Purple.

In this room dimly lit by the moonlight, its shade is much darker, rendering it almost unrecognizable. However, purple is still purple, no matter how dark it seems.

Thus, it's undoubtedly purple that the girl sees. Just a mere meter above her, it's purple that paints the rectangular protrusion on the metallic gray wall, its size about the same as that of the white mattress beneath her.

Purple is the color of advancement, the hue of this nation's ideals. Purple is the drive to keep moving forward, no matter how much darkness hides the path ahead. Purple is the will to face the future head-on, only looking back in fleeting remembrance instead of despairing regret.

Purple is the very soul of Planeptune, The Land of Progress.

And yet, for violet eyes, the color simply feels empty.

Just like the second bed above the girl.

"..."

Long ago, there was another girl who slept on that vacant bed. A cheerful girl who had the power to make all those around her smile. An amazing girl who shined far brighter than anyone else, and yet never once looked down on another soul.

A girl who is not here anymore, her light nowhere to be seen.

"... Neptune..."

It hurts. Simply being in this place hurts.

Hidden under the white blanket, clad in the same dirty clothes which once rested on grass, the lilac-haired girl resists the urge to tremble, to just let the tears pooling in her eyes fall freely.

Crying won't accomplish anything. It won't bring back her sister, and it won't defeat her enemies either. It will only make her feel even more useless than she already does.

Then again, isn't that true for every single action she took until now?

"You just abandoned your sister!"

The girl winces, blinking away stray tears which only served to make her eyes sting.

She made the right choice. Running away was the correct course of action. She's not attempting to convince herself of that, she knows it was the only way to survive.

And that is what makes her feel so miserable. There was no other way because she was weak, and not even her Hard Drive Divinity could change that.

ASIC was stronger, and so they won. It's simple as that.

If only she had more power... If only she could become as terrifyingly strong as Magic herself...

But... that's impossible. To gain so much strength in such a short time is simply impossible.

The girl needs something else. Something other than the ability to dodge, slash and use amateurish spells. She needs more skills, more possibilities. She must be able to fight, run and hide without problems, to survive her battles and force a win somehow.

"..."

And the more she thinks about it, the more lost she feels.

Where should she even begin? What should she do first? Forge a gun for ranged attacks? Make bombs to throw around? Maybe she could build a small robot to use as a puppet of sorts, cowardly but effectively keeping herself from harm?

Are any of those even viable for her? Can she truly construct something on a whim and use it to its full potential? Would her HDD even accept all of these as weapons and upgrade them like her sword, or would she remain wielding a gunblade no matter what?

Is she being far too delusional? Is she dreaming of something out of her reach?

If only there was someone to tell her what to do... If only Neptune was still here with her...

...

...

...

"This isn't going anywhere..."

She's rambling. Now that she finally has the time to rest and think, the girl is allowing her mind to soar without aim, with no urgencies to derail her whimsical thoughts.

It doesn't matter if such a thing is pitiful, it's not as if her conscious self can accomplish anything else at the moment. After all, the girl is simply lying on her bed, waiting for tiredness to overtake her mind.

Which is not happening, obviously. As a matter of fact, she feels quite active still.

"..."

In that case, perhaps the best course of action is closing her eyes anyway and attempting to force her body to sleep.

...

...

...

Amethyst eyes slowly crack open after several minutes, bearing a neutrality which can only be described as disappointment.

This isn't going anywhere either, it seems.

With a long sigh, the girl slowly raises, careful not to bump into either the gray stairs leading above or the bottom of the second bed as she twists her body to sit on the edge of the mattress.

It's clear that sleep won't come any time soon. At this rate, she might as well just bring her ramblings somewhere else.

Without the slightest hesitation, her feet touch the cold, metallic floor.


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*IF*

Wild Gust in the Night


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'It's cold...'

That's the first thought in Nepgear's mind as she steps out into the night. Right on cue, a calm breeze blows, gently rustling her long lilac hair and dirty clothes alike.

'But... it also feels nice, somehow.'

It's not a freezing touch. Instead, it's more of a soothing caress.

Maybe this is exactly what she needs right now.

The girl takes a deep breath of the darkness' clean air, allowing her mind to relax for the time being. Her eyes slowly take in the surroundings, as if searching for any difference, any inconsistency between reality and memories.

The place where she stands now is just a small veranda atop the Neptower, directly connected to her home. Instead of luxurious and elegant as most would expect, its appearance is the simplest of all: merely the half of a large metallic circle glued to the side of the gigantic tower, its radius of about five meters.

The so-called veranda's size is minuscule when compared to the building it finds itself attached to. Needless to say, such a place is almost invisible from the distant ground, much like most of the Neptower's finer details.

Still, Nepgear likes it. There's nothing wrong with this kind of simplicity.

Slowly, the girl takes a step forward, and another, and another. Quiet "thumps" sound each time her feet touch metal, but they sound far from annoying to her even in this silent atmosphere.

Behind her, a mechanical "vwiish" coupled with the rasp of metal signals the doorway's closing mechanism in action, bringing the metallic door from above to seal the passage. Still, the Candidate doesn't even glance behind her as she continues walking forward, towards the farthermost point of the short security railing. And then, just as she reaches it, the girl leans forward, allowing both elbows to rest on cold metal as her eyes wander over the landscape.

... It's a nice view.

As a minuscule smile finds its way to Nepgear's lips, that is the simplest way her mind can describe it.

From near the top of this gigantic tower, nothing that amethyst eyes can see is even close to the girl's current location. As a matter of fact, the second biggest building, a nearby massive construction with several hundred floors illuminated by the lights from inside, reaches only roughly half the Neptower's height.

That means all is visible to Nepgear, or at least it certainly feels like it. The great capital of Planeptune is before her, beneath her, innumerable lights revealing every nook and cranny of the sprawling metropolis. Houses, cars and the like are indiscernible from this height, but the simple movements of distant glows have always been more than enough for the girl to understand how brisk her nation is.

In a way, it's as if nothing changed.

At that thought, her smile widens slightly. Some spots on the scenery seem off, but there is no doubt that this is the same city as the one in her memories, its wonderful visage as lively amidst the night as it is through the day.

That realization, as simple as it is, feels strangely comforting.

Whimsically, violet orbs point upwards, staring into the dark sky as yet another cool breeze blows past. It looks... vacant as almost no light makes itself known amidst the heavens, leaving only a white crescent moon and lone stars to shine above the clouds. Most of the view is obfuscated, and the only thing to blame is the capital's bright illumination.

Not that such a thing is a novelty, however. Darkness has ruled the sight above for much more than Nepgear has been alive, after all.

'Although that's still a bit sad...'

It's almost as if the night's sky was taken away from them at some point, an unmistakable sacrifice for progress. It was surely worth it, and yet the girl can't help but think there was some tragedy to that loss.

From outside the city, the starry heavens are far more beautiful than any sight in this metropolis, after all.

As she continues to think, the girl's eyes unbiddenly drift over to the horizon, where several dark shapes make themselves known. Those are without a doubt the mountain range which encroaches the center of Gamindustri.

That is where the corrupted Graveyard lays.

At the mere remembrance of her troubles, Nepgear's smile fades away in an instant, her escapist thoughts coming to a halt.

'That's right. They're still there...'

The ones she couldn't save. The monsters she couldn't defeat. Both are on that flying island just beyond the mountains, all waiting for her to take action.

"But... can I really do it?" the girl quietly murmurs to herself, doubt awfully clear in her voice.

Her actions may change something, but will it be enough? Will it ever be enough? Nepgear might have saved her friends from their demise, but in the end her earlier actions amount to nothing more than running away. If fleeing is all she can do, how can the impotent girl possibly raise her head, step forward and save the world?

It honestly sounds like a fool's errand.

'... No. I shouldn't be thinking about that, not now.'

It doesn't matter how much it rings true, such a line of thought is just pointless. Nepgear doesn't even have a basic understanding of the world's current state, only that it is worse somehow. To wonder about her future actions without knowing of her surroundings is simply... unproductive.

'Which is just a nice way of saying useless,' the frowning girl silently muses to herself.

For what feels like the millionth time, a sigh threatens to escape the Candidate's lips as her shoulders slump forward, elbows pressing against the metallic railing with a tad more weight than before. Her whole life is in disarray, and yet she can do absolutely nothing about it. How... underwhelming.

'Which is just a nice way of saying pathetic,' the scowling girl silently muses to herself.

Half a second later, Nepgear processes her own thoughts. And two seconds later, her forehead finds itself firmly planted on her resting arms.

When did her mind become so antagonistic, again?

'Which is just a nice way of saying I hate myself—Ah.'

The girl twitches.

This might be... troublesome to deal with.

A puff of air exits the Candidate's lips just as she raises her head, allowing her chin to rest on her arms. In her sullen features, one wouldn't be able to see more than a tired, bored and exasperated girl.

In other words, exactly what she is at the moment.

Maybe she should just go back to bed. It's not as if her aimless thoughts have led her anywhere tonight—

*Vwiiish*

At the sudden mechanical sound from behind, a frigid chill of surprise descends Nepgear's spine. Not an instant later, the girl hastily pulls herself away from the railing, instinctively turning around to face the source of the noise, and then...

The lilac-haired girl freezes.

As does the brunette by the doorway, clad only in the wrinkled black shorts and tube top which once were beneath a blue coat whilst missing her usual sidetail.

"..."

"..."

Neither can find it in themselves to react at first.

Nepgear simply stares at her... friend, perhaps, with a blank, slightly widened gaze, not a single word coming from her parted lips. IF, meanwhile, does the exact same, up to the slight mouth movements which speak volumes of her loss of words.

