"Okay, class! Time's up! If you're finished, hand in your test so that we can head to lunch!" Our homeroom teacher, Mr. Jameson, announces the end of our math final. Everyone sighs with relief as they quickly pass their tests up to the front. The school day was ending in a short, four hours. My first summer break from Ksugakari High would start soon. Placing the stack of papers on top of his desk, Mr. Jameson looks up at us and clears his throat.
"After lunch, we're gonna take care of the rest of these tests, okay?" Everyone lets out a groan, waiting for the bell to chime. "Anyway, the bell is about to ring, so why don'tcha get out to lunch early? It wouldn't hurt to have a few extra minutes of lunch."
Eagerly accepting his offer, my classmates bid their farewells to each other as they file out of the classroom. Instead of going to the cafeteria like I normally do, I head up the spiraling staircase and open the door to the roof. I never understood the reason why people go up to the roof, but today being the last day of school, it wasn't like I couldn't… right?
School hasn't been great, but it also hasn't been that bad. Usually, you would think that high school is the time to shine and make incredible memories, but for me, I have yet to experience anything like that. It's only my first year here, so I can't be complaining about it too much. Honestly, it was quite the drastic change, going from middle school to high school. I thought that it would be easy to get to know people, but meeting new people here was a little harder than I had anticipated.
Suddenly, the door to the roof begins to open, my attention shifting from my thoughts to the door. The student president, Keiko Fujiyoshi, had peeked her head through the door, her lunch in hand. I finish chewing the bite in my mouth, setting down my sandwich. I stand up to the president and give her a small wave.
"It's an honor to see you here, Fujiyoshi-san. What brings you here?"
"This is usually where I come to eat. I wasn't expecting anyone to come up here," She explains but then gestures to the sandwich in my hand. "Do you mind if I join you?"
"I don't mind! In fact, I would love the company. Honestly, I wasn't expecting myself to be here either." The two of us share a laugh and Fujiyoshi-san makes her way over to me. Sitting down, the two of us begin to eat our lunches in silence, neither one successful in initiating a conversation.
As I take the last bite of my sandwich, she speaks up. "Fujita-san, would you like to accompany me to the principal's office?"
"O-of course." I quickly finish my lunch and begin to worry. "Am I in trouble?"
Shaking her head, she gives me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble. However, she had asked me to tell you that she would like to talk to you about something privately."
"Here we are, Fujita-san." Fujiyoshi-san turns to me with a smile as the two of us stop in front of the principal's office.
"Thanks for accompanying me, Fujiyoshi-san." We say our farewells before beginning to part ways.
As she passes me, I hear her murmur, "Apparently, their name is, 'Noire.'"
Entering the room, I find a woman staring at me with a gaze of expectancy, and on her desk is a black envelope with a white, wax rose.
"I've been expecting you." She speaks up as I approach her desk. The headmistress stands up and walks towards me, letter in hand. "This is a letter for you. Is it from someone whom you know? Next time, tell them to mail it to you personally."
"I've never seen something like this, nor do I know who this came from. How did you find it?" I examine the letter, looking for any signs of recognition.
"I went to take care of some business and when I came back, it was on my desk." She picks up a sticky note from her desk and hands it to me. On the note, it reads, "Give this to Hiroshi Fujita immediately."
"When should I open it?" I ask.
"Who knows?" She sits back into her chair, glancing at the clock. "You better run along now. It would be embarrassing if you were to be late to class on the last day of school."
•[•]•[•] Meanwhile in Another Dimension [•]•[•]•"Hey, Onee-chan? Is there any more work that needs to be done today?" Uni asks as she appears in the doorway.
"No, there hasn't been much to do lately because of those Seven Sages constantly biting our behinds." I respond with a frustrated grumble.
Suddenly hearing a buzz from my desk, I quickly file the papers in my hand and glance at my phone. Picking it up, one message had filled up the screen: "Everyone! There's trouble here in Planeptune! It's the Seven Sages again! Come ASAP!" Speak of the devil. Hopefully we will finish things quickly this time, once and for all.
The Seven Sages are a group of evildoers that have only one goal: To make Gamindustri a land that is completely authoritarian. Since there's the four nations, Planeptune, Lastation, Lowee and Leanbox, each being ruled by their respective CPU, Console Patron Unit, the Seven Sages have been targeting and trying to eliminate us. Unfortunately, they have turned the tides on us recently. As a result, we have been struggling to maintain our rate of Shares, which is fueled by the faith of our people.
Clenching my teeth, I shove my phone into my pocket and begin to prepare for battle. Uni, on the other hand, looks at me expectantly, waiting for me to give her the "OK" for her to get ready.
"Hey, Uni, it looks like the Seven Sages are back in business so we're gonna head over there now. Go grab your rifle and we'll head out as soon as you're ready." I glance at Uni and she nods.
"Make sure you pack plenty of potions because this fight could get pretty ugly," Uni warns me, slinging her rifle over her shoulder.
