Out with the old, in with the new.

Those were the words that left Neptune's mouth at dinner with Plutia and Iris. A good phrase to use at the time that fit her current situation leaving behind Celestia. Night had passed, and a new day began with a maid dropping off Plutia's gift. It was Neptune's parka hoodie, but its colors were changed to be black, purple, and dark neon blue. Accompanying the main outfit were a gun holster, hair clips, and chokers that matched the color scheme. Neptune noticed a lack of thigh-high socks, but it was nothing worth complaining about. Neptune stared at herself in the mirror and admired Plutia's work. In some ways, she was still Neptune and yet not at the same time.

I've got a long day ahead of me. Neptune let out a sigh as she already felt tired thinking about the tasks ahead today. Got no one to blame but myself. Time to put my game face on for my people.

Neptune exited her room and made her way to the elevator. The Basilicom staff or contractors would greet her warmly or bow their heads. This treatment was to be expected, whether she liked the reverence or not. Neptune was a goddess after all and set herself up on a pedestal of sorts after the speeches both in the Basilicom and to Planeptune itself. As much as Neptune wanted to be a friend to everyone in her nation, there were those who would not want that and keep a boundary line. Neptune would just have to take the friendships she could get in Plutia, Iris, and IF until she started expanding her circle of friends. A short elevator ride and more walking eventually lead to Neptune in the main hall. The guards Sal and Resha approached Neptune and bowed their heads.

"Good morning, Lady Purple Heart!" Resha sounded scared and ashamed, much to Neptune's confusion. "I wanted to apologize for my actions the other night."

"Huh?" Neptune had no idea what they were talking about. "I'm not sure I follow."

"What Resha here means to say is that if it were not for IF vouching for you, we likely would have sent you away." Sal explained and looked up and stood at attention. "That would have been extremely embarrassing for the both of us, sending our own goddess away from their home."

"You had no idea of knowing, so it's fine." Neptune explained and did not find anything wrong with their conduct. "You did your jobs that night like any other. It's not like you knew what I looked like as a human anyways."

"That is true, but..." Resha raised her head but refused to look Neptune in the eye. "It was still disgraceful all the same."

"Hey, look at me." Neptune ordered as both Resha and Sal focused on her. "I can't be mad at my people doing their jobs. Who expects their goddess to show up at the front door after a hundred years away? You're both good guards, and you did your job well."

Positive affirmation was important, and Neptune placed her arms on both their shoulders. Neptune gave her best smile to show she was okay with their conduct. They looked shocked for a moment before blushes quickly bloomed on their cheeks. Neptune noticed some of the staff stopped to stare but quickly returned to work as they likely did not want to be judged by their goddess for slacking off. Even if Neptune had been alone and turned away, Neptune likely would have found another way in. Maybe Plutia would have run outside of the Basilicom to stop Neptune from leaving. There were a number of ways that encounter could have gone, but that did not matter. What was important was that Neptune still managed to get in and reconnect with her people.

"T-Thank you for your kindness, my Lady." Resha said before quickly bowing her head. "If you'll excuse us, we need to clock out for the day as our shift is over."

"Yeah, we should get going." Sal agreed with Resha but settled for smiling. "Have a good day, Lady Purple Heart."

The pair quickly departed into the halls, leaving Neptune on her own again. Neptune felt that was a good showing for the workplace since her employees were not used to her presence yet. Everyone last night was riding high on emotions, so they had the rest of the night to cool down. These were her people, but Neptune had to find a balance between professionalism and being friendly enough that they did not tense up at the sight of her. Now that the situation with those guards was resolved, Neptune noticed a girl with wings and a halo in the form of a crescent moon with a star inside of it waving at her. Neptune approached the girl beckoning her over at the workstation and saw the name tag on her uniform that said 'Furapura'. In Furapura's hand was a purple notebook with the Planeptune logo next to the latch. Another thing to note with Furapura was that although her eyes were seemingly closed, they still managed to focus in on Neptune.

"Hello, Lady Purple Heart. I'm Furapura, and I help manage Miss Plutia's work-floor station when she is out on business in the city." Furapura formally introduced herself and explained her duties. "Plutia told me to give you this once you came down from your room. It's like a tablet but fitted into the model of a notebook, and it's connected to the Basilicom's system. I had to update the software last night, which was why I couldn't give it to the maid who dropped off your stuff."

