"Probably... that's about it." She shook her head.
"Can I really find my lost memories?" Cool Mita said, a crystalline teardrop gathering at the corner of her eye. "Sometimes, I even wonder why I have to find them at all."
She looked up at the thick mist.
The gray haze enveloped the sky of the Forgotten Place, neither stormy nor clear.
"Who was I before? Who am I now? If I recover my memories, will I still be me? I ask myself these questions all the time."
She looked at Alain and gave a bitter smile, as if a glass-like teardrop slid down her cheek.
"Maybe, when I find my memories, I'll ask you too—if I'm still me."
"You've always been you." Alain sat cross-legged; the heavy fog didn't cloud his clear eyes. "I think Cool Mita and I still have a lot in common."
"Because memories are just objects—they're yours to begin with. The one truly in control is still you." He smiled. "Just treat them like objects. How you use them is up to you."
He reached out, gently wiping the tear from the girl's cheek.
"So, don't be afraid. With or without your memories, you're still you. You're Cool Mita—the super cool Mita."
"..."
Cool Mita looked into his eyes; his pure pupils were as clear as a deep pool.
"Y-You make it sound so easy." She huffed lightly and turned her head away. "Aren't you just like that dummy, wanting to help me find my memories too?"
"Do you want to find them?"
Alain's counter-question left her momentarily stunned.
After a pause, Cool Mita nodded. "I... do."
The girl hugged her knees, her deep blue eyes gazing at him with a mysterious mix of indignation.
"It's not just because you and Cute Mita want to help me recover them. I'm... curious about 'Cool Mita' myself."
"What makes you worthy of befriending such a great friend like Cute Mita?"
"I want to ask her that."
"Then ask her." Alain said. "I'll help you ask too."
"The image of Cute Mita in my memories is like this. If it's not what you wanted to know, then... I'm sorry."
"No, that's enough."
From Cool Mita's account, Alain had formed a clear picture of the real Cute Mita in his mind:
Full of energy, always cracking harmless little jokes out of nowhere.
But actually...
She was a very, very... very gentle person.
She hid her inner gentleness behind her lively, outgoing personality, yet shone like sunlight on the amnesiac Cool Mita.
"I want to ask you some questions. Is that okay?" He looked at Cool Mita seriously, and she nodded.
"Go ahead."
"Have you felt that Cute Mita has been acting strange?" Alain figured he and Cute Mita weren't that close yet. Jumping to conclusions rashly...
If he got it wrong, it could make things awkward for everyone.
Better to consult Cute Mita's friend—Cool Mita—and test his suspicions.
"Strange... huh?" Cool Mita thought for two seconds, then nodded hesitantly.
"Yeah... I do think she's been a bit strange."
"Where exactly?"
"Mainly... her personality?" She scratched her cheek. "Cute Mita is actually pretty timid. She really hates bugs—doesn't even want to look at them."
"But back when you had just lost your memories, she took on so much responsibility?"
Alain frowned slightly. From what Cool Mita had said earlier, when she was lost and wandering after her amnesia, Cute Mita had charged ahead to face the viruses first.
The version they were in then was the Sci-fi Version—a place full of creepers and Man-Headed Spider-Wasps.
Both were exactly the types Cute Mita hated.
"She was scared, but she rushed in anyway." Cool Mita smiled.
"...Wow, she's impressive."
The image of Cute Mita in Alain's mind grew sharper—and more fractured.
"Go on."
"Mm." Cool Mita nodded. "When we came to the Forgotten Place to fight the viruses, Cute Mita didn't show even a hint of fear on her face. In fact..."
She paused, then continued. "Even when we were fighting that giant bug, she seemed excited, like she was enjoying the show..."
"Mm..." Alain mentally highlighted that point. "Anything else?"
"Yes." Cool Mita nodded. "The Cute Mita in my memories isn't like ordinary Mitas. Maybe it's because of her version..."
The girl looked at Alain. "Have you played games like School Idol?"
"Yeah."
Alain nodded; as a hardcore otaku, he had dabbled in the basics of 2D genres.
"Cute Mita... she never mentioned her exact version number, but hers isn't the heavy-romance type."
Cool Mita thought for two seconds and gave an example. "Like those popular idol management sims on Steam... her version is probably something like that."
"I see..."
If ordinary Mita versions were filled with side activities, but with [romance] as the core focus—
All the management, training, etc., served the romance.
Then Cute Mita's version leaned toward pure management. The player's role was probably...
A manager.
Romance existed, of course, but it took a backseat to the career aspects.
So, even if Cute Mita's mouth ran wild, due to her version's core...
She was unexpectedly career-focused?
That actually appealed to him a bit.
No...
Alain realized something, understanding what Cool Mita meant.
"You mean—" He looked at Cool Mita. "Because of her version's underlying code, Cute Mita prioritizes her career line. So she absolutely couldn't be a romance-obsessed airhead?"
"Right." Cool Mita nodded. "Cute Mita isn't that desperate for players. What's more important to her is her manager."
"Then..."
