It was Mako, shrieking and waving the Switch case like a talisman, who found the menu. “Settings! There’s, like, an options tab. It says: ‘DLC — Install, Uninstall, or Merge’.”

Mako waved her Switch case like a flag. “Next update, can we get, like, an emote where Ryuko does the victory pose but also eats ramen?”

They left the arena with the taste of salt and victory on their lips, knowing that battles could come in pixels as well as in blood, but that some threads were not to be overwritten.

Satsuki’s eyes narrowed. “Merge?”

Mako Mankanshoku burst through the entrance in a swirl of confetti and misinformation, dragging behind her a discarded Switch case as if it were a life preserver. “It’s for the game, Ryuko! People say the 2021 update added new characters and stages and—ooh—cosmetics!”

They walked out into the bruised light together. Far above, new banners fluttered — not of forced updates but of choice, download icons crossed with tiny scissors as if the world itself had learned to cut only where the wearer wished.