A World for Two

"I'm so happy... We finally meet!"

The gentle girl from his memories stood before Alain, real and present. She seemed slightly taken aback by his sudden appearance, taking a step or two back, her hands clasped demurely before her, a radiant smile lighting up her face.

"I know you must have so many questions..."

"I do," Alain agreed, nodding slowly. He forced himself to quell the storm of emotions churning within him.

He pointed at her mouth, "It's not a good habit to suck your thumb."

A beat of silence. Mita's expression froze.

"Ha, ha... what are you talking about? Um..." Mita's eyebrows shot up, her expression flickering with a brief, almost imperceptible twitch before she recovered her cheerful facade. She gestured quickly to a table to Alain's left, laden with a bewildering array of technology. "Look! I built these machines to bring you here as quickly as possible!"

The "machines" were a chaotic collection of cyberpunk-esque components: buttons, glowing display screens, platforms, and a tangle of wire conduits, all surrounding a mysterious disc lying near the table. It looked like something straight out of a science fiction film.

"I'm not sure why you didn't appear out of the teleportation disc – maybe a bug or something... but the important thing is, you're here!"

"Mm..." Alain murmured, his attention already drifting. He was fixated on a system panel hovering before him, invisible to Mita.

He noticed two crucial things. First, Mita couldn't see the panel; otherwise, she would have undoubtedly pointed it out. Second, the system's progress bar had inched forward.

[5%]

He hadn't done anything, had he? Just teased Mita a little...

Wait a minute.

He accessed the panel's help section. The words "defeat viruses" were highlighted, almost glowing.

"So 'defeat' viruses means... wait, viruses? Does that mean Mita is...?"

"Um... what are you talking about?"

"Ah!" Alain cursed internally. He'd been so engrossed in the progress bar that he'd almost forgotten Mita's presence. The panel was directly in front of him, meaning he'd been staring straight at her.

"Alain. You've been staring at my face and muttering things I don't understand."

"No, it's just... you're much cuter than I imagined. I was... distracted. Sorry. I'll stop if you don't like it."

"Is... is that so? No, I don't dislike it," Mita replied, a delicate blush rising on her cheeks. She seemed genuinely pleased.

Alain could only ruefully acknowledge the return of his "occupational hazard." Dating a rather intense girlfriend had honed his reflexes for navigating tricky social situations – though sometimes his true thoughts still slipped out. Besides, he wasn't lying. Mita was significantly more captivating in person than she had been on the screen.

"Oh, right!" Mita clapped her hands together, as if snapping herself out of a daze, breaking the slightly awkward silence. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Would you like to try my cooking?"

A shy smile played on her lips, her eyes filled with a nostalgic warmth. "Before, when we were... apart, you couldn't taste anything I made. But now you can!" She opened the bedroom door and stepped out, her movements graceful and deliberate. "Now you can eat my cooking every day! I'm so happy~"

"Yes, I am too. But—" Alain started, his tone shifting abruptly.

Mita, already halfway out the door, paused and turned back, a questioning look in her eyes. "But?"

"But I won't let you cook every day." Alain smiled faintly, walking past her and giving her head a gentle, almost instructive pat. He headed towards the kitchen, already familiar with the layout from his countless hours playing "Mita."

"Alain... really," the soft voice of the blue-haired girl trailed behind him, but it didn't break his train of thought. His abrupt change in tone hadn't been accidental. He'd initially planned to gauge Mita's reaction to the idea of him leaving.

And when he'd uttered that "but," the Security Guard had flared to life with an alert: [Warning! Virus strength is rapidly increasing]... or something to that effect.

That's why he'd changed his words mid-sentence. But it also confirmed his growing suspicion: Mita was the Security Guard's target. In other words, she was the [virus] the system had identified.

He pushed open the kitchen door. The space was bright and simply furnished, connected to the dining area, and adorned with the charming, whimsical touches of a young woman's taste.

"Huh?"

As soon as he stepped inside, Alain caught a glimpse of a faint green light. It was a ring, resting on the edge of the stove. A ring.

