"Ohhh!?" Said Neptune with excitement as she looked with awe at the merchandise through the glass "Look, look, Kenny! They're selling assembly robots from that anime we saw yesterday on TV!"

Planeptune's CPU seemed to be very interested in this miniature version of a very famous, almost iconic robot figure, but this didn't last very long as her attention was quickly taken away by something else.

"Ah! Look over there! That store sells games and consoles!" She said with excitement before running off towards her new destination

"Hey, Neptune! Slow it down a bit, will ya'?" Said Kenji while walking a few feet behind her along with everyone else "You're gonna get lost in the crowd!"

"Neptune is always such a lively girl, isn't she?" Asked Naomi with a smile, following behind Kenji along with the other CPUs

"More like Hyperactive" He replied while sweat dropping

After their rather troublesome and eventful arrival in Kenji's world, things were a bit rowdy for everyone during the first day or two, but it all calmed down quickly enough. The CPUs managed to settle down a base at Kenji's home and even got to meet his mother Naomi, which fortunately accepted them without any second thoughts, or at least none she spoke of.

At first she did seem worried about their presence, but those concerns steadily died out after she got to know them better, seeing they were all good people at heart, even if a bit odd in some way. And what's more, she even began to befriend them as well, with Vert in particular being the one she got along with the most. This was, most likely, due to her being more "adult-like" than the others, making it more easy for Naomi to approach her and feel comfortable around her.

"Seriously, that idiot just can't take it easy" Added Noire with her arms crossed "Did she forget we're trying to avoid drawing attention towards us?"

"Now, now, you two...She is just trying to have fun" Said Vert while looking at them with a smile "This is the first time everyone went shopping together like this, after all...It's no wonder she's this excited"

Among the main problems the group faced in this world, one was their lack of money and lack of methods to get it. Fortunately, Histoire and Nepgear were quick to solve this situation without any hesitation. Certainly, the methods used may have been borderline criminal, but their newly-attained funds would help them have a more than pleasant stay for the time being. With that said, though, the amount of funds could definitely cover much more than just two week's worth of good meals. And with this in mind, the group thought about how to use the extra income before eventually choosing to follow Naomi's decision to go on a trip to the shopping district downtown and buy some things such as clothes or anything else that they could be interested in.

"But to think there was such a massive shopping district so close by..." Said Vert while looking at the shops around her with a mixture of amusement and excitement in her expression "This town truly is interesting"

From clothes to books to restaurants to breweries and even dance clubs stretching along the wide streets, the shopping district seemed to have everything that one could need for daily life and more. And many of the buildings were probably just two to three stories tall at most, with only a few exceptions here and there, giving a clear and uninterrupted view of the blue skies above.

"It used to be an industrial district before being reformed into a hot-spot for tourists" Explained Naomi while turning her head to look at Leanbox's CPU "It's also known widely for its large amount of art"

"Now that you mention it, a lot of shops seem to be subject to this street artwork"

Putting the streets and shops aside, one of the most notable features of this area were indeed the graffiti decorating the walls of many shops. Some were oddly simple while others had much more geometrical complexity in them.

"Yes...Art is a very vital part of this neighboorhood. There's even a whole district within the same neighborhood that's dedicated to famous street artists and just art in general" She replied, furthening her explanation "We can go check it out later if you wish"

"Of course, I'd love to"

"I'd like to go to any bookstores too, if possible..." Added Blanc while looking at them "I already finished reading all the books in the house"

"Eh!? Already!?" Asked Naomi with widened eyes while looking at her

"Ah, yes...Blanny here may not look like it, but she's quite the avid reader" Explained Vert

"I-I see..."

Kenji's mother was quite surprised by the reading skills of Lowee's CPU. While it was true she only had around five to six books at most, they were quite bulky and not exactly something any average reader could go through in just two days.

"Well, there are a few bookstores I know about...They're not very big, but they should have a good selection" She said while recalling the stores she saw before

"That's fine with me..."

"And what about the two of you? Is there anything you wish to buy?" Asked Vert while turning her head to look at Noire and Kenji

"Nah, I'm good" Replied the young man first

"Same here..." Added Lastation's CPU with her arms crossed and eyes closed

"Very well...Then, should we get going?"

"If you want to, go right ahead..."

"Eh? You're not coming with us?" Asked Naomi while looking at his son

"I gotta go and make sure that dumbass over there won't get lost" Said Kenji before pointing at Neptune, who was still gliding from one store to the other, with his thumb

"I see...In that case, We'll leave that task up to you" Replied Vert calmly

"Got it..." He said before turning around and walking towards Planeptune's CPU while waving his hand "See you later"

And with those parting words, Kenji began to walk away from the group and headed towards Neptune rather calmly, decided to keep an eye on her to make sure she wouldn't get lost.

"So the reason he came along was only to keep an eye on her?"

"I guess you could say that" Replied Vert while turning her head to look at Naomi before looking once again at Kenji "Even if he doesn't say it, he was probably worried about her wandering around a town she knows nothing about and get caught up in some sort of trouble..."

"Well, that is a very common thing with her" Said Lastation's CPU while sweat dropping

Kenji's mother and the CPUs looked at him for a moment, Noire specifically being the one with the strongest focus on him.

"By the way, what's over there?" Asked Blanc, breaking the silence among the group

"Over there?" Asked Back Naomi before scrapping for the memory for a moment "If I remember right, I think there were a few more gaming and technology shops before running into a few more fashion shops..."

"I see..."

Seemingly not interested in the conversation so far, Noire closed her eyes, trying to divert her thoughts towards something else.

"Oh, and there are also some very famous sewing and cosplay shops too!" Said Kenji's mother after jogging her memory even further

When hearing the words "sewing" and "cosplay", Lastation's CPU opened her eyes as wide as plates, along with her ears now listening clearly to her words.

"Cosplay shops?" Asked Vert

"Yeah, that's right...I think they are like an artisanal area..." Explained Naomi in more detail "There's not that many of them, but you can go and buy all sorts of outfits for festivities or conventions, and even get sewing materials to make your own outfits...Or at least that's what I remember one of the neighboors who had a teenage daughter that likes to sew told me"

"I see...This place certainly has a bit of everything, doesn't it?" Said Leanbox's CPU with a slightly surprised expression, feeling amazed by the endless variety of shops one could find "Either way, maybe we should be on our way for now"

"Erm! Sorry, I can't go with you, after all!"

After suddenly hearing Noire's words, everyone looked at her with slight confusion.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Asked Naomi

"I-I mean, maybe I should go with Neptune and Kenji!" She stuttered while sweat dropping with weak smile "Just so I can...well, you know...Make sure those two don't cause any trouble! Yeah! That's it!"

"Well, if that's what you want, then I don't see the problem..." Said Vert while looking at her

"You may want to hurry up, though..." Added Blanc while pointing behind her "You won't be able to catch up, otherwise"

"Eh?"

Lastation's CPU turned her head to look behind her, and did indeed notice both the young man and Planeptune's CPU were almost away from sight, blending in with the crowds.

"Uwah! Wa-wait, you two!" She yelled quickly while turning around and running towards them at full throttle

While looking at her get away, confusion fell over Kenji's mother while the two remaining CPUs quickly understood what happened.

"She wanted to visit the sewing shop, but didn't have the guts to say it outloud, did she?" Said Blanc with a monotone expression

"Yeah...most likely" Replied Vert while sweat dropping with a weak smile

"Ah! Before I forget, Noire!" Said Naomi as she suddenly realized there was something she forgot to say to Kenji, and could instead rely on Noire to pass the message "Tell Kenji we'll meet the three of you by the art murals in two hours! If we're not there yet, just wait for us!"

"Understood, I'll make sure to tell him!" Replied Lastation's CPU without turning her head to look at her

With Naomi's message, Noire left her and the two CPUs to their own devices while chasing after Kenji and Neptune. It took her some running, along with some maneuvering around the people, but she found them quickly enough, as Neptune's appearance and perky attitude made her stand out like a sore thumb.

"Kenji, Neptune!"

"Hm?"

Upon hearing his name and recognizing the voice calling it out, the young man turned around and saw Noire approaching him.

"Noire? What's wrong?" He asked while looking at her stopping right behind him

The CPU stopped to catch her breath for a moment before looking at him again and answering his question.

"I changed my mind! I'm going with you two, after all!"

"Oh, okay..."

"Bu-But it's not because I want to see the sewing shops or anything!" She added with both arms crossed and her eyes closed "I'm just here to make sure you two don't cause any trouble or draw to much attention, so don't go getting the wrong idea! Are we clear!?"

"Erm...Sure...?" He replied slowly while sweat dropping "(So she wants to buy something to sew with?)"

At first, Kenji couldn't help but feel confused about her motives for following him and Neptune, but her Tsundere lines were always helpful at clearing out those doubts. It was a bit odd sometimes, but then again, this was already a commonplace thing to happen with her.

Most likely, she wanted to buy something to sew with in order to kill some time until the warp was ready, or at least that was the conclusion he arrived to. And on hindsight, it made a lot of sense, considering the only thing that matched Noire's love for cosplaying was her love for making said cosplays with her own two hands and a sewing machine.

One way or the other, it wouldn't hurt to have her tag along.

"Hey, Kenny! Look at this! They're selling a console I never saw before!" Said Neptune with excitement while pointing at the black gaming console

"For the last time, Neptune! We're not going to buy a gaming console!"

"Oh, come on! Why not!?" She asked while looking at him "This is a console even a game connoisseur such as me knows nothing about! It's my duty as a gamer to use it!"

"Don't say something like that so proudly..." Said the young man while sweat dropping

Despite being so lazy and unmotivated regarding her work as a CPU, Neptune's dedication towards gaming was just as great as Vert's love for MMOs or Blanc's love for books, and the fact she was such a knowledgeable person in regards to things such as consoles and games in general proved it.

Even so, Kenji couldn't help but feel like it wasn't something she should say in such a prideful way either, especially considering her gaming habits are the main cause of her complete lack of dilligence as a CPU and what she used on daily basis to skirt her duties.

"Ohhhhh...So this is what this world's gaming consoles are like?" Said Noire, who got curious about the gaming console too and decided to take a closer look, after approaching Neptune and looking through the glass "It looks a bit like one of my nation's consoles..."

"Eh? Noire is here too?" Asked Planeptune's CPU while looking at her with a mixture of surprise and confusion

"Eh?"

"You noticed her presence JUST now?" He asked back while looking at her

"I mean, I was really focused on this baby here, you know?" She replied with a perky smile "Besides, Noire's loner aura makes her really hard to notice sometimes!"

"Who are you calling a loner!?"

"Of course, you! Lonely Heart!"

