"So! You mean there's still a good chance they're alive?!"
After Alain removed his hand covering the cube, he relayed the information he had just received to the two Mitas.
Of course, he omitted some of the heavier news, only explaining that by moving forward, they could meet Cool Mita and Cute Mita again.
"That's right." Alain's gaze focused on 2D Mita's face. "What we have to do is simple. We just need to keep moving forward, just like we've done before."
His tone was bright. "And we'll still need your support."
"It's alright," Misha's words were lighthearted. She also knew Cool Mita and naturally didn't want anything to happen to her friend. "Being able to rescue a friend while saving the game world... that's a happy occasion in itself~"
"That's great..."
Short-Haired Mita let out a sigh of relief, and Alain could hear the profound sense of gratitude in her breath.
He smiled, tightening his grip on his greatsword. "Alright, Mita. Can you tell me the way out of the 2D Version?"
Alain looked back. The "Anywhere Door" he had used to arrive was still glowing, which probably meant its mission to send him back wasn't complete. It was quite thorough about "seeing things through to the end."
Hearing this, 2D Mita nodded solemnly and pointed a finger toward the bedroom.
"The usual paths won't lead you out. The rules here might be different from the original world." She looked at the ring on Alain's hand, which was still emitting a faint glow.
"Indeed." He took the opportunity to inspect the first gift Misha had given him—the ring.
The version-saving function was working correctly; the 2D Version had been recorded in the ring's save data.
As for the guidance function...
Alain tried to use the ring and opened a random door.
Behind it was still the layout of the 2D Version.
The guidance function was working, but it only indicated that his current position and the path ahead were in the right direction.
But it was definitely restricted from leading directly to Version 1.0F. He would still need to proceed step-by-step to the two locations 2D Mita had just mentioned.
Of course, that wasn't a problem. Alain had already planned to go to those two places to find Cute Mita and Cool Mita anyway.
His plan hadn't changed.
"If you want to move forward, you'll have to go through some... strange places."
2D Mita's serious tone piqued Alain's curiosity.
"You're not going to stuff me inside a toilet texture, are you?"
"...You have strange tastes."
"Just tell me, is that a strange place or not?"
"You're the one who's strange about yourself. Ding-dong~ Affection down by 10 points." 2D Mita recited her "old shtick," but the smile on her face showed it was just a joke. She then led Alain to the bedroom.
Click. He pushed the door open and entered.
The earlier commotion from the virus hadn't disturbed the peace of the bedroom; everything was as it had been.
Alain looked at a small black dot on the wall, wondering why the thing hadn't disappeared yet, when he saw 2D Mita point to the computer.
"The strange path is right there."
"...Huh?" Looking at the computer, Alain felt a bit of PTSD.
It was obvious 2D Mita wanted him to go inside the computer...
Nowadays, have computers become a means of transportation in some sense?
"Through the computer, you should be able to teleport to the first location. Mmm... that place that's like a sci-fi city."
She studied Alain's completely unsurprised face. "By the way, you don't have anything to say about the Mita game actually having sci-fi elements mixed in?"
"It's fine, I've seen a lot." He waved his hand. At this point, Alain believed that even if an FPS element popped up, he wouldn't feel the slightest emotional ripple.
"I see... Okay then." 2D Mita didn't doubt him, just assuming the player was well-traveled. "When do you plan to head out?"
"..." Alain didn't answer right away. Instead, he opened the Safety Guard panel to check the status.
Currently, in his "arsenal," both the Safety Protection and the Intranet Firewall had been used up in Miffy's dream city.
The Memory Optimization uses were at zero; as for the Failed Works Gauntlet, it had gained a permanent effect, but its burst-use count had also been reset.
The current Alain was, you could say, in a "post-battle" state, not fully stocked on ammunition.
However...
His gaze fell upon the computer screen.
To be honest, with a virus like this appearing in the game world and devouring so many versions, it was impossible for him not to be anxious.
If he could, he'd want to grab his greatsword right now, rescue Cool Mita and Cute Mita, and then mince the Corrosive Entity.
Alain contemplated the feasibility.
Seeing him fall into silence, the 2D Mita beside him didn't press, instead glancing around her room out of boredom, smiling faintly.
Alain had promised her that he would be with her forever.
In that case, she would definitely be leaving with Alain. This version didn't have much use anymore.
The girl's gaze focused on the pink wallpaper that had been there since her birth, focusing on that one black dot.
That... was the dot representing the Corrosive Entity, a symbol of her despairing past.
She had thought those days would continue forever. She never expected... Alain to arrive.
Like a savior, he had come to her side. And made... a choice 2D Mita could hardly imagine:
[I will be with you forever]
Such a shameless player. Making that kind of promise to a girl... How could it not be deeply etched into her heart?
The girl looked at the black dot, glancing at Alain out of the corner of her eye, and smiled softly.
I can't let the player know about these embarrassing thoughts. Otherwise, he'll definitely get carried away.
"Rumble..."
And amidst her thoughts, she seemed to see that black dot...
flicker.
"?"
Did I see that wrong? That was 2D Mita's first thought.
But she still felt a sense of unease in her heart; the shadow of the Corrosive Entity had not yet faded from her mind.
2D Mita subconsciously tightened her grip on Alain's collar, drawing his attention.
"Ah, sorry. If I'm going to decide, I might need to discuss it with my dear... with Misha and the others."
"That's not it..." She pointed at the wall, a little scared. Alain followed her finger with his gaze.
It was the black dot he had noticed long ago.
He hadn't thought much of it before, treating it as a "post-mortem stain" left behind after the Corrosive Entity elite mob's death.
But seeing 2D Mita so frightened, Alain understood that something must have happened. He frowned slightly, tightened his grip on his greatsword, and took a small step with her toward the bedroom door.
"RUMBLE—" Then, he saw the black dot flicker, releasing a momentary flash of black light before contracting again.
"Th-that's it!" the girl's startled cry reached Alain's ears.
"I get it." He patted 2D Mita's shoulder. "Looks like we can't go this time. You go out through the main entrance first—"
"BANG!"
Before he could finish his sentence, a crack instantly split across the wall where the black dot was.
___
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