"Nahida... her mature aura completely mismatched her appearance."
Even Bronya, who was quite precocious mentally, could not help but marvel.
The others also chimed in with praise:
"It is not just her looks. Even that air of wisdom is just like A-Tzu's."
"They are practically mother and daughter."
"They are sisters!"
At ten-thirty that night, the studio crew strolled down the street amid laughter and cheer.
A-Tzu held Nahida's hand as they walked at the very back, when she heard Nahida ask softly:
"Nahida, do you know what you were like just now, when you were in Ye Ming's arms?"
"I do."
Nahida nodded, her little face as red as a ripe apple.
"My mind went completely blank then. By the time I came back to myself, my body had already reacted."
"When I hugged you, you only felt embarrassed and kept trying to pull away. But when Ye Ming held you?"
A-Tzu poked Nahida's cheek and said with undisguised jealousy:
"You looked like you were enjoying it."
"I know it is strange. It fits neither physiology nor sociology, but..."
Nahida sighed and said:
"I cannot explain it. Perhaps my sister's wisdom can help clear up my confusion."
"I do not know everything either, but I understand you. When I see Ye Ming, I also feel that he has a strange attraction."
Judging purely from their conversation, A-Tzu and Nahida really did sound like sisters close in age.
But their hand-in-hand figures truly looked like a mother and daughter.
"Hey! You two, hurry up! It is this place!"
The group arrived at an all-night barbecue restaurant. Before even looking at the menu, they ordered every kind of alcohol the place had.
"Cheers!"
Himeko drained the beer in her glass, then quickly opened a bottle of red wine and poured it into a goblet.
"Himeko, you are drinking too fast."
"It is fine, it is fine. Red wine goes into a different stomach."
"Won't mixing drinks get you drunk faster?"
"Hm?"
Himeko tilted her head and asked curiously:
"Were we not planning to drink until we dropped today?"
"That is true."
After several rounds of drinks, as the lively atmosphere began to settle, Ye Ming clapped his hands and said:
"Everyone, starting tomorrow, I hope you can join this game as players."
Nahida immediately understood and added for Ye Ming:
"Only by becoming players ourselves can we understand what players want, and then make the game better."
"Hehe, if you see me showing off my skills while playing through the main story, do not hold back. Praise me all you—mmph!"
Before Kiana could finish, Himeko poured a glass of red wine into her mouth.
"Cough, cough! Auntie Himeko, what are you doing?!"
"Have you gotten a little too full of yourself these past few days?"
Reeking of alcohol, Himeko tapped Kiana's forehead as she lectured her:
"Do not get carried away just because you became the protagonist."
"What the heck! You are drunk, and you are still lecturing me..."
Kiana looked thoroughly unconvinced, but one thing was true: Himeko, with her wandering gaze and flushed skin, was indeed a little drunk.
"Hah? I am not drunk. This is nothing!"
Everyone glanced at the table in front of Himeko. While they had been talking, she had already finished two bottles of red wine. She was practically drinking it like water.
"Come to think of it, why does Himeko like drinking herself numb so much?" Keqing asked curiously.
"Because once you are drunk, you do not feel pain anymore~~"
Crash!
The moment Himeko said that, Ye Ming sprang from his seat, knocking over the beer bottles beside him.
He grabbed Himeko and held her down, his agitated appearance startling everyone.
"Where does it hurt?! How long have you had the symptoms?!"
Kiana and Himeko Had a Fight
"Uh... probably heartache."
"Cramping pain, dull pain, or a tearing sensation?"
"No, um... it is just that I have been single for too long, so my heart hurts."
Himeko guiltily shifted her gaze aside. She had not wanted to explain it so bluntly, but she had not expected Ye Ming to question her so seriously.
"Oh. So that was it."
Ye Ming let out a long breath and slowly sat back down.
"Ye Ming, what is wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing. Just a little PTSD."
Ye Ming wiped the sweat from his forehead, then brushed it off with a smile:
"Still, if you keep drinking like this, it really can cause physical pain."
"It will not be that serious~! I am still young. Getting drunk once in a while will not affect me."
"You do not believe me? Then come outside with me."
"Huh? What are you going to do?"
Looking utterly bewildered, Himeko was dragged outside by Ye Ming.
It was past eleven at night, and there was no one around. The night wind made Himeko feel a little cold.
"Cooperate with me."
Ye Ming took off Himeko's shoe, then lifted her long leg clad in black stockings.
"Wait! Ye Ming! You are being way too bold!"
As Himeko shyly tried to push Ye Ming away, she muttered:
"Although I really do want to stop being single, and you are totally my type, it is still too early for a physical relationship!"
"One! Two! Three!"
Ye Ming ignored Himeko's reaction completely and pressed hard on the liver reflex zone on the sole of her foot.
"Yaaaaaahhh!!"
Her piercing scream startled everyone drinking inside the restaurant.
They had no idea what had happened outside. They only knew that when Himeko returned, she kept muttering that she needed to quit drinking for a while.
After that, the girls at the studio also began playing Honkai Impact 3rd, raising characters while progressing through the main story.
Although it was a little embarrassing to watch themselves in the game, everyone still enjoyed the fun it brought.
If there was anything strange, it was that Kiana barely spoke to Himeko anymore. They seemed to be at odds.
"She has been like this ever since we came back from the celebration banquet that night."
Mei said worriedly:
"Kiana too—Himeko was clearly doing it for her own good."
"She became the protagonist and got a chance to prove herself, only to be lectured. It is only natural that Kiana is unhappy."
Ei, understanding as ever, held a cup of hot tea and sighed softly:
"Neither of them is wrong. It just depends on whether they get an opportunity to make up."
Ye Ming was not too worried about it. After all, there were as many opportunities as Ei could want.
"Kiana, come here for a moment."
"What is it?"
"The scene I promised you, where you get to show off your skills, needs you to take part in the performance."
"Okay!"
To prove herself in front of Himeko... and, of course, out of a bit of spite, Kiana threw herself into it with all she had.
Whether it was the subsequent voice acting or motion capture, she worked so hard that Ye Ming was left dumbfounded.
Kiana brought out the Herrscher of the Void's most vital state of mind—the feeling of "It is all your fault!"—to the fullest.
"Whew! That felt amazing!"
After work ended, Kiana, feeling thoroughly satisfied, wiped away her sweat and asked:
"Ye Ming, I am a little confused. Why do my lines sound like those of a villain?"
Ye Ming had not given Kiana the full script, only the sections meant for her.
Considering that Kiana was determined to play the hero, Ye Ming worried she would take the character's identity into account and fail to portray that desire to destroy everything.
"Do not worry about that. Let me ask you this: is your role not incredibly cool? Unbeatable? Enough to shock everyone?"
"That is true..."
"Then that is all that matters. Just wait to become the brightest star in the room."
In truth, the quality of the performance was only a secondary concern. Ye Ming mainly wanted to give Kiana a surprise.
"Himeko, Ye Ming asked you to go over. He said there is important work."
"Got it. I will be there right away."
That afternoon, as Himeko headed over to report to Ye Ming, she happened to run into Kiana on the way.
"I heard from Ye Ming that your performance this time was very good."
With her arms folded, Himeko smiled approvingly and said:
"You have finally learned something. But do not get complacent—you still have a lot to learn."
"..."
At Himeko's praise, a fleeting flash of joy first crossed Kiana's face, only for her to get sulky again afterward.
She frowned as she walked past Himeko, unwilling to say even a word.
"Kiana, what has been going on with you these past few days?"
"Bleh~!"
Before you continue