Chapter 07: The gathering
/~the sky of Lastation, nearby Basilicom~/
(Noire's point of view)
What was that?
I've never seen anything like it…
A projectile so powerful… capable of eliminating anything in its path…
The shooter missed me on purpose.
He even gave me a warning.
…
Yes, he did it on purpose.
It was a WARNING!
He was showing his power to me!
"Oh, that bastard…!"
Is he saying that I was weak?
I'll show him!
The next time he shows up, I'll beat him to a pulp!
Nobody makes fun of a CPU!
Especially me; the CPU of Lastation!
?
Oh, I'm home already…
I didn't realize it earlier since I was busy mulling over the event…
I descent and land on the balcony.
[Flash]
After that I undo my transformation.
"Yo, Noire…! Good job, today!" Neptune gives me thumbs up.
The purple haired goddess is relaxing on a longue chair.
She had sunglasses on her face, while keeping her usual outfit.
"Well thank you, Neptune. Of course I'll do a good job." I reply to her praise.
…
Wait a sec…
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"
My yelling manages to catch her off-guard, causing her to fall off from the chair.
"Geez Noire… Why did you yell all of a sudden?" The 'girl' picks herself up.
"You know why I yell! What is a neighbouring CPU doing at my place!?" I question her, slightly shouting.
Neptune begins fidgeting her fingers.
"Well, you see Noire… Histy kicked me out again."
…
"Um…" A timid voice manages to catch my attention.
I turn around, facing the source of the voice.
And there's Nepgear, the sister to the poor excuse of a goddess.
"I'm sorry if the author suddenly brought us up. But it's for plot convenience." The longhaired girl claims.
Meanwhile, Uni was by her side.
Apparently, even she got confused by Nepgear's statement.
"Oi, oi… the author is giving you too much job." She comments.
…
[Sigh]
I let out a sigh.
"Actually, it is rather convenient. I was about to gather the CPUs." I declare.
"EH…!?" Neptune suddenly yells.
"What is it now, Neptune?" I ask her tiredly.
"Is it time already!? Is it the time for the great and magnificent Neptune to take the stage and save the day!?" The girl says with ecstatic tone.
…
[Sigh]
"Whatever… Just come along. I need to call Blanc and Vert."
"Hoho…! IT IS TIME! Behold my elegance! Not even an eroge protagonist can match the quirky Neptune!" The goddess claims.
…
You know… in most fanfictions, you were the main heroine.
And you kept being paired to the main character of another series.
In other words, you were the fodder for 'him' to show off.
If I remember it right, most of them were Naruto…
…
I recalled some fics even paired me with that blond ninja.
Oh wait… most of the fics were harem.
"You know Noire… please don't remind me of those fics… I feel miserable." Neptune suddenly interjects.
"Eh…? You can hear my thoughts!?"
"Technically, everyone reading this fiction can hear it." The goddess claims.
…
Is that so?
Well, you know what?
I don't like such stories…
We, characters have our own personalities.
Yes, we are tools for the authors to use.
However, as a character, I prefer to stand on my own instead of being a dumb bimbo that fall in love with a supposedly powerful male protagonist.
"Well said, Noire! Go tell them! In fact, tell them that I want to be a protagonist in my own crossover! Stop making me fall in love with a guy just because he's cooler or more popular!" Neptune says with excitement.
…
There, I said it…
Seriously, please stop making me some kind of heroine that needs saving.
I don't really need it.
And that includes you, author!
Though, I was certain that shot from earlier was a war declaration…
/~at the Basilicom, later~/
Blanc and Vert arrive after a while.
Truthfully, this meeting should take place in Lowee, the heart of the current crisis.
But since Neptune is here, might as well gather all of them here.
"What is it, Noire? You cut me off in the video call earlier. Now, you summoned me?" The white goddess, still hasn't revert her CPU form, says with annoyed tone.
"Ara, ara… Nepgear, you are here?" Vert comments, unconcern with my summoning.
The green goddess is also in her CPU form.
"Blanc, Vert…! Come down already! We got a plot to progress!" Neptune tells them.
"Since when did you care about plot progression…?" Blanc asks her with amused tone.
