Phew. It's been a busy week with so many events and school stuff popping up left and right, nearly getting run over by a car and collapsing from exhaustion. Let's just upload this here before I completely forgot about it. Oh, and... actually nevermind. I'm just going to post my complaints elsewhere. You guys enjoy this update.

As usual: I don't own anyone besides Saturn, Nero and some of the makers.

Violet Vacation

Summer has arrived, the only time of the year when I get even lazier than usual. Blanc already made plans to go on the other side and head to Saturn's home. Her house is, after all, located by the sea side. It will be a perfect getaway for us and I'm sure that Saturn will be willing to accommodate. All I need to do is to tell Noire that we're heading off through the portal again.

"Vacation again?" Noire asks through the two way communicator. "Is rest and relaxation all that you can think of, Pururut?"

"But it's so hot. I'm all sweaty and I don't want to move," I complain. "Even Blanc is going to the other side to escape the heat."

"Well I suppose we can head down there for a few days to catch a breather," Noire says after she sighs. I can always count on her to be understanding. "But after we return home, you better do your job."

"Thank you, Noire," I smile, causing her to blush and look sideways. It shouldn't take too long before she arrives here tomorrow, since Lastation's basilicom and Planeptune's basilicom are linked via a series of teleporters that Noire constructs and installs after returning home from the other dimension. It saves Noire a lot of time travelling to and fro and allows me to visit her whenever my work is done. She doesn't commute to work like her counterpart back in Neptune's dimension, although weekends are always her time off now that her work schedule is back to normal. It seems that she has trained her assistant to cover some jobs that are not high on the priority list, like managing the military and weapons research.

I head back to my room to do some of my paperwork so that Noire finds it acceptable for me to go on a break. She and Blanc will be arriving here tomorrow, so I have to get the guest room ready for her even if she's not staying over. I'm thankful that Compa and IF have enough spare time to babysit Piishe for me. Even Histoire agreed that Piishe will never even try to use all of her powers except for combat. If only I had prevented the sages from getting her back then. All I wanted was for Piishe to grow normally instead of being a kid forever like this. Thankfully, one of the other Blanc's younger sisters, Ram, gets along with Piishe well. At least she has a friend, even though they rarely see each other.

I keep quiet during dinner, which cause both IF and Compa to ask if I'm alright. I tell them that I'm okay and that I'll be taking a trip to the other side to visit Saturn and the others together with Blanc and Noire. Hearing that causes Compa to be slightly unhappy. She asks why they can't visit the other dimension, when Blanc and Noire can. IF calms her down and then explains that Pururut will still need someone to look after Piishe. Given how close Piishe is to both of them, they're the most logical choice.

I head back to my bedroom to pack up, mainly the friendship gifts that I make during my free time for the goddesses in Neptune's dimension. She told me that they always spend time with each other one week every three months, so this will be the best time to present these outfits that I have designed for them. Oh yes, I have to remember to pack a few days' worth of clothes too. Half an hour later, my packing is done and I lie on my bed to sleep.

The next day begins as per normal, doing some work before I lose focus. Blanc arrives shortly before dinner and she heads to the guest room that has already been prepared by Compa. She says that the summer heat is getting to Lowee even though the mage soldiers are working hard to keep the temperature comfortable. She accompanies me as I work. Having someone to talk to while working makes me feel as if I'm not, so I'm able to do my work faster. I finish my work when tea time approaches and Blanc offers to head to the kitchen to make Lowee style matcha.

I follow Blanc to the kitchen as I help Blanc to locate the tea set and the green tea powder that Noire always uses when she's around. After that, I sit on one of the stools and observe Blanc's more traditional way of making tea. I must say, Blanc is definitely the most mature among the four of us even though she looks the youngest. The way she makes her tea is different to Noire's and mine. The two of us simply take a spoonful of tea before placing it in our cup and just pour hot water on it because Noire deems it as time wasting. Looking at Blanc now, she seems elegant, even more so than Vert. When I told Blanc what I was thinking, she gets flustered and shakes her head. She then explains that brewing tea like that is pretty common in Lowee's households.

"I'm not lying," Blanc says as she finishes making tea and gives the cup to me before she gets to work on her second cup. The tea tastes different when you brew it this way.

