"Shall we look for one together, then? A purpose outside of fighting."
Aiko's gentle words repeated themselves within the back of Lanfen's mind before the Adaptor shook her head to maintain her focus on Professor Elfnein's delivered message. With her personal futon all set up beside the living room's kotatsu table, Lanfen laid down on the deployed mattress as her head rested itself on a large, shark-shaped plushie. Her braided hair was also undone, letting it spread out in multiple directions while Lanfen's forearm hovered over her with a holographic screen currently projecting itself from her wrist device. Judging by the sheer length of the arriving message, the number of changes Professor Elfnein had made to the Sword of Damocles were extensive.
"After considering the incident that had occurred on the 22nd of December, 2049," the message read, "I have chosen to implement multiple safety measures within the SG-r04's internal systems. To start, I've installed a built-in scanner capable of maintaining constant observation of your brainwave patterns during the S.W.O.R.D.'s operational time." Lanfen blinked at the clinical details. "This scanner will be operating in tandem with a kill-switch which will automatically shut down the S.W.O.R.D. in the immediate presence of a particular brainwave pattern, essentially deactivating it before you can end up losing control over yourself. In addition to this, I have adjusted your Symphogear's defensive systems, ensuring that its protective barriers are intensified whenever you achieve speeds faster than sound."
An adjustment that is well-appreciated, Lanfen thought to herself. Her Symphogear's Quicksilver Queen ability was its most reliable tool against her opponents. Outside of a reasonable cooldown period of about 10-to-20 minutes, the intense g-forces Lanfen regularly inflicted on herself during its activation was never something she could endure without coughing up some blood.
Continuing on with the Professor's message, it proceeded to list out several more minor details regarding Lanfen's returned Symphogear. The Adaptor tried her best to not skim over them despite their intimidating lengths, and when the last written sentence had been read out, Lanfen typed in a message to thank the Professor for her assistance. "I'll accomplish my duties to the best of my abilities," Lanfen added into her formal response, knowing that the Professor was most likely terribly occupied with her research into the Distortion rifts. The term 'workaholic' was apparently often applied to the genius teenager by many a S.O.N.G. personnel. "And I'll try to not let any of your efforts go to waste."
As the Adaptor typed out the last few sentences of her message, Lanfen motioned over to hit the 'Send' button when her finger suddenly decided to abruptly freeze up right above the translucent, holographic keyboard.
In the back of her mind, Lanfen desired to know if Professor Elfnein still trusted her with the power of a Symphogear. And yet, when an actual opportunity to rest her unease now showed itself, Lanfen instead chose to clench her teeth tightly together before leaving the question out entirely.
"Merry Christmas, Professor Elfnein," was the written statement she concluded the prepared message with.
Hearing the audible confirmation of the message's delivery, Lanfen shut off her wrist device, and allowed her hovering forearm to lazily fall back onto the soft futon. About an hour still remained until the group's planned outing for a Christmas lunch, leaving the Adaptor to spend what time she had left quietly staring at the ceiling of her apartment's living room. The holo-player on the wall was still completely silent. Aiko was also probably keeping herself occupied with her brand-new smartphone. After remembering the fascinated look Aiko had displayed when she unveiled the black-and-white scarf that Lanfen had prepared, the Adaptor turned her head aside to see Aiko's gifted pocket-watch lying right beside her.
The bits of sunlight which were shining through the gaps of the living room's closed curtains faintly shone down on the chrome item, causing the reflected rays to bounce onto the faint scarring on Lanfen's cheek as she caressed the pocket-watch with one hand.
Lanfen's new measurer of time was breathtakingly beautiful. Much like the person who had bestowed it upon the Symphogear-Wielder.
Slowly drawing her fingertips away from the item, Lanfen carefully pulled herself into a sitting position before she started hooking the pocket-watch's attached chain around her neck. Prepping another glass of honey lemon tea didn't sound like a particularly bad idea right now. Lanfen was also sure that Aiko wouldn't refuse a glass of green tea, either. With those two tasks now on the forefront of her mind, she stood up from the comfort of her futon, and made her way across the silent living room. But as Lanfen passed by the room's dining table, her eyes subconsciously turned their attention aside, forcing the Adaptor to suddenly come to a halt while her gaze directed itself towards the nearby shelves.
It had been over a week by now, but Lanfen could never forget about the thumb-drive she had quietly hidden away. Said memory drive contained every bit of data which was once stored inside the electronic tablet that Aiko now utilized as her own personal device. It could also be seen as a capsule of so many things the Adaptor attempted to bury deep down within the depths of her memories. The Lanfen of before would have decided to just leave it tucked away on the shelves for good, but the her of today no longer felt such an irrational desire tugging incessantly at her chest.
Through a couple tentative footsteps, Lanfen approached the living room's shelves and reached out one arm so she could begin feeling out its topmost rack. All her fingers expectedly felt at first were its accumulating layers of dust particles. Not that it was surprising since Lanfen practically tossed the thumb-drive up there without a care for where it actually landed. The main point was to hide it well, both from Aiko and from the Adaptor herself.
She soon felt something solid brushing itself against her fingers and Lanfen quickly seized the object out of guesswork before retracting her outstretched arm. There, right in the grasp of her hand, was the black memory drive she was looking for. A coat of dust already covered up half of the tiny object, prompting Lanfen to brush it all off with a quick swipe of her thumb. So much was stored inside this one item, she thought to herself. All kept away just because Lanfen partially desired to isolate her lingering memories of Kai until her sister's killer was finally found and defeated. Now, she couldn't bear leaving such an important trove of recorded memories to be potentially forgotten by even herself.
Sliding the retrieved drive into one of her sweatpants' pockets, Lanfen swiftly turned her body around, and settled a pair of narrowed eyes on the knob of Kai's bedroom door. The room behind it remained perfectly untouched as far as the Adaptor was aware of. Lanfen trusted Aiko to leave it alone, after all. And unlike before, Lanfen no longer felt her sword-hand instinctively tremble at the mere thought of grasping its dusty doorknob.
One step. Two steps.
The Adaptor's heavy feet dragged themselves across the floor as if they had a will of their own.
Three steps. Four steps.
Kai's bedroom door was now right in front of her again.
Taking in a practiced breath, Lanfen grabbed the bedroom door by its knob, and slowly turned the metal handle around, causing an audible creak to resound from the entrance as the gap in its doorway grew ever wider.
Lanfen would've heard such a sound if the pounding of her heart wasn't drowning out everything else from her eardrums.
Stepping inside the darkened room with a pair of tightening lips, Lanfen slowly ran her gaze across Kai's personal living space, and saw the thick blankets of dust which covered practically everything in sight. All of Kai's items that once decorated the living room were here and all accounted for. There were no open sources of light, save for the dim sunlight which poured in from the opened doorway while Lanfen knelt down right in the middle of her little sister's assorted belongings. The animal-themed lamp on Kai's computer desk was most likely still functional, but Lanfen desired nothing more than for the shadows of her little sister's bedroom to physically overtake her unmoving form. Drawing in another practiced breath, the Adaptor took out her smartphone, and placed it on the floor in front of her.
The jingling of the toy that was attached to it by a silver chain was slowly becoming the only audible sound in Lanfen's ears.
She allowed her beating heart to return to its regular pace before Lanfen decided to finally end the silence. "Mei," she whispered, addressing her younger sister as if Kai never left her to begin with. "I hope... you're doing well by yourself out there. We haven't talked in a while, but the one who took you-" Lanfen felt flickers of a proverbial fire dancing across her purple eyes. "-The one who took you away from me is still out there. And I'm sorry for that, Mei. S.O.N.G. hasn't found any clues on its location yet. But even so... I'm doing well myself, at least." Silence. Cold, harsh silence. "... I've made good friends over the past weeks. People I can rely on. People who I can always trust."
The only things Lanfen maintained for an audience were Kai's dust-covered toys. And somehow, Lanfen could still remember when she had bought each and every one of them for her little sister.
"There's also another person, Mei," Lanfen continued, sensing her heartbeat rising up again with the shift of her conversation. "She's been a great help ever since we met. She's someone who - despite her own circumstances - has been the only one I could ironically associate with a sense of 'normalcy' up until now." She released a dry chuckle. "But since she could be joining me on our missions soon... even that won't be staying the same for long." Lanfen waited for four exact heartbeats, just in case she somehow received any sort of response. Predictably, nothing came. "It's strange. But I want her to choose a path she herself wants. Where it leads to won't matter to me... as long as it makes her happy."
Silence. Again. Obviously. Just like whenever Lanfen attempted to speak to her parents.
Without any uttered words this time, Lanfen closed her tearless eyes, and began ruminating on her growing feelings for Shinonome Aiko. Lanfen couldn't tell how long she chose to sit there, completely unmoving save for the way her shoulders rose with the rhythm of her breathing. But when the Adaptor's pondering came to its inevitable end, Lanfen found herself at the same conclusion she had already come to during the depths of her slumber just last night. One of Kai's last ever wishes was for Lanfen to find someone she could care about. And yet, the event of Kai's recent loss still left a proverbial, gaping wound in Lanfen's own ability to open up to someone else. It was one thing to let herself bond with Team-04.
But when it came to the idea of letting Shinonome Aiko into her still-beating heart, Lanfen desired to ask just one question, "Am I being selfish, Mei?"
None of the ownerless belongings around the Adaptor gave any sort of answer. Absolutely nothing.
Thus, Lanfen proceeded to lower her head in a respectful bow before she picked up her smartphone, and carefully slid it back into her pockets with a light jingle of its attached memento.
The answer she sought for would never come. Not unless Lanfen ever decided to turn such a vulnerable question towards her own companions instead.
A knock on the door of Kai's bedroom was subsequently heard. Lanfen quickly looked over her shoulder and softened her narrowed gaze to notice Aiko hiding behind the door-frame with golden eyes that were visibly astonished by the sight of the opened room. Reflexively tensing at the presence of the silver-haired woman, Lanfen immediately wondered if Aiko had actually managed to hear what Lanfen voiced out. Judging by the look in Aiko's honest, flickering eyes, the Adaptor's hush words most likely evaded any detection out of sheer, dumb luck.
"You can come in if you want," Lanfen gently reassured her, no longer desiring to prohibit both Aiko and herself from entering this one part of their shared apartment.
Surprisingly, Aiko politely declined the offer with the shake of her head and a tepid smile. "It's fine," she insisted, redirecting her golden eyes out of the darkened bedroom and towards the sun-lit living room instead. "I'm sure there will be a better time for me to do so, anyway."
Respecting Aiko's wishes without another word, Lanfen got back up to her feet, and took one last glance around the dust-covered room. She did have a point. Aiko deserved to step inside only when this entire space was completely cleaned from top to bottom. With that future errand now on Lanfen's mental to-do list, she slowly exited her younger sister's bedroom, leaving it alone again for now. And when its wooden entrance was closed back up once more, the Adaptor kept her grip on the doorknob while Aiko quietly stood beside her with a folded pair of hands.
"My sister would've showed you around her room if she could," Lanfen muttered with a small snicker. "... She always liked showing off her collection to anyone she knew."
Aiko simply pressed the tips of two index fingers against one another at the idea. "That certainly sounds... wonderful, Lanfen," she said, leaning her body against the wall right next to Kai's bedroom door. "Kai must have been a joy to be around with, judging from the way you always reminisce about her."
"She was," Lanfen calmly agreed, slowly reaching her free hand into one of her sweatpants' occupied pockets. "So, if you're interested in hearing more about her, then... you can use this." She hesitantly drew out the retrieved thumb-drive and held it towards Aiko, earning a small quizzical tilt of the woman's head. Lanfen initially thought about explaining who Aiko's tablet originally belonged to, but she instead chose to leave such information out of the conversation for now. "This thing contains a lot of old memories about my sister," she carefully explained, slowly releasing her tight grip around the doorknob of Kai's bedroom entrance. "You can have it."
Widening her golden eyes at the sudden gift, Aiko gingerly took the small item into her grasp. "I-I see." She held it in front of her astonished face with both hands before bringing it close to her chest. "I'll admit that I feel... almost undeserving of such a thing, but I shall keep it safe." Aiko directed a small, subsequent smile at Lanfen, and the Adaptor slowly returned it in kind as one of her hands subconsciously fiddled with the messy ends of her undone, black hair.
