A/N: Hey there guys/girls I'm back once again with another update. So uh, my friend is hospitalized (ironically, Hikaru and Neptune is at a hospital as well. Dammit me.), and the sad thing is that his parents went into another country due to some important matters for a long ass time. I think I'll visit him later, anyways let's start the chapter as always, shall we?
Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Idea Factory and Compile Heart. I only own my story and my OC.
Chapter nine: "Going back to Planeptune."
Five days have passed. I could move without cringing myself too much because of the doctor and the nurses' help. But they were shocked at how fast I recovered. They told me that I broke my right arm and my right leg was really damaged. And the damage from Artemis' arrow on my left shoulder is… gone. No marks and no nothing. I still remembered when the nurse opened up the bandage to change it with a new one, I literally could see my flesh. Disturbing as heck. Either way, the doctor said that it should have took 6 months at best for me to fully recover, but here I am eating a not so tasty hospital breakfast just like any other patients. Well at least I can still eat breakfast. I stopped eating as the nurse came inside the room.
"Ah, mister Nuit. Are you done eating your breakfast?" The nurse asked me with a smile.
"Not yet, but I guess I'm already full." I said to the nurse.
"Well, allow me to take the tray and I'll call Doctor Takihara for you." The nurse said as she took the tray and left with a smile.
Hmm…. If I remember correctly, I got three cards from Glenn. I take the cards from my parka's pocket. The first card is a card with a picture of the Ice dragon itself. I don't know how to read these characters though. The second one is a card called 'Freeze Shot', it has a picture of Glacies shooting a ball of blue energy. Pretty cool. The last but not least is a blank card, it has no image not texts or anything like that. It's a white card that has a weird symbol. Okay maybe this is not a 100% blank card after all.
*Knock!* *Knock!*
I looked at the opened door, the doctor came inside with a smile on his face.
"Hey there, mister Nuit. Stella told me that you finished eating your breakfast, mind if I check your conditions?" He asked me.
"No doc, go ahead." I replied as he nodded.
Doctor Takihara put on his stethoscope and 'scanned' my body. One of the nurse told me that this hospital is unique, the doctors have this stethoscope that could scan their patients. When the body is scanned, the doctors will gain his /her patient's name, health statistics and other important data that I don't know for sure. I don't want to be a doctor, that's for sure.
Doctor Takihara grinned as he deactivate his stethoscope, "Your body is working normal once again. Still, maybe some Planeptune scientists would love to check on your body! To think that I got a patient that maybe has a special condition… Think about it, you need 6 months at best, and here you are, listening to this newbie doctor." He said.
"Huh… Well, if it is good for other people, I don't mind. So can I go home or something?" I asked the doctor.
"Yup! But you need to take the last medicine from me first." He said while taking a… SYRINGE?!
"AHHH! NO, NO, NO! ANYTHING BUT A SYRINGE!" I shouted on top of my lungs.
"Chill, it's gonna be okay!" He said while grabbing my right arm and stabbed the needle to my arm.
"…..Huh, it doesn't hurt." I said after blinking a few times.
"Of course not, what are you, a twelve year old?" He asked.
"Well I'm 25 years old." I answered the doctor. Well I don't know my exact age, but 25 is the best I could pull for now.
"Huh, well you're good to go. Also the payment for you and that Neptune lady is already paid by the Basilicom. Well I'll be leaving, don't take anything too serious since maybe it will cause more injuries and please take care of yourself since lately strange things happens outta nowhere. Have a good day!" Doctor Takihara waved his hands as he left.
"What kind of doctor is that, yeah sure just leave your patient dumbass!" X complained about the doctor.
"X, I'm all good so it's okay. Let's find Neptune's room." I said as I get out of the hospital's bed and take my parka.
Making sure I didn't leave anything, I left the room. This hospital is pretty big, and I'm currently at the sixth floor, there are nine floors in total and also one ground floor. I walked while reading the names on the door. Hmm, maybe Neptune is at another floor? Or maybe I should just ask for the front desk lady to tell me. Nodding to myself, I head towards the elevator. There's no one in the elevator, only me and silence. I pressed the '1st floor' button and the elevator's doors closed. Accompanied by the groovy music, I wait until I made to the first floor.
