Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

Console

"I'm back." IF called out, stepping in and locking the doors behind her. Immediately her eyes were assaulted by the bright pink interior of a small but cozy flat. Aside from the utmost horrible taste of the cute pink walls, said apartment also included pink furniture and other eye-catching details, some of which were more pleasant to the eye, like the giant syringe filled with suspicious liquid leaning against the wall, or the busty blonde nurse lying on the brilliant pink couch.

Seriously, does everything here have to be pink? We get it, Compa likes cute and pink stuff, but this is starting to become pretty bland, don't you think?

But IF doesn't care about whatever crap the author has to say. She actually likes how her friend arranged her home, so the author can go suck it! Until he throws the next series of traumatic events at both of them anyway, he's an ass like that.

But anyway… Hearing the shout, Compa raised her head to see her friend entering her home, and greeted the newcomer with, while tired, still a great smile on her face. "Welcome back." She said cheerfully, while also completely oblivious to the fact that her pair of white undies were unnecessarily visible, a little detail that the guild agent happened to notice while setting the bag full of groceries on the table. The power of upskirt shots froze her gaze, and try as she might, closet perversion decisively won against her common sense and dignity.

Were it anyone else, they would eventually notice where IF was looking and do something about it, while also getting mad or embarrassed. But not our airheaded nurse who felt only confusion from IF's silence and the blood slowly rushing to her cheeks. "Is something wrong?" She asked, snapping the brunette out of her reverie and making her dig her grave by immediately going into the defensive.

"N-Nope! N-Nothing at all!" Guilty as charged, IF instinctively reached to scratch the back of her head, while also finally forcing her green eyes to shift and gaze onto one of the plushies lying on the drawers. Inspecting the cute green creature like it's the most fascinating thing in the world, IF genuinely had no idea what it's even called but it was nicely made at least.

Of course IF's blush would be a dead giveaway, but Compa being Compa only felt her confusion intensify. Oh so pure and innocent, not even realizing how many people had a crush on her. It's almost enough to guilt the author over all the horrible things he's had happen to her...

Almost.

Taking the last attempt at saving her dignity, the brunette changes topic, taking a deep breath to at least partially calm herself down. "Y-Y'know, it's actually been awhile since I've been here. Since we're all basically living in the Basilicom now and all." She stepped further into the room, sitting on the couch next to Compa and letting her lean on her shoulder.

"Mhm. Ever since Ge-Ge came back, we were using those guest rooms every day, and then we were either with the mercenaries or Miss Histoire or getting shares and doing quests with Ge-Ge and Falcom! We were really busy those 2 weeks."

Yeah, only 2 weeks have passed… It's hard for them to believe that so much happened in such a short time. From them saving Nepgear from the Gamindustri Graveyard, to meeting and hiring the merc team, that massacre at the warehouses, getting upgrades… Their 2nd encounter with CFW Judge and her first death...

The memory of her death caused IF's heart to skip a beat, and not in a good way. That neverending darkness… The feeling of being trapped in it with only words as her beacon…

Her first death may have been painless, but it wasn't any less scary at all. In fact, it was even worse. She was given no warning, nothing to let her prepare herself, she was just alive one second and the other it was *Poof*. She's staring at the countdown to her Re:Spawn in confusion…

It put her fragility into perspective, how easy and sudden it had been. And of course, it brought the morbid question to her head, one that refused to leave her alone for a long time while it gnawed away at her mind. What if the Re:Spawn malfunctioned? What if there's not even a countdown to wait for?

And how many times has Engineer died? How many times have ALL the mercs died? A few hundred thousand? A million times?

The Guild agent nearly broke down after a swift and painless death. There's no way her sanity could handle coming even close to scratching the surface of those numbers... And don't even start her on the fact that most of them probably weren't as quick or painless as hers. Chances are she would need to call a therapist or something on her next death...

The brunette's erratic breath was noticed by Compa. Perhaps the only thing she was good for; cheering up her friends when they need it.

No wait, she can also cook. Yeah I forgot. She can make badass pudding. Ignore that last remark, okay?

Full of worry for her friend, the nurse wrapped her cute small arms around the brunette's shaking figure. She was pretty confident that hugs will calm her down, after all it did work on her patients when they were nervous. "There there… it's okay." She soothed, like a loving mother trying to appease her child. Or in this case a nurse trying to soothe another one of her patients.

In any case, IF didn't even realize that she was shaking badly, she was so into her fear that Compa's voice managed to spook her instead of calming her down. The sudden proximity between her face and Compa's ample chest upon her return to reality made her freak out even harder. "W-What a-are you doing?" The brunette stammered, her brain feeling like it just got zapped by the Short Circuit. A part of her wanted Compa to hold her a bit longer, but at the same time she also wanted her to let go so she can freak the fuck out all she wants.

"You were shaking, are you okay?"

A simple question with a not so simple answer: Are you okay? Can she, Compa, Nepgear or even Histoire really be okay after all that's happened? Can Gamindustri even-

Okay, stop, this was supposed to be a light-hearted special episode not Angst 101! Even a Russian would find these questions too Heavy (Ha! Not funny...). I thought it's Nepgear, not Metal Gear! (...And I'll see myself out).

"Yeah. I just… I dunno." She admitted. Not really knowing how else she could say. However her answer (or lack of it) managed to satisfy her childhood friend, who only held her a little longer before suggesting...

"I know, how about some food to cheer you up?"

Seriously? There's only one acceptable answer to that, especially when they missed Hale's 'picnic'.

Good thing that IF came prepared. The bag of groceries included some take-out burgers from a fast food joint, which removes the need of doing any cooking as they have ready-to-eat food. Although, something surprising revealed itself a moment after Compa unwrapped the aluminum foil. "Huh?" The wrapping contained a logo she doesn't recognize. "Crummy's Burgers?" She read it aloud, "I've never heard of them… Where did you get them?"

"There's a new joint just across the street. I thought 'Why not?' and just bought some to check it out." The Guild agent shrugged, not bothering to question why they were still conveniently open at an hour like this. The brunette took a bite and quickly her eyebrows shot up. "Dish ish gooh achually!" She admitted, her mouth full. This meat, it's… perfect. IF was just at a loss of words from the sheer tastiness of this hamburger. And it's not just the meat, it's... everything! The slightly spicy sauce complementing the taste, bringing out all good parts of the meat. This fresh bun, so squishy… and those vegetables, mmm!

She wouldn't mind getting addicted to these, her wallet can certainly handle it.

At the same time, the Nurse in front of her was also taken in by the taste. The blonde's cheeseburger was just as tasty as IF's. Swallowing the first bite, the nurse released a satisfied sigh. "Ahh~ My taste buds are in heaven…"

The two heroines ate without any conversation going on, simply delighting themselves with the taste of godly fast food. IF can see that new joint becoming very successful in the future, if only because of the quality of their food. They'll definitely come back there again, but with others this time, they need to taste these delicacies.

With a grin decorating her face, along with some sauce (which she eagerly licked off her mouth), IF reached out to take the next burger… Only to find it empty. "Eh?" She set the bag on her lap and rummaged through it, only to find it devoid of any tasty burgers. Her despair grew with each passing second spent on the futile search. As her patience ended, the brunette bent backward and cried out like a wolf howling to the moon.

"Nooooooooooo!"

"IF?" Compa blinked, watching her friend slam her head against the table. What happened? The nurse was confused.

"T-They're gone. The burgers… we ate all of them." The Guild agent whined, and… are those weeping sounds Compa is hearing?

Now she's genuinely lost, she could only sweatdrop and wait for IF to get over it. "A-Aha. S-So that's what you're sad about."

…

Yeah, better let her weep for a while.

The Nurse walked away as quietly as she could, trying hard to not disturb her crying friend. This… well, she doesn't need to do anything, her real pain had already went away and all that remains is… being a drama queen?

The busty blonde giggled at the hilarious idea of her friend wearing an over extravagant dress and a crown with the words 'DRAMA QUEEN' written on it. With her own humor regained, Compa took a quick glance around her home, the same one she didn't visit at all in the span of 2 weeks. Her neighbors must have been worried. But she'll reassure them later, right now she sees that her house is in need of a solid cleaning. There's layers of dust everywhere! Yuck!

But it's 4 in the morning, and even she's tired… Maybe she'll clean tomorrow.

Err… today she means. It's weird to think that it's the next day already. The outside still looks like yesterday evening…

Releasing a small yawn and rubbing some of the tiredness out of her eyes, the nurse shuffled towards the couch. Taking a hold of a hidden grip she pulled on the movable parts until she transformed it into a much bigger bed, capable of holding 2 and even 3 people if they squeeze together, since it seems that her childhood friend will be sleeping here.

Although at this rate, she'll fall asleep on that table...

Shaking her head at her friend's silliness, said Nurse pulled out the bloody-hell-not-actually-pink sheets and pillows out of the drawer, then neatly arranged them on the bed. And then she redid it because that arrangement dissatisfied her, and again because she thinks that IF would prefer the blue one… And again because she may actually want a pink one to match her favorite phone...

She just can't make up her mind, can she?

At least she remembered to make sure that there's enough space for 2 people to sleep comfortably. There's stuff to do in the day, so they'll have to sleep soon.

And Compa's heart broke a little. Her first sleepover at her home and they won't have time or energy to do anything fun...

But that's okay. At the very least they can spend the morning together.

She wondered what their next step will be; Their party is growing stronger, with that big muscled man and that kind raven-haired woman joining them, they can easily handle whatever those baddies throw at them. Compa looks forward to becoming their friend. And of course Blanc too! So they can-

Oh.

Her cheerfulness died down, shooting itself in the head with sadness replacing it.

Right...

Of course. How could she forget in the span of just a few hours...

Her grip on the creamy white pillow shook. At the same time the nurse grit her teeth.

She's terrible, really, how could she forget?

She hurt Blanc.

She hurt one of her friends, it's her fault that she got hurt.

The nurse threw the pillow across the room, anger K'Oing her sadness with world record speed. The poor pillow fell onto the ground with a quiet flop, but Compa's fury picked it as a sacrifice to unleash her anger, kicking it again and again.

And again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again.

And when her shaking legs gave away, she opted for pummeling it with her fists. Anger clouded her judgement and the blonde girl didn't stop. She was angry, truly angry.

But not at Nepgear or IF, they encouraged her to do it, but they couldn't know the consequences. She wasn't even angry at the ASIC who captured Blanc in the first place!

No, Compa's anger was directed at none other than Compa.

Fluff fell down like snow in the winter, obviously knocked out by the Nurse's punching. She didn't even notice when the pillow was empty and her fists were punching floor instead of fluff. Hell, she just kept going.

Because it was her stupid idea.

And she was the one to use the Quick-Fix.

And she's the one who hurt the CPU.

If only she didn't try anything then this wouldn't have happened!

'It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault.' "IT'S MY FAULT!" With a so completely unlike-Compa roar, the blonde girl uppercutted the pillow, sending it flying again.

If she only waited for the mercenaries to arrive, they would think of something.

In her anger, Compa didn't realize that the pillow…

Hit a shocked IF straight in the face…

The Nurse didn't notice the brunette finally getting over the eaten burgers...

Nor did the Guild agent expect her childhood friend beating the stuff out of a pillow in mourning anger...

Both of those things resulted in an awkward staredown where both sides had no idea what to do or say…

"There… there…" IF patted Compa's crying form, lending her shoulder for her friend to cry out her frustration. For some people her situation could be taken as amusing; she's comforting the same person who consoled her just a few minutes ago.

Sheesh… But how can SHE even help Compa?

Really, her mind is drawing a blank. Usually when someone needed encouragement or a shoulder to cry on, IF let Neptune or Compa handle them.

But now the former is captured… and the latter is the one crying on her shoulder, forcing the job of soothing the nurse onto the last person in the room, who had no idea what she's doing.

Her first time trying to give a pep talk to anyone was for Nepgear… but that was more of IF venting a bit of her frustration out than trying to make someone feel better. And she obviously can't use the same tactic she used before because Compa is even more fragile, and IF would rather commit seppu- sekku- neppu…? Ugh!

Sudoku. IF would rather commit sudoku than break Compa's heart.

No, that still sounds wrong, though. What was that word?

Geez, her shirt sure is getting soaked through… Wait, do tears even wash out!?

…

The brunette mentally kicked herself for her stupidity. Of course it would wash off, you idiot! Those are damn human tears! Mostly water and some minerals!

It still feels weird how wet her shoulder is…

Her lack of basic chemistry knowledge aside, is it just her or has Compa stopped crying?

Yes, in her own minor and irrelevant panic, IF didn't even realize that Compa stopped her weeping to ask something. "Huh? Wha-What?" The brunette's eyes widened a bit from surprise. She wasn't actually sure if Compa said anything or if it was just her crying...

However that doubt was washed away when Compa slowly repeated.

"Hey, Iffy."

Her voice was shaking, to the brunette it sounded like she could break down again any second. Were it any other person, IF would probably wait until they really calm down, she wouldn't be able to talk to someone who might start bawling again after the first word. But leaving Compa, her friend in need, like that was just too cruel in IF's moral book.

"Hmm?"

"D-Do you think Blanc will hate me?"

Nothing could prepare IF for this question. It was just so sudden, like a knife to the back. "W-What!?" The brunette yelped, involuntarily raising her voice. "Erm, n-no! At least, I don't think so?" She stammered in confusion, "Why are you asking that?"

Compa didn't answer however, a pregnant and suspenseful silence fell between them. She just pressed herself harder against IF (which if not for the circumstances, she would've enjoyed a lot). It took a moment before she forced herself to say in an unlike-her creaky voice.

"Because I hurt her. I didn't want that but I still hurt her!"

And she broke again, crying onto IF's already wet shoulder.

But despite her admitting it now, IF already knew she did. How couldn't she? She was there when it happened, and saw the look on her face, but at least it gave her something to work with. So Compa blames herself for the accident which hurt Blanc, now she thinks that Blanc will hate her...

'That's stupid, Compa.' IF immediately thought, biting back a sigh.

But how she can tell her that without being rough about it?

Her idea was good, it's just backfired because of something no one could predict. Hell, Compa even stopped her from recklessly charging in and probably getting herself into a very embarrassing situation.

And even if Blanc was somehow hurt, she's already under Medic's care. There's nothing to worry about, that crazy bastard probably already fixed her. She can even bet with confidence that Blanc is already up and about. Then, even assuming the CPU of Lowee even remembers this whole deal, knowing her temperament she wouldn't have cared, and if all else fails, Compa can just go to her and apologize.

So why can't this airhead see that herself!?

IF frowned at her thoughts, no need to get angry, especially when she's in such a state. She's actually never seen Compa… or anyone really, in this level of grief.

And did she forget to mention that usually it was someone else doing the cheering?

'Okay, girl. Be gentle, be gentle. You got it!' She steeled herself. She needs to do this, there's no other person here so it's all on IF now.

She opened her mouth and immediately regretted it.

"So, what?"

Had Compa not been in her embrace, IF would facepalm so hard that it would crack her skull. First step. It was just the first step! And she already royally screwed up. Her tone sounded way harsher and uncaring than she intended it to be… So much for being gentle but hell, let's just roll with it. It even caught Compa off guard since she stopped crying for goddess' sake.

"Huh?" Compa rose an eyebrow, slowly raising her head towards her friend.

"So what if you accidently hurt her?" She put on an emphasis. "Believe it or not, she's still a goddess! Like, one of the strongest existences on this goddamn planet! The ASIC probably put her through much worse than what you did to her anyway. And you were only trying to help, you couldn't have known! It was all a freak goddamn accident, Blanc's not gonna be mad over it, it's NOT YOUR FAULT, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT COMPA!?"

With her mind going into 'Fuck Y'all!' mode, the brunette shook the Nurse by her shoulders as roughly as she could, but still making sure to not actually hurt her. She can't 'gently' comfort a person even if her life depended on it, so she may as well try a style that suited her better.

And it worked, she could see confusion in the Nurse's creamy pink eyes, a preferable alternative to grief. Now let's just keep going before she even gets to say anything.

"Really, that's all it was. An accident. Not even the mercs could see it coming! And despite all that crap that happened, we still have Medic who will fix her... somehow. Let's not get into the details for our sake but he will get Blanc back on her feet. You're his apprentice, you know how he is. Hell, I actually wouldn't be surprised if she's already awake by now."

"B-But-"

"-No buts Compa!" She harshly cut her off, "Shit happened, I know, but seriously, it's all alright, we'll get through so just stop crying for a second, you got that, you crybaby!? If you want to do something that badly, how about waiting 'till we get to the Basilicom so you can apologize to Blanc and live your day normally. But I don't think she will even remember that whole thing."

Pushing the whole 'act before she can act' to a whole new level, IF detached herself from Compa and went to the bathroom, slamming the doors closed and leaving a confused nurse outside.

Inside the bathroom, the brunette took the deepest breath she could take, and collapsed right under the doors, not believing that she actually did all of that in front of Compa of all people. She meant what she said but usually the brunette would keep those words to herself, not slap them at her friend's face and force them down her throat.

That was embarrassing, cringy… and surprisingly satisfying.

And… what now?

In the heat of the moment the brunette stupidly locked herself in the bathroom, not exactly the best-case scenario because if she went back right now, it will be pretty awkward.

Well, she could always play with one of her phones, but she left all of them outside… OH SHI-

IF's eyes snapped open, panic visible on her face.

How could she have forgotten her phones!

Her 9 precious cell phones, her 9 plastic friends ever since middle school! They've spent so much time together, laughing, crying, shitposting on Neppit and N-Chan…

And now they're gone. Locked behind that wooden, impenetrable obstacle called 'Doors'.

W-What if Compa breaks them? O-Or what if she forgets they're there and accidently steps on them!? Or worse, what if they suddenly run out of battery!? She forgot to bring the charger from the Basilicom!

Now that would be bad!

Scenario after scenario, with each one getting progressively worse, IF's mind went into full blown panic over 'permanently' losing her phones.

What if someone sneaks in and steals them!? Or what if Compa takes them for herself!

The chances are minimal…

BUT MAYBE!?

Suddenly, someone knocked against the wooden wall, followed by a voice, with an angelic tone. It was so soft, so comforting…

So taunting.

"Hey, Iffy! You left your phones in the kitchen!" Compa called. Despite whatever IF's unstable mind was thinking the nurse had no intention of taunting her friend. "I'm just going to put them here. Okay?" The nurse placed the familiar belt of phone cases on a washing machine, very careful to respect the brunette's privacy in case she was… well. Naked.

Some of you would like if this scene went into that direction, eh? Compa walking into IF, naked in a shower.

After the blonde girl closed the doors. The Guild agent, snarling like a vicious animal, lunged for the phones and checked each and every one, slowly calming down when nothing was missing and everything was intact.

'They must have been so scared.' The brunette sighed, donning the belt around her body, thankful that everything is fine. Fortunately Compa is still too kind for her own health to do anything to her precious children-

IF's form suddenly froze, not out of shock but because of something else. Her eyebrows furrowed into a frown as she gave another look at her belt.

The brunette just called her phones 'children'.

Not only that but shortly before that the brunette was worried about them, a bunch of lifeless objects, becoming scared.

She just personified her phones.

For a moment, IF's face stayed motionless, frozen into a frown while her nose took more and more oxygen into her lungs. Her brain ceased all controllable thoughts until her lungs were filled and refused to take even an iota more of gas, only then did the Guild agent act in the manner which she found the most suitable to this situation.

She chuckled. Her mouth morphed into a silly grin and kept giggling as if being tortured by tickles. Her eyes even watered when it exploded into a full blown laugh.

She just grieved over burgers, yelled at her best friend as a means of comfort, locked herself in the bathroom and called her phones her children. Sure she's joked about her 'relationship' with her phones before, but she never did it sincerely until now! Is it just the sleep deprivation or is madness truly infectious?

