chapter01 · 009-ep9
Episode 9: An 'Elegant' Dungeon-Conquest Stream Begins
"A-all right. Let's do this, desu wa...!"
The day after her chatting stream. After school.
As soon as classes ended, Karin had come to a dungeon somewhere in Tokyo. Now, finished preparing for her stream, she took one deep breath after another.
She no longer had much reason to worry about getting doxxed, so she'd already changed her hair color and put on her flamboyant dress. Overhead hovered the secondhand floating camera she'd won in a sweepstakes, capturing her without issue.
All she needed to do was tap "Start Stream" on her phone. Then she could begin at any moment.
But she couldn't quite take that last step.
"I thought I'd grown a little used to speaking in front of a crowd on yesterday's home stream... but when it's a dungeon-conquest stream—the main event—I am nervous after all, desu wa."
Maybe even more nervous than yesterday.
After all, the main attraction of the "Natural-Born Ojou-sama Karin Yamada's Elegant Dungeon Conquest" channel was, as its name suggested, conquering dungeons.
Whether the viewers drawn in by Karin's temporary viral fame became genuine regular fans depended on today's stream. If she made a disgrace of herself, there was a real chance they'd decide that incident the other day had been staged or fake after all.
And then there was—
"Five hundred thousand subscribers..."
She gulped at the otherworldly figure on her phone.
Her subscriber count had risen further after she ended yesterday's chatting stream.
Apparently phrases like "Dungeon Alive" and "the harmful influence of anime" had gone viral as jokes, drawing still more people to her channel.
Her home stream—a format that tended to get fewer viewers—had passed fifty thousand concurrents, so she could expect a sizable audience today too. Her future as a streamer might well depend on how Elegant a dungeon run she could show them. She was breaking out in a strange sweat before the stream had even started.
"Still, I cannot hesitate forever... I'll post that the stream is starting on social media, and—here goes, desu wa!"
Karin started the stream with the feeling she'd had when entering a dungeon boss room for the very first time.
In an instant—
【Wrapped up work ASAP and waited for this!】
【SHE'S HEEEEEEEEERE!】
【Here from the notification】
【Here from the announcement】
【Looking forward to this!】
【Show us how strong you are, the strength that sent Lord Vomit flying!】
"—!?"
Comments raced by at an incredible rate right from the start.
The viewer count shot up with them. Granted, quite a crowd had already been waiting for the stream, but the number climbed even faster than during yesterday's home broadcast.
"...!? U-um, g-good evening, everyone, desu wa~"
(Ten thousand viewers in an instant!?)
She nearly let out another inelegant noise at how far the audience had exceeded her expectations, but Karin did her best to keep greeting them.
"T-today, as I announced yesterday, I shall bring you one of my Elegant dungeon conquests, desu wa. I hope you enjoy it, desu no."
【Ojou-sama's nervous again today lmao】
【She must be tired after everything with Lord Vomit, so thanks for streaming again already】
【Ah, youth...】
【A bunch of explorer clans are watching, apparently, so good luck!】
【Wait, she really IS wearing a dress!】
【It really is modeled after Setsuna-sama's dress!?】
【Looks like you came empty-handed. What weapon do you use?】
【How far are you going?】
"U-um, my weapon is this single fist, desu wa. And my goal today, as always, is the very depths of the lower layers."
【"This single fist" lmao】
【We guessed it from the Lord Vomit video, but you really are unarmed!?】
【I mean, with the physical ability to flatten Puke, she probably doesn't need a weapon...】
【A woman fighting with her fists? That is rather strong-style, is it not!?】
【The very depths of the lower layers? Seriously!?】
【A high school girl soloing the lower layers in a dress with no weapon? This is definitely gonna trend again...】
【"As always" is the crazy part】
【Wait, are you using a floating camera for this footage?】
【Whoa, you're right. As expected of an ojou-sama, such fine equipment】
"Ah, about this camera... To avoid any misunderstandings, I should say upfront that I was simply lucky enough to win an older secondhand model in a raffle, desu no."
【Really?】
【That's some incredible luck!?】
【Even secondhand, that's an insane prize when you think Kagerou doesn't own one】
【That gentleman simply can't be bothered replacing the equipment he used when he was starting out】
【What kind of raffle has a high-end item that even uses a bit of mana...?】
"My best friend invited me to the raffle, and I won it, desu no. I was so happy I could have jumped for joy. Though even upgrading my camera didn't bring in any viewers..."
Karin's voice fell a little as she recalled the old days in the void of zero concurrents.
"Oh, and while we're on the subject of equipment, I'd like to mention this now... As I said, I just happened to win the floating camera. Truthfully, well, I have hardly any money, so the rest of my gear is rather poor, desu no. I don't have peripherals that read comments aloud or display them in my field of vision. I'll be checking chat now and then on the phone strapped to my arm. I'm bound to miss some comments, so I hope you'll understand..."
