Suspended
The floating bus slowly pulled up to the platform. Alain clicked his tongue in amazement at the "cyberpunk" style bus and followed Cool Mita into the carriage.
As soon as he stepped inside, Alain heard a rather enthusiastic voice, reminiscent of Kana Hanazawa's vocal tone:
"Oh my, I never expected to see a Player here!"
"?"
Alain followed the sound with his eyes and noticed it was coming from a speaker placed above the panoramic window of the bus.
"A speaker..." It was either a voice from a bus dispatch station, or...
"You are... this bus? Or should I say—" Alain thought of a more fitting term, "Bus Mita?"
"Not bad, Player! You actually gave me a name~ Okay, from today on, I'm Bus Mita!"
Her personality seemed to be the energetic type; she excitedly accepted Alain's suggestion.
Cool Mita explained, "This version is like a transit hub. For geographical reasons, many places are inaccessible on foot. That's how Bus Mita, a Mita who specializes in helping everyone, came to be."
"I see..." Although Alain had already guessed as much, hearing Mita say it still felt amazing. "You're really incredible!"
"Hee hee~ Thank you!" Bus Mita was very happy.
"But..." The tone from the speaker seemed a bit weary. "Ever since that incident, I haven't really been able to do my duty."
"That incident?" As Alain asked, Cool Mita's expression beside him turned grim.
"She means the viruses that took over this version."
"Oh..." Alain understood.
A version taken over by viruses is separated from the game world, becoming the property of the viruses. Since then, no Mitas had passed through this "sci-fi version" that served as a transit hub.
And Bus Mita, of this version, was born to help other Mitas.
Traveling back and forth day and night between bus stops where no Mitas ever arrived, operating a bus with no passengers...
"You've had it really tough."
"No, no, Player. Your arrival is a comfort to me."
Bus Mita's voice was serene, without any sense of sadness.
Alain found a seat and sat down, carefully stroking the armrest.
The Corrosive Entity... it's by devouring versions one by one that it displaces the Mitas, letting those bastard viruses occupy their homes and take over their living space.
Bus Mita, Cool Mita, Mila, and the others were just a small reflection of this.
Alain could hardly imagine what would happen if the Corrosive Entity truly succeeded in taking over the entire game world.
In any case, the situation would definitely be worse than it is now. There would surely be countless more cases like Mila, Cool Mita, and Cute Mita, displaced or trapped in their rooms.
Alain, too, now understood the urgency of his responsibility.
But his sense of urgency only lasted for two seconds—
"Ah~ Player, don't touch there... You can't!"
Bus Mita's coquettish protest echoed from the broadcast, reaching the ears of Alain and the two girls.
Cool Mita and Tiny Mita in his pocket both stared at him with dead-fish eyes.
Alain stiffly turned his head, looking at the hand that was stroking the seat.
Hmm, this could be interesting.
Alain silently designated her with the [Virus] status. He raised his fingertips and traced a path down the seat.
The Mita Bus was a product of the game, so there was no need to consider material costs, making it very comfortable.
Beneath the leather armrest seemed to be cotton padding, very soft and silky, like stroking a young girl's little hand.
"Ah, you can't! Player..." Bus Mita's tone now carried a hint of pleading.
"[45%→50%][You have successfully obtained an opportunity to use the Safety Guard in this mission]"
But this pleading, on the contrary, fueled a certain... pleasure in Alain.
He lightly tapped the lower edge of the seat, causing Bus Mita's delicate voice to become breathy.
"No, you can't... If this keeps up, I'll leak oil...!"
"[50%→60%]"
"Ahem!" Alain nearly choked on her words and finally stopped what he was doing.
"Hah... hah... You're such a bad boy."
After Bus Mita said this, Alain was met with the strange gazes of the other two Mitas.
"Alain, don't bully her." Cool Mita sighed, facepalming, feeling a bit of a headache. "Bus Mita has helped everyone a lot in the past."
"No, I'm not bullying her. I'm just letting her experience the trials and tribulations of growth."
