Seeing Genshin Impact on the phone screen, they all became interested.
"Hu Tao, hurry up and move the character around~" Kiana urged impatiently.
It was a new game—she was incredibly curious.
Himeko turned to Mo Li. "Boss, is Genshin Impact playable already?"
Mo Li nodded. "Yeah, it could actually be launched right away, but I wanted to wait until the hype around Honkai Impact 3rd died down a little first."
"I see..."
Just then, Rita, Mei, Durandal, and the others came out carrying breakfast.
Seeing Himeko and the others gathered together, letting out startled cries now and then, they grew curious as well.
"Morning, Boss~ What are they doing..." Rita asked curiously as she handed Mo Li a breakfast portion.
"Thanks~" Mo Li accepted it without ceremony, then explained with a smile, "They're trying out Genshin Impact. I guess the visuals and gameplay surprised them."
Rita and Durandal exchanged a glance, then leaned in out of curiosity.
Mei and Fu Hua did the same. Ever since Mo Li had shown them some of Genshin Impact's gameplay yesterday, they had been eagerly anticipating it.
"Hu Tao, didn't Boss Mo Li say there was also Sister Ganyu? Hurry and open her up so we can see~"
As soon as those words were spoken, all the girls looked at Ganyu at once.
"Everyone... could you please stop looking at me like that..."
The girls smiled and shifted their gazes back to the game screen.
After quite a while, Hu Tao finally found the character selection page.
When everyone saw Ganyu's blue hair and the pair of horns on her head, they all cried out in surprise.
"Why does Ganyu have two horns on her head?"
"I think they look pretty nice."
"Ganyu, you're not actually going to grow a pair of horns, are you?"
"How... could that happen... Sister Himeko, please stop teasing me."
Holding back a laugh, Himeko turned to Mo Li, who was eating breakfast. "Boss, why did you think of giving Ganyu a pair of horns?"
"In the setting, Ganyu is an Auspicious Qilin divine beast, so isn't it only natural for her to have a pair of qilin horns?"
"An Auspicious Qilin..." Ganyu rather liked that setting.
At that moment, Bronya finally finished washing up.
The moment she saw Mo Li, she could not help feeling a little awkward.
"Morning, Boss~"
"Morning~" Naturally, Mo Li was not foolish enough to bring up what had just happened. Instead, he handed Bronya a breakfast portion.
"Eat breakfast first. Once you're done, the game can be updated."
"Thank you~"
Meanwhile, countless Honkai Impact 3rd players who had been unable to sleep all began looking forward to it.
Himeko was finally going to show herself!!
Can't wait, can't wait! That previous publicity rumor is finally about to be completely debunked.
This is killing me, I just looked up the posts those haters made before and found that they'd all been deleted.
I wonder whether the other Valkyries will show up too.
Am I the only one looking forward to seeing MiHoYo's boss?
Otto, look at my sword!
PS: If nothing unexpected happens, it'll be going premium in another two chapters, probably tonight. Please give me your first subscription, cuties!
The stream begins, and the livestream's popularity skyrockets
1:50 p.m.
Inside the Studio, the girls gathered together and cheered on Himeko in front of the livestream camera.
Even Himeko, normally warm and bold, seemed somewhat bashful.
Even Kiana was no longer as lively as usual. She sat quietly in her chair, timid as a little chick.
"Boss... how about you join us for the stream too? I saw that a lot of people online want to meet you."
"I'm not going. Today is your and Kiana's moment~"
Mo Li rejected Himeko's suggestion without a second thought.
"No! Boss, you have to lead by example!!" As she spoke, Kiana ran over to Mo Li, hugged his arm, and tugged hard.
Mo Li shook his head helplessly. "Let's skip it this time. Once Genshin Impact launches, I'll appear on stream..."
"Besides, isn't Himeko streaming with you?"
"No!" Kiana began acting cute. "I won't be nervous if you're here, Boss!"
Just as Mo Li was in a difficult position, Mei smiled and patted Kiana's head, rescuing him. "All right, Kiana. The stream is about to start. Hurry up and sit properly in front of the camera."
"Already?!"
"Yeah, there are only a few minutes left."
Kiana turned and began acting cute toward Mei again. "Mei-jie... I'm so nervous~"
"This..." Mei spoiled Kiana far too much—more than even Durandal did.
The moment Kiana acted cute, Mei turned to look at Mo Li, as though seeking help.
Mo Li: "..."
"If Miss Mei wants to stream with Kiana, of course I won't stop her~"
Mei: "...In that case, Kiana, do your best..."
"Mei~ You won't help me either..."
"There's nothing I can do, Kiana... I'd be really nervous about livestreaming too..."
Seeing that both Mei and Mo Li were rather helpless, Bronya finally spoke to comfort her.
"Actually, livestreaming is very simple. After greeting the viewers when the stream starts, you can just ignore them and focus on playing the game."
Kiana pouted indignantly. "Easy for you to say. How could it be that simple..."
On the contrary, Himeko's eyes lit up. "If I don't need to pay attention to the livestream... then I really won't be nervous."
Bronya nodded lightly. "You don't need to pay attention to it. Just focus on playing the game. We'll keep an eye on the stream for you."
"Thanks, Bronya~"
Kiana was, after all, still a high school girl.
After Mei comforted her for a few words, she sat stiffly in front of the camera.
As the clock neared 2:00 p.m., the girls gestured to Himeko and Kiana.
"Himeko, Kiana, it's starting~"
With that, Himeko's livestream finally began.
The very second it opened, countless viewers flooded in.
So long as they were Honkai Impact 3rd players and had free time, without exception, they all poured into Himeko's Douyin livestream.
Awooo~~ It's finally started!
Aunt Himeko!! Kiana!!!
Wuwuwu~~ Sister Himeko, do you know how I got through last night?! I didn't sleep at all!!
Whoa whoa whoa!!! They look way too alike!! They're practically identical!!
If they put on Valkyrie Armor, it would be a one-hundred-percent recreation!!
The rumors have shattered on their own!! I'll always love Aunt Himeko!!
So beautiful!! Himeko! Kiana! I want to cuddle with you~~
Where's your boss? Call him out, I want to tip him two huge slaps!!
Seeing the Danmaku filling the screen, both Kiana and Himeko were stunned.
Mo Li tilted his head toward Bronya and asked softly, "How many people are there now?"
After a moment of silence, Bronya replied, "...A full one million!!"
Even Mo Li was stunned upon hearing that number.
He remembered that even Eden's previous stream had only drawn several million people, right?
"Are Himeko and Kiana really this popular now?!"
Bronya shook her head lightly. "Himeko and Kiana definitely aren't as popular as Eden."
"According to my calculations, this should be the result of Douyin's platform traffic combined with the recent popularity of Honkai Impact 3rd."
"After all, the number of people who watch streams on that anime site ultimately can't compare with Douyin."
"I see..."
Douyin was, after all, Dragon Country's largest short-video platform, and its traffic had always been immense.
Many viewers would stumble upon Himeko's stream by accident.
At that point, even those who did not know Himeko would be drawn in by the lively atmosphere.
And because of Eden over the past two days, Honkai Impact 3rd had reached an unusually high level of popularity. A viewership count like this was acceptable.
"Ahem..."
Himeko cleared her throat before smiling. "Hello, everyone. I'm Himeko. Murata Himeko from Honkai Impact 3rd was designed using me as her character model."
After saying that, Himeko nudged Kiana's foot, signaling for her to say something.
"Huh?!" Himeko's kick startled Kiana, who had been lost in her thoughts.
After coming back to her senses, she looked at Himeko in confusion. "Aunt Himeko, why did you kick me?"
Himeko: "...(annoyed)"
"Ehehe~ Sister Himeko, don't be mad. I forgot for a moment, so I just called you that out of habit..."
"..." Himeko silently stared at Kiana and realized that she seemed to have forgotten about the livestream entirely. She did not look nervous at all anymore.
Seeing that, Himeko decided not to remind Kiana. Instead, she smiled.
"Let it go this time. The game has already been updated. Didn't you want to experience the new story for ages?"
"It's updated already?!" Delight appeared on Kiana's face as she pulled her chair closer and leaned toward the computer.
She first claimed the update gift pack—three hundred crystals—then checked out the newly added events.
During that time, the Danmaku was incredibly lively as well.
Hahaha... When Kiana called her "Aunt Himeko," I could practically see killing intent in Himeko's eyes!
Is this how Kiana and Himeko usually get along? It feels so cute, hahaha.
Could this be staged?
Doesn't look like it. If it were staged, then Kiana and Himeko's acting would be way too good...
Don't underestimate people. Do you know why voice actors are also called "actors"?
I know this one. Voice actors need acting skills too...
Before you continue