Reside in MiSide

Author's Note:

Hello, dear readers. I hope you have all been doing well!

I finally managed to get this chapter done. It was a bit of a difficult one, since it had a lot of nuances. Ones that I wonder will even be noticed.

Aside from that, I also got to planning out the rest of the chapters, while also finalizing the ending. As a result of that, certain parts of this chapter had to be rewritten a few times to fit in properly, delaying its release even further.

This chapter will be the last one to have even remotely similar events to canon. Things will get hectic from here on out as the story slowly approaches the end.

Anyways, as always, thank you all for the support. I love all the reviews and comments you leave. It's the ultimate fuel for me to write sooner.

Hope you enjoy the chapter~

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Darkness. By now, I should've been used to it, given how often it surrounded me. At least this time, I wasn't alone. I had Cappie. I had Tiny Mita. Though I hadn't known them for long, I'd grown unexpectedly fond of them.

The events in the corridor kept replaying in my mind—the shouting, blood, and… murder. The ease with which I'd killed someone gnawed at me. Even if he deserved it. Even if he deserved worse.

But I couldn't let it show. Not with the girls around. I was certain they felt worse than I did. So, I shoved my emotions down – buried them. For their sake.

Yes, for them.

That was my last thought as we descended further into the void.

"Wow!" Cappie's exclamation broke the silence as a bright light blinded me. Not that I'd been seeing much in the darkness anyway.

When my vision cleared, I blinked at the place we'd ended up in. Tiny Mita shifted curiously in my arms, her one wide eye scanning our surroundings.

Cappie and I stepped off some sort of glowing pad into a peculiar room. The first thing that caught our attention was a structure on a table—a dollhouse, but not just any dollhouse. It was a miniature replica of a Mita house, albeit with some extra features. A furnace(?) stood out among the details. I squinted, unsure if I was seeing things right.

In the far corner of the room stood a white door with an oversized keyhole beside it.

A key, huh? That should be easy to spot, given the size of the keyhole.

Or so I thought.

No matter where I looked, I couldn't find a key. But I did spot something else.

"A… very tiny Mita?" I muttered as I approached the dollhouse. Inside one of the rooms was a small Mita with short hair.

At my words, Tiny Mita perked up and looked in the same direction.

"It's Chibi Mita!" Cappie exclaimed, rushing to the dollhouse. "Salutations!" she greeted with an exaggerated flourish.

"Hello," came the faint reply from the miniature girl.

I joined Cappie, giving Chibi Mita a nod. "Hey there."

Chibi Mita's brow arched as she scrutinized me and Tiny Mita.

"You… why are you here? How did you get here?"

"Magic," I quipped. She didn't appreciate the joke, so I added, "We, uh, jumped out of a window and landed here."

Her gaze sharpened as she pointed at my arm—specifically, at the ring on my finger.

"That," she said. "You have Big Sister's ring. You're a Player, right?"

"Well, yeah," I replied, glancing at Cappie, who was practically vibrating with excitement as she stared at Chibi Mita.

"I expected you to be shorter," Chibi Mita continued bluntly. "But you're tall, like Big Sister. Her too." She pointed at Cappie, then at Tiny Mita with a hesitant expression. "And… maybe her?"

In all fairness, she's really small. Even Tiny Mita would appear big next to her.

"I'm not sure what to say to that," I responded, "though, that aside, where is this place?"

"A checkpoint to test your wits," Chibi Mita responded.

"Checkpoint?" I repeated the word, finding it very odd. What was that supposed to mean? Was Chibi Mita aware that I would be coming through on the way to The Core?

Heck, she seemed to be aware of the ring too. I considered the possibility of her colluding with Kind Mita, which wouldn't be so far-fetched. After all, if what Kind Mita said about teleporting between the versions was true, it would be pretty easy to do.

"Okay, what do we have to do?" I asked.

"First, help me find the key."

Isn't that what we're looking for?

But then my eyes drifted to a tiny door. I surmised that she was referring to the key for that.

"How exactly?"

"Tell me where to look, obviously!"

What kind of test of wit is this?

