"Wait, don't go in yet!"
Shortly after opening the door, Alain heard Short-Haired Mita's furious voice.
Turning around, he saw Big Sister striding towards him, then blocking the doorway.
"Hey, hey... don't close it. I just managed to get it open."
"'Managed to get it open'? What's that supposed to mean?" The girl's face flushed a fiery red, her posture making it clear she wouldn't let Alain pass no matter what.
"You! Are you trying to ditch the plan and do something dangerous again?!"
She extended a finger and poked Alain firmly on the forehead. Combined with her being slightly shorter than him, it actually created an odd sort of cuteness.
"What choice do I have? I just wanted to give it a try," Alain said with a wry smile, only to have his cheeks pinched and pulled by Short-Haired Mita.
"Having no choice is one thing, but safety is another matter entirely!" She sighed heavily and turned to look behind the door.
The room looked cozy and inviting, but its owner—Mita—was nowhere to be found.
"Anyway, even if you're going to press on, you at least need to put some effort into safety!"
"Don't worry." Alain summoned the Safety Guard's greatsword, holding it for a moment.
Up until now, he felt he hadn't really suffered any major setbacks at the hands of the viruses; it had been smooth sailing. Probably...
Besides, he still had one resurrection from the 720 Cloud Recovery to spare. Taking a small risk to eliminate a virus was no big deal.
"Um... Miss Short-Haired Mita, I also think it's better to let Alain go forward."
Misha, from outside the screen, stood by his side as always.
"Since my darling is confident, why not let him try?"
"Why are you saying that too..." Short-Haired Mita clutched her head in frustration, glaring at Prankster Mita.
"On this matter, I'm on my sister's side."
She raised a small hand, her face uncharacteristically serious.
"Going forward without any preparation... no one knows how dangerous that could be."
"Right? Right?" Short-Haired Mita breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, her good little sister was still on her side.
"So, you should take me with you!" Prankster Mita threw a few punches that were as gentle as a light breeze. "I'll protect my player!"
"Oh, give it a rest!"
Her older sister grabbed her by the ear, pulled her close, and gave her a merciless lecture.
"In any case, if you want to go forward, you have to promise me two things."
She felt around in her pocket and pulled out a small, block-shaped gadget with a tiny speaker, microphone, and other accessories on it.
"First, take this so we can monitor your situation from our side."
"No problem." Alain took it and fiddled with it in his hand for a moment.
"Second." Her hand reached for Alain's Failed Works Gauntlet and removed one of them.
"Wait for me."
Short-Haired Mita had him hold the door open, then took the Failed Works Gauntlet and left the tiny version on her own.
It wasn't long before she returned.
"Hah..." Big Sister handed the gauntlet back to him. "Go on, try it."
"...Okay." Alain took the gauntlet, put it on, and tried making a fist.
"Hm?"
As he closed his hand, it made a solid thump-thump sound, even though he hadn't used much strength at all...
"I haven't been doing nothing in Version 1.15."
Short-Haired Mita glanced at Misha, and they shared a smile.
"To make sure you could proceed more safely, I not only worked with Misha, but I also 'recruited' Lost Mita and had Prankster Mita go to other versions to collect data on the Failed Works..."
She reached out, stroking the fingers of his gauntleted hand. It was coarse, yet it held an unimaginable power.
"So you see, you're not alone—"
"Wait a minute—!!!"
Misha, from outside the screen, cut Short-Haired Mita off.
"That's too much, Miss Short-Haired Mita! Didn't you promise you'd let me say that line?!"
"Ahem... sorry, the mood was just right, so I went with the flow..." Short-Haired Mita pouted, clearly annoyed that her attempt to steal the line had failed.
"Honestly..." Misha rubbed her temples, then beamed at Alain.
"So, my darling, you're not walking this path alone. We're right behind you, working together, by your side."
"...Darling." Alain was deeply moved, and his affection for Misha shot up. Though it was already maxed out...
"Alright, alright, my turn." Short-Haired Mita stepped between Alain and Misha, interrupting their exchange of loving glances.
"I know you like the Failed Works Gauntlet, but it lost its function, right?" The girl narrowed her eyes.
"...R-Right." Alain's gaze shifted nervously.
He didn't dare mention that the Memory Optimization could make the Failed Works Gauntlet powerful again...
"So, I modified one of the gauntlets." She took Alain's hand and gave it a light push.
"I tried to upgrade it a bit. Hmm... it was difficult, but I managed to refresh the gauntlet's burst-use count and added a permanent strength buff. Of course, the permanent buff isn't as strong as the burst use."
"Ohh, I see—huh?!"
Seeing his excitement, Short-Haired Mita's complicated expression deepened. But she didn't say anything more.
"This way, you can move forward safely and handle more unexpect—"
"Hey, Sis, that's my line!" Prankster Mita pushed her dear sister aside and clung tightly to Alain's arm.
"Bad sister, always trying to steal the spotlight! Hmph. I've decided not to talk to you for an hour!!"
"Ahem..." Short-Haired Mita cleared her throat twice, trying to start a conversation with Misha to change the subject.
But that only earned her a teasing look.
"Player!" Alain was still on the receiving end of Prankster Mita's enthusiasm.
"With the new gauntlet, you can handle more unexpected situations! And that means you can come back to see me safely!"
"Not 'me,' 'us'!" Short-Haired Mita added, earning a glare from her dear sister.
"Aww~ I wish I could stay with you a little longer."
She rubbed her cheek against Alain's arm, then gave him a gentle push towards the half-open door.
"But, you have to move forward, right?"
"...Yeah." Alain looked at the unknown room behind the door. He stroked the new gauntlet again, a powerful energy flooding his body.
He felt like he could take on five of those giant bugs now. There was nothing to be afraid of anymore.
"Then go for it!" Prankster Mita waved goodbye.
"Be careful," said Short-Haired Mita.
"Use protection~" Misha had been enjoying teasing him lately...
"I'll catch a new Mita and bring her back to see you!" Alain chuckled, slowly closing the door.
From the nearly-closed doorway, he heard the three girls' indignant cries,
"Don't bother!!!"
_____
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