Author's Note: STOP!

Neptune Time!

Disclaimer: Hyperdimension Neptunia is the property of Idea Factory and Compile Heart, loaded with direct references to other companies as well as their properties. I do not claim ownership over anything pertaining to the Neptunia series or any related properties. This also applies to both Senran Kagura, which is the property of Marvelous Entertainment, and certain characters from other fanfiction, who are used with permission from YuriLover567 and Not Piteous. This is a nonprofit fan work.

SPOILER WARNING: This work contains potential spoilers for the Neptunia series, mainline and spin-off, except Megadimension Neptunia VII, which I'm still looking over. Well, since this IS a continuity pile-up...!

Rated T for: Language, suggestive and sexual themes, and WHY SO MANY CHARACTERS?! XD

Original Post Date: 2/9/16


~Planeptune Basilicom, A short period before the Combat Exhibition...~

"Okey-dokey, got stuff to do, friends to see, dimensions to trip! I'll see you later, Nep Jr.! Bye-aye!"

"B-But, Neptune...! What am I supposed to do with—"

*Ga-SLAM!*

Nepgear had the front door shut right on her, with her sister leaving for the Exhibition, as well as leaving her and Histoire to deal with all their live-in guests... Over the course of this dimensional mess, quite a few people from other dimensions took to Planeptune's Basilicom, since this Nation seemed to have something special with them. Plutia and Peashy hailed from the Ultradimension, which had undergone... quite the renovation, Segula came from an alternate Gamindustri, where she had been a CPU tragically estranged from her time, and the father-daughter pair of Chet and an Histoire-mothered Novella came from yet another Gamindustri, where sheer audacity and hilarity was a way of life. Other than them, Rei Ryghts had also shacked up in an effort to both repay Planeptune's CPUs and get closer to her adopted daughter Peashy. Well, she technically is. Lastly, there was a... different sort of arrival, laying unconscious as a basketball-sized blue blob in the corner. Yup.

In short, that's a lot of people for the more sensible to watch over...

"Neptune left me behind... Again..." Nepgear mumbled to herself. "Aw... I guess out of all of us, I am the more reasonable choice to watch the Basilicom..." Gear turned from the door and began walking away in resignation. "That sounds like a good thing, but between me and Histoire... Plus, I wanted to join too...!"

Just then, a happy-sounding jingle played in the background, as Nepgear has just mastered the "Third Wheel" affinity!

"D-Darn it!"

"Seggy... Quit holding onto my leg...! I wanted to go with Neppyyy...!"

"Huh...?" Gear broke out of her pity-filled thoughts, to see Plutia struggling to make her way across the room An adoring Segula had latched onto her leg...!

"But Plutia, can't we just hang out here and get to know each other properly, please~?"

"Well, yeah, but...! Mmm...!" Fed up, Plutia accessed HDD, and was now able to tolerate Segula's weight and persistence. "I wanted to get to know other people, Seggy, so if you want to stay with me, then you better know how to hold onto me from behind...! Got it?!"

The sonic girl promptly obliged, crawling onto Iris Heart's back. "I got your back! Hehe, innuendo!"

Meanwhile, while Nepgear just looked on, someone else wanted in on the Plutia attention-fest, with someone yelling from across the Basilicom, "Wait for me, Ploot! Pea isn't ready yet!"

"I already told you that you aren't supposed to keep a girl waiting, Peashy! I've been ready all this time!" replied Plutia in a mothering tone, her arms crossed. "What are you even forgetting, do you need some help?"

"YES I DO— OUCHOUCHOUCH!" The voice that had replied wasn't Peashy's, but rather her "third mother" Rei, as her daughter happily tugged her into the room by her collar, ragging the woman's behind on the floor. That could explain all the ouches.

"Okay, I'm ready!" exclaimed the bee girl, walking past everyone with mom in tow and out the door!

Plutia shrugged. "Well that settles that. Be a good girl and watch the house, Neppy Jr., and you may be rewarded for your effort~."

"I-I don't need anything, r-really...!" stuttered Nepgear. "I'll do it f-for free! This is our home, after all...!"

"Suit yourself~!" With that, Iris Heart and Segula left.

"Why do I get the feeling Plutia twisted around what I said...?"

Nepgear was about to retire back to her room, when the only non-NPC human male currently residing walked in, holding the hand of his own pink-haired bundle of joy.

"There seems to be a ruckus going on here in the lobby, and we want in." demanded Chet, he of another dimension where audacity is king. "Right now, Angel Cheeks is busy with what I assume is trying to sort out and untangle the plot threads that make up this fustercluck of a story. She didn't even react when Novella here did a handstand!"

"I wanted Mommy to see me...," muttered a sad Novella, wiping a single tear only to smile after, "but she could be saving the world, so it's okay...!"

"O-Oh. I see." Nepgear didn't really see. As much as her sister agreed to help them, the Candidate was more or less lost on how to interact with them. Not helping matters is that Chet and Novella didn't interact much with their version of Nepgear either, as well as some of the other residents. This whole thing felt like a reality show that could blow up any time now.

"Anyway, I believe we're overlooking someone else that we could be interacting with. Now this one will be interesting!"

"Huh? Who else... Oh!" The lilac-haired girl turned back over to the corner, where a slimy creature was stirring from his unintended rest from the previous day. However, like Chet had said, this was going to be interesting indeed...! "I was afraid of this. I wish everyone didn't just up and leave without getting to know him... All right, deep breaths, Nepgear..." The Candidate took some breaths, like advertised. "Like my sister said, I need to step up and Nep up if I want to be a proper CPU someday..., and that includes getting to know him, too."

After a second or two, Nepgear, Chet, and Novella all approached the Dogoo, Neptunia's premier mascot monster, and waited for him to acknowledge them...

