"Wuuu... I have no face left to show anyone!"
In a corner of the Familia home, a golden-haired girl was crouched down, her head buried in her arms.
She was none other than the newest member of the Astraea Familia—Ryuu Lion.
But at this moment, Ryuu wore a thoroughly miserable expression.
"Now every single person in the Familia has seen me like that... then I... wuuu!"
All of this was thanks to last night's banquet, which had delivered an enormous shock to Ryuu's psyche.
At first, Elise had simply prepared an ordinary meal that was anything but ordinary, successfully whetting everyone's appetite.
But after that, things took a strange turn. Let us now revisit the scene.
...
"Captain, what is that?"
Everyone watched as Elise tinkered with a small device that looked like a black box.
However, the internal structure of the box seemed extremely complex. Even when they leaned closer to examine it, they couldn't understand a thing.
"This is a projector I made. It can play back things that were recorded in the past. Since Ryuu just joined our Familia, I thought I'd use it to introduce her properly."
Though they didn't fully understand, they didn't need to. They just had to watch Elise operate it.
When had their captain ever let them down?
As time passed, the device called a projector finally demonstrated its function.
"This is... Melen?"
"Elise said it can record events, right? So this must be what she saw when she went to Melen?"
"Does that mean we're about to see something interesting?"
The members began whispering among themselves, but Elise quickly silenced them.
"Could you stay quiet while watching? There are even more interesting parts later. If you're too noisy, you won't be able to hear it."
Since the captain had spoken, no one dared continue talking.
What was a captain?
This was a captain.
One word from her, and everyone listened.
And just as Elise said, the main event began.
The darkness on the wall gradually turned white, and an image of a chibi blonde figure appeared. Judging by the outfit, it was unmistakably Elise.
Beside it were several large words:
"A Work by Elise"
"Warmly Welcoming Our New Member, Ryuu"
Thump thump.
Music began to play in rhythm with the shaking screen, carrying the cadence of soldiers marching in step.
As the image shifted, Ryuu's figure appeared on the wall. The sheer novelty of the technology drew gasps from the audience—but before they could even process it, something even more jaw-dropping happened.
On the screen, Ryuu raised both hands above her head and began swaying left and right.
"Who am I? Who am I?"
"I am the legendary Swaying Ryuu!"
The impact of this scene was so overwhelming that everyone present—including Astraea—stared with their mouths wide open.
They instinctively turned to look at the real Ryuu, who stood frozen beside them.
Was this really her personality?
But it didn't end there. The video moved at a brisk pace and quickly transitioned to the next segment.
"Carelessly went out and met bandits,"
"Locked up all the way, suffering endlessly."
A two-headed chibi girl suddenly appeared on the screen. Just as the lyrics described, she encountered bandits upon leaving, was locked inside a cage, and carried along without anyone rescuing her.
The others immediately understood.
So this was introducing Ryuu's past experiences?
"Sway left, sway right,"
"Come sway along with me."
Yes, that bizarrely catchy voice and strange editing style were unmistakably one of those chaotic remix videos that could dominate an entire era.
Although this world resembled the medieval era, Elise was not someone of this time—nor even of this world. Naturally, she could produce such a video with ease.
After all, this world had no concept of such "cursed edits." Elise couldn't borrow classic viral scenes from some pink app like in her previous world. Instead, she used what she had already recorded here.
Ryuu quickly recognized many of her own actions within the footage.
For example, in a lingerie shop, when Ryuu had been trying on clothes and Elise had asked her to strike certain poses—they had all been recorded.
There was also the bouncing carriage ride, the up-and-down, left-and-right movements, perfectly synced with her swaying.
Many of the following scenes followed the same pattern, and some were even repeated. Every time Ryuu thought it was finally about to end, it started again.
It's over... it's completely over...
Though the video wasn't finished yet, Ryuu felt as though her future had turned pitch black. If something like this ever spread, how was she supposed to face anyone?
It was only then that she truly understood what Elise had meant by "editing a video" back then.
So this was what it meant.
After enduring three or four minutes, the music gradually slowed, and Ryuu slowly relaxed her tense body.
She merely wore an expression that seemed to ask, When exactly should I go die?
It's fine. In a few days, it'll pass...
The effect, however, was undeniable. The members of the Familia all looked delighted, and when they glanced at Ryuu, their gazes carried unmistakable amusement.
Under normal circumstances, it should have ended there.
But Elise clearly had no such intention.
The wall, which had just been glowing, suddenly went dark. Just as everyone thought it was over, a new image appeared.
This setting... was it a bathroom?
Don't tell me there's more?
"Sob sob! Sob sob!"
"I'm a cute little elf~"
Well.
Because the content was rather... excessive, it wasn't convenient to describe in detail.
But everyone present etched that scene firmly into their memories.
It was Ryuu's "sob sob" expression—far too alluring.
Since joining the Familia, Ryuu had always worn a serious face. Who would have imagined she could make such an expression? It was truly eye-opening.
And that was why, from the moment she joined until now, Ryuu had been so devastated—choosing to curl up alone in a corner, looking heartbreakingly pitiful.
However, thanks to that video, quite a few members of the Familia began showing concern for her.
For instance, Celdia, who was also an elf. And Maryu, who radiated a saintly compassion.
They developed new impressions of this newcomer—perhaps slightly skewed ones—but the fact remained that Ryuu had integrated into the Familia.
Elise kept apologizing beside Ryuu, while the other members surrounded her.
The method might have been questionable, but at least...
Ryuu had discarded that face covering.
In its own way, that was growth.