"Sure, sure. Does it have to be me telling you where to look?"

"This… stop asking silly questions!"

"It's not a silly question. I want her to play," I said, referring to Tiny Mita.

"What!? What about me!?" to the side, Cappie exclaimed.

"Take turns if you want to so badly," I said with a deadpan.

Tiny Mita got excited at the prospect of playing. She carefully shifted her body in my arms before she used her one good arm to point at furniture in the dollhouse.

Chibi Mita heaved a sigh before she slowly walked over to check each one.

Each time there was no key, she'd give… interesting responses.

"Zero, zip, zilch, nada!"

At last, Tiny Mita pointed to the correct spot, prompting Chibi Mita to retrieve the key. Without hesitation, she headed straight to the adjacent room where the furnace(?) stood.

Seriously, what's the point of all this?

As Chibi Mita disappeared behind some curtains, I turned to Cappie and asked, "Do you, by any chance, have something strong and sharp?"

"Eh? Like this?" she replied, raising an arm to reveal a red axe she pulled out of her inventory.

"Perfect," I said, duplicating the axe for myself. I fully intended to smash through the locked door with it—until I paused.

Breaking down the door seemed counterproductive. If we had entered this place by jumping out of a window, I wasn't confident it was a replicable strategy. Better not mess with things unnecessarily.

With a sigh, I stored the duplicated axe away using Vanishing Distortion.

Just then, Chibi Mita emerged, pushing a tiny wheelbarrow filled with equally tiny ingots.

"Seriously?" I muttered, glancing at the end of the table.

Apparently, we were going to make the key.

"Help me put these in there," Chibi Mita instructed, pointing to an extension attached to the furnace.

I followed her directions, loading the ingots where she indicated. As soon as I finished, she gestured toward a pile of wood stacked high above her.

"Hand me those," she said.

Once I'd passed her the logs, she displayed an unexpected burst of strength for someone her size, effortlessly tossing log after log into the furnace.

Afterward, she moved to the side of the furnace, took a seat, and gestured toward a bellow positioned nearby. "Please, a little more help," she requested.

She wants me to pump air into the furnace. Lovely.

By this point, Cappie had wandered off to some other part of the room, clearly bored with the process. Tiny Mita, on the other hand, remained in my arms, watching the scene unfold with rapt curiosity.

Resigned, I pressed the bellow a few times, and the furnace responded almost magically, growing significantly hotter. Moments later, molten metal flowed out into a key-shaped mold at the end of the furnace.

Oddly, the amount of molten metal was far greater than what the tiny ingots should've produced.

Game logic strikes again.

"Press the button," Chibi Mita instructed once all the molten metal was in place.

I did so, resulting in a contraption to piston out and press against the key. Some steam was released before the contraption pulled back, revealing a finished key - a giant one.

"There you go," Chibi Mita said with a nod as she crossed her arms.

"That's it?" I asked as I grabbed the key with my left hand, struggling due to its sheer size, "This all feels so extra."

"Nothing is extra here," Chibi Mita stated solemnly, "good luck, Player."

Ominous. How very ominous. Does she know something? Should I… try to pry the information out of her?

"Before I go, I have some questions," I said.

"I wouldn't have the answer to most of them."

I rose a brow at that as I remarked, "You sound so sure of that."

"That's because I am," she responded snappily.

"Ah, it's done!"

All of a sudden, Cappie was right beside me and yanked the giant key out my hand, "Come on, let's go!"

Her sudden actions left me at a loss momentarily as I looked back and forth between her and Chibi Mita.

"Say…" I began, "do you want to join us?"

Chibi Mita didn't react to the suggestion at all. The most she did was give me her answer a few seconds later – a very firm "No."

"Right," I said awkwardly as my eyes drifted to Cappie, "let's go."

"Yes!"

And so, an excited Cappie and awkward I walked over to the locked door before Cappie unlocked it.

I had lifted the key earlier and the weight of that thing was nothing to scoff at.

Do all Mita have such strength?

In any case, with the door now unlocked, I pushed it open.

The door led to a gloomy living room with dim lights.

