Afterwards, Cappie took a moment alone to compose herself.
Reason dictated that she absolutely couldn't unleash her frustration on the person who had saved her life.
............ "Why do you look so angry?" As soon as he stepped into Cappie's room, the girl, fierce like a cornered cat, practically hissed at him.
Alain, of course, knew exactly why.
But just moments before, upon entering the room, he'd caught sight of her holding a buzzing electric dildo. Faced with that, who wouldn't be tempted to tease her a little?
Alain had merely escalated that teasing into outright bullying.
"Hmph! I'm not mad. I'd never get mad at my savior~~"
The hatted girl puffed out her cheeks, her voice light and lilting, almost like she was humming. Her face was flushed red as she sat perched on the edge of her bed, dangling her pale legs.
Nearby, Misha watched helplessly, pressing a hand to her forehead as she stood between them.
"Anyway, Alain," Misha began, gesturing towards the girl on the bed. "Let me introduce you. As you can see, this unreliable goofball here is Cool Mita. Just call her Cappie."
"Hey! Bestie, that's harsh! Who are you calling a goofball?"
Cappie refuted Misha's description. "It's called having a sense of humor. Something you still don't get!"
"Indeed," Alain nodded thoughtfully, his gaze drifting towards where her hand had previously held the... weapon.
But Cappie caught his look. "I'm warning you, Player! Keep that up, and I'll get my revenge!"
She made a few chopping motions with her hand, slicing the air. "Like this! Swish, swish, swish!"
"Thinking of a career change? From Mita to Assassin?" Alain's lips quirked upwards at her cute display. "Planning to stab me to death with your electric wand?"
"Player named Alain! You were supposed to tactfully skip right over that previous scene! That was just an accident!"
"Ahem... Sorry. It slipped my mind."
Just an occupational hazard, Alain grumbled inwardly.
Honestly, the moment I opened the door, a monster lunged at me. I was incredibly tense and dealt with it immediately.
But who could have known... Then Cappie shows up, holding that, and all my tension just shattered.
Misha walked over and patted the back of his hand, silently urging him to stop and focus.
"You two, honestly. Why are you always so rowdy when you get together?" His dependable 'darling' stepped in to mediate once more. She gestured towards Alain, introducing him.
"This Player is named Alain. He's been a huge help to me."
"More than just 'help', wouldn't you say?"
Alain's comment brought a blush to Misha's cheeks.
"Mmm... Well... Yes, that's true. Not just simple help..."
Cappie caught the distinct, sickeningly sweet scent of romance in the air. "Oho? Oho?" she chirped, quickly sidling up next to Misha.
"Whistles~ What have we here? What have we here~? Is Bestie blushing? How rare~ Should I take a picture to commemorate this momentous occasion?"
"You over there, you really get it."
Alain nodded at her in agreement. As if on cue, Cool Mita casually produced a camera.
"A moment like this absolutely must be captured! Hey, Player, get over here! Which angle do you prefer?"
"It absolutely has to be..."
The two squatted down, searching for the perfect shot.
Alain and Cappie glanced at each other, then declared in perfect unison, "The 45-degree upward angle that perfectly frames the absolute territory and the shadow under the short skirt!"
"Whoa~ We're totally in sync!" Cappie clapped Alain firmly on the shoulder.
"Indeed, bro."
"Yeah! 'Bro'! I like that!" Cool Mita grinned.
Alain, his expression deadpan, made a subtle 'just as planned' gesture.
Whatever lingering violet awkwardness existed between them moments before evaporated instantly, with Misha serving as the unexpected catalyst.
But their newfound camaraderie was immediately doused by an icy aura radiating from ahead, extinguishing the warm spark of friendship like cold water.
"Da..."
Alain and Cool Mita turned stiffly. Misha stood there, her face ashen, a visible tic mark pulsing on her forehead.
"Um... Darling?" Alain tried softly, attempting to deploy his 'occupational hazard' skills for de-escalation.
"Bestie, maybe calm down a bit?" Cool Mita briefly considered doing something outrageous to break the tension but decided on gentle persuasion instead.
Misha slightly raised a fist. "Darling. And Cappie. Please, let's stop joking around for now. We need to focus on the matter at hand. Okay?"
She smiled. It was a smile filled with gathering storm clouds.
He and she smiled back. Their smiles trembled as if caught in a freezing wind.
After a tense moment, the overly charged atmosphere dissipated with a weary sigh from Misha.
"Sigh... Why do you two always react so strangely when you're together?" She rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on, and glanced from side to side.
Alain had been exiled to a small chair in the corner to her left.
Cool Mita remained seated on the edge of the bed.
The two were now separated by a vast gulf, a veritable galaxy named Misha.
"Just when I find such an interesting bro, we're instantly worlds apart!" Cool Mita lamented, looking pointedly at Misha.
"Cappie!"
"Tch, tch~ Sorry, okay? I'll listen seriously."
Misha turned her gaze back to Alain.
"Anyway, you see? This is her."
She sighed again, hand on her forehead. "She can be a bit loud, and conversations with her tend to veer off-topic easily. But, surprisingly, she's incredibly sharp. That entire table full of teleportation equipment next to you? She built it all."
"Hm?"
Alain looked over. Sure enough, the table beside him was cluttered with all sorts of devices.
The specific details were slightly different from the instruments he recalled seeing made by that 'bad woman', but overall, they weren't drastically dissimilar.
"What do you mean, 'loud'? It's called having humor! H-U-M-O-R! Get it? You're so boring, Bestie." The hatted girl pouted. "The very first Player I meet turns out to be such an interesting guy. Ahh~ When will I finally get a Player of my own~"
"Alright, Cappie. We came to see you today for a serious reason."
"I figured as much. The only thing that could possibly drag a girl head-over-heels in love away to find me would be this."
Cool Mita gestured towards the teleporter.
"So, Bestie, you came looking for me today because of this teleportation machine, right?"
"Well... there's a lot I could explain... but that's the gist of it, yes."
Misha blushed slightly at Cappie's phrasing but nodded. "Is the machine still functional? We want to try reaching the Core."
"I wouldn't know. I built it ages ago when I was bored and haven't touched it since. Definitely not after those worms started infesting the corridors, or after that spider thing appeared." Cappie's face paled noticeably at the mention of it.
"Spiders?" Alain asked, frowning. So the appearance of that human-headed spider wasn't just a random event?
"Yeah," Cool Mita replied, clearly still unnerved. "Those things are terrifying... Sometimes they even thump, thump on my door. Scares me half to death!"
"About those worms," Alain stood up, his fingers tracing the components of the machine on the table. "You don't need to worry about them anymore."
So this is it... the machine that can supposedly teleport between different versions, maybe even bring real-world Players into the game? It looks surprisingly crude.
Cappie watched him, confused. "What do you mean? Why don't I have to worry anymore?"
"Darling and I teamed up and took care of the worms already."
"...Huh?" Cool Mita felt completely lost, struggling to understand what they were saying.
Have they gone totally love-drunk? It must be true what they say – love really does make you stupid.
___
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