MGSFV?! Chapter 490. Hi~♬ Miss me? Reality doesn't have time-stop
"..."
"Didn't you leave something out?"
When Elysia heard what Hokuto said, her expression subtly changed. Does she not browse the forums normally?
"Isn't there another half of that sentence?"
"Ahem."
She cleared her throat twice, deliberately adjusting her voice to imitate the usual tone of the forum veterans: "This trash developer, let whoever wants to pull for it go ahead! I'm not pulling! ...Eh!? Wait, you guys are really not pulling? Then it's my turn to climb the ranks!"
Ah, the sweet, sweet irony. It's exactly the embodiment of saying one thing and doing another.
"There is indeed that latter half like you said, but..." Hokuto changed the topic, "if I said the whole thing, it would lose all meaning."
"No meaning?" Elysia was surprised.
"If I said it like that, it's just to get everyone to slack off, and then I sneak in... and climb the ranks like crazy. If I finish the sentence, how would I trick you guys into slacking?"
The way Hokuto said it—it was shockingly honest, to be fair.
Elysia: "..."
What you said… makes so much sense, I'm at a loss for words.
"Wait a second, aren't you the boss of miHoYo? What's the point of pulling Abyss?" After a while—she suddenly realized. Does he really still need that bit of Crystals?
"The joy of competing with others, of course." Hokuto gave his reason.
"...You're really out here 4D-playing this game," Elysia sighed.
"It's fine, it's fine."
At this point, Hokuto paused briefly and asked back: "Speaking of which, you're asking me why I pull Abyss, probably because you think I don't need Crystals? I want to ask you—why do you play Abyss?"
From what he knew, Eden secretly topped up Crystals for Elysia not long after launch. She still hadn't spent them all.
"Don't tell me it's to enjoy the joy of being above Eden and the others?"
"...?"
"What are you talking about?" Elysia had a face full of question marks. "Do I need to use this to prove myself? I already... mm, as for why I play Abyss, well—if nothing else, I'm a streamer, right~~ It's normal to stream playing Abyss, no?"
"Got it. You want to prove you're a 'parasite-tech' streamer?"
"It's 'pro'! Not 'parasite'!"
"Paraaaaasite~~~!"
"..."
Their conversation was increasingly like that of two very close buddies. When they first met, although both Elysia and Hokuto were naturally friendly—able to discuss what style of pink dress Mobius would look best in shortly after meeting—but it hadn't quite reached this level of casual banter back then.
...
"Ahem, sorry to interrupt, you two done chatting yet? We should probably get back to business."
At this moment, Mei lightly coughed and inserted herself into the conversation.
"..." ×2
Elysia and Hokuto stopped talking at the same time and looked at Mei. Elysia blinked, then glanced at the time, realizing she had indeed talked too much.
So she quickly nodded: "Right, right, time to get back to business~~"
Saying that, she reached for the small megaphone Hokuto had brought out earlier with a "ding ding ding ding" sound effect like Doraemon, grabbed the handle, brought the speaker close to her mouth, and struck a pose.
"Testing, one-two-three, testing, one-two-three..."
She tested the mic first.
"Alright! Let's begin! Let me see what lines I have in the script..."
Then she picked up the script with her other hand and curiously flipped it open. One line after another that she was supposed to read appeared before her eyes.
[I really can't resist gentle and pretty girls like Kiana.]
[If this keeps up, even professionals won't be able to guarantee you get priority on your desired attractions~~]
[Anyway, please follow Miss Fairy's lead and enjoy your journey~♪]
Wow~~
To be with Kiana... Exciting, joyful. She hadn't read much yet, but already came across scenes that made her eyes light up. Even though she often chats with Kiana in real life, seeing it in-game gives it a whole new flavor.
[I have a total of thirteen forms, each with more than one style.]
[For example, if Mei's closest relationship is with Kalpas, then I'll automatically become "Butler Kalpas" to guide her~♪]
Hmm? She can transform into others? But Elysia wearing Kalpas' skin...
'Trash, hi~♬ Miss me?'
...That somewhat exceeded the bounds of normal aesthetics, right? Even she would find it a bit "weirdly strange." Of course, she didn't dislike it. In fact, she was "a little" excited?
Hahahahaha~~
The story ahead looked like it would be a lot of fun.
[Since Mei wishes to play to her heart's content at the amusement park with Kiana and Bronya under Elysia's guidance——]
Ohhh. So that's how it is. Elysia wants to fulfill Mei's wish. She totally understood now! She then turned the page. The next line was neatly printed in black ink on the white page.
[——So how could I bear to end this rare "dream" early?]
[Although I'm the tour guide and also an extension of the "Flame-Chasers"... I'm afraid I can't continue the journey with you, Mei.]
?????
"How could this be... what on earth happened?"
...
"..."
