At the top of the Word document was a title: "Honkai Impact 3rd Writing Contest Entry."
28. Ei and Yae Miko
"Let's write that the protagonist piloted a mech and saved Himeko here!"
"But wouldn't that be plagiarism?"
"Hm? I accidentally wrote the protagonist's name as Ye Ming too?"
"Honestly, why can't I get him out of my head?"
The girl's writing was not going smoothly. As she wrote, the story under her pen kept turning into Ye Ming's story.
Even the protagonist she imagined in her mind would unconsciously take on Ye Ming's appearance.
"Have I met him somewhere before? Why does he feel so familiar?"
Thinking this, the girl could not help opening the video again, drawn in by Ye Ming's every smile and frown on the screen.
Especially when she saw Ye Ming cry, an unbearable ache would rise in her chest.
Bang, bang, bang.
"Write, write..."
Bang, bang, bang.
"Big sister, open the door~~"
Bang, bang, bang.
"Oh, right. Big sister isn't off work yet."
Muttering to herself, Ei, who looked almost exactly like her sister Makoto, pulled on her pants and called out:
"Wait a moment, I'll be right there."
"No need to tidy up, Ei. It's not like I don't know what you're like at home."
"That voice is..."
Hearing the alluring female voice outside the door, Ei, who usually wore a cold expression, showed a rare hint of excitement and hurriedly ran to open it.
"Miko, did my submission pass the review?"
The girl before her had long cherry-pink hair, captivating violet eyes, and curves no less alluring than Ei's.
Aside from her beauty, the most eye-catching feature was the pair of adorable furry ears atop her head, soft and drooping.
"That is exactly what I came to discuss."
Yae Miko said with a troubled expression:
"Ei, don't submit anything again in the future."
"Huh?"
The joy in Ei's eyes vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness that made it seem as though she wanted to embed someone in a statue.
"The quality of your work simply isn't up to standard, and you keep using our relationship to submit pieces directly to my editor-in-chief email."
"Honestly, it troubles me, so I thought I should find a time to make things clear."
Others might have been afraid of that expression, but Miko did not care.
She folded her arms beneath her chest, her tone as full of workplace authority as the office-lady outfit she wore.
"B-But the two of us..."
"Our relationship cannot interfere with work. Otherwise, Yae Publishing House will fall into chaos."
"..."
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, a gentle voice suddenly sounded from outside.
"Ei, I'm home~~"
As Makoto removed her high heels, she said:
"Miko came too? Perfect, let's have dinner together tonight. Ei can cook to entertain you."
"Huh?"
Hearing that Ei was going to cook, Miko's ears suddenly twitched.
"I'd better not. I only came to explain a few things to Ei, so I won't disturb you."
"Is that so? Then we can get together another time."
Makoto did not notice that Miko's legs were trembling when she left.
"Ei, what's wrong?"
A moment later, Makoto noticed her younger sister's despairing expression and asked curiously:
"Did you run out of sweets?"
"Does my sister really think my troubles are only on that level...?"
Ei's voice was extremely low, while Makoto sighed helplessly.
"You stay home all day and don't go out to work. How else am I supposed to guess what your troubles are?"
"This happened because I wanted to work."
Ei explained:
"Ever since I got into Honkai Impact 3rd, I haven't been able to forget its story. Miko's website happened to be holding a writing contest, so I wanted to debut as an author."
"And what happened?"
"Miko told me not to write anymore."
"Is that so..."
Makoto wanted to tell Ei that competition in society was just that cruel, but when the words reached her lips, she could not say them.
In the end, not only did Makoto fail to scold Ei, she pulled her into an embrace, stroked her head, and softly said:
"Next time, we can try a different direction."
"But I want to do work related to Honkai."
"Then... would you like to come interview at our studio tomorrow?"
"Huh?"
"You didn't know? Honkai Impact 3rd is our work."
"I'll go!"
Bang!
Before Ei had even finished speaking, the front door was pushed open. Miko, who had just left, returned.
"I can't pretend I didn't hear that."
"Miko? Didn't you leave?"
"Cough, cough. I merely forgot to take something."
In truth, she had felt uneasy after saying such harsh things to Ei, so she had been eavesdropping outside the door the whole time.
"Makoto, since you work at MiHoYo's studio, please do me a favor."
Miko took out a business card and handed it to Makoto.
"Please let me meet Ye Ming."
"12 Westwind Road... 12 Westwind Road..."
Elsewhere, Ye Ming followed the address sent to him in a private message by the content creator and found an apartment.
"Fourth floor, left side... Here!"
Arriving at the door, Ye Ming had intended to knock, but discovered it was half-open and unlocked.
"Ahem, excuse me."
Ye Ming deliberately made some noise to alert the owner, but when he entered the apartment, he found another man staring at him.
"!!!"
The moment Ye Ming saw the man's face, his delicate brows shot upward, and his icy eyes sharpened like blades.
He first stepped back half a pace, then awakened a portion of his power.
In an instant, the concrete stairs beneath his feet began to crack, while the glass around him shattered.
"I never expected it to be you..."
Short white hair, a strong and rugged physique, eyes that seemed to see through everything, and a maturity frightening in its depth.
"Kevin Kaslana."
There were not many men who could make Ye Ming feel pressured. Kevin was one of them.
Even at his peak, defeating Kevin would have required some effort. Now that he was worn down, it would probably be troublesome.
"You are... Ye Ming?"
"So you really do remember me."
Hearing Kevin call his name, Ye Ming was not too surprised.
From Ye Ming's perspective, Kevin was the one who had exposed his past.
"It's been a long time, Kevin."
Although he did not know Kevin's purpose, Ye Ming had already unconsciously clenched his fists.
"Mm..."
Seeing Ye Ming's reaction, Kevin frowned as though pondering something.
With a confused expression, he said:
"I don't understand what you mean."
·
The second chapter would be released within half an hour.
29. Is Your System Actually Serious?
"I don't understand what you mean."
Kevin said in confusion:
"To be honest, you seem quite familiar with me, but I don't remember you."
"You... truly don't?"
Ye Ming watched Kevin cautiously, considering the possibility that he was lying.
"However... you really do feel familiar, as though we once worked together, but I simply can't remember."
Kevin looked Ye Ming over from head to toe. The more he looked, the more familiar Ye Ming seemed, yet whenever he tried to recall anything, all he found was a blank page.
"Then how do you know my name?"
"Your and Murata Himeko's names are practically household names now."
Kevin sighed emotionally.
"I never expected a fan creator like you to make such high-quality videos."
"Huh?"
Before you continue