A Lazy Day in Planeptune

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A Lazy Day in Planeptune
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Plutia, sole (well she should be) CPU of Planeptune, one of five CPUs in this world and possibly the only CPU who could give Rei of Tari a fair duel is…

Rubbing her eyes with the pace of molasses after waking from a nap on her coffee table. The short girl eases off her pillow, letting her homely braid fall onto her shoulder. Her eyes are more effective than sleeping pills to gaze into, retaining their hypnogogic aura. The girl sighs, and with her nearly glacial pace in doing everything, she blinks while slowly giving a tremendous smile.

“Neeppp-chaaan~~~”

Plutia’s equally diminutive friend, Neptune, is playing video games cross legged on the carpet with a small pile of snacks at hand. She turns quickly at the sound of her friend’s voice. Before we get too far into this, I’ll explain.

Neptune and her sister Nepgear are here because they were displaced from their home dimension due to the actions of Rei Ryghts and Nepgear’s insistence on clinging to her sister. As these sisters were CPUs in their home dimension of Planeptune as well, they fit right in with Plutia.

“What Plutie?”

Plutia deliberately puts on her slippers upon standing, meandering to the nearby miniature refrigerator for a cold drink before approaching Neptune. Nep doesn’t expect the sudden weight of Plutia on her shoulders and falls to the ground, taking Plutia with.

“Ooouuuchhhh~~~”

“You coulda’ warned me Plutie, I-”

Plutia presses her nose to Nep’s inciting a ferocious crimson blush.

“Goooooood moooorniiiinnnng~~~”

“I-It’s noon though Plutie, doesn’t matter… Good morning!”

Plutia’s arms clasp around Neptune’s hoodie clad body, sinking into the fluffy material.

“Heeeeeyyyyy, Nepppyyy~ I knooow whaaat I wanna doooo today~”

“Huh?”

Nep barely gets to respond, Plutia falls asleep attached to her.

“S-Stay with us Plutia!” teases Neptune while she shakes the narcoleptic girl awake.

“Eeeehhh~~~?”

“Whaddya want to do today?”

Plutia puts a finger to her lip, thinking very heavily for apparently just having had an idea.

“Nooooooo~ I forgoooot~~~”

“Jeeez, you wanna play games?”

“Nooot reaaaally…”

“Help Nepgear make sweets?”

“Oooooooh… That sooouunds niiiice~~~”

“Well Head Chef Neptune is here!”

Plutia’s eyes become saucers.

“You’re a Head Chef Neppy? Woooow~!”

Neptune gives a look aside that tells all: she really has no idea how to cook.

“Nep Jr might have to help us a bit…”

Nepgear pokes her head into the room.

“Onee-chan, I don’t like that nickname… I guess I could try to teach you how to cook finally though.”

With arms locked, Plutia and Neptune didn’t hear a word Nepgear said.

“Forwards to pudding and?”

“Coookiiiiies~~~!”

“For pudding and cookies, CHARGE!”

Nepgear shrinks in her sailor outfit.

“Please don’t…”

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“So how do we work this stove Nepgear?”

“Onee-chan please!”

CLACK CLACK CLACK!

Plutia steps back from the burners in shock.

“That’s the gas Onee-chan, please let me.”

“Aww, come on sis…”

“You don’t even know how to start a stove though…”

Nepgear turns the dial, quickly starting the gas and whisking the initial ingredients into the pan.

“Wooooow! Neppygear is reeeeaaally good at thiiings~!”

Gear doesn’t know how to react to a compliment, especially over something which should be so basic.

“I-I wouldn’t say that. Uh, could you get me-”

Plutia is petting tiny Compa while chatting with her and Neptune has started playing games on a handheld.

“I guess I’ll do it…” Gear says to herself.

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Nepgear pulls the baking tray out of the oven, wiping sweat from her forehead, laying the cookies out on a cooling rack while Neptune, Plutia and the little girls share pudding. Nepgear wipes her hands on her flour spattered apron, smiling as little IF offers her what is supposedly a charm to prevent darkness from abducting her.

