My Game Studio is Full of Valkyries?!

After Hokuto finished coaching Seele, she went back to find Bronya and "Seele."

There were still plenty of incidents from this team-building trip—not all of which we'll go into here.

After all, most of them were…

Things like...

Mobius accidentally drinking too much and nearly breaking into a full-blown Snake Shake dance on the spot—thankfully stopped by Klein in time, saving Mobius—and, in a way, saving everyone else who might have been silenced afterward.

The rest were… well, best left unspoken unless one wishes to be silenced.

A few days later

miHoYo Studio, Voice Recording Room

Even though the Elysian Realm promo PV hadn't dropped yet, Hokuto had already started preparations for it.

He didn't want another delay-ridden mess like the Herrscher of Binding chapter.

So today, Elysia and Mobius came together to miHoYo.

"Ahem, hi~♪ How does that sound?"

Elysia cleared her throat and spoke into the mic.

Mobius replied in a mocking tone, "Almost there, Elysia. How many times are you going to redo a single line? Lacking confidence in your own voice?"

"I just want it to be perfect~~" Elysia responded sweetly.

"Just act like your usual self. There's no difference anyway," Mobius said impatiently.

"Ara, is Mobius saying that my usual self is already perfect?"

Elysia countered with her usual cheer, completely unfazed.

Mobius: "..."

"To think that in Mobius's eyes, I've always been flawless? That makes me so happy~♪"

Elysia continued rambling on delightfully.

Mobius's lips twitched.

She was certain she and Elysia were just naturally incompatible.

Why else would she be speechless every time they met?

"Elysia… do you seriously not know what kind of person you are? Don't come to me seeking validation. I—have—no—time."

"Sometimes, outsiders see the truth better."

"..."

Mobius ignored her, lowering her head to glance at the script.

"My insignia is 'Infinity'? Hm, suits me just fine."

"Insignia? Ah! Speaking of that—"

Elysia perked up and pointed at a mark in the script, then turned to Hokuto, who had been quietly standing by.

"Why is my insignia listed as '■■'?"

"Because it's a secret," Hokuto replied promptly.

To conceal the name of her true self, so that players would start speculating—is Elysia secretly a yandere?

At least some people would definitely suspect that.

Elysia's behavior could certainly give off dangerous woman vibes.

After all, you can't mix up game and reality.

Just because someone is an Elysia fan in real life doesn't mean Elysia is a good person in the game.

What if the writers were just being maliciously playful and wrote Elysia as the villain?

Especially since the early storylines were filled with vague and foggy hints—like that line from Mobius calling her a "traitor"—which could easily mislead players.

"Can you tell me the secret?"

"Sorry, can't do that."

"Aww~~"

Elysia leaned in close to Hokuto.

"Tell me~ I'm so curious~~"

Hokuto took a couple steps back and shook his head gently.

"You can guess."

"Oooh, a riddle game."

Elysia paused to think.

"There are lots of insignias that suit me: flawless, fluttering petals... basically all things cute and beautiful would work."

She paused, carefully watching Hokuto's expression.

"Did I guess right?"

"No—comment," Hokuto replied blankly.

"Hmmm—"

Elysia puffed her cheeks.

"Hehe~~"

Mobius snorted.

"Elysia, you can't even guess such a simple riddle? Didn't you say outsiders have clearer insight?"

"Oh? So Mobius, you figured it out? What is it?" Elysia asked, genuinely curious.

"No—comment," Mobius said, echoing Hokuto.

"..."

Elysia immediately furrowed her brow, then her eyes lit up.

"Say it out loud. I don't think you got it right."

"Elysia~ I'm not that easy to fool," Mobius deflected casually.

"You two… you're being so mean~~"

What is Elysia's insignia anyway? She was dying to know!

"Elysia... this really isn't that hard to guess."

Though Hokuto wanted to enjoy her adorable frustration a bit longer, there were more important things to do.

"Once you finish recording today's lines, you'll probably figure it out."

The word "true self" actually showed up quite a few times in Elysia's lines.

It's just that, in the early stages of the Elysian Realm, barely anyone noticed that clue.

"Really~?"

Elysia dubiously began her session.

She spent quite a bit of time.

She only finished today's script, which was just a portion of the whole thing.

Elysia had so many lines in the Elysian Realm—there's no way she could record it all in one day.

Even though Hokuto only planned to update up to the part where Mobius fails to hijack Mei's body.

The juiciest part was still to come—the scheming between Mobius's memory and her real self.

Still tons of lines to go.

After recording ended—

"Elysia, did you figure it out?" Mobius looked at her with amused curiosity.

"So hard to guess~~"

Elysia was so conflicted she started spinning the script upside-down, as if trying to discover a hidden clue.

Mobius frowned and muttered:

"Elysia, don't you think the in-game version of you… feels like she's hiding something?"

"No way! Elysia is so sincere—she even showed her true self to Mei! It made me so embarrassed when I dubbed that part!"

