To be honest, Luo Hong was just following a gacha superstition; he hadn't actually modified the pull mechanics. But statistically speaking, since the pool was currently filled with Honkai Impact 3rd characters, it made perfect sense to pull someone Bronya knew.
He wondered if he actually pulled Seele, would Bronya's "performance" become even more staggering? Perhaps she'd become a literal vacuum? He had only intended to experiment with a playful mindset.
However, pulling Chiyuan while with Cangxuan/Danzhu, and now pulling Wendy while with Bronya... both were people with deep personal connections to the "catalysts." If once was luck, twice suggested a hidden mechanic in the mod. He hadn't checked the code before transmigrating, but he loved this design.
It meant if he wanted a specific character, he just had to bring someone related to them to pull. The thought of holding Sirin to pull Bella, or Griseo to pull Aponia, or Lady Fu to pull Qingque... was incredibly stimulating.
"Hehehe..."
A wicked smile played on his lips as his body moved on instinct, while Bronya—in his arms—was getting quite a "sweet" deal. It was a good thing she didn't know the newcomer yet; if it had been Seele, her mental state would have shattered. Despite that, under Luo Hong's unrestrained "exercise," her belly mark inevitably ticked down: [100 → 86].
"Lord, that's enough," Cangxuan interjected, unable to watch any longer. "We should return to the other world, otherwise the breakfast Miss Mei made will get cold." She added that last part to see if Luo Hong's kindness toward Mei was genuine or just an act.
"Oh, right. We can't let Mei's hard work go to waste." Luo Hong set down the convulsing Bronya and apologized like a gentleman. "Sorry about that, Bronya."
He didn't, however, add any points back to her mark. "I got distracted by something else. This girl has a deep connection to your future. I'll tell you about it tonight. For now, head back."
He snapped his fingers, forcibly kicking them [Offline].
"Sigh..." He looked at the empty world. "I should try to pull a 'night owl' character next. It's so boring during the day." He then naturally pulled the newly arrived Wendy into his arms. "Leveling time!"
Honkai World, St. Freya Academy Dorms.
"Mmm..." Danzhu groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. She pouted and grumbled, "Finally away from that demon."
Despite her words, she instinctively pressed her legs together.
"Bronya," Cangxuan said calmly from the other side. "You knew, didn't you?"
"Hm?" Bronya, though in sync with Cangxuan, acted confused. Her intuition told her exactly what Cangxuan meant, but she tried to play dumb. "Sister Cangxuan, Bronya doesn't know what you're talking about."
"I'll be blunt then," Cangxuan said seriously. "You were 'rewarding' him, weren't you?"
Danzhu's eyes widened as she caught on. They were all geniuses from Mobius's lab; once a hint was given, the truth was obvious.
"Bronya, you did it on purpose!" Danzhu pointed out. "The challenge, the stubborn talk... it was all just to get him excited!"
"Danzhu, it's not quite that simple," Cangxuan shook her head. "The challenge and the attitude were genuine. But a girl as smart as Bronya couldn't have failed to realize that acting tough after losing would only make Luo Hong more 'enthusiastic'."
"I... see," Bronya lowered her head, finally admitting it. "I'm sorry for dragging you into it. But at first, I really did want to challenge him. After I lost, I thought about how smoothly our mission went because of him, so... so..." She looked toward the sunlit window, her face flushed. "I wanted to reward him a little."
"Thought so," Cangxuan nodded. She didn't press further but stood up. "Then make it more obvious next time. If you're going to pay the price, I want him to actually see your intent."
"If Bronya did that, wouldn't it be..." Bronya couldn't finish the sentence, staring at the windowsill as if there were flowers there.
"Alright!" Danzhu cut in. "Let's go eat breakfast before Miss Mei's hard work really goes to waste."
They quickly washed up and headed downstairs. But as they reached the hallway, they noticed something missing.
Where is Ji Xuanyuan? Where did our giant Ji Xuanyuan go?