Leanbox.
The Land of Green Pastures, protected by the guardian Goddess Lady Green Heart and the Oracle Chika Hakozaki.
It is an island nation, separate from the rest of Gamindustri, and relies heavily on trade and commerce with Lastation. Despite this, Leanbox sports the largest military and navy in all of Gamindustri, and it's a popular tourist attraction due to its gorgeous beaches and booming idol culture.
There are also… other factors that make it famous.
Leanbox is notorious for having a much hotter climate than the rest of Gamindustri. With suffocating and sweltering heat year round, it's only natural for the people inhabiting it to adapt accordingly.
As a result, you won't get too far in Leanbox without noticing that many of its people lack quite a few layers of clothing. Though outright nudity is a rarity, the populace has become comfortable with going outside exposing a surprising amount of skin.
This has become Leanbox's most famous trait. Though Lastation may have a reputation for their risque fashion choices among women, none of the other nations have embraced nudity to the same extent as Leanbox….
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"Aaaand she's doing it again…"
Nepgear blinked, coming back to reality at the sound of her sister's bemused voice. Her surroundings became clear to her again, and when Planeptune's Candidate noticed the number of people that gave her weird looks as they passed, she blushed.
She felt that wasn't going to be the only time she'd be doing that today.
"S-Sorry…" Nepgear sputtered out as she hurried back to Neptune's side, looking down at her feet. "I didn't mean to zone out again…"
"Ah, don't worry about it!" her sister said with a smile. "Knowing you, you were probably mumbling some important info over there. Just don't shuffle off like that, or you'll give your poor sister a heart attack!"
"Right, sorry…"
The two sisters stood in a closed off section of Leanbox's capital city, where it was hardly dull all around them. The section had largely been modified to resemble a starting line for a race, with bleachers and stands set up to accustom anyone that came by for the event happening today.
Nepgear wondered if there'd even be enough room, considering the section was filled almost to the brim with people visiting from all of the nations, bustling with noise and excited chatter from the (largely male) audience. The size and scope were more akin to one of 5pb.'s concerts.
Of course, there was a reason for that. Just thinking about it made Nepgear's heart race, so she preferred not to.
"Yo, Nepsy! Gearsy!"
As if to offer her a distraction, the familiar voice of Uzume Tennouboshi called out to them. The red-haired girl ran up to the sister Goddesses with an easygoing smile.
"Yo, Uzusy!" Neptune greeted back cheerfully. "Didja find the others?"
Uzume shook her head as she slowed down. "Nope, I haven't seen a single other Goddess besides us. It looks like we really were the first ones to show up."
Neptune looked surprised for a moment before forming a smug smile. "What's up with that? Did they all chicken out like a skittish, wobbly metal slime? Nah, no way. Noire knows I'd never let her live that down."
"We'll just have to wait and see," Uzume said. "By the way, did I miss anything?"
"Nope, not much." Neptune shrugged. "Nepgear was just mumbling off into the void again."
"S-Sis, please…"
Uzume chuckled. "Well, Gearsy's weird narrating aside, it's great to be back in Leanbox." She took the time to look around. "Though, it's definitely way more crowded than last time. I've never seen so many excited faces. They must be looking forward to seeing us all race."
Nepgear blushed at that.
"Well, that's not technically wrong, but you're kinda missing about ninety percent of it." Neptune also sported a blush, a contrast to her light-hearted tone. "Considering we're all gonna be… you know…"
Uzume just gave her sister a confused look. "Yeah, so? It's completely normal here, so what's the big deal?"
Neptune just sighed at that.
"Actually," The redhead continued, sporting a grin. "Now that I'm back here, I can finally do this again."
"Eh? What do you—"
Before Nepgear could finish her sentence, Uzume went and undid her tie. By the time the poor Candidate realized what she was doing, her shirt had already flown off. The black tube top she normally wore underneath was precariously gone, leaving only the straps of her suspenders to cover her nipples.
Naturally, quite a few heads turned at the display, alongside some whistling and a few phones coming out. Uzume seemed completely oblivious to the attention as she stood there with a proud smirk.
"U-Um…" Nepgear was at a complete loss for words at Uzume's sudden bout of shamelessness. She knew her friend didn't particularly care about being naked, b-but suddenly doing that…!
"Yep, that's our Uzume…" her sister muttered, shaking her head with a sigh.
Uzume turned back to them, holding her suspenders with her thumbs and giving the purple sisters an unfiltered view of her chest. "Nepsy, Gearsy, don't you want to breathe a little? I did this a bunch when I came here with the other Nepsy, and it's super liberating. Why don't you give it a try?"
"Uh, no I'm good." Neptune said with a deadpan voice. "I'd rather sweat to death under my hoodie than do that."
"I-I agree." Nepgear spoke up. "D-Doing this already, i-it's so… I-I just don't want to rush things…"
"Geez, when did you two become such sticks in the mud?" Uzume frowned, then just shrugged. "Well, whatever. I can't force you two. We're gonna be racing soon, anyway."
Nepgear winced. "P-Please stop reminding us…"
"Ah, the first contestants have finally shown up!"
A new voice called out to them, one that didn't belong to any of their Goddess friends. A blonde-haired girl sporting a crop top and shorts ran up to them with a grin, followed by her orange-haired partner with oversized gloves. Both girls held microphones, and the orange-haired girl held a camera.
Nepgear recognized the two as Dengekiko and Famitsu, but why did they already have a camera? W-Were the three of them being interviewed in advance…?
"We have Lady Neptune, Lady Nepgear and Lady Uzume at the scene!" Dengekiko turned and announced to the camera, before her gaze went to Uzume… or more specifically, her chest. "Hehe, and it seems Lady Uzume is already getting into the mood for the race~!"
Famitsu flicked the blonde's forehead.
"Ow!"
"Don't pay attention to her," Famitsu told them cheerfully, fully ignoring Dengekiko as she nursed her forehead. "We were just practicing when she saw you all and got excited. The camera isn't on."
