"I-It's fine, Mari-san! Don't worry about it!"

Laya waved her hands dismissively, an attempt to bring ease to the woman who was mid-bow in apology. She never got a chance to do it since the twins got into S.O.N.G., mainly because the brunette was one of the stars of attention around headquarters.

She was always such a social butterfly, so now that she was around multiple people every day and being out of the house more often, she was always paired up with someone. It didn't matter if she was messing around with Kirika, getting advice from Tsubasa or even being scolded by Chris. She was always around someone, but the one she spent the least amount of time around was Maria. It wasn't like she was trying to purposefully avoid her, their lines just rarely crossed independently, which made this apology feel a lot more awkward.

"It's not fine! I..."

Maria recalled her last bout, the events lingering in the back of her mind every time she looked at the older twin.

The spray of blood was nothing new to Maria, but what was new was that she was the one that caused it, even if it was unintentionally. Looking back at it, it was a brilliant tactic, looking to stun her just enough for Nidhogg to rip into her wing and gather the high-level phonic gain from the X-Drive. However, the sound of the splattering and the feeling of swinging Laya off her blade as if she were a bug that landed on her arm, an instinctual movement, made her feel sick to her stomach. She would express regret a million times if she needed, but even then, it didn't feel like enough.

She was ready to go off on another tangent, but Chris cut her off right in her tracks. "Come on! If the dork is saying that it's fine, there's no point beating yourself up over it!" She was tired of hearing the same thing over and over, the third wave of apologies being shrugged off being her breaking point. She knew that Maria felt bad for hurting Laya, but it couldn't have warranted this much. Laya nodded, agreeing with the lavender twintails as she thought of a way to make sure Maria knew that everything was okay.

"Yeah! See, it's like it never even happened!"

She unzipped her jacket and lifted her decaled shirt, exposing the area that Airgetlám had run through during their fight. Sure enough, the skin didn't have a single mark on it, the same as it was before Laya even got Nidhogg. It was a miracle she didn't have a scar, to be honest.

From how it was explained to her after the events in private, Leia surmised that the power Nidhogg had gained while in its Superb Song allowed it to gain very similar traits to the Berserk function of the Symphogear. While it didn't make a lot of sense to Laya, the phrase, "The Gear saw you in danger and helped out," was more than enough to make her draw her own conclusions. No matter how Leia could express that utilizing Nidhogg as a catalyst in place of the missing Dainsleif acted as a pseudo-Ignite Module, it would just go over the older twin's head without question.

"To be honest, I didn't even feel Airgetlám coming out the other side!"

"..."

"..."

Her words made the two silent before they released a unified scream, though for different reasons. "HAAAAAAAAAH!?"

Chris was informed of the situation, but she never got a playback of Laya's fight. All she knew was that Laya had a fatal blow landed on her, but she got back up without issue. However, what she was not informed about was that Airgetlám had apparently skewered her like a kebab. Within seconds, Chris had her hands on Maria's navy-blue uniform, pulling her down to eye level as her voice went up an octave. "Wait, wait, wait, what did you do!?"

Maria's hands raised defensively, trying not to call back to the last time she drew blood. Even if Laya was okay now, it didn't mean that the events never happened, making her still feel guilty that the attack connected in the first place.

"I didn't mean to! She sort of just... ran into it."

This made Chris' eyebrows furrow even more, the girl's grip tightening as Laya tried to separate the two. "How in the hell did she run into Airgetlám to the point where it ran clean through her!?"

Off to the side, the dragon looked on towards the bickering curiously.

"Hm..."

"Hey, Zababa."

Leia's sharp words caused the hair on the back of the duo's neck to rise, their minds immediately diving to the worst-case scenario. Since the Noires joined, the two were the prime suspects for any sort of scolding, though it was never for anything too bad. Since Laya was making more of an effort to speak with Chris, the unofficial role of "supervisor of Zababa" immediately fell to the next person, which was Leia. Maria had already pawned this title off to the gunslinger for the times she wasn't around, but with two more set of hands, that "babysitting" ended up switching from a simple tsundere to a person with the demeanor of a strict instructor that would not tolerate tomfoolery.