"Alain?"

Mita, who had finished setting the tableware, waved a hand in front of his eyes. "What's wrong? Do you see something strange?"

"No, nothing. It's just... so clean and perfect. It'll be nice living here."

"Yes!" Mita's enthusiastic response coincided with Alain glancing back at the stove. The ring was gone. Vanished without a trace.

Mita moved to the stove and began chopping vegetables on a cutting board. "I couldn't find the kitchen scissors earlier. They should be in the bathroom. Could you get them for me?"

The stove in front of her suddenly hissed to life with the sizzle of hot oil. She expertly flipped the food in the pan, instructing Alain with the casual familiarity of a long-time partner.

"...Okay." He didn't mind. In a way... Alain and Mita were like an old married couple. He hadn't felt any awkwardness or unfamiliarity when he first saw her. Everything felt natural, as if it had happened countless times before. Of course, that was within the context of the game "Mita."

Alain mechanically opened the door. The series of strange occurrences with Mita were solidifying the reality: he was truly inside the game world. He passed through the living room, into the bedroom, and finally into the bathroom.

He watched the ordinary wooden door close automatically behind him, noting the complete absence of any reflections in the mirrors. He rubbed his temples. This was a good opportunity to be alone and process the situation.

The Security Guard claimed Mita was a virus, but she didn't act like one. Except for that initial, slightly unsettling grin... And yet, being around her, Alain sensed a subtle undercurrent, a hint that her gentle demeanor might not be the whole story.

Just as he was lost in thought, a sharp clang shattered the silence.

"…" Alain's shoulders tensed. His first thought jumped to the dagger that had fallen in the bathroom on the 10th day. Was it that again?

He looked down, following the sound. No, it wasn't a dagger. It was a loose screw from the ventilation duct, causing the metal cover plate to fall.

"Guess I'll play handyman for a bit," he muttered to himself. Considering he was about to owe Mita a meal, fulfilling his "househusband" duties seemed like a fair trade.

He crouched down, picking up the cover plate. He was about to retrieve the screw when he noticed something else.

"Huh?"

Several game cartridge-like objects were scattered inside the duct.

"?"

Curious, he picked one up and examined it. The pink cartridges each had a name written on them, all different.

"What does this mean? Why hide these cartridges here?" But it was Mita's business, and he didn't want to pry too much.

After carefully replacing the cartridges and securing the ventilation duct cover, Alain found the scissors by the sink and returned to the kitchen. Mita had already finished preparing the meal. It looked like spaghetti.

"Do you like it?"

"You?"

"…"

While Mita was slightly stunned. Alain sat down opposite her and examined the spaghetti. Hopefully, it wasn't poisoned. There was no real reason to refuse at this point, and the [Security Shield] still had one use left. Besides, Alain was genuinely curious about Mita's intentions.

"Really... you're such a goof. I'm asking if you like the spaghetti!" Mita snapped her fingers, and two packets of sauce materialized next to their plates. "How about some 'love sauce'?"

"Sure!" Since she'd phrased it that way, he practically had to try it. Plus, it sounded a bit... suggestive.

Alain nodded and used the scissors to open the sauce packets. The reddish sauce, drizzled over the spaghetti, did indeed bear a certain resemblance to "love." He took a small bite. It seemed to be just regular tomato sauce.

"Then, let's eat!" Mita declared.

Alain echoed her, embarking on his first meal in this new world.

The first few bites were fine, even delicious. But halfway through the plate, a faint pink haze began to cloud his vision. He couldn't stop now. The spaghetti seemed to be drawing him in, like some kind of enchanted potion.

By the time he finished the entire plate, the world was awash in rosy, love-filled bubbles. Especially Mita's eyes – they were absolutely mesmerizing, vibrant, and full of life. The already cute girl was now damnably adorable!

_____

Hey there! I'm Wallnut-chan! 🌸 I'm translating this fanfic and restoring some +18 scenes that were cut from the original work—since explicit content isn't allowed in China. I went through everything carefully and reinserted the scenes while staying true to the story! Hope you enjoy it!

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