Hokuto didn't push the matter. He simply handed over his business card. "This is my card."
Raven accepted it and handed one of her own in return.
"Raven Studio? Natasha Ciora."
Hokuto glanced at the card and offered the usual courtesy: "I wish Raven Studio great success and continued prosperity."
Raven suddenly went quiet. After a moment, she replied blankly, "Actually… Raven Studio is about to disband."
"..."
"Ms. Ciora, does that mean you don't plan to continue in the game industry?"
"I don't think I was ever cut out to be a game developer," Raven shook her head.
"Don't be so discouraged, Ms. Ciora. You might just be going through a rough patch."
Hokuto paused, then continued, "It's quite the coincidence—members of the miHoYo studio once felt the same way. They thought they weren't suited to be game developers either."
"Oh?" Raven finally showed interest in Hokuto's words.
Seeing that flicker of curiosity in her eyes, Hokuto narrowed his own slightly.
"If you're curious, Ms. Ciora, you're welcome to visit miHoYo sometime. We're always happy to exchange ideas with others in the industry."
"Forget it. Your miHoYo is already amazing. You've got a hit like Honkai Impact 3rd. What would you even gain from talking to someone like me? You should be networking with successful big studios."
"Even in a group of three, there's always something to learn. Maybe miHoYo could gain something from you that other places never could."
"...Now I get it. Why your miHoYo keeps getting more successful."
Raven was quiet for a moment, then couldn't help but sigh.
After a brief pause, she added, "As for that experience exchange... I'll ask the others. If they're interested, we'll get in touch."
"I look forward to your visit."
Their conversation came to an end.
Then the awards ceremony officially began.
If one were to summarize the event, the flow went something like this:
The host announced:
"Best Domestic Mobile Game: Honkai Impact 3rd!"
Hokuto went on stage. The crowd applauded enthusiastically.
A bit later, the host announced again:
"Innovation Award: Honkai Impact 3rd!"
Hokuto went on stage again. The audience applauded again—but with noticeably less energy. People started giving him that "you again?" look.
And then again:
"Game of the Year: Honkai Impact 3rd!"
Repeat the exact same process.
This continued until the expressions of envy and jealousy turned into numb indifference.
People began to question why they even came to this award show in the first place.
Was it just to watch Hokuto show off?
...
...
When the awards ceremony ended, Hokuto's biggest takeaway wasn't the pile of awards—but his encounter with Raven.
Holding a stack of trophies, he actually looked troubled.
"There are so many trophies, I'm not sure how I'll carry them back."
"Seriously... could you be a little more considerate of someone who walked away empty-handed?" Raven, still nearby, looked exasperated.
"Sorry, slipped my tongue! I forgot you didn't win... ahem."
"..."
Hokuto's apology made Raven twitch. And when she thought about her island villa, she felt even more defeated.
Unmotivated, she waved her hand. "If it's inconvenient, I can drive you back to your hotel."
"Then I'll take you up on that."
Raven drove Hokuto back to the hotel.
Nothing special happened after that. Hokuto spent a few more days in Hangzhou hanging out with the girls before finally returning home.
Everyone returned safely to Linjiang and resumed work.
On the third day after Hokuto returned to Linjiang, following a period of contact and communication—
Island Villa:[Can we come visit miHoYo today?]
Hokuto:[Of course. You're very welcome.]
Island Villa:[We might be bringing a lot of people with us. Is that okay?]
Hokuto:[That's totally fine.]
Hokuto:[If anything, I'm more worried you might be too surprised when you see the people at miHoYo Studio.]
Island Villa:[What do you mean by that?]
Hokuto:[That's a secret for now.]
Island Villa:[...Then see you later.]
After finishing his chat with Raven, Hokuto didn't close the message window. Instead, he replied to someone else.
Elysia:[Hokuto~~ Eden agreed to sing the theme song for Meteoric Salvation!]
Hokuto:[Really?]
Elysia:[Of course~~ I told Eden about it, and since she's such a big fan of Honkai Impact 3rd, it was only natural that she said yes~]
That's true.
Hokuto nodded quietly. With Elysia's influence, Eden was pretty easy to talk to.
Add to that the fact that Eden was now a Honkai Impact 3rd fan herself—it really wasn't surprising she'd agree to sing the theme for Meteoric Salvation.
Elysia:[Oh right, right! I want to sing it as a duet with Eden. Is that okay?]
Hokuto:[Huh? Why?]
Elysia:[Hehe~♪ Think about it—if people see both Eden and me listed on the song credits, won't that be super fun~~]
You could practically feel Elysia's giddy excitement through the screen.
Elysia:[People who don't know the situation will definitely wonder… "Ah! Who is she, to be able to sing a duet with the superstar Eden?"… Just imagining it is so much fun, right?]
Hokuto:[Can't lie, that does sound amusing.]
Elysia:[Ehehe~~ So you're okay with it, Hokuto? I knew you'd understand me.]
Elysia:[You and I really are such a perfect match~♪]
Elysia said something rather suggestive.
But Hokuto coldly exposed the truth.
Hokuto:[You say that to all your friends, don't you?]
Of course he knew what Elysia was like.
There was a brief silence on Elysia's end. After a moment—
Elysia:[Aiya~~ Hokuto, you're too honest and perceptive. That's cheating!]
Elysia:[Miss Fairy must now make her escape~♪]
Elysia slipped away.