Part 06

The next morning arrived without any incident and Kirika was taking the chance to enjoy a long sleep. A knock on her door caused her to turn in her bed and she turned in her bed. "Go away..." she mumbled.

"Kirika, there's two girls here who say they're from your school. Kanzaki Tsukasa and Amano Kaede?" her mother said to her and it took a moment for Kirika's mind to register why they were here before she sat up in her bed.

"Ah! Tell them to wait for me!" she shouted as she quickly got up and dashed to the bathroom. Her promise with Sakurai-sensei had slipped her mind completely and she rushed to get clean and changed for the eventual experiment that was going to take place.

After twenty minutes, she made it downstairs, her hair damp from her shower and still in a mess. "Sorry!" she blurted out as she ran out of the house, only to see no one outside.

"You missed them in the living room," her mother called out in a dry manner. "Come back in and have some breakfast first. Honestly, I don't know how you're going to survive in the future if you continue to be like this everyday," she said as Kirika stepped back into her house sheepishly.

She took a quick look in her living room and saw that Tsubasa and Kanade were sitting down, talking to her older brother Kazuma. Kanade was wearing a thin sweater and a pair of jeans while Tsubasa was wearing a dress and jacket combination. Kirika's little brother was there as well and Tsubasa had the toddler on her lap, awkwardly looking at him as if she did not know what to do.

"Sorry for waking up late," Kirika said sheepishly and Kanade glanced up. "Don't worry about it. Take your time and get something to eat first," she said, waving her hand at her. "Besides, it's not so often that you see a kid who likes Tsukasa."

Her other brother nodded before getting up and walking over to her side. "Why didn't you say that you knew high schoolers?" he whispered to her. "Do you know if they're taken?"

Kirika arched an eyebrow and said, "I thought you already have a girlfriend." His eyes widened as Tsukasa and Kanade glanced at them and he laughed awkwardly.

"Man...my little sister is such a joker. Did the two of you knew that?" he said as he wrapped his arm around her neck and ruffled her hair, digging his palm into her head as an added emphasis. She shoved him away and stuck her tongue out at him before darting over to the kitchen to grab a quick bite.

Once she had finished, she rushed back to the living room to find that very little have changed. Tsubasa still has Kazuya on her lap as she stared nervously at the toddler while he happily pawed at her chest while Kanade is chatting leisurely with her older brother who appeared to have been subdued for some reason.

"I'm done..." Kirika said cautiously and the two older girls glanced at her.

"Right. Time for us to go. See you, cutie," Kanade said with a friendly wink at Kazuma before blowing a kiss at the little one. He let out a happy shout and made a kissy sound at Kanade before leaning against Tsubasa who looked helplessly at Kirika. The latter sighed and walked over, picking up her brother and letting Tsubasa stand up.

The three girls left Kirika's house and once they had gone a certain distance, Kirika gave Kanade a sharp look. "What did you do to my brother?" she asked.

"Nothing. He asked if I was with someone and I said yes. Then he asked if Tsubasa was with someone and I told him she was mine and that if he wanted to lay a finger on her, his cute little butt belonged to me," she replied innocently and winked at Kirika.

"Huh? How?" Kirika said in confusion, making Kanade laugh in the process and the older girl gave the younger girl a wink.

"That's one of things you'll figure out when you're older," she said and Kirika glanced at Tsubasa for an explanation. The latter shook her head, refusing to say a word as they walked to a nearby parking lot where a bike with an attached sidecar was parked.

"Hop on. I'm driving again," Kanade said as she tossed Kirika a helmet which she dutifully put on and climbed into the sidecar while Tsubasa positioned herself behind Kanade, taking a side-saddle position while leaning against her friend's back.

"So...where's Sakurai-sensei's home?" Kirika asked as Kanade revved up the bike.

"On the outskirts of the city by the lake. Dr. Sakurai likes her peace and quiet so she bought a plot of land where it's a little difficult to reach her," Tsubasa explained and Kirika folded her arms, closing her eyes as she thought about the situation.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Kanade asked in amusement and Kirika opened her eyes once more.

"How much does Sakurai-sensei earn if she can buy a house by the lake?" she asked and that earned a chuckle from Kanade.

