Chapter 1: Awakened Aegis

Symphogear is a powerful gear used by characters in Senki Zesshou Symphogear, enabling them to fight while singing. Singing serves as their primary source of power; the more the song resonates with the user, the stronger their abilities become. If they reach a certain level of vocal resonance, known as Superb Song Phonic Gain, they can access their ultimate form.

I find myself reflecting on this as I gaze into a river and see my reflection wearing the Symphogear outfit, suggesting that I am one of the users. However, I am confused because I lack knowledge about this world. In the anime, there are seven relic shards, although one is erased and only returns for the finale. I know the game expands on this, but when I attempted to play it, the global server had closed due to a lack of popularity, and I struggle with reading Japanese.

Now, it's time to face reality. The word "Relic" suddenly appears in my mind, and I think of Aegis.

If we consider the origin of Aegis in Greek mythology, it primarily revolves around the concept of shields, which leaves me feeling conflicted. I notice Hibiki running away while holding the hand of a small girl, indicating we are at the beginning of the timeline.

I am certain Hibiki will awaken the relic shard within her, but just in case things go awry, I decide to follow them. I sense that the relic grants only a small amount of power, likely because I am not singing at the moment. This surprises me, as it suggests we can use the gear without singing.

However, I understand why they sing; without song, the power is barely there. I can now jump from roof to roof with ease, but it drains my stamina quickly, reminding me that I am still just a normal person. As I approach a climax, I see Hibiki transform for the first time, which means Tsubasa has already dealt with the Noise and is now pursuing this wild one.

This is my first encounter with Noise, and I find it quite creepy. The normal Noise resembles a Kaiju from Ultraman, although I can’t recall its name. I spot a Noise aiming for Hibiki from a distance, so I step in to block its attack, but I notice that the Noise that shot is gone, indicating Tsubasa is getting closer. I quickly hide away.

I was thinking about my Symphogear, which originally served as a shield. If I remember correctly, it has roots in Greek mythology. I decided to create a cloak that drapes over my arm, and it worked. Although the shape looks rather modern, I was satisfied with the result. I also designed a visor that covers my entire face except for my mouth, and that worked as well.

This new setup eased my worries about being exposed, especially since I thought Tsubasa had come to rescue Hibiki, just like in the original story. However, I noticed an attack heading straight for the kid. While Tsubasa was arguing with Hibiki, they didn't see it coming, so I dashed in and covered her with a shield that had spontaneously appeared in my right hand.

I caught a glimpse of the shocked expressions on Hibiki's and Tsubasa's faces, but before they could question me, I quickly dashed away. I tried to create a shield similar to the one Cinque uses in Dog Days to glide through the sky, and it worked! The shield on my legs spewed fire as I flew toward the last Noise and defeated it by throwing small shields at its face.

Afterward, I found an empty spot and canceled the transformation. To my relief, I didn't turn into a girl when I reverted back, as I could still feel my junior down there. Feeling grateful, I slowly made my way back to my apartment to get some sleep.

In the underground headquarters of the Special Disaster Response Team Section Two, Hibiki was absorbing the news about Symphogear and how she came to possess it. The revelation surprised her, but then she remembered the fragment of the relic inside her. Slowly, she asked about a third girl who was also using Symphogear.

"A third one, you say?"

"Yes. Genjuro, did you know anything about this?"

"So far, no. Tsubasa, as far as I know, Japan has only two Symphogears: Gungnir and Ame no Habakiri. While there are relics out there, the only information we have received indicates that only two Symphogears have been made. Besides, Symphogear Adaptors are incredibly rare, and you know this, right Tsubasa? Still, that doesn't explain this third girl. What do you think, Ryoko?"

"Hmm... While I was indeed the one who proposed the theory that Symphogear is based on existing technology, that theory has already spread. It's not surprising that someone managed to create a third one. The question is: who, and from what relic did they create it?"

"So for now, the third girl remains a mystery... But since she is fighting Noise to protect children, she must be a good person, right Tsubasa?"

"I don't know. Besides, we still don't know which organization she comes from, so I'm not going to trust her like you do."

Tsubasa glared at Hibiki before leaving the headquarters. Hibiki looked down, but Genjuro placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, prompting her to look up.

"So, Hibiki, do you want to help us fight Noise and protect the world?"

"YES! PLEASE LET ME DO IT, Genjuro."

"Good! That's the spirit."

That day, the Special Disaster Response Team Section Two welcomed a new Symphogear user to replace their fallen member, Kanade, the previous owner of Gungnir, which had been lost during the massive Noise attack two years ago.

It was morning, and I decided to skip class due to the events of the previous night. I looked at my naked body and noticed a large scar on my back, the origin of which I couldn't recall.

I had just regained memories from my past life when I turned 15, during my third year of junior high. I realized I was the only one living in the apartment since my parents had died, and the only person providing me with money was my aunt.

My parents had died in a Noise attack while I visited their workplace a couple of years ago.

I had apparently been in a coma and woke up when I was 14. Fortunately, no one pressured me about my memories, as I barely remembered my parents in this life. However, my situation was urgent because I had become a Symphogear user.

This was strange since Symphogear can only be used by women, and compatibility is rare. Because of this, there are very few Symphogear users, and other countries have developed different methods to fight Noise.

Despite being a man, I attempted to transform again. To my surprise, the words came to me, but the final word bothered me—it ended with "Zizl" instead of "Tron," as is typical for most transformations. The only users whose holy chants ended that way were Kanade, Maria, and Miku.

Nevertheless, I managed to transform. Perhaps due to the settings I used last night, the visor and cloak that draped over my arm were still there. I decided to remove the cloak and visor for the moment, as I needed to inspect my new body.

It was clear that I had become a woman, which wasn't surprising since all Symphogear users are female. However, it was a shock to see my chest had grown larger than Maria's. Touching it confirmed the change.

Essentially, my situation resembled that of Soji Mitsuka, the protagonist from "Ore, Twintail ni Narimasu." This was a huge shock, as it meant I might need to sing to fight Noise in the future. I decided to try singing a bit and recorded it.

After replaying the recording, I can only sit in silence, amazed that my voice has improved and that I can sing. This makes me wonder if it's a bonus from reincarnation. I decided to cancel my transformation and tried recording my singing again.

The result was average—not as good as when I transformed, but still at a listenable level. This left me conflicted, as I am just an ordinary person with barely any training compared to other Symphogear users. For now, I decided to go for a run.

One reason for running was to clear my head while contemplating the future. Although I know the storyline from watching the anime, I'm not entirely sure if this world follows it. There's a possibility it could follow the game route, in which case most of my knowledge might become irrelevant.

In the game, you can explore alternate timelines, essentially "what if" scenarios. Due to a certain relic, characters even crossover into the real world, complicating matters. I recall this happening near the end of the third or possibly the fourth season of the anime, but I'm not certain since I never played the game—it was only available globally for a couple of months.

"Watch out!"

Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me aside as a car passed by. I realized that overthinking while running is not a good idea. Turning to see who helped me, I found Hibiki, dressed in her usual training outfit.

"You need to be careful while running; cars often pass by on this road."

"Oh, right. Thanks... uh..."

"Oh, sorry! My name is Hibiki. What's yours?"

"Ah, I'm Mamoru."

"Mamoru? Like 'to protect'?"

"No, it's the other kanji. My parents wanted me to become someone who guards the people."

"Heh... that's a nice name."

"Thanks! Are you running around here too?"

"Yeah, my school is nearby. Look over there."

Lydian Private Music Academy was closer to my apartment than I had thought. Apparently, my aunt left a message saying I would be entering next year, as that is what I want. However, since I am in a coma, I never attended this school.

"I hear the idol Tsubasa is a student at this school as well, so you've probably seen her in person, right?"

"Ahahahahaha! Compared to her, I'm just a normal girl."

"Well, I'll be joining that school next year, so maybe we’ll meet."

"Oh, is that so? Let’s meet when that happens." Suddenly, an alarm rang from her watch, and she paled. "Oh, sorry! I'm going to be late, so I have to go. See you!"

"Off she goes. So, that’s the protagonist, huh?"

She still has a tough road ahead, as there will be many obstacles to overcome. That's what initially drew me to her. Now, I have a front-row seat to watch her journey and maybe even help her overcome those challenges—once I become strong enough.

After exploring Lydian Private Music Academy, which is much larger than I expected, I headed to an abandoned factory to train with my Symphogear.

For now, I can create all kinds of shields and even some special ones, like the surfing shield I used last night to fly. Essentially, as long as the concept is similar to a shield, I can create it however I want. Next, I experimented with singing and without singing, and the difference was staggering; without singing, my effectiveness dropped by about 80 to 90%, which was awful and showed just how important singing is.

Then I tried something more ambiguous, like camouflage, and confirmed that it worked—I became invisible! However, if I used other shields, the camouflage disappeared. Interestingly, if I only walked or ran, it remained active, which reminded me of the optional trigger Chameleon from World Trigger.

While I wanted to experiment further, I noticed people approaching, so I activated my camouflage and transformed back before heading home to my apartment.