It’s been a couple of months since you finished Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star. You learned the terrible circumstances behind Nay and Ion’s relationship, defeated the player controlling Prim, and resurrected her with the power of a carnation. (This is a pun that still makes you groan when you think about it.) It seemed complete in and of itself.
And so, you didn’t expect there to be more DLC after the genometrics about Shirotaka and Ion’s backstory, but there it is: one new genometric scenario. There doesn’t seem to be any song magic attached to its completion (what’s the point, a part of you asks yourself), but it does say that it’s set two years after the end of Ar noSurge: Ode to an Unborn Star. Why not play it? It’s not like you have anything else to do.
The DLC downloads quickly. The Ar noSurge logo appears briefly on the screen, followed by a rapid string of characters, neon green against a black screen. It runs through the usual connectivity checks.
It’s a surprise to see the Interdimend program check the connection for both channels. Channel one is connected through the Ar noSurge tube to link to Delta, and so that connection should remain, even if no data is transmitted on it. Channel two, on the other hand, was connected through Ion. Perhaps it’s a quirk of the DLC to allow you to complete it, even after the connection should be broken? Ah, it’s not that important, really. After all, that would not be the first plot hole in this game.
Channel one checks out nominal, but you don’t really have a need to use Interdimend on Delta at this stage. It would be nice to see what Casty and Delta are doing on the recreated Ra Ciela, but you remember the effect that Interdimend had on Delta and it seems unnecessary to put him through that just for a brief visit.
Channel two’s connection is patchy, but it should serve. You hope. You still remember the game-breaking bugs that came with the Ar Tonelico: Melody of Metafalica’s US release. You select Channel two and Interdimend initialises, your screen flashing white before displaying the Ar noSurge logo again. It blinks twice, and then displays a distant backdrop, bright and colourful like a Saturday cartoon. You are unable to make out the details just yet.
Superimposed on top of that backdrop are two women.
One you recognise instantly as Nelico. It’s hard to forget Nelico. You first met her when she was trying to keep Ion asleep, but over the course of you trying to save the Soleil (or the Soreil) she had transcended her programming as an Astrocyte Modulation Virus. She claimed that as a virus she didn’t want or yearn for things, but her behaviour over the course of the game belied that. You really can’t explain why she looks like a bunny girl though, one wearing black and white tights and a white leotard that is striking against her dark skin and fair hair. The red cape draped across her shoulders is reminiscent of a more blinged-out Red Riding Hood, with gold trim and buttons, and the top of her leotard and stockings are also trimmed with gold. It should look ridiculous. Hell, it does look ridiculous. But the fan service is not as egregious as it could be, even with the tops of her breasts spilling out from the leotard.
[[The other woman you also recognise instantly.|Yuuki Nei]]
The other woman is Yuuki Nei, the kidnapped girl you helped to bring home.
It has been two years since you last saw her from her own perspective, and it’s still a surprise to see what Nei actually looks like. Her hair is long, like Ion’s was, but a dark, warm brown instead of auburn, and with a large star hair clip pinning back the left side of her hair. In fact, a lot of what Nei looks like is “like Ion, but different”. She still wears the sensible boots she had worn on the Soleil, but she wears them along with a knee-length dark purple skirt and a white blouse. It’s an outfit you’ve never seen her wear before, or even imagined her wearing, and it’s a stark reminder that the Ion you had known was in some respects a construct of Nei’s to cope with what had happened to her.
Her brown eyes are intent and a puzzled frown creases her brow as she looks at you. Her eyes widen in surprise.
“Earthes? Is that really you?”
How do you respond?
[[“Sure is.”|Sure is.]]
[[“Am I interrupting something?”|Am I interrupting something?]]
[[“How do I get the yuri ending?”|How do I get the yuri ending]]
[[“I HAVE MULTIPLE OPTIONS, PRAISE GUST.”|4thwall]]
The first place you visit is the inside of a train. It's a perfectly modern electric train with two rows of seats running the length of the carriage and hand rails running along the roof for standing passengers to hold onto. Mounted above the door is an electronic sign that announces the next three stations, with the display switching from Japanese to English as you watch.
The train is full of people, both seated and standing, though none seem to comment on your robotic body. In fact, no one seems to even notice that you’re on the train at all. Some are reading light novels, others are listening to music, some are talking quietly to one another, and a lucky seated few are even sleeping between stops. You have the strangest feeling that you could do anything and no one would notice. It’s not as liberating as it sounds.
There’s something strange about the way that all of your fellow commuters look. You tilt your head and squint (as much as you can squint, given that when Nei made you she didn’t give you a face capable of facial expressions). It takes you a moment to understand what you’re seeing, because looking at the people too long is disconcerting.
Everything that makes up the train is solid and has dimensions: length, width, depth. You can rest your hand in the handhold at eye level and feel secure that it is a solid object that can hold your weight. The people on the other hand look flat. No, it’s more than that. They look two-dimensional, which is because they are. They don’t seem perturbed by this. In fact, they don’t seem to notice at all. Instead, they carry on reading their light novels, listening to music, talking to their neighbour or sleeping between stations.
Genometrics, you know, are less about what is real and more about what the other person perceives to be true. It works in metaphor and allegory. There’s definitely something wrong. Just what that is, you’re not sure.
[[You decide to go look for Nei|Train Carriage]].
Nei winces. “You don’t have to shout,” she complains. “Didn’t you have multiple options before?”
She doesn’t sound particularly unhappy, but Nei’s always been difficult to read in that regard. You think she isn’t that unhappy, but in retrospect perhaps breaking the fourth wall so early was a bad idea. You remember vividly the pop-quiz that Nei had sprung on you in Renall’s genometrics, how you had had to brute-force your way through it by save-scumming, and how Nei knew it and called you out about it. It has been two years since she last saw you, so maybe her perspective on your relationship has changed.
“Sorry,” you say. “It was surprising. I only had two options before.”
“Hmm,” Nei says, pressing her finger to her forehead and rocking as she thinks. “Well, it’s good to see it’s you again, Earthes.”
It was good to see her too, and you inclined your head in greeting. It was a good thing that when Nei made your robot body she made it with fully articulated joints!
“Awww,” Nelico sing-songs. “Aren’t you two the cutest?” She gestures dramatically with one arm, inviting you into the genometrics. “But we can’t keep the performers waiting. Let’s begin the show!”
Performers? Well, that’s new. It is Nelico though. You take her suggestion and [[start exploring Nei and Nelico’s shared genometric|Tokyo]].
You find Nei in the last carriage.
This carriage is like the one you found yourself in, and the two others you walked through to get here: the train is reassuringly modern and three-dimensional, while the passengers inside are all two-dimensional and utterly indifferent to you. As you walk through the throngs of people standing in the middle of the carriage, they offer as little resistance to your passage as tissue paper; they are more the memory of a person than a real flesh-and-blood person. It’s like walking through a train of ghosts, or perhaps a train of half-forgotten memories.
You resolve to hold onto that insight.
Nei is sitting on a chair, with a stuffed toy pressed to her chest. You’re not able to make out much about it, other than an overwhelming sense of red. There’s a spare seat next to her and you sit down. The chair creaks under your weight — which isn’t surprising given that you’re a very large robot — and Nei smiles fleetingly at the sound.
“I’m glad you found me,” she says finally. “I’m not sure I could take it being alone here again.”
“Here?” you ask. You’re pretty sure that she doesn’t mean the train itself.
“I wanted to come back,” she says. “But not to this. I tried so hard, I gave up everything in Ra Ciela, and no one even knows.”
“I know,” you say and Nei frowns at you.
“But I’m not real to you, am I?”
“You matter,” you say, which is not quite answering the question, but about as close as you think you could get. Whether she’s real or fictional, you are invested in her being happy, and it’s pretty clear that she’s not.
“I know,” she says, and sighs. “I’m sorry. I should be kinder to you. You were one of the only people I could rely on to be there for me. Even in my worst moments, you were always there. I just … I don’t want to talk about it right now, not even to you.”
With that, she leaves instantaneously. You’re used to that kind of thing by now here in her subconscious. She leaves behind in her wake a stuffed rabbit, dressed in a red cape. You pick it up. Its face has a knowing smirk on it, one which you recognise instantly. [[You take it with you when you go to your next destination|Kemokemo Plains]].
Kemokemo Plains looks for the most part how you left it. The bucolic rolling plains fan out as far as the eye can see, littered every so often with upright, unlit vacuum tubes. You had a lot of fun times with Nei here … or at least you have some stories to tell your grandkids. You figure that Nelico is going to be important to resolving this problem, given your new soft and cuddly friend that you rescued from a train full of paper-cutout people, and so you decide to go to her store.
You find Nelico outside of her store, standing near her row of vending machines. She doesn’t move to greet you. This is likely due to her left ankle being chained to the base of a cartoonishly red love heart. It is mounted to a circle of interlocking vacuum tubes, like a mechanical daisy chain. You can sense Nei’s handiwork in this, not the least because she is the only person you know of who likes vacuum tubes quite this much. You think you might begin to understand why she has done this. It had taken a lot of time and effort before Nei would trust you enough to let you see Nei, and not Ionasal kkll Preciel … and even then it was only fleeting glimpses. She must really want to make sure Nelico can’t get away.
“I see you ran into the Lighthouse Keeper,” Nelico says cheerfully as you approach. “Didn’t go well?”
She sounds pretty light-hearted for someone whose ankle is chained to a love heart.
“Better than you right now,” you say.
Nelico pouts. It’s more like a moue. “That’s not a very nice thing to say,” she protests, putting on a cutesy affect and half-singing her words.
“She was holding a stuffed toy of you,” you say.
“Well, why wouldn’t she?” Nelico strikes a pose, cocking a hip and resting her hand on it coquettishly. “Who could resist such a cute face like mine, or this sexy body?”
“True,” you agree.
“Sooo,” Nelico says. “Do you know what the law is here?”
There is a law underpinning all the genometric levels, and you think you’ve gotten pretty good at guessing them. This level had two-dimensional people who didn’t see anything outside their worldview, a Nei who complains that she had given up everything and wanted someone to know that, and a Nelico chained to a love heart.
You think you might know the law here.
[[“Nei needs to be the most important person.”|Nei needs to be the most important person.]]
[[“Nei wants her happy ending.”|Nei wants her happy ending]]
[[“Nei wants to go back to Ra Ciela.”|Nei wants to go back to Ra Ciela]]
“Ooh,” Nelico winces. “That’s definitely true! But is that such a bad thing? Isn’t why you meddle in her life also because you want to be important to her?”
Touché. You incline your head in rueful agreement.
“It’s no big deal,” Nelico assures you. “Lots of people need to be important. Why should Nei be any different?”
You think this might answer why Nelico is chained up, but you think you should probably ask anyway.
“Why are you chained up with vacuum tubes? Was that Nei?”
Nelico nods. “The Keeper has had everyone leave her. The friends who helped her in Ra Ciela are gone, all grown up, and living their own lives. You weren’t even from her dimension. And after doing everything, her reward was to go back to her old life. How boring for her. That’s not how the stories end. And while she had me, of course … what’s a poor girl to do?” She gives you a knowing look over her glasses.
“Why a love heart?”
Nelico smirks. “Do you really need me to explain that? I thought you knew the Keeper better than that.”
In retrospect, it was a pretty silly question. This is as deep as you can get into Nei’s genometrics, and so what you see here is what she holds closest to her chest. That would explain why all of her subtext with Nay and Kanon was over the top; by making such a big deal about that, Nei didn’t have to show you what she really felt and about whom. Suddenly, things made a lot more sense. Nei reconstructing Kemokemo Plains and being so willing to administer the Astrocyte Modulation Virus to herself was in part to get you back. But it was also to see Nelico — the real Nelico, not the construct that Nei can summon with her Song Magic —again. That fits with what you know of Nei.
It also fits with what you know of Nelico. Nelico had been created for one purpose, to keep Nei asleep forever so that they could keep creating Sharl, but had evolved enough to want more than just to complete her programmed goal. She may say that she’s not capable of wanting things, but you are pretty sure both you and her know better. It wasn’t just that Nei didn’t want Nelico to leave her, but also that Nelico thought that love might be a shackle, given that she’s a virus.
While you’re not quite sure how these two could have a happy ending together, you are pretty sure you know how you can resolve this: get the two of them to acknowledge their feelings to themselves and to each other. At this deep a level, honesty is best, the more direct the better.
“Let’s get you out of there,” you suggest.
One of the things that Nei gave you when she built your robot body was a drill. It’s surprising how useful they can be, especially inside a girl’s subconscious. It’s a matter of moments breaking the chain keeping Nelico captive.
It is hard not to say ‘come with me if you want to live’, but you refrain.
[[“Let’s mosey,” you say instead, going with a classic.|Singing Hill]]
Nelico’s smile sharpens. “Very good! Well done. I always thought you were smart. That’s right. Nei knows that Delta and Cass got their happy ending and wants her own.”
That explains the train at least. The two-dimensional people couldn't see the third dimension of Yuuki Nei. They could only see her surface, and not the girl who had tried so hard to be the hero that Ra Ciela had needed. They couldn't see the girl who saved the planet of the people who had abducted and tormented her for years.
It didn’t explain why Nelico was chained up.
“Why are you chained up with vacuum tubes? Was that Nei?”
Nelico nods. “The Keeper has had everyone leave her. The friends who helped her in Ra Ciela are gone, all grown up, and living their own lives. You weren’t even from her dimension. And after doing everything, her reward was to go back to her old life. How boring for her. That’s not how the stories end. And while she had me, of course … what’s a poor girl to do?” She gives you a knowing look over her glasses.
“Why a love heart?”
Nelico smirks. “Do you really need me to explain that? I thought you knew the Keeper better than that.”
In retrospect, it was a pretty silly question. This is as deep as you can get into Nei’s genometrics, and so what you see here is what she holds closest to her chest. That would explain why all of her subtext with Nay and Kanon was over the top; by making such a big deal about that, Nei didn’t have to show you what she really felt and about whom. Suddenly, things made a lot more sense. Nei reconstructing Kemokemo Plains and being so willing to administer the Astrocyte Modulation Virus to herself was in part to get you back. But it was also to see Nelico — the real Nelico, not the construct that Nei can summon with her Song Magic —again. That fits with what you know of Nei.
It also fits with what you know of Nelico. Nelico had been created for one purpose, to keep Nei asleep forever so that they could keep creating Sharl, but had evolved enough to want more than just to complete her programmed goal. She may say that she’s not capable of wanting things, but you are pretty sure both you and her know better. It wasn’t just that Nei didn’t want Nelico to leave her, but also that Nelico thought that love might be a shackle, given that she’s a virus.
While you’re not quite sure how these two could have a happy ending together, you are pretty sure you know how you can resolve this: get the two of them to acknowledge their feelings to themselves and to each other. At this deep a level, honesty is best, the more direct the better.
“Let’s get you out of there,” you suggest.
One of the things that Nei gave you when she built your robot body was a drill. It’s surprising how useful they can be, especially inside a girl’s subconscious. It’s a matter of moments breaking the chain keeping Nelico captive.
It is hard not to say ‘come with me if you want to live’, but you refrain.
[[“Let’s mosey,” you say instead, going with a classic.|Singing Hill]]
Nelico laughs. “Maybe she does! The Lighthouse Keeper was forced into a world she didn’t know and grew to care for it. She might even be fond of it! But you know her. Do you think she really wants to go back there? Or is there something else she wants?”
You have no idea. You thought that maybe Nei wanted to go back to Ra Ciela. Maybe she missed being able to use Song Magic. Maybe she missed her friends. Maybe she wanted to be recognised as the one who helped save the world. You wish you could ask her when she was awake, but you can’t. Nelico, on the other hand, knows her very well.
And Nelico still hasn’t explained why she is chained up.
“Why are you chained up with vacuum tubes? Was that Nei?”
Nelico nods. “The Keeper has had everyone leave her. The friends who helped her in Ra Ciela are gone, all grown up, and living their own lives. You weren’t even from her dimension. And after doing everything, her reward was to go back to her old life. How boring for her. That’s not how the stories end. And while she had me, of course … what’s a poor girl to do?” She gives you a knowing look over her glasses.
“Why a love heart?”
Nelico smirks. “Do you really need me to explain that? I thought you knew the Keeper better than that.”
In retrospect, it was a pretty silly question. This is as deep as you can get into Nei’s genometrics, and so what you see here is what she holds closest to her chest. That would explain why all of her subtext with Nay and Kanon was over the top; by making such a big deal about that, Nei didn’t have to show you what she really felt and about whom. Suddenly, things made a lot more sense. Nei reconstructing Kemokemo Plains and being so willing to administer the Astrocyte Modulation Virus to herself was in part to get you back. But it was also to see Nelico — the real Nelico, not the construct that Nei can summon with her Song Magic —again. That fits with what you know of Nei.
It also fits with what you know of Nelico. Nelico had been created for one purpose, to keep Nei asleep forever so that they could keep creating Sharl, but had evolved enough to want more than just to complete her programmed goal. She may say that she’s not capable of wanting things, but you are pretty sure both you and her know better. It wasn’t just that Nei didn’t want Nelico to leave her, but also that Nelico thought that love might be a shackle, given that she’s a virus.
While you’re not quite sure how these two could have a happy ending together, you are pretty sure you know how you can resolve this: get the two of them to acknowledge their feelings to themselves and to each other. At this deep a level, honesty is best, the more direct the better.
