Part 26

Noire took a deep breath as she stared down the entrance to the building housing Lacoste and the Super AI Computer. Why was she so nervous? She already accepted the fact that her and Uni's lives weren't in danger. In the end, this was just a game. So why was her stomach tightening up? Why was it so hard to move her legs forward? Why was the alien-like rifle in her hands suddenly heavier than it was?

Neptune whistled. "Not only am I stuck with this slingshot, but the opening paragraph makes you look like the main character. I guess every character needs a character arc."

"Quiet. All we have to do is get in there, make it to the top floor, and beat this game."

"What makes you think it's the top floor?"

"Isn't the final boss always on the top floor?"

"Wait a minute, the chapter title. Has it not changed since the last couple chapters? This author sure is getting lazy."

While Neptune was busy contemplating, Noire turned the knob and pushed open the double doors leading to down an extravagant hallway. At the end was a sliding double-door without a handle, but the most unusual-looking object in the room was a box sitting to the side.

"This looks like a trap," Neptune said as she marched towards the door and pointed at a slot on the wall. "This card-reader looks suspicious."

"You weren't talking about the box!?"

Neptune walked around inspecting each side of the box. "You're right. What's it doing here?" She reached her hand towards a corner and was suddenly enveloped in blue electricity. She dropped like a rock.

"Even the most protagonist of protagonists have to fall sometimes," Noire said as she laughed nervously. "Wait a sec. This box looks pretty familiar."

Before Noire could place her hand on it, the box shifted away. She reached for it once more, and the box moved away again.

"Yeah, real funny. I know it's you, K-Sha."

After a moment of silence, the person hiding under the box finally stood up and revealed themselves, their red school uniform ripped in different places, hair disheveled, and legs once smooth as silk now covered in bruises and scars.

"Noire," she said. "I found you."

"You have no idea how good it is to see you, K-Sha."

"Noire is glad to see me!" K-Sha opened her arms and threw her entire body towards Noire, only to be stopped by an arm and a hand.

"Nevermind that. More importantly, what are you even doing here? Wait, no, why— or how did you even get here? No way, did Lacoste get you, too?"

"That's the girl with the white hair, right? I've seen her around only a few times here— No, actually, I've seen her around Lastation once before."

"You've met her before?"

"We only bumped into each other. We seem to share some hobbies."

Noire's spine tingled a little. "In some ways I'm frightened, but I think I'll be okay for now. But why are you here? I thought Lacoste made this game for us."

"Well…" K-Sha averted her gaze as she rolled back and forth on her heels. "I happened to be in the same room as—"

"Say no more," Noire held her hand up. "Anyway, what happened to you? You're a mess."

"Oh dear, I am. I can't let Noire continue seeing me in this state or else she'll think less of me." She pulled out a blue keycard from her pocket. "I had another one just like this that I used to go through this door. It's like a teleporter."

"A teleporter? Where did it lead?"

"Well, in my case, it was more like a time traveling machine. I went through it and appeared in the prehistoric age with dinosaurs. In the end, there was this keycard and another door leading back to here. Oh, Noire, it was so scaryyy!"

Noire held her hand up again to keep K-Sha from hugging her. "So, this door leads to a certain level of the game and we have to go through each one before facing Lacoste. Got it. Did you hear that, Neptune? Looks like we're going to-"

"I love you."

Noire was taken aback by the sudden, yet predictable, confession. Lost for words, she placed her hand on K-Sha's head and pet her. Wait a minute, that makes it sound like she's treating her like some pet, right? Is this an appropriate action to do for a… friend? K-Sha was happily leaning against her hand, so it was probably okay.

Noire sighed. "We're going to go through a series of levels this time around, so would you stop lazing around? ...Neptune?"

After calling her name a couple more times, Neptune stayed still and unresponsive.

K-Sha tilted her head. "Is she dead?"

"No."

Neptune jumped back up to her feet, hands on her hip and chest pumped with pride. "And that's how you build empathy with the readers."

"You're an idiot," Noire said as she held back a tinge of laughter.

After swiping the keycard and the doors opened up, they held an arm over their eyes to cover the bright light from behind.

"And now we just have to step through it," K-Sha said as she leaned against Noire's shoulder.

Neptune stretched her arm into the doorway until half of her body was submerged into the light. "It's not so bad. Just a little warm is all— uwah!"

"You idiot!" Noire rushed over to grab Neptune's hand, but she was then pulled through the gateway along with K-Sha holding on tightly as well.

Their vision was filled with warped colors until those colors started to manifest into their next destination, bright blue skies, bright yellow sands, and dusty brown ruins. Her throat was as dry as the air around her, and the heat of the blazing sun pummeled her skin.

There was no question of where they were - somewhere in the desert near some ancient ruins. The question was why this location in particular. As her feet touched the surface, and while she pondered, the load of two bodies fell on top of her, flattening her into the sand below.

"Noire, Noire," K-Sha cried, hoping her heart would lead to her beloved Goddess. "Where did my Noire go?"

"Your worry is heartwarming," Neptune said, the air deflating from her body, "a heavy burden on your shoulders."

"That's great, but could you two get off? And why am I the one on the bottom?"

"Well, you know, I've learned some rules are constant even across multiple dimensions."

They walked up a wide ramp leading to an open square area in front of the entrance to the inner ruins. Noire walked around the open, her neck starting to ache from the amount of time she spent with her head tilted to the sky as she inspected the ruins, and her mouth had gone dry from leaving it open from awe. She felt like falling over.

They were surrounded by pillars and walls with alien writing and ancient people drawn on them. Nothing in the history books back in Gamindustri had anything resembling these artifacts, so there was no doubt they were still in a world Lacoste had fabricated. One oh so different from the bustling cyberpunk city of the previous.

They were still nowhere near home, and they've only gotten even further away.

She looked over at Neptune who was leaning against a pillar that had collapsed. She had her parka unzipped all the way, so most of her sweaty front was exposed.

Noire bit her tongue as her face turned a slight red, probably due to the intense heat, but she was envious at how Neptune was taking all of this in stride.

K-Sha pressed herself against Noire's arm. "Are you all right?"

Noire thought about it for a second. The moment she stepped through that portal, her confidence started to dwindle. The eagerness to play Lacoste's game that grew when she caught up with Neptune, it was slowly reverting to the feeling she had when she first found herself on the city's rooftops.

Lost.

She called out to Neptune, "What are you doing?"

Neptune tugged on her park and shook her body around, trying to cool herself off. "It's getting really hot. I'm not wearing my dress, you know? Hey, K-Shameless, you've done this before, haven't you? What are we supposed to do?"

"How can you be so calm?"

Neptune tilted her head. "Why wouldn't I be calm? I might get a bit cranky due to all this heat, but there's no reason to make such a fuss about it."

"No, not that, but—…"

"Remember what I said?" Neptune smiled. "There's nothing to worry. It's like you said, we just have to beat this game and we'll get out of here."

It's just a game. Neptune and Nepgear have done this before, and Uni is one of the game administrators. There is no life-threatening danger. It's all just a game. To have fun. She had forgotten like a kid getting lost in a jungle gym. She was there to have fun. She wasn't going to be gone from home forever.

She looked over to her side, and K-Sha hugged her arm, nodding in approval to Neptune's words. It was more than enough of a confirmation for her. Okay, there's no problem. Noire clenched a fist with her newfound determination. They were going to beat this game once and for all.

Their clothes were blown against the rolling winds from the valleys. The winds stopped, and their clothes stilled, but the distant roars still lingered. The roars never stopped. Louder and louder. The earth beneath their feet trembled, specks of debris loosened from the ruins. Dust clouds rose from the horizon until it covered the skies, and behind where the earth ends came small black figures like ants coming out of their hill. The louder the roars, the more violent the howls, and the larger the figures grew. Mammoth-like skeletons and massive one-eyed monstrosities.

"Run," Noire said. "Run, run inside!"

The moment they turned to the front of the ruins, headless beings with bombs in each hand appeared. Volleys came down on them, but they exploded in the skies prematurely.

K-Sha spun her SMGs and continued firing, annihilating the headless monsters only for even more to take their place.

They were running out of time.

"K-Sha, take the lead."

They all ran inside the ruins as the army of monsters came closing in. With each shot, K-Sha destroys more of the headless soldiers. Noire supported her with volleys of energy balls from her rifle while Neptune tried her best to not to get attacked. It was difficult using a slingshot as your only weapon, having to find bits and pieces to use as ammunition. It wasn't the hardest part, however. The hardest part was knowing your spotlight was focused on those who aren't you.

Neptune whacked one of the soldiers off a platform. "This isn't fair. How come you two have actual weapons, and I don't?"

"Don't think for one second I prefer you unarmed—", Noire fired two shots, "but we didn't have a choice."

"Could have shown a little more authority back there, don't you think?"

"I don't want to hear that from someone like you."

Room after room, horde after horde, trap after trap. There was not a single moment of reprieve. They were breathing faster than they could move their legs. Noire was having difficulties carrying her weapon, as if it weren't hard enough trying to hold onto an exhausted Neptune who took every chance to lean on her. Thank goodness for K-Sha and her training to be able to last this long and still be able to fight with such efficiency, but by just the look on her face she could tell she was about to hit her limit.

Where was the end?

Didn't matter. They had to make it no matter what.

She lowered her hips, tightened her calves. She examined her surrounds, her breathing slow and her heartbeat steady. Enemies came from every direction and K-Sha wouldn't be able to take out all of them if this keeps up. Noire fired once. Fired another. Another volley of shots before repositioning herself. Before each shot, before her brain could tell the muscles in her finger to twitch, her heart stopped and so did time itself. There was one goal and one goal only. To get through this level, and destroy anyone or anything in her way.

She shot again.

"It's just a game," Neptune said before patting Noire on the back, pulling her out of her focus harder than a train wreck.

Noire flinched from the contact and accidentally pulled a secondary trigger on her rifle that shot a much faster bullet towards the same direction the previous energy ball was heading. Before it could reach its target, it collided with the energy ball and exploded, dealing insane damage to all the monsters caught in its range.

"Whoa, Noire, that was awesome," Neptune said with stars in her eyes.

That's right. It was just a game. They were players and these monsters were the obstacles. Go through the levels, defeat the obstacles, win the game. That's all there is to it. Nothing more.

She looked the rifle in her hands for a few seconds. A smirk grew on her face.

Yeah. This was fun.

No wonder Uni liked guns.

Part 27

If she could assign a class or archetype for herself, it would be a rogue. Sneaking, thieving, and a little bit of slyness were the primary weapons for a foxy gal like Neptune. A fox in rabbit's clothing, as they say.

For real.

She's gotten used to the playboy outfit it was like a second skin to her. Oh well, Uni had let it slip beneath her breath that it looked hot on her thinking she wouldn't hear, but those ears were useful for more things other than hearing the satisfying thud of a ramen bowl being placed in front of her. She broke her chopsticks and proceeded to devour the heavenly umami.

The ramen house was still open this late. It actually felt pretty festive. People were coming in droves either for the ramen house or surrounding food courts. The night sky lit up by fireworks and torches, the sounds flooded with chants, singing, and music. This probably wasn't normal for a ramen house that seemed only to be able to house a handful of customers. The boom in business was due to the riots, and this stand took place right at the very edge of it. Neptune could turn around and witness the growing numbers, but who cares when there's a delicious bowl of noodles dying to be slurped?

She sat the bowl down after forcing down all its contents into her belly. "Golly, Mister. You sure know how to stretch and strain an eggy dough into a savoury ocean of chicken soup."