"So Blanc, I heard that the summer heat is getting to you too?" I ask after I finish my cup.

"That's right," Blanc replies as she sips her tea.

"Something wrong with Lowee's barrier?" I ask again.

"Nothing wrong with the barrier. It's just that the barrier might block the weather from changing, but it can't block the scorching winds that come from outside Lowee for some reason," Blanc says as she moves towards the air conditioning. "Which is why I'm thinking of going to Saturn's for a good swim."

"Ehehe," I laugh slightly. "I know how you feel."

The two of us enjoy the cold breeze from the air conditioning before Blanc asks if I want to eat something sweet. When I say yes, she heads back to her room to fetch something from her bag. It seems that she has brought some of Lowee's famous manjū, although this one looks different than the normal ones I've eaten. Its exterior looks translucent, almost like a jelly.

"It looks… different," I state the obvious, which causes Blanc to smile.

"This is water manjū. These types are traditionally eaten in summer because of how it cools you down," Blanc explains. "I brought a lot for our friends on the other side."

"Thank you."

I quickly place one in my mouth and it does taste sweeter and cool in my mouth. It doesn't take too long before I take another until I realize that I've been doing all the eating while Blanc is just watching. After reassuring me that she has enough for everyone, the two of us finish the sweet snack. It doesn't take too long before Noire arrives and… let's just say that the two of them begin arguing again. We might be friends, but the reason why Blanc and Noire keep improving their technology and combat skills is because neither wants to lose to the other. On the other hand, I'm overly reliant on Noire's help to develop mine. I guess I should start pulling my own weight and make Noire's work slightly easier.

Now that the three of us are here, we are ready to depart to the other side… except for one thing. It would be crazy to leave while the sun is out, so we're staying here until the sun sets before we head to Saturn's home in the other dimension. The moment the sun sets, we head out and pass through the portal. Blanc has been going back and forth, as do I, so we are more or less unaffected by the dizziness that normally strikes after we head through the portal. Noire, however, rarely travels to the other dimension and lands on her bottom.

"Ouch," Noire mutters before she rubs her butt. "I guess I should start travelling more often."

"Well, given that you only have one friend," Blanc speaks up. "I don't see a need to travel much."

"One?!" Noire responds angrily.

"Okay, maybe two or three," Blanc continues before she smirks.

"Come on, let's head to the basilicom. If we're lucky, Nep-chan and Gear-chan should not have departed yet," I try to divert their attention. It works, to a degree, because Noire is still angry at Blanc for her witty remarks. Neptune's basilicom feels awfully empty, although Histy is still around.

"Ah, Pururut-san. Good evening," Histy greets me. "Are you looking for Neptune-san?"

"Yes."

"Oh dear, Neptune-san and Nepgear-san left the basilicom two days ago," Histoire replies. "But don't worry. They're heading to Saturn's Retreat. You can find them there."

"Where is Saturn's Retreat located?" Blanc asked.

"Oh, that's right. You three don't know where it is," Histy says before she points over yonder. "If you fly straight in that direction, you should find a mansion in the middle of a clearing. That's where Saturn's Retreat is."

"Thank you," Noire says before she transforms and beckons me over. "Pururut, hold on tight, okay. Saturn-chan has not seen your goddess form before. You might want to keep it a secret for now."

I get on Noire's back as she instructs. Blanc soon transforms and the three of us fly in the direction that Histy points at. True to what she says, we soon come across a clearing where we can hear the candidate's laughter. Saturn's home looks really grand, although it doesn't bear the design of just a single nation. It looks more like… a joint effort by the four nations.

"Oh! Pururun! Noire! Blanc!" Neptune notices us first. mk2 Noire seems busy by the barbecue pit while mk2 Blanc is reading a book while lying on one of the beach chairs. She glances at us before she nods, acknowledging our presence before she goes back to reading. Blanc quickly heads to her counterpart's location and chats for a short while before she nods and heads into the mansion.

Neptune tells Noire and I to place our belongings in a room that we want to stay in before changing to our swimsuits and joining their party. Blanc has gone ahead of us, though. She has already returned with her red two piece swimsuit. Noire and I pick our rooms side by side, since the first one that Noire wants to take is already taken by Nero. Speaking of Nero, I didn't see her and Saturn earlier at the pool area. Where could they be?

After I change to my swimsuit, I head out and wait for Noire to finish changing as well before the two of us head back to the pool area. Nero and Saturn come out of the kitchen carrying marinated meat; no wonder I didn't see those two when I arrived. Noire volunteers to help Nero and Saturn carry their load to her counterpart so that she can begin cooking dinner for everyone. I am content with sitting by the poolside and playing with my feet. Noire, on the other hand, takes a leaping dive and surprises all of the candidates. In response, the twins start... harassing her with their water pistols while Uni and Nepgear head to the shallow end of the pool to catch a breather. The twins sure have a lot of energy. I envy them in a way.

Vert's counterpart arrives and she greets Blanc and Noire politely. The twins quickly change their target and head for Vert, who seems to enjoy playing with the twins. I heard from Blanc that her counterpart often travels to Leanbox to let the twins use up their stamina on Vert, sort off. The goddesses in this dimension feels like one big family compared to the ones back home. Noire swims towards me before she relaxes. Blanc and her counterpart finally join us in the pool, which leaves Neptune, Nero, mk2 Noire and Saturn, who are busy cooking our dinner.

Each barbecue pit is apparently doing something else. Neptune's pit is mainly for seasoned, skewered and then grilled meat while her Noire's pit is used for actual barbecue. Saturn and Nero work together on the third pit for sausages and baked potatoes. After they're done, they divide the food equally among us with the exception of Vert, who gets a slightly larger portion.

"Is the food to your liking?" Nep's Noire asks me and Noire.

"Yes. This is good stuff," Noire smiles at her counterpart who smiles back. In the mean time, I nod to show my satisfaction.

"Glad that you like it. It has been a while since I cooked something like this, so I'm afraid I wouldn't please anyone other than Neptune," she says before she walks away to join Neptune on the other side of the pool.

I can hear Blanc asking her counterpart if they knew that we're coming over. It turns out that her aide, Atlus, used her tarot cards to predict the future before this summer outing takes place. She somehow predicted that we were coming over, although they're surprised that Vert isn't with us. The twins join Blanc and her counterpart at a table before they begin eating. Noire approaches her counterpart and Neptune after she finishes her meal and asks if they want to upgrade the swimming pool.

"Upgrade the swimming pool?" mk2 Noire asks.

"Yeah, like add a poolside bar or something," Noire explains. "That way, we don't need to leave the pool when we want to eat."

"It does sound like a good idea, although I'm a little unsure if Nero or Saturn want to change it," Neptune replies. "I mean, it sounds really good to eat without having to leave the pool."

"I'll discuss with Nero to see if I can come up with something," mk2 Noire smiles. "We are in process of turning Saturn's real home near Planeptune into a real beach house for summer next year."

After dinner Nero uses the console to cover the pool's surface with a layer of repelling magic, preventing anything but water from coming in before we head inside the mansion to take a bath. We're not using the tub since it is summer and the heat of warm water will only make it worse, so we just take turns to take a cool shower and wash each other's back. Once again, Noire was torn in washing my back and I washing her back, so Blanc plays rock-paper-scissors with her instead. Noire wins, so I will wash her back. Saturn is taking care of the twins in their elder sister's place, washing their head and at the same time giving the pair scalp massages.

Later, I hand the handcrafted clothes to Neptune and the others from this dimension. mk2 Noire praises me for the quality of the clothes and the sewing, after which Noire boasts about how good my clothes are. Noire then explains to her counterpart that while most of her clothes might be designed by herself, I am the one who turns her designs into reality if I agree. We head to the living room while Blanc brings her gift box of water manjū to serve to the others while we have some black tea, courtesy of Vert.

As the night passes, the twins are the first pair to get sleepy and they head back to their room with Uni and Nepgear's help since they're staying in the same part of the mansion. Vert excuses herself and retreats to her room after looking at her phone. Soon after, Neptune and mk2 Noire retreats to their respective room while mk2 Blanc heads to the mansion's mini-library to return the book she's reading back to its place since she's done. Nero yawns and drinks a cup of milk before she retreats.

