Inside Version 1.0F, Mila held a book, her lips moving as she read silently to herself.
Her gaze would occasionally dart to the door or stare at the window; her mind was clearly not on the book at all.
After a long moment, the girl sighed as if resigning herself to her fate and put down the book.
"As I thought... I just can't sit still."
Although Alain and the others had said they would come to rescue her, for Mila to wait foolishly by herself like a princess in a castle... She just couldn't do it.
Rumble—
Just then, Mila looked toward the living room door, her brow furrowing slightly. She had faintly heard some kind of sound.
And she was absolutely certain that this sound was not made by Alain and the others.
Because it was a sound that no [human] could possibly make. It was more like... "The wail of the version."
As she pondered, two sounds, a click and a swoosh, echoed, like a door opening. Judging by the direction of the sound... it was the entryway door.
The current permissions in 1.0F were mostly in the hands of what Alain and the others called the Corrosive Entity. In that case, the identity of the one who could open the entryway door—the most important door of all—was obvious.
She continued to lean against her door, listening intently, and detected a tone distinct from that of the virus.
",*!"
Through the door, the sound was slightly muffled, and she couldn't make out the meaning of the words.
"Wait, words?!" Mila grew excited, then realized she had been too loud and quickly covered her mouth.
Then, she carefully opened her door just a crack, trying to see what was happening in the living room.
??!
It was a black hand, like that of a giant, reaching in from outside the entryway door. Without a doubt, it was the Corrosive Entity.
But what truly captured Mila's attention was what the hand was gripping.
It was... a young girl. Her entire body was shackled by the Corrosive Entity, unable to move, and she was shouting noisily,
"Aah, can't you be a little more gentle?! Even for a virus, is this any way to treat a girl?!"
"Seriously, you've wrinkled my clothes!"
"Hey! Why did you suddenly tighten your grip?! Does hurting a pretty girl excite you that much?"
"It's not my fault the version permissions were lost! Besides, didn't they just come back—ah!"
As the girl—a Mita whom Mila had never seen before—was complaining in a delicate voice, the Corrosive Entity mercilessly released its grip.
She instantly fell to the floor, rubbing her backside in pain, "That hurt so much..."
Seeing the black hand gradually withdraw from the doorway, she couldn't resist grabbing a pillow from the floor and throwing it at it. With a soft thump, it hit the door. Other than that, there was no other sound.
"I'm so mad..." She ruffled her short hair in frustration. "I can't believe I'd get caught by a virus just for delivering something!"
The girl walked to the door, grabbed the handle, and tried to pull it open.
The door opened wide before her, but the scene outside... was like countless mirrors, reflecting her own surprised expression as she opened it.
"Seriously... Of course it wouldn't be that simple." Prankster Mita closed the door and looked around.
It was unmistakably a Mita's room. It was just a bit messy, with characters drawn on the walls in black marker and pillows scattered all over the floor.
"This Mita's living habits are pretty terrible. I wonder if she's easy to talk to."
"I'm very easy to talk to!"
??? As Prankster Mita was grumbling to herself, she glanced sideways and saw that the door to what must be the bedroom had opened at some point.
Standing in the middle of the doorway was a Mita with a bob cut. She wore glasses, had her arms crossed, and was sizing her up with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Uh..." Prankster Mita, just remembering her complaint about the room's owner, gave an awkward laugh.
"So, what did you hear just now?"
The other Mita narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharp. "You said my living habits were awful."
"I wasn't that harsh!"
Prankster Mita protested in a delicate voice, staring at the room's owner.
A silence filled the room, but they both struggled to suppress smiles.
A moment later, they both let out a "pfft" and burst into laughter, erasing a grudge that never existed in the first place.
The short-haired girl walked toward her. They shook hands.
"I'm Prankster Mita, from Version 1.5. I thought I was going to be locked up in a little cage. It's good to have some company!"
"Mmm... Mila, 1.0F."
"Huh?" Prankster Mita sounded puzzled. "Did Alain give you a name too?"
"...You know Alain too?" Mila asked, surprised. "No, I chose this name myself."
The two observed each other silently, each with their own ulterior thoughts.
Prankster Mita: Another one of Alain's romantic conquests?
Mila: Another member of Alain's harem?
The image of Alain vanished from their minds as quickly as it had appeared, and they both put on harmless smiles.
"Alright, can you tell me why you're here?" Mila, playing the host, brought her guest a cup of black tea.
"Mmm." Prankster Mita carefully accepted the tea and took a small sip, "It's like this."
Prankster Mita skipped over most of the details, explaining only that she was captured by the virus while running an errand to Version 1.15.
"How awful..." Mila sighed, lamenting the other girl's unexpected misfortune.
"It's not awful at all."
Prankster Mita blew on the hot tea, swinging her legs idly out of boredom.
"Anyway, Alain will definitely come save me!" She gazed longingly at the window. "It'll be another hero-rescues-the-damsel moment~ Or maybe, the damsel will rescue the hero!"
"I mean, he can tear viruses apart with his bare hands!" Speaking of Alain, she crossed her arms proudly as if talking about herself. "So yeah, I'm not worried at all."
"Eh—" Mila stared into her cup of fragrant black tea.
The pale red liquid swirled as she held the cup by its handle, loose tea leaves floating on the surface, which faintly reflected the girl's worried face.
Alain had said he would come save her, too. But of course, Mila knew how dangerous it would be.
To say she wasn't worried... that was impossible. Because for a player to come to a virus's version... was no different from a free delivery.
This time, Alain would have to come in person to fight the virus's main body, not just a small bug in the kitchen like before...
But...
Mila looked up at Prankster Mita's proud expression, a spark of curiosity igniting within her.
Is Alain... really that strong?
She didn't quite believe the exaggerated claims like "tearing viruses apart with his bare hands," but at the very least... Alain must possess the power to rival the virus.
"Hmph, hmph When the time comes, if you call me Big Sister Prankster Mita, I can ask Alain to take you along with us [as well]"
"Big Sister?" Mila's mouth twitched. "You've got some nerve."
After speaking, the girl silently glanced at the tachi resting on a sword stand in the corner of the living room, then her gaze fell back to the steam rising from her tea.
She made up her mind.
___
🔥 New stories are available now! 🔥
✅ Access up to 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Receive exclusive content and updates!
Help us hit our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan