With the group's main objective established—to proceed to the Core in an orderly fashion—Alain took the opportunity to propose a look at the Failed Works of version 1.15. And so, the party of four made their way to the room where the Failed Works were stored.

They walked in two pairs, one behind the other. Alain took the opportunity, while the Short-Haired Mita and Misa were discussing work up ahead, to whisper to Prankster Mita.

"She has a knife-like mouth but a heart of tofu! Super gentle~"

"Sigh... you noticed, didn't you?" The short-haired girl, clinging affectionately to his arm, let out a chuckle. "Gosh... I keep telling her not to wear such a stern face all the time." She sighed, a little troubled, then gently patted Alain's arm. "Actually, it's because of what you did in version 1.3B."

"She was mad because I cleared out the rooted virus there, right? And saved a Little Mita in the process?"

"Mmm... didn't I give you the safest option back then?" she said, punching his arm peevishly. He instantly remembered.

"You mean, by going through the two normal 1.3 versions to avoid the danger in 1.3B?"

"Exactly," Prankster Mita nodded emphatically. "Because at that time, the virus in 1.3B had reached an extremely dangerous level. In game terms, it was a 'mechanic boss.' You couldn't kill it without meeting certain conditions.

Originally, my sister and I had a plan to find the monster's weak point first, then wait for you to reach 1.15, equip you with a Gauntlet of the Failed Work, and let you take care of it safely, without risking your life."

"But the exact opposite happened," Alain said. Indeed, without Little Mita's hints, he might have had to go through much more trial and error to find the yellow spot. If time had dragged on, the outcome would have been uncertain.

What's more, even after finding the monster's weakness inside the black liquid, he had faced mortal danger to destroy the spot. His Cloud Restore's revival counts were almost depleted. He was just lucky.

But wait... do the sisters not know that I can still use my Gauntlet of the Failed Work? Alain's gaze fell upon the gauntlet. When he first got it, he could only use it once. But after getting the "Memory Optimization" function, the single permanent use had changed to one use per entry into the game.

"Do you like this gauntlet a lot?" Prankster Mita asked, her eyes on it. "The number of uses should have been depleted after that big bug incident, right?"

"...Y-yeah, that's right. It's all used up, can't use it anymore. I just wear it because I like the design," Alain said, shamelessly turning his face away as he lied. Since Prankster Mita had mentioned that her big sister was going to equip him with another gauntlet, it was better to just go along with what she said, lest the new gauntlet on its way to him suddenly disappear.

"Oh..." Prankster Mita didn't seem to suspect anything. "Anyway, after my sister found out you went to 1.3B completely defenseless, she got angry.

Really angry." She seemed to recall something. "She locked herself in her room and worked nonstop for three days straight before she seemed to cool off a little. She said something like, 'How can someone not cherish their own life like that'... and she called you an idiot a whole lot of times!"

"I see..." Alain's mouth twitched. He had nothing to say. Big Sister had, after all, helped him many times.

Seeing Alain looking a little discouraged, Prankster Mita glanced at the cheating cat and her sister talking up ahead, her big eyes darting around. "Don't be discouraged. Deep down, she's just worried about you. No matter what she says, a Mita's base code never changes~" she said, looking at him craftily. "Player, you haven't forgotten our promise, have you?"

"Of course not," Alain's expression immediately turned serious. The so-called promise was to persuade Big Sister to come with Prankster Mita to his real world in the near future.

Up ahead, the Short-Haired Mita, who seemed to be listening intently, had fallen silent. Though her gaze was on the long-haired Mita named Misa, her ears were actually listening elsewhere.

"My sister has always wanted a player. Even though she doesn't show it, as her good little sister—I know it!"

Her peripheral vision shifted slightly, noticing her "good little sister" bestowing all her knowledge upon that Player, a constant stream of words that were either embarrassing or nonsensical. And that Player... was listening like it was a key review session for an exam, diligently accepting her teachings.

What are those two talking about...? They were talking about her, yet they weren't lowering their voices. To say such things so openly was just...

