Noire wondered how she got herself into this situation.

Not even a full day before, she was just doing what was expected of the Goddess of Lastation, filing paperwork and ensuring her nation was running as smoothly and effectively as possible with all the grace and pride that her position required.

… But there was nothing graceful about her current situation.

Noire led the charge through Leanbox's streets, Blanc and Neptune following closely behind her. None of them had anything to cover their bodies, and their embarrassment showed clearly on their flushed faces.

"U-Ugh, it's getting damn cold…" Blanc grumbled as she shivered.

"Yeah, you're telling me," Neptune agreed. "I dunno if I hate this or the heat more."

"Keep your voices down," Noire whispered. "I see people ahead..."

The three Goddesses dodged within an alley, peeking out to see a group of three Leanbox citizens passing by on the sidewalk, completely oblivious to the presence of the naked trio just out of their view. Even though she wasn't being seen, Noire still covered her chest with her arm.

There was one benefit to it being so late, and it was that there were relatively few people on the streets to see them in this state, but they still couldn't rest easy.

When the civilians left, Noire let out a shaky sigh as they started walking down the alley. "Ugh, I-I can't believe we're actually doing this. I swear, when I find Vert…!"

"You should get in line." Blanc grumbled. "As soon as I see her, I'm going to introduce my hammer to her face."

"And my sword through her chest…" Noire added.

"Y-You two are being way too casual about these jokes." Neptune said with a nervous laugh. "They are jokes, right?"

Noire and Blanc looked at each other.

"Maybe."

"Maybe not."

Neptune blanched. "You gals are scary sometimes... Wait, hold up, there's more people coming!"

As soon as Neptune said that, the three shuffled deeper into the alley, observing the passersby.. Noire could practically feel her heart pounding against her chest as she heard some familiar voices.

"Ah, what a pleasant time to be back in Gamindustri." A blonde-haired girl clad in revealing knight's armor sighed dreamily. "Not only to be able to witness the Goddesses in their nude splendor, but to engage in a romantic rendezvous with my beloved along the way as well! Could one imagine a more perfect day?"

"You two are such enablers for each other," her blue-haired, half-naked fairy companion said with a sigh. "It's embarrassing to be in the same room as you sometimes, especially when you're with that dumb princess and her golden dragon."

"Oho, but alas, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Sights like this only come once in a lifetime, Cheekama! Here, just look at these videos…"

Fortunately, the girls seemed too distracted to even consider glancing at the Goddesses' general direction, and it wasn't long until the coast was clear again and Noire sighed in relief.

"This isn't all that hard, but it's so damn cold…" Blanc hugged herself and shivered. "I wish I could use fire magic, but I don't want to attract attention."

"Couldn't Vert have at least made these dumb Discs warm us up as well?" Noire grumbled. "This whole thing is so stupid..."

Neptune's eyes suddenly lit up. "Well, since we can't use magic, we can always try this!"

Blanc raised an eyebrow. "What do you— Neptune?!"

Noire watched with an open mouth as Neptune pinned Blanc to the nearby wall. With a sleazy smile, the lilac-haired Goddess began to rub their petite bodies together.

"Hey! Get the hell off of me!" Blanc's face was beet red, though that did nothing to stop Neptune.

"Blanc, if we hug like this, we can share body heat and warm ourselves up!" Neptune said with a wide smile. "Don't worry, I've seen this a bunch in survival shows!"

"M-Moron! If you don't cut it out this instant, I'll...!"

"U-Um!" Noire watched the two of them wrestle around with wide eyes, at a loss for words following the sudden development. Had Neptune lost her mind? No, that was her usual idiotic self acting like they were at a hot spring instead of sneaking around Leanbox's alleys. Noire should really do something before—

"Hey, is someone there?" a confused male voice pulled all three of them out of whatever stupor they had been in.

They were quick to make a mad dash away from their current position and through more alleyways until they ended up behind a store that was thankfully closed.

"That was a close one…" Neptune said after a moment of silence. "Man, how did he hear us anyway?"

Blanc stared at Neptune for a moment.

Then she bonked her on the head.

"Ow!"

"That's what you get for pulling that. Do you even think before doing stupid crap like that?" Blanc paused for a moment. "Wait, that's a stupid question. I already know the answer."

"Meanie…" Neptune grumbled as she nursed her head.

At the display in front of her, all Noire could do was sigh and shake her head."L-Let's just keep moving…"

Maho wondered where exactly she went wrong.

All she wanted to do was strengthen the PC Continent's bonds with the rest of Gamindustri. After being isolated for so many years, Maho wanted to take every opportunity possible to connect with the other nations, a decision her sister supported.

As such, when Lady Vert had approached her with the prospect of a broadcasted charity marathon, she didn't hesitate to agree to it.

So how, exactly, did that lead to her sneaking through Leanbox completely naked in the dead of night?

In a way, Maho was glad that her Disc was messing up with her phone's signal, because she was dead sure that her sister was currently calling her non-stop.

All in all, it was a pretty poor day for the PC Continent's Candidate. The only thing that prevented her from having a total meltdown over the situation was keeping all of her attention on Nepgear.

Naturally, it was a very easy thing to do.

"Gearsy, are you feeling alright?" Maho called out to her as they carefully moved through a vacant street away from the more populated areas.

"I-I'm fine! I just need to keep track of things," Nepgear assured her, albeit in a very shaky tone, as she looked down at the map displayed on her N-Gear's screen, thankfully downloaded to her device in advance before the Discs could make that impossible. "I-If I keep my mind on this, I… I should be alright…"

"Okay, but don't hesitate to let me know if you're feeling panicked again," Maho said gently. "I'm always a step away if you need help."

Nepgear blushed. "T-Thanks, Maho…"

"Hmph…" came a quiet sound from their team's third member.

Maho glanced back at Uni, who was looking down at her feet with her arms crossed. The entire trip was spent with her mainly sticking behind them, rarely offering words of her own as she sulked in silence.

Honestly, Uni couldn't have been more obvious about her jealousy if she tried. She wore her emotions on her sleeve when it came to Nepgear.

Maho could totally understand why she'd feel that way, but the fact that she wasn't being honest about it was kind of a problem. Alas, any attempt to talk to her about it was met with either silence and rejection.

Such was the way of the tsundere.

Beep Beep!

"Huh!?"

Maho was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard some loud beeping, watching as Nepgear fiddled with her N-Gear. "What is it, Gearsy?"

"M-My N-Gear is dying! Did I forget to charge it?!" Nepgear began to panic as the device in her hands beeped non-stop. "S-Stop making so much noise! Oooh, this is bad…"

It was Uni's turn to speak up, "Nepgear, just calm down, we probably won't get heard when it's so barr—"

"Hey, what's all that beeping?" a distant voice sounded. "Is it coming from over there?"

"... Crap."

Fortunately, it was at that moment that Nepgear managed to turn off her N-Gear.

Unfortunately, that did absolutely nothing about the approaching footsteps, leaving their only option to run away as if the Deity of Sin was right on their heels.

"Over here!"

Thinking quickly, Maho brought Nepgear and Uni down a flight of stairs that was covered in darkness. As soon as they found a spot to hide, they all took the time to breathe as they seemed to be alone.

"I-I think we're safe…" Nepgear took quick, panicked breaths and her perky boobs jiggled as she flushed. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't realize…"

"Don't apologize, idiot," Uni told her tersely. "And keep your voice down, we're not in the clear yet. I'll keep watch."

"Good idea," Maho told her, which got a grunt in response.

"A-Ah, it feels even colder after all that..." Nepgear shivered as she hugged herself.

"Now that you mention it, I'm getting cold too…" Maho realized as she hugged her arm. "Hm… Ah, I got an idea."

"Oh, what do you—M-Maho?!"

Without any hesitation, Maho went and brought Nepgear into a hug. Nepgear reacted in shock as she was brought straight into Maho's considerable chest, though she didn't make much of an effort to resist. She felt Nepgear's cold skin come into contact with her own and she shivered.

From the sidelines, Uni practically glowered at the sight, but she just went back to keeping watch.

"M-Maho, I-I… This is…"

"Don't worry, Gearsy," Maho told her gently. "This works out for both of us, doesn't it?"

"..."

Nepgear didn't say anything, but Maho felt it when her arms slowly slinked around her waist. She also felt it when Nepgear's face buried itself in her bosom, her shaking becoming less intense as they exchanged body heat.

Maho would be lying if she said she didn't feel embarrassed by this much contact. With the way their naked bodies rubbed together like this, and how she could feel Nepgear's warmth and the rhythm of her heartbeat, it was almost impossible to not feel a certain type of way like this.

Maho felt guilty for having thoughts like this. It was like she was taking advantage of her to be in this type of situation, even if she just wanted to keep her warm.

As they continued to embrace, Maho couldn't help but feel a certain… wetness rubbing up against her thigh. With how close they were, Nepgear's crotch would be hovering over Maho's legs, which only meant…

"Oh."

Nepgear didn't say anything, but Maho definitely felt the heat of her radiant blush as she refused to look her in the eyes.

It took only a second for Maho to put some distance between them, neither saying a single word to each other. Nepgear didn't look at anything beyond her own feet, while Maho just held her arm and looked in any general direction with a complicated look.

Well, that was deathly embarrassing. So much for things not getting worse.

"Alright, the coast is clear, we can keep moving…" Uni trailed off, noticing the awkward atmosphere. "Hey, why is Nepgear blushing like that? What did you do, Maho?"

Maho looked up, noticing the judgemental look Uni was shooting right at her.

… Right, how was she going to explain this?

Fortunately, she didn't need to, as Nepgear hurriedly rushed past the two of them while still managing to avoid eye contact all together.

"L-Let's just keep going!"

"Wait, Gearsy, don't run ahead like that!" Maho wasted no time in going after her.

"Hey, get back here!" Uni called out as she rushed to follow. "You just completely dodged my question!"

Uzume was having one of the most relaxing nights of her life.

After spending a whole day racing around a nation, it was good to take the time to just relax and go about things easily. A leisurely stroll through Leanbox at night was a great way to accomplish that, and the city really did look as beautiful as it did when she first toured it all those years ago.

… Though it did get a little too cold for her tastes, so Uzume had to make some compromises. Luckily she managed to find an old sheet to wear as a cloak in an alley that wasn't too dirty and didn't smell bad, and it worked in covering her since the Disc didn't identify it as clothes.

She wondered if the others had any similar ideas.

'We're almost at the Basilicom,' Uzume thought as she looked up at the towering building. 'Honestly, I don't even know what the big deal was. This has been a piece of cake.'

'I don't know if this is better or worse than walking around nude,' Kurome replied in her head. 'Do you always pick things up in random alleys?'

'What, you don't like it? I think it looks really cool, plus it keeps me warm.'

'You look homeless, not cool.'

'Hater. Everyone else thinks it's cool. Look, they're all in awe over it.'

Uzume looked around, where there was a plethora of people gazing at her with wide eyes and open mouths. Some of them were taking pictures and filming her, obviously impressed by her cool cloak. Uzume smiled pridefully as she took in their looks, knowing she was right.

'... No, I think you're completely misreading their intentions.' Her other self mentally sighed. 'These humans are shameless deviants. Just kill them all and be done with it.'

'Why is murder your answer for everything?'

'Why isn't it yours?'

Uzume just shook her head and continued walking, knowing that going back and forth with Kurome about that certain subject matter was mostly a fruitless endeavor.

"Hey, Uzume! Long time no see!"

"... Huh?"

'Wait a minute, that voice…'

Uzume turned around at the sound of an awfully familiar voice. A purple-haired girl waved at her with an enthusiastic smile, wearing a black hoodie and a black hat that said TOP NEP on it with bold white letters. Her hoodie was completely unzipped, exposing the jet-black bikini she was wearing underneath.

It was the Neptune from the Ultradimension, an old friend she hadn't seen in a very long time.

'... Give me five seconds.'

'What are you—'

Uzume didn't get a chance to finish that thought as control was ripped from her, and as soon as the other Neptune made her way towards her, Kurome had fully taken over.

"Well, if it isn't the traitor," she blurted out with venom in her voice.

The other Neptune stopped, giving her a confused look in response to the icy glare being sent her way, but it seemed to only take a moment for her to realize who was piloting the body and smirk. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm an honest gal who never betrayed anyone in her entire life."

'This bitch…'

Kurome clenched her fist. "I should kill you where you stand, but it seems my time is up, so count yourself lucky that you're continuing to breathe."

The lilac-haired woman actually laughed. "Yeah, I'll be sure to do that."

With one final groan, Kurome withdrew her control and returned the body to Uzume.

"Ugh, Kurome…" It was Uzume's turn to groan at the actions of her other self. 'I'm so sorry about that. I didn't expect her to suddenly do that…"

Neptune just laughed easily. "Don't worry about it! She just missed me so much that she couldn't resist it. I totally get that."

'I'm going to kill her.'

'Don't you dare.'

While Kurome sulked in her mind, Uzume just gave Neptune a casual smile. "Anyway, Nepsy! It's great to see you again. It feels like it's been ages since I last saw you.'

"Haha, it feels the same here. It's hard to keep track of time with all the traveling I do." Her lilac eyes scanned over Uzume, taking in her obviously cool state of dress. "It's good to see you again too, but uh, what's with the raggedy get up? You look like some kind of rugged adventurer."

'See? She thinks it's cool.'

'What makes you think I care about that woman's opinion?'

"I just picked it up in the alley," Uzume explained. "It was getting pretty chilly just walking around naked."

"Oho~?" Neptune suddenly looked very interested. "I guess the charity marathon wasn't enough nude goodness for you, eh? Well, if there's ever a place for streaking, it's here." She smirked. "Do you want me to join you?"

Uzume shook her head. "Thanks, but actually, can you help me out with something else?"

Neptune raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What's up?"

Uzume shrugged. "Vert handed everyone some Discs to make us naked, but they're not working properly and now everyone's naked and sneaking back to the Basilicom. Honestly, I don't see how that's a big deal, but the others think it'd be the end of the world if people saw them naked, so..."

