Nero/Story

Spoilers!*"Your greatest villain Drake shall warn you, SPOILERS AHEAD!"*The following article or section contain **spoilers!** Viewer discretion is advised.

Overview**Story**VoicelinesGallery

## Behind the Scenes

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Yu Hye-ji

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Jalitza Delgado

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Ayana Taketatsu

## Profile

Nero is a member of Happy Zoo, the Ark's animal management squad. Befitting her appearance and theme, she is exclusively fond of cats. Nero is quite capable of understanding the language of cats as well.

### Nikke Backstory

A Nikke attached to the Ark's animal management troop — Happy Zoo.
Her specialty is tending to all things pertaining to cats. Her personality and appearance are pretty feline-esque.

Although she is soft-spoken, this does not mean she is any way timid.

## Story

### Event Story

Main articles: Nya Nya Paradise and Lion Heart

#### Bow-Wow Paradise

Briefly woken form her nap by Biscuit and her dogs running wild, Nero suggests calling in Scoops for his assistance before going back to her nap

### Character Story

#### Episode 1 - Nero Doesn't Like Water

The protagonist finishes wrapping up his priority tasks for the day and is about to freshen up before getting to the rest...except for the little fact that a tail is peeking out from under his desk. Tapping on the table, the protagonist watches the tail swish back and forth, noting how it seems to be slightly irritated. After a moment, he decides to call out whoever's hiding and getting a meow in response. Confused, he peers under the desk to find Nero curled up into a ball.

The Happy Zoo Nikke immediately begins beseeching the protagonist for his aid, starting with the bombshell that she may lose her job at the shelter. She elaborates that shelter workers are given emergency-readiness tests every year, which also change every year to account for all manner of scenarios. While she's done perfectly in every test up to now, this year's test seems daunting to her, impossible even. At the protagonist's prompting, Nero explains this year's test involves water...and she hates water. Rainfall, pools, even the idea of trying to swim. If it involves being immersed in water, Nero is out of there.

Which then leads the protagonist to pause as he realizes Nero's aquaphobia may even relate to acts like drinking water or bathing, which he points out. Nero responds that she has no problem getting by on one sip per day, and the hygiene matter is solved by very thorough grooming, plus some help from Leona and Biscuit. Getting back to the point, Nero wants the protagonist to help her pass the water test in 5 days' time so she can keep working and playing with the cats in the shelter. To Nero, 5 days is enough time for Scoops to figure out a solution to her problem, giving the protagonist the odd feeling like their roles have been switched...

Course set, the protagonist asks Nero what the test will involve exactly. Unfortunately, the proctors only give a general description ahead of time and save the details for the day of the test. Ergo, the test could be anything from dodging jets of water to diving or even harnessing water for some purpose. Normally, Nero would have no problem even with such a broad spectrum of tasks, but the moment water is involved, she's more helpless than a kitten. The protagonist decides to get started on helping Nero...right after he takes a shower to freshen up.

In the bathroom, the protagonist feels his fatigue washing away with the water. He mulls over how exactly he's going to help Nero with her aquaphobia, only to hear said Nikke shouting and banging on the door. Hurriedly, he rushes out of the bathroom to see everything in the room is fine, save for Nero off to the side looking over him frantically. Somehow, in the 5 minutes he was in the shower, Nero got it into her head that he'd *drowned in the bathroom* and was about to bust the door down. Both commander and Nikke share a moment of silence as they realize getting a grip on this issue in time for the test is going to be...a challenge.

#### Episode 2- Befriending Water

The protagonist's machinating culminates in bringing Nero to a pool so she can acclimate to water in a safe-ish environment. Her tail works all too well as an indicator for her mood, and the signs of an impending panic response couldn't be any louder. Nonetheless, the protagonist manages to convince her to start by walking around the pool.

Nero is practically walking on eggshells as she orbits the perimeter of the pool, but manages to scrape by holding the protagonist like a security blanket. Several laps are completed in this fashion, and the protagonist almost considers that Nero might get better with water faster than anticipated. To that end, he decides to dip his feet into the water and invite Nero to do the same.

He tries to ply her cooperation using treats and catnip, which *almost* manages to get Nero's toes into the pool...right up until some boorish individual decides to jump into the pool and spray the two with water. Nero jolts back from the water as if stricken, and turns into a gibbering wreck. The protagonist manages to calm her down with hugs and breathing exercises, but Nero's request to leave gives him the feeling they're not going to accomplish much more today, so he calls it a day and gives her head-scratches until she calms down all the way.

#### Episode 3 - Nothing Beats the Real Thing

With Nero's aquaphobia more of a problem than expected, the protagonist comes to the conclusion that the acclimation plan is no good, or at least won't achieve the desired result in time for Nero's test. Pondering over his options, the protagonist notices a cup of water on his desk, and has an epiphany...

The protagonist brings Nero to a training ground he's set up outside, containing a cup of water, a squirt gun, and a pool. Nero is understandably not onboard with the protagonist's idea of running her through a ringer of tests until she can handle water, but the idea is that a controlled environment like this training ground will not subject her to unexpected splashes and the like.

