"My name is Uzume Tennouboshi." The girl introduced herself in a more relaxed manner with a more assertive tone. She put a hand on her hip with a smirk printed on her face. "It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."
What's with the sudden change of demeanor?
"Um, likewise, Miss Tennouboshi." She extended her hand for a handshake. The girl eyed her hand with caution and suspicion for a moment, as though she pointed a dagger at her chest. "I'm Nepgear, like I've stated before."
"Just Uzume is fine." She firmly grabbed her hand while tightening her grip, most likely to convey a bit of her strength and dominance to her. "No need for formalities."
Yikes, quite a strong grip she got.
"So, Nepgear..." She started as she let go of her hand while Nepgear began messaging the pain in her hand. "You've mentioned that you found me unconscious outside of Planeptune. Is that right?"
"Um, yes, that's what I said." She nodded. "I found you lying unconscious in the wilderness after I took care of most of the monsters in the area and had to face a large Fenrir before I sent a call for help. Thankfully, the two of us were brought back to the Basilicom safely."
"Hmmm, I see..." She let out a hum. "Well, I suppose... I should... probably thank you for what you did, so... thank you." She struggled to get the most simple word out of her mouth that was alien to her.
"Oh, no, no. There's no need to thank me, really. "Nepgear shook her head and waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "It's my duty as a CPU to help those in need."
"A CPU...?" The sudden revelation took Uzume by surprise but not for the reason Nepgear expected. She simply wrote it off as someone who was not used to being in the presence of a CPU, which wasn't uncommon.
"Anyway, I hope you don't mind, seeing as you just woke up but can you tell me what happened, Miss Uzume?"
"Well... to simply put it, I got myself into a nasty fight and... L-Lost." For some reason, she was having difficulty uttering the last word, and when she did, it left a very bad taste in Uzume's mouth and her ego took a huge battering as if it were a hard pill to swallow for her.
"Are you an adventurer by any chance?" Nepgear asked.
"Hm, I guess you could say that, though I like to see myself as a lone wanderer. I don't really have a place to call home."
Hmm, it doesn't seem like she's lying. But I'm sensing that she's not telling me everything.
"I see... Well, at least you managed to get out live. Try being more careful, and consider having a party with you. Otherwise, you might not be so lucky next time."
Uzume let out a sneer. "Hmph, I prefer working alone. Thank you very much."
Nepgear shook her head but didn't press any further. She sensed that she was uncomfortable sharing everything with her.
"My turn now. I have a couple of questions myself I'd like to ask, if that's acceptable."
"Sure, go ahead. I'll try to answer any questions you may have to the best of my ability."
"Hmm, let's see..." The blue-haired girl took a moment to prepare her question. "How long was I out exactly?"
"You were out for a few days, I think." Then something dawned on Nepgear as she slapped a hand on her cheek. "Oh, goodness! You must be starving after not eating for days. I'll have someone fix something for you in no time. My apologies for not realizing sooner."
"That won't be—" Uzume was about to decline, but her stomach didn't seem to share her feelings and conveyed it by making a loud rumbling noise. Uzume let out a sigh and gave her stomach an annoyed look, as if it had betrayed her. "On second thoughts, food does sound nice. Anyway, back to my questions. So, am I to presume that you are the current CPU of this so-called nation?"
"Yes, I'm the CPU of this nation and the other three as well, Lilac Heart."
"Is that so? Well, it is truly an honor to meet the CPU herself in all her glory in person."
Her flattery attempt resulted in a nervous chuckle from Nepgear. "Don't worry too much about it. And I'm not really that special, honest."
"You're too humble. Now, last question." Uzume's face turned serious. "By any chance, have you stumbled on a particular game console? Square and has an orange swirl mark like this one." She pointed at her tie.
Nepgear stared at it for a bit before shaking her head. "Um... No, I can't say I have. Sorry."
"That's a shame." She clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"If you want, I could ask my scouts to search the area to see if they can find that console of yours. From what you've described to me, it doesn't sound like any game console I'm familiar with now that I think about it."
"Well, that's because... it's an old family heritage that was passed on to me. And can I ask for the food to be delivered to my room? I'm not in a social mood at the moment."
"Oh, no, I completely understand. Don't hesitate to ask for anything; the staff here would be happy to accommodate your needs. Anyway, I'll take my leave now so as not to disturb you any further. Have a good night, Miss Uzume." The girl responded by simply nodding. Nepgear then got out of the girl's room and made her way back to her bedroom.
"Nepgear, there you are."
"Ah, Histoire, good evening."
"Yes, good evening to you as well. So, I heard that the girl had just woken up."
"Yes, she's fine. I've gone and spoken with her just a few moments ago."
"I see, that's a relief." Histoire nodded. "What did you manage to learn from her?"
"Not much, I'm afraid. She told me that her name is Uzume, and she's also apparently a wanderer who travels constantly."
"Did you inquire about the negative energy that she possesses yet?" Histoire asked. "Such a thing is worrying."
Nepgear shook her head. "No but I'll try asking her about the negative energy tomorrow so we can have a solid answer. Oh, can you send someone to deliver her a tray of food to her room?"
