Chapter Text
Period 1
“This is where it was, right Yukkie?” Ruka Kayamori was looking through the trees.
The silver-haired girl fixed her glasses as she looked at her MePad. “Almost. The odd Cancer sightings aren’t too far from here. Just a bit more of a hike into the mountains.”
A short, pink-haired girl was wheezing as she walked up. “Gyah... No more walking...”
“We’ve done longer walks before.” A taller pink-haired girl walked up, arms crossed.
“No... I concur with her...” A blonde girl walked up, groaning.
“Same...” A black-haired girl with an orange hoodie grumbled.
“Seriously, you two?” Yuki sighed. “If this is what gets to you, I fear for our squadron’s future...”
“Can’t you two just... switch?” Ruka asked. “Like, have Tsukasa go Awakened and have Karrie take over.”
“I think the other me would switch back instantly if I were to use her for something like that.” Tsukasa said.
“Karrie said that I should build up more leg muscles.” Karen added.
“No way, no way!” Ruka complained. “If that’s the case, then you gotta do push-ups too to keep the balance!”
“That’s what you’re concerned about?” Yuki would never get used to the antics of 31-A’s leader.
She tuned out the complaining from the others as they continued the tall trek up the hill. Going past several trees, they had arrived near the top.
“Hey, there’s somethin’ there.” Megumi pointed forward.
Built into the side of the mountain was what appeared to be a set of ancient ruins. The pillars were covered in moss, and crumbling. They would’ve run forward, if not for a large furry animal slumbering nearby.
“A bear?” Tsukasa said.
“Finally, something to kill!” Karrie had already taken over. “Let’s-!”
“Sneak around it.” Yuki said. “It’s sleeping.”
Karrie grumbled before switching back to Karen. The six quickly teleported past, forgoing the risk with stealth. Past the bear, they started observing the ruins. The interior had a few windows and cracks in the ceiling, but seemed sturdy enough.
“Damn, this place is pretty old.” Megumi tapped one of the pillars. “I wonder what it was for?”
“Odd. These ruins seem to be of those you’d find from ancient Greek or Roman dig sites, except it wouldn’t make sense for them to be in Japan.” Tsukasa put a hand under her chin.
“Wow, you actually said something insightful.” Yuki noted.
“H-Hey...” Tsukasa pouted.
“I found something!” Tama said. “Over here!”
They went to closer to the foot of the mountain, seeing what appeared to be a large stone coffin.
“A coffin?” Ruka said.
“Maybe there’s a mummy in there.” Karen suggested.
“Bzzt, wrong.” Yuki said. “Why would something out of Ancient Egypt be in Japan?”
“What if it’s treasure?” Karen said. “Being rich would be nice.”
“Wait, could we even sell it for GP?” Yuki wondered.
“So Megumin thinks it’s a mummy and Karen thinks it’s treasure. “Ruka put a hand on the lid. “Well, only one way to find out who’s right!”
“H-Hey, hold it!” Megumi said. “Ain’t you worried about unleashing an evil spirit or something?!”
Ruka shrugged. “Eh, I’ll just have Kozue take care of it if I get possessed or something. Alley-oop!”
She pushed off the cover, kicking up a lot of dust as a result. Looking in, there wasn’t a decomposing corpse, nor a pile of gold. Instead, some odd dusty relic that barely resembled some kind of instrument. It was green with odd red spikes all over.
“Whoa! Ancient instrument!” Ruka picked it up, raising it over her head. “Da da da daaaa!”
“I can’t tell what it’s supposed to be.” Yuki said. “I guess it kind of looks like a french horn?”
“I thought it looked like a trumpet!” Tama said.
“How much do you think it’s worth?” Tsukasa asked.
Megumi was deep in thought. “Hmm... I want to say an ancient thing like this is worth two thousand and seven yen.”
“Since when were you the expert?” Yuki asked. “Your sense of value is really off.”
“You think it’ll toot?” Ruka asked, looking at the mouthpiece.
“Do not toot it!” Yuki shouted. “Are you trying to die of infection with how old that thing probably is?!”
Before Ruka could decide whether to toot it or not, they all heard the bear roar.
“Crap, looks like it’s awake!” Megumi realized.
“Well, we should just leave.” Ruka said. “We don’t want to hurt the bear-”
They heard a loud crash from the outside. One that clearly wasn’t from the bear. Ruka quickly dropped the horn and glanced at her team. Quickly nodding at one another, Squad 31-A ran outside. Though the horn they left behind started to glow...
Running out of the ruins, they saw the bear standing and roaring. Though the bear had its back to them. It was facing down...
“Whoa! Those Cancer are bright and flashy!” Tama said.
“Wait, those Cancer seem weird.” Yuki narrowed her eyes. “The shapes seem to follow the trend, but... they shouldn’t be this brightly colored.”
“They’re glowing too. Why are they glowing?” Tsukasa asked.
The bear charged and swiped at one of the odd creatures. But to 31-A’s utter shock, mere contact with the monster caused the bear’s arm to disintegrate. Another monster slammed into it, turning into dust alongside the bear, killing it on the spot.
“D-Did you just see THAT?!” Tama shouted.
“T-The bear turned into dust with the Cancer...” Tsukasa trembled.
“What the hell, when did the Cancer get this busted?!” Ruka yelled.
“Hello world!” Not taking any chances, Yuki called for her Seraph, taking aim and firing at a few of the monsters. Thankfully, her blasts managed to take a few down. “Looks like we can kill them the same way, but these ones don’t have barriers.”
“Good call, Yukkie!” Ruka nodded. “Let’s go, everyone! Just in case, don’t let these things touch you when we take them down!”
“Roger!”
“My legend begins now!”
“Yer Savior has arrived!
“There exists more than one truth!”
“Reaping your last breath!”
“Unsinkable!”
All of the girls summoned their Seraphs and prepared to charge, but before they could even attack, a battlecry was heard ringing in the air. “Hwooooooooaaaah!”
Slammed into the ground and pulverizing one of the creatures was a girl dressed in orange armor. A white scarf fluttered behind her.
“Whoa, what the heck?” Ruka stepped back.
As the dust faded, the girl looked back and they saw her features. She had light brown hair and orange eyes. With a smile, the girl gave them a thumbs-up. “Don’t worry, it’ll be okay!”
“Eh?” Ruka raised a brow.
Landing by the new girl were five more, each garbed in a similar armor of a different color.
“So it was true.” The blue-haired, blue-armored girl said, gripping a katana. “The Noise have arrived in this world.”
“What the hell, I thought we took care of them!” A white-haired girl in red armor grumbled.
“It seems that a few made it out even though we destroyed the Treasury of Babylonia.” A pink-haired woman in silver armor frowned. “Or perhaps we were unable to destroy it.”
“Maybe a few got out, dess!” A blonde-haired girl in green armor said. “Maybe the big explosion sent them here, dess!”
“Then we need to take care of them.” A black-haired girl in pink armor noted. “And we need to keep those girls safe too.”
“O-Oi! We can take care of ourselves!” Megumi shouted.
“They do have weapons, but they’re at risk at being carbonized.” The blue-haired girl noted. “Tachibana, would you mind staying behind and keeping them defended? The rest of us will handle the Noise.”
“You got it!” The first girl jumped back, as her allies went forward and engaged the Noise, whittling down their numbers. Landing in front of Squad 31-A, the girl introduced herself. “Hi there! I’m Hibiki Tachibana, age 17! My birthday is September 13th, and my blood type is O!
“Wh-Why are you-?” Yuki was incredibly confused.
“According to my latest checkup, I'm 158 cm tall! As for my weight... I'll tell you when we're better friends! My hobby is helping others, and I love rice and more rice! Also, I've never been in a relationship for my entire life until a few months ago!”
“Uh... hi?” Megumi waved back.
“Well if that’s the case, I’m Ruka Kayamori, age uh... I’m not sure! My birthday is June 24th, and my blood type is uh... I’m also not sure! And according to my latest checkup, I’m 159 cm tall. As for my weight uh... I’ll also tell you when we’re better friends! My hobby is also helping others, and I love to rock like GYAYAGRAYYYY BODODODODUOH! And as for me, I’ve never been in a relationship for my entire life!”
“YOU’RE ALREADY ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH?!” Yuki screamed.
“What? It’d be rude if we didn’t introduce ourselves back.” Ruka said with a shrug. “Oh, we should do the same with her friends and... hold on, are they singing?!”
