haired woman brought a hand to her chin, and essentially observed Lanfen's entire body like a curious dog. "You're the new Adaptor that everyone's been talking about, right?" she loudly exclaimed with an eager snap of her fingers.

Lanfen cleared her throat in the confirmed presence of another Wielder before answering Tachibana with a polite nod. "I am. The uniform probably gave it away, though," Lanfen dryly remarked, now narrowing a sharp gaze on the smiling Tachibana. "Wait..." After taking a second to register the chestnut-haired woman's cordial demeanor and the entirety of her name, lingering memories from half a decade ago suddenly began slipping back into Lanfen's mind. "Tachibana...?" The surname grew more familiar whenever it rolled off her tongue. "Tachibana Hibiki? Weren't we in the same year in Lydian?"

"We were? That's so cool," Tachibana exclaimed again with a genuine tone of awe. Clapping her hands together, Tachibana then gestured over to the corridor behind her and said, "Hey, since you're new here, let's go grab a bite at the mess hall! The food here is great and you'll get to meet some of my friends, too! I even know the quickest way to get there from here!" Her words were positively brimming with excitement, but still seemed to be held back by a hint of restraint. It made Lanfen wonder if Tachibana had actually seen her crying just now.

Regardless, Lanfen couldn't turn down her kindness, no matter how hard she tried. "... Sure. I've got time." It felt like a blessing that Lanfen's body had yet to start rioting against her up until now. If her stomach decided to haunt her with severe cramps, then she would have no one but herself to blame for ignoring most of the meals which S.O.N.G. had been providing. With her hands now stuffed within the pockets of her Adaptor uniform, Lanfen quietly followed Tachibana from behind while the chestnut-haired woman led them through the corridors.

"Like Miku always tells me, there's nothing better than catching up with a delicious meal!" Tachibana exclaimed, swinging her arms in a confident stride. Neither of the two had ever once talked to each other back in their days at Lydian, but Tachibana's fiery attitude was a common subject amongst its whispering students. It was almost impossible even to believe that this particular woman was someone who had actually participated in several successful attempts to save the world. Tachibana just never seemed like the kind of person you'd expect to meet on a battlefield at all. "And we're here!"

After about a minute or two of trying to match Tachibana's brisk walk, the two women walked through the sliding double-doors of the submarine's mess hall. Its numerous chairs and tables were noticeably absent of any actual personnel, but when Lanfen directed her gaze to the mess hall's counter, the new Wielder spotted two more women who appeared to have been waiting for them. And just like with Tachibana, Lanfen recognized the pair to be her old schoolmates from back in Lydian Academy. They were her seniors, to be precise, and that wasn't all that caught her off-guard. Because one of the two waiting seniors was none other than Kazanari Tsubasa, the world-renowned songstress herself.

Upon noticing their respective Adaptor uniforms with a restrained sense of surprise, Lanfen found it almost unbelievable that Kazanari Tsubasa of all people was a Symphogear-Wielder this entire time. Kazanari's enrollment in Lydian alone brought countless students to its classes, and following her inevitable graduation, the concerts she proceeded to hold over the past half-decade transformed the blue songstress into a remarkable legend all over the world. And this was before one even considered Kazanari's newly-officiated marriage.

"At first, I was gettin' worried that the Dummy got lost on her way here," a short woman with a red tie sarcastically remarked, "turns out she just ended up running into the Rookie, huh?"

"Come now, Yukine," Kazanari chided the white-haired woman beside her in a friendly-manner. "Tachibana of all people would never lose her way to the mess hall. I'm certain that she simply went out of her way to fetch our latest recruit here."

Tachibana excitedly ran up towards the two Adaptors before skidding to a halt with Lanfen at her side. Unlike the chestnut-haired woman, the senior pair in front of Lanfen evidently noticed the awkward stiffness within their newcomer's shoulders. "Since Master and Professor Elfnein are a bit busy with some kind of meeting right now, I thought I'd go and find her so we can all get to know each other," Tachibana happily explained, glancing over to Lanfen with a cheerful smile and a tightly-clenched fist. "Say hello to two of our teammates: Yukine Chris and Kazanari Tsubasa!"

Even though Lanfen was not the physically-shortest woman in the mess hall, she certainly felt like the smallest person among the four Wielders. After straightening her arms at her sides, Lanfen greeted her two former school seniors with a deep and formal bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kazanari, Yukine," Lanfen said, lifting her head back up. "I'm honestly still... trying to make sense of everything. But I hope that I can be of assistance to you all regardless." She laced her words with formality as best as she could, but her nerves were unsurprisingly getting the best of her. "If there's anything required of me, I shall carry it out to the best of my abilities."

"You can ease off with the manners first, Rookie," Yukine casually remarked, letting out an unshielded yawn with her hands placed behind her head. "We're not at Lydian anymore, so there's no need to be so polite and all that crap. We're all Adaptors, which means we're pretty much all in the same boat. Even if you're a bit green compared to the rest of us."

"S.O.N.G. is a super-welcoming place!" Tachibana suddenly beamed, causing Lanfen to take a subconscious step backwards from the excited woman. "There's still three other people you have to meet, but they're really busy right now. Even so, it's been so long since-"

"Tachibana," Kazanari formally called her, gently placing a hand on the woman's shoulder to try and tone down her energy. "While it's certainly nice to have another person join our ranks, I'd advise you to try and not overwhelm her," Kazanari suggested with a gesture over to Lanfen. It was now clear to even Tachibana that their new recruit was quietly withdrawing herself in the presence of those who vastly exceeded her. "Jiang, correct? Apologies for my lack of familiarity, but it's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

Appreciating the space that Kazanari was now providing her, Lanfen rested a hand on her hip, and tried her best to converse with her newfound colleagues. "The pleasure is mine, really," she said, partially remembering how she used to be a fan of Kazanari Tsubasa during the olden days of Zwei Wing. A miraculous meeting like this should have lit some sort of excitement within her, but Lanfen found it impossible to even give a friendly smile. "Sorry if I'm lagging behind a little. It's just... surprising how many faces from Lydian also happen to be Symphogear-Wielders. Especially when one of them is none other than... well... Kazanari Tsubasa."

"Life's funny that way sometimes," Yukine commented with a shrug of her shoulders. Despite being the shortest amongst the four, the woman with snow-white hair somehow felt like the biggest person in the room in a figurative sense. Lanfen's instincts practically warned her that upsetting Yukine of all people would be something which she'd most likely regret till the end of her life. "Now, are we just going to just continue standing here, or are we actually going to grab somethin' to eat? I'm goddamn starving here."

Tachibana led the way to the mess hall's counter with a skip in her step at the mere mention of a meal. Following the actions of her two exasperated seniors, Lanfen grabbed one of the stacked food trays and waited in line as the mess hall's chef came out of the kitchen to take their orders. Everything was done in a fast and precise manner, just as Lanfen expected from a submarine vessel that was essentially military in everything but name. The size offerings of their meals were also generous, but Lanfen could only bring herself to order the smallest available portion. Meanwhile, Tachibana and Yukine had ordered enough food on their platters for each of them to feed a whole group of people.

Settling down at one of the mess hall's empty tables, a quick whiff of the curry rice on Lanfen's plate provoked a rumbling from her stomach. Kazanari sat across the table from Lanfen with a modest bowl of udon in her hands, while Yukine and Tachibana sat at the songstress' sides, utensils already in hand as the two blitzed through their curry with reckless abandon. Kazanari herself ate with an air of dignity, and yet, Lanfen could still detect a hint of annoyance within the blue-haired woman at the table manners which her two teammates were showcasing in front of a newcomer. Kazanari was certainly as elegant as Lanfen expected her to be off-stage.

"Get used to eatin' a lot if you're gonna be working here, Rookie," Yukine advised Lanfen with a casual wag of her spoon and a mouth stained with curry. "Fighting ain't something you're gonna do well if you're low on energy."

"Whether it's before or after a mission, a good meal always lifts the spirits," Tachibana happily added, holding onto a bowl that contained a small, towering mountain of white rice.

Chatter inevitably died down as the Adaptors focused on finishing their meals. But while Kazanari, Yukine and Tachibana were undeniably enjoying the taste of their early lunch, Lanfen ate away at an almost autonomous pace. She wasn't throwing up and she wasn't struggling to put anything in her stomach either. Her body clearly needed the energy. What she found strange instead was that Lanfen could not taste anything at all. Yukine and Tachibana had ordered the same exact food which was on Lanfen's half-finished plate and they were loudly vocal about the curry's fiery taste. And yet, it tasted like nothing to Lanfen's own tongue. Chalking it up to her own tolerance for spicy food, Lanfen finished the last of her meal without a second thought before putting her utensils aside.

Now that she thought about it, this was probably the first time in a while that Lanfen has had a meal with someone other than her sister.

Lanfen remembered offering one of her seniors - Ayano Komichi - to a meal with her and Kai when they came across each other a few days ago. She also remembered Kai later teasing her about asking Ayano out on a date next time, something that Lanfen promptly shrugged off as nothing more than her sister's usual verbal jabbing. A playful act which Lanfen would essentially no longer be experiencing ever again, of course.

A sudden vibration within Lanfen's jacket broke her train of thought. Reaching into her pockets of her uniform, Lanfen pulled out her ringing smartphone to notice that her weekday alarm clock was simply operating on schedule. Because Lanfen had been preoccupied with everything else over the past few days, she had essentially forgotten to switch off the alarm right after Tsuchiya decided to return the device to her. If Lanfen was still back at home, then it would be time for her to start carrying out her daily chores.

Pursing her lips tightly together, Lanfen silenced her smartphone before gazing emptily at the reflection she casted on the device's black screen.

"Sorry about that," she muttered, sensing the curious gazes that the trio were obviously sending her way.

Tachibana was the first to speak up after she wiped her mouth clean with a piece of tissue. "So..." She placed down one of her utensils and tentatively pointed at the keychain which dangled from Lanfen's smartphone. "That thing looks really cool! Where'd you get it?"

Subconsciously, Lanfen narrowed her purple eyes as her other hand began grasping onto her jittering leg beneath the table. Were it not for Lanfen's gloves, her fingernails would be sharply digging right into her tactical pants. After placing her smartphone back into the pockets of her uniform, Lanfen took a second or two to calm herself before she answered Tachibana's completely-innocent question. "It was a unique order. Limited edition and all that," she said, now grasping a teacup between two twitching fingers. "It used to belong to my sister."

Lanfen's words were serene. Matter-of-fact. But the moment Lanfen even indirectly mentioned Kai-Ming, she felt as though the atmosphere of the table had suddenly plummeted. Tachibana noticeably held back whatever she was going to say next, while Kazanari and Yukine remained silent where they sat. It would not surprise Lanfen if the trio actually knew exactly why and how she was dragged all the way into this submarine. Tsuchiya would have likely needed to report on how he managed to retrieve the SG-r04 to begin. Either way, Lanfen had no intention of burdening her new colleagues with her own personal issues right now. The world just survived a global attack. And they were its survivors.

Bringing a cup of tea to her lips, the warmth of Lanfen's tea was enough to help ground herself in reality even if she couldn't really find any taste in it. She then turned her attention to the metal walls of the mess hall and began tapping a gloved finger onto the metal table. The small breath which slipped between her cracked lips was the loudest noise her ears could pick up right now.

"If you're feeling troubled, we don't mind letting you talk to us about it," Tachibana suddenly stated with a genuine tone of sympathy. "We're teammates now, aren't we?"

Hesitantly glancing back over to the chestnut-haired woman, Lanfen saw Tachibana wearing a small, but noticeable smile of reassurance. It felt almost similar to the way that Kai would often smile at Lanfen whenever the eldest of the two was feeling unwell. Almost too similar for her liking. "Thanks," Lanfen whispered back at her, tightening the grip of her twitching fingers around the teacup handle in her hand. As Lanfen sat beneath the gazes of three experienced Wielders, she could feel trepidation ringing lightly within her aching chest. "I'll try my best to not fall behind."

The group's hush conversation came to its end and progressed no further than that. Because it was soon interrupted by the howling of alarm klaxons from all across the underwater vessel. It was a deafening wailing which Lanfen had not heard since she was first brought here. Following the swift actions of her seniors, Lanfen and the trio reached for their wrist devices and tapped onto the holographic interfaces of their communicators. In an instant, they brought up an audio transmission that was coming directly from Commander Genjuuro himself.

"Tsubasa, Chris, Hibiki, Lanfen. The Distortions have returned-"

It was finally time, Lanfen thought to herself, sensing a proverbial fire immediately ignite within her eyes at the simple mention of the Distortions. Her sword-hand was practically begging by now to be sated.

"-we've already prepared the launch bay for deployment. Tsubasa, Chris, Hibiki. I want you to head there with the others as soon as you can. As for you, Lanfen, I'm going to need you to remain on standby for now." Lanfen needed to hold back her tongue from immediately speaking out of turn right after she had heard the Commander's strict orders. "I know you're eager to get to work, but you'll have to meet with Professor Elfnein in the labs for the time being. We can only send you out once she's sure that your equipment is cleared for combat. The rest of you, prepare for launch immediately."

As the audio transmission shut off from the Commander's end of the line, Tachibana, Kazanari and Yukine could all clearly see the frustration which was building-up on Lanfen's face. The scowl that she wore was simply impossible to suppress after being told to essentially stay on the bench. Despite this, Yukine soon stood up from her seat to quickly address the greenhorn Adaptor. "Better safe than sorry, Rookie," she remarked, lightly clapping Lanfen on the back with one hand. "Trust me, you wouldn't wanna head out there unless your 'Gear is in top shape."

"We'll take care of this quickly, so don't worry about it!" Tachibana soon shouted with a punch aimed at the air for good measure.

Restraining her complaints at the honest advice of her far more experienced seniors, Lanfen clicked her tongue before fixating a longing gaze on the trio while they rushed out of the mess hall. Their footsteps were soon drowned out by the wailing of the ship's alarm klaxons, leaving the greenhorn Adaptor all by herself for now. Squeezing her eyes shut would not quell the proverbial fires that were brewing within her eyes. But Lanfen knew that she could not act out of line. Not on her first day as an Adaptor. Drawing in a practiced breath, Lanfen got off her seat and dug her fingertips into her palms as she headed off in the direction of the submarine's laboratories. Her oath to her sister and herself would have to wait, even if the Distortions were now on their world's doorstep again.


The return of the Distortions could not have occurred at a more inconvenient time for Commander Genjuuro. Having just completed a meeting with the world council's spokesperson, the Commander marched towards the bridge of the submarine as soon as the alarm klaxons began blaring across the vessel. S.O.N.G. personnel within all of its modules simultaneously kicked into gear at the announcement of danger and Genjuuro could only silently appreciate his crew for their immediate response. The organization was relatively small for a global defense force, and yet, the scale of the threats they faced never once made them falter.

Marching through the double-doors of the submarine's command center, Commander Genjuuro spotted numerous identified energy signatures being displayed on the bridge's three monitor screens by the time he arrived at his post. The command center's crew all readied themselves at their terminals, accessing reports to bring up the information they were consistently receiving from their updated scanners. As Genjuuro's subordinates began relaying updates from one person to another, the Commander crossed his arms over his chest, and readied himself to prepare an immediate counterattack. They could only pray to Lady Luck for the disaster-response teams around the world to be just as ready as they were.

"Give me a status report on the situation!"

Fujitaka swiftly announced the incoming data at the Commander's behest. "We're counting five- No, six rifts, Commander!" Through a few quick inputs into his personal terminal, the bridge operator proceeded to display images of increasing rift activity from all across the globe onto the bridge's monitor screens. "Scanners are pinpointing their locations to California, London, Montreal, Sydney, Melbourne, and Tokyo. We're counting at least a dozen Category-1s that are about to make their way through the rifts. Energy signatures designate them to be Caster and Armour-types. Sensors are estimating less than 30 minutes until those rifts open up to start dropping Distortions!"

Tomosato also turned around at her post to calmly face Genjuuro with a report of her own. "Six of our Wielders are prepared for deployment, Commander," she stated, her voice clear and precise. "They're ready to launch towards the pinpointed locations on your order."

Six rifts exactly. While there was always the possibility that the Distortions were keeping their forces in reserve for the meantime, S.O.N.G. unfortunately didn't have the luxury of playing it safe when lives were at risk. It was just far too convenient for the Distortions to suddenly return with such a dramatically-decreased force. "They have clearance. Send them out!" With one sharp order from the Commander, Tomosato inputted a command into her holographic terminal, causing six of the vessel's manned intercontinental missiles to rocket into the skies on rising pillars of fumes one-by-one.

Genjuuro kept his eyes on the monitor screens and observed the flight paths of the deployed Wielders as the missiles speared their way from one part of the world to several others. Computer calculations predicted each of them to start touching the ground with their feet mere minutes before the rifts would begin releasing their payload of battle automata. While this was a relieving estimation, the distance between their destinations and the submarine's position in Japan undoubtedly required them to requisition the best aircraft they can muster if S.O.N.G. was going to retrieve its Wielders later on. Few of the organization's past operations ever required them to stretch the Adaptor Corp like this, so they weren't exactly operating within the zone of familiarity.

When the Commander heard a single footstep sound out right behind him, Genjuuro turned around, and spotted Tsuchiya Kagero standing in front of the bridge's double-doors with his arms at his sides. "How is she doing, Tsuchiya?" Genjuuro instantly asked the blonde man.

Out of the habits that were no doubt infused within him by Clan Hida, Kagero greeted the Commander with a formal bow before giving out his own report. "Miss Jiang appears to be taking in her new surroundings quite well, Commander. Even if she still seems to be processing her situation, she's remarkably calm considering what she has already been through." Kagero folded his hands behind his back, continuing, "I will also add that she appears to be already getting along with Kazanari, Yukine and Tachibana."

At least there were some good news, Genjuuro mused to himself. After confirming his aide's report with a grateful nod, the Commander turned his attention back to the bridge's monitor screens, and continued focusing on the current situation with an obvious grimace. Maintaining an effective poker face was never a skill which Genjuuro bothered to master, but even if that wasn't the case, the Commander had a feeling that Kagero's subsequent question would've been voiced regardless. Genjuuro's sudden order for Kagero to keep an eye on Lanfen ever since her acceptance into the Adaptor Corp was as immediate as it was important.

"If I may, Commander," Kagero began in a low voice, soundlessly placing himself at Genjuuro's side, "is there something that is expected of her which not even Miss Jiang herself is aware of?" Kagero kept his curious gaze on the monitor screens in front of them while the Commander silently furrowed his brows in thought. "Even if she happens to be the person who was initially charged with the SG-r04's theft, I'm curious as to why she would require constant observation to the point of-"

Commander Genjuuro released a sharp, distinctive grunt and Kagero instantaneously silenced himself.

The blonde man certainly possessed a demeanor that was evidently different from Ogawa Shinji. Even if both of Genjuuro's personal aides had been trained underneath the tutelage of Clan Hida before their respective transfers into S.O.N.G., Kagero's lingering curiosity betrayed just how youthful he was compared to his by-the-book senior. Kagero had only experienced about a month's worth of experience within S.O.N.G. thus far, but every minute spent within him gave the Commander enough he needed to understand just what sort of person the young man actually was like underneath the formalities Kagero was trained to uphold.

"Forgive me for my rudeness, Commander." Kagero provided an apologetic lowering of the head alongside his words.

"It's fine, Tsuchiya," Commander Genjuuro gently reassured him. "If anything is going on, the council will make it clear themselves," Genjuuro soon added, now lifting a large arm from his side to massage his aching temples. The brief mention of the world council understandably made Kagero tense up his shoulders. "For now, just keep monitoring Lanfen and report to me if there's anything I need to worry about. Understood?"

"Affirmative," Kagero declared. He then excused himself from the vessel's command center with a bow before exiting it without the faintest of sounds.

Kagero's ability to seemingly vanish out of sight without a trace was a habitual skill which Genjuuro hoped that Ogawa wouldn't be mimicking anytime soon.

Directing his gaze back to the bridge's three large monitor screens again, the Commander tightened his hands at the sights of the six Adaptor's ongoing progress towards the detected Distortions rifts. Category-1 Distortions weren't an issue for the Symphogears in the slightest, but there was little the Wielders could actually do if the enemy was capable of expanding their influence into zones far too distant for even the Adaptors to react in time. As the minutes continued on in the submarine's bridge, Commander Genjuuro dreaded the moment when the Spokesperson would contact them again with news regarding their new Symphogear-Wielder.