The ramen cook burst into laughter. "No one in the city is a better chef than yours truly." He turned around and gazed upon his cooking utensils, from his pots to his strainers, and to his ingredients. "My technique had been passed down from my father and his father and his father's father and his father's mother's cousin and his—…"

Neptune slipped away and into the nearest shopping alley. Was it a bit delinquent of her to leave without paying? Yeah, probably, but does it matter? It's not like they're real, it's not like this city is real. There won't be any long-term consequences if she does something less than ideal in the midst of this world's ongoing society. Was that a messed up way of thinking? Yeah, probably, but does it matter? The evil route is always the more fun route. Boy, it would be embarrassing if Nepgear or the others would discover this nasty side of her, but that's what makes it fun, right?

I never asked, but I wonder if Uni knew this was all a game already? That being said, I wonder how she and Noire are doing? And where's Nepgear and small me?

She shrugged. They'll be fine, she thought. Let's have some fun. Strapped around each side of her head and across her forehead was a strap of metal, a nifty piece of technology. She tapped the side of her head where it end and a visor appeared from beneath and covered her eyes. A visor. A mobile, wearable computer and also a futuristic fashion statement one can buy at the nearest tech store. Fortunately, Neptune didn't have to pay anything for it, because why pay when you can get it for free? A convincing line and a little tongue action along with a very playful hug can catch anyone off guard. Especially with a blunt strike to the head. That usually does the trick.

Yeah, it was fun all right. She licked her lips. The taste of umami still lingered.

Numbers and words appeared within her peripheral vision like a computer booting up. After identifying Neptune as its rightful owner, it started scanning her surroundings. Data appeared explaining any and all objects in her vision. Such as a person's name, date of birth, occupation, or a point of interest's history, etc. Anything and everything that would and wouldn't appear on an omniscient encyclopedia of the universe. Or at least, everything that was inside the city's database, and there was a lot — more than a comfortable amount.

It was a useful little tool. It was like a self-help touring device. Neptune used it to discover new restaurants and stores and the like. She found a toy store with pirates, monkeys, and rubber chickens with a pulley in the middle, but she slapped her cheeks and reminded herself she had a job to do. She had to find the rest of the gang and hope they're safe.

She entered what looked to be an abandoned apartment. The windows were boarded, the bricks were losing their color, the floors had years of wear and tear. The latter was an understatement. Some of the floors on each floor had large gaps she had to shimmy along the side to get across.

There were footsteps on the floor above her. She peeked around the corner and saw a man with a shotgun drop down a hole from the floor above. Must be a guard, she thought. Easy enough. When the guard wasn't looking, Neptune simply sneaked up to him and knocked him out from behind. One hit K.O. She picked up the futuristic-looking shotgun and carried it on her shoulder.

"It's not my cup of tea, but it'll do for now."

There was one particular room she wanted to get to. It was unlocked, and she entered it nonchalantly with an "anybody hooome~?" while swinging her gun in circles. A man in a dark hoodie was in the corner with stacks of suitcases around him and on top of the bed.

"And what would a little lady like you be doing here?" the shady man said, an eyebrow peeking over his dark shades.

"Thought you'd have something I'd be interested in."

"And what would that be exactly?" He looked at the shotgun Neptune was waving around. "I just might have what you're looking for, but it'll cost ya."

"Shoot."

The man opened up a few of his suitcases for Neptune to peruse through. All the latest military weaponry from EMP rocket launchers to remote control mortar drones to gravity manipulation rifles. However, there was only one thing she was interested in. A set of dual pistols.

"This is my type of flavor," she said.

"Interesting choice. Oldschool, I like that. It may not be the most advanced in my inventory, but just like everything else, there's a hefty price."

"This shotgun any good?"

The man took a close inspection of the weapon. "A mighty fine pump this one is. It's a pretty standard heater for a good reason. Some signs of juice on it, too. You a mean killer. I like that." The man huffed. "I'm not sure why you'd want to trade in this bull for these, but if you're fine with that, I'm fine with it, too. Just don't regret it later, because I won't."

"You don't have to worry about me," Neptune said as she spun one of the pistols around her finger and aimed it straight at the man's head. "I'm the kind of gal that never looks back."

The man grinned as if he couldn't imagine the stupidity he's witnessing in front of his very own eyes. "That's good, but maybe at times you really should."

It was a clever line, Neptune admitted, but the man was unaware of how meaningless his words were at that moment. His expected surprise didn't come bursting through the door to save him. He was confused; he was growing scared. He looked down at the shotgun in his hands, possibly take this matter into his own hands, but as he wipes his fingers across the red markings, he realized it was fresh.

Fresh blood.

And that was that. You know that feeling when you're playing an RPG, and you finally get a set of armor and weapons that make you feel you're finally able to progress smoothly? It was like that. She felt complete. All she was missing were her handy dandy notebook and Croisty, but they're safe and sound in Lastation's basilicom, so there's no need to worry. For now, it's time to set sail and look for the whereabouts of her friends.

That was the main quest, after all.

Part 28

Nepgear dried her head off with a plush towel. "It's getting a little late, isn't it? No, wait, it's always this late." She bonked her own head with her knuckles. It's always night time in this city. For the past couple months it's been like this. The night never leaves and the day never comes to take a peek. This never-ending night-cycle — how to explain the feeling? At times it can be depressing, but also quite mellow. It has that surge of excitement, festive atmosphere, but at the same time, it becomes clearly chaotic. It's unpredictable, but also constant. Was she or was she not getting used to this place? Who knows, she was probably becoming weirder and weirder by the minute. It made her giggle.

If going by the amount of time passed, it should be near bedtime. She wasn't tired, however. So many things happened today, one of them being meeting up with her best friend, Uni, after so long. It's been months since she had seen anyone since the game started, but she wasn't too worried because she knew they would meet up again soon. She'll be able to see her sister's cute and pudgy cheeks again.

It was weird to think about. Maybe the environment was getting to her, but it felt rather nostalgic. Thinking about her friends, her sister, Gamindustri. Only a couple months, but after all that has happened, it felt like ages. She wondered what Neptune was up to. Noire and big Neptune as well. Hopefully there will be enough time for her and Uni to talk before bed. She really wanted to know what everyone had been up to. She wondered what she'd be doing right now if she hadn't run into Lacoste so early on.

