•[•]•[•] Hiroshi [•]•[•]•
A few days had passed since our plan for recruiting the Loweeans had come into fruition. Unfortunately, we were unable to make any progress aside from putting the facts on the table. Another meeting is being held in the Extradimensional Dispersion clubroom, and all of the current members are present and active in the discussion.
"So has anyone made any arrangements for meeting Blanc and the twins?" Neptune takes a glance around the room. Receiving nothing more than averted gazes, the purplette lets out a defeated sigh.
"Actually, I have a question." I speak up. "Have we decided on the people who are going to visit Blanc? I don't ever recall us answering that question when it was brought up last time."
"I believe that we should have Hiroshi and Nepgear go." Noire suggests, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Wh-why me?" Nepgear and I stammer in unison.
"I agree with Noire." Neptune nods in approval. "Hiroshi should go so that he can personally meet the Loweeans. Out of all of us, Nepgear is the closest to the twins so they would be the perfect pair to visit them. Anyone else, I'm afraid, would only cause distress to the Loweeans."
"So it has been decided," Vert says with a clap of her hands. "When we receive confirmation from Blanc, we will send you two over to the Loweean household."
"A-actually," Nepgear speaks up, "I just received a text message from Blanc saying that she'd much appreciate it if we come as soon as possible. She sent her address as well."
"W-well," Noire says with a small twitch in her eyebrow. "That was a bit convenient. Maybe a bit too convenient."
"I guess that just means that the audience just can't wait to see Blanc in this story any longer!" Nep exclaims, receiving a numerous amount of glares from around the room.
"I-I suppose that just means that we're one step closer to our return to Gamindustri!" Nepgear avoids Nep's statement with a cough.
"Also," Noire stands up, pulling out her Share Crystal. "While you're there, ask if she has a Share Crystal. The three of us already have ours, so I believe that if all four of us have one, something might happen."
"Noire does have a point." Nep furrows her brow.
"So we should ask her about her Share Crystal, correct?" I reiterate what had been said, receiving a nod. "Is there anything else that I should ask?"
"Actually," Vert speaks up. "A-although it would be out of place for me to ask this, make sure that you ask her if she'd be okay transferring into this school, as well as joining this club." What does she mean by, "it would be out of place for me to ask?" I think to myself, giving her a nod in confirmation.
"With that said," Neptune stands up with a smile. "I guess this means that this meeting will be adjourned. We've got a solid plan for our next course of action, so hopefully everything will go according to plan. If all goes well, Nepgear and Hiroshi's little meet-n-greet with Blanc will be successful so that we can move forward. Have a good day, everyone, and the two of you, make sure you get some good info for our next meeting, okay?"
"Of course," I say, glancing at Nepgear, who gives me a small nod.
Watching as the other club members leave, I find that Vert, Neptune, Nepgear and Noire had remained in their seats.
"H-hey, Hiroshi?" I turn and Noire looks at me with a blush on her face. "Make sure you stay safe. B-but it's not like I'm worried about you or anything!"
"I'll make sure that Nepgear and I return safely, so don't worry about us, okay?" Turning to Nepgear, she looks up at me with a smile.
"Would you like to head out now?" The purplette stands up, her phone in hand. "It wouldn't hurt to head over there right away."
"Sure." I stand up with a nod.
"When will you two be getting back?" Noire speaks up, the two of us turn back to her.
"I would guess maybe around a few hours. I'm not sure how things will turn out, but if everything goes according to plan, we'll get the information that we need and hopefully Blanc will be okay with joining the club. You can head home now if you'd like. I'll text you when I'm headed home, if that makes you feel any better." I say, giving Noire a reassuring smile.
"D-do whatever you want, you idiot! I-I'll go home and make dinner for you when you come back." Her face burns red as she gets up from her chair and grabs her bag. "Don't stay out too late, okay?"
"Also, don't worry about getting Blanc to tell you everything; we can interrogate her when she joins the club." We look at the front of the room to find Neptune looking at us. "Truth be told, there isn't much that we can do without Histy, no matter how much information we get. But, let's stay optimistic and remain steadfast! Good luck, you two."
•[•]•[•] Noire [•]•[•]•
Watching Nepgear and Hiroshi exit the room, I turn to look at Neptune, whose eyes were closed.
"Is everything alright?" I speak up, Neptune opening her eyes and turning her gaze towards me.
"Yeah, I'm okay." She responds, but the expression on her face says otherwise.
"Can I do something to help?"
"I'm just confused about the fact that Nep and I were split, but not the rest of you CPUs." She puts a hand on her chin in thought.
"Now that you mention it, you're right. Why were you split?" I say, staring out of the window.
"I'm not entirely sure. It wouldn't be as strange if someone else was split from their HDD, but I was the only one who was split. What's even more mysterious, and scary," She looks at me with a hint of worry in her eyes, "is that although I have the Share Crystal, I don't have even a single drop of Share Energy within me."
"What!?" Vert and I exclaim in unison, disbelief washing over us as we stare dumbfoundedly at Planeptune's CPU.
"H-how is that possible?" I clear my throat, calming myself down.
"I'm not entirely sure myself. I had my powers up until recently, but one thing that I'm sure of is the reason why Nep and I have split is potentially a factor."
"Yes, that does bring up a concern," Vert says, looking between the two of us.
"What about you, Vert?" Neptune looks at the Leanboxian CPU. "Is there anything that's concerning you?"
"Although I have yet to mention this to the rest of the group, I have full access to my HDD and Share Crystal, just like you, Noire." As she finishes speaking, she stands up and holds a closed fist to her chest. Watching as a verdant, green glow engulfs her, she reappears as Green Heart, her olive-green ponytail replacing her golden-blonde hair.
"Why didn't you mention it in the meeting?" I ask.
"I simply forgot to." She shrugs, turning back into her human form. "I'll be sure to mention it at the next meeting, so remind me to do so, will you?"
"Of course." I nod. I find myself thinking about the time in Imayoshi, where I was nearly kidnapped. Something about that time back in Imayoshi seemed pretty suspicious. Out of all of the people that they had to target, it had to be me. What's even worse is that I didn't even get a chance to see who it was that attempted to abduct me. I was too flustered and in-the-moment to think clearly. What if…? My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of the intercom spewing out some call for a student's presence in the headmistress' office.
"Well, I'd better get home before I miss my next raid. I'll see you two at the next meeting." Vert was the first one to take her leave, taking her bag and exiting the room.
"I suppose we should get going as well." Neptune says. "Are you going to stay here? I can give you the keys to lock the door when you leave."
Shaking my head no, I stand up from my chair and grab my belongings. "I better get home so that I can finish up my homework and make dinner for Hiroshi."
"Oh?" She responds with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't know that you cooked."
"A-ah… w-well…" I feel my face burning red as I fiddle with my fingers. "I-it's a hobby that I picked up recently!"
"Ah, okay. Not for any particular reason right?" Neptune winks at me.
"N-no particular reason!" I pass Planeptune's Goddess with a huff. "I will be taking my leave now."
"Take care, Noire." The two of us say farewell and I begin to make my way home.
•[•]•[•] Hiroshi [•]•[•]•
"This should be it." Nepgear stops in front of a house in a neighborhood near Ksugakari High. "At least, that's what the address says."
"Well," I say, observing the supposed Loweean residence. "Let's check it out, shall we?" With a small nod, Nepgear begins to make her way onto the porch, leaving me to follow behind her.
Ringing the doorbell, we wait for someone to answer the door. Nepgear looks back at me, a goofy grin plastered on her face. It seems like Nepgear's excited to see someone. I think to myself, smiling back at her. It wasn't long before we heard small footsteps scamper down the hallway, a pair of voices sound, gradually getting closer to the door.
"W-wait! R-Ram, Blanc hasn't allowed us to open the door for strangers!" A small, unsteady voice sounds from behind the door.
"But I saw Nepgear in the camera! There's no way that's not her! M-more importantly, why is she here? Ooh, I'm so excited to see Nepgear again!" A more boisterous voice shouts back at the other one. We suddenly hear the door unlock before flying open in front of us, revealing two, young girls.
The brunettes appeared to be twins, for they shared nearly symmetrical appearances. One of the brunettes had shoulder-length hair while the other had longer hair, and the one with shorter hair was clutching onto the other's arm. The other brunette, however, looked at Nepgear with wide eyes, frozen in place. Both were dressed in white blouses, a pink bow accompanying the girl with the longer hair, a blue bow accompanying the other.
"Uh, Nepgear? Who are these two?" I look over at Nepgear, whose eyes are practically shining now, her smile growing even bigger.
The girl who had been frozen in place had managed to regain possession of her body, for she lifts up a finger, pointing towards Nepgear, and exclaims, "N-Nepgear!?"
"That's my name!" Nepgear pulls the two girls into an embrace, leaving me to stand in front of the door in confusion. "It's been way too long since I've seen the two of you!"
"Y-yeah, it's been too long!" The short-haired brunette says.
