Honkai Impact: I, The Herrscher of Ice, Am Loved By Players

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"Hi, Bianka."

With an understanding of Bianka's situation, Ana showed no surprise on her face. After giving Bianka a quick once-over, she extended her hand warmly.

"Hello, my new roommate!"

Indeed, Bianka is Ana's roommate at the Shanghai University international student dormitories, something Ana discerned immediately upon seeing her.

The system cleverly arranged for Bianka to enter this world via dreaming and become Ana's roommate. However, since everything here is just a dream for Bianka, Ana must not reveal the truth but instead—

"Didn't you say you were planning to visit home during the holiday?"

In this world, Bianka's backstory positioned her as Ana's childhood friend from Austria. Her mother was Swiss, but Bianka grew up in Austria since it was her maternal family's homeland.

Through various twists of fate and coincidences, Bianka also became an international student at Shanghai University, studying astrophysics and considered the belle of that department. Meanwhile, Ana pursued fluid dynamics.

Indeed, for Ana, this field aligned perfectly with her expertise, explaining why her absence had little impact—everything seamlessly continued without her.

"Yes, I initially planned to go back, but then I remembered you're here too," Bianka smiled. She knew everything around them was merely a dream, yet she found this role-playing-like experience intriguing, similar to the Pioneers' illusory realms before.

As she spoke, Bianka embraced Ana.

Instantly, the surrounding crowd erupted in gasps. While everyone was aware of same-sex relationships, witnessing one in real life might be their first time.

A simple hug might not mean much, but when two exceptionally beautiful young women embrace, it carries more significance. Their actions perfectly mirrored Bianka and Ana from the game, except for their attire which wasn't exact cosplay.

However, it's understandable; cosplay often involves personal interpretations, similar to how the young man earlier had his own understanding of Ana.

"Hey, we're still in public here."

Ana gently bit her lip and nudged Bianka away, whispering softly. Despite being in a dream, she felt Bianka was acting quite boldly, perhaps unconsciously letting loose due to knowing they were dreaming?

It seemed highly likely, as people's subconscious behaviors can indeed differ significantly from their usual conduct. But then again, would that imply Ana herself should...?

"Um... hello there?"

Suddenly, an ill-timed voice interrupted them, causing Bianka to immediately release Ana.

Following the sound, Perspective Girl approached with V and Executive Ayane, who were filming nearby. This was actually Ana's first close encounter with cosplayers; in her previous life as a college student, she never had the opportunity to attend comic conventions.

It must be said, both cosplayers had impressive natural looks.

"Hello there, young master," Ana greeted jokingly while leaning on Bianka.

"Hahaha, it seems like this big sister knows me well." Perspective Girl laughed awkwardly, realizing that the girl before him, despite appearing modestly dressed, wore attire of considerable value—a fact not lost on someone with his own financial standing as a successful content creator.

Although Shanghai is home to many socialites, the aura exuded by these two far surpassed those merely seeking wealthy spouses. Their genuine confidence and elegance set them apart from the norm, even catching the attention of influential figures like Perspective Girl, who couldn't help but tread carefully around them.

"Oh yes, I'm a dedicated fan for over ten years now," Ana replied with a light chuckle.

Ana chuckled softly, while Bianka stood quietly behind her, resembling more of a supporting character. She remained silent, unfamiliar with this place. Although her Mandarin was fluent, it was evident that she hadn't learned it specifically for such social situations.

"May I ask your names?"

"I'm Su Ana, and this is my roommate, Bianka."

Ana's introduction was flawless, and as she mentioned Bianka, the latter subtly took Ana's hand. Ana blinked but didn't say anything.

Honestly, this was the first time Bianka had initiated holding hands like this.

"With such captivating presences, would you ladies be interested in cosplaying?" Perspective Girl asked with a smile.

Vice President 'V' and Executive Ayane exchanged glances, both showing a hint of confusion on their faces. The outfits and appearance of these two clearly resembled a popular Honkai Impact 3 couple; why would Perspective Girl pose such a question?

"A bit intrigued, but we're quite tired already. We only planned to stroll around here." Ana replied, blinking subtly.

Perspective Girl understood; this year's miYoSummer event was held at the Shanghai Expo Exhibition Center, marking MiHoYo's first official exhibition. Today was its opening day, and after capturing footage here, they planned to participate in the event.

Executive Ayane and V.P. Bianka were also officially invited cosplayers for the occasion.

"By the way, where did you get your car modified? I have a few Maseratis in my dormitory that I'd like to customize similarly..." Ana smoothly shifted the conversation towards ad-wrapped cars.

Indeed, given her background in this world, Ana had several luxury vehicles at both her dormitory and villa, which she could freely modify or even discard without a second thought—truly displaying unimaginable opulence.

As the topic turned to cars, Perspective Girl's eyes lit up, his enthusiasm soaring. Compared to photography and comic conventions, he had a greater passion for automobiles. Hearing about Ana's collection of luxury cars further impressed him, leading him to enthusiastically engage in the discussion.

In the end—

"How about this, Sister Su? Leave it to me; I'll customize your car, ensuring you'll be absolutely satisfied."

"Sure, that works for me." Ana nodded and casually pulled out a set of keys from her bag, along with a business card, which she tossed to Perspective Girl.

"It's all yours then."

"No problem, trust me!"

Seeing the keys in her hand, Perspective Girl became even more convinced, and upon glancing at the business card, her respect deepened significantly. The daughter of an international conglomerate's leader—essentially a princess of the financial empire and a future queen—such influential figures were rare encounters indeed.

Even a tiny fraction of their wealth would suffice for her own indulgences.

"Bianka, did you drive here?" Ana gently tugged on Bianka's sleeve.

Bianka shook her head, unsure herself how they had arrived at this location; driving was never an option in her mind.

"If you ladies don't mind, I'd be happy to give you both a ride," Perspective Girl quickly offered, recognizing this as a golden opportunity to impress them.

"That sounds great, thank you for your kindness."

The miYoSummer event was held at the Expo Exhibition Center. However, being its inaugural edition, preparations were somewhat lacking. Additionally, without the immensely popular "Genshin Impact" yet released, despite Honkai Impact 3's improvements over its previous incarnation, it alone couldn't fill the entire exhibition space adequately. Including Honkai Academy helped, but overall, the venue still felt rather sparse.

Undeniably, arriving in an ad-wrapped car drew significant attention, rivaling the spectacle of cruising in a luxury vehicle. Especially near the entrance, it elicited waves of astonished exclamations.

However, after this grand entrance, Ana parted ways with them.

Ana and Bianka walked side by side through the exhibition hall, but as they ventured deeper, the crowd grew denser. Soon, it turned into Ana pulling Bianka along to keep moving forward.

This wasn't surprising, given their different perspectives.

For Ana, she was filled with curiosity about the comic convention, heightened by her embodiment experience, allowing her to fully immerse herself and encounter numerous items that piqued her interest.

Bianka, on the other hand, viewed it all as part of a dream.

While Bianka was indeed curious about the dream realm's contents, it remained just curiosity for her. Her perspective differed significantly from Ana's, and her focus primarily lay on Ana herself.

Fortunately, Ana soon noticed this situation.

It was true that this marked her first physical descent into reality, coinciding with the highly anticipated miYo Summer Creation Festival. However, compared to these events, Ana felt that the person beside her held even greater value.

Unaware of what conditions triggered Bianka's entry into this dream, Ana realized that for Bianka, there might not be another opportunity like this. But for herself, missing out now wouldn't mean losing future chances. Perhaps someday, she too could leave the Honkai World and live in other realms.

The prospect of enjoying a date in her half-hometown with someone she cherished, even if they were merely a waifu from her past life, seemed incredibly appealing. Despite knowing that for Bianka, this experience would merely be fleeting within a dream.

"Hey, Bianka, do you find all this quite dull?"

Suddenly, Ana halted and turned to Bianka with a slightly annoyed look.

Bianka, momentarily taken aback, shook her head gently. "Not at all."

Indeed, for Bianka, her eyes were solely fixed on Ana. This wasn't just about living out a dream; more importantly, she was witnessing a different side of Ana.

From their first meeting, Ana had always been enigmatic to Bianka. They quickly became close friends, despite being relatively weak initially. After returning from the world bubble, Bianka transformed into Durandal, the mightiest Valkyrie of Schicksal.

On the surface, their relationship seemed unchanged, but in reality, they grew somewhat distant. Still, they occasionally chatted, and once Ana was dispatched to Manila, their communication shifted to letter writing.

Originally, Bianka believed this would be the extent of their connection. When news of Honkai's outbreak in Manila reached her, Bianka experienced an unprecedented pain—the agony of losing a dear friend. She simply couldn't accept it.

That's why she personally rushed to provide assistance and witnessed an unexpected scene: Ana, using methods beyond Bianka's comprehension, eliminated the source of the Honkai in Manila.

Seeing the barely alive Ana, even someone as resilient as Bianka couldn't hold back her tears. Following this incident, their relationship deepened, but remained solely that of close friends.

However, it was during the Unnamed Locomotive experiment that their bond underwent a significant transformation.

Rita didn't have time to react, but Ana fearlessly pursued them. Within the illusory realm, Ana also went all out to protect her.

Bianka could hear every word Ana spoke, although not everything, yet she clearly heard Ana's heartfelt confession.

Rita had always been silently by her side; despite their strong friendship, they never took that next step. In contrast, Ana genuinely confessed her feelings and actively protected Bianka with her actions.

Although Ana later moved to the Far East Branch, it did not hinder their emotional connection. Eventually, on a serene night, they...

Afterward, their relationship cooled down somewhat, but both understood each other's intentions deeply.

Soon after, Ana inexplicably rose to Otto's level of influence. This time, Bianka experienced what Ana had felt before—the growing distance between them and the helplessness of being unable to support her companion.

Determined not to fall behind, perhaps that's why she could reach Ana's world within her dreams.

Maybe... if it weren't for Ana existing in another reality, at this moment, Bianka might have sensed Tianqiong City's Ana instead.

However, facing Herrscher Ana, one can only assume it was just a dream. Enigmatic beings often captivate us more deeply.

Much like Caesar's pursuit of Nono, as a playboy with access to countless books about the world, he found himself uniquely unable to understand Nono's enigma.

For Bianka, it was similar.

Ana's love towards her seemed inexplicable yet profoundly comforting. In a sense, Bianka too had been yearning for affection.

"Is this for real? O.O"

Ana looked at Bianka with disbelief written all over her face.

Jokingly, she tried to imagine herself in Bianka's shoes, and this dream seemed utterly dreadful—completely nonsensical, blurry surroundings, and being dragged along...

Bianka was momentarily taken aback by Ana's online comment before bursting into laughter.

Although she had accepted the memories from the world correction, she still felt somewhat resistant, treating it more like role-playing. However, that didn't diminish her affectionate amusement towards Ana.

Seeing Bianka's smile, a bold idea suddenly sprouted in Ana's mind.

It just so happened they were at MiHoYo's Creation Festival, where their earlier interactions had already garnered some attention due to their distinctive appearances.

Now was the perfect time to assert her dominant role!

With determination, Ana gently pushed Bianka against the wall amidst the crowd, which had been observing them closely. In a way, their cosplay surpassed even the official cosplayers' quality.

As soon as Ana's move was noticed, many others instinctively turned their cameras towards them. Ana took a deep breath, preparing to make her advance.

However, just as she was about to act, Bianka unexpectedly beat her to it and initiated the kiss herself.

Instantly, Ana flushed red, her mind going completely blank.

No way! No way! No way! This...this isn't how the script is written. Why...why am I the one being taken down? Why...

There was no answer for her, but the moment had been captured by numerous cameras. Later, during the next version preview event, even the game's writers would address this scene...

On that day, victory belonged to Bianka, marking Ana's defeat.