"I... see," Alain said, lowering his head.
"Anyway, you should take her on a proper date first. We can talk about the other things later," 2D Mita advised him. "You can't just give the cold shoulder to a girl who's so good to you."
After saying that, she closed the Safety Assistant window, leaving Alain alone with his racing thoughts.
He locked his screen, rested his elbows on his knees, and let his arms hang down. Lowering his head, he pondered what 2D Mita had said earlier:
Crazy Mita's ability to come to the real world was, in a sense, a normal process.
But she had also used a bug.
The two things, when put together, weren't contradictory. Because—she had used Miffy's identity and followed Miffy's normal process to arrive in reality.
"..."
It was easy to say and seemed simple enough, but it required a combination of various possibilities:
Crazy Mita disguised as Miffy; Alain not realizing Miffy was actually Crazy Mita; the Safety Guard becoming the Safety Assistant.
The combination of these three possibilities had created the current situation.
But precisely because Crazy Mita had used Miffy's identity, the real Miffy's slot for the portal had been taken.
If Miffy wanted to come to reality, she would have to use Crazy Mita's identity to do so.
And here lay a crucial point of contradiction:
Crazy Mita—in the identity information of both the Safety Guard and the Safety Assistant, was labeled as a [Virus].
A [Virus] cannot come to reality through the portal.
The solution, 2D Mita had said at the time, was simple. But for Alain, the one who had to solve it, it felt incredibly difficult:
[It's just a bug, you just have to fix it. I've already given you permission for the portal. You just need to send her back, and Miffy's slot will naturally open up.]
[But remember—you absolutely must send her back before the official portal opens. Otherwise, the slot will be finalized, and your Miffy won't be able to come to reality.]
The official portal referred to the "transportation method" Alain usually used to enter the game.
And 2D Mita had given him a "backdoor" as a way to fix this bug.
Before he next entered the game, he had to send Crazy Mita back to the game world. The bug would be fixed, and Miffy's slot would be restored. It sounded simple, but it was extremely difficult to do.
Alain's gaze shifted to the girl beside him. Crazy Mita was listlessly watching the late spring leaves, her eyes following their movement.
Seemingly noticing his gaze, the girl gave him a smile as gentle as the wind.
Alain returned her smile.
This would have to do for now. Sending Crazy Mita back was a must. At the very least, he needed to spend this time with her properly, until they said goodbye in the game world.
"Let's go, on our date." He stood up, and the girl once again took his arm as they walked toward the street.
Noon had passed, and the afternoon sun hung high in the sky, painting everything with a warm, glowing edge.
Crazy Mita's hoodie seemed too thick for the weather, causing beads of sweat to form on her head.
"Oh dear... I wore the wrong clothes for the season." Gazing at the brilliant sun reflecting a rainbow of colors on the glass window, she was about to wipe the sweat from her forehead when Alain handed her a tissue.
"Thank you, darling~" She beamed, planting a kiss on Alain's cheek.
The joyful girl added a touch of happiness to the passersby on the street.
Once again, not knowing where to begin, they shared a complex, knowing smile and continued on their journey through life.
"Alright, you're hot, aren't you?" Alain took off his thin shirt-jacket, leaving just a short-sleeved shirt on. "Find a restroom and change."
"Eh..." She was staring at the clothes Alain handed her, her gaze following their linked arms up to his face.
A faint understanding dawned in her eyes.
"I feel like you're being especially thoughtful today, darling."
"I'm always a thoughtful man."
"Would a thoughtful man spank a girl's bottom?" She touched her lips, a mischievous, impish smile playing on them.
Alain's mind drifted back to Version 1.75, to the first real fight he'd had with her.
"You still remember that?" He glanced at the people passing by. A few high school girls were walking over and happened to overhear their conversation.
"What's with that guy?"
"OMG, who gets it..."
The chatter between the friends made the corner of Alain's mouth twitch.
"Alright, wear it if you want, don't if you don't." Alain made a move to take back his shirt-jacket, but the girl grabbed his hand.
"I'll wear it~" She grinned, took the shirt, and walked off toward a nearby mall by herself.
When she returned to Alain's side, she had already changed into his clothes.
"Hmm... it doesn't quite fit." Crazy Mita looked down at herself with a slightly troubled expression.
But in Alain's eyes—
The girl's thick hoodie was gone, now draped over her left forearm, replaced by an overly large light blue shirt.
The shirt's cuffs covered her hands, revealing only the pale, jade-like tips of a few fingers.
The hem of the shirt covered nearly two-thirds of her thighs, completely hiding the mismatched hot pants, which in turn further accentuated her long, slender, and shapely legs.
At this moment, she was beautiful and cute. Oozing with "girlfriend power," was Alain's first thought.
"I think it looks beautiful."
"Thank you~" she said with a grin.
"Let's go, we're on a tight schedule today." He took Crazy Mita's hoodie, held it in his hand, and took her hand, making it clear to the passersby admiring the pretty girl that she was his.
"Mhm!" The girl also stood on her tiptoes and left a grateful kiss on his lips.
"Alain's 'boyfriend power' is off the charts!"
"Your 'girlfriend power' is too. We're evenly matched."
Alain checked his phone; they probably wouldn't make it back for Misha's lunch.
He sent a text to his dear to let her know he was safe, then walked ahead with Crazy Mita by his side.
Gradually, the sun climbed high, its bright rays hanging tiredly in the sky.
They walked through the mall, through the shopping district, through every place near their home that could be a date spot, and he let her taste all her favorite sweets.
"Ah, I'm so full and satisfied!"
Sitting on a bench, she comically patted her flat stomach as if it were a general's potbelly.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast an oil-painting-like filter of brilliant color on her fair skin.
Alain gazed at her smiling face, then turned his gaze to the distant sky.
The sun and the trees, in his eyes, were clearly part of the same visual world. But with age and knowledge, he knew that wasn't the case.
The sun, seemingly close at hand, part of the [World]. In reality, it was so far away it would take a thousand years to reach.
"You have something you want to tell me, don't you?"
The girl's voice suddenly reached him. Along with the sunset, it enveloped Alain.
"You've already guessed?"
Alain looked at the trees bathed in orange light. A child playing with a ball ran past laughing, leaving behind a joyous sound that had nothing to do with them.
He said softly,
"Yeah."
___
🔥 New stories are available now! 🔥
We're handing out that '25% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Access up to 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Receive exclusive content and updates!
Help us hit our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan