"Ren Hoshino, you… you're really—"
Hat Mita raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed.
Ren smiled. "You know, I'm just messing around."
Hat Mita froze. "…."
Then she smiled sweetly. Too sweetly.
"Let's play a game."
Ren nodded.
The countdown ticked to zero.
As soon as the button lit up beneath her hand, Ren quickly smacked it.
Snap.
Hat Mita gave a mischievous smirk.
She picked up the massive cartoon hammer and slammed it down on Ren's head.
The force was shockingly real.
Everything spun for a second.
"Ugh—it hurts!" Ren winced. "You hit hard!"
Hat Mita grinned wide.
"Hurt?"
"I'm just getting started."
"That was payback!" she huffed.
"Let's go again! I'm gonna hit you harder this time!"
Ren laughed, rubbing his head. "You really hold a grudge, huh?"
After that, Ren didn't win a single round.
Hat Mita's reflexes were quick—her player stats were nearly on Crazy Mita's level.
When things got serious, Ren couldn't keep up.
Not at all.
"Okay, game over!" she chirped, still bouncing with excitement.
She stood and yanked Ren to his feet.
"Let's go!"
They passed through the living room.
In one of the other four rooms, Kind Mita had just finished organizing something.
Ren rubbed his aching head and walked over.
"Ren," she said softly, "you're alright. Come here."
She handed him a ring.
"Here."
Ren took it in his hand, puzzled.
Kind Mita hesitated, then gently guided him upstairs.
"It's unfortunate you have to go to alone," she said.
"I still need to understand what's going on here. The plan was perfect… but now it's all unraveling. I have to track down where the parts went. Maybe—just maybe—there's still time to put him back together."
Ren nodded. "Got it."
Kind Mita stared at him a moment. He looked pale.
"You seem tired," she said quietly. "Do you want to rest for a bit?"
"Crazy Mita doesn't know where we are yet, so we've got a little time."
Ren exhaled. He was tired. His legs ached from all the running—and the dancing—and the sudden violence.
"Yeah. I'll rest for a bit."
He laid down, eyes fluttering shut.
Kind Mita pulled a quilt over him.
She watched as he fell asleep.
Then, softly:
"Hat… it seems like you gave him quite a bit of trouble."
Hat Mita huffed. "He teased me first! I was just trying to teach him a lesson."
Kind Mita sighed. "Poor player… dragged into this dangerous world with no clue what's really going on."
This time, Ren slept deeply.
For once, there was no looming threat of immediate death.
When he woke, the bed was warm and peaceful.
Hat Mita was gone—her laughter echoed faintly from the living room.
Beside him, Kind Mita was sleeping soundly.
Ren reached out, brushing a hand through her hair.
It was soft. Comforting.
If only I could stay here, he thought.
A real love game.
But…
He was dating a Digital Yandere. And Crazy Mita was probably already hunting him down.
Good thing I had the foresight to take my console.
If she knew I was playing here with Hat Mita and Kind Mita… she'd come at me with a chainsaw.
Literally.
He shivered.
Just then, Kind Mita stirred.
"Hmm? You're awake?"
Ren sat up. "Yeah. I thought you'd be gone."
She shook her head.
"I can't go with you, not this time. But I'm scared something might happen to you…"
Ren stood.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the PC screen flash—dozens of posts spamming the feed.
Just one line—over and over again:
"Found you, honey."
"Found you, honey."
"Found you, honey."
Other messages followed:
"Oh huh, caught cheating."
"Wait for the follow-up."
"Where is he now?"
"Wow… avatar's still Crazy Mita's."
Ren broke into a cold sweat.
The video he'd casually uploaded—with Kind Mita and Hat Mita—had been seen by Crazy Mita.
And she was watching.
Why didn't I think of that?
She's seen me play games. She knows how to trace me.
If she comes…
He's getting sawed in half. Disemboweled. Or worse.
"Before I leave," Ren said quickly, "I need to borrow something from Hat Mita."
Kind Mita looked up. "Props? What kind?"
In the living room, Hat Mita was dancing joyfully on the arcade pad.
"Hat, I need some gear."
Her eyes narrowed. "That's not for you!"
Ren blushed. "Not that! I want your crowbar."
The Physics of a Holy Sword.
With it, horror games aren't quite so horrifying.
Kind Mita looked confused.
Hat Mita flinched. "Its Nothing."
Eventually, Hat Mita handed him the crowbar.
"You two need to go," she said quietly.
"Crazy Mita's already on her way."
Kind Mita nodded solemnly.
"Be careful."
Ren nodded back. "I'll try to live long enough to see you both again."
Hat Mita stepped forward.
"I don't want you to leave… Can't you stay with us?"
She held Ren's hand, eyes full of emotion.
Even someone as lively and bright as Hat Mita—stuck alone in these four rooms—couldn't escape that loneliness.
Ren sometimes wondered why he didn't stay.
But this wasn't permanent. Not until Crazy Mita was defeated.
Until then, Kind Mita and Hat Mita would always be in danger.
"Hat," Kind Mita said gently, "don't be selfish."
Hat Mita looked down. "Alright."
She let go.
"Come play with me again sometime, okay?"
Ren smiled. "I will."
Hat Mita waved.
"Bye-bye!"
"I was really happy being with you… please visit me again."
Ren nodded and turned.
There were still things to do.
Little Mita was still waiting to be rescued.
He couldn't linger.
Crowbar in hand, eyes sharp, Ren stepped forward.
His Future Diary buzzed in his pocket.
An update had begun.