If not for the fact that Nepgear was presently pacing back and forth around the living room of the basilicom, one might actually think today was just like any other day at the basilicom. This, however, couldn't be farther from the truth. You wouldn't think she had thrown down a challenge to decide her little sister's fate just two days ago by the way Neptune was acting, but it did happen and Nepgear just couldn't stop thinking about it no matter what she tried.

How Neptune and Histoire weren't at all nervous about the upcoming duel was beyond Nepgear. Neptune was on the couch reading manga as usual and Histoire was calmly looking over the pages of a book about "chickenbos," if Nepgear read that correctly. Neptune would occasionally also glance over at the book in between chapters before getting right back into her stories.

Nepgear knew that Neptune was good at staying calm no matter the situation, in fact it was one of the many things she loved about her, but couldn't she at least be a bit more serious about this challenge? Nepgear did say she'd be fine with whatever the outcome happened to be, but was Neptune not even going to try? Maybe she was reading a bit too much into this, but she really couldn't help it. Nobody ever really knew what Neptune was thinking, so all they could do was guess, and that's just what Nepgear did.

After she stopped pacing around the living room, Nepgear took a deep breath and finally decided to say something. "Um… Neptune..." Unfortunately for her, as soon as Neptune turned around to look at her she started to feel a bit awkward about the whole thing and practically chickened out. "Uh… W...What are you reading?" Was all she could bring herself to ask. Luckily, Neptune seemed more than happy to answer her question.

"Oh, I've been catching up on the Dragon Rock Super manga," Neptune chirped. "They finally explained what the new villain's transformation is all about. Good timing, too; I was wondering if they'd ever get around to that."

"I see," said Nepgear. "W-well… That's good."

"You can't stop thinking about that challenge, can you?" Nepgear promptly proceeded to blink away several times in surprise.

"How did you-"

"Cause it's written all over your face," Neptune interrupted. "Is it really bothering you that much?"

Was it really that obvious? Nepgear already knew she was kind of a boring character, but was she predictable, too?! "W-Well… M-Maybe a little," Nepgear finally replied. She felt embarrassed just admitting to it, so much so that she bashfully tried to avert her gaze from meeting Neptune's own.

"You should really learn to be more like your big sis, you know," Neptune began, "You gotta relax whenever you're able to."

"Neptune, I understand what you are getting at, but sometimes you can be a bit too laid back," Histoire chided in between pages. "Although I do believe you should heed your sister's advice, Nepgear."

"I know that, but..."

Neptune cut in with a sigh, shrugging her shoulders as she put down her manga. "No helping it, I guess. I wanted to save it for a few days before the big challenge, but… Want to go for a walk with me, Nepgear? I know a really nice place we can go to."

"A walk?" Nepgear repeated. "I… I guess I can come with you… Where did you have in mind?"

"It's a secret," Neptune cheekily replied. "I want it to be a surprise."

Nepgear pouted. Neptune sure was a cheeky one, alright.

"Aw, don't be like that my darling little girlfriend," Neptune chirped. "It wouldn't be any fun if I ruined the surprise. Besides, the place isn't too far from that one dungeon we went to a few days ago, uh… What was it again?"

"Unreal Falls."

"Yeah, that one! It's just a hop, skip and a jump away from there." As if to accentuate her point, Neptune actually did a hop, skip and jump in place. Although, Nepgear was more interested in how the older purplette's skirt bounced with each action she made, eliciting a blush from the candidate. "Oh, but we'll have to stop by the farm first."

"Eh?" Nepgear titled her head, staring quizzically at her short-stack of a sister. "Why do we need to visit the farm?"

"There's something I need to go take care of over there," Neptune explained. It would've helped a whole lot more if she was willing to give Nepgear a hint or something. "Of course, since I know you're curious, I'll give you a hint." Oh… How convenient. "It has to do with something you've seen very recently.

Off to the side, Histoire blinked a few times in confusion, looking just as confused, if not more so than Nepgear. At least she wasn't the only one lost… or so Nepgear had thought. After a few seconds passed, Histoire's eyes widened in a sort of eureka moment, as if she had figured out what Neptune was hinting at. Apparently Nepgear really was alone in her confusion.

"Ah, so you are taking her to that place, Neptune?" said Histoire. Unfortunately, this did nothing to help clue in Nepgear on what she was missing. "I see. Nepgear, I believe you should go with your sister. This could be a good opportunity for you both to get some air, you may even learn something new while you are out there."

"Something new?" Nepgear repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"You will see once you have arrived at your destination," was Histoire's response. "Just make sure you don't get lost out there. While the area is relatively peaceful there are some incredibly vicious monsters lurking around out there. Normally, I doubt they'd of much trouble to a CPU, but… you two have leveled down a bit since the last crisis on Gamindustri, so I recommend you simply avoid them."

"Oh, come on, Histy. We could totally take those beasties," Neptune retorted.

"Neptune!"

"Okay, okay, I was just joking," the CPU assured with a casual wave of the hand. "It's not like we even have any business with them anyway."

"Just promise me you won't do anything reckless."

"You have my word."

"Do I?"

"Geez, you're a real worrywart, Histy. I promise, boil and boil until I fry… Uh… Or is supposed to be pants on fire…? No, but that's about liars, isn't it?"

"M-Maybe we should go, Neptune," Nepgear offered.

"Good idea, Nepgear!"

-~-~-~- Purple Lovers -~-~-~-

"Ah, good old scene transitions," Neptune chirped. "You can't live without 'em."

Thanks to the convenience of scene transitions, Tune and Gear now found themselves in a lovely, grassy field situated near a large forest. The grass was of a slightly darker color than many other places they'd been to, and there were several hills and slopes all around with many non-violent creatures roaming the land, though the duo still brought along their weapons just in case. Off in the distance, one could even make out the visage of the Unreal Falls' towering waterfalls and tall jagged stones.

It was a very lovely environment through and through, but uh… Nepgear was a little more focused on why they were here. "I guess I should just be happy that you're back to breaking the fourth wall like you usually do." The younger purplette let out a sigh, deciding to just go along with her sister and be patient with her. The elder smiled in turn and walked forward with a smirk.

"Come on, Nepgear, the farm should be pretty close by," said Neptune.

Nepgear followed Neptune without another word. She decided there that maybe it would just be best to enjoy her time with her sister. They walked together at a comfortable pace, but every now and then Neptune did a little skip before going back to a casual walk cycle. The sigh alone made Nepgear giggle; her sister had a natural talent for spreading around positivity.

It didn't take long until the farm Neptune had spoken of came into view, prompting Neptune to take off ahead of Nepgear and forcing the girl to speed up in order to keep up with her energetic older sister… At least until Neptune stopped halfway through to catch her breath. Apparently her decline in levels had taken a much greater toll on her than either had probably anticipated.

"Okay… We're almost there… just a liiitle more to go…" Nepgear patted her sister on the back as she gasped for air. "Why do our levels even go down anyway?! I started at, like, level 50 when I got out of that 3-year summer camp in the Graveyard, so how come we lose them so much easier now?! It's not fair, I tell ya!" the shorter purplette complained.

"W-Well, it's not all bad. It's like… Ah!" Nepgear snapped her finger as she came up with – what she thought was – a fitting analogy. "Think of it this way: Some people really love playing games on New Game + because it makes them feel super strong, but some other players prefer to start the game over fresh to see how much they've improved since the first time they played through it. It's kind of like that, if that makes any sense."

"Uh..." Neptune deadpanned. "So, you're saying that since our levels can go down over time, it's like when an experience player starts a whole new game to test out their skills?" Neptune actually seemed to stop to think about that for a second. Whether she actually understood what Nepgear was talking about or not was another matter entirely, but the fact that she was thinking about it was a good sign… Probably.

"Yes! That's exactly it." Nepgear nodded excitedly.

"Hm… Well, I guess when you put it that way it's not all bad," Neptune finally spoke after a moment of deliberation. "I guess it is kind of fun to go back to old bosses when you know what to do and see how well you can do… Maybe I should try that more often in some of our old games..."

"See? It's not all bad. You just have to look at the positive," Nepgear chirped. "Come on, it's only a short distance to the farm…? Goodness, it looks nothing like what I expected!"

Nepgear's words piqued her sister's interest, prompting her to shift her gaze to where her sibling was looking. "Whoa!" Neptune's eyes widened in surprise once she spotted the farm in question. It was giant in scale, containing several different places for livestock and dozens upon dozens of different crops growing as far as the eye could see. "It's… It looks...different from the last time I was here."

"How different?" Nepgear asked.

"Well… Back then it was just a small-time farm. And I think they only raised a few different kinds of animals," the short CPU explained. "Huh… I guess I should've expected that, but man this is still one heck of a system shock."

"I see… Say, sis, why are we here again?"

"You called me sis again," Neptune pouted.

"Wha… Oh, I'm sorry… I guess I haven't gotten entirely accustomed to calling you by name."

"No, it's alright," Neptune assured. "I guess it was a bit much to ask you to do that for all the time. Honestly, I'm a little surprised you lasted as long as you did." The CPU giggled to herself, as if she'd just told a good joke. Nepgear didn't quite get it, but she returned to a more calm demeanor just a moment later. "As for why I brought you here… Well, it's a bit of a long story, but bottom line is, I heard the people that worked might be able to help me after the first time I lost that challenge with Verty."

"I… I think I understand..." Nepgear did not really understand.

"Funny thing is, for all the help they gave me I still lost the second time around," Neptune recounted. "It was one of the first things I failed at back then, so I guess I took the chance to try again now that I'm older and calmer… Huh… That kind of makes me sound pretty bad, doesn't it? Using my sister's crisis as a chance to settle things with Vert..."

"Wh-Wha? N-No, I don't think so at all!" Nepgear hurriedly cut in. "That...actually explains a lot, now that you mention it. Though, I guess some people probably would think that's pretty bad..." Nepgear immediately regretted her choice of words as soon as she saw Neptune's face shift into a self-deprecating pout. Not good; she needed to correct her mistake quickly! "B-But, I don't think so!" she sputtered out. "I… Well… I'm not sure if we'd ever have come to an agreement either way, so I don't think it really matters how we decide to settle it."

"...You really think so, Nepgear?"

"Of course! So, don't be so hard on yourself, okay?"

"...Okay… I dunno how long the farm stays open, but I guess we should get going soon." Nepgear breathed an inward sigh of relief. She hadn't expected to see that side of Neptune, but thankfully her funk had come and gone in only a matter of seconds. She may have been smiling on the surface, but she still carried a sense of regret on the inside, Nepgear noted. The realization made Nepgear's heart churn inside of her chest; she just hoped this farm didn't grow any eggplants.

Shaking the thoughts of her head, Nepgear took Neptune's hand in her own and pulled her forward in a rare moment in where she was taking the lead in their relationship. "Come on, sis. I've never been to a farm before, so I want you to show me around." Neptune had initially been taken aback by her sister's forwardness at first, but in true Neptune fashion her smile found its way back in a flash as she slowly adjusted to Nepgear's speed.

"You got it, Nep Jr.!"

Nepgear did not know what was going on through her sister's head at that moment, but she did know one thing: She liked it better when Neptune was smiling.

-~-~-~- Purple Lovers -~-~-~-

The Fated Day!

The days seemed to pass by in a flash. Not much had happened during the trip to the farm, but it did strengthen Nepgear's desire to make Neptune happy. She had wanted to ask more about the duel between her and Vert from back then, but she had gotten so caught up in having fun with the older CPU that the idea had completely slipped her mind. As a matter of fact, she had forgotten all about it the entire time leading up to this day. In the end, it didn't really matter since, she had finally gotten her answer today and… Well… Suffice to say, Nepgear hadn't expected this.

"So… Remind me why Vert and your sister are sitting on the backs of two chickenbos," a more than perplexed Uni asked from Nepgear's side. "More importantly, why did all of us have to come watch them?"

"Agreed," Noire chimed in. "This is between the two of you. I don't see why you had to call us over. I have work to do, you know."

"Aw, don't be like that, Lonely Heart," Neptune teased. Funnily enough, even the big purple chickenbo she was currently riding on was staring Noire with a teasing smirk. As teasing as a big purple chicken-bird creature could be, at least… Apparently that was a lot. "This is a really important challenge between two CPUs."

"More importantly, we needed a panel of judges to make this truly official," Vert jumped in. "This is a challenge to decide whether Nepgear will remain Planeptune's CPU Candidate or become Leanbox's. And, while I don't see Neptune as the type to back out of an agreement, some extra insurance never hurt anyone." As Vert was finishing her little explanation, Rom and Ram were busy playing with her own, green chickenbo, almost making the Leanbox CPU lose her balance as a result, but she managed to stay on somehow.

"Tch. Why the hell are you two competing over this shit in the first place?" Blanc spat out. "Nepgear, don't you have anything to say about this, or did those two decide this without you?"

"It is a bit complicated, so I would prefer to save the details for later," Histoire explained, finally joining the conversation." All you really need to know is that since Nepgear has been on the fence regarding this matter, we have decided to leave it to Neptune and Vert to come to a decision. As it just so happens, a Chickenbo race was what they settled on."

"Has Neptune been ignoring her sister again? I bet that's what it is," Noire cut in.

"How rude!" Neptune exclaimed, she and her oversized fowl friend feigning a hurt expression. "I'll have you know I've been treating my beloved Nep Jr. as nothing short of royalty for the past few weeks."

"She's not wrong," Nepgear confirmed with a blush.

"Siscon!"

"S-Sicon..."

"Rom! Ram! Please don't tease me like that!" Nepgear exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Uni chimed in. "We all know she likes it better when it comes from her sister."

"Not you, too, Uni!"

"Well, at least someone's having fun," Blanc muttered to herself before deciding to withdraw a book from her inventory. "Hey, what about you?" she asked, turning to Chika. The green-haired oracle had the strangest mix of pout and scowl anyone had ever seen. "Are you okay with this?"

"Ever since I was a child I have always rooted for my Goddess with all of my body and soul… Today, I am going to commit the greatest sin anyone could ever make… I am going to root for Lady Neptune to win this challenge," said Chika in a disturbingly monotone voice.

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with already. Rom! Ram! Stop playing with the big green chicken so we can start this race already!"

"But he's so cool and green!"

"He's so… fluffy..."

"I was talking about Vert!" Blanc smirked at the scowl she received from the green CPU. Rom and Ram couldn't help but let out a giggle as well before they finally obeyed their sister's desire and moved away from Vert's majestic chickenbo and took their spots in between Nepgear and Uni.

"Your big sister is weird, Nepgear," Ram stated.

"Why are they competing, Ms. Nepgear?" Rom asked softly.

"It's a long story, Rom," Nepgear answered.

"Don't you love your sister?"

"I..." Nepgear stopped for a second, casting a glance to her proud older sister. As soon as Neptune noticed Nepgear's gaze the CPU stood on her mount's back and struck a victorious looking pose, to which said mount tried to mimic as best it could. It was silly and stupid in so many ways, but… It was just so Neptune. "I do… I really do."

"Then… do you want her to win?" Uni inquired. "Honestly, I can't imagine you going even a few hours without Neptune by your side."

"Well..." Nepgear was still a little unsure of how to answer that. Her fellow candidates were quick to notice her hesitation, but instead of saying anything on the matter they opted to stay silent, perhaps out of curiosity more than anything else. "A part of me does, but another part of me doesn't. I wish I could make a choice and be over with it, but… There's something I want to know, and I think this duel will tell me the answers I've been looking for."

"Huh… I guess there's a lot more to this than we know, huh? You'd better explain this to us once this is all over," Uni said.

"I will, don't worry." Now if only Nepgear could somehow prepare her fellow Goddesses for the massive bombshell that was about to be dropped on them all… Oh, Nepgear could already imagine their reactions to when they finally found out… Maybe she could get Neptune to help her explain it to them… Never mind, that sounded like a train wreck just waiting to happen.

There were many times in which Nepgear believed that dating her own sister had plenty of perks… This was not one of those times.