Next to her, Hokuto carefully considered his wording and began to speak bit by bit. After all, this was something Elysia was about to learn anyway.
"You still remember what Elysia most wanted to know, right?"
"Hmm? You mean... whether the new seeds of humanity she planted have blossomed into eternal and flawless flowers on this earth..."
Elysia wanted to know a lot of things, but if she had to choose, that was definitely her greatest desire. What did her past "Ascension" ultimately bring about? That's why, back in the Elysian Realm when she saw Mei, she was so happy.
"Yeah, looks like we're in agreement on that point."
"Then it's easier to explain."
"Then..." Hokuto thought for a moment. "Did you forget—the real Elysia, the one who once sowed those seeds of new life for the world... Was never that 'fortunate' to actually find out whether her Ascension bore fruit. And... logically speaking, she might never be able to find out..."
"...Yes." ×N
When Hokuto said that, everyone who understood the meaning behind his words fell silent. Thinking of it that way… there's definitely a sense of regret, right? Elysia… she should know. And then, just like Elysia in the Elysian Realm, she should be happy, just once… have her wish fulfilled.
"So... that's what the next part is..."
"But..."
"But what?" Hokuto asked.
"What you said… doesn't seem to relate to this amusement park script in my hand..." Mei shook the script in her hand.
"Well..."
Bzz~~~ Hokuto's phone suddenly buzzed slightly. He pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID.
"Well, what a coincidence. She's here too?"
"???"
"Why don't you ask..."
Hokuto waved his phone so they could all see the caller ID.
"The amazing Vill-V, huh?"
"Vill-V?" ×N
"Didn't you say it yourself, Elysia? Vill-V is a very romantic person, so... there are some things… our Great Magician would keep in her heart for your sake all this time, and might've planned it all the moment she saw Mei."
"You're saying... this amusement park script is related to Vill-V?" Elysia blinked. "And, it's to fulfill that goal you just mentioned? It's just... how would Vill-V do that… she's already... someone who no longer exists—how could she still influence Mei..."
She stopped mid-sentence. She recalled a certain part of the Elysian Realm's story. Back when Mei was about to leave the Elysian Realm... That farewell scene where the Thirteen Flame-Chasers said goodbye to her one by one... Half a coin, mountains of shattered Divine Keys, a broken pocket watch floating in space...
"..."
A very difficult moment to recall. But among them, Vill-V's final words were very much in her style.
[Hey, Miss Mei, a surprise! I actually left a backdoor in your brain! You can try to find it outside!]
[Don't listen to her nonsense. The backdoor I left is undetectable to anyone else.]
[Wait, shouldn't we be clarifying first that we didn't leave a backdoor at all?]
Vill-V mentioned a "backdoor." When everyone saw that scene, the first reaction was probably that she was joking. But if you look at it with the idea that "there's more than meets the eye"... The Conductor only said: [We should clarify first that we didn't leave a backdoor]—not that [no backdoor was left].
In essence, it wasn't a denial of having left a backdoor. Classic trickery by the "Magician of Deception."
So... was this another one of Vill-V's tricks? Thinking that—
"Vill-V left a backdoor for Mei?"
Though the exact mechanism was unclear, that conclusion now seemed plausible.
"It's related to Vill-V, is that so strange? She's the one with a 1000% participation rate."
"...You're saying Vill-V left something behind, causing this story development—I'm not surprised. That's just the kind of person she is."
It was Mei who spoke first: "But, if it's Vill-V, wouldn't she prefer to achieve multiple goals at once? Because... that's what creates the most 'surprise,' right? If conditions exist, use them. If they don't, create them—that's Vill-V's surprise aesthetic."
"As for that point..."
Click~~~ "Miss Mei!"
With the sound of a door opening, Vill-V twirled her way into the recording booth. Still that signature confident pose.
"You're absolutely right! The unexpected—that's Vill-V's surprise aesthetic!"
"..." ×N
"What are you doing here? Didn't you just..."
With Vill-V's sudden entrance cutting off the conversation—there was a brief silence. Hokuto looked down at his phone. The call had already been ended—by Vill-V.
"..."
"You didn't really think reality works like a video game, with time pausing while the protagonist group talks, did you?"
Facing Hokuto's question, Vill-V crossed her arms and sharply retorted.
"Uh..."
That's true. Hokuto had no way to refute.
"Enough of that—what were you all talking about just now? Hmm… don't tell me yet, let me guess..."
Vill-V quickly noticed the scripts in everyone's hands. "If I'm not wrong, you're definitely talking about the upcoming scenes, trying to get into character?"
"That's just obvious. We're in the recording booth—if we're not discussing story and character, are we supposed to talk about what's for dinner?" Hokuto seized the chance to retort.
"Well, it's not impossible. Breaking convention for a surprising twist—isn't that fun?"
Vill-V spread her hands, irrefutable.
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium