After leaving behind that confident declaration, Kiana left.
"Kiana is as oblivious as ever."
"Really? I think Kiana is going to crash and burn."
"You don't understand Kiana at all, Ye Ming."
Bronya declared with absolute certainty:
"No matter how shocking the game's plot is, it won't have any effect on a single-celled creature like her."
"Want to make a bet?" Ye Ming suggested.
"Fine. If I win, you have to let me bring a HOMU family bucket to my workstation."
"And if you lose?"
"Um..."
Bronya looked at her underdeveloped figure, then at the older girls beside her. Somewhat unwilling to admit defeat, she said:
"When my body develops to look like theirs, I'll date you."
"Huh?"
Hearing Bronya's words, the girls all instinctively hugged their ample chests, their faces flushing crimson.
However, seeing Bronya's petite frame, no one took her wager too seriously. They simply assumed she and Ye Ming were joking around.
"More importantly, Ye Ming, you should go talk to Himeko."
"Mm. I'll talk to her after work and see what's going on."
That evening, all the girls were keeping an eye on Himeko.
Kiana claimed she was not interested, but she kept craning her neck to peek over while working.
"Ye Ming, I heard from the others that you wanted to see me?"
When it was time to get off work, Himeko came over to Ye Ming. She still looked distracted and absent-minded.
"Himeko, you've been acting strangely these past few days. Did the earlier story affect you?"
"You noticed?"
A faint blush appeared on Himeko's face.
"It's rather embarrassing. I'm an adult, yet a fictional story has left me this unsettled."
"If the new story makes you uncomfortable, we can make some adjustments."
"No, don't do that."
Himeko shook her head.
"The story is excellent. It would be such a shame if the players missed out on this part of the main storyline."
As she said that, Himeko recalled her earlier true-to-life performance, and her emotions began to slip out of control.
To change the mood, she hurriedly teased him.
"Still, Kiana and I bicker in the studio every day. Either she makes me mad, or I beat her up. Seeing us like that, I have no idea how you came up with such a touching story."
"Haha, didn't the St. Freya Academy Arc already show that side of things?"
Ye Ming said with a smile.
"It's just that the real world is even better than the game. Your squabbling can go on forever."
And Ye Ming had once wagered everything for that ending.
"Go on forever? Hehe..."
Himeko laughed bitterly.
"I wouldn't count on it. That girl is in the middle of a disagreement with me. She hasn't spoken to me for days."
"She'll grow up, just like in the story to come."
"..."
"..."
After a brief silence, Himeko looked toward Kiana's desk. At this hour, it was empty.
"Hearing you talk about Kiana growing up and the days ahead... I don't know why, but I suddenly really want to see Kiana when she can stand on her own."
Himeko's smile grew paler and paler, while her cherry lips trembled slightly.
"But I keep feeling like I won't get to see it. Like the ordinary days when we can bicker together can't go on forever."
She rubbed her brow and said as if she were still hungover:
"Strange, isn't it? I actually feel like the plot in the game will come true. I must have drunk so much that I damaged my brain."
"Himeko..."
Ye Ming sat beside Himeko and gently moved close to her, giving her as much support as he could.
"I don't think you're strange, and you don't need to worry about saving face. Can you tell me clearly why you have that feeling?"
Himeko had one thing right. Even middle school students could distinguish fiction from reality. A mature adult like Himeko should not have become so deeply immersed in it.
"The me in the game... no, everything in the game gives me a sense of déjà vu."
Dizzy-headed, Himeko unconsciously moved closer to Ye Ming. She hesitated a little at first, but soon rested her forehead against him, as though that was the only way she could feel at ease.
"If the daily life at St. Freya Academy was based on our days in the studio, then that would make sense."
"But in the new main story, those scenes that could never appear in reality make that sense of déjà vu even stronger."
Himeko's confession greatly surprised Ye Ming. This so-called déjà vu was not something he had anticipated.
Unable to offer a reasonable explanation, Ye Ming could only silently lend Himeko his shoulder and stroke her hair until the furrow in her brow, tightened from the headache, gradually relaxed.
Players: We Already Guessed the Plot
"Thank you. I feel much better now."
The warmth Ye Ming brought quickly restored Himeko's mood.
But the moment she left the range of Ye Ming's body heat, immense pressure and coldness swept over her once more.
Only then did Himeko realize that she had not slowly recovered with time. It was Ye Ming's reassuring presence that had healed her.
"Is this... déjà vu too?"
Why did her body so naturally want to rely on Ye Ming?
What did this sense of déjà vu have to do with the contents of the game?
Himeko could no longer be bothered to think about those questions. Right now, the only thought in her heart...
Was that she regretted telling Ye Ming she was all right.
If possible, Himeko wanted to borrow Ye Ming's embrace a little longer.
When she came to work the next day, Ye Ming had been busy with matters related to the new banner.
If nothing unexpected happened, this Herrscher of the Void and Valkyrie Triumph banner would push revenue to a new peak.
"Ye Ming, should we adjust the power level of the new characters a little more?"
As the strategic consultant, A-Tzu suggested:
"Personally, I think their strength is a little too high."
"I think so too."
Nahida, who was responsible for providing healing services to Ganyu, also came over and said:
"If we release such powerful characters now, future numerical design will become very troublesome."
A-Tzu added:
"If we want players to keep spending, we'll need to release even stronger characters. Then the stages will have to become increasingly difficult as well, and the game's numbers will collapse."
The two sisters took turns speaking, and they really did give Ye Ming a lesson.
"That's true. Then I'll leave this matter to you two, but the new characters' strength must still be guaranteed!"
Honestly, suppressing stat inflation was indeed difficult. Fortunately, he had two gods of wisdom, one big and one small, at his side.
O wisdom of Sumeru, make Honkai Impact 3rd's numerical design a little more reasonable!
"Ye Ming, the players can't wait any longer."
"I know. The preview has already been released."
--Honkai Impact 3rd Version 1.2 Preview: Brand-New S-Rank Characters, "Herrscher of the Void" and "Vermilion Knight: Eclipse"
Just a few words, paired with several promotional images and a few brief trailers.
Ye Ming had merely tapped on his keyboard, yet it caused a massive uproar across the internet.
The Queen was entering the banner?!
A world-ending villain could become a playable character too?
On the forums, players had differing opinions about the Herrscher of the Void entering the banner.
Most applauded the decision, but some felt it was a spoiler.
Isn't it obvious? It's definitely going to have a happy ending. This banner is practically spelling it out.
I've already guessed the rest of the story. The Queen gets redeemed, Kiana is saved, and St. Freya Academy becomes lively again.
Got it. Everyone gets together for a happy ending, right?
There was basically no disagreement among the players regarding their predictions for the story.
It was originally a beautiful-girl raising game. What other tricks could it possibly pull?
Still, even if players felt the plot was bound to be cliché, it would not lessen their love for the game.
In fact, it was precisely because everyone expected a happy ending that they dared to spend with peace of mind.
Hey, is no one paying attention to Himeko's new battlesuit?
I saw it! She's so cool and gorgeous! Big Sis Himeko is amazing!
A new story, a new banner, and new events—without a doubt, it was a feast for players.
But while some rejoiced, others worried. Tencent next door was completely dumbfounded.
They had just made a hit game and released an animation as stunning as Queen's Descent, and they were already launching a new version?
What kind of production capacity was this? Even if the planners could handle it, what about the programmers?
Were all MiHoYo programmers bald powerhouses?
"Ah... achoo!"
Elsewhere, Ganyu, who had fallen asleep after staying up late working overtime, was suddenly awakened by a sneeze.
"So it was a dream? It's great that I don't need to work overtime tonight."
"It's not a dream. The new version launches today, so everyone has to work overtime."
"Waaah..."
In Elysia's livestream room, the viewer count had already reached one million.
That number was not much for her, but the astonishing part was that she had not even started streaming yet!
In other words, one million viewers were watching a black screen.
Such enthusiasm did not come from nowhere, because at noon, Elysia had posted an update:
Before you continue