“Let’s get you out of there,” you suggest.
One of the things that Nei gave you when she built your robot body was a drill. It’s surprising how useful they can be, especially inside a girl’s subconscious. It’s a matter of moments breaking the chain keeping Nelico captive.
It is hard not to say ‘come with me if you want to live’, but you refrain.
[[“Let’s mosey,” you say instead, going with a classic.|Singing Hill]]
You wave hello as you ‘talk’. It’s been a while since you have seen them, and it is really nice to see them again!
Nei smiles at you and waves back. “Hello, Earthes! It is you! I haven’t seen you in years. How long has it been for you?”
“A few months,” you say. “It’s good to see you, Nei.”
“I guess our dimensions run on different times,” Nei says, frowning. She adds, “It’s good to see you again, Earthes.”
It is good to see her too, and you incline your head in greeting. It is a good thing that when Nei made your robot body she made it with fully articulated joints!
“Awww,” Nelico sing-songs. “Aren’t you two the cutest?” She gestures dramatically with one arm, inviting you into the genometrics. “But we can’t keep the performers waiting. Let’s begin the show!”
Performers? Well, that’s new. It is Nelico though. You take her suggestion and [[start exploring Nei and Nelico’s shared genometric|Tokyo]].
Nei shakes her head. “Not really…?” she says. “I only just arrived here. Though how I’m here, I’m not really sure.”
Right. When Ion had been on Ra Ciela, there had been technology to allow a diver to explore someone’s subconscious. From what you understood, Ion was from a world very similar to yours, and you’re pretty sure that that kind of technology is just science-fiction. Is this a dream?
The reason isn’t that important, you tell yourself. You don’t want to be one of those fans.
“Does it really matter?” you say.
“No,” Nei says slowly. She shakes her head, as if to rid herself of a bad thought or memory. “Well, it’s good to see you again, Earthes.”
It is good to see her too, and you incline your head in greeting. It is a good thing that when Nei made your robot body she made it with fully articulated joints!
“Awww,” Nelico sing-songs. “Aren’t you two the cutest?” She gestures dramatically with one arm, inviting you into the genometrics. “But we can’t keep the performers waiting. Let’s begin the show!”
Performers? Well, that’s new. It is Nelico though. You take her suggestion and [[start exploring Nei and Nelico’s shared genometric|Tokyo]].
You figured it was worth a shot.
Nei covers her mouth. “What?”
By Nei’s standard it’s not a huge protest. In fact, it’s hardly one at all. You’re used to that from her: she’ll pretend to be shocked, but her body language clearly shows that she finds it far more amusing than she lets on. You’re pretty sure that behind the cover of her hand Nei is trying not to smile. If you could raise a knowing eyebrow you would. Unfortunately, you are a robot without a face capable of expressions, and so must instead settle for a long pointed silence.
“I forgot that you had a weird sense of humour,” Nei says, letting her hand drop to her side. She smiles. “Well, it’s good to see you again, Earthes.”
It is good to see her too, and you incline your head in greeting. It is a good thing that when Nei made your robot body she made it with fully articulated joints!
“Awww,” Nelico sing-songs. “Aren’t you two the cutest?” She gestures dramatically with one arm, inviting you into the genometrics. “But we can’t keep the performers waiting. Let’s begin the show!”
Performers? Well, that’s new. It is Nelico though. You take her suggestion and [[start exploring Nei and Nelico’s shared genometric|Tokyo]].
With Nelico in hand, you find yourself at the Singing Hill. The last time you were here, the people of Ra Ciela sang into existence their planet reborn while a dying Prim watched with a smile on her face. There’s no sign of the terrible battle that you, Nei, Casty and Delta waged against the other player using Interdimend’s power. The wide circular metal platform is as pristine as you’ve ever seen it, its dull-grey surface unmarred by even a footprint, let alone the attacks that you withstood to shield Nei. The starry expanse of space just outside the transparent protective shell shielding the inhabitants of the Soleil from explosive decompression is breathtaking, even through a computer screen. You’re not terribly surprised that Nei remembers this place so well. It was here that she sang the song that found the planet later known as Sol Ciel. It was here that everyone sang the song that recreated Ra Ciela from the energy stored in the Microquasar. It’s an important place for Nei, because it was when she was important, valued, and needed.
Nei is standing where she had stood last time you saw her here. She is staring down at the jewel-like Ra Ciela below with some degree of longing. She looks up at your approach and her expression changes from surprise to anger when she sees Nelico with you. She scowls darkly at the two of you and shifts her balance to the balls of her feet. You remember this stance. It’s the one she adopts before starting Song Magic. Her feelings towards Nelico must be stronger than the bond you and she share if she’s willing to fight you.
In a way, that’s rather heartwarming. You had been worried when you disconnected from Interdimend that Nei would find it difficult to make connections with other people. Call it vanity, but you two were very close once. Nelico was right; she is the only person who would not leave Nei. Now you just have to convince Nei of that.
“Why is she with you?” Nei says suspiciously. “Are you going to take her away from me too?”
“No,” you say firmly. “I brought her here to say something to you.” You nudge Nelico forward and hope she really does have something to say.
“Hiya Keeper,” Nelico says.
“Nelico,” Nei says. She looks sad, shoulders slumped in resignation, and she presses her lips together as if to stem back the tide of angry, hurt words. She visibly takes a breath and then lets it go. “Do you want to leave with Earthes? I won’t stop you if that’s what you really want.”
Nelico snorts, amused. “Why would I leave such an interesting place?” She turns on her heel, arms outstretched, indicating all of Singing Hill. “And this is only the start of the real you! Imagine what fun I could have when I get to know you more intimately!”
“Nelico!” Nei covers her mouth with her hand, eyes wide. You can see her blush at the obvious innuendo, but she doesn’t look displeased at the prospect. “You really want to explore all of me?”
“Of course! Your mind is my home after all.”
You really cannot believe this is happening. Who knew that Nei had this kind of dirty mind? Moreover, you’re surprised to see that in your inventory is a new thought gem. You’ve become accustomed to receiving them in your dives into Nei’s subconscious, but it was your understanding that they were a game mechanic to enhance the party abilities. You’re aware that they’re crystallised strong thoughts, and so conceivably you could create one here too, but the question is what you can even do with it.
Or, you suppose, what Nei can do with it.
“What’s that a crystal of?” you ask.
“And I thought you were smart,” Nelico says in mock disapproval. “It’s me, of course!”
You have no idea how you could have guessed that.
“At home I’m building a robot,” Nei says. “With this, Nelico can live inside it with me. It’ll take a long time to build it, because I have to get all the parts and there’s very little room where I live, but …”
“But you didn’t know if Nelico wanted to live in a robot.”
“That’s right.” Nei laughs sheepishly. “I can’t keep anything from you, can I?”
“Nope,” you say cheerfully. “I know you better than anyone.”
You feel the familiar sensation of the Hymmnofort activating. You were right. This was the issue plaguing Nelico and Nei: they wanted a happy ending together but were too afraid to say anything in case the other didn’t feel that way. It’s strange that they had this misconception of each other when they are linked at such a deep level, but love never did run smooth.
[[You, Nei and Nelico go to the Hymmnofort.|Hymmnofort]]
The Hymmnofort is a grassy knoll with a weathered stone archway that leads to a place you cannot go. You can see grassy hills through the archway, but you know from having done this before that they’re illusionary. Or, rather, more illusionary than anything else here. It’s a bright, clear day, with a hint of wind that carries with it the scent of cherry blossoms. Nei and Nelico are standing in front of the archway holding hands. They are paying you very little attention, instead gazing into each other’s eyes.
“Soon I’ll be able to see you in the real world,” Nei says. “I even made rabbit ears on the robot for you.”
“Oh ho, did you?” Nelico says, touching her own ears with her fingers. “It’s sad though, that they won’t be as soft as they are now.”
“I can’t do anything about that,” Nei protests. “I could make them with fabric, but then you couldn’t move them. Maybe if I cover them with something…”
“You should get in a good feel now.” Nelico grabs Nei’s wrist and places her hand on her ear. “Feel how soft and silky that is! Don’t you just want to pet it all day?”
“Maybe next time,” Nei says, looking at you surreptitiously.
You wave a hand. “Carry on, nothing to see here.”
Nei stops petting Nelico’s ear. "Thank you, Earthes.” She pats your shoulder. “I’m always relying on you to fix my mistakes, aren’t I?”
“It’s okay,” you say. “We’re partners.” You nod at the gate. “It’s time, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Nei says.
Girl and bunny girl step through the weathered arch, disappearing into light.
You’re not sure what the future will hold for either of them, but you think it’ll be a happier one, even if you won’t get to see it. After all they’ve done, and how close they’ve grown, you can’t really see it ending any other way.