Ever since our meeting, I had been spending a lot of time with Mia. She was like an innocent angel, who came to bring salvation to a wretched human like me.

“Two heads are better than one, right? Right?” She desperately insisted that we cooperate. Honestly, considering the difference in skill, she was no better a liability for me. But, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse her puppy dog eyes,. I was willing to go along with any of her whims, as long as it helped maintaining a smile on her face.

“So, why are we stuck here?”

“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “Apparently, we were abducted by aliens for some experiment.” Not that there was any chance she’d believe that crap.

“Oooooh! That’s so cool!” Mia’s eyes sparkled for some reason. “You think they gonna turn us into cyborgs and stuff!?”

“Uh, maybe?” I was at loss. Did she really buy into this nonsense? Seriously, this girl...

“Whoa! Where did that body go!?” She pointed at an empty spot, where an eliminated player was lying a moment ago.

“Bodies of eliminated players vanish once you take your eyes off them.”

“E-Eh?! H-How does that work!?”

“Who knows. Maybe the aliens abduct them while we aren’t looking?”

“Oh, I see! I’ll keep my eyes peeled to catch them in action!” She thumped on her chest in confidence. It was all childish nonsense, but it was fine that way. She didn’t need to think too deeply about how things worked around here. Such thoughts were poison in this world.

Mia was very curious and childish. She always had something to ask or something to overreact to. Hanging around her was never boring. Her carefree personality healed my heart. At some point, it became natural for me to smile and laugh along with her.

Beside idle chatter, I also spent time coaching Mia about the general strategies of the game. My goal was to turn her into an independent, capable player. Alas...

“W-Whoa!” She stumbled as she was about to shoot.

BAM

Her target easily eliminated her.

“T-This time for sure! TAKE THAT!” She shouted while jumping out of her cover, completely exposing herself to the enemy.

BAM

Of course, she was eliminated. Sigh. Did I also commit this many mistakes when I just started? I shuddered at the thought,

“You really suck at this.” I told her straight.

“Wha!?” She jumped. “Well, excuse me for not being a trained pro assassin like you! Hmph!”

“Trained assassin, huh.” Was that how I appeared? My skill was nothing more than experience, accumulated over hundreds of cycles. Hopefully she’ll catch up to me with enough training,

“Eeeh? Training? But that’s so boring!” Mia pouted once I brought up the idea.

“You need more practice before you’re ready to take on others. Or, maybe you’re satisfied with your current performance?”

“No, but...” She twisted her lips. “I don’t want to stay here alone all day...”

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay with you.”

“R-Really!? Yay!” She clapped her hands and flashed a beaming smile. “Man, you sure can be nice when you want to!”

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s just that somebody gotta make sure you’re not slacking off.”

“Geh. Aye aye, sir.” She shot me a look and (not so) diligently began her training.

“W-Wah! O-Oh!” She was unbelievably clumsy. I couldn’t tell whether she was truly untalented or merely unmotivated, but her performance was a sorry sight. No matter how I tried to instruct her, nothing helped her to improve much.

It took her only a couple of cycles to grow sick with this routine. To break away from it, she attacked me with random questions in order to pass the time.

“Say, are there any other clothes around here?” She frowned at her black sport clothes.

“Not that I know of. Everybody’s always wearing the same clothes.”

“Tch, that’s boring. I really wanna wear something cuter than this.”

“Sorry, no dice. Why do you want to pretty up anyway? Trying to impress someone?”

“S-Someone? W-Who?!” She became fidgety. “N-No way! I-It’s just a girl thing, you know! Wearing the same clothes everyday is super depressing and stuff. Makes me feel like a hobo.”

“Haha. Can’t say I entirely relate, but I get your drift.”

I always got dragged into her pace and engaged in these trivial back-and-forths. Before long, her “training routine” turned almost entirely into chit-chatting with me. Honestly, I didn’t mind too much.

The cheerful atmosphere made the reality around us feel like a lie. The loud shots. The people running around. None of that mattered to us. We lived in our own, peaceful bubble. At some point, my thoughts about hunting players and winning the game were replaced with the desire to protect Mia’s innocent smile.

Alas, this blissful ignorance couldn’t last forever. Not matter how energetic and childish Mia acted, I could tell unpleasant questions were eating away at her. Questions which she didn’t want to bring up, because we won’t be able to laugh them off. Alas, she couldn’t contain them forever. It was only inevitable they’ll pour out at some point.

“Say...” Mia collapsed on her knees. “Have you eaten anything recently? I haven’t. Haha. Weird, isn’t it? I don’t even feel hungry.”

“Don’t think about it too deeply. I’m sure the aliens are feeding us while we’re unconscious.”

“Aliens... were we really abducted? Have you ever seen an alien? Was it green?”

“I... haven’t.” I couldn’t bring myself to lie.

“Am I stuck here forever? Ugh.” She started sobbing and held her head. She must had suffered from the same headache I experienced before losing my mind. “Please... tell me... Will I ever get out of here? Ugh.”

“That’s...” I was lost. What could I say to reassure her? I had never dealt with such a situation before. The first time I resisted madness, it was all thanks to Ben’s help. But, he wasn’t here right now. Everything rested on my shoulders.

Should I shoot her? That’d render her unconscious and release her from this pain. No, that was pointless. She’d still be haunted by the same thoughts once she wakes up next cycle. And when that happens, I won’t be there to help her.

I had to resolve it right here, right now. But what should I say? What can I do? Her sobs and trembling form crushed my heart. She’s the one who pulled me back from the pits of madness, yet I couldn’t do anything for her! Dammit!

I couldn’t stand watching her like that, but no solution came to mind. Nothing I could say would reassure her, for she was right. This was place was hell. We were trapped in here, possibly for eternity. As it stood, with her current level of skill, she had no hope of ever winning this game.

Still, not all hope was lost. As long as we preserved our humanity in this realm of madness - we could keep going. But, how could I convey this sentiment to her? Maybe words weren’t necessary. My body acted on its own.

“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” I embraced her shivering body. “I’ll make sure we get out of here, both of us.”

“Really...?”

“Yeah, it’s a promise. So don’t think about complicated things. It’ll only give you a headache and you’ll lose yourself.”

“Okay... Okay, I got it... Aaaaah!” She cried into my chest. All her frustration and despair were laid bare. I held her tighter, reassuring that everything will work out in the end.

Could I really keep such a promise? It didn’t matter. If needed, I’d tell a thousand lies. As long as Mia was smiling, that’s all that mattered.