"Consider it done."
"Thank you. I'm going to call it a day. Good night, Histoire."
"Good night, Nepgear." Histoire smiled before she left in the opposite direction.
Nepgear made her way inside her room and began taking off her shoes and unbuttoning her sailor dress to her white night dress underneath before tucking herself into bed. Unfortunately, she found herself unable to fall asleep. She tried shutting her eyes, but they felt heavy. She tried switching positions to get rid of the uncomfortableness. This continued for a while until she gave up and got up from her bed.
She went to the wardrobe and grabbed the hem of her sister's white dress hoodie that was hanging before she buried her face and inhaled as she tried to recall her sister's scent from her washed-off dress.
Nepgear's mind went back and recalled her memories when she was still a newborn CPU. Her sister taught her everything she knew and gave her all the love in the world.
How she longed for it.
Her sister's embrace was the safest place she felt, and it also provided her with warmth and peace.
She let out a sigh as she lay in her bed as she felt her body sink further. Nepgear felt herself hugging her pillow, trying to hold on to her past memories of her dear sister, which made her tighten her hold even further. She began reciting in her head the lullaby that her sister used to sing. She remembered it vividly. She let her sister's melodic and heavenly tone drift her as though the ocean was gently carrying her as if it were its own child.
Soon, Nepgear fell asleep unconsciously as she let her sister's humming overtake her, with a few tears dropping from her eyes.
(N)
Nepgear found herself yet again in an unfamiliar place, or so she thought. A quick glance told her all she needed to know, as she recognized this place all too well, like the back of her hand.
Planeptune.
It was her own nation and home, except it wasn't. This Planeptune was in complete ruin, with nature claiming the destroyed building as its own. The sky was a shade of purple instead of the usual blue, and it was filled with so many cracks running throughout the earth and sky as though she were staring at a broken TV.
To say it had seen better days would be the understatement of the century.
It made her feel unsettling. Seeing her nation in a crumbling state and possibly everyone she knew dead brought her all kinds of negative emotions. She tried closing her eyes and imagining that she was somewhere else. She opened one eye and saw that the scenery remained the same.
Well, with nothing left to do, she started walking aimlessly to see where the dream would eventually lead her. Every step she took had the same unchanging scenery, as if she'd been stuck in a looping film. Many buildings were destroyed, and chunks of rock scattered all over and covered the roads, which were filled with cracks and bumps.
Her footsteps echoed through, and there was still no sign of life anywhere.
"Over here, Nepgear~" She then heard a faint voice calling her name in such a sweet, unsettling tone that she felt herself drawn to it like a spell.
"H-Hello? Is anyone there? Hellooooo?"
The only answer that she got was the sound of the whizzing wind. It suddenly got cold and chilly, and the wind began gradually getting more violent. She continued walking as she began fighting against the wind.
"Come closer~"
"Where are you?" The voice didn't reply and all she was met with was more dreadful silence. "Who are you?"
Suddenly, the earth began violently shaking, and Nepgear tried her best to balance herself. Then came a blinding white light coming from above, before she heard explosions in every direction. Nepgear's eyes widen as she sees what seems like four giant robots in the sky who began wrecking the place. Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough to dodge an upcoming projectile at her.
Nepgear shielded herself from the bright light and braced for impact.
(N)
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nepgear shouted as she violently thrashed around before she got out of bed, looking around in panic. After a few, her panic attack began slowly fading away. She rested her hand on her chest and tried to control her breathing. "Hah, not again..."
"Hey."
Nepgear jumped out of her skin before her head snapped at the source of the voice. She relaxed once she saw that it was only her friend. "Oh... hey."
IF was leaning on the doorway. "Having one of your episodes?"
"Yeah."
She crossed her arms and shrugged. "Wanna talk about it."
"Not really."
"Kay. Just came here to let you know that Compa's preparing breakfast. Gonna join us or...?"
"Yeah, sure, sounds good. I'll be there shortly."
The brunette simply nodded before she left.
Nepgear stayed for a few moments before dressing up and making her way to the kitchen to have what most would consider the most "important" meal of the day, but some of the days she'd skip it due to how busy she is from work.
Her nose picked up a pleasant smell coming from the kitchen that attracted her like a fly. She was her friend, cooking eggs on the frying pan. Upon noticing her, she smiled. "Good morning, Ge-Ge."
"Good morning, Compa. It smells lovely in here."
"Yo, birthday girl." IF called out from the dinner table with a plate already sitting in front of her. "Better hurry, or you'll miss out on them."
Compa let out a giggle. "Please wait while I'll make yours, Ge-Ge."
"Thank you, Compa." Nepgear nodded before sitting down across from her friend. "And good morning to you, IF."
"Mornin'." She nodded. "So, feeling better?"
"Yeah, I think I'm good now."
"Good, since you and I will be hitting the town today to do the investigation mission we've talked about."
"Here you go, Ge-Ge." Compa set her egg plate in front of her. Nepgear muttered a quick thank you before digging in. Her mouth filled with delight at the taste as she began savoring the favour. The omelet texture was soft, and the cheese inside melted in her mouth. Mix with the vegetables that each completed each other. She felt like she could melt at any moment from the pure bliss. She never had anything this tasty for ages.
Compa's food was filled with so much love. "Hmm, these are sho good, Compa."
"Hehehe, I'm glad to hear that. Ge-Ge." Compa beamed at the compliment. "I'm thinking of shopping for groceries so I can prepare my specialty later."
"I can hardly wait." IF's mouth watered at the thought. "I haven't tasted your home cooking in what feels like ages."
"So, Compa. How's your job as a nurse so far?" Nepgear asked.
"Oh, it's been great, if a bit tiring. My grandpa recently passed away. It's the reason why I took a week off from work."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that and for your loss."
"Thank you, Ge-Ge. I'm sure he's in a happy place now. At least I was able to spend some time with him before that."
Silence hung over the room for a while until IF decided to be the one to break it first. "Sure, it has been a while since we hung out like this, huh?"
"Yuppy, it sure does." Compa nodded. "I bet Nep-Nep would be happy to see us together like this."
"Yeah, I still miss her very day." Nepgear let out a sigh and formed a sad smile on her face. "And her every attempt to evade work and laze around."
IF let out a dry chuckle. "Yeah, it sure did get a lot quieter here without her, didn't it? Considering she was the one who brought us together in the first place."
"Hey, now, let's not get all mopey. Nep-Nep wouldn't want to see us like this. She'd rather see us happy together."
"Yeah... you're right. " Nepgear shook her head to clear those unwanted thoughts away. "Let's enjoy our time while we can. For Neptune's sake and our fallen friends."
"Aye!" They all shout together.
The room was filled with chattering noises as the three friends began reminiscing about the good times and their adventures, letting out a few laughs in between. But all good things must have come to an end, as they hadn't noticed the time slipping past them when they were having fun. All three had work to attend to, but instead of going right away, they sat there silently for a bit, heads facing the ceiling.
"Though, I wonder..." Compa put a hand on her cheek. "Whatever happened to Nisa and Gust? I've never seen them at all after we all went our separate ways."
"Nobody knows, sadly." IF shook her head. "I can take a wild guess and say that Gust went back to her homeland, but Nisa? She completely vanished. Nobody heard from her. Who knows? Maybe she quit being a heroine for good. Anyhow, this has been fun, but..." She was the first to stand up from her chair. "Ah, I'm going to town and drop by the guild later. You're coming, Gear?"
"Nah, I still have work here. I'll catch up with you later."
"Sounds good. See you there." She took a quick glance at her phone before she turned to her other friend. "Bye, Compa, and thanks for the food as well."
"Your welcome, Iffy. Bye now!"
The brunette made her way out, leaving the two by themselves. Compa began picking up the plate from the table. Nepgear rushed to help. "Oh, here, let me help you with the dishes. It's the least I could do."
"Sure, two hands are better than one."
After finishing with cleaning the dishes, Nepgear went to her beauru to do the same mundane task of handling the paperwork, while Compa helped around the Basilicom with a simple task and offered to treat anyone who was feeling unwell. But today she was both motivated and energized, and she started clearing out her task at a great speed. She was going through the papers and signing them. Thankfully, she was done with her work before noon. Something that would have taken her the whole day, she finished it in half.
Phew, that's gotta be a new record.
Nepgear let out a breath before she leaned back on her chair. Her mind wondered about the strange dream that she had today. Her thoughts were cut short by a small knock at the door.
"Excuse me, Lady Nepgear?"
Nepgear straightened herself before clearing her throat and calling them to enter.
"Sorry to disturb you, but there's someone who wishes to see you."
Another visiter?
"She said it's an urgent matter."
"Alright. I'll be there in a moment. Thank you."
She got up and hurried her way to the lobby, where she found a woman dressed in a semi-revealing maid outfit. Her hair was red as flames and her eyes were green as emeralds.
"Cave?" Nepgear couldn't help but voice her surprise. She recalled that Cave was serving as a 5pb personal bodyguard in her tours around the nations, as she became quite the popular idol. But as of recently, it seems that 5pb is taking a break from being an idol, as she hasn't performed in a while and instead does radio talks and podcasts, which left Cave to go back to the defense force once again as the SMD is out of commission due to Leanbox's current state.
The woman didn't bother wasting any time with introductions and went straight into it. "Nepgear, I've found her."
"Huh, found who?" Nepgear was at complete loss. "Who are you talking about, Cave?"
"I found Chika."
AUTHOR'S NOTES
A shorter chapter than usual, I know. And yes, I'm calling Kurome by Uzume (sue me), so don't get the two characters confused.
So, I'm replaying Victory at the moment since I (illegally) acquired all of the paid DLCs for the game. It's ironic how I'm playing a game centered around themes of fighting piracy. I don't encourage pirating, by the way, but you do you.
Next Chapter: A Quick Favor
Cave seeks Nepgear's help to assist her on a mission to save Chika after receiving an anonymous tip.
