Hokuto closed the chat window with Elysia, revealing the previously hidden video file behind it.
It was a short animated clip of Meteoric Salvation submitted by Durandal.
He took a few screenshots, then uploaded them to his private pilipili account. After that, he browsed for trending Honkai Impact 3rd videos on pilipili, planning to act as an insider to leak some juicy content and boost the game's visibility.
After all…
[Current Honkai Impact 3rd user count: 8,013,333]
Thanks to a recent update packed with main story content—and the players who'd been "emotionally destroyed" by it recommending the game out of "love"—he was now just a step away from completing the system's main mission.
Hokuto pulled up some popular Honkai Impact 3rd analysis videos from major pilipili creators.
One was about whether Himeko was destined to become the Herrscher of Flames.
In the video, the creator spoke with absolute certainty, analyzing the possibility of Himeko's return.
Stuff like—Himeko looked like she still had a breath left in her final moments.
Or maybe she hadn't fallen into the Imaginary Space, but had remained in the space Sirin created.
In conclusion, the creator theorized that Himeko had a strong chance of returning in the form of the "Herrscher of Flames."
By then, as a mentor, teacher, and Valkyrie, everything she once fought to protect would be overturned by her own hand.
This time, it would be up to her students—up to the paramecium—to "repay the lesson."
A massive plot twist! And totally in line with miHoYo's usual writing style.
Honestly? The analysis actually made some sense.
If Hokuto didn't know what really happened in the story, even he might've believed it.
Scrolling down to the comments, he found the section blowing up thanks to the recently released interlude to Chapter 11, Void Sky, Lonely Moon.
Everyone was deeply invested in whether Himeko would return.
Hokuto, who originally intended to leak spoilers, blinked and typed a comment in the thread:
It's all Otto's fault:
"I think everyone shouldn't get their hopes up too high. Himeko's story wrapped up beautifully. Based on what I know about miHoYo's writers, they wouldn't ruin it by adding unnecessary plot twists."
This video was one of the most-watched at the time. Naturally, many players went on to read the comments—and there it was, Hokuto's post.
[Talking out of your ass? Who knows miHoYo's writers better than you?!]
[What do you mean "unnecessary"? Himeko's return would be the ultimate climax!]
[WTF!! I just clicked on this guy's profile—you'll never guess what I saw! He's got screenshots from miHoYo's next unreleased short animation!]
[For real?! Is this guy an insider?!]
Some players started piecing things together.
If this person really worked at miHoYo, then what he said might actually be true.
Was Himeko really gone?
More and more replies flooded Hokuto's comment.
[Bro, are you serious? And you know the miHoYo writers, right? Could you give them a "warm" message from us?]
[No! I refuse to believe it! Himeko-senpai can't be gone like this!]
[Good news! I just finished digging through this guy's page—looks like Himeko shows up in the next short! And she's with Kiana!]
[Could it be?! Is Himeko-sensei coming back??]
[I'm starting to think this guy is trolling us on purpose, pretending Himeko's dead to stir up hype.]
The more they speculated, the further they drifted from the truth.
And yet, they trusted their conclusions wholeheartedly.
Some even spread the theory in Honkai Impact 3rd fan circles.
Soon, rumors that Himeko would return in the next main chapter exploded across the community.
Countless players were hyped—was Himeko-senpai really coming back?
Knock knock knock~~
A sudden knock came from the office door.
Before long, someone couldn't wait and burst in.
Kiana Kaslana stormed in shouting, "Hokuto! Bad news! I think there's a mole in the studio!"
Durandal followed her in with a serious face and said, "Hokuto, I believe this matter must be taken seriously. This time it's just version info—next time they might leak our confidential files."
"Exactly!" *N girls nodded in unison.
Hokuto: "..."
"So here's the problem. If none of you are the mole—then who is?"
"Well..." *N girls looked at each other.
Honestly, no one else looked like a traitor either.
