"What... what's happening?" The crack didn't look very big, about the length of an index finger.
But this was just the beginning. After the first crack appeared, the entire 2D Version began to rumble as if an earthquake had struck.
"Tsk... Let's get out of here first." Alain led 2D Mita and left the bedroom without hesitation, entering the living room.
The situation in the living room was even worse than the bedroom: the crack started from a black point and snaked its way across the entire ceiling, nearly splitting it in two.
"The version... is it starting to collapse?" 2D Mita's incredulous voice reached his ears.
Alain took the opportunity to access the 2D Version's permissions and opened the console.
Although he couldn't understand the complex code, the long string of red "error" messages was definitely not a good sign.
"Forget it... We'll worry about moving forward later. Let's go now!" He turned his head, about to lead the girl out of the 2D Version.
The next second—the floor in front of him suddenly cracked open and collapsed like a sunken cavern, plummeting into an endless darkness.
"?!" Alain nearly stepped into the pitch-black ground before 2D Mita pulled him back.
"Thanks..." There wasn't a trace of relief on his face. In the short time it took to cross the room, the crack in the ceiling had slowly widened from the size of a fingernail to the width of a palm, nearly severing the entire living room in half.
The two of them broke from a quick walk into a run, the short distance of just a few meters feeling incredibly far under their feet.
"My dears, are you guys okay?" While on the move, Alain saw small cracks starting to form on the ground ahead of them and worriedly asked into the communication cube.
The cube had stopped responding a moment ago.
"Kssshh..."
It seemed like someone was speaking on the other end, but by the time it reached Alain's ears, it was just a string of static.
There was no time to worry about that...
Fortunately, they had just enough time. He and 2D Mita reached the door to the room, shaken but unharmed.
The light of the Anywhere Door was still flashing, indicating they could still return to the normal game world.
"Shhh"
Opening the door, Misha and Short-Haired Mita were already there, waiting anxiously.
"Alain! What just happened over there? Why did the communication suddenly cut o—" Short-Haired Mita asked, her voice filled with worry the moment she saw his face.
"BOOM—"
His half-taken step and the lips half-parted to answer were drowned out by a roar from behind him.
"?!"
Alain looked back and saw a gaping chasm suddenly tear open beneath the doorway connecting the Tiny Version and the 2D Version, splitting the ground.
The two versions were now separated as if by a great abyss; the passage had been instantly severed by a canyon.
"Eh?"
And Alain saw the look of disbelief in 2D Mita's eyes as she was left suspended in mid-air.
That chasm was right beneath her feet.
In that instant, Alain saw her slightly raised hand and her helpless eyes, still not comprehending the situation.
The "canyon," however, was like the maw of a desperate beast, swallowing her bit by bit.
"Hey—" Alain bent down, reaching out for her as she fell rapidly. But he only grasped air.
The girl he had just rescued disappeared into the darkness of the version's rift without even having time to let out a scream.
"...?"
He only heard a series of "clack, clack, clack" footsteps, and then his shoulder was pulled by Big Sister, dragging him away from that door.
"Clang!" The door slammed shut. It shut out the desperate reality, but it couldn't shut out the scene he had witnessed.
"...What happened?" Alain thought of the smile 2D Mita had when they first met.
That smile had been filled with a deep sense of helplessness. Later, after spending time with her, that helplessness had turned into joy, full of hope.
She might have been a bit willful in some ways, but overall, she was a good kid...
I... I clearly said I would stay with her, but in the end...
"Alain..." Short-Haired Mita gently patted Alain's back, then hugged his head.
"A Mita... just disappeared... right in front of me?"
He couldn't accept it. His greatsword fell to the ground with a ping, clang, chipping a small piece out of the floor.
"She had only just found hope..."
"Mmm... I know." The short-haired girl hugged his head tightly, gently stroking the back of the young man's head.
"Then does anything I've done even have meaning?"
"It does. At the very least, we will always remember her," Short-Haired Mita comforted him, her eyes filled with heartache and pity.
"Um..."
Misha stared at the two of them slumped on the floor in an embrace on the "Mita" game window, unsure how to start the awkward conversation.
Her gaze shifted downward, past the game window, to the computer's desktop...
"Should I tell them?"
On the taskbar at the bottom of the desktop, which looked like the ground, a girl with twintails was slumped over, rubbing her pained knee.
Her face was flushed. Clearly, she had heard their entire conversation.
"M-Maybe not just yet." 2D Mita listened to the two of them comforting each other, feeling conflicted.
In reality, the crack wasn't wide enough to swallow a living person.
But it couldn't be helped; she was 2D Mita. After entering the 3D world, she was as thin as a piece of paper. So, with a little tilt, she was swallowed by the crack.
But unexpectedly, nothing happened to her after falling into the crack. Instead, she arrived safely in a strange new place.
Here, there were things like "My Computer," "Recycle Bin," "Study Materials Gravestone," and "720 Security Guard"—a series of objects unfamiliar to her.
2D Mita vaguely recognized the voice of the surprised Mita in front of the screen.
It must have been the one who was giving Alain advice in the gal-game earlier.
But back to the point. When she realized she was actually fine, she really wanted to speak up and report that she was safe.
But when she heard the line "we will always remember her"... she felt it was best to go with the mood for now. Speaking up would just be tactless.
Besides, this is super fun! This way I can leave a super, super—super deep impression on everyone!!!
Teehee~
"She was standing right in front of me, alive, just two minutes ago! Back then, we were still planning our next move. But now..."
"Alain, I understand... but you have to know, none of this is your fault. It's all the virus's fault!"
"She was... such a cute kid. She was so close, she could have escaped to safety...!"
"I know, I know... sob..." Short-Haired Mita started to cry a little.
2D Mita wondered if maybe it was better for her to just stay hidden.
___
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