"Talk about eerie…" I muttered as we stepped into the room, looking around carefully.

"Hey, Player…" Cappie suddenly said as she turned to face me, "what do I call you?"

"Huh? Haven't you been fine with calling me Player so far?"

"I know that!" she exclaimed, "Your name, your name! I want to know your name!"

That's weird. She should know my name. I'm pretty sure it was written in the letter from Kind Mita – the second one which I handed to her.

"Didn't you… read my name?"

"Huh? Where?"

"On the paper I gave you."

"There is no way I did!" Cappie exclaimed exasperatedly.

"But it was clearly written there," I insisted.

"I'm telling you; I didn't see it!"

Something was off about the exchange. Cappie wasn't lying – I was sure of that much. So, I concluded that there was something else going on. Perhaps something related to the way this world worked.

"It's Andrei. My name is Andrei," I said.

"Andrei! That's a funny name!" Cappie chuckled.

"I'm not sure what's so funny about it, but sure."

"Andrei…" I heard Tiny Mita mutter in my arm but say nothing else.

With that said, I got back to looking around in the living room. Nothing. There was nothing that stood out.

However, there was one thing that caught my eye – a white door. A white door that would normally lead to the bedroom.

And so, I approached the door slowly.

Oddly enough, with each step I took, it felt like the temperature dropped by a few degrees.

By the time I reached the door, I was beginning to feel cold.

I suppose the same couldn't be said for Cappie and Tiny Mita, given how they didn't say anything about the cold.

"This door…" I said as I placed my hand on it, "there won't be snow behind it, right?"

Upon hearing me, Cappie immediately burst into a fit of laughter.

It brought a smile to my lips. Seeing her happy felt right. Especially after what had just happened earlier.

I've got a feeling that she's suppressing her emotions the same way I am. Though she does it in a different way.

Feeling better now, I pushed the door open, revealing pitch black darkness.

"Okay, we'll need this," I said as I took out my torch and created three duplicates of it.

"Here," I handed one to Cappie and one to Tiny Mita.

I then stored one of the duplicates, in case the one I was using ran out of power.

Now properly equipped, the three of us stepped into the darkness that was beyond that door.

The moment we shone our lights, I was startled by the sight of numerous Mita all over the place.

Whichever one our light and sight were directed at; she would lower her head and cover her face with her arms.

"What is this place…?" I said along with some breath mist, showing just how cold the place was.

"I remember being here," Cappie said, "but I don't remember why or for how long."

She sounded saddened as she said the last bit.

Interestingly enough, I spotted a few Mita that looked exactly like Cappie.

"We should continue," I stated.

And so, we all made our way through the crowd of Mita until we reached yet another door.

Beyond that door, it was once again completely dark with Mita all around. However, this time, there were other things as well.

Is that a puppet?

There was something that looked like a life-sized puppet or machine. I wasn't sure what to think of it.

Similar to Mita, the thing covered its face when focused on.

And then a certain possibility crossed my mind – what if that puppet was just another type of Mita? A very odd one, if that was the case. Maybe something that was present at a specific event or something.

Still, once sure that there were no threats present, we continued our walk, hoping to make it to the next white door.

Upon finally reaching it, however, a Mita suddenly jumped in front of the door.

"Stop, stop, not so loud! Going further is dangerous!" I heard a whisper as the Mita in front of us spread her arms in a "blocking" manner, "Who are you and how did you get here?"

I wasn't sure what to make of the one in front of us. While I was considering what to say, she looked at the duo with me.

"Tiny? Cool Mita?" she said, sounding incredibly surprised, "what is going on? How come you two are with him?"

Now, I wasn't sure about what to say, if anything at all. I waited to see if Cappie would say anything, but neither did she. Due to the darkness, I couldn't make out her facial expression, and shining light at her face didn't exactly feel right.

"Ugh… you guys, go to the exit. I will meet you all there," the Mita in front of us spoke after the long silence, pointing in a certain direction.

From what I could tell, there was no malice, so I considered it for a moment before going along with it.

And so, the three of us made our way to the so-called exit, which was the brown door in the living room.

