If only I had changed in another way. If only things had been different.

-Blue Heart

To her own surprise, IF was not surprised to find that the Basilicom had its own forge. Even if this place was mainly used by the CPUs, she had already expected crafting spaces to be around in Lastation of all places.

Her gaze wandered over dark stone and expertly crafted tools, to the metal furnaces on the wall. Uni sat in front of the foremost one, an anvil and other forgery tools right behind her; the former held a crate with metal bars and a few other things. She prepared her tools with measured motions, pushing things this way and that and arranging them in a way that allowed her to grasp each of them easily.

Then however, for some reason IF could not fathom, the CPU donned a leather apron and a heavier set of gloves. Her eyes flicked to the brunette. "I don't need them, but proper conduct is important," she all but challenged IF over her dumbfounded stare, though the human girl merely nodded in understanding. "By the way, you might want to take off that coat if you are staying around. It is going to get hot in here."

IF did as told, trusting the other girl's judgement. Uni's eyes flickered to her once more over the rustling of cloth, and she appeared to take a moment to appraise IF. Then she went back to sorting metal bars, mentally counting how many she would need. "Is there any reason you do not wear more form-fitting clothes?" the CPU asked absent-mindedly. Had she actually looked, she would have found IF turning faintly pink around the ears.

"It's noth... okay, that would have been a lie." The older girl sighed in defeat, deciding to be honest here. "I'm self-concious about my body, and I know how dumb it sounds. I can't help it, though; ever since the start of middle school, people kept staring at me whenever they saw my arms or legs, or any part of me really." Her blush deepened, only to turn into a deep scarlet when Uni responded.

"You realise," the Candidate noted with a sideway glance, "that this is because you look good, yes?" IF fumbled for words, but Uni interrupted her before she could speak: "I know I am not the best person to talk to about this matter, but even I can see as much. Naturally, you can not measure up to us CPUs, but no one expects you to. You are healthy and strong, and that is clearly visible in your appearance." She paused, then began to smirk at IF. "Or... perhaps it bothers you that you can not look girly?"

She got no response, though there was none needed; IF averted her gaze, hands folded in her lap. Uni huffed and shook her head. "I see." It was not that she did not understand, or did not try to understand.

By this point, IF began to get her blush under control and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Do you?" she confronted the other girl, "It's easy to say for one who is the archetype of a beauty without even trying, and still stronger than I can ever be." Her words made Uni's head tilt, though she still did not turn fully to meet her eyes. IF waited.

"Perhaps," the Candidate allowed in the end. "As I said, I am probably not the best person to talk about this. I was just curious because I see no reason to hide yourself like you do. Then again," she added thoughtfully, "it does appear quite convenient to have so many pockets on your person at all times. I need them less because I create most of my necessities at will, but for a human... yes, I can see the appeal."

Then Uni's head actually turned, and she flashed a smirk at IF. "Of course, I can also see how it keeps you from unnecessary attention. From what Nepgear told me, you are not the dating kind." And just like that, the blush returned in force while Uni went back to her work.

IF grumbled under her breath, deciding to give Uni a taste of her own medicine; even if the topic was not meant to fluster her, that last remark definitely was. "Speaking of, do you need any help getting with Nepgear?" By the surprised yelp Uni let out, she had hit a bullseye and gleefully pushed further: "I noticed there is little progress on that end."

When Uni turned to her again, it was with narrowed eyes and a luminous blush of her own. She opened her mouth to speak, but reconsidered and closed it again. When this repeated a few times, IF knew that she won this round.

In the end, the younger girl huffed and shook her head. "Anyway," she muttered, but caught herself and increased her volume to explain. "We are starting with the blades and bracers today. I need them finished before I can prepare the cloth and leather to outfit them with."

She quickly turned around to fire up the furnace, leaving IF with little else to do but watch. She had already decided to leave all of the details to Uni, who was the expert. However, she did have one question she wanted to ask her. Reasoning that now was as good a time as any, IF decided to go for it. "Mind if I ask you something?" Uni hummed a confirmation, though her attention remained on the metal contraption she was working on. "Why do you focus on Lady Noire so much?"

Almost imperceptibly, Uni paused and began to turn her head; IF only saw it by chance, seeing how fast the other girl was back to focussing on the flames in front of her. Nonetheless, she responded: "Wanting to be like my sister is rather normal, don't you think?"

