"...It will take three days?"
"Yes. Requesting data transfer from my alternate selves is quite a daunting task, especially when most of them are burdened with loads of paperwork and their Neptunes' latest shenanigans. However, I did find some answers within the Planeptune Basilicom archive."
"These are...the fuck?!"
"What—? I'm so sorry, Blanc! Goodness, some of these archive staff really aren't doing their jobs properly. But, perverted images aside, have you noticed the magazine's publisher name?"
"The Panason Vivid Press?"
"The girl you are after has mentioned a nation with a similar name, right? There had, indeed, been a nation of Panason during Hyperdimension's 4th Shift Period, but they never managed to gather enough faith to form a Goddess, before the land was annexed into Lastation."
"What else do you know about it?"
"Apart from the abundance of poorly made adult magazines and porn games, Panason was well-known for their resentment towards Planeptune and Lowee, whom they called 'the Tyranny of Purple and White'. But..."
"But what?"
"Most nations of that generation were not too fond of Planeptune and Lowee. Especially Lowee. To be fair, their resentment wasn't entirely unwarranted."
"Food's here!" C-Sha announced as she walked into the train compartment, with several large bags of snacks and drinks in her arms. Rei briefly made eye contact with her, before shifting her sight to the lake outside. C-Sha put the whole bundle onto the table and sat down in front of Rei.
"Are you still worried about the pizza shop?"
Blanc insisted that she took the woman back with her, to assist the investigation, despite Rei's feeble protests that she would not be of any use whatsoever. Maybe that was why Rei had barely said anything apart from "yes", "no" and "sorry", ever since they boarded the train.
"...A little."
"Oh, I'm sure Iffy can keep that Nepgeo girl in line. Plus, she's just a substitute. You'd still have your job when you came back." C-Sha assured her. Right at that moment, a catchy chiptune melody came out of her handbag. She reached inside and grabbed the phone.
"Hiya. What's up?"
"Oh, hello, Miss C-Sha," Rom mumbled. "W-We wanna ask you a question—"
She let out a yelp, before Ram's cheerful voice burst out of the speaker. "Don't be silly. Of course ghosts count as wildlife!"
"Ghosts?" C-Sha frowned. "Didn't I ask you not to go after anything dangerous?"
"No, you tell us not to go after anything that'll eat Sir Airuu, and ghosts don't need to eat! Right, Rom?"
"Eh, I guess that's technically true." C-Sha shrugged. "Where are you now?"
"In the garden. The kitty is being a dummy and not taking my photo, and Rom said it was because ghosts aren't critters. Duh, what if it's a ghost puppy or a ghost bird? That should totally count!"
Rom made a small whimpering sound. "Ghost animals are still scary. I-I don't want to wake up early tomorrow, and go in there again."
"Come on, we are Junior Hunters! Exploring is our job!"
"B-But Hunters don't hunt ghosts. That's like, Ghostbusters..."
"Well, why can't we be the brand-new Super Mega Ghost-busting Hunters—?"
"That's a cool team name, I have to admit." C-Sha chuckled. "I still don't really know what's going on here, though. Tell me about your little adventure from the beginning, please?"
"Ram woke me up, and said she saw a ghost in the garden. I was still sleepy and don't wanna go, so she just ran off on her own, and..." Rom paused, "I got so scared that I went down there too, after a while. But there's nothing in there—"
"That's not true! I took a photo from the window, before it went into the bushes." Ram's voice cut in again, "Let's send it to her, Rom."
A beep soon came out of the speaker. C-Sha looked down at her phone screen and squinted really hard at the image. Ram must have been so excited when she took it, judging by the shaky cam and dim light. There was...something near that bush, sure, but all she could see was a blob of greyish black color, with a trace of red at the top.
Wait.
"I think I know who that was, Rammy," C-Sha said. "Financier told you two to stay away from the library, didn't she?"
"Yeah? What does that have to do with our ghost?"
"We have some guest scholars in there. One of them happens to be a ghost lady. She's not a wildlife, and I really don't think you should bother her."
They were totally going to pester Verdna after this. C-Sha made a note to herself to contact Financier immediately, after the call was over.
"...Okay," Rom said. "D-Do you know where we can find wild critters? I've been reading up on some books, but all the pretty ones they mentioned are either sleeping in a cave, or have moved to warmer nations."
"Really, Rom?" Ram groaned. "We can fly! No place is too far for us!"
"But big sister told us not to get into trouble—"
"Well, we won't. She didn't ban us from setting foot outside of the Basilicom, and she definitely didn't say we couldn't go to another nation while she's away!"
"Hmm. I happen to know a good place." C-Sha said. "It's called the Delfino Lake Park, and it's right inside the city perimeter! They say the lake looks just like a dolphin when seen from the air, and I don't know how true that is. Maybe you two can help me find out?"
A cheerful "Sure!" and "Um, okay" could be heard, before the call ended.
"What's the PC Continent like, before it was a bunch of islands?"
"Huh?" She glanced at Dameko, who was standing right below the lighthouse window. She was not expecting that question, especially in the middle of her regular morning greetings.
"You said it was a full chunk of land in ancient times, just like ours," Dameko said. "But you didn't say anything else! Ooh, is that a cliffhanger?"
"Not really, because...we don't know much either. But only monsters can thrive in such a harsh, chaotic world. Their civilizations have all collapsed when the continent broke apart in the First Resonance, and..."
"Some said that the mineral we used to keep our landmass afloat was the crystallized faith of the monsters." She paused. "And by 'some', I mean 'a very small group of crazy conspiracy cultists'. They also said they were the heirs of an ancient bloodline, stretching all the way back to the monster civilizations, so you really shouldn't trust them to get anything right."
"That's even cooler!" Dameko's eyes lit up. "Can you like, take me with you when you get back? Maybe we can go search for the treasures of the monster kingdoms together!"
...Was this kind of tale really so exciting to little children? Maybe she shouldn't feel so bad about falling for it when she was young.
"Even if there are treasures, they'd be twenty miles under the sea," she said. "But you can go ask Shauni, when she gets back? By the way, thanks for your help yesterday."
Really. This little kid was like one of those princesses in Governor Dis-chu's old movies. She wouldn't be surprised if Dameko could summon whatever wildlife she fancied with a song or something.
"No prob! If Shauni agreed to take you there, I'm sure she wouldn't say no to the best junior wildlife detective." Dameko gave her a thumbs-up. "Are we gonna start taking today's photo?"
"Yeah. I'll come down here soon." She nodded. "How about you go wait for me in the hangar?"
Dameko gave her a salute and disappeared behind the lush greenery. Turning away from the window, her sight fleeted across the beds for a while, before she finally decided to make her way over there, and picked up the small screwdriver lying below the draping blankets.
Just in case.
Dameko was still a kid who might not be able to defend herself in the face of danger, even with her magical backpack. Seriously, who allowed her to wander in the wild all day? Her mysteriously absent sister who gifted her a phone from some lost-and-found corner? That was...very responsible of her.
Yeah. Like you have any right to look down on others for being irresponsible.
She clenched her fists and shook her head. No. As soon as she returned home, this would no longer be the case.
"Open up, Miss Shauni's brother! This is your friendly neighborhood coast guard, Sergeant Hubert H.!"
A booming voice suddenly rang through the air, followed by a round of loud banging. She halted her steps, and slowly backed away from the spiral stairs leading down to the first floor.
"Dios mío!" Primo exclaimed, before the main gate opened with a loud thud. "Didn't I tell you that Shauni's on a trip? Also, is my name that hard to remember?"
"Of course. As much as I await Miss Shauni's return, it is my duty that has taken me to your doors!" Hubert H. said in a comically serious voice. "Per standard protocol, a sergeant of Lowee's coast guard must assist the local Guild branches when necessary. And they have received an update to the Wanted List."
"Si? What does that have to do with us?"
She stood there, frozen, a hand against her mouth. They were still after her. How could she forget that?
"Well, it...doesn't, really. According to the Guild, their newest suspect on the list was last seen inside the capital city. But you know, it never hurts to be vigilant—Carlston and Pitzer, page 69!" A pause. "Here are the wanted posters. Just keep an eye out for any suspicious figures, my fellow citizen?"
"Eh, at your service, I guess. Anything else?"