"E-Eh...?"

Kirika looked up from her phone, the mobile game now on auto-play as the character zoomed from side-to-side on the screen. The two were caught off-guard while in the break room, their minds preoccupied with relaxation after a long meeting with the Commander. Apparently, the revelation of the Noires showed that there were more to the Bavarian Illuminati's remnants that met the eye, so they were going through constant meetings to figure out a game plan to end it once and for all. However, with the lack of direction, they could only lie in wait for the next opportunity to show itself.

Leia had a few things to say when encountering Zababa, but one concern was at the forefront of her mind. While it wasn't a big deal, it was a matter that needed to be addressed after recalling all the times she passed by the two and witnessed an incident.

"Can you..."

Before she went straight to reprimanding them, she took a deep breath, remembering that she would need to make an effort to be "nicer" to others. No matter how antagonistic she came off with her normal face, it wasn't a right to be that hostile in speaking. Her gaze forcibly softened, putting one hand in the pocket of her hoodie as she loosened up her tone. "Nidhogg is a Relic at the end of the day, not a pet. Please refrain from treating it as such."

The kindness, if they could call it that, was unexpected, considering the month they had interacted with each other and the sore look Leia kept in her eyes. However, Kirika was quick to defend the two of them, making sure that Leia never got the wrong idea. "But every time we're with it, it approaches us!"

The information wasn't surprising to Leia, her mind flashing back to the different points that brought this concern in the first place.

Due to the nature of the Blades of Zababa, there were often times where they would be seen together with the black dragon. It wasn't a problem by itself, but due to Laya's dismissal of the dragon's true importance and the Receptor Children's intrigue in what could be seen as a pet, one thing led to another. As such, anytime Nidhogg had manifested from Laya's converter, it almost always ended up in the dragon being coddled by another set of people. It was already bad enough that Laya and Maria did it, but two more Adapters on top of that trivialized the dragon's form. This made the dragon and her sister the new targets of her reprimands.

"Tch... so it's the dragon doing it."

A scowl made its way across the girl's face once again, her mind set on making sure her sister got a stern speech. Seeing how the Blades of Zababa were in the clear, she turned away from them. "Very well, I apologize for any misunderstandings. Also, one more thing."

The fact that she apologized to them was also a first. She was the type of person that they thought didn't have the ability to apologize, seeing how she was constantly being seen as someone who knew their stuff and had that pride like Ichaival's wielder. The concept of one further comment that the alchemist was retaining made the two shrink back, but this time, it wasn't any lambasting towards the duo. Shirabe was the one to answer this time.

"Huh?"

Leia twirled the left side of her hair, her voice trying to hide the nervousness that came from her trying to be nice. Despite the people she spoke to in the past, on top of the multitude of social cues she analyzed and was able to replicate at a moment's notice, deep down, that concept of genuine niceness was something she struggled with displaying without feeling like she'd need to take every one of her comments back. Maybe this group was growing on her, just a little bit.

"I've seen the playback of your training and your movements were stiff. If you need an adjustment on your LiNKER or your Gears, let me or Ca... Elfnein... know."

She had to refrain from using that name again, speaking with Elfnein on the matter beforehand. Just like Maria said, Elfnein confirmed every question Leia had, confirming that Carol was no longer of this world, leaving the blonde to take her place.

The two heard this concern, having no words for this change of character. They were a bit sluggish on their last training session, but that was due to their previous workload rather than the Gears having any issues. In fact, had they been warmed up, it would have been a flawless training session. This was unprecedented, so they could only respond the only way they knew how. With an enthusiastic salute, one that wasn't contested by an averse appearance, Kirika's smile beamed outward.

"R-Roger that, dess!"

Meanwhile, a small head poked itself through the open door from behind Leia's legs, a singular horn on the left side being the defining feature that would normally draw attention to itself.

"Hm..."

"Kohinata-san."

The dragon's steps led it to a white bow that had just exited one of the briefing rooms, the owner of said bow having their eyes travel down to meet the dragon's. The previous vessel of Shem-ha Mephorash was one that the dragon always wanted to get more one-on-one time with, though as much as it was for her kind nature, it was also for the side effects of being a vessel. There was nothing that was immediately standing out to the Relic, though it was not like the presence of that woman couldn't lay dormant or something along those lines.

"Oh, it's Nid-chan."

Miku knelt down to the dragon, her hand scratching the back of its right horn. From what she could tell, this version of Nidhogg was from Laya, strictly due to that feature.

The dragon was one of the few things to help S.O.N.G. differentiate the twins from each other, at least, now that they were able to figure it out. The first thing was their matching jackets, something that Laya was adamant about wearing with her sister now that she wasn't against doing things beside her. Despite the two being the bland grey hoodies that they were, each of them had a black stripe on each arm, Leia's being on the left arm while Laya's was on the right. This also corresponded with the dragon's horns, as the dragon only manifested with one horn, though the side of the horn depended on the corresponding twin. Thankfully, it was the same with the arm bands, which made it a little less confusing.

Aside from the smaller things, such as facial expressions and the fact that Leia wore velcro shoes due to her inability to tie shoelaces, Nidhogg was the one that ended up helping them out the most.

The dragon nuzzled up to her palm, its tail swishing at the nickname that Miku referred to it as. She got into the habit of the nickname that Laya gave it, seeing how she constantly heard it from her. Regardless of the dragon's origins, Nids stuck a whole lot better than Nidhogg, even if the younger of the two twins despised the name.

As much as the dragon would have liked to be coddled today, however, it had a job to do, one that it was not going to stray away from, no matter how many headpats it got. "Have you seen Tsubasa Kazanari anywhere?"

"As of recently..."

Miku tried to recall the last time she saw the azure idol, though it wasn't that long ago. Her last encounter with her was mere minutes ago, the two of them exchanging a brief greeting before the woman headed straight towards the garage that laid on the edge of the pier. She didn't ask questions, but she was just a bit curious as to where she was going.

"I think I saw her head out a few minutes ago."

Thankful for the information, Nidhogg nodded, its little claws tapping against the flooring as it began to make its way to the submarine's exit.

"I see. Thank you."

Just like with Tsubasa, Miku was just as curious about where Nidhogg's expedition would take it. Seeing how it was inquiring about Tsubasa's whereabouts, it was very safe to assume that the dragon would be searching for her, but for what reason?

"Why, what's up?"

The dragon couldn't explain everything to her, at least, not while time was ticking. Nidhogg could possibly catch up to the idol if it knew where she was going, which it had a good guess. However, there was a thought that entered the Relic's mind as she questioned its motives. Its tail swished again, meeting her eyes again as it answered her.

"I can explain on the way."

Miku and Nidhogg both strolled down the city streets, marveling at the abundance of stores that they passed as they made their way to their destination. While Miku was used to the stores themselves, seeing how the Adapters passed by them on a daily basis, Nidhogg was treating this like it was a treasure trove of information. The various department stores were lined with people filing in and out, each with their own different articles of clothing. The smells from numerous restaurants and cafés all wafted to the dragon in the girl's arms, the cacophony of senses working to feed information into the Relic.

Over the course of their time with S.O.N.G., the dragon had scores of experiences, all that were a pleasant surprise to a being that had been locked away for millennia by that woman. Even though there was a backlog of information that the dragon needed to record since its awakening, the things that it obtained from the fall of the Yggdrasil System already set it forward by a large margin. The phonic gain emitted by the Symphogears during the final fight with Shem-ha traced that information all the way back to the sleeping dragon within the Archive, but with those evolutions of the Gears, it was clear it was still missing quite a lot.