There was a challenge there, one that IF felt she had to take this time. Not that she was happy about it, or actually knew how to approach the topic diplomatically. "I... um... know quite a few pairs of siblings, but I never saw it like this before."

However, Uni merely shrugged. "We are CPUs, so it stands to reason that things may be different for us." Her tone brooked no argument, and IF hesitantly dropped the matter for the time being.

However, the idea did not leave her mind; she knew that something was off, especially after talking to Noire about it. So the day after, while Uni was already working the forge, she decided to get back to it. Unfortunately for IF, she was not used to being in an indoor-forge. It was hot, so much so that she had not only foregone her coat, but her clothes as well; with only Uni around, she did not particularly mind. It helped that the other girl had little more than a shrug for her when she undressed.

Normally, IF would have just kept them on and endured the heat, but the number of times she could change was limited while on a trip. She rather not bother the Basilicom's cleaning staff any more than necessary, and she knew at least her own stubborness well enough. There was a certain irony in the fact Nepgear had noted they were warming up to each other, though; IF had not expected it to be so literal.

The human girl was still sweating of course, and quietly muttering about CPUs and their innate resistance to heat and cold. Yet her goal for the day had not left her mind. She had to do it soon, seeing that Nepgear would fetch them in time to sightsee.

The next time Uni stepped back from the forge, she took her chance. "Uni? About that thing we talked about yesterday..." The younger girl turned her head and blinked as she recalled their last conversation; her brow creased into a frown and she appeared ready to tell her off. IF quickly elaborated: "I'm not sure how to address this, really, but I'd like to hear more about your thoughts on the matter."

Uni's frown ceased slightly, but did not vanish entirely. She took a few steps to the side in thought, paying no mind that she was standing in front of the furnace again. Then she shrugged. "I do not see anything wrong with idolising my big sister; Nepgear is doing the same thing." She folded her arms in front of her chest and gave IF a stern look. "As Noire's younger sibling, I have to work my hardest; I love doing it, too."

IF still had the feeling that something was not right about this explanation, or rather, in how Uni explained the matter. While she still pondered however, the younger girl at her again. "Many people are trying to live like Noire, and the same goes for every other CPU."

She was right and IF knew that; she also knew there had to be some flaw in Uni's logic, but could not put her finger on where it was. "But you are not other people. I'm mostly wondering why you want to be so much like her."

This time however, Uni's eyes narrowed at her. "I just told you that," she hissed, "Noire is a great person and as her sister, I want to be the same as her." Her tone brooked no more argument, and IF reluctantly dropped the matter once again. Uni had made it clear that the conversation was over.

Over the next few days, she only dropped in sporadically; while watching Uni work had been a novel experience for the first two days, IF quickly realised that it was, like most other work, not particularly interesting once one saw it for a while. She had no real interest in smithing either way, which did not help.

Sometimes she brought a book from Noire's library or chatted with Uni, who did not appear to treat her any differently to before she started digging into her mind. Or rather, tried to start on that. So far, IF still had no real idea what the problem was. She also considered asking Nepgear, but figured she would either get no other response than the first time, or worry her friend needlessly.

Her boredom had begun to become a problem, though; IF even started to look into Lastation's Guild, simply because the free time made her jumpy. She was no girly girl, same as the two Candidates, and found no interest in doing meaningless things. She rather do something productive and had nothing to do outside of exercising.

A week after her arrival however, IF stood surprised when no heat welcomed her into the forge. She curiously watched Uni work, gently hammering steel into proper shape, and noted that the furnace was already cooling down.

"Ah, there you are," the Candidate greeted her absentmindedly; she did not even look up, merely continued to work. "I am done. You do not have that much time here, and I want to see you off with those in your bag. So sis and I have been cheating a little on the time with Sharicite; folding the steel would have taken at least another two weeks normally. Get over here."

IF quickly did as told, being offered a pair of metal bracers the moment she approached. "Put those on and keep them on for a few minutes." Seeing that Uni was the expert, the brunette followed her orders without question; what she wanted to ask was answered anyway: "I made them a little more loose, now we are molding them to your arms. Once the mold hardens, I can outfit them properly so they do not chafe."

