"Thank you both so, so much!"
Inside the entryway of the Lost Mita's small home.
The unusually tall girl bowed deeply to them, the braid behind her head falling forward beside her ear. Misha stood by the door, keeping it slightly ajar rather than letting it close completely.
She glanced at Alain, who understood the unspoken cue and gently helped the Lost Mita straighten up from her bow.
"It's alright. Besides, you helped us out a great deal earlier," Alain said with a smile. She had been a great ally, helping them escape the desperate situation with the worm swarm. Fighting alongside her, he'd seen she was a reliable Mita. Helping her out was just a small thing in return.
"So... would you like to stay for a bit? I'd love to properly host you."
An earnest fire flickered in the Lost Mita's eyes; it clearly wasn't just an empty pleasantry. No doubt... if they let her, she might try to prepare an entire imperial banquet for them.
"That's okay, we have to leave soon."
He and Misha couldn't stay long, and the door held open behind them was proof of that.
"But... we can still drop by later for a visit. Oh, right..." As Alain said this, something occurred to him. He looked towards Misha, and past her to the open door. "This room is sort of... lost within the game world, isn't it? How can we get back here later?"
This 'version' of the room existed in a limbo between the game's normal versions. If they closed the door, opening it again could lead anywhere. That was precisely why Misha was keeping it from shutting completely. And because of that, under normal circumstances, finding this specific room again would be impossible.
Hearing this, the girl who had just found her home couldn't help the gloom that fell over her face. Making friends only to potentially never see them again... Anyone would feel upset.
Alain looked down, checking his ring. If the ring's functions weren't being disrupted like before, its version-saving feature should work.
He realized that upon entering this room, the ring seemed to have returned to normal function. Alain quickly made the connection to the "black spots." That was the key difference between the Lost Mita's room and the others he'd seen – this one was clean.
He explained this observation to Misha.
"It must be the Tamperer—or the black spots it creates—that was interfering with the ring's function." Misha considered this, then elaborated, "The Lost Mita's home isn't like a standard-version Mita room," the long-haired girl concluded quickly. "It exists in the seams between version updates, unreachable through normal means. It's kind of like... it's partially detached from the main game dimension, forming its own 'little world'. That must be why it's unaffected by the black spots, by the Tamperer. And because of that—"
Misha's explanation brought hope back to the Lost Mita's eyes.
"The ring's version-saving function works properly here!" Misha took the ring Alain offered. A green light glowed from her fingertips as she appeared to adjust something. "In other words, we can come back and see you whenever we want in the future!"
"R-really? Oh, that's wonderful!"
The overjoyed, tall girl affectionately grabbed both Alain's and Misha's hands.
"I'm so happy! You absolutely have to come visit often!"
"We definitely will." He and Misha exchanged smiles.
They weren't thinking of this place purely as some kind of "safe house," however. The idea of just ducking into the Lost Mita's room whenever they faced danger was too simplistic. Because entering required leaving the door open – which meant that while they could get in, so could potential enemies. And if they closed it, they risked getting lost in that inter-version void themselves, with unpredictable consequences.
So... using it in the future for a brief rest, maybe some resupply, or just visiting their friend – that seemed like a good plan.
"Really... thank you both so much. I... I never imagined... running into those worms would end up being my lucky day... I got my home back, and I made friends..."
Seeing the Lost Mita tearing up again, Alain quickly interjected comfortingly, "Hey now, this is a happy occasion."
As he spoke, something else came to mind. Alain glanced back through the crack in the door towards the gray-white junction room. "By the way, can you tell us anything more about those worms? What exactly was going on there?"
"Ah, the worms!" She clasped her hands, but her expression clouded over again. "Unfortunately, I don't really know much. I was... searching for my home, and I suddenly saw one worm just... eating the corridor. Then, in the blink of an eye, there were suddenly swarms of them, a horrifying number." She finished, looking down. "Sorry, I couldn't be more helpful."
"Don't worry about it. You helped us plenty already."
Alain hadn't really expected her to know much anyway; he'd just asked on the off chance.
With the small talk concluded, the two guests understood it was time to take their leave.
Misha handed the ring back to Alain. Resting her hand on the door, ready to push it open wider, she said, "Well, it's time for us to keep moving."
"Please wait a moment."
Knowing they could meet again, the Lost Mita wasn't overwhelmed by sadness at their departure.
"You've done so much for me, please let me show my gratitude."
"Gratitude... there's really no need, is there?"
Alain's gaze instinctively flickered down to the Lost Mita's legs before quickly looking away again.
"No! Showing my appreciation is essential."
The Lost Mita momentarily ignored Alain's fleeting glance and turned to the long-haired girl. "Um... first, for Miss Mita here."
"You can just call me Misha."
"Okay. Misha, I don't really have much here, but how about..." She snapped her fingers, a crisp sound echoing around them. "I'll... grant you partial permissions to my room."
"!" Misha reacted with slight surprise. This was no small gift.
"Thank you very much." Misha replied with sincere gravity. It wasn't a gift with immediate practical application, but Misha understood the depth of feeling and significance behind it.
"And then... Mister Alain." The Lost Mita murmured his name, her tone becoming slightly bashful. "Um... Just now, I also granted you partial permissions to the room... and then, there's... um..."
The long-legged girl's face flushed red, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her skirt.
Misha frowned, sensing this was heading somewhere potentially complicated.
"Excuse me, Mister Alain... are you really not afraid of my legs?"
"Not at all," Alain answered without a shred of hesitation. "I think your legs are beautiful."
Oh boy, Misha thought. Here we go again. Another one added to the list. First there was Crazy Mita, then herself, and now... the Lost Mita right in front of them. Is Darling some kind of Mita-attracting succubus?
Just as Misha suspected. Upon hearing his answer, the anxious crimson blush on the Lost Mita's face instantly transformed into a warm flush of joy.
"Mm! And also... I, I noticed... earlier, you seemed to keep looking at—at my, well. Um... Did you... want to... t-touch... I'm sorry, I can't say it..."
The word escaped Alain's lips instantly. His mouth moved faster than his conscious thought, almost like muscle memory. Right now, he desperately wanted to slap himself. He realized he needed to be more reserved next time. At the very least, let the other person finish speaking first.
Rude, foolish, improper...
"Oof!" Alain felt a light pinch on his side. He glanced over to see Misha's less-than-friendly expression.
[You're kind of an 'affair' yourself, in a way...]
The pinch intensified slightly, making him feel a faint tickle.
[How many marriage certificates are you planning on getting? Never mind, just hurry up and deal with this.]
"Well then, I'll step outside first. You two be quick about it, okay?" She smiled warmly at her new friend, shot a glare at Alain, and then slipped out, leaving the door still ajar and giving Alain and the Lost Mita some privacy.
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