And hey another chapter!

Anyways, let's head on to the chapter shall we?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

If some of you noticed some similarities with other fics, then that person's story inspired me, All credit belongs to their respective author/s.

~~~~ Chapter 13 Start~~~~

Light permeated the room as Eiji drawed open the curtains.

"Haaahh, it's a brand new day." He stretched before looking at the room's other occupants, who are still sleeping.

He snuck a peek at the wall clock within the room, revealing the time to be 9:00.

'...Damn, it's late. We have to go questing or else, we'll have no funds to pay for another night. Plus I have to see the Basilicom for myself.'

"Hey Compa, it's morning. Wake up." He lightly shook the girl in the bed that was closest to him.

"Mm... Funyah..." The girl cutely yawned and stretched.

"Huh? Eiji-kun? Why did you wake me up so early in the morning?" She asked as she rubbed the sleep off her eyes.

"It's 9 in the morning, Compa. We have to work or we won't have enough money to pay for a room later you know?" He replied in a deadpan.

"9, huh?" She mumbled before her eyes shot wide open when realization finally dawned on her.

"EEEEEEHHHHH?!" She shouted, waking up the room's inhabitants.

"Hwah... Wasshup, Compa?" A very drowsy Neptune rose from her bed.

"This is bad! We're sooo late!" Compa frantically says.

"Late? Late for what?" IF drowsily asked, completely clueless.

"Ah! ...What are we late for again?" Compa asked, looking as clueless as him.

'... You don't know?' Eiji deadpanned to himself.

"Eh... that sucks, Compa! We stayed up late to watch Ei-kun squirm, heard him sing, and can't sleep anymore so give me a break here." Neptune grumbled before she froze a moment later.

She did not just say tha-

"You were, what?!" Came Eiji's shocked reply.

Aaaaahhh, she messed up...

"... Tehe?" Neptune jokingly bonked the side of her head, with her tongue sticking out a bit.

GRK!

A comical crossed vein appeared on Eiji's forehead at that, and fearing his wrath, Neptune vainly attempted to hide behind her pillow. When nothing happened, she peeked from her hiding spot and she saw him sigh.

"I knew it..." That caused all girls to look at him in surprise.

"Well, I had a hunch that you strategically picked your beds the moment we stepped in. Neptune and Compa picked the ones nearest the AC, while IF chose the one nearest to the electric outlet. I'm stuck in the bed nearest to the bathroom, where the steam can still reach me making me feel queasy." He said, ignoring the looks they were giving him.

"Plus, with the events that had transpired for the day combined with your knowledge of my sleeping habit, you used a favor to your advantage and were able to get me distracted to the point I feel restless and can't sleep." Eiji nodded to himself.

"Good job, I guess."

"Eh? You aren't mad?" IF asked quizically.

"I'm not. It's just a harmless prank anyway." They sighed in relief at that.

"And besides, I'm used to it." He earned questioning looks at that.

"Well, Aiko loved pranking me so I got used to being pranked." Eiji sheepishly said, as he noticed their curious glances.

It fell so silent that you can hear a pin drop. The chills within the room also seem to intensify, despite the air conditioning unit being on the low cool setting at the moment.

"Aiko?" The girls parroted while Eiji remained oblivious to this, as he stared out to the window with glazed eyes, drowned in nostalgia.

"Yeah, Aiko. My precious little sister."

"Little sister?" The three simultaneously asked with the chills within the room also died down as they do so.

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" He saw them shake their heads negatively.

"Her full name is Kuragari Aiko, and again, she's my cute and precious little sister." Eiji smiled, while the girls could only look at his smiling face with a huge blush.

It wasn't like the usual smart smirk or happy grin he sported. It was a simple smile filled with affection, as if all the locks of his heart were opened.

In that instant, the girls had a single thought in my mind:

I wished he'd always smile like that.

But this also made them realize that they knew nothing about the party's sole male member.

Sure, they knew that he is a kind person, too kind for his own good even, but hearing that he has a little sister just now was a reminder that they really knew next to nothing about him at all.

... Well, they have to change that.

"Ne, Ei-kun, you think you can tell us more stories about your sister?" Neptune suggested.

"Hm, what's with the sudden interest?"

"We figured that we don't know much about you so..." Neptune sheepishly replied.

'Now that I think about it, the fact that I knew of their personalities beforehand makes me feel like some sort of creep.' Eiji bitterly thought.

'Even though they didn't notice it, it doesn't really make me feel any better...'

"Well, I don't mind... Where should I start?"

"How about how you were not really angry when we pranked you?" IF said, earning nods from the other two.

"Well..."

~~~~ Line Break ~~~~

After having a small story telling session regarding the pranks Eiji endured via his little sister, Compa had finally remembered that they have an appointment with Yvoire to meet up at the Basilicom.

On the way there, the three girls stuck to their usual shenanigans while Eiji (still wearing his Ragna outfit) conversed with the True Goddess.

'So... do you really have to lie?'

'Whatever do you mean?' He tried to play innocent, only for his cover to be unsurprisingly blown.

'You know what I mean. Why didn't you tell them that the reason Aiko-chan pranks you is because she knows that you blew another attempt at making friends or you got into another fight?'

'Because they shouldn't worry about things that are already finished.'

'You know the more you hide secrets like that, the harder it is for you to reveal your past to them. Not to mention, how harder it will be to tell the truth when the time comes.'

'...' He simply remained quiet, knowing full well that what she said was true.

"Oh, look! We're here!" Eiji was broke out of his musings when they had approached the Basilicom.

To Eiji, Compa and Neptune, everything was all hunky-dory. One has never set foot in the establishment while the other two... are simply being themselves.

IF, however, can feel that there is something strange going on. For example, there are now two guards that are stationed in the front doors, who are not around the day before.

"Halt! Who goes there?" One of the military men inquired as he and his comrade crossed their spears to block the party from entry.

"Whoa! What are these guys doing here?" Neptune remarked.

"U-Um, Er... W-We have an appointment with the Archbishop Mr. Eliver." Compa nervously says.

"It's Yvoire, Compa. But yeah, what she said is right. We have an appointment the Archbishop. Think you can let us pass?" IF calmly responded.

"Are you mayhap IF, Compa and Neptoo- no, Neptuse, no-" The guard awkwardly finish, unable to pronounce the name of the party's leader.

"Seriously, it isn't that hard to say. Nepdu-no, Neptyoo, uh..." The other guard remarked as well as fail to say the CPU of Planeptune's name.

This lead to a fuming Neptune, a nervously chuckling Compa who is bribing Neptune with pudding to calm down (which in all obviousness, worked like a charm), IF was sweatdropping, and Eiji is deadpanning at the two men.

'I have to wonder how they are able to say Planeptune but cannot say Neptune?' The True Goddess commented from Eiji's head.

'My thoughts exactly.'

"That's Neptune, and yeah, all three of us are the ones you spoke of." IF answered.

"Ah yes, I see. We will let you pass, but unfortunately, the boy with you cannot." The guard answered once he regained his composure.

For the first time in the entire conversation, Eiji spoke, "Why not?"

"We are under strict orders to not let any males inside the Basilicom. We don't know why the Archbishop ordered such, but-" Before the guard could finish his statement, Eiji interrupted.

"You were just doing your job, I know and I understand." He says with a light smile.

"Eh? But Ei-kun it isn't supposed to be this way. Normally, all party members should be present when being given an important quest." Neptune complained.

"Now, now, Nep-Nep, the guards are just doing their job. You can't get mad at them for doing that right?" Compa chastised.

"But-" Neptune tried to protest but was stopped by the nurse-in-training's scrutinizing stare.

... Also she still felt depressed when she wasn't called by her real name again.

Eiji, having noticed Neptune's shift in mood, decided to make his exit.

"Well, you heard them. Good luck in there and take care of them as usual, IF."

"Leave it to me." The brunette says.

"I'll be staying in the town plaza so when you're finished, you know where to see me. Or just send me a text message if you want." Eiji shrugged as he began to walk away.

"Ei-kun, you better not be seeing any other girl again!" Neptune shouted as the teenage male walked away.

This led for another two pairs of eyes to stare at the teen's back.

"Yeah, yeah. See ya later, Neptune." He smiled to himself when he saw the preteen's stunned expression when he said her full name for the first time.

He continued to walk until he reached the plaza. But after seeing a nearby open field with a few trees here and there, he opted to try lying down on the grass and enjoy nature for a change.

'... That was really nice of you, Eiji-kun.'

'Well, I can't have her going depressed because normal people can't say her name, now can I?'

'Hehehe, of course you'd do that. But can't you say that you're a bit offended. You were chased out without much of a word after all.'

'As I said, they were only doing their job. It isn't their fault if they had offended me, which they didn't, and for all we know, it might be regarding a matter of the landmass' security. Can't really get in between of that, can I?'

'Point taken. Oh and Eiji-kun, you might wanna stop right now.' As he was about to finally reach a shaded area in the field, she warned him.

'Eh? Stop for what reason?' Despite being confused at the sudden order, he stopped nontheless.

'Wait for it...'

"Hm?" He mumbled in complete confusion before he saw to his left, a brown bear in a strange stance while wearing a red hanky on its neck.

"HYAH!" He looked at the direction of the scream to his right, only for him to see a visible wind blast heading straight for the bear.

... Did he mention that it was near, in fact very near, to his face?

"Aruuuh!" In response, the bear growled, holding its ground from the gust of wind before it gave out and fell on its rump, letting out a depressed growl as it fell down.

"Aw, it's okay Kuma. Maybe you can do it the next time." The girl has a slender body with modestly sized breasts and a slight tan complexion. She has red eyes and long dark grey hair that reaches half-way down her back.

Her outfit consists of a red and black strapless sports bra, and torn blue gi pants that has a red flame design on the bottom of the left leg. They are tied to her waist with a red and black martial arts belt. Her pants are ripped to where the right leg is only covered mid-thigh and there are several tears that show the orange inside with one on her right leg revealing her blue and white striped panties. She doesn't wear shoes, but she does have a pair of silver bracelets on her right ankle.

She also wears black fingerless gloves with red cestus gloves with six silver spikes on each hand. As an accessory she wears a silver Tekken charm in all-caps attached to two chains as a necklace.

'Isn't that... One of Victory's DLC characters, Tekken?' Eiji thought.

'Now that you mention it, we've been encountering a lot of DLC characters from Victory here?' She remarked.

'Now that I think about it, yeah. Broccoli from Planeptune, MAGES. and the younger Falcom in Lastation, and now Tekken. Who's next, MarvelousAQL and Cyberconnect2?'

'If we are to make this a pattern, then they would most likely appear, or re-appear, in the near future as we progress in our quest to regain my power as well as free my little tome.'

'That sounds plausible for the moment. But I guess I better steer away before it's too late. Who knows what the girls would do if they saw me 'flirting' with another girl again.'

'Eiji-kun, let me remind you that this is just the beginning of the harem antics. And like every harem anime known to the worlds...'

'... It will only get worse.' Eiji held back a grimace as he finished her statement.

'Bingo. And Eiji-kun, you're too late.'

'Eh?' He was about to turn away before-

"Um, are you okay?" Eiji found himself staring at red eyes.

"Wah!" He jumped back in surprise, causing the owner of the red eyes to back away in surprise.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-" As Tekken profusely apologized; Eiji was no longer listening as he was cursing his luck.

... This is gonna end badly if one of the girls saw him, he just knew it.

But for now, he must focus on present matters.

"No, you don't have to apologize, Tekken-san. I'm all at fault for walking on you." Eiji said, before he stopped himself.

He just had to call her by her name when they had just met. She must've thought that he was some sort of-

"H-How did you know my name?" She nervously backed away.

'Eiji, think! You have a girl based on a fighting game in your hands and it is entirely possible that she could kill you with one punch.' Eiji frantically thought before he heard the sound of a chain jiggling.

He searched where the sound came from, and he had found his answer.

"Well, I was guessing that it was your name because of your necklace. Did I get it wrong?" Eiji sheepishly answered.

"Oh... ehehehe..." The excuse seemed to work as the girl giggled.

"I see... I thought you were one of those guys." She mumbled, probably wanting to erase the image of 'those kind of guys' in her mind.

"Well, I'm not one of those guys." Eiji firmly said.

"I figured as much." Tekken smiled before a questioning look made its way to her face.

"Wait, grey hair, amethyst eyes, red jacket... you don't happen to be Eiji-san, are you?"

"Y-Yeah, how did you know?" Eiji nervously replied, not expecting her to know his name.

"Oh, Neptune-san was looking for you yesterday. She was calling you her 'Destined Lover' or something." The girl replied.

'I should've known.' Eiji palmed his face at that thought.

Neptune does have a way of pulling new people to her. Kind of like a magnet.

'Well, you're just like that too, so you have no right to judge.' She chimed in.

'... I'll pretend I didn't hear that.' Eiji thought back while lamenting the fact that had he been as much of a 'magnet' in Earth, he'd have a lot of friends by now.

But then again, it was because of that loneliness that he was drawn to anime, manga, video games, and most importantly Hyperdimension Neptunia, so he guessed that not being a 'magnet' in Earth was also a good thing.

"I... I see..." Eiji awkwardly asked.

Understandably because he didn't expect someone who barely knew him to point out that he is someone's Lover.

"Oh yeah, what happened to the bear?" Eiji asked a bit worried for the bear that got hit by the wind gust.

He always had a soft spot for animals.

"Oh, you mean Kuma?" Said bear walked towards them, on its hind legs like any normal human would... except it isn't human.

"Gao..." It growled while holding out a paw, presumably a hand shake... or paw shake in its case?

"O-Oh, nice to meet you too." Eiji awkwardly reached out his hand and shook the offered paw.

He suddenly saw the ears of the bear to straighten, its teeth bared and its eyes narrowed.

"Gao, gao, gao..." It growled in succession.

"I'm sorry what?" Not being able to understand bear language, Eiji could only look at the tense bear.

"Hm, hm, Kuma was asking if you did martial arts?" Tekken spoke for the bear.

"You can understand him?"

"I've been training with him since I was REALLY young so it's natural that I understand him." Tekken answered in an as-a-matter-of-fact manner.

"Riiiiight... But yeah, I guess you could say I do martial arts. Although, I only practice for the sport, not for fights." Eiji truthfully replied.

"Gao... Gao, gao, gao." Kuma growled again.

"Kuma asks if you would, wait, Kuma that's not right!" Tekken scolded the bear, which had the decency to look sheepish.

"You can't suddenly challenge people to fights like this. You should know better." Tekken proceeded to scold the by now dejected bear while Eiji sweat dropped in the background.

The reason for that is because of the strange scene the two are making.

Like seriously, really?!

But in any case, Eiji had to refuse. These two are based on fighting games from Earth while he only practiced martial arts for sport... as well as self-defense, but that's different.

Had his opponents been normal predictable thugs and fellow martial artists, he might have stood a chance. But with his opponents being these two, his chances of winning, heck even surviving a single hit, are close to nil.

"-and that's why you shouldn't pick fights. You hear me, mister?" Tekken finished her lecture whilst her sparring partner conceded with a sigh.

"Aw now that wasn't so bad, isn't it Kuma?" The scene would have normally been cute, but with a 360 kilogram bear being lifted by a girl that stood at least 5 ft, the scene looked more ridiculous.

But having been used to some of Neptune's rather random antics was unfazed. In fact, he found the scene amusing... and slightly scary.

'Eiji-kun...'

'Yes, what is it?'

'It's very nice to meet you.'

'Eh? What's with you?' He later received his answer when he felt a spike of dark intent flare from behind him.

'... No...'

'Oh yes, Eiji-kun. They're right there.'

... Another misunderstanding was born this day.

"Ei-kun/Eiji-kun..." Compa and Neptune stalked their prey, who slowly backed away.

"Wait, where's IF?" Eiji pointed out.

"Hm? Yeah, where did Ai-chan go?" Neptune also noticed the lack of their numbers.

"Maybe, she got lost in the Basilicom." Compa suggested a theory.

"Probably, but its Ai-chan we're talking about so no need to worry." Neptune smiled.

"Mhm, you're right Nep-Nep. So let's get back to business, shall we?" Compa smiled back before they simultaneously looked at the frozen Eiji.

"Uhm, I can explain."

"Please do..." Compa 'smiled'.

"U-Uhm, Neptune-san, Compa-san..." Eiji heard Tekken say, reminding him of a way to escape.

If he would either choose between pain induced by a bear and pain induced by Feminine Fury, it's pretty obvious that he'd pick the first over the other.

"Hey Kuma, you mentioned that you wanted to have a spar, right?" Eiji said, all too happily as Tekken 'distracted' Neptune and Compa.

"Gao, gao."

"I don't know what that meant but I'll take that as a yes." Eiji said before slipping down to a karate-do stance before his opponent slipped in its own stance.

The air was silent between them, the ramblings of the females in the sidelines being the only source of sound.

By instinct, Eiji blocked his left, effectively blocking Kuma's incoming claw swipe.

'I-It hurts, but why does it hurt less than I expect it to?' Eiji thought to himself.

'That's because of me, Eiji-kun. You may not notice it, but for every part of me that you retrieve, your base stats increase.' She explained.

'I see. Then perhaps I stood a chance at surviving after all.' He thought back before he dodged another swipe by ducking under it before launching a punch at the bear's torso as a counter-attack.

Predicting this, Kuma hopped back, causing Eiji's punch to hit air, before the bear showed its teeth to the teen, smiling gleefully.

Noticing this, Eiji can't help himself but grin back.

For Eiji, this is a new experience. He'd never imagine ever going and fighting a bear in his entire life, much more a bear capable of fighting like a human.

For Kuma, it was equally a new experience. Most of his fights are with either Tekken or other bears, which are unfortunate enough to face his ire. So to have a human boy as an opponent is an exhilarating treat for him.

"Kuma, you thinking what I'm thinking?" Eiji asked with a shit-eating grin adorning his face, completely showing his competitive side to the world.

It was not something that he entertained very much, but when he feels it, well…

He gives it his all. No holds barred.

"Gao..." Similarly, the bear gave him the equivalent of his grin.

"Heh, let's do this then." Eiji said, both fighters relaxing from their stances for a brief second, before both let out their respective battle cries as fists and paws clashed in a battle for supremacy.

Hearing the commotion, the girls found the culprits to be the only males in the vicinity.

"Hah!""Gao!" Roars from both man and bear were heard as the pair traded blows.

'Damn, this is harder than expected. Not that I thought it would've been easy anyway.' Eiji wryly smiled as he blocked another one of Kuma's swipes.

Before he could launch another hit, he and Kuma heard the girls shout,

"STOOOOOOOP!" Everything came to a grinding halt, Eiji's fist stopped just a few centimeters from Kuma's muzzle while Kuma's free paw stopped just a few inches from Eiji's torso.

"Kuma/Ei-kun/Eiji-kun..." Three threatening voices were heard from beside them.

Man and bear then looked each other in the eyes... and a silent agreement was made between them.

... They're fucked.

~~~~ Line Break ~~~~

"So have you learned your lesson, Kuma?" Tekken finished her tirade as the bear, which had a tag saying "I'm a bad bear!" hanging on its neck, nodded at its longtime friend.

Not far off, was Eiji sitting in seiza, while Compa and Neptune lectured him about accepting fights and for 'flirting' again.

"I told you, I wasn't flirting with anybody! I just met Tekken when she was training with Kuma, then one thing led to another, and Kuma started challenging me to a fight." Eiji pleaded.

"It's still isn't right to accept the challenge to fight!" The pair simultaneously shouted at his face, causing him to clam up.

'Ah~~ Just my luck...'

"Hai..." Eiji dejectedly replied.

'Even still, I wonder where IF is?' Eiji asked her.

'If we are to base what is happening to the original game's storyline, then she may have either been meeting with Vert or receiving the poison from that old priest, Yvoire, I believe?' She replied.

'Hm... then again, we can't really rely on any of my 'future' knowledge but I'll keep my guard up whenever I'm around Yvoire, just to be safe.'

'You should. Especially since we don't exactly know what Arfoire is doing here.'

'Exactly.' Eiji replied with a curt mental nod before his phone suddenly rung.

With not a moment to waste, Eiji whiffed out his phone to answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Eiji?" The person on the other side asked.

"IF? Where are you?" Eiji asked, a bit worried for her safety.

"Currently walking to the plaza at the moment. Also, I need to talk to you about something later." IF replied seriously.

"I see. Then, we'll meet you there. See ya." And with a quick good bye from IF, he shut his phone before the beep.

"Alright, Nep, Compa, IF is walking to the plaza right now. We should probably go." Eiji informed.

"Hm, I guess so. It's nice seeing you again, Tekken!" Neptune happily waved at the girl.

"Mhm! I hope we can see each other again, Neptune-san!" The martial artist happily replied.

Meanwhile, the two males took this chance to look at each other and with their eyes, they communicated,

'We'll finish this fight, huh? I never thought that of all things, a bear would be my rival thus far. But nonetheless, that is something to look forward to.' Eiji thought before he replied to the bear with a simple nod.

And a beautiful bond between men was forged that day.

~~~~ Line Break ~~~~

Currently, Leanbox's Archbishop Yvoire, is stuck in a conundrum.

While he did thought that what Conversation told him was believable, the incredible lack of proof had made him suspicious of her claim.

Sure, there was the video feed, but that much isn't enough.

Like in a standard court hearing, one must present testimonial evidence and the decisive evidence.

So far, only the former was presented and testimonial evidences are, more often than not, scrutinized for being either inaccurate or faulty.

But nevertheless, evidence is still evidence. Hence, why Yvoire ordered that no man aside from himself is allowed to enter the Basilicom.

He did this to ensure that the so-called Overlord cannot simply swoop in and possibly harm his Lady. Also, this was to isolate the Overlord's captives and judge them for any signs of control and abuse, mentally or physically.

