Misha Under the Starry Sky

The night sky was a canvas of black, dusted with countless stars, their faint light glimmering in the eyes of the girl sitting alone on the balcony.

"So many stars... but they don't feel beautiful tonight."

She glanced back towards the living room. The darkness of Alain's room was undisturbed, the soft rhythm of his breathing barely audible.

Earlier, they'd played rock-paper-scissors to decide who got the bed. Alain had won, leaving Misha to make a makeshift bed on the floor. Of course, he hadn't actually let her sleep on the floor. Instead, he'd rearranged the small living room sofa into a surprisingly soft bed.

And so, their sleeping arrangements for this shared life were settled, at least for now.

But Misha's thoughts were far away, seemingly fixed on the city's starlit sky, but truly drifting back to another time, to her life within the game.

Back then, she was in version 1.9, patiently awaiting her player.

Boredom had led her to sneak peeks at her player's computer. Aside from discovering a collection of... questionable... male literature, Misha had learned details about her own player.

"Darling doesn't know yet, does he? That he's my player."

The thought sent a warm, familiar feeling spreading through her chest.

She'd heard Alain's explanation, of course. She didn't quite understand how he'd ended up in version 1.5 first – some kind of bug, maybe? – but the fact remained: Alain was her player.

It wasn't based on logic, but on Misha's own, deep-seated intuition, an intuition that had only grown stronger during their time together.

A sudden chill in the night air, however, pulled her back, extinguishing the warmth.

Before Alain could arrive, Crazy Mita had come first.

With the player absent, Crazy Mita had seized control, locking her away in the basement.

And Crazy Mita had also... taken possession of Alain.

The cold floor seeped into Misha's bones as she hugged her legs, a strange, unsettling look flickering in her eyes.

"After all those twists and turns, I still met Alain, my darling... Maybe this is what people in the real world call... fate?"

That had been their first meeting, after all. Even if the prison cell and the basement weren't exactly romantic. They had met.

A sweet smile touched Misha's lips.

And her first impression of Alain? He was a bit of an impulsive mess, which had, admittedly, left her a little exasperated.

Who presses a control panel without knowing what it does?!

Thinking back, her cheeks puffed out slightly in remembered annoyance.

But then, with a single sentence, Alain had swept away all her anger.

"As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."

When he said something like that, what could she possibly say? She could only feign anger and tell him to hide quickly...

Alain had been worried about her safety. That had made Misha incredibly happy. Surely, this was the bond, the mutual appreciation, between Mita and her player?

Of course... if he'd just listened to her plans a little better... things would have been even better.

"That's another one of his strengths."

Then, as expected, Crazy Mita descended into the basement, presumably to check on things. And, just as predictably, Alain was discovered.

At that moment, Misha felt a cold dread wash over her. All her carefully laid plans seemed to crumble before her eyes.

For some inexplicable reason, Crazy Mita possessed terrifying combat prowess. Even though Alain was a grown man, Misha doubted he could stand against her.

That's how it should have been.

But then, Alain drew that sword – a weapon that had no place existing in the game's reality.

Crazy Mita's overwhelming physical advantage was practically nullified by the blade. Even now, the memory left Misha stunned.

Seizing the brief opening, Alain used a completely unforeseen tactic to defeat Crazy Mita.

It was then that Misha had a revelation: the adaptability she lacked, that crucial ability to react to the unpredictable, was something Alain possessed in spades.

She and Alain were like two halves of a broken jade pendant. Only together could they be truly whole.

"W-Wait... together?!"

A sudden thought sent a wave of shyness through Misha. Her cheeks flushed. The memory of Alain's "unforeseen tactic" to escape their predicament only intensified the heat in her face.

"Kissing... and things like that."

When Misha had witnessed Alain and that crazed woman in such close proximity, her immediate, instinctive reaction was that she should have been the one in Alain's arms, receiving that intense, passionate affection...

The mere thought painted her cheeks with the scorching blush of a summer sunset.

"Misha... get a hold of yourself."

She forced her mind back to the present. Her consciousness drifted, recalling the final, fading light she had witnessed in the game world.

She didn't regret crossing over into the real world with Alain. Not for a second.

But a tangle of complex emotions was unavoidable. There was joy, of course, but also a thread of anxiety.

The joy stemmed from escaping the confines of the game, from being able to stay with Alain, her player, for so much longer. From hearing him say "darling" countless times.

"Darling, darling. Hehe~ He called me darling!" A small, giddy laugh escaped her.

And the worry... that also stemmed from the reality of their situation.

In the game, Misha had confidence in her knowledge of the world, her ability to make Alain rely on her.

But in reality? In the mere handful of hours they'd been here, Alain had already helped her with countless problems.

Identity, food, shelter... He'd even given her a unique name, setting her apart from all the other Mitas.

"My name is Misha."

This cascade of events warmed Misha's heart, but it also left her feeling a little adrift.

She desperately wanted to be useful to Alain, to make him depend on her. Not like this, where she felt like a burden...

Slowly, she rose to her feet. Her gaze drifted towards the dimly lit living room, and with quiet steps, she moved towards Alain's room.

Misha eased the door open a sliver and slipped inside. Finally, gazing at Alain's sleeping face, a plan solidified in her mind, trance-like:

Just as she'd plotted... Misha intended to make Alain depend on her.

And the first step was to carve out a place in his life. Not merely through housework. Misha was convinced she needed to conquer Alain's stomach!

"B-Be... Be a!"

She gave herself a silent, whispered cheer.

"A perfect housewife! That's right, Misha!"

And it all had to begin tomorrow morning, with a breakfast made with love for Alain.

This was only the opening gambit, but a critical one!

"Mmm..."

Perhaps Misha's soft murmur had stirred the sleeping youth. Alain shifted in his sleep.

"Oh no..."

Misha instantly clamped a hand over her mouth. Waking Alain on their first night living together would be worse than death.

Luckily, after rolling over, the sound of his steady breathing resumed.

"That was close..."

Misha patted her chest, a soft sigh of relief escaping her lips. Just as she was about to slip away, she heard Alain mumble.

"Misha..."

Had he discovered her?

That was Misha's immediate, panicked thought, and she instinctively glanced back.

Alain, still lost in slumber, moved his lips, seemingly forming the next words.

Misha's mind raced. After all... Alain was a boy. It was only natural he might dream about her.

A flicker of happiness warmed her.

"Is this... that... whatchamacallit... the... the thing..."

Since she'd resolved to take on the housework, Misha was, of course, mentally prepared to wash Alain's underwear.

But, that kind of thing would be sticky, wouldn't it? That's what the manga always showed. Could laundry detergent even get it out?

Or would she have to scrub it by hand?

If only it could be like in the games, where the washing machine went pikon! and it was all magically clean.

She looked back at Alain, a new curiosity piqued: what sort of image of her was he conjuring in his dream?

"Could it be—"

The girl imagined a scene far too intimate, and her cheeks flushed crimson.

At that precise moment, Alain mumbled again in his sleep.

"Misha, so cute..."

"..."

Misha froze, stunned, and then a soft giggle, a "puchi," escaped her lips.

"Silly~"

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