In a bright, pinkish-white room, a cute girl stood beside the bed.
She wore a deep blue hat adorned with two sharp little horns on top, looking rather adorable. Her hands were covered in thick gloves. She wore the default Mita red knit shirt, the collar revealing just a hint of youthful cleavage. Below, she sported a deep blue pleated miniskirt, her two dazzling legs wrapped in thigh-high stockings. The stocking tops pressed slightly into the flesh of her thighs, making the Absolute Territory all the more mysterious.
The girl's face was shadowed by the hat's brim, and beneath one eye was a crimson teardrop mark. Right now, her eyes clearly showed panic.
Cool Mita stared straight ahead, her gaze fixed on a corner near the bedroom door. There, a dim, shadowy something lurked. It had a pale face, and below it were six legs made of irregular, garbled code. The overall impression was that of a human-headed spider.
Cool Mita had no idea why this thing had appeared here. She had been playing a game just moments before, and suddenly... it emerged from the direction of the living room.
As for escaping... that was even more impossible. The version transition point—the corridor—had recently been infested by a large swarm of viruses. Running out there would be jumping out of the tiger's den straight into the wolf's mouth.
Click, clack.
Cool Mita noticed the thing move two steps towards her, its garbled-code legs corroding the room's floor. Its pale, human face was expressionless, which, to her, looked like it wore a bizarre smile.
"S-Scary? Who can't act scary! Hmph hmph hmph... I'm not unarmed, you know."
The girl forced a confident smile, but the cold sweat on her forehead was very real.
"Take this—I choose you, Super Heavy Pneumatic Hammer!"
With a thud, the hard object tightened in her grip, filling Cool Mita's heart with a sense of security. Yeah! she thought. Fighting monsters in a romance simulation game isn't bad either—
Then, she saw the Purple Mood in her hand.
"???" The girl's face went white.
"Huh? Glitching out at a time like this?!" Cool Mita instantly panicked. Just as she was about to try switching equipment again, the human-head spider scurried rapidly towards her.
"Don't come any closer!"
She scrambled frantically over the large bed and ran towards the door. At this point... she couldn't worry about whether there were worms in the corridor or not. If she didn't run now, she'd really lose her life.
But just as she reached for the doorknob, the door swung open first.
Thump— The door slammed right into her nose, sending the girl tumbling to the ground.
With a click, the Purple Mood accidentally turned on, emitting a low hum.
But Cool Mita clearly had no time to worry about that. Along with the door opening came voices.
"I was just playing a racing game for a bit, why are you unhappy?"
It was a male voice, gently comforting someone.
There was also an indistinct whining voice saying, "Hmph! Leaving me all alone."
Cool Mita really wanted to ask which little couple had wandered over to her place.
No, wait!
"Oh no... You two! It's dangerous here!" Cool Mita hastily urged them. Turning her head back, the spider was already lunging towards the door.
It's over. Now she was the one in danger.
"Ugh... I haven't even finished my game..." Tears welled up, but none fell. Her only hope was that her reset self could clear the game again.
However, the expected pain never came. Instead, a blue light flashed horizontally above her head.
"Wh-What's this?" Upon seeing that sword, the fear in Cool Mita's heart vanished completely.
The next second, she heard a squelch, like something being pierced through.
"Ahhhh—!" Immediately following was a human-like scream erupting right behind her head, incredibly piercing.
"De..."
She slowly turned her head and saw the human-head spider impaled on the greatsword. The creature's "blood" seemed to be made of garbled code, dripping onto the floor drop by drop, a rather creepy sight for the girl. The shriek had come directly from the human-head spider's mouth.
Soon, the little fear she had left was replaced by excitement welling up from deep inside.
"That's kinda cool! That sword!" Cool Mita commented.
The player, still hidden from her view behind the door, responded in a tone that said, "You've got good taste."
"But of course."
The human-head spider on the blade gradually dissipated over time. After a few seconds, it, along with the garbled code on the floor, vanished completely, as if nothing had ever happened.
Cool Mita patted down her skirt, stood up, and expressed her dissatisfaction with his reply.
"Player. You just don't get it, do you? If you're holding a sword, you have to say—"
But faster than the girl's voice was the player's: "I ask of you, are you my Master?"
"Whoa, you really get it, player!"
In Cool Mita's view, the figure behind the door lowered the sword, seeming to lean on it in the pose of the King of Knights. She watched, thrilled.
Then, a slightly exasperated female voice sounded out. "Excuse me... can you two grasp the situation?"
"Huh? Wait, that voice sounds kinda familiar?"
Cool Mita placed her hand on the door and slowly pulled it fully open. Standing behind it were indeed two figures.
One was a young man. He was solemnly leaning on his sword, like a true King of Knights. Cool Mita gave him a thumbs-up. The player was about to nod, but his eyes couldn't help drifting towards her hand.
The other figure was an acquaintance of hers. Long hair reaching her waist, a gentle face filled with the kind of helplessness parents show towards their children. Although she was just as cute as herself, Cool Mita believed that with her added sense of humor—she was definitely superior! It was her good friend—Kind Mita.
This Mita's gaze also drifted towards Cool Mita's hand.
"?"
What's up with these two visitors from afar? Could they have been gnawed on by those worms and had their memories reset? Cool Mita was puzzled. Then, she saw her good friend—Misha—speak up.
"Cappie..., ..."
It felt like she said a lot, yet also like she said nothing at all.
Amidst her confusion, the player actually gave her a thumbs-up.
"???"
I didn't even do anything, did I? In fact, I was being chased by that creature. The player just saved my life.
Speaking of which, the "rumble rumble rumble" in her hand was getting a bit annoying.
Hm? Rumbling?
Cool Mita looked down. The rumbling sound came from the rounded, mushroom-like curve.
"Misha, did we arrive just in time or too late?" The player whispered to Misha, looking quite intimate.
And her friend replied, "Alain, I think... maybe we should give her some private space?"
"As expected of my darling, always so considerate." The player named Alain looked back at Cappie. "Ah, look, she's blushing."
"She really is," Misha nodded, clicking her tongue in amazement. "This is the first time I've seen her blush. Usually, she's so flighty."
"Well then—let's close the door," Alain and Misha said in unison, deciding to shut the door.
At the last moment, Alain left one final remark, "Call us when you're done."
Thump.
The door closed.
It opened again. Still the same player.
"We won't look at you weirdly, everyone has those kinds of needs."
Thump, closed.
Opened again. Still that player.
"After this, we absolutely won't ask you about it. So rest assured, take your time."
"Hey, Alain! Stop teasing her! Let her be alone for a bit!" came her friend's voice.
Thump, closed again.
Left alone once more, Cool Mita looked at the Purple Mood, silently put it away, and sniffled. For some reason, after escaping death, she felt a little like crying.
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