Elysia hung up the phone, and the look in her eyes when she turned back to Su Yu became even more complicated.
There was suspicion in it now—but also a teasing look that clearly said, So this is your type, huh?
"Even if Sister Himeko said that…" she said as she turned her mic back on, idly twirling a strand of pink hair around her finger. "Still, Su Yu, I've never heard you mention her before today. Such a cute little junior sister—where did she suddenly come from? Did she fall from the sky or something?"
Leaning closer to the camera, she lowered her voice as if she'd uncovered some shocking secret.
"Don't tell me… you made up that whole 'junior sister' story with Sister Himeko just to cover up some unspeakable truth? I mean, once she's drunk, she'll say anything~"
This was exactly what they called "the more you explain, the darker it looks."
In the past, Su Yu probably would have thought this was just another round of public social death.
But now he needed to plant Kiana's existence into more people's minds.
Calling her some relative's kid was far too ordinary.
But a junior sister from the mountains? That setup might not be new in web novels, but in real life it hit very differently.
It also gave Kiana a perfectly reasonable explanation for why she was so terrifyingly strong and moved like a blur.
And if anyone questioned that part—well, Su Yu himself was no longer exactly normal either.
Before, if Kiana punched him a hundred times, he'd only manage to yelp at the first punch and stay silent for the remaining ninety-nine.
Now, after one dose of the enhancement serum, he'd upgraded to the point where he could at least still make noise on the second punch.
That was basically a historic leap from zero to one.
And once he got all three injections, maybe—just maybe—he'd actually be able to exchange a few moves with Kiana.
The chat, meanwhile, was in chaos.
"So what if she's your junior sister? Doesn't change the fact that you're living with a girl!"
"Brother Su, you spineless scoundrel!"
"I can't take this, I really can't! I'm unfollowing! I'm becoming an anti! Unless your junior sister starts streaming too! I want to see the white-haired beauty!"
"Senior brother, junior sister… hehehe… I know exactly what kind of plot this is…"
Even though Su Yu had already decided to roll with the situation, even though he was prepared to turn this crisis into momentum, facing the viewers' accusations and Elysia's relentless curiosity still made his head throb.
He glanced toward the blind spot where Kiana was crouched, covering her mouth as she snickered.
He swore to himself that once the stream ended, he was absolutely docking her snack supply.
At least three bags of chips.
"It's really not what you're imagining…" Su Yu said weakly. His voice sounded painfully unconvincing.
"She's… she's just staying here temporarily. Temporarily, okay? And we have a very pure senior-brother-and-junior-sister relationship. Usually we just play games together, discuss plot ideas… spar a little…"
"Oh discussing plot ideas sparring a little~" Elysia repeated meaningfully, her smile widening. "In bed? Or maybe in the bathroom…"
"Stop!" Su Yu cut her off immediately. This car was going way too fast. "If you keep going, the stream's going to get banned!"
He took a deep breath and forcefully dragged the topic elsewhere.
Now that the hype was already burning hot, it would be a waste not to use it.
"As for my junior sister, there'll be opportunities to talk about her later. That's classified information."
He straightened up, still a little embarrassed, but his gaze had turned steady again.
"But since we're already talking about story and plot, I do have something important to announce."
He paused, then looked directly into the camera, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
"Actually, this junior sister of mine isn't just my junior sister. She's also the… core prototype and chief motion director of the full-dive game I'm developing next."
The atmosphere in the stream had already been whipped into a frenzy by the "junior sister" reveal. Su Yu knew this heat was the perfect fuel.
He cleared his throat and adjusted the camera angle a little, making himself look more like a serious game developer—
rather than the socially deceased streamer from a minute ago.
"That's right. A full-dive game."
His voice was calm and magnetic, carrying clearly through the microphone to every listener.
"Not fake 'full-dive' where you just wear a VR headset and waggle your head around. I mean the real thing—"
He reached into the air as if grabbing the future itself.
"Complete immersion. Total presence."
"Imagine this."
His eyes lit up as he sketched out the vision.
"In this game, you won't be players sitting in front of a screen pressing keys anymore. You'll actually be able to hold a weapon. Feel the recoil. Feel the wind tearing past your ears…"
"And most importantly—" he lowered his voice, like a devil whispering temptation, "in this game, you'll cast off your real-world body and become a Valkyrie with immense power."
"That's right. Whether it's the white-haired drifter you glimpsed just now, or a red-haired beauty wielding a flaming greatsword that can cut through anything—even…"
He glanced at Elysia's icon on the screen.
"A pink fairy archer as cute as Elysia."
"You'll wear their armor. Use their skills."
"In that moment, you won't be you anymore. You'll be a hero protecting the world. You'll be her."
The stream fell silent for a heartbeat, then the chat exploded so hard it almost looked like the server would crash.
"So you're saying I can become a Valkyrie too?!"
"Holy shit! Turn into a beautiful girl and fight? Brother Su, you're a genius! You understand me!"
"But I'm a dude! Can I do it too? Then doesn't that make me… some kind of max-level crossdressing god?!"
"Well what are we waiting for then, Brother Su? I'm supporting your game with Junior Sister no matter what! I'm ready to whale! I'm ready to be her dog!"
Even Elysia's eyes lit up. She cupped her cheeks and made a delighted little sound.
"Wow~ That sounds amazing! So I can turn into a super, super cute girl in the game and fight monsters with a cool bow or maybe a magic staff?"
Then she blinked and added cheerfully, "Though of course, I'm already a super, super cute girl~ But trying a different style sounds fun too! Maybe something… cooler?"
"Of course," Su Yu said with a smile, his gaze drifting toward Kiana in the corner.
"And the action capture and combat logic for this game are all being personally handled by that 'junior sister.'"
"In other words, every spinning kick, every draw, every movement you experience in the game will be based on real, true Valkyrie-level combat actions. Not pretty stage choreography."
"Hardcore. Flashy. The real thing."
That line was like a shot of adrenaline.
The chat immediately filled with "Su God" and "Release it already," and some people were already asking where the preorder page was.
Then a gold-highlighted super chat drifted across the screen with flashy VIP effects so bright it nearly blinded everyone.
"Brother Su, do you need people? I happen to have an unused game company lying around. Equipment, office space, staff—you can use all of it. Let's make something huge together! I'm done with the grind!"
And right after that came more.
"If you don't need people, do you need money? Is 5 million enough? If not, I'll add more."
"I work in promotion. Brother Su, pick me! I'll do your full online campaign for free!"
The ordinary viewers were stunned.
"What the hell, Brother Su, are there actually rich guys in your audience? That's true love!"
"So this is what 'I'll support you forever' looks like? I'm jealous. I want a sugar mommy too! Or a sugar daddy, honestly!"
"Big bro, send me 50 and prove your strength!"
Seeing all those tempting offers, Su Yu's heart stirred.
If he were still the miserable indie developer from his last life, then faced with something this miraculous, he would probably have nodded so fast his neck snapped—maybe even knelt and called them father.
But now? No chance.
His core technology came from the system's black-box nonsense.
His core employee was a ghost girl with no identity papers.
If outsiders got involved—if anyone saw the beyond-the-era engine code, or those devices that ran without power—he and Kiana would both be sliced open for study in record time.
"Thank you all for the kindness," Su Yu said with a smile, but his tone was utterly firm. It carried a kind of quiet self-confidence.
"But this is a… rather unusual game. The way it's being made doesn't really fit within current technical frameworks. A lot of things can only be completed by me and my team—meaning me and my junior sister."
He paused, his eyes deepening.
"This isn't just a business project."
"It's also… a promise."
"I don't want it being interfered with by capital or outside forces."
"I want to make it into the most perfect version possible. The version in my heart… and in hers."
"Even if that means going slower, I'll still take it all the way."
It was a little chuunibyou, yes.
But in that exact atmosphere, it felt sincere. Passionate. Full of that so-called artisan spirit.
The chat responded immediately.
"I'm tearing up. Is this the pride of an indie game creator?"
"Brother Su has guts! I love developers like this—people who refuse to compromise on their dream!"
"We'll wait! Even if it takes ten years!"
"The guy above, shut up! In ten years the flowers will have wilted! Brother Su, hurry up! Even production donkeys don't rest this hard!"