Neptune decided to call the notebook Nep-Note since it was her possession now. Naming the tablet notebook that just felt right to Neptune. Once Neptune opened up the Nep-Note, Furapura began to explain the functions of what the Nep-Note could do. The basic summary from what Neptune could understand was that it would help manage her schedule once she assigned objectives for herself. There were suggested contacts such as the Gamindustri Guild, Plutia, Iris, Furapura, and other various names and organizations. Plutia left a message for Neptune that she was out arranging an interview for her as well as contacting construction businesses. Iris was back attending to military matters but had a former town site picked out infested with monsters that could do with some clearing. There were more matters to deal with, but Neptune had an idea of what she wanted to tackle first.

"I've really got my work cut out for me..." Neptune muttered to herself before looking at Furapura.

"Good luck out there, my Lady." Furapura nodded and waved at Neptune. "I also want to say that the outfit Plutia made for you looks good."

"Thanks." Neptune accepted the compliment as she looked herself over. "I kind of miss my thigh-highs, but it's a small price to pay for some sweet new clothes."

"Mmm...I don't think it's a bad thing to show some more leg." Furapura stared at Neptune's legs, nodding her head in approval. "Maybe that was Plutia's thought process."

"Moving on from that..." Neptune wondered if the reason why some staff members looked away from her was also because they were ogling her legs. "Can you contact the Gamindustri Guild for me and offer a job to IF's team? I'd like to have them for my attack on the zone Iris left for me on my Nep-Note."

"Nep-Note?" Furapura looked down at the tablet before realizing what Neptune was referring to. "Oh, so that's what you're calling it."

"I figured I'd keep it simple naming the thing." Neptune explained her reasoning for the notebook's new name as she stored the Nep-Note away in her parka's pocket.

"It kind of works, actually." Furapura agreed before putting on her headset. "I'll go ahead and call the Gamindustri Guild now. They should be able to meet you by the time you reach the designated site."

"Got it. I'll be heading out now."

Other Basilicom members wished Neptune good luck or a good day as she exited the building. Once Neptune was outside, there were quite a few people waiting outside. As expected of Neptune's speech, reporters with cameras or crowds of people were waiting for her. Luckily, a lot of security staff were keeping them under control; otherwise, Neptune would have been swarmed by all manner of people. Once again the consequences of her actions last night came back to haunt her. Neptune waved at the people and smiled at them, though she knew that making her way through the city right now on foot would be impossible. There was no other choice but to transform, and so she did, right before the public eye. Neptune took to the skies, but she made sure not to fly too high.

The last thing I want is for my HDD to fail on me like it did during the speech and become a pancake on the city streets. That would not be a good look for me. Neptune remembered feeling a rush of Share rushing through her that destabilized her CPU form during last night's speech. I need to talk to Plutia about that later.

There was also someone else she wanted to talk with, but they have not spoken to her since. The mysterious tome Histoire, who only talked to Neptune in her dreams. When Neptune went to sleep last night, a part of her had been expecting Histoire to speak to her again. That did not happen, as the next time Neptune opened her eyes, it was morning and her day began. Neptune doubted that Plutia could help search for the existence of Histoire since it was likely Histoire was also part of forgotten history. The only explanation Neptune could come up with right now was that she was also suffering from her own troubles the same way Neptune had with the stability of her Hard Drive Divinity. Neptune really wanted an answer as to who the other forces are on Gamindustri that oppose Planeptune. A threat was in the shadows, and it unsettled Neptune that she knew nothing, and the only choice now was to wait for something to happen.

Wait, something feels off with my HDD. Neptune could see distortions in her visions until she realized what was about to happen. Not again!

"Look out below!"

Neptune really hoped this would not be a running gag of losing control of her CPU form. She entered a state of free fall and braced herself for a hard landing. What happened instead was crashing into a man who helped soften the blow as she bounced again before landing on her back on the sidewalk pavement. Neptune grunted in pain as she opened her eyes and spotted a small object flying towards her. She caught the item in her hands, which turned out to be a handheld gaming console. Neptune sighed as she got up on her feet and moved to check on the person she hit. She was going to apologize until she saw police officers restraining the man on the ground. One of the policewomen noticed Neptune and walked up to her and saluted.

"Lady Purple Heart, thank you for the assist there." The woman looked out of breath and was sweating. "We've been trying to catch this perp for weeks, but he made the mistake of robbing from a schoolgirl while one of our patrols was nearby when it happened."

"Oh?" Neptune had meant to apologize to the person she hit, but it turns out she did not need to after all. "I mean-I'm happy I helped you out. A klepto put away keeps crime rates away!"

"Hey, boss! Found the girl's wallet on him!" One of the officers next to the apprehended criminal called out. "I don't see the gaming box anywhere, though."

"Oh, you mean this?" Neptune asked as she waved the console in her hand. "Kind of flew into my hands after I knocked into mister thief over there."

"Ah, that's my N-Gear!"

A new voice called out, and Neptune turned to the voice to see a girl in a school uniform. If Neptune did not know any better, she would say she was looking at a relative of hers. The schoolgirl was close to Neptune's own height, and they both sported the same hair color and eyes. Neptune's own hair was short, but the student's was longer, so there were some differences there. The schoolgirl must have been chasing after the officers for some time, as she needed to stop and catch her breath. Once she did, the student's eyes locked onto Neptune, and a silence set in. The girl must have been thinking the same thing as Neptune in their resemblances to each other. However, she quickly realized the person she was staring at was the goddess of the nation and not some long-lost sibling.

"Thank you so much for getting my N-Gear back." The schoolgirl bowed her head before smiling at Neptune. "My name's Nepgear. It's nice to meet you, Lady Purple Heart! I saw you on TV, but I didn't think I would ever see you in person."

"Hey, you've got Nep in your name too!" Neptune handed the N-Gear back to the girl.

"Wait, aren't you called Lady Purple Heart?" Nepgear must have been feeling tense and awkward talking to a goddess because her shoulders seemed to relax now.

"That's my goddess name. Outside of that, my name's Neptune." Neptune explained to her fellow Nep in name.

"Here you go, Nepgear." The cop holding a wallet approached the student and offered the item to her. "It was dangerous of you to chase after a criminal. You had no idea if they were dangerous enough to attack you."

"I'm sorry." Nepgear looked down as she knew the officer was right. "It's just my N-Gear is really expensive because of all the materials I used to make it. I didn't want to lose it..."

"You could have lost your life." The policewoman reprimanded Nepgear. "And you're in a school uniform. What if he got away from us and noticed you chasing after him too? If he wanted to, he could have hunted you down later since he would know what school you go to."

The police meant well with their words, as it came from concern for Nepgear's well-being. Neptune was sure Nepgear's parents would say the same thing as well to their daughter. Thinking of family made Neptune a little sad because she barely remembered her own. It was a memory lost way before the Console Wars and forgotten to history. Dwelling on that past would do nothing but bring Neptune's mood down, yet it made her wonder what it would be like to make a new family. That, of course, required getting into dating, which was pretty hard as the goddess of a nation. The major issue being that she was a person that could never die from aging. That line of thought was depressing in itself, so Neptune did the only sensible thing to do, which was to start focusing back on the present.

"It's okay, officers." Neptune told the law enforcement. "Nepgear here knows what she did, and her parents will probably give her an earful too. You should just send her off since she recovered her stolen things and tell her parents later about what happened."

"That's a fair point, Lady Purple Heart." The policewoman agreed with Neptune before looking at Nepgear. "You heard her, kid. You should get going to school now."

"Nep?"

Now that was a familiar voice this time.

IF had not expected a commission from Neptune the day after the big speech. She had been in the middle of sharpening her katars this morning when she received a notification on her phone. Neptune requested IF's team specifically for an extermination quest, and it paid well from the mission terms. The task was to clear a former town of monsters and hold it until the military arrived to set up a defensive perimeter. Falcom could not join this quest because she was still new and lacked combat experience, so the rookie of their squad was forced to stay behind. That just left Marvy and MAGES., since Cybercon still had business in Lastation. Under normal circumstances, IF would take her motorbike, but the location of the mission area had rocky terrain. That meant her next best option was the All Terrain Utility Vehicle, or ATUV for short.

"Almost didn't recognize you in your new outfit, Nep." IF saw that Neptune did a complete recolor of her previous light-colored hoodie.

"Morning, IF!" Neptune approached IF's car and noticed her friends in the back seats. "Hi, you must be IF's teammates."

"A pleasure, Lady Purple Heart." MAGES. nodded her head at Neptune. "I am MAGES., kindred spirit to IF."

"Kindred spirit?" Neptune looked at IF for an answer. "So, she's like your best friend?"

"It just means me and her share a lot of the same perspectives." IF lied through her teeth because she did not want to embarrass herself right now. "Some of it is in the past, though. She's the spellcaster of our group."

"And I'm MarvelousAQL, but call me Marvy!" The residential ninja of her squad introduced herself. "I'm the infiltrator and reconnaissance member on paper. The short of it is that I'm a kunoichi."

"Is everything all right here, Nep?" IF glanced past her to see a schoolgirl jogging away and cops shoving a guy into their squad car. "Also, your eyes are..."

"My eyes?" Neptune seemed unaware that despite being in her human form, her eyes were still her CPU eyes.

"Hop on in first. Don't want to be late for our mission you gave us." IF said and pointed to the free seat at the front. "Unless you plan on flying your way there?"

"That was the plan before, but I'll ride shotgun." Neptune laughed nervously but ran around the car to get into the front passenger seat. "Thanks, IF. You mentioned something about my eyes?"

"Check for yourself." IF pointed at the sun visor as she resumed driving.

The schoolgirl that had left looked very similar to Neptune. If she did not know any better, IF would have thought the student to be a relative of the goddess. Funny thought as it was, the idea of Neptune having a sister or successor would be good for Planeptune. IF always wondered why the goddesses did not leave behind an apprentice to watch over their city, but times were different back then. Hate between the nations had been much stronger in the past compared to how it is now. Gamindustri Guild's existence is a sign that true cooperation between nations can happen. IF only hoped Neptune would not go back on her words in her speech because she would be a great backer for Gamindustri Guild. As for the goddess beside her in the front passenger seat, she gasped a little at the revelation.

"Huh, my CPU power isn't completely turned off then." Neptune spoke more to herself than to anyone else in the car.

"Is this related to what happened last night, Lady Purple Heart?" MAGES. asked the question IF wanted to say. "When you suddenly switched forms during your speech address?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure why, but my goddess form is going through some issues." Neptune answered as she leaned back in her seat. "I was flying to our meeting point, but then I kind of lost my wings during the flight."

"That's concerning." Marvy said, and IF was inclined to agree. "Is it some sort of status ailment or debuff?"

"I wish that were true. My Basilicom would have cured me right away if it was something medicine could fix." Neptune chuckled and shook her head. "My transformation state also turned off on me when I returned to Gamindustri."

"How did you survive the fall?" IF did not doubt Neptune's durability as a goddess, but she had to have landed somewhere soft.

"I dived into a lake and managed to get out of the water before passing out." Neptune gave her answer as she looked out the window. "Some person took on a whole bunch of monsters while I was snoozing that night and dragged me to safety."

IF knew there were solo mercenaries out there, but the ratio between groups and Gamindustri Guild was vast. Working alone in Gamindustri was profitable depending on the work one went for. There were recon quests that were meant to assess the level of danger in areas around Gamindustri, the gathering of materials that only grew in nature, the delivery of products on foot, and other safer tasks. Kill tasks were the highest risk but also the most rewarding, depending on a group's skill level. To hear a solo mercenary coming out victorious when they were outnumbered showed serious skill. IF could always use another skillful warrior in the Gamindustri Guild or even in her squad if she could. This was definitely not her trying to find someone else now since having Neptune as a member was off the table. IF could feel Neptune staring at her, likely figuring out what she was thinking.

"She didn't stick around when I finally woke up, so I don't know her name." Neptune dashed IF's hopes of recruiting a talented fighter.

"Darn." IF both meant that as a joke and disappointment at a missed opportunity. "Should have woken up faster, Nep."

"Better luck next time, IF." Neptune responded, and IF imagined she was grinning cheekily at her.

"Lady Purple Heart's face, both her goddess form and human form, was on national television." MAGES. stated as IF reached one of the exit points out of the city. "Her savior likely does not want the fame nor the reward and recognition."

"Either altruistic or prefers the anonymity." Marvy suggested theories on why Neptune's protector has not revealed themselves. "Could be either of those or neither."

"We'll never know." MAGES. did not sound interested in learning the mystery fighter's identity. "Some people prefer to work in the shadows."

Leaving the city was a breeze, especially when the goddess of the nation was riding shotgun. It was still easier exiting the city than entering, but paperwork was always sent to the office space for documentation. IF hated paperwork, but it was a necessary evil for the Gamindustri Guild's contracts around the nation. Now that they were no longer under speed limits, IF pressed down hard on the pedal. IF's motorbike would have been faster, but it also would have sent her flying if she made any sort of mistake. Planeptune's hospitals had great medical care, but IF could do without ending up bedridden with broken bones or worse. A combination of healing magic and advanced medicine From Planeptune, doctors would heal most of her injuries unless they were the most extreme injuries. However, the efficient levels of care would also mean an extremely expensive bill.

"By the way, Nep... Who was that schoolgirl?" IF asked, she turned on the radio. "Another new friend?"

"Oh, you know that guy that got arrested? I kind of crashed into him during my fall." Neptune explained the mystery of what happened in the city. "Turns out the girl's wallet and gaming console got stolen by him."

"Thieves and bandits are unavoidable in any nation, sadly." IF sighed at the sad truth. "The worst offenders are in Lowee and Leanbox when traveling. Monsters are trouble enough as it is."

"Planeptune has a strong military presence in their lands, so very few, if any, bandits are still around." MAGES. let her tone show approval at that fact. "Iris made it known years back when she demolished a majority of bandit hideouts and left none alive. Even gave high bounties to the Gamindustri Guild and freelancer mercs to let it be known that banditry was not tolerated."

"Did you guys participate in that?" Neptune asked them all.

"No, we were moving through Lastation and Leanbox at that time." Marvy had been disappointed at the time because it was the perfect job for her skill set. "I would have collected quite a few bounties if I had been here in Planeptune then."

"We were busy at the time solving a mystery for a noble." MAGES. explained the reason why they were jumping back and forth between two nations. "We solved the trouble, but we came out of the job with more questions than answers."

"Sounds like a fun story." Neptune clearly showed an interest in knowing more.

"We can talk about it another time, Nep. Time to get to work."

The conversation made the ride quicker as IF saw her mounted phone showed they were coming up on the mission area. She parked the car out of sight before grabbing her mounted phone. She checked into the mission and pressed the acknowledgment that her team was beginning the task to the Basilicom. A beeping noise came from Neptune, who pulled out a tablet in the style of a notebook. Neptune pressed a button on her mobile computer, and IF received the acceptance notification and time. It was funny how their quest giver was also participating in their job, but that also just meant easy money on IF's part. Everyone exited the ATUV and headed for the ruined town site. It did not take long for the welcoming party of monsters to notice their presence.

"Too bad Falcom couldn't be here for this quest." IF said as she equipped her katars. "I'll have to make it up to her later."

"Rookie in your squad?" Neptune asked as she summoned her sword and stood at the front.

"Yup! Picked her up a while back, and we see a lot of potential in her." Marvy replied instead as she drew her short katana and dropped into battle stance.

"I have no doubt she has other things keeping her preoccupied." MAGES. adjusted her hat as she twirled her staff. "But time for the operation to begin. Loochs tneve emag noitamina cisum."

"Wha-?" Neptune looked over at MAGES. and then to IF. "Is that a spell or something?"

"You get used to it." IF already given up long ago trying to figure out what that chant meant. "Maybe it's an aggro spell because here comes the trouble!"

"Cross combo!"

Neptune burst forward with incredible speed as she sliced through the vanguard wave with ease. One giant monster with a crystallized shell of a body was sent into the sky with an upper strike. Neptune leaped up to strike them back down before falling down herself and rolling away. The pistol on Neptune's holster was pulled out as she fired small beams of energy. IF sensed no magic being used, so that was an advanced pistol not yet released to the public. The energy pellets cracked the shell, and Neptune swiftly delivered a slice across and split the monster in half. All those monsters swiftly defeated in a matter of seconds was impressive, but IF would not be outshined as the leader of her squad. Neptune turned to look at IF and her friends with a playful grin.

