Neptunia Heart Souls- CHAPTER 76

 The following morning Neptune, Nepgear, Vert and Marvy headed downstairs. Neptune wore a determined look in her eyes which caught everyone off guard. “You must really want to know why Sam wants these monsters killed, huh?” Nepgear asked, folding her hands together behind her and bending slightly forward to talk in Neptune’s ear.

“Yep! It’s been bothering me ever since he gave us that list and I demand to know the truth!” Neptune said.

When the girls reached the bottom landing of the stairs they turned their eyes towards Sam, but were surprised to see the man wasn’t there. “Where’s Sam?” Neptune asked, making her way towards the counter.

Jane looked up from her work. “He didn’t stay for breakfast this morning. I think I might have really upset him yesterday.” Said Jane.

“Well if you talk to him tell him to get his hopes up! Were going to kill the last two monsters on his list.” Neptune said, as she took a seat at the counter.

Jane smiled warmly at Neptune before she placed a bowl of oatmeal down in front of her. “Sorry, but I don’t have anything fancy for you this morning.” Jane said, sighing deeply. “To be honest. I’ve been running out of food for a while now.”

“Oh…” Neptune said, looking down at her meal.

“Oh no!” Jane said, shaking her head. “I don’t mean personally. I have plenty of food for myself. Just food for the restaurant.”

“Still…” Nepgear began.

Jane shook her head once more. “No. I promise you. It’s fine.” Said Jane. “I’ve been thinking about closing down this restaurant for a while now. This town is dying. Hardly anyone is living here anymore. At this point, I feel kind of crazy for keeping it open.”

Neptune shook her head. “You’re not crazy.”

“She’s right.” Said Vert. “I don’t blame you for holding on as long as you could.” Vert took a seat next to Neptune, Nepgear took a seat on her other side and Marvy sat down next to Nepgear.

“Thanks.” Jane said, as she placed a bowl of oatmeal down in front of the girls.

The girls quickly finished their breakfasts before they headed outside. “We’ll be back!” Neptune said, saluting.

“Be careful out there!” Jane said.

Once the girls were outside Nepgear pulled out her N-Gear and looked down at the screen. “Okay. The first monster we need to deal with is the Land Whale. It’s closer to this village then the Regulus.”

“Sounds good. Let’s do it!” Neptune said.

“Hold on.” Said Vert, tapping her lower lip thoughtfully. “I was thinking. In this case do we really need to go together? Why don’t we split up and deal with these monsters in groups? Nepgear and I will deal with the Land Whale, while Marvy and Neptune deal with the Regulus.” Vert offered.

“I’m okay with that.” Said Marvy.

“Sounds good! Let’s get this done quick then!” Neptune said.

Nepgear held out her N-Gear so that Neptune and Marvy could see where the Regulus was located. “Alright. I think I got it.” Marvy said, nodding. “Thanks Nepgear! Be safe you two!”

“You as well!” Nepgear said, before she holstered her N-Gear and started walking away with Vert.

“That was a good idea.” Said Neptune, jamming her hands into her parka’s pockets. “I’m surprised I didn’t come up with it myself.”

“To be honest. As easy as these monsters have been, I think we could have split up on the first day and took care of this quest immediately.” Said Marvy.

“Yeah, yeah. Better sorry then safe.” Said Neptune.

Marvy giggled. “I think you mean. Better safe then sorry.”

Neptune shook her head. “Nah. That doesn’t sound right. Whatever. Let’s get going Marvy! Time to work!”

“Okay. Though I’m a little surprised you were cool with Vert and Nepgear going off together.”

Neptune stopped in her tracks. “Wait a second… Why did I let them go off together?” Neptune turned on her heels and was about to chase after Nepgear, but Marvy stopped her. “Sorry Neptune. No time to go back. We have to find that Regulus and kill it.

“No! Nepgear!” Neptune cried, as Marvy dragged Neptune behind her.

***

“Uh Vert?” Nepgear began.

“Isn’t it nice that were hunting a monster together Nepgear?” Vert asked. “Especially in this weather. The sun’s shining bright, the air is warm. I have an idea! How about after we kill this monster, we have a picnic?”

“That sounds nice, but…” Nepgear looked down at her hand which Vert was holding onto. “Is it really safe to hold hands like this?”

“Why would it be unsafe for two sisters to hold hands?” Asked Vert.

Nepgear giggled nervously. “Sisters, huh?” She said. Nepgear held her N-Gear in her other hand. As they girls walked, Nepgear thought about her sister. “I hope Neptune and Marvy can find that Regulus. Marvy’s there, so I’m sure she can find it no problem.” Nepgear thought.

After a few more moments of walking, the girls found the Land Whale they were looking for. The Land Whale was a large monster that looked like a fish, that floated above the ground. The creature floated through the air like a bird.

“There it is.” Nepgear said, as she holstered her N-Gear. Nepgear tried to pull her hand away, but Vert refused to let it go. “Uh? Vert? We need to fight the Land Whale now?”

“Oh? Would you like me to let go of your hand?” Asked Vert. “I will if you call me big sister!”

“B-Big sister?” Nepgear muttered. “But… Neptune is my-” Before Nepgear could say another word, the giant Land Whale roared loudly as it flew at the two girls.

Vert pulled Nepgear close to her chest. “Whoa!” Nepgear cried, before she found herself face first between Vert’s breasts. The Land Whale flew past Nepgear and Vert, missing both girls by mere inches. Vert leapt backwards, carrying Nepgear with her. Once Vert’s feet touched the ground she looked angrily at the Land Whale.

“How dare you interrupt a loving moment between two sisters!” Vert said, before turning her eyes to Nepgear. “Are you alright dear? Did that nasty monster hurt you?”

“I’m okay.” Nepgear said, her cheeks were bright red.

“Good. Now let me deal with this monster.” Vert stepped around Nepgear and summoned her spear. After that she ran after the Land Whale. “Take this!” Vert cried, as she began stabbing the Land Whale in several different places.

The Land Whale roared angrily, as it suddenly turned. The creature slammed it’s tail into Vert’s body, knocking the girl backwards. Vert flipped through the air several times, before she slammed her feet into the ground and skidded to a halt. A smile appeared on Vert’s face. “Not bad.” She breathed.

“Vert? Are you okay?” Nepgear cried, as she summoned her energy sword.

“I’m fine Nepgear.” Said Vert. “This Land Whale is tougher than I thought it would be.”

“It’s okay. We can kill it together!” Nepgear said, as she aimed the tip of her energy sword at the monster.

Vert and Nepgear attacked the monster at the same time. Nepgear leaped into the air and swung her sword several times at the Land Whale. Once again the monster roared angrily and twirled in the air, but before it could slam it’s tail into Nepgear, Vert had landed on the creatures back and stabbed her spear into the creature’s tail.

“Thanks Vert!” Nepgear cried, as she landed on the whale and stabbed the creature’s back with her sword.

The Land Whale opened it’s maw wide, before it vanished in a flash of white light.

Nepgear and Vert landed on the ground below. “We did it!” Nepgear cheered.

Vert leapt at Nepgear and threw her arms around the girl’s body. “Yes we did! Nothing can stop us as long as were together Nepgear!” Vert said, cuddling close to Nepgear.

“Yeah…” Nepgear said, her cheeks grew bright red once more.

***

Neptune and Marvy walked side-by-side as they made their way to where the Regulus was supposed to be located. Neptune started humming once they left the village and now she was pretending to play a guitar.

“Do you know how to actually play a guitar?” Marvy asked.

“Nope, but I think I would look pretty cool with one.” Said Neptune, as she continued to strum the strings on her invisible guitar. “I know someone who plays. Maybe I’ll bug them and make them teach me.”

“Really? That’s neat. I don’t thing I know anyone who can play an instrument.” Said Marvy.

“They seem difficult. I think you’d have to have a good ear to play one.” Said Neptune, dropping her arms to her sides. “Anyways. Do you think Nepgear’s going to be okay? I’m worried she might get attacked or mauled.”

“Don’t worry. Nepgear’s pretty strong. I‘m sure she can deal with any monster herself.” Said Marvy.

“Monsters? No, I’m talking about Vert.” Said Neptune.

“Oh…” Marvy said, taken aback. “I’m sure Vert can control herself… somewhat.” Marvy’s voice went low.

“Huh?” Said Neptune.

“Nothing.” Said Marvy, shaking her head. “Anyways, we should be reaching the Regulus soon.

“Yeah. Let’s hurry and-” Neptune began.

“DAMMIT!” A voice echoed out from nearby.

“Come on!” Neptune cried, as she and Marvy started running. The two girls ran through a grove of trees and soon found themselves standing in front of a Regulus. This Regulus looked exactly like the last one that Neptune fought.

“Over there!” Marvy said, pointing to the left side of the clearing.

Neptune quickly spotted what Marvy was pointing out. Standing near the edge of the clearing was Sam. Sam had his laser rifle pointed at the Regulus. The man’s left shoulder was bleeding. “Uh oh. The old guy looks like he’s in trouble!” Neptune said.

“We better hurry!” Said Marvy.

“Right!” Neptune said, as she started running as fast as she could at Sam. As Neptune ran, she noticed that the Regulus looked like it was poised to attack. “Come on Neptune! HURRY!” Neptune leapt at Sam as fast as she could, but instead of grabbing him, instead she activated her barrier.

Just as the barrier appeared, the Regulus appeared in front of Neptune and swung it’s sword. The blade slammed into the barrier, causing sparks to shoot into the air.

“What are you doing here?!” Sam demanded.

“I could ask you the same thing!” Neptune said, as she struggled to keep standing. Even though the barrier wasn’t connected to Neptune, she could still feel the force of the Regulus. The machine was powerful and it threatened to drive her into the ground like a stake.

Just when Neptune thought she was going to lose her grip on her barrier, Marvy appeared and kicked the Regulus hard in the shoulder, sending the robot reeling away.

“Are you two okay?” Marvy asked, landing on the ground and unsheathing one of her katana.

“Uh… Give me a second.” Neptune said, as she deactivated her barrier and held her hand towards Sam.

Sam furrowed his brow. “I’m not holding hands with you.”

“Hehe… Your loss!” Neptune said. “HEAL!” The wound on Sam’s shoulder started to glow brightly, before it closed up. “How does that feel old man?” Neptune asked.

“Better. And I’m not old.” Said Sam.

“We’ll talk later, okay? Just go somewhere and hide for now grandpa.” Said Neptune, turning her eyes back towards the Regulus. “Let’s do this Marvy!”

“I’m ready!” Marvy said, and with those words the two girls charged at the Regulus as fast as they could. The moment Neptune and Marvy were close enough, they leapt at the robot and swung their swords.

The Regulus managed to block Marvy’s katana, but Neptune was able to cut into the robot’s chest, sending sparks flying into the air. The Regulus stumbled backwards, but managed to plant it’s feet into the ground. After that the robot readjusted his grip on his sword.

“Not bad, but were much better! Right Marvy?” Said Neptune.

“You know it!” Said Marvy, smiling.

After that, Neptune and Marvy leapt at the Regulus once more. The Regulus tried to knock the girls away, but they were much faster. They easily dodged the robot’s sword in mid-air, before they sliced through the robot’s body. After that the Regulus vanished in a bright white light.

“That does it!” Neptune said, happily. “Sam? Where are you?” Neptune cried.

“I’m here. I’m not deaf.” Sam said, gruffly.

Neptune turned to Sam and crossed her arms angrily in front of her. “Care to explain yourself?”

“No.” Said Sam. “I thought you and your friends decided to leave. I had to kill the last two monsters myself.”

“You killed the Land Whale?” Marvy asked.

Sam didn’t answer. Instead he made a growling noise under his breath. “Where’s your sister and the other one?” Sam asked.

“They took care of the Land Whale.” Said Neptune. “Seriously Sam. You’re an ancient old guy, you have to take care of yourself!”

“You keep making me older.” Said Sam, annoyed.

“And what would happen if you got really hurt? Or killed? Jane would suddenly have a really sad back story. As interesting as those are in games, no one wants one in real life. You should be ashamed.” Said Neptune, matter-of-factly.

Sam swallowed hard. “Yeah. Mind your own business.” The man said.

Neptune felt herself getting angry, but all that anger vanished when she noticed that Sam’s eyes looked a little moist. “Yeah well whatever. Let’s head back to Jane’s! I want pudding and dinner and a dinner with nothing, but pudding!” Said Neptune, gleefully.

“You eat too much pudding,” Sam said.

“Mind your own business!” Neptune said, her voice was filled with sarcasm.

***

By the time Neptune, Marvy and Sam made it back to Jane’s, Nepgear and Vert were waiting for them. “Welcome back big sister.” Nepgear said.

Neptune didn’t say a word as she ran over to her sister, took the girl by the hand and led her away from Vert.

“Dad. Where were you?” Jane asked, from behind the counter. “I was worried when you didn’t come back for your nap.”

“Mind your…” Sam began, but stopped himself from saying anything further. “No. I’m sorry Jane.” Sam said. “I have no excuses for my behavior. I’m just sorry. I won’t try to convince you to stay in this town, or sell this restaurant. Your mother loved this restaurant a lot, but I know she wouldn’t want you to feel miserable here.”

“Dad… I…” Jane began, but she couldn’t find the right words.

“It’s okay Jane.” Said Sam, forcing a smile. “I just want you to know that I love you and I’m proud of you and no matter what, I’m with you.”

Jane took a deep breath. Her eyes became moist and her lower lip started to tremble. “Th-thanks dad.”

“Oh… This is beautiful.” Neptune said, tears were trickling down her cheeks.

“Yeah. This is sweet.” Said Nepgear. Vert and Marvy also looked like they were close to tears as well.

“You know what would make this moment better?” Neptune said.

“Pudding?” Vert offered.

“Yes, but also… SAM WHY DID WE HAVE TO KILL THOSE FIVE MONSTERS?!” Neptune screamed.

Everyone in the restaurant jumped thanks to Neptune yelling. “Okay! I’ll tell you.” Sam said, taking a deep breath. “The reason I had you kill those five monsters is simple. The guild was offering a bounty on them. They were the highest paying bounties I could find. After that, when I saw you four heading into the village I had a feeling you could fight these monsters. That’s why I made the deal.”

“Wait. So you had us fight five monsters so you could collect the bounty on them?” Nepgear asked, making sure she heard Sam correctly.

“That’s right.” Said Sam, nodding.

“Huh… Not sure how to feel about that.” Said Nepgear.

“If it makes you feel any better. I plan on donating that money to the village’s restoration.” Said Sam. “I love this village. It’s my home and I plan on taking care of it.”

“That’s nice.” Said Nepgear.

“Pudding would also be nice.” Said Neptune.

Jane giggled from behind the counter. “Dinner first. Pudding second.”

***

The following morning Neputne, Nepgear, Vert and Marvy headed downstairs. After they ate their breakfast. They said bid Sam and Jane farewell. “We’ll miss you four.” Jane said, shaking Neptune’s hand.

“Be safe out there.” Said Sam.

“Aww! Sam? Are you going to miss us?” Neptune asked.

“With every laser blast so far.” Sam said, gesturing towards his laser rifle.

Neptune giggled. “Oh Sam! I’m going to miss you too!”

“Everyone?” Marvy began. “I know this is short notice, but I’m gong to stay.” Neptune, Nepgear, Vert, Sam and Jane turned their eyes towards Marvy. Each one wore a surprised look on their faces. “Like I said. It’s short notice, but I’ve been giving this some thought. I want to stay here and help restore this village too.”

“That sounds lovely, but are you sure?” Vert asked, a look of concern appeared on her face.

“I am. If you two don’t mind.” Marvy said, looking at Sam and Jane.

“It’s up to you.” Sam said, in his usual gruff demeanor.

Jane folded her hands together in front of her. “Of course you can stay! You’re more then welcome!”

“Thanks!” Said Marvy, smiling brightly.

Neptune took a deep breath. “Geesh Marvy! I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you three as well.” Said Marvy.

Nepgear took a step closer to Marvy. “I understand and respect your decision, but could you do us a favor? Please keep using the Fairy Tower if you can. I have a feeling were going to need help at the end of all this. I can’t say why, but I think were going to need you again.”

Marvy nodded. “Anytime, anywhere.” Marvy said, holding her fist out.

“Thanks!” Nepgear said, as she pressed her fist against Marvy’s.

After everyone finished saying their goodbyes Neptune, Nepgear and Vert continued their journey to activate the fourth Fairy Tower.

Neptunia Heart Souls- CHAPTER 75

 The following morning Neptune made her way downstairs. The girl was rubbing sleep out of her eyes and she felt groggy. “Morning…” Neptune said, in a weary voice. “Did anyone else have a problem sleeping? I didn’t get my usual twenty-three hours.” Neptune said, as she lowered her hands.

Neptune saw Nepgear, Vert and Marvy sitting at a nearby table. The girls were eating breakfast. Sitting in a table several feet back was the man who hired them. The man was sipping a cup of coffee.

“Good morning.” The man said, sounding annoyed. “I’m so glad you were willing to get up today. You know I didn’t give you those rooms for nothing.”

Neptune stared at the man for a few moments before she waved her hand dismissively at him. After that, she took a seat at the table. “Good morning everyone.” Neptune said. “Did you hear that crank-” Before Neptune could say another word, Nepgear reached across the table and placed a firm hand over her mouth.

“Sister…” Nepgear said, sighing deeply.

“Good morning Neptune.” Said Marvy.

“Yes. Good morning.” Said Vert.

“G-fffh- mor-fiffh.” Neptune said, her mouth still muffled by Nepgear’s hand.

Nepgear moved her hand and sat back down. “Were almost done Neptune. All we need to do is kill a Pollux, Land Whale and a Regulus.” Nepgear said, closing her eyes and folding her hands in front of her.

“Remember to report to me every time you kill a new monster.” The man said, getting to his feet and heading out of the restaurant.

The four girls sat in silence for a few moments before Vert thought of something. “Do we even know that man’s name?” Vert wondered, aloud.

“No names. It’ll make what I have planned for him harder.” Neptune said.

“That’s creepy big sister. Please don’t do anything that can get you thrown in jail.” Said Nepgear.

“What? I was just going to write a strongly worded note and nail it to his-” Before Neptune could finish speaking, Jane appeared and sat down a plate with eggs, bacon and toast on it.

“Here you are. And some orange juice.” Jane said, sitting a glass next to the plate along with some silverware.

“Thanks!” Neptune said, giggling nervously. “You didn’t catch what I was saying, did you?” She asked.

Jane smiled mischievously at Neptune, but didn’t say anything else. “Believe me. I get it.” Jane said, nodding her head several times. “By the way my father’s name is Sam.”

Neptune sighed deeply and shook her head. “That note’s going to be hard to write.” Neptune admitted. After Jane left the table, Neptune began to eat her breakfast. By the time she was finished her sister, Vert and Marvy were ready to leave.

Neptune jumped to her feet and turned to Jane. “We’ll see you soon!” Neptune said.

“Be safe out there!” Jane said, from behind the counter.

Nepgear led the way out of the restaurant and soon they were making their way towards the third monster they needed to kill. Today they were planning on dealing with a monster known as a Pollux.

“So what exactly do we know about Pollux monsters?” Neptune asked.

“Well I heard that it actually looks like another monster, but I don’t have many details.” Vert said, tapping the side of her head as she spoke. “I hope it won’t be too difficult to deal with.”

“The more difficult it is, the more share energy we’ll receive, right?” Asked Neptune.

“Not necessarily.” Said Vert, crossing her arms in front of her chest and turning her eyes skyward. “It happens sometimes. Monsters can be incredibly powerful, but only give you a little EXP.”

“I’ve played games like that.” Said Marvy. “It can be frustrating.”

“Were almost there.” Nepgear’s voice broke the concentration of the other three girls. After making their way to the top of a hill, the girls looked down and spotted the monster.

Pollux was a large robot like monster. It was dark grey in color. Had a large disc on it’s back, a tiny tail and something that looked like a chain and ring located on it’s front. The monster also had a large, bright green tongue poking out of it’s maw. Even though the creature sat on it’s butt, it was still able to move around.

“Whoa… I don’t know why, but I don’t like this guy already.” Neptune said.

“Yeah. It’s creepy.” Said Nepgear. “We should deal with it fast, right?” Said Nepgear, as she summoned her energy sword.

The other three girls summoned their weapons as well. Before the girls could make a move against the Pollux, the creature had turned it’s massive body towards them. It’s eyes locked onto the girls. “I think it sees us.” Neptune said.

The Pollux opened it’s maw wide. Suddenly it’s tongue shot out of it’s mouth, it flew through the air with incredible speed.

“WATCH OUT!” Nepgear cried.

The four girls leapt out of the way as the Pollux monster’s tongue slammed into the ground, sending dirt and debris into the air. Neptune and Nepgear landed gracefully on the ground, while Vert had to roll to her feet. Marvy on the other hand was still high in the air. “Better deal with this thing fast!” Marvy muttered, as she started falling back to the ground.

The Pollux retracted it’s tongue and shot it back at where Marvy was about to land. To the creature’s surprise though, Marvy was faster and swung her katana at the creature’s green tongue.

Marvy’s sword sliced the tongue, but she wasn’t able to cut it off. Instead this caused the Pollux to roar angrily, as it retracted it’s tongue once more.

Marvy landed gracefully on the ground and started running as fast as she could towards the monster. As Marvy ran, she noticed that Nepgear, Neptune and Vert were all charging at the creature as well.

As the girls charged forwards the Pollux launched several more attacks. It shot it’s tongue at Nepgear, who managed to dodge out of the way. When it shot it’s tongue at Vert, the girl managed to block the attack using her spear and slice the tongue before the creature could pull it away.

The Pollux shot it’s tongue out once more, but instead of aiming at any one girl, the creature instead swiped at all of them using a horizontal attack. The girls leapt forwards at this point and swung their weapons, cutting the tongue.

The Pollux roared once more as it retracted it’s tongue. The creature started to move backwards. It’s eyes tried to keep it’s four prey in sight, but it was impossible.

The Pollux suddenly roared in anger as Marvy rushed past the creature slicing it’s side. Before the monster could do anything however, Vert appeared in front of it and stabbed the creature in the head.

Neptune and Nepgear finished the monster off by slamming the tips of their swords into it’s chest. The Pollux roared once more, before it vanished in a bright flash of light. Neptune, Nepgear and Vert landed on the ground. Each girl wore a satisfied smile on their faces.

“Were getting good at this!” Neptune said, proudly.

“Yes. It helps when you don’t charge in by yourself.” Said Vert.

“Boo! You remember the boring stuff. We won! We should celebrate!” Said Neptune, giggling with joy.

“We should save the celebrations for later. We still have two more monsters to fight.” Said Nepgear, as she pulled out her N-Gear and began typing information into it. “All that’s left is the Land Whale and a Regulus. So what should we do?”

“We have to go back to town.” Said Neptune.

“Sis. It might be easier…” Neptune began, but remembered what Sam said. “Oh right. He wants to be informed now.”

“Yeah, but I wonder if he’s taking a nap.” Said Neptune, tapping her lower lip thoughtfully. “Well orders are orders! Let’s go!” Neptune said, a mischievous look appeared on her face.

Nepgear groaned. She could only imagine what her sister was planning.

***

“Were back!” Neptune practically shouted, as she opened the door to the restaurant. Nepgear had her face covered in her hands, Marvy was looking away and Vert wore an embarrassed smile on her face.

Jane looked up from the book she was reading behind the counter. “Please be quiet. Dad’s sleeping.” Jane whispered.

“Oh?” Neptune said. Neptune fought the urge to start speaking loudly. Instead she made her way into the restaurant and took a seat at the counter. “No offense Jane, but this place is always empty. Do other people actually come in here?”

“Neptune…” Nepgear breathed.

A small smile appeared on Jane’s face. “Well. Yeah.” Said Jane, as she closed her book. “As you can see, things are pretty tough around here. This village used to be thriving, but merchants stopped coming, shops closed up and were the only ones left. I hate to say it, but this town might not have that much time left.”

“Were sorry.” Marvy said.

“Yes. Our companion can be quite rude.” Said Vert, throwing a hard look Neptune’s way. “Please forgive her. She’s an idiot.”

“Heard that.” Neptune said, annoyed.

“No. It’s okay.” Said Jane. “No use pretending things are thriving, right?”

The sounds of floorboards creaking could be heard overhead. Moments later Sam walked down the stairs. “I’m trying to sleep up there. Do you have good news, or what?” Sam asked, in his usual gruff manner.

“We killed a Pollux.” Said Neptune.

“Good. So why aren’t you out there killing the last two monsters?” Sam demanded.

Jane took a deep breath, before she slapped the counter with her hands. “Dad? Knock it off!” The girl shouted, turning her eyes angrily towards her father. “Living in this towns hard enough without you making everyone who passes through even more miserable!”

“Okay Jane. Maybe you should try calming down.” Nepgear said, holding up her hands.

“I’m sorry Nepgear, but no.” Jane said, shaking her head. “Dad…” Jane began, trying to find the right words. “I love this village, I really do. After mom died, all we had was this village and this restaurant. When things started drying up, I never even considered leaving. You know why?” Jane asked.

Sam didn’t answer. All he did was stand there looking at his daughter.

“It was because of you. You, this village and the restaurant. Now because of you, I don’t even care about this village or restaurant anymore.” Jane said, shaking her head.

“What are you saying?” Sam asked.

Jane swallowed hard. “I’m saying… I’m not happy anymore dad.”

Sam’s shoulders sagged. A slew of emotions appeared and disappeared on his face. “Okay.” Sam finally said, before turning back towards the stairs. The man didn’t say a word as he climbed back upstairs and headed to his room.

An awkward silence hung in the restaurant. “Should we leave? Or go?” Neptune whispered to Vert.

“Please don’t go.” Jane said, overhearing Neptune’s question. “I’m sorry you four had to hear that.”

“No. It’s okay.” Said Nepgear. “I… uh… my sister can be stupid sometimes.”

“Huh? Hey…” Neptune said, furrowing her brow.

Jane shook her head. “It’s not Neptune’s fault. This is something that’s been coming for a long time.” Jane took a deep breath. “You girls should know something. I own this restaurant. The building is in my name. The reason I’m telling you this, is because you don’t owe me or my father anything. Please… Stay a few more nights if you want. Get rested and forget about the monsters. You have a more important quest to take care of? Right?”

“Well…” Nepgear began.

“No way! No how! No thank you ma’am!” Neptune said, which caught everyone off guard.

“Neptune? You mean you really want to stay and kill the last two monsters?” Said Vert, surprised. “Jane is offering you at least two days of rest and relaxation.”

“Rest and Relaxation are nice, but were two monsters away from finishing up! I don’t want to quit now!” Said Neptune. Neptune looked into Vert’s eyes. “And as a gamer can you really leave things half finished? Don’t you have the urge to beat a game one-hundred percent?”

Vert giggled. “You know me well Neptune.”

“I’m the same way.” Said Marvy.

“Me too, but sis… This doesn’t sound like you.” Said Nepgear.

“Yeah I know, but I want to know why were hunting these monsters. I swear if Sam doesn’t tell us by the end of this thing, I’m going to flick the back of his ears until he spills the beans!” Neptune warned. Neptune’s eyes turned to Jane, who looked taken aback by Neptune’s passion. “Is that okay Jane?”

Jane opened her mouth to say something, but shook her head instead. “Well it’s up to you. You four are still welcome to stay here as long as we can afford to keep this place open.”

Neptune held up a peace sign. “Sounds good!” She said. “Dinner also sounds good.”

Jane giggled. “Alright. I’ll get dinner started.” 

BLANC’S READING TIME INTERRUPTED

 

Blanc closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a long day of working, the goddess had finally reached a moment where she could take a rest. Pushing herself away from her desk, Blanc looked down at the book she was looking forward to reading. “I wish this came a little later, but at least I get to read it now.” Blanc thought, as she took the book up in her arms and stood up.

Blanc headed out of her office and was instantly greeted by her sisters. Rom and Ram both wore eager smiles on their faces. “Hey Blanc! Can we go play?” Ram asked, who was rambunctious as always.

“Please say yes!” Rom said, in a small voice.

Blanc looked at both of her sisters. “I’m sorry, but I’ve been looking forward to reading this all day.” Blanc said, gesturing towards the book she cradled in her arms. “Alright Blanc. You know that your sisters aren’t going to like that. Just don’t get angry with them, but be firm.”

Blanc prepared herself for pushback, but was surprised with Rom and Ram’s response. “Oh. That’s alright.” Said Ram, smiling warmly at her sister.

“Yeah. We’ll go with you.” Said Rom.

Blanc looked at each of her sisters, she hid the surprise on her face. “I’m not going to read to you. This book isn’t appropriate for kids your age.”

“That’s alright.” Said Ram. “We want to spend time with you.”

“Yeah.” Said Rom.

Blanc wasn’t entirely sure what to make of this. She wasn’t opposed to her sisters spending time with her, but she wasn’t sure how they would be entertained watching their older sister read quietly to herself. “Very well. Come with me.” Blanc said, as she led the girls to their room.

Once inside, Blanc kicked off her shoes near the doorway and walked barefooted across the floor until she reached their bed. Rom reached the bed first and crawled across the mattress until her back was pressed against the wall behind her. Ram on the other hand sat on the floor. “Are you comfortable?” Blanc asked her sisters. She was still confused by why they were doing this.

“Yep!” Ram said.

“I’m fine.” Said Rom, both sisters were smiling sweetly at their older sister which only made Blanc more suspicious.

“They’re planning something. Just don’t get angry Blanc. They’re kids after all. Babies, they don’t mean to make you mad.” After that thought, Blanc laid down on her stomach and opened her book.

A silence fell over Blanc as she started reading her book. At first, the girl was certain that Rom and Ram would try to convince her to read out loud. Or start playing some noisy video game, but instead they kept quiet. Blanc kept looking over her shoulders at her sisters, wondering what they were planning, but they didn’t do anything.

“Maybe I was wrong.” Blanc thought, turning her eyes back to her book.

After several moments of silence and reading through several pages of her book, Blanc had started feeling more relaxed. Just as Blanc finished reading the fifth page of her book, she felt it.

Something soft touched her right foot. “What was that?” Blanc wondered to herself. Blanc scratched her right foot with her left foot, before she started reading again. After a few more moments, she felt something soft touch her foot once more.

“Hey… What is that?” Blanc wondered, finally glancing over her shoulder. It was at that moment Blanc saw Ram was holding a white feather. “Oh great…” Blanc thought. “This is what they were planning, huh? Well don’t react. Just keep reading.”

Blanc turned her eyes back to her book. She felt the feather continue to touch her right foot. At first, the feather caused nothing more than an irritant. Something she could ignore, until her foot itched enough that she needed to scratch it using her other foot.

That all changed when Ram suddenly raked her feather down the middle of Blanc’s foot. Ram started raking the feather from Blanc’s heel. She raked it down the middle of her foot, over the arch and over her toes.

Blanc started giggling. She closed her eyes tightly, pursed her lips tightly together and held her breath. Even so, the giggles still erupted and her shoulders started to shake. “This little brat! I knew she was up to something!” Blanc thought. Suddenly an idea came to Blanc.

“Don’t get mad! Just do this!” Blanc thought, as she bent her leg and raised her foot. Now the foot was well out of Ram’s reach.

“There. That’ll show her.” Blanc thought, turning her eyes back towards her book. Before Blanc could start reading, she felt a feather rake across her right foot once more. Blanc looked over her shoulder and was surprised to see Ram was still sitting on the ground, but her eyes were turned to Rom.

Blanc glanced over her other shoulder and was horrified to see Rom was now holding a feather and was teasing her foot with it.

Blanc groaned under her breath. “Not you too Rom! Why can’t I have one sister that’s not a trouble maker?” Blanc wondered.

Blanc struggled to keep her foot up, but soon the tickling became too much for her and she had to put it back down on the bed. However, the moment her foot was back down, Ram began tickling it with her feather. “This is unfair!” Blanc thought, as she raised her foot once more.

Blanc nearly started laughing when Rom started tickling her foot once more. What made this time worse, was the fact that Ram started tickling her left foot as well.

“Oh great… Now both my feet are getting tickled!” Blanc thought. Blanc’s mind felt as though it were on fire. The soles of her feet were being tormented by both of her sisters now.

Blanc nearly burst into laughter, when she had an idea. “Alright. Just raised both feet. That should give one of them a break.” Blanc thought, as she lifted her left foot.

At first, Blanc’s plan worked. Rom did tickle her right foot with the feather, but soon she felt a pair of fingers tickle her left foot as well.

“No!” Blanc thought, as she moved her foot back down, avoiding Rom’s fingers. Unfortunately for Blanc, this caused both her sisters to grab her ankles and start tickling her feet with the feathers.

Blanc held her breath and tried to keep the laughter in, but considering she couldn’t move her feet anymore, Blanc knew this wouldn’t last very long.

Blanc suddenly burst into ticklish laughter and quickly pulled her feet away. “You little brats!” Blanc cried, turning to her sisters. “How dare you do that to me!”

Rom and Ram giggled as they quickly ran out of the room. “We made her mad!” Ram celebrated.

“Yeah!” Rom said, chasing after her sister.

Blanc thought about chasing after her sisters, but changed her mind. “No. Don’t get angry. Just keep reading.” Blanc thought, after taking several deep breaths. Blanc laid back down on the bed and started reading her book. Little did Blanc know that Rom and Ram were planning on interrupting her reading time with more tickles.

THE END

Neptunia Heart Souls- CHAPTER 74

 As Neptune, Nepgear, Vert and Marvy stepped outside the girls were finally able to get a better look at the village. Now that it was daylight the girls could see that the village was in rough shape. Several buildings were boarded up, the cobble stone streets were in disrepair and there were hardly any people outside.

Across the street several children were playing in the vacant lot that the man told them they could sleep in. “This town looks a bit shoddy, huh?” Neptune said.

“Shh!” Nepgear said, holding up her index finger to her lips. “Sister. You’re being rude.”

“Sorry dorry Nepgear.” Neptune said.

“Do you think the monsters that man wants us to hunt are the cause of this?” Marvy asked, as she took the entire village in.

“Maybe…” Nepgear said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Wait…” Vert said, grabbing everyone’s attention. “I didn’t think about this before, but the Obese Dogoo is actually native to the Halo Mountain.”

“Really? I don’t think we saw any out there.” Said Marvy.

“We didn’t. I think I would have remembered seeing one of those.” Neptune said, remembering the last time she and Nepgear fought a giant Dogoo.

“Do you think that might be it?” Nepgear asked.

Vert slowly shook her head. “Honestly it’s hard to tell. Monsters leaving their habitats aren’t exactly unusual.”

“That’s true. I remember Noire, Linda and I fought a whole flock of Horsebirds in Lastation.” Said Neptune, smiling proudly.

“So were taking this job, right?” Marvy asked.

Neptune nodded. “You betcha! Never miss an opportunity to show off!” Neptune said.

“Great. That’s what I told Jane.” Said Marvy. “So who should we go after first?”

“Might as well start from the top of the list.” Nepgear suggested.

“So the Obese Dogoo, right? Looks like it’s hanging out in a plain nearby.” Said Vert. “Let’s start with that one.”

With that out of the way, the girls started making their way out of the small village. Nepgear helped guide them to the first monster on the list. As the girls walked, Nepgear couldn’t help, but think about the monsters they were asked to hunt down. “Obese Dogoo, Cat Squirrel Rider, Pollux, Land Whale and a Regulus.” Nepgear thought to herself.

“What’s wrong Nepgear?” Vert asked.

Nepgear shook her head. “Nothing. I just think this is a bit strange. The monsters that guy asked us to hunt are random.”

“That’s true.” Said Vert. “They also don’t seem to be getting in anyone’s way either.”

“Exactly.” Said Nepgear.

“Ooh I got it!” Neptune said. “What if this guy is trying to perform some kind of ritual and he needs the blood of strong monsters in order to pull it off!”

“That’s scary.” Marvy said.

“Yeah… I doubt it.” Nepgear said.

“Yeah well you never know.” Said Neptune.

The girls kept walking until they spotted the Obese Dogoo. The large creature was sitting perfectly still. The creature’s eyes were closed and it looked as though it were sound asleep. “There it is.” Nepgear said, as she summoned her energy sword.

“Nepgear?” Marvy began. “Don’t worry about it. Let me take care of this monster.” Said Marvy.

“Are you sure?” Nepgear asked. Marvy smiled and nodded. “Alright. Good luck. Let us know if you need help.” Nepgear said, as she got out of Marvy’s way.

Marvy took a few steps forwards before she unsheathed her katana. After that she began running as fast as she could at the giant Obese Dogoo. At first the creature continued to sleep soundly, but soon the creature opened it’s eyes and launched it’s large body at the girl.

Marvy took several more steps forwards, before she suddenly dodged out of the way and swung her katana. The blade sliced through the creature’s right side, causing the Obese Dogoo’s body to tremble with pain. The creature roared, as it turned it’s gelatinous body towards Marvy, who had skidded to a halt.

The giant dogoo suddenly leapt high into the air, which nearly caught Marvy off guard. “Wasn’t expecting that.” Marvy thought, as she leapt forwards and started rolling across the ground.

The Obese Dogoo slammed into the ground, which knocked dirt and debris into the air, but it’s massive body missed Marvy by mere inches. Once Marvy had rolled away from the creature, she leapt to her feet and twirled around on her heels. Marvy swung her sword once more, cutting into the dogoo.

“Wow!” Nepgear said, her eyes sparkled with delight. “Marvy is amazing!”

“She sure is!” Neptune said, smiling proudly.

“Why are you acting cocky Neptune?” Vert asked.

“Cause Marvy is my friend. Also she’s doing awesome and I’m getting pumped up!” Neptune said, throwing her hands into the air. “GET IT MARVY! SHOW THAT OVERSIZED DOGOO WHO’S BOSS!”

“RIGHT!” Marvy cried, as she leapt high into the air and brought her katana down hard and fast.

Marvy’s sword turned into a silvery flash of light which cut through the Obese Dogoo, cutting the creature cleanly in two. Just as the two pieces of the Obese Dogoo were about to split open, the massive creature vanished in a flash of light.

“You did it!” Neptune cheered.

“Congratulations!” Said Nepgear.

“Great work!” Said Vert.

Marvy smiled brightly. “Thanks! I was starting to feel a bit rusty with my katana, but now I’m feeling much better.” Said Marvy, as she sheathed her weapon.

“Well that’s one monster dealt with. Do you want to go after another one, or head back to the village?” Asked Nepgear.

“Where’s the next one located?” Neptune asked, placing her hands on her hips.

“It’s located a few miles away from here.” Said Nepgear, pointing towards the south.

“I say we head back to the village.” Said Neptune, sighing deeply. “I kind of want to talk to that old guy again.”

Neptune led the charge back the village. Even though Neptune didn’t say anything, Nepgear had a feeling she knew exactly what Neptune wanted to do. Once the girls reached the village, Neptune headed back to the restaurant.

“Hi Jane.” Neptune said, parking herself behind the counter. “Is your dad still taking a nap?” She asked.

“He is. He’ll probably be asleep for a few more hours.” Said Jane.

Vert took a seat next Neptune. “Is your father the only one who patrols this village?”

“He is. We used to have a few other security officers who worked here, but they moved.” Said Jane. “My father used to be friendlier, but now he’s kind of grouchy.”

“That stinks, but work can do that to you.” Neptune said. “I used to be nice too, but after Nepgear started cracking the whip…”

“Hey!” Nepgear said, annoyed.

“Sorry boss!” Neptune cried, before bursting into laughter.

Jane giggled as well. “I can tell you two are close.”

“Yep!” Neptune said, turning to Nepgear and winking. Nepgear couldn’t help, but smile. Neptune turned back to Jane and suddenly sighed deeply. “Anyways. I wanted to ask your dad about something, but I don’t want to wake him up. I know how important naps are.” And with that, Neptune stood. “Should we get going then?”

“Yeah. I think the Cat Squirrel Rider is pretty close by.” Said Nepgear.

“Oh!” Neptune said, suddenly remembering something. Neptune turned to Jane. “Jane. Sorry to bother you, but was this village attacked by monsters or something?”

Jane slowly shook her head. “No. Nothing like that. This town’s just going through some rough times right now. We used to have people living here who would take care of the repairs, but they‘re gone now.”

“I see…” Neptune said, her shoulders sagged. “Sorry about that.” The girl said, scratching the back of her head. “We’ll get going now.”

“Right. Be careful out there. Oh and when you get back I’ll treat you to a yummy dinner!”  Said Jane.

“Really? Wow! Now I really hope we come back alive!” Said Neptune, licking her lips. “We’ll see you soon!” Neptune said.

The four girls headed back outside the village. Nepgear once again, led the charge to their next target. After a few moments of walking, the girls found themselves standing outside a grove of trees. “It’s in there.” Nepgear said, turning off her N-Gear and sliding it back into it’s holster.

“Awesome.” Neptune said, as she summoned her katana. “Let’s get going girls!” Neptune said, as she charged into the grove of trees, not waiting for anyone to follow after her.

“Huh… She must be eager to get this over with.” Marvy said.

A loud scream caught everyone off guard. A moment later Neptune ran back out of the grove of trees, she was closely followed by several Cat Squirrel Rider monsters chasing after her. The Cat Squirrel Rider monsters were simply cat monsters who carried lances in their paws while riding Horsebirds.

“HELP ME! HELP ME!” Neptune cried.

“Come on ladies!” Vert said, as she summoned her spear, while Marvy unsheathed her katana. After that all three girls picked a target and attacked.

Vert reached her target first and lashed out with her spear. The Cat Squirrel Rider turned quickly, but before it could do anything, the head of Vert’s spear pierced it’s chest killing it instantly.

Nepgear reached her target second and swung her sword, but the Cat Squirrel Rider moved it’s lance in front of it, blocking the attack. The cat meowed loudly as it swung it’s lance at Nepgear, forcing the girl to leap backwards. Once the lance moved past the cat, exposing it’s body, Nepgear leapt at the creature again and sliced through it and the Horsebird. With a bright flash of light the creature vanished.

Marvy reached her target third. The Cat Squirrel Rider turned and swung it’s lance at the girl, but Marvy avoided the attack by leaping over the creature. She twisted her body in midair and was now looking down at the monster. Raising her katana over her head, she brought it down fast, cutting the creature in two. By the time Marvy’s feet touched the ground, the monster had vanished.

Finally Neptune was able to turn her attention towards the forth Cat Squirrel Rider. She skidded to a halt, before leaping at the monster and swinging her katana. Even though the Cat Squirrel Rider tried to defend itself, Neptune’s attack was too powerful and she knocked the cat monster off the Horsebird. A moment later it too vanished in a flash of light.

Neptune took a deep breath. “Well that was embarrassing.” Neptune said, blushing heavily and scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. “Sorry about that.” Neptune said, in a small voice.

“As long as you’re okay.” Nepgear said, smiling at her sister. “Well were done here.”

“Done?” Neptune said. “We overworked ourselves this time!” Said Neptune. “We should get two, no three extra servings of pudding tonight.”

“Let’s not get greedy sister.” Said Nepgear, making her way over to her sister. “Come on. Let’s go back.”

By the time Neptune and the other girls reached the restaurant, the man was heading out garbed in his usual armor. “You’re back. How’d it go?” The man asked.

“Great.” Said Neptune. “We killed an Obese Dogoo and four Cat Squirrel Rider monsters.”

“Well why did you kill four? You just had to kill one.” Said the man, gruffly.

“No, no. That’s not the right attitude.” Neptune said, crossing her arms in front of her. “Why are we hunting these monsters, exactly? How are they bothering you and this town?”

The man looked at each girl. “You wouldn’t understand.” He said. “You have three more monsters to hunt. Are you going to finish today, or what?” He demanded.

“We’ll probably finish tomorrow, maybe the day after.” Said Vert.

“Good.” And with that, the man turned to leave.

“Excuse me sir.” Vert said, taking a step towards the man. “We made a deal, didn’t we?”

“Yeah?” The man said, glancing over his shoulder at Vert.

“We hunt five monsters, you give us a room? Correct?” Said Vert.

“Yeah?” Said the man.

“Except, you’re not really giving us a room, are you? It’s your daughter. Correct?” Said Vert.

The man hesitated for a few moments. “What about it?” He asked.

“Well. My point is this. Our deal isn’t being honored by you, so maybe you shouldn’t treat my friends and I like garbage.” Said Vert, she wore a smile the entire time she spoke.

The man looked like he was about to turn to face her, but quickly changed his mind. “Right.” He said, quickly walking away.

Nepgear, Neptune and Marvy wore terrified looks on their faces. Even though Vert had been smiling the entire time, they felt venom coming from Vert’s voice. The girls knew the man had nearly pushed Vert to her limits.

“Well… I believe I set him straight.” Said Vert, giggling.

Neptune blinked her eyes several times before she sighed deeply. “Yeesh. That guy is making Noire seem friendly.”

“Noire is friendly.” Nepgear said, in a low voice.

“Let’s go inside and eat, shall we?” Said Marvy.

“Sounds good to me. Pudding please!” Neptune said, after she opened the door to the restaurant.

Jane was cooking behind the counter, but she turned and smiled warmly at the girls. “Welcome back! Dinner will be ready soon!”

Neptunia Heart Souls- CHAPTER 73

 Neptune, Nepgear, Vert and Marvy continued their journey to the fourth Fairy Tower. As the girls moved further and further away from Leanbox, they wondered what kinds of monsters and people they would run into next. The sun was shining brightly that day and a warm breeze blew through their hair as they marched forwards.

“One thing I can say about having to go on these long walks, is that I’m getting plenty of exercise.” Neptune said, though her voice didn’t make it sound like she was happy about that.

“That is true. Exercise is important.” Nepgear said.

“HOWEVER!” Neptune said, in a loud voice. “I’m not running for the fittest girl in the world. I’m tired of having to walk everywhere! Remember in Planeptune? We got to ride a train once! I miss the train!”

Nepgear giggled. “Yeah. MAGES. train was nice. If I could ride it again, I’d finally be able to see how it actually worked.”

“What was so special about this train?” Asked Vert.

“Well for one we didn’t have to drive it.” Said Neptune. “Also we had our own room to relax in while it took us to our next destination.” Neptune said, looking towards the horizon, a small sparkle could be seen in her eyes.

“I see…” Vert said. “That does sound nice, but walking can be nice too. I mean if we drove everywhere our journey would be over sooner.”

“Yeah, sounds nice.” Said Neptune, sighing deeply.

Vert’s shoulders sagged. “I didn’t realize traveling with us was so bad.” Said Vert.

“Are you kidding?” Neptune interjected. “The reason I’m still on this quest is because of you guys! I’m just saying that I could do without the walking. Besides, even when this quest is over you’ll still be my buddy!”

“Really? I’m glad to hear it!” Said Vert.

“Yeah. I’m already planning some all night game sessions with you, Noire, Uni and everyone else!” Said Neptune. “So no offense Vert, but you’re going to need a bigger house to hold all of us. Chip chop chip!”

Vert couldn’t help, but laugh. “I’ll get right on that Neptune.”

The girls continued walking for most of the day and just as the sun was about to set over the horizon, a small village came into view. “Hey! I see a village.” Nepgear said, pointing at the village.

“Wait…” Neptune began, before anyone took a step towards the village. “I don’t see any giant walls or giant rodents. Once we make sure they aren’t called New New Leanbox, we’ll see if they have any rooms.”

“Good idea.” Said Marvy.

And with that, the four girls made their way towards the village. By the time they reached it, the sun had set over the horizon. The only lights the girls could see was coming from the buildings.

The village was small and looked like it was made up of at least twenty buildings. Two of those buildings looked like shops, while the others looked like homes. The streets of the village looked like they were made up of cobblestone. “This is a cute little village.” Vert said. “Kind of reminds me of the one I live in.”

“It’s nice alright, but where’s a hotel?” Nepgear wondered aloud.

“Can I help you?” Came a gruff voice. The girls turned and spotted a Leanbox security guard standing a few feet away from him. The man wore dark green armor and carried a laser rifle in his arms.

“Howdy! Were looking for a hotel.” Neptune said, saluting.

“No hotels. Sorry.” The man said, shaking his head.

“Oh…” Nepgear said, disappointed.

“Where are you four from?” The man asked, looking the four girls over.

“Well… That’s a bit of a long story.” Said Nepgear. “Were actually traveling around activating the Fairy Towers. Have you heard of them?”

“Yeah.” The man said, but the girls weren’t entirely sure if he was telling the truth or not. “Anyways, you’ve hunted monsters before, right?”

“That’s right.” Neptune said, smiling proudly. “We might not look like it, but were basically monster hunting pros!”

“You’re right. You don’t look like it.” The man said, coldly. “Anyways. Were having a bit of a monster problem around here. If you agree to help, then I’m willing to put you up for the night. If not, you can spend the night over there.” The man said, gesturing towards an empty lot. The lot wasn’t very big and it didn’t look comfortable to sleep in either.

“What kind of monster problem?” Nepgear asked.

“We’ll talk about that tomorrow. Do you agree or not?” The man asked.

Neptune, Nepgear, Vert and Marvy exchanged looks. “He must be desperate.” Said Marvy.

“He’s kind of a meanie.” Said Neptune, her arms were dangling by her sides.

“True, but hunting monsters is in our wheelhouse. Might as well give it a shot.” Said Vert.

“Okay.” Said Nepgear, turning to the man. “We’ll deal with the monsters for you.”

“Good.” The man said, not really showing any signs of emotion. “Follow me.” The man said, turning towards a nearby building. The man slid a key into a lock and opened the door. After turning on a few lights he stepped inside.

The building looked like a restaurant. A counter was located at the far end of the room with a kitchen located on the other side. The floor was covered in circular tables with stools sitting on top of them. Located near the counter was a wooden staircase leading to a second floor. “There’s some rooms on the second floor. Help yourselves to any of them. The door that’s locked is mine. Stay out of it.”

“Yes sir.” Nepgear said, nodding.

“I have to patrol for the rest of the night. Be up at nine. That’s when the restaurant opens.” The man said.

“Will do.” Neptune said.

After the man watched the Neptune and her friends cross the restaurants floor and start climbing the steps, he turned off the lights and closed the door to the restaurant. “Not exactly friendly is he?” Neptune muttered.

“You shouldn’t talk about him Neptune.” Said Nepgear. “He might be going through a lot right now.”

“That’s true.” Said Vert. “Let’s hear him out tomorrow.”

The girls found a room they could sleep in. They were each delighted to see that they had beds they could rest in. “Good night ladies.” Neptune said, after crawling underneath some warm blankets. “See you in the morning.”

***
The following morning Neptune, Nepgear, Vert and Marvy headed downstairs. The sound of someone cooking in the kitchen struck the girls ears and the sweet smell of bacon frying wafted into their nostrils.

“Good morning!” Neptune said, jumping in front of the counter. To Neptune’s surprise she didn’t see the man from the previous day, instead she spotted a young girl. The girl had long black hair and dark brown eyes.

“Good morning.” The girl said, smiling warmly at Neptune. “My names Jane. Have a seat. Breakfast is almost ready.”

“We didn’t talk about breakfast yesterday.” Came the familiar gruff voice of the man.

Neptune turned and spotted the man sitting at one of the tables. He was sipping a cup of coffee.

“Dad. Who I choose to serve is up to me. This is my restaurant after all.” Jane said.

Neptune nervously giggled. “I uh… I guess we should…”

“Please have a seat.” Jane said. “Breakfast will be served soon.”

“Thank you.” Nepgear said.

Nepgear and the others felt awkward as they took a seat at one of the round tables. They weren’t entirely sure who they should speak to or listen to for that matter. “So… Are you ladies ready to work?” The man asked, from where he sat.

“Yes.” Nepgear said, standing and turning to the man.

“Great.” The man said. “You should know that you’ve got a big job ahead of you.”

Neptune sighed deeply. “We know that dude, what about the monsters?” Neptune turned her eyes to Marvy. “Did I sound cool there, or what?” She asked, in a small voice. Marvy didn’t answer. Instead she flashed Neptune a thumbs-up sign.

“I’m sure you’ve fought all kinds of monsters on your little journey, but the monsters I’m talking about are powerful. I need them wiped out now.” The man said, getting to his feet and making his way over to the girls. Reaching into his outfit, the man pulled out a piece of paper and placed it on the table.

The girls glanced down at the paper. Located on the paper were pictures of five monsters. The monsters varied in size and shape. Vert moved closer so she could look down at the paper. “Let’s see we have an Obese Dogoo, Cat Squirrel Rider, Pollux, Land Whale and a Regulus.”

“I think we’ve faced a Regulus before.” Nepgear said. “Are the rest of these monsters powerful?”

“They can be if were not careful.” Said Vert. “I would recommend that we hunt these monsters together instead of splitting up.”

“Ah shucks.” Neptune said. “I was going to suggest that you four go out while I keep the restaurant safe.”

“Nice try big sister.” Nepgear said.

“It shouldn’t take us too long to hunt these monsters. Where are they exactly?” Asked Vert.

The man reached into his outfit once more and pulled out a small map and laid it on the table. I circled where they are. The village is in the middle.” The man said, as he crossed his arm in front of his chest.

Nepgear studied the map for a few moments before she pulled out her N-Gear and marked the places on her map app. After that, she began typing some information into her N-Gear without saying a word. “That’s weird. None of these monsters are located near any human settlements. Why do you want them hunted?”

“Does it matter?” The man asked. “You agreed to the job last night.”

“That’s true, but…” Nepgear said, her voice trailed.

“Dad? Why do you want these monsters hunted?” Asked Jane.

The man didn’t answer. “If you’re refusing the job then you should just leave. I honored our part of the deal, but if this is too much for you, then go.” And with those words, the man grabbed his map and the piece of paper with a list of the monsters on it.

“Hold on.” Vert said, as she folded her hands together in front of her. “We did agree to this, but we still need to discuss this amongst ourselves. You can at least give us time to do that, right?”

The man took a deep breath, before he started nodding his head several times. “Fine. I need t do a quick patrol of the village, then I’m taking a nap. If you decide to take the job then take this with you.” The man placed the paper with the monster’s names and pictures on it back down on the table. “If not leave it with my daughter.” And with those words, the man headed out of the restaurant.

Once the man was gone, Jane sighed deeply. “I’m really sorry about him.” Jane began. “He’s a good man, but he seems to think that everyone has to listen to him. Please don’t feel obligated to take the job.”

“That’s alright Jane.” Nepgear said.

“Yeah. Were not bothered at all, I guess.” Said Neptune.

“I do have a question though.” Said Vert, as she gestured towards Nepgear’s N-Gear. “Could you look at the locations drawn on it and tell us if there’s anything out there? If there’s no villages, or factories out there, then I’m not sure why he would want these monsters hunted.”

Jane nodded and moved over to Nepgear to look down at the map on her N-Gear’s screen. Jane studied the map for several moments, before she shook her head. “To be honest. I don’t see anything special about those locations. I’ve lived here my entire life and there’s nothing out there, but nature.”

“That’s a problem.” Nepgear said.

“It is?” Said Jane, confused.

“You’ve been regaining lost memories too, right?” Nepgear asked.

“Now that you mention it. I’m remembering all kinds of things lately.” Said Jane. “It usually begins with my head hurting and feeling dizzy.”

“Everyone all over Gamindustri’s going through the same thing. I’m not sure if we can rely on your memories or not.” Said Neptune. “No offense Jane.”

“None taken.” Said Jane, smiling. “You might have a point. My dad might be remembering something that I haven’t.” Jane closed her eyes and started thinking as hard as she could, but nothing came to her. “I’m sorry. I’m not remembering anything.” The girl said, opening her eyes and shaking her head.

“That’s alright.” Said Vert, as she picked up the paper the man had left behind. “Well everyone. Should we take this quest or not?”

Nepgear and Marvy exchanged looks. “I don’t mind.” Said Marvy. “But isn’t activating the Fairy Tower’s more important? I don’t mind staying behind and accomplishing this on my own if you want.”

“No. We couldn’t ask you to do that.” Said Vert, as she cuddled up to Nepgear. “You’re like family to us. Right Nepgear? My sweet baby sister!” Vert said, in a babyish tone. Nepgear giggled nervously.

“Hey now Vert. Who put you in charge?” Neptune asked.

“Neptune…” Vert began. “You’re not seriously suggesting that we leave Marvy behind to deal with these monsters on her own are you?”

Neptune crossed her arms and took a deep breath. “Vert that’s exactly what I’m not saying.” Neptune said, as she took Nepgear by the hands and pulled her sister to her feet. “I’m saying we should leave you behind.”

“Hey! You can’t separate sisters!” Vert said, jumping to her feet.

“Nepgear is my sister!” Neptune cried, as she threw her arms around Nepgear and hugged the girl close to her.

“She’s my sister!” Vert cried, as she hugged Nepgear as well. Now Nepgear was being squished between both girls.

“You two are squishing me!” Nepgear cried.

Jane watched the scene for a few moments until she felt a hand on her shoulder. “I think were taking the job.” Said Marvy, smiling sweetly at Jane.

Neptunia Heart Souls- CHAPTER 72

 Nepgear sat on the edge of the bed watching as her sister kept pacing the floor. “Broke into two Basilicom’s? I can’t. How did you… Why would you…?” Neptune muttered, under her breath as she continued to pace back and forth.

“I’m sorry Neptune…” Nepgear said, in a small voice.

Neptune stopped pacing for a moment and turned to Nepgear. “Tell me Neptune. Are you too old for a spanking?” She asked. “What’s the cut off point for that?”

“Y-Yes! Too old!” Nepgear said, as she held up her hands in defense. “I had a good reason to do it too!” Nepgear said, trying to reassure her sister. Nepgear took a moment and told Neptune exactly why she started breaking into the different Basilicom’s. Once she finished her story, she waited for her sisters reaction.

“I mean it makes sense, but…” Neptune began, trying to find the right words to use. “But what would I have done if something happened to you? This is unacceptable behavior Nepgear!”

Nepgear’s shoulders sagged ad she lowered her eyes to her feet. “I’m sorry Neptune. Don’t be angry anymore.”

Neptune opened her mouth to say something, but instead she sighed deeply. “I’m not mad… I’m just disappointed.” Neptune said, before she sat back down on the bed. Neptune took a deep breath, as she turned her eyes towards the ceiling. “So… Did you break into Planeptune’s Basilicom?” Neptune asked.

Nepgear shook her head. “No. I didn’t think about it then. If we were still in Planeptune I would have though.” Nepgear admitted.

Neptune groaned loudly as she leaned back against the bed. “Alright… I get it.” Neptune said, taking a deep breath. “Listen Nepgear. Even if it turns out that Histoire was indeed taken by one of the goddesses, were not exactly in a position to save her or do anything about it.”