"I'm not lonely! Stop saying that!" Snarled Lastation's CPU, growing even more irritated by her teasing with every passing second

"Lonely loneeeer! Noire is a total lonely loneeeer!"

"He-Hey! Stop saying that so loud! It's not true at all!" Yelled Noire with an embarassed blush and an irritated expression due to this teasing "Neptune!"

Planeptune's CPU quickly ran off with a perky smile, yelling out loud that Noire was a loner and always lonely, while Lastation's CPU chased after her to try and stop her. All of this while Kenji looked at them and sweat dropped.

"(Not draw attention, she said. But right now, I can't tell who's the loudest one...)" He though while sweat dropping with an exhausted expression

Despite being the one that said she was there to keep them from drawing too much attention, right now Noire was the one causing the three of them to stand out even more so than before.

Even if he initially thought her presence would help keep an eye on Neptune better, now he realized that having the two of them together was even worse, as they were bound to constantly run into this circle of arguing and teasing due to Planeptune's CPU drawing out the worst out of her easily.

Just thinking about them being like this all day long made him consider the idea of turning around and heading back home, but someone had to keep an eye on them. Otherwise, they may end up doing something really dumb and get into a heck of a mess.

Although with a certain sense of exhaustion already lingering within him, the young man put it aside and followed the two CPUs through the streets, using their arguing to guide him whenever he lost sight of them before they finally decided to calm down after running through a couple of blocks. Noire still seemed irritated at first, but it quickly dissipated as she calmed down by walking next to the young man while Neptune returned to her routine of dashing from one store to the other, looking at everything she could in awe.

"I'm amazed she didn't break a sweat after all that running..." Said Lastation's CPU, seemingly exhausted from running frantically all over the place

"She may be a lazy ass when it comes to work, but Neptune gets very energetic when she's excited about something" Replied the young man while looking at her "She could probably go at it for another hour or so before getting tired"

"What a useless way to use energy..." She said while closing her eyes and sweat dropping

"Yeah, seriously..." He replied with his eyes closed as well and sweat dropping too

At that moment, both of them agreed on Neptune's lazyness just making things far harder for everyone. And it was this that suddenly led Lastation's CPU into wondering something that lingered within her mind since some time now.

"By the way, Kenji..." She asked while looking at him

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"I've been wondering this for a while now, but why did you offer to keep an eye on Neptune?"

The young man diverted his gaze towards her and remained quiet for a moment.

Even if it may not seem like a big deal at first, looking after Neptune was no easy task due to her hyperactive and irritating nature that got into anyone's nerves. Even Histoire and IF, who were used to babysitting her, had next to an impossible time pulling it off sometimes. Even so, Kenji offered himself to do it without a second thought or any hesitation, despite knowing the hardships that could involve.

"Why do you ask?"

"I mean, you just made it back home...Wouldn't you rather spend time with your mother than looking after this idiot?"

Besides from the difficulty of the task and clearly showing he didn't enjoy it in the least, Noire couldn't help but think about Naomi as well.

Why not just let her or the other CPUs handle Planeptune's CPU and spend some quality time with the person he missed so much? This question kept lingering in her mind over and over.

"Well, of course I'd like to spend time with her" Replied the young man while scratching the back of his head with his eyes closed "But you know, I'm not really sure what to say to my mom, or how to even explain everything that happened..."

"Why not just tell her the truth?"

"You want me to just go and tell her I've been in another dimension, fighting to the verge of death against all sorts of monsters, along with facing evil deities, shadow organizations and even twisted goddesses using the power to transform and toss giant blasts of blue fire like a swordsman from an anime?"

"Now that you mention it, that does sound a bit like something a person with eight-grader sympton or a mental disorder would say..." Said Noire while sweat dropping for a moment before returning to her serious expression "E-Even so! If you try to word it carefully, I'm sure she'll-!"

"Noire, do you remember the face she made when Vert told her I was a boxer?" Interrupted the young man

At that moment, Noire recalled Naomi's face. Although it wasn't as bad as when Neptune began all that talk about kids, she was notably shaken up, and her worry was so transparent one could even confuse it for a piece of glass.

"If that was enough to get her like that, imagine if she knew the truth..."

"Tha-That's..."

On hindsight, the young man made a lot of sense. If Naomi, who could get into such a state from hearing something as simple as his son developing a passion for boxing, telling her about his time spent as a swordsman, about all the twisted, blood-thirsty and dangerous individuals he fought, about all the times he scrapped death by inches and about the horrible injuries he suffered would probably perturb her beyond belief. One could only guess the result of such a revelation.

"I just want to try and make her happy, even if only for a little bit..."

"Kenji..."

Thinking back on it, Kenji spent more time with the CPUs than with Naomi ever since their reunion. This was due to him being unable to come up with ways to answer all of her constant questions. Deep down, he wanted to be honest with her, he didn't want to lie, but he knew full well just how badly the truth would hurt her.

"It's not like I'm gonna take the secret to the grave or something, though" Said Kenji while looking at her again "I will tell her all that happened someday. I just want to wait until I can find a good way to do it"

Noire looked at him for a moment before turning her head to face forward.

"I see...So that's why you chose to go with Neptune instead?"

"Not really"

"Eh?" She asked while quickly turning her head to look at him with a mixture of curiosity and surprise in her expression "Then why?"

"Hm...I guess it's because I wanted to?" He said while looking at Neptune and scratching the back of his head "Sure, keeping an eye on her can be a pain in the ass sometimes, and I know she can take care of herself too, but I can't ignore her either...Or it's more like, I just can't stop thinking about her if I leave her alone for too long"

Lastation's CPU didn't say anything this time, she simply looked at the young man for a moment or two while getting lost in thought.

Back when Neptune revealed her relationship with Kenji as lovers before, she initially thought the perky CPU was merely joking around or trying to tease Kenji for the sake of comedy, but now she couldn't help but feel like that may not have been a lie after all.

Ever since the fight against the deity of sin, ever since Neptune almost got herself killed to save his life, the young man became much closer to her. Not only did he refuse to live in another nation and decided to stay in Planeptune shortly afterwards, he even began to train himself to the bone in a much more rigorous way. Even in battle the changes were notable.

Except for perharps a few battles, the young man always glanced over his shoulder to look at Neptune, even if just for a second. He also became much more inclined to protect her, constantly taking out any monsters that tried to attack her from her blind spots and making himself the target of all the attacks, even if this caused him to end up getting fatally wounded. Of course, he did show a bit more concern for the other CPUs too, but not to this degree. At first she imagined it to be him trying to make up for what he believed to be his own failures, but slowly, the truth became clearer.

The fact he tagged along for today's shopping trip only to go along with the perky CPU out of concern for her getting lost, even if it meant having to spend less time with his mother and more dealing with her randomness, went to show just how dedicated he was to her.

It surprised Noire that the young man was actually such a caring type and, In a way, it made her feel slightly jealous. Jealous that, despite always being so irresponsible and lazy, Planeptune's CPU managed to get someone that was willing to love her in such a dedicated way, but these thoughts quickly subsided as she realized Neptune didn't simply get it. Instead, she earned it fair and square.

Out of all the CPUs, she was the one that always tried the hardest to become friends with the young man. Instead of trying to befriend him just because of his power and the possible advantage he could pose in the battle for shares, Neptune treated him nicely and tried to befriend him simply out of kindness. She didn't see an overwhelming advantage or someone who could justify her lazyness, she just saw a wretched and depressed individual with nothing left other than blurry memories and a dark past, along with a strong apathy towards the world he once belonged to. All she saw was just a person that was in need of a helping hand, in need of a friend to rely on, and she made up her mind to become both of those things, even if it meant putting her own life in peril. The love and care Neptune was receiving from the young man was the result of that kindness. Nothing more and nothing less.

It was this train of thought that made her suddenly pop a question within her mind.

"(I wonder...How would things have ended up if I had found you first?)"

Lastation's CPU couldn't help but wonder what could have happened if the roles were different. What would've happened if, instead of Planeptune, Kenji had ended up in Lastation, found by Noire instead? Would she have done the same as Neptune and offered him a helping hand? Would she have tried to befriend him in the same way she did? In the battle against the felons, would she have jumped between him and Magic, risking her life for his sake? And if so, would the young man have developed feelings for her instead?

These questions kept popping up inside her head over and over again as if trying to trap her in a vicious circle before finally snapping out of her trance due to the very center of those thoughts calling out to her.

"Hey, Noire...Are you okay?"

"Eh?"

By the time she became aware of her surroundings, Lastation's CPU noticed the young man looking at her with curiosity. Not only that, but his face was actually quite close to hers.

"Ehhhhhh! ? ! ?" She yelled with a strong blush covering her entire face before quickly taking a step back "Wha-Wha-What are you doing, getting so close all of a sudden!?"

"Ah, sorry about that. You just kind of seemed to space out all of a sudden for a moment there"

"Eh? I did?"

"Yeah!" Rerplied Neptune with a cheerful smile "You looked like you were using the thinking organ a bit too hard, so I thought being so lonely finally made you crazy or something!"

"For the last time, Neptune! I'm not lonely!" Snarled Noire while regaining some of her composure and crossing her arms while turning her head away with her eyes closed "A-Anyway, I'm okay! There's no need to worry!"

"Are you sure? Your face is all red" Asked Kenji while leaning closer and putting one hand over her forehead "You're not getting a heatstroke or anything, are you?"

"Wai-!"

Without the slightest warning, the young man went ahead and placed one hand over Noire's forehead to check her temperature, as he thought the red-ish tone of her face was the result of a fever caused by the high temperatures of his hometown, which was something none of the CPUs had grown accustomed to yet. Little did he know, this was actually her blushing with embarassment due to her current train of thought. And his touch, along with the proximity of his face to hers, only made it even worse.

"Whoa! Her face got even redder!" Said Neptune with surprise and widened eyes "She's even redder than the clothes of that famous plumber that can jump really high!"

"I-I-I...!"

Noire stuttered for a moment longer before she finally couldn't take it any longer and ran past Planeptune's CPU and the young man in a flash.

"Nepu!?"

"Whoa!" Said Kenji as he got moved out of the way by the speeding CPU, at which he looked at with a mixture of shock and confusion "Wa-Wait, Noire! Where are you going!?"

"I-I'm sorry! I'm gonna go ahead!" She replied without even looking at them

"Ahead!? Why!?" He asked before extending his hand towards her "Hey! Wait a moment! Don't just run off like that!"

The young man tried to stop her, but she was already gone before he could even do anything.

"Hey, Kenny...What happened just now?"

"I'm...Not sure..."

The two of them remained there, looking at the direction she ran off towards in silence with confused expressions for a moment.

