Frozen heads, enemies turned into ice sculptures, upbeat rhythmic music, Pei Guang's occasional singing, and the trio's simple yet visually striking dance moves.
The song was relatively long, almost five minutes. In those minutes, the simple dance moves, combined with large and exaggerated actions, the music, the ice heads and ice sculptures behind them, created an unexpected "aesthetic aspect" in the video.
At this moment, Asta, who was watching the surveillance, had a really funny expression on her face.
It wasn't that the scene was too bizarre, but watching it on the surveillance with the recorded sounds was simply hilarious: so much so, that her stomach cramped up from laughing, and her face twisted in pain and mirth.
"Highlights! Absolutely the highlights! Cough, cough...! Phew, phew..."
Asta tried to hold back her laughter, knowing that as the station chief, she couldn't be too unrestrained, but this scene really was causing her internal injury from holding it in.
Taken individually, none of the segments in the surveillance footage were that funny. Whether it was the battle scenes, the silly antics, or the final dance scene, they would only make people smile and feel amused.
But when combined, along with Stelle and March 7th's initial confused expressions, their joining in, and their immersion, the combined visual and sensory impact was too much to bear. It was a kind of beauty she had never seen before—a kind of abstract beauty.
Having lived this long, Asta thought she'd seen it all, but she had never seen a scene like this!
In the surveillance, as the music ended, so did the trio's dance, and a few minutes later, the ice sculptures shattered into pieces. Yet, after finishing, the three seemed to forget what had just happened, laughing and joking as they took another group photo and then went off to find Asta.
"This is too weird. Play it again!"
Compared to all the previous battle videos, Asta thought this last segment was truly the highlight. The three of them were completely immersed, enjoying themselves without any distractions.
It was a simple rhythmic beat, yet somehow, with the enemy ice sculptures, it created an inexplicable beauty.
"Edit! Don't cut everything! We must include all the best highlights!"
Asta initially planned to have her subordinates edit the highlights she had selected, but considering the impact, she decided to do it herself to ensure the best results. After editing all the footage, she packed it up and sent it directly to Himeko.
In the train hall, Himeko, who was drinking coffee, received a message from Asta.
Asta: "These are the highlights of Pei Guang, Stelle, and Little March's battle. Please do not drink coffee while watching."
"Oh? Interesting?"
Himeko considered herself someone who had seen her fair share of ups and downs, so she didn't expect a battle video of the three to make her uncomfortable. Out of curiosity, she opened the video.
"Hmm… For the average person, this indeed isn't suitable for watching while drinking."
Seeing the three's mischievous battle tactics in the video, Himeko even felt a chill. Not to mention who won or lost, the behavior itself was just disgusting. Although the concepts of the Anti-Matter Legion and humans differ, anyone would be furious if they were thrown into the garbage.
"I see, using anger and ambushes to easily deal with enemies. Although this approach is a bit… unconventional…"
Himeko understood Pei Guang's actions. With her vast experience, she had seen people fight in underhanded ways. In life-and-death battles, there's no such thing as treachery: being alive makes you a winner, and being dead makes you a loser.
"Didn't expect him to be so perceptive. He has the courage to fight strong opponents and also uses his wits wisely. Hmm, very good."
Just the fact that he dared to step up and taunt the Doomsday Beast and fight it one-on-one already earned Himeko's respect for his bravery and spirit. Even though the tactics in the video seemed dishonorable, her opinion of Pei Guang still rose because of his earlier behavior.
Using intelligence to draw in the enemy, collaborating effectively with his companions, and fully utilizing each person's strengths in battle—these were Pei Guang's most notable qualities evident from the video.
"Calling this a highlight moment isn't an exaggeration, but it doesn't seem like it warrants avoiding coffee while watching."
Himeko smiled and took a sip of her coffee. She could tell that Pei Guang and Stelle's participation would surely bring a lot of fun in the future. But as the video continued, she understood why Asta had warned against drinking coffee, and that sense of fun turned from a future promise to an immediate experience.
Drinking her coffee, Himeko's eyes remained fixed on the screen, where it seemed like the three were celebrating their victory. But as the music started playing and she watched their dance moves, Himeko choked on her coffee.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
"Cough! Cough! Cough!!!"
At that moment, Himeko understood what it meant to feel both pain and pleasure—coughing in pain from choking, yet unable to stop herself from laughing at the video.
"Himeko? Are you okay?"
"I… I'm… cough, cough, cough, fine now."
Himeko patted her chest, clearing her throat, then tried to keep a straight face. She rewound the video to the beginning and called Welt over.
"Take a look at this…"
"Huh? Do they have some amazing battle footage?"
Welt saw the title of the video and immediately guessed what it was about.
"Let me see."
Welt was also curious. What kind of battle scene could make Himeko, who usually remains composed, react like this—even to the point of choking on her coffee?
"Hmm… Not a bad strategy. And they're willing to experiment during the battle."
"His abilities are quite unique. He can completely destroy a wall in an instant."
"Oh? The trio's teamwork is well-coordinated. Even though they just met, they work together so seamlessly."
"Haha, the three of them are quite something. Their methods may be unconventional, but I've seen similar tactics in my line of work. Treating themselves as players, they're bound to do some outlandish things."
"?!"
Welt remained composed while watching the battle footage, but his expression turned serious towards the end, becoming even more stern afterward.
Himeko, who knew Welt well, recognized that he was trying hard to suppress his laughter.
After watching everything, Himeko smiled and asked, "So, what do you think?"
"I need to study this a bit more."
While these two were engrossed in the "highlight moments" of the three, Pei Guang had already finished his shower and walked out of the bathroom, feeling satisfied.
"Taking a shower and doing laundry at the same time, and having everything dry right after—this is really convenient. But I didn't expect this game to be so realistic, simulating all sorts of things. I wonder if there's an 18+ option?"
Outside the bathroom, Pei Guang yawned and looked toward the women's bath area. "Are they not done yet? I guess I'll wait."
There were no seats right outside the bathroom, but there were some in the nearby hall. Pei Guang found an empty seat and was just about to sit down when he noticed a cup of coffee on the table next to him.
The cup of coffee sat quietly on the table, like an elegant noble, maintaining a proud stance even with its cold exterior, exuding a rich aroma.
Seeing this cup of coffee, Pei Guang sat at the table where the coffee was placed, focusing his attention on this unclaimed, untouched cup.