Elysia was unusually firm on this point.

That said, she didn't look at all embarrassed.

Mobius: "..."

So… you do get it.

Is this what they call clinging to delusions?

Hokuto, on the other hand, stroked his chin in thought.

When the true self reveal finally happens, wouldn't Elysia be the most excited of all?

He could already imagine her lines:

"Ehh ehh ehh! Elysia's insignia is 'True Self'?!"

"Mhm mhm, it's the perfect fit for a beautiful, passionate, and capable girl like Elysia!!"

"No one else but Elysia!!"

...

"Sigh~~"

"Alright, don't overthink it. Anyway, you'll be the first to know the truth—aside from me."

Hokuto tried to soothe the pink elf.

"Sigh~~"

"…Isn't miHoYo dropping a Honkai Short in a few days? Want to watch it in advance?"

He brought up something sure to distract her.

And sure enough—

Elysia instantly forgot all about the mystery of the "■■" insignia.

"Of course I want to!"

So Hokuto brought Elysia and Mobius to the work area outside the booth to find Bronya.

"Bronya, play A Valkyrie's Dining Table for Elysia..."

He even whispered a reminder:

"Don't show her Episode 2."

Today, they'd spare Miss Pink Elf some emotional damage.

That was the plan.

But after watching the first episode, how could Elysia not be tempted to see the next?

"That was way too short! If you cut off the beginning and end, it's barely two minutes—I couldn't even savor the taste!"

In that moment, Elysia was like every Honkai Impact 3rd player ever, saying what everyone was thinking:

"miHoYo, you're so short!"

"Just one more episode. Just one."

"..."

"Don't be stingy~ I'm a loyal miHoYo user, you know."

Elysia went on:

"For example, in Episode 1, the Honkai shooting game 'Soldier's Dignity'—that's a game Bronya made long ago. I played it and even got others to buy it and play with me!"

"That game left quite an impression. It was painfully difficult—only fourteen people lasted more than two hours."

Mobius suddenly chimed in, "Besides Elysia, we were all dragged into it by her. I honestly can't imagine anyone else being stupid enough to play something that boring."

Bronya: "..."

"Ah~ You can't say that, Mobius. Everyone has their own tastes… besides us friendship testers, maybe there really are people who like it?"

Really? People? Like it?

"Hokuto, let me show them Episode 2," Bronya said, clearly tempted.

"Ah—fine, but Elysia, remember, you asked to watch it."

Hokuto tapped his phone.

"Mhm mhm! I totally want to watch one more!"

...

With Hokuto's okay, Bronya played Episode 2 for them.

Elysia watched, fully absorbed.

But then—

The moment it began, and Kiana dreamed of Siegfried waking her up—

It hit her hard.

This episode's tone felt a bit… off.

But then things seemed normal again.

Kiana got up, brushed her teeth... went downstairs to buy ingredients for toast pizza.

Toast pizza? That sounded so familiar...

A trace of confusion crossed Elysia's mind, but she didn't remember just yet.

Until the episode briefly showed its title: Burnt Toast Pizza.

"..."

Wait. That's…

Memories surged back.

The smile slowly faded from Elysia's face.

In the video, Kiana returned to the dorm and began making toast pizza by herself.

Logically, Elysia should've started teasing: "Kiana actually knows how to cook?"

But instead, as Kiana cooked, she thought of Siegfried...

Back then, I thought slicing onions was really hard.

"Kiana, let Dad show you a secret Kaslana family cooking technique!"

"If you cut onions with your eyes closed like this, they won't sting. Impressive, right…"

And then he cut his own finger.

"You dumb old man! If you don't know how to do it, don't act like you do!"

Back then, cheese was a luxury.

"You dumb old man, look—now you can buy cheese slices anywhere."

Times changed.

Now all Kiana could do was speak those words into the air.

Back then, toasting a pizza...

Siegfried pulled out Judgment of Shamash.

"Kiana, watch closely. This is the most important part."

He pulled the trigger and lightly roasted the toast pizza.

"Daddy will make you the perfect toast pizza."

Flames erupted. All that remained was burnt crust.

"Ahahaha, toast pizza tastes better a little burnt."

...

Elysia went numb.

No wonder "burnt toast pizza" was one of Kiana's core memories.

So that's why.

"Toast pizza tastes better a little burnt..."

"Hokuto~ You scoundrel! Even a short anime stabs me in the heart?!"

"I'm gonna fight you…"

But Hokuto was prepared. He pressed play on a recording.

Mhm mhm! I totally want to watch one more!

"You see? This was your own choice." Hokuto spread his hands, looking innocent.

Elysia: "..."

Her eyes widened. After a long pause, she finally muttered:

"Good thing you weren't in the Herrscher of Binding arc... or Kiana might not have made it."

Hokuto: "..."

He wasn't in Herrscher of Binding, true.

But Otto was.