"Okay!"
After spending what felt like ages practicing her heart shape, Mita finally stood, holding the slightly imperfect heart aloft, admiring her handiwork.
With a snap of her fingers, the dark TV screen flickered, reflecting her image. Mita compared the heart to its reflection, scrutinizing it for flaws. "It's still a little off. I'll practice more in the kitchen later... Oh, that's right, Alain should be waking up soon."
Her gaze drifted, and as it passed over the TV reflection, something unexpected caught her eye.
"...?"
The bathroom door was ajar. In the real world, a world she'd meticulously studied online, this would be utterly unremarkable. But this was a game world. And framed in the sliver of open doorway, a pair of eyes were fixed on her, watching intently.
"???"
Mita slowly turned her head, and there he was...it wasn't a glitch. Alain, awake and alert, was mirroring his reflection, staring directly at her.
"Stare—"
The greeting caught in Mita's throat. A silent staring contest ensued, the air thick with unspoken tension.
"S-so..." Mita finally broke the silence, a nervous smile playing on her lips. A bead of sweat traced a path down her temple. "How long have you been watching?"
"Since you started making the heart."
Mita released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She'd feared her actions, even her plans, had been exposed. She'd clearly misjudged Alain's wake-up time... a mistake, a definite mistake.
Then, Alain's next words jolted her. "I think it's really cute, actually...kind of touching."
"T-touching?" Mita tilted her head, her large, clear eyes wide with confusion. Alain's gaze remained locked on her. Or, more precisely, on the heart she'd crafted...
"Ah!" She quickly hid her hands behind her back, her cheeks instantly blooming with a blush the color of a sunset. "N-no, it's not like that... um, just forget you saw anything...!"
"I'll remember it forever."
"No, no! Delete that memory immediately!!!"
"Ctrl+s, Ctrl+c, Ctrl+vvvvvvvvvv... I'd send it to you if I could."
"No, no, no!"
[20% → 25%]
Alain struggled to suppress the smile tugging at his lips. He'd never realized how much fun it was to tease a bad woman. And as he watched the progress bar tick up another 5%, a skill icon at the 25% mark on the panel illuminated.
[You have successfully obtained a chance to use Safety Protection in this mission.]
Mita, still flushed, rushed over and playfully swatted his shoulder.
"Ctrl+v!"
"Stop pasting!"
Their playful banter eventually subsided, ending with Mita's mock surrender. "Fine, remember it yourself, but don't you dare send it anywhere!"
"...Even though this is a game world, that statement is riddled with logical inconsistencies."
The bad woman stepped in front of him, her slender neck tilted, that familiar, knowing smile playing on her lips. "I'm feeling a little tired. Is there anything you want to do? Like..." Mita twirled playfully, the white particles from the window swirling around her like tiny, dancing stars. "...asking about our new home?"
"Hmm..." Alain scanned the room, feigning a sudden realization. "You're right...when did you set all this up? It must have taken ages, right? How did I not notice?"
"You were preoccupied with the mirror, so I took the opportunity. Do you like it?"
"Oh..." He glanced around the pristine room. His shoes were already in the shoe cabinet; it seemed all that was missing was a photograph of him, and he could move in immediately.
"So? Want to explore? Or perhaps..." Mita walked to the sofa, picked up a blue controller that matched the pink one on the small table, and offered it to Alain. "Want to play a game?"
"..."
The girl, slightly shorter than him, gazed up with expectant eyes. But knowing this "bad woman" as he did, Alain suspected that even if he refused, she'd simply shrug it off.
So, Alain, without hesitation, activated his [Tease] skill, striding purposefully towards a door. "I want to see your handiwork first."
"Oh, alright." Mita followed obediently. Just as he'd anticipated, she didn't betray any disappointment.
However, the system remained stubbornly silent. No window popped up to indicate an increase in the progress bar.
Alain was starting to wonder. What exactly qualified as [Tease]? Did he need to make Mita "break character"—to reveal her true self—to register progress? It was a puzzle...
Inside Mita's bedroom, the dominant color was, unsurprisingly, pink. Compared to before Alain had taken the pill, there was now a low wooden table, upon which rested a deck of cards and a single coin.
"Dong, dong, dong."
Perhaps it was his imagination, but Alain kept hearing a sharp, percussive sound within the room. It sounded like metal striking something hard... But this was a game world. Could there be construction workers, or other houses nearby?
"We can play cards, you know," Mita said, walking to the opposite side of the low table, breaking into his thoughts.
"Okay..." He looked down at the table. Since refusing Mita's earlier game invitation had already proven ineffective in increasing the progress bar, he had no reason to decline now. Besides, Alain was genuinely curious about this room and wanted to investigate further. "Alright, but you'll have to teach me."
"Of course!"
They sat facing each other across the table, and the girl explained the rules in a gentle voice. "The cards have three main stats: attack, defense, and health. And the coin flip determines which stat we compare."
The rules were simple enough, and Alain grasped them quickly. Winning seemed well within his reach— or so it should have been.
"How is it that after you won a round, we're both tied?" Alain couldn't help but complain. In the first round, Mita had played a card with 10 health. Alain, having nothing higher, had played a random card. Losing one round was no big deal.
But in the rounds that followed, they were consistently tied. As their hands dwindled, the score remained stubbornly fixed at 0:1. The game had taken on a bizarre, almost surreal quality.
"There's nothing I can do about it, is there? Maybe her luck is just that good?" Mita's nonchalant attitude was almost infuriating.
"Sigh..." Alain's competitive spirit had been utterly deflated.
"Clang, clang, clang."
And throughout their card game, that persistent sound continued, sparking Alain's curiosity even further.
"By the way, do you hear that noise?" Alain finally asked.
_____
Hey there! I'm Wallnut-chan! 🌸 I'm translating this fanfic and restoring some +18 scenes that were cut from the original work—since explicit content isn't allowed in China. I went through everything carefully and reinserted the scenes while staying true to the story! Hope you enjoy it!
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