Planeptune, Gamindustri
Place: Basilicom
Date: March 13, 2020
Time: 9:24 A.M.
"Uni… Uni…"
"Huh?" Uni fluttered her eyes open to see her purple-haired friend. "N-Nepgear?"
"Uni… I love you…"
"You…" Uni finally registered the words. "You what?!"
"I love you, Uni. Be my lover…"
Uni panicked, "Wait, wait, wait, wait! Hold on!"
"Kiss me, Uni…" Nepgear began to lean down with her eyes closed.
"W-Wait, I'm… I'm…" Uni felt her body burn as Nepgear was only centimeters away. Feeling overwhelmed, she pushed her hands out, trying to get the purple-haired girl away. "I'm not ready!"
Uni rapidly sat up with her arms flailing the blankets off. Her eyes frantically shifted around the purple room to see that Nepgear was nowhere to be found. She took a deep breath and calmed her beating heart. She then fell back onto the bed and huffed, "A dream… Of course, it was a dream… Nepgear would never do something like that."
It was a little disappointing for Uni. Maybe she should just confess already, but the fear of rejection was too strong. Uni could never tell if Nepgear was giving her signs or if she was just naturally affectionate to everyone.
"Whatever… Not like I care…" Uni jumped out of bed and stretched her limbs. She looked down and realized she was wearing one of Nepgear's pajamas. She lifted her arm and sniffed the sleeve to smell the sweet lilac fragrance. She suddenly blushed and dropped her arm. "What am I doing?! I look like a pervert!"
"Yeah, you do."
"Kyaaa!" Uni jumped and screamed as she turned to the door to see Planeptune's CPU. "Neptune! Don't scare me like that!"
Neptune chuckled, "You should've seen your face, it's so fun to tease you. Just like Noire."
"Stop toying with me! I don't like it!" Uni yelled.
"You're sure it isn't Nep Jr. that's toying with you, right now?" Neptune snickered, "Are you sure you don't want my help? Being Nepgear's big sister, I can give you a lot of useful pointers~"
The dark-haired girl became flustered, "Shut up! I don't need your help with my love life!"
"Really?"
"Really! Now, if you excuse me!" Uni stomped past Neptune and left the guest room.
Uni walked through the hallway, trying to calm down. Honestly, what at does big sis even see in Neptune?! But I should be thankful since it helped me get closer to Nepgear… Hey, what smells so good? A sweet scent had caught Uni's nose. She took a big whiff and sighed, then her stomach grumbled. Uni quickly followed the scent to the kitchen, where Nepgear and Noire were working at the stove.
Nepgear caught sight of the younger Lastation girl and greeted, "Oh! Morning Uni!"
"M-Morning Nepgear, s-sis…" Uni became hesitant. She realized that she never really told Noire that she also stayed over. Uni never got the chance to since Noire and Neptune never came down for dinner, and Uni had to come up with an excuse for Nepgear as to why she shouldn't go and call them.
"Morning Uni," Noire casually replied, then she turned her head with confused eyes. "Wait, Uni? I thought you'd be home looking after the basilicom."
"D-Don't worry, Noire. I told Kei last night that both you and I will be staying over in Planeptune."
"Oh, alright," Noire replied, accepting the answer, but then, "Hold on… How did you know I'd be staying over too?"
"Aaah…" Uni's face instantly turned red at the remembrance of last night. She didn't want to tell her sister that she overheard her during one of her... romantic evenings. "Well…"
"Uni overheard you in Neptune's office yesterday," Nepgear answered for Uni.
"She… She overheard…" Noire's eyes slowly widened as her face flushed red, bright red.
"Yeah!" Nepgear chirped. "She said you and Neptune were having an important meeting and even told me not to call you two for dinner."
"I-Is that so… thanks…"
"Y-Yeah, no problem, sis…" Uni scratched her cheek as she sat down at the kitchen table. "S-So what are we having for breakfast?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.
"Pancakes," Nepgear answered.
"With a side of pudding," Noire added, happy that they were no longer on the subject. "Just like how Neptune likes it."
"Sweet, I'm hungry," Uni voiced as her stomach growled.
Nepgear giggled as Uni blushed. "Here's your plate." She set down a plate of pancakes in front of Uni as Noire set down the other three plates.
"Will Histoire be joining us?" Noire questioned.
"No. She woke up early and already had breakfast. She has a meeting with the military commanders today about the satellite program."
"Oh, about adding lasers to it?" Uni asked.
"Yep."
"What for? There are barely any dangerous enemies these days," said Uni. "I think it's a waste of credits."
"You can never be too sure, Uni. Our satellite has an attack mechanism installed when it detects anything dangerous," said Noire.
