Hellooo!
I'm back! Yeah, two weeks again…
But good news! I'm officially done with school, so I have much more time on my hands now. So expect the chapters to be more frequent. I've already got a pretty clear image of where I want the next few to go!
And, yeah.
Dragonsayianblue: I might do more things like that for other characters, yeah. Like, single chapters with only them, so that we can see what they think and how they feel about the events and stuff.
ebg13: I thank you for your criticism! This immediately stood out to me as I read through what you said. I said that I wanted Renna and Gil to not be all generic and stuff, but your points made complete sense.
As such, I've rewritten the battle scene of chapter four. I do recommend going back to read it, if you haven't seen the new version. It is significantly different, and much longer than before. And hopefully much better and conveying my intentions! Let me know, if you want.
This is partially why this chapter has taken a bit. I've had to go back and rewrite chapter four, along with editing later chapters for it to make sense. I'm currently still doing that…
But anyway, yeah!
Have fun!
Chapter 21:
It was an early morning in Ultradimension Lowee. It was around five o' clock, with the sun still down. A glimmer of light did find its way over the horizon, though.
"Side to side… touch your toes…"
Uzume was up and fully dressed, but not in her usual clothes. She had on a white vest with orange lining, accompanied by an orange pair of shorts that didn't pass her thighs. The shorts had two white lines on either leg, reaching from the top to the bottom of them, running down the middle.
She also had on a pair of active wear running shoes, black in colour with white laces.
She was currently in the bathroom.
"And… reach up…"
Uzume was going for an early morning run. She didn't want to wake the others up, so she had gotten ready as quietly as possible.
She had woken up at around half past four.
Uzume rolled her head clockwise a few times, and then anticlockwise.
She had a blue sports bag that held her usual clothes, a grey towel to use when she was done, and a bottle of water that should be enough for her. Lowee wasn't particularly hot, but exercise would still be tiring.
Uzume bounced on the tips of her toes a few times, loosening up the muscles in her legs.
"And… that should be good enough.", smiled Uzume.
She was going to leave soon, as she had already eaten a bowl of cereal and had cleaned herself up.
"Ah, wait!", thought Uzume. "The others would wonder where I am if they woke up!"
Uzume briefly thought about for a solution, standing with her left hand at her hip and her right hand to her chin, looking slightly upwards.
"Eh, a note should do."
Uzume walked through into the lounge area, and scrounged around for any pieces of paper she could find, as well as a pen or marker.
"There's gotta be somethin' around here! Surely"
Sure enough, after rummaging through the cupboard in the kitchen, she found some small pieces of paper to write on, as well as a black pen.
"What should I write…"
Uzume leaned on the kitchen counter with her pen to her lips, looking into the room and beyond the kotatsu.
She then decided, and clicked the pen before writing on the paper.
"I'm going for a run, I should be back before eight.-Uzume."
She clicked her pen again.
"Bingo!"
Uzume looked around, thinking of where to place the note.
"It's a sticky note, so I should be able to put it… pretty much anywhere."
Uzume instantly knew where to put it.
She made her way to the sliding door leading into the bedroom, and gently eased it open. She stood in the doorway, looking at her three partners, all of which were still asleep.
She took a few steps in, silently moving to stand in front of the door. She placed the note to the door, at a height where it would be easily seen. She then pressed against it to make sure that it stuck.
Uzume nodded at it.
She snuck out of the room, closing the door behind her…
"Wha… Uzu…me?"
…When Uzume heard a voice.
Uzume turned her head to face it, and saw that Renna was facing her, looking at her.
The light and slight commotion must've woken her up.
"Hey, Rensy… don't mind me, go back to sleep…", whispered Uzume.
Renna had already moved out of her covers, sitting up and looking to Uzume with a smile.
"I guess that's a no-go, huh?", asked Uzume.
Renna nodded at Uzume.
"Alright, just… come here, I'll tell you then.", said Uzume, who left a small gap for Renna to slip through in the door.
Renna thumbed up at Uzume, and got up, walking into the lounge.
"So what're you doing up so early?", asked Renna, once they were both away from the bedroom door.
They were in the kitchen, and Renna was preparing a bowl of cereal.
"Well I, uh… I wanted to go for a morning run. You know, stretch my legs, keep in shape, that kinda stuff.", explained Uzume.
"Ah, so that's why you're wearing those clothes!", said Renna.
"Exactly. I even have a bag with stuff to get dressed into once I'm done.", added Uzume.
"Woah, what time did you get up to do all this?", asked Renna, with upturned eyebrows.
"At around half past four."
"You got ready pretty quick, then.", said Renna, with a smile.
"Gotta be. It's good to be able to get organized quickly. Never know when you'll need to quickly get up and move."
"Mmm, I get that."
"Yeah."
Renna had placed her breakfast on the counter, and had begun eating away at it.
"So… yeah. I'm gonna head off now.", said Renna, walking towards her bag in the lounge.
"Mmmm! MMMM!", noised Renna, moving her right hand at Uzume while her mouth was full.
Uzume blinked at Renna a few times, before huffing to herself in an amused way.
"You're pretty funny, Rensy."
Renna waved her hand at Uzume again. She then spoke once she could.
"Wait! I'll join you!"
"Huh?", came Uzume.
"I said I'll join you. It'll be nice for us to get out and see the city in the early morning, before everyone's up.", said Renna. "I'll be quick, promise!"
Uzume figured that something like this would've happened, so she already knew her answer.
"Yeah, sure. Just don't be too long.", said Uzume. "I've got some spare clothes if ya need."
"I… do. They should fit me, though.", said Renna, who then took in another mouthful of food.
"Great.", said Uzume, who looked through her inventory, eventually pulling out a black and purple variant of her own active clothes.
"They're Neptune's, but I'm sure she doesn't mind you using them.", said Uzume, who placed the clothes on the counter.
Renna nodded at Uzume, and went to work at finishing her breakfast. In a minute or two, she was done.
"I'll go get ready now!", said Renna, who took the clothes and quickly went into the bathroom.
Uzume leaned against the wall of the lounge, and could hear the shower turn on.
Uzume smiled to herself.
She waited a few minutes, and heard the shower turn off.
"Done!", said Renna, as she walked into view.
"Cool. We should get moving, then."
"Um, well, just so you know, I do have other stuff to do today, and I thought you could maybe join me?", asked Renna.
"Like what?", asked Renna, standing up from the wall.
"Checking up on the project…", whispered Renna. "It should be done either today or tomorrow."
"Ah, cool. I'm down for that."
"Great!"
"But before we leave…"
Uzume quickly made her way to the bedroom, slid the door open slightly, and pulled the sticky note off.
She found the pen she had previously used, and adjusted what was on the paper.
She scratched out some words on the paper, adding in a few.
"We're going for a run, we should be back before…"
Uzume thought for a while on what to change the time to.
"Just say that we'll be a few hours.", suggested Renna.
"Yeah, that works.
…we should be back in a couple of hours.-Uzume and Renna."
"You got anything else to do?", asked Uzume.
"Nope."
"Great."
"Got everything?"
"If you've put your clothes in the bag, yeah."
"Then we're good to go!"
"Alright, follow me.", said Uzume, who led the way out through the door after turning the lights off.
They walked outside of the hotel, and looked at the buildings around them. Some streetlights were on, illuminating the roads. It was lighter than it was when Uzume first woke up, so even without the lights, the two of them could see.
The shops and stalls were not open, although some workers seemed to be setting up at the moment. It was around half past five.
"I think that you should stretch a bit before we head out.", said Uzume, unsummoning the bag with everything in it.
