Elysia's face was filled with joy.
Seeing this, Hokuto did not say much to dampen her enthusiasm.
Thus, the two only briefly discussed the Elysian Realm chapter before stopping there.
Elysia soon refocused on the "Honkai Beans" game on her phone.
"Honkai Beans, huh? What kind of mini-game is this exactly?"
She lowered her head, selected "Pink Blooming Flower♪," and began to try it out.
And then…
The office was filled with Elysia's voice, rising and falling in waves.
"I wasn't trying to go there~!"
"I'm not ready yet~! Nooo! Stop, stop!"
"Why isn't this character listening to me?"
"..."
Watching Elysia struggle with this gameplay for the first time, Hokuto waited until she was tired and resting midway before asking for her opinion.
"Do you think we should lower the difficulty a bit?"
"Does the first place get any rewards?" Elysia immediately caught the key point.
Hokuto shook his head, "It's just an extra mode, there's no reward for PVP."
"Then it should be fine as is. Though it's a bit hard, I feel it's very suitable for streamers to play, or for streamers to play with their audience. It'll make for great content."
As expected of a veteran streamer, Elysia instantly discovered the proper way to enjoy Honkai Beans.
"I think 'Honkai Beans' will definitely be popular among streamers."
"Hmm…"
Hokuto was just about to say something when—
Click—
A light sound came from the direction of the door.
"Hm?"
He turned his head with slight confusion and slowly walked over.
...
At that moment, outside the office.
Heads stacked one above another, leaning against the door, eavesdropping.
"The noise was pretty loud just now, why is it suddenly quiet?" At the bottom, Theresa asked softly.
"No idea… wait, I hear something again, like a thudding sound…" Kiana, at the top, whispered back.
"You hear something? I can't hear anything."
Theresa, puzzled, leaned her head closer to the door, bumping into someone's thigh.
"…?"
Startled, Theresa immediately stumbled back several steps. When she stabilized and looked up, the others had already backed away and were standing properly.
She was the last to notice the anomaly.
The group exchanged glances.
Hokuto: "..."
The girls: "..."
"What are you all doing?" Hokuto broke the silence.
"Ahem."
Bronya coughed twice: "We were just worried that Elysia might resort to extreme measures to rush content updates, so we were ready to barge in and rescue you at any moment."
"Seems you care about me quite a lot." Hokuto blinked.
"Of course." Bronya replied seriously, "Hokuto, you're the soul of MiHoYo. Without you, there wouldn't be today's MiHoYo."
"I'll take that flattery as genuine, then." Hokuto smiled.
"That's not flattery." Bronya said firmly.
Hokuto was slightly stunned, then smiled faintly after a moment.
"Alright, I won't ask why you were sneaking around outside my office just now."
"Well… since you're all here, come in and join Elysia for a few rounds of Honkai Beans."
He turned back into the office, and the girls followed.
Everyone sat in a circle, playing Honkai Beans together.
An idle afternoon, a few friends, laughter and joy…
...
...
Time passed.
Elysia continued persistently visiting MiHoYo to pester for updates.
On one hand, because this chapter's cliffhanger was too "essential," and on the other, the new main story was so thrilling she couldn't wait for more.
Naturally, Honkai Impact 3rd's dramatic new main story sparked widespread player discussion.
The official forum was already flooded with a myriad of posts.
Some concerned Theresa, some Durandal, some Kiana and her friends…
"Valkyries vs. Otto: Three Possible Future Scenarios!"
"Brief Analysis: The Possibility of Durandal Gaining a New Battlesuit."
"Discussion: Does Otto's True Goal Really Require Kiana?"
Of course, besides these normal threads, there were also some… peculiar ones.
For instance:
"Theresa, sob sob, may there be your favorite bitter melon juice in heaven."
"Banish that previous thread! How dare they falsely report the next Overseer of Schicksal's demise!!"
"Day 10 of Theresa's Freefall—Missing Her."
And also:
"Brothers, are you ready to pop the champagne?"
Mascot HoYo-mu (Thread OP): As the title says, the long-awaited, exhilarating moment is near. Is everyone ready?
MiHoYo Are You Even Human (Reply #2): Pop! Pop! Absolutely must pop!
Pop Champagne for Otto (Reply #3):
Honestly, after reading the story, my feelings are a bit complicated. Otto is… you can criticize him all you want, and he'd accept it calmly, even degrading himself beyond your imagination.
He sees through everything so clearly. Listening to his self-mockery, bit by bit, I found myself understanding him more, to the point where seeing his inevitable demise, I actually felt a bit of regret.
Feels like when the time comes, I might not be in the mood to pop champagne anymore (even though I've had that champagne sitting at home for ages).
寸劲开头 (Reply #4): Bro, just skip all Otto-related story content. That way, you can enjoy yourself freely.
Pop Champagne for Otto (Reply #5): Hmm… makes sense. Worst case, I can watch it later. Enjoyment comes first!
寸劲开头 (Reply #6): Exactly. If you don't pop it, won't all that champagne you bought go to waste?
...
This thread sparked a lively discussion, essentially reflecting players' complex emotions towards Otto at that moment.
Though after thinking it through, since they already bought the champagne, not popping it felt like a waste.
Thus, on the day of the official Honkai Impact 3rd live broadcast.
Those players who had prepared in advance.
For example, a representative player.
An uploader named Guozi, who had been preparing ever since the Elysian Realm was introduced, and had just recently finished writing a long post he was satisfied with—ready to publish a passionate denunciation the moment Otto's curtain call arrived.
He sat with his housemate in front of the computer, holding his champagne, with the official Honkai Impact 3rd livestream open early, waiting with other viewers for the stream to start.
During this, Guozi exchanged words with his friend.
"Later, don't fight me for it. I must drink a few more glasses!"
"I swear I won't… but if I do, I'm a puppy."
At this highly anticipated moment.
Backstage at MiHoYo preparing for the stream.
"I'm here~~"
Elysia, now the de facto official livestream host of MiHoYo, appeared naturally at MiHoYo.
With a cheerful tone, she greeted everyone she passed.
"Mei, why are you looking so pretty today? You're dressed so exquisitely!"
Mei: "...This is just my usual attire."
"Ah, then Mei must look this good every day? Amazing!"
Mei: "..."
Himeko walked over and greeted Elysia: "Elysia, you're the same as always."
"Wow… from afar, I saw a woman who looked like a model, and it turned out to be you, Himeko."
Elysia's sincere exclamation slipped out instantly.
"You're exaggerating."
"Not at all. For you, Himeko, it's not an exaggeration."
"..."
The others also noticed the commotion and turned to look at Elysia, who acted like she was back in her own home at MiHoYo.
"Elysia..." *n
Elysia, noticing their gazes, waved her hand playfully without a trace of embarrassment.
"Hi~♪ Hello everyone, it's so nice to see you!"
"Pfft~~ as expected of you, Elysia," everyone chuckled.
Fully prepared, Hokuto put on a mask and simply waved Elysia over.
"Elysia, perfect timing. We're just about ready. Let's head to the livestream room."
Hokuto didn't involve anyone else today.
"Alright, alright."
Elysia didn't dawdle, nodding eagerly: "Finally, I can play the next chapter. You have no idea, I haven't slept well these past few days."
"Eden says I've been talking nonsense in my sleep lately… stuff like Theresa freefalling, Otto being dishonorable…"
"How does Eden know that?"
"Guess."
The two chatted as they entered the livestream area and took their seats.
Before the stream began, Hokuto moved aside the champagne under the small tea table and placed three packs of tissues on the table with a crisp "pa pa pa."
Then he said to Elysia:
"This time, I've prepared enough for you."
"?"
Elysia's expression instantly became strange.
Speaking of which, ever since that "I ran out of tissues" incident during the Herrscher of Flamescion stream, it had become a well-known meme among Honkai players.
Now it was one of the most iconic in the Honkai community.
"Are you deliberately playing the meme? Poking old wounds, hurting a maiden's pure heart—you don't think that's bad?"
"I'm not."
"Then why bring out these tissues?"
"I just thought you might run out again like last time. That's all." Hokuto said sincerely.
Unfortunately, with the mask on, Elysia couldn't see his expression, so his words sounded a bit suspicious to her.
"..."
"Originally… I didn't really want to watch Otto get beaten up. But now… I kind of do."
Elysia said softly, her tone filled with mixed feelings.