Chapter 152. Apex Legends
"Apex Legends."
A wildly popular battle-royale game from the previous life.
Although it arrived a few years later than PUBG and missed the peak traffic of the battle-royale boom.
Among the many battle-royale games on the market, Apex Legends simply plays the best.
The longer TTK and excellent hit feedback keep the frustration after a loss low, and that armor-shattering sound is pure pleasure to hear.
It isn't like PUBG, where you spend ages looting only to get ambushed by a camper with a single shot.
Instead, you think, "I was so close to winning that fight—let me queue again."
The slightly smaller maps also make fights more frequent.
Especially in the final ring's "plum-blossom stakes," multi-squad brawls and an endless hail of bullets send players' adrenaline surging.
Winning under those circumstances maxes out the sense of achievement.
Beyond that, the different abilities of the various Legends and the synergies between them greatly enhance the game's playability.
Certain weapons, such as the Charge Rifle, fill the map with laughter and screams.
Of course, thanks to a certain "horse-less" game company's trash servers, the game's reputation is mixed.
In other games, saying you lagged might sound like an excuse.
But in this game, if you say you lagged, your teammates will basically take your word for it.
That's the confidence Apex inspires in its players.
Since battle royale as a mode hasn't appeared in this world yet, rather than port over PUBG with its pile of shortcomings, it would be better to bring out Apex—the genre's grand culmination—straightaway.
The three girls flipped through the proposal Xander Masato had written, bit by bit.
Gameplay.
Character design.
Gun design...
Gradually, their breathing grew heavier.
This unheard-of game mode feels exhilarating just from reading about it.
Twenty squads drop in with no gear, land on the map to pick up guns, eliminate enemies, and fight their way to the final victory.
By the way, the person who designed armor that evolves with damage dealt is simply a genius.
The Evo Shield is definitely one of Apex's best designs.
"I want to play Apex right now!!"
Sirin clenched her little fists and shouted, overexcited.
"The game isn't even made yet—don't get ahead of yourself."
Xander Masato pressed the excited Sirin down and spoke casually.
After skimming through the proposal, Bronya and Kaguya let out long breaths.
She looked at Xander Masato, barely concealing her excitement.
"Is this the game we're making next?"
"What else?"
Spreading his hands, he walked over, patted her on the head, pointed at the screen with a smile, and said, "But don't rush.
Open that document at the very bottom and take a look."
"Hm?"
Only then did they notice that, in the folder, in addition to the Apex documents and some files, there was a lone document tucked in the far corner.
The document had no name and looked newly created.
But its size—tens of megabytes—made them realize it wasn't so simple.
They clicked it open with anticipation, and the moment they saw the cover, Bronya's breath suddenly hitched.
It was a highly finished CG illustration.
A gigantic humanoid mech was sprinting hard toward somewhere off-screen, its extended mechanical body showing off its metallic beauty.
Beside it, a fully armed soldier was wall-running on a nearly ninety-degree slope, the dust-covered helmet glowing with a dazzling, ghostly blue X-shaped light.
Artillery fire blanketed the space behind them.
Fragments of buildings and ground splashed into the sky.
"Titanfall."
A big title was printed above the CG.
"This..."
Her voice trembled a little.
As Bronya stared unblinkingly at the screen, Xander Masato bent down, held her shoulders, and said softly, "I started this game's proposal a long time ago.
Apex is actually a derivative work of this game."
"Then can we make this one first?
Let me do it, let me do it!!"
At the sight of the big robot, Bronya briefly lost her reason.
If Xander Masato weren't holding her down, she might have pounced on him and not let go until she got her way.
"No rush on this."
"Why?!
Let's do this one first, please—Seele will do anything!"
Seele, who happened to walk in with a fruit tray just then: "???"
"Because if we make it now, it'd be a bit of a waste."
Sighing, Xander explained, "I had the idea for this proposal a few years ago.
At first I did plan to make this one, but my time at Anti-Entropy changed my mind."
"Why... virtual reality?"
"Mm-hmm~"
Feeling Bronya stop struggling, Xander Masato continued, "This game does have a versus system, but compared to versus, its campaign mode is even more spectacular.
So I want it to debut on a better platform—that's a little selfish wish of mine."
Mech battles, time travel, and that final scene in the Ark—he could hardly imagine it.
If players could experience all that in virtual reality, what kind of shock would it bring them?
"I see.
Looks like you're confident in this game?"
"Very!"
"Then I'll trust you."
Bronya calmed down and smiled in reply.
Soon she couldn't help laughing.
Pointing at the screen again, she said, "But isn't this name a little off?
Aren't you afraid Mr. Welt will come after you?"
Titanfall, translated, is "Titan's Fall."
And Anti-Entropy's game platform is the Titan platform—was this title implying something?
"Don't force the diss; pure coincidence— it's just that the mechs in it are called Titans."
"Well, that depends on whether Mr. Welt and the others buy it~"
Watching the two banter, Sirin was a little confused.
"Wait—virtual reality?"
She muttered to herself, feeling like she'd just heard something incredible.
"Would you like some fruit?"
Seeing that her brother and Big Sis Bronya had stopped arguing, Seele came a little closer.
"Thanks, Seele."
Kaguya replied with a smile, then took a plate of sliced apples.
After a busy day, she really was a bit thirsty.
"Thanks, one piece is enough for me."
Still a bit dazed, Sirin pinched a piece from the plate.
Just as she put it in her mouth, she heard Kiana's scream from downstairs.
Her mouth snapped shut on reflex and bit her own tongue with perfect precision.
"Ugh!!!!"
In an instant, the pain brought tears to her eyes.
But pain was a trivial matter.
Without time to wipe her tears, Sirin sprang up and rushed out, with Xander Masato and the others right behind her.
"Kiana, what's wrong—Kia..."
Calling out anxiously as she went down the stairs, Sirin was stunned on the steps before she could finish.
The people behind her were the same; even Xander Masato's eyes showed astonishment.
"E-Eden?"
Seeing the mature woman sitting in the living room, Seele let out a small gasp.
At that moment, Eden—sitting in the living room, chatting with Elysia with a gentle smile—also noticed the crowd at the stairway.
She tilted her head, her wine-red long hair sliding lightly, then smiled and waved to them.
"Eek!!!
E-Eden is waving at me!!!"
As a die-hard Eden fan, Sirin's face flushed red and her head went a little fuzzy.
Fortunately, Xander Masato behind her saw it coming and steadied her, keeping Sirin from missing a step and tumbling down the stairs.
"Be careful."
The sudden sensation of falling snapped Sirin back to herself.
Hearing that slightly reproachful voice by her ear, she nodded meekly and shrank back in embarrassment.
She suddenly understood why Kiana had screamed earlier.
If it were her, she wouldn't have done any better than Kiana.
"A-are you really Eden?"
Standing to the side and staring straight at Eden, Kiana still seemed unconvinced and stammered a question.
At that, Eden didn't get annoyed.
She tilted her head, ran her fingers through her hair, and said, "The genuine article."
"Oh my, no need to doubt—she really is Eden.
She's planning to expand in East Asia later, so she came over first to have a look-see~"
Elysia hugged her bestie's arm, smiling brightly.
You said you were going out to see a friend this morning—turns out it was her.
With a sigh of emotion, Xander Masato walked up to them, extended his hand to Eden, and smiled politely.
"Should I say 'nice to meet you'?"
"If this were in reality, I suppose it would count as our first meeting."
Elysia had introduced the two of them to each other.
Their relationship barely extended to exchanging holiday greetings; private chats were out of the question.
Maintaining her unchanging smile, Eden also extended her hand.
They clasped hands lightly and let go, and Xander Masato withdrew his hand and sat down on the sofa opposite.
At that, Seele, Kiana, Sirin... one after another all crowded around Xander, then stared curiously at Eden opposite as if she were some rare animal, only to look away shyly each time they met her gaze.
"Everyone doesn't actually have to be so stiff.
I'm just here as a friend visiting."
Although Eden said so, it was clearly useless.
For these young girls, someone who was practically a household name carried too much impact.
At this point, Elysia realized she, as the bridge between the two sides, ought to take the stage.
She first looked around, then cleared her throat theatrically twice.
After she had everyone's attention, she took a document from her side and, wearing a mysterious smile, slid it across to the table in front of the others.
She didn't say a word, but the gesture piqued everyone's interest.
Heads squeezed together, Kiana simply read out the text on the front page.
"St. Freya Graduate Admission Notice... huh?
Graduate program?"
Looking up in surprise, Seele said, "Elysia-sis, you got into a St. Freya graduate program?"
"When did that happen?
How come we never heard you mention it?"
Seeing the shock in Xander's eyes, Elysia nodded in satisfaction.
Hands on her hips, she grinned proudly.
"Today!"
"Today?!!"
Facing everyone's astonishment, Eden took a sip of hot tea and said softly, "I'm actually an honorary professor in St. Freya's music department."
There it was—connections.
An honorary professor doesn't need to lecture and still has the authority to take students.
It might be a bit irregular, but since it was Eden, the person in charge could turn a blind eye.
"All of you are St. Freya students and only I'm not—wouldn't that make me look out of place?
If I get ostracized by all those cute girls, I'll be so sad!"
"Eh?!!
There's no way Seele would ostracize Elysia-sis!"
"Good girl, Seele.
Quick, let me hear you say 'Upperclassman Elysia'~"
"Upperclassman... Elysia?"
That soft, sticky-sweet voice made Elysia instantly excited.
She turned to look at Xander, and anyone could read the look in her eyes.
Following Elysia, everyone's gaze fell on him.
Xander felt the corner of his mouth twitch, forced a smile, and said, "Upperclassman Elysia."
He strongly suspected Elysia got this graduate status just to make them call her "Upperclassman."
"So cute, Junior Xander~ But I didn't do it just to hear 'Upperclassman,' Junior Xander, don't get the wrong idea~"
Elysia seemed to see through what Xander was thinking and replied with a squinty-eyed smile.
"Isn't it?"
Xander mulled it over, then ventured, "All right—if you can graduate successfully under Eden, the music director position at Gensokyo is yours."
"Really?!
No take-backs!"
"Once a word is spoken."
"Even four horses can't chase it down!"
No sooner had the words fallen than Elysia hugged Eden's arm and cooed, "My dear Eden, you wouldn't want your bestie to miss such a good opportunity just because she couldn't graduate, right?"
"Mm.
I'll hold you to strict standards."
Turning her head, Eden's smile remained indulgent, but her words made Elysia's little face crumple at once, eyes brimming.
"Enough—don't put on an act, my dear Elysia."
Reaching out, Eden tapped Elysia on the forehead with a finger, her voice a little helpless.
It was just a company position, and by their relationship she wouldn't care that much.
In other words, this over-the-top act was merely Elysia's excuse to get her to come by more often.
"Act—act what?
I-I wasn't acting!"
Seeing her bestie instantly break character, Eden glanced, half smiling, at the equally awkward Xander.
"Xander, may I address you the same way Elysia does?"
"Mm.
As you like."
Just as Xander was feeling a bit uneasy, he saw Eden smile radiantly on the opposite sofa.
"Then, until Elysia graduates, I'll serve as Gensokyo's music director.
Is that all right?"
All right?
What an enormous stroke of good fortune.
Bronya's heart instantly began pounding—thump, thump, thump—and she looked, suddenly tense, toward Xander seated in the middle.
If he dared say a single "no" right now, Bronya would absolutely bust his head—she swore.
"Of course!"
As Bronya expected, Xander Masato froze for a second and then nodded excitedly.
There was a deal this good?
"Satisfied now?"
She tapped Elysia on the forehead again, half annoyed, and Elysia suddenly looked like Kiana had possessed her, grinning a little goofily.
"I knew Eden was the best~"
Looking at the clingy pink fairy at her side, Eden sighed and smiled as well.
Watching the overjoyed Elysia, Eden left one thing unsaid.
In truth, she had made this decision before she came.
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