"Sure. So why'd you even take the bag in the first place, if you're just gonna make it go into your inventory?", started Renna, who reached down to touch her toes, her legs not bending.
"It keeps everything in one place, so I don't have to find each item separately. I just gotta find the bag. Makes it easier.", explained Uzume.
"Oh, that does make sense."
Uzume looked up at the sky, noting that the stars were no longer visible. They weren't visible when she woke up, either. Made sense, since the sun was shining a bit.
"Where're we heading through?", asked Renna, who was holding both hands up high, leaning to her left and right.
"I had a path, but that's gotta change. Since you've gotta head to that shop later.", said Uzume.
"You've got something in mind?"
"We'll make it up as we go along.", said Uzume, waving a hand in reassurance.
Renna nodded as she stretched.
"I haven't even seen how they look yet.", said Uzume.
"Then it's pretty convenient that things worked out this way, right?"
"I guess so."
"They're super cool, don't worry!"
"I bet."
"They're similar in design to my boots. Except, you know…"
"They're gauntlets."
"Exactly."
Renna stretched her back while looking towards the sky.
"The sky's so nice when it's this early.", said Renna, with a gentle smile.
"Yeah, it sure is.", said Uzume, who followed Renna's gaze.
"Was there anything like this in the, uh, Zero Dimension?", asked Renna.
Uzume huffed, answering without shifting her gaze.
"Nope. There wasn't any sunrise or sunset back there. It was only dark."
"Oh, wow. Like an eternal night?"
"I'm not even sure that's what it was. There was no moon, so I don't know."
"Oh…"
"Eh, it was fine. It made seeing back home, as well as this place, all the more special."
Renna stopped stretching, and looked at Uzume. She continued to stare out towards the sunrise, the rays brushing against her face.
Uzume shook her head, and looked to Renna.
"You ready?", asked Uzume, heartily.
"Lead the way!", nodded Renna.
And so, the two of them started to run through the city, in the general direction of Dusty's shop.
It was very nice to look at.
There weren't many people passing them by, but when they did, they smiled at Renna and Uzume.
The two of them didn't run at a very fast pace. They kept up with each other, staying close together.
They passed through many more stalls and shops along the way, with some of their lights flicking on, and their employees opening for the day.
The two of them took a few turns here and there, running through the streets, a few alleyways, and across the roads.
Uzume and Renna would communicate with head gestures, looking at each other in a way that asked "You good?", and then the other would nod.
Sometimes, one of them would spot a particularly nice looking view, and would nudge each other while signaling the direction.
They would run while looking at it.
More and more shop lights turned on, and some people even started lining up outside of them.
They seemed to be passing into another area, as the stalls started to become less and less frequent.
Dusty's store was in an older part of Lowee, and it seemed like they were gradually getting there.
And they would.
But for now, they ran, admiring the view around them.
Back at the hotel:
Neptune lied down on her stomach with her arms out in front of her. She groggily drew her hands back, leaning on her arms to lift her upper body slightly off the floor.
She sleepily looked around her, rubbing her right eye.
She almost lost her balance, since she was leaning on one arm. She flailed her right arm about as she tried to regain her balance.
"Guess that woke me up!"
She stayed in that position, looking around her.
She noted that Renna and Uzume weren't in their beds. Were they already up and about?
She looked around some more, and noticed that Gil was still asleep in his bed.
It was good to see that she wasn't alone.
Neptune smiled slightly.
She rolled onto her back, and got up, walking to the sliding door.
She noticed that there was a note on it, so she pulled it off and read it, sliding the door open to let some light enter.
She noticed that some parts were scribbled out, as if changes were made to it.
"We're going for a run, we should be back in a couple of hours.-Uzume and Renna.", read Neptune, aloud.
It seemed like there were some "I's" that were scratched out. So… One of them was going to go for a run, and then the other woke up and decided to join them?
The "couple of hours" seemed to replace "before eight". Did that mean that they were going to do something else, as well? Maybe go out to eat, or something?
Neptune pouted at the thought of that. Food was nice!
She shook her head with a smile. She didn't actually mind if that would happen.
And seeing as Uzume's name was first, it looked like Renna was the one who woke up. That did make sense, since Uzume did like to keep fit.
So, Uzume woke up, wanted to go for a run, and somewhere along the line Renna woke up. Renna saw Uzume, and wanted to join her. They then decided on something else to do afterwards.
Neptune brandished a wide smile that showed off her teeth, placing a hand to her chin in a flashy way.
Detective Nep has solved the case.
She kept her hold on the note, and slid the door open some more. The sun was up and was shining through the windows.
Neptune looked back while walking away, seeing that Gil was still asleep.
She walked through into the kitchen and prepared herself some cereal. Once she was done with that, she walked over to the kotatsu, sitting down by it while facing the bedroom.
Neptune silently ate her cereal, and she looked around a bit, at nothing in particular.
She looked into the bedroom again. Gil was still asleep, huh?
It'd be nice to talk to someone.
She kept gazing at him, when she saw something that intrigued her.
Neptune finished her breakfast and got up, silently moving to the room.
Neptune tilted her head at what she saw.
There were a few cyan strands of hair among the brown colour that his kinda curly hair usually showed.
What could that be about?
It probably had to do with all the way back then, when Gil and Renna had those things done to them.
Neptune would probably ask about that later, when Gil was up.
But now, she had an idea.
Neptune pulled out her Nep-note and flipped it open.
"Crosty, you awake?", asked Neptune.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm up.", spoke Croire, after a few seconds.
"Great! So… you mentioned something about wanting to talk to me?"
"Yeah, like, days ago. Geez."
"Ah…haha… Sorry about that.", said Neptune, rubbing her head.
"But yeah, whatever, we can talk now if you got the time."
"I do! Just let me take us somewhere else."
"Fine."
Neptune closed the book and walked to the bathroom. She entered it and then locked the door behind her.
She then opened the book back up.
"Alright, all done!", said Neptune.
Croire appeared in front of Neptune, leaning back on her book.
"So watcha wanna talk about?", smiled Neptune.
Croire narrowed her eyes for a second, but then spoke. She got up from her leaning position, and sat upright.
"It's about those other two that you and Uzume have so kindly let join ya.", said Croire.
"Oh, that was kinda expected."
"Heh. Yeah."
"So… what about them?"
Croire took a more serious face.
"I recognized them from many, many years back."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah. Back when Tari was still a thing."
"Oh, so that's what this is about!", exclaimed Neptune.
Croire blinked in confusion for a few seconds, looking at Neptune with a puzzled face.
"Watcha mean?", asked Croire.
"The thing is, we kinda sorta already know about what happened to them."
"So you know that they're…"
"…CPUs, yeah. Well, half-CPUs."
Croire looked down for a second, and the back to Neptune.
"Guess that saves me the trouble of explainin' that for ya.", said Croire, taking a more lax position. "How'd ya find out? They tell you?"
"No, not them. We found out from little me. Her and her friends all know about them. Even the CPUs of this world know about them."
"How'd you pull that off?"
"I… kinda went to visit little me on the day we met Renna and Gil. Spur of the moment thing."
"So it was completely random?"
"Yup!"
"Figures, seeing that it's you."
"Thanks!"
"That wasn't… whatever. So… you gotta plan or somethin'?"
"That I do! Uzume and I are gonna make them right!"
Croire didn't respond immediately, lifting an eyebrow to Neptune.
"What do ya mean by that?", asked Croire.
"We're gonna convince them to join our side."
"You mean not wanna kill Rei?"
"Yeah."
"And just how're ya gonna do that?"
"We'll become friends with them, and…"
"Yeah, okay, and then convince them because you're all buddy-buddy with em?"
"Well… Yeah."
"That doesn't always work, Neptune."
"Well we're not going to hurt them if we don't have to.", said Neptune, who also took a more serious face.
"Easy, I don't doubt you. I'm just sayin' that you should be prepared."
Neptune eased up.
"So you'll help us?", asked Neptune.
"Yeah, I suppose where I can. Even if I ain't a huge fan of being all friendly and stuff."
"Thanks, Croire."
"Whatever. And just so ya know, I'm pretty sure they know who I am. They must've recognized me straight away."
"So they're just pretending to not know you…"
"Exactly."
"I'd like to hear more of how you know them."
"Maybe another time."
"Alright."
"So, we done?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well I got nothin' else to do, so I think I should stay out of sight from those two for a while. Just to be safe."
"Only Gil's here."
"Even then.", spoke Croire.
"Fine, fine. We'll get them to tell us everything at some point. Maybe then, you could show yourself more."
"Yeah, sure.", waved Croire. "But yeah, see ya."
"Bye, Croire."
And Croire disappeared in a small flash of light.
"That reminds me… I should probably be around when Gil gets up.", thought Neptune.
She looked to the shower in the bathroom.
"Maybe clean up a bit, first."
Neptune then worked away at cleaning herself. She didn't take too long.
She finished, and got out, getting dressed back into her pajamas.
And she left the bathroom, sitting back down by the kotatsu, patiently waiting for Gil to wake up.
She waited there for a few minutes.
"Maybe I should wake him up?"
Neptune smiled at this thought, and leaned her head on the kotatsu table with her arms under her chin.
"Should I just nudge him awake?"
Neptune still had a clear line of sight into the bedroom.
"Pull his blanket off?"
She could see that Gil was still sleeping.
"Maybe just sit there for a while?"
The light that passed into the room might wake him up in a few minutes.
"Eh, I'll wait here for now."
And so, she did.
Eventually, Gil opened his eyes. He stayed in his position for a while, before sitting up and looking around.
He must've noted that Renna, Uzume and Neptune weren't in their beds.
He quickly shifted his vision towards Neptune, who was looking at him.
She lifted her head from the table, waving at him with her left hand.
"Yo!", greeted Neptune, heartily.
Gil blinked at Neptune before getting up.
"Hey.", greeted Gil. He entered through into the lounge, sliding the door to the bedroom behind him.
He looked around, and then at Neptune.
"Where are…?", started Gil.
Neptune pulled out a note from under the kotatsu, holding it out in her right hand.
"Read this!"
Gil walked towards Neptune, taking the note she offered. He read it through, and gave the note back to Neptune.
"So yeah, they're out for a couple-a hours.", explained Neptune.
"How long have you been awake for?"
"Not too long. Enough time to eat breakfast, get cleaned up and then wait for you, sleepyhead.", teased Neptune.
Gil looked at Neptune for a second before speaking.
"Then why are you still in your pajamas?", asked Gil.
"Because… I can be? It's nice to stay in them, sometimes!"
"Doesn't it feel dirty?"
"Eh, not really. Unless you're all hot and sweaty and stuff. And while I might be hot, it's got nothing to do with the heat.", said Neptune, closing one eye while sticking her tongue out.
Gil shook his head, and turned to face the kitchen.
"…I'm going to make breakfast."
"Boo…", said Neptune, placing her head on the kotatsu once more.
She was facing the bedroom, but then rolled her head to look at Gil.
He stood there, quickly making his breakfast.
She smiled at him, even though he couldn't see.
Her gaze shifted towards his hair.
"He doesn't really notice it, does he?", thought Neptune.
Gil finished with his breakfast, and walked over to the kotatsu. He sat opposite Neptune.
"What're you planning on doing today, Gilly?", asked Neptune.
Gil, who had lifted his spoon, placed it on the kotatsu while thinking.
"I'm not sure. I have nothing particular in mind, so I'll most likely end up waiting here, for Renna and Uzume.", said Gil.
"So you're free for the day?", asked Neptune, sitting up.
"I suppose so, yes."
"Goody!"
Gil raised an eyebrow at this.
"Why?", asked Gil.
"I dunno. So we can spend some time together, maybe?", offered Neptune.
"What did you have in mind?"
"Well, we don't HAVE to go out anywhere. We could stay here, chat and play games or whatever."
"I could do that."
"I'd be worried if you couldn't."
"What else?"
"I mean, if you want, we could go out?"
"You mean to a place to eat?"
"Maaaaybeeee… But it doesn't only have to be that. We could look around for some nice places to go or something."
"We… could. But if we did, we shouldn't be too long."
"Yeah, wouldn't want the other two to be worried or anything."
"I'm glad they left that note, though.", said Gil.
"Yeah, super useful and stuff. I thought about sticking it to your face while you were asleep."
Gil widened his eyes at his.
"Why?", asked Gil.
"Would've been funny to see. And you would've seen the note immediately."
"If I didn't wake up from you putting it on me."
"Oh, you wouldn't have woken up. I'm sure of that!"
"Why?"
"Why, you ask? Because my hands are supple and smooth. I could've become a professional massage-person-thingy if I wanted to."
Gil didn't have a response for this.
"But maybe you should get going with the food eating.", ushered Neptune.
"Yeah, right."
Gil then started eating his food.
Neptune simply sat there, looking around while rocking backwards and forwards while sitting.
Her eyes would sometimes dart to Gil's hair for a few seconds.
Gil finished his food and had noticed Neptune's glances.
"What?", started Gil.
"Oh, nothing, nothing…", said Neptune, still rocking on the spot.
"You sure?"
"No."
"O…kay."
Neptune stopped rocking, and leaned forward over the kotatsu.
"It's your hair. There seems to be a few pieces of your hair that look like your sister's."
Gil looked at Neptune and reached up into his hair, pulling a few strands down.
Surely enough, a few of them were cyan.
He let go, furrowing his eyebrows a bit.
"Great.", said Gil, in a disappointed tone.
"What's wrong?", asked Neptune.
"Renna's not here to cut them."
Neptune raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Whatcha mean?", asked Neptune. "Not a fan of your cyan hair?"
Gil waited a bit before responding.
"…No."
"And whyyyyy is that?"
"I… don't feel like it suits me."
"What do ya meeeean?! I think it looks great on you."
Gil looked down at the kotatsu, then back up.
"It's very unique. In a very good way.", smiled Neptune.
"It makes me stand out."
"And you think your sister's hair doesn't stand out?"
"…It suits her."
"And this suits you! It even compliments your sister's hair."
"…I know."
"So then why?!", exclaimed Neptune, looking at Gil with a determined face. She leaned further over the kotatsu, with most of her body on the table of it, and was looking up at Gil.
Gil lifted his head up, his eyebrows still furrowed and his mouth slightly open.
Why was Neptune so adamant about this?
He relaxed his face, and Neptune drew herself back.
"It's just… how I feel about it.", said Gil.
"Well I think it looks good.", said Neptune, still holding her determined face.
"…Thanks."
Neptune then smiled at Gil, closing her eyes for a brief moment.
"You are…", started Gil.
"…very weird?", finished Neptune, with a smirk.
Gil huffed in amusement, looking at Neptune with a slight smile.
"Yeah."
"Thanks!", spoke Neptune, who struck a pose.
This girl…
Neptune was… different.
But she was nice to be around.
This is what Gil believed.
"But uhhh, yeah! I'm gonna go get dressed!", said Neptune, rising up from the floor.
"I'll go get cleaned up."
"And here I was going to tell you to not peek at me."
"As if I would."
"Yeah, you're not like that."
"And yet you still say it."
"It's fun to tease you."
"I wouldn't know."
"Well, yeah, you're not me!", smiled Neptune, who sauntered off towards the bedroom.
Gil took his leave, entering the bathroom.
Neptune entered the bedroom, sliding the door behind her.
She looked at nothing in particular, with a smug smile and narrow eyes to boot.
"Heh."
Lowee City, near Dusty's Store:
"Just… up there…", said Renna, in between breaths. She pointed to a building in front of them.
Uzume nodded, and the two of them kept running. There was not much distance left to cover, so they were quickly next to the building.
"Well… that was nice…", said Uzume, who was breathing fast, but still had a smile.
"Yeah… it was good… to do that.", said Renna, who was also breathing fast. She was looking at the entrance.
"We should… get cleaned up… before we… go inside?", suggested Uzume.
Renna thought of what to do, and came up with a solution.
"I'm sure that… we can go… inside.", said Renna.
"You sure."
"Yeah. I'll talk… to Dusty."
"Dusty?"
"This is… his forge."
"Oh."
"Be prepared."
"Watcha mean?"
"You'll see.", said Renna, who smiled at Uzume before walking up towards the doors.
Renna slid the door open, and her and Uzume took their shoes off and carried them inside.
Luckily, there was only one person at the till talking to Dusty, and they actually just finished.
"Dusty!", called out Renna, who quickly moved to the till.
Uzume followed her, looking over the till.
"Hey, Renna. Didn't expect to see you so early.", greeted Dusty. He was sitting on his chair.
"Yup! It's all thanks to my friend over here!", said Renna, who held her hands out to Uzume.
"And you are?", asked Dusty, who raised an eyebrow.
"The name's Uzume.", greeted Uzume, smiling confidently with her hands at her hips.
Dusty saw this pose, and huffed in amusement.
"She's super amazing!", said Renna.
"I'm sure she is.", said Dusty. He had his right arm on the counter.
"But, um, can we maybe… uh, use a shower? If there's one here?", asked Renna, her eyebrows angling upwards.
Dusty looked confused at this. He looked between Renna and Uzume.
"We went for a pretty long run, so we're kinda… sweaty.", explained Renna.
"So that's why you're both wearing those clothes.", said Dusty. He saw how they both held their shoes in their hands.
"At least you're respectful. Fine, sure. I'll show you where they are.", said Dusty.
"Yay! Thanks, Dusty.", smiled Renna.
Dusty got up from his chair, standing upright.
Uzume's eyes followed him as he greatly increased in height.
She then understood what Renna had meant when she said "Be prepared."
"Woah…", voiced Uzume.
"Told you.", came Renna.
"Come, follow me.", signaled Dusty, leaving through a door behind the counter.
Renna and Uzume looked at each other, and then made to follow him.
They entered into the room, and saw a short hallway that shot out to the left and right, as well as forward.
Dusty was on the left.
Renna and Uzume walked towards him, stopping by him.
"At the end of this hallway there's a door on your left. Take it. There's the showers.", explained Dusty.
"And you're sure nobody else is going to come in?", asked Renna.
"Yes, I am. Here, I'll even give you the keys.", said Gil, who reached into his pockets and pulled out a keychain with a few keys on it.
"Thanks a bunch!", said Renna, who grabbed a hold of Uzume's hand and started walking off. "Come on, Uzume!"
"Yeah, yeah… Thanks.", said Uzume to Dusty. Renna and Uzume then moved down the hallway.
Dusty shook his head and reentered the main part of the store.
"See! I told you we'd be fine!", said Renna.
"Yeah… You seem pretty casual with Dusty.", said Uzume.
"Yup! I figured, since I'd be visiting his store and talking to him a lot, it'd be good to get to know him! And it's been nice."
"He seems pretty gruff."
"Yeah, well, he deals with plenty of people every day. Some of which aren't that nice to deal with."
"I suppose that makes sense."
"Yeah. Oh, right, this is where I first saw that gangster guy.", said Renna.
"Oooooh, right. He's definitely one of the people who aren't so great to deal with."
"Definitely. He's caused issues with Dusty before."
"What was his name again?", asked Uzume.
"Ummm… Faust?"
"Yeah, that."
They found the door they were looking for, and both entered through hit.
They found a room that looked like a large bathroom.
The floors were tiled with a peachy-brown colour, and this extended up the walls to about halfway. From there, a clean, black wall worked its way up and to the roof.
There were a few showers that were present next to each other, with tiled walls separating each of them.
The showers were situated on the right of the room from where Renna and Uzume were facing, with the left side having a few benches to sit on and get dressed.
Renna and Uzume entered the room, and Uzume summoned her bag with everything in it. She placed it on a bench.
Renna had locked the door behind them.
"It was nice of him to give us the keys.", said Uzume.
"Yup!"
And so, they both got ready to shower.
After a few moments of preparation, the two of them were in separate showers that were next to each other.
"I'm so glad we got to get cleaned up. I woulda hated to walk around everywhere while feeling like this.", said Uzume. There was a slight echo when they spoke.
"Uh-huh! You even brought soap, towels and things to scrub down with!"
"Gotta be prepared."
"Yup."
They both continued to shower, and were done in a few minutes.
They both got out and took their clothes from Uzume's bag. They dried themselves off, got dressed, and checked their hair to make sure it was good.
"All sorted?", asked Uzume.
"Yup! Remember, no shoes."
"I know, I know."
They both then entered back into the main part of the store, and found Dusty sitting at his chair.
"You're done. Good.", said Dusty.
"Yup!", said Renna.
"Thanks again.", said Uzume.
"Don't mention it."
Dusty moved his head to indicate for Renna and Uzume to move to the front of the counter, and they did.
"So what can I do for you?", started Dusty.
"Other than talk, there's only one thing!", said Renna, with hope in her eyes.
"Uh-huh. I haven't even seen it yet.", said Uzume.
"It's a beauty, that's for sure. But it still needs a few touch ups.", admitted Dusty.
"So… it's not done yet?", asked Renna.
"Not yet. But almost. I need to make sure that it's as good as can be.", explained Dusty.
"I think it's still been pretty quick.", admitted Uzume.
"Exactly. Things like this take time, even if you has as much experience as myself.", said Dusty.
"That is true. I don't mean to sound disappointed or upset, Dusty. You've been a great help!", said Renna.
Dusty nodded to Renna, then shifted his gaze to Uzume.
Uzume blinked a few times at this.
"You. Uzume.", said Dusty.
"Y-Yes?", replied Uzume. She was slightly nervous.
"You said you haven't seen the piece, yet?"
"T-That's right."
Dusty stared at her, and then smirked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device. He pressed a few buttons on it, navigated a few menus, and eventually, a hologram appeared.
"There you go. That's what it'll look like when it's done.", said Dusty.
Uzume looked at the gauntlet with amazement. It looked to be similar in design to Renna's boots, as well as their other weapons.
The gauntlet was made out of the same grey metal that Renna's boots were made of. The gauntlet itself covered his arm, from his hands to his elbows.
There were two straight cyan lines that ran across the top and underside of it.
It had the same, clean shape of inlays as Renna's boots. An arrowhead type shape formed by the elbow, with a cyan line lining the edge of the arrowhead.
The tips of the fingers were sharp, like a CPUS gloves. Each knuckle, when the hand was scrunched into a fist, had different segments of metal to allow the fingers to bend freely and flexibly. Under each knuckle's segment was a cyan colour that could be seen when, once again, the hand was in a fist.
Each finger, along with the palm of the hand, was grey in colour, save for the base of each finger. A cyan dot was present at each one.
There were a few cyan dots that lined the two lines reaching up the arm on either side. Both under the arm and above the arm.
The shape of it was… satisfying. It was not flimsy looking, as it was not thin. It looked to be very sturdy. There were inlays present on the gauntlet that looked like the ones on Renna's boots.
Along the arm, sometimes there would be small lines, no different in colour from the rest of the grey metal, that was slightly lower than the rest of the metal. As if it was a straight path with an ever so slight dip in it that quickly elevated back to the normal level.
These inlays were also shaped like arrowheads that reached towards the wrist, and also went up the fingers. They were spread apart, so that it was visually pleasing.
These inlays were the same ones that were on Renna and Gil's other weapons.
"It looks so cool.", said Uzume, after a while. "I take it they'll both look like this?"
"Yes, they will. They'll both be perfect.", said Dusty.
Uzume nodded in approval. She really did think they looked cool.
"Thanks for doing this so quick, Dusty.", said Renna.
"It's only natural to give my all to something like this. Forging such high quality gear is always a treat.", replied Dusty.
"What's it like? To see all these adventurers come in and out, looking for you to make this stuff for them, and for many different reasons?", asked Uzume.
"It's… it can be entertaining at times. Sometimes. It's usually the same old, same old stuff. They want to become the greatest adventurer, or something along those lines. But when there is something unique, or something that catches my eye…", said Dusty, looking to Renna.
Renna gave him a toothy smile.
"…Then it does bring some good.", finished Dusty.
Uzume nodded at this explanation.
"Is that all?", asked Dusty, placing an arm on the counter.
"That… should be it, yeah!", said Renna, who looked to Uzume.
"Don't look at me, this was your idea.", said Uzume.
"Right, right. Okay then. We'll be heading off now, Dusty!", said Renna, who was getting up to leave.
"But before you go, I have something I'd like to ask.", said Dusty.
Renna looked at him with a quizzical face.
"Have… You haven't been bothered by… those guys, have you?", continued Dusty.
Renna waited a moment before answering. She and Uzume knew what he was talking about.
"No, nothing like that. Last time I saw them was when I walked out of here.", explained Renna.
"So he confronted you as you left, on that day you saw him?", asked Dusty.
"Yup."
"What did he do?"
"He tried to talk to me some more. He wanted me to go back with him. He's… not nice."
"He wanted you to go back with him?", said Dusty, who was listening intently.
"Yes. He still wanted my weapons, but he also said that I look rather… unique."
"That kid…"
"I didn't say anything to make him angry, though. I didn't insult him or anything like that. I simply told him that my weapons aren't for sale, and that I didn't want to get involved with him.", explained Renna.
"Okay, that's good. That's very good. You handled it the right way."
"Thank you."
"Anything else?", asked Dusty.
Renna looked to Uzume before answering.
"He tried to grab me when I walked past him."
Dusty widened his eyes at this.
"He what?", said Dusty, who's voice became a bit more aggressive.
"I said that I didn't want to be involved with him at all, and I started walking past him. He tried to grab me when I walked past, but I dodged him.", answered Renna.
"Geez, Rensy, at least you handled yourself well…", voiced Uzume.
"That might be true, but it's definitely not good.", said Dusty.
Renna sighed.
"It's not a good sign. Definitely not.", said Dusty, who was in deep thought.
There was a brief silence that fell over the three of them.
"Tell you what…", said Dusty, looking to Renna.
Dusty pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, scribbling something on it.
"Take this.", offered Dusty, holding the small piece of paper out.
Renna took it, and both her and Uzume looked at it.
"Are these… contact details?", asked Uzume.
"Yes. They're mine.", stated Dusty.
Renna looked up at him, and was going to speak, but Dusty beat her to it.
"If you ever feel like you're in danger, or anything like that, contact me. My address is also there, so you can come over and stay at my place.", explained Dusty. "In fact, I think that that's probably the safest thing for you to do right now."
"It's… that bad, huh?", asked Renna, who brandished an awkward smile.
"It's… very bad, Renna. Very, very bad.", said Dusty, his voice stinging of seriousness.
"Great.", said Uzume.
"I would seriously suggest staying at my place. That kid and his gang have probably been keeping tabs on you, so they most likely already know where you're staying.", explained Dusty.
Renna looked at the piece of paper.
"I'll get back to you.", said Renna, looking up at Dusty. "I'll need to talk with my group."
"How many of you are there?", asked Dusty.
"Well, it's me, Uzume here, you've seen Neptune, and my brother. So there're four of us."
"That's enough. I have space for that."
"Cool! I still need to talk to them, though."
"Alright. But please, in the meantime, be careful. I mean it."
"We will, Dusty, thanks for the heads up."
Dusty nodded his head a few times at this, and then spoke.
"Now get going. It looks like it's gonna rain soon."
"Oh, alright then.", said Renna, who smiled at Dusty. "Later, Dusty! Thanks, and bye-bye!"
"See ya, Dusty.", waved Uzume.
"Goodbye. And be careful.", said Dusty, who's eyes followed Renna and Uzume.
Renna slid the door open, and turned around while Uzume walked past her.
Renna gave a wave to Dusty, and slid it shut.
Dusty closed his eyes while taking a small smile.
"It really does look like it's gonna rain.", said Uzume, as she saw the cloudy sky.
"Uh-huh.", replied Renna.
"Seems like a decent guy."
"He does."
"He was being really serious back there, huh?"
"Yup. That's what he's like. But he cares."
"Seems like it."
"I probably will talk to the others…"
"If the situation's as bad as he says, maybe we should really consider it."
They turned into an alleyway, walking through the city. They were heading back to the hotel.
"So what did you think of the gauntlet?", asked Renna.
They turned onto a road, walking through the streets. There were fewer stalls around than there was closer to the hotel, but there were more people walking about.
"I think it looked pretty freakin' cool.", replied Uzume.
"I know, right!"
"Yeah. That Dusty must be really talented."
"He is! He's been working there for years."
"It shows. He's… strong looking.", said Uzume, who remembered Dusty's frame.
They continued walking through the streets, and went down another alleyway.
It wasn't too wide.
Renna and Uzume walked through it, and saw two people that were leaning against the walls. They looked over to Renna and Uzume, and got up from their leaning position.
They started walking towards Renna and Uzume, and then stopped, blocking the way.
"What's… going on?", asked Uzume. She looked behind herself, and noticed that three people had blocked the path behind them. "They're behind us, too, Rensy."
Renna looked back and saw this.
"Took you long enough.", came a voice that Renna recognized.
Renna head this, and she immediately knew what was happening.
"It's them, isn't it?", whispered Uzume.
"Yup.", replied Renna.
In front of them, a man walked past the two people that had been blocking the way.
His hair was blonde with black highlights. He had a single black stud in his right ear. His eyes were light green.
He wore long, black chinos that were accompanied by a silver belt. He wore some pretty expensive looking sneakers that were silver with black linings.
He wore a dark green shirt that extended up his neck a bit, with the parts by his wrists folded backwards.
Over that, he had a black jacket that fell to just beyond his hips, and barely showed the green shirt by his wrists. It looked to be a zip up, although it was open at the moment. The jacket itself was plain looking, besides there being a few pockets for his hands and one by his chest. These also had zippers, and they were all unzipped.
He had his golden necklace out for everyone to see.
And his signature smile.
It was Faust.
"How's it going, Renna?", greeted Faust.
Renna and Uzume both looked around them, and saw no way out. They both had their eyebrows furrowed.
"And I see you brought a friend with you, this time. Uzume, was it?", continued Faust.
"That him?", asked Uzume.
"Yup.", replied Renna.
"So you've done some digging into who we are?", continued Renna.
"It's not that hard for me to do. Getting your names is easy.", said Faust. "Although… there's not that much info on you all…" Faust dropped his smile and then spoke. "Why is that?"
"Guess your little gang's not as resourceful as you thought, huh?", spoke Uzume.
"Ahh, so you're the fiery type, huh?", said Faust, returning to his smile.
Renna and Uzume didn't reply.
"But really, why are you all so… new? There's nothing on any of you.", continued Faust. "That is definitely something that hasn't happened before."
"What do you want, Faust?", spoke Renna.
"Want? Many things. I want your weapons. Those weapons of yours are really nice, you know? And I want you to come back with me. And your friend, too, if she doesn't mind.", said Faust, shifting his vision to Uzume.
"Like hell I'd do that.", said Uzume.
"Heh, definitely the fiery type."
"You've got us surrounded in an alleyway, Faust. So what do you want?", asked Renna.
"I already said what I want. And I'd prefer for us to do this without any unnecessary actions.", replied Faust.
"You finding out about us and taking the time to surround us like this seems unnecessary enough.", said Renna.
"I told you, I get what I want."
"Not this time."
Faust huffed at this, and started walking towards Renna and Uzume. He spoke as he walked, with his group getting closer as he did.
"You know, there are many ways to get what I want."
Renna and Uzume got closer together.
"I know of a few offhand. Sometimes, it's useful to know. Like, let's say, for examples… the use of chemicals?"
Renna and Uzume blinked at what Faust just said.
"There are many chemicals that affect the body in many, many ways. Some of them hurt the body. Some of them paralyze the body, leaving the victim awake. Some of them put people to sleep. Others weaken the body, rendering them unable to fight back.
There are other ways, of course, such as using weapons, bribery, intimidation, all that stuff. But chemicals are quite effective."
Faust was in front of Renna, and stopped.
"Let's not resort to using any of those, hey?"
Renna stood her ground, not speaking. Uzume did the same.
"What do you say?", spoke Faust.
He reached out as if he was going to put a hand on Renna's left shoulder.
Renna moved her shoulder out of the way, and kept looking at Faust.
Faust narrowed his eyes while smiling at her.
"Suit yourself."
He quickly reached out for Renna with his right hand, looking to grab Renna's shoulder while he reached into his pocket.
But before he could do anything…
"Hey!", shouted Uzume.
Uzume grabbed his right arm and stood in front of him, pushing his arm away.
She then sent her right fist into Faust's face, sending him stumbling to a wall.
One of Faust's men advanced on Renna and Uzume from behind, but Uzume turned to face him and gave him an uppercut, causing him to fall to the ground a small distance away.
Uzume then took a stance, summoning her megaphone.
"Uzume!", shouted Renna.
"What's she doing with a megaphone?", said one of Faust's men.
"Wanna find out?! Huh?!", shot out Uzume.
Uzume pointed her megaphone at them all, and noticed that Faust had a hand to his face, where she had punched him.
"Let's go, Uzume!", said Renna, grabbing Uzume by the hand and making a run for it.
They both looked at Faust as he looked at them. He then made a small smile to them.
Renna and Uzume rushed past the two people in front of them as they let them pass through.
"Come on!", said Renna, who looked behind her to see that they weren't following them.
Faust stood up from the wall, looking at Renna and Uzume as they ran through the alleyway, eventually reaching the end of it, and turning right. They were out of sight.
"You sure we should just let them go?", asked one of Faust's group.
"Oh, I'm sure.", smiled Faust.
"I have other ways to get what I want."
Back at the hotel:
Neptune was sitting in front of the TV, watching the news. She had her arms behind her, leaning back on them with her legs in front of her, taking an angled position.
"There's nothing on to watch…", complained Neptune. She looked out to the kitchen, and saw through the window that it was raining.
Gil was sitting at the kotatsu, reading through different game manuals. He was facing the kitchen.
"Maybe they come on later? When people are home from work?", suggested Gil.
"Maybe. But there's gotta be some stuff! What if I bunk school because I'm sick?!", said Neptune, leaning her head back to look at Gil.
Gil narrowed his eyes at Neptune, and then shook it.
Neptune shifted her body, never taking her eyes off of Gil, and crawled towards him.
Gil observed this, looking at Neptune as she got under the kotatsu.
"The news says that it's gonna rain for the next few days.", informed Neptune, with a satisfied smile.
"Oh, really? That's good to know. I hope they don't get caught in it.", said Gil.
"Eh, they'll be fine! Even if they do, they'll tough it out."
"You're probably right."
Neptune lifted a part of the kotatsu so that it covered her shoulders.
She sat without speaking, thinking for a while.
"Hey, Gilly?", asked Neptune, looking to Gil.
Gil looked up from the manual, placing it down on the kotatsu, and looked at Neptune.
"Yes?", replied Gil.
"Want me to cut your hair?"
Gil looked at Neptune with confusion.
"Gilly?", came Neptune, moving from side to side.
"I thought you were against the idea of me cutting my hair.", said Gil.
"Well, yeah, I am, but I figured that I could give it a try, since I've never done it before.", replied Neptune.
"You've never… cut anyone's hair before?"
"Yeah."
"And you want to start with me?"
"I dunno, I wanna give it a shot."
Gil didn't answer.
"Come oooooon? Don't you trust little old meeee?", asked Neptune, with puppy dog eyes.
"I... It's not that…", replied Gil.
Neptune scooched over on the kotatsu, maneuvering to the corner and leaning over the kotatsu so that she got closer to Gil.
"Please, Gilly?", asked Neptune.
"I… don't know, Neptune."
"Why?"
"Renna usually does it for me. She always has, and she enjoys doing it."
"Who says I won't enjoy it?"
"That's not the issue."
"I know, but come on! Even if I don't cut all of the cyan off. Just a few strands?"
Gil thought about this for a while, with Neptune patiently waiting.
"I still don't know.", answered Gil.
"Why? We have some scissors that I could use."
"It's not that. I'm used to Renna doing it."
"Okay…?"
"I'm… not used to other people cutting my hair. It would feel… off.", explained Gil.
"Oh, you mean like how it's weird to have people you're not comfortable with touching you?"
"Yes."
"But aren't you comfortable around me?", asked Neptune.
Gil looked at her and thought some more.
"I… am. But not like that.", said Gil.
"Then how will I ever be able to do things like cut your hair, or something else that requires me to be that close?"
Gil gave a half-lidded look towards Neptune, who shrugged her shoulders with a cheeky smile.
"But like, really. Can I really not?", asked Neptune.
Gil waited for a few seconds, thinking some more.
Should he, or should he not?
Renna would be home soon, maybe. Or in a few hours.
But Neptune was here, making an attempt to cut his hair.
She was trying very hard, too.
She was a very persistent girl.
Why?
She was very friendly, and knew how to lighten the mood.
Gil stared at the TV while he thought, and saw Neptune move her head into the center of his vision.
She was smiling.
"You okay there, Gilly?", asked Neptune.
She was very casual with him. She did say that she would find a way to get closer to him and Renna.
Gil looked at Neptune.
"…Yes. You can do a bit.", said Gil.
"You mean it?", asked Neptune.
"…Yes."
"Hooray! Neptastic stuff!"
"You're so full of energy…"
"When I want to be."
Gil gave a small huff.
"Then, uhhhhhh… Is right here fine?", asked Neptune.
"Here?"
"Yeah. Like, you can sit on the table, and I can cut your hair. Come, come, I'll show you.", said Neptune, standing up.
And so, Neptune directed Gil on where to sit.
He faced the TV, with the door leading out of the hotel room on his right and the kitchen on his left.
He sat on the kotatsu table, and Neptune was standing in front of him, hands at her hips.
Gil looked up at Neptune with slight apprehension.
Neptune had a determined face on, and looked off to the door to the bedroom.
"Neptune?", asked Gil.
"Yes, oh Gilly?", replied Neptune, darting her head to look at Gil.
"Where are the scissors?"
"That… is a good question! I'll be back in a jiffy!", said Neptune, who ran off to the bathroom.
She spent a minute or two in there, and came out with a pair of scissors.
"Don't run with knives and stuff like that!", exclaimed Neptune.
She then stood in front of Gil again, in the same pose, except now she had the scissors in her right hand.
"Now then, let us commence the experiment!", exclaimed Neptune.
Gil looked at Neptune with narrowed eyes.
"Whaaaaat? You'll be fine, you'll be fine…", said Neptune, as she walked closer to Gil.
Gil raised his eyes as she stood right in front of him.
"And just so you know, no takesy backsies!", said Neptune, crossing her arms dramatically. "Or else I'll harass you in your sleep!"
Gil looked at Neptune with suspicion.
Neptune smiled at Gil, and then leaned over so that her head was in line with Gil's.
She looked at Gil's face, which made Gil slightly uncomfortable.
"What are-", started Gil.
"Ah! No, no! No talking! I have to see where to cut and stuff.", said Neptune.
She moved around Gil, taking note of his hair.
She moved to the left and right of his face, and Gil could see her observing him.
It was like when a cat found something new, and investigated it by moving around it and looking at it, all the while being close to it.
She then moved behind Gil, and was out of sight.
Gil could hear her climb on top of the kotatsu, though.
"Mmhmm… Mhmm…", came Neptune.
Gil sat there in silence.
"I see… Okay…"
Gil could hear her shuffling some more.
And then silence.
It was like that for a while.
What was she doing.
"Neptune?", asked Gil.
Gil felt sudden pokes at the back and side of his neck. This caused him to jerk his head up quickly, looking up at an angle.
"Woah!", came Neptune, who seemingly fell over.
Gil turned to look behind him, and saw that Neptune had fallen over and off of the kotatsu.
She had landed fine, and was sitting with her arms behind her and her legs out in front of her, although they weren't straight.
She looked around at herself, noting that everything was fine.
"Ehe…hehehe…", giggled Neptune, rubbing the back of her head.
"Why… did you do that?", asked Gil, who looked alert.
"Because I thought it would be funny…", admitted Neptune.
Gil looked at Neptune with a confused expression, and wasn't really sure what to say.
"I never expected you to react like that.", said Neptune, who got up from her position and stood in front of Gil.
"I… told you I wasn't used to it…", said Gil, who looked to the right.
"I know. It's not your fault, don't worry.", said Neptune, smiling at him.
Gil faced her, quickly looking to her face and away from it.
"But geez… talk about quick reactions…", mumbled Neptune.
Gil sighed.
"I'm kidding. But anyway, I've seen what I needed to see, so we should be all set!", said Neptune, giving a thumbs up.
Gil looked at Neptune and nodded.
"So, um, how does Renna usually do it?", asked Neptune.
"She… usually has me bend my head forward, so that the strands fall off while she cuts. She then makes me bend my head backwards, so that the strands at the back of my head fall off while she cuts.", explained Gil.
"Really? She doesn't have any sort of cover that she puts around you so that the hair doesn't fall onto your clothes?"
"No. When that does happen, we just brush them off."
"Doesn't that get annoying?"
"That's why I bend my head, so that as little hair as possible falls onto my clothes."
"Why don't you just do it without a shirt on?"
Gil looked at Neptune with wide eyes.
"Like, that'd make it easier. We can try it now!", exclaimed Neptune, who started reaching for Gil.
"…No, I think I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine.", said Gil, who held his hands out to Neptune to stop her advance.
"You're no fun.", pouted Neptune.
"You're a tease.", deadpanned Gil.
"Exactly!"
Neptune then raised her hands, rapidly snipping the scissors.
"So then, let's go! Lean your head forward.", ushered Neptune.
Gil did that, and eyed Neptune as he did.
"Don't worry, Gilly. I'll be gentle…"
There was a small silence, and Gil could hear Neptune moving towards him.
He tried to relax…
He felt a hand being placed against the back of his head, and stopped himself from raising his head.
It rested there for a moment.
"Seeeee? It ain't that bad, Gilly.", said Neptune. She then started to rub his hair.
Gil continued to try to relax himself.
He then felt a small piece of his hair being pulled off, along with a snip.
He saw a few strands of hair fall to the floor. They were cyan.
"Did I do it right?", asked Neptune.
"…Yes.", replied Gil.
"Goody!"
She then worked away at his hair, cutting off more strands of it. A few times, some brown strands fell, but Neptune wasn't an expert, so it was expected.
In a few minutes time, Neptune stepped away and looked at Gil.
"Alright, I think I've done a pretty good job for a first time!", said Neptune, smiling.
"You didn't cut them all off?", asked Gil.
"Of course not! Now roll your head back."
Gil did just that, and looked up at the ceiling.
Neptune maneuvered around him, getting behind him.
"And, start!"
Gil could hear the scissors snipping away at his hair.
It seemed like Neptune was good at this.
"Oops…", voiced Neptune.
"What?", asked Gil.
"Gotcha! You thought I did something bad!"
Gil sighed, and continued to look upwards.
In a few minutes time, Neptune once again moved away, admiring her work.
"Done! Mostly.", said Neptune.
"And?"
"I think it looks great! Although, one more thing…"
Neptune climbed back onto the kotatsu.
She moved closer to Gil so that Gil could see Neptune's face from his position.
She had a wide, smug smile.
"Hehe.", giggled Neptune.
Gil simply gave her a half-lidded look.
She then moved backwards, climbing off the kotatsu…
When Gil suddenly felt two hands on his shoulders.
He was so surprised that he almost fell over onto his back.
"Woah, woah, woah! Hold your horses!", exclaimed Neptune.
"Neptune…", came Gil.
"Whaaaaat?!"
"You… are… weird…"
"Annoying?", asked Neptune, with a raised eyebrow.
"Sometimes."
"But you don't mind, right?"
"…Sometimes."
"Then it's working!", said Neptune, who proceeded to press into Gil's shoulders.
"What're you doing now?", asked Gil.
"I was being serious when I said that I could've become a massage-person-thingy if I wanted to! I'm good with my hands!", explained Neptune.
Gil started to raise himself up, but Neptune kept him in his leaning position.
"Uh-uh-uh! No takesy-backsies!", said Neptune.
"This wasn't part of the plan…", said Gil.
"It is now!"
"Great."
Gil submitted himself to his fate.
And so, Neptune started to massage Gil's shoulders. She dug into his back, the top of his shoulders, and even his neck.
"You're so stiff, Gilly.", stated Neptune.
Gil didn't really have a response.
"Maybe you should relax more.", continued Neptune. "It's no good if you're not taking some time out to do that every now and then."
