MGSFV?! Chapter 585. This Is the Final… The End
Now.
The subway had already arrived at its station.
Players took the opportunity during the stop to exit the special train car and step onto the platform.
They looked around, trying to gauge the flow of the crowd or check the signs to determine which direction to head next.
Then—one particularly vibrant head of pink hair caught their attention in the crowd.
"Testing one two three, testing one two three…"
"Can everyone hear me?"
"Ahem. Then, please follow your guide, Miss Fairy, as we head to the Honkai Impact 3rd Carnival venue."
Elysia, holding a megaphone in one hand and waving a small pre-prepared tour flag in the other, naturally and smoothly began directing all the players in an orderly fashion.
Originally, she had only dressed like this to act as tour guide for the Golden Courtyard's team-building outing.
As a true "social terror" (social butterfly terrorist), she obviously wouldn't have any of those "Ahhh, so many people, I'm nervous" kind of feelings.
On the contrary—the more people there were, the more in her element she became.
"I think I just heard Miss Pink Elf's voice?"
"I heard it too."
"Over there—look, it's Tour Guide Elysia!"
Players from other train cars turned toward the source of the voice.
And there they saw Elysia in her guide get-up.
They were stunned.
"Huh?! Is this a special arrangement by miHoYo?"
"Whether it is or not, this is a rare opportunity. Let's follow her."
"Good point."
And so…
The scene quickly became—
Elysia walking at the front, waving her little flag and speaking through the megaphone. Eden, Kevin, and the others followed right behind, and then came waves of players.
Together, this throng of people—though massive—moved with surprising order and unity, forming a long procession heading toward the venue.
Hmm…
Elysia, the Golden Courtyard members, and the players…
Isn't someone missing? Where's Hokuto?
As for him—he was currently somewhere not too near yet not too far from Elysia, slowly following along with the crowd step by step.
...
"Bro, what a coincidence."
The guy who'd chatted with Hokuto on the subway earlier—the one who told him about the forum post seeking to "feel the Bishop's residual warmth"—struck up a conversation again, clearly remembering Hokuto's Otto cosplay.
"...Yeah, quite a coincidence." Hokuto nodded with a smile. "Seems like we have some fate between us."
"Hahaha~~"
Sensing Hokuto's approachable aura, the guy's last bit of social anxiety melted away.
Don't underestimate Otto's charisma.
"Your Otto cosplay is on point. Aside from not being as scummy as Otto, you really nailed the essence."
"For a second, I almost thought you were actually Otto…"
"How could that be?" Hokuto shook his head. "There's no Otto in real life."
"…I'm not so sure about that," the man suddenly said.
"Hm?" Hokuto turned to him curiously. "Why do you say that? Don't tell me…"
He lowered his voice slightly. "You've met someone in real life who looks exactly like Otto?"
"Nope."
The guy shook his head, giving a reassuring answer. "I'm just speculating based on facts."
"Speculating?" Hokuto asked.
"Yeah, look—lots of Honkai characters have real-life inspirations, right?"
"True."
"Then why are you so sure Otto doesn't have a real-life counterpart?" the guy pressed confidently.
"Hmm…" Hokuto listened, about to speak but hesitated.
"For all we know, maybe that guy at miHoYo… the one behind the mask… maybe he looks exactly like Otto underneath!"
"That's…"
"Come on, tell me I'm wrong."
"..."
Unnoticed, the long procession had already arrived outside the Honkai Impact 3rd Carnival venue.
Tap tap tap~~~
Footsteps approached from behind Hokuto.
And then—
"'Otto'-san~~"
"'Otto'-san~~"
Elysia ran over, breathless. "There you are!"
"What's up?"
"Everyone—including the players—wants to take a group photo. And how could we take a group photo without you? So I came to find you right away."
"I see… I'll head back with you right now."
But Hokuto didn't immediately leave. Instead, he turned to the man beside him—the one he'd been chatting with—and smiled.
"Wanna be in the photo? Let's go grab a good spot together."
The guy: "..."
Only silence.
"Then I'll go on ahead."
After waiting a moment and seeing no reaction, Hokuto walked off with Elysia at his side.
Leaving the man standing there dumbfounded—until a moment later…
"!!!"
"That guy who just chatted with me… was that the Otto?!"
"Damn it! I froze up!!"
What was he regretting?
"I should've just yelled 'Otto's here! Everyone charge! Rip off his mask and see who he really is!'"
Yes, that was his first thought.
He didn't feel joy at meeting a "big shot."
Instead…
He regretted missing his chance to expose a certain someone's true face.
Very realistic.jpg
...
Elsewhere.
"By the way, when I was looking for you, I ran into a really cute girl," Elysia said suddenly.
Hokuto paused his steps briefly, then continued walking at the same pace, his voice light and amused.
"For you to bring her up like this, she must've been pretty special."
"All cute girls are special~~" Elysia replied.
"Mm~~ But this one really did feel extra special."
"...Getting that kind of evaluation from you? Now I want to meet her."
This time, Hokuto was genuinely intrigued.
"Meet her?"
"miHoYo's looking for a new mascot girl lately. Maybe she'd be a perfect fit."
To Elysia's puzzled look, Hokuto replied in a joking tone.
Elysia could only shake her head with a smile.
Soon after, the two of them arrived at the square outside the venue.
Many players gathered there saw Elysia leading someone dressed as Otto back—and their faces instantly took on investigative expressions.
But Hokuto calmly took his place beside Kalpas and Kevin, not at all flustered.