"I miss you, Nepgear! It's been super boring being stuck in this house! Especially because Blanc is here dictating us! I miss Mina!" The two brunettes then burst into tears, wailing into Nepgear's arms. These three must've been really good friends back in Gamindustri. I think to myself. It's been nearly three months since these girls had left their dimension.
"By the way," The brunette with longer hair wipes the tears from her eyes and steps away from Nepgear's embrace, staring at me with suspicion. "Who's that guy? Did you come to us so that we could save you from this creep?"
"Creep." The word pierced through me like an arrow. That hurts, you know. I let out a sigh and rub the back of my head.
"No, he isn't a creep at all! In fact, it's the opposite." Nepgear stands up and steps back, introducing me to the twins. "This is Fujita-san, one of my friends…" She begins to give a brief explanation as to why I was here, but then elaborated on the reason why the two of us were here in the first place. Just as Nepgear had finished with her explanation, an older girl, one that looked of our age, appeared at the end of the hallway. She appeared to be wearing an oversized, light-brown sweater, and a pair of white shorts. Her hair was shoulder length, and was of similar shade to the two girls before me.
"Who is ther-" She begins to speak up, cutting herself off once her eyes find Nepgear. I could've sworn that I had seen a flash of joy in her eyes momentarily before her eyes flicked to mine, returning to a dull stare. "I see you've received my text, Nepgear."
"Yes, I got your message!" Nepgear explains. "And besides, I wanted to see you guys so badly, so I couldn't help but come here as soon as possible!"
"If I may ask," The mature brunette then clears her throat and directs a cold stare at me. "Who is this man? I don't recall inviting him over."
"This is Hiroshi Fujita, a friend and classmate of mine." She introduces me to the brunette. "He was told to come over here to get to know you, as well as to be able to get to know more about the situation in Gamindustri."
"Well, if he has no ill intentions then I suppose it would be rude of me to deny his company. It would be better for us to hold a proper conversation in a more comfortable place, rather than standing around here. Come on inside."
The two of us exchanged glances before stepping inside of the Loweean household, watching as the two girls dash down the hallway, disappearing around the corner as they chase each other into the next hallway. Letting my eyes roam the house, the two of us make our way through the hallway.
Their house was well maintained, almost as clean as mine. There were pots and vases, filled with flowers of all kinds, sitting on top of various pedestals with embroideries and decorations. There was the occasional, sporadic picture frame, filled with paintings and portraits that looked as though the twins had made them. It seemed like the Loweeans had just cleaned, for I could see the faint strokes of a mop that streaked across the wooden floor. Turning the corner, Nepgear and I find ourselves in their living room. To the right were a set of sliding glass doors, which opened to the backyard of the house. In between the doors and the two of us were a set of couches, and a coffee table in between. Sitting on the couch facing towards us were the three brunettes, the two adolescents sitting on either side of who seemed to be the eldest.
"Have a seat." The brunette in the middle offered the couch on the opposing side of her. Gratefully accepting her offer, the two of us take a seat. "I believe I have yet to introduce myself to you, Fujita-san. I'm Blanc, the Loweean CPU, and these are my younger, twin sisters, Rom and Ram."
"I'm Ram!" The brunette with the longer hair raised a hand, grinning. "Sorry for calling you a creep, Fujita-san!"
"I-I'm Rom!" The other twin, with shorter, brown hair spoke softly, with a lack of confidence in her voice.
"It's a pleasure to meet you three." I introduce myself once again before continuing. "If you don't mind us, we'd like to get right to business."
"Of course." Blanc nods, clasping her hands together on her lap.
Nepgear's jovial smile turned more serious. She then proceeds to explain the situation back in Ksugakari High; the CPUs writing and receiving letters from the other Gamindustrians; our Extradimensional Dispersion Club; gathering every CPU and Candidate; lastly, the Share Crystals.
"That just about sums up the stuff that we'd like to know about. Specifically, if you know anything else about any of this." I conclude the motives of our conversation. We watch as Blanc furrows her brow, her hands pressed into her thighs, taking in all of the information we had given.
"Well, I do know this." She finally looks up at Nepgear and I, the two of us bracing for her response. "I think that I know how to get back to Gamindustri."
A/N
Hey! How are you doing? I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long! I've decided to post weekly, so hopefully that isn't too long of a break in between chapters. Anyway, how'd you enjoy the chapter? Things are finally starting to build up... how will things turn out? It's about time to introduce Blanc and the twins! I'm finally able to include all of the characters (go me)! Make sure to review and follow/fav if you're enjoying the story so far! I hope that you have an amazing day (: