Chapter 305: A Solo Theater! Is Su Mu Actually a Lolicon?
After seeing Elysia off, Su Mu wanted to rest for a moment to process the influx of information. Suddenly, he heard the door to his office being pushed open with a loud bang—
"Ta-da! The Vodka Girls have made their grand entrance!!"
Rozaliya and Liliya burst into the office together.
Su Mu looked at them in confusion. "Why are you two here?"
Rozaliya cleared her throat and pulled out an invitation card.
"Ahem! Respected Mr. Su Mu! I, Rozaliya, the Number One of the Vodka Girls and a future superstar!"
"And I, Liliya, the Number One of the Vodka Girls."
"Wait, what? Liliya, I'm clearly the Number One here, right?"
"I've said it before, compared to an idiot like Rozaliya, I'm obviously more suited to be Number One..."
"You... fine, I won't argue with you about this! Don't forget what we came here for!"
Watching the two of them start their comedy routine, Su Mu was full of question marks.
"Ahem! It's like this, Su Mu!"
Rozaliya suddenly pointed at Su Mu, revealing her cute little fangs. She looked absolutely adorable.
"In mid-August, the Vodka Girls will be hosting a super cool beach swimsuit party! Guess who's the very first person to be invited? The answer is—you!!"
"Hmph, surprised? You should be grateful! This is an invitation from a future superstar!"
Liliya added, "Actually, Rozaliya wanted to thank Su Mu, so she wanted to invite you to come play with us."
Rozaliya became flustered. "Hey! Liliya, don't interrupt!"
Liliya rolled her eyes at her. "Idiot Rozaliya, you don't even know how to say thank you properly."
Rozaliya puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "None of your business! Shut up, I haven't finished yet!"
Liliya spread her hands and tilted her head with an air of boredom.
"Ahem! Anyway, you are honored to have the chance to admire the super cute swimsuits of the future superstar and current super-popular idol, the Vodka Girls, at the party! Well? Heart-pounding, isn't it? Is your heart racing so fast you can't take it?"
Looking at Rozaliya's fangs and a smile brighter than sunshine, Su Mu glanced at the sisters' flat chests and slowly typed out a "..."
He felt a splitting headache. "Who told you that thanking someone means inviting them to look at swimsuits?"
Rozaliya blinked. "Eh? But Mobius said... 'Actually, Su Mu is a Lolicon. He likes the flat chests of lolis the most. Only that size makes him feel the meaning of life... As long as you super-popular idols put on swimsuits, he will definitely fall for your charms'—that's what she said."
Su Mu: "..."
Thank you so much, Mobius.
"Theresa told me you've been working overtime until very late recently, right? Even though you're so tired from work, you still made time to watch our performance... You must be exhausted, right?"
Rozaliya looked at Su Mu, her face still wearing that high-energy smile.
"Though I don't really understand what a 'con' is... Mobius probably meant that if we do this, you'll be happy, right? That way, your fatigue will be swept away!"
Looking at Rozaliya's innocent smile, Su Mu clutched his chest, feeling an explosion of guilt.
No, wait.
Where were the "naughty brats" everyone talked about?
They were too angelic, too healing! Glory to the Vodka Girls!!
Damn Snake, how could you be so heartless as to trick such pure children? You're not human!!
"This idiot Rozaliya also thought about it for a long time. She was racking her brains all last night thinking about how to invite you..."
"D-Don't say that out loud! Why do you always undermine me, Liliya!"
"In short, that's the situation. Although my sister Rozaliya is an idiot, please make sure to accept the invitation. Otherwise, idiot Rozaliya will hide under her blanket and cry all night, and then I won't be able to sleep..."
"Who's going to hide and cry! Fine, fine! Stop hanging around here! Su Mu has work to do! Let's go, let's go!"
Rozaliya pushed Liliya out and fled the office in a mix of shame and anger, leaving behind a hand-drawn invitation that radiated her signature "idiot energy."
Looking at the invitation in his hand, Su Mu couldn't help but sigh.
Sigh.
It really is an eventful summer. It looks like this August is going to be very busy.
Time passed, and with the arrival of mid-August, the BW Exhibition held by the "Little TV" video site ignited the youth's summer.
At the BW Convention in ARC City, a huge crowd of players had gathered beneath the Honkai Impact 3rd booth.
At this moment, the players were holding up signs, and amidst their collective cheers—
"Elysia! Elysia!"
"Amen! Amen!"
Dressed in a pink gown, the radiant representative of peerless beauty, Miss Pink Elf ♪, made her grand appearance on the giant live-stream screen!
"Hello, hello, everyone! I am everyone's favorite Number One Idol of Honkai Impact 3rd—Elysia!!"
With Elysia's appearance, the atmosphere in the entire hall reached its peak. Even passersby were startled by the intensity, thinking they had accidentally wandered into a superstar's concert!
However, the next moment, a voice familiar yet not quite familiar to many players jumped out from the other side of the stage.
"If you're the Number One Idol, then who am I?!"
A giant cabbage-head descended from the sky, staring indignantly at Elysia.
"There is only one Number One Idol of Honkai Impact 3rd, and that is me, Ai-chan!!"
Seeing the giant cabbage-head that suddenly appeared, the players below couldn't help but laugh in unison!
[Holy cow! MiHoYo's ability to pull stunts is top-tier!!]
[LMAO, Ai-chan has a person inside now too?]
[I've wanted to ask for ages why the official account's Ai-chan never showed her face. Now she really has!]
[So Ai-chan is just a giant cabbage? This is too hilarious!!]
Honkai Impact 3rd Number One Idol Ai-chan—this was the name of the official account. However, this "Number One Idol" usually only appeared in update announcements, apology letters, and the open world of Schicksal HQ.
In reality, she was the AI of the Hyperion.
Her appearance rate was no less than that of the main cast; after all, you could always find Ai-chan in various announcements and posts...
And after finally waiting for an appearance... it turned out to be a giant cabbage! Yes, the special giant cabbage from Honkai Impact 3rd that appeared repeatedly in various events!
"Oh dear, sorry, wrong model! Give me a second!"
Ai-chan realized her current appearance was far too funny. She quickly ran off-screen, creating the image of running backstage to change.
"Ta-da!! See? This is the true strength of the Number One Idol of Honkai Impact 3rd, Ai-chan!"
Soon, Ai-chan appeared in her signature avatar form, puffing out her chest proudly in front of the Captains. She looked as if she were demanding to be praised, and praised hard!
"Well? Who is the Number One Idol of Honkai Impact 3rd now? Everyone, tell me loudly!"
In response to Ai-chan's question, the players below, stifling their laughter, shouted in unison.
"Elysia!!!"
As soon as that name came out, Ai-chan on the screen looked dizzy.
"T-This is impossible! Me, the Number One Idol, I was actually defeated? Waaaaah... Captain, you're so heartless! Waaaaah!!"
At the same time, Guinaifen, who was always where the action was, naturally appeared at the Honkai Impact 3rd hall, live-streaming the grand event for players who couldn't attend the BW Exhibition.
"Hahaha, fam, this Honkai Impact 3rd booth is so interesting! The banter between Elysia and Ai-chan... I really hope to see an official edited version when I get back!"
[Ah! What a shame, I'm in Canghai City and I'm very interested in the newly launched Genshin Impact. I can only watch the Honkai booth through Guinaifen's stream!]
[Bro, you're also at the Canghai City exhibition? Wow, there are so many people today. It seems a lot of people are interested in this new game!]
[Old Scoundrel Su Mu has finally met his match. We should really put the pressure on him so he doesn't dare to torment us players all the time!]
[Elysia is so beautiful!]
[I must say, Honkai's stunts this year are pretty good! I remember last year they used Luna Kindred's image to promote A Midsummer Night's Fantasy, right?]
[After all, there's a difference between 2D and 3D. Everyone accepts this 2D style more easily~ I think this way is great~]
[The talk show with Elysia and Ai-chan is only for today, right? Ah, what a pity! It's so frustrating not being there in person~]
The comments in Guinaifen's live-stream room were also heated. Many viewers who couldn't make it were counting on her camera to get a look at this year's BW Exhibition.
"Oops... sorry."
Because the crowd was so dense, Guinaifen had to hold her selfie stick high to capture the screen, and she accidentally bumped into someone next to her.
"It's fine."
The bell-like voice of a young girl made Guinaifen pause. She looked down to see a girl who looked like a doll standing beside her, watching her with interest.
This girl, wearing a beret and a cute western-style dress, immediately caught Guinaifen's eye.
"Wow... so cute..."
[WWWW, this girl is way too pretty!]
[Whose kid is this?]
[Is it a cosplay? Doesn't look like it? I haven't seen this character before, have I?]
[So cute, she really looks like a porcelain doll!]
[Guinaifen's luck is too good. How did she bump into such a cute kid among so many people!]
The viewers in the live-stream were also startled by this sudden appearance of a beautiful girl, marveling at Guinaifen's incredible luck.
Because the venue was very noisy, the audience couldn't hear what Guinaifen was saying unless she was very close.
But in this noisy environment, the other party seemed to have heard Guinaifen's praise. The doll-like girl sighed deeply, looking quite helpless.
She withdrew her gaze and stood on her tiptoes, but because of her height, she seemed a bit troubled.
"Do you want to see the stage in front? Ah, let me pick you up—"
Her body moved faster than her brain—perhaps because she had spent too much time with Sushang—Guinaifen directly reached under the girl's arms and lifted the doll-girl high into the air.
She was even lighter than imagined; it didn't even feel like lifting something... The weight made Guinaifen wonder if she had picked up a tiny feather.
"Pfft... Hahahaha!!!! Su Mu, why did someone pick you up!! Hahaha—!!!"
In the distance, Fu Hua (Senti), wearing a black T-shirt with a white Jingwei (the Taixu Mountain specialty) printed on it and a baseball cap, burst into laughter upon seeing the doll suddenly lifted into the air!
The doll sighed.
Her helpless expression seemed to recount the depression in her heart at this moment.
For some reason, she ran into Guinaifen and was picked up like a kitten.
Maybe she should just send the doll back and let Herta modify it into a humanoid Optimus Prime instead...
"Ahhh, s-sorry, it was just a reflex—"
Guinaifen realized her blunder and quickly put Su Mu down, apologizing repeatedly.
"Sigh..."
The doll shook its head, said nothing, and ducked into the crowd, disappearing quickly.
Guinaifen scratched her head awkwardly. "She's probably angry, right? Ehe..."
However, Guinaifen's attention was soon drawn back to the stage.
As it turned out, today was not only the BW Exhibition but also the update day for Honkai Impact 3rd.
Elysia and Ai-chan actually intended to play the brand-new main storyline of Honkai Impact 3rd—The Solo Stage—live with the players at the exhibition!
"Hehe, it's time for everyone's favorite live-stream segment—to tell you the truth, I, Elysia, have actually invited many guests today~ ♪"
As Elysia finished speaking, the atmosphere of the stage reached its peak once again.
Kiana, Bronya... and Seele, who hadn't appeared in a long time, all appeared on the exhibition's giant screen at the same moment!
At that time, the official Honkai Impact 3rd account also synchronized the start of this special live-stream program, allowing players who couldn't be there in person to watch!
Since it was too difficult to squeeze into the front row, Guinaifen decided to watch the stream on her phone while heading over to the Resident Evil booth to check things out.
"Hey~ Guinaifen~ Over here, over here~"
Before Guinaifen could reach the booth, she heard someone calling her from nearby.
"HuoHuo? Sushang? Why are you guys here too?"
Not far away, the combination of Li "Big Pillow" and "Small Matcha Cake"—no, the combination of Li Sushang and HuoHuo—made Guinaifen's eyes light up.
"Heehee, the Master gave me a day off today! And HuoHuo happens to be resting too!"
Sushang stood with her hands on her hips, smiling and giving Guinaifen a thumbs-up.
"H-Hello... I happen to be off today, so I came over... I didn't scare you, did I?"
HuoHuo hid somewhat timidly behind Sushang. She was never comfortable in crowded places; if Sushang hadn't invited her, she probably would have stayed in her dorm.
As a disciple of the Taixu Sect, Sushang usually had to practice, so it was rare for her to find a moment of leisure.
HuoHuo, on the other hand, was still a university student studying Folklore.
Folklore is a discipline that studies customs, oral literature, traditional skills, living culture, and thought patterns to clarify the significance of these folk phenomena across time and space. It is interdisciplinary in nature.
It sounds profound, but in reality, the scope of the subject is very broad. In HuoHuo's case, it manifested as things like archaeology and ghost hunting... whether it was due to a special constitution or not, HuoHuo always seemed to attract strange and eccentric things.
Although Guinaifen claimed to be a firm materialist, she couldn't deny that every time HuoHuo appeared in a ghost-hunting stream, the entertainment value was explosive. Over time, it made her a bit unsure of herself.
