Elysia was truly flustered by this cliffhanger, babbling nonsense.
Hokuto had to remind her.
"Elysia, Eden might be watching your stream right now."
"Ah~~!"
Elysia snapped back to reality.
"'Otto'-san, please forget everything I just said."
"You should know, prying into a maiden's privacy is a very rude thing to do~~"
She paused: "Hmm… or are you curious? If you're willing to update right now, I could divulge a little secret~~"
"No need." Hokuto's voice was firm.
"Is it because 'Otto'-san thinks the value doesn't match?"
Elysia feigned melancholy: "Ah~~ I never thought you'd be so greedy~~"
"But! As the captain of the girls' gossip squad… ahem, anyway, I have many little secrets to trade~~"
Hokuto: "..."
Hokuto knew that once caught in Elysia's rhythm, regaining the upper hand was nearly impossible.
He could only try to terminate the topic.
"It's not that I don't want to update, but the latter part of the story isn't fully prepared yet."
"Really? I feel like there's just a little left. With MiHoYo's productivity..." Elysia spoke with a tone that clearly said 'don't try to fool me.'
Hokuto replied honestly, "Because the last portion is being done by me alone."
"This… what happened?"
Elysia was surprised and began to guess, "Did Kiana and the others finally go on strike because you kept saying things that annoyed them?"
"Impossible. What are you even thinking?"
Hokuto denied her speculation. "I just want everyone to savor this segment of the story. If they know the content in advance, it might lose some impact when the actual update comes."
"Oh~~"
Elysia understood.
She paused and asked, "So you're saying there's really nothing left of the story right now? Even if you wanted to update, you couldn't?"
"Mm."
"Sigh~~" Elysia sighed softly.
Although she was very curious about what comes next...
What were Otto's bizarre schemes for?
What was Durandal's current situation?
Was Theresa alright?
How would they deal with Otto next… there were so many things to look forward to.
But since Hokuto said so, there really was no way... She'd just have to be the nagging assistant urging updates for the next few days.
Having made up her mind, she returned to playing Honkai Impact 3rd.
She had been too focused on the main story earlier and still had many side quests to do.
These side quests...
Gave players a new perspective on Otto.
Turns out Otto was so beloved by ordinary people? He would even use a soulium puppet to personally carry an old man home?
And Otto deliberately left civilians in Kolosten not because he feared Theresa and the others would carpet bomb the area with Hyperion during their charge on the church.
But rather, to help the soon-to-be-appointed Schicksal Overseer Theresa build her achievements and win the people's support.
So...
After completing these side quests, players had new thoughts.
[Otto is so good to Theresa, there's no way he'd let her fall just like that, right?]
[Yeah, yeah, Otto even left Black Abyss White Flower for Bronya and the others. He'd definitely have a backup plan for his granddaughter.]
[That beam of white light just now might be Otto's contingency? Cecilia? Still alive?]
[Who knows, but suddenly I feel Theresa might not be in danger.]
[Even so, even if Theresa should be fine, I still really want to know what happens next! Damn these cliffhangers! Hurry up, MiHoYo!]
...
The audience generally felt that Theresa would survive, or rather, they trusted Otto.
Though when opposing Otto, that feeling of being ensnared in his schemes was spine-chilling.
But if Otto intended to help, he brought an unparalleled sense of security.
On Elysia's side, having cleared the main story and side quests, she felt it was time to end today's stream.
"Mm-hmm, seeing everyone's analysis has eased my mind a lot."
"Alright~~ today's stream ends here~~ thank you all for watching~~"
"Hmm… Kevin, 'Otto'-san, Theresa, say goodbye to everyone too."
The most 'proper' Theresa spoke first.
"Seeing how much everyone cares about me, I believe Theresa would be very happy. Here, I wish everyone can enjoy delicious bitter melon juice every day."
Players: ??? This is how you repay kindness?
[...]
[I want to know when the daily stamina will be reverted back to normal.]
"When Mei returns to the Hyperion, we'll naturally revert it."
Hokuto answered the audience's question. "Of course, given that Mei is currently obsessed with the Elysian Realm, everyone might have to wait a while longer."
