“C’mon, step it up, Kay-chan!” (Neptune)

“Yes, yes…” (Kaito)

I was being helplessly dragged along by my sporadic comrade into a random store and then towards the section selling dorm room commodities.

We were going at an unhurried rate exploring this place having greeted a kind old man down at the register.

“So how about this curtain? It’s not too shabby or transparent for us to see a person’s figure on the other side. Oh! Why don’t we buy some soundproof foam too! It wouldn’t do to get our girls talk be overheard.” (Neptune)

“Then we’d have to buy a wall to accompany that!” (Kaito)

“Oh! Great idea!” (Neptune)

I exclaimed, sensing that Nepu-chan will approach some peculiar areas in her goal to brighten the admittedly dull room we have. Despite my concern, she actually took my words seriously and now wants a wall too.

“I’ll take these decorations, some nightlights, and these dreamcatchers! Grab some of these beanbags as well. Nepuuu, what a cute plushie!” (Neptune)

My girl companion eyed a red echidna plushie that was rather round and fat with strangely humanistic arms and legs. On its face was a grumpy expression. How’d she find something like that cute?

“That’s rude… how can you not see the charm this guy has?” (Neptune)

“Ah… was I thinking out loud again?” (Kaito)

“Nope, it was written all over your face. Now it’s telling me that’s a common habit you have.” (Neptune)

The smile on my face stiffened. Really… old habits die hard.

“I kind of like that honesty you’ve got. It makes every interaction I have with you feel genuine.” (Neptune)

“I’m glad you’ve taken a liking to my characteristic…” (Kaito)

The spirited girl said that well-intentioned remark with a hearty smile on her face, so I responded with a reluctant shrug.

“I forgot to ask, but how large can Ali-chan recreate our room to be?” (Neptune)

“Approximately… about the size of a cruise ship would be her max?” (Kaito)

“Okay, that is huge.” (Neptune)

“Hopefully she doesn’t go overboard. I can hardly feel the need for it to be that large.” (Kaito)

Surprise came over her before she returned to being her usual energetic self. Suddenly, Nepu-chan dashed off somewhere and I lightly jogged with the cart I’m pushing to keep up with her running down the aisles.

We eventually stopped to the gaming section being scanned over by a starry-eyed Nepu-chan.

“A dorm room isn’t complete without games and an HD-model TV to boot. They even got consoles with ports for wired controllers!” (Neptune)

“You’re even more enthusiastic than usual. A big fan of games?” (Kaito)

“Uh huh! I can’t live without games. Life’s just not good enough without something to take your mind off and escape into another world. I really wish I can take every unique console to bring back.” (Neptune)

“There’s no trouble with that. You can just leave them in my magic box or let the group chat inventory hold it for you.” (Kaito)

“That’s perfect. And what do you know, today’s our luck. They got a sale going on for some outdated games.” (Neptune)

I stood around and watched patiently as she rummaged around every shelf and display for anything that took her interest. She even rummaged around the pile of cartridges, digging so deep that I had to pull out from her leg when she waved her hands in a panic.

“That was close. Seems like retro games are a favorite of yours going by what just happened.” (Kaito)

“I like all kinds of games! But retro games just have this charm you don’t find any more in modern games. And I’m not talking about nostalgia value, but about how their little flaws crammed in that tiny cartridge get you into using your imagination.” (Neptune)

“In today’s standards, you don’t even need the consoles they were created for. You can play them on your pc.” (Kaito)

“But that ruins half the fun! Just think how much fun it would be to play with your best pals close together with your hand-held controllers plugged in the same console.” (Neptune)

“So to you, everything becomes more fun when everyone is involved, is what I’m supposed to take?” (Kaito)

“Yup-yup, there’s an irreplaceable appeal in coming over to your friend’s house to play their games. Unless you’re the loner type, then you’re out of luck.” (Neptune)

Her words threw a stake into my heart and my smile went cramp. Noticing my distress, Nepu-chan hurriedly spoke to diffuse the moment.

“B-B-But how about you, Kay-chan!? What kind of games are you into?” (Neptune)

“I’m into RPGs and MOBAs. I once tutored someone on how to use an unpopular build since they were a newbie to the game.” (Kaito)

“Oh-ho. So we have a niche-style player over here. If you want, there’s this game called 4-Goddesses Online over in my world that’s both an RPG and MOBA, so come check it out sometime.” (Neptune)

“I like the sound of that.” (Kaito)

“In return, show me around that virtual reality stuff you have. I was in a rush to ask, but I noticed how you said Ali-chan came from a virtual world and couldn’t help to think if you’ve got the technology, logically it could’ve been used for entertainment.” (Neptune)

“That sounds like an awesome deal. I’m the only one in my world to own something like that and usually share it around with my friends. I’ll set up a time for you, so don’t be shy to come to Trinia.” (Kaito)

We shared a fist bump over that promise and quickened our pace around the store.

“That’s right, there’s one more thing I wanted to ask you.” (Neptune)

“Hmm? What would that be?” (Kaito)

Nepu-chan stopped walking, bending her upper body low and looked up to me at my side.

“I’m thinking of doing this to everybody else, but what was the reason you had to join the group chat?” (Neptune)

“My reason? Let’s see…” (Kaito)

That’s a good question. I haven’t really thought about it deeply enough to find any meaningful purpose for my decision. It was just a sudden spur of the moment and how I was too caught up with the situation to respond with an even-tempered mind to see all the implications.

“Were you after adventure? Looking for something entertaining to pass the time? How about seeking a lot of power?” (Neptune)

“I guess I didn’t really make a good enough reason to do so. Because I was encouraged by a lot of people, I just took that step into the unknown.” (Kaito)

“I get it… you’re like me, getting into the flow and just going for it. But what about now? Has it changed somewhat?” (Neptune)

“If there’s something that’s different now, it’s that I realized I was looking forward to meeting new people and befriending them. Yeah, it wasn’t on a whim. I’m having fun with everyone who’s got something special to them like Minato-kun, Doctor, Tanjiro-kun, and you, Nepu-chan.” (Kaito)

“Ahaha, that’s so true! We’re completely in-sync, you and me. I don’t feel a single regret since I’ve to come to know you better. Meeting new people is just so much fun!” (Neptune)

Nepu-chan flashed a bright smile, honestly feeling happy at how the opportunity allowed us to meet each other. I reciprocated the feeling with my own smile.

“I’ve got something I’ve been meaning to ask you too.” (Kaito)

“Nepu? What’s up?” (Neptune)

She tilted her head while keeping eye contact with me. I lifted my scroll and displayed the image of the Gnosis on the screen to her.

“You were surprised at the descriptions of these things when I spoke of them.” (Kaito)

“Oh, I guess I was, huh? How careless of me.” (Neptune)

Nepu-chan rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. I went ahead to ease her sudden nervousness.

“It’s not that I’m feeling any suspicion for you. I was just curious on why you reacted a little to the mention of gods and Celestia. If it’s anything difficult to talk about, I don’t mind if you don’t want to answer.” (Kaito)

“Eh? No no, it isn’t anything serious or that kinda junk. These things don’t have anything to do with my world, but they do share a lot of similarities to stuff back home.” (Neptune)

I watched her cross her arms and put on a thinking face with her eyes closed. I sensed she was ready to speak again once she opened her eyes.

“Well for one, we have goddesses called CPUs that rule over their own nation and protect Gamindustri. They also come from Celestia, big ol’ floating island in the sky. But the similarities end there.” (Neptune)

“Oh, that’s interesting.” (Kaito)

So her world has goddesses too. I wonder if I’ll get the chance to meet one of them? What am I thinking, I’ve already done that with the amnesiac in front of me. Nepu-chan looked slightly surprised at me.

“That’s a really lackluster reaction you got there.” (Neptune)

“You think so?” (Kaito)

“Yeah, what am I saying? We got suspicious AIs getting us to come together to save another world, what’s the news about some goddesses is going to do for you?” (Neptune)

She was unexpectedly talking some sense. I chuckled at that and waited for her to say anything else. I didn’t want to rush her, and moments after she carried on.

“And then… it’s also got something personal to do with me. See, I have a bit of goddess power in me.” (Neptune)

“Hmm… go on.” (Kaito)

“It’s called HDD, short for Hard Drive Divinity, or Goddess Evolution from Histy. It’s my power to transform. I didn’t want to dwell on it, but the coincidence to the name and the CPUs got me thinking about it again. I don’t know what my past is, but there must be a really awesome story behind why I have the power of a goddess!” (Neptune)

Well yeah, you ARE a goddess.

“How cool would it be if I had the background of someone descending from a line of people with goddess blood in them. Are goddesses even capable of having children? Hmm…” (Neptune)

“Quite the imagination you’ve got. But then, don’t you think the obvious answer would be because you are the goddess herself that you’re able to use that power?” (Kaito)

That’s when she looked down to her feet and came back up with a worried expression.

“Okay, so I can’t deny that would be really awesome too… but what would happen if people began to take it seriously?” (Neptune)

“Such as?” (Kaito)

“My friends, Compa and Ai-chan, or those in the group chat. It’s just a nagging feeling inside, saying what if everybody starts to think differently of me if I’m really a CPU.” (Neptune)

“Even if that were to become true, it won’t change anything between us.” (Kaito)

“Positive?” (Neptune)

“I’m one hundred percent certain.” (Kaito)

Because I’m already aware that you are a goddess thanks to a certain airhead…

(You’re welcome.) (Shiro)

I have no retort to that since I’m not sure if it that’s something I can scold her over this time.

“What’s up, Kay-chan? Your face is doing that thing again, but I can’t tell what it means this time.” (Neptune)

“Don’t pay it any mind. But yeah, that’s what I really feel. Any possibility of you being related to the goddess won’t have any effect on our current relationship.” (Kaito)

“I see… hearing you say that somehow puts me in a lot of ease.” (Neptune)

Whatever haze Nepu-chan was in got cleared up in no time and she got back to her upbeat self.

“Well? What are we waiting for, let’s wrap everything up pronto. I’m in such a good mood just now, so let’s rush onwards to our dorm and play some games!” (Neptune)

We finished paying for all the stuff we grabbed and walked back to Beacon. Nepu-chan walked with a lighter spring in her step as we did a few more small talks along the way. During that time, I could feel I was getting closer to her.

 

 

 

Afterword:

Lazy Heart: “Talking with Kay-chan always gets me feeling fluffy all the time. He even got me to go ‘doki doki’ near the end. I’m really looking forward to more of us hanging out like this!”

Serious-senpai: “I’m not! I have such a killer headache right now… and the title even says it's only part one goddamn it!”