"By the way, I remember HuoHuo mentioned that the company that hired you in advance is doing some kind of treasure appraisal program now, right?"
Since HuoHuo's grades were quite good, and with family recommendations—well, mostly recommendations.
She had been hired early by the Luofu Company, one of the Xianzhou Alliances. Occasionally, when needed, HuoHuo would rush to the scene to help. But most of the time, she was relatively free, as students still had to focus on their studies.
"Y-Yes... I don't know where the Diviner got her inspiration from, but everyone is full of praise, saying they see hope for renewed glory... However, I don't know much about that... If everyone thinks it's good, then it shouldn't be too bad..."
The three talked as they walked, and Guinaifen noticed that in the live-stream room on her phone, Elysia and the others had already started the play-through.
The opening of this game's plot was a bit confusing.
The well-known characters didn't appear right away. Instead, it was shown through the first-person perspective of an ordinary man named John Doe, depicting his mundane life.
However, his peaceful life suddenly underwent a strange change, and he was brought into a bizarre space.
Amidst the eerie BGM, many puppets swarmed from all directions, their bodies entangled with transparent silk threads.
Even his own body was similarly entangled in silk.
John Doe seemed to realize something, and amidst his wild laughter, this creepy opening couldn't help but give Guinaifen chills.
[???]
[What's going on here?]
[Holy crap, what kind of ghost story opening is this? Who is the Old Scoundrel trying to scare to death?]
The viewers in Guinaifen's live-stream were also frantically posting question marks. After all, the horror movie atmosphere of this Honkai Impact 3rd opening was a bit too much.
They almost thought they had entered the wrong stream.
Then the scene shifted to Durandal, who was in the middle of meditation.
Durandal had very complex feelings toward Black Abyss White Flower, believing she wasn't truly its master, but merely its user at best.
Soon, Rita brought a set of documents and handed them to Durandal.
Recently, various social cases had been occurring around the world, and behind these cases, there seemed to be the presence of the Honkai.
Given that these cases were very complex and likely related to the Honkai, Durandal decided to share the information with World Serpent and Anti-Entropy.
Currently, Otto was not at Schicksal for certain reasons, so they had to fight the Honkai in their own way.
And these ongoing malicious incidents also left the viewers in the live-stream a bit puzzled.
[Was this done by a Herrscher? But it doesn't look like a Herrscher's methods at all.]
[Indeed. In the past, whenever a Herrscher appeared, there were always sparks and lightning. This style of action really doesn't seem like a Herrscher, does it?]
[It's hard to say, though. As you know, there are many types of Herrschers... not every Herrscher likes to make such a big entrance. It's possible!]
The live-stream continued.
Guinaifen, Sushang, and HuoHuo stopped in front of the Resident Evil booth.
Looking at the peculiar simulated helmet devices placed in the booth, HuoHuo couldn't help but show a curious expression.
"What is this? This is the first time I've seen such equipment..."
Although it was a horror game booth, for some reasons that cannot be explicitly stated, the promotional images in the booth deliberately avoided showing the bloody and violent side. As a result, HuoHuo didn't recognize what kind of game it was at first glance.
There weren't many people at the booth, since most players were currently gathered at the Honkai Impact 3rd stage.
There were, however, some people playing in the PC trial area, and the holographic equipment seemed to still be undergoing debugging. Several staff members were hurrying in and out... and the person in charge of this booth seemed to be a girl with pink hair.
She was coordinating the scene in an orderly manner, with a cute white dog squatting beside her, its tongue out.
"Resident Evil... HuoHuo, it says here that this is a brand-new holographic game technology experience! It seems to be a shooting game, want to give it a try?"
"Eh? I... I think I'd better not... I'm not good at this kind of game?"
"Is that so...?"
Guinaifen felt a gaze landing on her. She turned around to see the doll-like girl she had met earlier watching them from not far away.
But for some reason, she felt this girl was slightly different from the one she had seen earlier.
This feeling... how to put it? Was it the temperament, or... the feeling of a slightly different soul?
When her eyes landed on HuoHuo, they seemed to light up, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
Before long, she walked over to the pink-haired girl and seemed to say something. The other party nodded and appeared to agree to something.
Thus, the doll-girl soon came before Guinaifen and the other two, then stared straight at HuoHuo.
—"Test it."
HuoHuo: "Eh, eh? Me playing Resident Evil? For real?"
END OF CHAPTER
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