Chapter 16: Bronya: Oh No, Did That Idiot Kiana Just Make a Move?
At the same time.
In Bronya's residence.
Bronya rubbed her bleary eyes and groggily sat up, glancing at the clock.
"It's already this time... I was too excited last night and didn't sleep at all..."
Bronya let out a massive yawn.
Due to the massive success of *Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy*, Bronya hadn't slept a wink. She had been staring at the sales charts, constantly refreshing, checking, refreshing, and checking again. Her behavior was exactly like an author on a web novel site, incessantly refreshing the backend data to see if their book had received any recommendation votes.
After all, the success of *Getting Over It* meant that miHoYo had officially fired the first shot of its revival. For Bronya, this was naturally something worth celebrating.
"I think I forgot to tell Kiana about this... but Su Mu should have told her, right?"
Perhaps Su Mu was just as excited as she was and hadn't slept all night either. It might actually be nice to tell Kiana the news in person at the office and give her a surprise.
*Ping!*
Her phone suddenly rang; a new message had been sent to Bronya.
Su Mu: "Bronya, urgent! Waiting online! I feel like the boss is acting a bit strange!"
Bronya: "?"
Su Mu proceeded to tell Bronya the whole story.
Su Mu: "Even though I went to university in Arc City, I'm really not that familiar with the place..."
As Bronya listened, she felt something was off. Kiana wanted to wander around to familiarize herself with Arc City, so she asked Su Mu to be her guide. But the problem was, that girl had never shown this kind of enthusiasm for the city before. Why did she suddenly want to go out today?
And she specifically requested Su Mu...
Su Mu: "Do you think the boss knows our game is a huge success, so she's planning to take me out for a big meal as a reward?"
Bronya thought about it; that was indeed a possibility. After all, Su Mu was the hero of the hour, and it would be normal for Kiana to treat him to a big meal. But if it was a big meal, why wasn't she invited?
Bronya froze.
Was she being excluded?
But she quickly dismissed the thought. A person like Kiana had no hidden depth; if she really wanted to treat someone to dinner, she would have said so directly. Maybe it really was a whim to go sightseeing? Given Kiana's personality, acting on a sudden impulse wasn't surprising at all.
Still, even if that were the case, she didn't necessarily *have* to find Su Mu...
A certain possibility occurred to Bronya, and once the thought surfaced, she couldn't shake it.
"A date? It's definitely a date, isn't it?"
Once that thought took hold:
"That idiot Kiana... I thought she was dim-witted, but she really moves fast when she wants to..."
After everything that had happened, Bronya naturally had a good impression of Su Mu. Of course, it was just a "good impression" for now.
Bronya: "Maybe."
Bronya: "So, you contacted me because you want me to tell you where to go in Arc City?"
Thinking of this, Bronya couldn't help but feel speechless. *So? You two are going on a date, and you want me to give you advice? What's the meaning of this? Are you intentionally trying to show off your relationship to me?*
Despite her annoyance, Bronya still felt somewhat guilty toward Su Mu because of the initial friction over *Getting Over It*. Thus, she unhesitatingly took on the role of Su Mu's "Date Commander."
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Looking at the messages from Bronya, Su Mu couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.
What was this feeling of secretly communicating with a "tactical advisor" while on a date? Besides, this probably wasn't even a date.
Su Mu glanced at Kiana, who was driving next to him. The Kiana in this world had a personality that wasn't much different from the one in the game. He also felt that Kiana's desire to go sightseeing was likely a whim with no other hidden motive. On this point, Su Mu's thoughts coincided perfectly with Bronya's.
"Let's see... HOMU Game Street? A large-scale gaming district that gathers the world's most advanced gaming equipment to provide enthusiasts with a high-impact experience?"
"MEI Corp High-Tech Science Museum? Showcasing MEI Corp's high-tech achievements from recent years..."
"A mysterious old shop tucked away in an alley of HOMU Commercial Street, selling various military models loved by enthusiasts, and even various model swords?"
"No. 21 Tianqiong Road, Arc International Motorcycle Exhibition, featuring new product launches from Harley, Yamaha, Ducati, and more..."
???
Looking at the places Bronya recommended, Su Mu was completely dumbfounded.
Wait a minute.
These places look exactly like the kind of places *Bronya* wants to go!
Kiana might be interested in the arcade at the beginning, but the latter three were entirely Bronya's personal tastes!
Su Mu: "Is there anything else?"
Bronya: "..."
Bronya: "There is."
Su Mu looked at the new message and felt the "old man, subway, cell phone" meme becoming a reality.
"Arc City Couple-Themed Hotel, featuring various themed rooms including but not limited to: Classroom, Office, Ancient Style, Jedi Knight..."
"Universal Cinema: Romance, Youth, Workplace, Comedy. *My Overbearing Boss Girlfriend* is currently a hit."
Themed hotels? Movie theaters?
What kind of play was this?
*Bronya, why are you recommending these places? Are you having some strange misunderstanding...*
Su Mu sent a message: "Did you misunderstand something?"
Bronya: "?"
Bronya: "These are indeed very popular spots."
Su Mu: "So, it's really not a date..."
Su Mu had a headache. Bronya had definitely misunderstood his situation with Kiana; there was no way this was a date. But he didn't know that while Kiana was driving, she was also stealing glances at him.
Seeing Su Mu constantly checking his phone with a troubled expression, Kiana sighed internally. Even though he had been given a day of paid leave, Su Mu was still busy with work. Kiana felt certain that Su Mu was looking at news related to *Getting Over It*.
He seemed quite depressed.
But it was understandable. After all, taking such a heavy blow on his very first step into the industry wasn't easy.
Thinking of this, Kiana spoke up: "Are you worrying about the game?"
Su Mu was startled: "? No..."
There was no way he was worrying about the game. From the moment he got in the car, he had been chatting with Bronya.
END OF CHAPTER