The Girl with the Knife

"Be careful, hide! Don't let her find you!"

A hushed, "...Okay."

Crouched in the corner, Alain heard the girl's nervous whisper fade. He idly flicked open the Security Guard panel. Honestly, facing this particular mischievous girl, he felt anything but nervous. If he felt any tension, it was the kind you get before a debate you're confident you'll win.

Of course, there was another reason for his calm: pure confidence.

He glanced at the progress bar, frozen at 75%. Both [Security Protection] and [Clean Up & Speed Boost] were online. Offense and defense. He just wasn't sure what "combat power to fight the virus head-on" (as Clean Up & Speed Boost described it) would actually look like.

Tap, tap...

The girl's footsteps grew closer. She must be down the stairs by now. Alain, taking advantage of the brief respite, smoothly began exploring the Security Guard's more complex functions.

A grayed-out icon labeled [Bug Fix] caught his eye. He tapped it, but nothing. Inactive, for now. He glanced to the side. Scrawled along the far right edge of the panel's progress bar, almost hidden – dark text on a black background, like a lurking worm – was a number: 100,000.

A question mark formed in his mind.

Just then, the footsteps ceased. The mischievous girl's voice echoed through the basement.

"You didn't mess with the console, did you? So... where's my Alain?"

A good line, Alain thought. Worth an 8 out of 10.

At that moment, the ring on his hand pulsed, projecting a streamlined beam of light deeper into the basement's shadows. Alain understood: time to move.

He stood, taking a leisurely stroll in the direction the light indicated.

A quick glance revealed the mischievous girl's back. Her signature low ponytail was still in place, and a bloodstained dagger glinted in her hand. He also caught Kind Mita's startled gaze.

Kind Mita's face was an open book, every emotion plainly visible – the polar opposite of the mischievous girl. Alain had now reached a blind spot behind a pillar, as indicated by the ring.

"Hmm? What were you staring at?" The low-ponytail girl turned her head, searching. But the space was empty.

"What exactly... is your purpose in all this? Is turning players into cartridges really just to satisfy your... desire to play?" Kind Mita's words pulled her attention back.

"Purpose? What purpose? I'm bored. Right now, I just want to know where my Alain is."

"Who knows?"

"Heh. Boring puppet. But it doesn't matter..." Crazy Mita's voice was a low sneer. She scanned the basement. "This place is only so big, after all."

She casually flicked the knife, leaving a trail of crimson in the air. "And I... I really enjoy hide-and-seek."

With those words, she started walking towards the pillar concealing Alain.

Kind Mita watched, her anxiety ratcheting up another notch. Please be safe...

Under her worried gaze, Crazy Mita reached the pillar.

"Let me guess... which little troublemaker is hiding here?"

She peeked around the corner, just as Alain slipped out on the opposite side, perfectly synchronized to stay in her blind spot.

The girl in the cell released a shaky breath.

Alain, guided by the ring, smoothly retreated towards the entrance to the basement stairs. He reached the bottom, and the ring's glow faded – destination reached.

"This is it?"

And there, beside the stairs, Alain discovered a small room he hadn't noticed before.

"..." He was momentarily speechless.

When he'd first entered the basement, he hadn't bothered to check that room. Now, the ring had led him to a point precisely between the stairs and the room – a crossroads of sorts.

"Looking for something? I'm pretty familiar with this place." A girl's curious voice, accompanied by a faint, sweet fragrance, drifted to his ears.

Alain answered casually, "No, I was just deciding which way to go."

"Uh..." The speaker hadn't expected such a straightforward reply. There was a two-second pause.

"How about this." She seemed to have found a solution, picking up a sharp, shadowy object. "Come over to my side? What do you say?"

Alain glanced sideways. Not far off, Kind Mita peeked out from her cell, her face a mask of pallor and despair.

"Quick... run..." Her trembling lips formed the words, a silent warning.

Kind Mita was still in the cell. So, who was this next to him?

The answer was blindingly obvious.

"I think that's a good idea." He looked at the mischievous girl, who seemed like an old acquaintance. A knitted sweater, a short skirt, and those alluring, sly eyes and rosy lips – all the hallmarks of a youthful girl. As long as you ignored the girl's spicy fangs and the dagger clutched tightly in her hand.

"Hehe... Then, I'll take you up on that~ By the way, should I add a line here—" The smile blooming on her lips was laced with deadly intent, mirrored by the sharp dagger that plunged straight towards Alain's abdomen.

"Got·you!"

CLANG!

The weapon, which should have met no resistance, was blocked.

"...Huh?"

The tip of the knife hadn't pierced flesh, as Mita was used to. Instead...

It met a hard, impenetrable surface, like striking solid rock.

Her gaze dropped. A massive, mosaic-like sword was positioned like a dam in front of Alain's abdomen, deflecting her attack.

The girl still trapped in the cell, who had initially squeezed her eyes shut in despair, heard the metallic clash and looked out, bewildered.

"That's... a greatsword?" She'd often researched the world outside Mita's, but even she couldn't comprehend why a dating sim would feature this. It was even more outlandish than Crazy Mita's chainsaw.

"So that's it. Is this Clean Up & Speed Boost?" Alain examined the weapon the Security Guard had provided. The mosaic greatsword was as thick and wide as a man's torso, a vibrant blue – the exact shade of the system logo. The blade itself wasn't overly long, about half Alain's height.

It was less a greatsword, more a shield that could also be used for chopping, complete with a hilt.

He gripped the hilt. The seemingly heavy weapon felt weightless in his hand, effortlessly blocking Mita's attack. His strength and reaction speed had clearly been amplified.

"What... is that?" The girl's bewildered murmur reached his ears. Alain met her eyes.

"I wasn't trying to seriously dodge at first. I was just... letting you get close."

"Huh?" The mischievous girl, hearing this, tried to pull back, but Alain seized her wrist.

"Now, you owe me an apology, Mita."

"...Apology?" She was momentarily stunned, then watched Alain's lips, the ones she had kissed, move.

"Tell me, who were you with just now?"

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