Once the girls learned the reason behind it all, they quickly helped Mo Li hold Himeko back.
Himeko, exhausted from chasing, finally stopped.
She hadn't truly wanted to hurt Mo Li. It was just that her emotions had overwhelmed her—she had wanted to cry, but couldn't bring herself to in front of everyone. So she had lashed out instead.
Now, with the girls gathering around her, she finally tossed aside the Heaven's Fire Greatsword and sank into a chair without a word.
The others crowded in to comfort her.
Mo Li, meanwhile, stood awkwardly to the side. He was innocent, really. That chapter hadn't even been his own writing—he had originally planned to use the pre-prepared system voice lines.
But Himeko had insisted. For the finale, she wanted to record it herself.
And so he had let her.
Who could have guessed she'd actually break down like this—worse than even The Final Lesson.
…
Once Himeko had been soothed, Bronya turned and fixed Mo Li with a steady gaze.
Mo Li sighed. "Fine, blame me. Himeko… maybe you shouldn't voice this chapter after all?"
At the mere mention of "this chapter," Himeko was instantly reminded of Kiana's tearful voice calling out to her. Her eyes welled up again.
The girls quickly reached out to console her, but Himeko turned instead to Kiana.
Gently, she pulled the girl into her arms. Her voice was soft as silk:
"Kiana… I won't leave you."
"I won't become a star in the sky. I'll always be here."
Kiana froze, stunned by Himeko's sudden tenderness. For once, her usual goofy smile was gone.
Like a child murmuring in her sleep, she whispered: "Himeko… onee-chan?"
Himeko stroked her snowy-white hair, then finally let her go with a bittersweet smile.
"Alright. I'm fine now."
But that tear-streaked smile made Kiana's heart ache.
She hugged Himeko's arm tightly, pouting. "Himeko onee-chan~ I don't know why you're this sad, but! I'll never leave you either!"
Himeko chuckled faintly. "Mm, I know. It's just… that script, and Boss's delivery…"
Her eyes narrowed at Mo Li. "Boss, you're a damn sadist."
Mo Li: "…"
Fine. If she needed to vent on him, so be it.
"You already killed me in Chapter 9, but then you keep dragging me out again and again just to stab people!"
"The players are right—you must have some trauma in your past. Otherwise, how could you write something so… so…"
She trailed off, unable to find the words.
"When this chapter goes live, aren't you afraid players will come after you with knives?"
Mo Li: "…"
"How could they? This isn't a knife. It's candy!"
Everyone blinked.
Himeko laughed bitterly. "Candy? You mean I broke down from eating candy?"
Mo Li countered seriously: "It's just candy that isn't too sweet. Think about it. This whole story is for Kiana—to mend her regret. To let her see her teacher one last time, pour out her feelings, say goodbye, and carry the flame forward. How can that be called a knife?"
Himeko and Yae Miko exchanged looks. When put that way… it was true.
But still—the "candy" hurt too much.
The others, meanwhile, were burning with curiosity. Could there really be candy sweet enough to make someone cry?
Especially Ayaka.
She knew Miko better than anyone. The woman might not be "heartless," but her mental fortitude was inhuman. Yet even she had nearly broken.
And that was without seeing the full buildup.
If she experienced the whole chapter from start to finish… would Yae Miko actually cry?
Ayaka found herself oddly looking forward to it. When the version launched, she would drag Miko into a full, immersive playthrough.
"Wait! The stream! We never closed it!"
Hu Tao suddenly remembered. "Himeko-nee and Boss's voices… the viewers must have heard everything!"
Everyone froze. Right—Kiana and Hu Tao had been live the whole time.
"Let's check the chat."
They all pulled out their phones.
Sure enough, the barrage was exploding:
[Is Otto dead yet? Come on miHoYo, say something (lol)]
[He's dead for sure. After all, Otto's missing in-game too (lol)]
[Finally, Teacher Himeko got her revenge QAQ]
[Otto, how does it feel to suffer, huh?]
[Archbishop, you've been declared dead by the players. Insert 1200 crystals to revive yourself (lol)]
[Cough… just a joke, Boss, don't mind…]
[Seriously though, what happened back there?!]
The girls turned to Mo Li with strange looks.
"Boss, your Otto really is hated, huh."
Mo Li shrugged. "Memes. Doesn't matter."
But the question remained—how to respond?
Yae Miko smirked. "Simple. Ignore it. Cold treatment works best. That's what my old studio did."
Mo Li shook his head. "No, we should explain. If Himeko doesn't mind, just tell the truth."
Himeko glared. "You just want me to embarrass myself, don't you? Crying over candy…"
Mo Li grinned. "Trust me. Once players reach that chapter, no one will think it's embarrassing. Not a single Honkai player will keep a straight face. And if anything, your words will only raise anticipation even higher."
"…Fine." Himeko huffed, then sighed. "I'll post something from my account later."
Hu Tao piped up: "So do we end the stream now?"
"End it."
…
The stream was closed, but the fire was only beginning to spread.
Within hours, hashtags were trending:
#miHoYoStaffRebellion
#HimekoRaisesTheSwordOfDefiance
#OttoMustDie
Fans joked, speculated, and fueled each other's curiosity.
Then, just as the frenzy peaked, Himeko's Douyin account suddenly posted:
[…Boss Mo Li has no heart. This man is rotten to the core. He must have suffered some deep trauma to be able to write something this "sweet" (his words, not mine).]
[But it is sweet. Too sweet. Sweet enough to make me want to stab him. That's why you saw what happened during the stream. Nothing serious, don't worry.]
At first, players were puzzled. But sharp minds quickly pieced it together.
[Blind guess: Himeko broke down while recording.]
[Agreed. But sweet enough to break down? What kind of story is that?]
[Weird phrasing, but now I'm curious too. What's sweet enough to make Himeko cry?]
[Starting from the Herrscher of Sentience arc, things have gotten pretty sweet.]
[Lol you say that but I can't stop laughing at "Sentience-chan."]
[Wait… haven't you played Chronicle of the Broken Sword of Shenzhou yet?]
[I did. Too tragic. Couldn't bear it.]
[I thought the dev had turned nice. Nope. Probably another knife next chapter.]
[No words. Die, Otto!]
[Quit hiding, Otto, come out and die!]
Himeko's post only fueled the flames.
But the real detonation came at midnight.
Eden suddenly updated her Weibo:
[I was at miHoYo Studio today. How do I put it…]
[I'm honestly scared to play the game now. I don't know what the new story is exactly, but…]
[Every single person in the studio broke down after reading it. No exceptions.]
Months after her last message, Eden's new post once again sent shockwaves through the community.
Players went mad with curiosity. What kind of story could devastate everyone at the studio?
…
Back at the studio, the girls hadn't been able to resist. After Himeko's breakdown, they'd gone to preview Chapter 25 themselves.
And one by one… they broke too.
Even hours later, near midnight, fragments of the chapter still haunted their minds.
At last, they understood what the theme song, Everlasting Flames, truly meant.
From Chapter 9's Journey Toward Tomorrow, to Chapter 25's Ignite the Flame of Tomorrow—
The road had been buried in pain. But the embers would burn on.
Through fire, dawn would be declared. Through hope, the torch would be passed down.
They were shaken, devastated, but deeply moved.
This was not just sorrow—it was beauty.
And when they listened again to Everlasting Flames after seeing the story, it was like hearing a new song altogether.
As the music swelled, they couldn't stop the sting in their noses.
There's a way back home.
Brighter than tomorrow and yesterday.
May all the beauty in this world be blessed.
Yes.
May all the beauty in this world be blessed.
…
[Himeko gazes at you with gentle eyes]
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