"X, I've been wondering…" I said to the voice inside my brain.
"What is it?" He replied.
"You know something about Grimoire as well, don't you?" As I said that, I could hear him clicking his tongue.
"…..Yes, I know about her. Don't get the wrong idea, god I talk like a tsundere now because of you, I know her after you slept on the sofa back then. She's a nice girl, y'know? How about you give her some little more trust points? What's wrong with having two voices in your head anyways? I met this dude that talked with not two, but four different voices so…. Yeah basically I want you to trust the girl." He answered, but I feel something… off.
*Ding!*
The sound of the elevator's doors opening told me that I've reached the first floor. I walked my way towards the front desk. I can see some parents holding their kids' hands as they passed by, some people would sit on one of the chairs available while reading the weekly newspaper and some people went into the cafeteria for a snack while waiting for their relatives. Truly, hospitals are quite lively during morning. I finally arrived in front of the front desk.
The worker greets me with a smile, "Good day to you sir, how may I help you?" He asked me.
I nodded, "Uh… Can you tell me where is this patient's room is? Her name is Neptune. Oh, she's tall and her hair is long and purple." I explained.
"Ah, the one who was saved by the Basilicom member? Let's see… Oh, her room is number 654, at the sixth floor." He said with a smile.
Wait, sixth floor? My room is number… 653… My face meets my palm after I finally realized her room is to my goddamned left after all this time.
"Thanks. Good day to you too!" I said to the man and left towards the elevator once again. Dammit I really need to recheck everything sometimes.
I pressed the '6th floor' button and the elevator's doors closed once again. Huh, the music changed. Still a groovy type though. I let out a sigh before opening my mouth to ask X once again.
"Then, what's the reason for me to give her a second chance? For someone who met her for the first time, aren't you a little protective?" I ask him.
"Thank goodness she's sleeping right now. For starters, I can tell who's good and who's bad, she's a good girl. She did give you things right? Who's your navigator when you first woke up in Virtua forest? That's right, Grimoire. Before you ask, I got this information from her." He explained.
If I believe in Grimoire… No, I don't want to, at least for now. The vision I gained from the Dragon's soul, that much is good enough for me.
"….No, even if you told me to believe in her… I won't. The truth is too painful for me, to think that… She…" I stopped talking.
"She what?"
"….Nothing." I didn't want to reveal that to X for now.
"Well, whatever it is… You can talk to me. We help each other, y'know?" X told me.
*Ding!*
The elevator's doors opened, I walked to find Neptune's room. Well, it's literally the most nearest to my room, I really need to recheck everything. I walked towards Neptune's room. Well here I go. I knock the door.
*Knock!* *Knock!*
"Come in." The voice, Neptune, told me.
I opened the door and went inside. The girl, Neptune, is sitting at her bed writing something on her Nep-Note. She stopped writing and waved her hand at me.
"Hey, Neptune. Feeling better?" I ask as I take a sit at one of the chairs.
She smiled, "Yeah. But the doctor said I am really lucky to survive that fight. I didn't tell him the details though." She laughed.
Even when she got injured, she could still laugh with all of heart's content… As expected of her.
"So I guess you're here for now?" I ask her.
She nodded while letting out a sigh, "Yeah. Three weeks full of boredom. How can you heal this fast? It's been like five days!" She complained while pouting.
"I don't know, maybe it's my luck once again." I replied with a smile.
"Oh if you know the true reason… you're not gonna like it…." X mumbled.
Ignoring what X said, I talk with Neptune once again.
"So, I guess you're staying here for three week, huh…" I said to her.
She nodded, "Yeah. It's boring to stay for five days, but three weeks? Well at least I have my Nep-Note… Hey, Nuit? You… won, right?" She asked with a hint of uncertainty and hope mixed in.
I'm afraid that she would ask that, to think I won by actually killing the bastard… I know that is the right thing to do… but would Neptune accept it? Letting out a sigh, I looked at her lilac eyes.
"….Yeah, yeah I won…. But, I don't think you would like to hear the story…" I answered.