"A lot from what I heard. I don't really know the details but she designed most of the stuff on the base as well as the suits that we use. And that's not even talking about the fun stuffs she has on her house either," she said.

"Oh? A wide-screen TV, home theater system, a brand new computer and all of the newest consoles?" Kirika asked and this made Kanade laugh.

"You wish. Try thinking along the lines of mad scientist and you're much closer," she said cheerfully and Kirika shivered a little as the three of them sped on their way towards their destination.

***

It took them about forty five minutes before they arrive at their destination. Kirika's eyes widened when she first laid eyes on it: it was a Western mansion, three floors high and with very few decorations to announce its presence to the world. Plain white walls and even some ivy covering the walls, she noted.

Kanade rode the bike all the way up to the front door and the three of them got out and walked to the entrance as Tsubasa called Ryoko to let her know that they had arrived. "Password is 7965647784553463," she said when they arrived at the door and noticed a keypad by the side.

"That's a long password," Kirika said as Kanade punched it into the keypad. "Did she really have to make it that long?"

"I supposed it's for security reasons. Not very many people can remember that string of numbers so she probably feels more secure that way," Tsubasa said and tapped on a nearby window. Unlike most windows, this one made a different sound when tapped on and Kirika stared at it in fascination.

"Impact resistant and bulletproof," Tsubasa explained. "I remember being there on the day she installed the windows and she demonstrated to me how tough the windows were by swinging a hammer into it." She gestured at Kirika to come close and the latter saw a few scratches and an impact mark on the window.

"She hit the window seven times that day and that was the result," Tsubasa said just as the door swung open and the three of them stepped in. Kirika glanced around the mansion excitedly; this was her first time being here and she was keen to see what a rich person's house would be like.

To her disappointment, the interior of the mansion was very drably furnished, let alone decorated. She could see several couches in a living room, haphazardly arranged, containers for a takeout meal dumped on a dining room table and not a single portrait on the walls which were left bare and painted white.

"Boring!" she said out loud and a familiar chuckle reached her ears, making her look around.

"Glad to see that you approve of my interior design," Ryoko said over what appeared to be a loudspeaker. "Anyway, don't be shy and come down to my lab now. Tsubasa and Kanade should know the way," she said as the two removed their wigs and led Kirika to a wooden panel. Kanade felt about before lifting up a piece of wood, revealing a button underneath and she tapped it.

The panel slid to the left, revealing an elevator behind it and the three girls stepped inside before it automatically moved down. "That's a lot of elevators, isn't there?" Kirika mused aloud and the two older girls glanced at her.

"There's the super long one to reach the base and then there's this one. Sakurai-sensei must really like elevators a lot," Kirika said aloud and Kanade smirked.

"Oh, the Freudian implications in what you just said," she said with a grin and Kirika stared at her in confusion. Before Kanade can say anything else, the elevator came to a stop and the door slid open once more, revealing a drab gray passage before them.

Tsubasa stepped out and led the way while the others followed in her lead. They arrived at another door and it slid open, revealing a large hall inside with lots of equipment assembled within. A short walk led them to Ryoko who was staring at a screen that displayed the Symphogear's blueprints.

She looked up as the three of them drew closer and she gave them a welcoming smile. "Right. Here's my guest of honor, come to provide me with lots of knowledge that may or may not prove useful to humanity in the war against our ignorance and disunity. Welcome to my humble laboratory," she said, throwing out her arms in a grand gesture.

Kirika stared at her before glancing at Kanade and Tsubasa, both of whom were shaking their heads. "She does this all the time?" she asked and they both nodded.

"Still doesn't stop her from looking like a dork," Kanade replied with a smirk and Ryoko gave a little start, her pose faltering at her words.

"Anyway, time for you to pay me back for that little favor that Genjuuro asked on your behalf," she said and gestured at Kirika to follow her. She did so and so did the others as Ryoko lead them to a large glass chamber with four crystals set in the center of the room as well as a strange exoskeleton-like rig next to them.

"Are those Dissonant crystals?" Tsubasa asked in surprise and Ryoko nodded her head.

"Borrowed a few of them from our collection for use in this experiment," the older woman said cheerfully as she gestured at Kirika to step inside.

