"The new boss is coming today. I wonder what miHoYo will look like from now on?"
"I'll stick with everyone until the very end."
"Someone invested in our studio… That miHoYo can keep going is ultimately a good thing, right?"
"It wasn't an investment. It was an acquisition. I already got confirmation from Theresa."
As Rita's words fell, silence blanketed the room.
After working at miHoYo for years, they had all developed a deep emotional attachment to the studio.
Click~
Right at that moment, the studio door opened from the outside.
Hokuto stepped in, wearing a solemn expression.
Just as he expected, the office was full of beautiful girls, pleasant to the eye, with a lingering fresh scent in the air from the room spray.
But—
There was also something completely different from what he had imagined!
"Kiana? Mei? Rita? Himeko?!"
What the hell?!
Hokuto froze on the spot.
Did he transmigrate again?
To be honest, if he had a choice, he'd rather not end up in the world of Honkai Impact 3rd.
It was far too dangerous.
He'd much rather stay in this world, even if he had to continue living the life of a man buried in debt.
At least with enough effort, there was still a chance he could work his way out of it.
Instinctively, he retracted the foot that had just stepped into the studio and quietly closed the door.
Standing just outside, Hokuto looked up at the company sign.
[miHoYo Studio]
Then he peered out the corridor window.
Cars bustled through the streets outside—peaceful and orderly. He could even see a giant penguin logo in the distance.
No matter how he looked at it, this didn't seem like the world of Honkai Impact 3rd.
"Looks right," Hokuto muttered. "Maybe I just haven't adjusted to transmigrating here yet. Could be my eyes playing tricks."
Thinking for a moment, he opened the door again.
Standing right there at the entrance was someone already waiting to greet him—Rita, dressed in a sleek office outfit and black stockings.
Things were becoming clearer—characters from Honkai Impact 3rd had appeared in the real world?!
And even founded miHoYo?
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Hokuto?" Rita flashed a flawless professional smile.
Her gaze subtly swept across Hokuto, her left eye—partially hidden by her short hair—flickering with a faint gleam of scrutiny.
"Yes, I am, Miss Rita."
"Oh? I'm surprised Mr. Hokuto recognizes me?"
"…"
Thinking fast, Hokuto told a little white lie. "I reviewed the staff profiles before I came."
Truthfully, he'd been too busy analyzing miHoYo's game catalog to even glance at the employee list.
He had even been planning to fire some unproductive staff.
But… that was all in the past now.
Not because he was thinking with the wrong head, no—but because…
Working with Valkyries to develop Honkai Impact 3rd—how could that not be exciting?
Besides, in a world where copyright law was extremely strict—where even drawing a stick figure required a license—using someone's likeness without permission was a serious offense.
So there was no way he could afford to let these girls go.
As for making Honkai Impact 3rd without using their likenesses?
Without Kiana, without Bronya, without Rita—would it even be Honkai Impact 3rd?
"Shall I take you to see Manager Theresa?" Rita asked.
"No need. I'd prefer to get straight to the point," Hokuto replied, shaking his head. "Could I trouble you to gather everyone for a meeting in the conference room?"
Even though he was curious about their real-life circumstances, business came first.
Rita exchanged a glance with Himeko.
"I'll go get Theresa. Himeko, please bring the new boss and everyone else to the meeting room."
"Got it."
Rita left the group and walked alone to the manager's office, pushing the door open as she entered.
Inside, she saw Theresa—small in stature and looking very much like a loli—hastily stuffing away a manga volume.
"Reading manga on the job again? The company's in shambles and you still have the nerve to take a break?"
"Ahem."
Theresa cleared her throat. "Exactly because the situation is bad, I need to stay relaxed. Don't you think so?"
"I think you're adorable when you make excuses," Rita replied with a subtle smile.
"?"
"Why are you suddenly saying things like that? Makes me want to hit you with Judas… Wait, what's Judas?"
Flustered by Rita's teasing, Theresa started babbling nonsense, blurting out a term even she didn't understand.
Which only left her more confused.
After teasing Theresa just a little longer, Rita finally got to the point. "The new boss is here. He wants you in the conference room for a meeting."
"He's here already?"
Theresa frowned slightly, then kicked off from the boss chair and leapt down like a serious little adult.
"What do you think of him?"
"Not bad," Rita said casually.
"Oh?"
"He looked genuinely surprised when he saw us," Rita said as they headed toward the meeting room. "But that's normal, considering how unique our studio is. Any man would have that kind of reaction."
"Hmm… So your high opinion of him is because?"
"Because it felt like… reuniting with an old friend from far away. And more importantly, I feel like our miHoYo might finally be catching a break."
"Okay… that's kinda mystical."
Roughly ten minutes later.
In miHoYo's largest conference room—
Hokuto stood at the front of the elevated platform, his gaze sweeping over the crowd of formally seated women below before getting to the point.
"Before coming here, I reviewed your past projects."
Even before he finished speaking, the projection screen behind him lit up, displaying several games previously produced by miHoYo.
The staff visibly brightened, their faces full of expectation.
Clearly, they were hoping to win the new boss's approval and support.
Unfortunately, they were bound to be disappointed.
Liking the characters from Honkai Impact 3rd didn't mean he was going to kiss up to them or sugarcoat anything.
"To be honest, judging by the quality of these games, only a blind person would be willing to pay for them."
The moment he said that, the team's expressions shifted. The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.
Unfazed, Hokuto continued in a calm and earnest tone.
"That said, while the storylines and creative concepts are trash, the gameplay is incredibly smooth, and the art is quite good. Overall, there are still redeeming qualities."
"What's wrong with the story?!"
Kiana, the lead writer, was still processing everything, but it was Mei who jumped up, her voice loud and offended. "Our best-selling Absurd Hero's Grand Adventure had its story written by Kiana!"
"The absurdist style actually worked quite well. But just because it succeeded once doesn't mean it'll succeed again."
"…"
Mei wanted to argue, but she had no leg to stand on—especially after all their recent flops.
She just didn't have the confidence.
"I'm not saying this to scare you or assert dominance. Quite the opposite—I think you all have great potential. You're just missing proper direction."
"You're saying you can give us that direction?" Theresa raised her hand.
"Exactly."
Hokuto clicked the next slide on the presentation.
A massive Honkai Impact 3rd logo appeared on the screen.
"This will be our company's next big project—Honkai Impact 3rd!!"