"What are you all staring at? Didn't you say it was time to get to work?"

"Show-off!" IF shouted at Neptune before motioning MAGES. and Marvy to follow behind her. "Show her what the Gamindustri Guild can do, girls! Let's go!"

Goddess or not, IF would not be outdone!

An important meeting between Oracle Plutia and Famitsu News had been arranged. The sudden appearance of the nation's goddess caused the market stock to shift rapidly overnight. People were trying to dig back into the past on anything that Purple Heart endorsed in the past. Famitsu News was doing well now since their foundation had always been for the sake of keeping Purple Heart's faith alive. Investors were now pouring in on Famitsu News and other businesses that kept Purple Heart's relevancy in their daily work lives. If anyone was the most happy about this change of fortune, it was Famitsu herself as she sat patiently in her office. The board of directors for Famitsu News was both panicking and celebrating at the same time. The committee tried to lay the pressure on Famitsu, but the face of Famitsu News was not worried at all.

"Nice to see you again, Miss Plutia." Famitsu pressed a button on her desk as she stood up to greet her guest who walked in after the doors slid open. "It's been a few years, hasn't it?"

"Two years and four months." Plutia recalled their last personal meeting with each other as she yawned. "Our work never ends, does it?"

"Wouldn't be the land of progress otherwise." Famitsu winked before motioning to the couch and table where snacks and drinks waited for them. "Picked out the selections you loved back then. Not sure if you still like them now, though."

"Mmm, I remember these shortcakes..." Plutia sat down and picked up one of the treats, taking a small bite out of it and humming happily. "This taste... How nostalgic!"

"They really are." Famitsu opened a soda can as it let loose a hiss. "Miss Plutia, we both know why this meeting is happening."

"It's just to please your committee and show them your awesome negotiating skills." Plutia giggled before finishing her morning sweet. "At any rate, I've already forwarded you the contract agreements for the interview with Lady Purple Heart."

"I'll get started on it as soon as I can." Famitsu nodded her head as she glanced over to her computer. "I already forwarded you what I learned on my own. I may be out of the Basilicom Intelligence Network, but I still have my contacts in the city."

"Good job, Famitsu." Plutia nodded in approval before looking down at her tablet in her hand. "Hm...So it is worse than I expected. Give me some time to look this over."

To the public eye, Famitsu was the face of Famitsu News. What no one knew except for Oracles and the Basilicom Intelligence Network was that Famitsu was an espionage agent for Planeptune. It was a short-lived career, and due to circumstances beyond her control, Famitsu had to leave that life behind. Danger came too close for Famitsu, and she was forced to step back or risk following in the footsteps of Oracle Kay. Though Famitsu could never have her old career back, she was still considered a faithful ally and contact outside of the Basilicom. During her time away, Famitsu decided to use money to build up a news network. Information was good currency, and Famitsu put her old skills to use. Personal finance for Famitsu's segments in her show was not an issue, but people in her company always panicked about going bankrupt.

Now they're worried about fumbling this golden opportunity with Lady Purple Heart back. Famitsu stood up and drank her soda on the way back to her desk. Time to look over this contract.

The details of the contract for an interview with Purple Heart were simple enough to understand. Famitsu's good relations with the Basilicom and showing support for their efforts in the city did wonders. When the bandit problem was mostly eradicated, Famitsu News did its best to emphasize the evils of those people. That came down to investigating the deceased and their crimes, making sure that what the military did was a good thing and not a waste of Planeptune's resources. This show of support was also a bait to find out how her other news competitors would react. Freedom of speech was their right, but using it to demoralize citizens was wrong. Famitsu waged her own wars to protect Planeptune's faith. That also meant making sure people knew that the Basilicom Purple Heart left behind always had the people's confidence in them.

"You've narrowed down the list of shell companies to double digits." Plutia spoke up as Famitsu looked away from her computer. "That's way better than our own estimate."

"You'll still want to make the comparison and decide for yourselves which companies are legal or not." Famitsu appreciated the praise but did not want Plutia to feel her own agents were not up to par. "I'm going off discrepancies and private logs, so a more physical inspection is required. Something a news network can't really do when it comes to government affairs."

"That is true. I'll pass this down to people in the Exchange Commissions and see about shutting a few of these companies down." Plutia nodded her head as she put on her earpiece. "More will eventually show up, but any slowdown is better than none."

"Whoever we're dealing with has been constantly stretching its power everywhere across Gamindustri." Famitsu pointed out in regards to the information she gave Plutia. "Dengekiko in Lastation pretty much confirmed my theory."

Famitsu's longtime friend Dengekiko was also a reporter and news editor for her own company based in Lastation. The blonde girl did her own investigating in Lastation and Leanbox while Famitsu checked on her own nation and Lowee. There was a mysterious force out there with a huge following and finances to be anywhere and everywhere. All Planeptune could do now was hurt its finances in their nation, but the other lands had no such defenses. If anything, the other three nations were the most vulnerable to the mystery enemy and their influence. The scale was way beyond her capability to handle, which is why all Famitsu can do is just support her own nation for now. Famitsu finished signing the contract and sent it back to Plutia, who was still in the middle of her conversation with the Basilicom staff. When the Oracle finished, Plutia stood up and walked over to Famitsu to extend her hand out.

"Thank you for all you've done, Famitsu. I hope we can always continue to count on you." Plutia gave Famitsu a pleased smile as they shook hands. "I hope you enjoy talking to our goddess. She's quite nice."

"I'm looking forward to it!" Famitsu made no attempts to hide her own excitement. "Everyone's dying to know the story of how she came back or her opinion of the city now compared to when she last saw it."

"I'll be keeping an eye out for your show when it's time." Plutia pulled back her hand and began walking away. "I have more to do, but don't be a stranger. You're still a friend of the Basilicom, Famitsu."

"Right back at you, Miss Plutia! I'll always have a table for you here."

Once Plutia left through the doors, Famitsu let out a sigh of relief. Oracle Plutia was a nice woman, but it was still nerve-wracking to talk to her. Just because she was nice did not mean she could be easily pushed around. Famitsu still remembered her days back in the Basilicom, where she witnessed an interrogation Plutia participated in. The things Famitsu saw done to that prisoner would stay in her mind until the day she passed on from this world.

Iris seemed like a saint compared to Plutia that day.

Nepgear's morning had been too hectic for her liking. She had already woken up late last night because she was recording another video. Nepgear only started up a video channel at the suggestion of her friend Tsunemi, but she somehow managed to build an online community around her. Now people expected a video from her every once in a while, which was not hard to do. Nepgear loved dismantling various inventions to figure out the process of what made them work. Some videos only lasted ten minutes while others close to half an hour. The latest one took longer due to some mistakes she had to edit out. Funnily enough, people loved the bloopers Nepgear showed at the end of each video, which confused and embarrassed her.

I'm glad nothing happened to my N-Gear.

Due to staying up late, Nepgear was not as focused during her walk. By the time she realized it, Nepgear's pocket felt considerably lighter, and the thief had taken off with both her wallet and N-Gear. Luckily, some cops had been nearby and gave chase with Nepgear, and she should have left it to them since they were physically more athletic than her. Yet it was not the cops that stopped the thief, but the goddess of the city. Nepgear had not been paying attention to the sky, but apparently Purple Heart was flying by and decided to drop down on the criminal. It was a surprising plot twist to this morning's event, but Nepgear would not complain about it. After all, she had the opportunity to talk to a legendary figure and learn they shared the same name partially. Neptune and Nepgear sounded like names, under any other circumstances, that belonged to sisters.

It would be pretty crazy to have a sister that's a goddess. Nepgear grew up an only child, but she thought that Neptune would make a great big sister. We're both about the same height, though when she's not transformed. Maybe she would just be a sister rather than a big sister? Uh... Then again, she is older than me and my family combined. Wait a second, why am I thinking so hard about this?

"Hello? Gamindustri to Nepgear. This is Tsunemi requesting a communique. A voice called out from Nepgear's right.

"Sorry about that, Tsunemi." Nepgear apologized to her friend in the desk beside her with a sheepish laugh. "Just thinking about what happened this morning."

"Ah, you mean the video going around of you talking to Lady Purple Heart?" Tsunemi nodded in understanding. "Kind of crazy how similar you two look."

