Note from the author:
Date 8/14/2016
Hello everyone, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Today I decided to release the chapter a bit earlier because I felt the last one was a bit lacking compared to what I've made so far. Also, I might start uploading the new chapters during Sundays from now on. Anyway, I won't hold you back any longer. have a nice day
"Kenji's reaction to pudding?" Asked Noire, who was rather taken aback with the unexpected question
"That's right" Answered Nepgear while nodding "It seems that whenever he's offered a pudding, Kenji becomes very depressed...So I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about it"
"Well, I did not spend too much time with him nor did he eat any pudding during his stay, so I didn't really have a chance to check on this behavior" Said Vert while remembering the time Kenji spent on Leanbox
"Same here….we don't eat pudding around here, and I was too busy to check on him daily"
"I guess that makes three of us" Added Noire while sighing
"Eh? If you weren't with him, then what were you doing?"
"I was playing games" Answered Vert with a smile
"My novel's deadline was too close to take a break"
"Vert, Blanc…"
Nepgear sweat dropped while looking at the two of them through the video chat on her PC. Even though they were so persistent to take Kenji with them at first, it seemed as thought they hardly tried and instead focused mostly on their own daily activities.
"Seriously, you two...Did you even try?" Said Noire while looking at the other two CPUs and sweat dropping
"At least we didn't scare him away like you did..." Responded Blanc with her eyes closed.
"Th-That wasn't my fault! I just miscalculated!"
"That usually means it's your fault..."
"At least I tried doing something!"
"Now, now…Blanc, what really matters is the intention. Doing nothing is rather unproductive too"
"You didn't do shit either!" Snarled Lowee's CPU, feeling angered by Vert's comment
"Erm…excuse me…" Said Nepgear while sweat dropping with a weak smile
It seemed the CPUs were getting so absorbed in their own conversation that they forgot about Nepgear's question.
"Oh my, sorry for that Nepgear" Said Leanbox's CPU while looking at Nepgear again "But regarding the issue with Kenji, I don't think you should concern yourself about it for now"
"Eh? Why not?"
"Why do you want to know about his past, anyway?" Asked Noire, feeling curious about the motives behind Nepgear's curiosity
"Well..."
The CPU candidate was unsure what to answer. The only thing she could come up with at that moment was the she simply felt curiosity, but that would sound like a selfish and childish reason.
"Mystery and power breed curiosity, but it doesn't mean satisfying it is right either..."
"Eh?"
It seemed as Lowee's CPU was able to tell what Nepgear was thinking, since she spoke out of the blue with a calm tone, but she wasn't too sure if she understood what Blanc tried to say.
"Nepgear, what Blanc is trying to say is that feeling curious about something or someone isn't a bad thing, but inquiring into someone else's past without their consent is not good either"
"But...Don't you want to know?"
"Of course we do..." Replied Noire with one hand on her hip and both eyes closed "That man suddenly came out nowhere, is capable of using HDD and is ridiculously strong to boot. It's a given we'd want to know more about someone like that, but everyone has the right to keep their own secrets"
"I see…" Said the CPU candidate while lowering her head with a somewhat dissapointed expression
"Well...If you excuse me, I still have a lot of work to do" Said Noire before disappearing from the screen
"Me too…" Added Blanc before her image disappeared as well
"And with all say and done, I shall be taking my leave as well"
"Oh, okay then..."
Vert looked at her for a moment. She could tell the CPU candidate still felt troubled about this issue circling through her mind.
"Nepgear..." She said with a kind and understanding tone
When listening to Leanbox's CPU calling her name, Nepgear raised her head and looked at her.
"Yes?"
"He may not be very cheerful and can seem agressive sometimes, but Kenji is a good man"
After saying those last words, Vert's image disappeared, leaving Nepgear by herself for a moment to think about what they said.
Her mind wasn't sure where to start thinking, which was why she decided to go to the kitchen and clean the leftover dishes from today's lunch to clear her mind and allow her thoughts to go by more freely.
Unlike Neptune, Nepgear was polite, calm and smart. She was pretty much the usual "next door's perfect girl" type, but this opposite personality also had her flaws. Mostly that she was timid, lacked self-confidence and the outgoing personality her elder sister had. And said timid nature of hers was among the main causes that kept her from approaching Kenji, who she initially feared because of the way he kept frowning and looking at people in a threatening way whenever they approached him.
But with time, the young man's expression slowly changed. He wasn't exactly a cheerful bag of smiles and laughs like Neptune, but at least he seemed to become calmer. As a result, the inner fear Nepgear felt towards him slowly subsided. Maybe the time he spent with the CPUs was what changed him, or perhaps it was Nepgear that grew more used to his presence. Either way, Noire, Blanc and Vert were right.
Besides from fighting the CPUs at first, everything Kenji did so far helped the nations in one way or the other. Mostly in their fight to draw back ASIC. But this still didn't answer Nepgear's main concern.
"Just how am I supposed to approach him?" She muttered to herself after sighing
The true matter that worried Nepgear was that while the other CPUs and even the CPU candidates began to get along with Kenji, she was the only one remaining more or less a stranger with him. And this made her feel like she was being left out.
"Maybe it's my fault for not being more outgoing like Neptune…"
"Really? Why?"
"I mean, Neptune has an easier time getting along with people, but me on the other hand-" Explained the Candidate CPU to the voice that asked her, until she realized the voice asking was not within her mind, but rather next to her "Eh?"
Nepgear turned her head and saw Kenji standing next to her.
"Ah! Ke-Kenji!? didn't I ask you not to sneak up on me like that!?"
"My bad" Said the young man while taking a step away from her "Anyway, what's wrong? You look down"
"I do?" Asked Nepgear with widened eyes
She didn't expect Kenji to appear all of a sudden, but she was even more surprised by the fact he paid attention to her emotional state.
"It's written all over your face, to be honest..."
"Written!?"
The CPU candidate quickly took out a small mirror from her pocket and checked out her face for any ink writings on her face.
"Not THAT kind of writing…" Said Kenji while sweat dropping
"Oh...You scared me there for a moment" Said Nepgear with relief
The young man looked at her for a moment and wondered if, despite her intelligence, this CPU candidate was actually a naïve girl.
"By the way, what are you doing here?"
"The old man's shop is still closed, so I came to pick up a snack"
"The old man's shop? You mean the place where you go with big sister a lot, right?" Asked Nepgear, who recalled him saying something about that yesterday as well and also recalled Neptune telling her about a similar place a few days ago
"Yeah" Answered Kenji bluntly while nodding "Your sister always tags along"
"I see…" Said Nepgear
"She also eats like a pig, is as loud as a siren and calls me cheapskate whenever I don't share my pork with her"
"So-Sorry about that..."
The CPU candidate saw the young man making an angry expression with vein marks popping on his forehead along with his right arm bent and his hand placed up to face level while being clenched tightly into a fist.
"Even though she never paid a single credit…"
"I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry…!" Said Nepgear while lowering her head
It wasn't rare for people to get offended or angered by Neptune's behavior most of the time, causing Nepgear to have to apologize in her stead. With time, the CPU candidate became so used to apologizing that it almost became a second nature. Seeing that at least someone was willing to give him an honest apology, or at least a proper one, the young man took a deep breath and calmed down.
"Well, no point getting angry about that anymore…" Said the young man while scratching the back of his head with his eyes closed
Nepgear raised her head and looked at him again. He did look very angry a moment ago, but it wasn't the scary type of angry. Rather, it was similar to IF or Histoire, who got angry at Neptune often but got over it quickly. Kenji right now seemed very similar to them in that aspect.
"Erm…Kenji?" Called the CPU candidate, making the young man open his eyes and look at her again "If you don't like being with Neptune there, then why do you always take her with you?"
The question was a simple yet logical one if you thought about it. Normally when you don't like being somewhere with someone else, you usually either stop going to that place or make the other person stop going. But Kenji didn't do either. He simply kept taking Neptune with him and even paid every time.
"Well, if I don't take her, she keeps whining until I say yes and even if I try walking away she just follows me"
"I-I see…" She said while sweat dropping
It seemed like Kenji simply put up with it because he didn't want to deal with Neptune throwing a tantrum.
"Besides…" Said Kenji, calling Nepgear's attention again "The pork would taste like crap if I didn't"
A moment of silence fell on the kitchen while Nepgear looked at him with a surprised expression. At first the CPU candidate was confused by the last thing Kenji said, but she soon managed to understand it.
The young man probably didn't want Neptune to follow him at first, but if he simply ignored her and ate while she could only succumb to hunger, he wouldn't be able to enjoy the food because he would feel bad for her.
"Anyway, maybe I should get going" He said before turning around and heading out
"Erm...Kenji!?"
The young man turned around to look at Nepgear after she called her name, just in time to see her lowering her head again.
"I'm sorry..."
"I already told you it's okay. I'm not even angry anymore anyway"
"It's not about Neptune..."
"Then what?" Asked Kenji with a raised eyebrow
"You see…" Said the CPU candidate while looking down at her index fingers poking the tips of each other "Back when you first appeared, I didn't really like having you around because I thought you were a scary person, but after seeing how you helped a lot of people and even care about big sister, now I realize you're actually a good person…That's why, I'm sorry"
The young man looked at the CPU candidate with surprise while she lowered her head again.
"(So that's what's bothering her?)" Thought the young man while sighing before looking at Nepgear again "Why are you apologizing about that?"
"Eh?" she said while raising her head and looking at him
"Having your own way of seeing someone ain't something to apologize for...It's only natural you wouldn't feel safe around a guy if he stares at you like he's gonna rip your head off"
Nepgear kept looking at him for a moment but before she could say anything, the sound of Histoire's voice calling out to her took the CPU candidate's attention.
"Nepgear, Nepgear! Where are you!?"
Kenji turned his head around, just in time to see Histoire flying by the door, turning her head to look into the kitchen and see the CPU candidate.
"Nepgear! There you are!"
"Histoire? What's wrong?"
"Have you seen Neptune? I can't seem to find her" Asked the tome while flying closer to her, making Kenji move aside a bit to let her through
"Neptune?" Asked the CPU candidate while taking a moment to think about it "I think she left after eating..."
The tome placed her hand on her head and sighed.
"Seriously now...Why is she always like this!? Especially in such a crucial time!?"
"What happened?"
"A sudden rise of energy took place in the Gamindustry graveyard yesterday, and I was going to ask her to check it out"
"If that's the case, maybe I should go"
"Nepgear, I know you have potential as a CPU candidate, but the Gamindustry graveyard is no mere dungeon" Replied the tome "Sending you alone would be too dangerous"
"But you said it was an emergency..."
Kenji looked at Nepgear looking down at the floor and decided to step in.
"I'm here too, you know?" Said the young man, catching their attention "I could go check it out while she looks for Neptune"
"I appreciate the thought, but this is Planeptune's problem...And as such, the CPUs should be the ones to handle it"
"If that problem of yours is as severe as you say, then you can't really waste time" He replied while looking at her "Besides, it's not like you have much of a choice right now"
The tome thought about what the young man said and sighed as she was forced to admit he was right.