Lanfen immediately thought about suggesting something they could do together to relax. Something to take the pressure of any upcoming missions off their minds until it was time for their Christmas lunch. A day like this only came once a year and it would only be a waste to spend it simply moping around, contemplating her thoughts. But when Lanfen decided to voice her first proposal, her wrist device suddenly rang up with an incoming audio transmission, forcing the Adaptor to swiftly answer a call from Yuki of all people. This wasn't a good omen, Lanfen subsequently thought. Communication through their wrist devices was something they agreed to only utilize today if the situation was ever urgent.
"What is it?" Lanfen answered, already growing worried by the sudden transmission.
"We're being called over for a meeting, 'Fen." Yuki's straightforward tone implied just as much. "Looks like we're gonna have to put that Christmas lunch on hold for now."
The last time Shinonome Aiko stepped through the metal corridors of the S.O.N.G. submarine, she was but a directionless amnesiac with a necessary reliance on the three other members of Symphogear Team-04. By the time all four women returned to the arriving underwater vessel, Aiko may as well have considered herself to be a member of the group over whatever her unknown past originally defined her to be. She felt little point in blindly digging for an explanation for where she possibly came from, and instead chose to move forward with the individuals who Aiko had come to bond with over the passing days. Regardless, Team-04's recent summons couldn't have come on a far more inconvenient day.
When the order to gather up in the submarine was conveyed to both Aiko and Lanfen, the latter formally confirmed the request while the former felt a bit of surprise at being told to come along. It was an opportunity to don the monochrome scarf Lanfen had gifted her, so Aiko felt no reason to argue against it, even if she personally found it strange how she was being called over as well. Once they were both in their winter outfits, the pair met up with Yuki and Komichi in the team's van, and departed for the set of coordinates which S.O.N.G. had transmitted over to Team-04. They arrived there in precisely an hour and boarded the vessel to soon be escorted into an oval-shaped room that Aiko assumed was the assembly hall.
About 20-to-30 other people could be observed patiently sitting on the hall's deployable seats. And as the members of Team-04 walked over to the numbered chairs which were reserved for them, Aiko curiously analyzed the room to notice a circular, table-like contraption situated right in its middle. All of the hall's numerous seats were oriented towards the glowing machine and were noticeably far too stiff for even Yuki and Komichi to comfortably sit on without complaint. Looking around the assembly hall again, Aiko also couldn't help but notice how the team stood out in their civilian wear. In addition to the formal, black suits that the other individuals were wearing, the aura these unfamiliar people radiated was drastically different from even S.O.N.G.'s own personnel.
Aiko was about to verbally comment on this to Lanfen beside her when one of the assembly hall's double-doors suddenly slid open, letting a young, blonde man who Aiko recognized as 'Tsuchiya Kagero' to make his entrance with an accompanying, redheaded woman. The room's ceiling lights soon dimmed down and the arriving duo took positions on opposing sides of the room's table-like contraption in the middle.
"You all have our appreciation for gathering here today," Tsuchiya politely began, folding his hands behind his back. "Unfortunately, the situation we are currently facing is one which does not provide us the luxury of exchanging seasonal pleasantries." He gestured towards his redheaded, formal-looking companion and addressed her with a curt nod. "Kagami, if you may."
Through a few command inputs into the circular, table-like machine, holographic projections proceeded to take shape over the contraption's translucent surface, displaying the civilian profiles of multiple young women for everyone in the hall to clearly see. Few of these women lived in the same continent as one another while most of the showcased faces originated from different parts of the globe. North America. South Africa. Japan. The Philippines. Australia. Borneo. All of them also appeared barely a couple years older than Lanfen, Aiko, and their two older teammates.
Tsuchiya cleared his throat and resumed. "Over the past week, Clan Hida has been investigating the reported deaths of young women both inside and outside of our country's national borders. Normally, such a task would not be in our legal jurisdiction, but investigations into the reasoning behind these deaths point to a possible perpetrator." The blonde man gestured towards another manifesting hologram on the assembly hall's display terminal and pointed at a snake-like emblem which made Aiko instinctively shiver in her seat. "The Bavarian Illuminati."
