Alain felt a dizzying lightness, like his body was dissolving. Code flickered at the edges of his vision.
Last time, he'd been too panicked to register the details. Now, safe for the moment, he realized it felt like his consciousness was being typed into the game, letter by letter.
A pop-up window flashed in front of him.
"?"
The window displayed three small, red dots. The first seemed to indicate that bugs brought into the game from the real world were a type of virus, capable of advancing that mysterious progress bar.
Alain glanced at Misha. She was wearing the white dress he'd bought her yesterday, the hem swaying gently as she looked down.
She caught his eye and turned to him. "Something wrong?"
"...No, nothing."
Alain wanted to apologize for what was coming...
The second red dot was a system notification: Firewall activated?
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He didn't have time to dwell on it.
The third notification simply stated that their teleportation point would be the same as their last exit.
"The basement, then?"
Which meant they'd have to get through Crazy Mita's bedroom first to escape.
That sounded... extremely dangerous.
Alain voiced his concern to Misha.
"It's alright," she assured him. "Once you open the door to the room, the ring will guide you."
"Convenient."
Alain nodded. As he did, the blinding white light faded, revealing the familiar, musty gloom of the basement.
The cage, a jumble of cardboard boxes, some unidentifiable machinery, her, the pipe from their last escape, a discarded sofa. And the pillar Alain had used for that desperate "Qin King circling the pillar" maneuver.
Huh?
Wait. Was he forgetting something?
"Eh?! Crazy Mita?!"
The shocked exclamation came from Misha. The dark blue-haired girl with the low ponytail, chainsaw in hand, was already practically on top of him.
"Holy..." Alain caught himself. He didn't like to swear, but this situation warranted it.
He gauged the distance. The basement was cramped, and she was barely a meter away.
Worse, he and Misha were on the opposite side from the exit. Meaning the exit was behind Honey...
The whirring of the chainsaw filled his ears, mixing with the surprisingly sweet scent of Honey's perfume.
He inhaled, almost involuntarily.
It wasn't his fault he wasn't more panicked. There was simply nowhere to run.
And Honey was still wearing that terrifying smile. Thankfully, she hadn't even spared Misha a glance, her focus entirely on him.
All Alain could do was shove Misha away, then figure out how to survive this brutal game tutorial.
But then, the murderous woman, who'd been charging at him with fire in her eyes, stopped mere inches away. With a thump, she tossed the chainsaw aside.
"?"
Then, she shoved him down, hard. And gently straddled his waist.
"??"
Alain was completely floored. His professional instincts were screaming.
Honey, however, wasn't about to let him indulge. She silenced his unspoken words with a kiss.
"???"
The beautiful girl closed her eyes, savoring their reunion, seemingly lost in the moment.
Misha, who Alain had pushed aside, went pale.
"What are you doing, you crazy woman?!"
She scrambled behind Honey, grabbing her shoulder, trying to pull her off Alain.
But the frail girl was no match for the, in Alain's mind, surprisingly muscular woman.
Honey flicked her right arm, sending Misha stumbling back towards the sofa.
In that instant, Misha and Alain's eyes met. A silent understanding passed between them.
Alain received a tiny nod.
Honey, releasing her aggressive hold slightly, glanced at Misha with cool indifference. "You just sit there and watch. Alain is mine."
Then, the scorching offensive resumed. The battle between Alain and Honey reignited, leaving a utterly confused Misha on the sidelines.
[0%→5%]
The security system's pop-up appeared in the corner of his vision. Alain desperately wanted to ask: What is this progress bar? Where did it come from? And why is it going up?!
Ignoring all that, a wave of panic washed over him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Honey pull out the same dagger from her knitted sweater sleeve as last time.
A flash of cold steel, aimed for his ear.
He twitched, and with a clang, the dagger point slammed into the smooth floor. The sound made his ears ring.
A drop of sweat trickled down his forehead. He'd glanced over, trying to see what Honey was doing, and their eyes met.
He saw a flicker of cunning in her gaze. As if to say... You're not playing nice.
The second strike came, this time for his neck. And the blade was moving horizontally.
He couldn't dodge. There was absolutely no way.
That was his immediate thought.
But if he couldn't avoid the attack, he just needed to focus on the attacker.
So, he decisively reached out, grabbed Honey's slender waist, and squeezed.
"Ugh...!"
[5%→10%]
His thumbs dug into her stomach, the soft sensation spreading. The girl, who moments ago was locked in a deadly dance with him, visibly softened, her attacks – both verbal and physical – losing a third of their force.
He craned his neck, and the blade sliced past, barely grazing his skin.
Their lips parted.
Crazy Mita, who'd been dominating him, was defeated in this first round, collapsing weakly onto Alain's chest.
Alain gently lowered her to the ground, ready to flee this nightmare with Misha.
But then, he caught sight of Honey's hand reaching for the chainsaw.
With a terrifying whirr—, the teeth spun, creating a miniature windstorm.
"Hehehe, Alain. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
She laughed, a devilish sound. The lips that had just plundered his own curved into a crescent moon.
Her two sharp fangs were visible at the corners of her mouth, as if she could never get enough of looking at him.
"...Yeah," Alain managed a strained smile.
"You're so enthusiastic the moment you see someone..." The girl touched her waist, her face slightly flushed.
"How was it? My little farewell present."
She gently traced her lips. The memory brought a rosy blush to her cheeks, a hint of the shyness from their first meeting.
Alain smacked his lips. "Very sweet. Very delicious. I can't seem to get enough."
"Oh, you... always saying such infuriating things."
Misha, still sidelined, puffed out her cheeks, her voice laced with resentment. "What's going on... you're making me feel like a third wheel."
"Doll, stay quiet and don't move. I'll deal with you later. Right now..."
Crazy Mita didn't even look at Misha, her gaze locked onto Alain.
"It's our time to catch up."
__________________
Note: "Honey" is the affectionate nickname Alain gave to Crazy Mita before returning to the game.
____
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