Saturn eventually starts to yawn and I am about to ask if I can sleep with her, although Blanc beats me to it and ask if she can sleep with Saturn tonight. I was looking forward to sleep with her too. Noire senses my disappointment and cheers me up, telling me that I can always sleep with her tomorrow.

I wake up early the next day and head out to the second floor's living room because I'm fully awake. I'm surprised to see mk2 Blanc and the twins awake early. The twins are practising some colouring while their older sister is just enjoying the cool morning air at the balcony before the heat returns.

"Pururut, isn't it?" she greets. "I haven't had much chance to properly talk with you."

"The same here," I smile. "What does it feel like to have a pair of younger sisters?"

"They're really a bundle of energy and all they do is giving me more problems," she sighs. "Although, I don't know if I can bear the loneliness if they were to be separated from me."

"Do you spend time with them often?" I ask.

"Unfortunately, not as often as I want to," her face remains neutral when she speaks, although her tone has an underlying disappointment. "Ever since my oracle left, my librarian and I have been pulling double duty to cover the void that she left. My librarian normally looks after them when I'm too busy, but this time, she's busy helping me out."

"Who usually looks after them nowadays?" I ask.

"Either Vert or Saturn and Nero," she smiles. "Whenever Vert needs some time off her gaming, she'll head to Lowee to buy me some time and keep the twins busy. If Vert isn't free, they will head to Planeptune to play with Saturn and Nero."

"They don't play with Nepgear and Uni?" I ask again.

"Nepgear and Uni are… engaged. The twins know not to disturb them too much," she replies before we head back inside the house. The sun is rising and we close the glass door leading to the balcony before we turn the air conditioning on.

The twins finally finish their drawing and present it to me, as thanks for the clothes they're wearing right now. Rom's drawing is a pencil sketch of me, Noire and Blanc. Noire looks angry, Blanc has a cup of green tea in her hand and I'm about to pop a water manjū into my mouth. Ram's drawing is of me surrounded by… super deformed yet giant heads of the other goddesses and the candidates with the words 'take it easy!' written below the picture. I don't know what the heads are supposed to mean, but the drawing looks cute regardless.

"Thank you, you two," I say as I pat them on their head, causing both of them to smile. Back then, these two and Uni weren't completely traumatised by just looking at my Iris Heart form. It didn't take too long for Noire and her counterpart to wake up and they're already discussing about work, although not to the extent that they normally do. They're just chatting about possible joint projects or trading experts to help each other develop their nations. My Noire is interested in the energy saving CIEL system, while Neptune's Noire is seeking renewable alternatives.

"Geothermal energy?" mk2 Noire asks.

"You use heat to generate electricity this way."

While they're busy discussing about their projects, Nepgear and Uni arrive. Both of them are ready to tackle another day before they excuse themselves to the kitchen to prepare something for breakfast. I walk over to Noire and flick her forehead before I remind her that we're on vacation but all she remembers is work, work and more work. After apologizing, she whispers something to her counterpart and heads for the couch. Neptune and Vert finally join us in the living room. I'm surprised that Vert woke up rather early today because everyone, except Neptune who already saw Vert and Uni and Nepgear who are in the kitchen, from this dimension is looking at her with wide eyes.

"What? I finished my game early and slept on time. Is there something wrong?" she asks before everyone sighs and returns to whatever they're doing. Vert heads to the kitchen before she comes back with some drinks and places them in the living room table. I pick up a cup of white grape juice for myself before taking a seat.

"Mind if we talk?" Vert asks as she follows me.

"Sure," I reply.

"Is Piishe alright?" Vert asks. That's right, I have been keeping Piishe back at my Planeptune unless it is a public holiday.

"She's fine, thanks for worrying about her," I reply. "Compa and IF take care of her whenever I'm busy. Although I only wish that she got to be around my age or Neptune's. With her being as she is, I doubt she's ever going to understand a goddess' responsibility."

"If you ask me, the twins are capable of learning by example," Vert smiles. "They might be a bundle of energy, but they are learning when to prank someone and when not to. I highly doubt that Piishe can't grow up as time passes, even if she'll stay that way physically."

"What did you and Blanc do to them?" I ask.

"Blanc does… little," Vert sighs. "If it wasn't my constant intervention to distract the twins, I doubt she'd even have enough time to work. Blanc eventually resorts to asking if I'm free to babysit them while she and Atlus are busy, so they suspect that my presence in Lowee is not a mere coincidence."

"They found out?" I ask.

"In a way. They get suspicious when I invite them over to play at Leanbox," Vert smiles while reminiscing. "After that day, they try very hard to not disturb Blanc whenever she's working."

"What did you tell them?"

"Well, I tell them to look at it this way. They want to play with their older sister, right?" Vert smiles as she explains. "Had they keep disturbing her, it will take Blanc and to an extent, Atlus, even longer to clear their jobs and their play time will be shorter."

"So they actually help her now?" I ask again.

"Well, not as much help as the other candidates can pull off for their elder sisters, but Blanc is happy that she can work undisturbed and the twins are actually helping her out," Vert explains. "Either by keeping Blanc comfortable while she works or simply not being mischievous."

"I see. That's impressive," I smile. "I guess the relationship between the goddesses here is very different than back home."

"Is that so?" Vert asks.

"Indeed. Besides my girlfriend, Noire, and Piishe, our friendship with Blanc and the other you is mainly an alliance of convenience," I explain. "But by the time the sages are taken down, we have been through so much together that going back to arguing among ourselves is really not a good idea."

"Ah. That kind of friendship. I suppose it's more towards rivalry than friends," Vert smiles before she interlocks her fingers. "Why don't you do it like us then? It has been ages since the four nations have been outright hostile. Fighting monsters and at the same time invading other nations' territory by force is costly, so we made a treaty instead."

While Vert explains to me the history of this Gamindustri's current situation, Noire and Blanc come by and listen. They sure seem interested about the treaty despite their intense rivalry with each other. When Vert finishes her history lesson, Nepgear and Uni exit the kitchen with a tray of something which appears to be croquette. The twins immediately got up from what they're doing and help the older candidates out. After dividing it equally among everyone that is here, we head back to our respective seats and enjoy our breakfast.

Neptune immediately takes a piece of the 'croquette' and plops it in her mouth… before she quickly takes it out and complain that it is hot, causing her Noire to quickly head into the kitchen and give her a glass of cold water. I take a small bite before I realize that this isn't croquette. It's just rolled up bread with cheese and some luncheon meat inside. It's fried, so the cheese is melted and the meat is crispy to the bite.

After breakfast and cleaning up, the candidates head to the gaming room while I watch Vert and Nero play a game of chess. It is Saturn and Neptune's turn to do the dishes today so she's in the kitchen. In the mean time, it's back to business for both Noires and both Blancs. Blanc is more interested in how her counterpart keeps her nation covered in snow despite the summer heat. Her counterpart agrees to send a group of mages over to her nation and teach them how to make the weather dome more efficient.

I can hear Noire's discussion from where I'm standing. The CIEL system that her counterpart has developed will be a big help since Planeptune is a little power hungry. Most of Lastation's wind farms and hydroelectric dams actually send power back to Planeptune. According to her counterpart's explanation, CIEL system will make energy consumption and generation more efficient after it is installed.

During lunch, mk2 Blanc activates the mansion's own eco-dome, which keeps the temperature comfortable outside the mansion. This allows us to have a picnic in the mansion's garden. According to Neptune, sometimes you can find dogoos entering the garden without permission. It is normally take care of by concealed auto-turrets Nepgear installed. They are camouflaged so that they don't stick out like a sore thumb. The whole afternoon is spent in the garden, eating, drinking or just passing the time away.

Night falls. After dinner, a quick shower and some game time together, it is time for us to return to our respective rooms. Once again, I want to pay Saturn a visit at night, although it seems that Noire wants to talk to her about something. Putting off the plan of sleeping with Saturn until tomorrow, I return to my own room to rest.

The next day is again spent by the pool early afternoon. Neptune activates the environmental module to make it seems that we're at the beach. Noire and her counterpart race in the pool while Saturn and Nero plays with the twins by the shallow end of the pool. Nepgear applies sunscreen as Vert lies on her stomach on the beach chairs. Blanc, her counterpart and I chat by the table while Uni serves some lemonade that she and Nepgear make earlier today.

I'm not much of a swimmer since I'm usually too lazy to learn how to, so Vert will be teaching me how to swim after she's done sunbathing. Noire and her counterpart are now trying to see who can dive all the way to the deep end of the pool and back to the shallow edge without swimming too far away from the pool's floor. As the time passes, Vert is eventually done with her sunbathing and teaches me the basic points of swimming on the shallow edge of the pool.

Saturn lends me Nero's swimming ring, which Nero normally uses to relax in the pool without getting too wet. I decide to try that as well, sitting in the centre of the ring with my legs and body leaning all over the sides. Honestly, this is so relaxing I might fall asleep, if it wasn't for the twins splashing both Nepgear and Uni, causing Uni to retaliate with one of her water guns. Nepgear doesn't immediately responds, but she helps Uni nonetheless. All the sudden movements in the pool knock me off balance and I quickly swim to the edge before I pull myself out with Noire's help.

"You alright, Pururut?" Noire asks.

"I'm fine," I reply before I turn my attention to the candidates that are really overzealous with their water fight. A few stray shots hit Noire and she quickly asks where she can get a water pistol for herself too. Eventually our swimming session ends up being water shooting session, with everyone forming parties of four. Neptune and her Noire join up with their younger sisters, Blanc is together with her counterpart and the twins while Nero and Saturn is forcefully recruited by Noire into our team. Vert stays out of the picture for the most part and continues swimming.

After our water fight, we drained the pool and proceed to clean it. I am starting to think that this is going to be a chore, but we end up cleaning and having fun at the same time. Since Noire knows I won't do a very good job with the brush, she just hands me a hose and tells me to spray when I feel like it. Well, she didn't say where to spray, soothe twins end up being my first target. That really surprises Rom, who wasn't expecting an attack, although Ram is eager to return the favour with the bucket she's carrying. Due to the pool's surface where they're standing being uneven and slippery, Ram slips and fall on her bottom while the bucket slips from her hands and lands on Neptune. We laugh as I continue spraying randomly at everyone.

After the pool is thoroughly scrubbed, Saturn activates the pump so that water may flow in to rinse the cleaning agents that we use earlier out of the pool while we clean ourselves off before dinner by the poolside. Saturn, mk2 Noire and mk2 Blanc have decided to make something called 'Teppanyaki' for dinner. Vert refers to that as Lowee-style steakhouses and then explains that the idea behind teppanyaki was when a restaurant in Lowee introduced the concept of cooking Leanbox-influenced food Lowee-style. While it is not as popular to Lowee's own residents, travellers from other nations, Leanbox especially, enjoy the food which to them is more familiar than traditional Lowee dishes.

mk2 Noire passes us the menu… to be more correct, it's a list of what she will be making. In the mean time, Saturn hands us some pan fried dumplings and salad while the other two cook in front of us. They prepare salmon, some scallops, wagyu steak, mushrooms, rice and other ingredients. Our 'chefs' starts with the salmon, making a teriyaki dish using the flat steel pan on the table before they make sure everyone gets some. The twins share most of their meals while Vert gets a larger portion. After every dish, they will stop cooking and eat first before moving on to the next dish. However, it strikes Blanc as odd because the rice used as seafood fried rice, not in a bowl like back home.

Our dinner consists of teriyaki salmon, fried salmon skin, scallops with Saturn's homemade sauce, wagyu steak, some fried mushrooms, miso soup with lobster bits and Saturn's homemade ice cream. Noire and I never have any time for this kind of food, so we savour every bite. On the other hand, Blanc is being awfully quiet, but I can tell from her expression that the food is delicious and she wants more. The cooks are glad that the three of us from the other side enjoy the food. While cooking, mk2 Noire even takes time to make sure that the food is cooked in flames, literally, before the wine runs out and the flame dies, leaving the meat thoroughly cooked. I've had beef bowls before, but wagyu beef is… different, to say the least.

