Ha, you thought. The story is not actually canceled. Happy 4/1 and April Fools!

The sun shone through the city of Planeptune. It was midday, which marked the start of an early rush hour as the street began gradually filling with people and cars, which polluted the air with noise. Nepgear was currently strolling in the city after another hard day's work while avoiding bumping into pedestrians on her way. She and IF had decided to meet at the guild earlier that day to investigate the sudden disappearance of the leader of the Citizen Group Movement.

The citizens, for the most part, didn't react to her and just went about their day. There were still the occasional glances and greetings she received, but the people here became accustomed to her presence in the city after a while. At first, she felt uncomfortable with her identity being known to all Gamindustris after becoming the sole CPU. Back then, no one even knew who she was or that she was a CPU. She was not used to that level of exposure, but she had to eventually grow and learn to get out of her comfort zone, mostly by herself, and boy, it was not fun.

But that was in the past, and things are different now. She is a completely different person than she was eleven years ago.

Since she was a CPU, children would often run up to her and bombard her with questions all the time and ask to play with them. She would be patient with them and indulge their curiosity. She would also show them a simple magic trick that she learned from IF to entertain them until their parents came and offered apologies before dragging their children back, despite her saying she didn't mind. She came to love children and their innocence, though she'd wondered what it felt like to raise one—not like she would anyway.

The vibration of her phone grabbed her attention. when she opened it, she saw that she had received a text from her friend.

[Iffy] Where are u Gear?

[You] I'm on my way.

[Iffy] k

[You] I'm waiting for you at the guild.

After a short walk through the bustling city, she reached the guild and headed inside. The guild was filled with adventurers of all kinds of ranks, from low-level to high-level adventures and newbies to veterans. The place was packed with people and filled with chatter, with people coming in and out as though they were busy bees. People would come to accept quests or claim their rewards, and others would form a party or be looking to join one.

She spotted her friend in the distance talking with someone. She walked towards them until she entered the hearing range of the conversation.

You got your work cut out for you, huh, IF?

You don't know the half of it.

Mmhm, and how's your cousin, DF?

Eh, she's doing alright, I suppose.

So do all of your other family members share your two letters initials? Is it just tradition? Just curious is all.

I'd... rather not talk about it.

Oh, okay then, moving on.

"Oh, excuse me, my friend's here." Upon noticing her, she made an excuse to the man before going to her. "Yo, Gear, so you finally made it?"

"Yes, here I am." She nodded. "She if I kept you waiting."

"Eh, no worries. I've kept myself busy by taking some quests and talking with fellow guild members. Well, shall we go then?"

"Yeah, lead the way." Nepgear gestured for her to take the rear with her hand.

As the two left the guild, Nepgear turned to her friend and asked, "So, where are we going exactly? You said we were to search the city for any clues, so any ideas as to where we could start?"

"Yeah, we're going to Rei.'s apartment building first and snoop around. That's where our first stop is."

"I don't know. It feels like we're breaking in."

"It's just for investigation. There might be a clue that could help us locate her. It's nothing illegal."

"I know. But it still feels wrong."

Once outside, IF led her to her parked new shiny blue bike before she gestured to hop on. "Come on, hop on."

Nepgear whistled. "Wow, is that a new bike?"

"Yeah, I got this bad boy recently." She slapped the top of it. "My old bike unfortunately got wrecked on one of the missions. I named this one Sky." For some reason, she sounds so proud of it.

"You... named it? Wait, of course you would." Nepgear shook her head. "I mean, you did name all your phones as well."

"Hey, it's totally not weird to get attached to inanimate objects. Well, not in the weird kind, anyway." IF muttered the last part.

"Sure." Nepgear flopped on the back seat and wrapped her arms around her friend. "Wait, don't we need helmets?"

"Heh, what for? This shouldn't take long so I'll hold on tight if I were you." IF started the engine, which made her flinch and cover her ears from the loud noise. before. Immediately, she felt the wind rushing through her face and eyes as they drove off to their destination while skillfully avoiding traffic. And the ride ended quickly, as it started, like her friend said.

"Well, here we are." They reached a district filled with apartments, building guilds next to each other. The two dismounted the bike and approached the building that has the number nineteen. "Okay, from what I've gathered, Rei. lives on the third floor, room 301. Let's head there and search for clues."