She had landed in a sandbox at a park in the middle of the city. There weren't many kids around, most of them were either busy playing on the pavement or heading out, so no one spotted the out-of-place character popping out of nowhere. As she surveyed her surroundings, her eyes widened as they were overfilled with stars. Cars. Flying cars. State-of-the-art electronic stores. This city was cyberpunk heaven, and it was scratching the deepest nook and crannies within Nepgear's fantasies. She was looking up at the cars passing by in the sky, feeling as if she were about to fall into them. Stepping backwards, she moved towards a vertical tire swing, but as she tried to take a seat, something had entered her skirt which caused her to jump.

"Hey hey hey, put your blinkers on."

"Neptune…!"

Neptune had somehow gotten herself stuck inside the tire swing. Whether that's how she was since the beginning, or she somehow fell inside while playing around, she wasn't sure, and Neptune probably wouldn't have known either, assuming she was willing to tell it to her straight. Either way, it was an adorable sight.

After spending a few minutes helping Neptune plop out of the swing, they went forth and ventured around the city, seeing the sights, the people, the technology, and anything else that caught their interest. They weren't in a hurry, because they knew the circumstances of their situation. They were stuck in another of one of Lacoste's "worlds". They weren't sure what got Lacoste worked up this time, but what they do know is this place is a lot more sophisticated than before.

"Goodness, this city is gigantic. Do you think this is based off Lacoste's nation?"

"Who knows? Some parts of the city kinda remind me of Lastation, but even more super futuristic."

"Now that you mention it, this place really does seem like a more advanced Lastation. I wonder how Uni is?"

"Uni's Uni. I bet she's fine. She's Noire's little sister after all."

"I guess so. Speaking of which, I hope Noire is okay, too. Right, Neptune? …Neptune?"

Neptune turned to face Nepgear and took a step back toward the end of the pavement, the rest of the city a far drop down below. "I'm sorry, Nepgear, but I just can't take it anymore. Goodbye." Before Nepgear could react, Neptune leaned back and disappeared below the edge.

It was quick. Too quick for Nepgear to register what just happened. She knew this was the moment she was supposed to be absolutely devastated, but her brain was trying to calculate the steps needed to set her emotions in the right path.

Neptune rose over the edge, floating for just a moment before stepping back onto the pavement. "Woo-hoo~."

But nothing else mattered anymore once Nepgear saw her sister was okay. "Neptune…!" she cried as she ran towards Neptune for a hug.

"You should try it, Nepgear." She walked off the edge once again while holding onto Nepgear's hand. They fell, but not so much as they were falling, but it was as if they were being gently lowered down by the bright particle effects surrounding them until they reached the bottom. "They have these cool platforms instead of stairs and elevators. We gotta tell Histy about implementing them around Planeptune."

Soon after that, they reached the part of the city where the riots took place. They had found out information on those orchestrating the violence, and Neptune decided to be the main protagonist that she is and show them who's boss, but Nepgear caught something at the corner of her eye. She could have sworn she saw a girl who looked strikingly look like Lacoste, but when she figured it probably wasn't her, she turned her focused back at Neptune, but before she knew it, Neptune was gone. That was the last time she had seen her.

The white walls of the building's interior separated, revealing a marvelous view of the city's landscape, the silhouettes of vehicles in various shapes and sizes flying across the night sky like well-trained fireflies. The floor beneath her feet moved forward until she was outside of the building.

"It's a nice view," a voice came from behind.

"Oh, Lacoste, so this was you."

Lacoste's distaff was enveloped in a light and shrunk itself to the size of a key, hooking it onto a black string and looping it around her neck. She then joined Nepgear onto the balcony and leaned against the railing, staring out into the city.

"It's beautiful," Nepgear said.

"I'm surprised myself it turned out this good."

"At this point, I don't think there's anything you can't do."

"Does it still hurt?"

Nepgear held the back of her neck. "Not really," she said, leaning against the railing with her back towards the city. "I can still feel it there, but it hasn't bothered me for awhile."

"I see. That's good."

"Will it be gone when we're back in Gamindustri?"

"I don't know."

Nepgear looked everywhere for Neptune. The shops, the streets, the alleyways. She was nowhere in sight, and her heart was beating faster and faster the more she found herself to be lost. She had no idea where she was and no clue where to go next. She was left wandering the unknown parts of the city until she caught sight of the same girl she saw earlier before losing Neptune.

She had no leads to where Neptune could be, so she decided to follow the girl without being seen. After a while of following — goodness, she felt like a stalker — they ended up in the middle of a large, open area with nothing but a smooth pavement as a foundation for what would become the city's headquarters.

Hiding behind one of the lamp posts, Nepgear could barely hear Lacoste's trembling voice reach her ears.

"Just let me do it," she said. "I don't need your help, please, let me do it."

Each of her steps was an attempt at trying not to fall over. Her hands moved in erratic, unpredictable patterns as they moved from her arms, her waist, and her head. Something was truly troubling her, so Nepgear did what was natural for her to do. She walked towards Lacoste and said her name.

"Lacoste."

"Yes?"

Nepgear blinked and realized she was standing in front of the door to Xyzzy's room. Uni had gone out for some business and just now returned. Nepgear wanted to spend some time before they went to bed.

"Oh— O-oh!" Nepgear said in surprise at the sight of a robot standing next to her with a tray of pastries in its hands. Macarons, cinnamon buns, and even tea. Lacoste appeared from behind. "I didn't know you could bake. You sure made a lot."

"Is it a lot?" Lacoste whined under her breath. "I wasn't sure how much to make. I just wanted to talk to Uni for a bit and apologize."

"I'm sure Uni would love it, but you don't have to keep apologizing."

"No, there's no way I can't apologize. To Uni, to Noire, Neptune, everyone."