"No! I'm off to plaster more of these posters inside the town. Enjoy your breakfast, and tell Shauni I say hello when she gets back!" Heavy footsteps made their way into her ears, going further and further away. She heaved a sigh of relief, and leaned against the wall—
Her eyes widened when she heard a clicking sound coming from below her elbow. She turned back, just in time to see the glowing handprint on the door switch, before the automated staircase door to the roof slid open.
"Hey, what the heck is that sound?"
"Je ne sais pas." There was a hint of nervousness in Primo's voice, despite his best efforts to disguise it as simple confusion. "Woof must've run up there again? That dog really likes to sneak into Shauni's room."
"Really? Woof has learned how to open doors?" Hubert H. gasped. "Still, I can't let it mess up Miss Shauni's photos and book collections. Let's go catch that unruly canine!"
"Sure—Crap!" A loud clang, followed by a low curse. "Désolé, there goes another cup. Uncle P's gonna have my hide when he comes back."
"No worries, Hubert H. is here to help!"
Muttering a dozen silent thanks for Primo's distraction, she quickly made her way up the stairwell, trying her best to muffle the sounds of her footsteps.
At last, she came to a halt near the door to the rooftop and saw the lock on its hatch. Slowly and shakily, she crouched down. There was no way she could hide from their sight in this dead end, but maybe they wouldn't come all the way up here, and would only take a brief peek...
"Woof's trying to get up to the roof? That's strange." The loud voice echoed through the staircase. Her heart skipped a beat when the wooden stairs creaked under the man's boots. Don't walk up the stairs. Just don't. I'm begging you.
There was suddenly a barking sound, followed by a yelp.
"There you are, good boy!" A pause. "Wait, if Woof's here, who—?"
"Non, non. We have it all wrong." Primo said in an exasperated voice. "I know it! That old fool must've broken the door circuits during his 'maintenance' again! And he has the guts to say that the whole place would fall apart without him..."
"Is that so? Unfortunately, I'm no engineer, so I can't help with that!"
After one last faint thud, coming from below, there was only dead silence. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and wiped the sweat off her forehead.
The moment she entered the hangar, Dameko stood up from the dock and gave her a running hug, which almost knocked her over.
"You're here! What took you so long?"
"Nothing. I just forgot where my phone was," she said. Dameko's childish enthusiasm was hitting uncomfortably close to home right now. "Before we start, I...have something to ask of you. Can we not meet near the lighthouse next time? Or anywhere in town, really."
"Okay, but why?"
"Uh, you know, just to give it this secret mission feel?" She squeezed out an awkward smile. "Besides, there are almost no animals around these places."
"Yeah, that's true. I also think you shouldn't lie to me."
She flinched a little at Dameko's words. "What?"
"Come on. I'm not a dummy. Something, or someone, is making you all nervous and fired up." Dameko wiggled her eyebrow. "Do I have to say it out loud?"
"I, uh, don't know what you are thinking, but I'm not—" She replied, in a tone that didn't even sound convincing to herself. Crap. Had Dameko already seen one of those wanted posters, before Hubert H. came here?
"I'll give you one last chance. It really isn't something to be embarrassed about, you know?" Dameko raised a hand into the air, and started counting, "Five, four, three, two, one..."
"Listen, I can explain—"
"You are trying to escape from the Self-appointed Photographic Genius Guy!" Dameko said, with a victorious grin on her face.
"...Pardon me?"
"Oh, you know, that old guy in a top hat? Who keeps interrupting your quests and asking you to say 'Fuzzy Pickles', while he took pictures of you?"
She nodded, in slow motion, too stunned to say anything in response.
"Darn, you must be like, the only other girl who'd seen him. All the grown-ups just think he's my imaginary friend. He's not, and he's super annoying." Dameko made a funny face. "If he's popping up again, I don't wanna stay here anymore. Let's hope he doesn't follow us into the woods."
Between questioning Dameko's bizarre leap in logic and suggesting that she should ask the local police for a restraining order against that creepy stalker guy, she chose to keep her mouth shut in the end. It was...for the best. Really.
"This is like Gertie's 'Ms. X' all over again." She muttered to herself, once she was outside the hangar, and out of Dameko's earshot.