Tesla was sitting down, fingers locked with one another. Taking a deep breath, he pressed a button on his computer system, as it started recording him.

"Recording 23408, July 12th, 2044." He said, before smiling. "Hello Amelia. Today, we're finally nearing the completion of the World System. All that's left is to set everything up. We're almost there, and soon... soon we'll be able to see each other once more. Recording over."

He leaned back in his chair as the recording stopped, taking the time to massage his temples.

"For nearly a hundred years I've waited… and while I'd be willing to wait a hundred more, that's unnecessary now."

"Hey, Tesla?"

He turned around to see Forte walk up to him.

"Ah, Forte. Can I help you?" He asked.

"Yeah. We just finished Starlit's checkup." Forte said. "It was like you said, it's not looking very good."

Tesla's eyes darkened. "Then we must proceed with our plans as quickly as we can."

"I'm worried that Starlit won't make it to see it happen…" Forte said quietly.

"You don't need to concern yourself with that." Tesla reassured her. "Once I create the new world, Starlit will be at our side, that I promise."

Forte was still a bit quiet, before Tesla patted her atop the head.

"Anything that you and the others desire, I will be able to create it." He said. "It's the least I can do with everything that you have all done for me."

"I think we'd have done it no matter what." Forte smiled. "We're like family, you know?"

Tesla chuckled. "Yes, I suppose we are."

"And family sticks together." Forte said. "Come on, let's see if Lala's cooked dinner… or at least what she tried to."

Rui Tachibana was sitting on a park bench, simply breathing in the fresh air around her, with a cold can of soda in her hand. She was watching as kids and their families were enjoying the day together, either playing sports, or having family picnics.

"Hey Oneesan, mind if I sit with you?"

Rui looked up to see Hibiki smiling.

"Not at all. Go ahead."

Hibiki sat down next to her sister, joining her as they watched the families having fun.

"What are you doing here?" Hibiki asked.

"Don't have anything better to do." Rui shrugged, leaning back. "Was thinking of grocery shopping, but Miku already went to do that. So now I'm just here, I guess."

"Well, we still have a few hours before Tsubasa-san, Maia-san and Maria-san come back." Hibiki said, checking her phone.

"You know, it's the most unfortunate thing how Tsubasa and Maria just went back over to London, did one more concert, only to come back immediately after." Rui noted.

Hibiki chuckled. "Yeah. Carol-chan's attack happened right as they were almost done with their tour."

"Well, I guess it'll be nice of them to hang out with us for a bit." Rui said, opening her soda with a fizz. "After all that shit that happened with Carol, a long summer break is what we need."

The two thought back to the time they shared with their friends at the festival last week. There were more festivals happening throughout the city, and Kirika and Shirabe were already drawing out the plan for the next outing now that Tsubasa and Maria were part of the picture.

"So… can I ask you something?" Hibiki asked.

"You just did."

"You know that's not what I meant." Hibiki pouted. "I wanted to ask you about Chris-chan."

"About Chris?" Rui raised her brow. "What about her?"

"Well…" She looked at her sister, who was taking a sip. "About how you and Chris slept together."

Rui spat out her soda, before coughing to try and clear her throat.

"S-Sleep with her?! We didn't-! I didn't-!" Rui was turning firetruck red.

"Miku and I found you two on the bottom bunk together."

"O-Oh, you mean sleep in that way." Rui let out a breath of relief.

"But Chris-chan was also wearing your pajamas, so…"

"S-She didn't bring any of her own!" Rui reasoned.

"Then can I ask why Chris-chan came to our place that night?" Hibiki asked.

Rui looked away, setting down her drink. "Chris… she's just processing some things. Needed to talk to someone that wasn't her sister."

"What about?"

"That's not something I should share." Rui said. "It's something Chris has to share herself."

"...alright." Hibiki said, standing up. "I understand."

Rui nodded, picking up her soda again.

"But I guess if Chris-chan went to you about it, she must trust you a lot." Hibiki smiled.

"Yeah… I guess so." Rui looked at the drink in her hand.

"But if you slept with Chris-chan-"

"Can you not phrase it like that?" Part of the can was crushed as Rui strengthened her grip.

"If you slept in the same bed as Chris-chan, does that mean it's like me and Miku?" Hibiki asked her.

"Well… um…"

Rui was actually unsure on what to say. Hibiki and Miku's bond was something they've had since they were little kids. But Chris, she had only known her for around a year. It wasn't the same kind of bond that Hibiki and Miku had. Far from it, in fact.

"I… guess so?" Rui said. "I don't know if Chris sees it that way…"

Hibiki patted her back. "If I know Chris-chan, she'll probably act all embarrassed and pretend not to know what you're talking about."

The two laughed, already imagining Chris freaking out and hitting Hibiki.

"Anyways, we should probably meet up with the others." Hibiki said, looking at her watch. "We'll wait for Tsubasa-san's group together at the airport."

"Yeah." Rui downed the rest of her soda. "Let's go."

"Oh, and as we go, I can give you all the tips you need when it comes to cuddling in bed!" Hibiki smiled. "Rule number one, you need to grab- ow!"

Rui threw her empty soda can at Hibiki's head as she walked off. "Don't tell me how to cuddle. Actually, just don't tell me how to do anything in general. I'm the older sister, remember?"

"Wait, but this is important stuff!" Hibiki called, running after her sister.

"How did you ever fall asleep when you shared a room with her?"

Maria asked this question to Tsubasa on their private flight back, as Maia was snoring away behind them. Very loudly.

"I found it quite soothing." Tsubasa said.

"How?!"

"Knowing Oneesama is by my side helps relax me." Tsubasa said.

"Odd, but I suppose that isn't completely without merit…" Maria looked back at Maia, who was drooling as she slept.

A few seats closer to the front, Ogawa and Jeanne were talking with Aiba, who was currently out of Jeanne's eye and sitting on a table.

"Do you have any memories prior to being in Jeanne's eye?" Ogawa asked. "Or rather, as her new eye?"

Aiba shook her head (or rather, body). "My functions are to wipe my memories after my current user passes, in the instance of an emergency."

"What other functions do you have?" Jeanne asked. "Aside from the gaze thing and working as my eye, of course."

"An online connection, a direct connection with Jeanne's mind when I'm in her socket, X-ray scans, heat scans, communications interjection, remote surveillance and a self-destruct function." Aiba answered.

"Those are all very useful functions." Ogawa noted.

"W-Wait, a self-destruct feature?" Jeanne asked. "You always had the chance of blowing up while in my socket?!"

"That feature has not been set." Aiba reassured Jeanne. "There is a 0.0001% chance of the charges inside my body randomly going off and blowing up."

"Mon dieu…" Jeanne breathed out. "But I don't even want the smallest chance of you blowing up in my head. The moment we get back, Elfnein is removing the charges."

"Very well." Aiba said. "Oh, and by the way, I've finished my emotional assessment of you, Jeanne. And regarding your feelings towards-"

"Okay, back as my eye, right now!" Jeanne snatched up Aiba as she turned back into her smaller eye shape. With a quick pop, Aiba was back in Jeanne's socket.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Ogawa asked.

"Surprisingly, not that much." Jeanne admitted.

"Your reaction was exactly as I predicted." Aiba noted, now speaking only to Jeanne personally.

"Don't remind me." Jeanne shot back. "Please keep your mouth shut around him!"

"If that is your desire, I shall try."

""Try?!" You're an AI! How does that even happen?!"

"Jeanne? Are you alright?" Ogawa asked her. "Your face is quite red.

"I'm fine." Jeanne said, pushing her blush back down. "I was just talking to Aiba."

"Is there something you're hiding?" Ogawa raised a brow.

"No."

"Alright then." Ogawa stood up. "We're about to descend. I'd better wake up Maia before the pressure in her ear does."

He walked to the seats behind them to wake the older Kazanari twin.

"Despite being a professional, he is quite clueless." Aiba noted.

"I know!" Jeanne put her face in her hands.

Landing at the airport, the group on the airplane was greeted by the sight of several of their friends.

"Tsubasa-san!" Hibiki waved.

"Tachibana. Everyone." Tsubasa greeted.

"You came back quicker than we thought, dess!" Kirika grinned.

"It's what happens when the tour got interrupted near the very end." Maria sighed. "But it is good to be back."

"You say that as if you weren't gone for less than two weeks." Rui said.

While the others were talking, two people were having their own quiet reunion.

"Maia." Shuri smiled, seeing her friend.

"Uh, hey, Shuri." Maia said, rubbing the back of her head. "Uhhhh…"

"Something wrong?"

