Infermon, in essence, was a "chrysalis." Beneath its protective shell, some powerful devil-like being was slowly forming.
But right now, it was still very much in its "incubation" phase, nowhere close to breaking free.
In this state, it was basically no different from a certain green caterpillar's evolved cocoon from a neighboring anime studio—a Metapod. Before evolving into something monstrous, it had almost zero fighting capability.
Its only strength lay in the defensive power of its shell. But the moment this defense was shattered, it instantly became a helpless piece of meat awaiting slaughter.
The flames in Zero's mouth exploded violently. This vastly strengthened Mega Flame instantly reduced Infermon's HP to zero, and from its shattered shell, all the data it had devoured burst forth at once.
Those fragmented data immediately flowed back to their original places, and simultaneously, joyful shouts erupted from within the arcade hall.
"It's back—my save file's back!"
The players who'd previously lost their saves discovered, to their delight, that their corrupted data had been fully restored. Watching from the corner, Rina couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
"Heh heh, looks like we did a good deed~"
Being a gamer herself, Rina naturally understood how important save files were. At first, she wasn't sure if it was even possible to restore corrupted data, but now it seemed the attempt had succeeded.
Meanwhile, after defeating Infermon, Zero casually absorbed its personal data… and soon exited the Login Jump state, returning from the network space to reality.
Welcome back…
…Rina had wanted to say those exact words, but just as she opened her mouth, a familiar voice came clearly from behind her.
"Sorry, am I late?"
Hearing this familiar voice, Rina immediately turned around. Zero and Hajime's eyes also followed the sound, and soon, a girl with straight black hair came clearly into view.
This girl was wearing an incredibly "standard" outfit—a short skirt paired with black thigh-high stockings. Basically, if you weren't sure how a girl should dress, and assuming there weren't special clothing requirements, this outfit would comfortably fit almost any formal or informal situation.
But besides this ordinary look, her left arm was wrapped with a peculiar black-and-white ribbon, tied neatly into a butterfly-shaped bow at her wrist. It might have been an illusion, but the moment Zero and Hajime laid eyes on her, they couldn't help but be drawn to the strange ribbon around her wrist.
Underneath that butterfly-shaped design seemed to hide something special—something peculiarly captivating. But just as quickly as the feeling appeared, it vanished, leaving only the impression that it was nothing more than a perfectly ordinary ribbon.
Since this girl seemed to be a normal human, Zero and Hajime naturally couldn't reveal themselves, so they remained motionless, pretending to be ordinary stuffed toys.
Seeing the girl, Rina immediately broke into a radiant smile.
"Nope, you're not late at all… You arrived just in time, Yuuko~"
Yuuko… was apparently this girl's name. She appeared quiet and reserved, the complete opposite of the obviously extroverted and lively Rina.
After a few simple greetings, Yuuko's eyes seemed involuntarily drawn towards Zero and Hajime.
"Oh wow, so cute!"
Right at that moment, a young couple happened to pass by. The girl's eyes instantly sparkled upon seeing Zero, and she eagerly stepped forward to ask:
"Excuse me, is this from the claw machines here? Or did you buy it somewhere?"
Rina quickly waved her hands.
"No, no, no, this isn't from a claw machine, and you can't buy it anywhere either. It's a custom-made plush~"
The girl nodded understandingly, then shot a meaningful look towards her boyfriend, whose whole body shuddered involuntarily. He could only smile awkwardly and ask:
"Could you please tell us where it was customized? If it's convenient, could you give us the address?"
Rina giggled lightly, casually opened the map on her phone, and swiftly sent them a pinpoint location—surprisingly enough, it genuinely pointed to a local specialty plush customization shop. Apparently, Rina's random lie was backed up by actual preparation.
After thanking her and noting down the address, the couple walked away. Watching their departing backs, Rina whistled cheerfully.
"That place's custom-made stuff is actually pretty expensive. Heh heh, but a good guy can't shrink away from this kind of thing—this is a golden opportunity to win your girlfriend's heart. Do your best~"
Only after saying this did Rina return her attention to Yuuko, speaking with a slight note of apology.
"As I said earlier, these plushies are specially customized. They're my precious companions, so even if Yuuko likes them, I'm sorry—I can't give them away. But Yuuko, if you really want, you could just order yourself a room full of them~"
Considering Rina had just mentioned that this shop's custom-made plushies were quite pricey, Yuuko must've been the kind of person who didn't mind spending a bit.
But Yuuko shook her head.
"No, I definitely won't do that. Because these are Rina's precious companions… you must treasure them properly!"
"Huh? Ah, yes!"
Rina seemed surprised by Yuuko's reaction, but quickly relaxed into a smile, relieved she could successfully brush past the matter regarding Zero and Hajime's identities.
But Zero felt like Yuuko's words carried a deeper meaning. Of course, he couldn't exactly speak up right now, so he simply continued acting like an ordinary plush.
As for Hajime…
…While it might be rude to say this, aside from survival and combat instincts, Hajime's emotional intelligence in other matters was effectively on par with a young child.
After all, living in the Digital Forest didn't require complex social understanding. Over there, only one rule mattered…
…Survival of the fittest, winner takes all!
"Alright, after running around for so long, we still haven't eaten lunch, right? And besides, didn't we have a certain 'challenge' planned for today?"
Hearing Rina's words, Zero and Hajime couldn't help but notice—it might've been an illusion, but they both clearly saw a faint spark of fiery determination ignite in the usually calm and reserved Yuuko's eyes.
"Yes, indeed…"
At that instant, even her tone grew heavy with gravity…
"…One of the main reasons for coming out today is precisely—to finish that 'challenge'!"
"In that case~" Rina immediately moved closer, beaming brightly. "Let's get going~"
To make carrying Zero and Hajime easier, Rina quickly bought a backpack nearby. Holding one in her arms and carrying the other on her back, occasionally switching their positions, neatly solved the issue.
Stepping out from the arcade, the two girls walked barely a few steps before halting beneath a conspicuous signboard.
Zero glanced upward—and instantly froze at the words staring back at him…
…Super-Extreme Hell・Mega-Eater Meal Challenge—Now Open?!
What the hell? Why are you two young girls coming to a place like this?! Give me one reasonable explanation, dammit!!!
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