Something... rises from the depths...
The outline of human figure can be seen, floating...
A CPU?
As the dust settles, it is visible that it's...
mostly purple...
and also transparent...
"Huh? Who are you...? Ah, Nepgear, nice to you again. Though you're last visit wasn't too long ago..."
The voice is anything but hostile...
"U-Uranus? W-What was that for?" Nepgear questions the spirit.
"That wasn't me. This building is just really old..." Makes sense.
Also, it's just Uranus. I lower my weapon as there is no imminent danger.
Wait what does she mean by... "What do you mean by my 'last visit wasn't too long ago'?" My girlfriend asks.
"I think it was... just yesterday... You took the Gehaburn, the cursed sword..."
Nepgear deadpans while I straight up facepalm...
"That wasn't me..." She mutters, distress in her voice.
"Could you describe the person from yesterday?" I question the former Planeptune CPU.
"Long pink hair, a black sailor suit, some red and yellow heart-hair-clip..."
"Sounds like Nepgeo..." I sigh covering my face in my hand.
"Who?" The current Planeptune CPU questions.
"Some Planeptunian girl that looks just like you... possibly associated with ASIC..."
"So we are gonna look for her?"
"Uhm, yes. But let's first go back to the Basilicom and ask Histoire about it."
"Sure."
We land back on the balcony of the Planeptune Basilicom.
"Greetings. Were you successful?" Histoire has noticed our arrival and floats towards us.
"Not really. Somebody else has taken it before us." Nepgear explains.
I continue. "And I suspect the person in question is called Nepgeo."
The Oracle's eyes were now twitching.
"S-somebody else... t-took the weapon... a-able to... k-kill a C-CPU?!"
"Uh, pretty much... at least we know who..." Wait a sec... "DAMMIT! She could try to kill the CPUs as she might be associated with ASIC!" I realize.
"So... Nepgeo was it? I'm at it..." Histoire sighs and floats away, probably to her office.
"We'll have some private time until she figures that out... so?" I nudge her slightly.
In response she carefully turns my head towards her and passionately kisses me.
I return the kiss.
We stand there for a few seconds, before breaking up from the kiss.
"Gaming for a little?~" She offers.
"Sure~"
Histoire suddenly breaks into our gaming session and proclaims: "I found where she lives. It's just down the street to the east from here."
"Yeah... Just... a few... more minutes..." I reply, still tapping away at the controller with a lot of concentration.
And so does Nepgear, not irritated by her Oracle who returns an annoyed look.
"Uh... fine..." She floats out of the room, visibly not happy with this outcome.
"So... This should be it." I state, staring at the small piece of paper Histy has given to us, street and house number written on it...
Now... This is just a generic Planeptunian house for people living alone.
Yeah, okay, I should have expected that.
I store away the note, turn towards Nepgear and nudge my head slightly towards the building.
We silently walk towards the building.
"Nepgeo, I am happy to see you but..." Somebody's speaking...
"Yes, Underling?" Two people... Probably Linda and Nepgeo.
"Could you please put down that weapon? It's frickin' dangerous! Wait... you..."
"Yeah, I know. I'm like the nicest person in this f*cking world."
"Whatever. Anything else happened here besides that and the trapped rat?"
"Uh, no."
"CHUUU! LET ME OUT!"
"Shut up."
Yeah, okay... Linda's definitely here.
I ring the door bell.
Foot steps slowly advance towards the door, probably to check who's there.
"The hell are you?" I hear Nepgeo ask.
"A friend of Linda. Now open the damn door or I'll break it."
"I wanna see that."
"I'm not gonna pay for it."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
She is walking away...
Nepgeo, you wanted it like this.
"Huzzah!" I shout, jumping forward and knocking down the door in the process.
Nepgear is now simply walking in, not really bothered by that, while Nepgeo's eyes are twitching and Linda is just sitting on the couch.
The room we are in just has a purple couch, a coffee table and a TV. Looks comfy, I'll give her that.
Nepgear sits down next to Linda and greets her.
...
"THE HELL, DUDE! THAT WAS MY F*CKING DOOR!" Nepgeo suddenly snaps at me swinging her hands dramatically.
"Uhm... I warned you." I reply coolly sitting down on the couch.
"Why are you here anyways? I don't think I told you were I was." Linda questions.
