"Then how do you usually get home?" Silica asked in disbelief. How did someone this hopeless even manage to survive in this game?
"My sister takes me home." Madoka tilted her delicate face up, full of pride and confidence.
"Don't give me that smug look! That's not something to be proud of!" Silica couldn't help but shout, exasperated. Then she asked, "So why didn't you ask your sister to come get you?"
"Sister went on a quest. She doesn't have time to take care of Madoka." Madoka lowered her head, shoulders drooping in disappointment.
"How long is the quest supposed to take?" Silica asked.
"A few days!" Madoka answered glumly.
"How many days exactly?" Silica pressed again.
"Silica! How many days?" Madoka looked at her with wide, confused eyes, as if pleading for help.
"Enough! Stop! I shouldn't even have asked that!" Silica groaned, covering her forehead. How am I supposed to know how long your sister's quest lasts?!
"Then what will you do for the next few days?" Silica asked automatically, only to realize it was another pointless question.
"Silica! What should Madoka do?" Madoka looked at her pitifully, her expression so helpless and adorable—like a kitten abandoned by its owner.
"I knew it. I just knew it would come to this..." Silica sighed, rubbing her temples. "Fine. You'll stay with me at the inn for the next few days!"
Silica led Madoka toward the inn. After a while, she realized she couldn't hear any footsteps behind her. When she turned around, she saw Madoka at a fork in the road, walking down another street.
"Hey, where are you going?!" Silica ran back and shouted. Thankfully, Madoka's bright pink dress made her easy to spot.
"Silica went the wrong way. We should go this way," Madoka said confidently, pointing toward the street that led out of town.
"Got it. This time, you walk in front of me," Silica said flatly, letting Madoka take the lead. Judging from her behavior earlier, she was definitely lost.
As they walked, Madoka suddenly made a sharp ninety-degree turn into another street.
"Hey! Enough already! Why do you keep turning randomly when you're supposed to walk straight?!" Silica called out, exhaustion washing over her.
"Silica went the wrong way again." Madoka looked at her with a troubled expression, as if to say, Why do you keep getting lost, Silica?
"Please stop talking and just follow me quietly," Silica sighed and grabbed Madoka's hand, pulling her along.
Silica had completely given up on Madoka's sense of direction. Even in a straight line, she manages to turn. No wonder she can't find her house.
The hand she held was soft and smooth. Silica felt her heart skip a beat, her face turning slightly red. Damn... why does she have such perfect hands...
When they arrived at the inn, Silica only booked one room. She didn't dare let that airhead sleep alone—if she did, Madoka would probably disappear by morning.
"Listen. Go to sleep like a good girl, and don't even think about leaving the room. I don't have the energy to go looking for you again."
Why does she smell so sweet... like cake... Silica thought absently.
"Nya~" Suddenly, two soft arms wrapped around Silica, pulling her close.
"Let go! I'm not a body pillow!" Silica yelped, her face burning bright red as Madoka buried her face in the crook of her neck.
The next morning, when Silica opened her eyes, the first thing she saw were those wine-red pupils gazing at her with pure joy.
"Silica! Morning!" Madoka's delicate face beamed with innocent happiness. Her wine-red eyes sparkled with pure, childlike warmth that instantly melted Silica's heart.
"Alright, fine... I'll forgive you for what you did last night," Silica sighed, rubbing her temples as she sat up. Wait... what exactly happened last night? Her head felt fuzzy, like she couldn't quite remember.
"Last night! Oh! I dreamed of a kitty!" Madoka suddenly exclaimed with bright excitement.
Silica's face instantly turned scarlet—from her cheeks to her ears, all the way down her neck.
"I–Idiot! Don't say such embarrassing things! Nothing like that happened, I swear!" Silica panicked and accidentally bit her tongue.
"Eh? Silica knows what Madoka dreamed about?" Madoka blinked, her wine-red eyes hazy with confusion as she looked at her.
"Don't look at me like that! How could I possibly know?" Silica snapped. She'd said those words countless times before—but this time, even she knew it was just an excuse.
...