[Flash]
The two of them descent and undo their transformations.
Now, both of them are in their human form.
Blanc, a small brunette girl and Vert, a blond young woman with magnificent body…
"Vert-san…!"
"Nepgear…!"
And the two of them hug.
"Nepu…!? Nepgear, what are you doing!? Your big sister is over here!" Neptune starts to panic.
"But Nee-san… Vert's bosom feel so awesome, funya~"
The longhaired girl continues to revel under Vert's bountiful pair of breasts.
You know, I didn't summon her for this…
"Nepgear…!"
Neptune attempts to detach her sister from Vert.
"Stop forcing her, Neptune. Let the girl enjoys herself." The blond goddess says.
"Shut up, Vert! I'm not giving my sister to you!" The purple haired girl retorts.
…
"I'm sorry to disturb you, but we got a situation." I decide to say.
"Funya~" Nepgear moans again.
Everyone seems to ignore me…
"Damn that Thunder Tits! Someday, I'll— Grr…!"
Meanwhile, Blanc is overflowing with jealously.
"Nepgear, stop hugging Vert-san…!"
For some reason, Uni decides to join Neptune and attempt to pull Nepgear away from Vert.
"Thanks, Uni-chan!"
The two of them nod and pulls harder.
"I don't wanna let go~" The longhaired girl says, firmly hugging the blond woman.
"I want to hug Vert-san too! It's not fair you can hog her to yourself!" Uni says.
…
"NOT YOU TOO…!"
/~after the shenanigan~/
Blanc, Neptune, Vert and I are inside my office.
"So what's the problem, Noire? Don't tell me you got lonely." The purple haired girl says nonchalantly.
"Another word from you, Neptune and I'll give you a Shoryuken."
"NEPU…!?"
And she shuts her trap off.
The last Street Fighter move gave her nightmares for weeks.
Probably because it has purple aura… which reminds her of eggplants?
She did mention something about an eggplant monster launching Psycho Crusher…
…
Wait, am I the eggplant!?
There's no way I look like that!
…
Do I?
"Is it about that nonsensical request from earlier?" Blanc decides to ask.
I nod to answer her question.
"Yes. It turns out something big is going on here."
"Are you saying the guy behind it was influential…?" She concludes.
"Yes… but that's not exactly the main problem."
"Hey Vert, do you think the author will make a scene break here? It's kinda boring to hear Noire's explanation."
"Ara…? I would not know, Neptune. I am not familiar with the author's writing tendency. Maybe Blanc has a better grasp of him. She is writing fanfictions."
…
I'm so going to hit her…
/***Interlude***/
/~Basilicom, lobby~/
(Uni's point of view)
My arms are folded and my eyes are narrowed.
A purple haired girl is fidgeting before me.
I glance away, refusing to see her face.
"Um, Uni-chan… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hog Vert-san all by myself."
…
Despite that, I still don't forgive her.
Stupid Nepgear…
[Door click]
Suddenly, the door is opened.
A white haired man in janitorial uniform enters the scene.
"Excuse me." He says as he enters.
"Oh, it's you." I utter.
The tanned man bows when he sees me.
He's a worker we hired about four months ago.
He is very diligent and thorough with his cleaning duty.
Once, he wiped the Basilicom's floor until it sparkled.
I swore I could see my own reflection…
"Don't mind me. I'll be doing my job." He tilts his hat and walks away.
…
"Wait, Janitor-san."
"Hmm…?" The man stops in his track.
"I need your help with something."
/~Uni's workshop~/
I lead him to my workshop.
…
"Nepgear, why are you following me?"
"Eh…? I can't?" The girl tilts her head.
All of a sudden, the man chuckles at our conversation.
"Why can't she come in here? I thought she was your friend." The janitor says wittily.
"She is my friend… but I'm angry at her right now." I tell him.
…
Wait, why would I share my feeling with this guy?
"Uni-chan… what can I do to make up?" Nepgear asks with guilty face.
…
"Don't have fun without me…"
"Eh…?" She tilts her head.
"I want to have fun with you! Friends are supposed to have fun together!"
"Uni-chan…"
The purple haired girl stares at me with sparkling eyes.
