Funny / Shining Nikki Designer Reflections

Aphrodia

Reedpipe Song

• One of Aphrodia's adventures through Miraland led her to a bar in Zither River where she decided to become a singer. While her singing was off-pitch, the bar owner decides to hire her nonetheless; she was just too gorgeous for the patrons to care about her singing.

• Her reason to come back to Cloud thirty years later? Snacks, of course.

Helz

Diamond Star

• The reflection tells the story of how the Apple Apparel Group nearly went bankrupt three months into operation. It begins with Helz begging for more time to his landlord, who is speaking through a megaphone:
  Helz: My store is the star of fashion, the future hope of Apple Federation— the only clothing store under the group!
  Landlord: [through the megaphone] The countdown to the closing of the group's only clothing store has begun!

• After finally managing to convince the landlord to give him time, Helz is lamenting on his couch when Xiaoyu barges in and, after a short discussion about why the store is in such bad condition, Helz is sulking even more. Even the player seems to have little hope left despite knowing how the story will end:
  Helz: I am even more discouraged by what Chi Xiaoyu said.
  You (a): Just shut down the store.
  You (b): So your clothing store is that bad...
  • On the other hand, Xiaoyu seems all too willing to use the opportunity to pick on Helz.
    Helz: What should I do?
    She shakes her head and does not answer.
    Helz: ... Oh great new designer from Cloud Empire, what should I do now?
    Xiaoyu: Now you're talking.

• A few hours later, Helz and Xiaoyu arrive in a commercial center in Shadowflow to try her idea for promoting the store - which happens to involve dancing and singing exaggeratedly, much to Helz's dismay.
  When I opened a clothing store, I fantasized about my successful career countless times. [...] But now, I'm dancing with an overly energetic girl in the square, shouting slogans and setting up a stall. Is this what they call cruel reality?

• Their antics attract Shawn's attention, who starts picking on Helz and Xiaoyu. Angered, Helz punches him, which triggers a fight. Meanwhile, Xiaoyu is standing from a distance, cheering on the fight and promising 100 diamonds to whoever joins her in rooting for Helz.

Lolory

Midnight Elegance

• One of the reflection's voice lines has Lolory address her... laid-back approach to household chores.
  Clear separation of public and private life requires elegance too. Let's discuss the next interview rather than my room.

• In the actual story, Lolory comes to learn that the chief editor for the magazine she was being interviewed for is a former classmate that had a massively unrequited crush on her, which Lolory recognized by his quirk involving his glasses. Three days later, the editor used the magazine to reveal Lolory's goth past, which tanked her popularity in a matter of hours. Distressed, Lolory rummages through a box with things from her teens, only to find the editor's love letter, to which she answered with a threat letter soaked in (fake) blood.

• The next edition of the magazine sheds a far more positive light on Lolory's past, turning the public opinion back in her favour. After a phone call from the editor, we get to see how exactly the magazine went back in its narrative: Lolory sent the chief editor another threat, presumably threatening to disclose his love letter.

Nikki

Choco Story

• The reflection profile says Nikki used to not like black because it reminded her of bad things - namely, a dark room, stained clothes and her sister's cooking skills.

Priestess Tess

Starry Sands

• The reflection tells the story of how current Gold Stone Tribe chief Xaidu came to trust Tess, a girl who talks to tombs, gives apparently senseless riddles as prophecies and sleeps in a sarcophage filled with random things yet somehow became the tribe's main priestess.

• Chapter 2 casts some light onto her past and rise to the position as the tribe's Watcher, which begins with a toddler Tess being carelessly dropped by her caregiver onto a pile of leaves during her baptism ceremony.

• Much to Xaidu's chagrin, the point of Tess' riddles was that they were all overly literal; every time, she said exactly what he had to do only for him to dismiss it as her being cryptic.
  Xaidu: What about the time I was going to make a confession? The girl was long gone by the time I arrived!
  Tess: Didn't I tell you to climb a mountain?
  Xaidu: That was you trying to subtly hint at something, no?!
  Tess: What are you talking about? The girl was literally in the tribe on the other side of the mountain and was about to leave to Apple Federation.
  • A few years later, Tess still has some opinions on the aforementioned exchange:
    Tess: [...] The last thing I want now is to have some random guy running in here and asking me if they're ever going to get a girlfriend.