"This is so exciting... We're getting a remake too...! We're reaaaally getting ooone...!"

"I can't wait, I can't wait! I'm gonna see Neptuna and Ploot again!"

"Huh...? But Peashy, I'm right here..."

"Huh? Oh yeah! Ploot! I missed you so much!"

"Huuuuuuh...? I went somewhere? Why didn't anyone tell me...?"

Nepgear couldn't help but laugh at the antics of the two CPUs before her. Being the bearer of the remake torch, so to speak, and still being forbidden from interacting with people she would actually be primarily interacting with come Part 3, she found herself spending time with some of her other friends. As it happened, all this meant was that that "terrifying foreshadowing" Neptune and Noire had been so concerned about simply amounted to her spending time in the other dimension with Plutia, Peashy, and the others there.

"Now now, you two, it hasn't been released yet..." Nepgear held up her hands to try to calm her two friends, but they didn't seem dissuaded from their celebrations in the slightest. It was understandable, of course, though she wondered if it was really okay for them to be celebrating it so early. Looking at how pleased the two of them looked... Nepgear sighed in defeat. "I guess it's okay."

Seeing their dimensionally (and plot) misplaced friend give in to their nepdeer games, the two CPUs exchanged a delighted look and each reached out for one of her arms. Nepgear let out a yelp of surprise as she was tugged onto the couch the pair was seated on, finding herself the center of a Nepgear Sandwich, which Plutia and Peashy rolls working as the bread.

"W-What the goodness... I don't think I deserve anything like this. Especially since I'm going to have more than enough to talk about soon enough anyway." Smiling bashfully at her fellow CPUs, she wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders cheerfully. "You two are the ones who have something to celebrate here, not me. I'm very happy for you both."

"Me too! I know! I'm gonna get started on it!" Peashy cried out cheerfully, thrusting her free arm into the air. The two other CPUs watched the enthusiastic girl fondly. Seeming not to notice, the girl began to pull out a sketchpad and some crayons out of her inventory and began drawing what she presumably must have thought the remake would be like. "... And Neptuna'll go 'kaboom!' and then... 'Kabam!'"

Nepgear blinked a few times, already feeling a bit concerned as to what Peashy was hoping to see come out of this new game, before she turned to Plutia. The CPU simply offered her a knowing smile, which... actually didn't help at all! Had they been importing games from Leanbox while she and Neptune were away...!? What was with the explosions!?

As Nepgear tried to figure out just what had happened with Peashy's upbringing, the girl in question declared she needed to get more crayons — she had already used up all the red and orange!? — and dashed off, leaving Nepgear and Plutia to their own devices. Nepgear shook her head. Maybe she was overthinking this...?

"Is it that surprising? You've seen her SP Attacks, riiiight?" Plutia tilted her head, eyes lazily looking at Nepgear as she waited for the girl to recall those special attacks of the little girl's — dramatic explosions fit for action stars and superheroes filled them all. She even put Nisa to shame sometimes! Recalling how dangerous it had been raising her Lily Rank with the girl, Nepgear found herself smiling awkwardly and nodding to Plutia's question. That was an experience that she wouldn't soon forget, that was for certain. "That's right... So Neppy Jr., Neppy Jr... What's it like? You haaaave to tell me."

The CPU Candidate frowned. She would have thought Plutia knew that better than anyone, except for maybe her sister. Was she actually more experienced in this area? That... was surprising! It made her feel a little bit more adult-like, even!

Crossing her arms, Nepgear nodded in the way that she knew was the sort of way a wise old sage would. Slow and with purpose.

"Well... You always have to keep healing items on hand, because she isn't very good at holding back. It's not as bad before she changes, but once she transforms, her claws can get tangled in your hair if you don't watch out. It's okay, though, because you'll get used to that eventually. You should be okay, but for me..." Nepgear fought back a shudder at the memory. It stopped happening as frequently once their Lily Rank got a little higher and they got more used to each other, but those first times had really hurt... "Ask Compa for anything she has for burns, small and big, whenever you plan on being alone with her. Just in case. Oh, and if you aren't too careful, you might get stuck in her chest... T-Though... That can actually be kind of nice after she's been beating you up all day... It was kind of like the reward for being able to withstand all of... Huh? P-Plutia?"

For some strange reason, Plutia was looking at her with an oddly excited look. W-Wasn't this the kind of thing she wanted to know...? How to raise her Lily Rank with Peashy?

"Noooo... Nepgear, I meant about the remake. Not about Peashy..." It was terrifyingly clear that Plutia had taken a quick peek into the narration, or maybe she just understood Nepgear well enough to realize where her mistake had been. The way she was smiling now...! Oh no! What had Nepgear done...?! She had triggered the worst possible flag at the worst possible time! "I mean... I had nooo idea you liked to have so much fun like that. Maybe we should work on our Lily Rank too? Don't worry, I won't tug on anything aaany harder than you like..."

The CPU Candidate swallowed, realizing her fatal mistake — of course Plutia would have been asking her about the remake! It was why she was here in the first place!

There was nothing she could do about it now, however. Plutia already had that glint in her eye, a hand already placed gently on Nepgear's shoulder... In vain, Nepgear reached for Plutia in turn, but she knew even if Plutia was just playing, what was going to pass would pass no matter what she...

"R-Really, i-if you think about it... T-This is a good chance, right? Maybe I can help my ratings a little with a remake too...? I could even start appearing more in the story!"

"That would be soooo cool, mama!"

Thank goodness! Peashy had returned! Surely, she would be able to save Nepgear's Lily Rank this day!

Nepgear's relief, incredible and even exhaustingly wonderful as it was, at being rescued by an interruption only lasted a moment, sadly.

For Peashy wasn't alone when she entered the room. She wasn't alone at all. In Peashy's hand, rather than a fresh box of crayons, was another hand instead. A hand in a black glove. The hand of Rei, otherwise known (at least to Peashy) as "mama."

Needless to say, what should have been a joyous scene of freedom and salvation from Lily Ranking with Plutia any more than absolutely necessary or required turned into something much more awkward. At least it was probably better than what Plutia wanted to do with her... depending on Plutia's mood, anyway...

Alas, Nepgear wasn't given any more time than that brief moment to reflect. The two who had just entered were about to have their say. While she stared in shock, her face quickly turning an increasingly deep shade of red, Plutia simply chose to lazily push Nepgear onto the couch, gently resting her head atop Nepgear's chest and looking for the world like she was moments from falling asleep with a favorite pillow.

All things considered? If Plutia had just done this, Nepgear probably wouldn't have been too bothered (after the first two minutes spent expecting Plutia to do something more only to realize she had fallen asleep four minutes prior). Too bad this probably wasn't at all what she had had in mind after that all too detailed description Nepgear had given her about her time bonding with Peashy...

"Ploot! What are you doing!? I want to play too! You're hogging heeeerrrr...!"

"Eeeee! Peashy, stop, cover your eyes! Y-Y-You're too young for 'play' like that! I'm too young for it!"

"Maaamaaaaaa, stoooop...!"

As Nepgear watched the blue haired woman struggle to cover Peashy's eyes from the indecent act she assumed she had walked in on (but in fact may have prevented by doing so), she realized that any moment now, knowing Peashy... She tried to get up and do something, but with Plutia (who seemed to really have actually fallen asleep at this point — how did she do that?) clinging to her, she wouldn't make it in time before the little CPU-

"YAH!" Look at that precise elbow maneuvering! But will it take effect...?!

"(unintelligble noise of pain)!?" OHHHH! It's a one hit wonder! They're outta here!

Thankfully(?), the noise woke Plutia up, which was all Nepgear needed to be able to get out from underneath her to go check on the blue haired woman crumpling to the floor. Peashy had seemed miffed that Plutia was trying to play with Nepgear without her, but since that "game" had ended, it appeared as though she wasn't bothered anymore. As for her "mama," though?

"Eeeeeeee... T-That was..." She actually seemed a lot better off than Nepgear would have expected. Maybe she had just been surprised before? The Candidate supposed that just might have been surprise for the sake of a joke earlier, rather than actual pain. Or at least she could tell herself that so she could feel less bad about not being to stop it from happening, anyway. Considering the person in question... She supposed she just shouldn't question these things.

"Are you okay?" Nepgear offered Rei a concerned smile, tilting her head slightly as she tried to help the taller woman up. The blue haired member of the Seven Sages gladly took Nepgear's assistance, and in no time at all the two were right again. "There we go... Good as new, more or less. So, um..." Realizing she probably had a very limited window of opportunity to change the subject before it returned to where it had been previously, Nepgear took this chance to strike up conversation. "Peashy told you about the remake coming up?"

The bespectacled woman seemed taken aback by the Candidate showing interest in her opinion in such a manner, but it soon turned to gratitude as she began considering the girl's question... which was actually somewhat surprising, considering Rei's particular role, or role to be, in the game in question.

"She did! I just know it's going to boost m-my p-p-popularity a little... It'll highlight my plot too..." The woman puffed her chest out somewhat, an excited, nervous sort of smirk on her face as her glasses slipped down her nose just a little. "I mean, if you think about it, isn't Tari the nation that needs someone to save it the most? S-S-So... Maybe someone w-w-will marry... me?"

Surprise didn't quite cover how Nepgear felt hearing that kind of comment out of, well, Rei. Perhaps she hadn't ever expected to hear her once-enemy express an interest in something like that... or maybe it offended her that she dared suggest she wanted screentime when she, the main character's adorable little sister, still barely had had any — though even Plutia seemed somewhat surprised by Rei's comment, and this was Plutia. So maybe there really was more to it than that...

However, no one was more taken by the comment that little Peashy.

"What?" Seeing the reactions she was getting, Rei nervously flitted her gaze back and forth around the room, panic clearly starting to rise. At least that was a more typical response to see from the blue haired woman, but the "damage," so to speak, had already been done. There was no going back for her now. "Can't I get m-m-m-married too? I-I wouldn't do anything bad to them, h-hones-"

"What about papa?"

With that one simple, innocent question, Rei froze mid-sentence. A pin dropping would have sounded like an explosion in that atmosphere. All three CPUs slowly turned to look at the little blonde, who was looking up at Rei with wide, questioning eyes. Confused eyes.

She didn't understand.

She understood that papa could get weird and talk about Neptuna's wife like he did, but... That was different because he still had always stayed with mama, right?

But...

She didn't understand at all!

"H-Hold on, Peashy, I think... I-I think you might be misunderstanding something here..."

Instinctively, Nepgear took a step away from Rei as she started to try to explain herself to the little girl before her. Even though that meant taking a step towards Plutia, in this case, she actually felt that she might be better off in the hands of Iris Heart than near Peashy right now, if for entirely different reasons anyway.

"Y... Y..."

There it was. The trembling lip. The frown.

The CPU Candidate was immediately glad she had moved.

"You can't do that mama! You can't can't can't do that! I won't let you!"

"Eh!? B-But I... W-Wh-"

"Yooou caaaaaan't!"

Sighing in relief at having avoided getting involved, Nepgear found herself returning to the couch as she watched the strange pair try to sort out this... peculiar familial issue. At least no one had ever tried to deal with the custody of Peashy before, now that she was a CPU and completely aware of herself again... How many parents was she on now? A dozen, maybe? One would think she would just start declaring aunts and uncles at some point...

"It's funny, isn't it Neppy Jr.?" The Candidate glanced to her side as Plutia, who had followed her back to the couch, spoke to her, unsure of what the CPU was talking about. She supposed Rei and Peashy's conversation was kind of funny in a way, but given how her last conversation with Plutia had gone in this scene, she wasn't about to assume anything about what the light haired girl might be talking about. Who knew what kind of things Plutia would try to pull on her — maybe even literally — this time...!? "Heeheehee, don't be silly, I just wanted to talk... Is that so bad? You have such a naughty mind."

O-Oh. Shoot. She forgot they were in a Special Stage. She really had to keep better track of these things...

Blushing, Nepgear lowered her gaze. Could anyone blame her for thinking like that though? When it came to Plutia... I-It just came with the territory, that was all!

"Like it came with how you were talking about Peashy's transformation a little while ago...? Ohhh, or that beach scene in the anime...? Neither of those were me..." Nepgear's blush deepened, but she couldn't comment... N-Not because Plutia was right or anything, o-of course not, but just because... I-It was Plutia! That was all! "Hahaha... That's cute. You're so funny, Nepgear."

"W-W-Well if I'm wrong, then why don't you tell me what you really meant!?" Nepgear cried out, arms outstretched and clearly flustered by Plutia's teasing. If Plutia hadn't been telling the truth about what she was saying and Nepgear was right, then how could she judge Nepgear for... F-For things that weren't even true anyway!? Y-Yes, that's right!

Plutia tilted her head, blinking slowly as her long hair drooped over her shoulder. For a moment, Nepgear had half a mind to think that Plutia had just forgotten what they had even been talking about — or that she knew full well but was going to claim she had forgotten just to spite and/or tease Nepgear, which was definitely just as likely a possibility.

"I was just thinking... The series only got regular games before, but then it started stretching out, riiiiight...? It got a spinoff here, a remake there, and it got sooooo stretchy..." To illustrate her point, Plutia stretched both of her arms out to her sides and made a great effort to look like she was stretching as hard as she could. Her eyes were closed tight and one look at her face might trick a person into thinking she really was using a great deal of energy... but one look at her hands would make that person wonder how this person got out of bed in the morning if a stretch like this made them make a face like that.

The whoosh of air she let out as she dropped her hands didn't help.

"I suppose..." Nepgear touched her chin, a thoughtful expression crossing her face — somehow able to completely ignore the scene that continued to go on before her between Rei and Peashy, which was quickly turning into something even stranger than it had started off ("What's an allowance anyway...!?" "Eeeeeee... A-Ask him! Ask him! He always kept the money! I never kneeeew!"). "What's funny about that? Isn't that a good thing?"

Plutia raised her head (w-was she actually panting? had that meager stretch really been a lot of work for her...?!) and nodded at Nepgear.

"It is! That's what's funny about it, Neppy Jr..." Without any warning at all, Plutia proceeded to lean over the side of the couch and pull out a pair of stuffed toys — they were Neptune and Noire, but dressed in a certain type of clothes that Nepgear knew had no place being described to anyone anywhere for any reason ever. ... W-Was it okay she kind of wanted the Neptune one...? "Look at these... I would neeeeever ever ever make anything like this in the real story, but for a joke here? It's okay. Toootally okay. Even if poor little Neppy is going to be veeeery cold like this..."

"Right..." Nepgear nodded slowly. Plutia was probably getting at something, but she was transfixed by the items in Plutia's hands — the one resembling her sister, her sister in such... such attire anyway, if it could even be called that. N-Neptune would never wear anything like that... Not even for Noire! Never! Never never never! Just thinking about the real Neptune wearing something like that... Imagine if she transformed...! I-It would be... indecent! Yes, indecent, that's what it would be! Just... imagine it. How... terrible it would be. Quite... terrible. Just awful... From head to toe awful... So awful...

Plutia giggled as she watched Nepgear's mind go on a ride. Maybe her example had been a little too much for the not-so-innocent girl to handle?