Nero's first test is to walk in a straight line with a cup on her head, which the protagonist demonstrates. The feline Nikke stares at the cup as if it were full of lava, but the protagonist's reminder that her job at the cat shelter is at stake convinces her to try. Nero freezes up the moment she hears the cup wobble on her head, but the protagonist's encouragement serves to allay her fears, especially considering the prospect of leaving the shelter cats to fend for themselves. With newfound drive, Nero manages to walk from start to finish without spilling a drop.

The second test is...squirt gun evasion. The protagonist intends on shooting Nero with a squirt gun for 5 minutes, during which she must dodge every shot. With only seconds' warning, the protagonist lets loose with the squirt gun, sending Nero running off in screaming fits. The protagonist then makes his move; he reminds Nero of her motivation to pass the test, and stay with the cats in the shelter. Somehow, this does the trick, and Nero dodges every single squirt chanting the word "cats" like a maniac.

Over the next several hours, Nero and the protagonist repeat the first and second tests until she can consistently ace them. Then Nero collapses from exhaustion and dehydration, prompting the protagonist to give her a drink of water. It does the trick of jolting her awake, if only so she can proclaim she's in hell before falling down again. However much Nero complains, there's no denying that this method is working far faster and more effectively than the old acclimation plan. In fact, the protagonist thinks it's about time to go to the third and final test...

#### Episode 4 - The Girl Who Walks on Water

Nero is understandably skeptical and aggrieved that the protagonist is asking her to *walk on water*. When he finally manages to convince her, he shows her that there's actually a narrow pole running along the pool's surface, which is her guideline and *only foothold* to walk on. As much as Nero tries to talk her way out, the protagonist has absolute faith in her balancing abilities. Plus the real test is coming up soon, and as Nero said before, they've no way of knowing *what* the test will demand of her.

With all the energy of someone walking up to the gallows, Nero takes a trepid step on the pole, legs visibly shaking. The protagonist's encouragement and instructions serve to buoy her focus...right until the last step, where she slips straight into the drink. Seeing Nero in an absolute panic, the protagonist wades into the pool and holds Nero, reminding her to take a deep breath.

It does the trick to calm Nero down, and she thanks the protagonist for saving her from drowning...only for him to note that this is the *shallow part of the pool*. After a moment of awkward silence, the protagonist tries to get Nero to admit the water isn't so bad. The Nikke's opinion is much to the contrary, and at the man's questioning, details the story of why she hates water so much.

It started with an alleyway where Nero had met a kitten with heterochromia. Marveling over the colors of the kitten's eyes, Nero quickly became attached, as the kitten was the first to approach and befriend her. The two spent every day and did everything together...right up until the day of a torrential downpour. Despite Nero's best efforts to hold the kitten and keep it warm, she beheld the kitten's ice-cold corpse mere moments after the rain had stopped. On that day, Nero lost her first (and at the time, only) friend.

The chill that comes with water is why Nero hates it so much. Even with the prospect of warm water existing, the fact is that water's default state is to be cold, so Nero hates it. Nonetheless, she's willing to endure it if it means she can stay with the cats, and requests the training continue...after she's warmed up from being drenched in the pool. The protagonist agrees, and the two spend the next few days training until the test arrives.

#### Episode 5 - The Day of the Test

The day finally comes, and the protagonist espies a variety of water-themed equipment in front of the shelter. Nero explains that they test with as much equipment in as many ways as possible to ensure an accurate assessment. The protagonist makes sure that Nero is ready, reminding her as the PA systems calls her name to take a deep breath and even offering a hug if she feels the need for it. Nero herself is happy for the advice, but decides to save the hug for after the test.

Nero's test is revealed to be dodging water balloons launched at her. Getting hit 5 times or more is a fail. The protagonist is surprised at how this parallels the squirt gun training from a few days ago, and hopes Nero will remember her training. The whistle signals the test's beginning, and Nero is doing quite well for herself. Then a water balloon hits her dead-on, and her moment of locking in place causes more balloons to hit her. With only 2 hits left until she fails, the protagonist reminds Nero to take a deep breath and think of the cats. Nero manages to center herself and recommences evading the balloons.

Finally, after what feels like ages, the whistle signals the end of the test. Both Nero and the protagonist fall to the ground while the system tallies up the former's score. The announcement of Nero's passing grade is like a jolt of lightning to both Nikke and commander, and Nero bounds into the protagonist's arms with a smile on her face. The back-and-forth exchange of credit has Nero culminate the whole thing to be a joint effort between the two of them.

Elated over her triumph, Nero is willing to grant any one request the protagonist has. Feeling particularly mischievous right now, the protagonist decides on a water-based activity, such as a poolside date or taking a bath together. Needless to say, Nero is not happy with the notion, even with it being a joke. Deciding to eschew the one request, Nero instead wraps around the protagonist's neck and starts licking his hair, promising to groom him whenever he wants.

Cut to nightfall, at the cat shelter. Nero lays down on the grass as cats gather around her, concerned about her condition. She assures the cats that she'll never leave them, and will do whatever it takes to pass each test and stay by their side.

## References

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