"Certainly, choice isn't a luxury we can have right now..." She said with both eyes closed before opening them to look at him "I'm sorry to burden you with his request"
"Don't sweat it..."
While Nepgear went out to search for Neptune, Kenji headed to the Gamindustry graveyard to search for the cause of the sudden energy surge Histoire detected earlier.
"So this is the Gamindustry graveyard…" Said Kenji while looking around
"I really hate this place, it gives me the creeps" Admitted IF while looking around her
Although the Tome knew Kenji was no pushover, she decided to sent IF along with him just in case anything unexpected happened and to ease her worries.
"I can't blame you..."
The young man couldn't have expressed it any better. It would take a person with a really twisted taste to be okay such a place, much crazy to actually like it. Kenji kept looking around the place while IF looked at him for a moment before speaking.
"Sorry you had to do this" Said IF before a vein mark popped on her forehead "That idiot should be the one here right now, not us"
Anger began boiling up within her, until the sudden sensation of the ground shaking made her snap out of her train of thought.
"Whoa! Why is the ground shaking all of a sudden!?"
"Whatever it is, I think it's coming from over there!" Said Kenji while pointing at some mounts of trash in the distance
IF looked at the direction she was pointing at and saw a figure in the distance.
"What's that?"
"CHUUUUUUU!"
After it got a bit closer, Kenji managed to discern its appearance better.
"That…kind of looks like the rat from ASIC..."
"Now that you say it, it kind of looks similar" Said IF before noticing something odd "Wait…is it just me, or is it getting bigger as it gets closer?"
"I think it's the second one…" Said Kenji as he noticed the same thing before noticing the towering creature was charging towards them "Look out!"
Both Kenji and IF were forced to move sideways to avoid getting crushed by the gigantic mouse's feet as it kept moving and eventually left, destroying anything it its way before Kenji and IF got back on their feet and looked at the direction the mouse headed to.
"Well, that's something you don't see every day…" Said Kenji while sweat dropping
"How the hell did that rat grow so big!?" Asked IF with widened eyes
"Beats me...but we can't let it roam around like that"
"You're right, if that thing goes into a nation, things could get ugly"
"We better get going then" He said while turning around
"Not if I can stop it..."
After suddenly hearing a female voice, a blood-chilling shiver ran down Kenji's spine, causing every fiber in his body to react and make him quickly unsheathe his sword and turn around, just in time to block the tip of a scythe that was aimed at his head.
It took some struggle before he managed to push it back and jump away in time to avoid a second attack from Magic just by inches.
"It seems your strength is no illusion after all..."
"(Just a second later and that would have killed me!)" Thought Kenji while breaking a cold sweat
As soon as she noticed this, IF took both of her weapons and moved towards the young mand to aid him, but was quickly stopped.
"Kenji!"
"Get out of here!"
"What!?"
Despite her intent to aid him in battle, he quickly told her to stay away without even getting his eyes away from Magic
"Are you crazy!? That's CFW Magic! Not even you can handle her alone!"
Kenji didn't say anything this time, he simply looked over his shoulder at IF.
The two of them looked at each other in the eyes, and the guild member clearly understood what Kenji was trying to say. If she stayed there and tried to help, the only thing she'd do is get in the way, as he would probably have to push himself to the very limit just to survive in this battle.
IF didn't want to leave Kenji alone at the mercy of someone such as Magic, but with a rampaging giant mouse on the loose, she didn't have the luxury to choose.
"Fine, I get it already!" Said IF before turning around and running away "You better not die before I make it back!"
The young man looked at her leaving and made sure she would be out of the way of danger before looking again at CFW Magic.
"So you're planning to keep me busy while that girl deals with the mouse...a logical tactic, but futile. She'll never be able to fend off a creature infused with a fragment of the deity of sin's power by herself"
"Then I'll just have to finish you off and deal with the rat later!"
"That is, if you can defeat me..."
Kenji made stern expression before transforming into his HDD form and dashing towards Magic.
"Coldfire Edge!"
The young man could tell Magic was no pushover, and this battle could easily end up with his death if he wasn't careful. The exact reason for which he decided to go all out from the start.
Their weapons clashed dozens, if not hundreds of times in less than a minute, but even in his HDD form, Kenji had a difficult time keeping up with Magic. Not only her speed and strength were outstanding, but her scythe made it difficult to block, since he wasn't used to dealing with that type of weapon.
After a while of constant weapon clashing and near death attacks, the two weapons were about to clash against each other, but Kenji managed to parry the attack on the last moment and moved in to give a killer slash. Magic managed to avoid getting her skull sliced in two, but the tip of the blade managed to reach her, leaving a cut on her cheek. Immediately she reacted by kicking Kenji in the gut, causing him to be pushed backwards and creating some distance between the two of them.
CFW's CPU placed her thumb on her cheek and moved it along the cut, cleaning off some of the blood that was pouring out. She then looked at it for a moment before looking at Kenji again. Magic relied solely on physical skills instead of her ice magic since she wasn't planning on killing the young man, rather just test out his battle prowess. But even so, she never thought he would land a hit on her.
"What's wrong!? Don't feel like fighting anymore!?"
Kenji had some bruises and cuts here and there, but nonetheless was fine. He didn't seem too exhausted either.