"Uhh, jet lag and I just woke up." Maia said. "I'm not completely here right now."

"Oh, okay. Take your time then." Shuri said. "We do have all summer, after all."

"Y-Yeah, all summer…" Maia swallowed. "...hey, Shuri, if you don't mind…"

"Yes?"

"You uh… wanna hang out later? Just you and me?" Maia asked.

"You mean like a date?" Shuri asked.

"Y-Yeah."

"That sounds lovely." Shuri nodded. "After you get over your jet lag, just let me know."

"Ah…alright."

Shuri walked over to go talk with Maria, while Maia was just staring after her.

"You got your eye on her, huh?"

Rui stepped up next to her best friend, looking at the others. Maia put a hand up to her cheek, remembering where Shuri had kissed her several weeks ago.

"Yeah…"

"I remember what it was like when you two met." Rui recalled. "I thought with your personality, you would've scared her away."

Maia snorted. "My personality? Look who's talking, Partner."

"Touché." Rui said. "But yeah, she fell asleep on your shoulder, remember? Pretty sure she's comfortable enough with you."

"Yeah, yeah." Maia said. "Even then, I'm not sure."

"Just be yourself." Rui suggested.

"...you want me to make perverted remarks?" Maia asked with a chuckle.

"You know for a damn fact that's not what I meant." Rui said, elbowing her friend.

They had all regrouped at SONG HQ. Genjuro was waiting for all of them.

"Tsubasa, Maia, Maria, glad to see you three arrived safely." He smiled.

"We're home, Uncle." Tsubasa said.

"So what's the big announcement?" Chris asked.

Genjuro held out his arms, as banners and confetti fell from the ceiling.

"Huh? This again?" Rui recognized.

"A congratulations is in order!" Genjuro said, suddenly wearing a top hat (the same one Hibiki and Rui recognized).

Maria raised a brow. "Wait, when did he-?"

"Don't question it." Maia said.

"The United Nations has acknowledged your efforts in the Magical Girl Incident." Genjuro said.

"That's the stuff with Carol, right, dess?" Kirika asked.

"Correct." Genjuro said. "Though admittedly, it was thanks to the efforts of Yatsuhiro that the acknowledgement happened in the first place."

"That old geezer…" Maia muttered, though she and Tsubasa both smiled.

"So as a reward, for the next month, the government will be paying for all your expenses!" Genjuro announced. Before hastily adding, "Within reason, of course."

The silence was deafening, until a collected "FOR REAL?!" resounded throughout.

"Yes. For real." Genjuro smiled.

"You mean… we can do whatever we want, and the higher-ups are gonna cough up?!" Chris asked.

Genjuro nodded.

It was like Christmas had come early for them all. While half of the group were keeping mature fronts, the other half were cheering like there was no tomorrow.

"All the candy we want, dess!" Kirika whooped, as she and Shirabe were holding hands and jumping.

"I'm putting my foot down." Maria said. "You two are not going to gorge yourself on candy for an entire month."

"Come on, Maria!" Maia put an arm over Maria's shoulders. "Let them be kids, y'know?"

"They'll be kids for only a few days before the reality of eating nothing but candy catches up to them." Maria said, arms crossed. "That, and the stomachaches."

"Man you're too much of a mom sometimes." Maia joked, as Maria rolled her eyes. "Though, I guess that this is a pretty sweet gift, all things considered."

"I know what I'm spending mine on." Rui smirked.

"Same here!" Hibiki raised an arm.

"Normally I'd say you two should control yourself, but I think you both deserve to splurge a bit." Miku admitted.

Jeanne looked at Genjuro. "Won't it be a bit odd for you to write that most of the government funds went to tokusatsu collectibles and food?"

"I'm already writing reports on how everyone's lives were saved by teenagers that use the power of singing." Genjuro reminded her.

"Fair enough."

The Yukine household was quiet that evening, as both Chris and Shuri sat by the shrine dedicated to their parents. Neither of them spoke to one another, sitting in silent prayer.

Mama… Papa… watch over me tomorrow, please. Shuri prayed.

"So, you're going on a date with Maia tomorrow, right?" Chris asked.

"Ah… yes." Shuri blushed slightly.

"Alright, have fun. But not too much fun, okay?" Chris said, rubbing the top of her sister's head. "Oh, and if Maia tries anything funny with you, let her know that I'll kick her ass."

"I think she already knows, Oneesama." Shuri sweat-dropped.

Maia sneezed as she laid down on the couch of her apartment. "Damn, someone must be talking about me…"

"Are you sure you're fine with the couch?" Maria asked, walking into the room with more casual home-wear.

"Yeah yeah, it's all good." Maia dismissively said with a wave of her hand. "You and Basa can get the bed together."

Maria slightly blushed at that, but decided to turn that on its head. "And what about you; going on that date of yours tomorrow?"

This in turn caused Maia to blush, but she smirked. "The walls are thin."

Maria grabbed Maia by the shoulders, a smile on her face that masked the anger she had. "You're pushing your luck, Maia Kazanari."

"That's just a taste of what it'll be like to be my sister-in-law." Maia teased.

"Is something wrong?" Tsubasa asked, peeking in.

"Nothing!" The two of them said.

Rui was scrolling through her phone out of boredom on the bottom bunk. It was fairly quiet as Hibiki and Miku were taking a bath together… which only meant that the two of them were likely talking to each other.

"Wonder what they're talking about…" Rui muttered.

She got her answer as she heard the bathroom door open. Hibiki and Miku had both dried off, and were sharing a smile, with a bit of a mischievous look in their eyes… Not good.

"Oneesan, are you busy tomorrow?" Hibiki asked.

Rui raised a brow. "No. Why?"

"I should've said I was busy." Rui muttered.

"Shh, dess!" Kirika said.

Maia was standing by the fountain, tapping her foot. She was wearing more fashionable casual wear that was different to how she normally dressed. She was completely unaware that all of her friends came out to spy on her date with Shuri.

"This isn't how I thought I'd spend our vacation." Maria sighed.

"I feel like we should head home." Tsubasa said. "I trust Neesama to handle things well."

"No way!" Chris said. "Sorry, Senpai. But forgive me for not exactly trusting the track record of your sister! I'm stepping in the moment she tries to sink her claws in Shuri!"

"I'm sure Maia-san's not that kind of person." Hibiki said.

"...really, Hibiki?" Miku sighed.

"Maia-san!"

They all looked up to see Shuri run up to Maia. She was dressed in her own set of casual wear as well, though this one took a little more from her sister's wardrobe… literally, in fact.

"Wait, that's my coat!" Chris nearly shouted, as Rui pulled her back to keep quiet.

"I didn't keep you waiting long, did I?" Shuri asked. "I was a little late getting ready this morning."

"N-N-Nah, no problem at all." Maia swallowed. "Holy hell, you look like a knockout, Shuri."

"A-Ah, thank you." Shuri blushed a bit. "You look wonderful too!"

"It's only been a few minutes." Rui sighed. "I don't know how much more I can watch."

"There's romantic, and then there's this." Maria added, watching the two.

"So then, Maia-san-" Shuri started.

"You know, you can drop the honorific if you want." Maia rubbed the back of her head. "We're close enough, after all."

"O-Okay." Shuri took a deep breath. "Maia."

"Whoa." Maia nearly stumbled.

"That was weird, wasn't it?" Shuri rubbed her arm.

"Y-Yeah. In a good way."

"Oh my God, gag me." Chris groaned.

"Does anyone else notice that Maia-san acts completely differently around Shuri-senpai?" Kirika asked. "She acts more…"

"Like a mess?" Maria suggested.

"Like a love struck puppy?" Shirabe proposed.

"A pathetic loser." Rui said, rather bluntly.

A few of the others sweat-dropped, while Tsubasa cleared her throat. "While I do understand your reasons, I ask that you refrain from insulting my sister… at least that much."

"They're moving!" Hibiki said, pointing as the two walked off. "Let's go after them!"

Maia and Shuri were completely unaware that they were being watched, since they assumed that the others would want to spend their day off doing literally anything else. The two of them walked through the bustling city. Even though it was familiar, it felt as if this was their first time visiting the place.

"Anywhere you want to check out first?" Maia asked.

"You don't have any sort of plan?" Shuri asked.

"I had a couple of ideas here and there, but I was mostly thinking of winging it." Maia admitted. "You wanna get something to eat first or…?"

"Hm? What's that?"

Shuri was pointing to a batting cage.

"Oh, that place? It's a batting cage." Maia smiled. "I go there every now and then to blow off some steam. Took Rui there once. She got hit by the ball, and later on she ended up hitting one so hard it cracked the bat and tore the cage."

"Mind if I try?" Shuri asked.

"Sure, why not?"

The two walked over to start things up, as the others were talking across the street.

"Seriously? A batting cage? How is that romantic in any way, dess?" Kirika asked.

"My sister is on a date with a meathead…" Chris groaned.

"...are you two saying this because you're not the most physically fit members of our group?" Maria asked, as the two started sweating.

"Did you really mess up the place?" Hibiki asked her sister.

"I was pissed." Rui shrugged. "But the owners were understanding."

"You mean like that?" Miku asked, pointing.

They all looked over to see there was a significantly large tear in the batting cage, around the size of a car. Shuri was apologizing profusely to the owners, as she held a broken metal bat in her hands.

"So what's that about my sister being the "meathead?"" Tsubasa asked Chris.

"Shut up, Senpai." Chris muttered.

They decided to make the next stop on the date somewhere a little less destructive.

"Oh, this guy's so cute~!"

Shuri was petting a small bunny from a petting zoo, as Maia picked up another one that was running by.

"Heh, check it out. Doesn't this one remind you of Shirabe?" Maia chuckled, holding it up to look at Shuri. "Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiii."

Shuri laughed. "It does look a lot like her!"

Shirabe stared at the two from a distance. "Jiiiiiiiiiiii."

Next up was a popular clothing store. The two of them were each trying on outfits to show off to the other. They were both laughing and smiling, seeing the cute and stylish clothes they were wearing.

"Uh… how much is this gonna come out to?" Chris asked, looking at the price tags of their items on the racks.

"Neesama can afford it." Tsubasa said.

"Rich people are so cool, dess…" Kirika said in awe.

The two made their next stop at an arcade, another familiar sight for Maia.

"Whatever you do, don't get mad at the crane games." Maia advised.

"Why? Did Rui-san threaten to break them?" Shuri asked, as she scanned her play card.

"No, Hibiki screeched like a pterodactyl and failed. And then she was about to use Gungnir to bust the machine."

Shuri laughed at the idea of Hibiki doing that. From the floor above the arcade, Hibiki nervously laughed as some of the others looked at her.

Shuri ended up being unsuccessful with the crane game, but she had fun. Their next stop was one more familiar location.

"Karaoke, huh?" Maia noted. "Alright, what are you gonna sing?"

"Actually, I wanted to hear you sing, Maia."

"Me?" Maia pointed to herself.

"Tsubasa-san and I talk. She says you're a good singer."

"My sister doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut…" Maia groaned. "Alright, fine. Prepare to have your mind blown!"

She shuffled through the Playlist, before finding a song she was familiar with.

"Oh, this one. I haven't watched this anime in ages." Maia noted. "Alright."

She pressed play and cleared her throat.

(Insert Kindan no Resistance by Nana Mizuki)

A wild wind instrument solo played, before techno music joined in as the lyrics kicked in.

Hajimari wa rifujin na hodo itooshiku

Oware e to aragau sugata, tameshiteru

Nan no tame ni umare, ikite yuku no ka

Mogaku dake jya, nani mo te ni dekinai

Unmei no LOGIC ni, odorasereta

Kyomu no rakuen, soko ni imi wa aru no ka

As Maia got into the song, the others managed to hear through the wall (they got a room with a thin wall).

"She's a natural." Maria noted.

"Shame you guys don't sing when you fight all the time like we do, dess." Kirika told Rui.

"If she did, the Chuunigure would be singing Kamen Rider songs constantly." Chris rolled her eyes.

"Oh shut up." Rui gently hit Chris in the shoulder.

"It is nice to hear Neesama sing." Tsubasa smiled. "We used to sing to one another when we were children."

"That's nice." Hibiki grinned. "Though I wish we could hear Maia-san sing more."

Kono hakanaku mo utsukushii, zetsubou no sekai de

Kudake chitta kibou wa, ikiba wo motomete

Kurenai ni somaru kioku ni, namida nado wasurete

Takaraka ni sasageyou, towa e no uta wo

I wanna fly (high) fly (high)

Namanurui jikan nante kirisute

You feel the beat (darn) beat (darn) hibikase

Jouzetsu ni sora wo mau no mo, warukunai.

As soon as Maia finished, Shuri was clapping so much that it was almost as if her hands would fall off. She stood up and clapped even more.

"Thank you, thank you." Maia took a bow at the standing ovation. "Just don't hurt your hands, alright?"

After the karaoke, Maia and Shuri had gotten crepes as they walked down the street, unsure of where to go next.

"That's it from me." Maia said, biting into her crepe. "Now it's all just winging it."

"...there's somewhere I want to go." Shuri said. "Do you mind if I take the lead for a bit?"

"By all means." Maia nodded, as the two stopped walking. "I'll wrap up my end."

"...and is this where you wanted us to wrap things up?" Shuri asked, blushing.

Maia raised her brow, before looking up at the building they stopped outside. She choked on her crepe and instantly paled, before all the color rushed back to her face as a burning red, as she realized they were outside of a love hotel.

"Nononononononono!" Maia held up her hands. "This was just a coincidence. I didn't have that in mind at all! I swear!"

"...I'm gonna kill her." Chris said under her breath in the most controlled tone possible.

"Easy, Chris." Rui put a hand on her shoulder, while Tsubasa sighed in disappointment.

"But… if it's with you, I don't mind." Shuri admitted, slightly smiling through her blush.

"O-kay! Let's move before we both do something stupid!" Maia said aloud, pushing Shuri along. "Where did you want to go?"

The others were left completely speechless at what Shuri had said. Especially Chris.

"A shrine?"

The two had arrived at the local shrine that was located near the top of the city.

"Yes." Shuri nodded. "If we're almost done with today, I figured that we could end it like this."

"...alright. Fine by me."

Shuri rang the bell on the shrine, before stepping back. She and Maia each clapped twice, leaving their hands together as they silently prayed. The others were still watching, but said nothing as the two kept praying.

The two put their hands down, finishing.

"What did you wish for?" Shuri asked.

"Nothing too big. I was just hoping that everyone at SONG would be happy and healthy." Maia said.

"Really?" Shuri said, surprised. "I thought you would have wished for something for yourself."

"That kinda stings, not even gonna lie." Maia laughed. "What about you?"

"I asked for the same thing." Shuri pushed back her hair a bit.

"Aw, that's very like you." Maia smiled.

"It's a bit embarrassing though." Shuri blushed.

Maia and Shuri stopped at one of the higher areas of the city, not far from the shrine. They looked out at the beautiful view. It was nearly sunset, bathing the sky in beautiful colors. They leaned against the railing, taking it all in.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Shuri asked.

"Yeah… yeah, it sure is." Maia smiled. "...also you noticed it too, right?"

"That our sisters and friends have been following us?" Shuri asked, keeping her voice low enough that the others couldn't hear.

"Yup." Maia whispered as well. "They didn't really do anything, but I wasn't expecting an audience."

"...how about we give them a show?" Shuri asked.

"A show?" Maia pushed herself off the railing. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well… um…" Shuri pushed the hair out of her face, as a bit of a blush started to form. "If you wanted to…"

"Want to what?" Maia said. "Just say it. You're acting like back when we first met."

Shuri took a deep breath… before pointing at her lips.

"... oh."

A bit of a blush appeared on Maia's face as well.

"...you sure about this?"

Shuri nodded.

"I guess I can't say no…"

It was almost as if they could hear the other's heartbeat with how close they were. Slowly, they started to lean forward towards one another, their lips slowly approaching…

Back with the others was a mix of reactions. Hibiki and Kirika were covering their eyes. Miku and Maria were both smiling in anticipation. Tsubasa had a proud smile on her face. Shirabe and Rui remained stoic, but watched in interest. Chris was just as red as her Relic, but was trying to stay as composed as possible. She wasn't about to ruin this moment for her sister, after all.

The two drew closer and closer, their lips were an inch apart.

Before they were interrupted by an explosion in the distance. They separated, looking out towards the destruction.

"What the-?!" Maia narrowed her eyes.

They all heard a beep in their comm link, as Genjuro's voice rang.

"I'm sorry to be calling while you're all on your vacation, but this is an emergency! All of you, get to the explosion site, and be completely alert! Protect and evacuate citizens!"

"Right!"

As the comm link ended and they grabbed their pendants, Maia and Shuri stared at the others, who had been spying on their date.

"So, were you guys having fun?" Maia asked.

"You knew?" Chris winced.

"It wasn't that difficult, Oneesama." Shuri admitted.

"And you didn't say anything, dess?" Kirika asked.

"No point." Maia shrugged. "And it was funny."

"Can we talk about this later?" Maria asked, pointing at the plume of smoke in the distance, as another plume appeared.

"Miku, can you start evacuating people around here?" Hibiki asked.

"Of course." Miku nodded.

"Alright, let's go, everyone!" Hibiki called. "Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron~"

RELIC BATTLE MODE; READY

They all jumped off the ledge, covered in light as they all transformed.

Stay safe, everyone… Miku prayed.

(Insert Makenai Ai ga Koko ni Aru by Aoi Yūki)

The explosions had been caused by several white machines that were the size of buildings. These kaiju-like mechanical monsters were blasting people back and forth, disintegrating them, one-by-one.

A family was running from one of them, as it prepared to incinerate them next. But before it could shoot the blast, it practically crumpled before exploding. Hibiki landed on the ground nearby, having delivered the kick.

"Quickly! Run!" Hibiki told the civilians.

They nodded, as Hibiki turned back to the giant robotic monstrosities. The others landed close by, using their projectile attacks to create a bit of perimeter.

"Call it, Shuri." Maia said, putting her sword on her shoulder.

"Prioritize evacuation and protection." Shuri said, as she created a large bow. "Make sure everyone's blind spots are being checked, as we don't know what this new enemy is capable of. Try to avoid getting hit by the blasts, since normal civilians were instantly disintegrated, and we can't guarantee we'd be able to avoid the same fate. Any objections?"

All of them either nodded or gazed at Shuri in agreement. Rui cracked her fists as she took a step forward.

"Now then…" She held up a fist. "It's time for the highlight!"

With shouts, they all charged, with the mission to protect.

"They're pretty good."

Forte was sitting on the ledge of a building, overlooking the battle. Tesla, Starlit and Lala were all standing nearby, also observing.

"It's to be expected, considering what they're capable of." Starlit remarked.

"So do we go in now?" Lala asked.

Tesla shook his head. "Let them fight the Levengers a little longer, but keep an eye on Hibiki Tachibana. She's the key to our plans."

They looked back down at the fight below.

"Those three though…" Forte observed Maria, Kirika and Shirabe. "They've gotten stronger."

The girls were all making quick work of the Levengers. Tsubasa swung down a massive blade, unleashing a slashing attack that cut through the horde, while Maia surfed on her blade and slashed any that got close. Chris spun around with a set of chainguns, riddling them with bullet holes, while Shuri was standing on her shoulders, firing energy arrow after energy arrow. Maria swung her whip-blade, wrapping it around a Levenger, before throwing it into a pile of its brethren. Waiting there were Kirika and Shirabe, cutting the Levengers to ribbons with their scythe and saws.

"Hooooooah!" Hibiki delivered a devastating uppercut to one of the robots, obliterating it with a single strike.

A pile of rubble was about to fall on a civilian, but Rui was there, catching the boulder on her shoulders. "Quickly! Run!"

The civilian nodded, as Rui tossed it straight at a large group of Levengers, before running straight at it. She pierced straight through the boulder and robots, sending them up in a flaming explosion.

GRAND VICTORY

Rui pulled down her scarf slightly, turning her head to see more of the Levengers on the way.

"This is too easy." Maia said, landing next to her partner.

"It might be too easy." Tsubasa slashed apart one of the Levengers. "But their numbers are massive."

"Should we split up, dess?" Kirika asked.

"That's a negative." Shuri said. "From what the commander had reported, the reach of these robots is far too wide in the city, meaning that the odds of us getting overwhelmed exist unless we stay close enough."

"Jeanne, how's the evacuation going?" Maria tapped her comm link.

"Not so well." Her friend responded. "The number of people we've recovered is far too low compared to the population of that area. It's hard for us to tell how many are missing or how many have perished."

"I'm currently using security camera footage to keep track of who failed to escape, but with all the chaos, it's difficult to figure it all out." Aiba admitted.

"Then do we need to split up?" Shirabe asked.

"No need." Genjuro came on the comm line next. "We just finished securing the perimeter. Thankfully, these android-like creatures aren't like Noise, meaning that we can combat them effectively enough."

