Chapter 31. Sorry, Seele
A week went by quickly, and the final rankings of the Mini Game Festival were posted on the game's official website by the staff.
"Final Rankings
TO THE MOON
Eientei
Arhat α
..."
"To the Moon" still left second place far behind by a cliff-like margin, with the final numbers more than ten times apart.
As for Bronya's "Arhat α," perhaps because it belonged to the same Gensokyo Company as "To the Moon," it also gained some extra attention and surged to third.
"Well? Do you admit defeat?"
At Bronya's place, Xander asked with a smile.
Even though she had already started packing with Seele's help, she still talked tough.
"This is just the last burst of hype.
Yours is a story-driven game.
What if, after watching it, everyone decides not to buy tickets and pay?"
That does make sense.
For a game focused on story, many people lose the motivation to play a second time after finishing it once.
If they can freeload, why would they pay?
But that only happens when the hype is comparable.
With a gap like this, Bronya was being a bit fanciful.
At noon, all participating titles went live on the Titan Gaming Platform.
Because the games were small, Xander priced each copy at 29 Titan Game Points.
Mobile and PC were interoperable, and both could be downloaded to play.
You could call it very consumer-friendly—there was no cashing in on the heat to raise prices.
And then, unsurprisingly, it sold like crazy.
They pulled up the backend metrics.
Xander, Seele, and Bronya pressed their heads together and watched the sales curve shoot up almost vertically.
10,000.
50,000.
100,000.
200,000...
The sight made Xander nod in satisfaction.
Seele's eyes filled with admiration.
Bronya sighed, letting go of her last sliver of wishful thinking.
In the end, "To the Moon" sold 840,000 copies in the first hour after release.
With a few weeks of banner recommendations to come, breaking a million—or even two million—was only a matter of time.
This already far surpassed "To the Moon" in the previous life.
Elysia + Eden—the buffs Xander stacked for it—were simply too much to be buried.
"Convinced?"
Arms folded, Xander cheerfully looked over at the somewhat deflated Bronya again.
"...You just piggybacked on Eden's buzz..."
"Even without Eden, do you think you could win?"
"..."
Xander's counterquestion left Bronya silent.
Having played it herself, she understood just how high the quality of "To the Moon" was—almost touching the ceiling of its genre.
How could she have the confidence?
Even without Eden, it would still be a hit, not something her "Arhat" could cling to.
Seeing this, Xander stopped poking at her and rolled up his sleeves to get to work.
Starting today, Bronya was finally moving back in to live with them.
After nearly two years apart, the three inseparable companions were together again.
Of course, a few small incidents followed the move.
There weren't quite enough rooms on the second floor.
The studio obviously had to be kept, and the remaining bedrooms were already taken.
At that point, Seele raised her hand and said she would give her room to Bronya.
As for herself—hehehe~
Bronya shot her a faint glance, then curled her lips in a hint of amusement.
"Alright then.
From now on, let's share a room, Seele."
Seele: "?"
She widened her eyes at the smiling Bronya.
T-This isn't right.
That's not what Seele meant!
Very soon, Xander saw the pleading look Seele threw his way.
For the sake of that warm, soft, sweet-smelling little body pillow in the future, Xander naturally chose to step forward and stood between Seele and Bronya.
"Ahem.
Seele gave up her room, so she should get to live wherever she wants.
Anyway, the rooms are big enough.
Adding one more person is more than manageable."
Seele stood behind Xander as well, hugging his arm and leaning out half her body to look at Bronya, nodding quickly.
"Heh."
Bronya snorted and said nothing more.
She picked up her things and headed upstairs to the second floor.
How could she not know what that lovestruck ninny was thinking?
She had only been teasing her just now.
As the afterglow of sunset spilled across the street, the three of them, tired from an afternoon of work, finally sat on the second-floor terrace for a rest.
After a sweet drink, the ever-restless Seele went tap—tap—tap down the stairs to cook.
She said that since Sister Bronya had finally come back, they had to make a big celebratory meal.
With Seele's chatter gone, the terrace returned to quiet.
There was no bustle outside the residential area anyway.
Looking at the orange sky, Bronya stared blankly for a moment.
She had thought she would be heartbroken after losing, but from the moment she stepped into this home that afternoon, her heart relaxed on its own.
It felt like she hadn't experienced this ease in almost two years.
The feeling left her a little dazed, and her mind couldn't help recalling that quarrel from two years ago.
Thinking about it now, Xander had been right.
Without sufficient capital, where did she have the right to chase those dreams?
The misery of their first failed game, when they could hardly afford to eat, was still vivid.
Without Xander's support, she would have lost long ago.
Having played "To the Moon," she finally understood.
That so-called contract was just Xander humoring a girl throwing a little tantrum, patiently playing along.
Back then, she had been too proud.
Those in the situation are confused; bystanders see clearly.
With a soft sigh, Bronya relaxed into the chair and turned her eyes to the quiet boy beside her.
The sunset's afterglow draped him in a veil of gold.
Eyes closed, he leaned back in the chair, his breathing even, as if asleep.
Two years had stripped the boy of his previous childishness, leaving him a bit more mature.
His quiet sleeping face touched the softest place in Bronya's heart.
Unable to resist, Bronya took out her phone, aimed it at Xander, and—click—captured the moment.
She adjusted it slightly, set it as her phone's background, and nodded in satisfaction.
A light breeze brushed by, lifting a strand of her hair.
Bronya stood and tiptoed softly to Xander's side.
She had meant to play a small prank, but as she lowered her head, she suddenly stopped.
Staring at that face drawing closer, all the emotions built up over two years burst forth at once—anger, unwillingness—but more than anything, longing for the boy who used to be at her side every day, the one who opened her heart.
Feeling his breath still calm and even, Bronya tucked the lock of hair at her temple behind her ear, took a deep breath, and slowly leaned down.
Her heartbeat suddenly sped up.
A deep flush spread across her face.
Her head swam a little.
She could no longer tell whether this was a whim or long premeditated.
The eruption of two years of emotion made her set thinking aside for the moment.
"Consider this your reward for winning."
Barely finding a justification for herself, she turned the scene she had imagined countless times into reality in that instant.
The sunset stretched their shadows long, all the way down the stairs to near the kitchen.
At that moment, the two long shadows slowly overlapped.
Sorry, Seele.
Bronya spoke quietly in her heart.
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