"Don't worry," Su Yu said, glancing at the time and waving at the camera. "I won't keep you waiting too long."
"So that's it for today. More information about Honkai 3rd will be posted on my page. Elysia—and everyone else—I won't forget your beta keys."
"Brother Su, wait, your game is action-focused, right? Can you reveal anything about the story?"
He had been about to end the stream, but seeing that super chat sitting there, his hand paused on the mouse.
And then—
that smile appeared on his face.
The kind of smile only veteran Captains would understand.
Here it was.
He had been waiting for this moment for a very, very long time.
Even after getting a second life, Su Yu still couldn't forget it—
that cursed line from the old days, the one the true source of all evil had once spoken in front of a camera, the one now immortalized in the history of miHoYo.
He drew a long breath and looked straight into the stream, sincerity written all over his face.
Only that faint smile at the corner of his mouth—a smile only old Captains would understand—never disappeared.
Sadly, nobody in this world was likely to grasp the significance of it.
"Of course. In addition to action, this game is also heavily focused on immersive storytelling."
"I can reveal a little right now."
"Honkai 3rd is a warm and healing game. The entire point of making it is to let everyone experience the beauty of this world."
"At its core, it's about growth and inheritance. It's the story of a group of brave people growing, changing, and becoming stronger."
"Yes, along the way there'll be hardships. Countless trials. Plenty of setbacks and suffering."
"But here, I can guarantee all of you one thing."
He leaned toward the camera, every word crystal clear.
"Honkai 3rd is a healthy, sunshine-filled, uplifting game!"
"You're all very welcome to support Honkai 3rd!"
The chat immediately exploded again.
"Good, good, good! Positive-energy game where you turn into beautiful girls and fight? This game can't possibly fail!"
"I bet five spicy sticks this thing is going to blow up!"
"Warm and healing? Seriously?"
"Look at how pure Brother Su's smile is. You can tell he's a genuine creator. That kind of purity is rare these days~~"
"So, that's the plan," Su Yu said. "Keep an eye on my page for future updates. That's all for tonight—good night, everyone!"
Amid the flood of "bye-bye" and "good night," he closed the stream.
The room instantly fell quiet.
Su Yu took off his headset and let out a long breath, feeling his back soaked with sweat.
The pressure of standing there and selling a dream under that kind of scrutiny really was brutal.
"Hey."
A soft voice came from nearby.
Turning his head, he saw Kiana curled up on the sofa, hugging her knees. Her mismatched eyes looked unusually bright in the dim light.
"What you said just now…"
She bit her lip, sounding uncertain.
"Will people really like that? Becoming Valkyries and fighting… all those painful battles—will anyone really like that?"
"Of course," Su Yu said.
He stood up, rolled his stiff shoulders, and came over to sit beside her.
"Didn't you see the chat? They practically lost their minds."
He pointed at the now-black computer screen.
"In a peaceful world like this, people long for excitement. They long for heroes. They long to become someone different from themselves. And your story—your power—fits all of that perfectly."
"So be a little more confident, Kiana."
He turned and looked at her intently.
"You're not some monster that brings disaster. And you're not some ghost that can only hide in the shadows."
"In this world, you're an idol countless people are going to adore."
"You're the hero they'll dream of becoming."
"You're going to become… a real legend."
Kiana stared at him blankly.
After a moment, the corners of her lips slowly curved upward into a shy but genuine smile.
She muttered softly, as if encouraging herself.
"Then I guess… I can reluctantly cooperate a little."
"I kind of want to see whether those people can really pull off my combos once they become me."
"If they play too badly, I'm absolutely going to laugh at them."
Su Yu laughed.
"Don't worry. I'll add a beginner protection system."
Outside the window, the city lights still glittered.
But inside this small room, the seed called Honkai 3rd had already been planted.
This was the first step of Su Yu's plan.
And also the first great step he and Kiana had taken toward freedom.
But before anything else—
he still had one more issue to settle.
"So, Kiana…" he said slowly, turning to look at her.
"About those snacks you stole just now… shouldn't we settle that account?"
"Ah! I'm sleepy! I'm going to bed! Good night, Su Yu!"
"Hah? Trying to run? Lightning Cyclone Kick!"
....
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