And so far, he is quite surprised that no signs are detected. As if the feed itself and Conversation's testimony are mere fabrications.

However, for the sake of further investigation, he isolated the girl with a leafy bow, IF he recalled, in order to meet her up with the Lady herself.

Yvoire is well aware that the brunette was a worshipper of Lady Green Heart.

Surely, she will open up about the transgressions she had undergone when she was under the Overlord's control.

So far, said girl had not displayed any actions that showed that she was under anyone's control nor did she show any signs of being controlled at all.

Heck, when Lady Green Heart had asked the girl about the people of interest in her life, the girl was a stuttering mess. When his Lady pried for details, the brunette gave out the so-called Overlord's exact statistics: height, hair color, eye color, and the like.

Yvoire is REALLY beginning to doubt the validity of that evangelist, if she really is one to begin with.

Perhaps...

Perhaps he could try to meet this 'Overlord'.

~~~~ Line Break ~~~~

"What took you so long, IF?" Eiji pried while taking a sip from the can of tea he bought from a vending machine just minutes prior. For all he know, IF's reaction will reveal if she receive anything suspicious from that priest.

He hated having had thought up ulterior motives like this, but he needs info. Vital info that would prevent Neptune's eventual poisoning, or if that will even happen.

Currently, the pair is sitting on a bench which is under the shade of a tree. Compa and Neptune have gone off on their own to get some ice cream, leaving the two 'mature' ones on their own.

"O-Oh, well, I-I get to meet Lady Green Heart." IF said through red fluffy cheeks while holding her can of tea, rather demurely.

"Really? Good for you. I guess that's a dream come true for you then." Eiji chuckled at the brunette. For anyone who admires someone, to actually meet that person meant a whole lot for the admirer.

"Y-Yes." IF replied while uncharacteristically playing with her fingers nervously.

"A-Anyway, Eiji..."

"Hm?" Eiji took another sip...

"... do you like girls with big boobs?"

... only to spit the tea in surprise for what she asked.

"W-Wha-?! What brought this up?" Eiji asked after coughing out the tea that might've gone done the wrong pipe.

'Well, when I was talking with Lady Green Heart, she says that I should gather info about the guy I like so that I can adjust to his tastes.' Was what IF truly wanted to say. But since that sounded more like an indirect confession, she opted with the most logical reply,

"Well, of all the girls in the party, I have been the... smallest..." She begrudgingly admitted "... so I was wondering if you like stuff like that..."

'As much as I wanted to point out that Neptune is smaller than her, she'll only fire back with a 'well, she can transform and have big ones too' plus I'd sound like I'm dodging the question if I replied like that. Guess a straight answer is required.' Eiji assessed before opening his mouth to reply.

"W-Well, as a guy, I can deny that I like them." He said embarrassed.

"Then..." Knowing the question to come, he immediately interrupted her.

"But that doesn't mean that I immediately judge a girl simply because of that."

"Huh?"

"I guess I'm the type of guy that goes for personality instead. Besides, I think judging anyone just because of how they look is pretty stupid." He continued to say, a bit somberly on the last sentence.

"Besides, any guy that will turn you down just for your breast size must be pretty stupid. I mean, you have a cute face coupled with a cool personality, then there's also the cute side you rarely show." Eiji continued to say, oblivious to what he is even doing or how his tirade is affecting IF.

"Quite honestly, I'm surprised that there are rarely any boys that are trying to vie for your attention." Eiji honestly remarked, before cursing his motor mouth for running again.

Not because of what he said, cuz he honestly means it, but because of the repercussions this is gonna cause on his part but most especially on IF's.

"So you really don't care about bust size?" He looked at her and noticed that she was looking up at him rather cutely.

'Damnit IF, turn off the moe meter.' Eiji thought as he resisted the urges to just outright hug the girl.

"Yes." But never the less, he honestly replied.

He did not expect for a big turn in this awkward roller coaster though.

"... You really like boobs that much, huh?" IF said teasingly.

"H-Huh?"

"Didn't you say so? You don't care about breast size, so that just means that you like boobs in general, no matter what shape or what size." IF nodded to herself at her 'accurate' assessment.

"Well, yeah, I did say that I don't care about breast size, but that is only in terms of judging girls. I didn't meant it in any perverte-"

"But you said you like them big earlier?" IF asked with a sly smile plastered on her face.

"Well, yeah, but... Ah! Compa needs a hand with the ice cream cones, so I'll talk to you later, IF!" And with a zoom, Eiji was gone, leaving a very bemused IF behind.

'Heh, so he doesn't care about breast size, huh? At least that's less one worry for me.' IF happily thought.

'That... That... That was really unfair, IF!' Eiji thought indignantly as he ran towards Compa to take the cones that were meant for himself and IF.

Compa couldn't really rely on Neptune for this one, as she had two cones in her hands that she is currently devouring. But hey, Eiji found the diversion he needed.

'IF-chan really got you there, huh?'

'Yeah... Just you wait IF. Just you wait. I'll make sure to repay you ten times more for that.'

... Why did he feel a chill run down his spine when he vowed that? His plans won't backfire on him, right?

RIGHT?!

~~~~ Line Break ~~~~

"So, what now?" A bored Neptune asked as she rode on her (unwilling) noble steed: Eiji.

"It's still too early to sleep, so why don't we do some more quests to pass the time?" IF suggested, barely feeling winded. But if one would look closely, one could see the jealousy bubbling in her eyes as she sneak glances towards the party's only male.

"Awww, but that's what we've been doing all day!" Compa whined as she rubbed her sore legs... while glancing in jealousy towards Neptune who was comfortably situated on Eiji's back.

