Re: Side! (life from zero in another Game)

Subaru swiped the sweat off his forehead, finally sealing up the last glitch crack along Mila's kitchen wall. "That's the last one... I think."

Behind him, loud giggles and splashes echoed from the hallway.

Tiny Mita rushed in, her hands waving wildly. "Subaruuuu! Sleepy Mita flooded the shower room! Mila's gonna kill us!!"

"What?!" Subaru spun around.

Meanwhile, from the bathroom, Mila's furious voice echoed down the hall.
"WHO LEFT THE FAUCET ON?! THIS ISN'T A WATER PARK!"

Sleepy Mita poked her head out, her wet hair plastered to her face. "...Oops?"

Mila stormed in, wielding a mop like a sword. "You're mopping this, Miss Coma!"

Ghostly Mita floated calmly behind, handing Sleepy Mita a second mop with eerie gentleness.

Tiny Mita clapped her hands. "At least she's awake now!"

"Barely," Mila muttered.

Once the chaos dried up - literally - everyone gathered in the living room. Tiny Mita proudly placed a cup of coffee in Sleepy Mita's hands.

"Drink! Super power-up juice!" she chirped.

Sleepy Mita took one whiff and immediately gagged. "Is this...motor oil?"

"It's coffee!" Tiny Mita protested.

Still half-asleep, Sleepy Mita muttered, "Tastes like betrayal..." but drank it anyway.

Subaru chuckled quietly as he watched them. It felt like a messed-up sleepover.
And it got even crazier from there.

"Let's play something!" Tiny Mita shouted.

"YES!" Sleepy Mita suddenly came back to life, throwing her hands in the air. "Bedroom games!!"

Mila almost dropped her katana. "E-EXCUSE ME?!"

"Nooo, like pillow fights and stuff!" Tiny Mita corrected, already hurling a pillow at her.

Mila barely dodged it, yelping. "No projectiles allowed inside a ninja's house!"

Soon, it escalated into a full-on girls-only pillow war.

Subaru wisely sat on the sidelines with Ghostly Mita and 2D Mita, who were busy reading a strange fantasy novel together.

Ghostly Mita, unable to speak, simply pointed at words with curious gestures.

2D Mita giggled. "Huh? You like the word 'tsundere'? You're learning the important stuff first, huh?"

Subaru, shaking his head, leaned back.
"This is either the stupidest or greatest party I've ever crashed," he muttered.

Across the room, Mila tried to regain control by showing off her ninja skills, flipping across the living room dramatically.

"Observe!" Mila cried, somersaulting and landing in front of Sleepy Mita.

Sleepy Mita, unimpressed, gave a slow, sarcastic clap.
"Nice. Ten outta ten. You flipped. I'm still sleepy."

Mila pouted and tried to teach Sleepy Mita a ninja pose, only for Sleepy Mita to wobble and fall flat on her face.

"I think my inner ninja's still napping," Sleepy Mita mumbled into the floor.

Tiny Mita burst out laughing so hard she toppled over, dragging Ghostly Mita down with her.

After what felt like hours of dancing, laughing, and somehow a random tickling contest (which 2D Mita won by sneak-attacking Tiny Mita), everyone finally collapsed in a tired pile of giggles.

Even Ghostly Mita, though silent, somehow gave off a "happy ghost" vibe.

Subaru stood up and stretched. "Alright. Fun's over. Time to move."

The group started packing up, gathering their courage to move to the next station. But something tugged at Subaru's sleeve.

It was Mila.

She stood there, her head low, gripping her katana again.

"Subaru..." she said, hesitating. "I gotta tell you something."

Subaru blinked. "What's up?"

Mila took a shaky breath.
"I'm...jealous of you."

He tilted his head. "Huh?"

"You have them," she said quietly. "You have people who actually care if you're around. People who laugh with you, even when things suck."

She looked at Tiny Mita, Sleepy Mita, 2D Mita, even Ghostly Mita - and her face softened.

"I stayed here, pretending I didn't need anyone. Pretending it was better this way. But it's not."

She wiped her sleeve across her eyes, trying to hide the tears.

"And... it wasn't you who made me want to leave, you know," Mila admitted.
"It was them. Tiny Mita's dumb coffee. Sleepy Mita's ridiculous ninja attempts. 2D Mita being a brat. Even Ghostly Mita silently cheering me on."

Subaru said nothing - he just smiled.

"I don't want to lose this feeling again," Mila whispered. "So I'm coming with you."

Subaru nodded. "We're glad to have you, Mila."

Tiny Mita cheered, throwing her arms around Mila's waist.
"Yaaay! Mila's coming! Mila's coming!"

Sleepy Mita gave a thumbs-up from her spot on the floor.
"More chaos. Approved."

2D Mita smirked. "Finally, someone worse at games than me."

Ghostly Mita gently floated closer, brushing Mila's arm like a silent blessing.

Mila laughed through her tears. "You guys are the worst. I love it."

The group turned toward the exit together, hearts lighter than they had been in a long time.

Subaru reached for the handle-

BOOM!

The door exploded inward, sending splinters flying.

Everyone staggered back in shock.

Standing in the ruins of the doorway, hair wild, smile crooked, and red eyes burning, was...

Crazy Mita.

Her voice dripped with twisted amusement.
"Leaving so soon?"

Subaru threw an arm in front of Tiny Mita and the others, heart pounding.

Mila gritted her teeth and drew her katana.

"Bring it on, you psycho," she muttered.

"Everyone! Let's go!" Shouted Subaru.