(Insert Rikka Ryōran by Aoi Yūki, Nana Mizuki, Ayahi Takagaki, Yōko Hikasa, Yoshino Nanjō and Ai Kayano)
Team 31-A turned back to Hibiki’s friends, hearing a tune play as they fought the monsters. Despite multitasking with both singing and fighting, they were handling the monsters with complete ease.
The blue-haired girl raised her sword, as it extended in size from a katana to a massive broadsword. It glew brightly, before she swung it forward, launching several beams of blue electricity.
Blue Flash
The electrified blade beams slammed into the Noise, slicing through them.
“You guys saw that, right?” Ruka asked.
“The weird scroll thing that showed up when the blue-haired chick swung her sword, right?” Megumi asked. “Or how she just punked me with how big she made her sword?”
Several noise were sniped by the girl in the red armor, as she fired red crossbow bolts all around her. She swapped the crossbows for a pair of gatling guns, mowing them down. A set of missile launchers opened on her legs, blasting all the Noise around her.
MEGA DETH PARTY
“What in the world?! How many firearms does that girl have?!” Yuki shouted.
The pink-haired girl swung a dagger forward, only for it to extend into a whip-sword. It wrapped up the last few Noise.
EMPRESS†REBELLION
“How long is that sword-knife-whip thing?” Tsukasa asked, amazed.
“Kirika! Shirabe!” The pink-haired girl called.
The girls in green and pink armor ran forward. The blonde girl slashed with a scythe, while the black-haired girl spun, her skirt turning into a buzzsaw. Once they had cleared up the area, the blonde girl shot several wires towards the black-haired girl, as she made a scythe blade under her feet. The black-haired girl moved the buzzsaw so it was like a large wheel, as the two prepared to launch straight into the last group of Noise from each side.
Forbidden Wheel of Evil: ZABABA Eclipse
“Gyah! A guillotine!” Tama shouted.
“Kyah ha ha! It’s like an execution!” Karrie laughed.
The two launched, slashing through the last of the Noise. With a final burst of carbon, every Noise had been defeated.
“That appears to be the last of them.” The pink-haired girl said.
With flashes of light, their armor disappeared. All six of the girls were now wearing dark blue uniforms. Hibiki ran over to join her friends.
“Whoa, they’re good. And coordinated.” Ruka said, impressed.
“But who are they?” Karen asked.
“That’s a really good question...” Tsukasa said. “And one I don’t have an answer for.”
“I don’t think anybody would have an answer.” Yuki pointed out.
The six girls walked over to Squad 31-A, who had dismissed their weapons. The blue-haired girl was the first to step up. “Apologies if we surprised you.”
“N-No, not at all.” Ruka said. “So, who are you guys exactly? Your buddy Hibiki here gave a full introduction, but we’re still in the dark about the rest of you.”
“Ah, I suppose that’s fair. My name is Tsubasa Kazanari.” Tsubasa briefly bowed.
“Chris Yukine.” The white-haired girl said.
“I’m Maria Cadenzavna Eve.” The pink-haired woman said.
“I’m Kirika Akatsuki, dess!” The blonde girl grinned.
“Shirabe Tsukuyomi.” The black-haired girl finished.
“Okay okay, nice to meet you all.” Ruka said. “Now do you mind explaining the... basically the everything else that just happened?”
“Would it be possible if you could take us to whoever your leader us?” Maria asked.
“Hey, we’re not aliens.” Megumi scoffed.
“Well technically you are to us since we’re from a different world, dess!” Kirika said.
Squad 31-A blinked. “Huh?”
“Oh that’s right!” Hibiki remembered. “We’d better go grab Gjallarhorn!”
“Gjallarhorn? That ancient horn from myths of Norse?” Tsukasa clarified.
“Yeah, that’s how we got here!” Hibiki said. “We’d better go get it!”
“People from another world...” Yuki said, watching Hibiki go back to the ruins.
“Yeah, it’s weird the first time around.” Chris chuckled. “We got used to it after a while.”
Period 2
Squad 31-A had returned back to base with their new companions in tow. The six new girls were receiving a few odd looks from the other Seraph Squadron members here and there.
“Is this what fame feels like?” Shirabe asked Tsubasa and Maria.
“Sometimes, but not all the time.” Tsubasa said.
“Fame?” Ruka asked.
“We’ll tell you later.” Maria said. “But what is this place, exactly?”
“This is the base for the Seraph Squadrons.” Yuki explained. “The last bastion of hope for humanity against the Cancer.”
“Geez, that disease haunts everybody, dess.” Kirika shivered.
“No, not that kind of cancer.” Karen explained. “The Cancer are aliens that arrived from outer space and attacked humanity. The devastation was horrible.”
“An alien invasion?” Chris asked.
“Yes.” Tsukasa nodded. “That clock tower has a counter shows how many humans are left on Earth.”
Looking up, the girls were stunned to see how low the number was.
“That low...?” Shirabe murmured. “Not even 10 million?”
“How many in your world with how you fought those alien thingies?” Ruka asked.
“Our world never experienced death on such a wide scale.” Maria said. “Our population is nearing 10 billion.”
“Well, whatever you guys are doing is the right thing.” Ruka sadly noted.
Hibiki frowned, but noticed something bouncing by her leg. Looking down, she saw black squishy blob looking up at her.
“Oh hi there!” Hibiki picked the blob up. “Who’s this little fella?”
“I noticed a lot of them around the base.” Tsubasa noted. “What are they?”
“These little guys are Narbies.” Ruka said, patting the one in Hibiki’s arms. “They’re also aliens, but they’re harmless little friendly blobs.”
“Nice to meet you, Narby!” Hibiki smiled, before putting it down and letting it bounce off.
Ruka smiled. Yup. Narbies always cheer us up with how huggable they are.
They walked into one of the buildings, and Ruka led them to an office.
“Hey, Commander Tezuka!” Ruka said with a wide grin. “Squad 31-A reporting back!”
“And can you explain who these other girls are?” Tezuka asked, standing up from her desk.
Tsubasa glanced at Maria, who nodded and decided to be the one to speak for the group. “My name is Maria Cadenzavna Eve, and these are my companions. Hibiki Tachibana, Tsubasa Kazanari, Chris Yukine, Shirabe Tsukuyomi and Kirika Akatsuki.”
“Can you explain why you are here?” Tezuka asked.
“Well, it’s a bit of a story. The thing is, we’ve come from another world.” Maria said.
Squad 31-A expected the commander to react, but she surprisingly stayed composed. “This is quite the outlandish claim.”
“She sounds like Tomosato, dess...” Kirika murmured to Shirabe, who nodded.
“Nah, we can kinda back it up.” Ruka said. “They actually fought and beat those weird Cancer that were reported.”
“Though that’s mostly because they weren’t actually Cancer.” Yuki said. “They mentioned that their monsters from their world called Noise?”
Tezuka looked back at the girls. “Very well then. If Squad 31-A can say such things, I’ll listen further.”
“Thank you.” Maria smiled. “Our world is... far less devastated than this one, according Ruka explained to us.”
“Oh hell yeah, first name basis already.” Ruka grinned, as Yuki hit her shoulder.
“In our world, there are many different threats, but one of the first was the Noise. Alien creatures that kill with a single touch. Upon contact with a living organism, both the Noise and the victim will turn into carbon.” Maria explained.
“So that was the creepy thing that killed the bear!” Tama realized.
“However, humanity did have a weapon.” Maria held up the red pendant around her neck. “The Symphogear. Fragments of ancient relics that we can harness for our own use.”
“Are you able to demonstrate?” Tezuka asked.
Nodding, Maria gently grasped her pendant. “Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron~”
With a flash of light, Maria had donned the silver armor she had before. Once more, Squad 31-A looked towards the commander, who didn’t seem to react.
“This armor enhances our physical abilities significantly, allowing us to create weapons to fight.” Maria held up her knife, as it extended into a longer weapon and shrunk again. “We use Phonic Gain, the power of songs, to empower ourselves.”
“This is proof enough, since nothing like this exists in our world.” Tezuka said, as Maria dismissed her transformation. “You may continue.”
“My companions and I are part of the organization SONG, which stands for Special Disaster Response Team. We assist in disasters and threats that normal humans cannot overcome.” Maria said. “We had once believed to have permanently ended the Noise threat. Several years afterwards had led us to find the relic known as Gjallarhorn, which connects our world to others.”
Hibiki held up the large horn that Ruka had considered tooting earlier.
“We’ve used it to visit other worlds time and time again, sometimes assisting the residents if our paths crossed.” Maria said. “Relics appear quite frequently, and trouble tends to follow them.”
“That’s a portal to other worlds?” Ruka asked. “Does this mean that I can find a world where everyone’s a rock star?”
“Is that all you can think about?” Yuki asked.
“Well I was also gonna consider a world where everyone is nak-”
“Only people with Symphogears can use it to go between worlds.” Chris cut her off.
“Boo boo.” Ruka pouted.
“Returning to my explanation, our sensors picked up Noise in this world that had similar signatures to the ones we once faced.” Maria said. “We were sent here to investigate the matter, bringing us here.”
“So you’re here to lend your assistance, and I’m to understand that it’s temporary?” Tezuka asked.
“Yes. Once we find and defeat the remaining Noise in this world, we will return home.” Maria said. “We don’t want to influence this world more than we have to. This is simply us cleaning up our own mess.”
“Very well.” Tezuka nodded. “We do have a vacant room next to Squad 31-A’s room. You may use that as a temporary form of residence.”
“We appreciate the cooperation, Commander Tezuka.” Maria held out a hand.
A rare smile appeared on the Commander’s face. “We’re both adults here. You may call me Saki.”
“The Commander is smiling and she’s on first name basis with Maria! Ruka is shook!” Ruka shouted.
“Is it really that surprising?” Shirabe asked. “I guess she does seem a bit of the serious type.”
“You act like that too, Shirabe, dess!” Kirika pointed out.
“Do you have anywhere to put this?” Hibiki asked, holding up Gjallarhorn. “It’s kind of our ticket home, so...”
“I’ll have it placed in high security in the laboratory.” Tezuka said. “They’ll monitor it constantly and provide any updates if something happens.”
“Higumin’s gonna have a lot of fun.” Ruka chuckled, as Hibiki put it down on the office couch.
“With that, you may be dismissed. Squad 31-A will act as your guides for the duration of your stay.” Tezuka said. “Oh, and those Symphogears of yours, avoid using it on the base outside of the training arena. We have a similar rule to avoid summoning Seraphs.”
“That we can promise.” Maria said.
“No no, you gotta transform on base some time!” Ruka said. “It’ll be so cool when you do that magical girl transforming thing, and sing too!”
“Absolutely not.” Tezuka said.
“Come on, maybe I can transform with them and we can start up a super magical duet!” Ruka added.
“Absolutely not.” Tezuka repeated.
“In that case, what if we put the Commander in one of those super tight magical girl cosplay outfits and-”
“ARE YOU A DUM-DUM?!” Tezuka suddenly shouted, causing the SONG members to jump. She fixed her hat quickly and went back into her usual demeanor. “Apologies you had to see that.”
“I-It’s no issue.” Maria assured her.
“Well, it’s almost lunchtime, so we can talk more in the cafeteria.” Ruka said. “The six of us haven’t properly introduced ourselves yet, anyways.”
Hibiki’s stomach growled and she nervously laughed. “Sounds like a great idea!”
Lunch
Arriving at the cafeteria, an enriching smell was in the air. One that many of the girls recognized.
“Okonomiyaki?” Megumi said. “Hell yeah, the classic!”
“It’s just like Flower back home!” Hibiki had stars in her eyes.
“Yay! I’m so hungry, dess!” Kirika cheered.
“Alright! Time to go all out!” Ruka whooped.
“What are you, kids?” Yuki and Chris said at the same time.
The two stared at the other briefly, before making a nod of approval.
“See, Yuki? You can also get on someone else’s wavelength.” Ruka chuckled.
As the two teams ate, Ruka took the time between bites to explain their world to the SONG agents, as well as introduce Squad 31-A properly.
“Okay, so you explained the alien invasion thing. And that the surviving parts of humanity are living in domes around the world.” Chris said. “On top of that, you guys fight the Cancer using those barriers and Seraphs?”
“And you call them out via a cool chant.” Kirika noted. “That’s just like a Symphogear, dess!”
“If only we had magical girl transformations too.” Ruka mused.
“Magical girl?” Tsukasa repeated. “I thought it was more like tokusatsu.”
“Yer both crazy. Clearly it’s more of a mecha transformation.” Megumi said.
“They’re not giant robots, Megumin.” Ruka pointed out.
“I don’t see them in frilly magical girl outfits, do you?” Megumi asked.
“Then it’s clearly a tokusatsu transformation!” Tsukasa argued.
“I didn’t see no unnecessary and unexplained explosion go off behind them after transforming.” Ruka said. “Actually, that’d be really rad if it happened for us after summoning our Seraphs.”
“Ignore them.” Yuki sighed. “What about you all? You mentioned that you fought more than those Noise?”
“That would be an understatement.” Shirabe said.
For the longest time, 31-A were under the impression that the strongest Cancer in their world were at the top of the food chain. That their ultimate goal was to become strong enough to take them down.
This was before the SONG agents revealed they had fought terrorists, alchemists, ancient monsters, and even beings that were considered the Gods of their world. Stopping things like the Moon falling or even the Earth being destroyed, a significant jump compared to the Seraph Squadron’s accomplishments.
“So you guys are basically superheroes?!” Tama shouted.
“That’s nuts...” Karen was amazed.
“...seriously though, why do your Gods sound so lame?” Ruka asked.
“What do you mean?” Tsubasa asked.
“They call themselves “Custodians”?” Ruka raised a brow. “Like janitors?”
The SONG agents blinked a few times, realization washing over them.
“Huh, I guess she’s right...” Hibiki said.
“Congrats, Ruka. You just said something sacrilegious to an entire pantheon of divinity.” Yuki sighed.
“From what they’re telling us, these Janitors were real jerks.” Ruka said. “That and they got more than one pantheon since they mentioned a lot more than just the Janitors.”
“Custodians! They’re Custodians!” Yuki shouted.
“Tomato, tomato.” Ruka shrugged.
“You do realize that people reading the fanfic won’t realize that you pronounced it differently, right?” Yuki asked.
“Oh shoot, right.” Ruka realized before raising her hands to her face and sticking out her tongue. “Whoopsie-gravy!”
“STOP THAAAAAT!” Yuki yelled.
“Wh-What’s wrong with what she said?” Hibiki asked, confused.
“This is their bit.” Megumi explained. “For some reason, Yuki really hates it whenever Ruka says that.”
“I think the expression is funny!” Kirika raised a hand. “Whoopsie-gravy, dess!”
“AAAAAAAAAH! IT’S SPREADING TO OTHER WORLDS NOW!” Yuki screamed.
“To think my legend would reach inhabitants of another world, and one would put their own spin at the end!” Ruka was incredibly proud of herself.
“Whoopsie-gravy... yeah, it’s fun to say!” Hibiki agreed.
“NOOOOOOOOOO!” Yuki screamed.
“Whoopsie-gravy.” Shirabe said.
“IT’S OVEEEEEER! WE DOOMED ANOTHER WORLD!!” Yuki’s voice was reaching new octaves.
“Calm down, Yukkie.” Ruka said. “It’s not that bad.”
“IT IS THAT BAD! I’M SERIOUSLY GOING TO DIE!” Yuki ran her fingers through her hair.
“Well, while Yuki calms down, I was thinking we could split off into duos, one from each team. That way we can each give the SONG girls a tour of the place.” Ruka said.
“A wise idea.” Tsubasa noted. “I can see why you’re the leader.”
Even after all that insane crap? Chris sweatdropped.
“I was thinking you and I can be paired off.” Ruka said, holding up her fingers. “Then Bikki and Megumin, Chrissey and Yukkie, Maria and Tsukassie, Kiri and Cappy, and Shira and Karerin.”
“You already gave us all nicknames?” Hibiki said, amazed.
“That’s also kind of her thing.” Megumi said.
“Wait, how are you aware of Tachibana and Akatsuki’s nicknames prior to-” Tsubasa started to ask.
“I don’t like that one.” Chris interrupted. “Can I get another?”
“Is Chris-chan okay?” Ruka asked.
“Chrissey is fine.” Chris grumbled, as Hibiki giggled behind her hand.
“Wait, why don’t I get a nickname?” Maria asked.
“We already got both a Mari and a Maria on base, so I kinda got to stick with your normal name until then.” Ruka explained. “Plus, it’ feels a bit disrespectful since you’re older than us.”
“So now you’re worried about being respectful after that scene in the commander’s office?” Yuki sighed.
“But if you really want a nickname, does... Mari-Mari work?” Ruka asked.
Maria chuckled. “If you insist with it.”
“Alright then!” Ruka stood up. “C’mon, Basa! Let me show you around!”
Tsubasa slightly hesitated at the nickname, but softly smiled. “Very well. I’ll take up your offer.”
Period 3
Ruka guided Tsubasa around the base, pointing out all the major highlights, as well as stopping by and saying hello to her fellow Seraph Squad members. Tsubasa was a good listener, and paid close attention to everything Ruka was saying. Ruka kinda found it a bit weird since Tsubasa looked and acted older than her. She was usually used to helping guide around people that didn’t know their way.
“And here we end the tour with Narby Square.” Ruka said. “It’s the best place to chill in the entire base. Any questions?”
“None at all.” Tsubasa said, as several Narbies bounced around. “I think it’s quite admirable that your organization is working towards defending Earth in spite of how much has already been lost.”
“Well, a world free from the Cancer is kind of like the shared dream of everyone in the Seraph Squadron.” Ruka said. “We’re all working towards that goal.”
Tsubasa smiled. “I think that’s a goal you’ll be able to reach, Kayamori.”
“Jeez, you’re making me blush here!” Ruka laughed. “Also, you don’t need to use my last name if we’re buds.”
“Apologies, but that’s what I prefer.” Tsubasa said.
“But I heard you call Mari-Mari by her first name.” Ruka remembered from their conversations earlier.
“That’s... a different situation.” Tsubasa said, face turning slightly red.
“Oh you’re blushing now.” Ruka observed, as she put the pieces together. “Wait, are you and Mari-Mari like, a thing?”
“I’m... not sure what that means exactly, but if you’re implying we’re a couple, yes we are.” Tsubasa said.
“Whoa! Ruka is shook!” Ruka said. “And with an older girl? That’s impressive!”
“Well, our relationship didn’t actually start off the best.” Tsubasa admitted. “We were actually enemies at first.”
“A magical girl and dark magical girl scenario?” Ruka asked. “That’s pretty rad.”
“I wouldn’t personally describe it like that.” Tsubasa said.
Before she could elaborate further, two girls walked up. Both were on the younger side, one with long silver pigtails and the other with a black ponytail. Tsubasa noticed that they both carried swords on them.
“Yo Hisame-chi, Inorin.” Ruka greeted. “What’s up?”
“Kayamori.” The silver-haired girl said. “May we ask who this new girl is?”
“Oh, she’s guest here.” Ruka said.
“My name is Tsubasa Kazanari.” Tsubasa said. “And you two are?”
“I’m Hisame Ogasahara.” The silver-haired girl said. “And this here is my pupil, Inori Natsume.”
The black-haired girl didn’t speak, but simply nodded.
“Tsubasa Kazanari... I sense wells of experience from you.” Hisame said. “Are you a practitioner of the blade?”
Tsubasa was impressed. “Though I do not carry one on me, you were able to deduce my skill from a simple glance?”
“Heh heh, I’m not a genius swordsman for nothing.” Hisame chuckled. “Would you do me the honor of a duel? My pupil is carrying a spare blade.”
Inori held up another blade, but she looked a bit conflicted.
“Let me guess Inorin, you want to fight her too?” Ruka asked.
Though Inori did not speak, Ruka could tell she wanted to test herself against Tsubasa as well.
“Yup. Gotcha.” Ruka nodded. “Hisame-chi, Inorin wants to duel against Tsubasa too.”
“I see. It’s only natural for my pupil to desire a challenge.” Hisame said. “But what to do...”
“If you wish, I’m more than willing to take you both on.” Tsubasa said.
This caused the others to all look at her in surprise. Hisame was the one to speak. “You wish to take on both a master swordsman and her pupil at the same time?”
“I have experience fighting multiple opponents.” Tsubasa said. “And I’m sure that you two would benefit from a team duel.”
“An interesting proposal.” Hisame admitted. “Though I was hoping Kayamori would analyze our duel and give feedback. This might not be as feasible if she has to keep an eye on both my pupil and I at the same time.”
“No worries, I got an easy solution walking over.” Ruka said, holding up a hand. “Hey, Mona-nyan!”
A muscular pink-haired girl walked over. “What is it, Kayamori?”
“Perfect timing. You mind watching Hisame-chi while I watch Inorin? They’re about to duel my new pal Tsubasa. Tsubasa, this is Hisame-chi’s squad-mate, Mona-nyan.”
“I should assume that’s Ruka’s nickname for you and not your actual name?” Tsubasa asked.
“Yes, my actual name is Monaka Tsukishiro.” She sad. “So Ogasahara and Natsume are both duelling you?”
“Yes.” Tsubasa nodded, catching the spare blade Inori tossed.
“You seem quite confidant in your skills.” Monaka observed.
“It’s quite interesting indeed.” Hisame agreed, drawing her blade. “It gets my swordsman blood boiling.”
Wordlessly agreeing, Inori drew out her own blade. Tsubasa drew the spare katana, placing the sheath to the side.
“I think a max limit of three minutes is fine, right?” Hisame asked. “Non-lethal strikes, and a near-direct attack is good enough for a win.”
“I can work under those conditions.” Tsubasa agreed. Inori nodded as well.
“Count us down.” Hisame said.
Monaka held up a hand. “Three... two... one... fight!”
Tsubasa widened her eyes as Hisame took a single step forward and disappeared. She felt the fighting spirit behind, and quickly brought the blade behind her to block Hisame’s strike. Inori tried striking from the front, but Tsubasa quickly pushed back Hisame before slashing outwards to intercept Inori. The two Seraph swordswomen made graceful strikes, but Tsubasa weaved between the blades, almost like a dance. All three swordswomen closed their eyes, relying only on their instincts.
The second the all opened, they disappeared in bursts of speed. All that could be seen on the battlefield were sparks, accompanied by the sound of blades clashing.
“I can barely record this with my eyes!” Ruka shouted. “You getting this all, Mona-nyan?!”
“I am.” Monaka’s eyes were wide as she observed the duel. “Ogasahara and Natsume’s moves are almost like blots out of the darkness, bursting out from still movements. In contrast, Kazanari’s movements are like bolts of lightning; a sharp movement in an instant with devastating power. I’m not sure who has the upper hand in this duel.”
The sound of blades started to slow, as it was clear the combatants were tiring. At the two minute and thirty second mark exactly, the blur cleared as the swordswomen came back into view. Inori and Hisame both had their blades aimed at Tsubasa’s chest. But Tsubasa was holding her sword at just the right angle that a single slash would cut through both of their necks.
“This duel is over.” Monaka said. “It’s a draw.”
All three got out of their positions, sheathing their blades.
“Excellent... I saw no openings at all.” Hisame noted.
“I can say the same for both of you. Ogasahara, your skill is incredible, and I can see how much you’ve taught Natsume” Tsubasa complimented.
“Kukuku... only natural that... a master swordsman like myself could accomplish...” A small burst of blood dripped from Hisame’s mouth as she fell to her knees.
“What?!” Tsubasa took a step back. “I never hit you!”
“No... this is a consequence of my own ability...” Hisame winced. “I can only fight at maximum skill for three minutes... It strains my body...”
“Then why would you-?” Tsubasa started.
“She’s fine.” Monaka said as she walked over. “Don’t scare her, Ogasahara.”
“Yeah, this is her bit.” Ruka added, watching Inori “help” Hisame to her feet. “She just bites her lip to make herself look cooler.”
“Why would you-?” Tsubasa started.
“I am impressed at your skill, Tsubasa Kazanari!” Hisame admitted, abruptly changing the subject. “You truly are a swordsmaster of true character.”
Inori nodded, speaking for the first time. “Thank you for this opportunity.”
Tsubasa smiled. “It was an honor for me to duel you as well. You are both incredibly skilled, working in-tandem to put me on the back foot.”
“Indeed they are.” Monaka nodded. “I’ve fought alongside Ogasahara for a long time, and the skills she passed down to Natsume are showing strong as well.”
“It’s really impressive even though Hisame-chi’s Seraph is a gun.” Ruka added.
“You did NOT need to bring that up, Kayamori!” Hisame snapped.
Tsubasa blinked. “You’re a master swordsman, yet your primary weapon against the Cancer is a firearm?”
“But mine is a GUN! Isn’t that hilarious?! HAHAHAHA!” Hisame cackled insanely.
Inori didn’t speak, but Tsubasa could read from her expression that this was a huge sore point for her mentor.
I should introduce Yukine to her later. Tsubasa thought.
“Though I should ask, Kazanari.” Monaka said. “The way you fight... the style feels almost free, yet some moves feel... incomplete.”
“I normally fight alongside my own team.” Tsubasa admitted.
“It’s not that.” Monaka said. “Some of your moves are clearly one meant to work in-tandem with a partner.”
“Well, she does have a partner.” Ruka chimed in. “I met her today too.”
“I see.” Monaka nodded. “Then treasure your partner well, Tsubasa Kazanari.”
Hisame nodded in agreement, as did Inori.
“I plan on it.” Tsubasa said.
Saying their farewells, the other Seraph Squadron members went their ways.
“Yup. Basically everyone on the base is my pal.” Ruka nodded.
“Your earnest personalty is infectious.” Tsubasa chuckled. “It reminds me a lot of Tachibana.”
“Please, praise me more!” Ruka chuckled. “Anyways, you worked up quite a sweat. Mind if I treat you to a coffee or something?”
“I wouldn’t want to overstep my welcome.” Tsubasa said.
“Eh, don’t worry about it. I got plenty of GP here while you’re kinda broke.” Ruka pointed out.
“That... is a valid observation.” Tsubasa sighed. “I suppose I will have to go with you.”
“Yippie!” Ruka whooped, as Tsubasa chuckled. Ruka’s affable nature really was quite uplifting. She understood exactly why Ruka was the leader of her squad in spite of her perks.
Chris was sitting on a bench with Yuki. The girl with glasses was typing on her mePad.
“So you spend your time sitting on this bench just doing that stuff?” Chris asked, looking at all the data Yuki was sorting through.
“It’s my role in my squad.” Yuki said. “I do this to make sure that we all make it back from the battlefield alive.”
“Jeez, you’re pretty well-geared to do that.” Chris noted.
“Honestly, I’m glad that someone levelheaded is here to hear me talk.” Yuki admitted. “If one of my squadmates were here, they’d probably drive me nuts.”
“Yeah, I totally get where you’re coming from.” Chris nodded. “The others like messing with me and being annoying. Especially that dummy.”
Yuki also nodded. “Like Hibiki is to you, Ruka drives me insane.”
“And at the same time, they’re all irreplaceable and like family, right?” Chris asked.
“Yes! Exactly like that! You get it entirely!” Yuki smiled. “Finally, someone that understands my pain!”
“Need a shoulder to vent on? I’m your girl.” Chris chuckled.
“Well, that’s a difference between us.” Yuki noted. “I’m usually the one venting to others.”
“Okay, enough of us complaining about our friends.” Chris said. “What else do you do? Like, what’s your whole deal?”
“Well, prior to the Seraph Squadron, I was part of Orchid.” Yuki explained. “We were the elite of the elite when it came to hacking.”
“What, like cyber terrorists?” Chris asked.
“The opposite, actually.” Yuki clarified. “We were responsible for stopping cyber crime all around the globe. I don’t mean to brag or anything, but we prevented World War Three from breaking out.”
“No shot, for real?” Chris blinked. “That’s pretty badass.”
“It’s one of the things I take pride in.” Yuki admitted. “That, and something else.”
“There’s more?” Chris asked.
“Yes. Let me introduce you to... this artificial intelligence.” Yuki said, pulling out her mePad. “I programmed this on a whim and it’s grown on its own. Just... don’t laugh, okay?”
“Weird request, but sure.” Chris said.
“...ASS, please introduce yourself.” Yuki grumbled.
“I am ASS. It is nice to meet you.” The voice on the mePad greeted.
...
...
...
“Snrk!” Chris stifled a laugh.
“AHHHHHHHHHH! I KNEW YOU’D REACT LIKE THAT!” Yuki screamed.
“S-Sorry, sorry!” Chris hit her chest to stop herself from laughing further. “It just slipped out! But why did you name it-?”
“I DIDN’T! RUKA DID THIS TO MESS WITH MEEEE!!” Yuki yelled.
“Yeah, that sounds like her from how much I’ve seen.” Chris coughed, getting all the chuckles out.
With Yuki having calmed down, she turned back to Chris. “But yeah, that’s mostly what it’s been with for me.”
“Well, thanks for showing me your ASS-” Chris stumbled on her words, blushing. “Wow it just got worse.”
Having mostly screamed herself exhausted, Yuki merely nodded. “At least it responds well. Ruka keeps joking about it being our child.”
“Let’s quit it with talking about ASS-” Chris winced. “Move this in a different direction.”
“Fine by me.” Yuki said. “Is it fine if we talk about you, then?”
“Eh... I’m not so sure if I’m ready to open up yet.” Chris admitted.
“Then why would you-?”
“Yo, Izumi.” A blonde girl with a large coat walked up. At her side was a shorter girl with pale hair.
“The assassin sisters?” Yuki said. “What brings you here?”
“Seika’s going nuts, nya.” The shorter girl sighed. “She got a new thing and she’s been all over it. We were wondering if you knew what it was all about, nya.”
“Oh, that... that’s from one of our new guests.” Yuki explained.
“The shorty here, huh?” The blonde girl asked, looking at Chris.
“Shorty...?” Chris’ eye twitched.
“Um, these two are from Squad 31-B.” Yuki introduced. “Ichigo and Sumomo Minase.”
“All the squad leaders got info about a few new faces that were temporarily gonna be on base.” Ichigo noted. “She said that they were pretty strong but, it’s kinda weird, y’know?”
“How about I show off?” Chris asked, standing up. “Your commander said something about an arena here, yeah?”
“Over this way, nya.” Sumomo said. “I guess we’re kinda interested to see what you can do, nya.”
Please don’t be a disaster, please don’t be a disaster... Yuki silently begged.
“I mean, I saw the girls you got strapped to your legs.” Chris said. “So I think I can appeal to you two.”
This caused the sisters to blink.
“You know guns?” Ichigo asked.
“I use all kinds of them when I fight.” Chris said. “Pretty much anything ranged.”
“I think we’re gonna like you, nya.” Sumomo smiled.
Yuki breathed out in relief. Seems like things would be fine.
“Hey you’re not a vampire, right?” Chris suddenly asked.
Ichigo blinked. “What?”
“I know Charlotta has an outfit like that, nya.” Sumomo put a hand under her chin. “Maybe we could put sis in that, nya.”
“I’m not doing that.” Ichigo said firmly.
“Hey!” A blonde girl with a superhero-esque costume and mask was running up to them. “Ichigo, I need your opinion on a new script!”
“Not now, Carole!” Ichigo shouted back. “I got a new gun-nut pal to hang out with!”
Megumi had taken Hibiki to the tables outside the cafeteria, where the two were talking about their abilities.
“You use the power of song to transform and fight monsters, huh?” Megumi said.
“Yeah, that about sums it up.” Hibiki nodded.
“So it’s like a karaoke armor, right?” Megumi asked.
“I... guess so.” Hibiki admitted.
“Well, I think it’s pretty cool.” Megumi admitted. “Transformin’ to fight monsters and villains? That’s some total Savior type stuff there.”
“I don’t really think it’s anything like that.” Hibiki rubbed the back of her head. “I just want to help people.”
“That’s also some Savior type stuff!” Megumi said.
“Why do you keep saying that?” Hibiki asked.
“Because I’m a Savior myself.” Megumi chuckled. “Wanna see what I can do?”
“Sure thing!” Hibiki said.
“Watch this.” Megumi poured a glass of water. “Keep an eye on the cup, yeah?”
Hibiki nodded, staring at the glass.
Megumi’s fingers started to spark. “Hoooh... like this!”
The water rose out of the glass. Hibiki’s eyes were wide as pie plates.
“You’re lookin’ at a prodigy psychic here!” Megumi chuckled, as she made the water dance around her.
“That’s so cool!” Hibiki had stars in her eyes.
“You fought Gods and ya think this is impressive?” Megumi blinked.
“It’s what makes you special, right?” Hibiki grinned.
“Heh, guess that’s true.” Megumi smiled. “Yer pretty humble for the girl that saved her world.”
“That’s where Chris-chan would call me airheaded or something.” Hibiki chuckled. “Oh, is it okay if I can call you Megumi-chan?”
Megumi was conflicted at the suggestion, all while spinning the water. She was pretty sure that she was older than Hibiki, but there’s also the fact that Hibiki herself was a big step-up than usual.
“Delivery!”
Megumi’s concentration broke as she splashed herself with water. “Glub!”
A pink-haired girl in a blue vest rolled up on her skateboard, giving it to a pink-haired girl in a black jacket and a tanned teal-haired girl.
“Thanks for the towels, Minori.” Chiroru Matsuoka said. “Filming is pretty hot today.”
“No issue. Thanks for the business!” Minori Ohshima said, skating away.
“Hey, Megumi. You need a towel?” Maki Kurosawa held one up.
“Yeah. ‘Preciate it.” Megumi grumbled, as Hibiki looked almost apologetic.
Period 4
Tsukasa had taken Maria to the library of the base, where there were a lot of books all over the shelves.
“It’s an impressive library, but why bring me here?” Maria asked.
“Well, I did think that you’d want to know more from our world.” Tsukasa said. “And where else to learn more about our world than a library? A quiet place like this is also helpful for a conversation.”
“How insightful of you.” Maria chuckled.
“I have to be on top of things.” Tsukasa looked proud. “I am an Elite Intel Agent, after all.”
“Does this Elite Intel Agent also read light novels?”
Tsukasa looked down to see she had instinctively grabbed one off the shelf. “Ah! Sorry!”
“It’s fine, really.” Maria smiled. “I won’t judge what you like to read... even if that cover is quite suggestive.”
“Ugh...” Tsukasa silently chided herself. “I’ll just take you to the history section before I make myself look stupid.”
“You should have more confidence in yourself.” Maria advised. “I’m sure you’re irreplaceable to your team.”
“I suppose that’s true...”
“So keep pushing forward, alright?” Maria assured her. “I’m rooting for you.”
“Mama...” Tsukasa cooed.
“Excuse me?”
Tsukasa blushed and bowed in apology. “Ah, I’m so sorry!”
Maria blinked a few times. “Is... Is there something you’d like to explain?”
“W-Well, one of our Seraph Squadron members is so caring to everyone that practically everyone mentally regresses to that of a baby in her presence.” Tsukasa explained.
Maria didn’t know how high her brow could go as she heard this.
“B-But also...” Tsukasa looked away. “Well, it’s nothing really.”
Maria could tell that Tsukasa was going into a touchy subject and decided to avoid pushing further. They had grabbed some of the world history books and moved to one of the tables. Though they were surprised to see that it was occupied by a few other Seraph Squad members.
“Nay, nay, nay! I refuse to let you write about Japanese tradition in that matter!” A girl wearing a fox mask said in a hushed voice.
“B-But it’s for my sisters...” An older girl in a green beret muttered.
A blonde girl sighed, overlooking the two. She noticed Tsukasa and Maria’s approach. “Ah, Tojo. And you are...?”
“This is a guest on base, Maria Cadenzavna Eve.” Tsukasa introduced. “Maria, may I introduce you to squad 30-G’s leader and beauty on the base, Yuina Shirakawa.”
“I don’t think of myself that way.” Yuina chuckled, shaking Maria’s hand. “Though perhaps you two can help here.”
“What seems to be the problem?” Maria asked.
“The girl in the fox mask is another member of 30-G, Miya Kiryu. The girl in the beret is the leader of squad 31-E, Ichiko Ohshima.” Tsukasa explained. “Though I’m not sure what would cause these two to come into conflict.”
“I just wanted to draw a picture book for my sisters...” Ichiko said.
“Your sisters?” Maria asked.
“Yes, all five of them.”
“F-Five?!”
“They’re sextuplets.” Yuina explained. “A squad consisting of six sisters.”
“I see... but Miya here is having problems with it?” Maria asked.
“She wants to make it a lewd book based around Japanese culture!” Miya nearly screamed.
“I just thought that the beauty of the body would help them be more engaged with it.” Ichiko said.
“And to that I say nay, nay, nay!” Miya waved a hand.
“This is incredibly stupid.” Tsukasa said, her voice harsh.
“Tsukasa?” Maria was surprised by her friend’s sudden change of tone.
“She can explain this to you later.” Tsukasa said. “Right now, I believe we should leave and ignore this ridiculousness.”
I see Tojo has entered her Awakened state. I hope Maria isn’t too shocked. Yuina thought. Still, neither of these two are backing down. I’m still not sure how to-
“I’m not sure making a book like this is appropriate.” Maria admitted, as Miya vigorously nodded. “Yet at the same time, you can look at it more from the eyes of business.”
“From the eyes of business?” Miya asked.
“It’s a lot like how celebrities have swimsuit shots on magazine covers, where over half the time it’s just to get interested readers.” Maria said. “Perhaps it can be similar here.”
“Well, drawing bodies is quite hard. I can work with drawing clothes.” Ichiko nodded.
“And if the Japanese culture is not being tainted directly, I suppose I can concede here.” Miya added.
“There we go.” Maria smiled. “Everyone wins here, right?”
What in the world is this?! Yuina widened her eyes. She managed to calm them both down in an instant?! It’s identical to the motherly aura from Murofushi! Who is this amazing woman?
“Are you amazed?” Tsukasa asked Yuina.
“I suppose I am.” Yuina was calm compared to her internal thoughts. “Thank you for your assistance, Maria.”
“Happy to help.” Maria smiled.
Kirika and Tama were on the bridge overlooking the water. Tama had cast a line out, as they were waiting for a bite.
“How often do the fish come, dess?” Kirika asked.
“Very rarely, but when they do, they’re big fish!” Tama said.
“So we won’t have to wait too long, dess?” Kirika looked into the water.
“Not long at all!” Tama said. “After all, something like this is what I was made for!”
“You really like sea stuff, huh, dess?” Kirika noted.
“I was practically born for the sea.” Tama said. “And the sea is for me!”
“Even though this is like a lake...” Kirika noted. “But what do you mean you were made for this, dess?”
“Oh, I was basically specifically raised to be a ship captain.” Tama said. “Ever since I was young, that’s all I can remember.”
“That sounds harsh, dess...” Kirika’s smile seemed to droop.
“Maybe, but I still loved sailing and everything that comes with it!” Tama declared. “But tonight, we will dine on the biggest fish!”
“Okay, dess!” Kirika said. “Let’s do it!”
“Again with the fishing?” A pink-haired girl with an angler fish hat walked up. “You know the best fish are in deeper waters!”
“Who are you, dess?” Kirika asked.
“Aina Mizuhara.” The girl said. “I know all about fish, and I can tell you that you won’t get something big here.”
“Dess?! But we’ve been standing here for hours! Tama said they’ll come, dess!” Kirika said.
“She usually had Kayamori with her and they were a bit desperate with what they did catch.” Aina said. “But I can take you both to a better fishing spot, to get all the fish we need.”
“That’s better then standing here!” Tama said.
“I’ll go into the water and catch them myself, dess!” Kirika declared.
“Then with you two assisting me, we’ll have a feast fit for the Seraph Squadron!” Aina put her hands on her hips. “Let’s go together!”
A brown-haired girl with an eyepatch walked by the three, only to suddenly stop.
“Why do I sense hundreds of souls about to leave this plane of existence?” Kozue Hiiragi wondered. “And they’re all... fishy...?”
Karen was hanging out with Shirabe at the arcade. Shirabe watched with amazement as Karen absolutely killed it at the games.
“Wow...” Shirabe saw Karen’s hands dance across the game with grace as she made zero wasteful movements.
“It might be a bit boring not playing, but I kind of wanted to show off a bit.” Karen admitted.
“It is pretty cool.” Shirabe said. “I remember some of the others said that Hibiki-san hit the arcade machine and screeched like a pterodactyl.”
“That sounds like something our own leader would do.” Karen said, thinking about Ruka.
“You look up to her a lot, it feels like.” Shirabe said.
“Yup. She’s a bit silly at times, but always knows how to pull through.” Karen said.
Shirabe was curious. “Silly how?”
Before Karen could elaborate further, a brown-haired girl in formal butler-esque wear walked up. “Pardon me.”
“Oh, hi there Yanagi.” Karen greeted. “Shirabe, this is the leader of squad 31-F, Mion Yanagi.”
“Hello.” Shirabe greeted.
Yanagi nodded. “Apologies for interrupting your game session, but one was passing by with my lady and her friend.”
Shirabe looked over to see two shorter girls peeking over. One had a blue beret and the other was wearing witches robes. “Um...”
“Kanata Maruyama and Miko Tenne.” Karen identified.
“Thanks.” Shirabe said, before turning back to Yanagi. “Why come over?”
“Well, they were just wondering if you, the new arrival on the base, were aware of Asakura’s other side.” Yanagi explained.
“Aware of what?” Shirabe asked.
“That it’s KARRIE now!” Karen’s eyes turned red as her cat hoodie sharpened into horns. “And every single one of you now will be a stain on the floor!”
Predictably, both Kanata and Miko screamed and ducked behind the corner. Shirabe and Yanagi on the other hand, were both unfazed.
“Does it not scare you that you’re alone with a serial killer?!” Karrie asked, annoyed.
“I’m a former terrorist.” Shirabe said simply. “And I fought monsters that are far scarier.”
“Likewise, one has put away scum far more terrifying than a simple serial killer.” Yanagi fixed her gloves.
“Also you can’t exactly summon your weapon and I can...” Shirabe added.
“And one is more than capable of apprehending you, should you move even an inch towards my lady.” Yanagi said.
“Tch, these two aren’t going to make an entertaining end.” Karrie grumbled. Her hoodie went back to normal, as her eyes went from harsh to soft. “Ah, sorry about that.”
“As long as there are no further complications.” Yanagi said, as she walked off to go find Kanata and Miko (Karrie sent them running for the hills).
“Sorry, Shirabe.” Karen apologized. “I hope I didn’t scare you.”
“No worries. I’ve dealt with this before.”
Karen blinked. “Wait, what do you mean you dealt with-?”
“It’s a bit of a long story.” Shirabe admitted.
“Well, I have time to listen.” Karen said. “I think Karrie might actually be interested too.”
“If that’s the case... it starts with a lot of ancient history, even more that was explained earlier...” Shirabe started.
After School
After a filling lunch of various fish dishes (Kirika looked weirdly guilty) and sharing what happened during their little excursions, Squad 31-A guided the SONG girls to the spare dorm room, where it already been cleaned up for them. The room was pretty bare aside from the beds, coffee table, couches, desks and chairs, but it was to be expected considering this was a temporary residence.
“So these are how all your rooms look like?” Maria asked, running a hand across a desk, only to find it was spotless. No traces of dust at all.
“Well, usually they’re customized since we live here long term.” Tsukasa said. “But it’s the same general formation.”
“So what do defenders of humanity like you guys do in your spare time?” Chris asked, sitting down on one of the couches.
“Defenders of humanity, huh?” Megumi grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
“Don’t get a big head.” Yuki said, before turning to the others. “Well, I suppose it might surprise, but Ruka here is the leader of a band, and we’re the other members.”
“You’re a musician?” Tsubasa asked, surprised.
“Yep.” Ruka smiled. “The lead guitarist and a vocalist of the group. Yukkie is on the drums, Megumin plays rhythm guitar, Tsukassie is on keyboard, Cappy is bassist and Karerin is also vocals. Together, we are She is Legend; Tokyo’s sensation reborn!”
Ruka had struck a dramatic pose. Megumi held up her hands and created electricity for dramatic effect.
“Wait, like the Will Smith movie?” Chris asked.
“Hold on, Will Smith exists in your world too?” Ruka asked.
“Oh, that’s really cool!” Hibiki said. “It’s just like Tsubasa-san and Maria-san!”
The electricity stopped as Squad 31-A turned to the older girls. “Huh?”
“Yup!” Kirika made jazz hands towards them. “Presenting the Queens of Music, dess!”
“You are aware that was just the name of our joint concert. We’re not officially a duo.” Tsubasa said.
“Well it fits you two.” Chris chuckled.
“Queens of Music?” Tsukasa questioned.
“Tsubasa-san and Maria are world famous idols.” Shirabe explained. “They’ve travelled the globe together a lot to perform all around the world. Though it’s mostly Maria bodyguarding Tsubasa-san.”
“A-Around the world?!” Tama breathed out.
“We’re like small potatoes compared to that...” Megumi muttered.
“Shirabe, were you boasting for us?” Maria sighed.
Though Shirabe’s stoic expression remained, she did have a small smirk. As for the leader of She is Legend...
“Uh... do I gotta bow my head, shine your shoes or something like that?” Ruka’s voice was shaky. “I didn’t realize you were the real deal, haha...”
“N-No, you don’t have to do that.” Tsubasa sweatdropped.
“Her prideful personality is gone...” Yuki murmured. “I didn’t realize how much respect she had for musicians of a higher degree...”
“You guys shouldn’t have done that.” Chris chided Kirika and Shirabe.
“We wanted to show them off, dess!” Kirika looked proud as Shirabe nodded in agreement.
Tsubasa sighed and shook her head. “Ruka, if you don’t mind, why don’t you show us some of your skill?”
“Really?” Ruka asked. “I’m kind of a mouse compared to you guys...”
“No you’re not.” Maria said. “Music is a way of communication, and I’m sure you’ve touched the hearts of many with your songs. So believe us when we say we don’t see you in a different light in the slightest just because you performed on a lower scale.”
“If that’s the case...” Ruka’s smile returned. “Allow me to show you where She is Legend practices!”
“You bounced back pretty quickly...” Yuki noted.
Evening
The Symphogears were led into the woods on base, leading to an old storage building. Entering, they saw how Squad 31-A had refurbished the room into a rather impressive studio. It was clear there was a lot of passion put into their practice area.
“I’m amazed, Ruka.” Tsubasa said, running her finger across the keyboard. “A place like this isn’t that far off from where I’d practice.”
Ruka chuckled. “It’s my pride and joy to have a place like this, ready for music making.”
“Could you play us a song?” Maria asked, sitting down on one of the chairs.
“Well, what do you say, girls?” Ruka asked her band.
“I can’t exactly say no now, can I?” Yuki sighed.
“No one said anything yet.” Megumi said. “Ya agreed before anyone could even say anything.”
“I’m just getting it out of the way ahead of time since I know everyone would say yes.” Yuki said. “What song should we show, Ruka?”
Ruka put a hand under her chin. “I say we give them the She is Legend special and introduce them to our style with “Burn My Soul.””
“Our first song, huh?” Karen smiled.
“Then we can’t disappoint them!” Tama raised a fist.
“I agree!” Tsukasa nodded, already excited.
The other SONG members had also sat down, anticipating the incoming song. Ruka grinned as she grabbed her guitar. She strummed the strings once, as her friends got into position. “Alright then, listen to our song!”
(Insert Burn My Soul by She is Legend)
From the first opening notes, the song was already exploding into action as all the instruments blasted into a powerful intro. Ruka and Karen’s vocals tied it all together as they started to sing. Hibiki and Kirika were already getting into the mood with cheers, while Chris and Shirabe were quieter with their enjoyment. On the other hand, Tsubasa and Maria were practically studying the performance.
The way she carries herself... there’s such a casual confidence to it. Tsubasa noted, watching Ruka sing and play guitar. It’s different from my own performances. I can understand why she saw success in her world.
With one final guitar strum and beat of the drums, She is Legend finished their performance. The SONG agents clapped, though Hibiki and Kirika in particular gave a standing ovation.
“Ta da!” Ruka had a proud smile on her face, any sense of nervousness and uncertainty gone. “That’s the new She is Legend in action! What did you think? Did we blow your socks off?”
“It was so good!” Hibiki whooped. “So cool!”
“Cool.” Shirabe parroted.
“Yeah, pretty damn good.” Chris agreed.
“Encore, encore, dess!” Kirika said.
“Hold up a sec.” Ruka held a hand up. “I wanna get the constructive criticism from the experts.”
“It’s very different from our own music, we can say that.” Maria noted.
“Yet at the same time, I can hear the passion and soul behind your music.” Tsubasa smiled. “The songs you and your friends play will bring joy to the world, Ruka.”
“A super passing grade and first name basis!” Ruka grinned. “I call that a perfect score!”
“Normally I’m not the one to comment this, but it does feel nice having our work validated by experts.” Yuki admitted.
“This makes us pros, yeah?” Megumi asked.
“I think the lack of all the musical celebrities nowadays means we are by default.” Tsukasa said.
“Pro leagues, yeah!” Tama cheered.
“I think that’s for baseball specifically...” Karen noted.
“I’d like to listen to your other songs some time.” Tsubasa said.
“Glad to hear it, but we really gotta get to writing a new song.” Ruka said. “We do concerts pretty often, so we gotta cook up a tune.”
“We’re a bit behind schedule, though.” Tsukasa said. “The last few missions took a bit longer than we thought.”
“And we can’t just play one of our old songs as the opening act.” Yuki said. “Those should be saved for the encores.”
“Wait, I think I got an idea!” Hibiki raised a hand.
“What is it?” Karen asked.
“Our group is pretty musically talented! What if we help out with a song of ours?” Hibiki suggested.
“Hmm... that is an idea.” Ruka agreed. “We can take a bit of a backseat then and focus on music. Karerin and I can be supporting vocals then.”
“But, like them, we can’t just use one of our old songs.” Tsubasa said.
“We’re in another world though.” Maria pointed out. “So one of our old songs would technically be new here. I’d be fine introducing this world to some of ours.”
“Plus, if we play a cover of it, that’s not the same as you guys just, playing a recording of your old stuff.” Ruka said.
“I suppose that’s true.” Tsubasa agreed. “I’d be honored to bring our music to your world.”
“You guys got a music video or something you can play?” Ruka asked. “Show us your songs so we can get a good idea and decide which one to do.”
“We’re gonna have to make it a movie night.” Chris chuckled. “There are a lot of songs.”
Night 1
After about an hour of showing videos, the SONG agents reconvened in their borrowed dorm to discuss everything that had transpired. They had finished summarizing everything after their arrival, and also reported anything significant they learned from their free time with the members of Squad 31-A. In particular, they were enjoying their recollection of the other Seraph Squad members they met today.
“Delivery folk, sword fighters, assassins, marine biologists, butlers, and even sextuplets, huh...” Chris went through a few.
“There’s a lot of nice people on the base!” Hibiki said.
“I think “nice” isn’t the correct word, but they were polite.” Shirabe said. “But it is surprising to know that Squad 31-A has two people that can switch personalities on a whim.”
“Tsukasa and Karen.” Maria said, remembering what Tsukasa had explained to her, and what Shirabe reported. “I’d imagine their teams had gotten used to it by now, but it was surprising hearing Tsukasa so harsh in this “Awakened” state of hers..”
“It’s weird that Karrie feels just as natural as Karen.” Shirabe added.
“We can’t really talk when it comes to weirdness, dess.” Kirika pointed out.
“Though this is a step-above our usual weirdness.” Chris admitted.
“So, what’s the final verdict?” Maria asked. “And I don’t need your answer, Hibiki.”
“Ahaha...” Hibiki rubbed the back of her head. “I’m that predictable, huh...”
“I believe they’re all trustworthy allies.” Tsubasa concluded.
“Same here, dess!” Kirika nodded with Shirabe.
“Yeah they’re weird, but we can’t really talk.” Chris admitted.
Maria looked out the window. The moon was hidden behind the clouds. “Still, to fight in a war at such a young age...”
“It’s not that different from our fight with the Noise and more.” Chris noted. “Though this world wasn’t as lucky as we were.”
“And we really can’t help them more than we already are?” Hibiki asked.
“We don’t really have the right to interfere with this world.” Tsubasa said. “We don’t know the potential catastrophic outcomes if we extend our hand too far. We need to remove the Noise threat here, as that’s our responsibility.”
“But this is dimension travel, not time travel, dess.” Kirika said.
“I understand it though.” Shirabe said. “I’d feel weird if someone super strong just showed up and solved all our world’s problems. We can’t do that either.”
“And evacuation to our world is just not feasible, even with the significantly lowered population.” Maria added. “Not to mention how they can’t even go through Gjallarhorn without a Symphogear.”
“Man, this still sucks.” Chris grumbled. “We’re helping, but it’s more like we’re cleaning up our mess.”
There was a knock on the door, and Hibiki stepped up to open it. “Oh, hi Ruka!”
“Yo, Bikki.” Ruka waved. “You guys all here?”
“Yeah, why?” Hibiki asked.
“Was wondering if you guys wanted to wash up with us.” Ruka asked.
Chris raised a brow. Having a good grip on Ruka’s mischievous nature, she half-expected an ulterior motive. Yet Ruka’s offer was completely genuine.
Night 2
“You are the worst sometimes, you know that?” Yuki asked, sitting in the bath.
“Come on, I’m innocent here!” Ruka protested, getting in next to her.
The two teams had gathered in the baths for some quality bonding time. Yuki looked around at everybody, but noted the rather well-toned bodies of the Symphogear-users.
“Holy crap, those are some nice muscles on ya, Hibiki!” Megumi said, staring at Hibiki’s body.
“Well, I do train a lot.” Hibiki said. “The others are saying I’m starting to look like my Master.”
“Ya gotta arm-wrestle Karrie sometime!” Megumi looked excited at the idea.
“They’ll break the table, dess!” Kirika said.
“But it would be cool...” Tama mused.
“You know, they could always arm wrestle on the floor instead.” Shirabe pointed out.
Karen chuckled. “I think the floor would break too...”
“Wow...” Tsukasa was staring at Maria’s beautifully-toned body. One fitting of an idol of her status.
“Do you want me to wash your back for you?” Maria offered.
“You seriously asked six girls you met in one day to join us in the bath?” Yuki asked. “There’s got to be a catch here.”
“I say believe her.” Chris was sitting on the edge of the tub. “And I’m pretty good at picking up when people are being weirdos.”
“There’s nothing like a warm soak to bring us closer.” Tsubasa agreed, rinsing the soap off her well-toned idol body, honed by years of training. “I appreciate the offer, Ruka.”
“Anytime, Basa!” Ruka grinned. “Seriously, anytime. I’m down for some bath-time songwriting or something.”
“Why did you make it sound like an innuendo?” Yuki asked, irritated.
“I was talking about actual songwriting. You’re the one that thought it was something else.” Ruka chuckled.
Realizing she could feel the stares of the others, Yuki slid into the water as if attempting to hide.
Ruka leaned back, sighing happily. “Nothing beats bath time.”
Late Night
Normally around this time, Ruka would be in bed, but found herself waking up. Nature called for everyone, after all.
After relieving herself in the bathroom, she realized that someone else was also up at this hour. Tsubasa was sitting at one of the lounge tables. She was in a pair of borrowed pyjamas, reading through several folders.
“Hey, Basa. Whatcha up to this late?” Ruka asked
“Ah, Ruka. Did I wake you?”
“Nah, I had to use the bathroom.” Ruka said, sitting down at the table. “What are you doing this late?”
“I’m used to operating without much sleep due to training.” Tsubasa explained. “I was using this opportunity to go through a few files your commander provided.”
“Provided about what?”
“When Will Smith was mentioned earlier, I was curious to see if our worlds shared any similarities with famous figures.” Tsubasa said. “I’m surprised to see several names, and how the histories of our worlds are relatively similar.”
“Really? That’s pretty cool.” Ruka said. “Ooh, maybe there were other versions of you guys here, or maybe we even got versions of us over there!”
“That’s entirely possible, but the commander said that it’d be difficult to receive the data for us to check here.” Tsuabsa said. “I do plan on seeing the situation from our world when we return home.”
“Yeah that makes sense.” Ruka leaned back in her chair. “If you guys do find a “me” over there, I wonder what I’m like...”
“I’m sure she’d also be a talented musician like yourself.” Tsubasa said.
“Thanks for the ego boost.” Ruka grinned, as Tsubasa let out a small chuckle. “Man, we’ve only met for a day, but I like this little wavelength we got going on. Musicians gotta stick together, yeah?”
Tsubasa smiled. “You sound quite a lot like Tachibana when you speak like that. She says a lot of similar things along the lines of “reaching out”.”
“Then I just gotta talk to Bikki more.” Ruka concluded. “But when we got more free time, I wanna talk more with you too, y’know?”
“That can be arranged.” Tsubasa agreed. “I did enjoy this talk.”
“I got to ask.” Ruka sat up. “How jealous would the people of your world be, knowing that I’m having a casual one-on-one talk with one of their most popular idols?”
“You’d thank everything that you’re a talented musician and that you and I are just discussing a potential collaborative work.” Tsubasa said.
“Jeez, idol fans are real scary...”