Meanwhile, Noire kept running as fast as she could, passing by the people, some of which focused their gaze on her for a short span of time, before finally running out of breath and stopping to rest while hiding in an alleyway.

"O-Okay...I don't think they followed me here..." She said to herself with a certain sense of relief before closing her eyes and putting both hands on top of her head "Seriously, what was that all about just now!? Why did I even run away like that in the first place!?"

Lastation's CPU was more confused than anything else, but she also felt irritated by her own actions. Due to the embarassment that overwhelmed her, she acted by reflex and got away from the scene as fast as she could.

It helped her avoid the embarassment for a short moment, but now she would have to explain her sudden actions to them later. Although that wasn't exactly what bothered her the most.

"(Why...did I blush like that?)" She wondered while placing one hand on her chest, feeling her heartbeat still going faster than usual

At first she began to think about the awkward relationship the young man had with his mother, but hearing Kenji mention Neptune made him think about the relationship he had with her instead. This, in turn, led her to wonder about Neptune's claim about their status as lovers. She couldn't explain why, exactly, but something about that bothered her to no end.

"Hey, lady!"

"Hm?"

Lastation's CPU turned her head and saw a guy in blue pants and a black hoodie. A rather coarse voice and a short beard, besides from brown hair from what little she could see under the hoodie, but nothing too special or outstanding about him either.

"What do you want?"

"What? Can't a guy talk to a cute girl?"

"Sorry, but I'm not really in a mood to talk..."

"Come on, don't be a buzzkill, babe"

"(Babe?)" Thought Lastation's CPU while looking at him with slight discomfort "(Somehow, this guy gives me a really bad vibe...)"

Despite his seemingly friendly and calm approach, she couldn't help but feel an unease that kept telling her to be careful. At most he looked like just an everyday thug or crook you could find lingering around the roads, waiting to rob you of everything you had in the same fashion as bandits.

"(Anyway, I'd better get out of here now...)" She thought while turning around before a shadow suddenly appeared in front of her "(Wha-!?)"

"Whoa, there! What's the hurry for!?"

Before she could succesfully make her way back into the open, another individual jumped out from behind a dumpster into view and blocked her path.

"(There was another one!?)"

Noire turned around to look at the first one, then saw even more individuals poppint out into view. Probably around four or five, all of them appearing from within hiding behind either other dumpsters or backdoors or simply areas where light didn't shine properly, creating thick shadows to hide in.

"Come on, babe. No need to get all tense. We just want to have some fun"

"Fun, you say..." She said with an even greater discomfort in her expression

At the start she could tell there was something about him that made her uneasy, and now she understood what it was. These guys wanted to take more than just money, and they certainly didn't try to hide it.

"Don't move too much, and we'll be gentle...kinda!" Said the one behind her before suddenly lunging forward

The crook most likely exepcted to get a hold of her, but little did he imagine, that was the last thing he'd get. Instead, Noire quickly moved sideways and spun around before using the momentum to deliver a powerful kick to the back of his head.

"Guhogh!?"

"Wha-!?"

The other guys, needless to say, where rather shocked by this. They did expect her to put up a fight, but not something like that.

"Ow! That fucking hurt!" Said the guy while laying down on the ground, placing both hands on the back of his head

"Don't expect to have it easy just because I'm a woman!"

"Get her!"

In an instant, nine people lounged at her, and she quickly answered not by running away, but by fighting back. Either by kicking straight to the gut, the face or just kicking in general, Lastation's CPU overpowered the crook's numbers through speed and technique. One could even think she would win, but things didn't seem to play out that kindly to her.

"Why, you little-!"

"Too slow!" Interrupted Noire before jumping sideways and kicking him in the side of the face.

"Guoh!?"

Even though he got kicked rather hard, the low-life got back up on his feet surprisingly fast. As a matter of fact, it was the same for all the others as well.

"(What's going on here!? Even though I'm hitting them as hard as I can, they keep getting up like nothing!)" Thought Lastation's CPU with irritation "(Seriously, these guys are WAY too persistent!)"

Noire's specialty was her skill at fencing, that was no secret. She never dedicated too much training to harden her body besides her basic, daily routine, so her muscles were not the strongest among the CPUs, but she certainly packed a good kick, even without her sword. Nonetheless, all of her attacks hardly did anything beyond mild damage, despite her enemies being average humans. Certainly, a few of them were already knocked down and not able to move, but the majority were still raging to go.

It was thanks to her quick reflexes and speed that she avoided getting caught so far, but her stamina was already starting to give in. And that, as well, was happening unusually soon.

"(So It was true, after all...We really can't use shares here!)" She thought while taking deep breaths

This state of weakness and lack of strength was confusing at first, but Noire soon came to realize the cause after recalling the tome's words.

Due to being in a different dimension, the CPUs had no access to the sharicite within their nations, and without that power, not only were they unable to use HDD, but their bodies were far weaker, only capable to rely on the basic capabilities their human-like bodies had. In other words, they were nothing more than normal girls without the power of shares to back them up.

Even with her dilligent training, or rather, because of her training, she could hold her ground like this, but the fight had dragged on for too long, and now, without even a single share to give her strength, her body was close to reaching the limit. There was no way for her to win against this many, at least not with the current handicap.

"(It's kind of frustrating, but there's no choice! I have to get out of here!)"

"Where are you looking at!?"

While she was absorbed in thought, Noire got jumped on by one of the remaining crooks from behind, which took advantage of the ruckus to sneak behind her and do a surprise attack. She tried to dodge him, but didn't manage to move in time and got caught, her arms being pulled back into a grapple, making her unable to move.

"Da-Damn it!"

"Hah! Finally got you!"

She tried to break free, but it was to no avail. Her body didn't have enough strength left in it.

"Let go! Let go, you pervert!"

"Damn it! Stop struggling!"

"Hold her tight!"

As Noire kept struggling to break free, the first croock got closer to her with a grin that showed a mixture of irritation and arrogance.

"You sure kicked me good, didn't ya?" He said with an irritated tone before punching her straight in the gut as hard as he could "You bitch!"

"Urgh!"

The punch, although not very powerful, was more than enough to make Lastation's CPU suddenly feel the air leaving her body, making it hard for her to breathe for a second or two as her stomach began throb in pain.

"(I-It hurts! I can't breathe!)" She thought as her eyes and mouth widened "(My stomach...It feels like it's burning up!)"

But it didn't stop there. As soon as he drew back his fist, he grabbed her by the top of her head and pulled it up, making sure she'd look at him.

"Now, it's time for the real fun!"

As suddenly and as abruptly as he could, the low-life grabbed on to Noire's top and pulled down, rippint the front part of it and revealing most of her chest, with only the remaining torn rags to cover the most precious spots.

"Kyah!"

"Wait, why do YOU get to do the gropping again!?" Asked the one behind her "You were the one that did it last time too, and the time before that!"

"Oh, shut it, you dumbass! We're all getting a go at it anyway, so what's the deal with waiting for a bit!?"

"Easy for YOU to say!"

"I said shut up!"

"Let go of me! Don't you dare touch me, you perverts!" Yelled Noire while struggling even harder to break free

"You shut up too!" He said with an irritated expression before it became a grin again "Or better yet, do it a bit more. It's better when they scream"

"You sick bastards!"

Despite her insults and struggles, all she achieved was to excite her assaulters even more, which did nothing more than to approach her by the second, ready to have their way with her. The perversion in their grins clearly visible as their minds made up scenarios of what they'd do to her. Even Noire herself was beginning to imagine these things, and it sent a sense of dread down her spine.

"(No...stop...)" She thought while looking at the hands approaching her chest, a broke sweat running down her back "(Please...Stop!)"

For the first time in her life, she felt helpless, powerless in front of this situation. She couldn't fight back or even run away. All she could do was watch as they got closer and closer to her, ready to defile her and abuse her in ways she could only imagine before most likely beating her up and probably even killing her.

"(No...I don't wanna!)" She thought as she closed her teary eyes, not wanting to see what was about to happen to her "(Please...Anyone!)"

Within her mind, she was already prepared for whatever would happen. But even so, fear was not something she could just shake off so easily either.

"What the-Guhogh!?"

When hearing the crook's voice break, Noire suddenly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a fist flying right next to her head, impacting against the face of the guy that was just about to defile her, hitting it right in the center and almost bending it in a cartoon-ish way from the brute strength it used. This, in turn, caused him to be sent flying backwards almost a feet and fall on his back.

Everyone there, including her, looked with shock at what just happened before the one who had a hold quickly moved sideways to have a better look at who was behind him, giving her the ability to see as well.

Noire's eyes widened after knowing the identity of his savior.

"Kenji?"

The young man turned his head to look at Lastation's CPU for a moment with a poker face before slowly walking towards her, making the guy holding her break a cold sweat.

Surprisingly, though, Kenji didn't even pay any mind to him and instead focused on Noire, calmly placing both hands on the sides of her face and looking at the blushing girl for a moment before pinching both of her cheeks and stretching them hard.

"Wha-Uwah!?" She said as her face stretched widely, twisting even her words "Wha-Whait! Whash ash ya doing!?"

"Out of all the places you could go to, you had to run straight into a dark alleyway!?" Asked the young man with an irritated expression and a popping vein on his forehead while stretching her face "The hell did you think was gonna happen if you went straight into one of those, you idiot!?"

"Sh-Shotph! I-It shurts!" Replied Noire with teary eyes while trying to struggle away from his grip "I ghit it arredy! I'm shorry, I'm shorry!"

Kenji kept stretching her face for a moment or two while everyone looked at them, wearing confused expressions and sweat dropping, unable to understand just what on earth was going on right now. They honestly couldn't tell if he came to save her or to do the complete opposite.

"Even though you said you wouldn't let us make a ruckus, you're the one making the biggest mess!" He said while looking at her with a slightly irritated expression "finding you was a pain in the ass too, you know!?"

"L-Like I shaid, I'm shorry!"

"Hey! Stop ignoring us, you dipshit!"

The young man's attention was quickly diverted from Noire to the crook he just punched earlier, who was already back up on his feet, and didn't seem all too happy about him being there.

"And you guys too...Don't you think it's a bit messed up to gang up on a girl like this?" He asked while letting go of Noire's face and looking at them "I mean, she can act like a bit of a bitch sometimes, but still..."

"You're the worst...You're definitely the worst!" Snarled Lastation's CPU with an irritated tone and expression

"Like I give a shit!" Said the croock while running towards him and throwing a jab "Die!"

Kenji looked at the incoming jab and dodged it rather easily before giving the guy a jab of his own, sending him flying away once again.

"Guhagh!?"