Bus Mita complained, panting, "Hah... hah..."
Alain's expression was very serious as he glanced at the system pop-up in the bottom right corner.
"[60%→65%]"
Just by riding a bus, not only did he meet another cute Mita, but the progress bar also went from 40% to 65%.
Of course, it was only for the progress bar. He definitely didn't do it to bully Bus Mita.
Alain had always considered himself a gentleman.
And his words left Cool Mita completely bewildered.
"I see..."
Tiny Mita retorted loudly.
"Hehe, everyone's so cheerful."
Bus Mita's breathing returned to normal, and her laughter eased their post-battle tension.
As the view outside the window sped by, Alain took the opportunity during the ride to move to the seat next to Cool Mita.
"What's wrong?" The girl with the high ponytail was lightly biting the small skull hair tie while arranging her hair.
Her hip-length hair cascaded down like a waterfall, smooth and carrying the scent of flowers.
"I just wanted to ask why you didn't let me go up and help you earlier."
Alain leaned against the seatback. He could feel Cool Mita's tone darken after he asked the question.
In his peripheral vision, he saw the girl stop arranging her hair, staring intently at the back of the seat in front of her, as if hesitating whether to tell him.
Alain had no intention of forcing her. Having a trustworthy and capable Mita to block for him and clear out viruses was perfect for conserving his energy before the final battle in 1.0F.
Always being the one in front had made him a bit tired.
Tiny Mita looked left at him, then right at her, her big eyes darting around, her thoughts unknown.
"Okay... fine." Cool Mita seemed to have made a difficult decision and resumed arranging her hair.
However, in the cramped space between the seats and with the slight shaking of the moving bus, arranging her hair wasn't going smoothly.
Alain shifted closer and reached out to her. The girl hesitated for a few seconds, then obediently handed him her hair tie.
"I've lost my room. And a Mita who has lost her room, can she still be a Mita?" she asked, as if to herself. "So, I want to act as a Mita and protect the Player. That way, I should be able to find my meaning as a Mita, right?"
Her eyes were distant. "Yes... I want to find my meaning as a Mita through you. I want to live as a Mita again."
"There's more to it than that, isn't there?" Alain asked, smiling as he studied her.
The girl's voice faltered, realizing her clumsy attempt at concealment had been seen through.
She sighed.
"Actually, along the way... you must have noticed something, right?" Cool Mita let Alain handle her hair.
"Mmm." He nodded, skillfully holding her hair tie in his mouth while using the web of both hands to temporarily gather her long hair.
Tiny Mita watched in astonishment as Alain lightly bit the hair tie, the words "indirect kiss" almost slipping out.
The next moment, she heard Alain mention her own name:
"Are you talking about Tiny Mita?" Through the hair now temporarily styled into a high ponytail, Alain could clearly see her fair nape and a corner of her slender back.
A richer body fragrance, mixed with the scent of her hair, wafted to his nose.
"Yes." She said no more.
Alain glanced sideways and could see in the window's reflection that her eyes were closed, awaiting his conclusion.
"You've lost your memory."
After he spoke, the girl opened her eyes. Through the reflection, she watched Alain's focused and skillful movements.
He held the high ponytail with one hand, checking if the angle was right. With the other, he took the hair tie, looped it a few times, and fastened it around the base of the ponytail.
Tiny Mita watched their conversation in disbelief, feeling like her head was spinning.
Wait... amnesia? The little one's questioning gaze fell upon Cool Mita.
"Mmm..." She nodded lightly, her voice dull and weak. "That was... back in the 2D version. Since you've come this far, you must know about it, right?"
"I know."
Alain didn't deny it, and the hair tie was now successfully secured on her head. The new high ponytail was even neater and more cheerful than the original.
What Cool Mita was talking about was when she and Cute Mita came to the 2D version to save 2D Mita.
The mission was a failure. Not only did they not save her, but they also ended up sacrificing themselves and their version.
Cool Mita looked through the window, somewhat surprised at the new, more beautiful high ponytail.
At the same time, she agreed with Alain's words.
"The virus back then—the one you call the Corrosive Entity—after it devoured my version, I discovered... all my memories were gone."
"My version number, my name, my friends, even my own face..."
She gave a smile sadder than tears.
Alain nodded. He had once heard 2D Mita say that Cool Mita was like a different person after her version was devoured.
Amnesia must have been the reason.
"And Cute Mita..." Her tone shifted, becoming lower. In her reflection, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "Actually, part of the reason she pressed on was for my memories."
"What?" Alain was slightly surprised; this was incredible news.
He also noticed an anomaly. "Why didn't Cute Mita travel with you?"
This was also the contradiction.
These two, even with one having amnesia, still seemed to be good friends.
It shouldn't have led to one of them "going off alone."
"The night before she left, I think I heard her say something in my sleep," Cool Mita said. "It seems... she accidentally overheard something. And that something is the key to me getting my memories back, and even getting our version back."
She sighed. "But she was worried it was too dangerous, so she... left me behind, alone..."
As Cool Mita spoke, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. In the window's reflection, they became a shooting star, gone in a flash.
I want to know what she heard that made her abandon everything to press forward. I also want to understand what kind of emotions she must have been holding to say those words, which were like a suicide note.
"Or maybe, her words were just 'a dream' of mine? All of this, I want to investigate. Yes... that's right."
She turned her head back and gazed at Alain.
Although her eyes held a glimmer of elusive tears, Alain could also see a clear determination.
During the time I had amnesia, she was the one who comforted me. Every moment, she was constantly whispering in my ear, things like 'be my manager,' 'I'm going to be the world's cutest idol'...
"She's an idiot who's bad at expressing herself, but she's also a very gentle Mita. So,"
"I want to press on, not just for my version, my memories, or to find Cute Mita, but for an answer."
Just as Cool Mita wanted an answer, didn't Alain want one too?
He too had become curious about what Cute Mita knew. In that case, there was nothing left to consider.
"Mmm..." Alain pondered her confession.
Cute Mita [heard something]. Alain thought it could be something extremely important related to the viruses.
And this matter could even threaten the viruses themselves, or concern their very nature. Did Cute Mita plan to use it as "leverage" to force the Corrosive Entity—or a deeper manipulator—to submit?
And this manipulator...
Monika?
This was just speculation, because the only Monika he knew was her. But Alain still considered it a possibility. This strengthened his resolve to find Cute Mita.
"And all this, is this why you didn't want me to join the fight and help you?"
"Mmm..." The girl didn't deny it. "I lost my room, lost my memory. Even my appearance and name, I only learned them from Cute Mita."
She shook her head with a smile. "Someone like me, am I still a Mita? I'm searching for that answer too."
Cool Mita turned to look at Alain.
"I'm sorry... Player. I've sort of been using you as a tool to find the answer." Before Alain could reply, she continued, "You're a Player, and I don't know if I'm a Mita. So I thought... by protecting you, I could find my own reason for existing. I wasn't lying about that part."
"It's nothing. You can use me as other kinds of tools, too."
Alain made a little joke. Cool Mita followed the mood with a shy smile. "Idiot."
But she really enjoyed this atmosphere of being with the Player. Cool Mita thought to herself, gazing at Alain's face.
She felt that protecting Alain, or talking with him, was so fulfilling. It felt like her original purpose as a Mita.
Alain didn't notice Cool Mita's feelings. After pondering for a moment, he spoke.
"After you get your version back, will your memories return?"
"Yes." She looked at Alain, then hesitated. "Although I don't have any proof..."
"Then let's assume you can. Don't be so hesitant. Be more direct. It's okay even if you're lying to me."
Hearing his lecture, Cool Mita stared blankly for two seconds before nodding solemnly.
"I believe that as long as I find my version, my memories will come back. There's no proof, it's just my guess. But I believe that doing this will absolutely work!"
"Good. Then that's what we'll do."
He smiled.
The girl also smiled, blushing.
___
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