Nepgear barely warns the antsy bunch of children before they start snatching up 300+ degree cookies.

Plutia leans on Neptune’s shoulder.

“Heeeeeyyyy~ I wanna use you as a piiiillooowww~~~”

“Only if I can play games while you nap!”

“Yaaaaaaaayyyy~~~!”

The pair makes their way back to their warmly decorated “designated slacking” room. Nep powers up a game console and lies on her belly. Plutia lays her head on Nep’s lower back.

“Sooooo fluuuuffy~! Nep-chan makes the beeeeest pilloooow~!”

“Being the best is expected of the main character! Wait what?”

Neptune’s surprise is answered with the peaceful breaths of Plutia asleep.

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Plutia’s eyes flicker open in the mass of soft, cloudlike cloth that makes up Nep’s hoodie dress. Neptune’s eyes switch quickly to the girl’s slowly moving head.

“Neeeepppy~~ I wanna hug~~~”

“Not now! I’m in a boss fight!”

Plutia’s lower lip puffs out.

“Pllleeeeeeeaaaase~~”

Neptune glances back. Plutia tries again.

“Suuuuuper Pretty Pleeeeease~!”

Nep gives up, pausing her game and rolling over. Plutia creeps up, pressing her puffy cheek into Neptune’s flat chest. Nep wraps her arms around Plutia’s back, playing with her braid before settling on her back.

“Huuuuugs~~~” sighs Plutia.

Plutia exhales deeply, letting her comfortable aura permeate Neptune.

“Plutie you can’t take back to back naps!”

“Whyyyyy~?”

“Because- Uh… I-”

“Seeeeee~ Naaaps are the best~~~!”

Neptune leans her cheek on Plutia’s tangled nest of hair.

“I guess Sleepy Head, let's get moving before you fall asleep again.”

“Noooooo~”

With Plutia’s hand in hers, Neptune ventures about the Basilicom, looking for the other girls. They sing songs as they venture through the massive, echoing construct. The elevator’s ding reverberates through the empty halls, directing the two.

Nepgear seems to appear in front of Plutia and Neptune, bearing eight bags of groceries and whining about the weight. Neptune takes three of the bags and teases her sister while journeying to the corner of the Basilicom that holds their personal quarters.

“Onee-chan and Plutia, It’s been hours and you still haven’t even done anything!”

“Pffft, we got a lot done-”

“Yeeeeeah Nepgear, we took a nap, sang sooongs and everything~!”

“What Plutia said!” follows Neptune, crossing her arms.

Nepgear sighs.

“Can you atleast keep the girls out of trouble while I cook Onee-chan?”

“Easy!” responds Neptune with a triumphant expression.

IF wanders around while playing with her phone and Compa leading her by the hand.

“Ai-chan~ pay attention!” chirps Compa.

IF doesn’t heed Compa’s warning but freezes in her tracks. The expression on her face indicates that she has forgotten something.

“I’ll be back!” the girl yells, coat swirling behind as she runs.

Compa looks a little upset, balling her hands over her neck.

“AI-CHAN! Come back!”

Compa shakes her little head, soon charging after with her little mop of strawberry blonde hair fluttering. The three Planeptune CPUs set their groceries down before trying to find the girls.

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IF stands on one of the many balconies of the Basilicom, her brunette mane whipping around her in the breezes of altitude and late day.

“Darkness swallows all! The sun retreats from it’s never ending battle of attrition!”

What IF sees in the sunset, is not what a normal person would. Despite this, the gradient of royal purple, orange, an almost pastel yellow and scarlet trails into the blue-orange sky with an effortlessly gigantic seam. The seam of color is the beauty though, with thousands of miles of horizon being used to generate this sight, a scale beyond that of “mere humans” as IF would say.

IF nearly falls over when Compa contacts her back.