【An ojou-sama with no money? lol】
【It was pretty clear yesterday she's just someone who admires ojou-sama characters】
【Then what was that fancy room yesterday...?】
【The internet detectives couldn't find a brand match for the furniture; people think she made it herself】
【Handmade!?】
【Cardboard-cutout ojou-sama lmao】
【Karin ojou-sama, are you just a regular broke student?】
【Students can't cash in dungeon materials, so of course her gear's poor】
【The floating camera alone is more than enough!】
【Hurry and monetize, Karin-sama!】
"Yes, of course. Thankfully I've met the threshold, so I've already applied for monetization—wait, thirty thousand concurrents, desu no!?"
Karin glanced at the viewer count and yelped in shock.
She'd only been talking for a short while, and she hadn't even started the run, yet her concurrent viewership had shot up again.
【Congrats!】
【The momentum is wild】
【Yesterday's home stream was pretty shocking too, so no wonder she's drawing attention lol】
"Th-this is enough to make even me nervous before we begin, desu wa. Please allow me a moment to collect myself, desu no."
Saying that, Karin pulled a thermos and a teacup out from among the folds of her roomy dress, a little theatrically.
It was the outdoor tea set she'd prepared yesterday.
She poured steaming Darjeeling into a pure white teacup and brought it to her lips to settle her nerves. "A good long drink, desu wa!"
【That came out of nowhere lmao】
【Ojou-sama drinking tea 'cause she's nervous. Cute lol】
【Bringing a cup and thermos into a dungeon lmao】
【Is this a school field trip? lmao】
【She prepared for this!? lol】
【Setsuna-sama tribute, desu wa!】
【I'm falling for how committed she is to the character!】
【Karin-sama, you were gonna open with tea time regardless of the viewer count, weren't you lmao】
【A model streamer who never forgets the gags lol】
【She really is going all out so soon after going viral lol】
Fortunately, viewers seemed to find Karin's wooden acting endearing, and the comments were mostly favorable.
But—
"Phew. Well, it seems most people have arrived, so let us begin the dungeon run, desu wa!"
The instant Karin stepped into the dungeon's dim corridor, the comment section began to stir.
【Hold on, ojou-sama!?】
【It's fine to start the run, but you're still holding your teacup!?】
【There's loads of tea left in it too, lmao】
【You put the thermos away but forgot the half-full cup lmao】
【Too nervous lol】
【Adorably scatterbrained】
"Eh? No, no, I did not forget, desu wa. Naturally, I shall proceed Elegantly while drinking my tea."
【Huh?】
【Eh?】
【What did you just say, desu no?】
【My computer seems to be malfunctioning】
【I believe Karin-sama is what's malfunctioning】
Confusion filled chat.
But Karin strode down the corridor, cup in hand.
"Setsuna-sama of 'Dungeon Alive' always had her dress and tea. And she advanced through the dungeon without spilling a single drop. So if I aim to become an ojou-sama streamer like her, I must be able to do at least that much, desu no!"
【Wait wait wait WAIT!】
【Lmao ...Wait. You're joking, right?】
【This girl might actually be in serious trouble!?】
【Your Setsuna-sama tribute goes THAT far!?】
【Such magnificent devotion to recreating the original!?!?!?!?】
【Recreating the original is fine but don't do it in a DUNGEON!?】
【The dress was already insane, but you're copying the tea too!? This is beyond a few screws loose!】
【It's gotta be a bit... right?】
【Have your new subscribers gone to your head!?】
【Please calm down for a moment, Karin-sama!】
【Not even dungeon streamers who specialize in showy challenge runs do anything this stupid!?】
【Even in the upper layers, you can't take the dungeon that lightly!?】
【You're gonna get hurt!?】
【Watch out, monster incoming!】
The perfectly reasonable comments—"Are you serious!?" and "Don't do anything reckless!?"—rushed by like a flood.
"GRRRRROOOOOO!"
And just as chat warned, a monster appeared at the far end of the corridor.
A hellhound.
The vicious wolf-type monster commonly found in the upper layers growled and sprang at Karin. Comments like "Drop the tea already!?" poured in.
But at that instant—DOPAAAN!!
Despite the worries of her thirty thousand-plus viewers—the hellhound suddenly vanished.
【Huh?】
【Huh?】
【Eh?】
It had been sent flying by a punch Karin threw without even looking, at a speed neither the viewers nor the hellhound itself could perceive, and become a stain on the wall.
The explosive sound rang out a moment later. The mere aftershock shook the air and made the dungeon creak.
And yet Karin's body had felt none of the recoil from that impossibly fast, impossibly powerful blow.
"I was worried I might not move properly with all these nerves... but yes, I am in splendidly Elegant form today, desu wa!"
She took a sip of her tea, whose surface was as still as a mirror, never mind spilling.
Smiling in satisfaction, Karin resumed walking with all the grace of a morning stroll.
【...】
【...........】
【.......】
As the comment section briefly fell silent at the incomprehensible sight, Karin Yamada—the extraordinary ojou-sama explorer who had never before seen the light of day—finally began her dungeon conquest in earnest.