"I guess…" Uni murmured.
"What's up, girls!" Neptune suddenly jumped into the kitchen with a huge smile. "I smelled pancakes down the hallway so I booked it here. Are we having pancakes with a side of pudding? Tell me I'm right!"
Noire rolled her eyes and answered, "You're right."
Neptune fist-bumped the air. "Yes!" She sat down across from Uni and said, "Best breakfast ever!"
Noire sat down next to Uni as Nepgear sat down next to Neptune. Everyone started to dig in until Planeptune's Secretary came stomping in with her arms crossed and her face laced with anger.
"Yo, Lenna! Want to join us for breakfast?" Neptune cheerfully asked.
"No," she sternly replied.
Noire, Uni, and Nepgear could feel the angry aura coming from the blonde. Neptune might be oblivious to the situation she was in, but the rest knew, so they kept their heads down as they ate.
"Why do you look so mad?" Neptune questioned.
"'Why?' I'll tell you why! I went to your office to collect the documents that were supposed to be finished yesterday, but instead, I found the room in a wreck and none of the paperwork finished!" Lenna slammed her hand against the table near Neptune. "Mind explaining." She leaned in as she narrowed her green eyes at the Purple CPU.
Neptune lightly chuckled as she looked at her sister who glanced away. She then looked at her girlfriend who also glanced away. Neptune pleadingly looked at Uni who was shoving pancakes in her face to act like she wasn't paying attention. Neptune gulped and looked back at Lenna's death gaze. "Um… Noire came over to play…"
"Oh, no! Don't bring me into this!" Noire quickly voiced. "I did nothing, Neptune was the one who didn't do her work, I just came to see how she was doing."
Neptune gasped, "Noire! Are you betraying me?! I thought we were in this together!"
Noire went back to her breakfast without saying another word.
"Fine!" Neptune grumbled but stiffened when she felt the painful glare. Turning back to the ex-oracle, Neptune said, "I was on break?"
Wrong answer. Lenna grabbed Neptune by the hoodie and tugged her away. "You're going back to the office, right now!"
"B-But my pancakes! My pudding!" Neptune whined as she was being pulled out of the kitchen. "Nepgear! Help a sister out!"
"Don't worry, sis! I'll save your plate when you're done!" Nepgear called out.
"Nep Jr, you traitor! Uni! Come on! Your future sister-in-law needs help! Uni!"
"Have fun with the paperwork!"
"NOOOOO!"
Planeptune, Gamindustri
Place: Guild
Date: March 13, 2020
Time: 11:52 A.M.
The two candidates walked into the large building both carrying a stack of papers. Walking up to the counter, they dropped the documents on the wooden table.
"Thanks for helping me carry these," said Nepgear.
"No worries, I do this a lot back in Lastation too," voiced Uni.
"You're so nice, Uni! I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm so glad to have you by my side," Nepgear happily chirped.
Uni felt her face turn red. Does Nepgear even know what she's saying?! This is so unfair!
"Nepgear, Uni! It's so good to see you two." A brunette in an overly large blue jacket walked up to them with a smile.
"IF!" Nepgear brought the Guild agent into a hug. "It's good to see you too! How's it been?"
IF chuckled, "Oh you know, busy with monster clearings as always."
"Planeptune doesn't really get aggressive monsters though," said Uni, finally calming down.
"I know, but lately they have been acting up," IF informed.
"That's weird, I haven't heard anything yet," said the purple candidate.
"I sent a report to the basilicom yesterday," claimed IF. "Did both you and Neptune not see it?"
"Ah!" Nepgear shyly chuckled as she remembered that the paperwork was never finished yesterday. "We… We never got to it."
IF sighed, "Neptune was slacking off again, wasn't she?"
Uni blushed as she replied, "Something like that…"
IF shook her head. "I swear, that girl… While I'm working my butt off to help, she's probably playing some stupid game."
"We can help out, if you'd like," Nepgear offered. "Right, Uni?"
"I don't have anything to do. Noire already went back to Lastation and told me to take the day off."
"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude on your break, Uni."
"Nonsense, I'm glad to help, IF," said Uni.
"Alright, if you guys say so. Let me see…" IF reached over the counter and pulled out a clipboard. "Hmmm… the Panan Jungle could use some patrol. It says there's a forest crab creating some trouble."
Nepgear stood up tall and saluted, "Roger!"
Planeptune, Gamindustri
Place: Panan Forest
Date: March 13, 2020
Time: 3:47 P.M.
"Heyaaa!" Purple Sister slashed down against a carrot-like monster and it dispersed into small glowing particles. "I think that's the last of the carroteers," she announced.
"I still don't see the forest crab IF was talking about," said Black Sister as her green eyes scanned the forest.
"Maybe it's deeper in the forest," Purple Sister suggested.
Black Sister nodded and walked deeper into the trees and bushes with Purple Sister following. The two carefully watched their surroundings as they traveled deeper. It was pretty calm for an area that was said to have aggressive monsters.
There was a low neighing and Black Sister reacted by pulling the trigger on her rifle, killing a harmless horsebird. "Oh…"
"You're too tense, Uni," said Purple Sister as she patted her shoulder.
The black candidate lowered her weapon and voiced, "It's fine. That horsebird could have caused trouble anyways."
Purple Sister sighed as she stepped around the other goddess, "Come on, we still need to find that forest crab."
Black Sister didn't reply as she followed Purple Sister. She let her eyes take in the form of her friend and blushed. Black Sister quickly shook her blush away, hoping that Purple Sister wouldn't turn around to see. Should I do it now? We're alone…
"Uni? You alright?"
Black Sister flinched and realized that she had stopped walking. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Just busy thinking…"
"About what?" Purple Sister asked, happy to have some small talk as they explored.
"What… What do you…" Black Sister took a deep breath and asked, "What do you think about… love…?"
"Love? Hmm…" Purple Sister really had to think about this one. "I think love is a great thing. I mean our sisters are happily in love, so it must be a great feeling."
"Do you… like anyone?" Black Sister felt her chest pound as she waited for the purple candidate's answer.
"Yeah, I do," she answered.
"Oh, that's fine. We're still young, I don't expect you to- wait, you do?!" Black Sister wasn't expecting Purple Sister to like anyone. Now she felt like her chances were lowered.
"Yeah. I like you, Uni."
"Is that so…" Black Sister was a bit heartbroken to really take in the words, but once she did, her face flushed to a bright red. "You… Y-You like… me?"
"Yep!" Purple Sister claimed. "I also like Rom, Ram, Blanc, Vert, IF, Compa, Neptune, oh and Noire too! So, of course, I like you, Uni."
Black Sister calmed her beating heart and chuckled. That's the answer she was mostly expecting. Sighing, she returned the affection with, "I like you too, Nepgear." It's kind of like a confession, only that it didn't mean the way she actually felt, but even if she couldn't have her, Black Sister was still happy to be her best friend.
Purple Sister felt warm all of a sudden. It was a nice feeling that she only felt around Black Sister and she didn't know why, probably because they were best friends. That was the only explanation she could come up with.
Suddenly, a loud growl could be heard in the distance. The two candidates ran towards the sound and came to an open area. They saw a large orange crab-like creature slamming its claws against the trees. Purple Sister noticed how the area had broken and knocked down trees littered over the ground.
"What the goodness!" Purple Sister exclaimed after seeing the mess.
"Were the forest crabs always this big?" Black Sister questioned.
"They're big, but I don't think they grow above tree level, though…"
The forest crab turned around and caught the sight of the two goddesses. It let out a screech and crawled toward them with its claws out.
Black Sister activated her flight system and flew into the sky as Purple Sister used her gunblade to block one of the incoming claws. Purple Sister grunted from the force of the slam, but she was able to hold her ground.
Black Sister took aim and fired at the beast's shell. "EX Multi Buster!" A large blue beam shot out of her rifle and blasted down at the crab.
The beast cried out in pain as Purple Sister moved back. She took this chance to attack and slashed against its legs. Black Sister stayed up in the air to attack from the top, giving her friend some backup.
The crab growled and swung its claws down against the ground, causing it to shake. It then started sliding them around, flinging dirt and debris into the air. Purple Sister had to move back in order not to be hit by the forest crab's claws and random debris.
Purple Sister aimed her gunblade and purple lasers shot out, hitting the beast. The crab screeched and started crawling. Purple Sister lowered her weapon as she watched the crab make its way over, really fast. The massive shape slowly grew larger and larger as she tilted her head up to stare into its eyes.
"Wait…" Purple Sister took a step back as her face paled. "Wait… Wait! Wait!"
The crab was literally over her. It raised its claws and slammed down. Purple Sister jumped and immediately started to run with the beast chasing after her. She yelped as another claw almost crushed her to bits.
"UNI! Uni help!" She shrieked out as she barely dodged the slamming claws. "UNI!"
Black Sister groaned, "That idiot. FLY! You can fly!"
Purple Sister blinked and suddenly felt really dumb. "Oh, yeah!" Summoning her pink wings, Purple Sister took to the air and escaped the forest crab.
"I can't believe you," Black Sister huffed. "Did you actually forget that you can fly?"