Nepgear sighed in relief. "T-Thank goodness…"
"Famiiiii…" Dengekiko whined. "You hit me really hard. I think I need a kiss to make it better…"
"Kiss it yourself," Famitsu deadpanned. "Do I need to keep reminding you that we have a job to do here? You don't get paid to ogle pretty girls."
"She's an eccentric one, isn't she?" Uzume chimed in with a hand on her hip, and Nepgear noticed the blonde reporter stealing glances at her.
"That's an understatement." Famitsu sighed. "She practically begged our manager to let us cover this, and it was such a hassle to get everything ready to come over here. Geki's been closer to an excited puppy than an actual reporter here…"
"Well, how can I not be? This is a really big deal!" Dengekiko rushed to defend herself. "All of the Goddesses of Gamindustri are joining together to take part in a massive race for charity across Leanbox, and they're doing it completely naked!" She practically yelled that part. "What kind of average person wouldn't be excited about this?! We're watching history in the making here!"
Famitsu pinched her nose. "I think you're going too far…"
"Yeah, methinks you're a little too excited about seeing this," Neptune said awkwardly. "But, uh, considering the atmosphere around here, it ain't just her…"
"I still don't see what the big deal is," Uzume said. "I walk around naked all the time in the Basilicom when no one's around. I even sunbathe on the roof when I have free time."
Dengekiko's attention snapped back to Uzume, and she wasn't shy to get close to her with a very interested look on her face. "Is that so…?"
In a flash, Famitsu was between the two of them, giving Dengekiko an unamused stare.
"That's it. We're leaving."
Before Dengekiko could react, Famitsu had already grabbed her ear.
"Wha— Ow! Ow! Okay, I'm going!"
With an annoyed look, Famitsu dragged Dengekiko away by the ear to parts unknown.
The three Goddesses could only stare at the unfolding scene until the two girls were out of view.
"I-In any case…" Nepgear muttered, straying away from that display. "It's a little strange that the others aren't here yet. I would have thought—"
"Gearsy!" the familiar voice of an excited girl called out to her.
Nepgear perked up, recognizing it instantly just as a pair of arms hugged her from behind.
"M-Maho?!" Planeptune's Candidate was nothing short of surprised when she looked back at the perpetrator and came face to face with her close friend. "W-What are you doing here…?"
To that, Maho grinned, letting go of Nepgear and taking a step back as the lilac-haired girl spun around to face her. "Isn't it obvious? I'm competing in the race too! Vert mentioned it, and I couldn't resist when I heard you were also running! I'm representing the whole PC Continent!"
Nepgear began to sweat.
Maho's innocent expression and her smile… There was no possible way that she knew the true extent of the race.
Wait, did Vert keep details from her?
"... Does she know?" Neptune voiced her thoughts, looking concerned.
Maho tilted her head, confused. "Huh, know what?"
"M-Maho…" Nepgear decided to start slowly, as her mind raced with how to handle the situation. "How much did Vert tell you?"
Maho thought about that."Hmm, well Vert just said it was a charity marathon across Leanbox. She told me it'd help strengthen the PC Continent's ties with the rest of Gamindustri, since we spent so long in isolation and all. My sister couldn't make it because she's so busy, but their Candidate should be just fine!" Maho grinned. "I told everyone to tune in and watch me run!"
Oh, so it was just the worst outcome possible.
Great.
"Oh boy…" Matching Nepgear's worry, Neptune put a hand to her head.
"... Hey, why is everyone looking at me like that?" Maho looked concerned, then turned her eyes towards Nepgear. "Gearsy? What's going on?"
Well, there was no possible way to reveal this gracefully.
"Um, Maho… the charity marathon is… I-It's being done naked…"
"..."
For a long moment, Maho just stood there and stared at her, her expression looking as if she just watched someone die right in front of her.
Naturally, Nepgear was worried. "M-Maho?"
"Gearsy, I need you to hold me…"
"H-Huh?"
Without any warning, Maho fell straight into Nepgear's shoulder. Her arms slinked around Nepgear's waist as she groaned, leaving the purple-haired girl more than a little surprised.
S-Still, she supposed this wasn't an unusual reaction to take over something like this, especially since Grey Heart and the entire PC Continent were going to be watching…
With that in mind, all Nepgear could do was pat Maho's head.
"... So," Uzume broke the silence, "are we just not gonna acknowledge that she stole my nickname?"
Nepgear let out an awkward laugh. "U-Uzume, not now…"
"Hey, what are you doing touching Nepgear like that?!" yet another familiar voice spoke up, approaching them. "You better not be doing anything perverted!"
Nepgear looked up and saw the last of their number finally show up. Not only Uni was there, but also Noire and Blanc, who both looked anything but comfortable.
"Uniiiii…" Maho whined into Nepgear's shoulder, her voice muffled. "I'm having a crisis…"
"H-Huh…?"
"Vert is a mistress of deceit!" Neptune spoke up. "Maho didn't know we were doing this whole thing naked, and it's kinda late to back out now, so she's pretty much stuck with us."
"Uuugh…"
"Maho, it won't be… t-that bad…" Nepgear tried to sound reassuring, but her tone couldn't be any more unsure.
"... Is she gonna be alright?" Uni asked, pointing to her downtrodden form as she continued to groan.
Nepgear sighed. "Maybe… Actually, Uni, I'm surprised you came too."
"W-Well, of course!" Uni instantly defended herself, stuttering as she began to blush. "It might be embarrassing, but I still need to represent my nation, especially when I heard you'd be competing in it!"
Nepgear smiled nervously. "Still as competitive as ever…"
"Well, Maho wouldn't be the only one of us who was deceived," Blanc said, crossing her arms with an annoyed look and a blush of her own.
"Ugh, don't remind me." Noire groaned as she brought up a hand to her face. "I'm still mad at Vert for pulling something so underhanded like that."
"Like a true mistress of deceit!" Neptune joined in. "She sure didn't mention that little tidbit during our little meeting. She was just like "Oh, it's gonna be a nice charity run with no strings attached." Bah!" Neptune did a terrible impression of Vert's voice and then threw her hands in the air.
