MGSFV?! Chapter 369. So Happy, I Can't Hide My Smile
In the game.
After confirming Mei's resolve, Elysia replied:
"Mm… since Mei says so, how could I possibly refuse?"
"Let me be the one to lead you… to the last page of this storybook~♪"
What kind of ending would it be?
The players all stared with rapt attention, afraid to miss a single detail.
The screen shifted again.
A crisp bell chimed melodiously.
Ding—ling~~ Ding—ling~~
Turning the world into a canvas of pure white.
Petals danced and drifted down, with the faint sound of pages turning in the distance.
Everything seemed to return to that original beginning.
That promised day, long ago.
Now in her Herrscher of Human: Ego form, Elysia reached out and caught a petal, watching as it dissolved into pink motes of light.
"How nostalgic."
She murmured, then began walking gracefully forward.
"Now then—dear beautiful maiden."
Elysia approached Mei and gently tapped her shoulder.
"Would you be willing to…"
As Mei turned her head, Elysia mischievously giggled and spun a full circle around her.
Her skirt flared out, hair flowing with the motion.
The fluttering petals seemed to come alive, swirling with her in harmony.
Like a fairy from a dream, she wore an impossibly sweet smile.
She bent forward slightly, elegantly extending a hand to Mei.
"Join me at this grand celebration."
Radiant and unforgettable in that instant.
[That pose is beautiful.]
[Elysia's new battlesuit is absolutely stunning.]
[MiHoYo! Today's the anniversary—bring out the new suit already! We can't wait!]
[+1 +1 +1 +1]
...
"It would be my honor."
Mei nodded with a smile.
Elysia placed her hands on her hips and introduced the first event of the day.
"That night, the first to arrive at the party was Vill-V…"
"She always shows up early to prepare all sorts of surprises for everyone…"
"Like this one right here…"
She gestured to her side.
"A special claw machine. Mei, want to give it a try?"
Only now did the players notice—somehow, a giant, unusually styled claw machine had appeared next to Mei and Elysia.
You call that a claw machine?
Of course it was a surprise from Vill-V.
It was so big… you could probably use it to grab people.
Just as that thought formed in their heads—
The game camera shifted to a bird's-eye view.
And the players realized—they could now control the claw machine.
And the target of this special claw machine… was Elysia.
???
So it was made to grab people?
Honestly, they could hardly imagine what the real party must look like.
The whole thing felt so comically surreal.
As their minds buzzed with wild ideas, the familiar cheerful music from event minigames began to play.
Snapping them back into focus.
The Elysia-grabbing claw machine minigame… began.
The players straightened up, cracked their knuckles, and readied themselves.
But seeing Elysia seriously dodging the claw with such earnest effort, some of them hesitated.
Should they let Elysia win?
"Mei, no going easy on me."
Elysia's voice chimed out at once.
Wait too long, and she'd even say: "Mei… focus, okay?"
Alright, alright. Time to get serious!
Compared to the players' mild reluctance, Elysia was dead-set on winning this game.
Yes, that means—she wanted to win.
She even threw herself into the claw's path, or deliberately got frozen by her own crystal flowers…
That darn competitive streak.
In truth, of the three possible outcomes—draw, win, or lose—the draw had the sweetest dialogue.
But Elysia, knowing that ahead of time, didn't go for it at all.
Here's a quick breakdown of the three endings:
Draw:
Elysia: "Oh, it's a tie! Looks like we're in perfect sync! Maybe we should try fighting side by side sometime!"
Mei: "That might actually be kind of nice."
Elysia: "Right? Right??"
Elysia wins:
Elysia: "Yay! I won! Mei, Mei, praise me! I'll be even happier if you do!"
Mei: "You're just as serious as I was—I almost thought I was going to win."
Elysia: "Ehehe~ Was that a compliment? You can give me more if you want~"
Mei wins:
Elysia: "Mei is amazing! You won! You took this game seriously… and I'm really happy!"
Mei: "Didn't you do the same? I almost thought you were going to win."
Elysia: "Hehe~ that was a compliment, right? Feel free to say it again~"
As expected, Elysia went for her own victory route.
Naturally sparking plenty of complaints from the players.
[Mei lost so badly! I'm reporting this—it's rigged!]
[Honestly, when Elysia's the one grabbing, it's kinda tough. She even floods the stage with crystal flowers!]
[Yeah, I got caught off guard and almost let her score.]
[So you let her score zero, huh?]
[Um… is there a problem with that?]
[...]n
Clearly, Elysia wasn't the only one with that darn competitive streak.
Elysia saw the chat too, but didn't care much. She moved the story along with a smile.
After the first minigame ended, Elysia took a long breath:
"Whew… Vill-V's inventions are always so delightful, aren't they?"
"They're certainly creative." Mei voiced what most players were thinking.
"She loves seeing people smile, after all."
Elysia continued: "Just treat that as the appetizer. Now… how about we enjoy some dessert?"
[If the appetizer's that sweet, I don't even want to imagine the main course.]
[This cheerful BGM, these wholesome minigames… I'm starting to believe it really is all sweetness ahead.]
[I've been smiling nonstop ever since this scene started. I'm just so happy.]
[Wait… aren't we forgetting someone?]
[Herrscher of Corruption: Are you guys seriously just playing?!]
...
Back on track.
When Mei heard Elysia's "invitation," she naturally nodded in agreement.
So Elysia led her to the next scene.
While guiding her, she explained:
"The second to arrive at the party was Aponia."
"She wasn't wearing a veil this time. Dressed in formal attire… so beautiful I almost didn't recognize her."
How beautiful?
Time for a full CG, obviously.
"She said—'I hate fate, for it took you away. I thank fate, for letting me meet you.'"
"Very much her style, wouldn't you say?"
Elysia turned to ask Mei.
Even that final parting, when told through her voice, became something romantic and joyful.
For her, maybe it truly was happiness.
Everyone had responded to her sincerity.
What could be more beautiful than that?
"Aponia also said she'd spend her last moments doing whatever I wanted."
"So I pulled her to play a girl's game with me~♪"
As she spoke, the two arrived at their next destination.
Elysia stopped and asked, "Well then, Mei, are you ready?"
Of course she was.
The players wasted no time advancing the dialogue.
Another small detail here—no matter how you control Mei's movements, Elysia will always gaze at her gently.
"Don't be nervous. Just relax and enjoy it."
As her words faded, countless colorful balloons appeared ahead.
[Blue = 1 point; Gold = 2 points; Red = 1 point + small explosion radius.]
Hmm…
A balloon-popping game?
This is what Elysia calls a "girl's game"?
Surprisingly normal. They expected something as wild as the claw machine.
But Hokuto remembered Elysia's reasoning at the time:
"A girl's game should be elegant and graceful. Too much complexity ruins the aesthetic~"
Classic Elysia logic—hard to argue with, hard to understand.
Still, if "aesthetic" meant the fireworks bursting from popped balloons, he could agree it was beautiful.
Back to the game.
Watching Elysia excitedly slash at balloons, setting off colorful bursts…
Hearing her playful lines throughout:
"You really are amazing, Mei. That was effortless!"
"Wow! That last shot was perfect! Mei, Mei, did you see it?!"
And then her celebratory voice when the game ended:
Draw:
Elysia: "As expected of Mei! We're evenly matched. We should fight side by side sometime!"
Mei: "That sounds nice."
Elysia: "Right? Right?"
Mei wins:
Elysia: "Mei wins! Amazing! I'm so happy you took the game seriously."
Mei: "Weren't you just as serious? I almost thought I'd lose."
Elysia: "Hehe~ is that a compliment? You can give me more if you'd like~"
Elysia wins:
Elysia: "Yay! I won! I'm so happy! Mei, you didn't let me win, right?"
Elysia: "Actually… just being able to play with you like this already makes me happy."
All three endings—no matter which one—make you want to smile.
They don't hinder the game experience at all.
In fact, they make the Elysian Realm shine a little brighter.
No matter what lies ahead—right now, it's nothing but joy.
[So fun, so fun, this is amazing.]
[I lost… and I earned it (dog emoji).]
[Losing with dignity is fine. I tied with dignity. (serious face)]
[Hahaha, is that all? I won, with a perfect score.]
[???]n
[Are Honkai players capable of not min-maxing everything?]
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium