View source for Gakuen Game Neptune: Katsudou Diary/Chapter 3

{{Neptunia Manga Chapters
|name = Infiltration! Underling's Scheme!
|image = Katsudou Diary Ch 3.png
|chapter = 3
|kana = 潜入! 下っ端大作戦
|romaji = Sen'nyū! Shitappa Dai Sakusen
|translation = Infiltration! Underling's Great Plan
|release date = April 27, 2016<ref>{{cite web|url=https://comic.pixiv.net/works/1859|title=学園ゲイム ネプテューヌ かつどうだいありー|work=pixiv Comic|accessdate=August 8, 2024|language=Japanese}}</ref>
|list = :Category:Gakuen Game Neptune: Katsudou Diary Chapters
|previous = [[Gakuen Game Neptune: Katsudou Diary/Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
}}
==Synopsis==
[[Dengekiko/MegaTagmension Blanc|Dengekiko]] and [[Famitsu/MegaTagmension Blanc|Famitsu]] decide to start the "Right to Cover the Game Club Competition". They then introduce themselves to the club and explains that they want to determine who gets to cover all the latest news about the Game Club. [[Blanc/MegaTagmension Blanc|Blanc]] suggests that either one could work, but [[Vert/MegaTagmension Blanc|Vert]] also suggests to have both of them cover the club. [[Neptune/MegaTagmension Blanc|Neptune]] then asks what do they do in this competition and how will they decide the winner. As the two reporters never thought of it, they let the club think of a way to decide a winner.

[[Linda]] arrives at the club room overhearing the story. She then tells them her reason for walking in by stating that she went through a lot of hell working for [[Arfoire]], that she got fed up and split ways with her. In a flashback, Arfoire tasks Linda to do some reconnaissance, by going to Neptune's club, act friendly, and steal all the info about their game, so they can present it to [[Histoire]], and get their room back. Cut back to the club room, where the Game Club and both Newspaper Clubs decide on how to settle the competition. Linda then suggests that they should settle it in a game making competition, where both Newspaper Clubs are split into teams, with her being the judge.

As they all agree on Linda's idea, the members are split into the following teams: Neptune and Blanc in Dengekiko's team, and Noire and Vert in Famitsu's team. Vert decides that the genre for this game is an RPG for both teams. The competition begins, with both teams trying to think up some ideas for their RPGs, while Linda eavesdrops into their conversations.

In Dengekiko's team, Neptune brings up some interesting characters, like a cool lead character, and a cute heroine. Blanc suggests that there should be a few different types of heroines too. Neptune also brings up the idea of a harem story starring a {{texttip|NEET|Not in Education Employment, or Training}}. She then follows it up with the protagonist being a 28-year-old man who failed to find a job and now lives a shut-in's life, when suddenly, a girl falls out of the sky, surprising him. The girl then proposes to the man, with the former revealing to be a tsundere. As the ideas of having a cool lead character is lost, and Neptune's story not going to work, she gives out another idea where the character is not interested in anything at all, and then the heroine will die halfway through, with a scene where she is submerged into water, both of which still wouldn't work. Dengekiko mentions no minigames in their game, with Neptune responding that she was only kidding with all those ridiculous ideas and they couldn't afford them. Linda stops the team, and unironically gives them basic advice for designing a character, by starting with appearance and personality. As she feels ashamed for giving them advice, she then moves on to the next team.

In Famitsu's team, Vert suggests that they should create an epic, grandiose RPG with a majestic fantasy and a heavy emphasis on the story. She then brings up a female lead character, with her partner being a boy who happens to be her childhood friend and is extremely handsome. She also follows it up with numerous male  characters becoming intertwined with the narrative as the story progresses, and then they start to draw closer to the heroine to express their affections. Famitsu reminds Vert that they are supposed to be making an RPG, not an otome, after being too carried away from her fantasies. Vert then changes the idea by having the main character be a male. She then gives out the main setting as a crumbling world from the forces of evil, with the hero standing up to save everyone from the darkness, and follows it up with a journey of countless difficulties and hardships, with him being saved by his three male companions, leading to her back to her wild fantasies again.

Noire tells Vert to step back and asks Famitsu if she has any other ideas. In her concept for a game, the main character is a newspaper reporter who stacks up all kinds of interviews and news coverage, polish her writing skills, and finally wipe the floor with her rival reporter by writing an unbelievably compelling article. In her fantasy, her rival is in tears for reading such a magnificent article, then Noire reminds her that she is gone too off-genre and she is projecting her personal grudge a bit more. Linda reminds the group that they've created another otome game, and once again gives them advice about their epic fantasy game by telling them to think about the leader of the villains or the cause of the destruction in the first place, causing her to feel ashamed again.

The competition comes to an end, with both teams submitting their finished ideas to the judge. As Linda is about to announce the results, she reveals her ultimate plan of swiping all the ideas from them, and summons an army of [[Warechu]]s to steal their concepts by attacking with eggplants. As this frightens Neptune, she then activates [[Hard Drive Divinity]] to defeat the Warechus by performing Cross Combination. The club room is in ruins, and both reporters learn their lesson and start working together to cover the mess.

The following day, Noire sees a news article written by Dengekiko and Famitsu posted on the billboard about a luxury cruise ship crashing into the school, with her commenting on it being so forced.

==Key Events==
*Dengekiko and Famitsu start the "Right to Cover the Game Club Competition".
*Linda turns the contest into a game making competition.
*Dengekiko and Famitsu's teams give out crazy ideas for their RPGs.
*Linda attempts to steal the game concepts from both teams by summoning an army of Warechus.
*Neptune transforms by using HDD to defeat the Warechu army.
*Dengekiko and Famitsu write an article about how "a luxury cruise ship crashed into the school".

==New Characters==
*[[Dengekiko/MegaTagmension Blanc|Dengekiko]]
*[[Famitsu/MegaTagmension Blanc|Famitsu]]
*[[Warechu]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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