"Neeeeeeeeepgeeeeaaaar..." The CPU hated taking the girl out of what looked like such a fun train of thought, but she wanted to finish the conversation before it was time for her 3:00 nap, else she might end up being late to her 5:00 one, which would just completely ruin her plans for her 8:00 one! With that in mind, she shifted one doll to the other so both were under one arm and slowly placed a hand on Nepgear's shoulder. "Listen to me..."

"Huh?" The rosy cheeked Candidate blinked a few times before quickly shaking her head furiously in the hopes that Plutia hadn't caught on. "W-What were you saying, Plutia?"

"I was saying, isn't it funny that we're ending up like that now too?" Plutia hadn't actually come out and said as much yet, but it was what she had been leading up to. Getting right to the chase might help Nepgear recover in time for Plutia to maybe ask Nepgear to join her for that nap... She missed when Neppy would always be around for that... "Think about it. It's fun, right?"

The girl considered it, admittedly still recovering from the "damage" seeing Plutia's new Neptune doll had "inflicted" on her mind.

She supposed Plutia had a point. They were already in one such spinoff right now, weren't they? With another, one tied to the main story, already having long since been underway... It certainly did seem like they were expanding similarly, and around the same time too! Nepgear wasn't sure if it was funny or just downright scary. If it was the latter, it would make sense that Plutia believed it to be the former, though.

"I'll say it's... interesting." Finally deciding on this course of action, Nepgear nodded to herself and to Plutia. If nothing else, she was getting to appear more thanks to these things, so she certainly couldn't complain even if these Special Stages weren't directly tied to the main story. She wondered if she would get to appear in any of the short stories that were on the way...? "Maybe a little funny."

That seemed to satisfy Plutia enough, for she turned away from Nepgear and leaned into the couch. The Candidate closed her eyes and sighed. This day was turning out to be strange... But she was glad too. Plutia seemed happy enough, and despite their peculiar argument (was it even one anymore), Peashy and Rei seemed happy enough too... She was glad she had gotten to be the one to deliver the news to them. Maybe she could go with Plutia someday to see that new girl when it was her turn?

That would be pretty fun...

For a little, Nepgear entertained herself with what kind of things she could look forward to from the new friends that were sure to come someday... But something started to nag at her. At first she ignored it, but the more time passed, the more she realized that any moment now, the scene would have ended and she would have missed her one opportunity... Since this was a Special Stage... Asking here wouldn't hurt, would it?

The girl opened her eyes.

She was going to do it.

She just... had to figure out how.

After a moment, Nepgear glanced at the wall. She took a breath. If she was going to ask... She needed to do it before the scene ended. She just... She just had to steel herself.

"P-P-Plutia?"

"Hmmm?" The curious CPU watched the Candidate before her, who seemed to be having trouble getting the words out. Just... what words did she want to get out, though? She wasn't a mind reader, silly Nepgear! And Nepgear wasn't even narrating what she wanted to saaaay...

"C-Can I... Ummm... T-That is, I just..."

Plutia stared for a moment at the blushing, fidgeting form of Nepgear before her, before her eyes lit up in mischievous delight as Nepgear's intentions became perfectly clear to her. She didn't any narration to figure out what Nepgear wanted from that. Bending over for just a moment, she picked up the disgarded Neptune plush doll, stood back up, and happily offered it to Nepgear, who, after making sure Peashy and Rei were still occupied, quickly took it, locking it in a vice-like grip in her arms.

"Here you go. Enjoy her..." All smiles, as if she were looking at a happy customer rather than a girl who was possessively holding a doll of her sister, Plutia almost seemed like she had known Nepgear wanted it all along. That... That wasn't how it was... She didn't... She wasn't...!

What she was was clinging to that doll like it was a precious artifact she needed to smuggle out of a dungeon without getting hit or noticed by anyone, and she didn't even have so much as a cardboard box to save her here.

"W-What the goodness!? I-It's not like that, Plutia! I-I just-! E-Enjoy? Her? I...! I'm not-!"

"IIII knooooow."

"Yoooou doooo nooooot!"