"No one will hold a grudge against you. You didn't mean to hurt anyone."

Lacoste stared at the food in silence. She couldn't accept Nepgear's words. It just wasn't in her. "You're the one I should be apologizing to the most."

Nepgear rubbed the back of her neck, the slight touch of her own fingers made her spine tingle. She knew Lacoste wouldn't let up. There probably wasn't anything she could say to change her mind. Lacoste was determined to do whatever it took to repent her mistakes, no matter how many times she'll be forgiven, because in her heart, those sins would last forever like a scar.

"Is it all right if I speak with Uni alone?" Lacoste said nervously. "You can come in later. I might have made too much now that I think about it."

"I'd love to," Nepgear nodded.

She turned and headed off for a little walk, leaving Lacoste alone to fend herself in her lonely war. It was even a minute before Nepgear heard a crash and a scream.

Nepgear didn't even give time to think about it. Her brain didn't even register a single thought until after she started sprinting down the hallway back to Xyzzy's room. Every ounce of her energy was pushing her legs as hard as her heart was pounding out of her chest. What was that explosion all about? That scream? Is Uni okay? What about Lacoste? Did Lacoste do anything to Uni?

No. No, why did that thought even come up? She would never doubt a friend or Lacoste, so why did that thought ever pop up in her mind?

Xyzzy's door and the surrounding wall blown and was taken place by a large smoking hole.

"Uni!" Nepgear screamed.

But just as she was about to reach what was once Xyzzy's room, an unfamiliar person rushed out, her breath just as hard as heavy as her own and her eyes shot red. For a split second, Nepgear looked passed the woman and spotted Uni unconscious through the smoke, so she screamed her name once more, but before she could let out even a peep, the woman reached for Nepgear and wrapped her arm around her neck, holding her from behind as a hostage.

Nepgear's knees started to tremble. But they weren't trembling because she was someone's hostage. It was the ominous aura she could sense seeping through the other side of the wall. With each step on broken debris and dust, Lacoste walked through the smoke and into the hallway like a ghostly figure emerging from the shadows.

Nepgear wasn't scared of the person who was holding her. There was no way she could be afraid of someone whose own trembling body was making her shake more than her own fear.

But it was still a scary situation that had scarred, not just once, but for the second time, deep into Nepgear's conscious. And the first time was the most painful way possible.

Those eyes.

Those golden, burning eyes.

Nepgear could feel those eyes searing the back of her neck, reminding her of the permanent mark that now forever desecrated her skin. What she also noticed, however, was that that was the only thing she felt.

It took her a moment to remember.

The mysterious woman was already gone.

Part 29

Okay, admittedly, there were too many distractions. The hotel manager's daughter needed assistance on cracking down a suspicious dealing going on in one of the rooms. An illegal arms merchant was hiding in the subway station after reports of several citizens waking up without their augmented limbs attached. A local gang needed to break out one of their boys from prison and steal a few secret documents about powerful weaponry along the way. So many things to do, and so much time to spend. Neptune was a thorough gal.

She walked out of the medical facility as cool as an iceberg and as collective as her bug book. She reached in the pocket of her new coat she so happened to pick up in one of her missions — playboy outfits aren't good at keeping you warm, and widows are pretty fashionable — and inspected her loot. A few miscellaneous trinkets she thought looked cool, a military dog tag, and a few quick-healing medkits. Nifty. Along with other equipment she picked up along the way during her side-questing exploits, she was good to go.

If nothing else of interest comes up any time soon, then if anything, she's good to go. Well, she was good to go from the start, but it's hard to focus on the main story when you have so many little things to do. It was a relatable dilemma, surely.

The tall building indicating the main capitol building of the city, that was her next destination. There wasn't much to go on, but it looked promising enough. Her gut was never wrong. Except when it came to all-you-can-eat buffets — maybe the ramen cook really was the best chef in the city.

Think there'll be a moral realignment side quest?

Wait, stop, focus. You're running out of non-existent time. Noire and the others are probably in trouble and need rescuing before the unspeakable happens to them. She needed to get there, and as soon as possible, just in case the "unspeakable" was something worth watching.

But she also didn't want to be upstaged by some old man.

The elderly man had shot a zipline from the top of a satellite tower to the roof of the main building and slid down like a professional. It was fascinating to see. The real question, however, is how someone someone who looked like they could break a hip could be so athletic enough to do such a heart-pounding feat? How did he even get up there in the first place? Did he climb all the way up there? Doesn't seem to be any ladders. Is it possible he teleported? That would be radical, but there are no hints of magic or technomancy in this world, and if he really did teleport up there, there should be a teleportation pad which would make no sense unless he put it up there already. Maybe he got up there with a flying car? Or helicopter? Perhaps the most possible, probably. Nah, there's no vehicle nearby. Maybe this city is filled with zip lines connecting different parts of the city as another way of transportation. That would definitely fit with the ongoing open-world theme this game's got going on, and admittedly, to her chagrin, no true gamer ever looks up for no reason while playing video games.

Oh, look, a jump pad. Neat.

Holding onto each end of her coat, it almost felt as if her playboy suit would tear apart as she sliced through the cold air at high speeds, ziplining down towards the smaller center building of the headquarters. However, she had other plans as she was near the end. The old man on the roof was inspecting his backpack and what was most eye catching about it were the weapons he lugged around. From shotguns to rifles to gatling guns to rocket launchers to straps of dynamite, he was a walking terminating machine.

And Neptune wanted in.

Instead of landing properly on her feet, she took her aim and let go, flinging herself towards the old man. It was going to be quick, quick enough that even Neptune wouldn't be able to process it until after her foot has already made contact.

Too slow.

He grabbed her ankle and used her momentum to swing her to the other side, her back to the wall, hidden from the light behind the taller building. Neptune, agile as a cat, spun and flipped until she was back on her feet. She smirked. This was getting fun. "You didn't look the type to be so strong."

"Were you watching this whole time?"

