Chapter 11 - Back to Business

Day 13

Lastation - restaurant

"You think Chian's feeling better?" Soren asked as the party stood outside the restaurant.

"Only one way to find out," Neptune pushed the door open and shouted, "Hello, anybody home? Chian, you alright in there?"

"…By the goddess, it's times like these that Neptune's subtle as a rampaging flaming bull that explodes on contact."

"Interesting analogy there Ren." IF commented as they followed Neptune inside.

Chian quickly came out to investigate saying, "Who the-?-! Oh, it's just you four. I thought someone was here for…nevermind."

"Hiya Chian. We're just here to see if you're alright after the whole Expo dealie." Neptune told her.

"Yeah… I appreciate you all checking up on me. I'm all right now."

"Are you sure, Chian?" Compa asked with worry, "The Tech Expo may be gone, but I'm sure there's another way to help!"

"I know, I'm not givin' up yet. By the way, the shop called and told me to gather up the materials I ordered a while ago. Could you get them real quick? You've still got the map right? It should be pretty simple to find."

"We'll be right on it!" Neptune shouted, "Let's go right now!"

"Hold on a minute, Neptune." Soren said, before turning to Chian. "Chian, have you heard of someone called Overlord Momus?"

Soren's question caught the girls attention as Chian gave it some thought. "…Not really. I have heard rumors of an Overlord going around Lastation, but that's about it, as they're kinda vague."

Soren frowned hearing that as IF folded her arms. "Jeez, either this Overlord is so recent, or this whole thing is a hoax!"

"Uh huh…let's get going now."

After the party left, Chian looked thoughtful as she muttered, "Overlord Momus, huh…?"

Lastation - Den by the Railroad

"Hey Nep, you sure this is the place?" IF asked.

The party were in front of a den that leads to the inside of a small mountain. Neptune took a look at the map in her hands and nodded, "Yup, the map says that this is the entrance, but says the way's infested with monsters. Something about the way not being used a lot these days."

"…Is it just me, or is there something wrong with this whole setup?" Soren asked, looking around.

"What makes you say that?" Compa asked.

Before Soren could reply, Neptune called out, "Hey, let's get moving and clobber some monsters!"

"…Isn't she eager?" Soren muttered as everyone followed Neptune inside. "Still…what was I saying?"

Ten minutes later and a boatload of slain monsters…

"Hi-hi! We're here to get Chian's stuff! Anyone here?" Neptune called out as the party entered the shop.

A burly NPC came out and looked a bit surprised to see the party. "Oh? You're the performing quartet Chian mentioned? Odd, I didn't hear the front door open…"

"Front door?" Soren asked, not liking where this was going.

"Yeah, everyone comes through the front door these days, including shipping. The side entrance is a supply tunnel that leads directly to the railroad, but ever since the monsters infested the place, all shipping comes through the front."

"…Oh really?" IF turned to Neptune, who gulped, and held out her hand. "Nep. Map. Now."

Neptune quickly handed the map over to IF and she spent a minute looking it over. Then her eyes narrowed at a certain part and she read, "Hmm…there's a note saying, 'Side entrance infested with monsters. Go around the mountain to front to avoid monsters.' How did you miss this?"

"Lemme see…" Neptune took the map back and looked at the note when IF pointed it out with a finger. "Huh, so it does say that. It's not my fault the writing's tiny!"

"Haha, so you four cleared out the tunnel? Impressive. Anyway, the name's Chevre, and the bag's in the back of the shop. It's go a big label with Chian's name and it's fairly heavy."

"No sweat. I'm in charge of this party, so I'm sure Soren can handle the load, since he has a fairly decent strength stat." IF assured him.

"Oh joy." Soren deadpanned.

"Great. Seems Chian found some great friends to help her out." Chevre commented, "She's been too high-strung ever since she took over after her father. I'm glad she's found people she can depend on."

"You know…we haven't met her pop yet. Could he be…?" Neptune put up three fingers and started counting. "1) Working on another landmass. 2) A binge drinking gambling addict. 3) Impaled by a hedgehog. Answer away."

"W-Wait, that third one is a little…oh Nep-Nep, you're being rude." Compa scolded.

"Yeah, a hedgehog of all things?" Soren added with a bemused expression.

That's when Chevre gave a sigh and replied, "Unfortunately, the third is the closest. It's cliché, but he died in a tragic accident."

Compa tilted her head slightly as she asked, "How do you know Chian?"

"I've known her since she was born. I worked with her old man at the factory in Passe." Chevre reminisced, before his look turned sour. "But like the other factories, Avenir's claws dug deep and we had no choice but to abandon that place, and move to a smaller one in the district while downsizing. Her mother asked me to come back after her father's death, but I've already committed to this shop by then, especially since the previous owner passed ownership to me and moved with his family to Planeptune."

"So Chian became the president? Sounds really dramatic for some minor story characters…"

"Remember Compa, minor or major, everyone has their own story that unfolds." Soren told her in a sagely voice.

"How philosophical. Did you get that from GG 10?" IF asked.

"Dang, you caught me."

"Never fear! We'll right all the wrongs Avenir's committed and stuff!" Neptune declared with passion.

"That would be nice, but I doubt you can. Avenir's under the direct protection of the Parliament." Chevre told them.

That got the party's attention as Neptune found the news ridiculous. "Whaaat? The Parliament is part of the Basilicom, right? Why'd they wanna protect Avenir?"

"I guess you don't know. Avenir is still on the loose, even after putting so many people through misery, because our Parliament simply refuses to do anything about it. Parliament requires the votes of the people to execute an order. Avenir holds the biggest market on this landmass, meaning they stand for the majority of Lastation's residents, even if that's not the case in actuality.

"…I see. With Avenir on their side, they practically have enough support to do almost anything they want, as well." IF summed up.

"Tch, corruption at it's finest. How pleasant." Soren spat with disgust.

"That's…that's so bad.!" Compa added anxiously.

"I know, but it's a small price to pay for them to ignore what Avenir is really doing." The look Chevre had was a bit ominous as his tone got a bit darker. "Avenir will continue to grow in strength and Parliament will continue to collect favourable votes. It'll only get worse."

"Yeah, and it sounds like that sooner or later, Lastation might, no, will end up in a state of civil war, or worse." Soren figured.

"It might come to that sooner rather than later. It doesn't help that faith in Lady Black Heart is starting to crumble amongst the common people. Many are starting to think that she doesn't care about them anymore and is deliberately turning a blind eye to the situation."

"Wow, I never knew this." IF adopted a thinking pose as she digested the info. "Sounds like we really should focus some effort on this Avenir business."

"Good luck with that." Then Chevre turned to Soren and nodded to the back of the shop. "Alright young man, time to get the bag."

"Oh joy." Soren deadpanned again as he followed Chevre to the back of the shop.

Day 14

Lastation - Inn

The party gathered together as Compa gave everyone the details of their next job request. "Today's job is to rescue an Avenir employee!"

"Considering what we talked about yesterday, this is a complete irony, isn't it?" Soren whispered to IF.

IF had to cover her mouth to suppress a snort as Compa went on, "Ahem. 'The rain was attacked by monsters. Please save the survivor!'"

"Whatwhatwhat? Helping Avenir again? I dunno about helping our sworn nemesis!" Neptune protested rather loudly, "Besides, don't their employees carry giant boomsticks they make at their factories?"

"Chian said that Avenir doesn't make weaponry for human use, due to their president's motto." IF replied.

Soren just shook his head at that as Compa added, "Plus, the employees themselves aren't bad people. You shouldn't be picky about which lives deserve saving, Nep-Nep!"

"Except if it was the president, then I wouldn't blame you for leaving him out to rot in the wilderness." Soren said.

"Soren! I'm trying to teach Nep-Nep a lesson here!" Compa snapped.

"Sorry."

"Ahem, anyway, there is no line to draw when saving lives. Now, let's hurry over to the site where the train was attacked."

"Hold on. You said 'survivor' right? Not 'survivors'?"

"Yes, that's all the job request said."

"Weird, either they only assigned one person or that they know… Anyway, let's head out now."

Lastation - Evil Nest

"Ugh, now that's just nasty." Soren commented with a wince.

The party arrived at the scene the accident and looked at it with a hint of disgust due to the front of the train. Well, IF and Soren were looking, as Neptune and Compa covered their eyes the moment they saw the scene.

"…Let's just keep on moving. It's obvious the train derailed due to monsters on the tracks." IF said with disgust.

"Are we going now?" Neptune asked.

"Yeah, it's starting to smell here." Compa added.

IF looked at the two before she sniffed, "Yeah, we're going now. There's a cave nearby, so we'll look there first."

"…Hey you two, you'd better open your eyes, else you might step into some monster guts!" Soren shouted.

Both girls 'eeped' and when they opened their eyes, they ran straight for the cave the moment they saw it, with Neptune spontaneously transforming in the process. The two remaining looked in the direction in the cave for a few seconds before IF commented, "Well, that's something you don't see everyday."

"Seriously, they need to get used to it if they're gonna stay in the monster hunting business for a while." Soren shook his head as the two quickly ran after Neptune and Compa.

Sometime later, the four found the Avenir employee at the back of the cave after fighting through some monsters. Neptune was the first to walk up to him as the others kept an eye out for more monsters. "…Good, you're safe now. You're the Avenir employee, I presume?"

The employee looked a bit enamored and confused with Neptune's HDD appearance as he asked, "I'm honored to be rescued by such a beautiful lady, but…who are you?"

Before Neptune could reply, the other walked up to him as Compa pretty much asked the same thing Neptune did. "Are you the employee we were asked to save? Your company requested we come here and get you."

"Oh, Ms. Compa, IF and Mr. Soren. Where's Ms. Neptune? I'd expect her to be running around in here causing havoc before you."

Everyone looked surprised that the employee knew their names as Neptune tilted her head in puzzlement. "…Have we met before? I apologize, but I don't recall your face. How…could I forget someone I've met?"

It took a moment for the employee to put the pieces together, and when he did, his eyes widened in shock. "Oh…Oh?-! A-Are you Ms. Neptune? My, my, you've gone through…quite the transformation. You were a spunky little girl when I saw you at the…well, nevermind. Please ignore my ramblings."

"Excuse me, but who are you exactly? You know our names, but I've never seen you before." Soren said with suspicion.

"Ah, my apologies. I'm Ganache, and I'm just another Avenir employee. Sorry for all the trouble. I was going through the various facilities, prepping for the Tech Expo, but the train I was riding on got attacked by monsters after it got derailed."

"Tech Expo? I thought it was cancelled!" Compa cried out. The others looked surprised too as Ganache seemed to look puzzled.

"Well, no. It'll go on as it usually does. Perhaps the news hasn't made it out to the public yet. Please, forget what I said."

"How could we? Chian was so disappointed… If you're telling the truth, this'll be great news to her." IF said.

"…That's true." Neptune agreed with a nod. "You said you're preparing for the Expo. What does Avenir plan to showcase there?"

"Oh, come now. Do I look like I've got loose lips? A big mouth? Do I seem like a stool pigeon? I can't just tell you!" Ganache replied.

"Tch, not a strong enough charm stat, I suppose…" Soren muttered.

"What?" Compa asked.

"It's nothing."

"…But between you and me, we've been preparing for this Expo since the company started." Ganache told them, "Which means this is something that's been in the preparation stages for three years! I'm sure you'll eventually learn more about the Expo if you tune into the radio."

Everyone was silent for a moment until Soren spoke up. "Alright, how about we get moving. Neptune, take point, please."

"…Alright."

As the party escorted Ganache out of the cave, IF asked, "So Mr. Ganache, should we bring you back into town?"

"Actually, there's an Avenir facility not far from here, and I was going there next. I'll help show you the way… By the way, do you know how Ms. Neptune looks so…adult now?"

"We're not really sure what it is." Soren replied, "All Neptune calls it is 'HDD', and I have no idea what it means. Personally, I think it's a mix of magic and SPD."

"SPD?"

"Split Personality Disorder."

"…I see." The rest of the trip was rather quiet after that, except for the occasional encounter with monsters.

Lastation - Windy Wasteland

"You know, you really stand out when your in that form. You ought to stay like that all the time."

The party tensed when a familiar voice spoke at them from behind. They quickly whipped around while drawing their weapons, only to find Noire in HDD approaching them.

"Whoa, you again? What do you want? All we know is that you want Nep-Nep before you ran away because of…because of…!" Compa said, struggling at the end due to that incident.

"Anyway, what is it that you want with me?" Neptune asked, "I don't remember much due to Ren doing that…thing."

Soren just rolled his eyes as Noire coughed, "Ahem, as I said before, I'm here to settle things with you Neptune!"

"I don't know why you're insistent on doing this, but if you're that eager to lose against us, then bring it on."

"Tch! I like that you know just how to tick me off. Makes me want to hit you for massive damage!" The two looked like they were ready to face off when Neptune lowered her blade.

"Before that, I'd like to know exactly why you're coming after me. I do apologize for any wrongdoings I committed against you in the past, but Compa, Iffy and Ren need more clarification."

"We're destined rivals, but I don't intend to explain myself to you. If you want to know, defeat me first!"

"Haa…it's too bad there's no monster corpse around so I can send mystery girl here running and make Neptune empty her stomach. Compa will faint as usual and If will just look plain disgusted." Soren said with a sigh, as if it was a regular thing to think about.

Neptune, Noire, and Compa looked like they were going to be sick while one of IF's eyes twitched. "Are you serious Ren?"

"Of course not. Even I was a bit disgusted by what I did. I just learned to hide it better. Anyway, shall we get on with beating up our guest so Neptune can squeeze the info out of her?" Soren cracked his neck as he got into his usual stance.

"Grr, once I deal with Neptune, I'm coming after you next Mister!" Noire's Processor Units shone into existence as she pointed a finger at Soren.

"Jeez, I can feel the love." Soren muttered as Neptune's own Processor Units came into existence before she charged at Noire.

The fight was mainly between Neptune and Noire, with IF and Soren assisting while Compa took potshots. IF and Soren tried to hold their own against Noire, but with her in HDD, she was stronger and faster than them. As they watched the fight for an opening, IF whispered, "Aren't you gonna use your IS?"

"Don't want to expose it right now, as it may draw unwanted attention. However, I will use it if the fight starts to fall in our opponent's favor."

All IF did was nod as she jumped back into the fray. Soren just looked at Yukihira and hoped he didn't have to deploy the IS frame to win.

Eventually, Noire was subdued when Neptune knee-kicked her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her as Neptune used Variable Edge to smash Noire into the ground. When she tried to get up, she found Neptune's blade at her neck by time she was on her knees.

"Looks like I win. Spill it."

Noire looked at Neptune with a scrutinizing look as she said, "You look the same, but you changed so much. How can you look so proud while involving humans?"

"You initiated the battle. Tell me about who I am."

There was a moment of silence as Neptune and Noire stared at each other. All of a sudden, Noire swung her sword at Neptune's blade, then quickly got up and fell back as Neptune recovered. "No way! I'll admit this was a draw, but there's no way Lastation has lost."

"What are you bringing up Lastation for? What are you talking about?-!" Compa looked like she was trying to figure things out when an idea popped into her head. "I know! What if Lastation is actually a huge transforming robot…?"

"…What?" Soren couldn't believe what Compa just said, and IF seemed to have similar thoughts.

"That's fresh. It's possible on Planeptune, but here? I don't think so."

"…What?"

"Ren, stop saying that. You sound like a broken record."

Noire grew infuriated at the comment IF made as she gripped her sword. "Don't talk down about my homeland. You'll definitely regret it one day!"

"Yeah, if Lastation doesn't become a desolate state due to Avenir." Soren muttered as Noire retreated.

"She's running away! Nep-Nep, get her!" Compa shouted when a glow came from Neptune's direction, making them all look. "…Whoa, y-you're already…?"

Neptune was back to normal, and she looked a bit put out because of it. "Aww, candy wrappers. I'm outta juice today. Until next time, missy. Well, let's go back and get some yummy food."

"…You know, if there was such a thing as a cake monster, what do you think Neptune would do?" Soren asked IF.

"Probably eat it first before realizing it was a monster." IF snorted.

Lastation - restaurant

"Are you sure the Expo is still on? I can't let myself get my hopes up if it's not true."

"The part arrived at Chian's place to tell her the news, as well as grabbing a bite to eat. Everyone saw Chian looking at them with disbelief and IF said, "Oh please. You owe us for coming here to tell you."

Soren went over to the radio and turned it on. "Maybe Chian needs to hear it from official channels to believe it."

"…Broadcasting public information from the Basilicom."

"Wow, that was quick."

"The Tech Expo, said to be cancelled a few days ago, is now re-opened under the sponsorship of the Parliament."

"See, told ya!" Neptune smiled, "The Expo's on like monkey kong! You heard it too, right everyone?"

"Yeah, but…Parliament sponsorship? What do you think that means?' Chian pondered.

"I have a bad feeling…" Compa shivered as she held her arms together.

"Those feelings wouldn't happen to be called Avenir, corruption, and scheming, would it?" Soren asked innocently.

"Pfft, I wouldn't be surprised in the least." IF smirked, "We heard what that employee said. Avenir's been preparing three years for this."

"The Expo's theme is 'weaponry', due to the monsters, but that was only decided on this year. How could they have prepared without knowing…?" Chian thought about it and she bit her thumbnail when she came up with a less than savoury conclusion. "But if they knew in advance… No, what if they're the one's who forced the decision?-!"

"Th-That's cheating! Do you really think Avenir had this planned out since their company's foundation?" Compa asked.

"True. It's way too much effort just to get attention. They must be draping a cloak over their real objective." IF grimaced at the implications.

"They're probably planning to absorb the whole industry. The Expo is perfect for them to flex their mechanical muscles."

"For reals?"

"Who knows. All I'm certain of is Singe, the representative, wishes to replace everything on Lastation with machines."

Hearing that got Soren thinking as Neptune cried out, "Wh-Wh-What? He wants a world of robots? Does he have a machine fetish? Is he a cyborg looking for love?"

"He just hates humans. He doesn't know how to trust them. Avenir has a ton of employees, but all the manufacturing is done by machines. There's little for humans to do there." Chian looked gave as she went on, "Most are in marketing or run errands like buying materials… They're just there to support the machines."

"I see. Then, there must be very few humans working at their headquarters." Compa figured.

"Right. Anyway, I hope nothing bad happens at the Expo…"

That's when Neptune noticed Soren being rather quiet and poked him in the side. "Hey Ren, are you still home? You look really serious."

"…It's nothing Neptune, just trying to figure out Avenir's overall end goal."

"Eh? Do you have something?"

"Sort of, but I'd rather not say. I'd like to be wrong, but…"

"Hmm, can you give us a hint?" Compa asked.

"Well…let's just say the word 'replace' can mean different things in context, depending on the person. If you can figure it out, then you'll see why I'd rather not speculate too much."

There was only silence after that, though IF and Chian's eyes widened a bit when they figured what Soren was implying. Both shivered as Chian herself fell into deep thought.

Lastation - park

"Hey, can we rest our tootsies here? We've been trucking along all day ever since we left Chian's!" Neptune complained.

"You serious? We're not too far from the inn, you know." Soren told her.

"Y-Yes. Couldn't we, maybe, keep going until we arrive at the inn…?" Compa asked with a hint of pleading in her voice.

"Hmm? What's up? You look even more timid than usual." Neptune noticed.

IF and Soren perked up at that as they did see Compa look around nervously, like she was expecting a monster to attack her any second. The two looked around themselves but found nothing out of the ordinary.

"I had a…a really bad encounter with a boy here while waiting for you three all alone." Compa relented.

"Huh? You mean a man, right? Not a little boy?" Neptune asked.

"Maybe the guy was a midget, and Compa made a mistake?" Soren suggested.

"Either way, was he picking on you or something?" IF inquired, before she added, "You're an easy target since you're too nice and quiet to stand up for yourself."

"N-No!" Compa stomped her foot in protest. "The boy was really…I don't know how to say it, but…"

Suddenly, a voice cried out from behind them. "Hey, it's you again!"

Compa flinched as the others turned to look. "Ack! You're…!"

"Wow, it really is a kid." Soren commented.

Neptune gave the boy a look as he put her hands on her hips. "Are you the ragamuffin who made fun of Compa?"

"I didn't make fun." The boy denied, "I just tried to teach her a lesson for not giving me what I wanted."

"Teach her a lesson? He's a bit of a cornballer…"

"Jeez, what happened Compa? He asked for candy and you said no?" IF asked.

Before Compa could reply, the boy said, "My birthday's coming up, so why don't you all chip in and by me a new console?"

"…Is this kid for real?" Soren muttered.

"You said your birthday was coming up last time!" Compa shouted.

"…Oh, I don't like where this is going…" IF sighed.

"My mom said she'd by me the second-gen console off an internet auction." The boy told them, "Sure, it plays movies and technically monopolized the gaming industry, but that's why I want the third one! C'mon! Buy me the newest one! Please!"

Compa bit her lip as everyone else looked shocked at the boy's begging. IF folded her arms and gave Compa a look. "Wh-What the hell's wrong with this brat? Compa, what's going on here?"

"Th-This is why I wanted to rest somewhere else, like at the inn. I didn't want to get involved with him again!" Compa replied rather vehemently.

"You're so mean to me…" The boy sadly said, "I'm going to join your party and keep bugging you until you buy me one, okay?"

"Whoa, that's some devotion and commitment or something. I'm kinda touched by your passion…" Neptune mused, like she was considering it.

