Wavy platinum-blonde hair tipped in a strange shade of pale coral, styled with a black butterfly ribbon. Blue eyes accented by red shadow at the corners.
It was the same striking woman Rita had contacted earlier.
She stood outside miHoYo Studio, paused for a moment, and then gently pushed the door open.
"Mei~~"
"What's up? Did Hokuto shoot down another one of your scripts?"
"Uhh… hehe~~"
Kiana handed the latest draft to Mei. "I honestly think I did a great job this time. Peak performance, even beyond my usual!"
"Let me take a look."
Mei flipped through the script with mild curiosity.
Kiana single-handedly crushes the Herrscher of Wind, then dominates a corrupted Bronya…
"?"
"She's the main character—getting fired up and going all out is totally normal, right? So? Pretty good script, huh?"
Kiana crossed her arms and tilted her chin proudly.
It was full of passion, reinforced her invincible main-character status, and was perfect for getting players to open their wallets.
Flawless. As expected of her!
"Hmm…"
Mei reread the draft carefully. To be fair, it wasn't so bad that it was unreadable.
But—
"If you make Kiana this overpowered, how are we supposed to continue the story? The power scaling's going to collapse," she said.
Kiana was even more enthusiastic. "Isn't there supposed to be some 'strongest Valkyrie in Schicksal'? I'm thinking—plot-wise, Hyperion will probably need a reason to attack Schicksal."
"And of course, Kiana would be the main assault force! Just imagine it—Kiana overwhelming all of Schicksal single-handedly!"
Mei raised an eyebrow. "Or… the heroine could get captured by a boss. A classic 'dragon and princess' kind of setup."
She paused, then added, "That'd also give the main cast a reason to storm Schicksal."
"No way! Absolutely not!"
At that moment, the platinum-blonde woman entered the studio, stopping right behind Kiana.
"Kiana. When you're on the clock, focus. Slacking off is unacceptable behavior."
Still in the middle of her argument, Kiana instantly froze upon hearing that voice.
She turned around and saw the tall, familiar figure.
"Big Sis?!"
Kiana blurted out in shock, "What are you doing here?!"
"I came for an interview."
"You're joining miHoYo?!"
Kiana's voice shot up an octave.
"Kiana…"
The tall woman frowned, about to remind Kiana not to yell indoors—but it was too late. Kiana's volume had already caught Rita's attention from the office.
Rita's eyes scanned the scene and landed on the new arrival.
"You're finally here. Come with me—the boss has been waiting."
"Understood."
The elegant woman responded, temporarily setting aside Kiana and following Rita into the conference room.
Inside, Hokuto took one look at her and silently confirmed: as expected, it was Durandal.
"Please, have a seat," he offered with a polite smile.
Once Durandal sat down, Hokuto skipped the small talk—knowing full well what this goose's personality was like.
"Let's get right to it. Please introduce yourself."
"My name is Durandal. It's a bit unusual in this country. I've been in the industry for nearly three years, with work experience at Penguin, NetOne, Xuanji… and other companies."
"Wait. Can I ask—how did you switch between more than ten companies in just under three years?"
"Because I felt those companies weren't a good fit for me."
Durandal answered honestly, completely unfazed. "And if I feel miHoYo isn't a good fit either, I'll resign on my own."
"…Seriously?"
Is that the kind of thing you say during an interview?
Hokuto was starting to realize that while Honkai characters were highly capable—often far superior to the average person—they all had one thing in common: they were walking red flags.
Or rather, their anime-style personalities were just too pure for the real world.
As for why he was certain Durandal was competent?
Simple. Being able to switch between over ten major companies in such a short time and still get hired? That wasn't something a normal person could pull off.
"Bianca~~" Rita leaned over and gently whispered a reminder.
Only then did Durandal realize her tone might have been too blunt.
"I assure you, when I work, I complete every task with 120% effort," she added quickly.
"That CG trailer you posted for Honkai Impact 3rd—the visuals and concept were impressive, but there were many technical flaws. If I were in charge, I could've done better."
Hokuto looked at her serious, sincere expression. It didn't feel like she was mocking his work or shading the CG. She genuinely meant it.
"Ahem. Miss Durandal… your way of speaking is quite unique."
"…S-Sorry." Durandal lowered her head slightly.
Rita sighed beside them. She figured her hopes of bringing Durandal into the team might be dashed.
It was her fault, really.
She'd known Durandal for so long that she'd forgotten just how… special her personality came across to other people.
It was a bit short-sighted.
"In any case, welcome to miHoYo Studio."
Hokuto's sudden statement stunned both women.
He smiled as he extended his hand toward Durandal.
"Huh?" Durandal blinked, clearly caught off guard.
"Or do you already think miHoYo isn't a good fit for you?" Hokuto asked gently.
"No…"
Durandal shook her head slowly, still unsure. "Just now, I—you—why so suddenly…"
"I believe you meant no harm. You're just very direct."
Hokuto remained calm. "Being straightforward isn't a flaw. In fact, I think it's one of your strengths."
After all, Durandal wouldn't be Durandal without the goose-like honesty.
"…?" Durandal blinked again.
Rita glanced at both of them and asked, "Boss, are you… being serious?"
"Of course."
Hokuto nodded lightly. "Honesty is always better than someone who says one thing and thinks another. Don't you agree?"
At that, Rita pursed her lips slightly—then smiled.
"You're right."
Durandal paused, then reached out and gently shook Hokuto's hand.
"Then… I look forward to working with you."
"The feeling's mutual. Let's build this together."
Hokuto paused, then added, "By the way, you don't mind if there's a character named 'Durandal' in Honkai Impact 3rd, do you?"
"…What?"
Durandal looked puzzled. Why was she suddenly being inserted into the game?
"Honkai Impact 3rd is our Honkai Impact 3rd. I want everyone at miHoYo to leave their mark in it."
Hokuto spoke sincerely. Whether or not she believed him, he certainly did.
"Kiana, and everyone else here—they're all in the game, too."
"I see…" Durandal thought for a moment. It suddenly made sense why Kiana had appeared in the game.
"And what about you, boss?" Rita suddenly asked from the side.
"Me?"
"Would you consider voicing Otto Apocalypse?"
"..."