She looked at me with a confused look.
"What, why? You beat him fair and square, right?" She asked me.
"Well, after I punched him in the stomach, the field went 'BOOM!' and all, and he… he… he turned into dust not long after I asked him questions, and I got my answers and… these three cards." I said as I showed her the cards I got from Glenn.
She took the cards from my hand and looked at them with interest.
"Hmm… these cards are unique, to say the least. But I've never seen someone used this kind of language, though. Weird." Neptune said as she gave the cards back to me.
"Yeah… Wait, you're not surprised at the fact that Glenn turned into dust?" I asked her.
"I was, but considering I've seen and heard other ridiculous things, it's nothing." She said with a happy tone.
"Oh, well… You better take some rest, it'll help you. I will stay at Leanbox until you recovers if you want." I said to Neptune.
She nodded and I stand up, but before I could leave she grabbed my hand. Well this is a first.
"Hm? What is it, Neptune?" I asked the girl.
Still grabbing my hand, she let out a sigh first before looking straight into my eyes, "Can you… come closer for a sec and close your eyes?" She asked me.
"Uh… sure?" is my response to her. Honestly this girl is a handful sometimes huh?
I closed into her and closed my eyes, and what I got is… a warm sensation on my left cheek? I opened my eyes and looked at the girl in confusion, what I got from her is her usual grin.
"What's with the shocked expression? You said you wanted a reward for helping me catching cool bugs, right? And you kept your promise, you won right? So there! You can go to Planeptune without me if you want." She said to me with a big smile.
I just stand there without saying anything. Clean your thoughts, dammit! I nodded while walking towards the door. I opened the door while looking back at her.
"Uh… I hope you get better soon! S-See you soon!" I said in hurry as I leave. I can hear Neptune giggling to herself as I try to catch my breath.
'WHAT THE HELL IS THAT ABOUT?! X HELP ME NOW!' I thought as I ran towards the elevator.
X just laughed at my reaction, "That, my friend, is what you call an important event. Congratulations, you got one out of nine thousand! ….I guess." X said as I went inside the elevator and pressed the "1st floor" once again.
'Important event my ass, she kissed me!' I shouted inwardly.
"On your cheek, mind you. In my book that is just an action of gratitude, y'know? Just take it easy because this is like, what, the ninth chapter? If my theory is correct, this shit fiction will end after its twentieth chapter or something, so calm down!" He said.
I let out a sigh, "M-maybe you're right, y-yeah maybe I'm overthinking it…" I said while still trying to calm myself.
*Ding!*
The elevator doors, once again, opens for me. I walked my way towards the cafeteria, I'm hungry so I can't help it. But someone tapped my shoulders before I went further towards the cafeteria. I looked behind me, and the one who tapped my shoulder is…
"Miss Hakozaki?" I asked at the woman.
She smiled at me, "Hey, Nuit. It seems that the info from Takihara is true, you really are lucky. Anyway, can we talk at the cafeteria? I want to ask you questions if you don't mind." Miss Hakozaki said.
I nodded with a smile, "Sure! I was gonna go buy a little snack before going back to Planeptune, but I don't mind staying here for a while." I told her.
Miss Hakozaki nodded as we walked towards the cafeteria together. We sit in front of each other as the waitress came to us with the menu. Miss Hakozaki ordered a chamomile tea, whatever that is, while I ordered a cup of black coffee. The waitress arrives with our orders.
"So, what happened in the Field?" Miss Hakozaki asked as she sipped her tea.
"Well, me and Neptune were just trying to catch some cool bugs and after that she would guide me across Leanbox, but this weird man called Éclair showed up and attacked me and Neptune. She wasn't hurt however, but I was pierced by Éclair's arrows and another man called Glenn came to make things worse. His power is ice-based and he was a tough opponent. I barely won!" I explained to her.
She nodded and continued on sipping her tea, "So, I guess you killed him? What did this Glenn man said to you before his last moment?" She asked me once again.