That explained the wiggly stuff she could feel her skin pushing against. IF carefully adjusted the bracers while Uni wiped one of the blades clean and gingerly placed it into a holding vessel. "I will be done soon... but not today, I need to sleep." Standing right next to the Candidate, IF realised she had the slightest bags under her eyes. The human girl nodded understandingly, but refrained from commenting; she knew by now that Uni preferred it that way.

Still, her thoughts kept revolving around what might be wrong with the younger girl; had she not had Noire's confirmation that something was indeed not right, IF might have long since stopped and decided it was just her being silly. Knowing there was more however, she could not just let this rest.

The following day, she got her chance.

Back at the forge once more, potentially for the last time, Uni presented the complete weapons with a proud smile. "Here we are, a pair of katars." She immediately held them out to IF. "Try them on."

IF gingerly took the weapons, her new weapons, and looked them over for a moment. Two flawless blades, each of them about as long as her forearms after being slid into the bracers and bolted in place tightly; no less than nine bolts kept them, arranged in three rows of three. Its metal gleamed weakly and IF gently put one katar down to push the other onto her arm; the bracer fit perfectly, sliding onto her arm and staying put even without tying any of the three straps.

The young woman gently ran her hand through the reinforced leather straps, noting their thickness and smoothness. Then she pulled the middle one tight, followed by the first and then the third one. They slid over her skin easily, pushing nowhere; a few seconds spent focussing on her arm and hand confirmed that they did not cut off her bloodstream, either.

She carefully repeated the procedure on her left arm and began to move around; Uni observed quietly how IF took a few basic stances, adjusted her new weapons a few times, and then easily ran through flurries of strikes with a speed that surprised the CPU.

Uni had known that IF was good and had a lot of practice, but she found little flaw in her stances and movements, if any at all. The fact that IF had no complaints to offer spoke volumes; they both knew she never held back on something important out of politeness.

IF, for her part, enjoyed the familiar sensation of having weapons strapped to her arms. She had missed this feeling, even if her balance was slightly different now; the blades were longer than on her previous pair.

She was drawn out of her motions by a weak chuckle, which brought her attention back to Uni; the younger girl held an understanding smile and motioned for IF. "I can tell you like them; there are still a few details I need to work out, but this is basically the final product."

The brunette felt a bit embarassed about being caught so entranced, but felt it was justified. "You did great work with this. I can already tell the difference in quality, those will do great." She offered her praise with little thought, and easily ignored the traces of pink appearing on Uni's face. However, her previous thoughts soon broke through and the Candidate took note of that.

Uni became more somber and tilted her head in question. "What is that troubled expression about?" Her eyes stayed on IF's, telling the older girl that she would not get out of this without talking. She considered passing it off for a moment anyway, but decided she might as well go right ahead.

Suppressing a sigh, IF offered her explanation: "Sorry, I'm still thinking about what we were talking about last week." Had it been any human, she most likely would have had to add a reminder of what exactly she meant. Unfortunately, as she was talking to a CPU, her words made Uni's expression sour in moments.

"And why exactly," the Candidate drawled, "is that still on your mind? I told you I am fine with how it is. Should there not be a little bit of trust?" This time IF knew the edge was there on purpose, another challenge toward her. Still, she could only nod and agree; she did trust Uni, after all. What she was actually doing was difficult to put into words, and she kept thinking about how to explain it.

However, her lack of a proper response was taken much differently by someone who could not see into her head. Uni's eyes narrowed and her shout startled IF out of her thoughts: "At least be honest and admit you don't trust me!" While the brunette still stared at her dumbfounded, she began to rant at her: "Who do you think you are? I am trying and trying and trying to be the sister Sis deserves, so you have no right to doubt me!"

In that moment, it clicked. A sudden moment of clarity, paired with the realisation that it had all been so easy and hidden in plain sight. But she was also getting angry herself, the words having had an effect on her.

IF shook off her surprise and the smidgen of fear from being the target of a CPU's anger, quelling all of it like one would quell a matchstick in a glass of water. Her own eyes narrowed and she took a defiant step forward, hissing right back: "Sure thing, I don't doubt you. But you could at least try to be yourself and not her!"

That was really all there was to it. Where Nepgear wanted to be like her big sister as much as possible, Uni took it a step further and wanted to be Noire. IF was as mad at herself for not noticing that sooner as she was at Uni for losing her temper like that.