Nepgear nodded and followed her friend into the small lobby and as luck would have it, the elevator was shut down for maintenance.

"Guess we're taking the stairs." IF signed before they went to the emergency exit.

"Hard to believe Rei. lives in a place like this." Nepgear said what's on her mind.

"I mean, with the current crisis in the economy and inflation, I doubt anyone can afford anything these days. Heck, it took me three months worth of my paycheck just to buy that bike. It's said to be the worst one yet that we've had in a long time."

"I know... But we're trying our best and I'm confident that Histoire will get us out of it just like she has countless times. Otherwise, she wouldn't be elected as an oracle."

"Let's hope so." After a short time of climbing the stairs, the two reached the third floor. The duo headed to where Rei. supposedly lived. IF, without wasting time, took out a lockpick and began picklocking the door.

"This kinda feels wrong... It's like we're breaking in without her permission." Nepgear whispered to her friend, who wasn't bothered, unlike her.

"Normally, we'll leave these cases to the local police to handle, but due to Rei.'s background, ASIC might be involved in this; I mean, there is no one besides them. No doubt this is an act of terrorism meant to put fear in people so we gotta stop them before that happens and prevent another mass panic in our hands." IF spoke while working on the lock at the same time. After messing for a bit, she finally heard a click. "Ah, here we go."

IF pushed the door, and she headed inside, with Nepgear following behind. The apartment wasn't as spacious as expected. They were greeted with a living room that had a flat TV in the middle and a single window that had a fire exit, a kitchenette with a dining table, a bathroom, and finally a bedroom. The interior was filled with white and the place had simple decor.

So far, the place was clean and tidy and there wasn't anything out of place.

"Hmm, no sign of a break-in." IF quickly scanned the place with her retina. "Let's look for anything amiss. There gotta be something that could help tell us where she is and I don't want us to leave empty-handed. You take the other room, and I'll search here."

"Roger." Nepgear nodded and the two began searching the place but ended up finding nothing.

"Well, that was a total bust. We came all that way for nothing." IF let out a sigh. "Come on, let's leave." But before they were about to call it a quit and leave, a faint static noise caught their attention. Nepgear diverted her attention to the source of the noise and found a radio setting on the dining table. Nepgear, curious, went to the device and adjusted the handle until they heard a familiar voice.

"—This is 5pb. back yet again with our regular schedule program for today. Before we start, I have some bad news. Our guest for today, Rei., and also the largest contributor to helping Leanbox, was unable to make it due to her going missing. So if anyone has any clues, please turn them in to your nearest local authorities. Let's all pray for her safety. Well onto the fan mails—"

IF turned the radio off. "Come on, we've wasted enough time as it is. Let's look for clues elsewhere."

"Yeah, sure." The girls made their way out of the apartment and made sure everything was where it was before. "You know... I met Miss Rei. a few days ago, after she was done giving her speech. Do you think that ASIC launched this targeted attack in retaliation for our previous raid on their hideout? They knew me and Rei. had some sort of connection."

"Could be. They might target people who are close to you or maybe they consider Rei. to be a thorn in their side. Psh, I didn't think they would step so low as to target innocents in this." As they left the building, IF's phone rang.

"Hold on, I gotta pick this." She took out her phone and pressed answer. "Hello?... Wait, really?... Alright, we're on it."

"What is it?" Nepgear asked as she watched her friend put her phone away.

"Good news. They've found someone who last saw Rei. before she went missing."

"And who might they be?"

"We don't know as if yet." IF hopped on her bike with Nepgear on the back. "Well, aside from that, they run a food stand somewhere in the city and it's pretty famous among the people, apparently. That's where we are heading next. It should be far."

IF ignited the engine before she drove off once again. After a while, they reached their next destination. IF parked her bike in one of the vacant parks before the two continued on foot to look for the food stand in the market area, which didn't take long to find, and it was void of customers at this hour, thankfully, which meant they didn't have to worry about anyone eavesdropping.

Nepgeo famous pork soup? Oh no, please don't tell me...