"You and about half the school share the same thought." Nepgear knew she was exaggerating there, but she was exasperated from other students telling her the same thing. "Not saying I don't agree, but..."

"I can tell you're done with today, and we're only halfway through the school day." Tsunemi said as she picked up her bag. "Let's go have some lunch. It'll make you feel better."

The two exited the classroom, and it was difficult to not be stopped by a student or two along the way. Both of them were known figures in the school for different reasons. Tsunemi was a rising musician whose music was starting to gain ground in Planeptune. Nepgear had been invited to some of Tsunemi's DJ sessions in some of the clubs. Tsunemi had a chance to become an idol in the past when they were little kids, but she turned down the offer back then. Nepgear understood Tsunemi's reason was that it would have messed with her creativity. The idol culture could be pretty cruel and dangerous too, especially when it came to relationships. Tsunemi was smart back then, just as she is now in the present.

"Tsunemi, did you hear anything back from 5PB?" Nepgear asked as she recalled yesterday's conversation. "Do you have the go-ahead from her?"

"I did. We're finalizing the deal, but I'm working on the official remix of Meteor Bifrost." Tsunemi nodded her head. "The next club I'm being paid to work at for a night is offering triple my usual offers to be the first broadcast of it."

"W-wow, that's amazing." Nepgear's eyes widened as she knew Tsunemi's last payment helped pay for her latest drum set. "At the rate you're going, you can probably afford your own studio room."

"My parents suggested the same thing. Maybe in a year or two."

Nepgear remembered their childhood days when Tsunemi had trouble expressing her feelings. One day when their families were hanging out in the city, Tsunemi and Nepgear watched a street performance. From that point on, Tsunemi had been enamored with music and began to devote parts of her time to learning instruments. Nepgear also had an influence on Tsunemi there by suggesting learning how to make music mixes by way of becoming a DJ. In turn, Tsunemi ended up helping Nepgear find her passion in all things mechanical. Nepgear would go on to create her first robot, Nepgeardam. It was one of her finest creations, with the ability to shoot beams from its eyes and mimic her motions. One day, she'll be able to create Nepgeardam on a gigantic scale to fight monsters.

The face could use some reworking if Tsunemi's laughter back then was any indication.

Nepgear still thought it was cute, though.

Hello, Nep Readers! We're here onto chapter three!

If you've read the original story, you can tell there has been more deviations here.

I also want to say that this story has reached over 10 reviews within two chapters. That is very amazing to me and that makes you reviewers very amazing too!

Let's move on to the reviewer responses from chapter 2, shall we?

Lyrista: Neptune is going to be a very busy girl. What I felt Neptune lacked from the original story was connecting with the people she wants to defend. So, I want her to see more of the people she is defending.

Thank you always for your reviews and your encouragement does wonder for the writer's spirit in me! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too and will look forward to the next one.

Konradoziom: Thanks for taking the time to review the story. I'm glad you're liking the story so far to review it. As for Compa, I'm not at liberty to say anything regarding that. Maybe there's hope, maybe there's despair. You'll just have to find out.

Kurome will still be involved like the original story. She has an integral part to play that will still retain itself here in my version of the original story.

Kortir: I'm glad you're liking it! I'll be doing my best see this story completed, but looking at the scale of information I've been given, this is going to be an incredibly long journey through the other nations. The current goal right now is to finish the Planeptune arc which was never finished in the original. We take the journey one step at a time.

Pairings, huh? There are no developments for it yet, but there were some hinted pairings in the original that would never be realized.

NexusPrime42: Thank you for the review! As for Uzume, she will retain her relevancy as in the original story. Believe it or not, the candidates role in the story is something of a hot debate right now between me and the original author.

As for future sequels, it's best not to think that far ahead. What I'm focused on right now is catching up to where the original story was left hanging. The main goal now is to complete this story before any kind of sequel can be established.

IsekaiFanBoi: Hi there, thanks for the review! I'm glad you found this story interesting. If you haven't seen the original story, I suggest you read that so that you can do a comparison between where I'm going to what they had been working on.

That's all the reviews at the time of this writing.

Thank you again for your reviews and I hope to respond to future reviews for this chapter in the next one!

Happy reading!