However, her words gave the Candidate pause; for an instant, she stared at IF in surprise, making her think that maybe her words actually went through.

Then the moment passed and Uni sharply turned around.

"Leave." There was no real heat there this time, but IF had heard her clearly. Even if this was likely the core of the problem, she knew she might have gone too far. Before she could decide what to do however, Uni clarified coldly: "That was an order. Leave."

She wanted to stay defiant for one long moment, but ultimately decided that this was not worth defying a CPU's direct order. She quietly turned and stalked out of the room.

::

Uni, however, remained. She stood there, facing the cold furnace for long minutes; her mind raced faster than it ever had before, emotion at war with reason. She was angry, more so than she had been in a long time. Yet she also knew how irrational her anger was; a part of her was even touched that IF was so concerned about her, while another was enraged about the very same thing.

And, more importantly, no matter how much she tried to reassure herself that everything was fine, the reasononable parts of her kept on repeating that she had never once heard of IF losing her cool. Something about her words sounded wrong, and yet Uni could not shake the feeling she must not dismiss them.

IF was a reasonable person and a concerned friend. One that, Uni realised to her shame, she might just have lost due to her own failure to keep her feelings under control. If something had caught IF's attention like this, perhaps, she reasoned, there was something to it.

And even if she wanted to tell herself it could not be, Uni knew better than to just believe. No matter how slim the chance that IF was right, she had to make sure. As a lastationite CPU, she had to be as close to flawless as possible. She had to reevaluate, think about what IF had said, and determine this matter with certainty.

Only then would she be able to approach IF and tell her the conclusion. Then IF would apologise for doubting her, and she would apologise for losing her temper like this. And hopefully, Uni figured, they could go back to being friends. As much as she tried to make herself believe she did it for Nepgear's sake, she had to admit that IF had grown on her over the last week.

Not trusting her voice at the moment, she wrote out a short message telling Nepgear to meditate without her for the day, and that she had a few things to take care of. Uni knew that she had to go deeper than usually; any possible distraction was not acceptable. She would need a few hours of peace and quiet.

With that done and a response wishing her good luck coming in almost immediately, the young woman began to clean up her workplace diligently. Scraps were collected in a bucket, leftovers went into the respective locker, all tools were placed back where they belonged. Uni took note of the fact IF took the katars with her, but paid no particular mind to it.

Once she was done cleaning up, she reabsorbed the leather apron she kept wearing and made her way back down to her home. Where, much to her surprise, she also found the weapons she spent more than a week crafting. They were right there on Kei's desk, neatly arranged as to not bother the Oracle. The very same Oracle that gave her a searching look once she entered, which told Uni that Kei knew already. Reconstructing the situation, she figured that IF noticed she took the katars after leaving, and decided to bring them up here.

Kei was a perceptive person, so she probably noticed that something was not right.

"Is everything alright, Uni?" She was more subdued than usually; or rather, her usual confidence was missing, as always when she tried to talk about private matters with either her or Noire. The CPU nodded quietly, walking past Kei while mumbling: "...yes, I guess. I just need to think about something for a while. No visitors and no interruptions, if you would."

She could see the Oracle's eyes widening fractionally in the corner of her vision; she was understood and Kei nodded a confirmation immediately. "Of course." Then she went back to her work, leaving Uni alone with her thoughts as she soon climbed stairs and opened the door to her room.

By the time she slumped down on her queen-sized bed, most thoughts of other matters had already fled her mind; she quickly pulled herself further onto the mattress so she could lie comfortably, spread her arms, and looked at the grey ceiling before closing her eyes.

In the blackness of her own mind, Uni began to think.

So, who am I? And why would anyone complain I am trying too much to be like sis?

Those were the two questions she had to answer. The latter, however, also implied a third: who was her sister?

Uni decided to do the easier one first, eye turning inward and counting off. I am Lastation's Black Sister, Uni. Sixteen years old, female, birthday is the seventeenth of December. Hair colour is black, eye colour is red. A hundred and sixty seven centimetres tall, sixty-five kilograms of weight. Currently working for the Guild with a special license.

She paused after having finished on most of her general aspects. What else was there?

I, I like firearms, from manufacturing them to pulling the trigger. What else... I always work hard, even though sis tells me to take a smaller workload for now; I know she does even more than I, though. I am fine with that much.

