A/N: For September 2022, I decided to give a little teaser for a side-project that I will (hopefully) be releasing the first chapter for within the next couple of weeks.
Without further ado, enjoy!
Symphogear GS Chapter 1 (Teaser)
Miku's Residence
Today was supposed to be a big day for one Miku Kohinata, but unfortunately, she had something come up and, much to her dismay, she would have to cancel on her friend at the last minute. She dreaded having to tell her, but she wouldn't have to wait long for a call to come in from Hibiki, moments before she was going to do the same. "Hey, Hibiki..."
"Miku, where are you?" Hibiki asked. "I'm already at the stadium."
Miku let out a sigh before holding the phone back up to her ear. "Sorry... Something came up." She says.
"What?!" Hibiki gasped. "But you're the one who invited me to the concert today!"
"My aunt in Morioka had an accident, so my father is going to drive us there now." Miku explains.
"But I don't really know anything about this group..." Hibiki said.
"I'm really sorry, Hibiki." Miku apologizes. "I have to go, but I hope you have fun."
Miku hung up the phone and sighed. "I'm sorry we made you cancel on your friend, honey." Miku's mom said as she finished packing. "I'm sure there will be another time in the future that you two will be able to go to a Zwei Wing concert together. After all, those two are still fairly young, so I doubt they'll be retiring anytime soon."
"I know..." Miku says. "I just feel bad that I was the one who invited her and made a whole big deal of Zwei Wing, yet I won't be there to see her excitement."
"Well, then that just means you both will be able to enjoy them equally as much next time, right?" Miku's mom asked.
"I guess you're right..." Miku nodded. "Thank you, Mom."
Later that Evening...
Finally arriving at her aunt's house, Miku and her parents settled in for the night, planning to visit the hospital the aunt was staying the night at the next day. The whole time, however, Miku was glued to her phone. "Honey, are you alright?" Miku's mom asked. "You've been staring at your phone for hours."
"I'm fine." Miku answers. "I'm just waiting to hear back from Hibiki. I'm really hoping she liked the concert."
"I'm sure she did, sweetheart." Miku's mom said. "Perhaps she hasn't texted you about it because she was tired? It is rather late, after all."
Miku kept her eyes on the phone screen, open to her texts with Hibiki where the last text she sent was just simply "Hibiki?" But her mom was probably right. "I guess I'm just paranoid is all."
"I'm sure she's fine hon-"
Just as Miku's mom was about to give her words of encouragement, the television suddenly changed to the scene of a newsroom, with a news anchor who looked like they were trying their best to stay calm, but failing horribly. "Breaking news... I still can't believe what I'm reading..." The anchor said, their disbelief very present in their voice. "Tragedy has struck the nation of Japan as the Noise have appeared once again... At the Zwei Wing Concert that took place this evening."
"What?!" Miku gasped, dashing towards the TV to listen to the broadcast. "Did he just say Noise were at the Zwei Wing concert?!"
"In the middle of the idol duo's encore, an explosion rocked the stadium, and the Noise were quick to follow. We've heard from various sources of residents that were close by at the time of the attack that there was supposedly a second explosion that wiped out the Noise, rumored to be caused the mysterious figures responsible for fighting the Noise the past couple of years, but no one has been able to confirm or deny these rumored figures existence at this time." The anchor continued. "Regardless, medical professionals and police were dispatched to help evacuate civilians, but unfortunately..."
"No survivors have been found at this time, neither inside the concert hall nor outside, and we are told that everyone in the concert hall, including the talents of Zwei Wing, are to be considered dead until further notice..."
Those words made Miku stare at the screen in horror. "They're... Dead...?" She asked aloud in shock. "But then... That means..."
"But you're the one who invited me to the concert today!"
"My aunt in Morioka had an accident, so my father is going to drive us there now."
"But I don't really know anything about this group..."
"I'm really sorry, Hibiki."
The last words Miku said to Hibiki before hanging up the phone echoed in her head, but as they did, she visualized her best friend's smiling face, before it faded away into dust... The world around her fell silent, and she was speechless, except for one word that she screamed at the top of her lungs in fear...
"HIBIKI!"
One Year Later
After hearing about the tragedy, Miku desperately tried to ask anyone that knew Hibiki if they've seen her, but her search quickly found no leads, forcing her to fear the worst. For the next year, Miku was practically unresponsive to anyone she hadn't talked to before Hibiki's death, aside from teachers and authorities when they asked her questions. But even then, she would barely talk to her friends and family, spending the majority of her free time visiting the grave that was made for her best friend.
"Hey, Hina..." Kuriyo said, walking over to Miku at the graveyard, followed by Yumi and Shiori. "You doing okay?"
Miku gave a silent nod, but didn't turn to face her friends. "We're worried about you, Miku." Shiori said. "It's been over a year since it happened. You can't blame yourself for-"
"She's dead because I invited her to that concert." Miku interjected coldly. "She only went because I hyped up Zwei Wing for her. She went to that concert because of me, and now it's because of me that she's dead."
