School Days - Changing Day

"Roland, Lady Neptune, please get out so I can perform the physical check."
"Okay."

Neptune and I went out.

"What did just happen ?"
"...It's worse than what I expected."
"You do know something ?"
"It happened once, when she was younger. She got a big shock due to being chosen as a Candidate, despite being the best choice available, and from that, she was completely silent for two weeks... I took upon myself to spend some time with her, and she slowly got a bit more outgoing, but one day..."
"What happened next ?"
"Reality caught up to her. Someone made her realize she was the new Candidate due to the precedent Goddess dying, and then she spent the next two days shouting and crying like crazy due to an inner conflict. What came out is the polite and cute Nepgear you knew. However... What we have here is... How to say it... A Nepgear without any self-control ?"
"I see. That is rather... Worrying, I'd say."
"...It may be weird to ask you that, but... Can you keep an eye on her ?"
"As if I'd leave her alone."
"I knew you'd say that."
"You can come in, both of you."

Back in the nurse's office,...

"So, how is it ?"
"Physically, she's fine, no worries in that aspect. Mentally, on the other hand,..."
"I know. Let's go out, please."
"Fine."

Neptune got out again, this time with the nurse, leaving me alone with Nepgear.

"...Aren't you hurt ?"
"No problems. Why does everyone keep asking me that ?"
"You do remember what happened, do you ?"
"Not really. I remember waking late due to Nee-chan, then taking the train to come here, then I woke up here."
"I see. Well, you should take some rest, I guess."
"Is it... An invitation to get more rewards from me, Roll ?"
"Of course it isn't !"
"Hahaha, no worries, I know you won't be able to do it."

She definitely wasn't like the Nepgear I know.

"Shocked, Roll ?"
"Quite. You've changed a bit since last day."
"True. Guess I got tired of being the goody-good girl next door."
"Too bad, I enjoyed it."
"...Really ? You want me to keep being kind and cute like you enjoy it ?"
"Not because I enjoy it."
"Why, then ?"
"Because... I'd say it suits you more."

She was about to answer as the door opened.

"Nee-chan !"
"Yes ?"
"He wanted to have his way with me !"
"I definitely didn't."
"And I know that. This isn't a nice joke, Gear."
"Oh, sorry, didn't know that Roll was your type."
"Wait, what ?"
"Come on, Nee-chan, you can't hide me anything~"
"Stop it, Gear. You know you're not in your usual state."
"And I'm fine with that. Objections ?"
"Of course I have some ! How will you make your studies in that state ?"
"Errrr... Like Roll, away from the lessons ?"
"You won't learn a thing, while our role here is to take our studies seriously !"
"Come on, you're closer than usual on the role of the older sister, Nee-chan. Are you lacking pudding ?"

I felt like the conflict was about to break out in an open war, so I stepped aside.

"Calm down, both of you !"
"Roll..."
"...I'm off here."

Nepgear answered by going out, closing violently the door in her wake.

"...Sorry, Roll, the situation has gone out of control."
"No worries, I'll go after her."

I rushed out of the door and toward the direction I heard her steps. As I approached her, she went away, but I still could hear her steps, so I all I could do was following her. Her lack of knowledge of the school helped me in the end, as she decided to take refuge in the same shelter as me - The roof. She noticed me as I was reaching what became our usual spot.

"...Go away, Roll."
"No."
"You prefer my sister to me, isn't it ?"
"This isn't the problem and you know it."
"This IS the problem !"
"...Huh ?"

As I reached her side, she looked at me, with eyes I never saw in her.

"I know what happened today ! I know what you did for me ! But I can't talk about it, or else I'll let my weak side off again !"
"...Having weaknesses doesn't mean you're weak."
"But I'm weak, as the Nepgear you always knew until today !"
"You aren't. You are kind, you are forgiving, but that doesn't make you weak. And if you base yourself on what happened this morning, I can tell you by experience that it doesn't make you weak."
"By experience ?"
"Tell me, Gear, am I weak ?"
"Of course not, you're a man."
"But it happened something worse to me. And I was unable to defend myself."
"What could be worse than being near violated by a pervert ?"
"Being violated by a close friend, and several times to boot."

She stayed silent, with the strength of my words and of what they carried sinking into her.

"...I didn't knew."
"And now you do."
"...Is that why you've intervened ?"
"No. It's because you were someone important to me, and someone in trouble."
"How important ?"
"Important enough to hold you in my arms despite my fears. And important enough to support you despite seeing what happened to me through your own eyes."
"I see..."

She stood up and stretched her arms, before sitting again right besides me.

"Oh, by the way, I need to properly thank you for what you did."
"No need to d..."

I couldn't say one more word, as she kissed me. Again. But with much more intensity and sweetness, and less of that forced side which nearly disgusted me. However, it quickly fell short, as she fell unconscious again.

"...What am I supposed to do now ?"
"Leave her to my care, please."

The order came from above. And when I looked, it was to end up face to face with a girl the size of my head, if not a bit smaller, sitting on what looked like an old book.

"And who are you to say that to me ? A fairy ? A pixie ? A demon ?"
"I expected you to recognize my voice, Roland."
"...No way... Lady Histoire ?"

She answer by bowing to me, which I answered by doing the same.

"My apologizes, I never saw you and didn't recognized your voice."
"I can understand that. But more importantly, can you tell me what happened with Nepgear ? She felt unconscious while I was approaching, so I didn't heard what she said."
"It... Wasn't really Nepgear. More like a Nepgear without self-control, to quote Neptune."
"I know, she was the one who asked for my help."
"I see. I suppose she told you Nepgear ran out of the nurse's office, and I ran after her ?"
"Exactly."
"I just followed her steps to here, and when I reached her, she basically told me that she felt weak for not being able to take care of the situation by herself, as well as inferior compared to Neptune. I reassured her, she... "properly thanked me", to quote her, then she fell unconscious again."
"I understand."

Histoire laid her eyes on the unconscious Nepgear.

"Elle a toujours tendance a en prendre trop sur les épaules, tout en ignorant ses qualités et ses limites."
"French ?"
"I'm surprised someone knows some here, since it's nearly never learnt in Planeptune."
"My grandfather is from Leanbox, he learnt it there. I'm used to hearing it."
"And you understood it ?"
"Yeah. And while it's true Gear is that kind of girl, she's also a precious friend I would never stop supporting."
"I appreciate that level of support. Don't hesitate to call me if you need my help."
"I will."

Under my surprised eyes, a bubble of energy began to seemingly create itself around both Nepgear and Histoire, before they flew away in direction of the Basilicom. I watched them as they disappeared into the horizon.

"So, Histy has come to pick her in the end ?"
"...I think it'll gonna be better."
"Why ?"
"We had a long talk, and she told me how she felt."
"How she felt ?"
"Weak. And based on what she told me in the morning, especially towards you."
"You forgot to talk about your personal experience which was much more hard than what she avoided on the train."
"Y-Y-Y-You were here the whole time ?"
"You're easy to track. You want to talk about it, now she isn't here ?"
"There's nothing interesting in it."
"There is. Especially since I happened to work on it."
"I didn't knew that."
"My involvment was minimal, but I kept an eye on the whole thing. Secondly because Planeptune's Shares could be affected by such a case, but firstly and mostly because the guy involved needed help."
"And... What do you want to know ?"
"What you can tell me to it."
"Fine."

I sat and invited her to sit near me, which she did.

"Tell me, Neptune, have you had a close friend ? A dear one, one you'd betray the whole world to stay at his side ?"
"I'm not sure."
"Think about it. Someone you'd throw yourself and the world into danger, only for his safety. Someone you'd brave the most dangerous things to ensure he's all right. Someone you'd give anything for his happiness."
"I can see the idea."
"I had a friend like that. We were close since childhood. When someone attacked one of us, the other was quick to intervene, even though you could be at the other side of the city. When one of us was in need of something, the other was there with that something. It was a mutual relationship, something very close of love if you want to see it that way. Or so I guess."
"And then ?"
"And then she changed. Slowly but surely, she began to notice the other people's interest towards her. She began to understand how to act to attract people to her and make them do her bidding. While I was still the same old friend she always had."

I was hurt only thinking about that, but I wanted to keep talking. I wanted it to come out, even though I knew it'll be painful.

"One day, she invited me to her home as usual, with her parents not caring since they were seeing me so often that they began to consider me as part of their family. We went to her bedroom as usual, and then she closed and locked the door, before beginning to talk about a new game she heard from one of her new friends."
"What was that game ?"
"The game of sex."

I felt ugly, ashamed and disgusting, but at that point, there was no turning back.

"I didn't understood, so all she asked me to do was to lay on her bed and to let her do it, telling me that I could participate when she'll be ready. And it began. She hurt me through and through, only caring about the fun she had and the lust that was eating her and not even seeing once how scared and in pain I was."
"...She raped you, for your first time."
"It wasn't the only time."
"...How many ?"
"I lost count. I was seeing her every day, and nearly every day, she wanted to try new ways with that game. And as usual, she never cared about how I felt, both physically and mentally. Until one day, two years later."
"Two... Oh dear..."
"She wanted me to come to her house, but she wasn't alone, as a friend of hers was also there. She... She tried to... To make us both... Together... I refused and ran away... But she caught to me... And menaced me... To tell everyone... If I didn't comply... And I... I..."

And I broke. The usual reaction. I began crying uncontrollably loud, folding up on myself and trembling violently.

"...My body... Did suffer from it... I couldn't sit... And that's how... People knew..."
"Roland..."
"The story was... Kept silent... To protect me... But people... They already knew..."
"...Was that a mistake ?"
"No... That's why... It didn't spread... But people knew... And I know they... They were mocking... Mocking the demolished ass... As they were calling me... That's why I changed school..."
"..."
"That's why I don't believe in school... Because no matter what you can learn... Because no matter how you end... You cannot make something... Of someone like me..."

Everything went out. However, I didn't expect the answer.

"...But you made something, with someone like you."
"...Eh ?"
"Someone like you, as you call yourself, saved someone else from enduring the same thing he endured. It doesn't matter that the girl you saved is the next ruler from her, what does matter is that, thanks to someone like you, she is safe and sound."
"..."
"You still don't believe me, do you ?"
"Of course... How could I ?"
"Now tell me... What would have happened to Nepgear if you weren't present ?"
"She would... Probably..."
"You know it, do you ? And do you think anyone else than you would have understood the gravity of the situation ? Do you think anyone else could have been able to intervene in front of Planeptune's Candidate ? Do you even guess how many people here are scared by that very name ?"

Neptune caught my face with her hands, with a strange light in her eyes, as if a symbol was on it.

"I and Nepgear are the country's divinities. Which means that many people vow us a devotion so great that they don't even dare lay an eye on us. Thus, should you haven't be there and should you haven't act like you did, my sister would have probably experimented the same painful situation you lived years ago."
"..."
"I don't ask you to accept the fact your situation isn't painful because it clearly is. All I ask you is to accept the fact that you aren't as weak and pathetic as you think. Because someone as weak and pathetic as you think wouldn't have saved my dear sister. You get it ?"
"I get it... Just don't expect me to accept it from the get-go."
"Of course. But if you get to accept it, even if it's years later, then you'll get my thanks for saving Gear."
"...You're a weird girl, you know that ?"

She released my head, with her eyes back to normal.

"Weird ? Me ?"
"Who would have expected the childish ruler of this country to be so wise beyond the years ?"
"Hey, don't mock me !"
"I'm not. I'm just starting to understand things."
"If you say so, you know what to do."
"...A pudding, I guess ?"
"Bingo !"
"Just one question before it."
"What ?"
"...Why do you think it's necessary for you to hide behind this acting ?"
"I'll let you discover it by yourself !"
"Cheater."