Ripples had already formed on her face. Tear tracks, like climbing ivy, crept down her cheeks.
Under Alain's gaze, she sat crumpled on the floor, tears having flowed from the moment the bug was fixed until now.
He said nothing, and neither did anyone else. They just interacted with her normally.
"You... what are you still looking at? Hurry up and go! Do you really want to stay here with me that much?" Mila acted as if she hadn't noticed a thing, forcing a bright smile.
The glint of tears welled at the corners of her mouth, streamed down her cheeks, and hung there, ready to fall. A moment later, they became silver threads, dotting her shirt and skirt, each drop a deep, dark stain.
Only then did the girl notice the faint tickle crawling across her cheeks. Her gaze towards the others was no longer clear as water, but was now covered by a blurry film.
It was like a layer of mist, obstructing her view of them.
"What's going on?" It wasn't until she wiped her face that she finally saw a single, glistening droplet on her fingertip.
"Why..."
She tried to wipe away the falling tears, but her hands were held fast by four embracing arms, leaving her no choice but to let the dark spots stain her friends' clothes.
"Actually... I'm not as strong as you think. I'm very fragile."
Millie nodded. "I know."
"Being stuck here alone... with a virus in the room, I'm so scared!"
An even greater torrent of tears streamed through the air, striking the floor like a shower of tiny stars.
She stared at a single, clear teardrop. The drop was small, but perfectly transparent, and filled with memories of everyone.
"What is this...?" The girl lowered her head, wrapping her arms around her own slender frame, her shoulders trembling slightly.
"I thought I'd prepared myself for this... I didn't have to look so pathetic."
Mila gently shook her head and took off her glasses.
Through the lenses, she saw the worried little head in her arms. It was Millie, whom she was holding.
"Big Sister Mila, it's okay." The kind girl wrapped her arms around Mila's head, pulling her face into her embrace.
Millie gently stroked the back of her head. The touch was as soft as a young willow branch skimming the water's surface, a gentle caress.
Miluo also walked to their side, helped the two of them to the sofa, and then sat on Mila's left,
"Hey, it's okay! We won't be apart for long. We'll probably... see each other again tomorrow!"
"That's right." Misha slowly walked over and sat on Mila's right, gently patting the girl's back.
"Trust us, and trust Alain."
The three looked at each other, then interlaced their arms, holding Mila tight.
Emotions welled up and spilled from her lips, tangible as the pillows strewn on the floor and the words written all over the walls.
And the final, gentle push came from Alain.
He walked up behind the four of them and spread his arms like wings, gathering them all into his embrace. And Mila, who had been trying to suppress her tears, finally let the floodgates break completely amidst wave after wave of warmth.
"Wuu, wuuuu..."
Millie answered, "I understand."
"I don't want to be separated from you at all. I want... to be with you and play forever!"
Misha stroked her head, smiling softly. "Me too."
"I... I... I!" The girl summoned her last bit of courage, raised her head, and gazed at the four encouraging smiles,
"I can't bear to leave you!!!"
Her words echoed through the room, ringing in the girls' ears.
Alain heard them clearly, too.
"I told you, I promised you I would save you."
His words were harder than any cage the virus could build.
"I will pull you out of here with my own hands. And then, right before your eyes—"
His tone was one of absolute, unquestionable resolve.
"I'll tear that virus to shreds."
"So, trust him. Trust us." Misha smoothed her hair, her cool hand resting against Mila's cheek,
"I'll be waiting for you in our little home in the real world, with a table full of food."
Mila didn't reply, just nodded gently. She watched as Misha's figure gradually faded until she was gone.
"Alain and I have a huge backlog of games we haven't played yet. You have to join me, so we can clear it together!"
In a daze, Mila saw Millie's bright, wide smile. And in the next moment, that smile vanished.
"Me too!" Now it was Miluo's turn. She placed her hands on Mila's cheeks, turning her gaze toward her.
"Big Sister Misha is always trying to buy me tons of workbooks! When you get to the real world, Big Sister Mila, you have to help me talk some sense into her!"
The girl's voice lingered in the air, drifting peacefully away.
And the only warmth left in the embrace was Alain's.
His hand rested gently on Mila's head. He didn't speak.
In the silent room, only the touch on the girl's head showed that one last person had yet to leave.
"Y-you're not leaving yet?" she asked, wiping her tears and turning her head away, not wanting Alain to see her in such a mess.
"I was thinking about something."
"...What is it?" Mila asked, curious.
Alain reached out and gently booped her nose.
"How I should tease you once you get to the real world."
"..."
Hearing his words, the girl's expression froze for a second before she broke into a smile through her tears and lightly punched Alain's chest.
"You damn player! Is this how you win girls over?"
"Yep." Alain looked up at the light pink ceiling, his gaze deep.
"This is how I've made it this far."
"You sound like an old man! Talking about teasing people so righteously." Mila stuck her tongue out at him.
But Alain's tone turned serious.
"What I mean is—"
He looked down into Mila's eyes,
"I've made it this far, and I've never failed, not once. So, all you have to do is wait for me."
"..."
The tears in the girl's eyes stopped. A single remaining drop traced a path down her cheek.
"Okay..." She wiped the tear away, laughed, and held out her pinky.
"Let's make a promise."
Alain extended his own, and their two pinkies intertwined.
He said, "I will come to Version 1.0F, shatter the virus, and save you."
She said, "I will stand here and wait for you, and give you all the help I possibly can. Until you save me."
Together, they said, "If I lie, I'll swallow a thousand needles!"
As Alain and she looked at each other, neither could suppress a smile.
As the sound of bell-like laughter drifted through the room, the very last trace of touch and warmth vanished without a trace.
Mila looked around the messy room.
Everyone's pillows were still here, and the writing was still all over the walls. Even her own computer—
"......!"
A brilliant light shone in her eyes. She dashed headlong into the bedroom, her gaze fixed on the notepad on her computer screen.
Mila frantically moved the mouse, praying under her breath, "Please don't be deleted, please don't be deleted."
She finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the words.
[Hello]
The message was short, just a single word. Yet the attempt to write it had thrown her walls, her room, and her heart into chaos.
Mila typed out a belated reply:
[Hello to you all]
___
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