"Hey, no one could've expected those things to show up when they did. This isn't like an anime where those kinds of things can be predicted." Yumi said. "Besides, Hibiki wouldn't want you to be sad like this, right?"
"What did you say?" Miku asks, turning to face Yumi with anger visible on her face.
"Way to go, Yumi..." Shiori mumbled.
"You just had to go and press the Bikki button..." Kuriyo added.
"Crap..." Yumi whispered, realizing her mistake. "Miku, you know I didn't mean to-"
"Let me make this as clear to you as possible: Hibiki Tachibana trusted me more than anyone else and she died because of that trust. Like it or not, I killed her. And I'm not going to let some loser otaku who thinks she knows better tell me otherwise!" Miku shouted. "So if all you're going to try and do is lie to make me feel better, then you all can just leave."
While she knew Miku got angry when Hibiki's name was mentioned in a certain way, Yumi was still upset by what she said. "If that's how it's going to be, then fine!" She replied, walking towards the exit of the graveyard. "But know this, Miku: I may be an otaku, but at least I don't let anime control my emotions as much as a dead girl has yours!"
Before Miku could respond, Yumi ran out of the graveyard. Shiori and Kuriyo expected Miku to chase after her in anger, but they were surprised when they saw that she just sat there, on the verge of tears. "I should go make sure Yumi's okay..." Shiori said, with Kuriyo nodding in agreement.
As for Kuriyo, she stayed with Miku. "Hina? You know she didn't mean what she said, right?"
"She's right. About me, I mean... It's been over a year and I've done nothing but grieve for Hibiki." Miku says. " Yumi was right, Hibiki wouldn't want me to be sad. I should apologize to her."
"You sure you won't snap at her again?" Kuriyo asked. "We all know how you get when someone mentions Bikki's name, and Yumi isn't exactly in the best of moods after that 'loser otaku' comment."
Miku's heart sank when she remembered that. "I can't believe I said that..."
"Let Shiori and I handle calming her down and you can apologize to her tomorrow, okay?" Kuriyo asked.
"...Okay." Miku agrees as herself and Kuriyo went their separate ways out of the graveyard.
On the way home...
While Miku walked home, she couldn't help but feel guilty for what she said to Yumi...
"Let me make this as clear to you as possible: No one knew Hibiki Tachibana the same way I did, and I'm not going to let some loser otaku who thinks she knows better tell me otherwise!"
"Yumi didn't deserve that... No one deserved any of the hateful things I've said over the past year." Miku said to herself, before looking down at a locket that contained a picture of Hibiki and herself. "Hibiki... How did you make it all look so easy? You made friends like it was breathing, despite everything they said about you... And here I am getting angry at the few friends I have left over so little... I just wish you were still here..."
"Someone! Help!" A voice suddenly cried out, quickly catching Miku's attention as she saw someone running her way. "It's the Noi-" Just before the stranger could finish their sentence, a singular Noise came out of nowhere and killed them, a sight that ran chills down Miku's spine.
Without wasting any time, Miku ran as fast as she could to find shelter, changing directions anytime she saw Noise in her path. This plan was working well for her for the moment, but eventually, she found herself cornered by the Noise. "I can't run anymore... And now I'm going to die without being able to atone for everything I've said..." Miku said to herself, reflecting on her regrets one final time. "Yumi... Hibiki... I'm sorry..."
Miku crouched down and closed her eyes, awaiting her fate at the hands of the Noise, but as she was about to give up hope, she heard singing.
"Granzizel bilfen Gungnir zizzl"
Suddenly a black whirlwind shows up next to Miku out of nowhere, wiping out all of the Noise close to her with ease. "Wh-What?" Miku gasped.
Once the Noise were dealt with, the whirlwind subsided, revealing a woman with long pink hair and a black suit of armor and a matching cape. "There isn't much time before more of them show up." The woman said, extending her hand out to Miku. "Come with me if you want to live!"
Miku was hesitant to grab the woman's hand, but all the same, she grabbed it. When she did, the woman pulled Miku onto her back and leapt into the sky.
Landing far enough away from the Noise, the armored woman lets Miku get off her back before facing her. "Are you okay?" The woman asked.
"Y-Yeah..." Miku replies. "Thank you for saving me, Ma'am."
"Don't mention it." The woman said. "Now, it's best if you get out of here before more Noise show up."
"R-Right. Thank you again!" Miku replies, but before she could run off, she overheard something from the woman's headset.
"...We've got the Noise in the other parts of the sectors handled, dess!" A voice reported.
"Roger that, I'll deal with the remainder of the Noise and meet you two at the rendezvous point." The woman replied.
"Wait, are you going to fight the Noise?" Miku asks.
The woman turned to face Miku. "Yes." She said. "But don't worry about me. This armor isn't just for show."