To say they didn't expect to meet each other here would be an horrendous understatement.

"..."

"..."

Eventually, the brunette is the first to jolt out of her stupor, emerald orbs immediately finding something awfully interesting to the brunette's far right just as a frown mars her features.

Still, not a single murmur comes from her lips.

"..."

"..."

And so Nepgear stares, perhaps out of a mix of drowsiness and surprise, maybe because of petty curiosity. Without a clear reason, she nervously eyes the silent girl with a questioning gaze, as if waiting for something, anything, to happen.

And, thankfully, it does.

"O-Oh, well..."

"... Huh?" Unsurprisingly, it takes a moment for the Candidate to realize IF actually spoke. "Um... Y-Yes?"

"How should I put it..." Slowly, the brunette brings her sight back towards Nepgear, allowing a supposedly disarming grin to overtake her embarrassed features. "H-Hey. You're finally awake, huh? It's been days, you know."

"..."

"It was weird," IF continues when the other girl doesn't respond. "Histoire said to just let you be, no food and all, since you were 'still absorbing residual Shares from the crystal' or something like that. I didn't really get what she was saying."

"..."

"I guess CPUs are just strange, huh? I mean, it's like you were being fed by Shares alone,," the brunette comments, her grin growing slightly. "But, well... What I'm saying is... Nice to see you're, um, alive."

"..."

Nepgear blinks.

It's trembling. The wide grin on IF's face, the Candidate realizes, is trembling for some reason.

It takes a few moments, but the brunette does notice just how unnatural her expression looks. Just as it happens, she suddenly kills it before averting her eyes once more, an obvious attempt at keeping the already dangerous levels of awkwardness from rising even further.

"..."

"..."

Her success is... debatable.

"..."

"..."

The Candidate eventually takes a deep breath, eyes never leaving the other girl's... side of the head as a single drop of sweat runs down her right cheek.

This atmosphere feels off-putting, unbearably so. The brunette surely thinks the same of it, but for whatever reason she seems far more interested in avoiding eye contact than anything else.

"..."

"..."

And that only makes the situation even more agonizing.

'W-What the goodness should I do about this...?'

"..."

"..."

Nepgear shifts uncomfortably. IF does the same.

"..."

"..."

And an answer never comes.


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It is a beautiful night.

A gentle wind occasionally makes itself known, blowing through the world the bright moon shines upon the bright capital of Planeptune. Up in the sky, very few gray clouds float though the darkness, erasing the possibility of a downpour to interrupt such a soothing atmosphere.

Indeed, it truly is a beautiful night.

It is simply unfortunate, then, that the lilac-haired girl leaning against the railing can't find it in herself to enjoy it properly; and the reason why is far too obvious. It is also female, brown-haired, clad in light black cloth and right beside her, arms folded and back touching the very same railing as her while emerald eyes stare blankly at the wall near the door.

"..."

Needless to say, Nepgear is still unsure as to how she should feel about this situation.

On one hand, the atmosphere feels amicable enough, even if considerably uncomfortable. While the mood is certainly fragile, it doesn't seem as if everything can go utterly wrong, for the lack of a better term.

On the other hand, the Candidate certainly remembers before.

'N-No one would be able to forget that...'

Nepgear gulps, the action almost automatic. The mere memory is enough for her nervousness to grow tenfold, and the fact that its main cause is right next to her doesn't help much.

Even now, although IF seems calmer than ever, the girl can't help but think that the brunette still seems somewhat... scary.

And the worst part is how the fear itself is off-putting. Even though that happened, Nepgear shouldn't be feeling this way. Not to this extent.

The Candidate understands why IF was so angry before... Well, not really, but she did piece together quite a plausible reason from the brunette's earlier words after waking up. She even attempted to analyze IF's previous state of mind, which... boiled down to pure guesswork, actually, but that isn't the point.

At this moment, Nepgear has several admittedly questionable yet somewhat sound motives to believe with all her heart that IF does not hate her. She knows the brunette isn't like that... probably.

Maybe IF distrusts Nepgear. Perhaps she even dislikes her. But she wouldn't—She just can't possibly loathe the lilac-haired girl. This isn't wishful thinking, Nepgear knows they're still acquaintances, if not friends. Probably acquaintances, though.

At the very least, that's what she was supposed to believe.

Instead, the girl finds herself filled with fear. Fear that maybe, just maybe, she's completely off-mark and the brunette truly does hate her. Even though she doesn't want to completely lose IF, the lilac-haired girl simply can't erase the negative thoughts swirling around her mind—

"Gear, there's this thing called peripheral vision," the brunette says nonchalantly, snapping the Candidate out of her thoughts. "I can sort of see you ogling me."

"...!"

Nepgear's breath hitches. In an instant, the girl immediately turns her head away from IF and towards the scenery.

When did her sideways glance become a full-fledged gaze?!

"... You're anything but discreet, you know?"