But still, she's been through a lot in these last 2 weeks, so she'll take a chance to get a genuine laugh when she can get one.

And now she's laughing to herself in Compa's bathroom. She can't decide whether this was a perfect story to tell in a bar or something to seal away in the dark recesses of her mind.

Her laughter was starting to die down, but her good mood remained. Yeah, she needed that laugh. However no matter how good her mood was, the question still remained.

What now? She's still locked herself in the bathroom.

After IF's tirade, Compa's thoughts were too jumbled for anyone to read them correctly. All she could do was blink when the brunette bolted to the bathroom and locked the doors. She was actually pretty confused through the entire thing but when the Guild agent pushed her away, the Nurse's brain all but broke. It went to the point where if you gaze into her eyes hard enough, you could even see her soul sending the 'compile_heart_ has stopped working.' error message.

From her perspective, the confusion was very reasonable because this is the first time IF yelled at her in such a way.

Releasing a tired sigh, the Nurse's back fell onto the bed, staring at the ceiling with frown.

People usually yell when they're angry at others. IF also yelled in that angry, scolding tone.

Is Iffy angry at her?

"It was all a freak goddamn accident, Blanc's not gonna be mad over it, it's NOT YOUR FAULT, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT COMPA!?"

But then, why would she try to reassure her? Back at the hospital, when someone was angry they'd usually try to shame the other person. They didn't shout to reassure, they tried to put someone below them or just yell at them for no reason. Those people are the worst, always so rude to her and everyone else.

Sure, Iffy scolded her or Neptune a lot, but she never yelled. Except today.

What changed? Was Iffy simply tired?

Is the brunette tired with her constant crying?

But, she can't help it! She hurt her friend.

"So what if you accidently hurt her? Believe it or not, she's still a goddess! Like, one of the strongest existences on this goddamn planet!"

The harsh words of the Guild agent still echoed in her mind. Despite being confused back then, her mind slowly remembered the context. But her being a goddess or it being just an accident doesn't mean anything. People are still punished for accidents, on the roads for example. It doesn't justify anything.

"The ASIC probably put her through much worse than what you did to her anyway. And you were only trying to help, you couldn't have known! It was all a freak goddamn accident, Blanc's not gonna be mad over it, it's NOT YOUR FAULT, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT COMPA!?"

She just wanted to help, yes. But instead of helping her and easing her pain, she made her suffer even more!

The blonde Nurse turned her head towards the kitchen, where both she and her friend bickered and ate burgers a few minutes ago. A memory so happy and recent, but also so distant.

"Really, that's all it was. An accident. Not even the mercs could see it coming! And despite all that crap that happened, we still have Medic who will fix her... somehow. Let's not get into the details for our sake but he will get Blanc back on her feet. You're his apprentice, you know how he is. Hell, I actually wouldn't be surprised if she's already awake by now."

Compa's lips turned into a small smile at the mention of the Medic. Yes, there's no mistaking it, he can and will cure Blanc from whatever ASIC did to her. He's the best doctor after all!

Way better at helping people than she is…

"Shit happened, I know, but seriously, it's all alright, we'll get through so just stop crying for a second, you got that, you crybaby!?

But, she can't help it! She just can't...

Crying is healthy. Tears cleans eyes and crying helps to cope with emotional stress.

But society also perceives it as a sign of weakness…

Does Iffy think of her as weak?

"Shit happened, I know, but seriously, it's all alright, we'll get through so just stop crying for a second, you got that, you crybaby!? If you want to do something that badly, how about waiting 'till we get to the Basilicom so you can apologize to Blanc and live your day normally. But I don't think she will even remember that whole thing."

Wait and apologize…?

Her creamy pink eyes noticed something. A familiar belt lying next to the bag, with 9 cases attached to them, their bright colors mixed with the pinkish background created a plesant-to-the-eye picture. It is unmistakably Iffy's belt, what was it doing there? She doesn't know, but Iffy is probably worried right now, she loves her phones and would be devastated if they suddenly went missing.

