Chapter 12: A break from everything

It's been a week since that incident, and just like in the anime, Fine is focused on raising the Nephilim after absorbing the overflow phonic gain from Hibiki, Chris, and Tsubasa's swan song. This week, however, I've been receiving a hard backlash for my transformation.

Scandal after scandal is piling up, and the other idols are avoiding me like the plague. Tsubasa is trying her best to help, but ultimately, this is something I need to handle myself. Shinji and I are planning to hold a press conference after the festival. While I think it would be a good time to retire from the idol business, I have a feeling Tsubasa would be angry about that.

I'm still keeping up with my lessons, but the same can't be said for Hibiki. Shirabe's words struck deep, which is understandable, considering Shirabe thinks Hibiki doesn't understand their pain. I think both of them were harsh, and if you ask me which is worse, it's hard to say. From my outside perspective, their pain seems equal.

Then, just like in the anime, Hibiki got yelled at by the teacher for ignoring the lesson, which makes me pity her a bit. But still, if I remember correctly, tonight is the start of our mission to chase Fine, even though they're using an anti-linker, which is basically a nerf that lowers phonic gain the more you're exposed to it.

For now, I probably need to focus on the mission ahead.

As I said tonight, this is the start of our mission: raiding an abandoned hospital. According to Shinji's interrogation earlier, the Yakuza are importing things here. It looks creepy, and as we enter, a red gas starts to spread.

"Uhh... as expected from an abandoned hospital."

"What is it? Are you scared by any chance?"

"That's not it, Chris. The air just feels heavy."

As expected of Hibiki. Even though she doesn't know about the anti-linker, she already feels its effects. That's normal, though, because I'm feeling it too, since we both have relics inside our bodies, making us sensitive to this kind of thing.

"You three, focus. The Noise are here."

Just as Tsubasa says, the Noise start appearing one after another, so we begin our holy chants.

"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron."

"Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri tron."

"Killter Ichaival tron."

"Custodire Welt Aegis Zizl."

After finishing the transformation sequence, the first thing I do is slip a small shield to the three of them to divert the strain from using their powers inside the anti-linker field. Though their power is still dropping as we kill them, they're revived because of it.

"Mei, cover Yukine. Tachibana and I are moving forward."

"Okay, Tsubasa."

"Make sure to protect me, Mei."

"Yeah, sure."

We continue to fight, but the strain is getting to me. I can feel myself having a hard time breathing. Still, I think it's time. A black creature with orange lines for eyes starts attacking us, though Hibiki and Tsubasa counter it.

"It took a direct hit from armed gear, and it's still standing!"

"Damn, why won't it break down?"

"Don't tell me that wasn't a Noise we heard?"

"Then what the hell is that thing? Do you know, Mei?"

"Well, I do, but the guy behind it should appear now."

As if on cue, a clapping sound drew their attention. Dr. Vel appeared, and Nephilim obediently entered the small cage.

"You guys are more stubborn than I thought."

"Impossible! Dr. Vel was missing during the Noise attack."

"Which means the perpetrator behind everything, including the Noise attack, was..."

"Well, once the trick is revealed, figuring it out is easy. At that time, the Solomon's Cane inside the case was a fake. The real one was inside my coat."

"So, you pretended to be attacked to steal the Solomon's Cane?"

"Well, the only tool that can control Noise is this cane, and the only user perfectly suited for it is me, don't you think?"

"NO WAY."

Then Chris started readying her missile barrage, which put an enormous strain on me. I slowly fell to my knees. When she started shooting, the strain became unbearable, and I almost screamed.

"MEI!"

Tsubasa noticed and quickly grabbed me, dragging me outside after the wall broke. Chris and Hibiki followed, though Chris seemed to be getting worse because I couldn't fully absorb the strain.

"Is that..."

Hibiki was the first to notice a flying Noise carrying the cage containing Nephilim away. Tsubasa gently put me down.

"Tachibana, arrest that guy! And Yukine, please take care of Mei for me."

"Yeah, while I'm not in good condition, at least I'm better off than Mei."

"Roger, Tsubasa."