"Do-don't get me wrong… I just don't want you to have fun all by yourself…"
"Uni-chan…!"
!
Abruptly, the longhaired girl hugs me.
"Wa-wait…! Let go of me!"
I attempt to push the girl away.
I ram my left palm on her face.
"I refuse…! I will never let go of Uni-chan!" The girl claims with deformed face.
"Nepgear…!" I yell in frustration.
No matter how strong I pushed, Nepgear still won't let go.
[Squish]
…
Did she just…!?
"St-stop it…! That tickles!"
Stop groping my breast!
"Um… I think I'll leave you two alone for the time being." The janitor suddenly says.
He turns around and walks away.
!
"St-stop…! I need your help with something!"
/~after that~/
"So, what do you need help with…?" The tanned man asks, with a hint of blushing.
"I'm sorry, Uni-chan… I didn't mean to squeeze your breast." The longhaired girl says apologetically.
[Sigh]
I let out a sigh.
Then, I point at my weapon display.
Of course it is displaying guns.
"I'm sorry, Miss Uni but I'm no good with guns." The man claims.
I shake my head.
"That's not it. I can't get my guns out. Something is wrong with the 'open' button." I tell him.
"Hoh… I thought you can fix that on your own." The man muses.
…
I love to tinker with guns and other form of firearms but… wiring is not my expertise.
"Let me take a look at it." He declares.
Since we're inside a workshop, he has everything he needs in order to work.
He picks up a screwdriver and dislodges some screws, opening the panel.
I could see him muttering something to himself.
For some reason, this janitor is very proficient in repairing electrical appliances.
He helped out with most of Basilicom's maintenances.
I heard this year's maintenance is cheaper than last year's.
"EH…!?"
For some reason, Nepgear seems very surprised.
"What is it, Miss Nepgear?" The tanned man asks.
He's currently cutting off some wires.
"You're not supposed to remove that wire." The girl claims.
?
Oh, now I remember!
Nepgear is an expert with electronics.
She loves working with robots so she knows a thing or two about wiring.
So, the janitor is doing it wrong?
"Unfortunately Miss Nepgear, this wire is faulty. It is the reason why the button won't work." He claims.
The purple haired girl takes the wire and inspects it.
"But it looks normal. I can't see— Eh?"
Something seems to surprise her.
"There is a small tear inside it. Since it was covered with PVC, you can't see it unless you cut it open and inspect its cross-section." The janitor claims, gesturing his right hand while doing so.
…
"How did you know? I mean, normally we can't detect it just by looking."
The tanned man smirks at her.
"It's magic."
/~back at the lobby~/
"Thank you for helping me out." I bow at the janitor.
He bows as well.
"If you need help, just ask. Now if you excuse me, I'll be returning to my cleaning duties." He says before walking away.
…
?
For some reason, Nepgear is eyeing the janitor with glittering eyes.
"Nepgear, why are you looking at him like that?"
"Uni-chan…"
!
The girl suddenly grabs my shoulders.
"That man could possibly help me build the ultimate Drill Machine…!"
Drill Machine…?
Is she talking about that weird looking robot again…?
"What's his name? Can I have his contact number?" The girl asks ecstatically.
She rocks my body back and forth, demanding the man's information.
"St-stop it… I feel… dizzy…"
Noticing her mistake, Nepgear finally stops.
"I'm sorry, Uni-chan. I didn't mean to do that."
The girl starts fidgeting her fingers.
[Sigh]
I can't blame her for that.
Nepgear can be very thrilled when it involves drills.
I am the same… with guns.
[Hyperdimension ringtone]
Someone is calling Nepgear.
The longhaired girl quickly retrieves her tablet.
It was a video call from Lowee.
"Nepgear…!"
Ram's voice is audible from the device.
"Hi Rom-chan, Ram-chan...!" The purple haired girl greets the twin.
"Ah, I could see Uni-chan from here! So, you did go to Lastation!" The longhaired brunette says.
"No fair… we wanna go there too…" I could hear Rom's timid voice.
"Blanc-san didn't allow you to come along?" Nepgear muses, tilting her head.
"Onee-chan said she went there for work. But why Nepgear gets to come along!?" Ram exclaims.
"Actually, I got here because my sister decides to visit. Coincidentally, Noire was about to gather the CPUs." The longhaired girl says, scratching her cheek.
However, her answer didn't sooth the twin's jealousy.
I could see their cheeks puffed, showing they are pouting.
Before the four CPUs signed the peace treaty, we used to travel together.
Oddly, we didn't know each other identities.
But it was fun back then.
We get to play, eat and sightseeing with each other.
Though when Nepgear's identity was revealed, our group fell apart.
Thanks to Illya-san, we became friends again regardless of our affiliations.
Our big sisters were thoughtful enough to compromise with us, so they signed the peace treaty.
Now, they became friends as well.
Speaking of Illya-san, where did she go?
We haven't heard anything from her for awhile now…
"Rom, Ram, let's make a snowman!" A familiar voice is audible from here.
"Is that Illya-san's voice?" I ask.
The twins nod.
"Yeah…! She's here in Lowee. Too bad, Nepgear and Uni-chan can't get here and have fun." Ram says to rile us up.
So she's in Lowee now…
Illya-san must have a lot of stories to tell.
"Bye guys! We have a snowman to make!" The longhaired brunette girl adds before cutting the video.
...
"Cheeky brat…"
"Hehehe…" Nepgear giggles at my comment.
/***scene break***/
(Noire's point of view)
"So the White Whales are mutating into different species…? It is a virus…?" Blanc comments on the situation.
"I think the whales ate something bad and got stomach ache. That's why they transform into angry Noire!" Neptune adds her two cents.
"Yes, I think so— Wait… what did you just said!?"
"LOOK…! IT'S A MONSTER…!"
I chase after the purple haired girl.
"Neptune, Noire, this is not the time for foolish endeavours." Vert decides to interject.
…
I stop chasing the idiot and calm down.
"You're right, Vert. We need to get to the bottom of this."
"You also said that the mutated White Whale has more durable hide than its counterpart. Only a CPU's attacks may work on it…" Blanc muses to herself.
"My basic attacks don't work. That means standard artilleries can't even harm them."
"Just trigger Noire's Berserk button. That should deal with a horde of White Whales." Neptune adds.
…
Blanc, Vert and I stare at her blankly.
"Okay, okay…! No more jokes! I was just trying to lighten the mood!" Neptune says frantically.
"Neptune's jokes aside, there is another thing I need to inform."
The three of them pay great attention to me.
"Someone just sent me a war declaration."
[GASP]
Despite the dramatic sound effect, only Neptune gasped.
"What do you mean?" Vert inquires.
"I was fighting a horde of mutated White Whales. I manage to take down more than a dozen. However, it was a tiring battle."
The three of them nod.
"Then, a powerful projectile passes by, eliminating everything in its path. Before the projectile was released, someone gave me a warning telepathically."
"That sounds like something from Blanc's story." Neptune interjects.
"Huh…? Wait, YOU READ MY STORY…!?" The short haired girl freaks out.
"It wasn't bad. When will the next volume finish, Blanc…?" She asks nonchalantly.
"I haven't sold the first volume yet! Where did you get my story…!?"
"Eh…? Ram-chan posts them to me every week." The purple goddess says innocently.
"That girl…" Blanc starts biting her own hat in frustration.
…
"Guys, are you done?"
""Sorry…!"" Both of them apologize at the same time.
I clear my throat.
"So I was saying, the one behind the projectile was showing his power to me. It's like saying he's more powerful than a CPU."
"Ah… It is another one of those." Vert muses to herself.
"What is it, Vert…!? Do you know something about it!?" Neptune asks her excitedly.
The young woman nods.
"I believe the culprit is one of those anti-CPU groups." She divulges her opinion.
"I see… It's the people who believed the CPUs are unnecessary…."
We did catch a number of people who's been spreading propaganda…
"Eh…? Those kinds of guys exist here too? I thought it only happens in Planeptune." Neptune says nonchalantly.
"The last time that happened, Plutia and Peashy showed up. But we settled that without much of a hitch."
[Gasps]
This time Blanc and Vert gasp.
