Chapter 48 - Finishing Touches
...
And so, my Schale paperwork got put to the side as I helped the Game Development Department make their new game. We planned to use every last bit of the next week to make the game.
The five of us quickly fell into a routine: wake up, eat, work, eat, work, sleep, repeat. Aris stuck with a different routine, eating and sleeping less than us to conserve time.
The plan continued like this for a few days, until I had an idea.
It's been two days of non-stop working on this game...
The twins and Aris all stare at various computer screens, their fingers typing away. Yuzu sits on a bean bag chair, typing faster than any of us on her laptop.
My fingers hurt every now and again, but I ignore the pain and push onwards. I'm used to doing that on a larger scale, so this is nothing.
Even with the five of us, we might not make it. Dammit, if only we had another person, at least.
Another... person...
"I have an idea." I say out loud.
"Sensei?" Midori asks as she and the others look up from their work.
Not replying, I simply pull out the Shittim Chest from my blazer, its screen flickering to life a moment later as Arona and her classroom appears. "Arona." I call out.
The AI girl is sound asleep on a desk, as usual. "Arona." I repeat, poking her cheek through the screen.
"Huh...? Wha? Oh! Sensei!" The short AI girl says as she recognizes me quickly, even though I just roused her from sleep.
"Remember the stuff I told you I'm workin' on?" I ask.
"That game, right?" Arona asks, making sure.
"Yeah. Think you could help us with it?" I ask my AI pal.
"Sure! Just tell me how to help!" Arona says.
"Who's that?" The green twin asks, peeking over my shoulder.
"Whoa! She's cute!" The pink twin adds, peeking over my other shoulder.
"This here is Arona." I say, holding my hand out to the tablet's screen.
"Hello!" Arona says with a cute smile and a wave.
"Long story short she's an AI that's the OS of this here tablet. I was thinkin' she could help us out with the game. Twelve hands are better than ten, right?" I offer with a smirk.
"A-An AI?" The redhead gamer asks, shyly, peeking over as well. "L-Like Aris?"
"Hm?" Aris hums questioningly, peeking over from the other side.
"Kinda?" I ask. "She doesn't have a body, and even then, I don't think Aris classifies as an AI, since I don't think she'd work without a body."
"Heh? So she's stuck in there?" Momoi asks.
"Kinda. I can move between electronics via Wi-Fi and such." Arona explains. "Though it's nice to meet more of Sensei's students!"
"Same. I'm Midori." Midori says with a smile and a nod.
"And I'm Momoi." Momoi says, boisterously.
"I'm Yuzu, it's nice to meet you, Arona." Yuzu says, shyly as usual.
"Aris is Aris." Aris says with a smile. "Pleased to meet you, fellow cyber warrior."
"Eh? Er, you... too?" Arona asks, confused by Aris' manner of speech.
"You'll get used to it." I say with a shrug. "Are y'all fine with her helping?" I ask the gamer girls.
"I don't see why not." The green twin says.
"Yeah! An AI could be super helpful with stuff like this!" The pink twin says, agreeing.
"Does Arona like video games?" Our robot pal suddenly asks.
"I haven't played any, but Sensei has talked about the ones he played back home." Arona says with a smile. "They seem really fun."
Aris' smile grew three sizes bigger that day.
"W-Welcome aboard, Arona." Yuzu says with a small smile.
And so, the six of us got back to work.
Our speed of making the game increased by a significant margin, thanks to Arona's help. She was able to essentially streamline our work process, causing our efficiency to increase at least ten-fold.
Soon, a full week passed, all of us working at overdrive. When we started, there was a full week and a half left until the award ceremony, but we only had a week until the submission entry deadline.
Each one of us had to force ourselves to stop, else we would've passed out from exhaustion. Well, all of us, save for Arona.
"Momoi! Are you done yet?" Midori asks her twin, from across the room.
"Gimme a minute... I just need to enter this and I'll be done..." Momoi responds, fingers typing away.
Our nerves attempt to get the better of us. We've spent nearly every waking moment working on this game, making sure that it's the best that it can be.
Mere minutes remain until the Millennium Prize deadline ends.
"We only have two minutes left!" The green twin roars at her sister. "There's no time to spare!"
"Ninety-six seconds, to be exact. Oh, ninety-two now..." Aris, ever diligent with these things, reports.
"Okay! Okay! I'm done!" The pink twin snaps.
"Let's just do a quick test, and... Okay." Yuzu says, looking at her laptop. "There are no errors, Momoi!"
"All right! Beginning the upload!" Momoi says, pressing a single button on her keyboard. "Fiteen seconds to delivery! Aris, the time?!"
"Nineteen seconds remaining..." Aris says, as we all tense up.
"Please, please, please..." Midori pleads, the index and middle fingers on both of her hands crossed.
All of our eyes are glued to the screen...
After a tense, eternal moment...
"Status... Sent..." Momoi reports, quietly and breathlessly.
Thank you for your submission and participation in the Millennium Prize.
"We did it!" The pink twin shouts in glee.
"Hooray!" Arona cheers from the Shittim Chest's screen.
I slam back into my chair, letting out a massive sigh of relief. "Haaaaaaaaaah..."
"That was too close..." Yuzu says, having flopped back down into her bean bag chair.
"Now, all we have to do is wait for the announcement in four days." Midori says.
"We made it in time, but we won't know our fate until the results come." Momoi adds. "In four days, it'll be decided."
"Well, I say we take the next few days off. We've all pushed ourselves to the limit, we've earned it." I say. "And that's an order from your Sensei." I add with a smile.
"Actually, I have a proposal." The pink twin says.
"Oh?" I ask.
"Why don't we try uploading an open web version of Tales Saga Chronicle Two in the time we have left?" Momoi asks.
"Huh?" Yuzu squeaks.
"That's a damn good idea, Momoi." I praise the pink-eyed girl.
"Wait, why would we do that?" Midori asks.
" 'Cause who cares about what the judges think. Don't you want to know what regular-old players have to say about our game?" The pink twin asks.
"B-But what if they say it's horrible?" The green twin worriedly asks.
"Think about it this way. We did this for US." Momoi stresses. "The Millennium Prize is just a bonus. We did our best, and that's something to be proud of!"
"Criticism and praise are always thing's you'll get from making any kind of media. The first game y'all made was an example of one extreme, hopefully this one will be an example of the opposite." I advise, hoping people like this game. I know it'd hurt me to know it flopped, I can't imagine how they felt when the first game bombed as hard as it did.
"Well, sure... but..." Midori says, weakly.
"Let's do it." Yuzu says, suddenly very resolute.
"Huh?" Midori asks, eyes wide as she turns to Yuzu.
"Art is nothing if people never get to experience it." The redhead says, sagely. "I want people to experience what we made."
Midori stares at the redheaded girl in awe, wordless.
"It's okay." Yuzu says with a small smile. "Even if it's like last time, and I get an avalanche of nasty comments, I'll know that we did our best. And we did it together. That's what's truly important. I'm all right, honest." As she finishes speaking, Yuzu's smile grows brighter.
The green twin stares at Yuzu, slack-jawed.
"Okay! I'm going to upload it now!" The pink twin declares.
"W-Wait!" Midori shouts, turning to move toward her sister quickly.
"And... done!" Momoi says, freezing Midori in place. "In about two or three hours, the reviews will be rolling in." The pink twin continues, as she happily leans back into her chair. "I'm going to take a break while we wait."
"S-Sure..." Midori says, awkwardly.
I can't help but chuckle at their antics.
A few minutes later, Aris plops down onto a chair, looking intently at a computer screen.
"Aris?" I ask, slowly.
"Yes, Sensei?" Aris replies.
"Why are you staring at that screen like that?" I ask, a bit worried.
"Aris is waiting." The long-haired girl reports.
"Waiting?" Momoi asks.
"People are starting to download the game. Aris wants to know what they think." Aris explains.
"A watched pot never boils, Aris." Midori advises.
"You know that one?" I ask, surprised.
"Midori is right, Aris. The real reviews won't come until later." Arona says, popping up on a screen next to Aris. "It'll take time for people to play the game, after all."
"Well, I am just going to wait." Aris says with a smile.
"Me too." Yuzu adds, walking over to Aris. "I'm too anxious to sleep, anyway. So, I'll wait with you."
"Ah." Midori lets out a noise. "My heart is pounding."
"Gah! I'm more worried than excited!" Momoi complains. "And I'm the one who suggested we do this!"
ding
"Oh! It's our first comment!" Midori says, as the girls all huddle around Aris and the computer.
"Wh-What?! Really?!" Momoi shouts, hopeful.
"Doubtful. Whoever wrote that probably hasn't had time to play the damn game yet." I warn. "It's probably just some hater who played the first one."
"No way!" Momoi shouts at me.
Sighing, I stand up and look at the computer as well.
helmet021: Yo, the Worst Game of the Year frauds are back! I thought they'd quit after realizing they're talentless hacks but here they are crapping out sequels LOL
Aris stares blankly.
"Ah... It's okay, Aris. Don't let it get to you." Momoi says, comfortingly to the robot girl.
"I was right, they haven't even given it a try yet." I say, grumbling. "Sounds like a little piggy wants to wake up with a grenade in their lunchbox..."
My mutterings gain a soft chuckle from all of the girls, save Aris.
"Understood." Aris says. "I am going to have Maki give me this person's IP address so I can go blast them with a full strength laser."
"Y-You can't do that!" Midori shouts, worriedly.
"Midori's right." Yuzu says. "So is Sensei, they clearly didn't even try the game, so just try to ignore it."
ding
The computer dings again, prompting us to look at the screen once more.
Kotoha0507: The first one was a disaster, but it had a few interesting ideas. I hope they've improved the gameplay this time.
"Hey, now we're getting somewhere." The pink twin says, happy.
ding
"That was quick." I say.
QueenC: I'm scared... When I finish the game, how will my future self judge the current me? Will I curse myself for purposely downloading the game, or will I rejoice at my leap of faith?
ding
kirakiraNO1: the first one made me want to quit games forever lol seriously crap like this makes me cringe so hard. Y do I always feel like trying this stuff tho?
"W-Wow! People are actually excited to play our game!" The pink twin says, hopeful.
"Uh... I feel like they're acting like our game is some sort of ticking time bomb." Midori groans.
"They think they are going to hate it, but want to try it anyway..." Yuzu mutters, surprised.
"Such is the way of gamers." I say, sagely.
ding ding
"Wow! The reviews are rolling in!" Arona says, eyes wide in surprise at the speed of the comments.
cat0808: I have a make-up test in two hours, but TSC2 lookin kinda :eyes: I'm thinking of skipping to play. Should I?
Yousee-me: Play TSC2, obv! Tests are temporary, getting to play TSC2 on release is eternal. Waiting to play would be a crime against art!
"Uhhh..." Yuzu groans.
"They really should go take their tests..." I say, deadpan.
"Whoa, we already have over two-thousand downloads. How'd that happen?" Momoi asks, surprised.
"Someone posted about it on a social media aggregate site." Arona reports, dutifully.
"Ahh!" Momoi shouts. "I was hoping people wouldn't be apathetic, but now I'm scared!"
"...My heart is beating really fast." Aris speaks up for the first time in a while, a big smile on her face.
"I can't tell if I'm scared or excited!" Momoi shouts.
Our conversation, filled with various, swirling emotions, comes to a sudden close, when...
BOOM
"Huh?!" Momoi shouts as the room shakes.
"The fuck?" I ask.
"Did Momoi's heart just explode?" Aris asks, innocently.
"What?! No, that wasn't me!" Momoi denies.
"Aris, the whole room just shook." I say, clarifying for the robot girl.
"Then what was it? Did our console finally die?" Yuzu asks, worried.
"It was getting pretty old." Momoi adds.
"It was a shell, specifically a thirteen-point-ninety seven millimeter round." Arona reports. "It slammed against the wall outside."
"The same kind Karin uses!" The green twin realizes.
BOOM BOOM
"Eek!" Yuzu squeaks in fright.
"Ranged attack confirmed." Aris says. "Position... eleven o'clock."
"Distance is approximately one kilometer." Arona adds.
"W-Was our last game really THAT bad?!" Momoi shouts.
"Preparing to counterattack." Aris says, picking up her railgun.
"No." I order. "The room will be destroyed."
Yuzu, peeking through the window curtains, suddenly jolts back towards us. "Akane is waiting outside!"
"Oh? They lookin' for a round two?" I ask, narrowing my eyes.
"I can't believe I felt a little bad for them before!" Midori curses.
"Calm down, girls. Let's just go see what they want." I say.
"Sensei!" Midori says. "All right."
The five of us walk downstairs to find the bespectacled maid waiting for us outside of the building.
"Yo, Akane." I greet.