"We'll be supporting the evacuation as much as we can." Aoi said. "It's best for you all to whittle down the numbers as much as possible."

"Understood! Be careful!" Hibiki said, as the comm link ended.

"Well, if we got to end these monsters, let's go all out!" Chriss was about to activate her Ignite, before Shuri stopped her.

"Wait, Oneesama." Shuri said. "Let's use our resources carefully. Half of the wielders should use their Ignites first."

"And keep the other three in reserves. Excellent idea, Shuri." Tsubasa praised.

"Alright, then Kirika, Shirabe and I will lead the offense." Maria said. "Let's go, you two!"

"Ignite Module! Bakken! (Dess!)"

The three clicked their pendants, holding them up.

Dáinsleif

The sharpened pendants pierced their chests, as they were engulfed in the dark energy, transforming their Gears into the familiar darker appearance.

(Insert Senritsu Sorority (IGNITED arrangement) by Yōko Hikasa, Yoshino Nanjō and Ai Kayano)

Maria held up a blade. "Charge!"

She rushed forward, spinning around with her whip blade, bisecting the robots by the dozen. Her blade retracted, and she attached it on her wrist, as it extended it in length to cut down the closest robots.

SERE†NADE

At least a hundred of them were sliced apart, before they exploded.

Kirika and Shirabe followed suit, hacking apart the mechanical monsters with their blades. The non-Ignite users and SOUL picked up on any of the strays here and there. The plan seemed to be working, as they managed to quell the numbers quite effectively. Thankfully, it seemed that all the civilians had been evacuated in time, meaning that they could focus entirely on combat.

"There's only a few left, dess!" Kirika noted.

"Let's finish this up, Kiri-chan!" Shirabe said, throwing her yo-yo forward.

Kirika held up her scythe, and the yo-yo wrapped around the tip. Shirabe put her hands on the scythe handle, supporting Kirika as the yo-yo and scythe head combined into a set of sharpened blades.

Prohibited Fitting β Style: ZABABA Sun and Moon

The two started mowing down the final group until they were nothing but scrap. Once they were ground into the pavement, their weapons and Gears turned back into their normal states.

"Is that it?" Chris asked, watching as Hibiki pounded the last one into a sheet.

"I don't see any more hostiles." Shuri noted. "That must be it-"

To all of their surprise, several beams of light shot down from the sky, summoning more of the Levengers.

"The hell?!" Rui held up her fists. "More of them?!"

"Looks like our job isn't finished." Chris grumbled, reloading her guns. "Let's-!"

"Wait." Tsubasa held out an arm. "They aren't moving, much less attacking."

They all realized Tsubasa was right, seeing that the robots weren't doing anything, compared to the last set. They were acting like solid stone.

"Are they… observing us?" Maia raised a brow.

"Nah, they're setting it up for the big entrance." A voice said.

They all looked to see someone sitting on a pile of rubble. She had red hair, and a smirk on her face. She had a star hairpiece, and was dressed with a black tank top and shorts held up by suspenders.

"And you are…?" Maria asked.

The girl looked a bit pained, but seemingly brushed it off. "Name's Forte."

"And what exactly are you doing here?" Shuri asked, a bit on edge.

"Me? Nothing. I'm just here to watch my boss's entrance." Forte said.

"Your boss?" Rui asked. "Who the hell is-"

Another beam of light shot down, as the Levengers separated and made space for it. Once it faded, it revealed three figures. The first was a blonde woman that was seemingly in her mid-twenties, dressed in a lab coat. The second was a girl with long white hair, one eye was gold and the other was purple, garbed in a white and blue dress.

The last one was an adult man, with gray and black hair. He wore clothes that resembled an ancient explorer, yet they had a futuristic feel to them. He had a black trench-coat over his shoulders, with the sleeves loose.

"Who… are you?" Hibiki asked.

The man held out his hand, with an affable smile. "Greetings, SONG, saviors of this planet. My name is Nikola Tesla, leader of TEC. I've come to bargain."

A/N: Well... we're finally here. The original arc, Lost Song finally begins.

To start things off, not everything will be a one-for-one adaptation of the original arc in XDU due to how differing the stories are. But expect a few similar story beats.

The author's notes are gonna be shorter this time around, due to the developments not needing much of a comment.

Feel free to leave a review and update the TVTropes page. See you all next time.