Redemption of the Plains: The Berserker Earns Her Gold with Sweat and a Mascot Suit

With their hair completely disheveled and their legs collapsing from fear, Sora and Airi reached the beverage stand.

However, both decided to rest a bit on a metal bench nearby, both trying to process what had happened a few minutes ago.

"Sora... I think I need to go to the bathroom first," Airi exclaimed, pointing toward the ladies' restroom nearby.

"Okay, Airi, I'll wait here for you while you're out," Sora said. Airi simply stood up and began walking toward the restroom.

Sora leaned back on the bench, letting out a long sigh as he watched the sky. His hands could still feel the trace of Airi's grip.

"Just 5 centimeters, huh... I guess the distance between us isn't measured only on the school map," Sora thought with a small smile.

However, thanks to all the excitement of the moment, Sora was starting to feel hungry.

Without thinking too much, Sora decided to get up and head to an alley where there was a less crowded vending machine. That's when, between a couple of trash cans decorated as castles, he saw something that broke his mind—and gaming logic.

"A... cow mascot suit?" was what Sora said upon turning his gaze in that direction. Although what was impressive wasn't the suit itself, but that the costume's head was on the ground, and the person emerging from the plush neck was... Mika Tamaki.

Mika was red from the heat, with some strands of her blonde hair stuck to her forehead from sweat as she drank water from a bottle.

"Ahhh... what a exhausting day. Just because it's the weekend doesn't mean everyone has to come. Every weekend is tiring," the girl said, completely ignoring Sora's existence.

"Wait... Are you Mika?" Sora said while blinking several times, unable to process that the big gal of Shinomiya Institute was dressed in such an unorthodox way.

For her part, the girl almost choked on her water. Her violet eyes opened with a panic that surpassed any fear of heights.

"Y-Y-Yamamoto?!" she shouted, dropping the water bottle and entering a state of desperation. "What are you doing here?! How much did you see?!"

"Are you really the Mika I know? You... work here in that little cow suit?" Sora couldn't help but let out a small involuntary laugh. The School Queen, the Berserker who had humiliated him yesterday, was dressed as an adorable little cow.

"Don't laugh, idiot!" Mika shouted as she approached where Sora was to confront him. "I'm going to have to erase this memory with punches!" Mika declared, clenching her fist that was still inside the mascot suit.

However, Mika went into total panic upon seeing some children approaching in the distance.

In an act of desperation, she grabbed the cow head and jammed it on hastily. "If anyone sees me, I swear I'll delete your real-life account!"

But in her haste, Mika put the cow head on backward, causing the children who had approached to play with her to run away scared.

Mika, realizing her error, entered an uncontrollable rage—so much so that Sora could witness the aura of hatred emanating from her from where he stood.

"Soooooora Yamamotoooo..." Mika whispered from inside the suit. However, Sora couldn't fully understand the reason for her anger. "I-I'm sorry, Mika, I didn't mean to—" Sora said but was interrupted by Mika.

"Shut up and die!" Mika's voice shouted from inside the plush.

Completely blinded and furious, Mika started running toward Sora, but with her face pointing backward, she ran in reverse. It looked like a glitched-out cutscene from a game full of bugs.

"Come here, you red-haired idiot!" she shouted while colliding with a trash bin.

Sora didn't know whether to run for his life or call a responsible adult for this situation. Mika, despite having her head facing the opposite direction, had activated some kind of detection instinct that allowed her to chase him erratically.

"Mika, wait! You're going to cause a problem in the park!" Sora shouted while dodging a couple who watched in horror as a cow ran backward at full speed.

"I don't care about the park! I'm going to erase your memories so you don't tell anyone anything!" Mika's voice came out erratically, making her sound like a final boss with a broken microphone.

Sora had to run as fast as he could from the place. He circled around the benches, taking advantage that Mika, not seeing where she was going, constantly crashed into trash cans and balloon stalls. It looked like a high-level duel between a Tank with mobility and a Berserker with the confusion status effect at maximum.

Finally, after a few intense minutes of pursuit that left several children traumatized and a security guard scratching his head in confusion, both collapsed from exhaustion in a secluded corner.

Mika slumped against the wall, panting. Sora, leaning on his knees, tried to catch his breath while holding back laughter.

"Okay... Okay... you win," Mika panted. With a sudden movement, she ripped off the cow head, revealing a face completely drenched in sweat and a look that promised instant death. "One more step... and I swear I'll rip your head off."

"No need... —Sora sat on the ground, surrendering to exhaustion. "My stamina stats are in the red."

Mika fell silent, hugging the enormous plush head like a shield. The aura of hatred began to dissipate, revealing the tired girl who just wanted to finish her shift.

"So... why?" Sora asked after a while. "You're the most popular girl. You could literally be anywhere else."

Mika clenched her teeth, looking away with wounded pride.

"Being a popular girl with lots of high-end accessories doesn't fall from the sky, Yamamoto," she murmured. "I don't have my parents, and my grandmother can't afford all this with her money. If I want designer clothes, or beautiful hair like mine, and maintain my status, I have to earn my own money. No one at the institute knows that the 'Queen' works as a promotional cow to afford all of that."

Sora didn't say a single word for several seconds. Behind the Berserker attitude, there was a girl who gave her maximum effort for her passion, just like him.

Mika suddenly turned red upon realizing everything she had told Sora. She stood up shakily, still with the cow body on, and cornered Sora against the wall, staring at him with a frightening intensity. Her violet eyes were so close to his, shining with a mix of fury and shame.

"Listen carefully, idiot!" she exclaimed, bringing her face closer to Sora's until their breaths mingled. "What I said yesterday... all of it...! I was an idiot, okay?! I was frustrated about the coffee and some comments my friends had made. It's not that I think you're losers, it's that... seeing you guys so united made me jealous..."

Mika clenched her fists (or whatever the mascot suit had for hands) and looked away, with a tone that reminded Sora of a certain yandere girl who was about to explode.

"So erase that memory from yesterday from your mind! I'll apologize to your friends, to the kitten and the otter... but if you tell anyone else, I swear I'll break into your house while you're sleeping and erase your memories with punches! Do you hear me?! I will!"

Sora swallowed hard. The apology had been aggressive, clumsy, and slightly terrifying, but it was the most sincere thing he'd ever heard from her.

"U-understood, Mika. The secret is safe with me," Sora said, raising his hands in a peace sign.

Mika let out a sigh and put the costume head back on, this time correctly, and walked away with a heavy step, making an "I'm watching you" gesture with her plush fingers. Sora stayed there, processing the fact that he had just forged an unexpected alliance with the most dangerous girl in the institute.