Be My Player

"Player... C-Can you be my player?"

Little Mita looked towards the wall clock in the corner.

Her single, murky eye reflected a life-or-death countdown.

"Even if… I only have two hours left."

Player, it was her long-held wish, and also… the hope of being alone in version 1.3B.

Even if her player was temporary, with a countdown, she still longed for it.

And Alain, hearing these words, understood the answer.

Currently, it was 10 o'clock, which was the 18th loop.

At 12 o'clock sharp—that is, the 20th loop, what would happen?

Presumably, it would be the appearance of that monster.

"Of course, I can." That's how he answered.

"Even if I have to be your player forever, I agree."

Anyway, in a sense, he was already the shared player of Crazy Mita, Misha, Millie, and Prankster Mita—four Mitas. Adding one more didn't matter.

Besides… in this game world teeming with viruses, he absolutely had to bring the particularly frail Little Mita to reality.

"...Thank you."

After she said this, she leaned against Alain's embrace, silent.

And under the girl's guidance, Alain also opened the door to the 19th loop.

At this point, there was still 1 hour left until 12 o'clock sharp.

"But... 'always' 'forever'... I never thought I'd hear these words applied to me."

"There's no need to be surprised. When I free you from the cage of 1.3B, you can hear them as many times as you want."

Alain looked at the 19th corridor; the small black dots originally on the inner walls had now become black holes.

One black hole after another spread, and from within them, hands stretched out, desperately trying to grab any passing creatures.

Although the brightness hadn't diminished much, Alain knew: as these black holes eroded, the corridor would inevitably return to pitch darkness.

By then, it would be time for that monster to appear.

Seeing this, Alain tightened his grip on his greatsword.

That monster, he had to kill it.

Not only to protect Little Mita, but also to protect the game world.

If monsters had the ability to invade other versions, and even his own computer desktop, they definitely couldn't be left alone for long.

And related to the monster and Little Mita were those clocks.

"Little Princess. Can you tell me? What do those clocks mean?"

And the girl leaning on his shoulder, still cherishing the scent of her player.

This time, she calmly accepted the title "Little Princess" and softly explained, "The clock signifies the progression of time. It's also... the progression of the [Story]."

"What do you mean?"

"My time is running out."

Little Mita saw that the time on the grandfather clock was only an hour left. And it was still gradually decreasing.

Alain followed her gaze and only then discovered that the time on the grandfather clock was also not constrained by the loop's progress, but truly flowed with time.

Even if he merely stood at the entrance of the 19th loop, time still ticked away, second by second.

"My story is also about to end." Her words pulled Alain's mind back.

"That's not right, Little Princess. Your story is just beginning."

He didn't head directly to the 19th loop, but returned to the 18th loop, going back to check the remaining two clocks.

Rushing to the cabinet.

The wall clock belonging to Little Mita was even faster than the grandfather clock; only a dozen or so minutes remained until 12 o'clock sharp.

Millie's alarm clock was also advancing, reaching 9 o'clock sharp.

There were still "two hours" left to get here. In other words, Millie was rapidly rushing here.

"It's already over." Her voice was as weak as the wind.

"The clock represents the corridor's loop, and also... my loop."

The girl's single arm wrapped around his neck, her smooth cheek pressed tightly against his.

"Meaning, you'll loop along with us, following the clock, right?" Alain frowned and asked.

"It's not just that. It's also... my loop of death and despair. An unavoidable... cycle."

Little Mita leaned on his shoulder, her words tinged with fear and trembling.

And Alain instantly understood everything.

He thought of what Prankster Mita had said: the monster repeatedly destroyed Little Mita.

Each destruction was a cycle of completing 20 loops.

Every time they reached the 20th loop, the monster would kill Little Mita once. Causing a cycle of death.

Until she lost the recovery ability belonging to her version, becoming as she was now.

This was the reason why when they first arrived at 1.3B, the monster had already devoured Little Mita.

And yet, the girl was still standing safely before him.

What they were currently in was also the latest cycle of Little Mita's tragic story.

"Then can't we just stay in the 18th loop?" Alain asked.

Since the cause of Little Mita's tragedy was the 20th loop. Then, by hiding in other loops, could they avoid the tragedy of death?

"No..." The girl in his arms shook her head, then pointed towards the doorway.

Alain was puzzled and walked over to check.

Only then did he discover that the counter for the 18th loop had changed its number to 19.

In other words, even if they stayed put, the loop would progressively advance... just like the clock, which had broken free from the constraint of the [Loop] and returned to the concept of a "time display."

"Tragedy is inevitable," she said.

And Alain brainstormed solutions.

Why did the virus have to go to such lengths to kill Little Mita? Just to satisfy its desire for slaughter?

Wait a minute... The virus's purpose shouldn't be that simple.

Alain seemed to understand something.

The virus belonging to version 1.3B was, unsurprisingly, the Parasite.

And the most fundamental purpose of a virus was to erode a version, and then occupy it.

So... the monster repeatedly destroying Little Mita wasn't just for simple slaughter, but also to steal version permissions.

As Little Mita's tragic cycle continued and the number of times she was destroyed increased, Little Mita's permissions grew weaker, while the monster's permissions grew stronger.

Damn it...

"But please don't worry. This time, it's the final cycle. When I despair again, I will completely break free from despair."

Little Mita's voice was soft and weak.

"Thank you, player. I'm so glad I could meet you… when I was at my most desperate…"

"I won't let you despair again," Alain said resolutely.

Based on the girl's words, this was probably the last chance.

If Little Mita died in the 20th loop of this cycle, then... she would truly be gone.

"Don't say that, please leave. I'm sorry... I didn't tell you, this is a story that will ultimately be a 'bad ending'."

She cherished the happiness and warmth of these few short cycles, her tense arms unwilling to separate from Alain.

But after hesitating, she still let go.

But Alain grabbed her hand.

"I won't let go." He looked at her.

"Bad ending? Just right. What I'm best at tackling and avoiding is precisely bad endings."

This was also Alain's most adept "occupational hazard."

"You... still want to stay? There's no need to do that. You being able to come here and write the [Extra Chapter] of the story already makes me very happy."

Alain, however, gripped her hand tightly.

"The main story hasn't even begun, how can you talk about an extra chapter?"

He smiled, his eyes carrying an irresistible warmth.

He was just an admirer of all things cute with no lofty ambitions, a die-hard 2D fan.

And Little Mita was the petite type that appealed to his preferences.

So, he absolutely wouldn't let such a cute girl die in front of him.

"Last cycle, I personally saw you being swallowed by it. This time... I won't let go."

For him to personally let a bad end proceed? That was simply more unbearable than killing him.

Little Mita's voice, as she poured out her heart, became increasingly hoarse.

"I'm not worth you doing this... If I were really thinking for you, I should have told you earlier... You have no way to take me away."

"Because in this final moment, I actually met my own player. It made me a little unable to control myself... Really, I'm sorry..."

She pointed to the grandfather clock in the corner.

"Right now, there's still time. I hope you'll turn back the hands of the grandfather clock. Just like that, safely—"

"I refuse."

He gripped his greatsword, the strength in his embrace of the little princess as if he were truly a knight.

"The final moment? Bad ending? Extra chapter of the story? No. This is the moment of rebirth."

Little Mita was somewhat tearful; she leaned on Alain's shoulder, bean-sized teardrops—dripping one by one, wetting Alain's clothes.

"If you think I'll flee in disarray, then you've underestimated me too much."

Alain looked around; the erosion of the black holes had already turned most of the warmth into horror. Night was about to fall.

The girl looked at him in disbelief, her tears of parting turning into incomprehension,

"Why... Why are you doing all this?"

"It's a simple question, didn't I tell you before?"

Alain, gripping the girl's small hand, seemed somewhat helpless,

"Because, I am your player. Just as Mita brings joy and happiness to players. And shouldn't players also bring unique joy and happiness to Mita?"

"Pla...yer?"

Little Mita's single, murky eye looked at him complexly.

Her murky eyeball stopped shedding tears.

Alain hugged Little Mita tightly.

"And I will tear that thing to shreds. Before your very eyes."

"So, I won't let go."

_

Greetings! ✨ Walnut here!

🔥 AN INCREDIBLE OFFER IS ON THE TABLE! 🔥

We're only 17 members away from our 65-member goal! 🎯

The second we hit it, 10 BONUS CHAPTERS for ALL STORIES will be released to everyone. No exceptions!

🪦 Your membership is the key. Let's make it happen!

100 powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone! 5 reviews = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone!

Secure your early access before it's too late!

👻 patreon.com/Walnutchan