Their steps led them to the Kazanari estate, the dragon's instructions guiding the two of them to the idol's abode. The mansion always intimidated those who entered, if not by the size, then by the association. Ever since the fall of Fudo Kazanari, the home was delegated solely to the idol. However, even with the massive structure being under her thumb, there was always something sad about the fact that she was the only one who lived there. The thought would linger in the duo's brain, until they heard an exasperated sigh coming from one end of the mansion.

"Ha..."

The idol crossed her arms, the door to her room slid open as she took in the hurricane of haphazardness that engulfed her. It had only been a month or so, but somehow, the room ended up in the exact same state it was in before she left for her tour. She cleaned in anticipation of her return before the involvement with the twins, yet only after a few weeks, it looked just as bad as usual. It truly was a sight to behold, especially for the two that had just turned the corner.

Amidst the mess, the dragon made its comment, relating the sight to its partners, "And I thought the Noires were bad."

Tsubasa turned to the source of the voice, her eyes capturing Miku with the Relic in tow. She had seen Miku earlier, but never told her where she was going, so she was surprised to see her here. The bodyguards around the estate would have let her in since she was a S.O.N.G. associate, which made sense why she was standing before her, but the dragon was the more curious case. If she had to take a guess, the dragon could have been mistaken for a plushie of some kind, which allowed Miku to carry it in without further investigation.

"When did you get here?"

Tsubasa's query prompted a brief response from the dragon, something it didn't have a reason to lie about. "Not that long ago."

Nidhogg sat on the sentinel's futon, the two Adapters making their way around the room and picking up any misplaced items that were strewn across the floor. The trash itself was easier to clean up, but with the way the individual magazines, books and clothes were thrown about, that portion of the cleaning was easier said than done.

Thankfully, with a helper like Miku, the workload was lightened drastically. She was thankful to have someone like her, seeing how she lived with Hibiki. Even though Hibiki cleaned up Tsubasa's hospital room years ago while she was still at Lydian, the tales Miku told of Hibiki's previously messy lifestyle told her everything she needed to know about Hibiki's change to tidiness.

"Every time I come back, I wonder how it got this bad."

Tsubasa spoke to no one in particular, leaving her words up for either of the duo to start conversation with her. Her voice always made her sound standoffish, but even her friends knew when she wanted to speak, so the dragon was able to pick up on this. It was used to Leia's attitude, so seeing how the Kazanari was, the Relic could only think of her aloofness as tame in comparison.

"Is this not your room?"

The dragon brought the question up, seeing how the Kazanari should have been in control of her own room. Even if she hadn't been back for that long, for it to end up like this, neglectfulness would be an understatement. Tsubasa nodded, but the clothes in her hand were a clear reminder of how bad she was with cleanup. Had they not known any better, it looked like she was trying to make her space as disorganized as possible. "Yes, but Maria put it back in place every time she was here."

Hearing one of the names of the Receptor Children, the dragon would have raised an eyebrow, if it had one. "The wielder of Airgetlám...?" Maria's name coming out of Tsubasa's mouth wasn't too surprising, but knowing that the woman was close enough to her to do this was something that the dragon had thoughts on. Not only that, but the fact that she made it sound like this was a common occurrence...

Miku giggled, knowing full well the implications behind Tsubasa's words. While her giggle was unassuming, the sentinel's explanation spoke volumes to the different types of implied scenarios while the idols were alone together. Of course, the dragon had its own words to say. "I guess my assumptions were correct."

"What assumptions?"

The concept of assumptions brought curiosity to Tsubasa's mind, since she didn't think anything of Maria being around her so often. She was a valuable partner and friend, so she thought it was normal for someone to help her like that. However, even the Relic could gather its own conclusions from seeing and hearing about the girls' interactions. "Something led me to the belief that you two were something more than simple combat partners."

The words brought a shade of red to the sentinel's face, a contrast to the blue wing that was pinned to the top of her head. "H-Hey!" For the first time since they had interacted, Tsubasa expressed some embarrassment directed at the Relic. She was usually able to keep her cool around others, but the implication that Maria and her were a bit more than associates always rubbed her the wrong way. The two of them didn't really look like that together, right...?

However, the Relic was quick to explain its logic.

"You needn't worry. These thoughts only came from the thoughts of the Noires, my conclusions are not the same as theirs."

"And what might those be?"

A few moments of silence lingered between the three, anticipation of what the dragon would say next.

"...you're definitely a cou-"

"Stop right there."

Tsubasa put her hand up, dismissing the dragon's words before her face could gain any darker shades of scarlet. While the twins were partially to blame for it, the dragon only came to conclusions based on the information it was fed.

Sure, Laya was quite a huge fan of idol culture, so much so that she often had delusions of certain musical artists being together in a relationship, but Leia was different. She had her own reservations about the duo, mostly having the same thoughts Chris had whenever the two had a moment, thinking to herself that the two should "get a room", if only to get them out of her sight. The two of these ended up adding more onto the pile of what the dragon's thought process would be.

"Are you only here to investigate my personal life?"

The sentinel played it off, making sure her heart rate slowed after all the accusations were hurled at her, but at least, the dragon finally revealed its true intentions.

"I'm here to say that I apologize."

"Apologize?"

Tsubasa's thought of an apology was something she didn't expect. She tried to think about what the dragon did to warrant it, as its intrusion into her home wasn't something that she minded all that much. It was a relief, if anything, since Miku tagged along. Noting this confusion that lingered in her eyes, Nidhogg continued, "As a retainer of the records of several worlds, my power taps into memories, some of which may not have been savory for you."

The callback to their fight with Laya and the X-Drive flashed back into her mind, remembering the manifestation of that striking spear that appeared out of nowhere. While Kirika and Shirabe had fought duplicates of each other, Maria and Tsubasa got the worst of it, at least, from a mental standpoint. "It simply dragged out the thing most precious to you, which happened to be that girl. It wasn't until recently that I realized exactly what that girl meant to you."

While Maria had been forced to battle a replica of her sister, it was something that she experienced before within the Château de Tiffauges. Because of that, she didn't have any hesitation in clashing blades with a replication of Airgetlám. Tsubasa, however, had no experience with anything among the sorts. She was able to remain calm, but there was a part of her on the inside that was ready to rip Nidhogg apart. She attributed it to the adrenaline, but in the end, the figure of her best friend taunting her like it was regular training still put a sour taste in her mouth. It was such an underhanded tactic, even if the dragon never meant to do it.

However, she remembered what their reason for their fight was, as well as Laya's resolve. She was such a nice girl, so there was no way she did that on purpose. Hearing the dragon's apologies, the sentinel let out a reassuring sigh.

"It's fine. Don't worry about that."

Nidhogg thought differently, but it couldn't tell why she started to show this compassion. It was ready to be hated and criticized, yet Tsubasa didn't have a fit about its actions. Even entering her mind, the sentinel only showed sympathy, recognizing Laya and Nidhogg's behavior as being akin to a cornered animal, using every technique they had to fight back.

"Funny. I thought you would be more upset at that, judging from your records."

The dragon referred back to the records it obtained from Ame no Habakiri, those songs that powered it now transferred in its own experiences. The dragon got the records of everything past the Gear's activation, including seeing the fall of Kanade Amou. However, Tsubasa could only smile at those experiences, no matter how tragic. They made her the person she is today. "I'm not the same person I was from two years ago. Something like that won't send me off the rails. At least..."

"At least...?"

Tsubasa let her words linger before finally spitting out. "...nothing, just thinking out loud." However, as per usual with Laya's Nidhogg, the dragon gave a snappy remark.

"You do know I can hear your thoughts, right?"

Didn't think the dragon would get its own chapters, did ya'? Well, the dragon is just as important of a character as the twins and it deserves to be treated as such! Plus, it's a sentient Relic! Did you not expect a chapter or two of this? As always, onto the next chapter!