Oh, I forgot…
It was a sensitive subject for Neptune.
"Hey… I—"
"You know, since it is happening again, maybe Plutia and Peashy might show up here!" The girl in question says without any hint of sadness.
…
I got worried for nothing…
[Sighs]
All three of us sigh.
"Wait… why are you guys sighing…?" The girl asks obliviously.
"Never mind, Neptune… Let's have a pudding break. I need some sugar after all that serious talk."
"Really…!? SCORE…!" The purple haired goddess cheers.
/~outside the office, the balcony~/
"Ah, Onee-chan…!" Uni greets me when she sees me.
Apparently, it's night already.
"Hey, Uni… I'm sorry I didn't drink the hot chocolate you made earlier."
"Eh…? Oh, it's okay. I know Onee-chan were a busy person." My little sister says with a smile.
…
I really need to do something for her.
?
For some reason, people around me seem shocked.
"No-no-Noire… Di-d-did you just apologize to Uni…?" Neptune asks with stuttering voice.
?
Is something wrong with me apologizing?
Blanc, Nepgear and Vert are also shocked.
"I thought you were kidding…" The brunette goddess utters.
Apologizing for your mistake is common sense.
Or it wasn't… in my case.
I used to have a huge ego… about the size of a planet.
I guess the other dimension Noire is still retaining such ego.
?
For some reason, they suddenly went alerted.
"Noire, look…!" Neptune points at the sky.
I turn around and notice a huge aircraft, made of gold, is floating above us.
…
"WHAT THE HECK…!?"
What is that thing…!?
What is it doing, floating around the sky of Lastation…!?
A silhouette is visible, apparently standing on the aircraft.
It was a blond man adorning full plate gold armour.
"King of Heroes…" I utter his name.
The man responds with a smirk.
"Your King has arrived."
/***Interlude***/
The twins, sisters to the CPU of Lowee are having the time of their lives.
The two of them are building a snowman with the help of a white haired girl.
"Do you think it's big enough?" Ram, the younger of the two asks nobody in particular.
They were forming two large snowballs.
"I think so…" Illyasviel von Einzbern, the white haired girl comments.
Together, the three of them lift the smaller ball onto the larger one.
"Mister Snowman looks so big…" Rom, the elder of the twins, says with amazement.
"Now, we just need a carrot and some seeds to make his face." Illya declares.
The twins nod.
"Hey Illya-san, you must have a new story to tell. I mean, it's been awhile since we last met." Ram says.
The white haired girl smiles softly.
"Yes, I do. You see, I was at Leanbox. Then, I saw this huge bird with burning wings!"
"That sounds like a Phoenix!" Ram concludes.
Illya nods.
"Yes, but it's different from the usual Phoenix. This time, it got eight pair of wings plus razor sharp teeth!"
"Wow…" The twins gush in awe.
This is her routine.
Travelling, gathering stories and meet up with her friends.
"Well, well, well… Would you look at that? We got CPU Candidates for the taking." A shady individual muses to herself.
Besides her, a huge creature stands ready.
"Lolis… lolis…! Those innocent little girls need my help…! I must baptize them with my saliva!" The huge creature says excitedly.
"Trick-sama, please calm down. It's not time yet. Arfoire-sama hasn't give us—"
[Beep]
"Hold on a sec." The shady individual checks her phone.
"On second thought, here's the signal. Go for it, Trick-sama."
"With pleasure…!"
#Chapter End#
[Author's note]
I've already broke the fourth wall with Zelretch in Blazing Void.
Might as well did the same with this one.
So, I had a writer's break last month and went searching for other Hyperdimension fanfics.
What did I get? Fanwanking.
Guys, I like reading romance.
But if the girls fall in love with the MC just because he's powerful or he acts nice with her... that's just stupid.
I prefer a story that has slow development along with proper reasons as in why a heroine would fall for a certain character.
Besides, Neptune and her gang are strong enough to protect themselves.
Well, sorry if I hurt someone's feelings with my honest opinion.
I enjoyed watching Naruto... but majority of Naruto's fanfictions are too cliched.
And I'm not enthusiastic enough to write one myself.
Anyways, thanks for reading!