"How did you get them out and I didn't realize we had this many crystals in our stores. Didn't the Phantom Thieves steal most of the ones we could have gotten from the Noise?" Tsubasa asked and Ryoko nodded again.

"Firstly, I took these out last night when I was making the changes to the videos. Since I'm going screwing up the old man's video records, might as well do this at the same time. Secondly, you did manage to collect quite a few Dissonant crystals before the Phantom Thieves showed up. About ten of them, if I'm not mistaken," Ryoko explained to her.

"So...what am I supposed to do?" Kirika asked from inside the chamber and Ryoko grinned at her.

"Put on the rig and touch the crystals like how you did yesterday. That rig was a concept test of the Symphogear suit that you're using now and powers up on the same principal as the Gears. If my hypothesis is correct, you should be able to do what you did yesterday and my sensors and the rig's systems will monitor your vitals and performance," she explained to Kirika.

"Okay..." Kirika said cautiously and she climb into the rig, strapping it on and activating it like how she did her Gear. After a moment, it hummed to life and she was able to move the rig. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and reached out to touch one of the crystals.

There was an almost immediate effect as Kirika felt her heart pounding rapidly as the crystal began to glow in front of her. Ryoko's eyes widened in excitement and she began studying her screen intently while Tsubasa and Kanade watched, concern apparent on their faces.

"She's going to be okay, right?" Kanade asked Ryoko who waved her hand dismissively as she examined something on her screen. Kirika gritted her teeth as her heart continued to beat before she released the crystal, unable to handle the strain any more. She stepped back, panting heavily as Kanade and Tsubasa ran into the chamber.

"Hey, hang in there!" Kanade said to Kirika as the two older girls helped to remove Kirika from the rig and lay her on the ground. The latter nodded once and closed her eyes as she took a moment to rest, her heart beating rapidly as she tried to relax herself.

"Oh...this is very interesting..." Ryoko announced loudly as she stepped into the chamber. "I'm going to have to repeat the test a few more times to make certain but it seems that I'm going to have to throw out all of my original theories with regards to what Resonant and Dissonant crystals are," she said with a grin.

"What do you mean?" Tsubasa asked in surprise and Kirika's eyes open as well, her heart slowly stabilizing itself.

"Exactly that. My original theories regarding Resonant and Dissonant crystals are completely wrong, thanks to your existence, Kirika. Resonant crystals are not refined Dissonant crystals that have been cleansed of their impurities. It'd be more accurate for me to say that Dissonant crystals are Resonant crystals with an excess amount of energy that are unfocused and Kirika acts like a magnet to draw out the excess energy," Ryoko said confidently.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Kanade asked and Ryoko shrugged.

"I can't say. I need run further tests and analysis just to confirm this hypothesis, you know. Science isn't something that you do once and claim as fact. Repeated testings need to be done in order to confirm what I just said, even if I'm supremely confident of it," she said.

"So...that means..." Kirika said cautiously and Ryoko nodded her head.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to step inside the rig once more. We'll do this one more time before we test what Genjuuro told me over the phone. Energy has to go somewhere after all and it might be that you have taken in the energy from the Dissonant crystal and manifested it as enhanced stamina, speed and strength," Ryoko said.

***

They repeated the test two more times that day, with Kirika touching a different crystal before they had her run on a treadmill and lift some weights. She'd doze off after each test and awaken after an hour, feeling exceedingly hungry after each nap and Ryoko was forced to go into the city to buy a lot of food after the second test.

At the moment, Kirika was currently jogging on a treadmill while munching on a protein bar at the same time and being hooked up to several scanners. Ryoko was at her computer, staring at the screen for a while, a bowl of ramen in her hands.

"Kirika, what's five plus two multiplied by one and divided by zero?" the scientist asked and Kirika paused for a moment on the treadmill, losing her concentration and falling off the machine in an instant. She let out a yelp of pain, bringing Tsubasa and Kanade into the area once more.

"What happened?" Tsubasa asked as Kirika picked herself up from the ground, wincing in pain.

"A different experiment. Sadly, it looked like our newest recruit does not gain an increased capacity for mental activities despite the slight increase to her physical strength and speed," Ryoko said and Kanade chuckled at her words.

"You could have asked us," the latter said and Ryoko chuckled in response.

