Time in the office felt as though someone had hit fast-forward.
Keyboards clattered without pause. Draft paper and sticky notes had colonized every available surface.
The air carried the particular charge of deep focus and creative energy, a kind of productive smoke that temporarily overpowered even the increasingly tempting smell of food drifting in from the kitchen.
The technical and art core team of Arthur, Dan Heng, and Bronya was in a race against the clock.
The skeleton of the trailer was already in place, built from a combination of existing assets and simple animations, set against background music that Arthur had reconstructed from memory, music that carried the pulse and rhythm of combat. A rough concept trailer was taking shape at remarkable speed.
The visual animation portion that Bronya was handling was the most critical piece. Far from the fluid quality of professional animation, but paired with rapid cuts and dynamic camera transitions, it already managed to capture the spirit and flair of the characters and convey a genuine sense of intense battle. Kiana's slow-motion sequence.
A close-up on Mei. Bronya alongside Project Bunny. One by one, the key shots came to life under her hands.
Dan Heng ensured every asset slotted seamlessly into the trailer, adding necessary transitions and text overlays. His code and scripts worked like precisely machined gears, driving the whole production forward.
Arthur moved through it all like a conductor, constantly fine-tuning the balance between creative vision, pacing, and final presentation.
He watched the sync between visuals and music, deliberated over the timing and font treatment of every line of copy, and worked to make sure that within a minute or two, the trailer communicated the core appeal and distinctive character of Honkai Impact 3rd as powerfully as possible: high-quality visuals, pulse-pounding combat, and characters that drew you in.
Stelle and March 7th were equally busy, testing playback across different devices and beginning to draft the accompanying copy and engagement plan for when the trailer went live.
Then, just as everyone was fully absorbed in the creative momentum, a warm, irresistible aroma spread through the room like something close to salvation, cutting clean through the tense and nearly solid air of the office.
Mei walked over carrying a large tray. On it sat several steaming bowls of tonkotsu ramen, flanked by pan-fried gyoza and a light, refreshing cold dish on the side.
"Everyone, time to eat," she said, her voice gentle but firm. "No matter how busy the work gets, we have to take care of ourselves."
The words hit like a pause button.
Arthur surfaced from his deep dive into the audio software, sniffed the air, and his stomach responded immediately with an honest growl. Dan Heng glanced at the rendering progress bar with ten minutes left, pushed up his glasses, saved the project, and stepped away from his seat.
Bronya saved all her project files and closed her laptop. Stelle and March 7th let out a cheer and made straight for the source of the smell.
"Long live Mei!"
Kiana practically launched herself out of her chair, reaching the table first and claiming her bowl.
She breathed in deeply, a deeply satisfied look spreading across her face. "I'm absolutely starving! Wait, gyoza too? Mei, you're the best!"
Everyone gathered around, setting their work aside for the moment to enjoy the brief reprieve and the comfort of a good meal.
The sounds of noodles being eaten and chopsticks tapping lightly became the most welcome background music the office had heard all day.
Kiana slurped her noodles and, out of habit, reached for her phone to check the comic's page. The moment she unlocked the screen, she saw a message from Principal Theresa.
Kiana's brow instinctively furrowed. She tapped it open.
"Kiana, I took a look at that comic you put out. (patting-head emoji)
Not bad at all, though I'm not sure what to make of the fact that the main character has exactly your personality. (speechless emoji)
A friend of mine said it was quite interesting too, and is already asking for more. (snickering emoji)"
Kiana stared at the screen, her expression cycling from puzzled to surprised to something complicated, a mix of smugness and sheepishness.
Theresa had read it? And actually thought it was decent? On top of that, her friend, and Kiana would have bet money that the friend was either Theresa herself being too proud to admit it, or one of her equally ageless, eternally youthful acquaintances, was already demanding more chapters?
This was... this counted as... approval from an elder?
Theresa's wording still carried its usual teasing edge and deliberately noncommittal phrasing. But knowing her as well as she did, Kiana understood this was genuinely positive feedback. That fussy, face-conscious aunt of hers did not hand out compliments casually.
A small, irrepressible flutter of joy rose up from somewhere inside her, washing away a good portion of the anxiety she'd been feeling over the comic's numbers.
She almost jumped up to announce the news on the spot, but her eyes swept over everyone quietly eating, and she managed to hold herself back.
Kiana pressed her lips together and typed back quickly: "Hmph! Glad you and your friend have good taste! (smug face emoji)
Also, it's not just a comic! It's early promotional material for our studio's new game, Honkai Impact 3rd!
The comic is just the prologue! (proud face emoji)
The game is the main event, and yours truly is the main character! (three thumbs-up emojis)
As for what comes next... (expression crumbling) we're also terrified of another flop... 😿"
She sent it and put the phone face-down on the table, trying to settle her slightly racing heart.
Theresa's response felt like a shot of something strengthening. It gave her a little more confidence in this freshly born story built around her own likeness, and something else too, a sense of belonging she hadn't quite expected.
Maybe... this time really would be different.
She snuck a glance at Arthur, who was murmuring with Dan Heng about the specifics of a transition in the trailer.
Then she looked at Mei and Bronya, eating quietly but with a brightness in their eyes. Then at Stelle and March 7th, chattering away about what they wanted to help with that afternoon.
Everyone was working so hard.
Even that perpetually stern little aunt of hers, and her mysterious friend, had taken notice.
Kiana drew a slow breath and felt the cloud that had been sitting in her chest since their previous failure begin to lift, scattered by the warmth of the meal, that one message, and the quiet, steady effort of the people around her.
"I'm done eating!"
Kiana announced, her voice back to its usual energy. "Captain! When's the final review for the trailer?
I can barely wait to see the finished thing! And for the release copy, do you need me to come up with some cool promo lines? I've got ideas!"
Kiana's outburst broke the gentle quiet of the tail end of lunch and drew a round of warm, amused smiles from the group.
Arthur swallowed his last bite, looked over at her, and nodded. "Alright. Half an hour after lunch, we do the final trailer review. The release copy, your idea's worth considering. If anyone else has thoughts, let's hear them."
"On it!"
Mei smiled and began clearing away the dishes.
Bronya had already returned to her seat and reopened the trailer project file. Dan Heng, Stelle, and March 7th all picked up the pace with their eating.
Lunch was over.
The second half of the battle was about to begin.