Honkai Impact 3rd, Paradise Typewriter isn't for making this kind of game.

[Hmm, I knew Xia Yuan wouldn't leave Miss Pink Fairy.]

His vision dimmed again, and when he regained it, Alicia, dressed in a pure white wedding gown, was back inside the iron cage, swinging back and forth on the extra swing.

[Item obtained: The dismantled iron rod]

So the question is, what can this iron rod that was shaken down be used for? He weighed the slender iron rod in his hand.

"Hmm? Xia Yuan, you took down the iron bars right in front of Ai Li and are you going to give them to Miss Pink Fairy? You're something else~ As a reward for you, Xia Yuan, you can live in a gold, silver, or pink cage."

[The pink fairy began calculating how many crystals would be needed to better satisfy Xia Yuan's desire to be imprisoned.]

[Guest, you are now free to change the color of your cage.]

Xia Yuan glanced at the information on the note again.

【Hmm, congratulations Xia Yuan, you've obtained the key item. The most important thing now is to get out through the emergency exit. Why don't you try knocking on the iron window first to loosen it? Those long, thin things... can be used as crowbars~】

There's something unsettling about two areas in the room... Xia Yuan, you must have noticed it, right?

At this point, please carefully compare the differences between the two instances of incongruity.

[If it were you, Xia Yuan, you would have noticed immediately. Since it's a fingerprint lock, all you need is a fingerprint, right? Where in this room could you find one? Perhaps the fingerprint is on you, Xia Yuan?]

[You'll know what to do once you see this, no need to thank me. It's something I should do for you, my guest.]

Arriving at the other side of the room, Xia Yuan curiously poked the fairy Ellie on the bed with an iron rod, wanting to see how she would react.

[The fairy Ellie trembled with excitement and jumped up, interrupting your attempt to go any further.]

[This Xia Yuan one is too long; the doll will get damaged from being poked. How about we try a shorter one? Like... the one that's already on Xia Yuan?]

Let's ignore Ellie's teasing for now.

Xia Yuan arrived at the iron window with the sign "Unsafe Exit →" hanging on the wall. He tried to pry it down with the iron bar in his hand. The iron window was easily pried down, but the back had been replaced with some kind of graffiti.

"Is this Gretchen's graffiti?"

Your access request has been denied. If you have any questions, please contact Miss Pink Fairy.

He turned to look at Alicia, who was sitting on the swing, hoping she could give him a reasonable explanation.

"Hey, Xia Yuan, why do you look so tired?"

Having been teased by this person for so long, how could he not be exhausted...? "Come, come, let the pink fairy give you a good pat, cough cough, it'll heal you, and all your fatigue will fly away~"

Alicia reached out her hand through the gap in the iron bars and gently placed it on Xia Yuan's head.

"Speaking of which, this is the first time I've stroked Xia Yuan's head like this, isn't it? Like a little child. I haven't had much of a chance to do this before; it's always Xia Yuan stroking me. Now it's Ai Li's turn to take care of you, Xia Yuan. It's so good to have you locked up here~"

"Am I, in your eyes, a little kid who likes to have my head stroked?"

"Ah, no... I didn't mean to treat you like a child, Xia Yuan. I just wanted to express that because I love you the most, I want to try all kinds of positions and identities with you in the future. Whether it's treating Miss Pink Fairy as an older sister, a mother, or a younger sister, that's fine too. Of course, that also includes the roles of master and pet~"

Ellie treated him like a child and stroked him for half an hour.

Xia Yuan felt his cheeks swell up a bit, but he also got a lot of fingerprints on the other person's hand. Just then, he noticed something strange about the iron railing.

Recalling the guide, he leaned over and unlocked the lock with the fingerprints of Alicia still on his face.

Fingerprint authentication successful.

The girl is on her way with a bow and arrows...

After he successfully unlocked the device with his fingerprint, his vision went dark again. He could vaguely hear Alicia's footsteps as she got off the swing. When he could see his surroundings again, Alicia was leaning forward, holding a bow and arrows.

A trace of tomato sauce, possibly blood, lingered on the edge of her cheek. She squinted, smiling as she watched him try to leave.

"Xia Yuan, do you want to leave here?"

Recalling the joke that Ellie's wedding dress had turned into a funeral dress not long ago, he knew he couldn't leave, how could he possibly leave? But now there was no option left, he couldn't even make a sound, as if he had triggered some kind of bad ending CG.

Xia Yuan couldn't imagine what the pink fairy girl, who loved him so deeply, would do to him when he wanted to leave.

"Xia Yuan, do you have any ideas on how to escape from here?"

Her voice was as sweet as ever, but Xia Yuan only felt a chill. He had no clue what to do; everything was just following the strategy guide on the note to advance the plot.

Could it be that the strategy guide itself had some kind of problem, which was the beginning of Ellie's further descent into darkness?

"Why? I've always been here with you, Xia Yuan. I love you so much... There are no worries here, no endless overtime, only you and me living happily and carefree here."

He still couldn't make a sound.

"Xia Yuan, have you noticed? Ever since you entered the room and Ai Li started the game with the Paradise Typewriter, I've disabled all methods to exit the game. All ways to escape this place have been disabled, but Ai Li won't stop you from leaving this room, okay?"

All measures that allow leaving have been disabled, so it seems there's not much difference between preventing it and not preventing it?

"Xia Yuan, do you know why Ai Li doesn't want you to leave here?"

Chapter 719 Turning the Tables

"Because those girls who lack love outside are dangerous; if you're not careful, they'll fall into the tiger's den."

"Aili will always love you as promised, because Xia Yuan, you are the meaning of Ai Li's existence. So if you believe that Ai Li can protect you, then come back to my side, okay?"

Alicia reached her little hand into the iron cage.

The pink fairy seems to be hoping you'll change your mind.

He seemed to be able to act, but this time there were no options available. Whatever choice he made was up to him, and perhaps he could make some unusual changes... things that even Ellie couldn't have predicted.

When he took Alicia's hand, everything seemed to return to normal.

But this time, it was his turn.

The moment Ellie relaxed her guard, their roles were reversed.

"So you've chosen to come back to me after all? That's wonderful! Then let's live together in this room forever. A beautiful and happy future awaits us. Wait, Xia Yuan, what are you doing?!"

Since then—

"Ugh... It's so hard and cold. Wait, is this an iron cage? Did you lock Ai Li up here, Xia Yuan?"

[Achievement Unlocked: Turn the Tables]

“But if that’s the case, Miss Pink Fairy won’t be able to protect you, Xia Yuan. Did Ai Li hurt you before, so you want her to feel it too? I… I will take better care of you, so Xia Yuan, let’s switch back quickly.”

A hint of grievance finally crept into Ai Li's voice as she looked helplessly at Xia Yuan sitting on the swing.

Her tears reflected a crystalline luster. He had never seen Ellie look so pitiful and speak in such a tone before. "There's a kind of desolate beauty to it..." As for why she looked like this...

He simply took advantage of the moment the other party opened the door to pull Ellie into the cage, thus completing a perfect identity swap.

As you can see now.

Miss Pink Fairy is currently locked inside the cage, while he is outside.

Xia Yuan understood that he couldn't escape from this game, but there was a crucial loophole: as long as he didn't escape and stayed by Alicia's side, no matter what he did, the Pink Fairy wouldn't turn evil like before.

"Please, Xia Yuan, let Ai Li out, okay?"

"No way~ Ellie has to stay in the cage and be a beautiful girl."

【to be honest.......】

[Even the Pink Fairy herself didn't anticipate this outcome. Perhaps you, guest, have awakened some extraordinary attribute. It's hard to say whether to be happy or worried. Perhaps it's precisely because of this uniqueness that you attracted the Pink Fairy's attention so much.]

【END——Turning the Tables】

【Guest, it seems you've saved a lot of game files. Have you already planned which files to load to achieve the happy ending?】

One save file after another appeared before Xia Yuan's eyes.

[Heave-ho, heave-ho!]

The pink fairy seems to be destroying something with her magic wand...

The other party has deleted all your autosaves, but starting from the next playthrough, Miss Pink Fairy will no longer delete your saves, so you can safely try to get the happy ending!

For the sake of another future, let's meet the Pink Fairy again, starting from the beginning of the game?

The surrounding scenery gradually changed.

"Good morning, Xia Yuan. How are you feeling today?" Alicia's clothes changed again, from a pure white wedding dress to a medieval nun's habit, which seemed to have been kindly provided by Aponia.

"Hmm, do you want to strip naked and have Ellie scrub your back?"

"..."

"What's wrong? Why are you staring at me like that? I feel like you're acting a little different than usual, Xia Yuan. Is something on your mind?"

"Ugh?!"

Xia Yuan discovered that in this so-called second timeline, he seemed unable to make a normal sound, only able to utter indistinct whimpers.

"Mmm, I know, Miss Pink Fairy missed you today too~" Cute Lily was having a self-directed and self-acted conversation with him according to her own understanding.

Oh no, he's suddenly become the mute protagonist in a traditional game.

"Hmm? Didn't you like today's food? Ellie will try harder next time... Next time, go find some ingredients that haven't been used before, and wait for me here patiently~"

[Guest, I didn't expect you to arrive here without following my directions.]

No, he followed the game guide on the note the whole time during his first playthrough. It was only his sudden idea to switch identities with Alicia that he made at the end, if the Alicia in front of him was the one he loved so deeply.

Who is it that keeps talking to me in my mind, calling me a guest?

【I am an imprint hidden deep in your memory, and also a key that can awaken the true self of the Pink Fairy. Do you think love needs a reason?】

[Needed] [Not needed]

【Guest, do you ever wonder if Miss Pink Fairy would have liked you so much if we had met for the first time? But does love need a reason? Besides, Miss Pink Fairy's love for you is entirely based on evidence.】

When she first arrived in this unfamiliar city, you were there for her.

[She kicks off the covers, you cover her up again; when she acts silly, you act silly with her; when she's sick, you stay by her side; the first thing you do when you get home from get off work every day is bring her something delicious; even if she sleeps on the streets, even if she has a huge appetite, even if she's always trying to prank you, you still pamper her as always, just as she always loves you, her customer.]

I've come to rescue you, my guest.

While it's not quite a rescue yet, let me offer you one more tip before we do.

Just like the ending you just achieved, you and the Pink Fairy can reach five possibilities here: three happy endings, one imprisonment ending that leads the Pink Fairy into self-contradiction, and the most important ending that can break the cycle and turn the tide. The branches of the endings are mainly determined by the level of affection and the events that can be triggered with special images.

Oh, right, when chatting with the Pink Fairy, they mention a level of affection, right? That's fake; it's just the other person's subjective feeling and shouldn't be taken as a concrete reference point.

Chapter 720 Reward: A Pat on the Head~

[Next, please continue to explore towards a truly beautiful ending, and keep up the good work!]

[That's right, it's the imprint of the true self.]

【Guest, let's agree on a distress signal. When you're stuck in a predicament that seems inescapable, use your gentle hands to tap a specific rhythm, and I can help you out of it. As for the rhythm, how about something like Morse code?】

[Thump, thump, thump, thump-thump-thump... Here, you try it first.]

Xia Yuan discovered that his hand seemed to be able to move slightly. Following the other person's guidance, he rhythmically tapped the wall with his fingers.

【That's right, that's exactly it! You learn very quickly, sir!】

【Three long and three short taps, six taps in total, don't forget! Oh dear, it seems my time to talk to you like this is up, see you later~】

When Xia Yuan came to his senses again, he seemed to have returned to the cage in the Fairy Inn room.

"Oh dear, Xia Yuan, you look so confused. Are you complaining that Ai Li deleted all your previous save files? I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Ai Li promises you that she will never delete your save files with the typewriter again. On the contrary, you can save manually and load the save file wherever you want. For example, after it's over, you can go back to before it was over and do it with Miss Pink Fairy again."

Alicia placed her small hands in front of her chest, gesturing shyly as if to say something.

"Let's just treat this like playing house, how about we do it again with Ai Li? Come here, let me touch your little Xia Yuan."

"Wait, Ellie, it's over there!"

Without giving Xia Yuan a chance to resist, he was dragged to the iron bars and his whole body was gently stroked by Alicia outside the cage.

"Very good. Both your limbs and the phantom limbs that Xia Yuan can support are very flexible. I'm sorry, but to ensure your safety and prevent you from being harmed by other girls, I have no choice but to place you here. So, following our usual custom of stroking, shall we first stroke the top of my head? Of course, Ai Li won't mind if we stroke other places first~"

Ellie placed her small hands on her cheeks, squatted down slightly, and revealed a dreamy look in her eyes.

The pink fairy seems to really want to be patted on the head.

Xia Yuan placed his hand on it, and the other person squinted his eyes comfortably, seemingly enjoying the touch.

"Alright, now it's time for the second playthrough, Miss Pink Fairy's surprise question session~ Xia Yuan, please read the question carefully, Miss Pink Fairy's name is—"

1. [Alicia] 2. [Pink Fairy]

3. [Fairy Airi] 4. [Pink Pom-Pom Miss]

Although he really wanted to choose the [pink pom-pom], Ai Li might not be able to handle such a strong stimulation right now. Xia Yuan shouted out the other person's name, and Ai Li's name echoed in the room. This feeling of being forced was very shameful, but perhaps it could leave a good impression on the other person.