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Kaito stood at the foot of the office building waiting for the elevator, mentally calculating how to finish his work today while squeezing in time to find a more reliable psychiatrist for his sister.
"Morning, Boss!"
While waiting, Kaito noticed the "Useless Bronya" arriving late. Her silver-gray hair was a bit disheveled, clearly a casualty of her morning motorcycle sprint.
"Morning..."
Bronya originally hadn't intended to answer, but hearing it was Kaito, she gave him a slight look rather than just a simple nod.
"...How's your sister doing lately?"
Kaito was... a bit of a special case. Honestly, this was the first time Bronya had ever encountered a "crazy person" in real life, and that person happened to be her junior's older sister.
"Booked the wrong doctor. The guy was a total quack. I'll look for a new one after work."
Lying to you. I'll slack off and look during work hours—it's much more efficient.
"A quack?"
Bronya tried to recall the details. Didn't you book an expensive veteran doctor?
"Are you sure the diagnosis just didn't go the way you wanted it to?"
She used the elevator's reflective surface to tidy up the strands of hair messed up by the wind; even a helmet couldn't fully contain her racing speed.
Kaito's tone was flat. "He said my sister has a brother complex. But a few days ago, she tried to choke the life out of me, and I found out she's been tricked by a 'bad crowd' into forming a new 'Happy Family' group chat—one I'm not even in."
Bronya looked down, only looking up again after a moment once she'd processed the complexity of those two sentences.
Ugh! Your life is so dramatic! No wonder you haven't been seen racing on Mount Taixuan lately.
"Are you sure you can still work?" Bronya couldn't help but ask, showing a hint of genuine concern.
"It's whatever. I was thinking of quitting on the spot, but my sister didn't think it was necessary. She doesn't think she's sick."
Bronya opened her mouth but hesitated. That's not what I meant, and your casual tone makes me really want to fire you.
She patted Kaito on the shoulder and offered some earnest comfort: "Hang in there a bit longer. I'll definitely give you a promotion when the time comes."
Kaito: "..."
Thanks, but this 'pie in the sky' you're drawing is too dry to swallow.
"How about this? Once the project is done, if you don't want a promotion, I'll introduce you to some beautiful girls. I've got plenty of resources on my end," Bronya suggested, pivoting to a half-joking tone.
Kaito: "..."
This new promise is even less reliable than the last one.
"Boss..." Kaito spoke eerily, "How about you just focus on making sure your game actually makes it past the top eight this year."
Though the chances were slim. Bronya used to work at Anti-Entropy, so her collaborating teams were already pre-established.
Bronya's face went stiff. She felt like she'd taken an arrow to the knee. She quickly cleared her throat, putting on her "superior" persona.
"Use my professional title at work, Kaito."
This isn't a casual chat between fellow bikers; give Bronya some respect!
"Yes, yes, Lady Chief Producer~" Kaito followed her lead.
The elevator finally arrived. It was empty, which was a bit of a surprise for a morning.
Standing inside the elevator, Bronya couldn't stay still. The thought of reviving her old IP and going all-out made her feel like she was back in her eighteen-year-old self—that youthful, sunny, and hot-blooded age.
"Kaito, if we really add Mei to the Previous Era, what reason should we use?"
Eighteen—that was the age she got her driver's license, and also the first time it got revoked.
Kaito: "..."
"We're making a game, Boss. The premise doesn't need to be that logical. A hidden plotline needs even less logic."
"The World Serpent is the big boss anyway. Just slap a few more settings on them."
While they could make it more perfect, a game where the main hook is combat and survival isn't a dating sim. The players' immersion comes from the gameplay.
"Besides, Boss, what you really need to worry about is the game being too successful. What if a bunch of 'Kiana vs. Mei' power-scalers resurface?"
After all, Mei went through an actual civilization-ending apocalypse and her final achievements still wouldn't match Kiana's. That sense of absurdity would definitely spawn memes.
Unless the Honkai IP completely dies out, though Kaito kept that thought to himself.
"Power-scalers..." Bronya muttered.
Visions of her student days flashed through her mind—Kiana hugging her legs and wailing just to be the protagonist. She shook her head, deciding to end this delicate topic.
"Yesterday's progress wasn't complex. Catch up as soon as possible."
Bronya switched back to work mode. After a few seconds of silence, her voice betrayed a hint of subtle nuance.
"Come with me to pick someone up at noon." She added, "Make sure you dress sharp. Give me some face."
Kaito was stunned. Huh?
Boss, are you okay? If you're bored, go eat some snacks or something.
Plus, that's eating into my lunch break. You're still the only person in charge of this project; I don't see any hope of promotion in the short term.
"A young lady is coming over today. She says she 'ran away from home,' but I don't buy her story for a second."
Bronya explained casually, "Remember to look handsome. Make me look like I have an impressive entourage."
Speaking of her old friends, Kiana was the one Bronya understood the least. She always gave the illusion of being a "wise fool" or a hot-blooded idiot, but no one could say for sure if she was actually stupid.
Kaito: "..."
Seeing Kaito's speechless expression, Bronya offered a rare bit of understanding: "If you're really busy, forget it. Given your recent state, you probably do need the rest."
After all, Kaito's sister was a mental case... if she were in his shoes, she probably wouldn't be as composed as he was.
"Mind if I ask which 'young lady' this is?"
Kaito was slightly curious. In this day and age, using "young lady" or "heiress" as a description was usually a way to make fun of someone.
"Kiana. My dedicated female lead. You should have heard her name back in university."
Ugh. Bronya gave the name and sighed internally, feeling that Kaito likely wouldn't have the spare energy to deal with that idiot.
However—
Kaito's eyes seemed to light up.
"Who? That senior from university who used to sit by the club window alone, looking melancholy like an ice princess?"
He had seen Kiana a few times. Though they'd never spoken, that senior's solitary, faintly sorrowful profile had left an incredibly deep first impression on him.
It might have been filtered through a heavy lens of imagination, but she was the first "cold and melancholy ice princess" he had ever seen in his life.
"Melancholy? Ice? Kiana?"
Who?
Bronya's train of thought came to a dead halt.
If one had to link those words to Kiana... it would probably only be during university when everyone else was studying, and Kiana was sitting by the window staring into space with a "grumpy cat" face because she was into web novels.
"I'm in! I'm in! Boss, take me with you! Don't you dare forget me!"
Kaito's enthusiasm was suddenly through the roof. Bronya's lips twitched for a moment before she finally curled them into a smile.
Just smile. Smiling requires no reason.
After all, she never imagined that a Kiana fanboy would actually be a fan of a "melancholic Kiana."
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