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Peritya

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Peritya

Surprised to see me, Commander?

Did you miss me? I've been missing you recently, so much so that...

I've prepared some small gifts for you on the Elmo~ If you want them, then you'll have to get them~

Then I'll be waiting for your splendid performance~

Kitty Cat And Mouse I

Peritya

Shouldn’t you be looking for the gift I prepared for you right now, Commander?

Why have you come to me instead?

Commander

It’s been a long while since we’ve had an in-depth conversation, so I came to see you.

How’s life on board the Elmo? You always seem to be here one moment and gone the next. I’m getting a little worried.

Peritya

The Commander? Worrying about me? That’s rare.

There’s already plenty of troublemaking children on board who’d benefit far more from your care, and yet you’re worried about me?

Well, I guess it’s not entirely unreasonable–you’ve poured so much attention, feelings, and investments into me. It's natural that you feel obliged to be responsible for my future.

Because the ones you care for–like me– are also your accomplishment, isn’t it?

You want to see the value of this living, functioning accomplishment reach higher heights, rather than let it fall and turn into a loss for you…

Very reasonable behavioral logic.

Commander
That’s not the reason for why I’m giving you attention, Peritya.

Peritya
Is that so?

(Peritya stares at me with her heterochromatic gaze, as if trying to pry out a satisfactory answer from me.)

Commander
I simply hope you can live a better life, and I have no other desires beyond that.

Peritya

Oh?

How boring. Being the same good person all the time, inside and out, makes you uninteresting.

Commander
Is interacting with Krolik more entertaining then?

Peritya

Just look at what you're saying… of course I do. That little rabbit is such a goofball. Tease her a bit and she gets all flustered–isn’t that just so entertaining?

Of course she won’t be pleased, but seeing her annoyed expression is oh–so amusing~

When push comes to shove, I’ll slip away in time, take a tour in a Green Zone, hide in purification zones, or anywhere she can’t find me for that matter.

As for the little rabbit’s fury, I’ll leave it to you to handle.

(As I look at the Doll before me wearing a gentle smile, I have no doubt she’s in fact full of mischief.)

Peritya

Woah, that face you’re making–truly fascinating.

I wonder why you aren’t getting angry. Although I pride myself on being able to read you well, you manage to surprise me every time.

Commander
People aren't that easy to read, Peritya–even for your eyes.

Peritya

Then…

Want to play a game with me? I promise you’ll be satisfied~

Kitty Cat And Mouse II

Peritya

How about it, Commander? What do you think about my proposal?

Judging by that look on your face, you seem a bit conflicted.

Commander

Not conflicted, but rather trying to anticipate what tricks you’ll be pulling next and how I should respond.

He who seeks to win in battle must calculate much to succeed.

Peritya

I’m so honored that you’re giving our little game the same level of gravity of a real campaign…

But expecting me to play tricks on you even before experiencing the game for yourself first–that does make me a little heartbroken…

So that’s the image you have of me in your mind?

I did try a little harder to keep up my image in front of you specifically.

Commander

I’ll be honest, I had no idea you were even trying to do that.

You act completely carefree and unconcerned in front of me. This stands in stark contrast to how restrained you are with those you're more distant from.

But I assume that’s also a convenient facade, correct?

Peritya

Oh no, what should I do? I’ve been completely seen through.

Was my disguise really that poor? That's certainly not something a hacker would want to hear.

Commander

I don’t suppose it’s a lack of ability; on the contrary, you’re totally capable of putting on a perfect disguise, but you just can’t be bothered with the effort.

You see, Peritya, I have the feeling that you're trying to lure me into complimenting you thus far into the conversation.

Peritya

Oh, so you found that one out too… Aren’t you a little too sharp compared to the average human, Commander?

I’m beginning to worry that you might have a higher chance of winning our game.

Shall we alter the rules just a little to make it harder?

Your thoughts, Commander?

Commander
My thoughts? Are you really “looking” for my opinion?

Peritya

Of course now.

I just wanted to see your reaction, and you’re just as interesting and adorable as expected~

Commander

Well, I think… Sure, whether you want to change the rules, raise or lower the difficulty, it’s all fine by me.

Not like it's a daily occurrence, I also want to take this chance to make you happy, Peritya.

Peritya

Commander, you really are…

Making me tear up.

Kitty Cat And Mouse III

Peritya

The game itself isn’t difficult, Commander. I said before that I'd prepared some gifts for you.

But you didn't go looking for the gifts. Was it because they weren't appealing enough, or were you too busy?

In any case, let’s make this game a little more exciting–I’ll hide somewhere near the gifts, and if you manage to find me, I’ll personally open them for you.

How about a game like that?

Commander
If I'm getting it right, we're essentially playing hide–and–seek. You're the one hiding, and I get the reward if I catch you.

Peritya
Pretty accurate summary.

Commander

Alright, I’m down for that. But I have one condition: you can only hide on the Elmo.

I wouldn’t be able to get to you easily if you go hide somewhere else.

Peritya

Guess the game won’t be as exciting as I expected, but that suggestion is reasonable.

I accept your condition.

Shall we start our game now?

Don’t worry about the game being too hard–I’ll leave you “plenty” of clues.

Surely someone as brilliant as you will be able to find me.

Commander

Let’s get started then. I’ll close my eyes, countdown from 30, and then come find you.

30, 29, 28…

(In the darkness behind my shut eyelids, I hear Peritya’s faint movements. It feels as if a mischievous cat is playfully arranging her toys around me just to share the joy of playing with her master.)

Commander

3, 2, 1…! Time’s up. Peritya, I’m coming to find you.

I see your hint. An Alexander’s Star puzzle? I assume solving it will give me a clue?

A string of encrypted letters… Hmm, let’s go with the most common Caesar cipher–moving each letter one position forward… Got it! “On the rooftop”?

But the Elmo doesn't have a rooftop, which means… On the deck.

(I climb all the way up the deck, where a high–density bulletproof glass box sits still, secured with latches and unmoving in the wind. Inside is a pure white gift box wrapped in silk.)

Commander
This is quite obvious… Peritya?

(No response. I shrug and approach the glass box, only to see a combination lock on it.)

Commander
Here you are.

Peritya
Commander~

(Before I can react, a nimble figure leaps out of the shadow and presses against my back. Peritya wraps her arms around me, whispering intimately in my ear.)

Peritya
You found me. Now, can you guess what the password is?

Kitty Cat And Mouse IV

Peritya
Come on, Commander, take a guess… Aren’t you curious what’s inside the gift box?

(Peritya lazily swishes her tail as she presses against my back. She intermittently strokes my neck and collarbone through the protective suit with one hand.)

Commander
Peritya, you’re tickling me…

Peritya
Too bad, I’m not the one getting tickled.

Commander
You really are…

(I turn around and push her away from me. Her gentle, innocent, and obedient look makes it so I can’t bring myself to get mad at all.)

Commander
You’re getting a little too naughty, Peritya.

Peritya
You dislike me being this way? Then I can certainly change. Just. For. You.

Commander
Not dislike per se… Let’s not get tangled on that–how many digits does the password have? Any hint for the combination?

Peritya
I wanted to make you happy this time, so I lowered the difficulty. The password has three digits; it’s all numbers. As for the exact combination… It’s something that has to do with me.

Commander

Three digits ranging from 0 to 9 each. All I need is a mere 1,000 tries in the worst-case scenario before I can get it.

You really did lower the difficulty.

Peritya
I made it that way because I trust your abilities. I believe you’ll decode it in no time with only 1,000 possibilities on top of the clues.

Commander
...Something that has to do with you? Your frame model number? Your manufacturing date? Or perhaps your favourite numbers?

Peritya
Interesting guesses. Which one do you think it is?

Commander

Given your personality, I’d go with the last one. You’re a hacker–from your professional perspective, you live in a world of binaries.

Thus, it’s almost certain that two numbers will be present: 0 and 1. Hmm…

Do you prefer arranging numbers in ascending or descending order?

Peritya
I’d say the former.

Commander
There are still tons of possibilities left, so I need to narrow it down further. Peritya, how many times do I get to enter the password incorrectly?

Peritya

Commander, you really are fascinating.

Your thought process is completely correct and your reasoning makes sense. However–you’ve gone in the wrong direction. Seeing how hard you've worked, let me give you another hint: the password is also related to you.

Commander
Related to me… I see. The password is the date where you got logged into Elmo, arranged in ascending order, taking the first three digits.

Peritya
Completely correct, Commander. Time to unwrap your gift.

(I enter the password I got from my deduction into the combination lock. Following a “ping”, the glass box opens automatically.)

(As I reach out to retrieve the gift, a nonchalant, warm figure presses against me and leaves a soft kiss on my face.)

Peritya
That’s a complimentary gift. Are you happy with it?

Commander

You…

Hey, wait a moment, Peritya. This so-called “gift” is…

Peritya

It's anything and everything about “me”. Though once you learn these secrets… it would also spell the end of our game, Commander.

So, I’ll leave it entirely to you to decide… whether to open the gift or not, Commander.