See these two buff dudes next to him?
Each one could take on a hundred of you.jpg
…Not that they'd actually help him ()
Hokuto: …
Doesn't matter. Players didn't know they probably wouldn't help.
Elysia meanwhile enthusiastically took charge with her megaphone, directing everyone's positioning.
"Left—move a bit left~~"
"Right—right a bit~~"
Thankfully, the square was spacious enough for her antics.
Soon enough… well, not that soon, but everyone eventually found their spot.
Elysia set up the tripod at the perfect angle, set the timer, and ran back into the group.
"Should we shout a slogan? Might make the mood better."
"Elysia, what slogan would you pick?"
"Hmm… got any good ideas?"
"The classic one. It's the most fitting." Hokuto thought a moment, then answered.
"You sure you're not just sneaking in your own preferences?" Elysia squinted, clearly expecting this answer.
"What? I'm being serious. Or are you saying it's not suitable?" Hokuto countered.
"..."
Elysia didn't respond—just passed the slogan to everyone else.
Upon hearing it, everyone first showed some subtle expressions and then…
If it weren't right after the final chapter, they absolutely wouldn't have been able to say this slogan out loud.
"One-two-three, one-two-three…"
"Healthy and sunny! Positive and upbeat!"
...
Photo taken. Officially entered.
Each section of the event left players stunned.
But… even after spending the whole day, they realized they couldn't explore everything.
From the outside, the venue didn't seem that huge. But once inside, the space felt several times larger.
So…
When's the second wave of ticket sales? Urgent! Urgent!
Time passed.
The Honkai Impact 3rd Carnival was in full swing for quite a while.
And recently—it finally came to an end.
Hokuto and miHoYo still had other things to do.
Due to the plans previously mentioned, miHoYo had already started recruiting new talent.
"Should be quite a few new faces today… Might be time to choose some fresh blood to supplement the team…"
Long ago, Hokuto had expressed this idea.
While he sometimes used "black tech" to accelerate development, he still preferred letting the team at miHoYo solve problems on their own.
Let them participate personally. Create personally.
"Hopefully some of them can adapt to miHoYo's 'company culture'…"
As for what that "company culture" was?
Let's just say—it was objectively "non-standard" ( )
For most people, best observed from afar. Living in it… could cause high blood pressure.
Hokuto mulled over this as he entered the miHoYo office building and rode the elevator upstairs.
From afar, he saw the company nameplate.
And through the window at the end of the hallway…
Cars flowed down the street, a peaceful scene. He could even see a giant penguin logo.
It suddenly reminded him of when he first arrived at miHoYo.
"…Why am I thinking about that now?"
He shook his head, quickened his pace, and walked—looking slightly serious—toward the meeting room.
Peeking in through the side window.
Just as expected, many old employees were inside.
And plenty of new applicants too.
But!
Something caught him off guard.
"..."
"She's here…?"
Hokuto blinked in surprise.
Once again, he was reminded of what happened when he first joined miHoYo.
He hadn't expected to experience something so similar again.
And yet…
With mixed feelings, he walked closer.
Voices from the meeting room reached his ears.
"This is just the first interview, no need to be nervous… Let's go one by one and do some self-introductions. Who'd like to start?"
Bronya, notebook in hand, looked down at the new candidates—serious, but not too serious.
"Me! I want to go first!"
A pink-haired girl immediately raised her hand.
"Alright." Bronya nodded.
The girl came to the front.
"My name is March 7th…"
"..."
She gave a brief intro—name, school, experience…
All typical content.
Nothing odd.
At least, not from Bronya's perspective.
"Miss March 7th, is it?"
"Yep!"
"In that case, just a few questions. Please answer honestly… Do you play Honkai Impact 3rd?"
"I do! I love it!"
Her eyes lit up. "I'm a devoted Honkai player! I even went to the Carnival not long ago…"
"..."
The girl's bubbly nature made Bronya take a second look.
Those extra glances made the girl a little embarrassed.
She scratched her head. "Hehe~~ sometimes I…"
"No worries."
Bronya shook her head gently—she really didn't mind. After all, there were tons of people like her at miHoYo.
In fact, for some reason…
She had a strong feeling this girl would get along well with everyone.
It actually earned her bonus points.
Though she wouldn't tell the candidates this, per Hokuto's directive, the most important hiring criterion was simply: fit.
"Let's continue—"
Knock knock~~
The meeting room door was gently tapped.
Rita entered, handed Bronya a note, and whispered something in her ear.
After listening, Bronya's expression showed a brief flash of surprise.
Then she looked carefully at the girl and asked:
"Since you play Honkai Impact 3rd, that makes this easier… What's the most memorable line from the game to you?"
"Hmm… didn't expect an interview question like that."
The girl blinked, thinking: Typical miHoYo, even interviews are like this.
"If I had to pick one that really stuck with me recently…"
"It'd definitely be this one…"
She raised one hand and made the iconic pose from the Honkai logo.
"Kiana, deploy!"
"March 7th, deploy!"
"…Ahem. That second one was mine…"
She quickly explained her slip.
Bronya, however… nodded firmly. "Good answer. You've passed the first interview."
"Huh? That's it?"
"Yes. You may await our notice for the second round."
"Hmm…"
With Bronya's affirmation, the surprise on the girl's face gradually gave way to joy.
Though she likely had no idea yet what kind of position she'd end up being assigned.
Of course, that's all for later.
That's the beginning of another story.
(The End)
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium