Planeptune

Planeptune's newly reopened Theme Park: Purple World. It attracted the attention of citizens from all over Gamindustri. The sheer size and variety in rides and the clean aired location that was not too far away from the ocean made it perfect for tourism and a leisurely visit alike. Especially teenagers and students were attracted to this place.

Among other things the park also had a huge stage used for concerts and shows that was equipped with everything necessary to create wonderful light shows. There was a concert today as well. It would begin in the late afternoon, but right now the stage area was still closed off.

On the opposite side of the park was another new attraction. The ride called 'Viking Ship'. As its namesake suggests, it was a giant wooden ship looking contraption. The 'boat' was attached to a curved platform that reminded somewhat of a halfpipe in skateboarding. It attracted quite some attention among the park guests.

Noire: "More back and forth motions…?"

As well as the less thrilled attention of Lastation's CPU. There was a dark veil over her eyes as she watched the thing move. K-sha next to her didn't seem perturbed in the least though. They had just escaped a disaster on the Tea Cups, but apparently that wasn't a big deal.

K-sha: "Have you ever been on a real ship before Noire?"

Noire: "Not really. I usually fly over the ocean."

K-sha: "Teehee, that's so cool."

Noire: (She unironically used 'Teehee'.)

They entered the ride with contradictory feelings. Not far behind them, lying in wait, were Neptune and Marvy. Neptune finally got a chance to use the binoculars she had been lend and it was pretty fun to watch someone from a distance without any fear of getting spotted. Too bad that there was no way to look inside the ship. Neptune moved her hand forward in a half circle. Nothing happened.

Neptune: "Can't you hear my hand dialogue?"

She made a few weird gestures to Marvy who was giving her a blank smile. Neptune shook her head.

Neptune: "Marvy, Marvester, Marvey! You have to learn the basics of hand-to-hand communication or you'll never grow up to be a good wife."

Marvy: "I see. That would be sad."

She took it completely straight! Neptune shrugged and jumped up from the greenery. No more bushes for today.

Neptune: "Just follow me as if my life depended on it, 'kay?"

Marvy: "Aye aye!"

She had taken that pirate comment from before a little too seriously, huh?

They managed to enter the ship without trouble, but the real challenge started now. Neptune felt her stomach's butterfly population increase rapidly. This boat was constructed to have the two halves of visitors sit down on both sides and face each other. And following the narrative law of 'nothing goes according to plan', Noire's half happened to be completely filled. In other words, they would totally see them!

Marvy slightly bumped into Neptune, which made the purple haired girl snap out of her inner thoughts. An idea had just hit her against the head! Or perhaps that was just Marvy's bosom.

She grabbed Marvy's wrist and pulled her over to the backseats on the right that were still empty, all the while hiding behind the seats to escape detection. Marvy seemed a little confused, but didn't resist being used as a vision shield.

On the other end of things Noire was looking a little blue, in body and soul. But she still noticed Marvelous.

Noire: "Isn't that…?"

K-sha spotted her as well and squinted her eyes. Marvy suddenly raised her right arm in an awkward way and waved it all over the place. The motion seemed really disconnected from the rest of her body, almost like the arm was moved by an invisible outside force…

Noire nodded to confirm that she had seen Marvy and weakly waved back. She then proceeded to hold her own head again, in anticipation of the worst.

Neptune: "Did they buy it? The graviton pull of your rack sucked their eyes in, right?"

Marvy: "I don't think this disguise will work. Speaking from the disguise's perspective. But Lady Noire doesn't seem to have noticed you yet."

She sat down and talked almost unnoticeably over her shoulder. Neptune took position behind her seat to use her as cover.

Neptune: "Perfect. Can you use your magical ninja sense to tell me what they are babbling about?"

Marvy: "I guess so."

She actually had those?!

Impressively Marvy impersonated both Noire and K-sha. She did an amazing job in replicating their voices and nuances. Just her body and outfit took away from the experience and made it funny.

K-sha: "You look a little scared Noire? If you want I can hold your hands again."