"You know Neptune," Soren started, "If the kid joins us, he's going to be regulated to being monster bait, 'cause he has no fighting ability. I'm sure he'll last a few encounters before we have to start throwing him at them."

Compa and IF looked at Soren incredulously, while the boy looked terrified as Neptune nodded. "Ah, you have a point there. So instead, the lady with the leafy ribbon says she'll buy you one!"

"What?-! No, I did not!" IF shouted in outrage.

Neptune pointed a finger at her cheek as she gave it another thought. "Then…how about this dealie? One grope of Compa's left boob and we'll call it even."

The boy's eyes widened as Compa held her chest protectively. "Leave my boobies alone!"

All Soren could do was gape as Neptune said, "Oh, c'mon. Just cuz yours are bigger than ours. Right, Iffy?"

"Don't turn this lecherous crap on me!" IF huffed, when she noticed the boy was oddly quiet. "Huh? The boy's acting weird…"

That's when the boy started shaking as a thin line of drool escaped from the corner of his mouth. "B…Boobs. Boobies. Boobilicious, sexy-jiggly booby bubbies. Boob times to equals twin boobage…"

"Great! Nep's boob talk was a bit too stimulating for this little boy!" IF sighed.

"I'd say," Soren gave a grin, that told the girls he was up to no good. "Hey kid…"

When the boy looked at Soren, he held his hands up in a groping-like gesture. "Did you know boobs are as soft as marshmallows? Not to mention that they're like jelly, from the way they jiggle…you know?"

Neptune and IF looked at Soren like he grew a second head, while Compa looked scandalized. The boy suddenly froze and just stood there, making Soren wave his hand over the boy's eyes. "Huh, unresponsive…"

That snapped Neptune out of it as she turned to Compa. "Compa, it's our chance! Run!"

"This really…sucks!" Compa complained as the party ran away from the area.

When they were far enough, the four stopped as IF said, "I hope we don't run into anyone like that boy again."

"That I can agree on." Soren nodded, "By the way, is that offer for a boob grope available to me if I do something?"

All Soren got in response was IF slugging him in the face, sending him to the ground in pain.

"Ooh, headshot." Neptune cheered, "Nice one Iffy!"

"Ren's just being an idiot again." IF sighed as Soren writhed on the ground in pain.

Lastation - Basilicom

Inside a part of the Basilicom, two people were having a secret meeting. These two were Ganache and Noire, and the topic of interest seems to be Neptune. Well at first anyway.

"Hello. I never expected to be able to meet with Lady Black Heart alone." Ganache greeted with a bow.

"I'm glad you feel that way about me, despite being from another land." Noire replied, "Still, I've no time to waste chatting. Let's get right to it. Neptune is stronger than I anticipated and, of course, she'll continue to grow in strength."

"So we should deal with her immediately? If it's for you, I'd collect every weapon possible and face her tomorrow." Then Ganache gave a sigh, "But realistically, I doubt I can do that so quickly, we shouldn't rush into this…"

"I'm not telling you to or anything, but… Whaddya think? Will your plan truly succeed?"

"I've been observing the little Neptune for a while. I'm pretty sure it'll go as expected, but…" Ganache looked hesitant for a bit but pressed on. "Whatever, just sit back and wait for us to take her down. I'll stake the Guild's pride on it."

Noire caught that moment of hesitation and asked, "You sounded uncertain for a moment there. What is it?"

"Well…I'm pretty sure the plan will go off without a hitch, but I'm concerned about the guy that little Neptune's travelling with. Soren, I think his name is."

Hearing Soren's made Noire frown slightly as a few memories surfaced. "What about him?"

"Well, as I have observed Neptune with her party, it seems Soren has a few tricks that I'm unable to make sense of. The main thing is being able to summon armor from out of thin air, increasing his combat capability from what I can tell."

Hearing that made Noire remember Soren deploying a gauntlet over his right arm back then. "…Do you have any idea what it is?"

"Sorry, but the only things I managed to catch were 'IS' and 'Yukihira', and I'm not sure what the former means. I thought it was Planeptune tech for a moment, but it's way too advanced the more I looked at it. Nevertheless, I'll begin preparation to keep him occupied when the plan is executed."

"I see… What of the representative? I can't understand what he's thinking. Is he fine with this or not?"

"I don't think he likes me all that much, but it's irrelevant. He's got his own way of dealing with things."

As the conversation went on, the pair didn't notice an invisible drone listening in on the conversation. It only flew away when the pair parted, and flew off to a destination unknown.