"Ugh... What happened...?" He sat as upright as a drop of slime could sit, mumbling to himself because that's a thing the actual person does. "That was one weird dream... Think I played too much Neptunia; I've got it on my mind something fierce, holy shi—"

"Um, welcome to Gamindustri, uh, you!"

"Eh?"

Facing towards his company, the not-so-standard-issue Dogoo was still. No, he still wasn't very special, he just had on some standard-issue glasses and had black hair parted to his right, like some sort of typical anime protagonist. Wait, no, most of those kinds of guys usually have some sort spikes or bangs applied, and surely they go without combing as well, like their hair were a sentient being that would always keep its form after swimming or whatever. No, this former person preferred combing!

As to who this creature actually was...

"Hey, why am I hearing my own voice narrate who I am...?" asked the former human, his voice being one many would compliment would fit for a radio or announcing job. No, I'm not kidding about that either."Feels weird, man... and two girls. One.. of... which is Nepge—EEEH!"

The Dogoo went agape with the disbelief over what he was seeing, getting amused looks from the three spectators.

"Like I said before, welcome to Gamindustri!" greeted Nepgear, putting on her best non-weirded-out face. "We've been expecting you for some time now, please make yourself comfy!"

"So, you're my extra-fanfictual benefactor, eh?" questioned the mandarin-haired Chet, immediately leaning in close and inspecting the slime creature.

"Do I... know you?" asked the authorial Dogoo, looking back at Chet despite being literally a head tall compared to the man. It did take him a second to become reminded of a certain fan-art that he once saw to connect the dots. "Wait, you're Chet...! So... Wait, what? If Nepgear's here, and you as well, then— ACK!"

"Oh lookie, it's a Dogoo!" Novella had picked up the canine blob, holding him up like she was in a pet shop. "Can we keep him, Daddy? I always wanted a pet!"

The currently nameless self-insert was understandably not very happy with being called a pet. "H-Hey, I'm not a—"

"Are you sure you want a Dogoo, Novy?" asked the father, who didn't seem to have listened to the author's budding complaint, as well as intentionally ignore apparently knowing him. "Besides, wouldn't it be a waste of room for the cage we already have?"

"C-Cage...?!"

As if by cue, a large cage fell right behind the father-daughter pair, with the metal frame scoring the Basilicom's floor easily!

"Why yes!" answered Chet, acknowledging the Dogoo with a grin on his face. "You see, Novy here wanted an Ancient Dragon at first, but it seems she's taken a liking to you, Mister Narrator. Or was it Mister Author? You've gone back and forth between them, so I'm not sure what to call you."

"I-I have a name!" exclaimed the glasses-wearing slime. "It's D—"

"I'm just going to call you Author-goo from now on! All right, Novy, bring him over to his new home!"

"Yay~! Come along, Author-goo!"

Author-goo was understandably not very happy with being treated like a pet. "N-Nepgear...! Please, you have to help me! You're the only one here who can vouch for me...!"

Nepgear offered a comforting smile, as she replied, "Oh goodness. Well, I would help you, Mister Author-goo, but maybe I'm barely okay with being nobody's favorite, and also with being a third wheel...!"

"Wh-What... did you say?"

Nepgear was being a big traitor, making her escape towards the back while sounding very sorry, I'm sure! "I-I'm sorry, Author-goo...! I'll make it up to you, I swear! I just don't want another affinity...!"

"Affini—! NEPGEEEEEAR!" It was too late; the author's chance of salvation had left him to the whims of an endearing little girl and her doting father. Now, that doesn't sound so bad, but since Mister Self-Insert voiced his displeasure...

"You... don't wanna be my pet...?" Novella sounded upset and sort of mad at Author-goo's nonspecific refusal.

"Wah! N-Novella...! N-No, I didn't mean... Huh...?"

The second part of knowing he done effed up became clear, as Daddy Chet had a mildly peeved expression on, but the tension among them increased severalfold as a result... "Now, I know you didn't refuse my Novella..." He then produced a bat studded with many nails at its end, tapping it lightly on his other hand. "Because even with me being as NPC as they come, I do gain status buffs if someone upsets my Novy...!"

The Dogoo shivered and shook with fear, understandably now much more willing to be a pet under these pressing circumstances. That Dragon cage is comfy, right?

"So," began an expectant Chet, "what will it be then, my good sir?"

Needless to say, this was going to be a wild ride for my other self!


~Back To The Present, Lastation's West Wind Valley~

With Dengekiko's and Famitsu's mysterious descent into the brush, the editor duo had left most everyone scratching their heads. That would probably end up as the least odd thing that would happen...

The silence that had followed would be broken, however, as a certain jumpsuit-wearing heroine walked up proudly to a much-confused Rei. So much so, that when Nisa was about to extend her hand in greetings, her words snapped into a familiarly rude and condescending tone, cutting her off as she said, "Ugh, what a drag... What do you want, you blue-haired bim—? E-Er, wait...!" Catching herself before she could finish her audience-alienating insult, Rei quickly went to take her words back. Unfortunately, her nervous self wasn't good at speaking her thoughts. "S-Sorry! I just... Well, uh... I'm not...! I-I'm trying to curb my c-craziness! My HDD is...! It's...!"

"Whoa, whoa, there is no need to apologize to me, Miss Rei!" exclaimed Nisa, waving her hand as if to forgive away Rei's fit. The justice junkie then placed her clenched fists by her sides in a heroic fashion, smiling as she said, "I have heard all about you from Ladies Neptune and Nepgear, and all I have to say about it is this!" Nisa re-extended her hand. "Justice will never forsake someone who is willing to repent for their sins!" she exclaimed, making the former villain even more uncomfortable.

"U-Uh, really, it's not good to make a fuss over this...!" Rei shook her head. "You should just treat me like any other person, and just ignore me! It'll save you some grief down the road...?"

Seeing Rei shy away from her attention filled Nisa with determination! "Aw, don't be like that! I have seen plenty of justice in your heart during that one fateful action of yours, the one during the Planeptunian invasion not long ago...!" The heroine let her smile sag just a teensy bit after saying that. "I truly regret not being able to assist you all when I heard the news, and I don't know why that is..., but I am thankful that nothing worse came to pass!"

Just then, a guitar case was rested by Nisa's side, a certain red-headed adventuress behind it and grinning in the face of regret, as well as in meeting tons of new company!

"Well, let's not dwell on the past any longer than we have to, because now's the time to keep looking forward!" exclaimed Falcom, leaning onto her case with an air of casualness. "I'm pretty excited to get the chance to know so many new faces, especially since we all seem to have one thing in common. We hail from different worlds, but we're all committed to doing what's right for them and their Goddesses!"

A few murmurs of agreement were exchanged between the crowdgoers, camaraderie and friendliness riding high among them. Even when someone would clear her throat to get their attention.

"Ahem, um, excuse me, can I just ask someone a question real quick?" Everyone took a step back from their microphone-toting host in 5pb. They all smiled, nodded, and kept quiet, giving the musician the floor. "Now, I couldn't help but hear a little something earlier on... Miss Rei, you wanted to say something earlier? Something about a name...?"

Cave clarified from behind the camera. "I believe she wanted to clear the air about her name as a CPU. As I recall, she was never officially given such a name..."

The Tari CPU was rather surprised that anybody would want to talk to her. "O-Oh, right! Yes, I did...! Thank you for remembering..." Rei took a quick breath to prepare. "I-I have a lot of people to thank for helping me get this far, especially Peashy, who had to drag me out here against my will at first..." She gave an awkward smile, very unused to the attention. "U-Um, so yeah, I want to be selfish a bit and have a proper C-CPU name...! I, uh, thought about this with Ladies Neptune and Nepgear, and I've decided! My other self had the first Nation on record..., the sky was the limit back then, and I'm primarily... cyan. So from now on, I will be known as...!"

Drumroll please!

*BA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA...!*

"My name is—"

*CRAAAAASH!*

A sudden impact took everyone by surprise, rocking everyone from their heads to their toes!

"Wh-What the heck was that?!" shouted an attending Estelle. "Such a legendary impact could only mean something big has arrived!"

"A legendary impact...?! Could it be that the dreaded Meteor has finally fallen onto our planet and its lifestream?!" asked a worried Ein Al.

"Don't be so drastic, you two!" yelled the girl in the soccer player get-up. "It's probably a soccer ball kicked from space! It happens all the time!"

"Gah! N-No, don't interrupt me now of all times!" shouted Rei. Unlike almost every other time, she wasn't going to take this lying down. "It's A-Azure Heart...! Azure Heart is my new title as a Goddess...! I tried so hard on it, so p-please don't ignore me, I'm only trying to do my be— ACK!"

All right, things are getting out of hand...! For now, let us cut back to just before something hit the ground, and shed a new light and perspective on all this.

As camaraderie and friendliness rode high with their friends, the four Goddesses looked on with expressions of contentment on their faces.

"It'll take some time, but I get the feeling our circle of friends will only get bigger by the end of this!" proclaimed Green Heart, proud of herself. "No thanks are necessary, I merely did what anyone else would have done!"

The other five only smiled wider, taking Vert's attempt at humbleness in stride.

"Of course, Vert, whatever you say." replied Purple Heart, rolling her eyes in amusement.

"Haha, never a dull moment, just like it always was!" exclaimed the only non-HDD-ed on of the bunch, being the blue visitor, Segula. She had her hands on her hips, grinning widely out of all the enjoyment she was having. "You know, I never really got to say how thankful I was to see all of you again for a third time, so— H-Huh...?!"

The sonic girl's eyes went wide, as if she felt something in her life get... cancelled. No matter what it was she felt, the other CPUs were quick to voice their concern.

"Seggy...? That's the kind of face I'd expect you to make within the confines of my room, not out here... What's wrong?" Oh Iris Heart...

The other CPUs groaned in response to the shoehorned teasing, while Segula found a chuckle out of it, but snapped back to seriousness right afterwards. "Well, it's... It felt like I sensed a great disturbance, like something had been silenced or s-something..." She shook her head, coming back to reality. "Sorry...! It was probably nothing. I'm okay, I swear."

The others looked worried for her, for sure, but then Black Heart stepped forward, taking initiative in giving the good feels as she said, "It's all right, I believe you, Segula. Right now, though, this isn't the time to wonder about some future drama!" It would have sounded rather blunt and insensitive to those who don't know Noire, but Segula shrugged and smirked in understanding, and hey, the other girls knew Noire, so this turned out for the better. Lastation's CPU then turned to the rest of them, confident. "Well, what are we waiting for, ladies? Let's go over to the others, and get this show sta—"

*CRAAAAASH!*

Another sudden impact took everyone by surprise; a meteorite of a something had just landed right in front of the CPUs!

"Wh-What the hell...?! Not th-this shit again!" stammered White Heart, the first to vocalize her utter bafflement at the dynamic entry... This time, a bunch of dust obscured their vision of who or what it could be...

"NEEEEEEPTUNAAAAAAA!"

*Glomp!*

"Gah!"

... but the CPUs didn't have to wait long before a yellow-haired girl jumped out and tackled-hugged Neptune!

"Neptuna! Ploot! You left me behind, you big dummies!" Peashy yelled, her grip on Neptune tightening too much for comfort.

"Gh... W-We didn't...! P-ko, you're being too rough...!" Purple Heart could barely get a word in!

"Peashy, we didn't leave you behind..." began Plutia, as she leaned in closer to Yellow Heart. Despite her reputation, there was no reason for the others to worry about Iris Heart trying anything with Yellow Heart, as she said in her still-surprisingly mothering tone, "You were going to keep us waiting, yes, but as I recall, you wanted to bring... something. I don't know what it was, but did you bring it?"

Yellow Heart perked up, letting go of a now wobbling Neptune. "Oh right! Hold on just a moment!"

With that, Peashy dashed forward, paying no mind as she practically barreled and bodied her way into the crowd, sending them tumbling down like bowling pins!

"Whoa! Watch where you're charging, nyu!" shouted Broccoli, who ended up perfectly upside-down with Gema now the one doing the sitting.

"Eep! Oh no, my outfit...! Not again!" lamented MarvelousAQL, whose clothes had been shredded away by some inexplicable force.

"Wh-Wh-What are those on her chest...?! THOSE ARE HUMONGOUS! NOOOOOOOO!" cried Nisa, on her knees while desperately holding onto her curveless chest looking for affirmation that everything was going to be all right.

"I-Is everyone okay...? I see so many stars...!" muttered 5pb, dazed and confused with something weighing on her.

"Ouch... I believe I am fine, Lyrica" replied Cave, being said weight on her friend, along with the camera, "but I don't feel standing is the appropriate thing for me to do no— H-Huh?"

The Leanbox agent was surprised to see a hand lift up the camera from her grip. While the blue-eyed owner was also a lady who wore red and had long brown hair like Sango, this lady had a much more modern sense of style, like she was a club's hostess. She wore her hair off to her left in a spiraling, loose ponytail, and wore a button-down top that was only buttoned just above her navel, as well as clipped together at the collar with a gold badge, showing plenty of cleavage. Roses were also a thing with her it seemed, with the right side of her hair adorned with a flower in it, as well as the badge having a rose decal on it. That was all Cave could see, and the mysterious, yakuza-like lady also appeared to be a victim of Peashy's charge. The woman then put a finger over her own lips, prompting silence as she quirked her face in another direction.

"Over there. Something entertaining...!" she said quietly.

Before either 5pb or Cave could look over, someone else complained from beneath the impromptu cameralady.

"I-If you would kindly... Please get off of my legs, Ryuka...!" A blonde head popped up from the mess of people, her left eye covered behind long bangs of hair. That was all anyone could see of her, however, so nothing else about her will be explained now. By her side, Tsunemi did the same, though she was too dizzy to respond.

"Oh. Sorry, Blossom, Tsunemi, but please indulge me and our venerable hosts for the moment..." The lady, Ryuka, once again gestured in the same direction, with a mischievous sparkle in her eye. "... and seriously, look over there."

The group of five looked by the epicenter of Yellow Heart's innocent tackle, where sure, Peashy was trying to rouse an unconscious Rei, but a little closer than them was the forcibly grounded Ai Masujima, facing up as she came to.

"Ahhh...! What the heck was that about?! This is so not cool of yo— Wait." As she tried to get up, however, Ai found herself being held in place, by someone she's had a run-in with before...

"B-But I...! What?!" Coincidentally, Falcom had also just come out of unconsciousness, her eyes blank out of disbelief and fear of repercussions as it was her who held onto Ai! "I was pushed back! You fell onto me again! I don't understand... This is a horrible means for two people to become closer!"

As it stood, they weren't on good terms ever since the adventuress detained the starlet for trying to barge into the Leanbox Basilicom while Vertstation was still airing live. Things only went downhill from there, as accusations of being a pervert were flung at Falcom, though not for unfounded reasons... Just like last time, a selfless, almost instinctual act of shielding someone led Falcom in between a rock and a hard place, as the red-head had the misfortune of grabbing Ai by her...

Right then, everyone's perspectives are starting to get distracting! Moving alo—

"YAAAAAAAAAAH!"

... Moving along! We cut to Peashy finding what she was looking for, as she tackled and gave yet another death hug to her now-conscious adoptive mother!

"Mommy, you were flying so fast! I almost lost you!"

"P-Peashy...! My lungs...! Can't breathe...!" Rei would struggle in remaining awake, however, since the other bombshell of a CPU didn't know her own strength.

Peashy broke off the hug, furrowing her brow and voicing her disappointment towards a teetering Rei. "Stupid Mommy! You didn't listen! Flying is so easy, but you went too high!"

Rei held up her hands in trying to calm the child CPU down. "B-But, I did say that I was out of practice...! It hasn't been long since I became a CPU again, and the last time I was, I... I-I'm so sorry, Peashy!"

The yellow-haired CPU merely gave her a half-lidded stare out of, again, disappointment, when she surprised her Mommy by undoing her transformation, becoming the little girl she always was, and poking Rei's leg with the cat gloves she always wore.

"Ow!"

"Mommy needs to become stronger so we can play better!" shouted Peashy, continuing her pokey assault. Despite the fact that Rei kept wincing every time the bee girl did, it still hurt slightly. She was that weak-willed, even in HDD.

"I know..." muttered the reborn Azure Heart, sounding as meek as ever. "It's been on my mind ever since Planeptune, and if getting here proved anything, it's that this will be rough...! If you didn't push for me to attend, I'd probably do a bad job at baking cookies again, hehe..." Rei looked off to an unoccupied direction. "Can I really do this? I'm only going to drag everyone down..."

Unbeknownst to her, a bright light quickly flashed from behind her vision, and before Azure Heart or anyone else could react, the Tari CPU felt someone jumping onto her shoulders!

"YAH?!"

"Neptuna?"

"Hey, this is a No-Mope Zone, you hear?! Dry those salty landfill tears!" It was the smaller, lovable package version of Neptune, parka-ing it up and hanging off of Rei's back!

"L-Lady Neptune?! What are you doing?!"

"Installing some Nep-Nep into your life! Available whenever I feel you need it!"

Neptune made about as much sense as a game with generous checkpointing, but no extra lives. Rei responded appropriately. "Uh, i-if you say so...! I'm so embarrassed...!"

From across the field, the other CPUs sighed. Well, most of them did...

"Neptune, please don't frighten the poor girl any more with your antics!" shouted Green Heart. Vert then undid her transformation, changing back to the blonde-haired woman who many would see on lines in Leanbox as well as online. She then turned to the other CPUs, plus one, saying, "This isn't meant to be an event with strict decorum, so we should lighten the mood by coming out of HDD, wouldn't you agree?"

With the exception of Segula, who just smiled and sighed with some resignation, everyone came out of Hard Drive Divinity for the sake of a lighter atmosphere. Well, except for...

"Plutia? Why aren't you doing the same...?"

Vert's question fell on uninterested ears, as Iris Heart just looked over everyone present with the same face she gives constantly: interest.

"Oh, don't mind me, Vert..." replied Plutia, her grin widening with rising expectations... "If this is meant to be a combat exhibition, then I will certainly take my time with the foreplay~. I just want to savor this moment, because before long, I won't be able to hold myself back!"

Iris Heart's sensual, malevolent gaze flickered between many choice targets, including the idol trio in 5pb, Ai, and Tsunemi, a girl trying to shield herself with a soccer ball, and a still-empowered, yet shaky-kneed Koei-Tecmo, who had Ranmaru trying to be brave and present herself first, but was just as scared as her master if her face was any indication.

"There, all done." said the CPU. "Only a matter of time, ladies~!"

With that, she came out of HDD, and became the more approachable sleepyhead known only as Plutia.

"We're gonna have soooo much fun~!" chirped the lavender-head, her tone capable of putting anyone not in the know about her off their guard. At this point, no one was any more comfortable... Except her new blue friend in Segula, who took the downsized CPU in an adoring hug. However, she would pose an important question that should have been asked many paragraphs ago... "Uhh, where's Noire...?"

"Noire?" Blanc raised a brow as she pondered why Plutia would even be asking about the Lastationite, when she registered her friend's absence. "Hey yeah, she seems to have disappeared, or something...! Where did she go?"

The CPUs looked around at their surroundings, and sure enough, Noire's non-presence was confirmed.

"Oh where, oh where has our little Noire gone? Oh where, oh where can she be~?" As usual, Neptune had to put her own spin on events, as she bent and craned every which way to find where she may have went. "Maybe she had to mosey on over to the ladies' room without telling us? She's the kind who'd want to be all ninja-sneak about her business."

"If you could refrain from casually bringing up one's bathroom habits, Neptune, I can say that I... found her. Well, that explains everything." Vert's sentence became deadpan, as she stared at Noire's current position... which was right under where Yellow Heart first landed. Driven into the ground like a nail hammered into a wall, all that one could see of Black Heart was the top of her head, along with some splayed white hair here and there.

"What the... Ouch, Noire looks like she's been sent down from an orbiting space ark!" exclaimed Segula, letting go of her friend and crouching down to assess Noire's state of well-being. "Think she'll get amnesia and spend a whole spin-off game flip-flopping between good and evil?"

"Don't joke about either of those things! That last one, especially." replied Blanc, as she did the sensible thing and began pulling Noire out by her HDD-empowered hair. Yes, that is a thing, even if Vert and Plutia looked shocked by her doing it.

"Don't leave me behind, my gals! HUP!"

"Yowch!"

Neptune did a long jump off of Rei's back, landing perfectly in front of Blanc and assisting in the effort to yank out Noire!

Vert sighed; she didn't want to believe what was already happening. "For heavens' sake, do you two realize just where you're pulling her—"

"I'll help you, Neptuna!"

"Don't forget about meeeee!"

"If Plutia's doing this, then I will too!"

"M-Maybe I can help...?"

The CPU of Green was flabbergasted to see Peashy, Plutia, Segula, and Rei joining in on the tug-of-war. But really, wouldn't the sight of a bunch of people pulling on hair do the same to any normal person? Vert certainly thought so.

"This can only end horribly...! N-No one else help them; Noire already has plenty of help!" Her warning came just in time, as Nisa was already about to pass her and aid the rest.

"Oh... But I want to help her, Lady Vert!" cried the bodysuit-wearing girl. "Why wouldn't you want us to?"

"It's not that I don't want to help Noire," began Vert, "but this is not the way to do it! This will only hurt her, but anyway, five people should be more than enough for the job."

"F-Five?! W-What about me?!" The stuttering complaint came from not Nisa, but Rei Ryghts, as she struggled alongside her adoptive daughter. "Don't tell me I was ignored again...! Th-That's so cruel of you, Lady Vert!"

Vert made a face as she realized that she slipped up, not wanting to hurt the other's feelings. To be fair, Rei was the only out of them who was still in HDD, but was also the only one who already looked to be on the verge of exhausting herself. Despite undoubtedly earning several levels from the back line during Planeptune's invasion, Rei was still very much a newbie. Both having been ousted from her Final Boss status one mainline game ago, as well as her current lack of training, inevitably put her several steps behind the others in terms of... everything. On top of that, nobody but my narrating self was referring to her by her CPU name, but that's not important.

Unfortunately for Vert, Azure Heart Rei noticed the face, and her mind went downhill from there...

"Even you...? Why... Why am I still getting pitied...?! This isn't fair!" Rei's expression gradually became angrier and angrier as she let her emotions get the best of her. "Am I really still such a sad sack to everyone...?! No... No...!"

"Eh? Whoa, I caught something! Imma reel her in!" Despite the fact that six people were trying to pull out the ever-stuck Noire from the ground, it took until this moment for her to start budging, as Neptune so aptly put it. Was it really Rei's doing...?

"I'm not a failure...! I'm not! Grrr, I'll show you nimrods who's really a failure...!"

That may very well have been the case, as Azure Heart put more effort into her pulling, along with a slight return to her aggressive personality. With it, Noire's forehead coming into view, and from the back, Blanc silently remembered the good old days of plucking veggies from the ground. Now wasn't the time for such an image though, as the Lowee CPU suddenly realized...

"Wait, why aren't we transforming into HDD, to make this go faster?!"

The comment hit everyone like a frying pan to the face, with the exceptions of a giggling Rei, who was already in HDD, and a reluctant Segula, who had a reason for that.

"Uh, I can think of... two reasons why not." stated the sonic girl, raising a hand with two fingers up. When Blanc gave her a quiet and questioning look, Segula elaborated. "Er, one, I can't. Stuff happened back in my dimension, and I can't access it... Remember I said that...?" The four main CPUs indeed remembered the slight outburst the other-dimensional CPU had when pressed about her tragedy-filled backstory, and with it being reminded that things weren't exactly going to be easy for her here. It was then that Segula let go of the rope of hair, much to their confusion, until she pointed off to a certain girl...! "A-And two...!"

"Yeah! I'll get her out with that! Da-da-da, DA, Da-DA!" Peashy then re-transformed back into the much more physically-capable Yellow Heart! "PEASHYYYY POWEEEER!"

"Wha?! WHOA!" That was approximately every Noire-Puller's reaction when with her divine strength, Peashy made drastic jumps in progress in this follicle tug-of-war, while sending almost everyone tumbling to the ground! Noire was being pulled out many small units of measure at a time, and soon one could see her relieved, graceful fa—

"OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW! WHY?! WHYYYYYYY-YOWCH!"

Ouch...! Anyone would feel bad for Noire by this point, but even with her being wracked in pain, no one could argue the results...?

"YOU'RE A MONSTER, YOU HEAR ME, FOURTH WALL?! A MONSTEEEER!"

"Huh? I'm not a monster, Noire! Quit being silly!" Peashy just took her friend's outcry in stride. "Don't worry, I'll make this even faster! Hyup!"

"W-Wait, faster?! No, Peashy, WAIT!"

Black Heart's cry fell on deaf ears, as Yellow Heart mustered up all her power, and catapulted Noire high up into the air!

"AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaahhh..." *Ding~!*

Well, I did say high up! High enough to become a sta—

"...aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" *SPLAT!*

... Poor Noire... No one had much to say as Lastation's CPU laid still and face-down on the ground, but before anyone could assume the worst, Noire undid her transformation and gave a shaky thumbs-up. What a trooper! Oh? Oh wait, it became a middle finger. Well, that was uncalled for.

"H-Hey! Watch the bird!" *Screeeeech!*

"Mmhrh?!"

The black-haired girl could hear someone coming up to a stop just beside her, and shortly after, the same person reached down and pulled Noire up to her feet. The person turned out to be IF, arriving by motorcycle while looking both miffed and confused.

"Sheesh, what's up with you, Lady Noire? I wasn't driving like a maniac, so what's with the finger?"

"U-Uhh... Well, it wasn't for you, for starters..." Noire didn't really want to talk about it.

IF then looked past her, saw the absolutely large gathering of over twenty girls, with Yellow Heart giving a wave from afar.

"HI, IFFY! IS NOIRE ALL RIGHT? I KNEW SHE WOULD BE!"

Iffy blinked, deciding it was best to stay sane about things. "Huh. Well, that explains everything. Anyway, while I'm here for probably the same reason you all are, I've also got a delivery for you all!"

"Huh? A delivery...?" asked the black-haired CPU. "You mean a present? For all of us?"

"Well, you could say that, but it's more a present for who I'm delivering you all."

Just before anyone could ask about what the Guild agent meant, another vehicle sounded its horn from off in the distance, signaling its arrival!

*Beep-beep, Beep-Beep, BEEP...! BEEP-BEEP, Beep-Beep, beep!*

That sounded like the opening to La Dele Dele...!

"The Compa Bus is coming, everybody! Eep! Everybody's jumping! Stop iiiit!"

Sure enough, Planeptune's most famous nurse came into the scene, driving a shaking bus filled with people...? What? As Compa pulled up to the venue, everyone could see the audience jumping with excitement.

"What?! Whoa, Compa changed class from Nurse to Party Bus Driver?!" Neptune jokingly exclaimed, as everyone and everything slated for the chapter started to come together.

"Don't be stupid, Nep," replied IF, wanting to ignore that her CPU friend was very right, "b-but yes, Compa's driving a bus. I don't even know how she got a bus license...!"

"I wanted to become the best nurse that I could be, so I learned how to drive a bus!" Compa cheerfully responded from her loudspeaker.

"Th-That doesn't answer anything!" exclaimed Noire. "Anyway, who ARE all these people?!"

As if to answer her, the bus door then opened up, with the passengers letting themselves out and settling into an unusually-professional single-file line. Before anyone could question this, they realized that all these young men and women were wearing Planeptune academy uniforms. Both sexes wore a lilac-colored blazer with a fine, yet visible knitted trim along the edges. Embroidered on the blazer's singular left pocket was Planeptune's national symbol, the obviously stylized N, on top of a bright blue star... For the bottoms, guys wore royal purple khakis, and the girls wore pleated skirts in the same color, reaching down to just above the knees, with stockings underneath. No peeking!

"Yo, what's the whole Fantasy Star class doing way out here?!" asked a surprised Neptune.

Blanc jerked her head towards the Planeptunian, surprised and thrown out of sorts with these new arrivals as she shouted, "What?! What do you mean you don't know?! They're your Nation's students, aren't they?"

"They are, but she wasn't the one who wanted them present." That mature, competitive voice didn't originate from Neptune, but Vert of all people, as she approached the vehicles with a joyful spring to her step that contradicted her seriousness. As to why that was... "Oh, if it isn't my darling Iffy~!"

That's why. Vert had hearts in her eyes, unnerving the shorter brunette as the Goddess made strides in her direction.

"L-Lady Vert, what are you doi— MMPH!" Too late; IF was claimed by Vert's bountiful assets, her head buried right in there!

"I missed you so, so much, Iffy~! Your lack of screentime is a shame for a wonderful girl such as you!"

Everyone with a sensible bone in their body just sighed. Neptune, being the main character that she is, took control of the conversation.

"Well, I bet Vert skedaddled my prides and joys here for viewership and brownie points! Am I on the nose, Compa?"

"Crystal clear on the nose, Nep-Nep!" said a non-driving Compa, confirming a question from out of the blue. "It sounded like a good idea anyway! Um, question though... Where are Ge-Ge and the other Candidates...?"

Neptune crossed her arms, smirking with knowing the answer. "Idunno, why don'tcha ask our not-quite-summoned friend here?" She looked at the fourth wall...

...

Oh. Right, uh, there's an explanation for that, but let's save that for another time, shall we? This is already a lot to take in...!

"Exactly!" exclaimed Neptune. "We had to push that little bit for another time, like that blurb at the start of this chapter! Didn't wanna do that to Junior and the other Candidates, but right now we gotta push all these new girls! Who cares about a Dogoo self-insert, a technically single dad, and his adorable fairy-mothered kid?" Suddenly, Neptune had some light tears beginning to show... "Come on, Mister Narrator, just f-finish this up so's my sister and the others get some screentime...!"

Well, Neptune, if you want that to happen, just explain who the happy people that filled the bus are!

"Well, that would be the sensible thing!" Neptune stopped tearing up and folded her arms in front of her, doing her best not to grin too widely. "The sensible thing and me don't mix, but I guess if I gotta... Except I don't! We're running past 7,236 words right now! Give us all a break, my fourth-wall paisano!"

What?! No, that's not... That's not... Ugh, oh all right, I get your point...! An awful lot of nothing got accomplished, but you know what, not sorry. Really not.

And thus marks another episode in the annals of Nepsta—

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, YOU INVISIBLE SHIT!"

Blanc had shouted from afar, aggravated with something story-related, given her timing...

"You're damn right I'm aggravated! You're just going cram in all these girls into the story and be done with it?! I count at least two that went without description, probably from that Hyperdevolved Noire dimension I keep hearing about!"

"H-Hey! It's not 'devolved', Blanc!" replied an irritated Noire. "It's Hyperdevotion! Get it right!"

"Like I give a damn about that right now! And Vert, quit smothering that girl in your death melons, will ya?!"

Vert jerked her face in Blanny's direction, sticking out her tongue in a childish display of refusal. "I will not! Let Leanbox and the rest of the world know of our boundless affection!"

"MMPH, MRT GM FF MRRH!" was all IF could reasonably say...

And then the train of thought went off the rails...

"L-Lady Vert! What about our boundless affection?!" exclaimed a betrayed and now-kneeling Ai. "I was your metaphorical sister! No, really I was!"

"The sound of Lady Masujima's plight has inspired me...!" muttered Koei-Tecmo, taken by the starlet's anguished display. She then turned towards her faithful retainer, ordering, "Ranmaru, I command you to be more overt with your shows of affection towards me!"

"Hm? I am nothing but your loyal blade, my lord." replied the calm, boyish Ranmaru. "Do you mean to tell me to praise you louder on the battlefield? My skills are all you need, no?"

"Ha ha, wow! That one lady's aura... It feels like a legendary warrior is in our company!" shouted Estelle. The sword-and-shield-toting girl couldn't contain her excitement. "I bet the two of us will be able to come together for the sake of the world tree's woes! Gamindustri has one of those, right?"

"No, it doesn't, but I prefer it this way." remarked the hostess, Ryuka, casually lifting a bamboo cup filled with drink up to face level. "The less we have to worry about in this new world, the better. Why don't we all make a toast, to commemorate this event? I've got plenty of sake!"

"That..., uh, I can smell the alcohol from here...!" 5pb made a face from a few steps away, turned off by how strong the spirit smelled. "Thank you, but how about another time...? We're currently live..."

"That's good and all, but right now does someone have one or two of those Light Grasses, nyu?" asked an exasperated Broccoli, looking over at another one of her comrades. "We're gonna get censored to high hell and back for indecent exposure, nyu...!"

"C-Can anyone point me to the nearest changing room...? I don't want to change into some fresh clothes out here in the open...!" groaned a half-decent Marvelous, somehow never going off to do just that in all the time she's been here...

"Eep! S-Seggy...! What's gotten into you nooow?" asked a surprised Plutia. Her blue friend was hiding behind her, away from the sight of a shinobi's "life". "You're being all lovey and grabby and squeezy...!"

"Not much has gotten into me, Plutia!" exclaimed Segula, who had her arms wrapped around Plutia's waist. "I just haven't had a certain side of me revealed yet, so I'm keeping true to you by not seeing Marvy's marvelous twins! And Rei's ridiculous bubbles! A-And Peashy's preposterous—"

"I DEMAND YOU STOP TALKING ABOUT EVERYONE'S CHESTS, LADY SEGULA!" yelled a very offended Nisa, fire burning in her eyes before the flat-chested heroine calmed herself down. "Hmm, you sound a lot like the girl known as Red. A keen eye towards doing the right thing, as well as other females! Anyway, even with so many unfamiliar faces, I can't wait for us to test our skills together and make a friend or four! Oh, and JUSTICE!"

"Did I hear someone call out for Red~?!" From out of nowhere, the harem-seeking Red appeared from the top of the Compa Bus, looking over the gaggle of girls with the most excited of smiles on her face. "Oh my, I see my absence has only drawn even more potential wifey candidates to the spotlight! Don't worry, ladies, there's plenty of Red to go around!"

"Red? Is that you?" yelled Compa, even though she was right on front of the vehicle, and in no way far away. "Why are you on top of my bus, Red?! Also, hi! We missed you! Do you like my bus?!" To be fair, it was just a normal-looking gray bus. It costs money to decorate it, and you know she would if she could.

"Tch, Gust certainly didn't..." complained the rabbit-motifed, alchemy-knowing Gust. She crossed her arms, giving the red-head guff. "Red's line of sight does not discriminate, ranging from buxom ladies to flat-chested lolis! Gust will be watching you..."

"W-Wait, what did you say...?!" asked a startled Rei, not expecting any of this to be happening, really. "D-Don't tell me she'd also go for someone as old and busted as me...! I don't think my heart could t-take such a forward approach!"

Noire could only take so much at one time, getting pissed off as her common sense level rapidly rose with every comment she heard...! "Grrr, where is all this conversation even going?! This story progression doesn't make any sense, and pointing it out doesn't help either!" She gave an angry point at the fourth wall, giving us an earful. "That's it, I don't care where you're going with all this, but we're going right ahead to some actual events next time! You got that?!"

...

Uhh..., but all that wasn't my fau—

"You got that?!"

B-But Neptune didn't even get around to—

*CRUNCH! Skrrrr...!*

"WAH! Oof!"

Suddenly, a loud, heavy crunching of metal took everyone's ears by surprise! It was no meteorite, or Peashy, but Red had been thrown off of the bus by whatever landed behind her...!

"AAAHH! M-My bus!" yelled Compa.

"What?! Oh, now this is just pissing me off even worse!" complained Blanc.

"Whoa! What's this now?!" questioned Neptune. "Is another challenger approaching?! Vert? You call her too?"

Neptune looked in Vert's direction, but it looked like she didn't have much of an idea either. "I-I didn't ask for someone else to join in such a manner...!" commented the CPU of Green. She let go of an uneasy IF, now wondering about who or what could make such an entrance. "Show yourself! This is not a place for theatrics, unless you have come looking for a fight!"

Thankfully, there wasn't much dust that could be obscuring the new arrival, cause... you know, this mysterious person landed in a bus.

"A fight...? Hmph, wasn't that the point...?" replied the new arrival, her voice coming in deep and rather hostile, like an incredibly muscular, amazonian woman searching for a dragon's crown...! Maybe she could also recite something quick, like a tale from the abyss! Pffft, great, I can't keep making these allusions without cracking up!

The woman stood up, her tall figure covered by an obscuring black cloak that went all the way from her shoulders to her ankles. The shoulder region was actually where the black ended, replaced by a deep, shiny blue collar that jutted down and around her in a spiky, but non-threatening manner. In the center of it, right under her neck, hung a small snowman-like charm that depicted a certain frosty fae. Then, we get to the head. Unlike the last OC Maker, her skin was a healthy beige rather than a pale white, but like Koei-Tecmo before her, the softness of her face did nothing to dampen the focused stare she was now giving the CPUs. Her eyes were an intense blue, and her black hair was straightened and reaching down to her neck. Finally, she wasn't going accessory-less, as a neatened, flat-topped school cap rested on her head, with the brim facing forward. Also in black, it had a straight white line going horizontally around the middle and ended in the center, where a small metal plaque rested. There, a symbol that looked like a blue A laid, with the middle line removed and the right side of the letter going vertical rather than at an angle. A thin line of red went down said side as well.

Whoever this was, she wasn't looking for a peaceful—

"Hi Mom!"

... Huh. One of the students was waving at the hostile figure, like it was no thing. However...

"Hello, Yuuko." replied the cloaked woman, never breaking her belligerent stance and stare from the Goddesses as she did. "It looks like my late decision to chaperone you proved to be right on the nose..."

"Hah! Right on the nose...!"

...

Damn it, Neptune...!


A/N: Here comes another challenger! XD Time for business!

Cyan Heart? What's that, a nifty paint color? In all seriousness, I have nothing against the often-used, yet non-canon HDD name, but given that Tari and Rei both come from the mysterious early days of at least one Gamindustri, and that Atari helped pave the way for video games (before being known as the one who made it all crash), I thought Azure was a lot better-fitting title. Atari truly brought gaming to a height never seen before then, the sky, and that was limitless, don't you know! Of course, let's just also forget about it, because who cares about Rei? XD W-Well, I do... ;w;

All righty then! So in about a week is when the contest in finding out the identities of the three OC Makers in question will end, when I upload the last chapter I intended to make for this upload-go-round! Remember that someone's going to win it unless the third, intentionally difficult Maker is successfully guessed, along with the others! No hints! Suffer like G did! XD

As for the inevitable inclusion of Neptunia VII, TagDimension Zombies, and Sega Hard Girls content, don't worry, there's plenty of Nepstation to come! Even if you zone out of the story that will eventually come and rear its ugly head, there will be something here for many different people to enjoy!

See you next Nep!