After dinner, we return to the mansion for a shower and then we head to the video games room to play some party games on the consoles to spend the night until it is time for bed. It seems that Saturn is pretty tired and immediately goes to her room to rest. Noire and Blanc notice that and return to their respective room as well, unwilling to disturb her. I, however, have other plans. I'll wait until everyone is asleep and then I'll pay Saturn a visit.

Today marks the last day of our stay over. I wake up feeling very fresh before I head to the living room. It seems that Noire and her counterpart is already in the kitchen cooking breakfast. The candidates are busy playing their handhelds a game called Spiritual Forfeit. Rom is trying very hard to keep up with Uni and Ram, who are both aggressive players, while Nepgear tries to get everyone to proceed together. Eventually, they complete their mission objective and edit their abilities and equipment before continuing.

mk2 Blanc is writing something on her pocket notepad. When I ask what it is, she explains that she likes to write novels whenever she's free and the twins are busy among themselves. She's lending some of her books to Blanc, so if I'm ever interested, I could just go over to Lowee and borrow the books from Blanc. She keeps the notepad around in her coat pocket so that she can take note of ideas that she might have before she completely forgets about it. I always wonder how many pockets her coat has. Today, however, she's wearing the dress that I designed and sewn before summer comes. Contrary to her usual white dress, this one has a slight light blue tint. Blanc also wears the kimono that I make, which is pinkish as opposed to red. Now, when they're standing next to the twins, they really look like actual family of older twins and younger twins.

Vert arrives, yawning. The twins quickly approach her and ask if she has been up all night gaming to which she nods and sighs. Then she proceeds to complain about how she's helping out the newer members of her guild to fight bosses, but apparently it didn't work out as well as she intended. Neptune and Nero finally join the group, which leaves Saturn who might still be sleeping.

"Pururut?" Noire pokes her head out of the kitchen.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Saturn is not up yet. Can you help me wake her up?" Noire asks.

"Sure."

I go upstairs and head towards Saturn's room. It appears that she just woke up and is feeling rather sore. She completely forgot what I did to her last night and greets me as per usual before asking me to tell the others that she's already up and will be joining us soon. With that done, I head back downstairs and join the others for some sandwich breakfast.

The others from this dimension have nothing planned for today so Blanc, Noire and I are just going to enjoy the pool before we head back to our dimension tomorrow. Vert gives me some tips before asking me to swim without Nero's swimming ring and Noire also helps out as well. Blanc borrows the swimming ring and relaxes in the pool using it. The twins can't resist and they leap into the pool exactly right next to Blanc, which causes her to get splashed, slightly irritated, and start chasing the twins around the pool.

The others eventually join us in the pool either for a good swim, relaxing or sunbathing. Nero brings an air mattress and lies on her stomach on it as she watches Blanc chasing the twins around while Vert guides me to swim. It is later on that she comes up with an idea for a game. Nero and Uni stand with their backs facing each other on the air mattress as they try to somehow knock the other into the pool without using their arms. We take turns playing the simple, yet fun game, although some 'matchups' are impossible because of our differing height. Still, at least we get a good laugh when Rom refuses to lose and grabs Ram's hand when Ram knocks her off the mattress, causing both of them to make a splash.

Evening comes and after a quick dinner and a bath, we wear the yukatas that Saturn has stockpiled before we go to the games room. Instead of the consoles, this time we're playing table tennis and air hockey. Noire quickly announces that she's a good air hockey player, which causes Blanc to take up to the challenge. Saturn has set the rules as first to seven, so Blanc plays defensively because there is virtually no time limit. Noire, on the other hand, goes all out from the beginning. That proves to be a bad mistake because Blanc's defensive style prevents Noire from scoring decently and wearing her out.

Blanc's defence relies on reflecting the puck back at the opposing player with as little movement as possible; in other words, she's using Noire's powerful hits against her. When Noire runs out of gas, Blanc switches on the offence and quickly makes point after point while Noire struggles to retaliate. The game ends with Noire scoring only three points. I can sense that she's very unhappy and slightly angry about her loss… against Blanc, no less. Blanc merely smirks before she turns her attention to the table tennis match between her counterpart and Vert.