"Maybe." She flung her pistols around in the air. "You're much bigger up close. Those guns are pretty big, too."

The old man lifted his rocket launcher on his shoulder. "I have business to do here."

"Oh, what a coincidence. Me too. What I want to know is if you're the sub-boss, or my next mule— I mean, party member."

"I've always worked alone."

"Yeah, me too."

They stared at each other for a moment. A moment that lasted longer than the cold breeze rushing through the rooftops, and the leaves blowing across the sky, twirling in the air, and flying off to the distance to who-knows-where.

Neptune tossed five magazines filled with explosive rounds in front of her. The man fired.

With a single swing of her arm, Neptune fired every single clip from each of the magazines.

Every shot hit its target, but the man brushed it off as if he was an iron wall.

Neptune jumped forward, sidestepping the missile, but once she thought it should have exploded by now, she looked behind her and realized the missile had ricocheted off the ground and wall and was now near her face, and before her feet could touch the ground, the blast sent her flying. Her body bounced and spun until she skid to a stop, parts of her leather bunny suit torn and scorched.

"You are surprisingly skilled," the man said, his steps coming closer and closer. "The last time I fought a young woman as dangerous as you were when they used to train super soldiers."

Neptune lifted her head like a million bricks on her neck. "I had my fair share of training here and there," she said as she looked down the holes of a double-barrel shotgun. "I had a lot of time on my hands."

The old man tensed his finger on the trigger, but after one closer look, his eyes widen. "…Neptune?"

"You shouldn't let your guard down." She rolled over to the side, and a number of small sticks rolled out from her cleavage.

Sparks were coming out of the ends of each stick.

Neptune and the old man looked at each other for a brief moment, an awkward laugh coming out of both of them.

Then the massive explosion dulled their senses.

Part 30

The explosion made a number on the smaller building's rooftop, destroying it almost entirely while also blowing a large hole in the side of the taller building next to it. Through it, the white hallway, now dirtied by the debris being blown around by the wind, was the only place to get away from the smoke.

Neptune, sitting against a pile of rubble trying to trick her mind into thinking it was as soft as a pillow, tapped on a yellow LED light on her collar until it turned blue. Cuts, scars, burns, and other blemishes on her skin instantly faded away. She took a deep breath and a relieving sigh.

"It's so convenient having automatic health regeneration."

A bit further down the hall was the large bear of a man, scars and burn marks all over his body, stabbing himself with numerous syringes on his pecs and his forearms, both of which may be as big as Neptune's torso, and then proceeded to wrap himself up with bandages.

"That's such a freaky image," Neptune said.

"It gets the job done," he said. "Always reliable."

They spent the rest of the time patching up and waiting for their strength to rejuvenate. At first, it was merely a temporary ceasefire, but the more they conversed, it became mutual respect into a growing friendship. It was weird, Neptune thought, to befriend such a bear of a man, but why complain at this point? He was an ally now and a useful one at that.

Further down the hallway came the sounds of erratic clanking from mechanical parts. Perhaps a couple or so loose screws bouncing around some spinning gears? A robot appeared walking down the hallway, body stiff like a man tied to a stake save for his arms and legs, spouting out scripted lines such as, "how may I assist you, master?", without pause. The closer it was and the more repetitive its lines and the jankier its movements, there was a slight possibility that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't actually looking forward to assisting its guests.

Neptune shot its head clean off, and after a slight pause, the rest of the robot's body exploded into a massive fire. With just enough anticipation, Neptune and the man had already made their move and ran as fast as they could to one end of the hallway. They turned the corner before the explosion completely engulfed the hall with enough force behind it to shake the man off-balance while blowing Neptune off her feet and bouncing across the floor.

"That's smart," she groaned as she tried to push her upper body off the floor.

She then heard the oo-ah-ahs of a monkey coming from even further down the hallway. She looked up. Standing in the middle was a monkey with reddish fur, but the most peculiar aspect of it was its brain sitting atop of its head — the top half of its head completely chopped off.

Her eyes met with its eyes, and after a moment of pause, a flash of light formed in front of the monkey's brain and a ball of what seemed to be of psionic energy shot forward.

The man grabbed Neptune and pulled her to the side, out of the way of the projection's trajectory, and then blasted the monkey into bits in ways Neptune wish she could unsee. Monkeys are cute. Okay, well, that monkey wasn't cute, but then the point still stands.

However, during the split second of the monkey being turned into spilled pudding, it managed to release a cry like a balloon makes when it pops — for monkeys. And from the shadows echoed even more monkeys. At first, only a couple had appeared. But after a few seconds, their numbers multiplied. More and more started to materialize from the darkness, and as if their situation wasn't troubling enough, the faint sounds of mechanical steps and polite salutations came from behind and just around the corner.

They were trapped.

"This outfit doesn't give me much inventory space for ammo," she said.

"I feel like a young man again." The man dropped his bag, letting it hit the floor like a boulder. "This is nothing."

"Careful," Neptune reloaded her pistols, "I'm not sure if friendly fire is off."

"Not a problem." He grabbed Neptune once again and fired his shotgun, blasting open a nearby vent cover above them and tossing her through it. "Leave this to me. You just find a way through."

"I-I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking for," she said, but perhaps it was best not to say that out loud. He probably wouldn't hear anyway over the sounds of explosions, gunfire, and energy beams.

Once she reached the end, she shot open the vents and fell head first through the opening, her arms and legs numb from crawling through the cramped space. She rubbed her head and scanned the room. Containers of various chemicals surrounded all over her. Sodium, iridium, copper, and such. Must be a pretty outdated laboratory, because the newly discovered Nepunium was nowhere in sight.

Through the window, monkeys filled the hallway like a swarm of spiders in a pipe, jumping and climbing on the walls. They were likely on their way to the old man. She had confidence due to the role he served in this game, but the monkeys kept multiplying to the point she couldn't see anything out the window but furry little creatures. Her heart stopped the moment one of the primates spotted her and, telepathically, commanded the rest of the monkeys to start bashing the window.

She held one of the grenades she had taken from the man's bag. It wasn't going to be enough. Even if each grenade took out the most amount of monkeys possible, there would probably be even more to enact their revenge. She needed more, but how?

She took one of the containers filled with nitroglycerin and one with sodium, holding them and the grenade in her arms as she looked around for additional items.

"What do I need to make a giant boom? I should probably just put everything up to the window, toss a grenade, and see what happens."

A giant explosion caused the whole place to shake, some of the chemicals falling off the shelves.

"Are you okay?" she yelled towards the vents. More gunfire meant he was okay.

Okay. Back to business. She just has to set this complex-looking explosive device next to the window and detonate it.

Wait a minute.

Where did this come from? She was just holding a couple containers, and they disappeared. Even the grenade is gone.

…Ohhhh. So this is what's going on.

Croisty is a pro at these. Too bad she's back in Lastation.

The plan was set and clear, so she went around grabbing various chemicals and mashing them together with a grenade until they magically became the same explosive device she made earlier. She stacked them up against the window, sections of it already cracking and parts of the metal walls bending to conform to the overpopulated hallway.

Neptune gave herself some room and took a deep breath, imagining herself flying above the clouds, a warm light kissing her skin. Once her heart calmed down to a steady beat, she aimed her pistol at one of the devices, and just as fast as the bang came from her gun, so did the light that filled her eyes until all went black.

"Wake up," a voice echoed from the darkness. "Wake up."

Neptune opened her eyes to a blurred image of the man's face.

"You're okay," the man said in relief.

"Auto-regen shield…" She coughed and manage a wry smile. "Gets the job done, but… not so reliable."

The man chuckled at how the girl was still able to crack at humor in the condition she was in. All they needed was a bit of time, and Neptune would be as healthy as ever, but that was one thing that wasn't on their side. He took out a syringe and a couple of bandages and patched her up.

"I'm exhausted," Neptune said. "You don't mind carrying me, do you?"

"It wouldn't be the first time I had to carry a team member on my back."

"Hey, I'm the party leader here."

The man picked her up and carried her in his bed-sized arms as she closed her eyes and rested, trying her best to block out the sounds of blood and guts as he walked out of the room and down the hallway.

Part 31

Lacoste had just finished taking care of Uni. She had found her lying unconscious in the middle of Xyzzy's room, her neck smashed and only lucky enough to be on the brink of death. After doing everything she could to save her, Uni was now resting peacefully in one of the bedrooms she made for her.

She waited in the hallway, her back towards the door leading to Xyzzy's room. Nepgear was still inside fixing up the place and repairing the damages inflicted to Xyzzy's mainframe.

Everything else was easily repaired with just a snap of Lacoste's fingers.

Assuming she knew how to snap her fingers.

The repairs were easy, okay?

The door opened, and she turned around to see Nepgear walk out and close it behind her. The smile on her face made Lacoste feel relieved, but at the same time, a ping of remorse nagged inside her.

Nepgear said with a cheeky grin, "Don't say you're sorry."

"That's not fair."

"I'm sorry."

"That's so not fair."

But she was happy to see Nepgear the same as usual. What an anomaly this CPU Candidate turned out to be, but her personality was a haven and a curse for Lacoste's heart.

"Xyzzy is up and running," Nepgear said. "I even made a few tweaks and optimizations. Would you like to check up on him?"

"If you say he's fine, he's fine. Besides, unlike you guys, even if Xyzzy's mainframe gets destroyed, he's still kickin' it in the real world."

"That's a relief. Uni is okay, too, I take it?"

"Yeah." Lacoste took the key from her neck and transformed it into her distaff. "Yeah, she's okay."

"Does that mean she has… that now, too?"

Lacoste nodded. "Yeah. Oh, the rest of the group are on their way here. We should get going—"

"Who were they? Who were those guys who attacked Uni? Are they part of the game? What's going on?"

Nepgear kept throwing questions, and to Lacoste, they were like rocks. She turned away, digging her shoulders into the sides of her head. What could she say to put things back into her control? What words will satisfy Nepgear's curiosity and calm her worries? Of all the possible dialogue options she could think of, none of them were satisfactory for her. As if making this game wasn't hard enough, unexpected circumstances had to show themselves.

"I took care of it, and they're not going to show up anymore."

"They're not part of this game, were they?"

Lacoste bit her lip. "Everything's going to be running smoothly from now on."

"Who were they?"

Lacoste turned her head towards Nepgear, but in an attempt to just take a small peek before looking away, Nepgear's eyes pulled her back in. She couldn't avoid it anymore.

"I don't know how they got here, but they're from my nation. A rebel group who call themselves Bit-rate."

"W-What are we going to do?" Nepgear's voice grew more worrisome.

"Come on," Lacoste said in an uplifting tone, "there's nothing to worry about anymore, right? I took care of them; they're gone, we can continue playing."

"There's more of them, right? Maybe not in this world, but if they somehow managed to get here the first time, that means they're able to do it again, right?"

Lacoste shook her head, but then reluctantly thought about how plausible the idea was. "I have no idea how they got here, but if anything, it's clear they're after me."

"But why? Is it just because you're the CPU? There has to be more to it than that."

"I can think of a few reasons, but I'm more interested in how they got in here in the first place. It should be impossible. It's my own private little world, after all. Unless…" Her eyes widen.

"Lacoste? What's the matter?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Nepgear, I'm… I'm really sorry for everything. For you, for Uni, for everyone else. I shouldn't have dragged you all into my foolish games. Just, please, could you find it in yourself to just focus on the game and leave what just happened to me."

Nepgear stared blankly into Lacoste's eyes for a moment. "No," she said. "No, I will not. They almost killed Uni. The moment they hurt her, that's when this became my business, too. I will never let anyone hurt any of my friends and get away with it."

Lacoste sighed. "I figured you'd say that." She then giggled in resignation. "I guess I can't stop you, but it's true, I'd do the same thing if I were you."