Kiana crossed her arms, tilted her head, and wore a look of genuine confusion. "Everyone seems pretty trustworthy though…"
"Indeed." Theresa nodded in agreement. "We've all worked at miHoYo for years—I know everyone well. No one here seems like the type."
Durandal mimicked Kiana's stance and added thoughtfully, "If I had to name the most suspicious one, it would be… the last person who joined miHoYo."
She paused there.
Because the last one to join miHoYo—was herself.
The girls all turned to look at Durandal at the same time.
Kiana's eyes widened, and she was about to say something dramatic.
But Rita raised a hand to stop her, maintaining her usual elegant smile as she looked at Hokuto.
"So... Hokuto, is there something you'd like to tell us?"
Hokuto cleared his throat twice. "Ahem, well—though it was unexpected, both the act and the outcome... yes, I intentionally leaked the info."
"...Huh? Ahhh!!" *N
"Hokuto Hokuto, why would you do that?!" Kiana rushed up to his desk.
They'd been racking their brains to find the mole—only to discover it was their own boss?!
"Relax, relax."
Hokuto calmly pushed aside the beautiful face practically in his face. "What do you think happened to player activity after the leak?"
Kiana stepped back. Bronya walked forward hugging her laptop and answered for her.
"After the latest main story update, players entered a burnout period. Enthusiasm dropped. Some who weren't into dailies even stopped logging in."
She flipped the screen around.
"But starting just now, there's been a huge spike in logins. Players are grinding dailies again—probably to stock up crystals for the next Valkyrie battlesuit."
"That's exactly what I wanted."
Hokuto stood and explained, "Sometimes leaking a little news isn't a bad thing. It keeps players emotionally engaged longer. And when outsiders see how hyped the Honkai Impact 3rd community is, they're more likely to get into it."
"Do you get what I mean?"
The girls thought about it—and it did kind of make sense.
"Bottom line: I want Honkai Impact 3rd's active users to hit ten million!"
"Ten million?"
Kiana finally reacted. "Wait—are we really about to hit ten million active users?!"
She knew the game was popular, but had no idea it had gotten that big.
To think it had surpassed Nonsensical Hero's Grand Adventure's all-time user base in such a short time.
"Yup." Hokuto grinned.
"Wow! That's amazing!"
Kiana got excited, hugging Mei. "Mei Mei! Our Honkai Impact 3rd is so amazing!!"
"Kiana, your reaction speed could orbit Earth." Mei, wrapped in Kiana's arms, sighed and teased her before pushing her away. "Also—everyone's watching. Let go."
"I wasn't really paying attention before…"
Kiana released her, one hand sheepishly behind her back, and giggled.
"Pfft~~" *N The others couldn't help but laugh at her antics.
After a while, Kiana sobered up and became curious again. "Hokuto~~ when do you think Honkai Impact 3rd will hit ten million users?"
"When we roll out Meteoric Salvation, we'll probably be close."
Hokuto thought aloud. "And if we're still a little short, once the year-end holidays come and everyone has free time, a lot of people will be looking for games. Honkai Impact 3rd will obviously be the best choice. We'll hit the goal for sure."
"I believe we'll reach it even before year-end! This is our Honkai Impact 3rd we're talking about!" Kiana said with absolute confidence.
Hokuto chuckled, "Well then, if your words come true, and we hit the goal before year's end—I'll double your year-end bonuses."
That bonus pool wasn't small. Doubling it would be a huge expense.
But Hokuto didn't mind.
"If that's how it is~~ then I guess I'll just have to give it my all~~"
Kiana wasn't really in it for the money—she just thought it sounded fun.
She also wanted to repay Hokuto. After all, thanks to him, miHoYo and everyone here had the future they now shared.
"I've got an idea."
"Hm? What idea?" Hokuto was curious.
"What if we did a livestream—with facecam—playing Honkai Impact 3rd? Wouldn't that totally blow up?" Kiana suggested excitedly.
Hokuto was momentarily stunned.
If the girls were willing to go on cam and stream Honkai Impact 3rd…
It would be way more than just "blowing up."