Following the shortest path that was provided by her wrist device's holographic map, Lanfen stepped through a sliding door to find herself standing at the entrance of a well-organized laboratory. Numerous pieces of machinery and gadgets filled the tall shelves which took up most of the room's space, giving it a clinical atmosphere that one would expect from a paranormal task force's scientific facility. As Lanfen announced her presence through the sounds of her thumping footsteps, she looked at the large computer terminal up ahead, and saw a stream of data pertaining to some sort of 'black box'. The computer chair in front of the terminal itself was empty and strangely appeared far too small for an adult to be sitting on it.

"Cassandra Jiang Lanfen?" a young voice formally addressed her, prompting the greenhorn Adaptor to swing her gaze over to a now-opened doorway to her right.

A distinct 'Warning' sign adorned the metal door which closed itself shut behind the arriving person. To Lanfen's surprise, the 'Professor' she had been told to meet appeared no older than a teenage girl. In fact, she almost looked to be the same age and height as Lanfen's own little sister. Holding a small, old-fashioned clipboard within her hands, the Professor wore a pair of plastic goggles which hung around a neck, and a lab coat with a couple visible stains on it. If it weren't for the few streaks of green that dyed her blonde hair, the small braid the Professor wore would have looked comparable to a fried shrimp's tail.

"I take it that you're Professor Elfnein?" Lanfen asked her, passing by a few occupied tables and shelves on her approach towards the young-looking girl. "The Commander ordered me to meet with you before I can get any work done." Despite the Professor's undeniably short height and teenage appearance, the scientist's mere expression radiated an air of intellect that felt almost immeasurable. Her title clearly wasn't just for show, Lanfen thought, knowing better than to underestimate someone purely based on their physical looks and stature.

The two shared a polite handshake while Professor Elfnein placed her clipboard underneath one arm. "That would be correct, Cassandra," she said, greeting Lanfen with a dip of the head. "I'm sorry to request your presence like this all of a sudden, but I felt that it would be best for me to speak with you before your first official deployment." The Professor then approached the large terminal of her personal laboratory and inputted a few commands into its holographic keyboard. "Are you finding our vessel to be comfortable thus far?"

Clicking her tongue at the Professor's perfectly-innocuous question, Lanfen glanced down at her wrists, and saw the faint marks which had been left on them by a pair of coffin-like restraints. "I... guess?" Her answer was almost inaudible. Simply remembering the tightness of her handcuffs made Lanfen quickly change the topic. "So, what am I needed here for, Professor?" she said afterwards, reaching beneath her black-and-white tie to take off the relic pendant that hung around her neck. The SG-r04, Sword of Damocles.

"I only desire a final analysis of your relic fragment," the Professor answered, manifesting several detailed reports of Lanfen's Symphogear onto her terminal's wide monitor screen. "This won't be take long, so you can simply sit down and wait while I take a look at your Symphogear." She hit the 'Enter' key on her keyboard and one of the Professor's strange devices next to the control panel suddenly rang with life. The egg-shaped machine subsequently split open its casing, revealing a slot inside it which was perfect for a pendant to slip right into. "Simply insert it inside there, please."

If Tachibana was the friendliest face that Lanfen had seen so far on this ship, then the Professor would be considered the most polite judging by the utmost formality of her speech. As expected of someone who bore the title of 'Professor'. Following her instructions, Lanfen placed her relic pendant inside the machine's slot, causing it to slowly close back up as red lights lit up along the base of the small, unusual device. After the Professor had gestured for Lanfen to take a seat anywhere she'd like, the teenager sat down on her small chair, and went to work like a living machine. Countless streams of data were brought onto the monitor of her terminal all through the teenager's rapid key-presses.

Whatever Professor Elfnein was doing, Lanfen could not comprehend it no matter how long she tried staring at the terminal's monitor screen. Seeing as how the Professor also seemed to be in this state of perfect focus, the Adaptor simply went over to one of the room's tables before quietly sitting down on an available chair. For now, Lanfen passed the time she currently had by examining the other systems which were available on her wrist device. In addition to its communications system and holographic map, the device provided a scanner, a built-in camera, an audio translator, a hacking tool, and lastly, an unnamed option that was locked behind the prompt of a fingerprint scanner.

Lanfen had to raise a brow upon noticing this particular system.

Lifting her other hand from one side of her body, Lanfen curiously pressed one finger against the device's holographic prompt, earning her a soft ring of confirmation while the scanner accepted her ID. "Identity Code accepted. Welcome, SG-r04," were the words that her wrist device subsequently displayed. Once Lanfen had passed by that strange security measure, a list of seven titled records unveiled themselves one-by-one right before Lanfen's narrowed eyes. The files were all arranged by the following designations: SG-r01, SG-r02, SG-r03', SG-i01, SG-i02, SG-i03, and SG-x00. They were undeniably Symphogear model numbers.

Lanfen hovered her other hand above the projected screen and slowly clicked on the 'SG-r01' file. Several more holographic screens pertaining to the Ame-no-Habakiri relic then sprung forth from her wrist device, filling the greenhorn Adaptor's vision with all sorts of information. But while Lanfen initially found all this to be fascinating, she was beginning to feel this sensation of confusion slowly creeping upon her the longer Lanfen stared at the information. This was not just a 'record' of Lanfen's Adaptor teammate. Essentially, everything Lanfen saw before her was information which one could learn to perfectly understand Kazanari's combat prowess. Recorded footage gave her insights on Kazanari's unique attacks, her fight patterns, her strengths... and her shortcomings.

It was everything that a person would need to know in order to fully understand a Wielder's battlefield potential.

"Cassandra?" Professor Elfnein called over to her, immediately causing a startled Lanfen to dismiss the holograms and switch off her wrist device. The Professor then spun around on her computer chair and got off it so she could approach Lanfen with a data-pad held in one hand. "How are you feeling?" she inquired, bringing up a multitude of captured imagery on her small device through a few swipes of her finger.

Shifting her focus onto the Professor for now, Lanfen rested both hands on top of her lap and pondered about her answer. "... I'm ready," Lanfen eventually stated. "For my first mission, I mean."

"Oh." The Professor nervously chuckled, holding her data-pad close to her chest. "I'm actually referring to your injuries." She took off the goggles which were hanging around her neck and placed them on a table beside her before presenting the images on her data-pad to Lanfen. Official medical reports of a faint scarring on Lanfen's back were clearly displayed on the device. Lanfen subconsciously bit her lips at the sight of the familiar injury. "Can you please explain what caused this?" she inquired again with a level of professional tact this time.

Slowly, Lanfen nodded her head in response, and held one hand to the data-pad so she could brush a single gloved fingertip against the image. "It was from a Distortion." Lanfen's answer was straight-to-the-point. The sickening warmth that Lanfen felt during the night of the global attack was impossible to forget. "The person who gave me the SG-r04... She saved me. And if it wasn't for her... I probably wouldn't be here," she continued, glancing pass the Professor to stare at the egg-shaped device where her pendant was currently stored. "I don't know what she did, but I know she used some sort of medicine to heal my injuries."

Professor Elfnein quietly listened to Lanfen's hush story until she was obviously done. Once the Adaptor refused to speak any more, the Professor closed up her data-pad and placed the discomforting imagery of the woman's scarring aside. "The healing capabilities needed for such a wound would be immense," she explained, bringing a hand to her chin in thought. "Not even our own medicinal facilities have progressed far enough to heal wounds of that size in an instant. For that to happen, it would take..." The Professor sounded equal-parts fascinated and confused before she glanced back at Lanfen and noticed the slight discomfort that the Adaptor was feeling in response to her analytical observations.

Dropping the topic in an instant, Professor Elfnein opened up her data-pad again, and dismissed the medical reports to instead display an examination of Lanfen's combat data this time.

As the Professor momentarily observed the recorded footage of Lanfen effortlessly cleaving her way through a Distortion horde, the scientist's voice took a far more shift towards formality. "Cassandra, are you prepared to utilize the power within your Symphogear?" The question sounded like it required far more than a simple 'yes' or 'no' from the greenhorn Adaptor.

If she was being truthful with herself, Lanfen was still processing all of the information that the Sword of Damocles had flooded her mind with. An entire library's worth of knowledge was practically implanted within her brain the very moment Lanfen had donned her Symphogear. Even if she had spent the past two days stuck within a detainment, the greenhorn Adaptor still felt like she was only just beginning to grasp the extent of her combat abilities. It was comparable to being thrown into the driver's seat of an unfamiliar vehicle with its control manual on her lap. Even so, Lanfen refused to display any hesitation in front of the person who had supposedly designed her Symphogear in the first place.

"I'll fulfill any tasks that I'm expected to complete, Professor," Lanfen declared without an ounce of trepidation.

She had come too far by now to start having second-thoughts about her newly-accepted position.

Strangely enough, Professor Elfnein appeared far more concerned than anything else after hearing Lanfen's answer. But the Professor gave no further comment. Instead, she walked back to her terminal and pressed a button next to the egg-shaped container, causing its shell to open up again with a low hiss. "Although I've designed the Sword of Damocles to be a next-generation Symphogear, its capabilities are far different when compared to its contemporaries," she explained, plucking the pendant out from the machine's slot. "Whomever was the person that completed the SG-r04 evidently did not possess the same skills and knowledge as the original creator of the Symphogear. The same could be said of myself."

As Professor Elfnein slowly strode back over to Lanfen, the scientist gave the ruby-like pendant a wordless stare, hesitation clearly flashing within her eyes.

Lanfen could only remain quiet purely out of politeness.

Once the Professor stood in front of the silent Adaptor, Professor Elfnein pulled her gaze away from the item and carefully held it towards Lanfen. Judging by the way the teenager placed the pendant on top of Lanfen's open palm, one would assume that the crimson object was heavier than it actually looked. Perhaps it was - in a figurative sense - even if it didn't appear to look any different from all the other relic pendants that the rest of the Adaptor Corp utilized. "... Therefore, while you will be unable to match certain feats that your fellow Wielders are capable of," the Professor quietly resumed, "I can assure you that your relic will be a formidable weapon on the battlefield, Cassandra."

It honestly didn't matter to Lanfen if the Sword of Damocles wouldn't be giving her the strength to change the official height of a mountain. Or the power to cut down an entire forest. All she desired was an Armed Gear to eventually fulfill her oath with.

With her analytical gaze still aimed at the relic pendant on Lanfen's gloved hand, the Professor twiddled her thumbs together and quickly added, "Can you also promise me one thing, Cassandra?"

Lanfen sensed what felt like concern within the Professor's quivering voice and silently nodded.

"Please, be responsible with the powers that have been granted to you," Professor Elfnein requested, taking a few steps back to place herself on the laboratory's small chair. Due to her short height, the scientist's feet barely touched the ground as she made herself comfortable. Professor Elfnein looked as if she was about to say a couple more words, but the teenager instead folded her hands on top of her lap, and wordlessly gazed at the floors beneath them with a child-like sigh. Lanfen guessed that she was just giving her the time she needed to process everything S.O.N.G.'s newest Wielder had experienced so far.

Such a promise was an easy one to accept. It would only be the second promise Lanfen decided to begin upholding today to begin with. While the greenhorn Adaptor lifted a pendant in one hand by its string, Lanfen stared at her reflection on its shimmering, crystal surface and said, "The circumstances surrounding my acquisition of this pendant." She tried to prevent her words from sounding even slightly accusatory. "I take it that all of it only makes me suspicious?"

"There are many things which S.O.N.G. is concerned with outside of how you attained the SG-r04. How it was even completed, for starters," Professor Elfnein calmly answered. "But the situation demands that we acquire as much help as we can." She let out another sigh and rested one hand on her forehead. "Even so, while S.O.N.G. has its suspicions, I will gladly put my faith in your qualities as a person, Cassandra. Every Adaptor that we've met so far has always proved themselves in the end... so I have little doubt that you're any different." The Professor subsequently gave her best attempt at an encouraging smile and Lanfen could only wordlessly appreciate the scientist's sentiment.

Even if Lanfen felt that the Professor was overestimating her.

Placing the pendant around her neck and underneath her black-and-white tie, Lanfen was about to ask the Professor a small, curious question of her own when she heard a knock suddenly resound on the laboratory's entrance. The metal door then slid open to one side with a small hiss, allowing Ogawa Shinji to make his presence known with a polite greeting aimed at both Lanfen and the Professor. After giving the pair a formal bow, Ogawa glanced over to Lanfen, and swiftly gestured towards the open doorway behind him.

"My apologies if I am interrupting anything," he said, sounding as affable as when Lanfen first met him, "your presence is currently required on the bridge, Miss Jiang."


"Right through these doors, please."

After the pair had arrived at their destination with Ogawa in the lead, Lanfen approached a large pair of automatic doors that soon slid open to reveal the underwater vessel's bridge. She was immediately greeted by the chattering of its operators as the command center's crew were all in the midst of an operation. Standing nearest to the entrance was Commander Kazanari, who conveyed all of his orders through a stalwart, booming voice. A man and woman were stationed at two separate posts on his left and right respectively, both of them clearly dressed in the navy-blue uniform of S.O.N.G. as their hands typed away on their terminals at incredible speeds. Two staircases on Lanfen's sides also led to a lower section of the bridge where several more operators could be seen carrying out their duties.

The air in the bridge. It felt tense.

Every word its operators transmitted was one in regards to an ongoing life-and-death situation.

Directing her attention to the bridge's three large monitor screens, Lanfen could see live footage of Kazanari Tsubasa and Tachibana Hibiki battling countless Distortions at two different combat zones. Yukine and three other Adaptors had also been deployed throughout the globe in an attempt to simultaneously fend off the arriving knights at a total of six separate locations. And when Lanfen tried comparing her seniors' physical feats to the recorded footage of her first ever battle, she could immediately see that the pair were cleaving their way through the Distortions with a distinct 'flow' within their movements. A flow which displayed years of accumulated experience when it came to donning their Symphogears.

A familiar shape in the corner of Lanfen's eye proceeded to pull her attention away from the central monitor. Turning her focus to the large screen on her left this time, the greenhorn Adaptor soon spotted multiple scanned images that were being analyzed by the lower-bridge's crew.

Lanfen couldn't stop a proverbial fire from subsequently igniting within her eyes. Because within those still images were snapshots of the cloaked being who had taken Kai-Ming away from her. But it was not the only thing which was being displayed through a collected group of scanned images. In addition to the grainy photographs of her little sister's killer, there was also captured imagery of the armoured knight who Lanfen had witnessed on her television screen right before the global attack even began. Merely focusing her attention on the two unknown individuals caused Lanfen's sword hand to twitch at her side as Commander Kazanari turned around to greet the arriving Symphogear-Wielder.

"Welcome to the bridge, Lanfen." The redheaded man approached her and calmly crossed his large arms over his chest. Whether or not he noticed the restrained fury within Lanfen's purple eyes, Commander Kazanari provided no comment about it and simply treated her graciously. "Considering how we had to treat you upon your arrival, I was hoping that your entry into S.O.N.G. would've been a bit more grandiose," he said, almost ruefully, "but it looks like celebrations will have to wait until the Distortions are dealt with."

Hiding her twitching hand within a pocket of a uniform's jacket, Lanfen stood to attention, and sharply saluted the Commander with her other hand. It was a gesture that appeared to be too formal even for Commander Kazanari's liking. The Adaptor was simply glad that she managed to memorize their standard protocols so quickly. "It's fine, Commander," Lanfen insisted, resting her arm at her side again, "I don't think there's much to celebrate about anyway."