"Hey, Uni. Drink this before we go. It's a very important elixir that Histy was able to get a hold of for us in case there's an emergency in battle." I hand her a potion labeled, "dimensional transportation," before consuming one myself. I toss a teleport scroll to Uni, who catches it, the two of us teleport to Planeptune.
"Is everyone alright!?" I shout as the two of us dash towards the battlefield watching blasts and bursts of energy dance across my field of view. I notice Nepgear flying towards us in her HDD and I wave to her.
"Yes, we're managing so far! We've already defeated two out of the seven!" She shouts as another blast makes the ground shake before dashing off to fight more mobs.
"Let's not waste anymore time talking, Uni! Let's go!" She nods and we both rush into the battle.
The first of the Sages that we run into is Copypaste, the giant mech. Transforming into my HDD form, I summon my sword and besides me, Uni glows a bright white and transforms into Black Sister.
"Well if it isn't the Lastation sisters! Lucky me! They're easy prey!" Copypaste turns towards us with a cackle, "You're never going to beat me with that toothpick and nerf gun of yours! All it takes is a hit to the head and you girls are KO'd!" He taunts us but we pay no attention to him.
"Defeating us won't be that easy, you clump of metal!" I growl and dash towards Copypaste. As he reaches out to grab me, I quickly dodge his hand and stab my sword into his wrist, dragging it up his metallic arm as I get closer and closer to his core.
"Gah! You weaklings bring shame to the Seven Sages!" Copypaste grunts and shakes his arm, flinging me off of him. I quickly regained my balance and jet back towards him as Uni takes a few shots at his face, throwing him off guard.
"Infinite Slash!" I chant the skill as my blade glows a bright white. I dash around him, taking wide slashes at Copypaste's body, hearing him creak and limp forward as oil spurts out of each gash I make. Finishing the combo, I flip my hair victoriously as his parts fall apart and crash to the floor with a loud thud.
"Three down. Four more to go!" I let out a triumphant laugh, summoning my wings, flying deeper into the battle.
"Foolish CPU's! You'll never be able to beat me at this rate!" A woman cloaked in pitch black smoke and red lightning cackles as she shoots a bolt of dark energy at one of our comrades, Neptune. She cries out in pain, falling to her knees, clutching her chest. Uni and I find the rest of our friends fighting Arfoire: the most powerful, apparently the last, of the Seven Sages. Although we had her clearly outnumbered, it didn't seem likely that we were going to win against the powerful enchantress.
"You're not getting away this time! Blanc, let's do this!" Vert exclaims and the two of them dash towards Arfoire only to be thrown into a building as if they were just a speck of dust. Arfoire cackles as she begins to shoot more dark energy at the fallen Neptune in an attempt to finish her off, only to be stopped by Nepgear's sword.
"Don't hurt my friends, you evil woman!" Nepgear slices her way through the dark matter and takes a stab at Arfoire. She barely moves a finger before sending Nepgear into Ram, knocking the two CPU Candidates unconscious.
Uni jumps onto the branch of a tree and takes a shot at Arfoire, successfully landing a hit on her arm. In an instant, Arfoire appears in front of Uni with a smirk, stabbing her with Neptune's sabre through the chest like a knife slicing through butter.
I couldn't do anything but watch in horror as the massacre unfolds. It was as if I was living in a nightmare: Uni's body falling out of the tree and onto the ground; Arfoire laughing like a maniac; Nepgear and Ram unconscious on top of each other; Neptune had reverted into her human form, struggling to even get up; Vert and Blanc buried underneath the rubble of a collapsed building. I dash towards Uni and pick her up, scanning the area for anywhere to hide. Hoping that Arfoire doesn't notice, I quickly hide us in a ruined building. The light in Uni's eyes slowly fades away as I shakily pull out a potion from my inventory.
"Come on, Uni... Please stay alive! Please!" I plead as she consumes the potion. I sigh with relief as her breath stabilizes and the giant gash in her chest slowly seals.
"Thanks, Onee-chan." She thanks me and I give her a smile.
"Let's see if we can get to the others before it's too late and without Arfoire noticing." I say and Uni gives me a nod, the two of us exiting the building. Much to our dismay, Arfoire was standing right in front of the building with a smirk.
"You honestly thought that I was dumb enough not to notice you?" She sighs and puts a palm to her forehead. "Although, I guess it doesn't really matter because you and your stupid nations will be no more after I'm finished with you all!" She cackles as I see a black ball of energy forming above her head as she starts chanting a spell. I dig my heels into the ground as Uni hides behind me, her gun ready.
"As a gift for you two being the last to survive, I will be kind enough to show you my newfound power! Behold!" Suddenly, a bottomless void appears underneath Uni and me. "Are you impressed? Oh, it doesn't even matter anyway. Well then, goodbye CPUs and Gamindustri!" Arfoire cackles loudly and the two of us start falling into the mass of dark energy below us hearing the last of the Seven Sages walk off, cackling even louder as she walks away, leaving Uni and I to fall to our doom.