"I had to, before.", said Gil.
"Why?", asked Neptune.
"I had to look out for Renna and I. We both had to look out for each other."
"Why? What happened?"
Gil didn't reply, but kept looking upwards.
"Don't be afraid to tell me anything, Gilly. You can tell me anything! You, and your sister!", continued Neptune.
Uzume had said something similar.
Gil still didn't reply.
Neptune watched Gil with soft eyes, waiting.
She nodded to herself in understanding.
They stayed like that for a few moments.
They could hear commotion from outside, near the door.
The door slid open, revealing Renna and Uzume.
"Hey, we're… home?", greeted Uzume, slightly confused.
"Hello…", greeted Renna, who stopped herself in confusion.
"Oh, hey guys!", greeted Neptune.
She pulled her arms to herself, and Gil got up from his position, looking at Renna and Uzume.
"…Hello.", greeted Gil.
Renna had been smiling at the scene, but it soon faded into a straight lipped expression.
During the few seconds that it had taken for Neptune to crawl off the kotatsu, Renna had stared at Neptune with wide eyes and a thin, blank and emotionless face.
She quickly returned to her usual demeanor, with her and Uzume walking through into the room.
And everyone gathered around the kotatsu.
"So, uh, what was that about?", started Uzume, who had an eyebrow raised and a slight smile.
"And I notice that there're a few pieces of your hair here, Gil.", said Renna, looking to the floor.
"I decided that I should maybe give a shot at cutting his hair.", said Neptune. "I saw that he had some cyan strands in his hair, and he said that you usually cut them, but you weren't around.
So I offered my help!"
"That's right, I usually do cut his hair.", said Renna, still looking to the floor.
"Don't worry, I left some pieces for you to cut. Gil said that he's more comfortable with you doing it, so yeah.", informed Neptune.
Renna looked up to Neptune, and smiled.
"I'm surprised you let it happen, Gil.", said Renna.
"I wouldn't say that I "Let it happen."", said Gil.
"What do you mean?", asked Renna.
"I threatened to annoy him while he slept!", exclaimed Neptune.
"Figures you'd do something like that.", said Uzume, who put a hand to her face. "And what was happening at the end there?"
"Surprise massage attack!", said Neptune.
Renna and Uzume raised an eyebrow at this.
"I was cutting the back of his hair, you know, with his head looking up, and I decided to massage his shoulders.", explained Neptune.
"Why?", asked Renna.
"Dunno. Felt like he could need it. His shoulders are really stiff."
Renna looked at Gil, then back at Neptune.
"Okay then.", said Renna.
"What did you two do?", asked Gil.
"We went for a run, like it said on the note.", said Uzume. "You… did read it, right?"
"Yup!", said Neptune. "What next?"
"We went to check up on how the project's going.", said Uzume, who looked at Gil for a second.
"Aaaaaand?", asked Neptune.
"Should be done by tomorrow. We can all go out to get it.", said Renna.
"Coolio!", exclaimed Neptune.
"It's going to rain for the next few days. That's what the weather report said.", informed Gil.
"Yeah, we had to run through it for a bit.", said Uzume, looking at her damp clothes. "Luckily it wasn't so heavy."
"Not yet, at least.", added Renna.
"Oh, right. We should probably tell them what happened on the way back.", said Uzume.
"What? What happened?", asked Gil.
"Yeah, what's happened?", asked Neptune.
"We… sort of… encountered that gang guy again. In an alleyway on the way here.", explained Renna.
"What?", said Gil. He looked angrier upon hearing this.
"We were walking home, and that guy, Faust, and a couple of his gang surrounded us. We got away.", said Renna.
"He didn't do anything to you? To either of you?", continued Gil.
"No. He tried, but Uzume got them good.", said Renna, smiling at Uzume.
"Heh… Don't mention it.", said Uzume.
"What did you do?", asked Neptune.
"I, uh, when that guy reached out for Renna, I sort of… grabbed his arm and punched him in the face.", explained Uzume.
"Wow! That must've been amazing to see.", said Neptune.
"Eh, it was nothing', really.", said Uzume, who scratched the back of her head.
"And then, and then…?", ushered Renna.
"This other guy tried to grab us from behind, but I gave him a swift uppercut that sorted him out!", exclaimed Uzume, reenacting the punch.
"Cool!", stated Neptune, simply.
"I'm very glad that you two got out of there unharmed.", said Gil, with apparent relief.
"And something else…", started Renna. "The guy who's in charge of the project is pretty… knowledgeable of the gang, and what they do."
"He's not part of them?", asked Gil.
"Nah, he doesn't like them at all. He's had bad experiences with them before. But anyway, he offered us a place to stay if we need it. He says that we should take his offer, because he thinks that we're in danger."
"I don't know this man.", stated Gil.
"You'll meet him tomorrow! Trust me, he's cool.", said Renna. "But yeah, he's not wrong, because that Faust guy knew what Uzume and I's names were without us telling him, so he probably knows more, as well."
"How much more?", asked Gil.
"Not much.", replied Renna.
"That's good, at least.", said Neptune.
"I got his contact details, as well as the address to where he lives, so we can go there whenever we need to.", spoke Renna.
"This is… not good.", said Gil.
"We'll be alright, though. I'm sure of that.", said Uzume.
"Yeah! We'll be fiiiiiine!", said Neptune.
"But anyway, I'm hungry, so I'm gonna go make some food.", said Uzume, walking to the kitchen.
"Ooh, ooh, me too, please!", said Neptune.
"And me.", added Renna.
"And me.", added Gil.
"So everyone.", mumbled Uzume.
"I'm gonna go do something in the room.", said Renna. She nudged Gil, wanting him to follow her.
Gil nodded at her, and the two of them walked towards the bedroom.
"Have fun!", waved Neptune, who took to sitting at the kotatsu. She picked up the game manual that Gil had been reading, and started perusing it.
Renna entered first, and let Gil walk in before sliding the door shut.
"So…", started Renna, who turned to face Gil. She had the pair of scissors in her left hand, holding them out next to her face, and was leaning to her right while her right hand at her hip.
"How was it?", asked Renna.
"It was… weird. I'm not used to anybody but you cutting my hair, or touching around my head or neck.", answered Gil.
"Or just being that close to you in general.", stated Renna.
"Yes."
"Did you move around a lot when she did it?"
"A few times. Like when she surprised me."
"I bet it was out of nowhere, knowing Neptune."
"Yes. She is…"
"Unique.", said Renna.
"Yes."
Renna put her hands behind her.
"So… want me to finish your hair off?", smiled Renna.
Gil gave a small smile to Renna.
"Sure.", answered Gil, who sat on the floor of the bedroom.
Renna got behind him and lowered down onto her knees.
"Want me to massage you afterwards?", asked Renna.
"That's… Up to you.", replied Gil.
"Then a massage it is! No surprised this time."
Renna started snipping away at his hair, letting the cyan hair fall to the ground.
Gil closed his eyes, letting his sister do what she needed to do.
Renna smiled to herself while doing so, and hummed to herself while she worked away.
They both enjoyed this.
And that's that.
I hope that came out alright.
Like, with them interacting with each other and stuff. I really want to do that well.
So yeah! Stuffs gonna happen next chapter! As it does.
Yeah.
Let me know what you thought, this time around. Constructive criticism is always welcomed, as it helps me to see my errors and improve myself. That's always important.
Or just let me know what you thought of this! It's very good to hear that, as well!
So yeah. I do thank you for reading this chapter, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed it! And I hope that'll carry on!
Anyway…
Goodbye for now!