Chapter 2: The First Edit

If I had to choose my specialty, it would undoubtedly be video editing.

I used to refine raw footage or sculpt raw stones to make them easier and more enjoyable to watch.

From editing for regular YouTubers to creating VTuber highlight clips out of pure fandom.

Having done it continuously since becoming an adult, I already had three years of experience.

I was confident in my skills, as I could live alone on that income alone.

“At least it’s fortunate that YouTube is booming right now.”

For me, whose job practically revolved around YouTube, this regression by ten years was somewhat a relief.

It’s fortunate to be able to continue doing what I’m good at.

If an electrical engineer went back to ancient times, their skills would be utterly useless.

The era is gradually shifting towards internet videos.

From TV to internet broadcasts and YouTube.

In this context, video editing skills can be a huge selling point.

‘Alright, the direction is set, then…?’

Now that my appeal point is determined, I need to create a portfolio using it.

For me, adoption is equivalent to getting a job.

Considering my benefit and the other party’s benefit to make a compromise and establish a hierarchical relationship.

I must thoroughly demonstrate my abilities to the potential adopter.

‘To do that, I need to make a video first.’

And for video editing, a computer is indispensable.

Fortunately, the director of our orphanage was known for being receptive to the children’s requests.

He was even called a pushover by the kids, which says it all.

Thud, I closed the notebook where I had written my plan and headed to the director’s office.

“No.”

Thud-

It was the moment my plan crumbled.

“The PC cafe is a place where many scary older kids go. Let’s wait until Sua is a little older before considering it.”

The director said in a gentle, admonishing tone.

Hearing those words, I opened my mouth as if remembering something I had forgotten.

The director was a bit of an old-fashioned guy stuck in his old ways.

That’s why I remembered that he strictly forbade places like PC cafes, recognizing them as dens of delinquents.

Hearing that, I had no choice but to nod.

Then, the director patted my head and asked.

“Why did Sua want to go to the PC cafe? Was there a game you wanted to play?”

“No, I just wanted to try using a computer…….”

I can’t exactly tell the truth.

Who would believe that I want to make a portfolio to get adopted?

It would be more fitting to say I wanted to play games, but I didn’t play games, so I wouldn’t know anyway.

However, my claim somehow touched the director’s heart, and he lifted me up with an apologetic expression.

“I see…. Kids these days play with computers, and you must have been envious after hearing about it from your friends at school.”

“Uh…?”

“Then let’s do this. Let’s use the computer with me. But you can’t tell the other kids about this. Okay?”

The director, who lifted me up so easily, put his finger to his lips and smiled.

What a windfall!

At those words, I immediately nodded vigorously.

“First, I have something to do, so can you wait beside me for a bit? Then we can learn about computers together.”

Saying that, the director brought a chair and sat me down next to the computer desk.

Looking at the computer from a child’s perspective after traveling through time, it surprisingly wasn’t much different from a modern office computer.

Well, I never really used a computer properly until middle school, so it’s not like I would remember the computers from this era.

I quietly watched the director work on the computer for the time being.

Then, a familiar screen caught my eye.

“What are you doing?”

“Remember the choreography the kids did today? I recorded it as a video. I’m making it look nice. Oh, Sua was in it too, right? Do you want to see?”

Following the director’s finger pointing at the screen, I saw a video playing with blurry quality and faintly distinguishable faces.

I could immediately recognize myself in it.

The yellow dress I’ve been wearing since I opened my eyes.

The long hair that reached my waist.

The forced, awkward smile.

Moreover, I could recognize myself at once because of the distinctly different body shape from the surrounding children.

‘I’m unusually small, as expected. Is my growth slow?’

Compared to the children who shared the same room, there was a difference of about a fist in height, and my weight was much lighter.

I wondered if I had some kind of illness, but I wasn’t taking any medicine, so that didn’t seem to be the case.

The teachers didn’t say anything, so I just assumed it was normal.

“The children are so pretty. Our Sua is cute too. Now I’m going to make this even better and show it to many people.”

Saying that, the director brought up a window of a certain program.

I wasn’t mistaken.

That’s Movie Maker.

It’s a program that allows you to edit videos for free.

I remember using it for the first time in middle school to make a video for a technology and home economics assignment.

At that time, stop-motion (a technique of making a video by connecting photos) was given as an assignment.

It was easy to create dynamic motion by taking pictures instead of filming a video, so it was easy to make cool scenes.

The representative work that came out of it was a live-action school version of Kart Rider that came out a long time ago.

I don’t know if I should call this a memory or a future to come, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the editing program I hadn’t seen in a long time.

Then it happened.

Ring-

The landline phone on the desk rang, and the director stopped his hand and answered the phone.

And after saying, “Yes.”, “Ah, I forgot.”, “Okay.”, “Then, I’ll be right there.”, he hung up the phone.

“What’s wrong?”

“I forgot that I had a meeting with the teachers today. Sua, I’m sorry, but can we do this another time? I have to go now.”

“Yes, it’s okay. But can I stay here a little longer? It’s a bit cold in our room.”

“Of course. Don’t touch anything else. Okay?”

As is the case everywhere, the place where the highest-ranking person is located is the most comfortable.

This rule also existed in our orphanage, and the order of coldness was the director’s office, the staff room, and the children’s rooms.

It wasn’t unbearable, but sometimes when the cold air brushed against my skin, I envied the teachers who were wearing short sleeves in the room.

The director, who knew the children’s feelings well, did not refuse my request.

The director gave me a brief warning, got dressed, and went outside.

The sound of footsteps gradually faded away, and soon it was completely silent.

If there’s a meeting, he’ll be gone for at least 30 minutes, right?

He might not come back for over an hour if it’s long.

That’s enough time.

I tried to control my rising lips and approached the computer.

I sat in the director’s chair, but I had to kneel to match the height of the monitor.

“Phew……, it’s been so long since I’ve used a computer.”

I touch the keyboard and mouse with my hands.

The soft yet firm sensation of the plastic material is transmitted to my fingertips.

Compared to the equipment I used to use, these were of considerably lower quality, but they were sufficient to revive my senses.

“My fingers are short, so keyboard shortcuts are a bit difficult.”

I pressed the basic Windows shortcuts to recall the feel of the keyboard.

Since it’s a child’s body, it was a bit difficult to press distant keys simultaneously.

“It doesn’t matter, though. I can just not use shortcuts.”

My lips won’t stop curling up.

It wasn’t just because I was using a computer after a long time.

I loved video editing.

After becoming an adult, I became so engrossed in video editing that I would edit for over 10 hours every day.

The process of making raw footage look good.

The process of making a bland video richer.

The process of making the emotions of a fun video even bigger.

And someone watching the finished video and enjoying it.

That gives me unbearable happiness.

That’s why I love video editing.

And in front of me are an editing program and raw footage.

How can I resist this?

Tap-

I press the spacebar, and the video on Windows Movie Maker starts playing.

Since it was a free program, there were almost no effects that could be added.

There were only basic fonts for text, and there were no sound effects or BGM.

Only one project could be created, the video frame rate was 30fps.

The timeline was not intuitive, and the tools were not user-friendly.

What I could do was limited.

But.

Tap, tap-tap, tap-

There’s nothing more fulfilling than producing the best results from limited resources.

“…Now, how should I cook this.”

The corners of my mouth, as I said that, were already raised to their fullest, with no intention of hiding it.