Some of the gathered individuals in the hall began faintly murmuring to one another. Yuki even muttered something under her breath over to Komichi. Meanwhile, Aiko could only focus her widening, golden eyes on the distinctive logo that hovered over the display terminal. The reports from Aiko's hibernation pod informed her enough of what to expect. The Bavarian Illuminati were the apparent reason for Aiko's existence as a living experiment. They were also infamous for being a difficult foe to permanently defeat. Even though she possessed no memory of her time in their ownership, Aiko could still feel her left hand tightly gripping on to the black-and-white scarf around her neck, giving her the will to take in a deep, punctuated breath.
Aiko only felt her shoulders starting to loosen up when she sensed a warm palm gently holding on to her other hand which was dangling at her side. She didn't need to redirect her golden eyes to actually confirm who it belonged to. Instead, Aiko took a side-glance at Lanfen beside her, and cleared away the obvious, growing concern on the Adaptor's silent expression by means of a reassuring smile. It was obvious that both of them would be exchanging words right now if they weren't in the middle of a meeting.
"Eleven deceased women have already been confirmed by official reports," Tsuchiya sharply continued. "Each murder was carried out with a single shot from a firearm, and although we cannot confirm any alchemic purposes behind its munitions, what we can confirm is that the markings of the Illuminati were present on each utilized round." Additional holographic constructs appeared over the terminal, showcasing the aforementioned ammunition in extensive detail. "Investigations are currently ongoing to predict who and where the perpetrators may strike next, and so far, the current theory is that they may be targeting individuals who possess the innate potential to awaken a Symphogear."
As Aiko casted a worried glance over to a seemingly unfazed Lanfen, Komichi raised her hand, catching Tsuchiya's attention.
"Do we have any evidence for this theory?" the brunette formally inquired.
With his eyes now focused on Team-04's general direction, Tsuchiya motioned over to his redheaded companion, prompting Kagami to provide an explanation in his stead. "AG-4-2," she addressed Komichi by her designated number, "in addition to these findings, the investigation we've conducted into the sudden attack on your team's Symphogear-Wielder has also allowed us to piece together the munition that was used in the assumed attempt on SG-r04's life." Kagami typed a command into the display terminal and brought up a digital reconstruction of a shattered bullet right next to the ones used in the reported murders. "We've confirmed their origins to be one in the same."
Lanfen audibly clicked her tongue, Yuki released unrestrained bafflement at Kagami's statement, Komichi calmly nodded in response, and Aiko buried her fingers deep within the monochrome scarf she wore. The Symphogear-Wielders were the world's main defense against paranormal threats, so Aiko could not help but feel her hands grow cold from the theory that a group was actively culling any possible Adaptors. Let alone young, innocent women like Lanfen herself.
"Judging by recently-reported deaths, we can narrow down the perpetrators' current, active location to the islands of Japan," Tsuchiya continued, barely faltering. "Five Illuminati hideouts have just been confirmed across the country. While we cannot be sure if each location is even affiliated with one another - nor if they are being used by another group entirely - Clan Hida intends to simultaneously deal with each location through a surgical strike at each site." A map of the globe appeared over the terminal and Tsuchiya pointed towards one designated location in particular. "Our scans have also confirmed that at least one of these hideouts was previously designed for the Illuminati's leadership. Therefore, we will be exercising caution by deploying Symphogear Team-04 at said location."
Through another swift gesture of his arm, Tsuchiya dismissed the holographic projections, leaving the terminal completely darkened while Kagami stepped away from the circular contraption.
The redheaded woman spoke up when her blonde companion was obviously finished. "Eliminating the Illuminati's resources country-wide should leave whoever is responsible for the murders temporarily vulnerable," Kagami stated, causing some of her audience to visibly nod in agreement in their seats. "Regardless of who the perpetrators may actually be, they must be taken in to prevent any further loss of life. Both to global innocents, and to S.O.N.G.'s own Adaptor Corps. Does anyone have any questions?" Unified silence from everyone in the hall was the answer to her stern, formal words. "Then you are all dismissed. Preparations for the operation will begin soon. Good luck to all of you."
"Symphogear Team-04," Tsuchiya hailed the four sitting women. "Please meet me outside in the hall, thank you."
Now that their meeting was officially adjourned, everyone within the assembly hall rose up from their seats, and quietly filed out of the oval-shaped room through either one of its four available double-doors. The atmosphere of the place felt denser than concrete, but Aiko stepped in line with the three other members of her team either way. As all the individuals in black suits made themselves sparse, Team-04 abided by Tsuchiya's request and waited out in one of the corridors leading into the assembly hall. It took precisely a minute for Tsuchiya to step outside by himself. Noticeably now without his companion, Tsuchiya ran a brief gaze across the four gathered women, and slowly lowered his head.
"My apologies for summoning you four on Christmas of all days," he said, lifting his head back up. "I can at least assure that you all will be well-fed before deployment for the operation commences."
The blonde man's apology was smoothly brushed off by Komichi. "It's perfectly fine!" she insisted, aiming a pair of glove-covered finger-guns at Tsuchiya. "After all, there's no better way to spend Christmas than stopping some evildoers, right?" Her childish comment earned an exasperated groan from Yuki and a dry chuckle from Lanfen. Aiko herself gave out an honest giggle while Tsuchiya smiled politely at the woman's sudden display of levity. The situation was a tragic one considering how many women have fallen victim to the murders, and yet, Komichi noticeably remained stalwart in maintaining Team-04's morale.
"First things first," Tsuchiya said, suddenly standing to attention. "With current events now being taken into consideration, the Commander has given me full authority to declare the following." His sharp gaze redirected itself at Aiko in particular. "Shinonome Aiko, from today onwards, you will be officially installed within S.O.N.G. as a field operator." His announcement caused Aiko to immediately widen her golden eyes in a combination of disbelief, shock, and astonishment.
She even would've fallen backwards if Lanfen and Yuki hadn't reflexively caught Aiko's suddenly-swaying form.
"As surprising as it may sound, I assure you that we wouldn't have summoned you here today if it was untrue," Tsuchiya continued. "We require all available hands for this operation, Miss Shinonome, and your recent tests showcase evident potential."
After Aiko managed to find stable footing on her own shaky legs again, Lanfen was the first to applaud her for the good news. "Congratulations, Aiko," the Adaptor softly said with the smallest of smiles, letting go of Aiko's shoulders only when they were certain that she wouldn't fall over again. "I guess you could say that this is a Christmas miracle, isn't it?"
"Hell yeah, it is!" Yuki eagerly added, flashing a prominent thumbs up.
Komichi gave the loudest clap of her hands, sending a loud echo down the corridors they were standing in alongside Tsuchiya. "A wish well-granted, indeed."
Once the clear disbelief on Aiko's face parted to now reveal a smile of restrained excitement for her new position, Tsuchiya drew out a small key from his suit and handed it over to the silver-haired woman. "I will require the presence of Miss Ayano and Miss Godai for logistical work," he stated as Aiko curiously took the key off his hands. Both of them were oblivious to the deflated expressions Tsuchiya had inflicted on Komichi and Yuki through the mere mention of paperwork. "In the meantime, you may rely on Miss Jiang to escort you over to the locker rooms. You will find both your uniform and your equipment waiting for you there, Miss Shinonome."
Aiko nodded at the instructions and Lanfen gave a quick salute which the silver-haired woman hastily mimicked beside the Symphogear-Wielder.
"Understood, Tsuchiya," Lanfen formally responded before gesturing for Aiko to follow her.
Everything was progressing quickly, Aiko mused within her thoughts. She honestly believed that it would have taken days for her request to even be considered, but it seemed to Aiko that fate was certainly panning out completely in her favour. A part of Aiko even wanted to credit this sudden miracle to the lucky charm which Komichi had gifted her just this morning.
With their directions given out, Aiko stepped through the submarine's metal corridors with Lanfen while the thumping of their footsteps resounded in the air. Aiko's heart normally would have started pounding within her ribcage from current events, but the presence of Lanfen at her side allowed her to remain completely serene. Seeing how the Adaptor especially marched through the vessel even gave off the same radiance that Aiko had witnessed when the two first met in Yamaku's snowy forests. This was the woman whom Japan relied on to defend it and only a few such as Aiko were aware of the person beneath that valiant veneer. Without Lanfen's help, Aiko wouldn't have been able to take her first step towards becoming a protector of this world.