"But the Realm is so much fun, I think everyone can understand Mei, right?"
Amid a barrage of "yes, yes, the Realm is so fun" and "I love the Elysian Realm" comments, he returned to the main topic, speaking slowly.
"On this long journey of fighting the Honkai, we witnessed the awakening of extinction-class Herrschers and their golden, dazzling downfall."
"We've accompanied the growth of three young girls, as well as the redemption of the Shenzhou Guardian."
"In the Theater of Domination, we saw meteors streak across the night sky, and in the Elysian Realm, the Flame-Chasers have stood watch for millennia."
"And that plan spanning centuries is about to conclude."
Kevin: "So, when do you plan to update?"
"Please… don't interrupt me."
Hokuto paused and continued, "To witness this 'Fool's' final journey, MiHoYo will once again host an official livestream for the next main story update."
"That's all from me. Kevin, anything you'd like to say?"
"..."
Kevin was briefly silent, then in his ever-unchanging tone:
"No matter the cost, humanity will prevail against the Honkai."
[As expected of Ancestor Kevin.]
[No matter the cost, I'll make sure everyone gets their noodles!]
[Fighting for everything beautiful in this world!]
"Pfft~~ a fine farewell speech. Alright, all good things must come to an end..."
Elysia led the others.
"Until next time." *4
[Miss Elf! Everyone! See you next time!]
[Aimen~♪]
Then, Elysia closed the livestream.
Kevin was the first to exhale.
"How was my performance today?"
"Very cool." Elysia replied.
"Heh."
Hokuto: "..."
"Kevin, get a grip."
The moment he spoke, before Kevin could respond, Elysia interjected.
"Isn't Kevin acting perfectly normal?"
Hearing this, Hokuto fell silent.
He had to admit, from Elysia and the others' perspective in this world, this probably was true.
A slightly buggy Kevin was the most normal state. It was the cold, distant Kevin who felt off.
Actually...
This might be better. Even Kevin himself likely preferred this version of himself.
Given a choice, who would want to be a hopeless fanatic?
While Hokuto was zoning out.
Kevin was getting ready to leave.
"I still have an appointment with Mei, I'll head off."
"Hmm? Kevin, are you going on a date with Mei?" Elysia teased.
"...Probably, I guess?" Kevin hesitated.
Elysia didn't understand, "What do you mean by 'probably'?"
"Mei... she's a bit unusual? Like, when I went on dates with other girls before, topics about the starry sky would naturally lead to zodiac signs or blood types."
Kevin paused, then continued, "It's my first time meeting someone who, from talking about the stars, transitions into the universe, humanity, science, and philosophy."
"So it's hard to judge whether we're exploring cosmic mysteries or actually on a date."
Elysia smiled, "Seems like you're having a tough time, Kevin. But don't say these things to Mei, okay?"
"I can't say them?" Kevin asked back.
Elysia heard something from his response.
"...Did you already say them?"
"Uh."
"..."
Elysia fell silent.
At this moment, Hokuto, who had just come back to his senses, chimed in: "Talking about your exes on a date? Classic Kevin move."
Hokuto's jab was something Elysia deeply resonated with.
Kevin's behavior was undeniably textbook 'dense guy.'
This awakened Elysia's professional spirit as an emotional commentator.
She immediately began leveraging her knowledge from reading 200 romance manga, giving Kevin an impromptu lesson in emotional intelligence.
Though in practice, her experience in lecturing was zero, while being lectured was something she knew quite well.
Of course, EQ is something that requires nurturing, but there are also those born with it maxed out.
Miss Elf probably belongs to the latter.
In short, Kevin, who originally wanted to retreat, got roped in by Elysia for a heartfelt sermon.
Even Hokuto and Theresa joined in, turning it into a three-way tribunal.
As a result, that evening, when Kevin met Mei again.
Seeing Kevin doing things he'd never normally do (mimicking Elysia's opening remarks, offering her "delicious" bitter melon juice, proactively discussing philosophy to cater to her interests).
She nearly dragged Kevin to Mobius's lab.
To call in Mobius and Vill-V for a tribunal of their own.