Noire: "That's not it… wait what do you mean again?"

But the ride already began. With a big opening push the boat moved upwards. The gravity pulled Noire and K-sha forwards, while Marvy was pushed back, making her back crush Neptune.

Neptune: "Bwaaargh…!"

Unsuspecting of her deadly weight, Marvy kept transmitting the conversation.

Noire: "I've never been on this type of ride before. What exactly does it do-oooo?!"

And the ship swung down into the opposite direction at full speed! The directional pull forced Noire back into her seat, while Neptune had to hold on to Marvy with all her might not to fly off. The guests cheered in excitement all around them.

Marvy: "N-Neptune, not so rough… aahhhn… p-please don't pull my shirt so much."

Neptune was clawing into Marvy's white shirt with all her might, which put the highest of strain on the already very exhausted single button that kept the whole thing together.

The next swing followed and now the ship was spinning in place while continuing its pendulum motion!

Neptune: "Neppu?! What is this primordial evil spiral!?"

She yelled (with a hint of excitement) while still holding on to Marvy's chest. Really, she should have put on a seatbelt.

Marvy: "Kyaaaaah! Not that button!"

With the force and sound rivaling that of a gun the last button of decency was shot into the crowd, never to be seen again. In slow motion Marvy's shirt was pulled open. Neptune was holding on to the now fluttering folds and hung on with the skin of her teeth. This wardrobe malfunction did not go unnoticed. Dozens of guys (and even some girls) around them were suddenly very fixated on the orange haired ninja. A torrent of nosebleeds erupted from everywhere.

Noire: "This ride was created by the devil, wasn't it?!"

She yelled as the rotation increased and she saw literal blood rain coming her way on the back swing! Ever vigilant, K-sha's eyes sparked and she pulled over some innocent teenager and pushed him in front of them. He was a blood reflecting umbrella now and splattered in red.

Two minutes of horror, screams, squeals, shouts of joy and darkness later…

Noire was unsullied. Not a single drop had hit her and she was still standing on her own two feet. But one could say her mind had taken some damage. Some people would probably be traumatized. K-sha supported her with her shoulder.

Not much farther away Neptune apologized to Marvy with still spinning eyes.

Neptune: "My bad. I didn't count in the devil spin…"

Marvy: "Don't worry about it. As a kunoichi it's normal to lose some clothes. It's a good way to distract enemies too."

She took it surprisingly well. Her shirt was now hanging loosely off her shoulders and she was hiding her chest behind her arms. Neptune wondered if the rumors about female ninjas (kunoichi) were true after all. One thing was for sure though… Marvy had not been wearing a bra.

The less than enviable staff was now checking in on the ship, only to find a scene akin to a horror movie. Dozens of blood covered and knocked out people were spread everywhere.

Marvy: "I apologize Neptune, but I have to go and get a new shirt. My buttons are all ripped off. I'll come back to support you later!"

Neptune: "Why do you want to help me so bad?"

Marvy: "I'm just curious."

She admitted and laughed heartily. Neptune gave her a sardonic smile and shrugged.

Neptune: "See ya later then. Don't go flashing your hot bod to all the people around. At least not without asking for a fee first."

Marvy: "That won't be necessary."

She put her index and middle finger together and then vanished. Ninjas sure were magical, Neptune thought. But there was no rest for the weary. The two black haired girls were just not stopping.

K-sha: "You look really exhausted. Let's go on a more subdued ride."

Noire: "Yes please! …I mean… If you want to."

She strongly agreed with a somewhat desperate voice before she caught herself. Noire was escorted to their next location by the still chipper K-sha.

K-sha: "There are some really relaaaxing places to go to. Which do you think is best?"

Noire: "Whatever you choose is fine by me…"

Her reply was tired. It seemed like she could barely keep her eyes open.

K-sha: "Oh? Then I have a suggestion. But only if you really, really want to."

Noire: "I said it's fine."

She mumbled.

K-sha: "T-then… I w-would like to go to the… Love Tunnel."

She blushed at her own suggestion. Noire just nodded without any resistance. She was too worn down to even realize what was going on!

Neptune: "!"

Finally it dawned on her. The schemes, the means and especially the themes, K-sha had been using! It all came to Neptune now. This high-school mastermind had been weakening Noire step by step until she was unable to resist K-sha's true ambition. To bind them together.

Neptune began sweating and she noticed K-sha's evil grin from the side. This was all planned out. She was almost impressed by the scheming nature of her rival.

Neptune: "No time to be stunned."

She slapped her own cheek hard enough for it to become red. Now that she had managed to figure it out she had an obligation to do something about it. If she didn't stop this development then Noire might regret it forever, right? This was also part of the contest, yeah?! Stopping her opponent form cheating!

This time Neptune had a head start. Noire was in no condition to walk fast, so K-sha would be weighed down for a while.

Using her advantage Neptune arrived at the ominous ride in record time. But now what? A solution didn't immediately spring to mind. She had been avoiding the thought on her way here. A bunch of couples were already moving about this area. Without anything else to do, she subconsciously listened to their conversations.

Couple 1: "Did you hear the rumors? They say if you get your photo taken together you will be bound to each other forever."

Couple 2: "That's so romantic~!"

Lovebird 1: "L-let's kiss w-when the photo is taken!"

Lovebird 2: "You're so brave! Of course we will, my love!"

Neptune felt weirded out by this army of lovey-dovey couples. Did people actually talk like that in real life? She wasn't one to point out oddities, but this was beyond mushy.

And their words were so unsettling.

Two people who took this ride together would definitely become an item? Picture proof and everything? Noire really was in danger… If this had been a normal day she would probably be laughing her tush off at the mere thought of Noire's despairing face after seeing the photos, but for some reason Nep couldn't feel that glee at all right now. Instead she felt a nagging pounding in her head.

Neptune: "All my sorries, but I have to break you."

She said with a dark shadow over her eyes. Her purple and blue shoes stepped along the edge of the control house and she entered through the back door. It was carelessly left unlocked. Now inside the machine room she grabbed an iron pipe from the wall. It just seemed more appropriate.

Neptune: "And a-one and a-two~"

She sang as she smashed the machinery with reckless abandon. It made a lot of noise, but the fruits of her labor were a smoking control panel and a crumbling connection. She expelled all her guilt with a cold sigh and then turned her back to the mess. Time to make a swift escape. People don't take kindly to vandalism. After this was over she would come back and leave an anonymous payment for sure. Even Neptune wasn't so selfish as to ignore her own wrongdoings.

Beeep. Fwwzzp. Tskr.

Those noises. They came from behind Neptune. Her shaking hand left the door handle and she slowly turned back.

Neptune: "No."

She scolded the completely recovered console. That was not okay. You don't just look fine after getting destroyed. Now she was forced to commit a crime again!

A good smashing later she kept watch over the thing. Somehow the parts readjusted and everything was repaired in the blink of an eye.

Neptune: "Da heck?!"

She broke a lever. In an instant it was glued back together. Neptune crossed her arms and her eyes turned into lines.

Neptune: "Mechromancy? Aliens or spooks?"

She curled her lips in annoyance. Whatever was messing with her, she couldn't afford to hang around here much longer. The conductor was probably on his way back already. She blew off and managed to pass the staff without being noticed.

Those ghosts better not think she was giving up yet. If there was one thing Neptune was good at, it was lazing around! Wait, wrong passive skill.

If there was one thing Neptune was good at, it was breaking things!

Neptune: "Hueheheh."

She cackled delusionally as she crawled below the tunnel. There was wiring everywhere below this thing. The gap was barely big enough to let her crawl through it and it was darker than night. Her parker dress was dirtied with every crawling motion, but she eventually reached the nodal point. There was barely enough space to move her tiny arms around. She grunted and then swung her pipe awkwardly. It ripped out the cables good.

And they were bridged back together faster than the electricity could escape.

Neptune: "What the nep is this? This ride has a stronger will to live than a doomed world before the climax of a game! And that kind of thing usually powers me up!"

Thoroughly beaten by mechanical ghosts, Neptune finally gave up. She casually threw her pipe away which made a loud 'clang' sound.

???: "Ouch!"

She must have imagined that painful cry.

Neptune rubbed her hurting back and dusted off her outfit. Instead of cleaning it, she somehow dirtied her hands more though.

So plan A to Z had obviously failed now. What alternative was possibly left to her?

K-sha: "Just a little more. We are almost there. We can relax over there~"

Nep's trouble honed ears picked up the comforting words spoken by none other than K-shaker.

Dun dun duuuun!

The timer had reached zero already. Noire arrived. Neptune bit her thumb nail as she watched them join the line to the Love Tunnel. They had arrived here so fast. Or should she say only now? Noire must have been seriously out of it to move this slowly.

When Neptune dared to turn the corner she saw them at the very head of the line. How was this even possible? Her shoulders slumped down. She could do nothing but watch now. But wasn't that what she had been doing this whole time? No. She could do more. Interfere. Not in an obvious way, because that would be cheating.

Right, she would follow behind them one last time! Once she was in there she could still stop K-shaver from ravaging Noire's body.

The only problem was that quite a few couples were standing between her and the ride. This time Neptune had to take the one boat right after them or she wouldn't be able to follow. These drooling heart spawn-points were not going to stop her!

Neptune: "Time to use my assists!"

She raised her hand and flicked her finger in a cool pose. A mysterious space-time warp phenomenon took place and from nothingness appeared something.

RED: "Woohoo it tickles! My wifey called?"

The red haired girl manifested next to Neptune as if it was only natural. She was the same height as Neptune, but ten times more energetic. That is not even a joke. Her red dress, that was vaguely oriental, was spinning around as she turned to Neptune. The golden dragon statue that was wrapped around her body seemed to be glowing.

Neptune: "You know what to do to them Assist Number 1."

RED: "Roger dodger wifey number 1!"

She saluted and sprinted towards the line with outstretched arms.

RED: "To all my new wifeys; abandon those old men and have some fun with me instead!"

Her demands were intransigent and yet kind of cute. She certainly caught everybody's attention fast.

Old man 1: "O-old man?! I'm just 23!"

Old man 2: "I'm still in high school…"

Old man 3: "Even in anime years I'm not that old."

RED: "Don't you feel embarrassed to be all lovey-dovey at your age? You should be playing golf or something. Build a birdhouse at home."

Old(?) man 1: "I couldn't even get a pension if I wanted at my age!"

Old(?) man 2: "How do you play golf? I don't know the rules…"

Girlfriend: "Hey, what are you trying to say? You think going out with me is boring?!"

RED: "Pathetic. You don't deserve my wifeys."

The commotion reached new heights in seconds. Neptune felt almost bad for releasing the wrath of RED on these poor people. Then again, RED would have done this without any poking on Nep's part anyway.

She used the chaos to simply pass the entire line and reached the entrance just as the daring dating duo entered their red boat. It was a small boat, just big enough to fit two people. It had comfortable looking black seats that were in aesthetic harmony with the red material of the boat itself. The whole thing was floating on the surface of a shallow water track that flowed into the tunnel ahead. And just as intended they were sucked into the vortex of darkness (also known as the entry pipe) ahead.

Seeing Noire slip into the tunnel made Neptune feel an urge to hurry. The next boat was gliding into position in what felt like slow-motion.

Staffer: "Excuse me Miss, but… do you know which ride this is?"

He asked politely. It was not hard to see why he questioned Neptune's choice. A small girl in a dirty hoodie, all alone and with dark circles under her eyes just didn't seem to fit into this place. It was a normal question, definitely, but…

Neptune: "Duh. It's the illegal underground love circuit."

She answered snappishly.

Staffer: "Huh…?"

Neptune: "Is this gonna take much longer?"

Staffer: "No, I'm trying to explain… this is the Love Tunnel. Its conception is for well, couples…"

Neptune: "Hah? Are you saying there is a minimum amount of people required for this thing?"

Her inquisitive eyes made him take a step back.

Staffer: "W-well not exactly-"

Neptune: "Sooo?"

For someone who faced a hungry and seriously annoyed Neptune he showed incredible perseverance. So he dared one last resistance.

Staffer: "But the main attraction of this ride is… to get the mood going. To uhm… deepen a couple's love!"

Why was he getting embarrassed now? He looked unsure. Neptune just gave him a dismissive look.

Neptune: "Did I just hear that right? Are you saying my LOVE is not strong enough? You think I didn't distribute my stats good?"

Staffer: "No? J-just…"

Neptune: "I'm full of love! My love knows no bounds other than the character limit of my textbox! I love pudding, I love Planeptune and I definitely most likely also love my little sister in a familial way, but don't quote me on that."

Staffer: "…"

Neptune: "Hel-lo? I beat more classic Dating Sims than your entire crew combined so can I get a boat or what?"

There was a huge deficit in patience stocks on Neptune's mental stock market right now.

Staffer: "Yes… of course Miss."

He finally caved in and showed her to her seat.

Neptune: (Wow these things are super comfy!)

She was deeply impressed. With this thing one could probably sleep really well. No, keep it together Neptune! Just because she hadn't eaten anything but ice-cream and mushrooms today, didn't mean she was allowed to faint.

As soon as the red boat entered the tunnel Neptune began to paddle furiously. The standard speed wasn't enough to catch up to those two 'lovers' at all.

Neptune: "Nep-Nep dual paddle strike!"

She summoned two flat and wide swords from her inventory to use them as paddles. At this rate she would reach them in a minute max.

The tunnel was not all dark anymore. The farther she got in, the more dot sized lights appeared all over the walls. They sparkled like the stars at the night sky. Colored light hues shimmered everywhere in mesmerizing patterns that were enhanced by the water's reflections. The calming sound of bubbling water encompassed all, making the atmosphere even more potent. Neptune thought that Plutie wouldn't have lasted one second before falling asleep in here.

She couldn't really say that she perceived this place as romantic though.

Splash.

And another curve was passed. Neptune hastily unequipped her swords as she noticed the other boat at the edge of her vision. Caught up. She gulped. For some reason she could only see K-sha's back though. Did Noire fall off into the water or something? Did Neptune hit her with one of her 'paddles' and knocked her out underwater by accident?

Neptune: (That's not good. I can't be tried for murder again.)

While thinking such creepy thoughts she realized her mistake. Nep's boat finally passed the curve as well and in the straight line of vision it all became visible. She could see the waistline of Noire's dress peek over the seat. From here it almost looked like she was in a horizontal position. With her head concealed by K-sha's body…

LAP PILLOW!?

To quote Nep Jr. for a moment: "What the goodness?!". That was completely impossible. Prideful Noire would rather take the previously mentioned water route than to get into that position! Neptune felt sweat drops running down her face. Even though she had been acting strange this whole time she didn't actually BELIEVE that those two were being lovey-dovey. She pretty much just riled herself up, because of the mood. Facts in front of her own flesh goggles were harder to deny than some throwaway line from Iffy.

But they wouldn't go farther, right? According to the rumors the deal would be sealed if they kissed in front of the camera. Whether that was the seal for public controversy or this completely stupid relationship. Either way Nep had to do something.

With bloodshot eyes she noticed the first pair of cameras ahead. They were almost perfectly hidden in the dark, imitating some of the lights on the walls. Well they didn't have a high enough camo index for the sneak master herself!

She equipped two swords from her inventory and then aimed them at the cameras. From this distance it was impossible to slash them. If that had been Neptune's intention. But instead she took careful aim and - threw them at the cameras! Like a knife in butter the swords went straight through the cameras and made them crumble apart. The splashing of parts hitting the water was thankfully not too loud.

Neptune congratulated herself on a job well done, but then her eyes turned white. Cameras. Dozens of cameras ahead! The whole damn tunnel was filled with them. Even if they wanted to make sure to catch a good angle, wasn't this excessive?! And a lot of them were floating in the air instead of being attached to the walls. Those also had way better camouflage. Even a voyeur stalker wasn't that well prepared…

Neptune: "Hahah… hahaha…! Don't underestimate the laziness of a seasoned adventurer. My whole inventory is full of useless swords that I picked up and forgot to sell!"

She whispered as loudly as she could and then summoned dozens of swords.

Neptune: "Wait… I could have sold these to get some credits and fill my wallet! Neppers…!"

She keeled over in regret, but then threw them at the cameras anyway. Somehow K-sha and Noire didn't seem to notice. Probably too self-absorbed.

After a destruction spree Neptune was out of breath, but then noticed more cameras flying after her from the back. Reinforcements?! Was this some secret privacy invasion with an actual army?

Neptune: "This is getting really expensive for you people. And I have Unlimited Sword Works."

She said with a shrug and threw another sword behind her to destroy more cameras, but it was deflected by a silver streak. Another sword, another deflection.

Neptune: "Is this going to be a running theme? I wanna destroy things and magic keeps them intact? That's a really annoying scenario."

Neptune sighed and activated HDD in an appropriately dimmed pillar of light. 20 seconds later the cameras were all annihilated and she flew back to her lonely boat. Whatever protected them before had very suddenly vanished. Maybe Mr. Silver Streak was scared of her HDD form?

Now back on the boat she noticed that it had caught up with the other one quite a bit. If K-sha decided to turn around she would have been able to see the white of Neptune's eyes at this distance. It was time to backpaddle, wasn't it? She wiped the sweat from her forehead and stretched her arms to get a hold of the walls.

K-sha: "Your sleeping face is always so cute."

The young girl whispered softly. That made Neptune stop in her tracks. Sleeping face? Ah, so that's what was going on! Of course Noire wouldn't do this kind of thing if she was conscious. K-sha had been exhausting Noire on purpose this entire time to make her sleepy and succumb to her here. And now she was gonna do all kinds of unspeakable things to her defenseless sleeping body!

K-sha: "I'm sorry for dragging you around so much, but it was really fun for you too, right?"

K-sha kept talking, so Neptune stayed put. She saw K-sha gently stroking Noire's hair. Lastation's CPU was just calmly heaving her chest up and down while sleeping. Neptune couldn't see her face, but she guessed that it was relaxed.

K-sha: "Today… no this whole time I have been selfish. I know that very well."

Her voice lowered even more. Neptune leaned forward to keep listening.

K-sha: "I feel bad for Miss Neptune too. She is working so hard to win your friendship. If I hadn't said those words then nobody would be in this position."

Neptune lowered her head. Maybe she shouldn't be listening in on these private things…. But she felt like she was bound to her seat with chains.

K-sha's shoulders rose as she took a deep and long breath.

K-sha: "I really, completely, utterly and deeply love you Noire. And each day I see you, I immediately fall for you all over again!"

It was not so much a declaration as it was an affirmation for herself.

K-sha: "I know that it bothers you. When I say it to you while you are awake… when people are around. Yet it's what I truly feel. And I want to tell you over and over again, forever."

Her voice was slightly shaking.

K-sha: "I knew you would be embarrassed, so I guided you here when you were not resisting. I'm sorry."

Again she apologized.

K-sha: "My legs are probably hard and uncomfy, but maybe you will be able to rest a little. Lap pillows are amazing, aren't they? Just knowing that your face… is so close to me makes my heart flutter."

She hid her face in embarrassment. Even in this semi-darkness Neptune could tell that her ears were red.

The soft sound of water streaming was the only thing that filled the tunnel for a while.

K-sha: "When you said we should be friends, I have to confess… I only thought that it was a good opportunity to use it as a stepping stone. To get closer to you and maybe become l-lovers. Even this whole contest is just my way of making that distance disappear."

She sighed melancholically.

K-sha: "It isn't fair. For anyone, but especially for you. I hope you can appreciate my actions in the future, but right now I just want you to have fun with us."

She scratched her cheek with her index finger and then giggled.