"….Nothing much, he said that some group called the "Retainers" will come to ruin my life and all that, but what's bothering me is that what if those "Retainers" people are actually retainers? Glenn's a tough opponent, so I can't imagine me fighting someone or something far stronger than Glenn." I explained further to Miss Hakozaki before sipping my black coffee. Oh man Leanbox's coffee beans must be the best out of all four nations! I guess.
"I see, well if you wanted some guidance you can always come to the Basilicom to meet me or my darling sister Ver- I mean Lady Green Heart." Miss Hakozaki said. Wait a sec, darling sister ver…. Verano?
"I will, Miss Hakozaki. Oh yeah! Glenn told me that those "Retainers" have this Demonic Dragon Circle tattoo on their body. I didn't see his tattoo, however. Must be on his back or something." Phew, I thought I would forget that important information.
She nodded as she stands up while leaving some credits on the table, "Well, thanks for answering my question Nuit. Oh and don't worry about the bill, it's on me." Miss Hakozaki said as she left the cafeteria while waving her hand.
"….Wait, aren't I supposed to pay for the both of us? …Dammit, she left already." I said as I finished drinking my coffee.
I left the hospital not long after that. Sigh, I need to thank Miss Hakozaki for paying my coffee when I meet her someday. I walked at the streets of Leanbox, it seems I'm at the capital. I stopped in front of this store that sells video games and other hobby-related things. Somehow… It brings a nostalgic feeling.
"…." I just stared at the store's door, thinking whether to come in or not.
"…..You know what? I'm going in." I said as I walked towards the store, I have lots of time to spare anyways. The doors opened automatically for me and I went inside. There are lots of games displayed here from what I could see. There are card games too. I walked to see what the store has, but I bumped against a teenager.
"…"
"…"
The both of us just stared without saying a word at each other. Man this is awkward.
"….Sorry, didn't mean to bump against you." I said, bowing my head a little. The teenager nodded and left the store.
"Somehow… I felt like I did something wrong…" I say as I try to see lots of action games being displayed.
"What, with that teen? He nodded so it's fine, right" X said.
"….Yeah. Hmm? 'Maximum Sisters double Z'? Oh, it's an 18+ game, not gonna question about the title though…" I said as I walked away from the action game aisle and walked towards the other aisles. Long story short, there's one aisle each for RPG games, FPS games and many other genres.
"You know looking at these games I remembered that one guy I knew that really loves games but he would beat the shit out of people who played bootleg games. Thank goodness I beat his ass twice harder with my gamer skills so there would be no more victims." X told me.
"Really? That's… interesting." I said as I now look at the card collections. There's this super cool card that features a dragon holding a sword in the most cliché way of posing… Wait, that sword is… I summoned the Sun deity's chronicle book from Grimoire, and I open the page where the author illustrates he's artwork, oh and before some people would be triggered at me using 'he', the Author's name is [K.E.N]. I don't why it's all caps and all though. Ah, there it is! The sword in this book and the sword that the dragon is holding is the same… huh, weird.
"What's wrong bro? Do you wanna get that monster card?" The shop owner asked me.
"Ah, no. I don't even know how to play card games." I said.
"Well that's a shame, that card is so powerful you know? Lots of people were trying to buy the card but since the price is really expensive they left with empty hands. It's not me who priced the card though, some middle-aged man came to this shop five years ago and gave me the card. He told me to either give the card to someone 'worthy', or sell the card with the price he told me." He explained.
"Is that so? 'Sword of the sun, shining force dragon', huh… Hey can I buy the card?" I said.
The shop owner spits his soda on the floor and other people looked at me with shocked expressions.
"What?! You would spend two million credits for a single, gold-foiled, card?! You told me earlier that you don't play the card game, right?!" The owner asked.
"Yeah. But I like how 'Shining force dragon' sounds! Pretty cool actually." I shrugged while smiling sheepishly.
"Well, alright. The card is yours buddy." He said as he gave me the card and I give him my black card. Receiving my black card back, I left the store while other people are still looking at me with a shocked expression.
"Two million credits for a piece of cardboard? You really are something, Hikaru." X said while letting out a sigh.
"Hey it's not my fault. This card looks cool! I don't care about the fact that I don't play the card game, I just want to have this card." I said as I walked towards the terraport station while looking at my new card.
"And here I am, thinking that you would act like a true 25-year old." X commented.
I stopped walking, "Wait…. How did you know about my age? I only guessed the number but you sure sound confident enough about my age." I asked him.
"I have my skills, and can you please stop interrogating me? I could literally fucked your mind upside down if I want." He answered with an annoyed tone.
"Sheesh, alright then. Well going back to Planeptune it is, then." I said as I continue walking towards the station.
Well, here I am at Planeptune once again. I check the time by looking at the station's clock, it reads 03:00 PM.
"Wait did we skip the 'you can now terraport!' thing? Man mister edgy writer is lazy as always." X said.
"Uh-huh. And I guess we won't do anything for now." I said as I walked without any plan at all.
"Wait, so we're not doing anything now? Really?" X asked.
"Apparently. But considering I'm hungry, again, I'm gonna go buy a snack." I said as I decided to walk towards this random minimarket. As I went inside, the cashier greets me with a 'welcome' just like any other cashier would.
"Hmm… What kind of snack would I buy…. X, what do you think?" I asked him.
"How about… pudding?" He said. Pudding huh… Somehow I want to eat a cup of custard pudding or two.
"….Pudding, it is." I said as I walked towards the dessert section. Ah, there it is. As I saw a cup of delicious custard pudding and tried to grab it, someone's hand touched mine. Cliché to the max everybody.
"Oh! I'm sorry…?" I said to the girl. She looks like a 14-year old girl, god I sound like a pedophile. The girl has short lilac hair with bangs that reach down to her collar bone and purple eyes. In her hair she wears white hair-clips in the shape of D-pads and around her neck is a choker that has a light blue D-pad symbol on it. She wears a mostly white hoodie dress that has a light purple hood, strings that look like controller plugs, and two huge purple and white pockets with purple D-Pad symbols on them. The sleeves have two light blue strips going all the way down while the front of the hoodie only contains one. The ends of the sleeves and the bottom of the hoodie have dark and light purple stripes. The zipper emblem and the back of the hoodie has a purple letter "N". She also wears light blue and white striped thigh high socks with frills at the tops and her shoes are purple and blue.
Wait a minute… That face… Her hoodie dress… I want to say she looks like Neptune, but… Let's play safe for now.
"Uh… Who are you?" I ask her.
She tilted her head in the cutest way I've ever seen, "Me? I'm the protagonist of protagonists!" She exclaimed.
"Protagonist of protagonists? What do you mean by-"
"Onee-chan!" Before I could finish my sentence, another girl came towards us in a hurried manner. The girl has long light purple hair with a single D-pad hair clip and violet eyes and wears a white, button up sailor uniform with purple designs and a yellow ribbon being held together by the N-emblem. Nepgear wears thigh high socks with pink and white stripes and medium sized boots that match her uniform in color scheme.
"Translator's note; Onee-chan means big sister. You're welcome!" X said randomly.
"Oh, hey there Nep Jr.! Sorry for leaving you, I really want my daily dose of puddings!" The shorter girl said as she looked at the cup of pudding in excitement.
"Wait a second, you're her younger sister? Wow I thought it's the other way around!" I said.
The taller girl laughed, "It's okay. Our friends saw me as the older sister when they first know us! I'm sorry if my big sis is causing you trouble." And she apologized?! Man are younger sisters always act like this? I read one of these manga from Steamax and this girl's personality is the exact same as the main character.
"Wait a sec, mister! Hmm… Jet-black hair with a hints of white here and there, cold blue eyes… GAH! YOU ARE ONE OF THEM!" The shorter one shouted randomly.
"Oh no, not again…" The little sister said.
"Uh… What do you mean?" I asked her.
"FUCK! SHE'S THAT TYPE OF GIRL! THE FOURTH WALL BREAKER TYPE! DAMMIT I SHOULD'VE SEEN THIS COMING!" X please don't start shouting too!
"You're the self-insert! Oh come on StarKnight07 I know you like stories about self-inserted characters but don't jump on the bandwagon too!" She complained, wait who's StarKnight07?
"I'm sorry! Neptune always complains to some mysterious beings when she saw people like you! I'm really, really sorry!" her younger sister said while bowing her head apologetically.
Wait… Neptune?
"Your name is Neptune?" I ask Neptune.
"Yeah, that's my name! And she's my Nep Jr. or Nepgear, what's your name? I don't want to be rude but saying "self-insert" dude is tiring." Neptune said.
"Just use your real name for them. I believe we won't see them anytime soon." X told me.
"My name? Nice to meet you two, my name's Hikaru." I said to the both of them.
"Hikaru, huh? Nice name! Kinda reminds me of that guy from this anime I and Nep Jr. used to watch. He could summon this giant robot that breaks dimensions!" Neptune said. That's interesting.
"Oh… Anyway, you want the pudding, right? Take it then, I'll take another one." I said.
"Ooh! You're kind to this Nep I see! I give you 10 outta 10!" Neptune said as she gave me a thumbs up.
The three of us walk towards the cashier, Neptune is carrying the minimarket's basket that contains like twenty cups of custard pudding while I'm holding three cups of chocolate pudding. Being the good guy I am, I paid for Neptune as well. Nepgear told me that it's not necessary to pay for her big sis, but eh why not? Sharing is caring, they say.
The three of us walked out from the minimarket.
"Thanks a lot for paying my big sis' puddings, Hikaru-san." Nepgear said as she bowed at me yet again.
"Ah, it's no big deal. But you sure love your puddings huh Neptune?" I ask Neptune.
She nodded while giving me a smile, "Yup! Pudding is my number two source of power! No pudding no life, is what I say!" Neptune answered.
So the Neptune I know loves cheesecakes while this Neptune loves puddings huh? Pretty cool.
"Oh yeah! Would you come to the Basilicom with us, Hikaru?" Neptune asked me.
Wait, the Basilicom of Planeptune? Does that mean Neptune is this land's… No, I won't pull that conclusion easily.
"I would love to, but unfortunately I need to go somewhere. My friend needs my help." I say, although it is a lie.
"Aww, that sucks! But feel free to visit us there! Bye Hikaru!" Neptune said as she ran away, leaving her younger sister.
"Ah! Onee-chan, wait! See you soon, Hikaru-san!" Nepgear said as she chased after her sister.
"They have some unique personalities, I guess," I chuckled to myself.
"Hikaru, we better go back." X reminded me.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go then." I said to myself. I walked my way towards Virtua Forest. Man this is gonna be tiring.
(Third person P.O.V.)
Somewhere, in a dark room, a girl is sitting on her bed. She didn't turn on the lights, she just closed the windows and locked the door. She couldn't handle the pain, well she could right now, but she knows her true limits. Looking at her left hand, sometimes it glitches out just like a broken video game, truly bizarre for other people, but for her? It's nothing.
"….Don't leave me lost here forever… Show me your starlight and pull me through… Don't leave me lost here forever… I need your starlight and pull me through… Bring me back to you…" The girl sings a familiar song. Realizing that she closed her mouth in an instant.
"…Why am I singing that? I know it's too late…" She said to herself.
"She should have arrived hours ago as well…" She wonders to herself.
"…No matter, if those two are the reason why… I'll show no mercy." The girl said with a hint of anger in her voice. But she's still calm and collected, even though she starts to chuckle like a maniac.
"No one… No one shall stand before my way. I'll eradicate everything." She said as she watched the sun retreats into the darkness, changing places with the moon.
{END OF CHAPTER NINE. SAVE THE PROGRESS?}
{YES} / {NO}
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A/N: And that is the ninth chapter of my story. Neptune and Nepgear meets Hikaru and he burned two million credits for a piece of cardboard. Good job! Anyways, reviews are appreciated, be it critics, suggestions, or helpful tips! StarKnight07, signing out! Godspeed to all of you beautiful readers!
~Next chapter's preview~
"I need you to go to Lastation to check on the Basilicom's conditions."
"I can smell something fishy here…"
"Console Patron Unit, Black Heart has arrived."
"This day is becoming better and better."
Next chapter: "Trouble in Lastation."