In the forest of the 30th-floor labyrinth, Silica was helping Madoka train. Unbeknownst to them, two members of Titan's Hand were secretly watching from a distance.
"Listen. This boar is the weakest monster in the forest. With your weapon, you should be able to kill it in one hit. Try attacking it first." After spending enough time with Madoka, Silica knew better than to take chances. Before they officially started leveling, she decided to test Madoka's actual combat ability.
"Okay!" Madoka gripped her +20 sword—a weapon normal players could only dream of. Her eyes sharpened as she cautiously circled the grazing boar, her blade glowing with the light of an activated sword skill.
"Her movements... they look so professional. Don't tell me Madoka's actually some kind of expert?" Silica thought, surprised.
Three minutes later, the supposedly skilled girl was still circling the boar, eyes sharp, movements cautious. Silica's expression darkened—her patience evaporating.
"What are you waiting for?! That thing's weaker than a slime! Just kill it already!" Silica finally yelled, unable to hold back.
"Yaaah!" The so-called expert finally charged. Madoka raised her sword and sprinted toward the boar. Her grip and stance were perfect—if she just kept going, she'd pierce it cleanly.
"Why did she close her eyes?! I have a bad feeling about this... No, it'll be fine. If she keeps her aim steady, she'll kill it in one hit!" Silica tried to reassure herself.
The sword glowed brighter as Madoka sprinted. Just ten centimeters from the boar's head—suddenly, she turned sharply to the right at a ninety-degree angle. The blade grazed a tree trunk, and with a loud thud, Madoka crashed straight into it.
"Attacking with your eyes closed, and turning mid-sprint when you're supposed to go straight... the most useless player in history has officially been born. No competition," Silica groaned, facepalming hard.
"Uuuh..." Rubbing her forehead, Madoka opened her eyes and saw the boar still grazing peacefully. Looking dejected, she said, "Silica, that boar's too strong... Madoka can't beat it."
"The boar's not strong at all! Just tell me—why did you close your eyes when you attacked?!" Silica was already immune to most of Madoka's absurdity, but this was a new level.
"Madoka always closes her eyes when she runs. Silica, why does that happen?" Madoka asked sincerely, staring at her with those innocent wine-red eyes. Silica almost blurted out, How should I know?!
"Then don't run. Just walk up and stab it once," Silica said simply.
"Okay!" Madoka nodded obediently, slowly walking up to the grazing boar. She raised her sword—and stabbed. The boar instantly shattered into light fragments and vanished. A +20 weapon truly was unreasonable. Even if the enemy's level was ten higher, it didn't matter—one strike was all it took.
"I did it! I did it! Madoka killed a monster! Silica, Madoka's amazing!" Madoka cheered happily, her beautiful face glowing with pure joy. Her innocent smile was so bright that even Silica couldn't help but smile back. Madoka was simply too pure—impossible not to feel fondness for her.
All along the path, Madoka stabbed and killed everything effortlessly. Every monster fell in a single hit. Eventually, she came face to face with the giant spider that had chased her yesterday. Her legs immediately went weak.
"Silica! Madoka can't beat the spider! Let's go back and kill boars instead!" she pleaded, clutching Silica's hand tightly. The difference in their heights made the scene look almost comical.
"Calm down! The spider just has more HP. You can kill it with two strikes. Just stab once—then follow up immediately with a second hit!" Silica urged her to attack.
With a tearful, pitiful expression, Madoka walked up to the resting spider. She raised her sword... and stabbed it in the abdomen.
Chiii! The spider's HP bar instantly turned red. It screeched, raising its six legs and baring its fangs.
"I'm sorry! Madoka didn't mean it! I'm sorry! Madoka didn't mean it!" she cried, crouching down and covering her head as she kept apologizing over and over.
"Idiot! Follow up with another strike!" Silica shouted anxiously from the side.
"I can't! Madoka can't do it!" Madoka wailed, clutching her head with one hand, eyes squeezed shut, while the other hand swung the sword wildly.
But since the spider had already stood up—and Madoka was crouching on the ground—her sword didn't even come close to hitting it.