Alain recalled Cute Mita's near-clingy behavior toward him...
Though it was a bit rude to the person involved, and 'love at first sight' was possible.
But Alain didn't believe 'love at first sight' would happen to him.
Especially not with a career-focused idol type...
From his gaming experience, idol management sims had one crucial element:
Affection system, or trust/rapport system.
Essential for both career and romance lines in popular idol sims.
The player—the manager—had to bond with the idol while handling projects, raising affection for buffs and rewards.
Affection built gradually; 'instant max' was rare.
In other words, such games' heroines were typically [slow-burn] types. Love at first sight was extremely unlikely.
Unless it was a 'childhood friend' setup.
But Cute Mita was a 'heaven-sent' to Alain.
Her clinginess made even less sense.
"And..." Cool Mita's tone carried a hint of sourness, drawing Alain's attention.
He smiled. "What's up?"
"...She clearly promised before that I'd be her manager. But the moment she saw you, she turned around and asked you to be her manager... That's really strange too."
"Haha..." Alain didn't know how to respond and just pinched the girl's cheek.
Cool Mita felt the slight tug on her cheek, which grew warm and flushed. She didn't protest his intimacy, just let him do it, her eyebrows lowering submissively.
"Alright, no more jealousy."
"I'm not jealous..." The girl said that, but her heart was a tangled mess.
Cool Mita herself couldn't figure out her current emotions.
Before, when Cute Mita called Alain her manager, she had felt a twinge of jealousy...
Like her good friend was being stolen. Or like the one unique gift her friend had given her was no longer unique... that odd feeling.
The girl sneaked a glance at Alain, seeing him lost in thought.
Now, Cool Mita's jealousy had shifted from Alain to Cute Mita.
It felt a bit embarrassing... She wanted those two to get along.
But not too well...
She didn't want to see Cute Mita clinging to Alain. Or Alain asking too much about, probing too deeply into Cute Mita...
Whenever she thought about it...
Her mood soured.
Because saying it outright would sound like... Alain could only belong to her, Cool Mita?
That thought was too heavy, too selfish... bad for everyone.
So conflicted...
Cool Mita fiddled with her fingers, clueless about why she felt this way.
In the past, she'd been dragged by Cute Mita right from 'birth' to adventure across versions, building friendships... but zero experience interacting with players.
What exactly was this feeling?
She stared at her nails, lost in thought—
But not even two seconds later, Alain's words startled her.
"Alright, I get the gist." He stood up and looked around. "I'll go find Cute Mita first—hm?"
Alain noticed that as soon as he spoke, his hand was gripped by a soft, tender hold.
Looking down, Cool Mita was clutching his hand tightly, unwilling to let go.
"Eh?" The girl gasped in shock, staring at her disobedient hand...
"W-Why would it do this?! Isn't this hand hers anymore?"
"...Chop it off then."
"What's wrong? Need me to carry you?"
"Okay." Cool Mita said it, then wanted to slap herself.
No hesitation at all! At least be polite?
What would he think? That she was troublesome? A high-maintenance girl.
Alain had just meant it as a joke, never expecting Cool Mita's immediate agreement.
He frowned slightly, seriously checking the girl's ankle.
He'd almost forgotten—her dislocation had only been fixed minutes ago.
It must hurt. She probably couldn't walk.
He crouched seriously, offering his back.
"If it hurts, just say so. No need to be polite with me."
"Uh... can I put my hands here?"
Alain patted his thigh.
"Y-Yeah... since I need your help anyway, put them wherever... W-Wah!"
She clamped her mouth shut, heart pounding, terrified she'd blurt something embarrassing again...
The girl stared at Alain's back, her mind a whirlwind. She hated her mouth and hands even more.
"Th-Then... if you think I'm heavy, just say so..."
She pursed her lips, carefully leaning onto Alain's back, chin resting on his shoulder.
The girl's arms gently encircled his neck, and Alain lightly supported her.
Alain started walking. His steady steps made the girl's skirt sway slightly.
Cool Mita peered over Alain's shoulder at the path unfolding left and right.
They walked in silence, the only sound their movement.
The girl swallowed, feeling Alain's hands on her thighs.
His hands were rough, callused. Less like a young man's... more like a man's.
But the friction felt comfortable—no discomfort at all. On the contrary, they were warm.
"N-No... what am I thinking?"
Cool Mita shook her head wildly.
When a girl is carried by a guy, she shouldn't think about that—she should care about him!
"H-Heavy?" Her cheeks flushed as she reminded him. "If I'm too heavy, you can put me down."
"Nope." Alain twisted his head for a joke. "Maybe all my past workouts were for this moment?"
"Dummy! What are you suddenly saying?!"
She jolted in surprise, nearly making Alain stumble.
"...If you don't want to fall, be careful." He pinched her soft flesh hard.
"Ouch... sorry!"
Alain noticed that as soon as he spoke, his hand was gripped by a soft, tender hold.
Cool Mita could only quietly lean on his back, letting Alain gently support her.
___
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