Chapter Text
“Curses and blessings
are simply two sides
of the same coin.”
The gods had a twisted sense of humor.
It was one thing for them to keep bloodthirsty beasts of alien origin as pets. It was another to throw them with prisoners into the equivalent of a gladiator arena somehow housed in an interstellar cruiser traveling through outer space.
The one currently circling Maria like a tiger eyeing its lunch was a beast that did not roam around Earth in modern times. In fact, the only time Maria had ever seen anything resembling it was in the mythology books she’d skim from time to time on her days off.
It treaded around her on four limbs that resembled a cross between a lion’s paws and a lizard’s legs. A pair of dragon-like wings extended out from the back of the beast’s serpentine body. It eyed her with a sharp golden gaze as its thick thorny tail swished back and forth with every step. The jaws of its lion head opened, dribbling saliva that dissolved the sand making up the arena.
And all Maria had to defend herself was a Symphogear that had not belonged to her for over a year.
Blood trickled down the side of Maria’s head. Her temple throbbed where the beast had swiped at her head and shattered that half of her noise cancelling headset. Her lungs heaved with ragged breaths, struggling to breathe around the ache in her torso. If Maria hadn’t been armed with a Symphogear, the last swipe from the beast’s paw would have broken all of her bones.
“Maria-san…” Hibiki’s voice came from beside her, airy and light like a passing wind.
Maria pursed her split lips, tasting the iron trailing down from her throbbing nose. Readjusting her grip on her spear, she grabbed her dislocated nose between her fingers and snapped it back in place. She released a short huff of breath, exhaling blood from her nose.
“I’m fine,” she hissed through gritted teeth.
Both of them knew that was a lie. But the alternative was death, so she supposed she was alright in comparison.
The usumgallu stopped circling her. A low growl rumbled from its thick throat. Its paws sunk into the sand, limbs poised to leap.
Maria swallowed down whatever bile sat in her throat—blood, saliva, acid, she didn’t know. She willed her aching and trembling left hand to grasp the shaft of her spear tighter.
Her left foot slid against the sand as she readied her stance. Her left arm pointed the tip of her spear at the beast watching her. The long scarf-like cloth, wrapped around the stump of her right arm, coiled around the vacant space of her limb and took on a form resembling the amalgamation between a drill and a gauntlet.
“Do you think I can win?” Maria asked.
Although her ghostly companion currently lacked a body, let alone the facial muscles to do so, Maria swore she could feel Hibiki smile. “It’s you, Maria-san. Of course you can win.”
Maria would have laughed if her ribs weren’t aching and the reason for her injuries ready to maul her to death for real this time. “I’m glad at least one of us is confident.”
“You’ve got this, Maria-san. Besides, I’ll watch your back as much as I can, just like Saint Germain-san did for me.”
The muscles in her body tensed, paralleling the beast’s own coiled stance. Phonic gain swelled within her, courtesy of the last vial of LiNKER she had injected into herself. Her Symphogear responded to both of their wills, increasing the volume and intensity of the song reflecting her resolve to fight and survive.
Even though Hibiki wasn’t physically next to her—her physical body was sitting somewhere up in the stands, watching Maria fight for her life with a barbaric fascination that contrasted with the kindhearted girl’s normal demeanor—Maria felt lighter than ever with her companion’s reassurance.
Despite the situation, Maria let herself smile. “Thank you, Hibiki.”
Clad in Gungnir once more, with the spirit of the God Slayer herself by her side, Maria stood before the power of the gods and swore to defy them until her last breath.
One week ago
Tachibana Hibiki was on a mission of utmost importance. The happiness of her whole world was at stake. Failing would mean erasing all joy from her sunshine.
Beside her, her comrade-in-arms gave her a reassuring nod, pink brows furrowed in serious determination to match her own. With one hand wrapped ready around the joystick, Hibiki’s other hand pressed the start button to initiate the crane’s movement.
“Slowly… Slowly…”
Hibiki twitched her right hand, carefully moving the crane closer to her target. Sweat trickled down the side of her face. Every muscle in her body tensed as the metallic arm inched one centimeter at a time across the arena of dolls. Finally, hovering over the white bear lying in the pile, Hibiki threw all caution to the wind and pressed the button under her left hand to lower the crane.
“Come on…” Beside her, Maria leaned over Hibiki’s shoulder and muttered under her breath.
Hibiki didn’t dare move as the crane descended with its prongs extended. Once it was close enough, it closed around the bear plush’s head, the tips of the crane hand just barely latching onto one of the bear’s small, round ears. Slowly it began to rise, ascending the bear to the heavens…
…Only for the doll to slip through the crane’s fingers and fall back down to join the rest of the plushies.
Maria grabbed her head and groaned. “No!”
“NOT AGAIN!!!” Hibiki wailed, slamming her hands onto the controls.
“You were almost there! You need to try again!”
Hibiki was already scanning her phone to load another attempt on the machine. “I won’t give up! Even if we fail ten thousand times…”
Maria nodded. “…There’s always the ten thousandth and first time!”
Hibiki moved the crane hand into place. Once more it picked up the cute white bear. Once more it slipped out of her grasp at the last moment.
This time it was Maria who yelled louder, throwing her arms up into the air in anger. “Oh come on! This machine is rigged!”
Hibiki heard Tsubasa sigh behind her. “You both realize that these kinds of games are designed to be difficult?”
Maria pounded her right fist against the glass as she whirled around with a frustrated frown, shaking the bulky machine with the force of her anger. “But they’re so cute! What’s the point of displaying them like this if we can’t actually get them?!”
“To get to your wallets,” Tsubasa deadpanned.
Warm hands settled on Hibiki’s shoulders. She looked back into the beautiful teal green eyes of her sunshine.
“Hibiki, you don’t have to keep doing this,” Miku said, a worried frown marring her face. “It’s just a doll. We have plenty at home.”
Hibiki rested a hand on Miku’s, shaking her head with a soft smile. “Even so, I want to win it for you. When we walked by, you kept staring at it because you thought it was cute, right?”
Miku’s cheeks flushed pink. “Th-That’s because it reminded me of you…”
And this was why Hibiki couldn’t give up. Not even if the machine ate all of her allowance for the month.
“I won’t give up! I’ll definitely win the bear for you, my sunshine!”
“H-Hibiki!”
As Hibiki retook her position at the machine, Maria stood back up after scanning her own phone against the payment reader of the claw machine. She flashed Hibiki an encouraging grin. “Do not give up, Tachibana Hibiki. Do it for Miku!”
Hibiki nodded. She pumped her fist into the air. “Do it for Miku!”
Ten minutes later, Miku was certain that even Maria’s wallet was going to run dry. She was also going to need to visit an ENT specialist to check her hearing after this.
“GYAAAHHH!!!”
Miku had no idea how Hibiki’s vocal chords were capable of emitting such horrible sounds. For that matter…
“GUAAAAAAAHHH!!!” Maria slammed the back of her fist against the claw machine, pressing her body against the glass hard enough that her… impressive chest flattened against the surface.
… An idol’s lungs were certainly incredible. At least that was what Miku thought as she and Tsubasa mirrored one another and covered their ears.
Another attempt on the machine. Another failure. Another pair of screeching, frustrated wails.
“Oh god, there’s two of them,” Miku groaned.
“I’m sorry, Kohinata,” Tsubasa said. And she certainly looked as sorry as Miku felt. “If I had known that Maria would behave this way in an arcade, I would have suggested a different venue.”
“No, it’s fine. Hibiki was the one who said she wanted to spend the day with you and Maria-san. And she loves the arcade. It’s just…”
The pair looked back at their respective dates; though Miku had a feeling calling it a date would confuse Tsubasa and make Maria erupt like a volcano if she overheard. While it was an explicit date for Miku and Hibiki, the other two saw this as any other normal outing. How Tsubasa and Maria could think of this as a normal day out when Hibiki had clearly called it a double date was a mystery to Miku.
As close as the older women had gotten in just the past year alone, neither of them had clearly expressed their feelings for one another. Or at least Tsubasa hadn’t; Maria did a horrible job of hiding hers. It was like looking into a mirror for Miku—a very embarrassing glimpse at how she was just a few months ago. But every time she brought it up to Maria, the older woman would only awkwardly laugh, deny any feelings whatsoever, and try to change the subject.
For someone who had declared herself the world’s villain and now worked part time as a secret agent, Maria was a terrible liar.
Although, it wasn’t as if Miku had the right to judge. She herself had only gathered the courage to confess her feelings to Hibiki recently. Feelings that transcended what normal friends felt.
Feelings for the girl who was now her girlfriend.
The two walked hand-in-hand together through the snow. They had just saved the world. Her shining star had defeated a god to save her. But there was one last thing that needed to be done.
“Um, Hibiki, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time.”
A bright smile. “Yeah, me too. I hope what I want to tell you is the same thing you want to tell me.”
Under the light of the stars, hand in hand, the two turned to face each other.
“Miku, I—”
Shem-Ha had warned about humans’ inability to convey their true feelings through words. Well, there was an easy way around that, wasn’t there?
Before she could lose the little courage she managed to muster, Miku tugged her best friend forward and kissed her for the first time.
And Hibiki, in all her awkward but earnest nature, kissed her back.
“Kohinata?”
Miku snapped out of her thoughts. “What is it, Tsubasa-san?”
Japan’s most famous idol regarded her with an impassive stare. Then, ever so slowly, her lips pulled up into a small smile as she looked from Miku to Hibiki. “Are you happy, Kohinata?”
Miku blinked at the strange question. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
The world was safe. Hibiki was safe. And with the Bavarian Illuminati disbanded and the top alchemists gone, there was no way for anyone to recreate the Alca-Noise. There was no way for Noise to appear at all in fact—not when Miku herself had thrown Solomon’s Cane into the stratosphere.
“I only wished to confirm something.”
Miku pursed her lips, catching a glimpse of Tsubasa’s expression wavering for a split second. Riding on a brief moment of courage, she asked with careful deliberation, “And you, Tsubasa-san? Are you…happy?”
The smile fell from the older woman’s face. It took her a few seconds to reply. “…Yes, I am. Or rather, I would say I am at peace.” Tsubasa closed her eyes and released a slow exhale. “I will not let the past blind me to what I have in the present.”
When she opened her eyes again, her gaze settled on Miku for a moment before shifting to the two by the claw machine. In the past Miku had wondered what Tsubasa saw in Hibiki, but it was obvious to her now. After everything Hibiki had done, not for the world but for Tsubasa and the others, it was clear that the wielder of Ame no Habakiri had nothing but respect for the inheritor of Amou Kanade’s legacy.
Then what did it mean when Tsubasa’s indigo eyes lingered on Maria, softening in a way that Miku had never seen before? What did Tsubasa think of when she looked at Maria in a way that reminded Miku of herself? Or of the times Hibiki looked at her?
“Tsubasa-san—”
The two of them jumped when Hibiki and Maria simultaneously slammed their fists against the claw machine.
“I really think I’m cursed!” Hibiki cried.
“No, it’s not you. It must be this accursed machine.” Maria slapped her hand against the glass, banging it so hard that the entire machine groaned under the abuse. “There’s no way we’d fail to get the bear this many times unless it was broken!”
“You’re right, Maria-san! Hey, if it’s already broken, then hitting it enough should fix it! If only I had Gungnir on me…”
“There’s no need. After all the training we’ve done, our bare fists will be enough.”
Why was Maria rolling up the sleeve of her blouse? Why was Hibiki doing the same thing with her shirt?!
“Maria, it’s just a toy!” Tsubasa groaned.
“Don’t try to stop me, Tsubasa! I refuse to let the bear out of our grasp!” Maria shouted.
The other customers in the arcade had started to notice the commotion. Miku caught a few whispers that sent alarm bells ringing in her head.
“Another two trapped in the oroboros of crane games, huh?”
“Hey isn’t that Maria Cadenzavna Eve?”
“Nah, it can’t be her. Why would a famous U.N. super spy be in an arcade of all places?”
“Maybe she’s undercover?”
“But would she be undercover in an arcade and suck at the arcade games?”
“True. But that lady looks like a pretty good double. That pink hair’s practically just as ridiculous as the real deal.”
“Wait, isn’t the girl next to her the one that also appeared with Maria on the broadcast a few years ago?”
“Dunno. All videos of that recording were mysteriously deleted so no one can check.”
“Huh? Doesn’t one of the other girls look like Kazanari Tsubasa-sama too?”
The idol groaned, tugging the cap on her head down to cover her face.
How is this even worse than how Hibiki is with Kirika-chan?! Miku cried to herself. If we don’t do something soon, my date with Hibiki is going to end!
“Tsubasa-san…!” Miku whispered.
The older woman nodded in silent agreement.
Together, Miku and Tsubasa grabbed the two gearing up to punch the claw machine and stopped them before it was too late.
With Miku’s help, Tsubasa managed to calm the two hotheaded sore losers and redirect them to a different game. Thankfully the two quickly lost steam once they were far enough away from the source of all stress. It was too bad about their money, but that was the nature of arcade games.
Hibiki pulled Miku with her to a basketball tossing game. While the two played, Tsubasa lingered behind with Maria.
“I didn’t expect you to be so competitive,” Tsubasa remarked. She leaned against the side of a car racing booth, holding back a chuckle as Hibiki and Miku immersed themselves in their little competition.
Maria pinched the bridge of her nose with a grimace. “Sorry, heat of the moment. It’s rather easy to get swept up in that girl’s rhythm.”
Tsubasa hummed. “You’re not wrong about that. Perhaps it’s good that Akatsuki and Tsukuyomi weren’t here to see that. Though I would have appreciated Yukine’s help if she had come along.”
“Not one word to the girls about what happened.”
“As you wish.”
The two settled into a comfortable silence, content to just watch the two younger girls shoot hoops. Surrounded by the sounds of arcade games and distant enthusiastic gamers, Tsubasa let herself relax and give in to the rare moment of mundanity.
Thanks to her manager’s expert rescheduling, she didn’t have to worry about singing practice or interviews or reality TV show appearances for at least today. With the world saved and slowly rebuilding after Shem-Ha’s near revival, they didn’t need to worry about any catastrophic imminent dangers either. Not that she and the other Gear users could mobilize at the moment even if there was—not when their Symphogears had been critically damaged after their fight against Shem-Ha. But the world was slowly recovering and moving on even without the Symphogears. For the first time, it seemed humanity was finally going to be alright.
This was the world you wanted to see, Kanade.
Tsubasa closed her eyes. She thought back to that day at the core of the Earth, when Kanade had manifested before her. And beside her had been another loved one Tsubasa had lost just recently.
The world is going to be just fine. In many ways thanks to you, Father.
“Are you happy?”
When Miku had asked her that question, her chest had ached like someone had slammed the kashira of a katana against it. After everything that had happened—everyone she had lost—Tsubasa didn’t think happiness was something she could truly understand anymore.
A month had passed since her father had taken a bullet for her, yet her heart remained brittle. Sometimes thinking about her father’s final smile to her, or lamenting the days they no longer had to reconnect, was enough to freeze her in place and send her mind spiraling into a deep, dark abyss. Tsubasa had tried to be strong, telling herself again and again that there was no need to grieve when her father would’ve wanted her to look toward the future. But she had never been particularly good at processing grief.
After all, it took her no less than two entire years and almost dying to her Swan Song to even consider processing Kanade’s death properly.
When Kanade died, all Tsubasa had to latch onto was her grief. Her uncle had tried to be there for her, but she had pushed him away and treated him as nothing more than the commander of the then Section Two.
It was different now. Now she had people who refused to let her spiral in grief on her own.
Tsubasa jolted when a shock of cold pressed against her cheek. Pulled out of her idle thoughts, she looked up and found Maria regarding her with a raised eyebrow.
“Sorry, did I startle you? You looked like you were deep in thought.” Maria stepped back and held up the water bottle she had pressed up to Tsubasa’s face. “Water? I figured it’d be good to stay hydrated.”
Tsubasa shook her head, taking the offered water bottle. “It was nothing. I was just thinking.”
“About?”
She took a sip from her bottle, deliberating. Ultimately, she decided it was fine to be honest. It was Maria, after all. “About my father. About Kanade. About how I’m supposed to live in a world the both of them gave up their lives for. About how unfair it is that they can’t experience this joy and peace for themselves.”
“It does feel unfair, doesn’t it? The ones who sacrificed themselves don’t even get to live in the world they fought for.” Maria leaned against the back of a different car racing booth. With her fingers gripping the cap of her water bottle, she looked past Tsubasa toward Hibiki and Miku. “Mom loved her steak and meat, but she couldn’t enjoy them much after the incident at the F.I.S. crippled her. She had even made a list of wines that paired best with steak.”
Tsubasa blinked. “So that’s why my uncle’s stores of alcohol had increased. I didn’t realize those recommendations had come from you.”
“He’s offered a glass or two, when we’re off the clock,” Maria said. “I told him he could only share with you after your twentieth birthday. It’s coming up, isn’t it? I can imagine the other girls are already planning a big party.” She chuckled. “Even at the F.I.S., Kirika would make do with whatever we were given to celebrate our birthdays. She said it was important. I hadn’t realized what she meant until…”
Tsubasa thought back to that day many months ago, when she and the others could only watch as Kirika nearly gave up her life to protect Hibiki and Saint Germain from Adam. It was the most useless the sentinel had ever felt since Hibiki’s affliction with her Gungnir fragments. At least until…
Tsubasa shook her head. No, she didn’t need to think about her last concert. That was the past. She was…
It truly was hard for her to process grief.
Maria took a slow breath. It seemed she had taken some time to recollect her thoughts as well. “Serena… Serena would have loved how much tastier pudding has gotten. Or just enjoyed eating food in general. I think she would have gotten along well with the younger girls.” She paused for a moment, her eyes drifting to the side. “Just as I’m sure Amou Kanade would have been proud of them all, including you.”
Tsubasa’s chest tightened with a familiar ache. “I’d hope so.”
“She certainly didn’t look disappointed in you back there.”
Back there? Ah, at the core of the Earth when all seven of them had sung their Swan Songs, invoking a miracle that allowed them to see the ghosts of past loved ones for a single moment.
Kanade had appeared before her looking no older than had on the day of her death, grinning with her usual mirth. Maria wasn’t wrong; disappointment was the furthest Kanade looked at the time. She had looked as proud as Yatsuhiro had, almost as if Kanade had been watching over her for all these years. Just as Tsubasa had always hoped she did.
The corner of Maria’s lips tugged up into a small smile. “No matter our regrets, I think it’s okay to believe that they’re happy for us. So instead of wallowing in what-ifs and regrets, we should do our best to enjoy the happiness that they’ve given us. I know Serena would give me an earful if I spent all my time moping. I’m sure your Kanade would scold you just as much.”
“I know that’s what I should do. But sometimes I wonder if that’s truly a— Ow?!”
Tsubasa’s head jerked back at the unexpected head flick to her forehead. A bit of her water spilled as her free hand flew up to nurse her new battle wound.
Maria sighed. “You really are ridiculous. There’s no point overthinking this. Pursue your dreams, just as your papa wanted you to. Enjoy the life that Kanade would have wanted you to embrace. That’s the best way to honor them.”
Tsubasa continued to rub her sore forehead. “I know you’re right, but there are days when it is easier said than done,” she grumbled. “I suppose it’s a good thing I have you by my side to set me straight then.”
Tsubasa didn’t understand why Maria started sputtering for an entire ten seconds. Eventually, she righted herself and muttered something incoherent, a blush on her cheeks as pink as her hair.
It was kind of adorable. Her heart fluttered in her chest at the sight. Like the time when Kanade—
Tsubasa blinked. What?
“You know it’s not just me, right? The others surely wouldn’t let you relapse either. Not after—” Maria trailed off. “Tsubasa? Are you alright?”
The pink-haired woman regarded her with a stern frown, teal green eyes narrowed with concern. It was almost like how Kanade used to fuss over her—though the intensity of Kanade’s ruby red eyes had felt more scorching back then. Yet Maria’s presence instilled a familiar warmth in Tsubasa nonetheless. They really were so much alike, Kanade and Maria.
But Kanade was gone. And Maria… What was Maria to her?
Before Tsubasa could answer herself, before she could verbally respond to Maria and reassure her that she was fine, her communicator buzzed within her coat pocket. She pulled the device out, checked the ID, and answered it.
“Uncle?”
Kazanari Genjuro grunted from the other end in response. “Sorry to interrupt you on your day off. Elfnein-kun has an update on her research.”
Tsubasa straightened up. “What is it?”
“It’s done.”
Tsubasa’s eyes widened. She looked at Maria, whose concerned frown had shifted to a pensive one reserved for the attention she gave during mission debriefings.
“Maria and Tachibana are with me right now, as is Kohinata.”
“I heard. Hibiki-kun said it was a double…” Genjuro coughed into the speaker. “Anyway, I hate to cut your day off short, but considering this is an update on Elfnein-kun’s work…”
“I think the others will understand.”
“Alright. I’ll have Ogawa pick you girls up. Give him the location and he’ll transport you all to where Elfnein-kun has been working. Chris-kun is already en route with Shirabe-kun and Kirika-kun.”
“Understood.”
Once she ended the call, Tsubasa explained the situation to Maria. The other woman nodded and volunteered to tell Hibiki and Miku while Tsubasa got in touch with Shinji.
Just as she was about to leave her side, Maria called out to her, “Tsubasa.”
“What is it?”
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
Tsubasa wondered if Kanade had been this pushy. She immediately shoved that thought aside. Comparing Kanade and Maria meant acknowledging their similarities, and doing so did… strange things to her heart.
“I’m fine,” Tsubasa replied, “there’s no need to worry. My wits remain as sharp as my blade.”
Maria opened her mouth. Whatever was on her mind was silenced with a purse of her lips. “Okay.”
Tsubasa turned her attention to contacting Shinji. It was better than lingering on Maria’s question. She was fine, after all.
Right? Right.
Shem-Ha had been, for all intents and purposes, a god. One of the divine beings from a galaxy far, far away known as the Anunnaki; Custodians to humanity. Regardless of what they were called, they were the original gods revered throughout human history, immortalized in the mythology, religion, and folklore of every human civilization.
It had taken everything for the Symphogear Adapters to defeat her, even when she was only at one hundredth of her original strength. In the end, their converter pendants had been so damaged that none of the Adapters could safely don their Gears.
That was until Elfnein found a way to repair their Gears with an unorthodox workaround. At least that was how Genjuro described it; Hibiki didn’t actually understand any of the explanation. And from everyone’s expressions, no one else except maybe Tsubasa and Maria did either.
“Essentially, you were able to find a way to divert the damage to the converter pendants by replacing and converting the necessary components with the amalgam upgrades,” Tsubasa said, attempting to reiterate Elfnein’s explanation.
“You mean, basically sacrificing our amalgams, dess?” Kirika asked.
Elfnein nibbled her lip. Her hands shook, vibrating the silver tray carrying two converter pendants in her grip. “Yes,” she whispered.
Hibiki reached out first, taking one of the converter pendants. Although the red crystal looked identical for both, she knew without a doubt which one was hers. Of all of the Symphogears, only Gungnir would ever thrum between her fingers.
And after a certain event a few months ago, Hibiki had begun feeling a different presence within her converter pendant. A deep, stern voice who was once an enemy, but had then become a source of support in her battles against Noble Red. An alchemist who had given her life to protect theirs, and continued to do so as her shining gold amalgam.
Now, holding Gungnir in her hands, Hibiki only felt a void. That brilliant gold miracle no longer existed.
“I’m sorry,” Elfnein whispered. “I’ve hypothesized other methods to repair your Symphogears, but only this proved successful. I would have liked to avoid sacrificing your amalgams, but…”
Maria disregarded the other converter pendant on the tray, reaching out instead to pat Elfnein on the top of her head. “It’s alright. If anything, we should be thankful that our Gears are usable once again. It just means our Gears are back to how they were before the rebuild.”
“Or your Ignite Modules,” Elfnein added sadly.
“Not a huge loss, anyway,” Chris said with a roll of her eyes. “Probably better that we don’t have something that stabs into our chest and makes us almost go berserk every time just to activate it.”
“It’s a shame about our amalgams, but that’s okay,” Shirabe chimed in, the corners of her lips twitching up into a barely perceptible smile; a very Shirabe-like smile. “I’m sure we can manage against Noise and military weapons with just our Gears.”
“Yeah, dess! And there shouldn’t be any Alca-Noise left anyway now that the alchemists are gone,” Kirika said.
“Or any Noise, since Kohinata threw the Cane of Solomon into the Treasury of Babylonia,” Tsubasa added. “Still perhaps the most magnificent throw I have had the honor of witnessing.”
Miku blushed. “W-Well, you all had done the hard part before that…”
Everyone was right. Hibiki knew that, so she managed to plaster a smile on her face. “That’s right! Thanks to everyone, the world is a much better place than it used to be. And because we can use our Symphogears again, we can help keep the world safe if anything crazy ever pops up!”
“Hey, don’t jinx it, you dummy,” Chris groaned.
“Hibiki-san is right, dess!” Kirika said. “Even if there aren’t any Noise, there’s still problems that we can help with. Like the time you all helped bring Mom back from the moon so we could properly put her to death!”
“You mean put her to rest,” Maria corrected her. Turning to Elfnein, she picked up the other converter pendant resting on the metal tray. Unlike Hibiki, Maria regarded her Gear with a serene smile. “Although there are other ways to fight, it’s comforting to have Airgetlám back.”
Elfnein glanced from Maria to Hibiki, then to the other girls. “Well, if you’re all alright with it, I can get started on repairing the remaining Gears.” Her gaze stopped on Miku, lips pulling down into a frown. “Unfortunately, fixing the Shénshòujìng will take a bit more work. Since it was originally a fusion between a relic and a Faust Robe and didn’t have its own amalgam component, it won’t be as easy to repair. I might have to try and remake it from scratch…”
Miku shook her head. “Please don’t push yourself for my sake. With or without a Symphogear, I’ll try to support everyone as much as I can.”
Warmth enveloped Hibiki’s hand. Fingers intertwined with hers. Hibiki looked to the side and found Miku staring at her with a soft smile.
“After all, someone once told me that I didn’t need a Symphogear to fight.” Miku sighed, “Even if having one would make it easier to keep Hibiki out of trouble…”
Six simultaneous nods answered her. “That’s true…”
Hibiki looked from Miku to the others. “Eh? What is that supposed to mean?”
She couldn’t have been that much of a handful, right?
The others laughed while Miku tightened her grip on her hand with a rueful shake of her head.
“Oh, by the way, the Commander wants to speak to Hibiki-san and Maria-san now that your Gears are repaired,” Elfnein said after her laughing fit had passed. “It seems he has a mission for you two.”
“For us?” Hibiki wondered at the same time as Maria.
“Geez, the old man doesn’t wait, does he?” Chris remarked.
The automatic doors to Elfnein’s workshop slid open. The commander of S.O.N.G. himself stepped in, standing at the entrance with his arms crossed in front of his broad chest. Stepping into place beside him was none other than Tsubasa’s manager and Genjuro’s most reliable field operative.
Genjuro quickly surveyed the room. “Oh, you’re all here. That makes things easier. Did you already inform Hibiki-kun and Maria-kun of the mission?”
Elfnein shook her head. “Only that they are to report to you, Commander.”
“That’s alright. It’s not a terribly detailed mission anyway.”
Tsubasa frowned. “It must be dire if it required two Symphogear Adapters with working Symphogears.”
“And the only two with working converter pendants are Maria and Hibiki-san, dess,” Kirika remarked.
Hibiki’s hand clenched around Gungnir, just as Maria did the same for Airgetlám. If there was no Noise left in the world, what kind of mission required their Symphogears?
Genjuro nodded. “Right. But there’s no need to worry. Considering the current state of the world, the risk of anything going wrong isn’t terribly high. We’re only deploying the Adapters as a precaution. The mission involves transportation of an item that we cannot afford to lose.”
The Commander’s stern gaze turned to Maria. Or rather, at the converter pendant in her hand.
“We’ve finally reached an agreement with the United States. Due to their recent misjudgments with Shem-Ha’s remains, we were able to convince them to relinquish their possession of the remains of the Airgetlám relic.”
Maria’s eyes widened. Her hand tightened around her pendant. “The Silver Arm— my Gear?”
“Under specific terms, of course. Just like with Igalima and Shul Shagana, Airgetlám will be kept under the custody of the United Nations, rather than with S.O.N.G. and Japan itself,” Genjuro explained. “Which means technically the United States still has some authority over the relics. But they’ve entrusted S.O.N.G. with its storage and safekeeping.”
“And that means we can account for all of the relics making up your Symphogears,” Shinji added. “We’ve already had Ame no Habakiri and Gungnir in custody, as well as Chris’ Ichaival after you all defeated Finé. We were able to acquire Igalima and Shul Shagana a little after Hibiki-san’s birthday…”
“Because the U.S. shot a missile of death at her,” Kirika grumbled.
Which Saint Germain and the others had given their lives to save them from. And now…
“And now we’ll have Maria’s Airgetlám,” Shirabe finished.
“Right.” Genjuro turned to both Maria and Hibiki now. “Even if there aren’t any Noise left, there will still be unknown organizations who will want to steal a sacrist like the Airgetlám for their own nefarious purposes. Of course, we plan to assemble the appropriate military personnel to ensure no one interferes with the transport. However…”
“It doesn’t hurt to employ two Symphogear Adapters as well,” Maria surmised.
Genjuro’s frown flipped into a well-meaning grin. “And it is your relic, technically.”
Maria nodded. “When do we fly out?”
Genjuro’s smile turned sheepish. “Tomorrow. Your flight is at nine in the morning.”
Maria blinked.
The unsettling heaviness that hovered over Hibiki since picking up her Gungnir pendant momentarily disappeared, replaced by the same surprise spreading across everyone’s expressions.
“TOMORROW?!?!?!”