"Some things just need to be confirmed first hand. Still, initial experiments does indicate that your suspicions are correct; she has a very slight permanent increase to her physical capabilities about each touch of the Resonant crystal. I'm not sure why she has to rest and consume extra calories however and that is a little worrying to me," Ryoko said thoughtfully.

"Why?" Tsubasa asked and Kirika glanced at the scientist as well.

"Conservation of energy. The amount of energy in the universe is constant and can only be changed into different forms. She absorbed energy from the crystals, used it to enhance herself temporarily but burns out a lot and needs to consume more calories to keep up. Why does she need more energy to use the excess energy she gained?" Ryoko asked thoughtfully.

"Right...and we'll let you answer that question for us," Kanade said with a shrug that indicated that she was not interested. As for Kirika, the words that Ryoko was using simply confused her and she looked at the scientist, curious as to what she was talking about.

Ryoko let out a sigh and said, "Fine, if that's how you feel about it. I'll still need to run a few more tests in the future though so I'll need you to come once a week like this."

"Eh?" Kirika said in shock and Ryoko glanced at her with an evil grin.

"Would you rather that I expose your little secret to Fudo? He'll probably do the same thing that I'm doing but will find some excuse to take you away from your home permanently," the scientist said and Kirika relented to the deal.

Tsubasa glanced at the two of them and asked, "Is it really necessary to conduct this many tests on Kirika?"

"Yes. The reality is that we don't really know what the true extent of the Resonant crystal in her chest signifies. Is it just a fluke of nature that cannot be repeated or is it a possible change of direction in humanity's evolution? There are too many questions that Kirika's existence now present to us and I want answers," Ryoko said, turning her head back to the screen.

"Or worse yet, what if Kirika becomes our enemy in the future and we need something to deal with her," she mused softly, causing everyone else to stare at her in shock.

"Hold on...just what the hell did you mean by that, Sakurai?" Kanade demanded angrily and Ryoko looked at her.

"Exactly that. Now, the three of you can go now. I've collected enough data for today and I need to analyze them as best as I can," Ryoko said, gesturing in the general direction of the elevator. Kanade looked like she was ready to attack Ryoko but Tsubasa laid a hand on her shoulder and shook her head lightly.

Kirika stared at Ryoko for a while before she asked, "What did you mean...if I become an enemy?"

Ryoko looked at her for a moment before sighing and saying, "When I get enough data out of you, I'll explain it to you. I promise. Right now, I have some speculations and half-baked hypothesis that are running in my mind and I really need to analyze the data that you have provided me. At this point, just treat everything that I said as pure nonsense that you shouldn't worry about, okay?"

Kirika did not respond to her words for a moment and it took some coaxing from Tsubasa before she turned and left the laboratory with the others.

***

"Yeowch...that was really rough," Kanade said in a snarky manner as they exited Ryoko's mansion and got onto the bike once more. Kirika nodded her head in agreement and Tsubasa appeared unsure about the whole situation.

"What was up with her saying that Kirika is going to be our enemy if we're not careful and all that other stuff," she continued, angrily putting on her helmet and revving the bike, making Tsubasa wince at the sound of the bike's engine touching the ground.

"Yeah...what does she think I am? Some sort of bad guy in disguise?" Kirika said in agreement, hopping into the sidecar and folding her arms angrily.

"Exactly. There's no way someone like you is smart enough to play mole for some bad guy out there," Kanade said as she adjusted her wig first before putting on her helmet. She looked at Kirika and the latter returned her gaze before both bumped their fist against each other.

Tsubasa stared at the both of them before saying, "Putting aside the obvious insult that Kanade handed out, I do agree with the both of you but..."

"But what? Are you saying that you think that Kirika would willingly turn against us?" Kanade ask. "Just look at her! There's just no way that she would willingly do it."

"Not willingly, obviously. But what if someone managed to find a way to use Kirika's new physiology against her?" Tsubasa said hastily, holding her hands up.

"How?" Kirika asked curiously and Tsubasa looked at her for a moment before shrugging.

"I don't know. The problem is that we really know nothing about your current condition and if my grandfather has anything to say about it, we'd not know anything beyond how can Kirika be used to defend the country and how we can duplicate the process that gave her the new condition that she has right now," she explained.