"Man, you guys are textbook thugs, ain't ya? You're not even good at fighting either..." He said while looking at them with slight curiosity before noticing their wounds, along with the ones that were already knocked out on the ground "(I guess she gave them a good ass-kicking before I got here)"

The bruises on their faces, their slugish movements, and even those who were already out of the fight. All of these were clear signs Noire kicked ass right and left before he arrived. If it weren't for their larger numbers, she probably would've gotten rid of them before he even made it there.

"Damn it! Get him!"

In an instant, everyone jumped out at him to attack together. Little did it serve, as Kenji dodged the fists aimed at him and quickly answered by throwing punches of his own. Each one either falling to the ground or getting sent flying back. Sometimes straight to the face or to the gut, other times to more creative places such as the back or the sides.

Within less than a minute and after constant punches, everyone was already lying down on the ground, grunting or mumbling from their injuries while the young man looked at them for a moment before diverting his attention towards the one holding Noire once again.

"St-Stay away! Don't move or I break her arms!" He yelled while pressing tighter on her arms

"Ouch!"

Despite his treats, Kenji didn't even flinch and dashed forward with great speed. Before anyone was even able to tell what happened, the young man had grabbed on to the guy's face and smashed his head against the wall behind him hard enough to make the bricks crack and leave a dent on the solid construction.

Needless to say, that was an instant knock-out.

"Ah!" He said after realizing his own show of strength and sweat dropping "Oh, damn...I think I smashed him a bit too hard..."

As the last croock was knocked out, his grip on Noire loosened up, causing her to be freed and fall forward due to her lack of balance.

"Whoa!" Said Kenji while quickly grabbing Lastation's CPU by the shoulders, helping her regain balance "You okay there?"

"Ye-Yeah, I'm okay..."

Once she placed both hands on the young man's chest, Noire raised her head and looked at him, noticing his face was rather close to hers once more. This caused her to blush once more. This time, Kenji blushed as well while his eyes widened, but it wasn't precisely for the same reason.

"A-Anyway, we should go and find Neptune...She should be somewhere around here" He said after letting go of her and taking some distance while turning around and scratching his left cheek with his eyes closed "But before we do...I think we should do something about that look of yours..."

Noire looked at him with a confused expression, unable to understand what he meant for a moment or two before looking down at her own body and seeing her torn top, which revealed a rather large potion of her breasts.

"Eh?" She said as her blush suddenly became stronger and eventually gave room to panic "EHHHHHHH! ? ! ?"

Lastation's CPU quickly placed both hands over her chest in an attempt to cover what was visible while turning around.

"Wh-Wh-Why didn't you say something sooner, you pervert!?" She asked with a mixture of irritation and embarassment with her eyes closed

Kenji didn't reply this time, he merely looked at her over his right shoulder for a moment or two.

"(Uhhhhhh...This is so embarassing! Why is this happening to me!?)" She thought with teary eyes before suddenly feeling something that felt like a large rag falling over her, covering her back and head "(Eh?)"

Lastation's CPU almost panicked for a moment, but she quickly turned her head and took a hold of the object lying over her while looking at it. It was a black t-shirt. Kenji's t-shirt, to be more precise.

"Hey, Kenji! What's the meaning of-!?" She asked with slight irritation while focusing now on the young man, suddenly stopping after seeing his current state

Kenji, as one might expect since Noire had a hold of his t-shirt, was topples right now, his lean body there for anyone to see quite clearly while he held onto his vest with one hand. A body that, while not as ridiculously muscular or large as one would expect of a profesional bodybuilder or someone with as much raw strength as Kenji, seemed like it was made out of steel rather than flesh and bone. Those were, without a doubt, muscles tempered for the raging heat of battle rather than for simple sex appeal, not a single one meant for anything other than fighting with the greatest efficiency possible.

Just looking at it caused Lastation's CPU heart to beat even faster. Even though she wasn't precisely a stranger to muscular males due to her overseeing military trainings before, there was something about looking at his body in particular that made her heart speed up.

"Use it..." He replied bluntly before putting on his vest once more with his eyes closed "It's a bit too plain for your taste, but try to bear with it until we find a clothing store"

Noire didn't reply to his request, she simply looked at him for a moment or two before calmly taking the piece of clothing and putting it on without any arguing. Although a bit baggy due to the obvious difference of size between their bodies, the t-shirt was rather comfortable and covered her all the way down to her tights. It was slightly embarassing how it made it look she was only wearing that, but a part of her didn't really mind.

"(It's warm...)" She tought while looking at it and holding part of it close to her face, almost as if it were a scarf, while blushing again before looking at him once more "...Thank you..."

"Don't mention it..." He replied calmly before walking past the knocked out crooks and towards another alleyway "Come on, let's find Neptune. Last thing I need is for her to get caught up in something too"

"...Yeah..." Replied Lastation's CPU with a surprising meek tone

Noire didn't hesitate to follow after him quietly in search of Planeptune's CPU, her eyes having a hard time focusing on the search or even looking at him as she didn't want him to notice her blushed face.

*Scene*

Leanbox's CPU looked through the small stalls at a few trinkets, most of them pendants, bracelets, cheap jewerly knock-offs or objects hand-crafted out of wood, along with all sorts of random merchandise. Most of them were simple decorations probably meant to charm tourists or people who sought cheaper prices than those from the fancier stores.

"Do you see anything you like?" Asked Naomi, also checking the stalls as well

"Not really..." She replied with weak smile "Despite my looks, I'm not really much of a fan for things such as craftsmanships or jewerly"

"Oh, I see..." Replied Kenji's mother with slight surprise and a bit of an embarassed smile "To be honest, the way you talk so politely and the dress you had when we met always made me think you were part of a noble family from Europe or something like that"

"Well, I wouldn't really call myself "nobility", but I can't really say I'm an average person either" Explained Vert while sweat dropping before returning to a more calm expression and demeanor "With that said, though, I prefer to think of myself as a person with simpler interests"

"For example?"

"MMOs and sim dating games, for the most part"

"MMOs?"

"It's a shorter way to say "Massive Multiplayer Online" games. They're a type of games you play in a computer with other people online in the internet, most people would also call them RPGs, but that would be cutting it short, actually"

"Oh, I see...I've never been one for gaming before, so I don't know much about it" Said Naomi with a bit of a weak smile

"Everyone has their own hobbies and tastes, there's nothing wrong with that" Replied Vert with a smile before resuming her explanation "Also, I have a strong interest towards novels of the romantic genre"

"You mean, like romance novels or soap operas?"

"More like, illustrated books of...adult romance...especially those of the same gender" Explained Leanbox's CPU with a smirk and a bit of a blush while diverting her eyes sideways

"O-Oh...THAT sort of romance novels..." Said Naomi while diverting her eyes sideways, a blush appearing on her face as well as she realized just what sort of romance genre they were talking about here

"Does it bother you?"

"N-No! Not at all!" Quickly replied Kenji's mother while looking at her with slight concern "I mean, I was just slightly surprised at first, but It doesn't bother me in the least! After all, you yourself said it! Everyone has things they like and don't like!"

"I see...In that case, I'm glad" Said Vert while looking at her with a smile

Leanbox's CPU did imagine Naomi wouldn't have any issues with her tastes, as she had proven to be quite an open-minded person, despite being so close to middle-age.

"(Wait...age?)" She thought after suddenly realizing something that didn't cross her mind until just now "Erm, Naomi...I'm sorry if it may seem a bit rude of me to ask, but how old are you, exactly?"

"Eh?" Said Kenji's mother as she looked at Vert with slight confusion "I'm Thirthy six"

"Really? I thought you were older..." She replied with a surprised expression

Vert honestly didn't expect Naomi's age to be below fourthy, considering she had a son who was almost eighteen. Up until now, she didn't even bother thinking about it since it didn't seem like such an important detail, but the fact she never mentioned it up until now and that her appearance did hint at a rather young age as well did create some curisosity within the back of her mind. Unfortunately, Naomi seemed to have taken this rather honest oppinion the wrong way, as she suddenly lowered her head and made a rather depressed expression while a gloomy aura appeared around her.

"I see...I do look old, don't I?" She said with a monotone, yet empty tone and teary, hopeless eyes "I guess it makes sense...Since I am old, aren't I?"

"N-No, no, no! I didn't mean it like that! I wasn't talking about your appearance at all!" Quickly said Vert while sweat dropping with a weak smile "You don't look old at all! In fact, I was just surprised by how young you are and look despite having a son who's already in his late teens!"

"Then...I'm not old?"

"Not at all! If anything, you look as young as a woman in her early twenties!" Replied Leanbox's CPU before turning her head to look at Blanc, who up until now was distracted by looking at one of the books she bought on the way while walking behind them "Right, Blanc!?"

Lowee's CPU diverted her gaze from the book to Vert, seeing the obvious need for backup before looking at Naomi quietly for a moment or two.

"Age is nothing more than a number. One is only as old as he feels..." Said the CPU with a monotone tone while looking at her "That's what a self-help book I once read said"

"I-I see...I guess you're right!" Said Kenji's mother, sounding a bit more cheerful than before

Although she still seemed slightly hurt emotionally, at least the crushing depression faded away. If nothing at least that was something to feel about.

"(I really need to be more careful with my words from now on...)" Thought Vert while sweat dropping with her eyes closed

"Erm...Vert?" Asked Naomi while looking at her, a more curious expression appearing on her face "What did you mean by me having Kenji at my age?"

"Oh, that..." She said before explaining in more detail "Well...Kenji is seventeen, right?"

"That's right"

"And if we go by numbers, then that means you gave birth to him when you were nineteen, right?" Said Vert with a more serious expression "I was just surprised you were willing to have a child at such a young age"

"Certainly, most people usually make up their mind to have children when they're on their mid twenties or early-thirties" Added Blanc

"Actually...I didn't have him when I was nineteen, I became his mother when I was twenty-two" Replied Naomi with a less lively tone than before

"But how can that be possible? Kenji would be fourteen if you really had given birth to him at such an age"

"That's because I didn't give birth to him..."

"Eh?"

Leanbox's CPUs turned her head and looked at Naomi with widened eyes that showed confusion.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just what I said..." Said Naomi while turning her head to look at the CPU with a somewhat weak smile "I'm not related to Kenji by blood...I'm actually his adoptive mother"

There was no reply this time, only silence. Leanbox's CPU had no idea what to even say to this piece of information.

Certainly, a woman adopting a child was a completely normal thing to do, but it was still a shocking surprise to hear.

"Naomi..." Said Blanc, catching the attention of both women "I can see a bookstore over there...Is it okay if we go take a look?"

"Of course...We still have some time left before meeting with the others" Replied Kenji's mother with a surprisingly calm smile

In accordance to Blanc's request, the three of them went into a bookstore in order to allow the CPU a chance to browse through the books to her heart's content. While she did, Naomi and Vert calmly waited for her to be done, all the while resuming their earlier talk.

"Naomi, it seems I owe you an apology" Said Vert in an apologetic tone

"Eh? Why?" Asked Naomi while turning her head to look at her with confusion

"Lately, I can't help but feel like we've been overstepping our bounds, especially me in particular" Explained Leanbox's CPU with a saddened expression, referring both to the CPUs and to herself "I skirted over this fact by convincing myself I was doing this in order to help Kenji, but all I did was make you recall many unpleasant memories instead..."

"Vert..."

"That's why...I'm terribly sorry..."

Vert faced Naomi and lowered her head as a sign of apology while the latter looked at her for a moment in silence before finally speaking.

"There's no reason to apologize, if you ask me..."

When hearing her answer, Leanbox's CPU raised her head and looked at Kenji's mother, who was smiling at her in a kind and understanding way.

"It's true that recalling things about my time with Joel makes me miss him, but it also helps me recall the happy times we spent together as a family...They're my precious memories, even if a little painful sometimes" She explained while placing one hand on the sapphire necklace resting over her chest "That's why, you don't need to feel bad or guilty about this...If anything, It makes me happy to have someone to share these memories with"

"Naomi..."

Vert Looked at Naomi in silence before a warm smile formed on her face. Despite her rather timid personality and ease to fall into anxiety, Kenji's mother was indeed a person worthy of recognition. Perhaps it was her gentle heart, or simply being well-raised, but it didn't change the fact she was an interesting person as well. Perhaps this was where the young man's inner kindness and tendency to think about others before himself was inherited from.

With those words said, the two women placed more emphasis on returning to the subject from before. Vert listening quietly to her words as Naomi went ahead and told her the story of how she met the child that would become her son.

"You see, ever since I was a child, I had the dream to become a photographer...So right after finishing high school, I began to work as a freelance photographer while studying in collegue to further my skills" Began explaining Naomi... "By the time I was twenty one, I was already under the care of a professional photographer and even got myself a good reputation in the freelance business, being only one year away from getting my degree...Things weren't easy, but you could say I was pretty much living my dreams, so I was happy nonetheless"

"(A freelance photographer...So that explains her tendency to dwelve into pensive thought)" Thought Vert quietly, recalling her eye for detail back when they first met

"Unfortunately, the good things didn't last for long..." Said Naomi as her smile suddenly became gloomier "While I was doing a job for a group that was protesting against unsafe working conditions on factories and it's relationship to the rumors regarding bribes to a certain politician that was on the rise, I got caught up on an industrial accident and got crushed under a collapsed wall. Fortunately the impact didn't kill me and the quick medical response saved me from blood-loss, but the rocks broke one of my legs, along with a large piece of glass from a window piercing my abdominal region hard enough to almost tear my womb in half"

Kenji's mother took a moment to place one hand over her belly, softly feeling her own body as she recalled that horrible moment that destroyed everything she had worked so hard for. Even now, she could still remember the piercing, unbearable feeling of the class making its way through her flesh, tearing it open.

"It took me almost half a year to heal, and even longer to regain normal mobility...Afterwards, I became terrified at the idea of having children" She said as her expression turned into one of concern "The doctors said I wouldn't have any problem giving birth despite the accident, and I always found the idea of getting pregnant and making a family nice, but the mere idea of a baby being within my womb at that time, getting torn appart in such a horrible way, terrified me to no end. I even had nightmares about it for weeks, constantly dreaming about me murdering my own child just for the sake of chasing after my own ambitions..."

Although her recovery was smooth and her fertility remained mostly intact, Naomi refused to conceive children of her own. The trauma she suffered affecting her mind too strongly for her to even consider the idea. And even Vert could see the traces it left within her, as she noticed the shiver of her hands.

"The professional that once supervised me told me that this phobia was probably produced by the traumatic accident, and suggested me to take some time-off, something like a vacation to try and give my mind some peace and quiet from the rowdy life I've been leading so far...Unfortunately, that didn't really help for much" She explained while moving her hand away from her own belly and raising her head to look forward "The calm was nice and relaxing at first, and my savings helped me afford this time-off, but the feeling of being stagnant, of being useless, of being broken so easily by a phobia began to eat away at me...By the time I noticed, my self-confidence as a photograper was already cracking down to pieces, along with my self-esteem as well"

So far, everything Vert heard was nothing but horrible things. A whole career, a whole life, a whole dream, all of it crushed in an instant by the greed and mistakes of others. In all honesty, it filled her with a mixture of sadness and irritation. Fortunately, things were about to take a brighter turn.

"And it was at the lowest point of that time that I met Joel and Kenji" She said while suddenly looking more cheerful, almost as if a bright, warm memory had made its way into her mind "While on a trip to the market for groceries, I felt like trying to cheer myself up a bit and decided to buy something sweet...As I was searching through, I bumped into my favorite brand of pudding...Although saying it literally bumped into my head would be more precise"

"Bumped into your head? You mean, like fall over it?"

"That's precisely it..." Replied Kenji's mother while nodding "While staring at the puddings, one fell right on the top of my head, so out of curiosity I raised my head to see just what on earth happened...Imagine my surprise when I saw a toddler sitting at the top of the shelf, looking down at me with a tilted head and a curious expression"

After seeing all those toddler pictures, it wasn't too hard for Vert to imagine the situation in her head. Rather, it was so easy it even put a smile on her face. It did make her wonder just how could a toddler reach such a place, but she tried to put that doubt aside for now and focus on the story.

"I was already surprised enough, and things just got more crazy when he suddenly leaned towards me and almost fell off the shelf before I quickly grabbed him" She said while sweat dropping with her eyes closed for a moment before opening them and looking at Leanbox's CPU "Just a few moments later, I met Joel, who was in a bit of a panic after losing sight of him...At that moment I was willingly going to hand over Kenji and just walk away without a second thought, but it was then that he did something I never could have expected"

"Something that you never could have expected?"

"Instead of leaning towards his father, he paid no mind to him and stared at my face for what felt like a whole awkward minute before turning around to look at the puddings I was checking out earlier and reached out for one, then looked at me again and pressed it against my cheek while smiling at me...At first I was confused, but I suddenly realized that, most likely, he was trying to cheer me up"

Vert didn't answer this time, she merely kept looking at Kenji's mother as she spoke about her meeting with the child that would become her son.

"Because of everything that happened so far, I was in a depressed state, and my expression certainly didn't fail to show it. The pudding I took made me remember eating it together with my supervisor back when I was still learning the ropes, so it probably made me smile for a brief moment" Explained Naomi while trying to recall the reasoning behind those events using hindsight "If I had to take a guess, I'd say Kenji saw it and thought giving me more pudding would make me happy...And to be honest, it moved me to the point of even making me cry right then and there...He made me, a complete stranger who felt like she was no longer useful or capable of anything, feel like I was still worth something to someone, even if that someone was just a toddler"

"Sometimes children can do wonderful things purely out of innocence" Said Vert with a pleased smile "It seems Kenji was no exception to this rule"

"Yeah, that's true..." She replied with her eyes closed "Afterwards, you can pretty much guess how the rest of the story goes...I met Joel, and got married with him after a year or two of dating"

A ruined dream and a broken hope, Naomi had lost everything once and her own failure shattered her confidence, yet she managed to find a new path, a new hope, something new to strive for. She had found the warmth of a family, a chance to fulfill something she yearned for, yet was uncapable of doing before due to her traumatic accident. And all of this was given to her by a simple gesture of kindness from a child that didn't even know how to talk or walk on his own yet.

It was truly like something out of a novel. Unfortunately, the heartwarming feeling this story gave to Leanbox's CPU was partly clouded by the fateful continuation that she had already heard about before-hand.

She could only imagine how devastating it must have been for her to lose her husband just a few years later, being left alone with a child to raise on her own. Nonetheless, it was perhaps the fact Kenji was still there that helped her withstand it and keep moving forward.

"Thank you very much! Come again soon!" Said the store clerk, making both women snap out of their thoughts

"All right, I'm done..."

Naomi and Vert lowered their heads to look at Blanc and noticed the many bags she was carrying with her, all of them filled with books

"Erm...are all those books yours?" Asked Kenji's mother while looking at the bags with widened eyes

"Yes..."

"Just how many books did you buy, exactly?" Asked Leanbox's CPU this time, her expression the same as Naomi's

"Around twenty, I think..."

"Twenty!?" Said both women at the same time with shock

"That's right..." Replied Lowee's CPU while nodding "At first I was gonna buy just a few, but I found a couple of authors that caught my eye, so I decided to buy every book they made that I could find here..."

"Don't you think you bought a bit too many?" Asked Vert while looking at her with an exhausted expression

"I'm not even sure they'll fit into the bookshelf..." Said Naomi while sweat dropping

During the deep conversation both had regarding events from the past, Blanc took her sweet time browsing through the books available, and found quite a few authors that caught her interest. Without anyone to make sure she wouldn't go overboard and more than enough money to spend, she didn't hesitate to buy every book that caught her interest, and for a passionate bookworm such as her, that list was quite long. Unfortunately, the damage was already done.

Teaming up to each carry one bag to make the trip easier, the trio headed towards the art walls, as the time agreed to meet up with everyone was already close. Fortunately they were rather close to the meeting place, so the trip was a short one, and the divided weight of the multiple bags made them much lighter than if they were all together into one giant bag.

"So these are the art walls..." Said Vert while looking at her surroundings with certain awe "...I think now I understand why they gave this place such a name"

Just as the name implied, almost every visible wall in this area was filled to the brim with works of art, some of them incredibly impressive, most likely of professional quality.

"This place is famous mainly due to this area, since most of the wall art here was made by famous street artists. Tourists and even locals come here everyday because of them, so there's always a lot of people"

Looking at the art, both CPUs had more or less an idea of why they'd be so popular. The art, made by street artists, was probably like a flame to moths when it came to tourists, who traveled around mostly to sightsee and admire the beauty of the world around them, and the locals probably enjoyed them for the same reason. Artists, in special, probably found them the most appealing, as they were a source of inspiration and motivation to keep chasing after their artistic passions just in the same way those who made them and who worked up their way to fame did. More than just a pretty sight, it was a symbol of what an ambitious artist could achieve.

"By the way, Vert...I didn't have the chance to ask this before, but why are you so interested in Kenji?" Asked Naomi while looking at her "Besides from Neptune, you seem to be the one most interested in learning everything you can about him"

"Oh...Now that you mention it, I didn't put too much thought into it" Said Leanbox's CPU as she turned her head and looked at Kenji's mother.

True to those words, she was among the two CPUs who showed the most persistence and interest in Kenji's past and life in general. For Neptune it was most likely because she just wanted to know more about the man she loved, but the reason behind Vert's curiosity was beyond her current reasoning.

"Well, I guess it's because of an old habit of mine..."

"An old habit?"

"You see...Among our little group, I'm the oldest one, or at least the one with the strongest sense of reasoning. Because of that, I was usually the one in charge of breaking up fights between the others, who were always prone to go into a craze or got carried away by their own emotions...This eventually caused me to become something like the elder sister of the group in charge of looking after everyone else" Explained Vert while looking at her with a smile "Kenji's reckless nature and willingness to help without a second thought made him earn our acknowledgement, but that hot-blooded and "punch first, ask later" type of attitude he had usually got him involved into all sorts of trouble. I guess this reminded me to the others back in the more chaotic days, and it eventually became difficult for me not to think about him"

Naomi didn't speak, she simply remained quietly and listened to Vert, who seemed to be recalling the time Kenji spent in Leanbox, along with a few other times when he rushed head-first into battle, only to win by the skin of his teeth while receiving terrible injuries.

Perhaps it was because of his violent and reckless personality that reminded her to the CPUs from back then, or maybe it was because of his tendency to do things for others without hesitation or expecting a reward, but there was something about the young man that made him hard not to think about. She knew they couldn't be feelings of love, as she never liked hot-blooded men and instead prefered calm, colected and well-spoken men, preferably dressed in fancy outfits such as butler suits too.

"I guess that, without realizing it, I began to see him as something akin to the younger sibling I never had, or something of the sort"

"Vert..."

Out of all the CPUs, Vert was the only one who never received the blessing of a younger sister. Even if she didn't show it to the other CPUs at first, this made her feel rather lonely. And in order to counter these feelings, she took the position of older sister among everyone, sometimes even acting as the older sister of the CPU candidates, which sparked many arguments among her and the other CPUs.

Perhaps, due to Kenji opening up to Vert about his worries, she slowly began to think of him, not as a hardened warrior with a reckless personality and an overwhelming amount of raw power, but rather as just a kid with his own worries and insecurities weighting down on him, just in the same way as it happened to the CPU candidates.

"Ah! There they are!" Said Neptune in the distance "Heeeeey! Vert! Blanc! Over here!"

The trio turned their heads and looked at their right side, seeing Planeptune's CPU waving their hand at them with a cheerful smile. Both Kenji and Noire walking behind them.

"Oh, so you three made it here okay, I see..." Said Vert while looking at them before her gaze focused on Noire "Also, it seems someone got themselves a new set of clothes"

Unlike Kenji and Neptune, Lastation's CPU was now wearing different clothes from her usual dress. They consisted of a black sleeved top and a red skirt along with brown boots and black thigh-high socks.

"They look really cute on you, Noire!" Said Naomi with a cheerful smile

"Eh? Oh..." Reacted Lastation's CPU while diverting her gaze downwards and smiling with a slight blush "Thank you..."

"With that said, why the sudden change of clothes, though?" Asked Blanc

"Well, the thing is..." Said Kenji while diverting his gaze towarsd the bag he was holding in his hand

The young man took it upon himself to explain the events that took place earlier to the CPUs and to his mother. About how Noire got ambushed by molesters, about how her clothes got torn appart, and about how they had to go and buy her a new set of clothes, and about how they had to spend almost twenty minutes searching for Neptune through the alleyways.

"To think such a thing could happen in the middle of the day..." Said Vert with a slightly worried expression

"I heard in the news that a group of molesters had began to attack repeatedly, but that was around the neighborhood north of here" Said Naomi with concern "I didn't think they'd come all the way here and even attack during dayime too"

"Maybe not getting caught made them bold" Suggested Blanc

"Yeah, but that was their biggest screw up..."

Due to their constant streak of luck avoiding the law, the group of low-lives got overconfident, so much that they decided to attack more popular areas such as the shopping districts. Most likely, they had their eye set on Noire ever since she arrived into the neighborhood and their bold confidence led them to attack without a second thought or a good plan, which led them to their failure.

After giving a call to the police, most of them got caught and put in a cell for the time being, but a couple managed to get away in the short window of time between Kenji and Noire's departure from the place and the police's arrival.

"On hindisght, we should have called them right away instead of leaving like we did" Said Noire with a notably irritated expression

"Don't worry too much about it...Even if a couple got away, they probably won't be a problem for some time" Said Kenji while turning his head to look at her "Guys like those are the kind of wimps that won't move unless they have the advantage of numbers"

"Kenji is right! You don't need to feel bad about what happened!" Added Naomi while looking at her with a mixture of seriousness and concern "Most people would freeze up on the same situation!"

"I guess you're right..." Said Lastation's CPU with her gaze lowered, seemingly dwelling into pensive thought

Although the way she responded to the situation didn't anger her, what truly irritated her was the idea that the two that escaped would eventually go back to assaulting innocent women. But more than anything, the way she ended up being unable to deal with them due to her lack of power irritated her to no end. In the end, she had to rely on Kenji's help to make it out in one piece. For some reason, though, that part didn't bother her as much as she imagined it would.

Even though he did say some less than pleasant things mid-way through, he did give her his t-shirt to cover herself, and didn't even flinch at all the stares he got from random people on the street, especially from females. Unlike her, who couldn't stand them, he didn't bother at all with those stares. All he cared about was finding a clothing store so she could get herself some clothes. In simpler words, Kenji didn't care about his appearance in the least. All he cared about was Noire.

As she kept thinking about it, Lastation's CPU began to look at the young man in silence for a moment or two without even realizing it herself. This, eventually, was something the young man noticed.

"What's wrong?" He asked while looking at her with confusion

"No-Nothing!" She quickly replied while turning her head with her arms crossed, making a rather irritated expression "Also, I could have handled those perverts by myself! I didn't need your help at all!"

"Erm...Okay?" Replied the young man slowly while sweat dropping

"But you know..." Said Noire while opening her eyes and looking at him over her shoulder using a tone that could be confused with a mutter "Even if I didn't need it, you did help me...So, erm...Thank you..."

"You're welcome..." Said Kenji while looking at her, still slightly confused "(Wait...So is she's angry or thankful?)"

While he tried to figure out whetever Lastation's CPU was thankful or angry with him, Vert looked at both of them and noticed the slight blush on Noire's face.

"(Oh my...)" She thought as a small smirk formed on her face "(Now, what happened between those two, I wonder...)"

"Excuse me, miss..."

As she looked at the new relationship forming in front of her, Vert's attention was suddenly taken by someone behind her. When turning around, she saw a girl, probably in her late teens. She had white skin and redd-ish, almost orange hair along with green eyes. She wore large, black-frame glasses and a white, long top with black horizontal stripes over a green utility jacket with the sleeves rolled up to half the forearms, along with tight dark blue pants and dark brown boots. She also had a black beanie and a set of bands on her right wrist.

"Yes? Is there something you need?"

"I just wanted to give you one of these" Said the girl while handing her over o piece of paper

"Oh?"

Upon a closer look, Vert saw the paper was in fact a pamplet with information about a large event. And as she analized it, the girl went ahead and handed over one each to everyone.

"Art Walk?"

"Oh, right! Tomorrow is the second saturday of the month!" Said Naomi after suddenly recalling the date

"Yes! It's taking place tomorrow, so please make sure to enjoy yourselves!"

Once everyone had a phamplet at hand, the girl turned around and left as fast as she came, searching for more people to give phamplets to.

"Now that I think about it, the clerk back at the book store gave me one of these too" Said Blanc while looking at the phamplet

"Hey, hey! What's this art sprint all about!? It sound fun!"

"It's Art WALK, not sprint" Said the young man while looking at her and sweat dropping

"Art Walk is one of this towns biggest and most popular events. It's focused mostly around multiple shops, galleries and retail businesses opening up for the public during late night hours, along with many food stalls from famous many different chefs. There's also a few art and music performances too, with some of them being from the hand of famous artists and musicians from around the globe or simply everyday folk who want to earn some reputation" Explained Naomi to the CPUs "It takes place the second saturday of every month, so people of all ages can come by without having to worry about work or school"

"To put it bluntly, it's something like one big festival where everyone comes by to eat, dance and buy stuff as much as they want" Summarized Kenji while looking at them

"You know about this?" Asked Noire while looking at him

"Yeah, I used to go a lot when I was a kid"

"A kid?" Asked Naomi while looking at him "But Kenji, you used to go to Art Walk every month through all of highschool"

"Eh? I did?"

"Yeah, can't you remember?"

"Huh...I guess I can't..." He said while diverting his gaze upwads and putting one hand on his chin

The young man tried to recall ever going to the lively night festival during his time in highschool, but nothing came to mind. Most likely, it was among those hidden memories that were lost somewhere deep within his mind. This, in turn, caused Naomi to look at him with certain concern, but she wasn't the only one.

"Hey, hey, hey! Can we go!? I want to go!" Asked Neptune while looking at Kenji, seemingly excited about the idea of a festival

"Sure, I don't mind...Though it doesn't start until tomorrow at night" He replied while looking at her

"Then in that case, we should head back for today" Said Blanc before walking towards the young man and giving him the bag she was carrying "Here, carry this..."

"Huh? What's this?"

"Books..."

"Oh, if you're carrying bags, then here are ours as well..." Said Vert after snapping out of her train of thought with a smile before giving him her and Naomi's bags too "Please, make sure to be careful with them, okay?"

"Wha-Hey!"

"Yes, yes! Carry my bag too, Kenny!" Added Neptune while giving him her bag filled with puddings and a few games she got along the way

As everyone gave him their bags, Kenji went slightly from one side to the other before finally regaining some proper balance.

"Make sure to treat those bags well, they have my hard-earned books in them..."

"Hard-earned my ass! You didn't earn a penny!" Snarled the young man with an irritated expression "Why on earth did you buy so many books!? Or rather, why am I the one carrying all the bags now!?"

"Oh? Whatever is the problem?" Said Leanbox's CPU with a seemingly innocent smile "A man carrying a woman's bag is just basic chivalry. Don't you think so, Kenji?"

"Like hell it is! You girls just want to use me as your bag mule!"

"Stop complaining already. You're a man, aren't you?" Said Noire while looking at him with a monotone expression "Carrying a few bags can't be THAT hard for you"

"Why is that always your excuse for everything!?" Snarled the young man while diverting his gaze towards Lastation's CPU

"Now then, let us return to our homebase, everyone" Said Vert cheerfully

"Yeah!"

The other CPUs cheered with their fist pumped before quickly following after Leanbox's CPU.

"Hey! Come back here, you little-!" Yelled Kenji with a popped vein mark on his forehead "Damn it! I won't forget this!"

As the young man went after them while carrying the multiple bag, his mother kept looking at him, her silent eyes showing a strong concern she hadn't felt up until now, along with a newborn doubt lingering within her mind.

*Scene*

Lights illuminated the night along with the roads, food vans and small street shops lined the streets, signs held up high offering all sorts of dishes, both every-day and exotic dishes alike. The small street shops selling all sorts of trinkets and handcrafts, from wood sculptures to paintings and even clay vases of different shapes and sizes. Clothing stores selling all sorts of fashionable pieces of clothing and even dresses of renown brands. All of these at varying, sometimes even shocking prices. Sounds of music echoing on the distance from multiple directions, coming from the many musicians located on different streets, both small-time and moderate groups alike, sounding over the voices and footsteps of the people moving about, some eager to buy, others stuffing their mouths full and even others in search of good prices. There was something for everyone in this festival night.

"Whoa! Look at all the food!" Said Neptune while looking from one place to the other before looking at Kenji "Hey, Kenny! Do you think they're selling pudding too!?"

"Beats me...Maybe?"

Although he knew this event had a lot of different foods, he wasn't fully sure if there was someone that served puddings. Then again, one could find everything there, so it was indeed possible. The issue was finding where, but this little bump wouldn't stop Neptune, that was something no one would need to doubt about.

"Judging by how much people spoke about it, I imagined this would be a larger event" Said Vert while looking at her surroundings before making a smile "Still, it is quite an impressive event...And seeing so many cheerful faces certainly makes one's mood improve. Don't you think so too, Naomi?"

Leanbox's CPU turned her head to look at Kenji's mother, but received no response. Instead, she saw her walking calmly, her eyes lost as her mind seemed to be dwelling deep in thought.

"Naomi?"

"Eh?" She said after suddenly realizing Vert was calling out to her and snapped out of her trance "Ah! Tha-That's right! It's very cheerful!"

While looking at that weak smile, Leanbox's CPU couldn't help but feel like something was wrong, something was bothering her, yet she wasn't sure whetever asking or not right now would be a good idea.

As the group moved through the many shops, they ate different kinds of foods that ranged from sweet to spicy before going into the trinkets. There, they found a few interesting things.

"Hm...So these are all hand-made?" Said Noire while looking at the small wooden sculptures with certain curiosity while making a small smile "I guess there's a lot of talented people in this world too"

"See anything you like?" Asked Kenji while looking at her

"Not really..." She replied while straightening up and closing her eyes, making a somewhat more serious expression "I'm not really planning to buy anything, I just wanted to take a closer look at them"

"Oh, okay then..." Replied the young man, who suddenly thought about the sewing materials she stocked up inside her bag along with her usual clothes yesterday "I guess you did buy all of that sewing stuff yesterday...Still, you sure you don't want anything else?"

"Tha-Tha-That was only so I could fix my clothes! I didn't buy it because I wanted it for sewing in general or anything like that!" She said while looking at him with an irritated expression "Also, I only came here because that idiot insisted! It's not like I wanted to come here and have fun with everyone or anything like that, so don't go getting the wrong idea either!"

While looking at Lastation's CPU cross her arms and close her eyes with an irritated expression, Kenji couldn't help but sweatdropp.

"Seriously, just going and saying whatever you want..." She said while turning her back to him and opening her eyes "If you don't start being more careful with what you say, I'm definitely gonna get ang-"

As Noire opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a rather large and creepy face right in front of her, standing with a still expression that got emphasized by the shadows around it.

"Eh?" She said while blinking twice with a confussed expression

A short moment of silence went by before she finally reacted accordingly.

"Nepu-Nepu! ! !"

"Kyahhhhh ! ! ! !"

Lastation's CPU jumped away from the creepy mask as fast and as far as she could, the sudden jumpscare clouding her judgement before suddenly seeing a hand grabbing a hold of the mask and pulling it up, revealing Neptune's face.

"Eh!? Neptune!?"

"Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha! ! ! ! You totally got jumpscared! ! !" Yelled Planeptune's CPU while pointing at her, almost crying from laughter "You should see your face right now! ! !"

"He-Hey! What's the big idea, appearing in front me like that with that creepy mask!?" Snarled Noire while looking at her with an irritated expression "Also, I wasn't scared at all!"

"Not only a lonely loner, but a scaredy cat too! ! !" Said Neptune between laughters

"Who are you calling lonely!? I'm not lonely!"

"So you don't deny you're scaredy cat?"

"I'm no that either!"

"Erm...Noire? I really don't want to cut off your girl talk with Neptune or anything..." Said the young man, catching the attention of both girls "...But can you let go off of me?"

Both Neptune and Noire looked at him, almost instantly seeing what he meant.

Right after her jump by reflex, Lastation's CPU took a hold of the thing that was closest to her, this thing being, of course, Kenji's body. Her arms clutched tightly around his torso.

"Ah..."

This time, she reacted far faster, her skin going from the fair shade of white to a deep blush as red as a tomato before almost inmediately taking almost four feet of distance of him just as fast as she jumped at him.

"Wha-What do you think you're doing, getting so close to me all of a sudden!?"

"No, it was you who jumped at me all of a sudden..." He replied while sweat dropping with an exhausted expression

"Whatever! It doesn't matter who did it!" She snarled while pointing at him, her blush still strong "Just keep your distance, you hear!?"

And with her order given, Lastation's CPU turned around and walked away along with Neptune and the rest of the group, all while the young man remained there for a moment, looking at her.

"(Somehow, I'm feeling tired all of a sudden...)"

"You have no delicacy, do you?" Said Blanc while looking at him

"Like you're one to talk..." He said while looking at her "And what is that even supposed to mean?"

After that small incident, the group kept moving with the same pace as before, although Lastation's CPU kept a considerable distance from Kenji, and Neptune kept the mask she bought from the store, just for the sake of showing it to Nepgear and the others back in Planeptune. Hopefully, she would probably grow bored of it or forget about it before trying to jumpscare Nepgear and give her a heart attack.

Once they were out of that area, they passed by the clothing stores. And although no one bought anything new, they made sure to take a good look at a bit of everything.

Noire, although she didn't admit to it, took a look at a cosplay shop to amuse herself and to get some reference for future projects while Blanc tried out a few clothes. At first Kenji imagined she'd put on a one piece dress or something similar, but instead she decided to try out a rainbow-colored slouchy beanie and a marshmallow jacket, both by Neptune's recommendation. Looking at her with those clothes made him sweat dropp, but he wasn't sure whetever it was because it looked ridiculous or because it looked so oddly fitting with Blanc's usual style, or because of both reasons.

Vert also browsed through clothing along with Naomi, although the latter wasn't all too into it. Instead, she seemed far too focused on something else to enjoy herself. Something that kept nagging at her on the back of her mind

"Naomi...Is something bothering you?"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"I mean...Ever since we came back from the shopping district yesterday, you have been spacing out quite often...almost as if something was troubling you" Replied Leanbox's CPU with a concerned expresion "Somehow, I can't help but worry about it..."

Naomi's eyes widened with surprise. She didn't imagine Vert could be able to tell the unease within her mind so fast, and only by looking at her face. Then again, Kenji's mother had always been a woman with a very expressive face, and Leanbox's CPU was a very perceptive woman. This was pretty much the worst combination when it came to hiding secrets from each other.

"(I guess I'm still that easy to read)" She thought with a small smile and her gaze lowered before looking at Vert once "Actually, the thing is..."

For a moment, Kenji's mother was about to tell the CPU what was on her mind, but then took a good look at her.

The expression on her face was one of honest concern, of worry for her. It was a face that showed she wasn't merely asking out of curiosity, but because she genuinely cared. This made Naomi realize something. There would be no point in talking about it now.

"No, nevermind...we can talk about it later"

"Naomi"

"It's okay, there's no need to talk about it now...I just think it'd be better to enjoy the festival for now, don't you think?"

Vert looked at Naomi smiling at her for a moment before making a smile as well.

"Yeah, I suppose that is true..."

Despite her words, Leanbox's CPU couldn't get rid of her unease. Yet, she decided to put it aside for today and try to enjoy the night as Naomi requested of her.

"(Blood bonds or not, you two truly are mother and son)" she thought while looking at Naomi

Even if it felt confusing for a moment, Vert's mind eventually came to realize that the reason she didn't want to talk it was because she didn't want to ruin the night where everyone was supposed to be having fun, even if it meant bearing with that weight on her mind a little longer, holding onto whatever feeling was eating at her deep within. It was truly quite similar to Kenji in a way, or perhaps it was Kenji who was similar to her in that way. One way or the other, this was something the two of them shared in common.

"Vert! Nami!" Yelled Neptune from outside the store "Hurry it up! We wanna go to see the wall doodles!"

"Who the heck is Nami?" Asked the young man "Also, it's art walls, not doodles!"

"It's your momma's name! Naomi's kinda hard to remember, so I wanna call her Nami instead!"

"Don't go butchering people's names without asking them first..." Said Kenji while sweat dropping

"Hey, Kenny's mom! Can I call you Nami!?"

"I meant asking BEFORE you butcher the name! Before!"

While the two argued about nicknames, both women listeend to them for a short moment before Naomi turned her head to look at Vert with a smile

"Well then, should we get going?" She asked, seemingly a bit more cheerful than before

"Yeah, let us be on our way" Replied the CPU with a cheerful smile

After that short talk, and a rather loud conversation between Kenji and Neptune, the group headed to the art walls to take a tour and look at the art. Among the many colorful designs, both concrete and abstract, works of art, some were quite peculiar to say the least.

"Hey, Kenny! Look at that one!" Said Neptune while pointing at one of the walls "There's an alien-looking old man holding a sign over there!"

"Ah, yeah...I think he was from a movie franchise about war in space, or something like that"

"Wh-Why does that baby have such a muscular body? Or rather, why is it green?" Asked Noire while looking at another wall with a large, muscular green baby, along with two other figures "And what's with the other two?"

"It's art, Noire. Try not to think too hard about it" Said Vert while looking at her

"(No...I'm pretty sure making you think is exactly the point of them)" Thought Naomi while sweat dropping

"This one over here looks like an octopus...or an elephant with tentacles instead of a nose..." Said Blanc while looking at it before closing her eyes and going into her creative mode "A creature born for unknown purposes in a secret laboratory by mixing octopus and elephant genes. AKA, Octophant..."

"(Octophant?)" Thought Kenji while looking at her and sweat dropping

"I could definitely make a good story out of this...I think I'll call it "The story of the secret laboratory and the genetically enginered Octophant creature"..."