A slight rustling filled her ears, Uni realising she was turning her head left and right. Hm... I am doing my best to follow sis' example of bringing my art to perfection. I study as much and as thoroughly as I can; most of my free time I spend either on my guns, paperwork, or Guildwork. My friends are... well, Nepgear. And maybe IF? I am not sure where we stand after what just happened. I hope she is not too angry.

She felt her thoughts slowing down as she plundered the depths of her mind for other information; part of Uni wondered why there was so little to tell about her, and another part responded that she never did anything of note. All her time was spent on trying to catch up with her sister or Nepgear.

This gave her pause; for an agonising instant, all of her mind was quiet. Then she began to search around once more. Yet, no matter how far she tried to think back, there was nothing noteworthy. Blowing larger monsters like Phoenixes or Dolphins full of holes on a regular basis did not count as special for any CPU except maybe a newborn.

Her fighting with Nepgear came to mind and Uni faintly recalled deciding that the older Candidate was her rival. She had not thought of this in years; it was a silly thing to remember, but brought a smile to Uni's face regardless. They stopped competing more than a decade prior to this moment, when she was four and Nepgear five, though the contests they came up with had been fun. She could not remember ever actually saying it, though.

Uni spent a moment making a mental note to actually tell Nepgear; perhaps it would draw that serene smile out of her again.

However, with how deep she was, even the warmth thinking of Nepgear brought was soon extinguished. Or rather, thinking of her at this moment may just have made it happen faster. Uni did not like her first two years, and she actively loathed who she was back then. A bully, nothing else; she made Nepgear cry more often than she dared counting, and it had taken much too long for the other Candidate to have enough and beat the brattiness out of her.

Even now, Uni still stood by the fact she earned every hit she took that day.

Then the same part that doubted herself earlier returned, wondering why this was the only notable thing she could remember from her early childhood. Outside of this, only the evenings she spent playing games with Noire stood out even remotely. She had a caring big sister, no matter how little time they could actually spend together.

She attempted to think of other special things, but drew blanks each and every time. There was nothing. She had fun working with her guns, but that hardly counted.

Again, that insistent part of her wondered. Who was she, now?

I am my sister's... sister.

Uni's eyes slowly opened, wide and brimming with unshed tears; she began to understand it now. This was the first, most spontaneous response she had been able to think of. Nothing about herself, who she was or what she did, but about Noire and how she stood to her.

I am Uni, the Black Sister, born to... no. No, no, no! This is all wrong! It doesn't even matter!

Despite her mental breakdown, the Candidate barely moved; she merely stared at the colourless ceiling while tears silently rolled down her cheeks. Her hands clenched into fists and relaxed while her breathing had long since stopped due to a lack of focus.

I am... me. Yes, but what does that mean? Who am I? Just me? What is me? I... I can be whoever I want to be, right? Sis never said anything about that... no, even if she did, this is more important.

It almost physically hurt Uni to disregard her sister's opinion on principle, but she knew she had to. This was not about anyone but her, and no one but Uni herself should be allowed to have a say in this.

Now she only had to figure out who she actually wanted to be.

. .

. .

Her phone and the sky told her that evening had begun; IF snapped the former shut and took a last glance at the latter before entering the Basilicom again. She had left hours ago, to get some air and calm down. Her anger was quelled quickly, but the bitterness about this entire situation took a while to leave.

Suffice it to say, she was not at all happy with what happened. Neither Uni's behaviour, nor her own, nor Noire's secrecy. She could only blame two out of those three, though; Noire had to have good reasons for what she did. Uni and IF did not have that excuse.

She soon reached the Oracle's office, where Kei was apparently taking a short break. She held a mug of what smelled like coffee, sipping from it slowly; nonetheless, her eyes were on IF the moment she entered. They had talked about what happened earlier and the katars were also still on her desk; she had felt wrong in taking them along after realising she still had them, so she brought them here earlier. Her gaze was on the weapons for a moment, but soon returned to the older woman's knowing look.

Kei put down her mug with a light frown before pointing at the door behind herself. "Uni is in her room. She said not to disturb her, but that was a while ago."

IF thanked her quietly and went on, reasoning that things were still somewhat fine if she was not stopped from entering. Kei gave her a nod that might have been meant to be reassuring, before taking another sip of coffee and going back to her work.