"Wait, Vert lied to you all?" Uzume asked with a surprised look. "Why would she do that?"
"That should be pretty obvious," Noire said. "Because we wouldn't have agreed to this if we knew the full details."
"By the time we found out what it really was, it was the next day and Vert advertised it to everyone in Gamindustri," Blanc said, glowering. "By that point, we couldn't back out no matter what."
"You almost strangled her to death afterwards," Noire added with a slightly amused tone.
"I should've finished the job." Blanc seethed, clenching her fist. "Ugh, that woman is so shameless…"
"My my. Just now, I felt like I heard some rather slanderous things about me."
Earning everyone's attention was Vert herself, who sauntered up to the group in her usual elegant poise as her considerable chest jiggled with every step she made. In stark contrast to nearly everyone else, Leanbox's Goddess looked completely comfortable and sported a relaxed smile.
"You deserve to be slandered," Blanc said, glaring at Vert.
"Agreed," Noire backed her up, with an equally icy look.
"Hm, how rude." Rather than rising to the bait, Vert looked entirely too amused. "Well, no matter. We all have bad days. Regardless, ladies, it's wonderful to see you all here in this charity marathon. I was a little afraid you might have all backed out at the last second, but I'm truly relieved that was not the case."
"You know that leaving at this point would be a massive detriment to our Shares," Noire pointed out. "It'd be career suicide."
"Almost like you planned this…" Blanc glowered.
"U-Um, can we not commit deicide in public? Pretty please?" Neptune butted with a nervous smile.
"I don't know what you're all talking about. These accusations are all so baseless." Vert put a hand to her chest, feigning a hurt expression. "This is purely for selfless intentions, nothing more. I'm certain your Shares are all going to soar after today."
"Hmph."
"Hm…"
Noire and Blanc looked like they wanted to say more, but they held their tongues.
"Regardless, it seems not all of us are so downtrodden about this," Vert's gaze went to Uzume. "I see you've already gotten into the mood, my dear."
Uzume grinned. "Hell yeah I am. It's not every day I get to do something like this. I'm amped up!"
"That's the spirit!" Vert clapped, then turned her attention to the Candidates. "Nepgear, Uni and Maho as well. I hope you enjoy yourselves. I look forward to seeing you all perform."
Still holding onto the malfunctioning Maho, Nepgear could only gulp at Vert's words. Uni, however, was more than happy to shoot a glare on the blonde woman, an opinion that was soon shared by both Neptune and Noire.
"Oh, don't look at me like that," Vert told them, almost taunting. "I'm simply sharing my best wishes."
"Lady, you're really gonna get EXE Drive'd to the face if you keep talking like a third-rate mid-boss," Neptune deadpanned.
"This kind of crap is why I left Rom and Ram at home…" Blanc sighed. "Is that all?"
"Are you that eager to get rid of me?" Vert smiled. "Very well, but there is one last thing. Take these."
Vert pulled out several identical discs, handing each of them to the confused looking Goddesses.
"I made these in advance," she explained. "When you equip it, your clothes vanish, and when you unequip it, they're suddenly back. Quite convenient, if you ask me."
"Of course…" Noire sighed.
"That's not all," Vert went on. "They improve your defenses as if you're fully clad in protective gear, as well as greatly increase your stamina. You'll likely be feeling rather hungry by the end, but that's an acceptable trade-off, I believe."
"Why are you so smart when it comes to the stupidest things…?" Blanc muttered.
"I assure you, it's entirely necessary," Vert said "After all, although we'll all be racing in our Goddess forms, we won't be allowed to simply hover all the way."
"Wait, hold on!" Neptune suddenly interjected. "We're going transformed? Where was this in the patch notes?!"
Vert looked downright devious as she smiled at Neptune. "Did I not mention it? I thought of this rule mainly because of you. After all, your Goddess Form is far more alluring to the common people than your normal state. I simply made it fair for all of us… Well, it won't really do much for Blanc, I'm afraid."
"Hey, let's just kill her right here," Blanc suggested.
Neptune shook her head. "No, no, we gotta wait until there are no witnesses to get an S Rank."
Noire considered. "Now that you say it, we could probably blame it on Neo-ASIC if we did it that way..."
Vert's smile twitched ever so slightly.
"W-With all of that said, ladies, I bid you all good luck on this race," she told them quickly. "Excuse me while I help Chika finish the preparations."
Saying that, Vert turned around and walked away a tad faster than it was likely considered polite.
"... We're really doing this, aren't we?" Blanc muttered
"Sure are…" Noire nodded
"Ugh, someone axe me…" Neptune groaned.
"... I still don't see what the big deal is," Uzumed added.
The three Goddesses all looked at their feet, wearing dejected faces as Uzume gazed on with a raised eyebrow. Nepgear would have rushed to comfort her sister if Maho wasn't currently in her arms.
"Maho, are you going to be alright?"
Her friend sighed, finally pushing herself off of Nepgear's shoulder. She gave her an unsure expression, complete with a blush. "W-Well, I don't really have a choice, but I can probably power through it if Gearsy's by my side."
"In that case, I'll just make sure I'm always right beside you so you're not uncomfortable," Nepgear said with a determined look. "You won't have to worry about anything, Maho."
"Hehe, I feel better already…
From a ways away, all Uni could do was look at the two of them with a pout.
"Ugh…"
"Welcome, everyone, to Leanbox's annual Naked Charity Marathon!"
The crowds cheered as Dengekiko made her announcement from high up in their airship. With the preparations finally over, everyone rounded up at the starting line with their Discs equipped, as the stadium practically rumbled from the excitement. Multiple hovering cameras were floating about, accompanied by a giant hovering board that displayed separate videos of all the Goddesses.
Barring Vert and Uzume, all of them looked like they wanted to be anywhere but at this specific location. Neptune, in particular, was sweating from the sheer anxiety alone as reality seemed to finally set in.
"As always, the run is sponsored by the charity organization, 1-Up, and all the proceeds will go to the Children's Miracle Hospital." Famitsu followed up.
"In this special collaboration, the Goddesses from the other nations have all graciously decided to compete in this race alongside Lady Vert. Hehe, I bet you're all just as excited as I am about this, huh?"
As she heard the crowd cheer louder than they ever have, Neptune could feel her heart racing against her chest.
Was it too late to back out now?
Neptune looked at the others. Vert looked confident, Uzume looked excited and the rest looked like they wanted to dive in a ditch somewhere.
… Yeah, it was way too late.
"The rules remain the same. The Goddesses will race across the entirety of Leanbox, and whoever crosses the finish line first is the winner! As always, no covering yourself and no interfering with other racers! This is supposed to be for fun, after all."
Under her breath, Neptune heard Blanc mutter "Could have fooled me…"
"With that said, the race will officially begin! Goddesses, transform!"
Neptune's heart practically leapt in her throat when she heard Famitsu say that. As the others began to get enveloped by light, she knew she was out of time.
Taking a deep breath, Neptune closed her eyes and transformed.
Purple Heart knew the Disc was working right as soon as she heard the audience. Their excitement was loud enough to be heard outside Leanbox.
The hot air hit every part of her exposed body, suddenly bared and exposed for everyone around her to see. Purple Heart had to fight to keep her arms by her side, her blush so radiant that she could have changed her name to Red Heart.
A quick glance at the monitor confirmed her fears. The cameras were showing off her body, already glistening with sweat from Leanbox's intense heat. Her breasts jiggled ever so slightly with every breath that she took, as her long braids cascaded down against her chest. She could hear whistling from the stadium and the sounds of photos being taken.
Why did she ever agree to this?
She glanced at her fellow racers, all as equally naked as she was. Black Heart had her eyes closed and her hand on her chest, taking deep deliberate breaths in an apparent attempt to calm herself down, while White Heart looked like she was ready to kill everyone in the stadium.
Purple Heart was afraid of how likely a possibility that was.
In stark contrast, Green Heart looked positively elated by the attention. She pushed her own breasts up with her arm and winked at the cameras. Orange Heart was smiling and jumping like an excited pet, completely immune to anything resembling embarrassment.
Her sister, her poor sister, looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack. If it wasn't for Grey Sister grabbing her hand and saying gentle words to her, Purple Heart would have rushed over to comfort her, so she was grateful for that.
She, of course, didn't fail to notice the jealous glare Black Sister was shooting at the two. Well, that was bound to be interesting…
"Hehe… Isn't this just a divine sight, Famitsu~?"
"Geki, focus."
"Right, right. Anyway! Let the race… begin!"
Ah, she almost succeeded in distracting herself.
With that, all of them got into a racing position, and Purple Heart opted to not think about how they were giving the audience a perfect view of their asses if the deafening cheers were anything to go by.
"3… 2… 1… Go!'
"Ha!"
"?!"
Green Heart took a blinding lead off the bat. In an instant, she seemed to clear all of them and made a good pace with a confident stride to her steps. Her boobs bounced wildly in direct view of the cameras.
… Right, her affinity was wind, wasn't it? She could make herself faster just like that… How didn't that count as cheating?
"Wheee! This is so much fun!" Orange Heart also managed to outpace everyone else, running gleefully with her hands in the air. Her more modest breasts bounced up and down as she jogged.
"U-Ugh, racing like this… Everyone's staring at my body…"
Though her feet moved, Purple Heart could hardly focus on the actual race. Her boobs swayed from side to side as she ran, and with the cameras following them, it was next to impossible to not feel some type of embarrassment over this. Even as they started to get away from the stadium, she could still feel their gazes on her.
"Focus, Neptune!"
"Huh…?"
Black Heart called to her, running a little ahead of her as she looked back. Despite the furious blush on her face, she looked as determined as always. "You won't get ahead if you keep thinking like that! Unless you'd prefer to lose to me again?"
"N-Noire…!"
Right.
Okay, she could do this. She just needed to focus on Noire, and she'd be fine.
She'll just keep telling herself that until she actually believes it.
"Alright, here I come…!"
"I-I'm gonna tear off Vert's head for having this dumbass idea…"
White Heart didn't know if her anger or her embarrassment was greater at this particular moment. The one thing that was keeping her going in the midst of this was that she would cave in Vert's head as soon as she finished.
She was very glad she told Mina and C-Sha to keep Rom and Ram off anything resembling a screen for today. They didn't need to see or hear anything resembling this.
"Fuck, I'm dead last…" White Heart cursed under her breath. She could see the other two way ahead, but being this far was bad. She thought she might have an advantage with her body having less useless fat to slow her down, but it seemed like that wasn't the case.
… Why was she actually caring about this shitty race? Ugh…
"I-If anyone's jacking off to me back home, I-I'll come for you next, ya hear?!"
"E-Everyone's so far ahead… Oooh, I-I can't focus, m-my heart is racing so fast…"
Purple Sister was not having a good time. Her heart felt like it was about to explode out of her chest, her breathing was coming out ragged and she couldn't even focus on the race.
This… this was too much! Why did she ever agree to this?! Every single part of her just wanted to fly away from this craziness! If it kept going on like this, then she'd… She'd…!
"Gearsy, just focus on me, alright? Listen to my voice. Can you feel my hand?"
Grey Sister's gentle tone rused her out of her panicked thoughts. She saw her concerned expression, and she felt her hand squeezing hers tight.
Purple Sister took some deep breaths, coming out shaky as she tried to calm down. Bit by bit, her heart rate slowed to a more manageable level as she tightly squeezed Grey Sister's hand.
"Y-Yes…" She replied shakily. "I-I was supposed to be the one comforting you, a-and now look at me…"
Grey Sister gave her a soft smile. "Don't worry about it, Gearsy. Helping you is helping me keep my mind off it. I'm right here, so just relax, alright? I'm not going anywhere."
Purple Sister's heart fluttered.
"M-Maho…"
As the two of them had their moment, they failed to notice Black Sister glowering at them from behind even as she was dying from embarrassment.
'Those two… When did they get so close anyway…?'