"Debatable, but I'm sure we can argue about that during another time." Commander Kazanari casually clapped the Adaptor on the shoulder before gesturing for her to accompany to his personal post. With Ogawa now mysteriously out of Lanfen's sight, the woman stayed by the Commander's side while they observed the live combat footage of Lanfen's colleagues on the bridge's central monitor screen.

Since the Commander had yet to open his mouth again to give out any further orders to his crew, Lanfen eventually spoke up with a question for the Commander. "That cloaked being," Lanfen began, momentarily shifting her narrowed gaze towards the images of Kai's killer. She could taste the brewing disdain on the tip of her tongue. "Do we have any information on its current status and location?"

Sitting down on his post with his elbows now on his terminal, the Commander appeared perturbed by Lanfen's sudden curiosity, but answered her anyway. "Other than a few unclear images and vague reports? Unfortunately, no." Commander Kazanari proceeded to give out a quick order which was aimed at one of the lower-bridge's operators. Soon after, additional images of the cloaked being were brought up on the bridge's side-monitors. None of them provided a clear look at what was underneath its tattered cloak. "Witnesses describe a 'monster' who had sowed destruction wherever the Distortions went. But as soon as the global attack lost its momentum, it disappeared. Hasn't showed up since then."

Which means it's still alive, Lanfen quietly determined.

The Adaptor needed to bite down on her lower lip in order to quell her twitching sword-hand. In the back of her head, Lanfen desired to ask the Commander if she could personally lead a hunt for the cloaked being, but the greenhorn Adaptor quickly stayed her tongue. Lanfen was in no position to be requesting anything when she had yet to even be deployed for her first official operation. Thus, all she could do for now was to stand down and go along with the orders of the organization that she was now a part of. It would only be a matter of time until her sister's killer showed itself. Her gut feeling reassured her that it would barely take much longer than a week for such a monster to reveal itself again.

In an attempt to redirect her mind towards something else for now, Lanfen tried to satiate her curiosity regarding a different topic entirely. "My parents," Lanfen said to the Commander, eyes now fixated on the central monitor screen where her seniors could be seen bestowing swift justice on a horde of surrounding knights. It was honestly impressive to see Tachibana bludgeoning her way through an entire army with nothing more than her bare hands and a masterful utilization of martial arts. "... Did they die on missions like these?"

As though he was addressing a topic which the Commander had been expecting to talk about for a while now, Commander Kazanari turned to Lanfen, and answered her question with a gentle nod of the head. "They were brave people. Just like the women you're seeing in front of you," he told her, grabbing a hot mug of coffee that was sitting right next to his elbow. "They carried out their duties in order to protect the world every day, even if nobody would ever really ever hear about it." The Commander's next words came with a lowered voice. "You have our apologies for covering up the reasons for their passing."

"It's fine," Lanfen assured him, placing a hand on her hip, "I... had a feeling that this was the case a while ago, honestly." After she released a silent sigh between her chapped lips, the greenhorn Adaptor focused again on the live footage of the operations, and began wondering how long it would take for Lanfen herself to reach the same heights that her seniors were currently standing on. "If anything... maybe they'd be proud of the fact that I'm continuing their legacy in a way?" Lanfen quietly mused, lifting her other hand so she could grasp the pendant beneath her tie between a pair of gloved fingers.

Commander Kazanari surprisingly provided his own personal theory regarding the opinions of Lanfen's parents. Judging by the way his voice calmly addressed her, it felt like it came from a solid understanding of the two deceased S.O.N.G. agents. "You think they would've preferred it if you were enjoying a peaceful life instead?"

Lanfen could not find the words to answer the man's question with. Perhaps she simply did not wish to. Regardless, neither of them had any reasonable way of actually proving their assumptions to begin with. Cassandra Jiang Lanfen was now an Adaptor of S.O.N.G., a paranormal task force responsible for the defense of the world against threats such as the Noise and the Distortions. Nothing was about to change that. Lanfen had signed her contract without hesitation and would do so again if she were given the chance. There wasn't anything else in Lanfen's life which she would rather be doing now. Even if the Commander appeared sympathetic about her situation, Lanfen felt only complete apathy towards her circumstances.

Without another second wasted, one of the bridge operators spoke up with a report.

"Commander, we're detecting a seventh rift appearing in Kazamino, Japan!" the brunette declared, inputting a command into his terminal to display an image of the aforementioned Japanese city. "Energy signatures designate them to be Category-1s. Blade and Caster-types. Estimating less than 20 minutes until the rift opens." The man ran another calculation through his terminal and visibly grew concerned with the presented results. "Sir, our currently-deployed Adaptors will be unable to reach it in time!"

It was the opportunity that Lanfen had been waiting for. The Commander's next decision was clear. There was nothing else stopping her from heading out there and holding Lanfen back would only be a tactical mistake in her eyes. As Commander Kazanari glanced over to the Adaptor at this side, S.O.N.G.'s newest Symphogear-Wielder felt her sword-hand begging for Lanfen to step out onto the battlefield right then and there. Her anticipation was clear enough for the Commander to immediately sense while he stood up from his post, and inputted a command onto his personal terminal, bringing up an image on his screen to showcase what appeared to be a missile with an empty interior. Commander Kazanari's subsequent words were sharper than anything the man had said to her thus far.

"Lanfen, prepare yourself for deployment."