Chapter 185. Elysia's Answer to Xander's Question Is...
"Have a meeting? That's not a problem."
Glancing at the time—almost clock-out—Xander Masato said.
"Okay, I'll go notify each team lead now. Boss, please wait a moment."
"Go, go."
He waved Sakura off and casually took out his phone.
He sent Bronya and the others a message that he'd be working a bit late and they should head home first. Not long after, Sakura returned with seven or eight people in tow.
"Let's go to the conference room. We'll talk through any issues in there."
Leading the group, he quickly took a seat in the nearby meeting room.
Although the plan he wrote laid out all the directions, it was impossible to cover every detail. Some model animations and battle-system issues were things no one could decide on their own, so they'd piled them up to wait for Xander's return to answer them.
The sunset outside the window gradually sank away. Bathed in orange light, Xander finished addressing the last question and sipped his tea to moisten his throat.
He wasn't a superman. Plenty of problems, once raised, didn't have a particularly good solution right away for him either. So a whole group of people had engaged in heated discussion in the office for several hours.
When Xander's words fell, everyone in the room collectively let out a breath.
Most of the issues had been settled during the meeting, and the pressure weighing on them immediately eased a lot.
It's great having a lead to make the call. Without Xander's final say, no one dared to decide those ambiguous problems on their own—you know that kind of responsibility can't be shouldered lightly.
Sakura could carry some of it, but not much.
"Alright, if there aren't any other issues, then let's adjourn!"
It was already late, and he was still hoping to hurry back for the dinner Seele made.
Honestly, he was getting more and more adept at handling these matters. The trials of developing Pokémon had left him with a steady enough mindset to handle any problem that cropped up.
"Um…"
A petite girl at the end of the table timidly raised her hand. Noticing everyone's inquisitive gazes turning in unison, she subconsciously shrank a little.
"Does the concept art team have any other questions?"
Xander's gentle tone helped the girl relax a bit.
"What I'm going to say isn't really about concept art, it's just…"
Scratching her cheek, she said, a little embarrassed, "Isn't the name of our game… not that great?"
Sensing the suddenly confused looks, the girl hurried to explain: "Look, the name Yu-Gi-Oh! kind of sounds like we're calling ourselves the best and putting other games down, and it might even get our competitors to 'praise' us in bad faith. Although I really believe in our game's quality, wouldn't this stir up player backlash and stuff…"
"Well… that does sound like a real issue."
Sakura furrowed her brows, murmuring.
If it's just a name, most players actually won't care much. Even if some people with an agenda tried to stir things up, it wouldn't cause a huge impact.
But no matter how small a problem is, once you multiply it by a user base in the hundreds of millions, it's not that small anymore.
As the second AR title after Pokémon, its debut would naturally be highly anticipated. Everyone wanted it to be as close to perfect as possible.
After the art team lead finished, she saw everyone staying silent and immediately panicked to declare loyalty: "Of course, in my heart Gensokyo is the strongest—Gensokyo games are number one in the world!!"
"Alright, alright, we're not blaming you."
Giving her an amused look, Xander crossed his arms and said, "Bringing up problems is good—don't be nervous. And this one's actually on me for not considering it thoroughly."
"In fact, this game—just like Pokémon in my plans—needs a same-title anime. I already asked General Manager Yagokoro to handle that earlier. The name Yu-Gi-Oh! also comes from that anime. I forgot to tell you before, so it's normal that you'd feel this way."
"I—I see. Then I don't have any problem with it."
The team lead finally relaxed and sat back down, still a bit timid.
"Anything else? Don't worry; any question is fine."
This time, no one spoke up.
"Alright, if there's nothing more, let's adjourn."
With that, Xander stood and was the first to leave the conference room. After he left, the others rose and filed out one after another.
He twisted his waist—sore from sitting too long—and returned to the office. Opening the door, the scene before him made him zone out for a beat.
A light breeze gently lifted the curtains. A rocking chair had somehow been placed by the window.
A girl with long pink hair lay there peacefully, dressed in a white dress, bare feet, golden radiance sprinkling down like fragments, plating her in a dreamy amber glow.
Elysia must have fallen asleep.
He shut the door softly, lightened his steps, walked slowly to the window, bent down, and smiled at the sleeping girl.
The usual lively spirit had faded from that cute face. Seen like this, she had the air of a quiet beauty. Her nose tip twitched lightly, and her cherry-petal lips opened and closed ever so slightly.
The breeze drifted in along the sill, stirring ripples in his heart.
Without much hesitation, he bent down and leaned closer, until the lines of their faces were clear, their breaths audible. The sweet scent stirred him even more. He lowered his head, intending to taste that indescribable sweetness.
But just then, a pair of pink eyes lit up and stared straight at him, freezing Xander's movements on the spot.
Getting caught sneaking a kiss on your lover—what do you do? Asking online, it's urgent.
Just as he felt a little awkward, Elysia blinked, then quickly closed her eyes again, pretending to still be asleep.
"Oh no, the poisoned apple's power is too strong—the Sleeping Beauty failed to resist! She urgently needs a prince who's 1.8 meters tall, with short black hair, named Xander, to wake her with a kiss. Is there any kind prince passing by who can save Sleeping Beauty~"
With that, Elysia puckered her lips upward on her own.
Shaking his head with a half-smile, Xander hesitated no more and lowered his head. Their lips met.
The sunset kiss was gentle and lingering. Only when the last trace of the sun remained on the horizon did Elysia finally let go, satisfied.
"This Sleeping Beauty is pretty hard to save."
Licking his slightly reddened lips, Xander said with a smile.
"Of course! Sleeping Beauty is the cutest girl in the whole world. How could a simple kiss possibly wake her!"
Hands on her hips, Elysia declared proudly.
"Alright, alright, all final interpretation rights belong to Sleeping Beauty, right?"
"Xander, you're understanding more and more. As expected of my good Xander~"
In the early spring night, the cold wind began to rampage. He draped his jacket over Elysia's white dress, bundling her up snugly, and the two strolled home at an unhurried pace.
"I sent a text telling you all to head back first, didn't I?"
Walking along, he watched Elysia tuck her little hands into the jacket sleeves, lift both hands, lightly sniff the cuff at her wrist, and then happily narrow her eyes.
"Because I want to go home with Xander~"
As she spoke, she leaned in, naturally wrapped herself around his arm, and pressed her cheek to his shoulder.
Blinking, Elysia asked expectantly, "Well? Isn't it nice?"
"With Elysia accompanying me, of course it's nice."
"Right, right~"
She laughed happily. That sweet smile bloomed like a flower, making him zone out for a moment.
"The thought of Xander having to go home alone, walking the streets all by himself, heart broken, crying and making a fuss—boo-hoo—makes Sister Elysia feel so sorry for you~"
Thump.
Elysia's little head got a gentle bop.
What fox possessed you? And it's pink-haired too!
He grumbled inwardly, looking at the mischievous sprite at his side who couldn't stay serious for two sentences. Noticing her acting teary-eyed for comfort after being "hit," all the irritation in his heart vanished.
His raised hand eased and fell. The hand that had been hugged slid down and intertwined its fingers with hers.
In the last afterglow, their shadows leaned together and stretched long, until dusk deepened, and they could no longer be told apart.
...
"You're so slow—come on, we're just waiting on you two!!"
Back home, as soon as the door opened, Kiana's impatient voice rang out.
Feeling Elysia let go of the hand that had been hugging him all the way, Xander regretfully bent down to change his shoes.
"Brother, Elysia, welcome home~"
Little chef Seele still held a big ladle in her hand. It looked like she'd rushed out from the kitchen at the sound of the door.
"Wah~ Seele is just too cute~"
Elysia, having changed her shoes, couldn't help wanting to hug her, but Seele quickly dodged.
"Elysia, the apron's not clean."
"Alright, alright. If I can't have Seele, let's see which beautiful girl is willing today…"
"Quit fooling around. Time to eat."
She got another gentle bop on the head. Elysia covered her head and puffed her cheeks, following Xander into the entryway.
The dining room was already packed—looked like everyone was waiting for them to come back.
After washing up, Xander and Elysia took their seats.
Just then, he noticed a small figure who was unusually quiet and couldn't help smiling as he spoke: "Sirin, you're back from home?"
"Mm."
She picked up a piece of flatbread and bit down hard, chewing like she meant to bite someone.
"What's up with Sirin?"
Seeing something off, Xander leaned to Bronya's ear and asked in a low voice.
"Who knows. She's been like this ever since she came back this afternoon."
"That really is strange."
"Maybe it's that time."
"No, her dates don't line up with these few days."
"Why do you remember it so clearly?"
"..."
Xander and Bronya's muttering wasn't heard by the others. Kiana was currently bowing her head obediently, eating in silence, eyes straight ahead.
As the culprit who had tricked Sirin, the unbreakable alliance between Kiana and Sirin had declared bankruptcy in less than a week.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere—and foreseeing that a fierce battle would surely break out tonight—Xander kept his eyes on his nose, nose on his heart, acting like he knew nothing and placing himself outside the situation.
Bzz bzz.
Just then, Xander's phone buzzed.
Who would be emailing him this late?
Frowning in puzzlement, Xander still put down his chopsticks and took out his phone for a look.
Opening the mailbox and seeing the sender, Xander raised an eyebrow.
Schicksal, huh—about Luna Kindred's treatment?
Thinking that, he opened the email—then his eyes widened slightly, and the corners of his mouth arched.
They'd just finished the negotiations two days ago, yet the gene-adjustment slot had arrived so quickly. Looks like Schicksal's efficiency is pretty good.
"What are you smiling at?"
Bronya and Seele leaned over in curiosity. Xander didn't hide it and simply showed them openly.
"Yah!"
Seele covered her mouth. Bronya's eyes widened a little as well, and then both turned their gazes toward the slightly confused Elysia, making her ask curiously, "Xander, Xander, what is it?"
"I'll tell you after dinner."
This kind of topic didn't seem suitable to discuss at the dinner table, so after he soothed her a bit, Xander put down his phone and continued eating.
Aside from the low pressure on Sirin's side, dinner was still lively and warm.
After the meal, before the ever-curious Elysia could come up to him, Xander waved a hand to her.
"Elysia—and Kaguya—you two, come with me."
"Do you need Seele to go with you, Brother?"
"I can go with you."
Bronya and Seele spoke up beside him, but Xander waved casually: "It's fine, let me talk to Elysia."
By then, Elysia had already glued herself to Kaguya. With Kaguya's slightly helpless expression, the two came over together.
"What is it, being all mysterious like this? So curious, so curious~"
"Don't worry, I'll tell you right away."
Kaguya seemed to realize something. Her usually calm eyes heated a little.
He brought the two of them to his bedroom. Before he could speak, Elysia's deliberately shy voice chimed in: "Oh my, planning to do it with two girls at once? How bold. I haven't tried that yet, but if Xander wants to…"
She even threw him a coquettish wink as she spoke.
"I do want to… ahem, but there's something else tonight."
He paused as his expression turned serious. After he sat Elysia down in a chair, he took out a document he had already printed and handed it to her.
"It might be unclear if I just say it straight. Before we talk, I want you to look at this first."
"What's this?"
"You'll know when you read it."
Without saying much else, Xander sat on the bed with Kaguya.
Sensing her husband's tension, Kaguya gently held his hand.
Life extension.
Something most people would find hard to refuse.
But for Elysia, he truly wasn't sure.
She genuinely loves life. She loves everything in the world, and time cannot make her stop.
In Xander's imagination, even when Elysia grew old, she would still be the type to drag her friends into organizing a wheelchair racing tournament. And even for her own funeral when the time came, she would find ways to turn it into a comedy that everyone could laugh at.
Because… wouldn't that be so much fun?
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