.
.
.
Green Heart jogged through the empty streets of the inner city of Gargan, easily maintaining her position in first place over the other Goddesses.
Perhaps using her affinity for wind to get a boost was a little unfair, but she never put in a rule that explicitly forbade using magic, did she?
The scorching heat was taking a toll on her. Her naked body was glistening in sweat, looking almost shiny underneath the sun on the crystal clear day. Her large breasts bounced wildly as she ran across the empty streets.
This was almost too easy.
Green Heart could see the cameras closely monitoring her, matching her pace easily. Leanbox's Goddess made sure to give the viewers the best shots possible.
"That's it, take as many shots as you want." Leanbox's Goddess said in a sultry tone, knowing for sure that she was being heard. "Take in the nude body of your Goddess, everyone~!"
As she continued to keep an even pace, Green Heart smirked to herself.
'My plan is going smoothly. At this rate, I've already won! I can't wait to see Chika's face when our Shares multiply overnight!'
Orange Heart was having the best day of her life.
Being able to run around like this with no restrictions, and on an absolutely gorgeous day like this? It was pretty much everything she could have hoped for! Sure, it might have been a little too hot for her tastes, but that was just a small blemish on an awesome day.
There was nothing that could bring down her mood.
'I can't believe you actually agreed to this nonsense…'
… Well, almost nothing.
Orange Heart's smile faltered a little as she heard the voice of the other occupant in her mind, belonging to her other self known as Kurome Ankokuboshi.
'Geez, you've been grumpy non-stop all day!' Orange Heart grumbled mentally. 'I don't see what the big deal is. I get to do this without anyone yelling at me, and it's all for a good cause! That should be enough, right?'
'Trying to explain to you is just a waste of time at this stage, so I won't even bother.'Kurome sighed. Or at least it felt like she did it within Orange Heart's mind. 'It's idiocy like this that makes me wonder why you don't just kill them all already.'
'... Yeah, I don't think I'm gonna do that.'
'Hmph, your loss. A little bit of murder never hurt anyone.'
Orange Heart made a complicated face, unable to make a proper response to that paradox.
'For once, I'm happy I don't have a body of my own,' Kurome continued. 'Knowing you, I would have been dragged into this, so I suppose I'm lucky for a change.'
'Hm, well in that case…'
'... Wait, what are you—'
Without any warning, Orange Heart relinquished control of her body to Kurome. Her power-symbol-shaped pupils became a darker hue, and she stopped entirely as she took in her surroundings;
"..."
After a second of silence, 'Orange Heart' rushed to cover herself as her face exploded into a bright red. The screech she made would probably have been heard for miles.
After a few more seconds, control was taken from her as Orange Heart took back the reins and resumed her run as if nothing had happened.
"Heehee~!"
'Ugh…'
After that incident, #OrangeHeartFreakout was trending on Chirper for the remainder of that day.
Black Heart could hardly focus on anything.
Despite the confident attitude she displayed, Lastation's Goddess was dying on the inside. The sheer embarrassment from running around in the nude, recorded live no less by the hovering cameras, was almost enough to kill her right then and there. Any intent on actually winning the race was out the window as soon as it began.
But that wasn't the only thing stealing her attention.
"I-I'll give Vert some credit, these Discs are making running a breeze and I hardly feel tired. Hah, but it's still so hot…"
Running right beside her was Purple Heart, who managed to keep even with her pace since her own challenge at the start of the race. She was sweating buckets as she ran, her considerable chest bouncing up and down.
Naturally, that made it very difficult for Black Heart to focus on anything. Purple Heart kept her gaze straight, so she didn't notice all of the shameless ogling Black Heart was doing.
"By the way, did you hear that scream just now? It sounded like Uzume. I hope she didn't get hurt…"
"N-No, I haven—Gah!?"
Since Black Heart was so busy ogling Purple Heart's chest, she didn't really notice the uneven terrain of the road and tripped, sending her straight to the ground. If it wasn't for the protection Vert's Disc gave them, she would have gotten scratched up.
"Noire!"
Purple Heart stopped her run and came back to Black Heart. Since Black Heart was on her back, she got to see Purple Heart get on her knees and lift her up with a concerned expression.
"Are you alright?"
"Y-Yes… ugh…"
Purple Heart's boobs… They were so close, their bodies were touching… Her hands felt so soft… Being this close, it felt so… So…!
In the midst of Black Heart's fantasizing, White Heart finally caught up and passed them. Black Heart took her eyes off Purple Heart for a moment as she noticed the bemused gaze the blue-haired Goddess was shooting at her.
"Horny idiot."
"Y-You—!"
In an instant, Black Heart's lustful thoughts were gone and replaced by sheer annoyance as White Heart ran with a smug look. She shot up to her feet and ran after her, going faster than she had before just to chase after the girl.
"Don't think you're passing me so easily!"
A worried Purple Heart ran behind them, likely wondering if she had to prevent attempted murder.
After that incident, #PurplexBlack trended on Chirper for the remainder of the month.
"Gearsy, are you alright?"
Purple Sister looked at Grey Sister, who was still holding her hand and helping her so far into the race. Her heart was still racing and she still felt embarrassed, but having the girl by her side and comforting her was making it bearable.
She did her best to keep her gaze from wandering below Grey Sister's eyes. It was more tempting than she cared to admit…
"Y-Yeah, a little bit…" Purple Sister muttered. "I-It's still so embarrassing, and we're so far behind…"
Yet, despite that, why did she feel strangely excited? It was so strange…
"Don't worry about that, just focus on staying calm." Grey Sister told her gently. "You can even lean on me if you need to."
Purple Sister's heart skipped again.
"M-Maho, you're too nice…"
"H-Hey! You better not be doing anything weird!"
The two's attention was drawn to Black Sister's voice, as she came up to them with a glare directed right at Grey Sister. Her face was roughly the same color as a tomato and it was obvious she struggled to keep her hands at her side.
"I'm not doing anything weird." Grey Sister defended herself as she looked at Lastation's Candidate, all three of them slowing down to a walk. "I'm just making sure Gearsy's comfortable."
