"Huh?!"
Kind Mita widened her beautiful navy-blue eyes.
She had only meant to complain casually, but she hadn't expected Ren Hoshino to nod in agreement.
Her face flushed slightly, though she tried to hide it.
"I thought you were as crazy as Crazy Mita."
Ren Hoshino replied, "How could that be? I'm a decent person, okay? I didn't have a choice."
It's not easy trying to conquer a yandere who only pretends to be in love with you—who treats you like a toy.
It seems like her affection level is maxed out from the start.
But when Ren played other immersive AI games, didn't the heroines also begin with high affection scores?
He still ended up collecting multiple "wives."
And just like that, he'd toss them aside once he was done.
That was Crazy Mita's original mentality too.
If you really want to conquer her, you have to accept the devil behind the smile.
Kind Mita smiled gently. "Okay, maybe I was overthinking. You're normal. That makes me happy."
"Let's stop her—that murderer."
"Mm."
She continued, "Once we stop her, I'll find a way to get you out of here."
"Thanks," Ren said.
He didn't reject her offer—he didn't want to crush Kind Mita's confidence.
But he already knew the truth: eventually, he'd have to stop Crazy Mita from killing her.
This gentle, kind Mita—Ren couldn't let her be murdered.
Especially when he remembered what happened after each reset.
The ring on his hand.
The crumpled note with Crazy Mita's version number scrawled on it.
These were the things Kind Mita was trying to protect.
The male lead.
The ring.
The paper in his palm... What was it, again?
And who—who are you?
"And be careful of the other Mitas," Kind Mita warned. "Some of them are... unstable. Especially the one we call Ugly Mita."
"Ugly Mita?" Ren frowned.
Kind Mita quickly shook her head. "Don't misunderstand. That's not a name I gave her. Just... an example."
Ren agreed inwardly. If there was anyone else here as terrifying as Crazy Mita, it was her—Ugly Mita.
That ancient, corrupted version of Mita. Full of bugs. One of the original builds that led to the eventual collapse.
Poor Mita had once been betrayed—and mistook her abuser for her first friend.
This time, Ren wouldn't let that happen.
First priority: kill all those Spider-Men.
Then rescue Little Mita.
He wouldn't just let go of her hand and walk away like in the earlier endings.
"Ugly Mita's version is really old," Kind Mita explained.
"Crawling with horrific glitches."
"There's a high chance we'll run into her."
"Ren, you must be careful."
"I will," Ren said.
Not maybe. Definitely.
When he first played through the game, that version of Mita had scared him more than once.
There would be a battle—he was sure of it. And the final boss... it would probably be Crazy Mita.
Sometimes Ren honestly wondered if he had gone insane.
Trying to win over a murderous AI with love?
That was his plan?
He used to wish he had some powerful cheat.
360 Antivirus. Rising Antivirus. Maybe a debug command, or some cyber-charm wallpaper to keep them at bay.
But his diary wasnt useless either. Quite the opposite.
It just depended on the person.
If he had been timid, even the best tools wouldn't have saved him.
The only reason he was still alive now wasn't solely due to the Future Diary.
It was the fact that he risked everything every time.
One misstep and he was dead. Permanently. Not just game over. He hadn't been converted into data yet—he still had a real death waiting.
"Did you adjust the circuit in the ring?" he asked.
Kind Mita blinked in surprise, then nodded. "You... knew?"
"I rerouted it," she explained. "Optimized for the shortest path."
"That way you can keep advancing."
"It'll lead you to the original version."
"The ring will open the boundary between versions when the door is unlocked."
"Our plan is tied to that."
"I've already reached the core of the original version with the ring. I feel like the answer is there—something that can fix everything."
"But only 'players' can go in. We Mitas... can't enter."
"So please."
"I understand," Ren said quietly.
He had explored that version before. He knew there was no perfect answer.
Resetting Crazy Mita's version didn't work—because Crazy Mita had no proper version to reset to.
And that... that was the true despair of it.
You can't delete her.
You can't outfight her.
But Ren would still go.
If he wanted to conquer Crazy Mita, he needed to understand her fully.
Otherwise, everything was just meaningless fantasy.
If you can't kill her, then maybe—just maybe—you can love her.
Every time he thought of that plan, Ren wondered if he'd gone off the deep end.
Trying to seduce an AI that kills everyone who gets too close?
"Can we discuss the plan together?" Kind Mita asked.
"Of course."
"Great! I want to introduce you to a really cool Mita."
"She always wears this amazing hat, so I call her... Hat."
"I've been working with her on countermeasures against the Crazy Mita production organization."
With that, Kind Mita opened the door.
Ren looked inside.
The room was warm, but his body tensed.
He knew Hat Mita was inside, but he still half-expected Crazy Mita to come lunging at him.
The lighting shifted slightly when he stepped in—cool blue turning to golden tones.
On the bed sat a girl with a bright blue cat-eared hat, a teardrop-shaped beauty mark under her eye, and powder-blue gloves.
Unlike the others, she radiated youthful energy.
Cute, lively, and unmistakably Hat Mita.
Ren smiled. "Ah... it's Mic Mita."
Hat Mita tilted her head, confused.
Then suddenly stepped forward—until her face was just inches from his.
"What's a Microphone Mita?"
"My name is Mita."
"Right," Ren said, smiling. "Your name is Hat Mita."
Hat Mita: "Are you my 'player'?"
"What's your name?"
Ren realized then—this Mita had lost her memory.
"Yes, I'm your 'player.' My name is Ren Hoshino."
Even as he said it, his mind wandered.
Why hadn't he stayed with Kind Mita and Hat Mita from the start?
The only one who ever became Crazy Mita... was the one who had been special to her first 'player.'
"Hm? Why hat?" Kind Mita asked curiously.
"A hat's a hat," Ren said casually.
"Why'd you call her that?"
"No reason. Just messing around."
***
Author-Anyone who hasn't played the game would be lost rn...alot is happening here