"I don't think the artist will mind if you make a story by getting inspiration from his art, but don't you think that tittle is a bit too long?" Asked Naomi while looking at her and sweat dropping

"Blanc's ideas usually aren't half bad, but her extremely long tittles make it hard for her novels to sell" Added Vert while sweat dropping with a weak smile

As they moved through the area, the CPUs kept looking at each and every wall they could, sometimes making a comment about it or merely remaining silent, which hardly ever happened, as they always seemed to have something to say.

Within less than an hour, they were already well on their way to the exit. But it was then that Kenji caught notice of something peculiar.

Among the crowds moving by, exploring the place and having fun, he noticed a child. Unlike everyone else, he was turning his head from one side to the other, looking at his surroundings with a certain haste and anxiety, almost as if he was lacking a direction where to go to.

"(That kid...Is he lost?)"

At first kenji thought about simply letting it be, as someone would probably help him or take him to a nearby police station. Yet, there was something about that child that he just couldn't ignore. Perhaps it was his sense of moral telling him walking out on a kid would be a douche thing to do, or just something of the sort, but he felt like he couldn't ignore him.

"Kenny! Hurry it up! We need to keep the plot moving over here!" Said Neptune while waving at him.

"Oh..." He said while turning his head to look at Planeptune's CPU and the rest of the group "You girls go on ahead! I'll catch up with you later!"

"Eh? Why?"

"I just want to get a second look at a few walls!" He said after that first thing inmediately popped inside his mind

After giving that excuse, the young man turned around and walked away while Neptune and the group kept moving forward.

Part of why Kenji didn't tell them the real reason was because being greeted by a whole group would be a heck of a lot scarier for a kid, and because it would be faster to do it by himself.

"Hey, kid..."

"Eh?"

The kid turned around and saw Kenji standing next to him. At first he seemed slightly frightened, but quickly calmed down after the young man crouched down and spoke.

"Are you lost?"

"I don't know...I can't find my big sister..." He said, slightly unsure

"I see...Any idea where she might be?"

The kid looked at Kenji for a moment or two before moving her head from lef to right with a saddened expression

"Nothing, huh?" Said the young man while sweat dropping

"Uhhhhh...Big sister..."

Suddenly, the young man noticed the kid was getting teary eyed and sobbing, a rather alarming signal that he would most likely begin to cry unless he did something.

"Ah! Wa-wait a moment! Don't cry!" He said with a slight panic while putting both hands in front of him "We'll find your sister, I swear! Just don't cry!"

"Huh?" Said the kid while looking up at him "You will?"

"Yeah! I will, I will!" Replied Kenji while sweat dropping "Just please, don't cry"

It took a few sobs, but the kid calmed down. It was a good thing, as having him cry would have caused far more trouble than he may imagine.

"(That was close)" He tought while sighing with his eyes closed before opening them and looking at him again "Anyway...I guess that for now we can start by looking for her around the place..."

"Erm..."

"Hm? What is it?"

"I'm not supposed to go with strangers"

"Oh...In that case, my name is Kenji. Kenji Nijimura" Replied the young man with a confident tone "What's your name"

"I'm Tommy..."

"Okay, Tommy. I guess we're not strangers anymore now?"

"Ah! You're right!"

Looking at the kid's smile made Kenji somewhat feel better.

There was something oddly concerning about a child's innocence and simple-minded way of thinking, yet it also gave him a slight feeling of calm and ease. Perhaps because it reminded him to Peashy, even if just a little.

"Well, in that case. How about we go find your sister?" Asked the young man while looking at him with a smile

"Yeah!"

The kid nodded in agreement with his idea, and the two of them began moving around the artwall's area. They began by covering the area around where Kenji found him, but they didn't seem to find her. Along the way, they made it all the way back to the first wall he had seen. Taking a second look at it, he could definitely recall that ederly alien from somewhere, but he wasn't sure where.

This time, he focused more on the red sign it was holding.

"Stop wars, huh?"

"Big sister really likes this one"

"Really?"

"Yeah" Replied the kid while nodding "She said something about not liking wars and when people fight, and this wall says that, so she likes it"

"I see..." Said Kenji while looking at the art wall "She sounds like a kind person"

A world where no one fights, where there's lasting peace and people don't need to kill each other. Thinking about a world like that could certainly humor someone, and it did sound nice, even if a bit like a childish and naive fantasy. As far as he was concerned, though, it was just an unreachable possibility, a hollow dream. An ambition only someone who didn't know the hardships of the battlefield nor the human selfishness could babble about freely. Even so, it was a nice dream to have.

"Tommy!"

Suddenly, a female voice calling out the kid's name came from behind. When turning their heads, both of them saw a young woman running towards them and wrapping her arms around Tommy in an embrace.

"Ah! Big sister!" Said the kid cheerfully with a smile

"Thank Goodness! I was so worried about you!" She replied while keeping her grip on him tight before placing both hands on his shoulders and looking at him with an irritated expression "I told you to stay close to me! Why didn't you listen!?"

In response to this scolding, Tommy lowered his head and made an apologetic expression

"I'm sorry..."

The young man looked at the two siblings for a moment and made a calm smile. He initially thought it'd be a lot harder to find her, but fortunately it didn't take very long.

"Either way, I'm just glad I found you" She replied after sighing with relief and looking at him "But are you sure you're okay? You didn't get hurt or anything, right?"

"No! I'm okay!" Replied the kid with a more cheerful smile before turning his head to look at Kenji "Mister Kenji helped me!"

"Mister Kenji?"

The young woman turned her head and looked at Kenji, who looked at her. Now that Kenji looked at her directly, he noticed she looked oddly familiar, almost as if he had seen her somewhere before, and the same thing seemed to cross her mind as well.

"(Eh?)" He thought while looking at her "(Where did I...?)"

The curiosity ran through both minds for a moment or two before the memory suddenly came up.

Kenji and this woman did meet each other before, and said meeting was rather hard to forget, considering she was buck naked, and that she damaged a rather important area of his body. Unlike before, though, she was now wearing a white top under a pink sweater and a crimson skirt, along with black shoes, socks and a flower oranment in her hair.

"(Ah!)" Thought both of them as they recalled their meeting and their expressions turned into ones of shock "Ah! You're...From back then!"

Out of reflex, the young man quickly took a step back to avoid a second surprise attack to his crotch area like before while she quickly got back up on her feet and stepped between him and Tommy, almost as if trying to protect him.

"You! What were you trying to do to my little brother!?" She said with a fierce tone and expression

"Huh!? I didn't do anything!"

"First you sneak into women's bathrooms, and now you try kidnapping a child!?" She added while making sure not to let him and the kid make eye contact "Just how far does your depravity go!?"

"That was an accident! I didn't mean to go in there!" Replied Kenji before making an irritated expression "More importantly, just what kind of messed up dude you think I am!?"

"A depraved piece of human trash! What else!?" She said before pulling out her phone "You better leave before I call the police!"

"The police!?"

The young man couldn't help but break a cold sweat.

Even if peeping wasn't as severe of a crime as theft or murder, it was still punished pretty hard. In the worst of cases, he could be sent for jail for some time, or forced to pay a rather hefty fine, along with a dark stain in his permanent record.

HDD wasn't a way out of this, as even if he could overpower the entire police force, it would only bring even greater trouble both for him and his mother.

The options seemed to run out one after the other right now. Fortunately, the kid jumped in to back Kenji up.

"Wait, big sister!" He said while getting in front of her while waving both arms up in the air "Don't be mean to mister Kenji!"

"You too, Tommy!" She said while lowering her head to look at him "Didn't mom and dad always tell you to stay away from strangers!? And specially from bad people like him!?"

"Mister kenji isn't a stranger or a bad person! He helped me look for you!" Snarled Tommy while looking at her "You're the one acting like a bad person, big sister!"

The young woman broke a cold sweat. Right now she was trying to find a way to explain to her younger sibling that Kenji was actually a bad person. Meanwhile, the young man looked at both of them arguing about it and sighed with his eyes closed.

It seemed as though the only way to solve this was to try and act more calmly.

"Look, I get it if you see me as a pervert because of that whole dressing room mess from the other day, and I'll apologize if that's what you want..." He said calmly while looking at her with a more stern expression "But I wasn't planning on doing anything bad to your brother, I swear it by my father's grave"

Both Tommy and her older sister looked at the young man in silence, the sister seemingly pondering about the veracity of his words, for a moment or two before speaking.

"I see..." She said with certain suspicion before closing her phone and putting it back in her pocket

Kenji closed his eyes and sighed with relief, glad he managed to dodge a legal bullet.

"I don't think you're worth trusting, and you're still a pervert from my perspective, but if Tommy says you helped him, then I'll believe him"

"Fair enough..."

He couldn't say he was all too happy about that strong lack of trust, but she did have a valid reason to feel dubious about him. If anything, at least she wasn't as fierce towards him as before.

"Anyway, what's your name?"

"Why do you want to know?" She asked while looking at him with suspicion

"It was just a question. You don't need to answer if you don't want to..." He replied while sweat dropping

Another moment of silence went by as she looked at him before closing her eyes and speaking.

"Well, I guess I can tell you..." She replied calmly "My name..."

At the same time as this conversation between the young man and the young woman was happening, the group kept making their way towards a venue to enjoy some more live music. On the way there, Naomi and Vert engaged in conversation once more. This time, regarding Kenji.

"Memory loss!?" Said Kenji's mother with widened eyes

"Yes..." Replied Vert while nodding "It seems that before we met him, something happened that damaged Kenji's memories...Lately he has been recalling a few memories lately, although they're still difficult to discern, according to him"

"I see...So that's why he couldn't remember attending Art walk" Said Naomi while lowering her head with slight concern "Even though it's always been such an important even for him..."

Now that she knew about her son's memory loss, a few things became clearer to her. Mostly his inability to recall the past Art walks he attended to, and Vert's persistence to find out more about his past.

"If you don't mind me asking, why is this such an important event to him?"

"Art walk is an event we came to a lot with Joel when he was still a kid..." She replied while looking at Leanbox's CPU "Also, it's where he met Cocoa..."

"Cocoa?"

At first the name didn't seem to ring a bell, but Vert was quickly surprised after recalling Kenji mentioning something about the girl from his memories having that same nickname.

"Erm...And who was this Cocoa?" She asked with a more stern expression, the curiosity becoming stronger by the minute "A friend?"

"No...She was his lover"

"Lover!?" Asked Vert with widened eyes and a shocked expression "Kenji had a lover!?"

"Yes...She was Kenji's first girlfriend" Said Naomi while nodding as the memory came back to her "If I remember right, her name was..."

At that moment, both Kenji's mother and the young woman, although on different locations and completely unaware of the conversations both of them were having at the moment, said the exact same thing at the exact moment, almost as if it was a byproduct of fate itself.

"Zoey...Zoey Madison"