Upon opening the door, we happened upon a flight of stairs. The place was much warmer and was not that dark, so I stored away our flashlights for now. We climbed the stairs until we eventually ended up in a small room.

Said room was a rather interesting one. There was a stepladder in one corner, some boxes in the corner opposite it. To the side, there was a blackboard with a lot written on it. Circles, shaded circles, lines connecting them, a doodle of some sorts, and a note on the side that said something about moving the boxes and placing a sofa there instead.

What stood out most in the room was an arcade machine.

"The heck's this doing here?" I questioned out loud as I approached it.

I very curiously examined the machine until I spotted a red lever to the right of it.

Should I…? I mean, I might as well do it.

The moment the lever was pulled, the arcade machine turned on. The previously dark screen now displayed an interface along with a loading bar at the bottom.

There was a terminal to the left, a square window with rounded edges in the center, and a bunch of buttons along with a lever to the right.

"Oh, a game!" Cappie exclaimed as she moved to my side, "Let me play!"

"Sure," I said as I stepped back, "what about you?"

Tiny Mita shifted in my arms upon realizing the question was directed at her.

"Do you want to play too?"

"…No. This is good," she said before she nuzzled her face into me, the protrusions from the left side of her face pressing rubbing against me as she did so.

"Whatever makes you happy," I whispered as I walked over to the corner where the stepladder was and took a seat with Tiny Mita sitting on my lap.

From where I sat, I could make out the details of the "game" Cappie was playing.

That puppet… I saw it earlier outside. Okay, she first has to scan it and then compare its blueprint. Then, she has to check for emotions and motor functions. If it passes, she has to pull the lever up, otherwise pull it down. Simple enough.

I saw how a puppet passed all the tests, after which some machine covered it up before revealing a Mita in nothing but underwear.

"Ah… that puppet-like-thing is their skeleton model?" I muttered to myself as I gently patted Tiny Mita on the head.

The next model to appear on the screen was a clearly problematic one. Not only did it have glowing red eyes, but it was also twitching and making creepy noises.

Cappie didn't hesitate to pull the lever downwards, resulting in the model falling through a trapdoor to who knows where.

It was then that I noticed someone step into the room.

"What? Why is she using it?" the door-blocking Mita said as she stepped into the room before her gaze shifted over to me.

"You were supposed to use it!"

"Why?" I questioned.

"Until you do, you won't understand what Mita are!"

"I mean, I observed her use the machine, so I've got a pretty good idea."

"Really? And what did you conclude?"

"That you guys are skeleton models, not flesh and bones. And that you have to go through some specific criteria to pass."

"Well, yeah," she said, "the door you were about to go through is where the abandoned models are. The "faulty" ones. They are aggressive and may try to kill you."

As she spoke, I took the opportunity to examine her properly. She was dressed just like all the other Mita I had met so far – with the exception of Tiny Mita, of course – but differed in her hair style, which was short and messy.

She also had a red ribbon tied at the top.

I've seen her before… If my memory serves me right, it was when I first arrived in this world. At least, my current memory of that. The picture frames were of her.

"That was boring," a voice interrupted my thoughts as Cappie suddenly appeared.

"Huh?" I voiced as I saw the arcade device. She had not finished it. "Surely you could've played it a bit more to finish it?"

To that Cappie only crossed her arms and looked away.

The short-haired Mita laughed at the brief exchange. Then, she turned to face me, "Now, how did you get here? More importantly why are they with you?"

"This ring," I said, wiggling my right hand, "it opens the right doors."

I didn't say anything in response to the second question, since I didn't exactly know what to say in the first place.

Hearing that, a thoughtful expression appeared on her face as she stared at the ground.

A few seconds later, she suddenly turned to observe the blackboard before muttering, "I see…"

Following that, she turned her attention back to me before saying, "Your ring is an amazing item. The one who made it must be a genius."

"Really now?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her sudden praise.

I suppose Kind Mita is incredibly intelligent. That, coupled with the experience of multiple loops is a deadly combo. This kickass ring is the best proof of it.

"Yes, but that doesn't answer the question of why they are with you."

"They wanted to join me, that's all," I replied after some contemplation.

"What…? Do you not realize the risks?"

"What exactly are you talking about?"

"You… you really don't know? How this world works?"

"Not exactly?"

She heaved a deep sigh as she shook her head.

"If they are to die outside of their versions, it could lead to some serious problems."

"How?" I questioned, tightening my hold on Tiny Mita.

"It depends. I've not seen it happen much, so I'm not sure about the details."

But the fact that you have seen it happen before is concerning. Should I… have not brought them along?

Doubt plagued my mind as I wondered if bringing the two along with me was the right thing to do. Wouldn't it have been much better to continue on my own and then come back for them?

And then it happened again. The strong inner feeling reassured me that my choice was the best one.

But I still had more questions.

"What happens to Mita that die in their versions in the first place?"

"They simply get rebooted. Their memories and inventory are mostly reset."

The word "mostly" caught my attention. It seemed like there were some exceptions.

"I see… Thanks for the information. Though, you said something about the abandoned models outside being aggressive. Is there any way to deal with that?"

"Well, yes, there is. They're shy. So shy that they freeze up when you look at them. Just don't turn your back to them and you'll be fine."

With these two with me, that won't be so hard. Unless their gazes don't count for some obscure reason.

"That's good to hear," I said as I smiled at her, "thanks, Shortie."

"…What?"

"Hm?"

"What did you just call me?" she asked with a look of disbelief.

"Shortie?"

"Why are you calling me that!?"

"Because your hair's short? Cappie is Cappie because she wears a cap. So, you're Shortie."

"No, no, there are so many better alternatives to that!"

"Couldn't care less," I said with a shrug, finding her reaction amusing, "I'll call you whatever I want."

"So much for being grateful!" she spat with a light frown.

"Hey now, I'm just joking," I said with a chuckle.

"And I definitely believe you," she responded with a glare.

"Suit yourself," I said as I looked away from her. Trying to change the subject, I pointed at the blackboard, "what's all that about?"

"What?" Shortie asked as she turned to look before looking back at me, "what do you mean?"

"Those circles and lines," I said as I got up from the seat and approached the blackboard, "I see some numbers up there, which I assume to be version numbers."

"Yeah, that's what they are," Shortie said as she stood beside me, "we're here right now."

She pointed at version 1.5 before continuing, "All the different versions are connected. Something you have experience with, given that you're here."

"I guess so. What's with the multiple circles though?"

"You don't know!?" she exclaims.

To that, I shook my head, which caused her to sigh and mutter something to herself before she began explaining, "Each version has multiple Mita that are designated to each new Player."

"Makes sense, I guess. Though, what's with that one?"

I was referring to a particular circle with no connecting ones.

"That one's a unique version. It's where Sleepy Mita resides."

"Sleepy Mita?" I ask.

"The Mita that won't wake up no matter what," Shortie said, "Say, where were you going?"

"The Core."

Upon hearing my response, her eyes widened, as if the words "The Core" carried a weight I didn't understand.

"As much as I want to know why, I won't ask," she said shortly after.

"Appreciate it…?" I wasn't sure what to say to that.

Silence ensued, which was pretty darn awkward, so I blurted out a question, "What was up with the place downstairs? It was so dark and cold."

"We Mita are created in the darkness," Shortie answered, "we need to remain there for a while. Imagine the pain of directly going into light."

Oh… does that mean that we were virtually torturing them by shining light at their faces earlier?

I genuinely felt bad. In a way, it was like bullying a newborn. Odd connection to make, yes, but when you considered the facts, it definitely aligned.

"And what do you do here?"

"Me? I look after them. If not me, then who would? You?"

"Gee, no need to get all defensive about it."

"I'm not!" Shortie responded with a frown, which only made me chuckle at how adorable she was.

She seems like a genuinely good girl. Looking out for those that pass through, the freshly "made" Mita, and such.

"Oh, one last thing—what's this note?" I asked.

"That note is meant for Cool Mita, who will be—"

"Me!?" Cappie suddenly popped out of nowhere, practically bouncing with excitement.

Shortie looked at her, visibly confused. "You don't seem to know me, so… not you," she explained, her tone slightly awkward.

"Aww, bummer. I still want to help, though!" Cappie declared, her enthusiasm undeterred.

I couldn't help but chuckle at how quickly her emotions shifted—it was like watching a kid's cartoon in real-time.

"Just… okay. Please help move the boxes," Shortie sighed, giving in faster than I expected. Not that I could blame her. No one survives Cappie's chaotic energy unscathed.

While Cappie busied herself with the boxes, I took the opportunity to spend some time with Tiny Mita.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, gently turning her face toward me.

"Happy…" she replied softly.

"Really? Even though we're not doing anything exciting?" I teased, raising a brow.

"Adventuring is exciting…" she said, sounding slightly offended, as if I'd just insulted her favorite thing.

"If you say so," I replied with a small smile. "As long as you're happy, then I'm happy."

Reaching out, I lightly traced my fingertip along one of the stitch lines on her cheek.

Poor girl. I really hope I can help her someday—really help her.

A few minutes later, Cappie finished helping Shortie.

"Looks like it's time for us to head out," I said, rising to my feet while holding Tiny Mita securely in my arms.

There wasn't anything left for us here. It was time to move on, though a small part of me was tempted to ask Shortie to join us.

But then I remembered the conversation we'd had earlier. She seemed deeply attached to her "job." And with the sting of Chibi Mita's rejection still fresh, I figured it was best not to push my luck.

"We'll be on our way now," I said, offering a polite nod. "Thank you for your hospitality, Shortie."

"Don't call me that!" she snapped, her face instantly scrunching up in irritation.

I chuckled, expecting that exact reaction.

With that, we turned to leave—until I noticed something strange.

Shortie's gaze flicked to the bracelet on Cappie's wrist, and for a brief moment, their eyes met. The look they shared wasn't one of camaraderie. It was tense, almost somber.

"You two…" I began, narrowing my eyes. "Do you know something about that bracelet?"

Both of them froze, exchanging uncertain glances before Shortie hesitantly broke the silence.

"That bracelet," she began cautiously, "is, in a way, a safety mechanism. Though I sincerely hope it never needs to be used."

"Why?"

"Well… it would take something truly awful to trigger it," she admitted grimly.

Ah. That makes sense. Considering we are dealing with a bona fide lunatic, being prepared for the worst-case scenario is only logical.

With that explanation, we bid farewell to Shortie and began our descent down the stairs.

As we walked, a random thought nagged me. Cappie felt… different. It wasn't just the aftermath of everything we'd been through. No, it felt deeper than that, like she was hiding something.

"Cappie… are you sure everything's okay?" I asked as we reached the door leading into the darkness.

"What? Of course! Nothing's wrong!" she replied, her voice brimming with its usual enthusiasm.

On the surface, she seemed fine—her voice, her posture, everything about her screamed "normal." But something about it didn't sit right with me. Call it intuition or paranoia, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Acting on instinct, I decided to address it.

"Ah!" Cappie let out a surprised yelp as I pulled her into a hug with my free arm, careful not to disturb Tiny Mita in the process.

I pressed my cheek against hers, lowering my voice to a whisper. "Keeping things bottled up doesn't make them disappear, you know. It usually makes things worse."

For a moment, she stayed silent. Then, slowly, I felt her arms wrap around my torso in return. The gesture was awkward, given our positions and the fact that I was holding Tiny Mita, but it was enough to confirm my suspicions.

We stayed like that for a few quiet moments before pulling apart.

I didn't press further. Sometimes, a nudge is enough to let someone know they don't have to carry everything alone.

After that, I pulled out three flashlights, handed them out, and stepped into the darkness ahead.

Together, we began making our way toward the door Shortie had kept us from entering.

The instant my hand touched the door, an overwhelming sense of dread coursed through me. Every nerve in my body screamed in alarm, and vivid yet fragmented images burst through my mind.

Pain pulsed through my head, sharp and harsh.

Something—or someone— is beyond that door.

And whatever it is; it's dangerous.