Chapter 194. Kiana, Win?
For Anti-Entropy, anything money can fix isn't really a problem. The modeling side would be easy enough; his bigger focus was still on Sakura's side.
If some nasty bug showed up when the game hit open beta, that would be fatal.
"Makes sense."
Bronya set the tablet back on Xander Masato's desk. Instead of leaving, she leaned closer. "How are we assigning the new hires? Can programming get a bigger share?"
"Unfortunately, no~"
"Tch. Then what are you having them do?"
She shot him a look and pressed on.
"I've got other plans. Remember that community concept I mentioned?"
"The game community—and the app on mobile and PC?"
"That's the one. I want to spin it out and build a Gensokyo-exclusive hub. Naturally, the first feature needs to be for Yu-Gi-Oh!."
Kaguya's gaze drifted back to him as he went on, "I've told you the basics of Yu-Gi-Oh!. With all the different Monster, Trap, and Spell Cards, players will build all kinds of decks."
"When the time comes, to make player discussion easier, I'm adding a dedicated section to the community. Bloggers and video creators who like to tinker can share the decks they've developed there. Players get ideas; the creators get the traffic they want."
"And to make it even smoother, the community will link with Yu-Gi-Oh! to roll out something called a Deck Code."
"Deck Code?"
Pleased with Kaguya feeding him the straight line, Xander smiled. "It's a string of irregular numbers and letters. Any player can generate a unique code for a new deck they've built. Share the code, and a new player can use an item to fully replicate that deck."
"Hiss—now that's a good idea. Saves people from picking cards one by one."
"Right? Easy communication is crucial for keeping a versus game lively."
After that, Xander kept talking through other community pieces.
For instance, different subforums for different games, all under a larger Games category.
For now, there were three big categories: Cards, Games, and Gensokyo.
Gensokyo would work just like he'd said before: every small team would have its own subforum, with team members role-playing background characters to interact with players. Players could choose which subforum to join. There would be events like inter-subforum competitions too—you could treat it like a community mini-game.
And it would all lay groundwork for a future virtual-reality world.
Imagine stepping into VR and finding yourself in the faction you've grown attached to—watching those once-illusory characters become beings you can actually touch. How could you not be thrilled?
They stayed busy like that the whole afternoon, and in the blink of an eye it was time to clock out.
"Anti-Entropy agreed to send more people—and straight-up doubled the modelers. Pretty generous."
Xander stretched lazily, grinning.
"How could they not be, after what you said!"
Bronya cut him a sidelong look and smiled.
"What did he say? What did he say? I wanna hear it too!"
Kiana breezed over and naturally latched onto Xander's arm.
Mei frowned at the sight, but said nothing.
"Big Bro said, 'You don't want Yu-Gi-Oh! going live unfinished, right?' Then the manager obediently assigned more people~"
"Isn't that textbook intimidation?"
Kiana stared, wide-eyed.
"No way—I was just telling the truth."
He put on an innocent face. Before Kiana could think of a comeback, Seele chimed in, "Seele and Sister Kaguya are heading to the supermarket. You all head home first~"
"Ah, I'm going too. I finished the chips I like. I'll grab more."
Bronya hurried after them.
"Eh? Bronya, just tell Seele. Seele will buy them for you."
"If you're buying a lot, you and Kaguya won't be able to carry it."
"Th-that so."
"In that case, I'll go too. There are a few things I need."
Seeing so many people going to the store, Mei seemed to think of something and quickly caught up with the group.
Soon, the four of them drifted off, chatting and laughing. When Kiana came back to herself, she realized the quiet walk home had dwindled down to just her and Xander.
She sneaked a sideways glance. The setting sun laid a soft orange glow across his long face, and her heartbeat quickened. She hugged her arms tighter and edged closer to him.
"Um, uh…"
"What is it?"
Puzzled, he turned his head. Seeing Kiana hugging his arm, Xander froze for a second.
He'd gotten used to being clung to; it hadn't felt odd at first.
But looking now, his arm was completely buried in Kiana's soft chest. Was this really okay?
"I…I—no, it's nothing."
She ducked her head on instinct. For the first time, Kiana hated how clumsy her mouth was—she couldn't get out a single flirty line.
What a perfect chance. A chance to make Xander stop treating her like a bro. And here she was, blowing it?!
"Uh…"
The back-and-forth left Xander a little embarrassed too. He looked at Kiana, the warm orange light washing over that playful, adorable figure.
Her loose sweatshirt was pitched high by her chest. Below it, a dark blue denim miniskirt cinched her most enticingly slender waist. Pale legs stretched from the hem to the pavement—soft yet springy. Her braid had long since come undone; smooth, long hair spilled down her back.
Paired with that just-right touch of shyness when she lowered her head—since when had his "bro" become this alluring?
"Um, do I…look different today?"
She drew a deep breath, worked up to it for ages, and finally pushed the line out—then regretted it instantly.
How could she say something like that? "Different," seriously? So embarrassing. Would Xander laugh at her—aaah.
That anxious seesaw is a flavor every girl in love has to taste; Kiana was getting the full sampler.
"Well, uh."
Affected by her fluster, Xander scratched his cheek and smiled. "With your hair down—you look really pretty."
Thump.
Her heart skipped. Visible joy bloomed across her face.
"A-and what else?"
"And also…I feel like compared to usual, today you're more…"
"More?"
Kiana clenched her fists, eyes full of hope locked on Xander.
"More of a wom—"
"Xander!!!!"
A delighted cry cut in. With a patter of hurried steps, a pink-haired fairy launched herself at Xander, knocking him into a stumble and tearing him from Kiana's arm.
Staring at the empty space beside her—and at Xander ahead of her, being nuzzled so affectionately by Elysia—Kiana's smile froze on her face.
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