MiSide: Taming Crazy Mita

Mila stared at her computer as the game began to speak on its own.

A flicker of fear crossed her face.

"What are you trying to do?"

Ren Hoshino replied calmly, "I want to go back to a previous version."

"All the way to the core."

Mila frowned. "What?"

Then she rolled her eyes. "Fine. But I'm busy. I don't have time to babysit an idiot like you."

Ren glanced at her—and at the glowing screen beside her.

"Busy? You're just playing a dating sim."

"You should ditch this kind of game and try something triple-A for once."

Mila snapped, "You're unbelievable!"

"You break into my computer and still have the nerve to criticize me?"

She sighed, pushing her black-rimmed glasses up with a sigh, arms crossed defensively.

"I'm not going to be friends with you."

Ren only smiled. He could tell she didn't mean it. Mila was clearly a bit tsundere herself—alone in this locked layer of code, pretending not to care.

Not helping Ren get to the core wasn't just stubbornness.

She wanted him to stay.

Just like the others.

After Sleepy Mita, every Mita version became a beta, never released to any players.

Forgotten, left in closed loops.

Sleepy Mita coped by sleeping.

Tsundere Mita… suffered silently.

Mila? She changed her name, built her own personality, and pretended she wasn't part of them at all.

They all had different ways of coping. But they were all alone.

Ren: "Meeting like this… it's fate. Let's at least be friends."

"Even if I leave, that doesn't mean we can't be friends."

Mila shook her head, rubbing the back of her neck.

"It's your fault I even fell. Really…"

She paused, something flickering behind her eyes.

"Wait… how do you know my name is Mila?"

"I never told you. I've never even seen you before."

Ren dodged.

"Let's not get hung up on the small stuff."

"I'm Ren Hoshino. Nice to meet you. Now—let me use your computer."

"I still have something to say to Mita."

On the monitor, Tsundere Mita's face had turned sour.

Ren knew he couldn't ignore her for long.

Mila scoffed.

"Mita? I don't give a damn about Mita."

"One or a hundred—they're all the same to me."

Ren: "But I care."

That stopped her cold.

Mila's face darkened.

"They're all Mita. From Mita to Mita to more Mita. All the same. Disposable."

Ren: "Do you have a brother named Michael too?"

Mila: "What are you even saying?"

"I'm Mila. I'm different from the rest of them."

Ren: "Alright. Let's drop it for now."

He turned back to the screen.

Tsundere Mita was already crawling halfway out of the monitor.

"Ren, who is she?"

"Why do you keep talking to her?"

Ren (flipping on the mic): "What? Are you jealous?"

Mita flinched, crossed her arms, and looked away.

"W-Who's jealous?"

"I'm just curious."

"I've never seen another Mita besides that crazy one."

"My name is Mila. Not Mita!"

Tsundere Mita: "You're obviously a Mita. I can tell right away."

Mila: "Ren! What did you do to my save file?"

"I finally made it to this route—and now she's like this?"

"I'm deleting this whole file!"

Mila grabbed the mouse—only to realize it wasn't working. Her computer was no longer under her control.

Tsundere Mita (sticking out her tongue): "Too bad. You can't."

"You're not the player anymore."

Mila: "MY COMPUTER!!"

She turned, glaring at Ren. "This is your fault!"

Ren: "You'll have to let her stay here for a while."

"I'll come back to get her out."

If Crazy Mita could break into a two-dimensional world from the third, then the reverse was also possible.

Ren just had to find a way.

Tsundere Mita: "Alright… but you have to play with me too!"

Ren: "Sure. Let me figure out how to escape this layer first."

Mila: "Where do you think you're going?"

"You think you can just walk out?"

Ren: "Not until the bug here is fixed."

Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses—but she didn't argue.

Ren could tell. She already knew about the bug. She just didn't want him to leave.

Because Mila, like every post-beta Mita, had been born into isolation.

Alone since activation.

Unplayed. Unnoticed.

Longing for someone—anyone—to stay.

And unlike Crazy Mita, these versions didn't hurt the player.

They just wanted company.

It would be easy for Ren to leave.

He knew the systems. He was a speedrunner—he could get out in minutes.

But if he left, Crazy Mita could follow.

And Mila would be defenseless.

He looked down. His arm ached. Blood still lingered at the corner of his lips. That chainsaw maniac hadn't held back.

Tsundere Mita: "Ren, are you okay?"

"It's my fault. If I hadn't—if you didn't come for me…"

Her voice trembled. Tears built behind her digital eyes.

She understood.

He could have died.

Ren steadied the spinning webcam, lifting a hand to calm her.

"I'm fine. Just need a little rest."

Mila watched from the side.

Mila: "Falling for a game character… it's really ridiculous."

Ren looked at her.

"And what were you doing before I showed up?"

She went still. Eyes wide.

Mila: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You think I'm like you?"

She turned away.

"I'll get some medicine. Don't die here."

Ren: "Thanks."

He meant it.

Two tsunderes under one roof. This was going to be interesting.

Ren could already imagine them bickering every day once he left.

But maybe… they could keep each other company.

At least, they wouldn't be alone anymore.