"Oh, Sensei. You're here as well?" The maid asks, surprised, before chuckling. "I suppose I should have expected that."
"Enough talk! Why are you here, Akane?!" Momoi shouts.
"Our leader wants to speak with you." Akane says, simply.
"Huh?!" Midori shouts.
"Or more specifically, her." Akane finishes, pointing to Aris.
"You mean Rio, or Neru?" I ask, dangerously.
"The latter." The maid confirms.
My eyes relax and I turn back to the gamer girls. "Let's go see what Neru wants."
"What?" Yuzu asks, as she and the other three girls' eyes widen.
"Sensei, are you crazy?" Momoi accuses.
"Yes, but that's not the point. Neru wants to 'speak' with Aris, so let's hear her out." I say. "What's the worst that can happen?"
"We get out butts kicked!" Midori yells.
"Not with me around." I say, seriously. "Or should we stick around and let Karin keep shooting the building?" I ask, eye raised.
Momoi lets out a long sigh. "Fine... Let's go see what she wants." She says, defeated.
I turn back to the maid. "Lead the way, Akane."
She nods and turns on her heel as we follow her, tensely.
Akane leads us to a hallway in the Old Millennium Building.
"So, where is she?" I ask, starting to get fed up of Akane not telling us where we're going.
"I'm right here." A tomboyish voice calls out.
"Huh?" Midori asks, dumbly.
Sure enough, from around the corner walks Neru herself. "Took y'all long enough. What kept you?"
"Akane leading us in circles." I answer.
"I did no such thing." Akane defiantly says, a ghost of a smirk pulling the corners of her lips up. "And even if I did, you five deserve it for what you put us through a week ago."
"How petty." I say, deadpan. "Just know my pettiness knows no bounds." I warn the bespectacled maid.
"So... the one that lead these little chickens to attack the contraband storage was you, right?" Neru asks me.
"Yup." I say, simply. "Name's Joshua Birkin."
"Should I call you 'Sensei', too?" The short maid asks.
"If ya want." I say with a shrug.
"Hmm... I guess Akane's investigation was no joke, after all." Neru says, offhandedly.
"Oh?" I ask, looking in the corner of my sight, finding that Akane has disappeared. "Y'all were looking into me? How nice." I say sweetly with a smile, before turning it into a frown and lowering my voice. "Now whaddya want? It must be important, seeing as how your friend shot at the building we were in. What is it, revenge?"
"Ha! I wouldn't. Be here for somethin' like that." Neru says, before pausing a moment. "Is that girl...?" She asks, looking right at the incredibly nervous Yuzu.
"Don't think I forgot about you tricking me. So, I-" Neru begins to say to the redhead gamer, threateningly.
"I-I'm sorry!" Yuzu quickly apologizes.
"Hm? You really got me good last time!" Neru says, growing a smile on her face suddenly.
"Huh?" Yuzu asks, dumbfounded.
"Your performance was perfect. The way you pretended to tremble really had me going there!" The short maid compliments.
"She WAS trembling." I correct, deadpan.
"And how'dya know that?" Neru asks, eyes narrow.
" 'Cause I was hiding in the corner." I say simply.
"Heh? Seriously?" Neru asks, eyes wide. "Dammit, I knew I should've looked there." She curses to herself, before looking straight at... Aris? "Anyway, you. Yeah, you with the big weapon..."
Aris looks around, not realizing she's speaking to her.
"Aris. She means you." I say to the robot girl.
"Oh!" Aris lets out a sound, surprised.
"Yeah, you!" The redhead maid shouts.
"What about Aris?" The robot girl asks.
"You're not like the others. You shot straight at my girls!" Neru says. "I've got something you need to hear."
"Oh, Aris recognizes this situation." Aris says. "Next is 'I have never felt this way before'. It is a confession." Then Aris pulls out her big smile. "The small maid is confessing to Aris."
"The hell are you talking about?!" Neru roars, her face red, as the four girls recoil in fright. "And who the hell are you callin' small?! You wanna die, you...!"
"Heh." I chuckle. Honestly, I wasn't expecting the 'short girl sensitive about her height' trope.
"Uhhh..." Aris groans.
"W-We're so dead...!" Momoi mutters, having given up.
Neru, however, stops shouting and takes a long, calming sigh and closes her eyes. Her blush fades away as she turns to us again. "You guys are going to make me lose it. Let's cut to the chase... I'm not here to get revenge for you guys attacking us. Yeah, I'm a little passed, but you guys beat us fair and square. So, I'm willing to look past it."
The twins breathe a quiet sigh of relief.
"However..." Neru continues, causing the twins to lock up and gasp quietly in fright. "You've caught my attention." She says with a grin, staring right into Aris' eyes.
"What do you mean?" The pink twin asks.
"There's just something I need to see for myself." The short maid of explains. "So let's fight. If you win, I leave, and that's the end of it. This is way better than doing some investigation or somethin', don'tcha think?" She says with a grin.
"Agreed." I say, returning her grin. "But, I'm guessin' you just wanna fight Aris, huh?"
"Yup. Got it in one, Sensei." Neru says, grinning still.
Aris closes her eyes for a moment, before opening them. "Okay." She says, resolute.
"You've got some fire in your eyes. I like that." Neru compliments.
"So an arena event, then? Understood." Aris says.
"What now? Arena...?" Neru asks, confused.
"Last time, my strategies were limited due to the Mirror and limited area to move in." Aris explains. "However, this time my MP is fully charged!" She declares with a smile as she pulls out her railgun. Pressing a few buttons, the railgun begins to glow.
"That's...?!" Neru gasps.
I back up, motioning the other three to do so as well.
"Blinding Light!" Aris declares, firing the railgun straight at Neru.
BOOOOOOM
The railgun fires, it's projectile slamming into the wall behind where Neru stood.
"Gah!" A new voice shouts.
The girl that was at ding behind the corner, that fell to the ground has rather dark skin and long, black hair which fades to purple at the ends. She wears a white and blue maid headband and has piercing golden eyes, which are now wide in shock.
She wears a maid uniform consisting of a blue ribbon around the neck, and a white apron over a black top with short, puffy sleeve and white cuffs. On her hands are white gloves. She has on a black skirt with a blue stripe at the bottom and a second white skirt underneath. Her legs are covered with white stockings, a '02' emblazoned on her left leg. On her feet are tall, black high heels.
Next to her is a black and blue sniper rifle as long as she is tall. Her halo is multi-layered. The outer and high ring is a purple color, whereas the inner and lower ring, which resembles a cross hair, is a light purple.
This must be Karin.
"Whoa!" Asuna, who's also fallen to the floor says with awe.
"That was amazing!" Akane, also fallen to the floor, says. "The wall was completely obliterated."
Sure enough, once the smoke clears, we see that the wall behind Neru has been demolished.
"That was amazing, Aris." Momoi breathes.
"Yeah." Midori agrees.
"Incredible." Yuzu says, stars in her eyes.
"Did I kill her?" Aris asks, hesitant.
"Doubt it." I say. "And don't say stuff like that." I lightly chastise.
"Oh, of course. Situations like this call for more grace and nuance." The robot girl says. "Hath the fair maiden fallen in battle?"
"Not what I meant, Aris." I say, rubbing the bridge of my nose.
ra-ta-tat-tat
"Ah!" Aris is suddenly pelted by a quick barrage of bullets from the bit of smoke still covering the wall.
"Sure, that attack was pretty special..." A tomboyish voice says from the smoke. "But is that all you've got?" Neru asks, walking from the smoke. She's a bit scuffed up, but not hurt.
"Damn..." I mutter, my eyes widening a bit.
"R-Recharging MP...!" Aris says, suddenly becoming nervous after watching Neru take a direct shot with her railgun. Makes sense, that gun has been a 'one shot, one kill' for quite a while.
"Too slow!" The short maid yells, dashing at Aris.
"Oh, n-" Aris begins to say, wide eyed.
BOOM
"Gah!" Aris yells, as Neru plants a fist in her stomach so fast, it breaks the sound barrier for a moment. The robot girl plants her legs on the ground as she propels backwards, before slowly coming to a stop.
"Sure, your weapon is strong..." The short maid begins, rushing at Aris with her SMGs drawn. She shoots at Aris, who ducks the bullets. "But!" Neru yells as she kicks Aris, who blocks it with her railgun, but skids back a ways. "The time between trigger pull and impact with the target..." Neru continues as she runs toward Aris. The railgun begins to glow, slowly, but Neru is too quick and she is upon Aris, planting a drop kick in the robot girl's face, sending her flying.
Aris lands on the ground, having fallen to a knee.
"...is too long." Neru finishes, standing tall with a grin. "And thanks to that gap, your weapon is useless at a cartoon range. 'Cause you'll be caught in the blast yourself."
Aris slowly picks herself and her railgun up as Neru slowly walks towards her.
"And I'll tell ya how many people in Kivotos can beat me at close range... None." Neru says, her eyes narrowing.
Aris, now standing has to suddenly hold her railgun up like a shield as Neru begins firing her SMGs at her.
"Aris!" Momoi yells, in concern.
"Don't worry, she's got this." I say, reassuringly.
Neru dashes forward and kicks Aris' railgun to the side, despite Aris' grip on the weapon not wavering, and shoots her in the chest. The robot girl staggers, but Neru is too quick, ducking down and spinning with her leg out, sweeping Aris' legs out from under her. But the short maid isn't finished, as she performs a pseudo-handstand, kicking Aris in the stomach with both feet.
Aris slams against a wall, allowing her to catch her balance and not fall to the ground.
"What a let down." Neru says, disappointed. "I can't believe you managed to trounce my maids."
Aris looks at Neru, her eyes narrowing in determination.
Suddenly, Aris closes the gap, moving faster than Neru has yet. The redhead maid's eyes widen as Aris is suddenly right in front of her.
"Crap!" Neru shouts, before Aris spins on her heel. In a feat of strength, Aris swings h to e railgun like a baseball bat, slamming the massive gun into Neru, who attempts to block it with her arms. The force and weight of the weapon is too great, and Neru is the one sent flying this time.
"D-Did she just swing that railgun like it was a bat?!" Midori shouts in awe.
"Yeah." I say, shocked as well. I'm not sure I could do that.
"Heh. Not a bad idea in a close up fight." Neru compliments with a grin as she regains her footing. "But I've still got an upper hand at this distance."
The maid closes the small gap between her and the robot girl.
Neru swings her SMG at Aris' head, like a knife, but she ducks down. Neru' other SMG swings wide toward the robot girl's side, but is blocked by the railgun.
clang clang whoosh slash bang clang
Aris' railgun and Neru's SMG clash again and again. The maid is quicker and more agile, but Aris has a much faster reaction time and strength, despite wielding a much larger weapon.
"Even if you fire, you won't be able to hit me." Neru says with a grin as they clash violently.
"Then-" bang "Aris will not aim." The robot girl says, confusing Neru. "Here Aris goes!"
"I told you there's no point... Huh?" Neru says as her eyes widen as the clash once more. Aris blocks Neru, holding her in place with one arm as she points the railgun downward. "Th-The hell?! Your firing? But at this distance...! You aren't even aiming at me! You'll hit the floor!" The railgun begins to glow ominously.
"Are you insane? Don't you know you'll be caught in the blast too?!" Neru shouts, stuck in Aris' grasp.
"Blinding Light!" Aris shouts with all her might as the railgun fires.
BOOM
Smoke fills the hallway as an explosion rings out at Aris and Neru's feet.
"Aris!" Midori shouts, pausing to cough as she inhaled the smoke.
The smoke begins to clear, and we find Aris on the floor below us, laying on the ground with her railgun next to her. She's a bit scratched up, not no worse for wear.
"The floor completely collapsed...! Oh, there you are, Aris!" Momoi says, looking into the hole.
To the side, I see the other three maids and Yuzu looking down into the hole too, eyes wide from this turn of events.
"Physical damage is forty-eight percent to capacity. We need to retreat!" Aris shouts as she begins to stand up.
Aris' clothes are torn, burned and shredded. Her skin is covered in bruises, cuts and blood. I'm a tad surprised she can bleed, being a robot and all. She staggers on her feet.
I drop down onto the lower floor, holding out my hand to Aris. She takes it as I help her up to her feet. "Come on, I'll carry ya." I say, picking the robot girl up onto my back as we begin to leave.
"President! Are you okay?" Karin calls out to Neru, having dropped down as well.
"Could she be buried in the rubble?" Akane asks, worried.
"Aris has gotten out, and she's a mess. Our little Neru might be a pancake by now." Asuna says, worried as well.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLIN' 'LITTLE'?!" Neru roars, bursting out from underneath some rubble.
"AAH!" All of the maids shout in surprise.
"Whoops." Karin says.
"Whoa, that's our president! A little rubble's for nothing on her!" Asuna praises.