"Cursed Sword. The spirit that was close-by described your friend there." I point towards the all so lovely Nepgeo.
"O-Oh... Y-you got the wrong one..." The girl in question stutters.
We just stare at her. She's sweating buckets by now.
"You're not in trouble, really, as long as it's safe here and you don't do anything, it's fine." Nepgear smiles towards her doppelganger.
Nepgeo deadpans and plainly returns "Really? And then why'd you come here and break my door?!"
"Makin' sure. Also, I warned you."
Nepgeo just groans.
"Why did you actually take it?" The CPU asks.
"Uhm... well..." She's making an oddly expansive pause here.
Linda breaks the silence and answers the question instead. "She wants to extract a CPU Memory from that thing somehow. Whatever those things are in the first place, I don't care."
"Sounds like straight outta a fan-fic*..." I comment. "Though, why? I mean, besides screwing the CPUs over afterwards."
"Since Underling has released that information, I will explain. *sigh* Damn you."
She breaths in heavily...
"A CPU Memory makes you a CPU, as the name implies. Though the ones you would extract from the cursed sword Gehaburn resemble the exact state of the CPU's HDD whose divinity you extract. While only a CPU's blood will make it stronger, it will also safe-keep any divinities it can gather from the deceased. Though I feel that combining them with the original body will do something special." She breaths out. "You followin' or do I need to capitalize my point?"
A few seconds of silence follow...
"Yeah, do. I'm not gettin' it." Linda says.
In response Nepgeo hangs her head and sighs. "My plan is to f*cking resurrect the former Purple Heart." She 'calmly' explains to make sure even the dumbest understand.
...Covering my ears for safety...
"EEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHH?!"
After recovering from the immense volume just two girls can produce, I return to my calm face and point out: "Yeah, no. Sounds like it's made up, honestly. Besides, where'd you get the original body from?"
Nepgeo is silent. Unsurprisingly.
"Yeah, bullsh*t. Thought you'd fall for it." She calmly answers.
Why is she calm though? It's kind of eerie.
"I wanted to use the CPU Memory. I mean, do I need to explain?"
Nepgear, Linda and I shake our heads and sigh.
"And then? Rule under chaos?" Linda questions.
"Well, no. I would need to connect to a Sharicite. Then, I would need to keep the corresponding Shares high and then... work even more..."
"And I'll just assume you would choose the Planeptune Sharicite as it's closest and become the new CPU Candidate?" The purple CPU asks her look-alike.
"Well... yes." She answers slowly.
"And Gehaburn?"
"I'll hide that thing in my basement. It'd be f*cking suicide to go in there without me."
...
"Anyways, guy, whose name I don't know, did you came here for some... other reason?" Nepgeo mischievously smiles at me.
Instead of responding I just plainly stare at her pretending not to know what she is trying to tell me.
"CHUU! LET ME OUT!" Oh yeah, we forgot that.
"Shut up, rat. I had better ideas. That means it'd be worse for you." The still standing girl says in response to the rodent's screams with a somewhat evil-ish tone before returning to the... uh, 'cheerful' tone.
She also continues to stare at me.
Okay then, Plan A was a failure. Time for Plan B:
"You gotta ask my girlfriend for anything that affects her."
"You? You have a girlfriend? Haha, like wh-"
"Guess who came in with me?"
Nepgeo slowly turns her head towards her look-alike.
"... Who is that chick anyways?"
"The CPU of Planeptune, Nepgear, you damn genius."
"... I f*cked up horribly, didn't I?" Nepgeo visible pales realizing that.
"Pretty much." The three of us agree with her.
"Though I could need the help. Histoire, the Oracle, wouldn't mind either for some extra help although we have Linda-" Nepgear tries to explain to the other pinkette but is rudely interrupted by the same person.
"That never-do-well got a f*cking job in the Basilicom?!"
"HEY! You're no better than me!" Linda snaps back at her.
"Well, touche."
"She can kind of thank me for that." I cut in.
"And who are you even? You didn't introduce yourself."
"Deniz, the Green Brother, Candidate of Leanbox, boy from another dimension and apparently liked a lot by girls with pink hair."
"I f*cked up in three regards. Bullsh*t!" Nepgeo says and deadpans.
A/N
*It actually is. And not just this one.
'Cause guess what: I mostly read them, not write.
And I'll do whatever is necessary to not have another OC-CPU.
'Two' is more than enough.