"Wow, this is so touching! Is this what it means to be a teacher?" As Lü Heng spoke, he couldn't help but recall news stories from his past life about teachers who had sacrificed themselves to save their students during earthquakes, fires, and other disasters. Such tragedies were all too common.
In contrast, Invincible Bro remained more composed, his reaction less dramatic than Lü Heng's, though he did rub his slightly stinging nose.
Watching this scene, Ikezawa felt a surge of perverse satisfaction. He had once been utterly devastated by "The Last Lesson," and now, watching others suffer the same emotional wounds, he couldn't quite explain his twisted pleasure.
Then... he wiped a few tears from the corner of his eye. It felt good to see others reduced to tears by the story, but realizing he was reliving the pain himself brought a wave of sorrow. This left him in a strange emotional state: simultaneously pleased and saddened, a bittersweet ache.
It's worth noting that in his previous life, Ikezawa had watched countless "reaction videos"—clips of streamers, both domestic and foreign, reacting to "The Final Lesson" after he himself had been emotionally scarred by it.
It could be said that almost every time he watched it, he experienced this bittersweet feeling of exhilaration and sorrow.
Even after countless viewings, each rewatch still moved him deeply.
Throughout the theater, faint sniffles occasionally rippled through the audience, a clear testament to the film's success. Yet, among all the viewers, Li remained remarkably unmoved.
The blonde Doggirl showed no visible reaction at all because... she simply hadn't understood a thing. She couldn't even comprehend why so many people were running back and forth on the giant screen before her.
Still, Li was affected by the collective sorrow surrounding her. Her ears and tail drooped listlessly, and her mood darkened.
Li hated movie theaters! Everyone inside seemed so unhappy!
The film concluded after Kiana returned to normal. Then, a montage flashed across the screen, showing Kiana with heterochromatic eyes darting swiftly between skyscrapers, followed by the title card:
Stay tuned for the third installment of the Honkai series: Arc City.
Clearly, a sequel was in the works. Seeing this, Ikezawa couldn't help but feel a grudging admiration. His fellow transmigrator was remarkably talented; the film far surpassed his expectations!
One thing Ikezawa still couldn't figure out was why the characters in this movie were so perfectly cast.
But it wasn't a big deal. He could just check the cast list, right?
Normally, Ikezawa never paid attention to such details. He'd always leave the theater as soon as the credits rolled. But this time, he sat quietly in his seat, waiting for the cast list to appear.
Just then, a crisp, clear "ding"—audible only to Ikezawa—sounded in his mind, and a line of small text materialized before him:
[Host has completed their first viewing of a gold-quality or higher movie. The Super Great Director System has been activated.]
[A potential purple-quality or higher actor nearby is currently experiencing emotional distress. It is recommended that the Host seize this opportunity to improve relations. The initial mission has been updated to: "Console the individual and establish a good relationship."]
[Upon completion of the initial mission, the Host will receive a Newbie Gift Pack and formally unlock the remaining features of the Super Great Director System.]
"A system?!" Ikezawa froze, then surged with elation. I knew it! As a transmigrator, how could I not have a system?
What puzzled Ikezawa was why it was a Movie System. Couldn't it have been something cooler, like a War God System, an Overlord System, or a Summoning System?
Still, he reasoned, "Something's better than nothing." Besides, since it was a Movie System, it made sense that it hadn't activated in the Beast-Eared Girl World, where watching movies was impossible. It triggering now seemed logical enough.
Moreover, he was currently in a safe world. This Movie System probably wasn't much worse than a War God System anyway, right?
Ikezawa continued to reassure himself, growing more and more fond of the Movie System. Only then did he turn his attention to the initial mission. The System had thoughtfully marked the location of the purple-quality actor with a downward-pointing purple arrow right above Lü Heng's head.
"This mission couldn't be any simpler," Ikezawa thought. "Just raise his favorability? But Lü Heng's already my best friend! This will be a piece of cake!"
He clapped Lü Heng on the shoulder and exclaimed, "Now that's a real teacher! So touching!"
After a moment of silence, Ikezawa frowned at the unresponsive System. Doesn't this count as comforting? What am I supposed to do?
[Ding!]
[System detected Host encountering a bottleneck. Calculating the optimal method for increasing favorability...]
[Calculation complete. Host is advised to display a gentle smile, grasp the target's right hand with both of yours, and when the target looks at you, use your smile to melt their heart.]
Ikezawa's first thought was, Whoa, this System's actually pretty human-like?
Without overthinking it, he followed the instructions. He firmly grasped Lü Heng's hand with both of his and forced a wide smile.
Ikezawa thought he was doing a decent job, but when Lü Heng looked up, he was met with a truly horrifying sight.
Yes, horrifying. Ikezawa's face was a bizarre mix of the lingering sadness from watching the final lesson, the perverse satisfaction of seeing his friend cry, and the residual excitement from activating the System. All these emotions coalesced into a strained, unnatural smile that looked positively deranged.
Lü Heng recoiled violently, shouting, "Holy shit!"
[Ding! Target favorability decreased.]
Ikezawa: "???"
[Ding~ Calculating a new solution...]
[Recommended approach: The Host can try flirting by running their fingers through their hair to seduce the target, or throw themselves into the target's arms and act cute to melt their heart.]
"What the hell is this?!" Ikezawa cursed inwardly. "How the fuck did you calculate this? How would that possibly increase his favor?!"
[Ding~ According to calculations, these actions are highly effective for a cute girl to increase someone's affection.]
Ikezawa gritted his teeth. "But I'm a fucking guy! Are you blind, System?!"
Six exclamation marks materialized visibly before Ikezawa, followed by a notification:
[Ding~ System unbinding in progress...]
Ikezawa's expression twisted in panic. "Don't unbind! No, wait! I was wrong, System-bro!!!"
Meanwhile, in a secluded corner at the back of the movie theater, Sparkle clutched her stomach, gasping with laughter.