She should return those to her.

Groggily, the nurse got out of the bed and dragged her feet towards the kitchen, taking her friend's belt. It was heavier than she expected but nothing that she couldn't handle of course. Out of curiosity she also gave it a closer look, and noticed that it was also kinda small for her.

Was Iffy always this small? It's hard to tell when she's wearing that too big coat all the time. It is really cute how small she is… in all areas.

She should eat her veggies, it would do a lot of good for her.

The mental image of her friend grumpily eating all the greens filled her with rather weird cheerfulness. While she had no intention of invading her privacy, the blonde girl must make sure that none of the phones were missing.

IF would really freak out if she lost those.

And luckily the brunette has no reason to, as all devices were accounted for! 9 colorful phones neatly put into a case of a matching color.

Again she shuffled her feet, this time towards the bathroom. She was also moments from barging in like she owned the place (even though, she technically does), but at the last moment her brain reminded her about some basic manners. The bathroom is occupied so the nurse can't just enter like that; it's rude, unethical and a bad thing to do!

So being a good and innocent Nurse her grandfather would be proud of; Compa knocked instead of outright opening the doors, basic manners everyone! IT'S NOT THAT HARD! "Hey, Iffy! You left your phones in the kitchen!" She informed, just now opening the doors as she announced her presence, but the nurse respected her friend's privacy and opened only enough for her hand to fit through. "I'm just going to put them here. Okay?" There was only one surface close enough she could place that belt. The washing machine. And when the payload has been delivered (with the lack of a huge explosion, completely unsatisfying) the nurse closed the doors.

It wasn't long before a weird sound from behind the doors spooked her. It sounded like an angry growl from a feral animal. "Waaah!" This sound was so sudden that the Nurse yelped in fright and watched the doors with anticipation, whatever Iffy became could emerge any second now...

Any second now…

…

…

...

(See? RED! No wait that's an irrelevant joke!)

After a moment of silence, an actual silence, not the song made by Streetlight Manifesto, more voices came from the bathroom. But these weren't any growls or snarls. It was a chuckle, a heartfelt giggling sound came into Compa's ears.

Glad that this was just a false alarm, the blonde girl released a sigh of relief. This isn't good for her poor heart!

But it's still good that even separated, they can still goof off like in the good 'ol days.

However she's very tired, and the sun is already rising.

Another sigh left her mouth, this time out of sadness that she couldn't spend more time with Iffy during their sleepover. All she can do is hope that they'll get another chance.

Compa and IF ended up sleeping separately.

The Nurse, constantly nagged by her tiredness, slept peacefully and comfortably in her bed.

The Guild agent however, fell asleep in the bathroom without realizing.

The cold tiles don't make a good bed, so the Guild agent woke up pained all over.

They didn't get much sleep neither, thanks to the sun.

Although they still got much more than the mercenaries...

And so the story continues.

Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

Console

You know. If I didn't cut it here. I think I could continue writing this one until it's as long as the previous chapter. At least. And this was supposed to be a short special celebrating me getting to the Arc 2. It only took me over a year, woohoo!

So yeah, enjoy this IF/Compa focused, bitterly-sweet, with rushed ending, over 5k words chapter.

And you know guys. 1 more review, and we're hitting the 69 milestone ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) - (That's supposed to be a lenny face in case the site doesn't allow them)

And before anyone asks. Yes, I am aware of Jungle Inferno update to the TF2. I just need to figure out how to put the newly added stuff into the fic, so yeah, Pyro is getting a jetpack and will also receive some screen time when twins arrive.

Responses:

- Samdaman95 - You misinterpreted me (which is understandable, considering my choice of words). The arc itself isn't going to be dark, hell this could be one of the lighter ones due to planned presence of twins (But on the other hand, I could also turn that dark very quickly). HOWEVER! The consequences of character's actions are also going to make themselves known in this arc. With some of the red flags being familiar if you managed to finish the Re;Birth2. (*wink wink*)

- Piggyslayer1235 - You know, this is starting to get kinda boring.

- Harmless Orange