The lilac-haired girl winces, but she doesn't even look at the brunette. Instead, Nepgear remains still and silent, as if expecting her earlier "transgression" to be forgiven by the brunette through pure ignorance.

That probably isn't the best way to word her thoughts, but the nervous girl honestly doesn't care at the moment.

"And now you don't even want to glance, huh...?" IF's words come with disappointment and sadness alike before a sigh sounds through the veranda. "Can't say I'm surprised, though."

Nepgear has to resist the urge to wince a second time. Was that... mockery? No, if that was the brunette's intent, her tone didn't quite match; she sounded sad instead of smug, after all.

But, then, what is IF trying to say?

"I mean, I just woke up... and came here," the brunette continues, or at least that seems to be the intent behind her borderline nonsensical words, "and now we're standing around, not even looking at each other, and I'm just... I'm glad you didn't walk away, even though you probably want to, so..."

"..."

The Candidate frowns, her confusion growing by the moment. There is certainly a message in there, but to say it is clear would be an utter lie. Is IF... nervous?

... No, that much is laughably obvious. Nepgear simply didn't think the brunette would be nearly as affected as her. That surely implies something, no doubt about it, but, sadly, the lilac-haired girl is hardly an expert at reading people.

Which simply means yet another thing she's horrible at, the Candidate dejectedly realizes as her eyes stare at the view. How... unfortunate.

"This... This is just stupid," the brunette suddenly says after a while, her voice a clear mix of fatigue and exasperation. "I'm not backing off, I do think that was a massive mistake, and you've been acting off for a while now, even though I probably am too, but... but we saved you, then I just pinned against a tree, and I'm sorry about that, but... Hell, what am I even saying here? I'm just rambling like an idiot, right?" This time, a chuckle escapes the girl's lips, but its sound is anything but cheerful. "Look, I know you probably hate me, but—"

"I don't."

IF freezes at the interruption. Slowly, her eyes drift to Nepgear, shooting her what can only be described as a mildly shocked stare.

The Candidate would know. As their eyes finally meet, her expression is the same, after all.

"..."

"..."

And that's when Nepgear realizes two things.

First, she was most certainly not staring at IF a moment ago.

Second, she didn't plan on what to say after that.

Gosh, she didn't even plan on saying that at all! It was more of a knee jerk reaction than anything!

"...!"

As such, it's no wonder that, as soon as the surprise fades, violet eyes immediately point towards the nation beneath, even as green orbs continue boring holes in her head.

'W-What the goodness?!'

This is honestly troublesome, and awkward, and weird! It's glaringly obvious neither girl is particularly used to this kind of social interaction, so the notion that they might actually be able to hold a decent conversation—or any conversation, really—is nothing short of outlandish!

Still... Nepgear can't simply stay silent after what she said, can she? That would be both nonsensical and incredibly rude of her.

Here, right now, she simply has to speak something, or else possibly risk destroying any semblance of friendship which remains between the two girls.

'N-No pressure at all...'

With that uplifting thought, the girl gulps, her nervousness announcing its presence louder than ever. Whatever comes out of her mouth, Nepgear only hopes—expects for it to form some sort of cohesive message. Anything else would be embarrassing beyond comprehension at this point.

'So... here I go...!'

"I... really don't hate you," the Candidate hesitantly begins, silently thanking the heavens for not freezing up mid-sentence as she expected. "You did scare me, I admit, but... you did have a reason for acting like that, I think..."

It's then that a small, sad frown makes its way to the lilac-haired girl's lips as she continues. "The Sharicite... I couldn't do anything else, so I just used it. Even though it was precious, I was... am weak, so I used it. I know I can't just promise I won't do it again, it won't change anything, but I... I'll become stronger," the girl finally announces, desperate voice pleading for the brunette to believe her words.

And then, Nepgear turns her head towards the brunette, meeting disbelief and surprise with the most determined gaze she can manage before continuing. "Yes, I'll become stronger. So strong nothing like that will happen again. So that I won't let you down again, I'll become strong enough to save Neptune and the other CPUs. I promise."

That's it, those are the words the Candidate chose. They came clumsily, messy to the point of disbelief, but nothing can be done about it now. And so, as amethyst stares into shocked emerald, Nepgear nervously awaits for some sort of reaction, preferably a sign that IF took the so-called speech to heart.

... It was a massive lie, of course. At least it surely feels like it. What else can one call whimsical words chosen in the heat of the moment, each filled with fake bravado, coupled with a grand and vague promise?

But, really, it was all Nepgear could do. There was no other option besides saying what the brunette likely wanted to hear.

Does that make the Candidate a bad person? Oh, surely. The girl has not a single doubt about it. But she can't just allow her relationship with IF to be destroyed because of her own uselessness.

Besides, a strong person must have the will to lie like that.

Right...?

...

...

...

"Heheh..."

'Huh?'

The lilac-haired girl jolts in her place, suddenly broken from her thoughts by the sudden... chuckle?

An instant later, she notices it.

IF is smiling at her.

It's not even an ironic smile. It's a true, honest-to-goodness "there's still some happiness in my soul" smile.

And Nepgear can't understand why.

"Alright, I admit, that was certainly something," the brunette comments, amusement clear in her voice. "Seriously, this conversation sure went badly if we're throwing speeches at each other now... But I guess I needed that."

'... Eh?'

IF doesn't even bat an eye at Nepgear's dumbfounded expression as she once again points her eyes forward, towards the metallic wall of the Neptower. "Say, how about we start this all over again?"

The lilac-haired girl blinks.

"Ah, um... Sure?"

Clearly noticing the uncertainty in Nepgear's tone, the brunette can't help but widen her smile. "Great! That wasn't going anywhere anyway. Now, where to start..." With that, the girl grows silent as a pensive expression overtakes her features.

Fortunately, the silence gives the nervous Candidate a chance to think about this situation. Unfortunately, it doesn't help much with her confusion.

'H-How did her nervousness disappear so quickly? How did she laugh so easily like that?!... Did I say something funny?' the lilac-haired girl wonders curiously. Was her speech so ridiculous that she accidentally "broke the ice," so to speak? 'That... doesn't sound very uplifting...'

Still, she has to thank her ridiculousness, as self-deprecating as that sounds. A few more minutes in that tense mood and she might have just bolted out of the veranda.

Besides... isn't this a sign that IF doesn't actually hate her?

'I'm glad...'

If the brunette did, the lilac-haired girl would truly be at a loss of what to do. How does one respond to hate, after all?

"... Ah, I think I got it," IF finally speaks, drawing Nepgear's attention back to reality just the brunette turns towards her, her lips slightly tugged upwards. "Just hear me out for a bit, alright?"

It takes a moment for the Candidate to reply, but soon enough she silently nods at the other girl.

It's not as if she could give any other answer.

Seeing that, the brunette flashes Nepgear a quick, fleeting smile. "Thanks. Now, as for what I wanted to say..."

Suddenly, IF kicks off the railing, separating herself from the metal before turning around, emerald eyes focusing on the dark horizon as she begins. "These years... They were hell, you know?"

"..."

That much was clear from the start, the lilac-haired girl muses as she watches the brunette. Given how IF reacted, whatever she went through was anything but favorable.

Taking the silence as permission to continue, IF once again speaks. "One day, you guys just disappeared. Me and Compa went to the Basilicom and we were told you and Neptune were away... for five days straight." A chuckle sounds, humorous yet carrying some sadness. "When I think about it, we should have realized something was wrong by the second day. But, hey, we were just kids, some random Guild trainee and a little girl who wanted to be a nurse. We kind of were stupid by default."

Taking a deep breath of the night's air, the brunette glances at the dark sky, a smile finding its way to her lips as the memories come. "We also were the two of the most troublesome brats in Planeptune, I guess. In the sixth day, I sneaked out of the orphanage and Compa managed to get away from her grandfather for once. Then we just..." the girl trails off for a moment, a bashful smile on her face. "... sneaked into the Neptower, all the way to the Basilicom."

Nepgear blinks. "Huh?"

They just... sneaked into Planeptune's most important building...?

And they managed to do it?

And they got away with it?!

Glancing right into the Candidate's ludicrous stare, IF can't help but let out a few nervous chuckles. "Yeah, um, we did get spotted easily, but it's not like the guards would use lethal force on two kids, so stopping us was a lot harder than it should be. They did catch us when we were already up here, but Histoire sent the guards away." The brunette's embarrassed smile widens slightly at the thought. "Although she tends to remind us of that now and then."

"Ah..." As much as she attempts to resist, a smile still crosses Nepgear's features. That does sounds like Histoire.

"A-Anyway," IF hastily says, once again catching the Candidate's attention, "long story short, we talked to Histoire and made her tell the truth. It was actually surprisingly easy, all things considered. We just had to fake some tears."

'Fake tears...?' Nepgear is honestly unsure about what to make of that bit of information. 'Goodness, kids sure are cruel...'

... She did do that a few times when she was little, though...

"When she told us about how everyone had been captured, we didn't hesitate." Little by little, something akin to a melancholic smile forms itself on the brunette's features as she gazes towards the dark mountains far away. "We told Histoire we would like to help as much as possible. We insisted a lot, and she eventually agreed."

Following those words, a short laugh exits IF's mouth.

"We didn't even notice when we walked into hell."

"..."

A breeze blows through the veranda, softly caressing both girls with its soothing coolness.

And yet, as widened amethyst orbs stare at the brunette blankly gazing into the night, not even that is able to quell her surprise.

In a single instant, the friendly atmosphere was completely destroyed, and in its place is now an oppressive mood, filled with uneasiness and tension alike.

It almost feels overwhelming for Nepgear.

