A faint, "Is... is that so?"
On the other side of the cage, the girl, reeling from this new information, seemed genuinely stunned. "I had no idea..."
Alain tilted his head slightly. "Hmm?" Was Kind Mita truly this naive? It didn't quite fit...
A soft voice, almost a whisper, drifted from the girl. "Isn't that... a gesture of gratitude? Though I've never done it myself."
Alain's brow furrowed. "...How do you know?"
Her eyes flickered away, unfocused. "The underlying code dictates it."
Ah. Alain understood. A system-defined behavior.
"But... there's nothing to be done about it, I suppose."
Mita's next words snagged his attention. The beautiful girl bowed slightly, the movement causing a deep shadow to fall across her chest, and her eyes glistened, brimming with unshed tears.
"I also realize I was a bit... self-centered earlier. Please consider this an apology... hmm?"
She paused, her voice trailing off. Alain had already averted his gaze, eyes squeezed shut, pointedly ignoring her.
Inside Alain's mind, a justification formed. He wasn't some lecherous old man. This was simply retribution for the girl's earlier presumptuousness, dragging him into some unknown scheme. He was merely balancing the scales between temporary partners.
Alain had no ulterior motives. He simply wanted to see her attitude. He simply want it to be recognized.
And, frankly, this gave him a valid excuse to help Mita. He genuinely loved this game, and the characters within it.
Damn it. He should just take a quick look. It felt like a loss if he didn't.
Alain surreptitiously cracked open one eyelid, a sliver of sight revealing Kind Mita still leaning against the cage, maintaining that perfect 45-degree bow. Her bewildered gaze locked with his.
And in that instant, Mita understood. A playful, almost teasing smile curved her lips.
"Darling, I thought I wasn't your type."
Catching his gaze, the girl's lips quirked upwards, a sly glint in her eyes. "Feigning disinterest. From this... I'd say you're rather inexperienced, aren't you? How cute."
Being called out by such a stunningly beautiful girl made Alain's fists clench involuntarily. He retorted, "It's not like you have a wealth of experience yourself."
"No! I have absolutely none! No, wait, why are we even discussing this?"
Alain rubbed his temples, then gestured pointedly with his hand. "You forgot your… belongings."
The girl followed Alain's pointed direction, only to realize she was still frozen in the exact posture he had described—bowed at a sharp 45-degree angle, her cleavage on full display.
And, as if karma had decided to have its say... a faint trickle of milky white mystery, left over from her earlier actions, escaped into the air.
Mita gasped, a sharp "Eek...!" escaping her lips.
She instinctively clutched her chest, hands flying up to cover herself, and scrambled to change the subject. "A-Anyway! The key! Give it to me, now!"
"Here." Alain handed it over.
Instead of unlocking the cell, Mita pointed behind him. "See if you can get that console working."
Alain followed her finger, a puzzled "?" forming silently on his lips. There, nestled amongst the debris outside the cell, lay a dormant game console.
"This is...?" Alain frowned. The device sparked a flicker of recognition. It bore a striking resemblance to the cartridge-based machine the other Mita – the mischievous one – had been holding.
"A cartridge machine?"
"Yes. You know more than I thought you did," Mita confirmed with a solemn nod. She watched as Alain picked up the console.
He deftly flipped open the lid, revealing a screen and keyboard.
The figure displayed on the screen was undeniably familiar. Azure hair, styled in two low, naturally flowing ponytails. The figure was currently squatting, accepting tools from a female arm shown in a first-person perspective. It was clear – she was repairing or modifying the teleportation machine the mischievous Mita had mentioned.
"As I thought," Mita murmured, her voice laced with a hint of resignation. "She's using players to achieve her goals."
"Yes. Players learn all sorts of skills, from programming to mechanical assembly... even aspects of appearance. She's extracting that knowledge."
Alain's mind flashed back to the cartridges he'd discovered in the bathroom vent. It all clicked into place. So, the mischievous Mita is a scholar, too. A mischievous thought crossed his mind: maybe he could bring her home to help with his exams.
His gaze drifted to the console, noticing a pink cartridge slotted beneath it. That, he surmised, was how she was accessing the player's viewpoint – a combination of the cartridge and the console.
"What happens if you pull out the cartridge?"
"They die," Mita answered without a moment's hesitation.
Alain's eyes then locked onto a bright red button beside the console. It practically begged to be pressed, its color a vibrant, almost taunting, invitation.
"What's this button for?"
"I... I'm not entirely sure. I think it's the power switch." Mita furrowed her brow, clearly unfamiliar with this kind of technology.
"So, if you turn it off, the player wouldn't die, just... be 'turned off', right?"
"Ah, yes! That's... that's a possibility." She raised a finger, adding, "But it's better not to turn it off right now. If that player loses consciousness, Crazy Mita will know something's wrong—"
Alain's action was faster than Mita's warning. His fingertip pressed firmly down on the red button. The first-person view on the screen lurched violently, then plummeted to the ground. The screen went black.
"Ah, ah..." Mita stammered beside him. The anxious flush on her face, the way her cheeks were coloring, screamed, "What have you done?!"
"What, what are you doing?!" She finally burst out, her pink lips trembling. Her incredulous gaze was fixed on the finger Alain had used to press the button. "Do you have any idea how dangerous this is for you?"
"As long as you're safe, you don't need to worry about me." Alain wasn't acting impulsively. He glanced at Mita's still-locked cell. The mischievous Mita wouldn't suspect her. This gave Alain the opening he needed – a direct confrontation with Crazy Mita.
"Ah, ah, ah, seriously... Are you an idiot? Worrying about my safety at a time ..." The girl in the cell was clutching her head, clearly misinterpreting Alain's motives. "You should follow the ring's guidance and find a safe place to hide!"
"Hmm? I don't need to. I have a way to—"
"Go! Don't play games with your life!" A surprising, forceful aura erupted from the usually gentle Mita. Alain felt a chill, as if a sudden, icy wind had swept through the room.
The ring on his hand glowed green, guiding him to a corner, where he crouched down.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the basement, the door creaked open.
Footsteps, a steady tap, tap, tap, echoed down the silent stairs.
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