Tsubasa chased after the source of the flying noise, while Hibiki moved to apprehend Dr. Vel. Chris lent me her shoulder as we walked toward Hibiki, but I already knew what was going to happen. With the submarine's help, Tsubasa managed to jump from the bridge to the submarine before leaping high into the air and taking down the Noise.

However, just as she was about to capture it, a spear struck her, and Maria seized the Niphilim instead.

"Right on time, Fine," Dr.Ver said.

"Fine, you said?"

"Yes, it's the name of the end, the symbol of our organization, and her surname."

Funnily enough, Fine was still alive and in prison. Chris and Hibiki wore confused expressions, which was normal, I suppose, since they didn't yet know about Receptor Children—children with the potential to hold Fine's soul. What's even funnier is that the next holder of Fine's soul wasn't Maria, but Shirabe.

"Yes, that girl is Fine."

"But doesn't Fine—"

"Yes, we know, Hibiki. For now, how about we let Dr. Vel explain it to us?"

That was close. Hibiki almost revealed that Fine was still alive, but I managed to distract Dr. Vel. His ego took over, and he began to explain a little about Receptor Children. Thankfully, my shield was up, as I felt my legs ache from the hit Tsubasa had taken.

Then, Tsubasa emerged from the water and began to fight Maria. Unlike in the anime, because I was absorbing some of the strain, their fight was more even. In the anime, Tsubasa had struggled due to the accumulated strain.

Still, the effect was there, even though it was small. Facing Maria, even atop the submarine, Tsubasa began to have a rough time because I was nearing my limit. Finally, when Maria attempted a massive attack, I changed the shield attached to Tsubasa into a normal shield, which managed to divert some of the force.

Growing impatient, Chris aimed at Maria, but I knew their aircraft was nearby. When I saw a circular saw blade, forcing Hibiki and Chris to dodge, I deflected it with my shield as Kirika ran toward Chris, who is holding the Solomon's Cane.

I wanted to move, but my body wouldn't obey; apparently, it was at its limit. I could only use the shield I had already spawned. When Chris was about to take a huge blow from Kirika, who was also at her limit, I used the shield I had stuck on Chris, as I had with Tsubasa. Perhaps because I was at my limit, the protection wasn't enough, and Chris was thrown back, dropping the Solomon's Cane.

Hibiki panicked and rushed to Chris, and Shirabe used that moment to retrieve the Solomon's Cane and return it to Dr. Vel. As expected, Maria was also nearing her limit, because a hover plane appeared, and the three of them, including Dr. Vel, began to board it.

Frustrated, Chris changed her weapon into a giant crossbow and took aim, but before she could shoot, the airplane vanished into thin air, using the stealth power of a relic.

Today is the festival, and according to the anime, Kirika and Shirabe are supposed to infiltrate it to steal the relic crystal from us and feed it to Nephilim. The problem is how to contact them. I'm hesitant to explain that Fine is still alive because Maria might become more active, since they no longer fear her turning into Fine.

However, if I approach them now, I won't hear them singing the orbital beat. Despite my regret, I've decided to approach them. I'll wait until they're alone and then approach them slowly.

"Hello there, Kirika and Shirabe."

The moment I call their names, they grip the relic tighter. I slowly raise my hands.

"I come in peace, but let's just say it's to give you guys information. Besides, I already know why you've come to this academy."

I slowly take out a replica of my Aegis relic. It's still a prototype, according to Fine, but it should be enough to feed that Nephilim for now.

"You want our relic, right? For now, let's sit down and hear what I have to say first."

"And why should we listen to you, desu?"

"Kirika, this is a good chance to obtain the relic. Let's just attack her."

"Don't forget, I'm stronger than both of you, so you're welcome to try using force."

The moment I say that, they both fall completely silent and begin whispering to each other before finally nodding.

"Then what do you want to talk about?"

"Finally. Then let's sit down for a moment."

I slowly sit at a nearby table. This place should be empty enough since it's the opposite side of the festival, and there aren't any shops here. There's a chance a student might come here, but if I'm fast enough, it should be fine.

"For now, let's start with introductions, yeah? Since I already know you two, it doesn't feel fair. My name is Mei Ursula, so just call me Mei."

"I see. Then, Mei, what do you want from us?"

"Well, it's not really what I want. I'm just worried about your leader, or rather, I'm worried about Maria, since she still hesitates to kill normal humans, yes?"

When I say that, they both fall silent, which is what I expected, making me sigh.

"As for the other info, Maria isn't the next holder of Fine, so all your worries about her turning into Fine are useless in the first place."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Why should we trust you? You're our enemy."

"Then let's give you a piece of important information: your base, where you park your planes, is going to be attacked in a couple of minutes."

Hearing that, they both started to stand up, but I raised my hand and signaled them to sit down.

"As for the next piece of information, Nastassja is nearing her death because of her sickness. How about that?"

"SO WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

"Well, aren't you guys getting heated? I want to avoid the worst-case scenario, which is Maria's death."

Hearing my answer, they both fell silent, which made me slowly nod.

"What do you think Dr. Ver is going to do when he finds out that Maria is not well?"

"Since both of you aren't answering, you probably don't know. He will toss you guys aside because that guy is aiming to become a hero, though his view of a hero is so twisted that I doubt I can even call it that."

While Dr. Ver is indeed more messed up than Fine, in the end, his research does help Hibiki and the others, so I don't really want to throw him away. He needs to be in a special prison, just like Fine, for now.

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen carefully. Be wary of Dr. Ver, as he will utilize any means necessary to obtain his objective. You will understand what I said when you go back and ask Maria what he has done to the intruder who tried to enter your aircraft."

They were still silent. I wondered if my revelation was a bit too much for them.

"As for the next information, I can keep Nastassja alive since I can cure her sickness, though I don't know if she wants to be cured in the first place."

Saying that, I slowly threw the replica to them as I started to stand up.

"Oh, and for your information, that is a replica of my relic, but it should be enough. You called Hibiki a hypocrite, right? That's kind of funny since I want to ask you two, have you ever heard the term 'Fusion case'?"

They both got confused as they slowly turned to each other before slowly staring at me.

"Apparently you don't know so let me explain it to you Fusion case is about the human relic Fusion just like its name that only happened when a human have a relic inside of them."

Hearing my word both of them make a shock expression but i won't let it go.

"You should know that Tsubasa's idol partner is Kanade, the former owner of Gungnir, before her passing. Let's just say that, at the cost of being protected, Hibiki had a relic shard embedded in her chest."

I slowly pointed to my chest, indicating where Hibiki was struck, before ripping the back of my uniform to show them my back.

"As for me, it was in my back. And let's just say the process of becoming a human relic is harsh. You should know what happens when you overuse your Symphogear without a linker; think of that, but double the pain."

Hearing my answer, Shirabe started to pale, and her breathing became rough. Kirika, noticing this, slowly placed her hand on her back.

"Though I was lucky, since in my case it was a full relic crystal, Hibiki isn't so fortunate. She only has a shard inside of her, and every time she uses it too much, the shard slowly turns her into a crystallized being the more power she uses."

"Then..."

"Yes, you guys only know the surface, and you've already started belittling her effort to understand you guys. And I, as her friend and the one who knows her pain, can honestly say you two are even more hypocritical than her, seriously, saving humanity?"

They fell silent, but I kept going. Hibiki is my favorite, and even though you, Kirika, are my second favorite, I really don't like your partner, Shirabe that much.

"You don't even try to understand humanity itself. Though now I'm just ranting about your attitude, seeing you two now, I don't think I'll say anything else. As for the final info: Fine is still alive. If you want to tell the others, just do what you want with that info."

After saying that, I left them alone. Seeing Shirabe struggling somehow gave me a good feeling, since she really hurt Hibiki with her one-sided view.

Well, they probably won't meet with the trio, but for now, I hope they at least understand a little about Hibiki's struggle.

I feel I've already said too much. I tend to overshare when I'm angry; even with Fine, when I was only pretending to be angry, I actually became angry for a moment and revealed more than I intended.

What's done is done or the rice has already turned to porridge. I can only hope for the best now.

Thinking that i slowly walk away toward the festival leaving the two of them alone.