"Waaah! What the duck! Why am I so unlucky!!!"
Tap!
A loafer stepped onto the iron railing. Her flying footsteps made the already unstable iron railings tremble with each heavy step, the friction of the metal producing a creaking sound.
Her legs were covered in beads of sweat, and her frantic pace made her skirt sway. The girl's chest heaved up and down, and a glistening drop of sweat landed on her light red clothes, dampening the fabric and creating a dark, shimmering spot.
"Pant, pant, pant..."
Heavy breaths escaped her rosy lips. Her panicked blue eyes looked forward, then glanced back at the bug rampaging through the iron-railed passage behind her. The girl wished she could summon every ounce of speed in her Mita existence.
"You stupid bug... why won't you stop chasing me?!" She looked forward again, nervously biting her thumb.
"Could it be that my charm has already extended to other species?"
She came up with a slightly self-reassuring explanation, only for her face to suddenly turn pale again.
"But this isn't the kind of charm I want, duck!!!"
What is this? A super-duper-invincible-pretty-girl like me is being chased by a [CENSORED-level grotesque] bug?! Even a tentacle monster would be better than that thing!
"Sob sob sob... why do I have to be doing this sort of thing..."
Mita felt her legs starting to go weak. She figured if she ran for a few more minutes, she would really...
Best case scenario, she'd just die. Worst case, she'd become the subject of the next grotesque doujinshi...
Sob... this isn't the kind of idol I want to be...
Just as she was mournfully praying for the great bug overlord to let her go, the girl failed to notice a small protrusion on the iron-railed floor ahead.
"Clank"
The tip of her running foot slammed straight into the railing. The intense feeling of weightlessness made her think for a second she'd gained superpowers.
A second later, as her head hit the ground, she realized this wasn't Academy City.
"Thud—"
She rolled over twice, the solid feel of the iron floor pressing against her back. Each bar felt like it was digging deep into her spine, causing the girl sharp pain.
"So painful..." After crashing into a wall, she couldn't help but shed a few pitiful tears. Staggering to her feet, the first thing she did was—
—take out a mirror to check if her hair was messed up.
The girl in the mirror had her hair in twin tails, which weren't the least bit messy, even after all that running. Her eyes shimmered with moisture, and her red lips and white teeth made her look like a dessert.
"Mmm! Perfect—" She flashed a peace sign at the mirror. "I'm still the cutest in the world!"
Then she saw the giant bug, now less than ten meters away.
"Ara?" Her expression froze, and her legs gave out completely, causing her to collapse to the ground.
I'm not going to be cute anymore... she thought. But judging by the bug's wide-open mouth, she probably wouldn't end up as the heroine of a doujinshi.
Still, I'd rather not die...
"I-I haven't become an idol yet... I don't want to die here..."
"That's why I'm asking—why is it that every time you're in a crisis, you always get hung up on these trivial details?!"
A thunderous, lecturing voice echoed through the Forgotten Land, as rapid footsteps stomped on the iron rails, sounding like war drums.
Her stride was sharp and swift. She rushed past the girl, positioning herself in front of her.
But the train-like bug didn't slow down at all, charging straight towards her.
"Huh?" The girl stared at the one who stood before her. A high ponytail, slightly messy, swayed gently in the winds of the Forgotten Land. Her stance was firm, her slender back like a mountain protecting her.
The girl recognized her instantly.
"Isn't that Cool Mita?" she gasped, covering her mouth. "When did you get the protagonist's script?"
"Cute Mita... you idiot. Is this really the time to be worrying about that?!"
Another voice drifted from behind Cute Mita. "Besides, a real protagonist wouldn't be reckless enough to just stand in front of you like that."
The crisp 'tok, tok, tok' of light, effortless footsteps followed, not at all sounding like someone who had just seen a giant bug.
Cute Mita instinctively looked back and saw a young man with black hair, who looked like a player...
Huh? There's a player here? As Cute Mita wondered about this, she saw the player's gaze pass over her and focus on Cool Mita.
"Isn't that right, Miss Reckless Cool Mita?"
"Sh-shut up... That's not cool at all!"
Cool Mita grumbled, her stern gaze fixed ahead.
And Alain's gaze grew serious.
"Are you ready?"
"...Ready," Cool Mita said.
"Huh?" Cute Mita was puzzled. Cool Mita was actually obediently listening to a player's command? She was usually the one doing the lecturing... The sun must be rising in the west.
Speaking of which, what had they prepared? As Cute Mita pondered this, she suddenly noticed her line of sight shoot upwards, leaving the ground.
"Cutie, don't just stand there dazed. Come with me for now." The player hoisted her onto his shoulder and quickly carried her away.
"Cutie? Player, I really like how you talk." Cute Mita was delighted, and her affection level for the player shot way up.
"This is what you're worried about right now?" Alain retorted. As he ran, he glanced at Cool Mita, who was blocking the virus's path.
Its enemy was the complete Devouring Entity that Alain had faced before—the giant bug. To his former self, it was a BOSS. Now, it could be considered an elite mob, but still not something to be taken lightly.
Right now, he was a bit pressed for time: he needed to get to Version 1.0F to rescue Mila and Prankster Mita. Therefore, to defeat this big guy quickly, he would have to resort to some tricks.
"Alain! Are you really sure you want me to let it charge at me?"
Facing the virus head-on, Cool Mita was a little scared. It had to be said, bugs truly were the bane of young girls.
"Yes. Do you trust me?" Alain called out loudly after reaching a safe spot and putting Cute Mita down.
"I trust you! But I'm scared!"
"Don't be afraid!" Alain wasn't just talking tough. He looked below the iron-railed floor separating Cool Mita and the virus—
—a Man-Headed Spider was already stuck there.
Alain silently began to count down.
The Man-Headed Spider—in a sense, it was a bug, you could call it the bane of the game world. From corroding, or even devouring versions, to inflicting actual damage on digital lifeforms, it excelled at everything. And affecting game models... was no exception.
Cute Mita stared at the side of his face with wide, bewildered eyes, tilting her head.
"1." As the player uttered the number, he hastily shouted, "Run!"
The moment he spoke, a 'rumble-rumble' sound came from Cool Mita's position.
Cute Mita followed the sound with her eyes—a section of the iron railing in front of the virus had fallen into the thick fog below.
Like dominoes, more sections of the railing had a chain reaction, falling one by one. And the already massive Devouring Entity plunged into the abyss the next moment, disappearing into the fog without a sound of landing for a long time.
"Tap, tap, tap"
Cool Mita returned to their side, wiping away her sweat. Five seconds later, the section of railing behind her also belatedly fell.
"N-next time, please don't use such a risky method..."
Standing on solid ground, she looked back at the empty fog where a path should have been...
"Just tell me if it was effective or not," Alain said. "Insta-killing the giant bug."
"It was effective..."
Cool Mita said, "...but it was also terrifying..."
___
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