"H-Hmph…" Black Sister offered no retort, instead just looking away to the side.
Grey Sister looked at Black Sister for a moment, her confused look slowly morphing into a knowing smirk as she leaned forward. "Oooh, I get it. Uni wants me to give her some attention too?"
"!" Black Sister looked back at her with an embarrassed expression, her face flaring up even more. "I-I do not! Why would I care about something stupid like that?!"
"Hehe, Uni's so cute."
Black Sister made a series of strangled noises, words failing her at that moment.
Purple Sister gave Grey Sister an awkward smile. "Um, Maho, please don't bully Uni too much..."
Grey Sister gave Purple Sister a half-hearted apologetic grin. "Sorry, sorry. Let's keep going."
At that, Black Sister could only pout in response. "Ugh…"
And so, the Candidates resumed their pace.
.
.
.
"Hah… These runs never get easier…"
The hours passed in relative ease for Green Heart. Still maintaining her first place position, she finally made it into the outer city of Hero. The finish line was on the horizon, but Leanbox's Goddess wasn't immune to getting tired after running for so long.
Luckily, she planned for this very moment. As soon as she crossed the border into Hero City, she stopped at the designated resting place set up for the Goddesses. Since she had a sizable lead over the others, there was virtually no risk in taking a break for several minutes.
"Phew…" Green Heart wiped away all of the sweat on her forehead, her nude body shining from how wet it was. She began to fan herself as she stood slightly to the side, suddenly feeling thankful that Goddesses didn't need food or water.
The floating cameras still followed her closely, monitoring every inch of her naked form for the millions watching all across Gamindustri. The thought of all the citizens seeing her nude body like this was enough to make Green Heart's… heart flutter in arousal and excitement.
… Since she was this far ahead, it wouldn't hurt to give them a show, would it?
Green Heart glanced at the camera, granting it a wink as she began to move. The green-haired Goddess ran her hands down her curvaceous body, past her chest, and down her thighs as she bent over. Her large breasts hung in the air as the sweat from her body dripped down onto the pavement below her.
The cameras made sure to get shots of both ends, an executive decision made by Green Heart herself.
Taking a breath, Green Heart slowly stood back up. Her hands glided up her shining body and eventually went over her head, where Leanbox's Goddess stretched and intentionally left her breasts exposed for the cameras to zoom in on.
Finally, when she put her arms down, she used them to push her boobs together. Her nipples were very obviously erect, her breathing a little haggard as she blushed.
Well, she was definitely horny now. She'd have to take care of that later.
"I hope you're all enjoying yourselves back home." Green Heart said in a seductive tone. "Don't be afraid to indulge in my naked body. I'm yours for all to see~!"
With that closing statement, Green Heart turned and started to take off again. At her pace, she would finish the race well before the others.
Her plan was going perfectly.
"Phew, I'm beat. Ugh, and I'm all sticky…"
Orange Heart groaned as she leaned against a railing, her modest breasts propped up against the metal as she looked out into the city. Her energy was spent at this point, so she was really lucky when she came up to the resting point and took the chance to breathe a little.
Really, though, she was more upset that the race was coming to an end than anything else. It all felt like it happened in a flash and it was already almost over…
'... I hope you realize what you're doing.'
'Huh? What do you mean?'
'Look at the cameras behind you.'
Orange Heart glanced behind herself, noticing the two floating cameras that were hovering close to her. From the way they were placed, it was obvious that they were filming her bare ass, which was covered in sweat.
'These people are guided by lust. It's disgusting.' Kurome said indignantly. 'You should be bothered by this. Why not just go and murder all of them?'
'No, I'm good.' Orange Heart reiterated. 'Besides, I don't see an issue. Everyone sees everyone naked here all the time, so what's the big deal?'
There was a long stretch of silence before her other self practically muttered. 'How did I end up with such a shameless girl…?'
'How did I end up with such a stick in the mud?' Orange Heart shot back, as she turned around and stretched her arms. 'Everyone but Vert has been freaking out about this all day. Shouldn't we be glad we're helping people?'
'... Why are you asking me? In case you forgot, I tried to destroy this wretched place years ago. That you even kept me around instead of erasing me for good is beyond me.'
'I mean, you're me, and I'm you, and I like myself, so why wouldn't I like you?'
'...'
Kurome didn't seem to have a reply to that, as she shut herself out shortly afterwards, leaving Orange Heart confused as she resumed her trek.
Honestly, why was everyone acting so weird today?
"Guh… I'm getting so exhausted…"
Black Heart sighed in relief as she finally made it to the resting point, with Purple Heart and White Heart in tow right behind her. Her intensive training regimen proved useful for her stamina, but even she was starting to feel the effects of the laborious marathon weighing on her, so it was a good point to stop and rest.
It was still so embarrassing to run around completely bare like this, but Black Heart found solace that it would soon be over. She was certainly glad that Kei didn't tend to watch things like this, otherwise the woman's respect for her would be completely down the toilet.
… Thinking about it, K-Sha was most definitely watching this broadcast, wasn't she?
Black Heart shuddered.
"My body's starting to get sore, I need to do some stretches…" Purple Heart groaned from beside her as she stretched her limbs. "Ugh, I'm so sweaty… I feel as though I need a bath after this…"
"You and me both." White Heart leaned back against a railing, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. Her petite, glistening chest rose and fell in rhythm with her breathing. "We can go to the hot springs back in Lowee after this when I'm done getting my hands on Vert for this shitty idea…"
"Haha, that sounds lovely."
"Uh huh…" Black Heart nodded along, though her focus was far away from the hot springs. Instead, she found herself ogling Purple Heart yet again as she did her stretches. Her toned body was on full display, and her back being turned meant that Black Heart had a full view of her exposed ass.
Black Heart started drooling a little as her mind ran wild…
… No! No! She had to stop doing this! If Purple Heart caught her staring like that, it'd be the end of her!
Besides, what was so special about it? They already went to the hot spring together multiple times, so Neptune's naked body wasn't anything Black Heart hadn't seen before!
Frantically, Black Heart tore her eyes away from Purple Heart, and she instead settled on White Heart. To her horror, Lowee's Goddess was giving her a sly look
Red in the face, Black Heart desperately tried to look at anything else.
Her eyes settled on the blimp floating through the sky, where a giant screen was fixed onto its side and displaying a video for the city to see.
… Wait.
Black Heart's eyes narrowed, noticing that the figures on the screen were none other than themselves.
Specifically, they were shots that were deliberately focused on their assets. There were multiple angles of their chests and asses for the entire city to see just from a glance, reminding Black Heart of the cameras that were following them the entire race. The blimp was showing outright panoramic shots of their nude bodies
"T-That's…!"
"Hm?" As if on cue, White Heart opened her eyes and followed Black Heart's gaze up to the blimp. The woman braced, waiting for her reaction to such a thing.
"..."
"..."
There was a long stretch of uncomfortable silence, and Black Heart looked at her friend with worried eyes.
Then, White Heart smiled.
A second later, she summoned her axe and leaned back in a manner that suggested she was about to throw it at full strength.
"I'm gonna smash that fucking thing."
"B-Blanc, hold on! That's Leanbox property!"
"D-Don't do anything hasty, you idiot!"
And so, Purple Heart and Black Heart spent the rest of their break keeping their friend from committing an international felony.
"Hah… hah… I need to sit down…"
Purple Sister stumbled to the resting place, her legs shaking as exhaustion hit her like a truck. It must have been because she was being lax about her training lately because her body absolutely couldn't handle running anymore.
Honestly, this was such an embarrassing display. She's been in last place the entire race because she couldn't get over her humiliation. What kind of Goddess was she supposed to be if she couldn't handle this?
"It's okay Gearsy, sit and relax." Grey Sister was right beside her, guiding her to a spot on the ground where she could sit and lay back. "You've done great so far. You earned this."
"I-I really don't think so…" Purple Sister leaned back and sighed in relief, feeling all the tension in her muscles relax as she breathed deeply. "T-Thanks, Maho. I don't think I would have gotten through this without you…"
"Same to you, Gearsy," Grey Sister said. "We're almost at the end, so just hang in there, alright?"
"R-Right…" With that, Purple Sister closed her eyes and took the time to settle down, as Grey Sister looked at her fondly.
"Hmph…"
Black Sister, meanwhile, was none too pleased as she looked at the two with a sour expression. There was nothing she could say about it since Grey Sister had been nothing but supportive and helpful for Purple Sister when she was panicking. Despite her own feelings, she comforted her.
Something Black Sister couldn't do…
"What's with the long face, Uni? Is something bothering you?"
Black Sister snapped back to reality, coming face to face with Grey Sister's concerned expression.
"I-It's nothing, just forget about it." Black Sister turned away, embarrassed that she was seen.
"Hmm…" Grey Sister didn't seem content with that answer as she studied her face, thinking about something.
"W-Why are you looking at me like that?!" Black Sister got flustered and blushed. "Just focus on resting, geez…"
"Please don't fight, you two…" Purple Sister tiredly called out to them.
"We're not fighting, Gearsy," Grey Sister assured her. "Uni's just being cute again."
"Y-You… Ugh, whatever." Black Sister gave up on giving any kind of retort and turned her back on Grey Sister, while the girl herself just smirked knowingly.
Maybe she should do something about this? Uni would definitely be a lot cuter if she was more honest with herself, and it wouldn't be nice to leave her stirring in jealousy like it was some kind of D-List soap opera.
Well, those were thoughts for later. Grey Sister just had to focus on finishing the race first.
… She really hoped her sister wasn't watching, despite Grey Sister specifically telling her to tune in to the marathon.
That was going to be a fun conversation later…
.
.
.
.
.
The race was finally over, and Green Heart crossed the finish line with a prideful smile on her face. The night was starting to take over the city of Leanbox and the city's lights began to light up in the distance, though the oppressive heat was still hanging in the air.
As Green Heart came to a stop, she casually approached the various floating round drones around the area, made for the purpose of tallying the racers at the end.
"Beep beep." One of the robots floated up to her. "Contestant recognized as Lady Green Heart. Congratulations on arriving in first place, Lady Green Heart."
"Thank you very much," came Vert's cheerful reply as she looked straight into the drone's camera. "And thank you to everyone who came in to enjoy this massive collaborative effort organized by yours truly. I truly look forward to seeing more events like this in the future~!"
"Beep beep. Parting message acknowledged," the robot replied. "The broadcast will be finalized as soon as all contestants finish the race."
And that was that.
Vert let out a sigh of relief, slumping in a less than graceful manner now that everyone's eyes weren't on her. With that, she had accomplished her mission.
Still, it was weird. After all her efforts, she should already be feeling a large influx of Shares, but nothing seemed different.
No… That couldn't have been right. Was there some kind of mistake?
Green Heart depowered, reverting back to Vert and fully clothed just as before. Her clothes were becoming sticky with excessive sweat, and she'd definitely need a shower once she got home. On her face was a troubled frown.
Maybe she was just tired after racing all day, especially in her Goddess form. She must have been so sapped of energy that she simply couldn't feel the surge of Shares. That was the only explanation.
Deciding to take her mind off of it, Vert summoned her phone and started checking the notifications to see what she missed—
"!"
—and then she instantly transformed again, not even bothering to unequip the Disc as she soared through the skies completely nude back to the Basilicom.
As much as she'd love to wait for the others, her Guild was starting a Raid against a particularly tricky boss in Four Goddesses Online II.
And who was she to ignore something so important?
"Aw, it's over…"
Orange Heart crossed the finish line with a dejected look on her face as nighttime finally began to settle in. She couldn't help but feel sad that the race was finished, especially since nobody was around to greet her other than a bunch of dumb round drones flying around.
'It's finally over, thank Celestia…'
Orange Heart frowned. 'Come on, Kuro, you didn't have fun even a little bit? You aren't even sad that it's over?'
'No,'Kurome said curtly.'Now hurry up and change back already.'
'Ugh, fine…'
Orange Heart didn't like being bossed around, but it was getting a bit cold, so the ancient Goddess depowered into her normal form, fully expecting to be back in her clothes.
… Except that didn't happen.
"Huh?"
'What's wrong?'
'I'm back to normal, but my clothes are still gone.' Uzume stood buck naked with a confused expression. 'I thought Vert said we'd keep our clothes? I can't unequip it either…'
'... Is the damn disc broken?'
Uzume frowned. 'Dammit, this is bad. It's getting a little chilly, and I got no spare clothes…'
'That's all you're worried about?!'
'What else should I worry about?'
'Ugh…'
"Uzume? Why are you still naked?"
The red-haired girl turned around, seeing her fellow Goddesses cross the finish line. Purple Heart came up to her with a tilted head, as the others behind her looked relieved that the race was over.
'Oh? Are these Goddesses going to be useful for once?'
"I think my Disc is faulty. It took my clothes," Uzume explained, ignoring Kurome. "Nepsy, can I borrow your hoodie?"
"How strange…" Purple Heart looked concerned. "Sure, let me just…"
As Purple Heart depowered to do exactly that, something rather unexpected came to pass.
Namely, Neptune was also completely naked in her base form, as though her clothes magically vanished into thin air.
'... You've got to be shitting me.'
Naturally, that was a little bit of an issue for Uzume.
"W-What the heck is this?!" Neptune went into full panic mode as she covered herself. "Where did my clothes go?! I-I can't even take off the Disc?! Vert, what the hell did you do?!"
"N-Neptune?!" The purple-haired girl's screaming earned the attention of Black Heart and the other CPUs, who all noticed the naked states of those two. "What kind of trick are you pulling? Get dressed!"
"U-Um, alright, I'll just go into my inventory!" Neptune rushed to pull out a spare hoodie from her inventory, taking hold of it as it materialized and putting it on, only for it to vanish right away. "H-Huh?! My extra clothes just turned into air! What kind of plot twist is this?!"
Witnessing that, the rest of the Goddesses paled.
"D-Don't tell me…" Noire trailed off, not liking where things were headed.
One by one they all depowered into their normal states, and one by one they all came back just as naked as they had been in their Goddess forms. All of their clothing had been whisked away, completely unavailable to them thanks to the faulty Discs they couldn't even remove.
It was only expected that they'd all panic and rush to cover themselves.
"What the hell is this?!" Blanc practically shouted, looking more enraged than humiliated. "Is Vert pulling something on us?! Where is she, anyway?! I need to beat her to death!"
"I have no idea," Uzume said with a shrug, not that bothered by the situation. "She might have just gone back to the Basilicom since the race is over."
"W-What did that idiot do?!" It was Noire's turn to look pissed, her face beet red. "Is this part of some elaborate trick?!"
"W-We shouldn't just rush to accuse her like that…!" Nepgear rushed to defend Vert. "W-We need to assess this calmly. Maybe the robots can help…"
"Beep Beep. How can I be of assistance?" As if on cue, one of the floating drones came by as soon as Nepgear said that.
"Yo, robot dude." Maho marched up to it, looking annoyed. "Our Discs are broken and we can't wear any clothes. Can you fix this?"
"Beep Beep. Request for assistance acknowledged. Contacting all available staff members—"
A rapier suddenly flew and impaled the robot straight through its round body, sending it crashing to the ground.
All the Goddesses turned and looked at Noire, who had a perfectly blank gaze.
"... So, the Discs don't remove weapons," she said calmly as she walked up to the drone's wrecked remains and retrieved her rapier, letting it disappear back into her inventory. "Good to know."
Maho let out a nervous laugh. "S-Seems like asking the staff for help is out of question. So what's Plan B? Look for Vert?"
"B-But, if Vert already went back to her Basilicom, then that means we…" Nepgear trailed off, unable to finish that thought.
"We have to get there… n-naked," Uni finished for her.
There was an uncomfortable silence that weighed in on the group of Goddesses, as the reality of their current situation became apparent to them.
"I'm suddenly glad my sister couldn't make it…" Maho muttered.
"Why don't we just fly there?" Uzume offered. "We'll get there way faster than on foot."
"W-We are not doing that!" Noire shut her down, as the other Goddesses looked horrified at that suggestion.
Uzume tilted her head. "Why not? Everyone already saw us naked all day, didn't they? Flying around for a bit wouldn't make a difference."
"Out of the question!" Noire very nearly yelled.
"O-Okay…" Uzume had now choice but to relent.
'You really are an idiot…'
'Why? What'd I do?'
"Ladies, ladies, don't panic!" Taking charge of the situation, a blushing Neptune tried to offer some assurances. "We just need to sneak around and not get caught, like those Solid Sneak games! Quick, does anyone have a cardboard box?"
She instantly started looking around for some type of cover, but given that they were so far away from the city, that effort wasn't giving any results.
"W-Walking back to the Basilicom like this…" Nepgear started breathing heavily. "Oh, I feel light-headed, I-I can't…!"
"Gearsy, hold on!" A panicked Maho rushed to comfort her. "I-It'll be alright! Just lean on me, okay?"
"Hey, don't leave me out!" A flushed Uni came after her. "Nepgear might need comfort from someone she's known way longer, so why don't you just worry about yourself?"
Maho looked appalled at the suggestion. "I'm not leaving Gearsy to have a panic attack!"
For some reason, that only seemed to make Uni more agitated. "Neither am I!"
"Ugh..." Nepgear did her best to control her breathing, trying to regain her bearings. "P-Please stop, you two…"
"I'm going to kill Vert," Blanc said calmly, as if stating a fact. "Leanbox can survive with a Goddess, right? They won't mind, right?"
"They can figure it out," Noire replied in an equally calm voice. "I'm sure Chika would understand."
"I mean, I really don't get why we can't just walk to the Basilicom," Uzume told them casually. "I mean, it's not illegal to be naked here, so…"
Within her mind, all Kurome could do was groan.