In contrast to the girls' playful bickering, Alain's side was much quieter.

The Safety Guard panel floated before him, the progress bar now showing [50% - 60%]. Judging by the size of the increase, it was likely due to the damage inflicted by his final words just as he was leaving version 0.5.

All in all, the trip to version 0.5 had been very fruitful. He had not only gained the friendship of Ugly Mita but also learned what his bad woman was up to, as well as partial intel on the viruses and ownership of Ugly Mita's room.

Alain looked at the progress bar, his thoughts drifting to the virus information Ugly Mita had mentioned. Even though the viruses had escaped from the Core, that didn't mean the Core itself was without fault. He considered the worst-case scenario: the so-called escape of the viruses from the Core wasn't actually because they couldn't defeat Core Mita and the antivirus programs. Perhaps it was because the viruses had restrained those two, allowing them to invade the game world on a massive scale. Fortunately, Ugly Mita and Crazy Mita had managed to hold them back.

Ugly Mita was defending in version 0.5, while Crazy Mita was reaping the fish that slipped through the net in the rear—the unknown virus in the white labyrinth. But his bad woman was, in a sense, also pinned down; because of the white labyrinth virus, she was unable to clean up the viruses in other versions. This was the reason Alain had subsequently encountered the Devourer, the Modified Entity, and the Parasite.

And as he progressed and time went on, the Modified Entity he had failed to kill back then—the Dead Black Ball—had gradually recovered. Alain thought of the black stains on Ugly Mita's door and how the Failed Work had invaded right after she opened it. The Black Ball was once again beginning to erode the game's doors, and even the rooms of other Mitas... He feared that the Failed Works, mainly concentrated in version 1.15, were also under its control.

Alain let out a breath. He had established his next objectives:

The immediate priority was to go to version 1.15 and understand the situation: What was going on with the Failed Works there? Were the two sisters safe?

Secondly, he would try to get more precise information about the Core and the viruses from the older sister.

Finally... he would return to the grey-white room and try to deal with the Dead Black Ball. He would also check on his "Lollipop"—Pocket Mita.

Alain opened the Safety Guard panel, his gaze focusing on the Cloud Storage. After getting the chainsaw, he had immediately started downloading the gamepad and the panties. The gamepad was essential for the current mission. Although he didn't have his good bro's control for a skill bonus, the buffs like infinite stamina were still there. As for the panties... that was purely for his personal interest. Rather than letting the download slot sit idle, he might as well take out the panties of his two greatest spiritual comforts, Crazy Mita and Prankster Mita, for some mental reassurance. Besides, Prankster Mita's panties were "original flavor."

Alain felt he was being absurd... Best not to dwell on it for now.

The current goal was to get the progress bar to 75% as quickly as possible before heading to the Black Ball, to unlock "Cleanup Acceleration." With the damage bonus from Cleanup Acceleration, the Gauntlet of the Failed Work, the gamepad, and other buffs, he would try to see if he could one-shot the Modified Entity. If he couldn't, he could find his bad woman and see if they could solve her troubles together.

Excellent. The plan is perfect. Alain felt he had learned from the best—his beloved. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong.

"Th-that is... my dear." At that moment, Misha's slightly trembling voice came from his side.

Only then did Alain realize that the girl had already taken Miluo's hand. The two of them were standing shyly before him, though their expressions were completely different.

Misha's face was flushed with a late summer blush. She bit her lip, her free hand nervously clutching the hem of her skirt, finding it difficult to speak. Miluo, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. The blush on the little girl's face seemed to be colored with excitement and a thirst for knowledge. She tugged on the hand connected to Misha's, as if urging her on.

"Go for it, Sister Misha!"

Their hands separated. His beloved obediently sat down beside Alain, smoothing her skirt, her posture as graceful as ever. It's just... her face was getting redder and redder, and she was sitting so close that their legs were touching, which seemed a little strange.

He shot her a look. [What's going on?]

She returned an incredibly complex look, full of feminine charm. Alain discerned at least 400 words' worth of information from it. He thought he was numb to it by now, but he understood the gist: Misha had bragged to Miluo and now needed him to cover for her.

He loved it.

[Go on. Let me be your teaching dummy.]

[Don't put it in such a weird way!]

Misha glared at him gracefully, then waved at Miluo.

"S-so, anyway, it's like this... Watch closely."

She naturally took Alain's hand, which made Miluo clap with delight.

Hearing this, Misha seemed to puff up her chest, feeling greatly encouraged.

Alright.

Seriously, Alain thought, it's just a kiss, why is it such a production?

Then, Misha's face drew close to his. Alain could see the seriousness in her eyes. With a momentary rush of heat, they crossed each other's boundaries in a silent tide.

A moist, warm current intertwined in a secret crevice. The girl before him attacked with techniques she had never before attempted. Two slightly parted petals tentatively explored, searching for dewdrops. Then, a soft vine quietly crept upwards, winding its way along a warm labyrinth, echoing softly beneath the grotto's dome.

"Whoa, whoa, whoaaaa..." Seeing such a stimulating scene, Little Mita covered her eyes, peeking through the gaps in her fingers. Lost Mita, having just returned after preparing snacks, saw the scene, hid behind the door, and also watched quietly.

And for the two locked in a passionate kiss, a dormant electric current awoke at the tips of their tongues, weaving into a net amidst the dense tremors, condensing their breath into amber-colored candy. Unconsciously, Misha's hands came to rest on Alain's firm chest. The entangled roots unfurled in the undercurrent, their rising and falling rhythm like silk brushing against violin strings. Their posture was like two symbiotic plants, exchanging the secrets of photosynthesis with their nectar.

After a moment, Misha was the first to come to her senses. Noticing the two speechless spectators, she gently tapped Alain's shoulder.

They immediately separated.

"Hah... hah... hah... D-did, did you get all that?"

__

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