"And it's because you're my friend, too."

Lacoste looked away, bouncing her head in embarrassment. "So, that's how it is. But, those were the only ones here, I can guarantee you that. I've let my guard down, but no one's coming in and out without Xyzzy and me noticing. So, let's focus on the game now, shall we?"

"But, it's possible that they know you're exact location and they're in Lastation right now, right? We haven't heard from the other CPUs or Histy in awhile, so none of us knows what's going on in Gamindustri while we've been gone. Don't you think we should, you know, put the game on hold for now?"

Put the game on hold?

That wasn't a bad idea, actually. If we're talking about not just the CPU's safety, but of their nations as well, it would be best to end the game, return to Gamindustri, and make sure Bit-rate wouldn't be able to bother them anymore. Hopefully, assuming they really have made it all the way to Gamindustri somehow, they haven't done anything to disrupt the peace.

But… did they have to stop now? I mean, sure, maybe just a small break would be good once in a while, but it took so much effort just to make all this happen, you know? The setting, the atmosphere, the goal, everything that made all this so totally cool, right? It wasn't easy, you know, especially since Lacoste was still inexperienced at making epic campaigns. It would be regretful having to stop it all, and it's not like that's a big problem or anything, but Nepgear, she was having fun with all this, too, right? But, if that were the case, why didn't she sound regretful herself? Did she not want to continue playing? She probably didn't mean to offend, obviously, but it was just so disappointing, especially since those words came out of her sweet mouth, each word vibrating inside her throat.

"L-Lacoste… I… c-can't… breathe…"

Words strained with pain snapped Lacoste back into reality. What happened to Nepgear? Why does she sound so hurt? Those questions were answered when Nepgear clenching onto Lacoste's wrists, and when Lacoste realized what she was doing, she jumped back, pulling her hand away and freeing Nepgear's neck from her vice-grip.

Nepgear collapsed on her knees, and Lacoste went down on hers. This was the second time. She was reminded of what she did to Nepgear back when Nepgear first spotted her soon after the game started. She promised herself not to have that happened again, but she failed to suppress herself.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She hit her forehead with her distaff with each apology as if that were enough to repent her sins. "I-I promise, I'll take you all home, all home, but… it has to be after the game ends. I don't- I don't- Please. Once the game finishes, I'll tell you everything, everything you want to know. Just- I know, you probably have a hard time trusting me, and there's no way you can forgive me, but please, please, I promise I'll tell you everything."

Nepgear rubbed her neck and coughed to clear her throat. "I believe you," Nepgear said, wiping a tear from her eye. "I said you're my friend, remember? I know you're a good person and you have your reasons. Remember what happened last time? Neptune forgave you and stood by your side, and if I want to be a great CPU like her one day, I can't just give up on someone in need."

"…But you're hurt… and Uni…"

"I would have been the first person to refuse." Nepgear swept her hair to the side and rubbed long, thick, and coarse scar that ran along the back of her neck. "But, I didn't. Uni hadn't left either, and I'm sure she picked it up by now, because out of all of us here, you're the one who's in the most pain. Whatever it is, I want to find out what, so I and the rest of us can be able to help you. It's what a true CPU would do, but it's not just that. It's what a true friend would do, and that's why Neptune and I, and everyone else, will be with you until the end."

Nepgear scratched her chin and giggled. "I know, you probably have a hard time trusting me after all that, but that's how it is, and that's the truth."

Lacoste just stared in disbelief. Her eyes wandered to Nepgear's eyes, her cheeks, her hair, her shoulders, her chest, her legs, her hands, her feet. This girl was real, right? If it wasn't bad enough that this was the second time she had forced her to partake in her games, but she had almost ended her life for the second time and Uni's as well. And yet, here she was, forgiving her for the sake of friendship. Is that even possible?

"…You won't leave me?"

Nepgear tilted her head. "Why would I do that?"

This… dumb… idiot. But, that made Lacoste happy. Neptune chose to stay by her side, and now so did Nepgear. This feeling of happiness. She hadn't felt this way in a long time, and she was hoping this feeling she could relish in it for a while longer before the dreaded day she would forget it all over again. So, she swallowed her tears, got on her feet and helped Nepgear up, raised her distaff and tapped the bottom part to the floor. The empty wall behind them split apart, and the area became a large open space.

It was mind-blowing to Nepgear because the movement of the building didn't seem logical, like reality had to make a few exceptions for what she was seeing actually to be happening in front of her.

"Goodness," Nepgear said in awe. "That distaff can really do anything."

Lacoste thought about it for a second, and she was proud of her most valuable possession, but something about the word "anything" seemed to pain her inside.

"I honestly can't imagine living without it."

"How did you come across it?"

"That… is a good question."

Lost in thought, only to snap out of it in time before running into a control panel rising from the ground. She pressed a couple of buttons, pulled a few switches — she wasn't really sure what she was doing — and then held her finger over a large red button.

"Nepgear," Lacoste said. "You've had fun so far, right?"

"I never really got the chance to feel bored now have I?"

Lacoste smiled and laughed to herself. There was hesitation, a feeling of uneasiness, regret, something telling her that she should have stopped this now, perhaps a long time ago, but Nepgear, whatever she is, whatever unexplainable power she possessed to put such a tranquil curse anyone in her proximity, Lacoste's heart found its purpose again.

"I want you to be the final boss."

"But aren't you the final boss?"

"...I mean the final boss before the final final boss."

Lacoste pressed down the button, and the whole building shook. Smoke came from below as the floor opened up, and behind the smoke was a shadow that grew larger and larger. Nepgear could barely make out what it was, and once she realized what was in store for her, it only made the stars in her eyes grow larger and larger along with it.

It made Lacoste really happy to see the look in Nepgear's eyes that she was having the greatest day of her life.

Nepgear is a sweet girl.

It's just a wonder of how long the universe decides to turn a girl like her inside out.

She wouldn't be the last, and Lacoste knew very well, she wasn't the first.