"You know, I've been thinking..." Alain muttered to himself.
"I want to see you. The real you."
The small room was swallowed by the darkness of night, the only illumination coming from the glow of Alain's computer screen. It reflected off his somewhat handsome features, highlighting the image of the girl staring back at him: Mita, with her signature dark blue, low pigtails, arms crossed, and a worried expression.
Alain took another bite of his instant noodles, the quintessential late-night meal.
He was nineteen, a transmigrator in this world. A transmigrator who, ironically, had died a remarkably unremarkable death. In his past life, the overwhelming cuteness of Tsumugi from the visual novel "Senren＊Banka" had... well, let's just say it contributed. The truth was, he'd simply overworked himself to the point of a sudden cardiac arrest.
This life hadn't exactly gifted him with any of the typical transmigrator superpowers. He had decent looks, managed to get into a so-so university, and inherited a mountain of debt from his gambling-addicted parents who had fled overseas for a "fresh start."
Oh, and there was that experience with a crazed ex-girlfriend in the real world.
That period was a living nightmare, more surreal than any anime plot. She'd demand, "Why did you take so long?" even if he'd just stepped away to use the bathroom. And if he dared ask what she was doing, she'd casually mention sharpening a knife in the kitchen, for reasons she never explained.
The silver lining of that disastrous relationship was that he'd become surprisingly adept at handling "crazy." He'd become a master of verbal sparring, although he sometimes went overboard, even embarrassing himself.
Later, he'd started university. He used his scholarship money to rent a small apartment off-campus and buy a computer.
And what's the first thing anyone does with a new piece of tech?
Alain's answer: Install 720 Security Guard, naturally.
Then, amidst the relentless barrage of pop-up ads, a game called "Miside" caught his eye.
Alain was a devoted disciple of the second dimension, someone who could proudly proclaim, "The 2D world is truly a paradise!"
Ding, ding, ding.
His ever-vigilant Security Guard sprang to attention, flashing a warning in the lower right corner of the screen.
[Your computer has detected a virus. Do you want to remove it?]
"There aren't that many viruses..." Alain sighed, shaking his head. The Security Guard was great, but prone to… overzealousness.
A quick check revealed the "virus" was nestled within the "Miside" folder.
This was his spiritual nourishment! And he'd downloaded it from an ad from the Security Guard itself. Now it wanted to eradicate it? Talk about ingratitude!
Click.
Alain decisively dismissed the warning.
[720 Security Guard, always by your side. Anytime, anywhere.]
"?"
Why was this Security Guard sounding like a possessive stalker, talking about being "by your side" and "always"? It was a little unsettling.
Just then, Mita, the dark blue, low-pigtailed girl on the screen, seemed to acknowledge his presence, her voice echoing in his ears.
"I like you, I really like you! You help me every day… I want to thank you somehow!"
Well, she had a point. Alain had just "rescued" Mita from the overprotective clutches of the Security Guard. He'd even received a "love confession" from the Guard itself.
Besides, if she really wanted to thank him, shouldn't she be leaning in at a 45-degree angle, blushing, with tears welling up in her eyes? That's what he considered sincere.
"But… it's just a game, after all."
"MiSide," or "My Side," was a hybrid game – romance, management, slice-of-life, all rolled into one. A titan in the dating sim genre.
Progress involved completing tasks for Mita over in-game days. Despite its compact size, it boasted beautiful character models and a variety of mini-games.
There were whispers of R18 content. Though that could just be wishful thinking.
These weren't Alain's opinions, of course, but rather the consensus of online reviewers.
If Alain were to critique it, his first complaint would be: not enough content. If Jingman Paradise was considered lacking, then this game was practically barren.
Secondly, the cross-platform play between PC and mobile was a major plus. Alain preferred PC. The reason... well, let's just say some things are better left unsaid.
As for the rest, Alain agreed with the online reviews: the character models were gorgeous, and Mita's dialogue was incredibly soothing, a balm to his emotionally scarred soul.
However, what truly baffled him were the game's occasional… inexplicable choices.
The most memorable instance was on the 10th in-game day, when he was helping Mita find her lost comb.
He checked the bathroom first. And… a dagger fell out of the sink. A completely out-of-place dagger in a room awash in pink…
"This is supposed to be a dating sim, right? What's this doing here?!"
Alain initially suspected the developers had accidentally copied assets from some horror game while scrounging for resources online.
Fine, he'd ignore it!
Next, he searched the bedroom and living room. This time, things were slightly more normal. A rubber ducky popped out of the lamp cabinet, and some in-game currency tumbled out of the living room storage cabinet.
Finally, the kitchen.
Alain remembered Mita saying the comb might be in the kitchen cabinet. But she specifically warned him: Don't look in the oven.
But the driving force of human progress is the irresistible allure of the unknown. It's like having a big red button in front of you with a sign that screams: DON'T PRESS!
Are you honestly not going to press it? Of course you are!
So, Alain, without hesitation, peered inside the oven. And there it was: a golden, legendary item, coated in blood – a chainsaw.
Yes, the kind lumberjacks use, the kind a bald protagonist would wield against bears, the kind that could slice Alain's 178cm frame in half.
Casually appearing in a dating simulation game…
Alain tried to rationalize it as a way to… spice things up. Too much pink could be monotonous; a little bit of gore was needed for balance.
He was running out of excuses…
Thankfully, the subsequent in-game days were relatively normal. Just the usual flirting with Mita and showering her with gifts on the 33rd day.
And today was the 37th day.
"I like you, I really like you! You help me every day… I want to thank you somehow!"
Mita, the beautiful girl with those signature dark blue pigtails, pursed her lips and looked at Alain, the pink dialogue box repeating the same heartfelt message.
"Mita, you're so adorable."
Alain clicked the mouse, and with a soft click, the next line appeared.
"I miss you so much, but it never seems to work out…"
Another click. Mita leaned forward, as if whispering a secret, uttering words Alain couldn't quite decipher.
"But… I finally figured out a way."
"?"
What way?
Alain was genuinely puzzled. Had he stumbled upon some hidden game Easter egg?
Based on the context, the only logical conclusion was that "Mita had found a way to see him."
"Maybe it's some kind of meet-and-greet?"
He could practically see the next plot point unfolding: click the dialogue box, and a pop-up ad would appear, screaming, "Mita Cosplayer Meet-and-Greet Tickets! Up to 30% OFF!!"
"…Let's see what happens."
Another click, and Mita vanished from the full-screen view, replaced by a smaller figure.
Suddenly, Alain felt his gaze locked onto the screen. The tiny Mita figure was slowly, steadily approaching.
[Warning! Powerful virus attack!]
The 720 Security Guard's bright red warning box flashed again in the lower right corner. This time, Alain couldn't even muster the energy to dismiss it.
[Defense failed. Defense successful. Defense failed. Defense…]
A cascade of red boxes flooded the lower right corner, overlapping and jostling for space. And Alain thought he heard a faint "rumbling" sound, growing closer, then fading, then intensifying again.
But then, as quickly as it began, it stopped. The Security Guard's warnings vanished, replaced by a single, chilling line:
[720 Security Guard, always by your side.]
And Mita reappeared, full-screen once more.
"All done!"
She clapped her hands together in a gesture of celebration, her lips still curved in that gentle smile Alain had come to cherish.
"Now, we're together."
_____
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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I put a lot of love into these translations and plan to add even more over time! Let's aim for the top of the site! Who knows... maybe I'll go crazy and drop even more chapters! 🚀🔥