“I know.” Nepgear admitted. “It’s just that. I thought if we could rescue Histoire early, we might not have to worry about activating all the Fairy Towers. Not right away at least.”

“That might be true, but still. We have to remember that Histoire is sealed away somewhere. I never thought of it as being a physical place.” Said Neptune.

Nepgear blinked her eyes several times. “What do you mean?” She asked.

“I don’t know. Being sealed away feels more like a spiritual thing than a physical thing, but I never really gave it any thought.” Said Neptune.

“You have a good point.” Nepgear said, scratching her chin thoughtfully. “So… What are we going to do now?”

Neptune didn’t answer right away. Instead she sat up and patted her thighs. “Bend over.” She said.

Nepgear’s eyes went wide and she stood up. “You’re not serious! Are you big sis?” Nepgear asked, fearfully.

Neptune rolled her eyes. “No, but next time you’re taking a trip over my lap!” Neptune warned.

Nepgear breathed a sigh of relief. “I understand.” She said.

Neptune bent down and took up her controller. “I guess the only thing we can do is just continue our journey. We better keep this from Vert and Marvy though. Who knows how they’d handle it.”

“Yeah. Good idea.” Nepgear agreed.

Neptune turned her eyes back to her game and started playing for a few more moments, before she paused her game. “Listen Nepgear… I don’t blame you for thinking the way you did. One thing I always admired about you, is how you always fight for what you believe in. Just… Be careful next time, okay? I’m the reckless one of our group, right?”

Nepgear giggled. “Yeah. Thanks sis.”

Neptune giggled as well, before she realized something. “Hey! You’re supposed to disagree with me about the reckless part! Geesh! Maybe I’ll spank you after all.” Neptune said, as she began eyeing her sister.

“Oh! Sorry sis!” Nepgear began. “But… You are kind of reckless. I mean, you’ve gotten hurt several times because you rushed into danger without-” Nepgear stopped speaking when she noticed her sister raise her right hand over her head and bring it down hard on the mattress. “Um… What are you doing Neptune?”

“Just warming up my spanking hand.” Neptune said, as she raised her hand above her head once more and brought it down on the mattress again.

Nepgear could almost picture herself getting smacked instead of the mattress. “Never mind sis. Don’t listen to me.” Nepgear said, turning back to the television. “Come on. Let’s keep playing!”

“Good idea.” Neptune said.

***

Vert leaned back against the headboard behind her, while she sat on her bed. The girl was looking down at the screen on her cellphone. “What are you playing Vert?” Marvy asked, who was standing in the middle of the room holding one of her swords out in front of her. The girl had been standing like that for several long moments. She didn’t move, or even blink her eyes. All she did was stand there holding her sword in both hands.

“Just playing a cellphone game. Nothing else to do.” Vert said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Are you bored? We could go out if you want.” Marvy said. “I wouldn’t mind visiting an arcade again.”

“That sounds nice, but let’s wait a bit.” Said Vert. “I heard Neptune bought a new game console. I wanted to give her a chance to play before we invite her and Nepgear out.”

Marvy giggled. “I’m actually surprised you aren’t playing in their room.”

“I didn’t want to leave you alone.” Said Vert.

Marvy giggled once more. “Thanks Vert, but I’m alright. If you want to hang out with the Neps, I’ll understand. I need to finish my exercises anyways.”

Vert smiled. “I appreciate that Marvy, but I wanted to give Neptune and Nepgear a chance to be alone. I could be wrong about this, but I have a feeling that Histoire suggested this break for their sake, instead of ours. They have been on this journey much longer than we have. It must be rough.”

“I imagine so.” Marvy said, taking a deep breath. “Having to travel around Gamindustri activating Fairy Towers. I’m sure they’ve made some good friends, but having to be away from home for so long can be tough.”

“True.” Vert said. “Even though I’m happy to be here. I can admit that there are times that I miss the comforts of my home. What about you Marvy?”

“Well…” Marvy began. Before Marvy started talking, she slid her katana back into it’s sheath. “To be honest with you. I have a home, but I enjoy traveling.”

“Well were all happy that you’re with us.” Said Vert, as she finally swung her feet over the side of the bed and placed her cellphone down on the nightstand next to her bed. “Anyways. Let’s go and bother Neptune and Nepgear for a while. I think they’ve had enough sister time for today.”

Marvy giggled. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Marvy and Vert headed out of their room and soon found themselves standing in front of Neptune and Nepgear’s bedroom. Vert knocked on the door and moments later Nepgear answered it. “Nepgear!” Vert cried, as she threw her arms around Nepgear and hugged the girl close to her chest.

“Oh… Hello Vert.” Nepgear said, her voice was muffled thanks to Vert’s chest.

“Hey! No glomping Nepgear!” Neptune cried, from inside the hotel room.

“If you don’t like it come and stop me.” Vert said.

Neptune didn’t say anything at first. Instead she grumbled loudly. “Wait until I reach my next save place.” Neptune said, as she continued to play her game.

Nepgear placed her hands on Vert’s shoulders and pushed until she could free her face from her chest. Now Nepgear looked up into Vert’s eyes. “Hi Vert. Hi Marvy. Want to come in?” She asked, smiling weakly.

“Thanks!” Marvy said.

“Aren’t you sweet?” Vert said, as she puckered her lips. “I’m going to give you a kiss!”

“Huh?!” Nepgear cried.

“That’s it.” Neptune said, as she paused her game. Neptune ran to the front door, but before she could say anything, Vert quickly threw her arms around Neptune instead.

“Maybe you’d prefer it if I gave you a kiss instead?” Vert asked.

“Oh my! Vert… You know… Were both girls, but I guess I can accept your feelings.” Neptune said, as her cheeks grew bright red.

Nepgear sighed deeply. “Nothing bothers you for long, huh sis?” Nepgear asked.

“Nope! Except when I run out of pudding.” Neptune said, as Vert released her from her grip. “Anyways. Come play with us girls!” Neptune said, taking Vert by the hand and leading her deeper into the room.

Neptune, Nepgear, Vert and Marvy spent several long hours playing on Neptune’s new gaming console. As they played, Nepgear started to forget that Neptune had found out about her breaking into the Basilicom. “I don’t know what to do now.” Nepgear thought. “Should I break into Lowee’s Basilicom once we reach that land, or should I stop?” Nepgear wondered to herself.

“You’re going to lose Nepgear!” Neptune said, snapping Nepgear out of her thoughts.

“Oops!” Nepgear said, turning her eyes back to her avatar. “I’ll think about that once we reach Lowee. In the mean time, I need to beat everyone in this game!” Nepgear thought.

***

The following day Neptune and Nepgear met Vert and Marvy outside of the hotel. “Are you girls ready to go?” Vert asked.

“Yep! Were ready!” Nepgear said.

“I’m ready too!” Neptune said, sighing deeply. “I decided to send my new game console to IF and Compa’s home.” Neptune said. “I’m going to miss it, but there’s no way I can lug that giant thing around Leanbox and then Lowee.” Neptune said, shaking her head sadly.

“Good idea.” Said Nepgear.

“I mean… Did you see that giant power brick? They should call it a power cinderblock!” Neptune said, placing her hands on her hips.

“Actually.” Vert said, feeling annoyed. “The power brick is very important. You see…” Vert began, but Neptune quickly changed the subject.

“The next Fairy Tower is located at Ms Mountain, right?” Neptune asked.

“Listen to me!” Vert cried.

Nepgear pulled out her N-Gear and glanced down at the screen. “That’s right.” Nepgear said, nodding her head several times. “It’s going to be quite the walk though. Are you sure you want to leave right now?” Neptune asked, looking at everyone.

“I’m ready.” Said Marvy. “I was actually worried that my ninja skills will get rusty if I stay in this city any longer.” The ninja girl admitted.

“I’m ready too.” Said Vert, crossing her arms angrily in front of her chest.

“I could stay a few more months, maybe a year, but might as well get going.” Neptune said, shrugging her shoulders. “You know what Vert? I can see why you like Leanbox. It’s really comfortable here. It has some great games and the people are friendly!” Neptune giggled as she spoke.

“I’m glad you like it so much.” Said Vert, as she uncrossed her arms and smiled warmly at her friend.

“The power brick sucks though.” Said Neptune.

“I’ll have you know…” Vert began a long explanation as to why the power brick was actually important and didn’t suck.

After that the four girls started moving through the streets of Leanbox. The previous day the girls stayed in the Nep’s room for most of the day, until they decided to go out and visit the arcade one more time. While there, they saw a girl who was playing a bullet hell game and she was incredibly skilled at it. Nepgear wanted to talk to this girl, but before she could get close the girl had vanished through a mob of people and disappeared.

The girls talked amongst themselves until they reached the city limits. “Well here we are.” Neptune said, staring across the great expanse before her. “Ms Mountain? Here we come!” All four girls turned their eyes back towards the city, before they continued their journey to the next Fairy Tower.

Neptunia Heart Souls- CHAPTER 71

 Nepgear pulled out her mask and fitted her grappling devices onto her arms. After that she made her way over to Neptune and peered into her closed eyes. “Big sister?” Nepgear whispered.

Neptune’s soft breaths were her only response.

After sitting on her knees in front of her sister for a few moments, Nepgear got to her feet and headed out of the room. The hotel the girls were staying in was large, but the hallways were empty. Nepgear found a side entrance to leave through and soon found herself outside.

“Time to get started.” Nepgear thought, as she slid her mask on and started running as fast as she could towards Leanbox’s Basilicom. As Nepgear ran, she made sure to take as many alleyway and back streets as she could, in order to avoid being seen by other people.

Soon Nepgear stood in front of the large Basilicom. Nepgear searched the building for several long moments, until she found a back entrance. Taking out her other N-Gear, Nepgear began hacking into the door. Since Nepgear started building her other N-Gear, she managed to add more hacking devices and apps to it. Now it only took her a few button presses in order to hack most doorways.

