Vert was completely convinced that she was living in a nightmare. It was, quite obviously, the only logical conclusion the blonde could simply jump to. There was clearly no other option.

Why else would she be a complete and utter failure as an older sister?

How else could she so much as even consider asking her fellow CPUs for advice?

Why else would she be entertaining the thought of asking Blanc for aid?

Blanc!

"..."

The Goddess wanted to smack herself. Not in the sense that she would simply make her palm meet her cheek in a sudden manner - that would simply be too easy - the Lady of Green physically wanted to travel back in time, catch herself playing a little sister VN, and promptly slap her past self across the face for being so idiotic.

'If only...'

Vert could only stare at the ceiling with an expression of longing; of despair, even. Her room was pitch black, save for rays of sunlight barely popping out the green translucent curtains. The CPU assumed it was sunrise; possibly the earliest she had ever woken up. There was a good reason for it, of course: the Lady Green Heart of Leanbox had been so troubled by her sisterly dilemma that she had abstained from sleep for quite some time.

'Oh my, have I only received an hour's worth of sleep...?' thought Vert, widening her eyes, 'If it truly is the break of dawn, and I attempted sleep around four... gracious...'

The CPU's sleep schedule was an odd one, but it had never gotten to this point.

'Chika would blow a gasket if she found out. Actually, perhaps 'gasket' is an understatement...' The CPU sighed. 'She really does worry too much, but her worry is justified nonetheless...'

Lady Green Heart really did suck at taking care of herself.

But…

'Trivial thoughts will not ignore the situation at hand, though I can try with all of my power...'

That's right. Verna. The young child who deserved far better than her.

'I am such a fool... to think video game knowledge could work in real life...'

The CPU could already hear the mocking laughter; the scornful comments from Blanc especially. Goddess knows the brunette would die for a chance like that.

Which is why it was essential to keep the child away from her for as long as possible, if only for the sake of her already crumbling pride.

'I feel so... helpless...'

It had only been a single day, yet so much had happened. In just twenty-four hours, Lady Green Heart's whole world was turned upside down.

'It was supposed to be the happiest moment of my life...' she thought to herself, gripping the body pillow next to her. 'But it had all gone wrong so quickly...'

It was simply unfair! She wanted nothing more than to give the new Candidate all the love and support any great big sister would, but…

'To have been blessed with a little sister at long last, only to fall flat on my face. How cruel...' the CPU whimpered in her mind. 'Is this my fate? To forever be the single worst elder sister in Gamindustri?' The Leanboxian CPU shuddered at the thought. 'In that case, Verna deserves much better than what I have given her. I am nothing but a failure, a fool...'

Amidst her despair, the woman squeezed her pillow tighter, feeling nothing but absolute-

"Mm..."

... Huh?

"...?"

The ailing big sister was sure that wasn't her imagination. She definitely heard what sounded like an adorable little sound come from the object that was in her arms; an object she thought was her body pillow…

"Big... sis..."

"...!"

But instead it was the very sister she was lamenting about!?

"!"

The CPU nearly had a heart attack, the realization of what she was truly holding striking her like a lightning bolt.

'W-Wha...' Her mind was in the process of rebooting, expressing difficulty in trying to process the adorable sight in her arms.

And then, just as everything became more lucid…

'SocutesocutesocutesocutesocutesocutesocutesocutesocuteSOCUTE!' the woman screamed internally. 'Toocutetoocutetoocutetoocutetoo- AHEM!' Clearing her mental throat, she attempted to put herself in a sitting position.

"Zzz..." The tiny blonde, on the other hand, wrapped her arms around the CPU's waist, quite unwilling to let her older sister get away.

It was adorable.

'Hnnnnnnnnn-'

To say that Vert tried to resist the cuteness would be an overstatement.

She failed miserably, after all.

'Too... cute... Ah...~' The woman collapsed in just a moment, falling right back to her previous position.

"Zzz..." Verna, meanwhile, continued to sleep cutely, still latched onto the woman. Without a second thought, the CPU ran her hand through the young one's hair, eliciting the cutest of giggles from the sleeping girl.

'Truly a blessing...' the woman thought as she cuddled her little sister. 'Looking at her sleeping face alone makes me want to cry in joy. Ah...~'

Her lamenting was halted right then, resulting in clear and sound thoughts to return to her mind.

'Cutecutecutecutecutecutecutecutecutecutecute-'

... Sort of.

"Heehee..." The little girl, for her part, simply giggled in her sleep, snuggling closer to her sister.

'So... adorable... gah...' She couldn't help but squeeze Verna tighter. 'Too adorable...'

"Mm..."

'Far too adorable...'

The CPU almost couldn't believe the happiness she felt as she lied in bed with her little sister, hugging the small girl close; merely holding the child in her arms was enough to expel any negative thoughts from her mind, even if only temporarily!

It was ironic, really; the very girl she was having so much trouble with was the only thing keeping her together.

'Calm down, Vert. You are a thinking creature, you are a focused woman. You should not let this bother you this much!' The woman tried to force sense into her mind. A daunting task, for sure. 'Verna... she looks up to you. She thinks highly of you! You must not let something this trivial weigh you down!'

"Big... sis..." The young one mumbled in her sleep.

'Hnnnnnnn- No, not again!' Forcing her mind away from the cuteness, the CPU instead focused on the task at hand

'I need a plan... of some sort. One that involves improving my skills. As of now, I am below 0...'

Such a task was something the new big sister never thought she would be presented with. Then again, she never expected to completely and utterly doubt her skills as an elder sister in the first place, so the situation came full circle for her. Besides, it was obvious she wasn't going to be sleeping anytime soon, so she might as well use her free time wisely and take action.

'Perhaps I will take to the Internep, but first...'

"Zzz..."

The busty woman had to deal with the sleeping child as carefully as she could possibly manage. Gently, slowly, the woman began sliding away from the younger sister's grip, taking every possible measure not to awaken the little girl.

Useless big sister or not, everyone knows that forcing a little girl awake was a bad idea. Graciously, the CPU slipped out of her sister's tiny grasp. For a brief moment, it seemed like everything had gone perfectly.

"Mm..."

And then the little one stirred in her sleep, her arms reaching out for something to replace her older sister.

"...!" Thinking quick, Vert reached for a nearby pillow and gently placed it near her sister. Not a moment later, the sleeping girl grabbed and squeezed the life out of it, a cute little smile of contentment on her lips.

"Heehee..."

The CPU sighed in relief.

'Crisis averted...'

Feeling more awake than ever, the blonde goddess felt inclined to turn on her computer. If anything was going to aid her in this sisterly catastrophe, surely it was the power of the Internep!

'At least... I should hope so...'

As slowly and silently as possible, the blonde approached her precious computer with incredibly careful movements. It would certainly be prudent to turn on the lights of this dark room for such a task, but chances are doing so would instantly wake Verna.

That was the one thing the older sister was trying to prevent.

As such, walking in the dark it is!

'As I cannot see, I must be very, very careful- OW!' The woman winced, silently screaming in pain as her bare foot met something sharp, to which a crunch followed just a moment later. 'Ugh... I hope that was nothing important...'

Carefully reaching out in front of her body amidst the darkness, the gaming Goddess was eventually able to locate her divine line-up of screens and keyboards. Smiling in satisfaction, the blonde pulled up her elegant green armchair and promptly sat on its cushioned surface.

Without further delay, the CPU activated the middle screen of her complex gaming layout, immediately adjusting its brightness and muting the speakers to ensure that her little sister remained asleep.

"Zzz..." A quick look backwards revealed said little sister cuddling the pillow, holding onto it as if it were a life raft.

'So adorable...!'

Letting her eyes watch over Verna for a few more instants to take in as much cuteness as possible, Vert eventually turned back towards the screen. Inputting her password and pressing enter. It took only a moment for her desktop's wallpaper to show itself in all of its questionably R18 glory.

And just like that, she was almost there.

'Now, let us journey to Goggle...'

The CPU was quick to open the browser and locate the search engine. Her hands hovered over the keyboard, ready to type at a moment's notice.

"..."

'What should I even search for...?'

It was such a simple question, yet unbearably complex. She must become a better big sister, but where should she begin?

Maybe by educating herself on something kids liked these days...?

'Goodness, I feel lost already...' Slumping back in her seat, the woman thought back to all the times Blanc had handed her Rom and Ram. Such occurrences happened when she was either busy or just wanted them out of her hair, but the CPU certainly had not a single objection to that.

Looking back, Vert missed the chance to take advantage of the vast opportunities quite horribly, but she digressed.

'Rom and Ram... I have never properly paid attention to what held their interest...' the CPU bit her lip, eyes narrowing as her frustration grew. 'No, it is far worse than that. In truth, anything would grab their attention...'

"..."

'Well, mostly little Ram, but my point stands.'

So it seemed the twins' countless visits had added up to nothing in the long run. Saying the CPU was disappointed would have been a heavy understatement.

'Now that I think about it, all I have ever done was give them snacks and show them my extensive collections...' The CPU took time to ponder. 'A decision that Blanc screams at me about to this day. It's an acquired taste, but I again digress.'

That said, it was clear that her memories of the twins would be of no help here; She had to dig back further.

'Hm... Nepgear visited quite frequently in the past...' The CPU recalled fondly. 'I do remember having her try on various outfits, and attempting to convert her towards my tastes, but that is as far as my remembrances go...'

It seemed focusing her thoughts on the Planeptune Candidate was equally as useless.

'As for Uni...'

"..."

The woman simply crossed her name off the list, no problems there.

'Well, there is still Peashy... Wait a moment, no, I interacted with her as much as with Uni.'

In other words, she could not even name the small girl's favorite color.

'This is very troubling...' At the realization that she had no names left to think about, a scowl crossed the woman's lips. 'Any past experiences I had with real little sisters were just as worthless as the VNs...! All of my knowledge is useless, useless, useless...!'

Reminiscing about the past only provided Vert more frustration; she had been convinced that her failings had began from the moment Verna was born, but it seemed like her idiocy had its start far earlier than the CPU would care to admit.

At least, not out loud.

'I am such an ignorant dolt...' the woman lifelessly slumped in her chair. 'So thoughtless, so careless, so... dumb. Neptune may as well be a model older sister compared to me. Ghk...' The thought alone was a crippling blow to the CPU's already wounded pride. 'To think I boasted myself as superior for so long, I feel like a fool...'

Letting out a long sigh, the woman straightened her posture in her seat, directing her blue eyes towards the screen before her. The Goggle logo stared right back, as if it were mocking her in some fashion.

It wasn't, however; it was only a lifeless logo. Any feeling it elicited from the CPU had its roots deep inside her own mind.

And she hated that.

'I promised myself I would not let this weigh me down. I know I am better than this...' The woman glanced back at her little sister with hesitant azure eyes. The little girl slept peacefully on her elegant bed. 'I must retain a favorable state of mind, or else I will never get anywhere...'

Sighing for what she hoped to be the final time, Vert directed her sight back to the screen, just as her fingers began typing. 'How... to be... a good... big sister... Goodness, that sounds pathetic...' Her inquiry fully written, the CPU immediately pressed the enter key, and thousands of results popped up instantly.

Without further ado, the woman began inspecting every link, seeking the answer to all her troubles. Of course, the very first link she clicked on proved to be unhelpful right off the bat.

'How To Be A Great Big Sister F-For Dummies?' The woman's eyes went wide at the title of the book. 'Goddess, how insulting...'

"..."

"..."

"..."

'Add to cart...'

Moving on from her incredibly shameful purchase, the CPU followed up her search with a website that appeared to specialize with her struggles.

'Wondering why you're a failure as a sibling?' she read silently. 'Is your little sister considering moving out because she can't stand to be in your presence anymore? Don't worry, there is help!'

"..."

"..."

"..."

'I will now proceed to click the X button...'

Another hit on her broken self-esteem. Life was relentless.

'It's as if the world loves watching me suffer. Rgh...' Just barely holding in her frustration, the blonde woman clicked page after page the Goggle results placed, foregoing her meticulous search in favor of simply looking for something, anything, that can catch her attention.

'Hm... I do wonder if Verna would show any interest in my collections,' the Goddess pondered. 'It certainly sounds far-fetched, but I shouldn't ignore possibilities- Oh?'

Suddenly, a certain ad near the top of a page caught her eye.

It wasn't anything that made it stand out from the rest–in truth, it was quite stale and standard on all accounts–but something about it called out to the Lady of Green.

'Bug... hunting...?'

Somehow, for whatever reason, the random mention of that particular outdoor activity made the CPU pause and think.

Personally, she was indifferent to insects, while Chika outright hated bugs and would screech at the mere sight of them; Cave, in the meantime, was quite fond of the minuscule beings.

But none of that answered the most important question.

'Would Verna like hunting... insects...?'

Needless to say, the CPU simply didn't know; she was both horribly out of touch with what children liked these days – something she would never utter out loud due to obvious age-related implications – and completely unsure as to her sisters tastes.

'However, she is a child. There is no doubt she would enjoy the taste of an adventure, no matter how small. That said, it would also be an opportune way to get her outside without necessarily exposing her. Chika would certainly come with us, although there is no doubt she would be quite... vocal about her disagreements with the goal of this outing. Then again, she is always quite vocal, so there is no novelty there.'

All things considered, the CPU really had nothing to lose by doing this, had she?

'It is worth a shot, I suppose. However... No, I mustn't continue that line of thought; it would simply deprive me of my only idea.'

With that in mind, the failing big sister pushed all the doubts to the back of her mind, ignoring all the 'maybes,' 'what-ifs' and even the frown on her features. And then, without hesitation…

She clicked.

Vert honestly didn't know what to expect.

'Bug hunting' was about as enthralling as it sounded, she supposed, spending hours a day searching for insects that only the likes of purple haired maniacs or meticulous bug enthusiasts would find interesting. In such a scenario, it was quite easy to spot those who didn't have such an interest, yet found themselves involved because things like annoying, pushy friends existed.

Or, in Vert's case, because of pure, unadulterated, arguably misguided sisterly desperation.

'Goodness, must I belittle myself so much? Oh...'

In the beautiful, tranquil woodland that was Halo Forest, dozens of cheerful Leanboxians were enjoying the brisk, cool early morning. Most were families, others were overzealous bug enthusiasts, and four were a group of important figures in Leanbox.

Well, three out of four; one was still unknown to the public.

Regardless, by Vert's word they had split into their own groups, with the CPU obviously staying with her precious little sister while the Oracle and the Soldier had taken off some time ago. In truth, the splitting was done more out of her personal preference than anything, and it had absolutely nothing to do with eliminating possible interferences to her underwhelmingly weak sister aura.

Nope, not at all.

Even if that was true, judging by the loud noises of Chika's frustrated screaming, alongside Cave's relatively quieter and playful banter, it was undeniable that the 'Childhood Friends' duo was having a fabulous time somewhere nearby.

Clearly. Absolutely no issues on their side.

As for the sisters themselves…

'S-So... tight... agh...'

The Goddess of Leanbox had taken some special precautions while preparing for the bug hunt. When it became apparent to the CPU that, with the new addition to the Leanbox family, it would be more than a little troublesome for the woman to go in public with a little girl that was her spitting image, the Goddess went to measures she wasn't very proud of in order to avoid troublesome questions.

Instead of her usual regal dress, the Leanboxian CPU wore the classic beige trench coat and fedora hat combo, with a pair of green-tinted sunglasses to top it off. Her blonde hair had lost its braid, done up in a simple ponytail akin to her HDD Form instead.

All of these changes may have worked well enough on their own, but Lady Green Heart was a cautious woman. As such, she made the stupendous choice of binding her breasts.

'Ghk...' As expected, the result of bounding her famously voluptuous juggs was quite painful, but she appeared to be nothing more than a petite blonde. As such, no nearby Leanboxian denizens gave her a second glance; after all, she looked appropriate for the approaching winter, even if a tad old-fashioned.

Granted, the pain her disguise caused wasn't exactly easy to ignore. Her large chest was obviously not meant to be mistreated in this sort of fashion; exploited and bounced, certainly, but never bound.

'A-At least it is working... Ngh...' The breast-bound Goddess shifted uncomfortably, tugging at her collar in a vain attempt to loosen something. 'I must bear the burden, f-for Verna's sake... I shall...'

"Big Sis! Big Sis! Look, look!" an excited, childish voice rang from behind the CPU. Strenuously, the blonde Goddess turned herself around, silently praying that her binds wouldn't explode on her, and set her gaze downward to look at her little sister.

'And there she is now. Such an adorable child...~'

When one looked at Vert's sister, however, they wouldn't see a little girl. In fact, she was practically unrecognizable.

When it came down to it, Vert's inferiority to the other CPUs when it came to raising a little sister was so bad it was almost comical. It was very cold, yes, but the Green CPU had gone a tad extreme when it came to bundling her new sister up. Not that she had noticed these extremities, of course, which made it even more tragic.

From head to toe, she was cloth all over. A small, but heavy green winter jacket with a black beanie and white snow pants. Black mittens for her tiny hands, black snow boots for her feet, and a light green scarf that covered her mouth. Only her ocean blue eyes were visible, which shined with cuteness and innocence.

Oddly, the little girl didn't seem very affected by the overabundance of unnecessary clothing. In actuality, she seemed more energetic than ever.

"What is it, dear?" the older sister asked softly as she made her way towards the happy child, maintaining a serene smile even as she writhed on the inside from the chest pain. "Did you catch something?"

"Look, a buggy!" the tiny girl exclaimed, bouncing in happiness. "Here, here!"

"..."

"Well?" the young girl asked innocently.

"O-Oh..." Her voice wavering just a tiny bit, Vert's smile faltered ever so slightly the moment the little girl raised her hands. On the five-year-old's mitten covered palms was a large, black beetle, looking untroubled, comfortable even, as it rested on the fabric beneath its six feet.

'She didn't even use her net, g-goodness...' The CPU was suddenly much more grateful she had supplied her sister with mittens. She would have batted the thing off her Goddess-ly being without a second thought, but Verna didn't even bat an eye at the bug resting on her hands. "Er, what a fascinating discovery for your first catch! B-But, why don't you put it in your jar, darling?"

"Okay!" the little one chirped, nodding enthusiastically, running off to find the big jar for her black insect friend.

The CPU smiled fondly, running after her sister and so that she wouldn't get lost, cautiously avoiding her own citizens in the meanwhile. 'She seems to be having a good time. That is good...' At least she was relieved that her admittedly half-assed plan was working so far. She could only hope this would lead to a bonding experience between the two of them, deepening their sisterly connection.

Emphasis on 'hope.'

'I can only pray for the best. Celestia, give me strength... a-and loosen these binds a little. Graces...'

'NotfairnotfairnorfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairARGH!'

The Oracle of Leanbox's mood would be on an alien planet with how far it had gone. In fact, that was too generous. You would need a hyper-powered telescope with enough capacity to see the end of the Universe to locate her formerly good mood.

And that did not bode well for the Oracle herself. In fact, dealing with the Verna matter in her own way was proving to be horribly ineffective and would likely result in filicide.

So, like the highly intelligent and hard-working Oracle she was, she continued her overly-jealous zeal towards a child who was barely two days old.

Truly, she was a stand up woman.

"Do not get worked up again, Chika. We are in public," And in order to keep this totally respectable and absolutely diligent Oracle from making some brash or unfavorable decisions,she had to have an adviser to steer her in a favorable direction.

That adviser was Cave, SMD Soldier and Leanbox's Ultimate Warrior, and she had been self-tasked with keeping Chika Hakozaki from doing anything even remotely harmful to the Candidate.

Truly, it would be her most daunting task yet. Angered Ancient Dragons and deities of the sinful kind were utterly nothing compared to the raw, unchained power that was a cranky Chika Hakozaki.

Meanwhile, the Oracle herself turned swiftly to respond with the comeback of the century, glared at her crimson-haired companion while her mouth mashed into a hard line. On her body was a simple green sweater, which added to her figure of all things, a black skirt and knee high white boots. Her hair was lacking the usual ribbon, but the ponytail was still intact. She could have passed for a regular citizen, all things considered.

But really, she was more focused on being annoyed at her friend, not her casual attire.

"Do you love bugging me?" asked the Oracle irritably. The soldier cocked an eyebrow at her in response.

"Hm, I cannot possibly fathom why you would even think that," the redhead said dismissively, earning a spiteful glare from the greenette."I am simply responding to your outrageous jealousy in the most reasonable method I can settle with. For instance, I have yet to pin you to the ground. "

"..." the Oracle stared.

"I must admit, despite your flamboyant and outrageous attitude, you have to yet to cause any physical harm to Verna. Your progress is truly amicable." The twin-tailed beauty clapped in a bored, mocking manner. "An upstanding Oracle, for sure."

"..." Chika gave her friend a dull look, unsure if she was just messing with her or was genuinely being serious about this.

The redhead just clapped some more.

"..."

clap clap clap clap

"Ugh, whatever." Her tone took a more passive turn, though it did nothing about the frown on her face, and murmured, "Just leave me alone already."

"Is it simply impossible to enjoy the day, Chika?" The Leanboxian redhead raised an eyebrow, ceasing her palm-to-palm action. "Is the little one really so important to you on a vacation day?"

"Yes."

"Predictable," said the warrior with a sigh. "So utterly predictable, it is almost sad."

"Shut up," she growled. "Also... uh, Cave?" The greenette, pushing her fury to the back of her mind for this one instance, took time to actually look at her friend, noticing something... odd about her choice of fashion. "Can I ask you something?"

"You may," she nodded.

"Why is it that you're wearing that dress out here?"

Her friend blinked, looking perplexed. "Pardon?"

"'P-Pardon?' Look at you!"

As Chika's words implied, Cave was not wearing her usual pseudo-maid-outfit. Instead, she wore what looked something straight out of a costume store: suspiciously purple in appearance, with a designated cleavage cutout and ribbons akin to bat wings replacing her usual headband.

All in all, it was as if she had taken dress tips from Noire. "Is it not suitable for a casual outing?" In contradiction, the woman seemed to sense nothing wrong with wearing such an outfit in the first place.

In a public space, at least.

'Is she serious-' "Well... no, it's not!" the Oracle declared, gesturing to her friend's everything.

"It's something you'd wear during Halloween, or cosplay! We're hunting bugs here!"

"I see..." she murmured in understanding, placing a dexterous finger to her chin. "Perhaps this is a poorer outfit choice than I thought. I may end up concealing myself more than intended when in the shade."

"That's right, wearing a gothic lolita dress is- What."

"I do not wish to frighten any passer-by, much less the young Verna." The redhead mused to herself, pulling out a change of attire while she was doing so; her normal clothes, by the looks of it.

"I've... always known you were something else, Cave, but really, we're going to have a talk about this later," stated the Oracle, her tone perplexed.

"I was expecting as much. Now, then..." Donning a cautious look, the woman retreated into a hedge that was thankfully only a few feet away from the duo. Not even the generic, fake leaves registered her presence.

"..."

The greenette blinked.

"For our best wishes, I advise you look away, Chika," advised the hedge, regardless of the impossibility of seeing through it. Nevertheless, the Oracle turned her body elsewhere.

Conveniently, to the exact spot where the sisterly duo was.

How nice.

Of course, they were a fair distance away from her, but she could still make out Verna's childish joy as she hunted bugs ('Ew...') and her Lady's clear enjoyment over such innocence.

It made her sick. Just hearing them talk on and on about their stupid bug-huntin was driving her up a wall!

"Big Sis, lookit! It's green like me!"

"C-Careful dear, that's a mantis...!"

"Heehee, it's crawling all over me!"

"Oh dear..."

'DammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitDAMMIT!'

Listening in on the conversation between the sisterly duo had done the Oracle much more bad than good. Admittedly, it was a rather poor idea in general to spy on the one responsible for her ever worsening mood.

But she kept doing it anyway.

'... am I a masochist?'

"..."

'... no.'

She seriously considered it for a second, too.

'I'm no Tekken...' She shuddered at the thought. 'Never.'

Regardless, she continued her spying. No force could stop her, except maybe possibly her bestest friend Cave, from her nefarious planning. There was only one thing that was important to her, and that was somehow getting the accursed brat out of the picture as soon as possible. Preferably without creating a mess.

'... Okay, even I admit that's a little messed up, BUT WHATEVER! My chances of winning my darling Vert's attention are second to none! It's all because of that STUPID BRAT! AGH!' Her face twisted in anger, the Oracle broke off pieces of tree bark with her hand, disintegrating into nothing within her palm. 'I WANT NOTHING MORE THAN TO BOOT THAT KID ALL THE WAY TO-'

"Chika."

A stern, reprimanding voice rang from her backside. Just like that, the Oracle's hate-filled thoughts were stopped cold.

'Uhhhh...'

"You will get splinters if you keep digging your nails into the trunk." The stern tone turned somewhat mocking, teasing even. "Your thoughts are quite obvious, by the way."

'... Dammit.'

Growling, the Oracle retracted from the tree, and stared her friend dead in her emerald eyes. Sure enough, the redhead was back in her normal outfit. Briefly, her anger turned into befuddlement. "That was quick."

"You would be surprised how easy it is to slip out of this." said the redhead, gesturing to her discarded gothic dress before stashing it in her inventory. "The fabric is quite elastic, but that is not important, as it seems I came back at the right moment."

"Hmph!" Huffing, Chika went back to being annoyed, showing it by crossing her arms and turning her head away in a childish show of defiance.

"Your immaturity is shining through..." Cave shook her head. "Nevertheless, I recommend that you divert your attention away from them, Chika. I can almost see your veins popping on your head."

"You're not helping..." Chika growled at her. Immediately after making that comment, she felt her ear being pulled- "OW!" -and the rest of her body with it by a weary Cave.

"Just come with me and enjoy the lovely view of the neighboring tarantulas." Chika instantly started squirming in an attempt to break free, but Cave's grip was far too strong. "Come now, what is the worst that can happen?"

"I-I hate spiders! You know that! Tarantulas are Level 2 spiders!"

"Think of this as a valuable lesson for overcoming your fears. Ah, here we are." They stopped at a tree trunk, where it was infested with the creepy crawlers. "No one else had bothered to stop by here. A pity, really."

"S-Spiders aren't even bugs! GAH!" Chika felt her whole body be thrust forward, which just so happened to be near the tarantula tree. Chika panicked and tried to run away, but Cave was already behind her and held her in place, on her knees.

"Now, let's observe these lovely arachnids in front row detail, shall we?"

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

Let it never be said that Vert was an idiot... because she was already aware of this. Never it be uttered that she was the worst big sister in all of Gamindustri, a fact Lady Green Heart was painfully, painfully aware of as well.

'I only looked away for a second...! H-How could this have happened!?'

You see, a funny thing happens when an irresponsible big sister and a 5-year old girl are put together. And if the day before wasn't enough to solidify Vert's status as the worst big sister in Gamindustri, this new incident certainly will.

'NonononononononononononononononononononononoNO!'

She, the CPU Of Leanbox, was panicking. Whatever sort of joyful mood she had been in before had been replaced with a fresh, disastrous wave of anxiety. Any attempt at having a good time was ultimately thrown out the window when the revelation had dawned upon her.

'I am such a naive fool! I should have kept my eyes on her at all times!'

One minute, her dear sister had been poking caterpillars climbing up a tree, her jar held up high in adorable hopes of catching the wormy insects.

The next second, however...

Put simply, she vanished. It was as if she was never in her designated spot in the first place.

'Where had she gone!? It could not have been that far! W-Was she carried away by the caterpillars!? Aaaaah!"

Clearly, it was a nightmare for the newly anointed big sister.

'W-Why is this so hard!? It's not even that dense of a forest! Or that large!' To the CPU, who knew Leanbox like the back of her elbow, Verna's disappearance flew in the face of logic itself. She looked far and wide, through the small scattered crowd she traveled, but her sister may as well have been abducted by aliens. 'I don't see her anywhere! H-How could this have happened!? She had to have wandered off by half a mile!'

It. Made. No. Sense.

"... Sigh." The Lady of Green stopped dead in her tracks, her head hanging low. As a sister, she was thoroughly disappointed in herself for her own ineptitude. She just wanted to dig herself into a hole in the ground and just stay there. Forever.

'It seems no matter what I do, the world wants nothing more than to watch me fail. I may as well be begging the others to deprecate me...'

Was it too late to banish herself from Gamindustri?

"..."

Probably not, right?

'G-Goodness, what am I thinking!? This is simply pitiful!' Slapping her cheeks with both her hands, the CPU of Green dispelled her negative thoughts and regained her elegant composure.

'This may be a monster-free zone, but who knows what sort of danger my darling Verna would get into? I will get Cave on the matter, she is the best tracker out of all of us combined. Yes.'

Her perfectly formulated and well thought out plan set in motion, the Goddess hurried off to find the warrior, and possibly Chika with her.

'I pray that you are safe, darling. Agh, it's d-difficult to run...'

Such was the life of a woman who had her beautiful breasts painfully restricted.

Bang Bang!

"Nope."

Bang Bang!

"Nada."

Bang Bang!

"Bupkiss."

Bang Bang!

"Synonym for nuthin'..."

In the depths of Halo Forest, all by her lonesome-

"You get really frickin' crazy when you're bored, ya know?"

Okay, not alone, but having a snarky voice insult you from your pocket isn't a very good alternative. The girl would rather be alone. Well, not really alone, but better company perhaps?

"Shut up, I'm trying to lure out the pudding butterflies!" said girl replied to her book - yes, a book - in an irritated tone, her lilac hair obscuring her vision as she reloaded her gun, preparing for another shot at some poor, random tree. "It's the start of their hibernation, so I better snag 'em while I can!"

"... You do realize they're not actually made of-"

"Hush hush!" The purple-haired girl pointed her gun at the abused tree. "Gosh darn it, I can almost taste those tasty critters! Nothing can stop me from-"

Tug "Scuse me, miss?"

"E-Eh?"

BANG!

"GACK!"

"EEP!"

"Saw this comin' from a mile away."

The purple-haired girl, having had her black parka tugged by a mysterious force, ended up misfiring by several meters and succeeded in blowing a hole in another tree to her right, bark and leaves flying everywhere as she hit the ground. As a result of that action, chocolate colored butterfly... things flew out of the trunk of the previously abused tree.

"Aw CRACKERS!" the purple-haired girl whined rather loudly. "IKNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWIT! HOWDIDIKNOWIT!?"

"Shut up! Goddess, your voice sounds like a cat went through a shredder while it was clawin' a chalkboard!" The girl's book angrily complained.

"Aw shucks, now that's just mean, Crostie!" she shot back. "That was my chaaaaaaaance!"

"It ain't mean if it's true, ya brat!" came the book's snarky response. 'Seriously, I thought that other one was annoying as hell!'

"Why you-!"

"Miss?"

"... Huh?"

The lilac-haired girl, having settled down for the time being, finally took some time to properly absorb the situation around her. Let's see... she had lost the pudding bugs, she was on her bum due to her gun going haywire, her resident Crostie was complaining like always, there was an adorable little marshmallow sitting on her lap, she could really go for some pudding...

Wait.

Wait.

Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait.

The black-sweater wearing girl rewound her brain.

'Lemme see: Pudding bugs, bad gun, on mah bum, Crostie going Pissty mode, adorable marshmallow- AHA!'

Looking down at the weight on her lap, the purple-haired girl confirmed her thoughts. There was indeed a very very very very VERY adorable little marshmallow of a girl sitting on the area between her waist and thighs, donning a look most confuzzled.

"..."

"..."

The two stared at each other, shining lilac to wondering azure.

"..."

"..."

"Is anyone gonna say anything!?" The book annoyingly broke the silence. "Come on, I'd rather smash my metaphorical head against a rock!"

"... Hey there."

"Hi."

The two finally greeted each other, if awkwardly given the circumstances.

"Uh, you lost, kiddo?" Neptune felt the need to ask. The little girl tilted her head, confused.

"I dunno," she answered with honesty. "I was with Big Sis, now Big Sis is gone. I got buggies though." She lifted up her jar full of insects, wriggling and worming around as they pleased. "Buggies move funny. Heehee."

"It seems you're lost, then!" She announced that, though no one was around to hear it. "You were with your Big Sis, you say?"

"Yeah, Big Sis!" She said again.

"What's your sister's name, kiddo?" Neptune hopped to her feet, with the little girl lifted in her arms. "I'm sure we can find her in no time flat!"

"She's Big Sis!"

"... Uh, yeah, I know that bit, but what's her name?"

"She's Big Sis!"

"Uh oh..."

"Does this kid seriously not know her name? HA! That's priceless!" Croire laughed it up, while Neptune's face was on the floor from how hard it fell.

"Well, uh... can you describe her to me, then?"

"Um..." She seemed to be thinking about- "Boobies."

"E-Eh?"

"Big Sis has big boobies."

"..."

"..."

That was all she was getting, wasn't it?

"This is gonna take a little longer than no time..."

"Pffft." Croire stifled her laughter.

BONK!

"G-Gah!" 'Nep Note' found herself punched by the purplettes agitated fist. "You f#$ing bitch! It's bad enough I'm sealed in your stupid bug book, so don't start beating the fine cover!" Of course, she wasn't too happy with that, and it was expressed very vocally. Pretty much the only way a book could express her anger, in all honesty.

The colorful language was a bonus.

"Crostie!" exclaimed a shocked Neptune. "Watch those gums of yours! We have a child in our grasp now, look!" Suddenly remembering she even had a child in her grasp, the black-hooded Nep pointed to the over-bundled bundle of cuteness in her arms.

"Mm..." said bundle was looking a little sick. Her eyes were shut tightly, her small body curled up into a ball like form. Her face looked a little pale, but it was hard to tell; her head was buried in Neptune's chest.

"Eh?" Surprised, the purplette tried to pry the young one off of her body to get a better look at her. "You alright, kid- H-Hey!"

"Mm!" The kid, however, had the bug enthusiast in a tight hug. She wasn't letting go anytime soon, it seemed. "D-Dizzy... mm..."

"... Daw." Realizing the issue, Neptune ruffled her hair. The action elicited a small giggle from the little one, making the purplette smile in return. "Didn't mean to cause ya any distress, kiddo. I'm sorry."

"It's okay... heehee..." The small child resumed her giggling, looking a little less sick now.

"Ya see Crostie?" The purplette suddenly proclaimed, going back to her earlier point. "This youngster is so sweet and innocent! Would you dare to poison the ears of our hopeful youths!? The future generation will be doomed because of foul-mouthed books like you! For shame!" Neptune pointed a scolding finger at her Nep Note.

"Shame!" The kid repeated, copying Neptune's pointing technique.

"... Alright. First of all, I'm way older than anyone in this puke inducing rainbow fest you call 'Game market' or whatever. Second, I couldn't give two shits who I curse in front of. Third, I'm still in your damn dusty pocket, you DUMBASS!"

"... Ooooh." Neptune, upon realizing that her all-powerful sealed midget was still in her pocket - so she was pretty much displaying the kid and pointing to no one - unzipped her circular pocket and pulled her Nep Note out. All the while, she had switched to holding the over-bundled child in her left hand, while opening her bug book and flipping to Croire's page, evidenced by the pair of printed fairy wings. "Now take a looksie, you grumpy book you!"

"... It's a kid, yes," Croire responded in a monotonous tone. "Your point?"

Neptune's face fell. "You don't wanna teach the kid how to swear, do ya? That'd be bad for me and any snap-judgement parents looking my way!"

"Book lady talks funny..." Verna shifted in the purplettes grasp, her shyness potent enough to make Rom look like Ram. And not in the physical sense. "Mm..."

"Now you're making her nervous!" Neptune held her small package a little closer, her hug reassuring. "Don't worry about Crostie, she's just a grumpy meanie."

"Meanie..." The tiny one repeated, hiding her face in Neptune's chest. "Meanie book lady..."

"Whatever," said Croire dismissively. "I ain't putting up with your shit now that there's another clueless idiot here. Good night."

"B-But it's not even afternoo- Oh, she's out cold."

"Zzz..." Croire's snoozing only pushed the point further.

"..." Eyes wide, Neptune was hit with a sudden realization. With her means of instant transportation now resting her frustrations away, the purplette was suddenly tasked with a challenge most difficult...

Using her hind legs as a method of travel!

The horror!

"Dammit..." Neptune muttered. "I'm so used to teleporting everywhere! I neeeeeeed you, Crostie! WAKE UP, CROSTIE! C'MOOOOON, I NEED YOU TO GET ME TO- Uhhh, hey kid, where'd you come from?" Neptune halted her melodramatic banter to ask her tiny companion this.

"Uh... Big Sis...?" she answered, albeit a little unsure.

"Cool. I NEED YOU TO TAKE ME TO THE KID'S BIG SIS!" She resumed her shouting.

"Zzz..." And she received the expected response.

"S-She's really not waking up...!" The purplette understandably panicked over this, wailing with both hands firmly planted on her cheeks. "Ooooooooh, this is totally not good! Who knows where we are in this Goddess forsaken forest!? I just wanted to catch some pudding butterflies, gosh darn it!"

Tug

"H-Huh- Oh." Caught off guard for a quick second, Maker Nep quickly regained her senses once she realized that the was tugging at her sleeve.

"D-Don't be mad, Miss..." said the little girl meekly, leaning in for a hug. "S'gonna be okay..."

"U-Uh, don't get all concerned, kiddo! It's all fine!" the purplette reassured, letting her hands fall from her cheeks in favor of mussing her hair once more. She might have been a tiny bit nervous over the possibility of a crying session, but the lilacette wasn't about to bring that up, she had a kid to assure! "I-It's cool, really!"

"... Really?" The kid looked up at the older Nep, as if she didn't entirely believe that statement.

"Really real, kiddo!" The older Nep patted her head. "You just gotta point me in the right direction!" Hopping to her feet, Neptune did leg crunches while still holding Verna in her arms.

"These creaky bones could use a good stretch! It's no biggie!"

"Okay..." She said that, though her eyes were still unsure.

"Don't look so doubtful, kiddo, or whatever you look like under all that cloth!" Neptune proclaimed, wearing a wide smile of reassurance. "I'm sure we'll find your sister in no-"

Thud

"-time... What."

"You have approximately 8 seconds to state your reasoning for child abduction. Any attempt at resistance or harm to this child will result in my blade coming in contact with your cranium, so I suggest you comply."

Neptune's face found itself in contact with the grassy ground, her head being held down by a powerful foot-like object. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a head of red hair, and a mean emerald glare that seared into the back of her head, which completely went against the calm, soothing voice being directed at her being. The lost child was no longer in her hold. Instead, the bug hunter could make out some blonde locks resting on her mysterious assailants shoulder. Why her new companion was so close to the person who had brutally assaulted her, Neptune had no clue, but she couldn't focus on that right now; She had a foot being pressed against her skull, after all.

"Three seconds... two seconds... one- Oh?" During Neptune's inner monologue, her mystery assassin-to-be had been counting down. Before she reached one, and only then had the purplette noticed that her scissor blade was gently cutting her skin, the assaulter stopped for some reason, retracting both her weapon and her foot.

"Ouchies..." Neptune groaned from the floor, rubbing the back of her head as she sat up. "Owowow, I think I feel a foot print!" the purplette writhed, gripping her head tightly.

"My apologies, La- Neptune." Her attacker expressed regret, stumbling over her words a bit. "I assumed the worst when I witnessed the little one is the arms of a would-be stranger. Forgive me."

'Just what the hecksies is goin' on?' Neptune questioned mentally, squirming in a vain effort to ease the pain on her head. 'First I find a lost kid, then Crostie naps out on me, and now I was brutally assaulted. Help!'

"Heehee..." The little one in question giggled from behind Neptune. "Big Sis Cave is funny..."

'... Huh?'

Confused, Neptune turned her body around to face her attacker. As Verna claimed moments ago, Cave was indeed standing in front of her, the kid she found cradled protectively in her arms. The child herself had a most innocent smile on her face as she waved to the downed Nep.

'Whaaaaaaat.'

"Holy motherflippin' cannoli, what the flub did I miss out on!?" Shock and confusion teamed up and overtook Neptune's state of being. Eyes bulging, the Bug Hunter pointed at Cave and Verna with two shaky hands. "I means, I never woulda put it together, but man oh man is this a shocker!"

"... Pardon?" Cave simply raised an eyebrow, giving off a hint of confusion.

"I knew Verny wanted to find her Big Sis, but I never woulda guessed you'd be the elder of that adorable little marshmallow! Congrats!" Neptune bounced to her feet and shook Cave's hand vigorously, a bright smile plastered on her face.

"... What?" The redhead's face was now morphed into one of confusion and befuddlement. "I-I don't-"

"Big Sis Cave is really cool!" Verna suddenly exclaimed, snuggling into the redheads hold. "Really really cool!"

"... Ah." the redhead nodded, appearing to have figured something out. "You are misconstrued, Neptune. Verna is not my younger sibling, contradictory to her claims of the opposite."

"Aw." Neptune looked disappointed by that revelation. "That sucks hard, guess I can't be too shocked, though. Ya'll two do look nuthin' alike. Drat."

"I'm... sorry?" Cave tilted her head. "Your reaction is grossly crestfallen, Neptune."

"Daw, it's nuthin'" Neptune waved her hand dismissively. "I just got shell-shocked! In f-"

"VERNA!"

"... Drat."

Having her spotlight stolen once more, the CPU of Leanbox herself entered the scene, gracefully interrupting the elder purplette as a result. Sprinting towards the trio in a worried haze, the breast-bound Goddess had to drive her feet into the ground, unless she wanted to crash into Cave at top speed.

"VERNA!" she shouted again, yanking the tiny girl out of the redhead's grasp into a bosom-filled hug. "T-Thank Goddess you're safe! C-Cave, thank you so very much!"

"Owie..." Verna's muffled groans made it a bit obvious her loving sister was crushing her, but the bigger of the two failed to notice that little noise.

"It was no issue, Lady Vert. Although..." Cave glanced at Verna. "I suggest loosening your grip. The little one is looking rather purple."

"O-Oh!" The CPU eased up instantly.

"B-Big Sis is... strong..." Verna looked loopy.

"I'm so sorry, Verna..." The Goddess petted her sister's hair. "Excitement overwhelmed me..."

"Ugh, my feet hurt..." Following the CPU was Leanbox's resident Oracle, Chika Hakozaki. Looking tired and downright annoyed, the feeling of anger was inevitably added onto her emotional bandwagon as soon as she caught a glimpse of Vert snuggling Verna to death.

How was this obvious? Just one look at the Oracle's contorted face was enough to set off some red flags.

"Unless you would like a second coming of the tarantula tree, I suggest you lighten your mood." Cave's words ensured that Chika look significantly less downtrodden. "Now, that was not so hard, was it?"

"Shut up."

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Neptune - yes she was still a thing - just witnessed the scene in front of her with a bamboozled look, her eyes wider than the bowls she ate her pudding from. The developed purplette cleared her throat, attempting to make herself known again.

"What is it, Neptune?" She succeeded. All eyes were on the purplette due to Vert's question.

"Uh, not to be a real thorn in your bush, but my lack of presence is reaching record highs!" she exclaimed in panic. "I don't wanna end up like some dotted outline with birdie-looking buns! Don't push me to the side, ya'll!"

Vert blinked.

Cave blinked.

Chika blinked.

Verna blinked.

Neptune blinked.

"Zzz..." Croire snored.

'Way to play along Crostie...' thought Neptune sourly. 'Wait, you don't got eyeballs. Drat...'

"... Ah." Vert, ceasing her bewildering enjoyment and saving face, wore a face of sympathy as she realized the error Neptune had so blatantly pointed out. "I apologize, Neptune. I was so fixated in finding Verna, I completely neglected her savior."

"Aw, don't make me blush." Neptune shifted timidly. "Really though, keep a better eye on your sister there, Verty! Good thing the youngster was only digging for ants!"

The mature woman nodded. "Of course. I will do my best to keep a much better eye on- What."

"Wha?" The purplette tilted her head, confused eyes staring. "Why're you looking like you just saw Eggplantopia? Ugh..." Neptune violently shuddered when she imagined that. "Guh, that's gonna be a toughie to get rid of..."

"What..." The paled CPU ignored her rambling. Setting her arms down so that Verna may be released, the CPU focused all of her attention on the girl in front of her. All the while, the young Candidate ran up to hug her 'Big Sis Cave' which was taken in stride via a hair ruffle.

"What... did you say?" Vert uttered, looking shell-shocked. "Please, repeat what was just emitted from your mouth. Perhaps I heard wrong..."

"Eggplantop-YUCK!" Neptune scrunched her nose, sticking her tongue out. "I can't even say it! Why you wanna know about HELL!? HUH!?" Voice high and screechy, the purplette turned accusatory and pointed a dramatic finger at the CPU of Green. "YOU BOOBLESS MONSTER! I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU ANYMORE!"

"Erm..." The CPU was momentarily stunned by Neptune's out-of-nowhere fury. "That's not what I-"

"Wait!" Neptune interrupted her, eyes blazing as her previous - arguably unwarranted - anger turned into puzzlement. "My corneas just noticed something startling!"

"W-Wh- Oh dear." The Leanboxian CPU found herself being confronted by an inquisitive Neptune, scanning the Leanboxian CPU as if she were looking at something perplexing. Eyebrows raised, Vert stared in bewilderment as Neptune looked her up and down, obviously trying to piece something together. Obviously, the busty woman had no idea what that something was.

"... Hm." Neptune came to eye-level with her blonde friend, looking serious. All that did was increase the CPUs confusion. "Hey, Vert?" The purplette suddenly asked, eyeing her with a manner of seriousness Lady Green Heart had never seen on either Neptune's before.

"... Yes?"

"Where'd your boobs go?"

"..."

"Uh, Vert?"

"Ghk..." Vert looked broken. making sounds akin to choking. "So... tight... ugh..."

"Uh, what." The Bug Hunter was lost.

"In all fairness, Neptune, your question was... unique, to say the least." stated Cave, who still had a Verna attached to her leg. "However true it may be, it came in a blunt nature."

"Crackers..." Neptune sulked. "B-But wouldn't you ask the same question, Cavey? Seeing Vert without boobs is like seeing Blanny without her books! O-Or Noiry without the sexy cosplay outfits she still thinks is a secret!" Neptune pointed out. "It just ain't natural!"

"No, I would not," Cave responded coolly. "I have something called 'respect' and 'restraint', two very important skills you need to learn."

"Hey!" The purplette stuck her tongue out at the redhead, who remained stoic. "I gots the respect!"

"..." Cave stared.

"Really!"

"..." More staring.

"Bah." Neptune gave up pretty easily, shooting a pout in the redheads direction. "You're no fun, Cavey."

"Such childish fools I associate with." The warrior sighed, running her fingers through Verna's hair, eliciting giggles. "It is quite sad..."

"Why are you looking at me!?" exclaimed Leanbox's Oracle, turning defensive as Cave shot her a rather deadpan look.

"No reason." Her friend remained stone-faced, staring at the Oracle with utmost seriousness.

"..." The Oracle didn't look convinced.

"Whatever it is you are thinking, you are undoubtedly overthinking it." stated the redhead.

"... Ugh." The greenette pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing heavily. "Whatever..."

"Big Sis Chika?"

"Wha-"

Verna Hug.

"..."

"Heehee..."

The jealous woman stared at the sight before her eyes. Verna had let go of her redheaded friend in favor of wrapping herself around Chika's legs. Looking up at the Oracle with a bright smile, Verna giggled.

It was hideously adorable.

"Are we just gonna forget about ol' me!?" The supposed main focus proclaimed, waving her arms frantically. "This chapter is kind of in my point-o-view, you know! You can't just switch like that!"

"Calm down, Neptune." the Green CPU assured, having regained her composure during that time Regardless, she was a bit dirted. "While I do agree it is unwise to simply swap characters without a clear reason, complaining about the situation will help none."

"But this is supposed to be a me an' Verny chapter! Mr. Author Guy said so!" the purplette exclaimed, looking rather annoyed.

"We can focus on that later, Neptune," Vert lightly chastised. "For the moment, it seems you have discovered something... incriminating."

"Whazzat?" The Maker Nep tilted her head. "The whole' Holy crow, you have a lil' si- GACK!"

"Yes." The elder sister roughly covered the purplettes mouth with her hand, a strained smile on her face. "For our benefit and Verna's safety, I highly suggest you keep this new-found knowledge of yours a secret."

"Why that?" The mature - in the physical sense at least - Nep spoke through her hand.

The CPU sighed. "Verna is simply not ready to face the public yet." She removed her hand from the purplette's face. "I disguised myself for a reason, you should know."

Maker Nep looked to the side, eyeing Verna. She was latched onto Chika's legs, as if she were glued onto them, while the Oracle stared down at her with a flushed face. Cave watched from the sidelines, wearing an amused smirk.

"Big Sis Chika looks red! Heehee..."

"C-Cut it out! Geez..."

She went back to staring at Vert, perplexed yet again. "Uh, Verny gots a lotta big sisters..."

"It is adorable, no?" Following the purplette's gaze, the older sister sighed in tranquility. "She'll label anyone as her 'big sister', yes, but I am her only true Big Sister." She met eyes with Neptune. "And that is exactly why I must urge you to keep this revelation a secret, Neptune. For Verna's sake, I heavily advise you speak of this to no one."

With a grin and a nod, Neptune gave her trademark 'Victory' sign. "You got it, Verty! My lips are sealed ultra tight! Zzzzip!" Following that notion, the purplette made a zipping motion across her mouth, looking affirmative. "You can count on m- Oop!" She covered her mouth, offering a thumbs up with her free hand.

"... Somehow, I doubt this will last long." Vert sighed in content. "However, I will place my trust in you for now, Neptune. Please, don't ruin this."

"You can count on me, Verty!" Neptune struck her pose again.

"I should hope so..."

"G-Get off of me!" exclaimed a flushed Chika, catching the attention of both women as they witnessed the Oracle trying her darn best to scurry away from the clingy child.

Keyword being trying. She was failing quite miserably.

"Nooooo..." Verna may as well been made of glue. She was stuck onto Chika's legs tightly and lovingly. "I like you, Big Sis Chika!"

"R-Rgh!" Her face was a red as her eyes.

"Hm." Cave observed the scene with a smirk on her face. "The little one is quite affectionate towards you. How ironic..."

"S-Shut up!" the Oracle barked, though she had already gave up trying to get Verna off her.

"C-Come on!"

"Heehee..." The Candidate hugged tighter than ever, a stupidly adorable grin on her face.

"Y-You little..."

"How quaint." commented Cave from the side, eating popcorn she somehow obtained. "I fail to see why the little one is so attached to you... Heh," she chuckled. "But I will appreciate the humor of it all."

"You're not helping!"

"I don't believe I was meant to."

"U-Ugh!"

"Soooooo..." The older Nep turned the focus back to herself and her green companion. "Whaddya gonna do now, Verty? Never took you for a bug girl..."

"I am not, but Verna expressed interest in the insects. Unfortunately..." Vert glanced at the sky. It was quickly approaching twilight, the first few stars beginning to shine as the horizon was painted with a lovely vanilla color. With that, it was becoming much colder, along with families beginning to thin out and go back home. "It is getting late, I'm afraid. We will have to return home soon."

"Awwww..." Neptune slumped, looking rather sad. "But I wanted to do stuff with Verny! We were gonna hunt cool bugs and all that jazz!" She unzipped her pocket and brought out her Nep Note again. "Nep Note hasn't been getting action lately! It's sad!"

"Zzz..."

"Darn it, Crostie!"

"You are free to come back with us, Neptune," the Green CPU offered. "You can spend time with Verna back home, before she is to rest."

"For reals!?" The lilacette beamed. "I mean, it's no creepy crawly fun time, but I'll take it!"

Vert nodded, smiling. "Now then... Verna!" Turning her attention to the little Candidate, the elder sister approached the trio with grace.

"Nyeh." The younger sister hid behind the Oracle's legs, still hugging them tightly. and stuck her tongue out.

"Verna dear, we're leaving," said Vert with a chuckle. "Come now."

"But... I don't wanna." Verna frowned cutely, her tone sad. "I wanna stay."

"Ghk..." Chika's opinion on the matter.

munch... Cave's contribution.

"It's getting cold, dear," reminded her sister. "Do you really want to stay out in such weather?"

Verna released her grip on the Oracle's thighs, hugging herself tightly. "I'm all warm!"

"Oh dear..." The CPUs face pretty much gave away that she regretted over-bundling her sister.

"Uh..."

"Come on, Verny!" Sudden Neptune popped up. "I know it's a bummer we can't stuff some bugs in a book, but I'm seriously shivering in my hoodie!"

"..."

"..."

Both CPU and Oracle stared. The non-Leanboxian had chosen to place herself in the middle of Vert's thighs, meeting eye level with the Candidate currently behind Chika's own legs. Neptune, being obviously taller than the Candidate, looked as if she were giving Green Heart a piggyback ride. Of course, Neptune being, well Neptune, failed to notice this little fact.

"Let's go where it's nice and warm, kiddo!" Neptune went on, oblivious to the looks she was receiving. "We'll be wrapped so tight in blankets, it'd look like we were mummified!"

"Mumuwha?" Verna tilted her head, confused.

"Uh, never mind. Hyup!" Extending her arms out, Neptune grabbed Verna while simultaneously hopping to her feet.

"Oof!" However, she nearly knocked the CPU square in the jaw with her head, sending her stumbling back and almost hitting the ground. She would have fell straight down...

"I caught you, dearest!" ... had Chika not zipped to her rescue instantaneously. A truly caring Oracle, she was.

"Er, thank you, Chika."

"Anytime, darling~"

"You can release me now, Chika."

"Right..." The Oracle let go.

"Shall we depart?" questioned Cave, finishing the last bits of her buttery snack. "I am rather against standing in freezing temperatures."

"Let's go!" Neptune was already inching her way out of the forest. Almost everyone had left by this point, even the hardcore bug enthusiasts; although that may have been on account of their reluctant friends dragging them home more than anything.

"Let us go. My fingers are starting to feel numb..." Regardless, the elder sister gave the go ahead. Before she even finished, Neptune took off in a sprint with Verna locked tightly in her grip.

"Letsa go! Yahoo!" In the distance, the purplette did a hop.

"Wheeeee!" Verna was having fun, at least.

"O-Oh dear, hold on!" Her worried sister, however, gave chase. "D-Don't drop her now! Be careful! Oooh..."

The last to follow them was the Oracle and Leanbox's finest Soldier. The former looked absolutely miserable, and the latter could take a guess why that was.

"You look simply awful," she stated bluntly. A groan came in response.

"Gee, how'd you guess that? Ugh, I need a break after today."

"It was rather... eventful, yes." Cave nodded. "At the very least, the little one has made a new friend in Neptune."

"Whoop-de-freaking-do," the Oracle faux cheered.

Cave rolled her eyes. "It appears we are out of the forest." True to her word, the duo found themselves in the midst of the Leanbox nightlife. There may not have been that many denizens walking about, with the sky having turned obsidian during their walk back, but the inner city was a true beauty to behold at night. It was as if the nation had been encased in green neon lights, a design choice Chika herself came up with some years ago.

It was rather fitting, to the redhead at least. She rather liked it.

"Ugh, finally..." The greenette looked relieved. "I'm shivering under all of this. I need a hot bath...~"

"Do what you must." said the redhead, the Basilicom only meters away from them. The group ahead had long escaped their vision. "I am in need of one myself. Perhaps we can bathe together like our childhood days, if you feel so inclined."

"That'd be lov- WHAT?!"

Cave was already long gone by the time the Oracle caught on to her friends double-sided words. The Oracle could swear she heard a fit of laughter come from inside the building.

"W-Why you-!" A red-faced Chika stormed inside to give chase. "GET BACK HERE, YOU!"

Sadly, for both of them, the bath was already occupied by two of the same mind and level, while the resident CPU had to resort to using her lance to free herself of the binds that constricted her so.

"A-Almost. A-Allllm-" SHRRRRIP! "GAH!"

Just another lively day in Leanbox, for sure.

Editors Note: After an almost 3 month absence, A Verdant Breeze has returned, re-edited and re-furbished for your viewing pleasure! With the help of some friends, chapter 6 to 11, which are now chapter 6 to 9, went through a massive editing overhaul because, admittedly, these chapters had turned out kind of... shit and, since a few of them were planned to be longer, they were melded with each other which results in the chapter count taking a dip, but hey, quality assurance.

This note will be copied from this chapter to chapter 9, just to avoid confusion to the people that see A Verdant Breeze back on Page 1. Enjoy!

-Yuri