Chapter 5: Truly, This One's an Airhead
Re-written date: 5 / 15 / 2025
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After agreeing to Edward's request, Zat was temporarily housed in the castle. During this time, Edward had Winry take his measurements — all in preparation for the costume he'd need for filming later.
Meanwhile, Edward began localizing the beginning of KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World. The original protagonist, Kazuma Satou, was a typical isekai protagonist — transported from another world — but such a concept would be a bit too much for the people of this world to accept. It just didn't fit the cultural mold here.
After some thought, Edward decided to rework the protagonist's background: now he would be the son of a wealthy merchant, someone who had never needed to think about his future. A young man floating through life without ambition or purpose.
One day, while out shopping, this idle protagonist witnesses what he believes to be a terrible accident — a little girl about to be hit by a donkey cart. In a panic, he leaps forward to save her. But because he hasn't exercised in years, the effort proves too much. He suffers a heart attack and dies... just like that.
Filming this scene was going to be simple. With Zat's acting skills, playing an unathletic shut-in would be no problem at all.
But the real challenge came next — casting the female lead. Specifically, the goddess. The absolutely, hilariously airheaded goddess.
That was the problem haunting Edward now. Even if he ignored all the future roles, he desperately needed to find someone who not only looked the part but could act as well. Where in the world would he find a girl like that?
Just as he was deep in thought, Zat reappeared at the door, having finished his measurements, and immediately spoke up.
"Lord Edward, I heard you were looking for someone who can act?"
Realizing Winry must have filled him in, Edward gave a wry smile and nodded. "Yes. I don't know many people in this world, let alone good actors. It's been a bit of a struggle."
Zat's expression turned conflicted for a moment. After hesitating, he finally spoke with a determined look.
"If that's the case... I might have someone I can recommend."
"Oh?" Edward raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "You know someone like that?"
Zat let out a sigh. "Honestly, I didn't want to bring her up. But... if this is important to you, Lord Edward, then…"
Edward had tried countless times to get Zat to loosen up a bit, but he also knew that no matter what he said, words alone wouldn't be enough to shake the deeply ingrained social hierarchy of this world. So instead, he stayed quiet and listened.
According to Zat, this potential candidate was... quite a strange girl.
She had randomly shown up one day in the village he managed. Not long after, she was caught stealing a chicken from old man Ford — a muscular geezer despite his age — and ended up tied up and dragged to the local knight outpost.
During the interrogation, she had cried her eyes out, snot and tears everywhere, begging him to go easy on her. Zat, taking pity, decided to release her without charges.
The moment she was freed, she beamed with joy and bolted — so fast and so suddenly that Zat didn't even have time to react.
And the next day? There she was again. Tied up and dumped right at the door of the knight's station. Shivering. Muffled sobs.
Apparently, she'd stolen candy from a child at the village entrance, only to be caught and beaten up by the kid's parents before being thrown at Zat's doorstep like a sack of potatoes.
Zat had always taken his job seriously, serving as the village's steadfast protector — but even he had no idea how to deal with someone so... thick-skinned. Or maybe just brainless.
In the end, realizing the girl had no memory of who she was and nowhere else to go, Zat's knightly heart got the better of him. He took her in and let her stay at the outpost.
Even so, because the girl seemed to be born without any shred of common sense, she would cause trouble in the village every few days. Not only were the villagers exasperated, but even Zat himself was at his wit's end. He had already made up his mind: the moment she regained her memories, he would immediately send this walking disaster back to wherever she came from.
Still, when he heard that the lord was searching for a girl with decent acting skills and a pretty face, Zat thought of her right away. Despite her utter lack of common sense, her natural acting talent — combined with her undeniably attractive appearance — made her a candidate worth recommending.
Edward, having listened intently to the whole story, found his curiosity piqued. He nodded and asked, "Alright then. What's the girl's name?"
"She can't remember her real name due to the memory loss," Zat explained. "So I gave her one — Aya. Honestly, I was going to call her 'Airhead'... but she rejected it."
"Yeah... I think anyone would reject a name like that."
Edward chuckled, surprised at Zat's unexpected sense of humor. Standing up, he waved his hand casually. "Alright then. Zat, go fetch this Aya girl for me."
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While Zat was out of the castle, Edward spent his time tweaking the script and also took the chance to examine the Magic Video Recorder he'd gotten his hands on earlier.
After all, to make a movie or TV show, a good script and capable actors were just the beginning. There were tons of other technical elements to consider — camera work, special effects, music composition, editing, lighting, and more.
Thankfully, in this magic-filled world, special effects weren't a problem. Something like Explosion Magic from KonoSuba? Just call the Elemental Branch Mages from the Imperial Mage Tower, and boom — you'd get results that looked nearly identical to the anime.
As for music, this world had plenty of accomplished bards and musicians. Editing? That could be done by merging captured footage using imaging crystals and arcane bridges.
So then, what was the biggest challenge?
Camera direction.
No matter how you sliced it, animation and live-action filming were two very different beasts. Those sweeping cinematic shots, quick transitions, and exaggerated perspectives that anime could pull off effortlessly? Translating those into live-action — even with magical technology — was no simple task.
Edward knew that better than anyone. After all, he was just a regular otaku back on Earth with some amateur editing experience. It's not like this world came with film school.
As he wrestled with the problem of how to shoot compelling scenes, a knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts.
Edward quickly straightened his clothes, preparing himself for the arrival of Zat and the girl.
Soon after, the heavy doors swung open, and Zat walked in, followed closely by the girl in question.
She had long, flowing light-blue hair cascading down her back. Her plain village clothes didn't do much to highlight her figure, but they couldn't hide her beauty either. Just as Zat had described — the mysterious girl named Aya was, without a doubt, stunning.
That was Edward's first impression.
Then, the next second...
"Lord Durin!! I swear I'm innocent!! It wasn't me — I didn't steal Old Man Ford's chicken, or Little Amy's lollipop! I didn't trample Auntie Tifa's crops, or break Timmy's piggy bank! I didn't eat all the chicken drumsticks the villagers gave to Zat, and I definitely didn't try to sell Zat's knight's sword just because his snoring kept me up all night and I wanted revenge!!"
"Wait— what chicken drumsticks?! You tried to sell what?!"
Zat's voice nearly exploded in rage.
Edward could only stare in stunned silence as the girl knelt on the floor, tears welling in her eyes, practically grabbing onto his pant leg like a falsely accused defendant.
Zat, standing beside her with a murderous look on his face, looked like he was one breath away from strangling her.
Edward's brow twitches violently as he takes in the chaos before him.
And at that moment, a second thought crossed his mind:
She really is an airhead.