"All the same, be careful!" Miku says, heading straight back home.
Later...
True to her word, the woman fought the Noise and destroyed every last one of them. With them cleared out, she took a moment to catch her breath. As she did, she received a call from a communicator in her pocket. "The Noise have been cleared out successfully, Commander."
"Well done." A masculine voice answers. "Were there any civilians in the area at the time of the attack?"
The woman hesitated for a moment. "...Aside from a few piles of carbon that were around before we could make it, no sir..."
The Commander sighed. "Well, I guess we'll just have to cut our losses and be thankful that the Noise didn't get far. Return to HQ with the others ASAP."
"Understood, Commander."
The Next Day...
The following day, Miku went over to Yumi's house and hesitantly knocked on the door. It was quiet for a moment, but eventually, Yumi answered, and she looked upset. "Oh... Hey..."
"Hi, Yumi..." Miku says. "Look, about what I said yesterday..."
"You mean when you called me a, and I quote, 'loser otaku'?" Yumi interjected.
Miku was quiet for a moment hearing those words said in a moment of unnecessary anger again. "...I'm really sorry for saying that..." Miku says. "I had no right to call you such things, especially since you, Kuriyo, and Shiori have been putting up with me ever since Hibiki died. When I saw just how upset I made you by saying something like that, it made me realize how the only one here who's a real loser... Is me."
Seeing how sincere Miku was, Yumi softened her frown. "Hey... Neither of us are losers, okay?" She said. "But, while you're here, I want to apologize for what I said, too. I was just really angered by the loser insult that I just said the first thing that came to my mind, and I really shouldn't have done that."
"No. You don't have to apologize for what you said, Yumi." Miku says. "If anything, those words coming from you really opened my eyes to just how much of a jerk I have become all because of my guilt. When I lashed out at everyone else, I didn't feel anything for what I was saying or doing to them, but when I did it to you yesterday, I felt absolutely horrible. Just like you had said, I allowed my emotions to be controlled by someone who is no longer with us, and I'm truly sorry for that... I just hope that you can forgive me."
Hearing this, Yumi was touched. "Well, I suppose I can forgive you... On one condition." She said in a teasing manner.
"Name it." Miku replies with utmost seriousness.
Seeing Miku's desperation to make things right, Yumi couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Miku, I'm joking. I accept your apology." She said, which made Miku let out a sigh of relief. "But since you're here, care to come and hang out with me and the others today?"
Miku smiles as she sees the other two girls peeping in from the hallway. "I'd love that. Thank you." She says as she steps inside the house. "So, what were you three planning to do today?"
"Well, today was Yumi's weekend to decide what we did, actually." Shiori answered.
"And in typical Yumi fashion, she chose anime and some new idol chick that's become popular recently." Kuriyo added.
"For your information, Maria Cadenzavna Eve's music is some of the best stuff to come out since Zwei Wing's last album!" Yumi retorted.
"Maria Cadenzavna Eve?" Miku asks, which piques Yumi's interest to talk about her.
"She's an up and coming idol whose music has ranked at the top of the charts for the past month!" Yumi says, showing Miku a picture of Maria as she does. Miku took a closer look at the picture of the idol, and when she did, she froze in shock. "Is everything alright?"
Miku quickly snapped back to reality. "Y-Yeah, I was just... So taken aback by how pretty she looks in this photo." She said, hiding the real reason she froze.
"See? Miku agrees that she's cool!" Yumi says to Kuriyo and Shiori.
As the trio talk about Yumi's obsession with Maria and her music, Miku thought back to the lady she saw last night.
"There isn't much time before more of them show up. Come with me if you want to live!"
"There's no mistaking it... That pink hair, that face? The woman that saved my life looked exactly like Maria-san." Miku says to herself. "There's no way they aren't the same person... Right?"
"Hey, Hina." Kuriyo called out, catching Miku's attention immediately. "You coming to listen to the music or what?"
"R-Right. Sorry." Miku says with a nervous chuckle as she walks into the room the trio were in. "Maybe I'm overthinking things too much right now. For now, I should just enjoy spending time with the friends I nearly lost..."
And so, thanks to her friend Yumi, Miku started to soften up a bit more than she had been for the past year, all while enjoying the time she was spending with her friends.
A/N: And with that, we end the one-shot.
As stated in the above author's notes, yes, this is a teaser for the first chapter of the full story of what I would say is my most popular one-shot series "Another History" But this time, the series has a more fitting name: "Another History: Symphogear GS" (Which pretty much stands for G Switched)
As I am currently cycling between three long-running fics, progress on this story will be slow at first, but once I finish up one of my three fics (which will more than likely be Superb Song of the Fate-Defying Valkyrie), this will be added to the tri-weekly upload rotation.
I'll save my other notes for this chapter once the full-thing is released, but I hope you're excited for it all the same!
Anyways, thank you for reading this one-shot, I shall see you all, in the next one!