"It seems your strength surpassed my expectations, but it still won't be enough to defeat me"
"There's only one way to find out" replied the young man while getting into an assault stance once again
The two fighters then dashed forward to resume their fight, until a large purple katana fell from the sky and got stuck in the ground right between the two of them, forcing both Magic and Kenji to stop on their tracks.
"That's as far as you go!"
A voice coming from the sky made them raise their heads, and they saw a woman descending until reaching the ground.
"Planeptune's CPU..."
"Magic, I won't allow you this to go any further than it already did" Said the woman before removing the large katana and wielding it with both of her hands "If you still wish to fight, then I'll gladly join the battle"
CFW Magic looked at her for a moment before looking at Kenji again. A 1v1 fight against the young man wouldn't be too difficult to handle if she went all out on him, but if you added Planeptune's CPU's assistance, along with the other hidrances that were probably on their way, then the odds were starting to tip against her.
"Very well, I'll take my leave for now" Said the leader of ASIC while closing her eye before opening it again to look at the CPU "But mark my words, CPUs. The end is near. As strong as you might be, nothing will stop the deity of sin from being reborn"
"Like hell I'm letting you go!" Said Kenji while dashing past the CPU and straight towards Magic
"Kenny! Wait!"
Before the young man could attack, Magic used her magic to cast a wall of Ice spikes that emerged from the ground and exploded into millions of shards. Causing the young man to cover his face with his arms and giving her enough time to spread her wings and fly away. By the time Kenji moved his arms away and looked around him, Magic was nowhere to be seen anymore.
"Damn it, she got away..."
"Leave it be Kenny, It's probably for the best" Said the CPU while approaching him "Fighting her with only the two of us would be far too dangerous"
"I guess so" Said Kenji while looking at the sky
Even if he didn't want to admit it, the young man had to recognize the current outcome was probably the best one. While the battle against CFW Magic was more or less evenly grounded, Kenji had to go all out just to keep up with her.
The young man then turned around and looked at the woman. She was around his eight, probably shorter than him by a head or so. Her eyes were blue and her hair was a dark lilac-purple. It was worn in twintail braids so long that they reached down to her knees and had many bangs framing her face. She was wearing small black circular pieces with glowing blue x's on them as hairpins and her figure was quite curvy, only losing out to Vert. The suit she wore was similar to the other CPUs. It resembled a black skintight leotard with purple segments and silver pieces along it with the leg armor reaching above the knees.
Despite getting the feeling he knew her from somewhere, the young man couldn't tell who the person in front of him was despite looking at her carefully. He knew by the outfit and the power button eyes that it was someone in HDD mode, but he didn't recall meeting someone with that body shape besides maybe Vert, but he already saw her transformed form a few times and the face was different too. It took some staring, but Kenji eventually had an idea of who could it be.
"(Man, Nepgear sure changes a lot when she transforms…)"
"Is something the matter?" Asked the CPU while looking at him with a raised eyebrow after noticing his stare
"Ah, no...It's just…." Said the man before placing his hand on his chin "You change a lot when you transform"
"Well, I must admit it's a big change" Said Purple Heart with her eyes closed
Kenji turned around while crossing his arms and lowering his head with his arms closed.
"Kind of makes me wonder how Neptune looks like when she transforms"
The CPU opened her eyes and looked at the young man with widened eyes.
"Eh?"
"I mean, I know from the other CPUs and even from my own power that the HDD transformation makes you look a bit different, but your change is on a completely new level"
It seemed as though Kenji had the wrong idea. He confused the woman behind him as Nepgear, when in fact it was Neptune.
Due to her extreme change of appearance, Kenji had no idea that it was actually her.
"Erm...I think you're confusing me with someone else here" Said Purple Heart while sweat dropping
"Someone else?"
"Actually, I'm-"
"Big sister!"
Purple Heart turned her head and saw two people heading towards them. They were Nepgear, transformed into her HDD form, and IF.
"Nepgear"
"Eh?"
Kenji moved slightly sideways to see them, and he noticed IF and another girl coming along. Once she got close enough, the young man managed to discern her better. Despite her hair having a brighter shade with a very slight pink tone and become long enough to reach her knees and her bangs also getting longer, Kenji could still recognize her as Nepgear due to the incredible similarity. Her eyes turned a bright blue color and her hairclip was now a round white piece with a blue center. Her HDD form, just like with everyone so far, resembled a white bathing suit with a revealing chest piece colored a bright lilac shade. It was connected around the neck with similar gloves and boot pieces.
"Nepgear?"
"Kenji? Are you okay?" Asked Purple Sister as she stopped in front of him and Purple Heart, and noticed the wounds on him
"Ye-Yeah..." Answered Kenji while feeling slightly confused
IF looked around to quickly find CFW Magic, but saw there was no trace of her
"Where's Magic!?"
"She left..."
The guild member looked at the CPU with widened eyes.
"Seriously!? Just like that!?"
"Yes, it seems Kenji managed to stand on even ground against her and my appearance caused Magic to rethink her strategy"
"You mean, Kenji is as strong as CFW Magic!?"
"I'm...not sure really...I think she was holding back a bit..."
"Well, I guess that could explain it..." Said IF while calming down a bit
"Excuse me….You're Nepgear, right?" Asked the young man while looking at Purple Sister and pointing at her
"Eh? Ah...yeah, I am"
Kenji looked at her with confusion for a moment, causing the CPU candidate to feel rather awkward.
"Erm...is it really that hard to tell?"
"If you're Nepgear..." Said the young man while pointing at her before pointing at Purple Heart "Then who the heck is this woman?"
Nepgear looked at her before looking at Kenji and answering clearly and bluntly
"That's big sister"
Kenji looked at Purple Heart for a moment before looking at the CPU candidate again.
"You had another sister besides Neptune?"
"Eh?"
Nepgear was confused at first, until IF stepped in to make things clear for the young man.
"Kenji, that's Neptune..."
Again, the young man looked at the CPU before looking at IF again.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously" She answered while nodding
"Is it really so hard to believe?" Asked Purple Heart while sweat dropping
"Can you really blame him? It's like saying day and night are the same thing" Said the guild member while looking at her and sweat dropping as well
"Well, big sister's transformation is pretty extreme compared to everyone else's, after all" Said Nepgear while sweat dropping as well with a weak smile
"Either way, just turn back to your human form. He won't be able to deny it once he sees it with his own eyes"
"I guess you're right..."
Knowing only that would make Kenji accept she was Neptune, the CPU reverted her transformation and returned to her human form right on front of him. Kenji looked in shock as the woman shrank and turned into Neptune.
"There! It's good ol' me!"
The young man didn't answer, he simply looked at her with widened eyes and a somewhat blank expression.
"Heeeey...Kenny? You in there?" Asked the CPU as she moved her hand in front of his face
"Eh?" Said the young man as he snapped out of his shock "Ye-Yeah, I'm here…."
"Oh, come on! It's not THAT big of a deal!"
"To be honest, I think seeing your HDD form is capable of at least some minor mental damage, especially if it happens backwards" Said IF while sweat dropping and recalling the first time she saw Neptune transform
"Anyway, let's go grab some pudding! Beating that mouse got me hungry!"
"The mutant rat! I forgot about that!"
"Don't worry, we took care of it on the way back here" Said IF while turning around "Let's go back for now, I don't want to stay in this awful place any longer than we need to"
The group then headed out of the graveyard and headed to Planeptune. The two sisters and IF were glad to have done the job right, but Kenji kept his head down while being capable of thinking only one thing as he sweat dropped.
"(HDD is scarier than I thought…)"
*Scene*
"Agh man! thish ish shooo good!"
"Neptune, don't speak with your mouth full!" Said Vert to Neptune, who was stuffing her mouth as if there were no tomorrow
"Neptune, that's bad table manners!" Said Nepgear in a hurry as she removed the food stains on her mouth with a handkerchief
Kenji and the Planeptune sisters, along with the other CPUs and CPU candidates, were invited to Vert's mansion to eat together. Unfortunately, Neptune was being Neptune again and made sure to show it to everyone around the table.
"Ugh...green peas. Maybe if I move them over here, no one will notice" Said Noire quietly while picking up the peas one by one with her fork and putting them back.
"Noire, don't be a picky eater. You'll set a bad example for Uni"
While Leanbox's CPU scolded Noire, Uni simply sat next to her sister and smiled while sweat dropping. She was already aware of Noire's picky habits regarding food, but never really put too much thought about it.
"And you too Blanc. Reading on the table is not polite at all"
"Just give me a second, I'll reach a good stopping point soon" Answered Lowee's CPU without taking her eyes off of the book's pages
"Seriously, you three are so troublesome sometimes..." Said Vert while lowering her head and sighing with her eyes closed before raising again and opening her eyes to look at Kenji "What's wrong, Kenji? You haven't even touched your food yet"
Not only his food, the young man wasn't even paying attention to the ruckus around him. His mind was somewhere completely different right now.
"Kenji!"
"Huh!?" Said the young man as he quickly looked at Vert
"Your food"
"Ah...Yeah, it's good..."
Leanbox's CPU looked with some concern at Kenji, who answered quickly about a meal he had yet to take a single bite out of.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, why?"
"You seem distant today"
"I was just thinking about stuff..."
Even though it's been days since that incident, Kenji still remembered clearly that battle. If he hadn't gone all out from the start, the young man could have kicked the bucket within seconds. Kenji couldn't help but wonder how much stronger he'd need to get in order to surpass someone with that level of skill.
"Kenji, you shouldn't worry about the difference of strength between you and CFW Magic. The fact you managed to hold your ground on your own against her and made it out in one piece is amazing enough in itself"
The young man didn't say a thing, he simply looked at her with a surprised expression. He was amazed she could figure out what he was thinking so well just from that vague explanation.
"Are you surprised?" Said Vert with a smile
Although her accurate guessing skill did surprise him, trying to know how she figured it out wasn't really one of Kenji's interests at the moment.
"I just don't like how she didn't go all out on me..."
What bothered Kenji the most was that CFW Magic played around with him during the entire fight, despite him taking it seriously and going all out on her.
"That's what bothering you?"
The young man didn't answer this time. He simply looked down with an expression that showed how displeased he felt with that battle. Vert could only smile, as she had seen someone similar making that expression before many times years ago. And for a very similar reason too.
"…You know? You're a lot like Neptune was back then"
"Back then?"
"We might not look like it, but us Goddesses are actually hundreds of years old"
"Really?" He said before looking at the CPUs, then at the CPU candidates
"Don't get confused, I was referring to us the goddesses. The candidates are actually as young as they look"
"Oh...Okay then..."
"You don't seem very surprised about it"
"After seeing Neptune's transformation, anything can hardly surprise me by now" Admitted Kenji while sweat dropping
"Well, I guess that's a fair way of thinking" said Leanbox's CPU while sweat dropping with a weak smile "But as I was saying before, you resemble her a lot"
"How so?"
"Around a hundred years ago, Neptune was a lot worse than now"
"Worse?"
Kenji could tell there was something wrong with Neptune sometimes, but imagining she was a lot worse than this was quite a terrifying idea.
"Of course, worse in a different way…" Explained Vert to clear the misunderstanding "Back then she used to be in her HDD form all the time. She was mature, confident and determined, but also extremely arrogant and prideful. She loved fighting and solving everything with her sword rather than her words and hated losing with a burning passion"
The young man took a quick look at Neptune again. It would be hard to believe the childish girl could have been such a person in the past. Then again, a lot of things regarding Neptune defied common logic, and if you considered her HDD form, it didn't seem like such an unreal possibility.
"What about the other two?"
"Noire's arrogance made her much more like a dictator than a leader and Blanc...well, you'd be lucky if she didn't chop you in half...I can't deny I had my temper too to be honest, but at least I tried keeping things relatively calm" Said Vert while recalling the past "Those were very chaotic times indeed"
"Things don't look that good if you ask me"
"True, Noire is full of herself, Blanc can't get her nose out of her books and Neptune is...well, Neptune. But you weren't around back then. Things were truly a chaos. Fights would constantly break out and I would barely be able to keep them under control most of the time"
After hearing Vert's story, the young man tried picturing in his mind the events that she talked to him about. Constant battles breaking loose everyday between the CPUs. All of them arrogant and angered, wishing only one thing. To defeat the other CPUs and claim control over everything. Kenji didn't really have a hard time imagining it, considered that the CPUs were still pretty violent when angered.
"Wait….If they really were that crazy back then, then why are you the way you are now?"
"If I had to say, I think it's because of the people around us" Said Vert after putting some thought into it "At time we didn't care about anything other than going at it against each other and getting all the shares, but after the CPU candidates were born and people like the oracles appeared, things began changing. Slowly, the way we saw things began to change and before realizing it, we gained something far more precious than shares"
"What's that?"
According to what he heard from the CPUs so far, shares were priceless. Their life and power depended purely on them, but to hear there was something far more valuable than shares. This, without a doubt, caught his interest.
"Simple, that would be-"
"Big sister Vert!"
Before Leanbox's CPU could give Kenji an answer, Chika made her way into the room while calling out to Vert.
"Chika? What's wrong?"
"It's an emergency! Leanbox is under attack by ASIC's forces!"
Everyone looked at the oracle while Leanbox's CPU quickly got up on her feet.
"What did you say!?"
"An army of robots invaded the nation just a few moments ago, they're rampaging on the streets as we speak!"
"No way, why would they attack like this all of a sudden?" Asked Nepgear with widened eyes
"They're probably getting desperate. ASIC's influence plummeted since the destruction of their factory" Answered Noire
"Everyone, I'm sorry but I must go"
"What'cha talking about Vert? We're going too!" Said Neptune with determination while getting up
"She's right, we want to help!" Added Nepgear
"Neptune, Nepgear..."
"Don't forget about us" Said Noire with a smile
Blanc then lowered her book at looked at Vert too
"This struggle is probably out of desperation…Defeating them here would probably put an end to ASIC for good"
Just like the other CPUs, Kenji got up from his chair as well.
"Kenji?" Said Vert while looking at him
"Kicking some ass might help me clear my mind a bit. Besides, I'm getting real tired of those ASIC guys making a mess out of everything"
"Everyone...thank you"
Leanbox's CPU was grateful to have the support of her fellow CPUs and the young man in her time of need.
Decided to fight together, the group left Vert's mansion and headed into Leanbox's streets. As they ran through them, they could see the destruction left behind by the ASIC army.
"How dare they harm my nation!? I won't forgive them for this!" Said an angered Vert
"There!" Said Uni as she spotted the enemy
It was an endless swarm of robot enemies counting on the dozens, or probably even hundreds. Immediately upon spotting them, the robots faced the CPUs and headed right towards them to attack. The group didn't hesitate to transform and dodge the incoming attacks. While Black Sister provided long range support along with White Sisters, Purple Sister and Kenji assisted the four hearts in the front lines. Green and White Heart took care of the flying enemies along with Purple Sister while Purple and Black Heart mowed down the ones on ground level along with Kenji. Despite their constant swarming around them, the CPUs were able to easily dispatch their enemies. As the fight began to drag on, something began bothering the young man.
"(Why aren't there any strong ones?)"
Defeating multiple weak enemies with one slash wasn't rare for CPUs, but among the hundreds of robots swarming them, not a single one was powerful enough to be considered above cannon fodder. More than a desperate last attempt, this felt like if they were trying to make time for something else. Once the final wave of enemies was finally dealt with, the CPUs gathered.
"We did it! Those ASIC baddies are done for!" Said Ram while celebrating
"Don't get comfy yet Ram, this ain't over yet"
Ram then looked at White Heart with curiosity.
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"Those guys were way too easy to beat"
"Indeed..." Said Green Heart with a stern expression "If they really attempted a last attack, they would have used far more powerful monsters, and Magic would be here as well"
"Then why did they attack?" Asked Ram
"Beats me…."
The group tried thinking about it for a moment or two before going to the basilicom, where they were received by Chika, Mina and Kei. The last two being in a computer screen.
"Chika, we're back"
"Big sister Vert...I'm afraid I made a terrible miscalculation" Said the oracle with an apologetic tone
"What happened now?"
"While you were fighting off the ASIC forces attacking Leanbox, Magic has invaded Planeptune using a large army and took over it" Said Mina
"EHHHH!?" Said Neptune with widened eyes
"No way, and what about Histoire?"
"It seems she has been captured by the enemy" Answered Kei
Having heard what happened at Planeptune, Kenji quickly turned around and was about to leave, until Noire placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.
"Just where are you going now?"
The young man turned his head and looked at Lastation's CPU over his shoulder while all eyes were now set on him.
"I'm going to Planeptune"
"And what do you plan to do once you get there?"
"Ain't it obvious!? I'm going to beat Magic to a pulp!"
"I know you'll do that! I'm asking you how!?"
"I'll come up with something...eventually...!"
Noire lowered her head and sighed.
"Seriously...you just don't get, it do you?" She said before raising her head to look at him and pointing at him with her index finger "Now listen here. If Magic took over Planeptune, she probably has an army far bigger than what we went against today! Not even you could defeat all of that alone!"
"We won't know until I try, won't we?"
"You can be as irrational as Neptune sometimes, you know?" Said Lastation's CPU with an irritated tone and her eyes closed
Kenji didn't know how to answer to that. He knew his methods might be a bit reckless, but there was no way they could be so irrational to be compared to Neptune's randomness.
"Kenji, there's no need to be rash. I'm sure we can find an answer to this problem by working together" Said Vert while approaching him
The young man didn't like staying put, but he couldn't go against the CPUs at that moment.
"Fine...we'll do it your way" He said while turning around
Vert Smiled at him after seeing she managed to make him cool down a bit, and then turned around to face Chika and the other two oracles.
"Now then, let us proceed in making a plan to recover Planeptune"
*Scene*
The lan castle used to be the home of a CPU of Planeptune that lived hundreds of years ago. But what once was a beautiful palace now was an eerie place where only the sounds of the monsters living there filled the endless and massive hallways. The areas without monsters were even worse, as the mortifying lack of sound would make the tension within someone's heart grow more than with the constant roaring of monsters. Spiderwebs and dust could be seen everywhere along with crumbling walls and broken windows, all caused by the hundreds of years of aging and lack of maintenance.
The young man walked through these hallways paying no mind to what surrounded him, since his mind was focused on finding the place where he'd meet up with his enemy. As he walked throughout the hallways, Kenji's mind slowly wandered back to a few hours.
"So, what do we do?" Asked Lastation's CPU
"First of all, we should prioritize rescuing Histoire" Answered Kei without hesitation
"And how will we do that?"
"Shortly after ASIC's invasion of Planeptune, all three nations received a message from Magic. All three of them saying that if we wished to recover Histoire, the male HDD user must go alone to this location within the lan castle" Explained Mina
"That has to be the most generic trap I've ever heard of" Said Noire while sweat dropping
"Okay, where's that lan castle?"
Noire quickly turned around and looked at the young man with an irritated expression
"Are you deaf or something!? There's no way that's not a trap!" She yelled at him while pointing at the message being displayed in the screen
"You have a better idea?"
"We-Well…that's…."
"I guessed so..." Said the young man before looking at the oracles again "So? Where's that place?"
"I can take you there" Said Uni while taking a step forward
Noire quickly turned her head again and looked at Uni with shock
"Uni!?"
Kenji looked at the CPU candidate for a moment or two before agreeing to have her as a guide despite Noire's complaints about it.
"Kenji! Wait up!"
As the voice of the CPU candidate snapped him back to the present, the young man turned around and saw Uni running towards him before stopping to catch her breath.
"I'm telling you...you don't need to go so fast..."
"You know, I think you should go back"
"Eh? Why?" Said the confused CPU candidate
"The message said that I should come alone"
"Don't worry. If I need to I can hide...besides...W She said before lowering her head and making a stern expression "If the one waiting at the meeting location is who I think it is. There's something I need to check about him"
While looking at her, Kenji could tell something serious was bothering Uni. He knew there was a reason why she so readily volunteered to guide him.
"Fine, I'm not stopping you…" He said while turning around "Just don't get killed. Last thing I need is your sister going crazy on me again"
Kenji said this while recalling how Noire explicitly told him , or rather threatened him by saying, that if something were to happen to Uni in the lan castle, she would make him suffer for it until the day he died. The CPU candidate was confused by his last comment but nodded with glee, since she was unaware of the threat her elder sister had given to the young man.
The two of them kept going deeper into the castle until finally reaching a large room, where CFW Brave was waiting for them, or rather, for Kenji.
"I knew it..." Muttered Uni to herself
"Hm?" Said Brave as he turned his head and saw both of them "So you finally arrived, young man. And you brought someone with you, despite what we said"
"Don't worry, she's just here to watch" He answered while unsheathing his sword and transforming
"Very well, I can accept having an audience"
When both warriors were about to start fighting, Uni got in front of Kenji and stopped him.
"Kenji, please wait!"
"What?"
"Let me talk to him first"
Kenji looked at the CPU candidate with a confused expression at first but after noticing her stern expression, he realized this was probably why she wanted to come with him to the castle.
"Fine" He said while standing straight again and taking a step
Uni nodded with a smile before turning around and looking at Brave, who seemed to have read the mood and stood straight like Kenji.
"Why do you work for ASIC?"
"Why would you ask?"
"Because when we first fought, I couldn't sense any malice from you"
The first time Uni fought against Brave, she wasn't able to feel any malice or evil intent from him. Rather, all she could feel was a strong determination, much like her elder sister.
Unlike the perverted trick, the bloodthirsty Judge or the merciless Magic, Brave seemed more like a rightful and selfless individual. Even after defeating her in battle, he offered her the chance to walk away with her life.
"I want to know why someone like you would ally with ASIC"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm doing it to bring smiles to this world's children!"
"Eh?" Asked Uni with widened eyes
"Even if their means might be ruthless sometimes, the chips created by Arfoire's followers have allowed the joy that only a few could have to be spread to all children!"
"No way! Because of ASIC's methods, the economy can't prosper! Without it, game developers won't be able to release new and exciting content!"
"That's just an excuse from those who aren't capable to create truly memorable games!"
"Destroying the economy isn't the answer! it'll just make everyone unhappy!"
"So those who aren't able to reach the economic floor should just accept it and deny the right to receive equal happiness!? Is that what you're saying!?"
After hearing his answer and determination to refuse her ways, the CPU candidate came to realize there would be no way to talk him out of this one.
"I see...It seems we won't be able to reach an agreement"
"Indeed, our views differ too much"
Uni stepped aside, letting Kenji know it was okay to start the battle.
She probably wanted to join and help him, but this was meant to be a 1v1 battle, and she knew it would be rude to get in the way any longer.
With nothing to stop them, both warriors dashed forward, giving a start to the battle. The two swords clad in fire clashed constantly, both wielding their owner's full will.
"Impressive! It seems your skills have improved since our last encounter!" He said after their swords clashed, forcing them into a struggle "Young warrior, what is it that you fight for?"
"What are you talking about?"
"No matter who, every individual that wields a weapon has a resolve behind it, a reason to fight" He explained during the struggle "I fight for the sake of children's smiles, but what about you!? Is it for shares!? Credits!? Power!? Faith!? Loyalty!? Or simply the thrill of it!?"
At that moment, Kenji began to wonder. Thinking about it, he had never really put too much thought into why he fought. Ever since he could remember, the young man raised his sword or his fists for one reason, and one reason alone. To become stronger. But this time, he was fighting for a different reason.
"To be honest with you, I didn't really understand that whole speech you had with Uni earlier. But I can tell you one thing. This mess started because I didn't take you down when I had the chance, I'm just trying to fix that up!"
"I see..."
Brave looked at Kenji's eyes, and he could tell there was something else behind it. Something within his own will that even the young man himself had yet to realize.
"In that case, I won't hold back any longer!"
As they broke the struggle and resumed the constant clash of swords. Both sides began receiving damage. Because Kenji's body was made of flesh and bone, the damage he sustained was greater than what Brave suffered with his bulky armored body. Nonetheless, Kenji was able to keep his focus despite the wounds and managed to get an edge over the battle, eventually managing to dodge his attacks and move in to land direct attacks.
The sword blows weren't too effective as first, but as the warrior's armor got more and more damaged, each flaming slash became more lethal, and this eventually led to the finishing blow.
"Coldfire Edge!" He yelled as his flaming sword cut through Brave's damaged armor, causing lethal damage
"ARGH!"
As he felt his strength leaving his body, the robot-like warrior fell to his knees as he placed his hand over the large wound.
"This is it..."
"Again I have lost…Why? Was my resolve not strong enough!?"
"I don't think your resolve was the problem"
Brave turned his head and looked at Uni, who was walking closer to him and looking at him with a slighlty saddened expression.
"We both had the same goals, but our methods were simply too different...and yours were the wrong ones..."
While looking at her, the warrior was able to understand what she meant. And now, at the end of his life, he was able to realize it.
"I see..." He replied with a more calm tone "CPU, what's your name?"
"Uni"
"Uni, this might be a selfish request. But please, make sure to make this a world where children can be happy..."
The CPU candidate nodded with a smile.
"You can count on me!"
Knowing his resolve had been passed on to someone who would, Brave had only one thing left to do now.
"Young man, the oracle you're here for is in the other room..." He said as he looked at the young man
"Thanks..."
"Young man, may I ask your name?"
Kenji looked at Brave for a moment before answering
"Kenji...Kenji Nijimura"
"Kenji, if you truly wish to become even stronger, then you'll eventually need to find it...Your true resolve..."
Those were the warrior's last words before dying. The last thing that went through his mind before exploding was the curiosity he felt, wondering just what was it. What was that hidden will within the young man, and more importantly, just what sort of power would that will awaken in the future?
"Kenny!"
Uni turned her head and saw the other CPUs running into the room.
"Uni!" Said Noire as she ran towards her "Are you okay!?"
"Big sister!? Why is everyone here!?"
"We were searching for Histoire while Kenji was distracting Brave, but we didn't find her yet"
"I think she's in that room over there" Said the CPU candidate while pointing in the direction Brave told them early
Noire looked at the direction her younger sister was pointing for a moment while Neptune and Nepgear went to check on Kenji.
"Kenji, are you okay?" Asked Nepgear, but she didn't get an answer out of him
The young man was still staring at the place where Brave was just moments ago, still focused on the moment when he exploded into oblivion.
"Heeeeey, Kenny? You in there?" Said Neptune while approaching Kenji and getting in front of him to wave her hand in front of his face "Hellooooo, Gamindustry to Kenny! Are you there!"
When finally getting out of his train of thought and seeing Planeptune's CPU standing in front of him, Kenji closed his eyes, sheathed his sword and reverted back to human.
"Ah, Kenji!"
"There we go! For a moment there I thought we'd get some background elevator music if he kept us waiting any longer" Said Neptune with a smile and both hands on her hips
Ignoring her elder sister's attempt to break the mood, Nepgear approached Kenji and looked at him with slight concern
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay...Let's find Histoire and get out of this place"
Kenji then headed along with the CPUs to the room where Histoire was being kept hostage, all while trying to understand the strange feeling going through him at the moment. The feeling that, despite defeating Brave, he didn't really feel like he won.