And, before she knows, IF speaks.

"At first, everything was easy enough," the girl says, her voice coming unnervingly neutral. "We had to wake up a bit earlier, do some quests and spread out pamphlets about the CPUs. It was simple, the work a pair of kids and a warrior or two could do without breaking a sweat." It's then that a long sigh makes itself known. "But, of course, it didn't last. It was a pretty short time, actually."

Suddenly, IF turns her gaze towards Nepgear, staring deep into her stunned eyes. "Factories burning to the ground. Shops being robbed and razed. By the time our security has enough budget and power prevent it, the economy is deep into a hellhole. Everything is too costly, piracy becomes commonplace, all the while hundreds of idiots spread the word about some Deity who can make everything better. We reveal that the idiots are responsible for the attacks, but people don't believe in the missing CPUs enough for many Shares to actually come back."

"..."

Nepgear attempts to respond. Truly, she does. However, all her efforts only amount to a few silent motions of her parted lips, each movement completely without meaning.

The Candidate simply can't believe that her nation—her continent was brought down to its knees so easily.

It's ludicrous, impossible, unfathomable... and completely true.

'This has to be a nightmare...!'

The brunette lets out a frustrated sound, something akin to a growl, before continuing. "Gamindustri got too used to peace, everybody listened to the protesters saying we shouldn't focus money on fighting power, and look where that got us: ASIC tore us apart like freaking paper! They had been around for years, but nobody knew they had this many people—and I just know this was their plan all along. Meanwhile, me and Compa could do absolutely nothing while everything went to hell all around us."

Finally, much to Nepgear's nervous relief, IF breaks eye contact as she leans forward, both hands gripping the railing as the brunette's sight washes over Planeptune. "When the Shares plummeted, the whole Basilicom panicked. Everyone began taking more quests, every single fighter started working themselves dry day by day, all the while we tried to please a whole population of idiots and make them have faith in the CPUs who weren't even around anymore. Sleeping more than five hours became a luxury, distrust was the new fad once ASIC spies began popping up and nobody knew what we were doing anymore, what with the income of Shares being almost nonexistent."

At this point, the Candidate simply can't tear her eyes away from the brunette. Each word IF says only fills Nepgear with dread, and yet she finds herself completely entranced, her focus on nothing but the girl nonchalantly recounting horrors as if simply reading the day's newspaper.

It's like watching a car crash, it's impossible to tear your eyes away from the scene. Except this is far worse than any petty crash could ever be.

"But we still did it," the brunette adds after a while, voice as emotionless as before. "Somehow, after months and months of killing ourselves with work, we managed to get enough Shares to produce a single Sharicite. The plan was both simple and stupidly desperate: get in the Graveyard, find the CPUs, recharge them, break out. With spies all around, Histoire decided to send untrained me instead of a possible trained traitor, and Compa just kind of decided to tag along." For the first time in a few long minutes, a chuckle comes from IF.

"And then you wasted it."

Nepgear winces, gaze drifting downwards. At once, guilt begins pooling in her mind, the gravity of her actions finally hitting her.

For the second time in this night, it takes all her willpower not to let tears fall.

It was far easier to rationalize her choice when she hadn't known the story. But now? When she's fully aware of how much effort and suffering it took to make that crystal?

To hell with rationalization, this feels horrible.

"I-I'm sorry..." the Candidate croaks out, her own voice cracking terribly.

"Seriously? You're sorry?

"...?!"

And yet, even though she should have expected it, the mocking tone with which IF's words come catch her completely unaware. Violet eyes snap towards the brunette leaning against the railing in surprise, widened even as crystalline blue begins pooling in them.

What she sees only makes her feel worse.

A narrowed gaze. A disgusted look.

A hateful glare, much like the one IF wore before.

"Does that mean you were wrong, then?" the brunette asks, an expectant tone in her voice. "Do you finally admit we should have stayed back there? That we could have saved everyone, but your own damn fear screwed everything up?"

Nepgear opens her mouth to respond. The answer IF wants is clear, all the Candidate has to do is say the word.

And yet, as she stares deep into emerald with her own amethyst orbs...

"..."

"..."

Not a sound comes.

'Why...? I... I did it before... I lied before, why can't I do it now...?'

Nepgear has to be strong, strong enough to lie in order to save this failing relationship. If she cares about IF, she has to be strong and lie through her teeth right now.

So... why can't she?!

"..."

How useless she is.

In that case, the Candidate has to tell the truth instead. That she has the power to come back from death, and that she died to that robot once. IF might doubt her, but...

...

Nothing. There is no "but," such a thing would sound like a madwoman creating unbelievable excuses. There is no reason for IF to believe her, no trust between the two of them, nothing.

Nepgear has to lie.

But... she can't bring herself to do so, not while staring deep into the brunette's eyes like this. To spin words is one thing, but to deny her own beliefs is another level altogether, one she cannot bring herself to reach.

And that is just another reminder of how weak she is.

"... Tch."

Before the lilac-haired girl is able to say anything, the brunette pushes herself away from the railing, standing tall on her legs as she looks down at the Candidate. "You can't even make a choice...? What the hell happened to you, Nepgear?"

At this point she doesn't even seem mad, Nepgear realizes. Only... horribly disappointed.

"..."

And that hurts far more than any amount of hate would.

Although her words came as a question, IF doesn't wait for an answer before turning around and walking away, her steps on metal echoing through the silent veranda as violet eyes follow her figure.

Nepgear failed. As the girl follows the brunette's example and raises from the railing, she has no doubt that she has failed.

IF hates her. Without a doubt, the brunette loathes Nepgear for what she did.

The Candidate can only watch as IF moves away, closer and closer to the automatic door, farther and farther from Nepgear.

And, without a word, she reaches up to wipe away the few tears which escaped a moment ago.

'I am weak, after all...'

...

...

...

"No."

IF halts. She doesn't turn around, but she halt nonetheless.

And that's all Nepgear wanted.

As she stands near the railing, facing the brunette's back with a shaky expression of determination, the girl attempts to muster up as much courage as possible.

And then, she opens her mouth.

"N-No," the Candidate hesitantly repeats before taking a deep breath, closing her eyes in an attempt to calm herself down. "I... I wasn't wrong. You used the Sharicite to save me, and I used the Sharicite to save you. Even if you don't think so, I truly believe we couldn't have rescued anyone else. So..."

In that moment, amethyst orbs snap open, filled with all the confidence the girl could gather, even if just for an instant. "I am sorry for all you had to go through, but I won't apologize for using the Sharicite. Because I believe I was right. And you won't convince me otherwise, not even with guilt."

There. She said it. Being too weak to lie and intelligent enough not to tell the truth, using up a life's worth of courage, Nepgear said the half-truth to the friend she already lost.

As much as it stings, as much as it reminds the girl of her uselessness, if they'll drift apart anyway, it's only fair that IF gets an actual answer.

"..."

Said girl, however, doesn't react at first, simply standing in place. Then, she lets out a long sigh. "Let me just tell you something, Gear... It's great that you feel that way, but I'll never forgive you for what you did."

"..."

Nepgear expected that. It hurts, but, from the moment she opened her mouth, the girl was fully aware that the only difference between the two possible conclusions was whether IF would accept the Candidate's words.

And she did. As the so-called Candidate of Planeptune grits her teeth whilst fighting shivers and clenches her fists as she holds back tears, she can't help but feel a minuscule, almost unnoticeable amount of pride at her accomplishment.

It's not as if she could have obtained more, after all.

As such, Nepgear can't bring herself to do anything as IF slowly turns around, undoubtedly to say a few more words to the useless Candidate, and...

...

...

...

Smile.

Nepgear almost chokes on air, disbelief overtaking her whole being in a matter of milliseconds.

Smile. That's undoubtedly a smile.

On IF's face. A bright smile.

At her. That's a smile. At her.

A smile. There.

IF.

IF.

Why is IF flashing the brightest smile Nepgear has ever seen?!

"..."

The Candidate attempts to comment on that, perhaps ask for a motive for such an action. So, she opens her mouth...

"Asfgh?"

... and subsequently decides to stay silent from then on.

"..."

Meanwhile, brunette doesn't react to the incredulous stare, neither does she point out Nepgear's hanging jaw. As a matter of fact, the smiling girl doesn't say anything before turning back towards the door and resuming her walk.

Then, IF reaches the door, its mechanism opening it vertically.

Following that, IF goes through the doorway, and into the household.

And, finally, the door closes behind IF, hiding her from Nepgear's sight.

"..."

It all happened during the span of long five seconds, but somehow it almost feels as if the brunette disappeared from the Candidate's view in less than an instant.

"..."

And, even with the girl gone, Nepgear simply continues to stare at the metallic door, lost in her own shock and disbelief.

Seconds pass, fast as the breeze which suddenly hits the girl.

A minute goes by, certainly quicker than it has the right to.

Nepgear blinks.

"..."

Slowly, the Candidate leans backwards, letting her back touch the metallic railing behind her.

Allowing her legs to give in, the girl gradually slides to the ground, remaining still once touching the cold metal for a few moments.

And then Nepgear gradually directs her gaze upwards, towards the one noticeable light in the heavens shining upon the land beneath.

"..."

Thus, the girl doesn't move any further, sitting on the floor with her legs sprawled. As she watches the view above, her mind attempts to explain the confusing sight from before.

And then, as violet eyes focus on the bright moon in the middle of the dark sky above, a single realization comes to Nepgear.

"Ah... It's midnight..."

...

...

...

'What the goodness just happened?"


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Girls are always nonsensical, even if you are one.

So, after two weeks, this finally was uploaded!

It seems I'm updating once every 14 days, huh...? I honestly wanted the updates to be weekly, but something troublesome always happens, and before I know it the day is over.

*Sigh*

Maybe I'm the useless one, huh...?

That said, this is something of an interlude, even if it did provide some important information and development. Some people might not be happy with it, but I just couldn't miss this chance.

Basically, we're never told whether Nepgear has just woken up in the first Basilicom scene. I noticed though, that it's completely viable that she woke up amidst the night, then just closed her eyes and eventually went to sleep again.

Thus, I used that idea to create a scene. In this story, her mind was much more troubled than in the game, which led her to step out of her room and eventually meet IF.

And we all know that didn't exactly help with her troubles.

... What do you mean "now explain IF's thoughts"? Figuring that out is up to you people! Nepgear feels confused, and that's how the reader must feel too!

Rest assured that I did write IF quite carefully, though. None of her actions were nonsensical for the sake of shock value, there is a meaning hidden in there, and I hope some people can see it. I'd say it's not particularly hard to figure it out, but I'm kind of the writer, so my opinion is obviously biased.

And, with that message out of the way, I believe there is nothing else for me to say.

Until another day, and remember to review! Those are a writer's lifeline, after all!


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A comfortable sigh escapes Nepgear's lips as she steps out of the bathroom and into the white corridor, clad in nothing but a white towel. Silently, the girl then turns towards the doorway and carefully closes the brown wooden door, doing her best not to cause any unnecessary noise.

She seriously needed that warm bath.

Of course, Nepgear had half a mind to use cold water, just so she could suffer for her uselessness. But then she realized that she seriously shouldn't be having those kinds of thoughts and promptly decided not to go through with that idea.

Her mind truly is quite antagonistic, it seems.

Without a word, Nepgear turns around towards the hallway, intent on returning to her room—

'Ah!'

Only to recoil as she finds a glass filled with what is surely milk being shoved towards her face.

Nepgear blinks.

In front of her is IF, still in the same outfit as before, holding the drink towards the Candidate with one hand while the other grasps a similar glass near her.

Nepgear blinks again.

The brunette smells nice, and her clothes seem considerably less wrinkled than before—another set, the lilac-haired girl realizes. IF also took a bath.

Nepgear blinks once more.

"... Huh?"

At that, a minuscule smirk crosses the brunette's face. "Hey, c'mon, I can't hold it for you forever."

"A-Ah, right." The Candidate gently takes the glass from IF's grasp, allowing the brunette to lower her hand with a satisfied smile. "Thank you...?"

IF simply flashes a small grin before turning around and walking away down the corridor.

Nepgear blinks yet again.

'Alright...'

It's incredible how this only makes things even more confusing.

The lilac-haired girl glances down at her milk. Slowly, she brings it up to her mouth and takes a big gulp—

"G-Guh...!"

Only to regret it a second later as she hastily lowers the glass, bringing her other hand to her mouth.

This is... horrible! It's like there's sugar in the milk! It doesn't even taste like milk!

There's milk in this sugar!

Focusing all her willpower on not throwing up this thing she just drank, Nepgear's head snaps towards the direction IF went—

Only to see the brunette standing a few meters away, facing the lilac-haired girl whilst calmly sipping her undoubtedly untainted drink, amusement more than clear in her features.

As soon as the glass leaves her mouth, IF lets out a quiet chuckle, allowing a full-blown cheerful smile to cross her features. "Good night, Gear. Love ya."

With those words, not even batting an eye at Nepgear's incredulous stare, IF simply walks away and turns around a corner, disappearing from sight.

"..."

And silence overtakes the atmosphere.

Nepgear blinks once again, this time with a groan as she attempts to keep her newfound nausea in check. IF was quite the prankster when she was younger, but didn't she prank only people she didn't like? That means she dislikes the Candidate, right?

Well, she certainly is taking out her frustrations on Nepgear.

Are they foes, then?

But that smile...

Are they comrades?

But her cruel words...

Are they enemies?

But her kind words...

Are they friends?

But the prank...

But... But... But...!

'W-What the goodness are we?!'

With a wince, Nepgear brings her free hand to her head, as if to calm her mind somehow.

Sadly, it doesn't do much to combat her internal meltdown.

'IF... She... She makes no sense...!'

"Ugh..." Unfortunately, the girl's thoughts are suddenly interrupted by her own groan, reminding her of her current nauseous state.

Letting out a grunt, the Candidate immediately turns towards the bathroom, opens its door and hastily heads inside it, the contents of the glass in her grasp only barely avoiding being spilled out at the sudden action.

Internal meltdown or not, Nepgear will have to expel something real soon, and she'd rather it not be on the floor.

'That prank was just cruel...!'

And, as the Candidate rushes to the toilet, a simple realization makes itself known in her mind.

The little girl Nepgear once knew was a handful, that's true.

"G-Gah... Too sweet..."

But the woman she became is far more troublesome.