"Heehee," Purple Sister giggled as she rubbed her neck.
Black Sister shook her head and repositioned her gun at the monster. "I got you covered, so go back down there!"
"Roger!" Purple Sister got into a diving position and a pink platform formed under her feet. She pushed off it and sped down towards the crab. She thrust the blade of her gun deep into the forest crab's shell causing it to roar.
The crab started to run around and shake, trying to get the CPU off its back. Purple Sister gripped her weapon trying not to fall off. "Uni!"
"On it!" Black Sister fired at its legs causing it to fall over. The crab face-planted into the dirt as it slid to a stop.
Purple Sister pulled her weapon out and leaped off the crab, landing right in front of it. The crab got back up on its long legs and changed its movements. The crab started slamming its claws against the ground multiple times, creating mini-quakes.
Black Sister used another skill to stop the crab's movement. "Paralysis Shot!" An electrical ball was shot down and the crab was electrocuted. The crab slumped down as smoke came out from its shell. "Nepgear, finish it!" Black Sister called out.
"Roger!" Purple Sister charged at the oversized crab and activated one of her moves. "Panzar Blade!" She took multiple strikes against the hard shell and with the final slash, she put everything she had into it and sliced the forest crab in two. The beast shattered into tiny light particles before disappearing.
Black Sister landed beside Purple Sister and praised, "Good job."
"Thanks, Uni. I couldn't have done it without you."
Black Sister's cheeks were tinted pink. She crossed her arms and huffed, "O-Of course. Without me, you can't get anything right."
Purple Sister giggled, "Let's get back to the guild, IF must be worried."
Planeptune, Gamindustri
Place: Basilicom
Date: March 13, 2020
Time: 6:56 P.M.
"I'm finally done!" Neptune groaned out as she leaned back against her chair.
"Good job, sis. Here's your pudding," said Nepgear as she handed Neptune the cup.
"Oh, Nep Jr, this is why I love you," Neptune voiced as she broke into the pudding cup.
Lenna sighed as she collected the finished documents. "Lady Nepgear, you shouldn't spoil Lady Neptune like this."
"I'm sorry, I just can't help it," Nepgear chuckled.
Lenna only shook her head. "Anyway, how was your day with Lady Uni? Will she be staying over again?"
Nepgear sadly shook her head, "No, she went back to Lastation already, but I had a fun time today. We helped IF with the Guild missions."
Lenna smiled, "I see. Seems like you are more responsible than Lady Neptune. Doing work in your spare time, Planeptune is so lucky to have you as its candidate."
"Hey! I heard that," Neptune yelled.
"And that's the point," Lenna sternly voiced. "Now, excuse me, I have some late papers to pass around." Lenna left the office, leaving Nepgear and Neptune alone.
"That girl needs to know the term fun," Neptune grumbled.
Nepgear only giggled.
"So did anything interesting happen with Uni while you two were alone?" Neptune asked while wiggling her eyebrows.
"Yeah! We found an oversized forest crab that grew taller than the forest trees," Nepgear announced.
"That's cool and all, but that's not what I meant. Give me the sweets, girl! Something juicy that I can use to tease that Tsundere Jr."
Nepgear closed her eyes in thought and hummed. "Well… She did ask me about love…"
Neptune slammed her hand against the desk and squealed, "Really?! She popped the question?!"
"Yeah, she asked how I felt about it."
Neptune's expression became confused. "Oh… not the 'I love you, do you love me?' question?"
Nepgear's face turned red as she stuttered, "W-What the goodness?! U-Uni would never ask me something like that!"
"I don't know~" Neptune sang as she took a bite of the pudding.
"A-And I don't think Uni feels that way…"
"Oh you've gotta be nepping kidding," Neptune grumbled as she rolled her eyes. "Nep Jr, let me ask you a question. How do you feel about Uni?"
"Well…" Nepgear tapped her fingers together as she answered, "She is my best friend…"
Neptune sighed as she jumped out of her chair. "Uni, you poor girl…"
"W-What do you mean by that, sis?" Nepgear questioned.
"Nep Jr. you really need to rethink your relationship with Uni a bit more," Neptune advised as she walked past her younger sister.
Nepgear was laced with puzzlement as she watched her older sister leave the room. Rethink my relationship with Uni? Why? I think we're pretty good friends, right? Does Uni not want that? Does she not like being friends with me? Nepgear felt her heart hurt at the thought of not having Uni by her side. She didn't like that. She didn't like that one bit.
Author's Note
Oh, Nepgear. Ever the dense one. Hang in there Uni!
Anyway, thank you for reading! Do excuse the spelling and grammar mistakes. I try to catch as many as I can, so I hope it wasn't too bad! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!