'Isn't there anyone that would like to ask what led to my current situation?' Eiji asked himself.

After the party's brief break in the park earlier, they had immediately prompted to do several quests to keep their budget afloat. They continued questing till it was late in the afternoon.

And that led to a tired Neptune requesting her 'noble steed' to carry her. Orr more like forcefully made him carry her, as she just jumped on his back and held on. Of course, Eiji could have just let her hold on but he couldn't do so.

Why? Because with the girl's monstrous strength, he has no doubt that his neck will snap if she continued to hold on.

Hence, that led to Eiji involuntarily carrying her piggy-back style, while also calming himself down as to not remember that one hell of a wake-up call back in Lastation.

... He's still male, so don't give him those looks.

"Then, why don't we just eat an early dinner and get some rest? Eiji suggested.

"I agree!" The preteen on his back excitably moved, unintentionally (?) allowing him to cop a feel.

"Hey, don't move too much!" He reprimanded, but with his currently blushing face, it had no effect.

However, Compa and IF did not noticed the exchange between the two as they are currently discussing about Eiji's suggestion, with Compa siding with the break while IF says otherwise.

Minutes of arguing later, Compa had won the case hands down. How?

By using a biological weapon that all women seemed to be inherently born with, a WOMM, meaning 'Weapon of Mass Moeness' as Eiji would like to dub it, the Puppy Dog Eyes which had a tremendous effect of making the target a slave to the user's bidding, be they male or female.

Truly a terrifying weapon... not!

...

...

...

Well, it depends on one's perspective really.

But anyway, back to the story.

After taking a full-brunt attack from the WOMM, IF decided to search the Internep for possible spots to eat while Compa and Neptune engaged in idle chatter. As for Eiji, he was playing the handheld he bought... rather intensely.

'Okay, so I cut off the enemy's supply depot, now what? Oh great, I really don't need any of you small fry getting in my way now! I need to save Chou Hou's unit or else, I'd fail this mission! What is wrong with the AIs in games like these anyway?! Always walking into the enemy's traps like that?'

'Um, Eiji-kun?'

'What?!'

'Neptune's calling you. Oh, and, uh, you might wanna ease on gaming for a bit. You're kinda scaring them.'

Pausing his game, he looked up from the screen, only to be met by strange looks from the girls present.

"… Ahahaha, sorry that you had to see that." He sheepishly scratched his cheek while storing the handheld into his inventory disk.

"I just haven't played games in a while so I guess I got a little carried away there."

"Hm… so Ei-kun also has a side like that…" Neptune mused.

"… What side are you talking about?" Eiji asked, if a bit skeptical.

"The childish gamer side." Neptune nodded to herself in satisfaction, after finally saying her 'deduction'.

"Eh?" Eiji could only look at her incredulously… before letting out a childish pout. "No, I don't."

"Say that without pouting next time, then it might be more effective." Neptune teased with a smirk.

'… Damnit, I did it again didn't I?'

'If you meant showcasing your childish gaming attitude and tendencies, then yes you did it again.' She spoke in the tone of someone who had the 'cat that eaten a canary' expression.

'Fuck…' He groaned.

'Although, it does make me curious how you would react when Vert or Neptune wiped you out in a game? Given your tendencies to act childishly when (and only when) you play games, I think it will be rather entertaining.'

'… I have to make sure that that day will never come!' Eiji thought with great alarm.

He'll never hear the end of this if such an event happened, both from his 'past self' and from IF.

"Ahem… I'm really sorry that you had to see that." Breaking the silence with a cough, he promptly apologized.

"Well, it's a nice change in pace more than anything I guess." IF's grin was practically from ear to ear at the moment.

"After all, it's pretty rare that we see something embarrassing from our party's only guy." Compa agreed with a nod.

'… They're teaming up on me…' He deadpanned.

"Hah… Shut up…" With a huff, he got up and walked down the path that led to the food district with a grinning trio at his back.

Needless to say, that night the girls saw another side of Eiji. A side that he surely rarely showed, which they also found cute.

~~~~ Line Break ~~~~

It was morning once again and just like yesterday, Eiji was the first to wake up again. He remembered last night's activities and later sighed. While it is embarrassing at least he was able to show them a bit of the side that he kept hidden for so long.

And with a shake of his head, he decided to take the opportunity presented to him as he quickly ran to the bathroom and did his morning rituals.

Although, he did notice that all three of the girls are squirming heavily in their sleep. He can't help but wonder why.

But putting that aside, he checked the clock, which said that the time is around 7. So he opted to let the girls have their sleep and have breakfast all alone. So, he dressed up in his Ragna outfit minus the red coat and headed for the buffet in the hotel's dining area.

Filling himself up with a mountain of pancakes and waffles covered in thick maple syrup along with three cups of hot chocolate, and he deemed himself ready to go. It was very rare that he'd be able to have a sugary breakfast, especially since his aunt would stop him, so he figured 'why not?' and just ate like no tomorrow.

He later headed back to their room after a good 30 minutes in sugary heaven. And as he opened the door, he was greeted by a sight any man would kill for.

"Eh?" All three females paused as the door opened, revealing a shell-shocked Eiji.

After taking a second to consider his presence, the girls then looked down on their state of undress. IF was currently in only her blue brassiere and shorts, Compa was only in her white bra and panties (which she was about to put on, accentuating her exposed upper bust more), while Neptune just paused while in au naturel mode.

Fearing that he might end up with the fate of all harem protags who found themselves in a situation like this, he did what he did when this occurrence happened with Noire back in Lastation.

"Sorry." Not a second too late before any of them can make a reply; he apologized, closed the door, and ran for the nearest bathroom to wash his face in very very cold water.

He was not ready for such a sight and thus his "A-rank" self-control was overridden. And by that he meant, his mini-me reacting.

He needed to calm down STAT!

~~~~ Line Break ~~~~

After a few (read as: a lot) of cold water rinses to calm himself, he deemed himself ready-to-go.

When he went to the inn's lobby to wait, he found the girls already there, seemingly waiting for him.

He would've called out to them right then and there, but given what just happened, he can't bring himself to do such thing.

So, he just walked towards their position as normal as possible and hopefully they will notice him so that he will not start the conversation.

Or at least that's what he wanted them to do because he was downright ignored once he got there.

"... Sorry..." With nothing more to say, he apologized. What any other thing can he do.

"..." He heard some mumbling, but it wasn't coherent enough for him to understand.

"Eh?"

"Exactly how much did you see?" Neptune managed to ask through her red cheeks.

'... Y'know, I never would've thought that I'd see Neptune act this shyly before.'

'Well, what do you expect? While her advances maybe called perverted at times, the fact that she was not mentally prepared when you walked in on them can put even her into a state of embarrassment.'

'I know that I shouldn't be surprise and all that, but I just find it... jarring, to see her like this. I'm just not used to it.' He mentally sighed.

"... Exactly what you thought I've seen." He honestly didn't know how to reply to that.

"Then, you've seen-"

"IF in her underwear, Compa in the middle of wearing her panties and you walking around naked; yes, yes I have seen it." His inexperience with dealing with women getting the better of his own self-caution, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

'... SHIIIIIIIIIII—'

"B-Baka! Don't say it out loud like that!" And cue a punch to the arm, courtesy of a red faced IF.

"E-Eiji-kun, what do you think you're saying?!" Compa lightly hit him.

And as for Neptune… the poor girl's head was steaming right now with her eyes dilated. She wobbled a bit, before finally falling forward if not for Eiji's intervention.

'… Who are you and what have you done to Neptune?' Is what Eiji wanted to say, because seriously, he wouldn't expect the girl he had come to know as a shameless flirt to be knocked out from embarrassment.

'You must understand, Eiji-kun. The times when she flirted with you meant that she was either mentally-prepared to do it or she is simply teasing you for the hell of it. Under the circumstances of your encounter earlier, she is certainly not able to mentally prepare herself for your arrival.' She wisely advised.

'And besides, any girl would faint from embarrassment if they found out that the boy they liked saw them in an inappropriate time or situation. I believe that is the same one occurring with Neptune right now.'

'Well, I suppose you're right…' Eiji admitted.

"… You know, I can always try to forget that it happened right?"

"Eh?" All three girls looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to say that.

"If you're all going to avoid me because of that, then I might as well keep that thought at the uttermost back of my head, and hopefully I'll forget it and act normally around you girls again."

'Now that was a bold faced lie. Cuz honestly, what type of guy would forget something as heavenl- I mean, wonderf-, uh, let's just say that no man would ever be willing to forget such a sight.' Eiji mentally stumbled in his own thoughts. 'But if it's for them, well, I might as well forget it.'

"Eiji… are you really willing to do that? Most guys would really love to have been in your place earlier." IF skeptically asked, but nonetheless, her voice held some hope within it.

"I'm not gonna lie, what I saw earlier would've made a lot of guys suffer a nosebleed. I mean, three beautiful girls in their most 'natural' state are up in face." He honestly admitted, with a dusting of pink on his cheeks as well as on the girls' cheeks.

"But I guess I just respect and like you guys enough to not act like a normal hormonal teenager. 'Sides, Baa-chan would kill me if I turned into one." He held back a shiver at the mention of his aunt.

"Ahahaha…" The girls nervously chuckled as he fought down the shiver that ran down his spine.

"Still though, I meant what I said. You girls are important to me, so if it meant forgetting a simple memory then I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"Really?" Compa asked in hope.

"You bet." He affirmed.

"Then, don't forget it." Neptune's serious reply was followed by two serious hums from the girls beside her.

"Alright. Then, I'll try to not think of it starting righ- wait, what?!" Eiji could only look at them with widened eyes.

"Well, we figured that if it's Eiji-kun that saw us, then it's okay." Despite how calmy she tried to say it, Compa's face had a blush that extended up to her ears… much like IF.

"… Why?" He was almost afraid to ask.

"Cuz Ei-kun is important to us too." Neptune cheerfully stated.

"You girls…" Eiji could only look at them, touched by how much they care.

But all good things came to an end upon Neptune's next statement.

"Beside, we're even now."

"… Whatever do you mean by that?"

"Well… we kinda saw… saw you… naked… earlier…" IF reluctantly explained, her face burning red.

"… Eh?" Come to think of it, he was forced to go out and fetch his inventory disk earlier when he took a morning bath. His only 'line of defense' being a small thin towel that the hotel provided, said towel only being able to cover the front half of his body.

… That explains why they were squirming a lot before he left for breakfast.

"… Let's just go shall we?" Eiji turned around and walked to the direction of the Basilicom, a bit faster than earlier, while disregarding the calls for him to wait for them.

'… Well, that was awkward…'

'No kidding.'

~~~~ Line Break ~~~~

After a rather awkward walk to the Basilicom, they passed by the two guards on the front of the establishment again. Recognizing the girls and male, they stood upright as they straightened their spears, which are previously crossed.

"I thought males aren't allowed." Eiji commented regarding the difference in treatment.

"Yes, that order still stands. However, we are under orders that we shall let you, and only you, pass." The guard to the right asked.

"Archbishop's orders?"

"Archbishop's orders." The guards steadily asked in unison.

"I see." With that all said and done, the party walked in.

Once they had reached the worship area, Yvoire approached them.

"Kuragari Eiji, I presume?" The white haired man asked.

"… May I ask how you know my name?"

"They told me of you." The priest garbed in green said, gesturing to the three females beside him.

"I see…" Eiji could feel it. He could feel this man cautiously examining him. For what reason, he did not know.

"Anyway, have the men you sent returned with results on the dungeons found within Leanbox?" IF asked the older man in a business-like fashion.

"Why, of course. Here are the results." He handed them a map, with red circles all throughout to show the dungeons he spoke of.

As the girls survey the map, Yvoire sent Eiji a look, subtly telling him to follow him.

They walked outside to the hallway, and then Yvoire began his line of questioning.

"I'm sure that you are quite confused as to why I ask to speak of you without the girls, am I correct?" The old man received a nod in response.

"Yes, well, I have received intel that you and your group are involved in… a scuffle… back in Lastation."

'Could he mean the fight with Ganache and the Killachine?' Eiji idly thought.

"That would be correct." Eiji decided to speak of their Lastation adventure briefly, whilst cutting out the parts with Noire involved in the process.

"Is that so?" Yvoire mumbled as he listened to the end of Eiji's tale.

But while he looked calm and composed on the outside, he was actually sweating on the inside.

What Eiji had relayed was the complete opposite of Conversation's witness testimony. In the witness' tale, he painted the evildoers as the children in the Basilicom. On Eiji's end, he painted the witness, no, the entire company that the witness is part of, as the main antagonist.

And looking at the facts, he was inclined to believe Eiji at the moment.

It was true that there was a great fall of Shares in Lastation, just as Conversation and stated before. But up till now, there had not been any credible reasons as to why this happened.

Now, Yvoire was presented with the possibility that the leading company in Lastation, Avenir, had been the cause. By making products that would help regular people, Avenir is slowly starting to erase the people's need for a CPU, greatly affecting Shares in the landmass.

Scarily so, it makes a lot of sense. But Yvoire had to ask, how could Eiji actually propose a theory like that.

The teen merely said that he wasn't the one that proposed the possibility as he was merely relaying the words of the employer that hired them during their stay. He also said that what he told wasn't a theory, it was the absolute truth.

"How could you be so sure?" The old man asked.

"Because we saw it. We saw how Avenir wrought havoc into the forests around Lastation, how the people 'in-the-know' suffered, how they destroy buildings and risk the death of the populace just for a test drive of the weapon they were about to present to some Expo." Eiji can't help but clench his hands in anger.

"Surely, anyone would've tried to help." Yvoire was honestly surprised.

For someone who Conversation accused of being an Overlord, this boy is truly selfless. However, he couldn't let his guard down yet. He could still be aiming to deceive him after all.

"Were you not afraid? You are rising up against an entire company that holds Lastation in an iron grip."

"I am." Yvoire honestly did not expect his reply. If he was afraid, then why did he choose to fight?

"But, I have my precious friends by my side. Isn't that enough reason to not let my fear get the best of me?" Eiji admitted in all honesty.

Despite all that transpired, he still has moments where he felt fearful. Just like that time with the Guard Vermin, then with the Hraesvelgr, and then with the Killachine. His body was screaming at him to run, to preserve his own life.

But he did none of that. Instead he fought; he got hurt, but stood victorious as he battled hand in hand with his friends.

Truly, isn't his friends enough reason to quash his fear.

Yvoire could only look at the boy in slight awe. For someone so young to be so selfless, Yvoire could not believe his eyes.

As Yvoire pondered about the boy, Eiji was having a mental conversation of his own.

'So what do you think? Should I tell him?' Eiji asked her.

'It would be for the best, I guess. Surely he isn't dumb enough to try and poison one of the CPUs.'

"Yvoire-san, can I trust you?" Eiji asked seriously, gratefully surprising the older man.

But recovering quickly, Yvoire asked back, "Why do you ask?"

"Because if what I will be telling you is to go out into the public, I fear that precious lives will be lost all throughout Gamindustri." Eiji honestly said.

He didn't want to think about it, but it is entirely plausible that if what he will tell ever goes out, there is a big chance that Arfoire would cause a rise in the death tolls across the landmasses via her monsters or her actions herself.

"If that is the price then are you really sure that you should be revealing this to me?" Yvoire said, a bit on edge.

While the impression he has of the teen does increase, he is still considering the possibility that Eiji's current attitude might be a ploy.

"That is why I am asking you right now Yvoire-san, can I trust you?" Eiji said, more heatedly than before.

Sensing this supposed heat in his words, Yvoire could only nod.

"I see. Then allow me to properly introduce one of the members of our party, Yvoire-san. I believe you know of Neptune?" Eiji started.

"She is the one with purple hair, correct?"

"Yes. However, she goes by another name."

"Another name?" The old man asked.

"Indeed. She also goes by the name of... Purple Heart."

~~~~ Chapter End ~~~~

That ending tho...

I'm so gonna die from the hate, aren't I? Sure, begone for a long time then leave with a cliffy... Don't worry, I'm already working on the next chapter as I posted this.

Oh, and for those of you that don't know, my profile has a chapter progression chart of sorts. I only update it when I reached the 90% mark (which is the point where my friend beta-eds it, tnx HellKeepShido) or I reached a noticeable increase in the chapter's word growth, let's say a 10% increase.

Anyway, thanks to all those that faved/followed/reveiwed and I hope that you'll still be reading this when the next one comes out.