"Damn it, Tsubasa...did you have to go and be reasonable while the two of us are out being unreasonably and reasonably mad?" Kanade said and jabbed a finger at her friend. "You're making me look bad right now."

"Sorry...but what else can we do?" Tsubasa asked before looking at Kirika. "What do you want to do? You're the one who's stuck in the middle of this," she asked her.

Kirika sighed, closing her eyes and leaning back against the side-car. "I am mad...and I want to be madder still. I've been quietly doing everything everyone asked me to and now I'm being tested on just in case I go bad guy and that people can have something to use against me," she said after a while.

"Well...what do you want to do in that case?" Tsubasa asked again and Kirika glanced at her.

"I want everyone to just leave me alone so that I can go home, sleep and eat dinner because I'm hungry right now," she said and Kanade chuckled in response.

"Right, let's take you home then. I was thinking about buying you dinner but if that's what you want..."

"Home please. I want to go home and sleep," Kirika said, yawning and stretching her arms.

"Yes, ma'am," Kanade said, saluting her before starting the bike and racing home.

***

Kirika got back home in time for dinner and her parents were curious as to who Tsubasa and Kanade were. "How in the world did you manage to talk to two students in your school's high school department?" her father asked and she had explained to him that they were helping her with her studies.

"Why?" her mother asked. "I know your teacher said that you were having some extra classes but why them?"

"Er...I don't know. Maybe he asked them to teach me as a request?" Kirika replied lamely. They really didn't think this excuse through, she thought to herself, laughing at her parents' quizzical look at her.

"Well, you should give Chris a call after dinner. She came by in the afternoon and wanted to ask you out," her mother replied and Kirika let out a start.

"But she didn't call me..." she said and was about to look at her phone when her father shook his head. Right, no phones at the table, Kirika thought and resumed eating once more. Oh...that is going to be one angry Chris when she calls her later...

After finishing her meal and washing her own dish, Kirika headed upstairs to give Chris a call but it seemed that she was busy at that time. She sent her a text message, apologizing for what happened and promising to make up for it before she lay down on her bed, looking at the ceiling.

Her phone buzzed after five minutes and Kirika picked it up. It was Chris who apologized for not answering and explained that she was with her parents while they are having dinner with an associate before promising to text her when she got back.

With that out of the way, Kirika went to take a bath first and half an hour later, she was at her desk, doing some homework while waiting for Chris to call her. Luckily, she did not have too much trouble with her work and she was able to get through most of it easily enough, as far as she could tell.

Just as she was about to finish her work, she heard her phone buzzing and she glanced at it. It was a message from Genjuuro, she noted and she quickly opened the message. 'We've got Noise trouble. Get ready to leave in ten minutes,' it read.

She sighed softly and scrambled to finish the last of her work before changing into something more suitable. Just as she finished, her phone buzzed again and she glanced at it once more. As expected, Genjuuro had texted to say that her transport had arrived and was waiting for her.

Taking a deep breath, she crept out of her room and slowly went to the front door. The lights in the hallway were still on, indicating that her parents were still up and she did her best to avoid their notice. As she walked past them, she overheard them a few of their words to each other and she paused for a moment.

"I just don't get it. Why are we getting all this extra money from? And it's not a small amount either," her mother said.

"Somebody's hacking into our bank accounts and added money in there for laundering purposes?" her father replied and this was followed by him yelping in pain.

"I'm serious. We could get into trouble for this..." she said and the two of them continued to discuss this for a little while longer. Kirika decided that it was probably best for her to leave now while they were pre-occupied with their money problems and she continued on her way to the front door.

Unfortunately, she ran into Kazuma at the front door as he was putting on his shoes. The two of them stared at each other for a moment and he whispered, "You sneaking out too?"

She gave him a sheepish grin and he nodded. "Not a word to Mom and Dad from either of us," he whispered and they bumped their fists together in an act of solidarity before they slipped out of the house together and headed on their separate ways.

***

Kirika made her way to the usual pickup spot and this time, it was Tsubasa waiting for her. The younger girl took a moment to appreciate how cool the latter looked in her white and blue leather biker outfit before she ran over to her. "Sorry I'm late," she said and Tsubasa simply tossed her a spare helmet.

"We're heading straight for the site. My uncle will rendezvous with us along the way and we'll suit up in the command unit," she explained briskly and Kirika nodded as she sat behind Tsubasa and held on to the bike's back seat handle.

True to Tsubasa's word, after ten minutes of speeding along the road, they ran into Genjuuro's truck and a back door opened, letting a ramp down as well. "Hold on tight and keep your mouth shut," Tsubasa warned before she leaned forward and sped forward for the ramp.

Kirika let out a yelp of surprise as the bike hit the ramp and into the truck. Closing her eyes, she braced herself for the inevitable impact of crashing into the truck but Tsubasa slammed on the brakes immediately and Kirika heard a metallic footstep a second before the bike was lifted up into the air.

"Thanks," she heard Tsubasa said as the bike was lowered and Kirika opened her eyes. As it turned out, Kanade had caught the bike while in her Gear and she flashed a thumbs up to the two of them.

Once Kirika had climbed into her Gear and activated it, Genjuuro began to brief her on the situation. "We've detected a Noise somewhere near the edge of the city. Fortunately, there is no known activity going on right now and we've got the police scrambled to set up road blocks to prevent people from going there," he started to say.

"Anything else we should know?" Tsubasa asked and Kirika nodded her head.

"Not at present. We're sending drones to search for the Noise and to see if the Phantom Thieves make their appearance again," he replied at once.

It took them another thirty minutes before they arrived at their location, which turned out to be an abandoned chemical plant. Once Genjuuro confirmed that they were in the clear, the three Gears stepped out of the truck.

"Good news and bad news. The drones have located the Noise and we're sending you the coordinates right now. But the Thieves have just begun to engage the Noise right now so you will need to hurry," Genjuuro informed them as a window bearing a map of the area appeared on the Gear's interface.

"A, take point. G and I, follow as fast as you can and keep an eye out in case the Thieves set traps up for you along the way," he instructed them. Tsubasa quickly sped ahead of them and Kanade followed suit, leaving Kirika to bring up the rear.

There were no traps thankfully and they arrived at the scene of the fight with little delay. Tsubasa held up her hand as the sounds of fighting grew louder and she peered around the corner, instructing the others to get into position behind her.

"I see two Thieves and the Noise," she said over the radio. "The black-white one and the black-pink one. Instructions?"

"A and G, engage. I, stay back and keep an eye out for the third one," Genjuuro said and Kirika watched as her two seniors rushed in to take on the Noise. The monster this time turned out to be a three headed beast with snake-like heads and wings on its back, glowing red, green and blue all over. The two Thieves quickly moved away from the fight but judging from their reaction, they seemed to be unhappy over the Gears' interference.

Shaking her head, Kirika looked around for the third Thief, trying to spot her. A slight shimmer caught her eye and she glanced in its direction. Up on a tower stood the third Thief who appeared to be keeping watch over the situation. Something shiny appeared in her hand and floated down to the ground towards the other two Thieves.

She reported her finding to Genjuuro and the others and he replied, "Continue to keep watch. We don't know if she noticed you yet and we want to retain as much of the surprise as we can." Nodding, she pulled out her staff nevertheless and kept watch on the Thief high up in the air.

As such, she was blindsided when she heard Tsubasa let out a cry of surprise and she turned back to the fight. It seemed that the other two Thieves have rushed in to fight the Noise as well. Blades, yo-yos and lance swung about, striking at the Noise, overwhelming it from all direction before the black-white Thief released the butterfly that the third Thief sent out earlier.

"Look out!" Kirika shouted into the radio just before the butterfly exploded in a bright flash of light, blinding everyone. She heard the Noise let out a strange sounding screech followed by the sounds of two blades slicing into its flesh. As her vision returned, Kirika could see that two of the Noise's head had fallen to the ground.

"Yes!" she said jubilantly but it was immediately followed by a gasp of shock as the two heads twisted on the ground before sprouting wings and limbs of their own and enlarging to the size of their original form.

"What's going on over there?" Kirika heard Genjuuro shout over the radio but no one replied as the newly formed Noises gathered alongside their original self. Each of them let out an angry roar and Kirika let out a fearful whimper at the sound.

There was no easy way to get pass this, she thought to herself.