Chapter 46: Asta: Not a Stereotype!
March 7th had balked at the sheer absurdity of the script, her cheeks flushing pink as she politely declined. Stelle and Caelus, on the other hand, practically vibrated with enthusiasm. Leon, ever the generous director, was more than happy to oblige. The starring roles for this deeply abstract, brain-melting short video were officially handed over to the two Trailblazers.
Naturally, the original cut required a few creative adjustments. March 7th's exclusive custom stickers were swiftly swapped out for squishy, chibi-style renders of Stelle and Caelus. The original audio—specifically Diona's voice clips—was scrubbed entirely. Since the two chaotic siblings were riding such a high wave of energy, why not let them steal the spotlight?
Only one final hurdle remained: securing the blessing of the Astral Express's esteemed Conductor.
"W-what is this!" Pom-Pom's oversized ears shot straight up, trembling. The fluffy Conductor hopped from foot to foot, eyes wide with a mix of horror and confusion as they stared at the storyboard. "Do I have to film this too?!"
"Conductor~ Please!" Stelle leaned in from the left, her golden eyes sparkling with weaponized innocence.
"Won't you film this video with us?" Caelus mirrored her on the right, blinking with maximum sincerity. The twin Trailblazers had perfectly synchronized their puppy-dog offensive.
Pom-Pom swallowed hard, taking a step back. "Ahem... Since you have asked so sincerely, t-then this Conductor will reluctantly agree to help you this one time! Remember, just this once, okay!"
Despite the grumbling tone, Pom-Pom's long ears gave a happy little twitch. The corners of their mouth curled up just a fraction, betraying a secret, bubbling anticipation. In truth, the Conductor's tolerance for this brand of abstract nonsense was astronomically high. After all, back in the golden age of the Express, Akivili and Aha were so close they could practically act as each other's Emanators. When it came to sheer, unadulterated absurdity, the pioneers of the Trailblaze had maxed out the threshold long ago.
As for Stelle and Caelus... well, one could only sigh and say, 'As expected of you.' But seriously, why were there two of them?! Pom-Pom still didn't quite understand the logistics of their dual existence, but ultimately chose to just accept it.
"So, that's how this masterpiece came to be?"
The screen on Asta's datapad flashed with blindingly bright colors.
"Ding dong ding dong~ Diupapapa~ Boing~"
Asta's shoulders shook. Her eyes curved into lovely little crescents as a melodic laugh escaped her lips.
Her first viewing had been pure bewilderment: 'What in the cosmos is this? It's completely nonsensical. Let me watch it again.'Her second viewing brought genuine amusement:'Hahaha, Stelle and Caelus are so cute! Conductor Pom-Pom is absolutely adorable too. Mr. Leon truly has a unique talent.'By the third viewing, her brain had completely surrendered:'Ding dong ding dong~ Diupapapa~ Boing~'
The Lead Researcher of the Herta Space Station had officially been brainwashed by a video barely two minutes long. And she wasn't the only casualty. All across the master control zone, highly educated researchers would randomly blurt out strange, high-pitched noises, catch each other's eyes, and share knowing, slightly unhinged smiles.
Which brought them to the present moment. Leon had casually strolled into Asta's office, hands tucked into his pockets, wearing that signature, unreadable smirk.
Asta shifted in her chair, feeling a sudden prickle of unease mixed with a vague, thrilling sense of expectation. 'He wouldn't be looking for me to film one of those abstract videos too, would he?'
Part of her desperately wanted to say yes. She yearned to naturally blend into the warm, chaotic atmosphere of the Astral Express Crew. Their dynamic was infectious, making her genuinely tempted to pack her bags and board the train herself. But reality anchored her down. As the acting master of the Herta Space Station, she had a massive facility and thousands of lives to look after.
Still, she was more than happy to build a deep friendship with these eccentric Trailblazers. Her only real fear was the sheer level of abstraction Leon operated on. Watching other people act like fools on camera was hilarious entertainment. Being the fool on camera? Asta wasn't quite mentally prepared to cross that bridge.
"Asta," Leon began, his voice smooth and casual. "I've come today to borrow your portrait rights."
Asta blinked, her racing thoughts screeching to a halt.
"I plan to make a game," Leon continued, his smile widening into something distinctly mischievous. "And I'm hoping to add you as a playable character."
The Astral Express had been docked at the station for a while now, gathering supplies and making repairs. Though they hadn't officially announced their departure, the countdown was clearly ticking. Just yesterday, Herta had sent out a broadcast pausing all Simulated Universe testing. Several eccentric members of the Genius Society were collaborating on a massive system upgrade, promising to invite the crew back once the new version was finalized.
The winds of the Trailblaze were blowing again. They would be leaving soon.
During this downtime, Leon's endlessly active mind had birthed a brand new hyper-fixation: he was going to create a video game. Specifically, a game called Star Rail.
The bad news? It was going to be a massive, stitched-together amalgamation of mechanics. The good news? He was the one doing the stitching, so it was bound to be a masterpiece.
In his past life, Leon had consumed enough web novels to know the standard protocol. Transmigrator seniors usually did this sort of thing to harvest system points or complete mandatory quests. Leon, however, operated on a completely different wavelength. He had no system barking orders at him. He just wanted to do it because it sounded incredibly fun.
Naturally, his version of Star Rail wouldn't be a carbon copy of the game from his previous world. For starters, the original game forced a choice between Stelle and Caelus. Here, both chaotic raccoons existed simultaneously in the flesh.
Somewhere out in the cosmos, Elio the Destiny's Slave was probably letting out a sharp, undignified shriek. Imagine waking up to find the script completely derailed and the boss missing! But this wasn't a pre-programmed game anymore. This was a living, breathing reality.
Because of this, Leon planned to insert himself into the game's code as a premium gacha character. The player's initial choice between Stelle and Caelus would remain, but he would weave in a custom storyline where both siblings existed side-by-side. As for his own appearance? He would be a hidden Easter egg, tucked away behind specific starting scenarios and obscure clues, waiting to jumpscare unsuspecting players.
He also intended to overhaul the gacha mechanics entirely. He wasn't doing this to siphon credits from people's wallets, nor did he plan to treat the game as a prophetic advance preview of their future struggles.
Leon viewed this project as a digital photo album—an interactive record of their Trailblaze journey, rather than a script spoiling the future. Because of this, running a standard, time-gated gacha banner made zero sense. The adventure was still unfolding in real-time. The plot hadn't been written yet. Where would he even get the character data to fill a rotating banner?
Ideas bounced around his skull like pinballs, but Leon ultimately decided to just follow his heart. As for the cast, he intended to do things by the book and secure personal permission for every single portrait right. In his past life, Asta and Herta were just pixels on a screen. Here, they were living, breathing women with their own lives.
Slapping their faces into a commercial product without asking felt incredibly rude. Sure, with Leon's overwhelming cosmic strength, he could easily ignore mortal laws and do whatever he pleased. But who told him to be such a principled, upstanding guy?
Villains, of course, were exempt from this courtesy. If Phantylia showed up in the future, he would absolutely monetize her likeness without a second thought. But for a lovely, generous lady like Asta? Asking for consent was the bare minimum. Plus, it served as excellent grassroots marketing.
"Huh?" Asta sat frozen behind her massive desk. "Make a game... and put me in it as a character?"
Her brain struggled to process the pivot. 'Oh, so he doesn't want me to film a short video. Wait... now we're making a whole video game?!'
"It wouldn't be... that kind of abstract-style mini-game, would it?" Asta blinked slowly, her tone laced with genuine curiosity and a heavy dose of hidden teasing.
Leon stared at her. His expression went flat. 'Is your stereotype of me really that deep?'Asta met his gaze without flinching, her eyes sparkling with amusement.'How can it be a stereotype when you have a mile-long rap sheet of previous offenses?'
Neither of them spoke a single word aloud, but their silent exchange of glances carried the weight of a thousand accusations. Asta, ever the perfectly bred young lady of a wealthy family, had grace and etiquette etched into her very bones. She would never be so crass as to call him a walking meme to his face.
"It's not an abstract mini-game," Leon finally said, clearing his throat to regain his dignified aura. "It's a high-quality game that records our Trailblaze journey."
He leaned against the edge of her desk, his tone softening into something surprisingly genuine. "In other words, the first stop of the game is the Herta Space Station. The content will faithfully recreate all the experiences and memories we've shared here during this time."
As the words left his mouth, Leon suddenly felt a strange, chilling alignment deep within his soul. His attainment on the Path of Remembrance seemed to tick upward by a fraction of a percent.
He mentally groaned. 'Oh great. I've accidentally turned into Fuli again.'
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