K-sha: "Honestly, I got a little carried away. And now I'm fired up for this too. Miss Neptune really is incredible; I see why you two are such good friends. It makes me want to be friends with her too."

Another chuckle.

K-sha: "But I guess a rival in love is also a possibility?"

A sudden sound behind her made her turn around, but to her surprise she saw an empty boat. She titled her head.

K-sha: "Did it get loose at the entrance?"

She wondered.

Neptune had long since disappeared.

White hairclips were set free after a long time, as the black cat beanie joined the mustache in disguise heaven. Neptune sat down at the café table. It was the same café that she had been spying on before. The Theme Park's café was only open to paying customers, but that wouldn't be a problem.

She had sold her remaining useless swords and gained some credits. Enough to pay her food bills at least. The sugary beverages she had emptied were spilling away the remaining traces of mushrooms in her body, so she felt a lot better.

Vert: "Oh my, Neptune. Are you not with Noire?"

Leanbox's CPU walked over and sat down at her table without asking for permission.

Neptune: "Ah, you know, it was a total bother. Who cares about what those two do anyway?"

She replied with exaggerated disinterest and kept sucking on her straw. Vert leaned her head on her right hand and smiled in a ladylike manner.

Vert: "Not even the tiniest bit curious? There are so many wonderful scenarios that they could experience right now."

Neptune: "You played too many Dating Sims. Like a gazillion and one."

Vert: "Such tones from you? I confess now I feel like I am reading too much into it myself now."

Neptune: "Hey Vertypoo, you sound like a private detective or whatever. Where're your trench coat and hat?"

Vert: "Perhaps I have forgotten them at my rundown office downtown?"

Vert winked and Neptune laughed in response. Even so, there was a silence between them afterwards. Whether or not they were as close as they could be, Neptune considered Vert a friend as well. She put her empty cup upside down and balanced her cutlery on top of it. She made sure not to look into Vert's dark blue eyes.

Neptune: "It's not like I gave up."

Vert: "That wouldn't sound like you."

Neptune: "I know right? Well push that golden straw out of your ears and listen to my preaching. It was completely stupid to follow them around. Isn't that already like admitting defeat? Maaaaaybe I got a little nervous, because Noire is such a weirdo and you never know what she is going to do. And K-shapeup is…"

The words got stuck in her throat.

Vert: "Mhm? Keep going. I am listening."

She said while looking at her touch phone.

Neptune: "You're so totally not! What's gotten you so distracted now?"

Vert: "A friend from my Guild told me which legendary drops I've missed today."

She sighed in disappointment. Her mood was down the drain already. Neptune tilted her head.

Neptune: "Why aren't you playing your MMO right now?"

Only now did she remember that they were in Planeptune and an Amusement Park to boot. Just what was Vert doing here?

Vert: "I will tell you in a bit. There is just one more piece missing."

Neptune: "A GPS puzzle quest?"

Vert: "I hardly have time for something like that."

Neptune: "Says the one who is playing even more games than me…"

It was a rare day when Neptune had to play the straight man. She had finished her kitchen utensil tower and looked satisfied.

They both watched as a group of noisy girls walked by and in their center was RED. There were no boys to be seen.

Neptune: "Woah she's got, like, the magic touch! Is this the power of the harem disc?!"

RED was smiling like a cat on catnip and threw her arms around while talking to her new badge of wifeys. Neptune once again almost felt bad for those dudes that she had unleashed the adorable monster upon.

Nep stood up and waved at her friend.

Neptune: "Yo, over here! I am going to crash this bowling party. Get out of my way o' fair skinned pins!"

And as she said, it happened. Neptune had joined the group to have some more fun.

Vert: "She seems to have changed her mind rather suddenly. I wonder what happened."

Not that it was any of her business.

RED: "Listen up wifeys! You all need to come back again around the same Nep hour and the same Nep channel! Isn't that right wifey number 1?!"

Neptune: "Exactly Assist Number 1! For the sake of continuity."

RED & Neptune: "See you again!"

The other girls looked at them in a complete lack of understanding.

To be continued