“AH! What the!?”

“Ai-chan~~~ Are you gonna cast a spell or something?”

“Pfft, way ahead of you.”

“So? I don’t mind going slow~ Did you freeze time or something cool?”

IF clutches her hands together behind her back.

“No- Not really.”

Compa lets out a beaming smile.

“Ai-chan~ If you froze time, we can watch the sunset as loooong as we want!~”

For IF, there may have been a moment of doubt for which she liked more. Compa’s smile seemed just as appealing as the rays of color. When she realized she could have both, she lept.

Compa takes IF’s hand in hers, their diminutive figures throwing shadows onto the wall from the edge of the balcony. IF leans her head into Compa’s, deeply sighing. The radiance in front of the girls fluctuated as the sun shrank from its high post. Compa yawns and leans into IF’s firm shoulder. IF looks at her friend for a moment before speaking, enjoying the views.

“Tired?”

“A little, it’s been a long day helping out Ge-Ge~”

“Jeez, you’re such a softie.”

“I know that~! It’s nice seeing her smile though, Gear-chan is the best!”

IF took direct offence to that.

“Wh-What about me then!”

“You’re bestest Ai-chan!”

IF’s heart rate changes by the second. “Sheesh, only Compa” she thinks before sighing again. IF’s peace is short though, as Neptune, Plutia and Nepgear invade their space with their usual attitudes.

“Ai-chan, Compa!”” calls out Nepgear with a grin while dragging her sister and Plutia along.

“Ayiiieeee! Your big sis is fragile you know Nepgear? Lemme go!”

Plutia seems to magically escape Gear’s grasp, laying a hug around the two young girls. Neptune still isn’t having any of it.

“You better have a good reason to drag me out here lil sis!” whines Neptune.

Gear smiles, gesturing at the sight before the close knit group. The feeling penetrates Neptune’s mind instantly, she looks about the smiling girls surrounding her and the lazy sunset. Neptune slowly smiles, hugging her beloved sister.

“Thanks lil sis~” she says quietly, out of the earshot of anyone else.

“Jeez, onee-chan~~~” follows Nepgear in a satisfied, chiming voice. Nepgear’s blush is as scarlet as the dying sun. A firm, mature voice breaks the sisters’ trance.

Iris Heart carries both Compa and IF on her shoulders as she marches back towards the Basilicom, asking them about their day with Nepgear.

“So, how did it go~?” inquires the lathered voice of Iris.

“Ge-Ge is super cool and nice, she’s gonna cook us all dinner~!” says Compa

“Oh my~! Can you tell me what she’s making or is it a secret?”

Compa clutches her hands together, IF turns away.

“My my, it’s so secret that neither of you can even give me a hint?”

“Sorry Plutia-sama, but it's a super surprise for you and Nep Nep!” sings the angelic little Compa.

“Really~? I’ll wait my best for you girls~!” says Iris with an ear to ear smile.

Nepgear turns her shoulders back and forth, sort of swaying with her signature expression of pure, innocent happiness.

“Plutia really is like a mother when she isn’t being creepy~!”

“She’s like night and day…” says Neptune with a sigh.

After a pause, she smiles.

“... But we’ve all said that a million times right!?” says Nep as she perks up.

“It’s dinner-time onee-chan, let’s go~!”

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A chill creeps into the room as Plutia, Neptune and Compa wait together. IF is lying on her belly in the corner, where she hasn’t ceased writing for more than a few seconds since she put down her phone. Compa is bad at video games, but the three play still play together.

“Nep Nep, how do I get as good as you at games?” complains Compa after she crashes her kart ingame.

“Lotsa practice lil Compa, pros like me spend all the time they can playing games!” says Nep confidently.

“So THAT’S why you’re always playing games! I thought it was because you were lazy or something~!” says Compa

Gear can’t help but overhear, she wants to go straighten Compa out, but she can’t while stir-frying vegetables.

Plutia wanders over to Nep, making her pause the game.

“What?”

Plutia has an oddly determined expression on, which melts away the moment she starts talking.

“Hey hey Nep-chan, Gear waaaaas reeeeeally nice to cook for us. We should suuuurprise her~!”

“How?”

The room goes completely silent. Nep nervously giggles in an attempt to break the silence.

“Uh, I guess… eck, that sounds like work…” mumbles Neptune.

IF looks up from her journal with a dissatisfied expression.

“NEP-ko, go take care of your little sister.”

Compa can’t help but agree, but that’s likely because she wants to help Nepgear herself but isn’t tall enough.

“Yeah Nep Nep! We should go do something nice for Ge-Ge!”

“Aieee~! Don’t gang up on me like that, I guess, I guess.”

Plutia smiles, taking Compa’s little hand before venturing off together. In the kitchen, Nepgear notices how bizarrely quiet the Basilicom has became.

With the Basilicom seemingly to herself, she hums quietly while chopping meat and vegetables.

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With a sauce stained apron, Nepgear leans over to yell at the door of the “slacking room”.

“Onee-chan~! Compa~! Plutia~! Aiefu! Time to eat!” she shouts at the cracked door.

No response.

“We’re already at the table!” shouts Neptune.

Dinner starts smoothly and very neatly. Gear is amazed at their manners, Neptune doesn’t even whine about having to eat her vegetables. Nepgear thinks to herself “Please let there be more days like this~!”. Just having such a thought prompts the younger sister to fold her hands together and pray to any god who might be listening for her dream to come true. Plutia looks up from her plate, passing Compa another helping of rice. Neptune lays her trap.

“So hey Nepugear, you wanna come with me after dinner for some sweet sis time?”

Gear can’t believe what she just heard. Her heart nearly stops in shock. A whole perfect night with her Onee-chan? She can barely contain her overwhelming happiness.

“Of-Of course~!”

Nep gives a wink at Plutia, who stands from the table.

“Heeeey~ I’m dooooone~”

“Just put your plate by the sink, I’ll get it before I go with Onee-chan~” sings Nepgear

“NO!” shouts little Compa.

Nepgear is caught entirely off guard.

“Wh-what Compa?”

“You have a good night with Nep Nep, me and Plutie can do dishes!”

IF walks away from the table after excusing herself, smiling once away from the others that her plan succeeded. Gear and Neptune leave the room together, leaving Compa who is standing on a stool to reach the sink and Plutia to finish cleaning.

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Nepgear follows her sister, becoming meek.

“Wha-What are we gonna do Onee-chan?”

“Oh sister of little faith, believe in your big sis for a bit eh?”

“Sorry!” Nepgear apologizes profusely.

Neptune sweeps the double doors of the Basilicom’s conference room wide open with both arms, letting Nepgear bask in the full glory of their surprise

On a giant TV, there is a console setup before a luxurious leather couch. A mech combat game sits on an idle screen with a stocked mini refrigerator filled with Nepgear’s favorite drinks on her side of the couch. A blanket marks Nepgear’s side with a giant purple ‘N” logo.

“It’s only a two player game, so the girls volunteered to give up some game time for you.” explains Nep.

“Onee-chan…~”

Nepgear’s eyes are crystals, reflecting the rapidly fluctuating dimmer lights that Neptune is playing with.

“So, wanna play Nepugear?”

Gear wipes a few tears of joy away, taking her sister’s hand in her’s until she can get a controller.

What a night.

Nepgear and Neptune pass the other girls’ rooms much later in the night, taking great care to not wake any of them.

“You wanna sleep in my room, like when we were little, Nepgear?”

“Whawawawa?!” says Gear, clasping a hand over her own mouth.

“Like a sleepover silly, you just need to bring a pillow and some pajamas~!”

Gear gives her sister a giant hug, dragging Neptune along on her quest to get a pillow and PJs. Nepgear falls asleep at peace, with Neptune’s hand in her’s.

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