I play air hockey against Rom, although neither of us hit with enough force to actually score so Ram takes over and wins the game for her sister. I head to the 'vending machine' before I press the button to dispense a bottle of strawberry milk. Physical activities aren't my forte after all and I'm content with watching. Rom asks me to play battleships on the console that is located on opposite corners of the room to ensure that no cheating is involved. It takes Rom a while to guess where I'm putting my ships around the grid, although she quickly targets them when she finds out. The only ship that she can't find is my patrol boat, which is a two grid ship located in the middle by itself. She eventually locates it, but only after I locate her carrier. Sadly, it only takes two turns to destroy a patrol boat. Four if I'm lucky, but I mis-guess the direction where her carrier is located and give her an ample opportunity to finish me off first.

Noire, Blanc and I wake up early before we head to the living room. We're leaving as soon as the sun sets today, so we intend to use every hour in the most effective way possible… at least for Noire and Blanc. I am already content with relaxing like this and there's not much that I want to do. I relax as Noire observes the data her counterpart gives her about the CIEL system and Blanc is reading a new Assassinate Creed book that her counterpart lends her.

Nero and Saturn are in charge of making breakfast today. Judging by the stuff they take out of the pantry, they want to make a breakfast wrap, like the ones I came across in Leanbox. Right now, Saturn is frying bacon strips, chicken bits and hash brown while Nero readies the melted cheese and scrambled eggs. When everyone's awake, they just need to wait for a little while longer before breakfast is ready. The twins are excited because they said that Saturn makes a lot of good food whenever they come over for a visit. This reminds Blanc that the previous Saturn is only good at making confectionery because of her own sweet tooth.

"Come to think of it… it has been a while since I eat Saturn's mango puddings," Blanc smiles at the memory. Honestly, I never really got to taste Saturn's desserts because back then, since Neptune sends her off to accompany Noire.

"Oh, Nepgear can duplicate the process," Rom smiles.

"Yup. Nepgear can make Saturn's mango puddings," Ram shares the same opinion as her older twin. "It might taste slightly different but it's still mango pudding."

It doesn't take long for the wraps to be served. There's plenty for everyone and enough for second helpings even. I take a bite and the flavour of the cheese and bacon blends perfectly with the chopped hash browns, eggs and chicken bits. The twins even took one wrap for each of them even though normally they share their food. Neptune eats too fast and ended up choking herself, which causes her Noire to run into the kitchen to grab some water.

Afternoon arrives and we're relaxing by the poolside. Instead, we enjoy shaved ice that the twins and Saturn have prepared for us. The last time we eat shaved ice is during Winter Veil celebration, and I guess the reason they taste better now is because it's summer, the perfect season for eating a cooling dessert like this. Saturn still has more ice chilling in the fridge if we ever want more.

Today's lunch is cold soba noodles with three pieces of grilled salmon on top of it. Instead of having a broth, soba noodles have dipping sauce which you dunk the noodles into before you eat it. Of course, the salmon shouldn't go inside the dipping sauce so we eat them first. Noire and I are slightly unsure of what to do when Nero serves the food, given that this is the first time we see such a dish. Blanc recognizes this as something similar to her favourite soba noodle dishes back home although the noodles are green as opposed to the normal white.

Evening falls and the time for us to return back to our home dimension arrives. Time sure flies when you're having fun. The candidates and goddesses ask why we're leaving so early since they are returning to their respective nations tomorrow and that we should do the same. Blanc then declines the offer politely, citing that she has to return home or Financier will be buried deep in work. Noire and I have to return home because we have our own work to do and I promised Noire that I'd do my work after a fun summer vacation.

Once again, Noire carries me back to Neptune's Planeptune while she and Blanc transform and fly. After saying goodbye to Histoire, we step through the portal and return to our dimension. Blanc sticks around for dinner before she goes back to Lowee, while Noire stays behind with me. She has Ace deliver her work to Planeptune first thing tomorrow morning, though. All the work left behind for vacation must be cleared before she enjoys the weekend. After a quick shower, we return to our shared bed and drift off to sleep so that we are ready to do our job first thing tomorrow… after breakfast.

And that's all for this week. Leave a review if you feel like the quality is dropping, because I know that I'm not a very good author. I might have good ideas, but since English isn't my first language... sometimes I find it hard to get the point I want to say across.