"My, my, I didn't think the mighty CPU herself would pay me a visit with a special agent~" A seductive voice cut through her thoughts before she could finish. Nepgear mentally groaned to herself before she was face-to-face with a carbon copy of herself. The girl wore the same sailor dress outfit as her albient in black. And she had long hair that covered her eyes and an ASIC heart-shaped hairpin on her head. Right now, the girl has a mischievous smile on her face. "So, how can I help you two today? Are you perhaps interested in trying my famous pork soup... or maybe you are interested in something more?~"

"Enough of your dumb display." IF, not having any of that, decided to take the lead and be direct. "We're here about Rei.. We heard that you were the last one to see her, so save us the trouble and tell us what you know."

"Old Rei. Ryghts? Hmm... can't say I have. You must have mistaken me for someone else, dearie." Nepgeo wasn't even hiding her half attempt at lying while maintaining her smile as if she were purposely trying to invoke them. IF decided it was best to change her approach and reach for her gun in her coat, but Nepgear's hand caught her midway as she silently signaled to her not to do anything rash. Her friend quickly gave up and let her take over.

"Look, if you have any information that you've purposely withdrawn from us, you would be arrested and charged with treason. Do you want that?" Nepgear's voice was slow and cold as she stared at her intensely. Despite that, Nepgeo continued to look unbothered by it and let out a chuckle instead. "Oh, how scary~ but..." She decided to play along with it and faked making a thinking gesture. "When you put it that way, it does sound bad... Oh, okay, you totally convinced me."

"Are you finally going to tell us now?" IF asked.

"Sure. Well let's see... I remember passing by near one of the allies at night and I heard the voice of Lady Rei. talking with someone. The voice was a bit high pitched, from what I remember. Anyway, it seems that it escalated to an argument between the two and suddenly there was a bright light and everything went quiet."

"Did you happen to see the face of the person she was talking to?" Nepgear asked.

"No, like I said, I was merely passing by and had no intention of getting involved myself."

"Do you remember the ally that you passed, at least?"

"Yeah, sure, hang on..." Nepgeo took out a pen and paper. "I'll write down the location for you... and there! Here you go, one Dungle map paper." She handed out the paper, to which Nepgear nodded and gladly took it. "Thank you. We'll be on our way now."

"Wait, hang on..." Nepgeo called out before they left. "Before you go, do you mind if I ask you one question?"

Nepgear turned to her friend, who simply shrugged. "Um, okay, sure."

"So, Nepgear... tell me..." The girl suddenly raised her hand and got hold of her hair before slowly unveiling her long hair, revealing red eyes as Ruby was staring at her along with a devious smile. "What makes you so special, hm?"

Nepgear was caught off guard by both her action and the question that she was unable to form a proper response to. Nepgeo carried on. "I mean, out of all the CPUs that came before you, what makes you stand out among them? I'm just curious."

"I-I uh, don't..."

"Okay, that's enough out of you." Suddenly, she felt something grab her shoulder. it was none other than her friend who stepped in. "We don't have time to play your games. Come on, Nepgear, we're leaving." She guided her away from the stand. "Don't let her words get to you; just ignore her."

"I know, don't worry and thanks for that."

"Of course, but can I ask why you keep her around? I doubt anyone will care if that wanable you disappears."

"No, she's still a citizen of Planeptune so she has her rights. Aside from making her occasional lascivious joke comment on Chirper, she hasn't done anything illegal. I can't do anything without risking tarnishing my already poor reputation."

"That's a shame. Well, let's head to the ally. Let's hope she gave us the right location. Otherwise, I'll go and have a word or two with her myself."

What makes you so special?

For some reason, those words lingered in her mind like reverberating sounds. She shook her head and tried to listen to what her friend told her and not pay any mind to it. She hopped on the bike behind her friend and drove to their last destination, hopefully. After a while, they reached the marked location on the paper, went inside the alleyway and searched the area.

Nepgear's eyes then caught something shining on the ground. "Wait, I see something over there." She grabbed her friends attention before she went to take a closer look. "Wait... that's..." She crouched and picked up a pair of glasses that had a crack in them.

"What? What did you find?" Her friend asked as she went beside her.

"These glasses belonged to Rei.." She showed them to her. "Was she kidnapped?"

"Probably. I just want to know how they managed it without getting caught." IF let out a sigh. "Well, I'm going to head back to the guild to continue investigating. Want me to give you a ride back?"

"Um, no, thanks. I have other business to attend to."

"Alright, suit yourself. I'll let you know if we find anything. See you."

"Take care, IF." She watched her friend get on her bike and drive off. She pocketed the glasses safely before she looked up and saw the sun hanging low, with the sky painted orange. She felt the gentle breeze and the sound of crows cawing. Nepgear let out a sigh after they were finally done with going around the city.

It's almost time to meet with Cave. I better hurry.

Nepgear checked the place to see if the coast was clear before transforming and flying away from the city to the meeting spot.

(N)

Once again, she was back in Leanbox. She could see the gates of the city ahead of her, so she landed a bit further from them. Today was a bit windy and chilly. In addition to the sound of an owl hooting, the moon illuminated the night sky with its light. Nepgear looked around the meetup spot and saw that the maid-like girl was nowhere to be found. She leaned on a tree and began double-checking her equipment to make sure everything was in order.

"You're here. Good." Nepgear snapped her head and found the girl in strange attire. She wore a jacket, ragged jeans, and a beanie on her head. "Here, catch." She threw her a bag, which had the same cloth. "Change into this. This disguise should hopefully make us blend in and not stand out."

"I see. Good call." Nepgear took the bag and went to a subtle place to change. When she came back, the red-haired girl was inspecting her rifle. "All done?"

"Yes." Nepgear nodded. "So, you said you knew the city layout. So which way we're taking?"

Cave took out the paper that had the location written down. "It says that the place is on the other side of the city. It should go without saying that we need to do everything we can to avoid being caught or else harm might befall Chika before we can get to her."

"Of course, but we have to consider the possibility that they might use her as bait so we need to prepare for the worst. It's not going to be a walk in a park, I imagine. And if things get out of hand, we have to make a run for it. I don't think the two of us can take on a whole city by ourselves."

"Hopefully with Chika with us. Now, there are two routes we can take. The first is more direct. We'll sneak past the gate into the city. Since we have these disguises on, it should make it easier for us to sneak by most of our enemies, but they're not foolproof as the streets are swarmed with these surveillance bots that can easily detect us from a mile away, so it's essential that we stick to rooftops and keep dark allies so as not to blow our cover." Nepgear nodded. "And the second one?"

"There's a manhole near the shore that can take us straight to the sewer lines that are connected to the city. This should mean we can avoid most of the surveillance, but we'll have to find our way there, as I don't know the exact layout of the underground, unlike the surface, so we have to mostly rely on our luck to see where we're going to end up." Cave turned to look at Nepgear. "We have to decide quickly. We can't afford to waste time anymore, as Chika's life is on the line."

"Alright, just give me a moment." Nepgear closed her eyes while crossing her arms and deliberately weighing down the two options in front of her. Hm, the surveillance bots could prove to be a trouble for them so the tunnels were the safer option here. But then again, they have no guarantee on where they will end up and no way of knowing which way to take, so they could end up very far from the place or end up in a place filled with enemies or even the tunnel themselves. This was basically a gamble they had to take; it could either end well or blow up their whole operation. There wasn't a middle.

Should she choose or let her friend decide? Neither of the options seems like the best but then again, when were any of the missions ever easy? Nepgear opened her eyes and turned to her friend to let her know about the decision she had made, which was...

Author's Notes

Hi again, to keep things quick and simple: The story is not canceled; it was just an April fool joke.

Probably most people didn't check the date today and sadly, I have lost a few followers in the process, but it was worth it. I had to make it as believable as possible. Anyway, the update chapter will be removed soon and the story will continue as normal. Again, sorry if I gave you a fright, and hopefully it wasn't too much, haha. To be fair, I did try to give a hint by putting a question mark on the title and I did say I'd be seeing you very soon. So let that be a lesson to you to not trust anyone or anything on that day. Anyway, to make it up, I released this chapter; it's not much but I hope you enjoy it.

Next Chapter: Old Hatred

Cave and Nepgear began the rescue operations to save Chika for the second time by sneaking into the enemy's territory.