"Whose side are you guys on, anyway?" The short maid asks, her eye twitching.
"In any case, Aris was in no condition to continue fighting." The dark skinned maid of plains. "She is likely heading toward an infirmary. Should we pursue?"
"Millennium only has a few infirmaries, so finding her shouldn't take long." The bespectacled maid adds.
Neru merely closer her eyes and sighs.
"Neru?" The bubbly maid asks.
"It's fine. There's no need to pursue. Let's pull out." The short maid says after a moment. "I feel a lot better after destroyin' some stuff, anyway." She says with a grin.
Karin flashes the redhead a deadpan look.
"Welp." Neru says, popping the p. "Mission accomplished, I guess. Heh, now I get why Rio is so interested in the Game Development Department."
"So I was right about that." I say.
"Huh?" Asuna mutters as they turn around and notice me.
"Sensei?" Akane says. "Where are the other girls?"
"Takin' Aris to the infirmary, but that's not important now." I say, crossing my arms.
"Oh? Then what is?" Neru asks.
"I knew something about all of this was off." I begin. "You three were too well-planned last week, like you knew we were coming. That, and hearing that the president of Millennium is interested in the Game Development Department, or more likely Aris, confirms my suspicions."
"So, who sold us out?" I ask.
"Oh? Yer pretty sharp, Sensei." Neru praises, flashing me a smirk.
"It was... Himari, I think her name was." Akane admits.
"Himari...?" I ask, surprised. "Ugh, I'm gonna smack her on the head when I see her next."
"So that's who it was." Neru says. "I remember you sayin' we got a tip, Karin."
"Yeah." Karin says.
"I wonder why she decided to help Rio, considering they hate each other...?" I think out loud, before shrugging. "Oh well, I'll figure it out later."
"Y'know, right after that night, Rio called me into her office to ask about Aris, and to call off our mission." Neru explains to me.
"Oh?" I ask, narrowing my eyes. "Heh, I think I might be a little upset."
"Oh? Why's that?" Neru asks.
" 'Cause I'm damn tired of being used as a pawn." I say simply, hiding just how upset I am. I've been used by others for too fucking long, now this? "Himari and Rio had better we ready for a stern talking-to."
"Heh, that so?" Neru asks with a grin.
"They're gonna wish it was Yuuka berating them when I'm done." I say, deadpan.
"Hahahaha!" Neru suddenly bursts out in laughter. "You're alright, Sensei."
"You too, Neru." I say, returning the smile. "Anyways, I better go check on the others. Bye for now." I say, beginning to walk away.
"Bye Sensei!" Asuna says from behind me.
Himari... Rio... Just what are they up to? This has nothing to do with that mess with Decagrammation.
...or...
...does it...?
"Hmm..." The short maid hums in thought as the man walks away from her and her club members.
"You're worried about Sensei, aren't you?" Asuna asks Neru, a teasing smirk on her face.
"W-Wait! It's not like that!" Neru erupts, her face red.
"I understand. Though, I am a little worried." Akane begins. "Given that their group is full of nothing but little girls, I wonder if Sensei..." The bespectacled maid trails off, muttering at the end.
"Good for you, Neru." Karin says, Akane's muttering a going unheard.
"SHUT UP!" Neru roars, waving her SMGs around. "One more word out of you and these barrels are will be pointed right at yer face!" The small maid stops her tirade by letting out a sigh, calming herself down.
'Sensei... and the Game Development Department...' Neru thinks to herself. ' They better watch themselves. I'll make 'em pay for calling me little.' She thinks as she grins viciously.
"Anyway." Neru says, crossing her arms behind her head. "I'm starving. Let's go get some ramen."
"All right." Akane says with a smile.
"Sounds good!" Asuna says, giddy as usual.
"Oh? So you really did hit your growth spurt after all?" Karin asks, suddenly.
"I said shut up!" Neru snaps. "Now c'mon!" She says, as she begins to walk away, her fellow maids following closely behind.
AN
Also, I've been re-writing my Date A Live story. Take a look, would you?
Next time, we finish V2C1, then move into some Down Time. Sensei and y'all reading the story deserve it.
Lastly: AAAAAHHHHHHHH MIKA FOR SECOND ANNIVERSARY!
I mean, we won't get her in Global for quite a while, but AAAAAHHHHHHHH!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next!