Sure enough, Hokuto had only just walked a few steps away when Himeko's shadow loomed over Theresa.
Himeko stared at Theresa with a gloomy expression. "First of all, I'm not interested in blind dates in the first place. Second, all those failed dates had nothing to do with me. I was a victim too. And lastly…"
She placed both hands on Theresa's shoulders. "I'm still young… unlike you, Theresa."
Come on! Let's hurt each other! Who's afraid of who?!
"?"
Theresa glared, but when she noticed everyone else was looking at their scripts with serious expressions—
Driven by curiosity—
She decided not to argue with Himeko for now.
Holding the script in both hands, she flipped to the latter part.
After the brief warmth of Chapters 5 and 6, the plot suddenly took a dark turn.
Kiana had actually been captured by Otto?!
Theresa couldn't stop reading. When she saw herself leading the Hyperion to seize the east side of Schicksal HQ's Third Sky Harbor, she nodded slightly.
Now that was more like an Academy Head.
What was with all that dumb stuff before…
This is all Hokuto's fault! And now he's voicing Otto, taking liberties with my character!
Theresa believed becoming a mascot in Honkai Impact 3rd had everything to do with Hokuto.
She kept flipping, and flipping.
"..."
"Hokuto! Are you serious about this script!?"
Theresa finally understood why Himeko had lost her composure—this plot was way too brutal!
The others had also finished reading the script by then.
Everyone's eyes locked onto Hokuto.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Hokuto subtly stepped back a few paces—only to be subtly blocked by Rita, smiling as always.
The others spread out to surround him.
But Kiana just stood frozen in place.
Seeing this, everyone turned their attention away from Hokuto and gathered around her with concern.
They completely understood how Kiana felt. After all, the characters in Honkai Impact 3rd were far too similar to themselves.
That's why it was easy to project themselves into the story.
Which was also why Theresa always liked to roast the version of herself in the script.
The immersion was just too strong—she couldn't hold back.
"Kiana."
Himeko reached out and patted Kiana on the shoulder, offering comfort: "It's just a script. See? I'm perfectly fine."
She said this while shooting a sour look at Hokuto. "If it were really me, I definitely would've come up with a better solution. What does Hokuto know about Himeko? I'm the real Himeko!"
No one understood Murata Himeko better than she did.
"C'mon, cheer up. How about I take you out for a drink tonight, unwind a little?"
"Don't teach bad habits to minors!" Theresa lightly kicked Himeko's calf.
"Kiana's already grown up. She's not a kid anymore." Himeko retorted defiantly.
"I'm fine."
Kiana returned to her usual energetic self. "I just realized Honkai Impact 3rd really is just like Hokuto said—it's a positive, heartwarming game."
Everyone: ???
"Mei, I think Kiana's broken."
"Kiana."
While Bronya was still stunned, Mei had already stepped forward, ready to give Kiana a hug.
Even Hokuto, who was the one calling it positive and uplifting, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"I'm not broken~~"
Kiana dodged Mei's movement and spoke with a helpless smile: "That part of the story really moved me. I don't want to become strong only after experiencing sadness like in the script."
She clenched her fists with renewed vigor. "So, starting today, Kiana is going to work even harder!!"
Everyone paused for a moment. But seeing Kiana so serious, smiles slowly returned to their faces.
"As expected of you, Kiana." Himeko gave Kiana a good-natured rub on the head.
"Hehe~~ But thank you, everyone, for your concern earlier."
Kiana laughed as she playfully tangled with the others.
Hokuto remained just outside their circle, watching the girls with a gentle smile.
A young woman's voice spoke beside him.
"Hokuto, aren't you going to take this opportunity to build some affection points with everyone? It's a rare chance."
"Hmm? Rita?"
Hokuto turned his head to look at Rita—always with that inscrutable smile—and shook his head. "This isn't a game. There's no such thing as affection points in real life."
"Tsk. So realistic. That kind of thinking won't make girls like you."
Rita raised a finger and tapped her lips. "Or… are you pretending not to care because you're shy?"
"Not at all." Hokuto remained expressionless.
"Hmph~~"
Rita's wine-red eyes reflected his silhouette as she stared at him, probing.
"Is that so?"
"Of course."
"They're all such lovely girls." She took a few steps closer, drawing nearer to Hokuto.
Hokuto stepped back slightly, thought for a moment, and offered a guess: "Are you testing whether I harbor ill intentions toward them?"
"No."
Rita firmly shook her head. "You've helped us—and miHoYo—a lot. I don't suspect you. I have no reason to."
"Though people in this world can be complicated, I believe you're different. You're… special."
That line from Rita was…
Hokuto's composed expression nearly cracked.
"I'm not flirting with you or anything. Just being honest—don't get the wrong idea, hehe."
Hokuto: ...
He already knew Rita was as dangerous as a honeyed chestnut, but she was even 'worse' than he imagined.
"And you trust me so easily…"
"You know better than anyone how much value Honkai Impact 3rd holds."
Rita's meaning was clear—Honkai Impact 3rd was far more valuable than them.
Hokuto had no rebuttal. Though in truth, they and the game together made up the full value of Honkai Impact 3rd, it was hard to explain that to Rita.
"Ahem."
Hokuto coughed lightly into his fist. "It's not great for a secretary to leave her boss speechless, is it?"
He tried to regain control of the conversation.
But Rita's lips curled into a knowing smile.
Before she could respond—
Tap—tap—
Kiana broke away from the others and ran up to Hokuto, palms pressed together.
"From now on, I'll be counting on you to teach me more, Hokuto."
"You're not being shy about it, huh."
"Do you want me to be shy around you?"
She looked at him with her clear blue eyes, filled with pure emotion.
Hokuto spread his hands. "Alright, alright. Helping you is helping myself. Once you get strong, you can take on more of the workload."
"I'm a tool now?"
He wanted to chuckle, but his thoughts turned—and he deliberately changed his voice, adopting that magnetic, calculated tone unique to Otto.
"Hehe~ Kiana, this is your fortune."
Everyone turned their eyes toward him at once.