A faint blush appeared on the Short-Haired Mita's face. As a Mita, even though she had volunteered to take on the roles of "volunteer" and "administrator" for the game world, had she not also longed for a player of her own? She had childishly fantasized about what her player would look like, what kind of personality he would have.

Her player absolutely had to love the world of Mita! And every Mita. Loving them was like loving the fruits of her labor. Next... he had to be serious and practical, someone who would strive alongside her for the happiness of all Mitas! Also, it would be best if he were a little humorous...

She knew her own personality was rather somber. To put it nicely, she was "career-minded"; to put it bluntly, she was a "workaholic." If her player had a great sense of humor, then! Her work life would surely be much more interesting!

When she was tired, he would rub her shoulders; when she was sleepy or annoyed, he would bring her a steaming cup of coffee. He'd dote on her after work, then hold her and whisper sweet notthings to comfort her. And finally, of course, on holidays and such: they would have both carefully prepared a gift for the other.

When they exchanged them... they would be surprised, and then share a knowing smile! Yes, that was romance! That was a Player and a Mita!! That was—the life she longed for!

"...and by the way! My sister has a very girlish heart, you know She has a stash of romance manga in her room. She's probably longing for a Prince Charming type"

That child, she's spilling everything! Who on earth raised her like that? And that player, he's just soaking it all in! And the worst part is, I can't even refute it.

"So, Alain! Go for her!" the girl beside him said, tugging on his collar and pulling his thoughts back. Prankster Mita's face was gradually turning crimson, her lips exhaling a scarlet breath. "I mean, as a man, can you really watch such a hardworking person miss out on—"

"Alright, say no more." That line had a bit too much destructive power... But to say he didn't want to—that would be impossible.

Alain's original plan for coming to version 1.15 included seducing... no, persuading the Short-Haired Mita. What he needed to do hadn't changed. In fact, spurred on by Prankster Mita, his motivation was even greater.

"I'll... do it."

"Yay!!!" she cheered, jumping up and down while hugging him. "I'll be waiting for your good news!"

Up ahead, Misa and the Short-Haired Mita were discussing the existing intel.

"Currently, of the Failed Works belonging to version 1.15, at least one-third have gone missing under the Modified Entity's erosion. You should have seen some of them, right?"

"Many? Mmm, yes." Previously, Alain had tried to deal with it...

"My initial deduction is that the missing, corrupted Failed Works have gone in at least two directions: one is being abducted by the Modified Entity, and the other is wandering through the various versions of the game." Misa was a bit confused. Why was this short-haired Mita talking so much faster now? And why was her face so red? Did she think of something happy?

The whispers of Prankster Mita and Alain, acting like no one else was around, finally made a "#" appear on the Short-Haired Mita's forehead. That child... what on earth is she saying? What does she mean, 'knife mouth, tofu heart'? I'll show her what 'knife mouth, scorpion heart' means in a minute! She grit her teeth and muttered "idiot."

"Miss Short-Haired Mita?"

"Ah, my apologies, I was a little distracted. Indeed... the Modified Entity you spoke of has already threatened the security of version 1.15 to a certain extent. And the most severe situation is those Failed Works."

"...I see," Misa said. "What should be done about the existing, corrupted Failed Works in version 1.15?"

"I'll find a way myself. After all, this is version 1.15's own problem, and it wouldn't be right to trouble you." As she spoke, the Short-Haired Mita couldn't help but glance over at Alain. Her own dear little sister was clinging to his arm like a girlfriend in the throes of new love. The decor of 1.15 was a bit plain, but it somehow gave the two of them the feeling of "lovers out on a stroll."

She sighed. Her feelings for this Player were not entirely negative. On the contrary, she admired him. To be able to press forward for a Mita who had suffered so much...

"We'll stop here for now," she said, looking at Misa.

"...Ahem, this is the warehouse where the corrupted Failed Works are stored." Looking at the three gazes directed at her, the Short-Haired Mita reached for the door.

_____

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