She had already decided to apologise, so she would do it. However, every step closer to her destination made IF more hesitant; she did not want another fight and Uni had apparently ordered not to be bothered. Kei gave her a pass, but that did not have to mean anything.

When she reached the door in question, the brunette stood in front of it for a few seconds. She considered what happened and might happen, ultimately deciding it could hardly get much worse. So she rapped her knuckles against the fine wood twice and waited.

No response.

IF stood for a full ten seconds, waiting for a reaction or anything at all, but got nothing. She suppressed a sigh and turned to leave, assuming that Uni was elsewhere by now; were she in her room, she would have at least told her to go away.

Before she could take more than a single step however, faint tapping could be heard on the other side of the door before it opened. There stood Uni, taking a moment to look IF over; the older girl wanted to say something, but what she saw in turn kept her quiet: the skin around Uni's eyes was faintly red and her silky hair dissheveled.

With how prim and proper she usually appeared, these two things immediately stood out.

Uni opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out; they both blinked in confusion, but then the CPU appeared to understand... and took a deep breath. IF did not even notice she was not breathing before.

After taking another breath to calm herself, Uni weakly motioned toward her room. "Please come in." There was neither heat nor bitterness there, yet IF did not feel happy about that. Defeat was plainly written all over Uni, from her noticeably bowed posture to her weak voice. She complied immediately, entering the Candidate's room; it was spacious, though not as much as Nepgear's room. IF noted the lack of personal effects, but said nothing about it. No wardrobe, but a large bed and several gun cabinets next to a desk.

Uni pulled the chair from under said desk and had IF sit on it, while she herself slumped down onto the edge of her bed. She kept fidgeting in a way reminiscent of Nepgear, not meeting IF's eyes for the time being and twiddling her fingers. IF herself dutifully waited for what Uni had to say. She managed to ignore the tense silence hanging over them, lest it gnaw on her patience.

In the end, the CPU pushed both hands into her lap to keep them still and closed her eyes, then looked up. "I, um, I'm sorry for overreacting back there. I really shouldn't have done that, so... can you forgive me for that?" Soft red met surprised green and IF had to digest this for a moment; Uni's voice sounded much softer this time, the usually present edge practically gone for these instants.

Sighing, IF offered a weak smile. "I was out of line back there, too. So I'll forgive you if you forgive me in turn." The way Uni's lips curled up already told her that the proposal was accepted. They nodded at each other, relieved about having solved this somewhat properly.

"You were right, though," Uni admitted softly. She looked down at her hands again, bowing and straightening her fingers as she spoke. "Something was very wrong with me. Still is, I think. I tried to fix myself as best as I could for the last few hours, but it will take a little longer than that until I am done." Then however, she looked up again; her smile turned more feral and fire sparked in her eyes. "I am Lastation's Black Sister, Uni. I am still looking for a proper goal, but at the moment... I want to surpass Nepgear and become the strongest CPU of our generation."

IF snorted over the cliche'd goal, but nodded along with a smirk of her own. She knew CPUs could change fast and felt joy bubble in her chest. Not only had she managed to keep a new friend, she also helped Uni become more than she used to be.

"It seems," a familiar voice startled them both out of the moment, "That this issue was finally overcome. I am happy to see that." They both turned to find Noire leaning on the doorframe; IF belatedly realised that Uni had not closed the door. Her friend was already blushing furiously from being heard by her big sister.

The older CPU merely smiled at them, though. She remained where she was, arms crossed and with a wider smile than IF had seen on her the entire week. "You came around nicely, Uni. I am proud of you... and do not even think that way," she immediately admonished when Uni's expression fell. "My own apotheosis was brought forth by pushing my pride aside and asking others for help; you have nothing to be ashamed of."

With how she mentioned it, IF realised what was going on. Neptune's words from that day returned to her, and her gaze wandered to a flabbergasted Uni; the Candidate looked at her sister with wide eyes, stuttering: "W-Wait, apotheosis? What, why? H-How?"

"Nepgear didn't tell you?" Noire's question only prompted a shake of Uni's head. "Good, Neptune had her promise not to tell. It is... a rite of passage, of sorts. We decided that you had to figure this out yourselves, just like we had to. As much as it hurt to see you cling to my ideals like you did, I had to make sure you can get over this yourself. You needed a nudge from IF," at which she was given an appreciative nod, "but that was all it took. Everything else was you."

Uni's frown began to cease, though she still appeared lost. "But... I don't get it. Why is this how we get HDD?"

At this, Noire shrugged and pushed herself off the doorframe. "I don't know." She closed the door with her foot and offered them both a helpless smile. "We can guess, but no one knows for sure. The best we have is that this ability of ours is what sets us apart from our people; even as we grow older, we can change once we have reason to believe we need to. Our core personality will never fade and reemerge even if we suppress it, but everything else is malleable. This change you went through," she noted happily, "will be the last one to join your core traits. You will be an adult soon."

As if on cue, Uni gasped and began to glow while grasping her head in pain. IF felt a sense of déjà-vu at the sight, remembering another Candidate doing almost exactly the same thing. Noire gently continued, knowing that Uni was still listening: "We believe it is because as rulers, we need to be able to adapt. This is why children can not use HDD as well: their personalities are still malleable and not yet completely formed."

As the glow intensified and IF considered to take a step back, Uni blinked at her sister in great interest. Noire indulged her and kept talking over the shine. "As far as we got out of Histoire, Blanc, ah, White Heart," she explained to IF, "Blanc is actually the youngest CPU to ever achieve apotheosis, at thirteen. Neptune followed at fourteen, but the average is actually somewhere around our early twenties. You and Nepgear are both quite a bit below average."

Once Noire finished, silence hung over the room; Uni slowly looked over her gleaming hands, awe and curiousity mixing with the lingering pain of her divinity shifting into place. "I feel weird," she mumbled after another moment, which only enhanced IF's sense of déjà-vu. The brunette, realising what kind of situation she was in now, was tempted to throw up her hands about it; she was not supposed to be there for Uni's apotheosis, and yet she was.

At the same time, she felt giddy. True to Neptune's words, Nepgear had never shone with the same beauty after her first transformation. A gentle, pleasant light, one that seeped back into IF's memory every night for months, soothing her into deep and restful slumber.

Never thereafter had she seen anything as beautiful, and she felt herself longing to see it again. A wish that would be fulfilled this day, for which she knew she would be eternally grateful.

Then the light coalesced, growing in intensity until but Uni's silhouette was left; IF stopped blinking, intent on not missing a single moment, even if it took little more than a second once again. Her heart was at ease seeing such beauty for a second time in her life.

Then it was over, as fast as it had begun; the light faded and a familiar presence made her gut clench. Before her sat a CPU, perfectly still. IF had become used to the feeling by now, but her eyes still took in the sight in front of her with awed curiousity; Uni's initial armour was pitch black and shining as it reflected the room's light, covering her from neck to toe just like Nepgear's had.

Her form had grown perhaps a few centimetres in height, but the most prominent changes were in her eyes and hair; the former gleamed in a green like the lush forests of Lastation, the latter was now an ethereal silver reminiscent of Black Heart's own. Uni's hair appeared to have grown in length as well, seeing that it reached as far as before while being held in an extravagant drill-shape.

Uni slowly looked herself over, staring at her reflection in the mirror and gently running a hand through her hair. By the time she hugged herself in delight, IF had regained most of her composure; when the Candidate finally returned her attention to her, they exchanged smiles.

"How do I look?" Her voice had become deeper, not as deep as Purple Heart's, but noticeably so.

The human girl merely raised an eyebrow. "Do you really need me to feed your ego now of all times?" Which, somehow, prompted a chuckle from Noire. The older CPU strode into the room, a loving smile having replaced her usually professional expression, though IF's next comment distracted her from whatever she was originally trying to do: "I guess this is going to be a thing in my life after all."

The Lastationites shared a look while IF merely covered her face; she still wanted to believe she was no one special, but her circumstances rather openly conspired against this worldview. She had seen two Candidates blossom, which put her ahead of even the CPUs themselves; Neptune and Noire had each seen one.

Uni and Noire, however, merely shared a laugh over it. IF did not react aside from sneaking another glance at the newly awakened Candidate, only to see her drawn into a soft embrace and go stock-still. Noire's laughter faded out while she held her sister, one hand slowly running over her head. "You are now an adult, and never have I been more proud of you, Uni."

Sometimes, IF wondered how they could actually say these things with someone else around. Neither of the sisters paid any attention to her at the moment, with Uni enjoying the attention much more openly than IF would have expected. She just closed her eyes and waited; up and leaving was not really possible with them standing between her and the door.

That did not help against the pang of pain and envy, though; she quelled it quickly, but it was still there.

"You... can look now." Noire's reluctance conveyed an amused note and IF opened her eyes again to see both CPU's look back at her. Uni hovered a short distance off the ground, beaming happily. The brunette forgot about her own feelings and got up.

"Anyway, I'm happy for you." Out of impulse, she held out a fist for Uni to bump; an act which she regretted the moment the CPU accomodated her, almost shattering her hand with but a weak touch. IF winced and rubbed the abused bones, simply waving off Uni's shocked apology. Then her arm was grasped by another hand, slender yet strong. Noire allowed no resistance when she pulled IF closer for inspection. A flicker of green light seeped into her skin, soothing the residue pain.

"You have some work to do on fine control, but it was not as bad as it could have been."

Meanwhile, IF took note of something she had somewhat noticed before; be it the situation or the soothing presence of a goddess, she offered a comment of her own: "So, I know some of you grow in HDD. I mean, no way Nep is hiding double-D's in her civilian form... but, uh, did yours shrink?"

Her question gave both CPUs pause; Uni's gaze wandered down to her chest, and she dematerialised the breastplate and most of the armour covering her upper body, carefully running a hand over her own skin with a critical eye. "I think you are right. Not that I mind, less surface area is always a good thing." To which IF nodded, albeit blushing slightly at the sight; once Uni noticed, she shrugged and materialised her gear back in place.

Noire had watched the proceedings with a slow nod. "Do not bring that up around the others," she advised. "Green and White are still arguing about similar matters; you do not want to be drawn into this."

Uni and IF nodded slowly, not really understanding the point of contention. Any potential response was interrupted when Uni slipped further away from the ground, though. The Candidate turned around herself and began to pointlessly wave her arms. "A-Ah, help! How do I get down?!"

She had floated closer to IF, who carefully dodged the arms and pulled her back down without even batting an eye. "There you go. Nepgear had the same problem at times." Thinking of Candidate problems however, she realised there was another one approaching Uni; this did prompt a pitying smile as she kept a light hold on the other girl's shoulder.

Uni did not fail to notice, giving her a curious look. "What is it?"

"...I just remembered what comes with apotheosis." She figured she might as well be honest. Uni cancelled her transformation and returned to normal in the meantime, though she grew pale a moment later. Apparently, she also knew she would not leave her bed for a while.

"Do not worry about being sick," Noire chimed in leniently, "you are an adult now. That much will be nothing to you."

The remark returned Uni's smile, making her nod at herself. "You're right, sis! I can't wait to-" She paused and listened, prompting the other two to strain their ears as well. There were quiet noises coming from below, which had Uni become even more excited. She burst out of the room at speed, throwing open her door quickly enough to almost throw it out of the frame. "Nepgear!"

IF slowly stepped up until she stood next to Noire, both of them apparently having decided not to follow the bundle of joy just yet; they listened to the sound of conversation, followed by squeals. IF shook her head. "Any chance she confesses?" She knew it was a private topic, but Uni's and Nepgear's mutual crush on each other was plain as day; there was no way Noire had not noticed it by this point.

The older CPU merely shook her head, though. Her eyes twinkled with humour as she responded: "I doubt it. Uni comes after me in that regard, and it took me a long while to actually confess. I doubt either of them even noticed it is mutual just yet... and even if they did, they are young and have a lot to consider. Give it time and do not push too much, yes?"

There were quite a few curious statements there, but IF felt that doing more than agreeing with a nod was not okay. Noire returned a more grateful nod before motioning for the door. "I think they had enough time, let us get going."

. .

. .

True to their expectations, Nepgear was delighted. While Noire watched the children chatter excitedly however, she could not help but smile. She had already decided to take a longer break and cook for them, to celebrate the occasion.

The two Planeptunians would return home the following evening; Uni's sickness was unlikely to act up that quickly, so she was already planning an outing for the four of them.

Looking back, Noire realised that she ought to have spent more time with her sister anyway. Perhaps she could have prevented the need for IF's intervention entirely if she did.

Alas, there was no sense in crying over lost opportunities. She just had to take some more time now.