"So, you two still won't say why?"
Silver Wolf stared at the siblings Wise and Belle, trying to project killing intent through her gaze.
"By the way, Silver Wolf, I found this really fun roguelike game—Bizarre Travel Companions. Wanna play?" Belle pulled out her phone and waved it at Silver Wolf.
"Sure!" Silver Wolf's eyes instantly lit up. Just as she was about to stand, the office door suddenly swung open.
Kafka stepped inside leisurely. "Little Wolfie, seems Su Chen was right to call me over to keep an eye on you."
"Kafka? Why are you here? Did Su Chen send you? Didn't you see I was this close to getting answers?"
Kafka maintained her smile. "And how exactly were you planning to do that?"
"Simple. I play games with Belle, show off my elite skills, impress her so much she begs me to carry her, and then I get the answers. Easy."
"Alright, alright." Kafka took the interviewer's seat.
Meanwhile, Belle had already been forcibly dragged by Silver Wolf into another room to game, though her voice could still be heard shouting, "Kafkaaa! Can I get an autograph?!"
...
Thud. The door closed, and silence finally returned.
Kafka's gaze settled on Wise. "Truthfully, our boss is very interested in you two. But could you share your reasons?
Of course, you don't have to. You're free to walk out that door right now, and we won't trouble you further."
"I don't get it. You dragged us here, and now you're saying we can leave? What kind of play is this?"
"Let me paraphrase the boss's words: miHoYo needs you two. He's even willing to rebuild a video store for you—or Six-Phased Street, if you prefer."
Wise visibly frowned. "...Hah? MiHoYo needs us? You're joking."
"No joke. You two have an encyclopedic knowledge of films, and you're both restoration experts—regulars at private screenings, always giving razor-sharp critiques. How about a producer role?"
"I—" Wise started, but Kafka cut him off again.
"Oh, and one more thing: utilities are on the boss."
"Deal. We're in. Where do we stay tonight? Also, can you give my sister an autograph?"
Kafka hadn't expected such instant agreement. She chuckled wryly.
Just as Su Chen predicted—
Mention free electricity, and these two fold immediately.
"Great. Now, shall we discuss the details?"
—
Meanwhile, at the café,
March 7th was scrolling through her feed. "Look, old man Sampo's at it again—turning cheap stuff into 'luxury'."
"That's his specialty. Last time, he took day-old buns, slapped on ketchup, plated it fancy, and called it a *5-star MiTire dish*. And Yanqing actually bought it for hundreds.
Thankfully Jing Yuan caught on. If I hadn't stepped in, he'd have given Sampo the prank special." After seeing Sunday and Robin off, Su Chen felt oddly restless, lazily lounging on the sofa with his phone.
"Wait, what? Poor Yanqing's so green. Not like me!" March proudly pulled out a jade Tiga statue in meditation pose. "See how natural this jade is? Rumor says it's a relic from the Ultra-Ancient Civilization three million years ago."
"Three million? You sure?"
"Of course! Didn't Ultraman Tiga talk about the Ultra-Ancient Civilization?"
Su Chen pinched the bridge of his nose. "...Just keep it. It'll appreciate. Anyway, haven't seen Sampo in a while. Where's he at?"
"No idea. But I think I heard Gepard say he found a big potential client."
"Who's the new victim this time? You? Sushang? Or Stelle?"
"Not from miHoYo. Forgot the name, but apparently some hardcore Aeon fanboy."
"Aeon fanboy? Heh. I think I know who."
Suddenly, Su Chen's phone buzzed. A message from Kafka:
"Wise agreed. He's acting on someone's behalf—won't say who. But he won't share the film analysis data with them either."
After a moment's thought, Su Chen replied: "Good enough. Get someone to show him around."
—
Reading the reply, Kafka set her phone down. Then, with a hint of mischief, she smirked.
"Wonderful. The boss clearly values you. Since I have a date with a tomato later, I've arranged for someone to give you the grand tour."
Wise returned a polite smile while mentally dissecting her words:
A tomato? What?
But more importantly—
What's miHoYo's game?
Are the perks really this good?
And their boss just... ignores troublemakers?
"Shall we?" Kafka opened the office door with a graceful gesture, all poise and charm.
She then knocked on the neighboring door.
Inside, Silver Wolf was visibly redlining, while Belle shook her head repeatedly.
Finally, Belle bid Silver Wolf farewell and followed Wise out.
Just then—
Silver Wolf yanked Belle's collar. "HOW DO I BEAT STAGE 10?! WHO DO I PICK?! WAAAAH—"
"Sigh... Silver Wolf, you're a grown gamer. Time to git gud. I already carried you through Stages 3 and 6."
With that, Belle walked off without looking back, vanishing around the corner.
"NOOOOO!!!" Silver Wolf's anguished wail echoed.
"There, there." Kafka patted her back. "Why not ask Firefly to play?"
"Her? She's never interested in anything I suggest!
But when Su Chen asks her to play Don't Starve Together, she'll grind for 12 hours straight!"
Kafka sighed. "Why am I not surprised? What about Yingxing?"
"Oh! Him!" Silver Wolf's expression did a full 180.
"He's too busy being Jingliu's punching bag."
"Fair. It's almost Thursday—wonder who's next on the luck list."
—
Wise and Belle had reached the lobby.
Belle eyed her brother skeptically. "Seriously? They're moving the whole video store here?
What about our neighbors?
What about free daily scratch-offs?
No ramen? No café? No audio shop? No Bangboo store? No arcade?!"
She clutched her head. "I can't breathe!"
Wise replied flatly, "They're building us a new store. Utilities included."
"Ahem." Belle awkwardly laughed. "Haha... I may have overreacted."
"I preferred you when you were unhinged."
Just then, a bespectacled man shuffled over nervously—in broad daylight.
"Eh? 'Preferred you when you were curvy'? Wait, are you two siblings?"
Wise massaged his temples. "Are you deaf? Wait, how'd you know we're siblings?"
"Kafka sent your files. Allow me to introduce myself—
Scott, at your service. Here to show you around miHoYo."