arc2 · 098-ch98

Chapter 98: Wait, Can We Do Live Streaming?

I set down my flavorless teriyaki burger on the table and explained why I'd sat in the back seat—I just didn't want to stand out. Then I honestly apologized. I desperately tried to explain that being surrounded by girl students wasn't my fault since I'd been sitting there first.

After hearing all that, Himehana just said "Hmm," and I couldn't read her at all. I really hoped there wasn't some deeper meaning behind that...

But after that, she went right back to being her usual energetic self. We caught up on what each of us had been up to while eating, and had a great time together. Yeah, the teriyaki flavor seemed to have come back. Thank goodness.

After finishing our meal, we walked toward the station while discussing tomorrow's exploration of the Tokyo Skyscraper Dungeon's 30th floor. From what Toomi-san had told me, depending on the situation, we didn't necessarily have to force a clear this time—but of course, clearing it would be ideal.

Himehana seemed to think that if she leveled up on the way to the 30th floor, there might be a chance to defeat the boss. I had no intention of pushing her too hard, but I'd keep that possibility in mind and give it my all to support her.

It turned out Himehana needed to meet with the rest of the team to go over the plan for the Tokyo Dungeon's 30th floor exploration starting tomorrow, so we parted ways once we reached the station.

"Well then, see you tomorrow! Thanks for coming today! Honestly, it was my first time doing something like that so I was nervous, but having you there really gave me courage!"

Oof. She got me right at the very end with that one.

"Nah, I'm the one who got to hear a great talk. Besides, Himehana's been the one helping me out lately. So thank you—I really mean it."

But since the timing was good, I managed to say the thank-you I'd failed to get out earlier. Even though she was wearing sunglasses and a mask, I could clearly tell she was blushing, and I couldn't help thinking, "That's kinda cute."

As much as I hated to say goodbye, I parted with Himehana and walked through the somewhat noisy station grounds before catching my train home. All the while swearing to myself that I'd absolutely protect Himehana tomorrow.

▽▽▽

"I'm home."

"Welcome back."

It was still just past noon, so Umi hadn't come home yet, it seemed. Mom was in the living room. I chatted with her briefly before heading back to my room.

I booted up my PC and checked my email—there was one from Arihara-san. I opened it right away.

(Oh, looks like the Dungeon Agency rooftop has a drone takeoff/landing pad and charging station now.)

The email started by saying that a drone landing pad had been completed next to the helipad on the Dungeon Agency rooftop. That made two takeoff/landing pads now, counting the one at Yamamoto Electronics.

It also mentioned that the Dungeon Agency was moving to designate Yamamoto Electronics as their partnered maintenance factory for SS's drones. That would bring the factory under the Dungeon Agency's jurisdiction and dramatically boost its security level.

Apparently, the employees who worked there—including the president—had already been arranged to continue working as usual. I figured Arihara-san and President Yamamoto had discussed and settled on this, but man, Arihara-san really moves fast.

Nice, the setup was coming together bit by bit. All thanks to Arihara-san and President Yamamoto. Having reliable adults on your side really is something.

I sent a reply to Arihara-san confirming I'd received the message.

(Might as well go check out the Dungeon Agency landing pad while I'm at it.)

It was still bright outside, so I decided to activate Hayate and fly over to the Dungeon Agency rooftop. I summoned Hayate and sent it from Yamamoto Electronics toward the Dungeon Agency.

Just then, I noticed the black, boxy thing—like a hard drive—that appeared alongside Hayate's summoning. I'd never paid much attention to it before, but right now, something clicked in my head like a bolt of lightning.

(Wait... could this be...?)

The footage Asahi recorded was stored on its internal memory card. Meanwhile, the video Hayate captured was sent to this black rectangular box for recording. I wasn't sure exactly what it was stored on, but this thing could connect to my PC wirelessly, and I'd been sending the recorded footage to my PC for editing.

(Could I send video to the PC while recording at the same time...?)

Right, I'd always transferred data to my PC after filming was done, but I'd never actually tried sending video data while recording.

While Hayate was flying toward the Dungeon Agency, I connected this black box to my PC.

(Wha—wha—wha—wha—what!? It's showing the feed!!)

The PC monitor was displaying exactly what Hayate was filming right at that very moment.

(Wait, this means I could do live streaming...)

That's right—I'd realized it. That I could do live streaming from inside dungeons. Something nobody had ever been able to do before.

(Calm down. There are no laws about live streaming inside dungeons. Well, obviously—why would there be laws for something nobody can do? But even so, suddenly doing a live stream myself feels kinda risky. Okay, Hayate's heading to the Dungeon Agency right now anyway. I'll contact Arihara-san and ask him about it through Hayate.)

I immediately sent Arihara-san an email. Within minutes, I got a reply saying he'd be waiting on the rooftop. With that confirmation, I sent Hayate to the Dungeon Agency at top speed.

"Arihara-san, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule."

I thanked Arihara-san, who had been waiting beside the newly built landing pad, and landed Hayate on the platform marked with a circle containing the letter H.

"So then, what's this important matter you mentioned?"

I'd only told him I had something important to discuss, so Arihara-san seemed eager to know what it was right away.

"It turns out Hayate here can stream footage in real time..."

I immediately shared what I'd just discovered.

"...Huh? You don't mean—like, live streaming from inside dungeons?"

"Um, yes, exactly that..."

"Hold on a second. Until now, you've been filming and then importing everything to your PC for editing, right?"

"Yes, that's what I told you, but technically I was sending data wirelessly, so I thought maybe it could work, and when I tried it... it just did."

"Soramine-san. I hate to be blunt, but I wish you had tested something like this at an earlier stage. If we'd known live streaming was possible beforehand... No, I'm sorry. Thank you for telling me. I shouldn't have said that—it was wrong of me to blame you."

Arihara-san rarely had such a stern expression. What he said wasn't wrong at all. He'd apologized, but I should have been more thorough about checking my own abilities instead of getting carried away.

"No, you're right. It's my fault for not properly understanding my own skill."

When I said that, Arihara-san's expression softened a little.

"Soramine-san. Please forget what I just said. That was an inappropriate remark—I'd forgotten that you're cooperating with us of your own volition. That's how shocking this news was. I'm truly sorry."

Arihara-san was serious to the extreme, and it seemed he couldn't forgive himself for his own words. But since I agreed with his point, I let the matter rest and asked for his advice on how to move forward.

First, regarding live streaming—he said we definitely shouldn't suddenly broadcast to the entire world. There was a real chance of showing scenes that were far too graphic. With the previous method, we could edit things out or add mosaics, but with real-time streaming, that wouldn't be possible.

Someone might die on camera. If children saw something like that, it could only have a negative impact.

But at the same time, being able to see what was happening inside dungeons in real time would be incredibly useful for research purposes. If researchers could watch the footage and direct my filming accordingly, we might be able to pinpoint the causes of Dungeon Errors or Dungeon Modifications.

And besides, live streaming was hugely popular. If we live-streamed dungeon exploration, there was no telling how many people would tune in.

Also, while there might be intense scenes for explorers, that was also educational in its own right. The tension and harshness of dungeon life couldn't be conveyed even halfway through pre-recorded videos.

Arihara-san seemed torn between these conflicting considerations. After thinking it over for a while, he spoke up.

"Soramine-san, if you're willing, would you consider doing a limited live stream? I'd like to have the Dungeon Agency staff review it first and then discuss the matter further with you."

I see—so we couldn't have a proper discussion without actually seeing it first. I'd been wanting to test it out anyway, so I agreed to his proposal.

I'd ask through Himehana for permission to live-stream part of tomorrow's Hyakka Ryouran exploration. I'd relay the results to Arihara-san, and with that, our discussion wrapped up. I thanked Arihara-san once more before cutting Hayate's connection.

I immediately called Himehana and got permission to live-stream the first hour of tomorrow's exploration exclusively to the Dungeon Agency. It sounded like the rest of the team was happy to agree too, which I was grateful for.

And so, I once again began making preparations for tomorrow.