The 18th loop, two hours left until 12 o'clock.
Alain silently noted the approaching critical time in his mind.
The little princess in his arms spoke with a clear, cold voice.
"I don't deserve to be called Little Princess. Because—"
She looked at her own body, which could only be described as a "wreck."
"A princess definitely wouldn't be like me. With a broken arm, covered in scars."
"Not true." Alain thought it was time for him to say some bold words.
"Little Princess, you are very cute. The moment I saw you, I felt an urge to snatch you from the evil dragon's hands and take you home."
"...Player?" Little Mita seemed to have never heard this word before; her innocent, large eyes conveyed incomprehension.
This made Alain's sense of guilt weigh heavily. He wanted to trick her into coming home even more... if he had enough points.
"That's right. Back to my home, or it can be our home."
Alain recalled the prospect he had discussed when debating with Prankster Mita:
"I'll buy you pretty little clothes, not this tattered thing you're wearing now. I'll give you sweet candy, and then take you to the amusement park. Instead of..." Alain glanced around, "staying in this cage."
A flicker of interest appeared in the girl's eyes.
According to Alain's professional experience, this meant "What you said is good, say more."
"So-called cuteness isn't just about physical appearance. There's also this..." Alain pointed to Little Mita's left chest.
The latter murmured, as if half-understanding,
"Because I have Little Lei?"
The girl was clearly startled by Alain's raised voice; her delicate body trembled, eliciting a soft reassurance from Alain.
He was already getting PTSD from the phrase "Little Lei."
If it weren't Little Mita before him, Alain would have almost thought it was his bro in disguise.
By the way... As expected of a romance game. Little Mita seems to know quite a lot...
"I mean, cuteness of the heart."
He observed the scars on the girl's body, and even her missing eye.
This child, even in this state, was still thinking of helping him and Millie out of their predicament.
"Of course, I think your appearance is very cute too. The two combined give me an urge to take you home."
At this moment, Alain, holding the girl, had already passed the midpoint of the 18th loop's corridor.
Faintly, the gentle sunlight seemed to have dimmed somewhat.
At the same time, he glanced at a small black dot in his peripheral vision.
The so-called small black dot was embedded in the wall, gradually spreading like ink, like a bug.
He understood that as they delved deeper, the path ahead would inevitably be fraught with danger.
Thus, he gradually slowed his pace.
"It's no use. Even if you walk slowly, the passage of time won't change."
She paused, as if speaking of something completely unrelated, "The ending will eventually happen."
The girl in his arms' incomprehensible words made Alain a bit confused.
And upon hearing the word "time," his gaze subconsciously shifted to the clock on the cabinet beside him. The wall clock representing Little Mita.
He didn't know if her words were related to it, but Alain planned to ask.
And faster than his words was the girl's change of topic.
With a gentle tone, she returned to the original subject.
"You said I'm cute... I find it a bit hard to agree."
She shook her head, her gaze sweeping past the wall clock, landing squarely on Alain's eyes.
Little Mita's remaining small hand straightened his face, precisely because... she wanted an honest answer.
"The first time you saw me, you must have been scared by me too, right?"
She knew it herself. The cracks on her body, the empty eye socket, the pitch-black sclera, the broken arm... All of this was clearly inconsistent with the style of the game "Mita."
She herself was like a monster from a horror game that had escaped.
"Of course, I was scared by you." Alain's reply was also unhesitating.
"As expected." Little Mita's already dark eyes became even more hollow, and even her shoulders drooped unconsciously.
"It was the first time I had seen such a cute child, of course, I was scared."
He could feel the little bottom he was supporting tremble slightly.
Afterwards, Little Mita and he looked at each other. As if questioning whether his words were true.
The girl's blurry and vacant gaze intertwined with the young man's dark pupils.
The warmth in his eyes made her give in after just a short two seconds.
Seemingly disappointed, yet her tone revealed a ripple.
"The scared I meant wasn't this scared..."
"I was just scared by you." Alain squinted and smiled.
He temporarily put down the greatsword in his hand, supported the girl's armpits with both hands, and lifted her high like a doll.
"You are very cute; I will never change this evaluation."
This was Alain's honest opinion.
He had thought Prankster Mita's seriousness at the time was because Little Mita had turned into some "monster." In that case, he would have to make up his mind a bit before he could bring her.
But the truth was: such a cute child was right before his eyes. It made him want to take her home and cherish her like a budding flower.
And precisely because of this child's cuteness, Alain's murderous intent towards that monster also grew stronger.
Not only out of rational consideration for Mita's world, but also his own selfish desires.
The girl's flushed face seemed a bit unaccustomed to this intimate treatment.
Her silent hand patted Alain's shoulder, and only then did he hug her again.
"So... Even , you still think I'm cute?" Little Mita seemed a bit unconvinced, deliberately showing Alain the cross-section of her arm's wound.
And he temporarily stopped his steps, as if weighing something.
As expected... Little Mita grumbled inwardly. This was a physiological aversion; she knew it herself—
Mid-thought, Alain's hesitant words reached her.
"What I'm about to do next, if seen by outsiders, might... get me into trouble."
In Little Mita's impression, his warm and gentle gaze instantly became as serious as a knife's edge.
Under a certain aura, she nodded blankly.
"I won't say... Ah!" Alain put Little Mita down, pulled her broken arm, and gently pressed it against his cheek.
His hand gently caressed her skin.
"?!" His thin face still carried a resilient touch.
After just a moment, the human body temperature gave her a sensation like an electric shock, causing her to cry out in surprise.
She tried her best to calm the breathing in her chest and saw this young man, whom she had met for the first time, displaying his usual gentleness.
"How about it? I was right, wasn't I? I think you're very cute. If you weren't cute, I wouldn't do this to you."
"Phew, phew... I, I..."
"Still don't believe me?" Alain took a step forward, causing Little Mita to retreat again, backing into the wall.
"I-I believe, I believe you!" She used all her volume to vent her shame.
"But... I still hope that next time you do this kind of thing, you'll get my consent. It scared me a bit."
"Hmm? So there can be a next time?"
"N-No, that's not it..." The girl was clumsy with words, not knowing how to explain.
She stammered there for more than half a minute, still not saying anything.
Alain smiled, continuing to hold her in his arms as he moved forward.
The two tacitly skipped over the previous topic.
And Little Mita, unexpectedly, didn't say much either.
Could it be... Mitas with players all feel this way? Little Mita thought.
She had never had a player, so naturally, she didn't know if this act of kissing... was normal or not.
But unexpectedly, she was very happy.
Being acknowledged, and with Mita's highest praise: cute.
Greetings! ✨ Walnut here!
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