After the door was hacked and Nepgear was able to slip inside, she began her search for Histoire.

Nepgear moved from room to room as she searched for the original Histoire. As Nepgear moved, she kept her eyes on her N-Gear’s screen incase there were any signs of traps or security systems.

“I’m surprised. Considering this is a Basilicom I would think this place had more security.” Nepgear thought, as she moved down a long hallway that was completely free of security. The Basilicom didn’t have any cameras and the rooms that did have cameras weren’t activated.

Nepgear even found several laser tripwire alarm systems that were getting power, but were turned off. “This is so weird.” Nepgear thought, as she made her way to the top floor.

As Nepgear reached the top floor of the Basilicom, she made her way through a nearby doorway. The room was fairly dark except for the light coming from multiple computer monitors.

“Did someone leave their computers on?” Nepgear wondered, as she stepped closer to the monitors.

“Lights.” Came a voice.

The lights in the room suddenly came on and Nepgear saw that she wasn’t alone. Sitting on a large couch was a beautiful woman with long green hair. “Who are you?” The woman asked.

Nepgear could hear her heart pounding in her ears. She quickly looked around the room expecting to see Leanbox guards ready to pounce on her. However, the only other person in the room beside herself was the green haired woman.

“Don’t worry. I don’t plan on having you arrested. Though trespassing isn’t very nice.” Said the green haired woman.

“M-My named… It’s Nepgear.” Nepgear said, before mentally kicking herself. “Why did I tell you that?” Nepgear wondered, aloud. Nepgear pulled off her mask and ran her fingers through her hair.

The green haired woman giggled. “So it’s you. It’s nice to meet you Nepgear.”

“Me?” Nepgear said, furrowing brow. “You knew I was coming?”

“Of course. Histoire sent you didn’t she?” The green haired woman said. “By the way. My name is lady Green Heart, but you can call me Green Heart.”

“Green Heart?” Nepgear began. “You mean the goddess of Leanbox?”

“That’s right.” Green Heart said.

Now that the lights in the room were on, Nepgear looked around the room. She saw that the room was fairly large. It’s walls were covered in posters of video game characters. There were shelves filled with video game figurines and the floors were covered in video game boxes.

Nepgear turned her attention to the computer monitors and noticed that Green Heart wasn’t simply playing one video game. She was actually playing four at the same time. “Green Heart? How did you know I was coming?” Nepgear asked.

“I had a dream about a girl named Histoire. She told me that Neptune and Nepgear were coming to Leanbox. She told me that you’re here to activate the Fairy Towers in my land and she asked me to help you if I could.” Green Heart tore her eyes from the computer monitors and looked at Nepgear. “You’re very cute.” She said, before quickly turning her eyes back towards the monitors.

“What’s wrong?” Asked Nepgear, noticing the anguish in Green Heart’s eyes.

“It’s funny… I love video games. I love… Well maybe you’re too young to hear about the genre. I love playing games, but I feel like I’m missing something. The love I feel for games isn’t what it should be.” Said Green Heart.

Nepgear furrowed her brow. “Can you stop playing?” Nepgear asked.

“I can for a short amount of time, but the urge to come back and see what happens next is too strong for me.” Said Green Heart. “Oh! I just realized that I hadn’t answered your question. I had a feeling that someone might come to the Basilicom because I heard that someone had broken into Lastation’s Basilicom, but they didn’t steal anything. I figured it might be you or Neptune.”

“Wow…” Nepgear said, her voice trailed.

“Do you mind telling me why you broke into my Basilicom?” Green Heart asked.

“Well… I hope you don’t get angry, but…” After that, Nepgear told her everything she had learnt since starting her journey and she didn’t leave anything out. Once she reached the end of her story, she waited for Green Heart’s reaction.

“I see…” Green Heart said.

“I’m really sorry. I’m being very-” Nepgear began, but Green Heart cut her off.

“Smart.” Green Heart said. “If I were told that, I would think the very same thing. I do assure you that I didn’t take the original Histoire, but I don’t mind you searching the rest of my Basilicom. I actually had security cut for that very reason.”

“Really?” Nepgear said. “You had me figured out since the beginning?”

Green Heart giggled and shook her head. “No dear, but I had a feeling you or Neptune would want to see me. After all, I haven’t come to introduce myself yet.”  

“I okay.” Nepgear said. “Lastation’s goddess said they were missing something as well. They couldn’t focus on anything really. Black Heart was obsessed with work, but couldn’t complete any jobs. Black Sister was obsessed with impressing her sister. Purple Heart never said, but I’m sure she was missing something. Purple Sister was missing her memories completely. I can only imagine what the goddess of Lowee is missing.”

“Oh my…” Green Heart began, an awkward silence fell on the two girls. “Nepgear sweetie?”

“Yes?” Asked Nepgear.

“Is there anything I can do to help? I know that I’m stuck here for whatever reason, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t help you out financially.” Said Green Heart.

“No. That’s okay.” Nepgear said. “Were actually making good time and we only need to activate three more Fairy Towers.”

“That’s good.” Said Green Heart.

“Besides. We already made some good friends since coming to Leanbox. They’re helping us out as well.” Nepgear said.

“Excellent.” Said Green Heart. “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“Thanks.” Nepgear said. “I should probably get going. I don’t want to worry my big sister.”

“I understand.” Green Heart said, once again turning her eyes away from her computer monitors. “I know you and your sister can do this Nepgear.” Green Heart said, before she was compelled to turn her eyes back to her computer monitors. “Oh and don’t worry about wearing a mask on your way back out. I’ll inform the few security officers that you’re leaving. They won’t bother you.”

“Thanks Lady Green Heart.” Nepgear said, bowing to the woman. “I promise. I’ll work hard for Leanbox and you.”

“Thanks!” Green Heart said, giggling. “I can tell that you’re brilliant!”

Nepgear took a deep breath. Her cheeks were burning hot. Turning on her heels she headed out of the Basilicom. Nepgear didn’t bother using her other N-Gear as she left through the Basilicom’s front entrance.

Like Green Heart said, the few security officers that Nepgear passed didn’t bother her. Instead they actually bowed as she walked past them. Soon Nepgear was back outside. “Wow. I wasn’t expecting that.” Nepgear thought, as she turned her eyes back towards the Basilicom. “I better get back home.”

Nepgear ran back to her hotel. After slipping into her room, she took off her grappling devices and placed them and her other N-Gear into her backpack, before slipping under the covers of her bed.

“Couldn’t sleep Nepgear?” Neptune asked.

Nepgear’s eyes went wide and once again she felt her heart pounding in her ears. “N-No!” Nepgear squeaked.

“Are you okay now?” Neptune asked.

“Yes.” Nepgear said.

“Goodnight baby sister.” Neptune said.

“Goodnight.” Nepgear said.

***

The following morning Nepgear sat up in bed and stretched her hands high over her head. Neptune was sitting on the edge of the bed playing a videogame console that was connected to the television. “Morning sis.” Nepgear said, as she threw her warm blankets off her and swung her bare feet over the side of the bed.

“Morning Nepgear!” Neptune said, giggling. “Did you see my new game console?”

“You bought that?” Nepgear asked.

Neptune giggled once more. “Yep! I was just checking out bank account and were loaded! So I bought a new console!” Neptune said.

“Neptune! We have to discuss our purchases with each other first and… Wait… What do you mean were loaded?” Nepgear asked.

“Yeah! Remember when Purple Heart said she would pay us for every Fairy Tower we activate? Well she’s been keeping up with the payments.” Said Neptune. “I was wondering how much money we had, so I looked it up and were loaded.” Neptune reached into her pocket and handed Nepgear a small slip of paper.

“Yeah, but… We still need to…” Nepgear began, but she found it hard to speak when she noticed the large number written on the slip of paper. “A new console, huh?”

“Yep! And it has all the graphics!” Neptune said. “Don’t worry Nepgear. You can buy something too.”

“Well… Okay.” Nepgear said. The girl was at a loss for words. Nepgear was sitting on the edge of her bed, watching as Neptune continued to play her video game. As she played, Nepgear couldn’t help but think about the day before. How she had broken into Leanbox’s Basilicom and talked to the goddess herself.

“Whoa! Look at this dude!” Neptune said, as a large monster appeared in front of her avatar.

“So… Neptune about last night?” Nepgear began.

“You couldn’t sleep, right?” Neptune asked.

“Yeah.” Said Nepgear. “Anyways. What’s the plan for today?”

Neptune didn’t answer right away. Instead she concentrated on dodging the monsters attacks in her game. “Well. I talked to Vert and Marvy. They decided we should take one more day to relax. We’ll head out tomorrow morning for our next destination. Is that okay with you?” Neptune asked.

Nepgear nodded. “That’s fine.”

Another silence fell over the two girls. This time the silence seemed suffocating. Nepgear started feeling bad about lying to Neptune since she first broke into the Basilicom in Lastation. Now that she had done it again, she felt even guiltier. “Neptune?” Nepgear began.

“What’s up?” Neptune asked.

“Do you remember when someone broke into Lastation’s Basilicom?” Nepgear asked.

“Oh yeah. That was hilarious!” Neptune said.

“It wasn’t funny Neptune! I did it because I thought Black Heart or Black Sister might have kidnapped the original Histoire!” Nepgear said, annoyed that her sister thought the entire thing was funny.

Another awkward silence fell over the girls, but this time the silence was different. Both Neptune and Nepgear’s eyes were wide open.

“Uh…” Nepgear began, giggling nervously. “What I meant was…”

“Y-You broke into the Lastation’s Basilicom?” Neptune began, the controller she was holding slipped out of her hands.

“Yes.” Nepgear said, nodding. “And I broke into Leanbox’s Basilicom last night, but it’s okay. Green Heart wasn’t mad at all.”

“You broke into Leanbox’s Basilicom too?!” Neptune cried.

“Yes.” Nepgear said, nodding.

“Uh… I… You didn’t… I mean…” Neptune began, struggling to find the right words. “You’re grounded missy!”