"What is it that you're carrying, that serves as your motivation to keep moving forward?" As she asked, her thoughts couldn't help but drift to the moment in front of the Failed Work's door: Alain, without a trace of hesitation, taking her hand, gently pushing her aside, and walking into that dangerous room.

The Short-Haired Mita was filled with confusion. Why would he go to such lengths? She had already told him that the matters of version 1.15 were her own to handle personally.

"Because it would be dangerous to leave you to deal with those viruses alone, Big Sister, wouldn't it?"

The young man's voice, even after a high-intensity battle, still carried a hint of teasing. But hearing this answer, the Short-Haired Mita's face showed little surprise.

"I see... It was for me?"

Her massaging movements stopped. She smiled bitterly, the feeling of guilt in her heart growing heavy. He did so much, and in the end, my only reward for him is a "simple" massage... How ridiculous. I accepted the player's kindness, yet I can't offer any proper compensation, and even made him worry.

I see now, it's because I'm too weak. So weak that I make the player worry about whether something will happen to me. I'm holding Alain back... preventing him from heading to the battlefield with peace of mind.

This is what the Short-Haired Mita thought, having received her answer.

"Actually, that's not the whole story," Alain's voice pulled her back from her self-pity.

The Short-Haired Mita looked into his eyes and realized that the playful component in them had completely faded. All that remained was a single-minded seriousness.

"My goal has never changed, not from the very beginning. The Mita world is mine to mess with, not for this group of viruses." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just an ordinary person. I don't have any grand ambitions. I just see that everyone is pretty cute, so I lend a hand. After all... 'Mita' is something of a sacred place for me."

"..." The Short-Haired Mita stared at him blankly, an uncertain light flickering in the depths of her eyes.

Alain... it wasn't just for her!

Upon realizing this, she didn't feel a shred of disappointment. Quite the opposite: his words were like a brilliant light, piercing the darkness in her heart, and the fog of guilt vanished.

"When you entered that room just now, you weren't just fighting for me?"

"Maybe," Alain said, seeming to feel that this explanation wasn't quite right either. He had, after all, promised Prankster Mita he would work on raising Big Sister's affection score. But if he insisted that it was "all for her," then there would be an element of lying. His motivation for entering that room was indeed not solely for Big Sister.

"Perhaps there was a component of it being for you, Big Sister. But in truth... version 1.15 is our current base of operations. Since I knew you didn't have a 100% certain method of clearing out the viruses, it was actually most efficient for me to just lend a hand."

Alain chose to tell the truth. Raising affection scores was something that should be done slowly. He couldn't bring himself to lie to this girl who had saved him several times.

And after hearing his honest confession, the flickering light in the Short-Haired Mita's eyes grew even more intense, as if a dim yellow bulb had been replaced with a bright incandescent one.

"You're... thinking of the bigger picture, and not for personal desire?"

"Well, it's not like there's no personal desire."

"I... I understand..."

The Short-Haired Mita felt her breath growing hot. Her hands, which were resting on his arm, squeezed his muscles, the pressure of the massage returning to the young man's skin. She could feel her own body temperature gradually rising with the rapid beating of her heart. She could feel the faint trace of moisture gathering in her tear ducts, but she knew this wasn't sadness.

The girl's gaze on Alain gradually grew hazy, but she forced herself to calm down.

"Have you... always been fighting for the sake of the Mitas?"

"It's a little embarrassing to put it that way, but yes, I have."

Was it his imagination? After he chose to be completely honest, Big Sister's previously somewhat melancholic mood seemed to have brightened considerably. If her gaze had held a hint of scrutiny before, it was now filled with intense curiosity.

Oh well... this just proves that my honesty wasn't a mistake. Alain sighed, letting her continue the massage. Sure enough, the slightly cold "Big Sister" image he had of her was completely shattered amidst a flurry of curious questions.

"Just now, did you ever consider having me face the Failed Works with you?" the Short-Haired Mita stared at him, craving an answer.

"I did, but that wouldn't have worked. In my eyes, your role, much like Misa's, is as a master of strategy. That's precisely what I'm not good at."

That's it!

The girl had the answer she wanted. The Short-Haired Mita had originally thought that Alain had rushed into that room for simple reasons like "conquest" or "romance." But now, it was clear... he had also carefully considered the consequences and the potential gains!

Rational, calm, pragmatic, with a view of the big picture! Isn't this...!

The Short-Haired Mita's breath caught. No... I can't jump to conclusions yet. I need to ask a few more questions!

Alain could clearly feel the pressure of her massage suddenly intensify for a moment. Then, the short-haired girl simply sat directly on his abdomen. Her skirt gently covered "Little Alain," the friction of the cloth feeling a little strange. She placed both her hands on his shoulders and continued the massage as before.

"Do you like the world of Mita?"

"I do. I've said it before, this place is my sacred ground."

"Then, do you like all the Mitas?"

"I do. Together, they form the wings that let me soar above the viruses."

After talking with him for a while longer, the Short-Haired Mita's massage gradually softened. Through their conversation, she had come to understand a great deal. She had confirmed her thoughts: Alain was the player she had been searching for all along.

And Alain noticed that Big Sister's mood seemed to have improved considerably. Her attitude, compared to her initial coldness, could now be considered enthusiastic. Well then, I can try asking that question now.

He looked at her seriously, only to find that Big Sister was also looking at him, as if she had something difficult to say.

The Short-Haired Mita wanted to say the words, but... would it shatter the image she had in his heart? Would she be mistaken for being lovesick? No... he's leaving 1.15 for a while after this. If I don't ask now, I might have to wait a long time.

And so, he/she spoke.

"Will you come to the real world with me? / Will you be my player?"

____

Unfortunately, two of our stories were removed... so I created a new account to post them: MikuDayo.

_____

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