"Huh..." Neptune crossed her arms, blinking. "Sounds like everyone's in a tough spot right now."

"Yeah, pretty much." Uzume nodded. "Do you think you can help us out?"

"Well, I guess I could have Crostie warp everyone to the Basilicom. Where's everyone else?"

"Uhh..." Uzume's eyes widened as she remembered a little detail. "Everyone decided to split up to have an easier time sneaking around, and the Discs are kinda messing with phone signals, so..."

"... So there's, like, no way to know at all." Neptune sighed, scratching the back of her head. "Dang, did you guys min roll all your RNG checks today?"

Uzume tilted her head. "Is that like getting a bad fortune cookie?"

"..." Neptune seemed at a loss for words for a moment. "Anyway, Plan B. We could go to the Basilicom first and ask for help, 'pretty please' and all. That's gotta work, right?"

"Oh, that's genius!" Uzume pumped her fist. "Always count on Nepsy to be reliable."

Neptune gave her a proud smile. "Hehe, you know it. Let's go, Crostie~!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" came the disgruntled voice of the fairy sealed within her book, and no sooner did the two of them find themselves teleported out of existence.

Of course, neither of them notice the downright befuddled looks from the crowd of people around them after that happened.

Neptune and Uzume landed gently into Vert's personal chambers, bypassing anything resembling security. The chambers were decorated in a variety of greens and blacks, sporting a living room, a kitchen, and fancy furniture that complimented Vert's fancy lifestyle.

Despite being well-lit, with the TV playing some news broadcast Neptune didn't care about, the space was oddly empty.

"Huh, never been here before…" Uzume commented as she looked around. "Where's Vert's room?"

Neptune sighed, pointing in the general direction of a hallway. "I think it's over here somewhere. I haven't been here in a few years, but we could— Wait…"

"Huh?"

Neptune stopped, as she heard a pair of muffled voices come from a door at the end of the hallway.

When the door suddenly opened, Neptune acted fast and pulled a confused Uzume behind the couch with her.

"What are you—"

"Shhh…" Neptune silenced the red-haired girl, as the owners of the voices walked in.

"I just can't believe her! It was already way more of a hassle than usual with all the Goddesses participating this year, but then she just goes and dumps all the clean-up work on me with no warning while she rushes to her stupid game…"

"As expected of our guardian Goddess, masterfully ignoring all her responsibilities."

"... You could stand to sound less jealous of that."

"Your accusation is preposterous."

The women were none other than Chika Hakozaki and Cave, the Oracle of Leanbox and the star soldier of the nation respectively. The former looked frustrated and worked up, while the latter only listened in with a seemingly dull stare.

Both women, very mature women, also happened to be completely naked and obviously had just stepped out of the shower. Their skin was still moist under the warm light of the chambers, their considerable chests bouncing and heaving with every step that they took.

Neither of the women had noticed the intruders hiding behind the couch, and Neptune would be a fool to not take advantage of this golden opportunity.

'Oh, hell yes~!'

The purplette felt her excitement well up inside of her chest as she pulled out her phone. Peeking out from the side of the couch, Neptune started taking pictures of the naked women. With some careful use of the zoom feature, she ensured very clear shots of their lewd bodies.

From her side, Uzume just watched with a confused expression.

"At least it's finally over…" Chika sighed as she nursed her forehead. "Ugh, I'm still getting pissed off just thinking about it. I should just storm her room and take her computer again."

Cave hummed as she leaned back against the table, causing her plump ass to squish against its glass surface and giving Neptune some very juicy material. "How curious…"

Chika gave her a confused look. "What is?"

"I was just thinking about how the shower was meant to provide distraction and relief from your stress, and yet you're still complaining about the issue." Cave tilted her head to one side, a small hint of a smile expressing itself on her features. "Perhaps my services are still required?"

Chika gave Cave a long stare before she developed a smirk of her own. "They might just be."

Neptune almost stopped breathing when the Oracle made her way to the soldier, spreading her legs and erasing the distance between them as their large breasts squished against each other.

Hastily, Neptune began to record them.

"Really? Right here?" Cave asked with an amused hum.

"While she's playing games, Vert wouldn't hear it if Arfoire herself came in and started wrecking the place," Chika told her. "Now shut up and let me kiss you."

"Hm hm…~"

Neptune could hardly believe what she was seeing as she shakily recorded the encounter. She hit the jackpot with this!

"S-Should we really be watching this…?" Uzume whispered, but Neptune ignored her.

Chika began to kiss Cave, as the women began to get intimate with each other. The Oracle held the soldier's head as they swapped spit, their tongues swirling around as Chika clearly sought to dominate her red-haired lover. Cave, for her part, offered zero resistance to the Oracle's advances.

Their passion-fueled kiss broke apart, as both women took a moment to breathe. Chika's hands went down Cave's toned and curvaceous body, eventually finding their way to her ass she didn't hesitate to squeeze. Her fingers sank into the soldier's plump bottom, which made Neptune drool.

"Eager today, aren't we…?" Cave asked in between a breathy moan.

The Oracle simply grunted. "You're the one who offered this. Don't start backing out now."

"I didn't plan on it…" The soldier said with mirth as she tilted her head back with her eyes closed, allowing the Oracle free access to her body.

Neptune almost stopped breathing when Chika started kissing Cave's neck, and the breaths she did take were shallow and uneven as her kisses went lower and lower. The Oracle even brought out her tongue when she reached the soldier's boobs, giving her cleavage a trail of kisses, and then ran her tongue all around the underside of her boobs as if they were delicious.

Neptune felt her ownarousal spiking as she drank in the erotic scene playing out before her eyes.

Then, just when things were about to get spicy…

"... Stop."

Cave put a stop to Chika's advances, her pleased gaze melting away to sudden suspicion.

Naturally, Chika was confused. "What's wrong?"

Cave's gaze went to the couch where Neptune and Uzume were hiding. Neptune had stopped and fully hid behind the couch, wondering if she had been caught.

"I hear rough breathing. Come out."

Well, there goes that.

Uzume gave her a look, but ultimately Neptune shrugged and the two stood up to face their death sentence.

"... Hey ladies."

For a moment, neither woman responded as they stared at her with indecipherable expressions.

Then, they summoned their weapons.

Neptune paled.

"Somehow… I sense that the other me is in danger…"

Noire and Blanc stared at Neptune's musings with blank looks, all three of them hiding within a dark alley between tall buildings as the ravenette kept watch by the entrance for any civilians.

Aside from Neptune's little stint earlier with Blanc, the three were mostly lucky with evading detection so far as the Basilicom drew ever closer.

Noire just hoped that luck would hold out. She couldn't bear to think about the aftermath of being caught.

"Well, if you're done with your ominous rambling, I think we're in the clear…" Noire sighed as she stepped out of the alley. "I don't know how much more my heart can take sneaking around like this."

"Just hang in there, we'll get through this," Blanc assured her. "In the meantime, just think about how cathartic it will feel when we get to smash Vert's face in."

Yes, that was definitely a calming thought in itself.

"You ladies are being way too calm about deicide…" Neptune droned from beside them.

Noire ignored that, moving to resume their harrowing trip through Leanbox—

"Who goes there?!" a feminine voice suddenly shouted out from nearby. "Identify yourself at once!"

The three Goddesses immediately stopped talking. Noire's panic began to spike when she turned around, her eyes frantically scanning for the source.

There, at the end of the street roughly thirty meters away, standing underneath a lone street lamp, was none other than Nisa striking a flamboyant heroic pose while staring straight at Noire's shadowed form in the darkness.

She hadn't been there mere moments ago, but of course things had to go wrong somehow at this point.

At that moment, two options presented themselves to Noire. She could either ruin her reputation by revealing herself to Nisa and explaining what happened, or run back into the alley and try to evade the heroine.

It didn't take long for the ravenette to pick, rushing into the alley with Neptune and Blanc following her lead.

"Innocent people would never run from the Hero of Justice!" Nisa's echoing voice called out. "Halt and face your crimes, heathens!"

Noire's panic soared when she heard the rapidly increasing footsteps of the so-called hero. She had forgotten just how fast that girl truly was.

But that realization didn't stop her and didn't stop either Neptune or Blanc as they ran through the alleys almost in complete darkness. They managed to evade the girl, but the sound of her footsteps meant she wasn't going to give up the pursuit without a fight.

Unfortunately, her luck ran out faster than she would have hoped.

All three of the Goddesses hit a dead end, with nothing but brick and buildings surrounding them. As Noire's eyes adjusted to the darkness, all she could make out was mountains of garbage and an old closet, but it looked far too small to fit all three of them and there was no denying Nisa would spot them instantly.

"Dammit…" Blanc grumbled, mirroring her thoughts perfectly, especially as they heard Nisa's footsteps draw closer. "Alright, I have a plan."

"What—?!" Noire barely spoke a word before Blanc shoved her and Neptune into the old closet, shutting the door quickly and leaving them there. They couldn't see anything, but they most certainly heard what sounded like a ladder from a fire escape being dropped.

"Don't think you can run from me, villain!" Nisa shouted, the sounds of feet hitting metal filling the alley as she seemingly decided to climb up to the rooftops. "I'll chase you to the ends of Gamindustri!"

With that bold proclamation, Nisa's footsteps became quieter and quieter as her voice rang to the heavens for only disgruntled Leanboxians to hear.

Blanc must have been leading her somewhere else to throw her off the trail, so Noire wasn't about to jump out and celebrate just yet. However…

"It's… so… tight…" Neptune groaned behind her, and she wasn't wrong in that statement. The closet was so small that the two of them were squished against each other.

But that wasn't all.

Neptune was facing the same direction as Noire, and that meant her slender body was rubbing up against the ravenette's back. That, in combination with the way Neptune's breath tickled the back of her neck, was doing certain things to Noire.

"It's so cramped in here…" Neptune continued to groan behind her. "Can we just leave already?"

"N-Not until Blanc comes back…" Noire told her, struggling to keep her composure as goosebumps formed across her skin. "Just stay put, it's not… so bad…"

"Maybe we wouldn't be so cramped if it weren't for… these!"

"?!"

Noire felt Neptune's hands grab her breasts, her body straightening as a result as the petite girl began to play with them.

"N-Neptune!" Noire said in a hushed yell. "S-Stop! Y-You're… Ngh!"

Neptune's hands massaged her boobs, and there wasn't much the ravenette could do to defend herself in such a tight space. She felt Neptune's fingers squeeze her tits and run over her nipples, which soon became stiff due to the attention they were getting.

It genuinely couldn't be helped when a moan escaped Noire's lips.

"... Uh."

At that, Neptune stopped her groping and sheepishly moved her hands back to her sides.

When Noire came back to her senses and realized what just happened, her blush became hotter than the surface of the Sun.

That, however, wasn't in comparison to her frustration.

"Y-You…!"

"Wha?!"

In a flash, Noire turned her whole body around to face Neptune directly. The purple-haired girl looked shocked as they faced each other, and Noire felt electric rushes shooting up her back as their fronts rubbed up against each other.

"Y-You think you can just do that and get away with it?!" Noire shouted at her. "Then how about this!"

"H-Hey, what are you—Gah?!" Neptune was cut off when Noire started groping Neptune's demure chest.

With its size, there wasn't much for Noire to grab on, but her fingers still eagerly groped all over Neptune's bare breasts.

The ravenette's heart pounded as she fondled Neptune, the purplette's blush radiating as she wiggled and squirmed, unable to defend herself. She even tweaked her nipples with her fingers, earning surprised yelps from Neptune that quickly devolved into mewls and moans.

"Mm… O-Oh…~"

Her moans were like music to Noire's ears, so much so that Lastation's Goddess felt more compelled to go farther with her.

"Are you idiots done yet?"

… But that didn't happen.

Just then, the doors opened, nearly making Noire trip and fall on her face as they finally spilled out of the closet.

"B-Blanc! Uh, how long have you been back?" Neptune asked, her tone noticeably more awkward than usual as Noire struggled to collect herself.

"I was here the whole time."

Noire froze, and it sounded like Neptune choked on air.

"I only dropped the ladder down to trick her. I didn't actually leave," she elaborated. "I was waiting for you idiots to realize that maniac was gone and come out already, but I guess you were too busy playing with each other."

There was a long stretch of awkward silence from the two Goddesses, neither knowing what to say to the fact that they were overheard by their friend.

"...W-We need to get a move on," it was ultimately Noire who broke the silence with that curt statement as she began to move more quickly than what would be considered normal, causing an unamused Blanc and a strangely bashful Neptune to follow close behind her.

Never mind Vert, Noire was going to turn her sword on herself as soon as this was all over.

Uni wondered what Nepgear was thinking.

She was oddly silent as they made their way through Leanbox's inner cities, much more so than normal. It was as if she had almost become mute, only giving out basic directions and nothing more as she guided them with her (recharged) N-Gear.

Lastation's Candidate knew that Maho had something to do with it, but that girl was apparently an expert at dodging questions. All of her attempts at gauging any reason for it were met with half-baked lies and diversions.

Something was bothering Nepgear and Maho wasn't willing to share why, leaving Uni to ponder to herself. She'd ask the girl herself, but that was just embarrassing.

But, her mental voice told her, Maho wouldn't hesitate to ask her what was wrong. Maybe she already had, and the two were keeping it a secret from her?

Maho. Maho Maho Maho. She was all Nepgear ever seemed to talk about the last few months. She brought her everywhere, spoke of her non-stop when they were alone, and just seemed to do anything with her. Despite having only known her for less than a year, it seemed like those two had become inseparable.

Uni hated it. She just wanted Maho to go away so she could have Nepgear to herself again. What right did Maho have to take that away from her? It was unfair.

… But that type of thinking was just childish, wasn't it?

Twelve years. Uni had twelve years to make a move. Twelve years to confess, to go on a date, to do anything with the girl that she had been deeply in love with since they first met.

But Uni didn't do anything. She constantly hesitated and held herself back, always afraid and never taking any chances out of fear of being rejected and ruining their friendship.

So what right did Uni have for being angry at Maho? She had no idea about Uni's feelings for Nepgear, just like how Nepgear herself didn't. In the end, Uni wasted her chances and was left to just watch Nepgear be infatuated with someone else.

Uni hated it, but most of all, she hated herself.

"... Uni? Are you alright?"

Maho's voice snapped the ravenette out of her thoughts, and she was met face-to-face with her worried expression. Nepgear was still in front of them, oblivious to them all.

It took Uni a second to realize that she must have been making a bad face for Maho to call out to her like that.

That was embarrassing.

Uni looked away, grumbling under her breath. "I'm fine. Leave me alone…"

"Uni…"

"Who's there?"

The Candidates all froze like deers in headlights when they heard a female's voice. Since it was so dark, Uni could hardly make out any features besides green hair, red eyes and… Wait, was that an octopus on her shoulder?

"Wait a minute…" The woman seemed intent on them for some reason. "The shambling, the lack of responses… You're zombies!"

"Uh…?" Maho tilted her head in a confused manner, as Uni just stared ahead like she saw her grow an eyeball out of her arm.

Then she paled when the woman pulled out a pistol and aimed at Nepgear.

"W-Wait! We're not—!"

"Die, zombies!"

Uni didn't even think before she lurched forward and grabbed the girl, just in time for the bullet to fly by and tear right through an innocent mailbox and anything that existed in its general direction.

Uni didn't even need to speak to Maho to know the girl was running alongside her as they made their way into a nearby alley, dodging more gunshots from the insane woman that was now following them.

The three found two boxes to hide behind in an otherwise dead-end alley, and with nowhere else to turn to, Uni thought quickly and placed the panicked Nepgear behind one while Maho sat behind another.

Of course, there wasn't any room for Uni to fit without being spotted.

Without thinking, the ravenette sat on Nepgear's lap.

"U-Uni?!"

"Shut up!" Uni told her in a hushed whisper, putting her hand over the blushing girl's mouth to silence her. With how close they were to each other, their chests rubbed together and Uni could practically feel Nepgear's rapid heartbeat thumping against her skin, all while Maho looked at the two of them with a stunned expression.

It was humiliating, ungodly so, but Uni put up with the embarrassment since the other end of the spectrum was getting shot.

Unfortunately for the Candidates, their pursuer didn't give up.

"To think zombies had advanced to the point of being able to run and hide…" The crazy woman muttered. "Well, evolution or not, all zombies die to the same thing: Rocket launchers!"

All three of the Candidates blanched at the declaration, and all Uni had to do was glance up to see the giant weapon the woman had pulled out of seemingly nowhere.

She was completely serious. She was about to blow them up. It wouldn't kill them, but it would still hurt.

Could Uni pull out her gun and shoot that thing out of her hands in time? Embarrassment at being seen was paltry compared to taking a rocket to the face.

"VIO!"

Fortunately, Uni didn't have a chance to consider that, for a shriek from another female voice, who came storming in wearing some kind of Chinese dress.

"Oh, Sango—"

"What the fuck are you DOING?!" the woman, apparently named Sango, screeched at her. "We all heard gunshots, and of course it had to be you! Do you want to get arrested?! Lady Noire herself would end up involved in an incident like this!"

"B-But… zombies…" Vio muttered meekly.

"Why would there be zombies out here? This isn't one of your bombing zones! Now come on, before you cause more property damage!"

With that, the woman named Sango dragged Vio away, and the Candidates were left to sit in silence for a moment.

… And then Uni realized that she was essentially straddling Nepgear and stood up, the other two following her as soon as it was safe.

"Well… that happened…" Maho commented.

"A-At least it's over…" Nepgear stuttered, then sighed. "Either way, we need to keep going, so—"

"Wait, Nepgear."

"Eh?"

Uni flushed as she caught Nepgear's attention, her heart racing more in this situation than it was walking through Leanbox naked. A part of her mind was screaming at her to shut up and stop.

But she didn't care anymore. She was done being scared.

"L-Look, just… M-Maho's not your only friend, alright?!" Uni stumbled her words out, fighting her own embarrassment. "W-We've known each other for a long time, we're supposed to be best friends! So how come you only share things with Maho?! Maho's all you ever talk about! Am I not good enough anymore?!"

"U-Uni…"

Nepgear was almost at a loss for words, stunned at her sudden blow-up. Maho, too, looked at Uni with a surprised look. Lastation's Candidate wanted to curl up and die somewhere from admitting things like that, but she pressed on.

"I-I just… I'm…" Uni looked down at her feet, feeling a hint of tears well up on the corners of her eyes. "Is Maho… a better friend than me…?"

"N-No!" Nepgear instantly rushed to comfort Uni with a hug, taking the ravenette by surprise. "Uni, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't realize you were feeling this way! Maho's an amazing friend, but she… she could never replace you…"

Uni's heart fluttered at Nepgear's words, her gentle tone calming her down as she leaned her head into her soft shoulder.

"... Don't apologize, idiot." Uni muttered. "Just… don't forget about me, okay?"

"I won't." Nepgear assured her. "That's a promise."

"Aw, you two are so adorable…"

Uni and Nepgear flared up at Maho's words as the girl gave them a genuine smile.

"S-Shut up!" Uni huffed and looked away, earning a laugh from the pink-haired Candidate.

"U-Um, let's just keep going…" Nepgear said with a nervous smile. "The Basilicom won't come to us."

"Good idea, Gearsy."

"Ugh…"

"Ow…"

With the dust finally settled, Uzume and Neptune sat in the living room on a pair of chairs procured from the kitchen, the latter nursing the bruises she had accumulated thanks to Cave and Chika.

Whether she was more upset at being beaten up or being forced to delete the photos was a mystery to Uzume.

Now dressed in black bathrobes, the Oracle sat on the couch with a complicated look as Cave stood beside her, who both took turns giving Neptune stern glances to make sure she didn't try anything.

After Uzume gave them a debriefing of what had happened, Cave had left briefly and came back with two cardboard boxes, both holding Discs that looked exactly like the ones Vert handed them earlier.

"Of course, this had to happen…" The Oracle grumbled as she shuffled through one box, which was much less filled than its companion.

"What happened?" Uzume asked.

"My dearest gave the other Goddesses those trashy prototypes instead of the real things!" Chika slammed her hands against the coffee table as she declared that, startling Uzume and Neptune. "How did she get this wrong?! The boxes are freaking labeled!"

"Your first mistake was assuming Lady Vert can read," Cave said in a deadpan voice.

"Ugh…" Chika gripped her head, seemingly on the verge of tearing her hair out, but instead she looked up at Uzume with a frustrated gaze. "We need to fix this, preferably before this causes an international incident. We don't need the rest of the continent thinking we tricked their Goddesses into humiliating themselves."

Uzume just gave her a confused look. "Is this really that much of a big deal?"

Chika and Cave stared at her for a long moment, before the Oracle spoke, "You're not too bright, are you?"

"Huh?"

'She has a point.'

'Huh?!'

Chika just sighed, glancing at the soldier by her side. "Cave, get dressed. Round up everyone who can keep their mouth shut. If you have to, tell them the Goddesses were infected by a virus or whatever excuse you can come up with that doesn't implicate us. I want the Goddesses found as soon as possible so the other Neptune can use her little book to bring them back here with no civilian witnesses."

Cave bowed. "I shall leave with haste."

At that, Cave began to leave. However, before she did, she leaned very close to Chika and whispered right into her ear.

"Rest assured, we'll continue where we left off as soon as I return."

Chika blushed and squirmed, while Cave left with a smug smirk.

Neptune whistled. "Spicy~!"

Chika's immediate glare caused Neptune to shrink back into her spot.

"... Um, in the meantime, can I talk to Vert already?" Uzume changed the subject back to the original intent. " I want to get this Disc off."

"We're not telling her about this," Chika told her bluntly.

"Eh? Why?"

"As Leanbox's Oracle, I pride myself in knowing absolutely everything about Lady Vert." With that bold proclamation, Chika sighed. "It's precisely because of that knowledge that I can safely assume she would make this situation much worse than it already is, purely because she would find it funny."

"She wouldn't…"

Chika gave her a look.

"Okay, yeah she would," Uzume conceded. "Then, how are we getting these Discs off? Vert was the one who designed them, wasn't she?"

"Don't worry about that. I already have someone in mind," Chika told her reassuringly. "In the meantime, you can stay right here and just wait. That's not a suggestion, by the way."

Uzume tilted her head. "Wouldn't it be faster if I came along? I can fly."

"I'd prefer it if the entire populace didn't know something was wrong," Chika explained bluntly. "Especially considering you're still naked."

"I still don't see what the issue is…" Uzume shrugged. "But alright, I'll trust you."

"Good." With that settled, Chika turned her gaze to Neptune. "And you."

Neptune looked nervous. "M-Me?'

It didn't help the mood when the Oracle gave her a sickeningly sweet smile. "Someone needs to teach you some lessons on invading people's privacy! I have to make a call right now, but don't even think about going anywhere after this! Cave and I will gladly give you a proper punishment~!"

With that ominous threat said, Chika cheerfully left to make her call, leaving the two alone for a moment.

Nervously, Neptune swallowed. "J-Jokes on them, I wouldn't mind getting punished by total babes…"

Despite her upbeat tone, Neptune looked like she was about to face death.

… Well, that wasn't Uzume's problem.

With all that out of the way, all she had to do now was wait.

That was bound to be boring.