chapter02 · 038-ep38

Episode 38: Mafuyu Sasaki's Melancholy

"I thought I was going to die, and then the monsters suddenly exploded...! I wouldn't be here without Karin ojou-sama! She saved my life!"

"She's officially my number-one favorite forever! I'll follow her for life!"

"It was a shock. A dungeon collapse is like an earthquake; normally you can't avoid casualties, especially somewhere as crowded as Shibuya. When they called us in, my blood ran cold. But... I thought I was dreaming. A girl much younger than me wiped out the monsters with unbelievable weapons and punched a deep-layer dragon to death. It's embarrassing at my age, but I've become a fan too."

On a smartphone, interviews with people who'd been in Shibuya that day played in a news report. The collapse, its scale, and Karin Yamada's virtually single-handed suppression of it had dominated television since that evening. Nor was TV the only place discussing her.

【Karin ojou-sama is insane (nth time)】

【Saw someone call them 'Elegatling guns' in the video comments lmao】

【First time seeing a deep-layer boss, AND seeing one punched to death】

【That kaiju fight was straight out of an anime lol】

【Has anyone anywhere ever stopped a dungeon collapse with zero casualties...?】

【She did THAT with her item box sealed by Kagerou!?】

【Never mind her gear, imagine if she stopped holding back just to keep her dress undamaged】

【Are we sure she's human...?】

【Here: footage of Karin ojou-sama pulling giant weapons out of her body】

【↑ They said to delete that!】

【There you are~! Report anyone who keeps ignoring Karin ojou-sama's wishes! Springtime ban festival, desu wa~!】

【Account suspended in seconds lmao】

【Her fans have broken through the ceiling for both numbers and loyalty lol】

【Given how many people she saved and how grateful their families must be, of course lol】

【Usually I'd find a fanbase like this scary, but fair enough】

【The footage is crazy enough to meme, but she used that skill because she HAD to save people. Making fun of it would be shitty. Her fans don't seem so keen to defend the thug talk she couldn't hide, though lol】

【But all that aside, she looked seriously cool】

【I'm a woman, and honestly? I want her to take me, desu wa...】

SNS and forums were flooded with posts if you searched "Karin Yamada" or "ojou-sama." She'd drawn attention plenty of times before, but this had been too dramatic, and the repeated TV coverage showed no signs of slowing.

"I figured once her abilities caught people's attention, she'd take off in no time... But she shot up even faster than I expected."

Sighing at her phone was Mafuyu Sasaki, a beautiful, ice-cool girl with shoulder-length black hair and Karin's best friend since middle school. She stood alone in a deserted back alley, killing time with a faintly dissatisfied look.

"Now here's a rare sight. You look like someone dumped you."

A woman appeared soundlessly beside her.

"The prodigy they once called <Poison Spider> behind your back is looking her age for once. Meet someone special?"

She smiled with an easy, friendly air, but there was something odd about her. Her face was strangely difficult to focus on; her clothes and build left no impression either. She was recognizable as beautiful, yet her very presence felt indistinct.

Mafuyu answered sharply. "How many times have I told you not to call me that? It makes me sound like some aging femme fatale. And you summoned a student here, only to start with sexual harassment? You're supposed to be a working adult."

"Come on, it's a joke. Besides... I'm the one with complaints." Her voice turned serious. "A homemade item box, a deep-layer boss killed in seconds... Why'd you keep that monster secret all this time? You've known her for ages, haven't you?"

"I'm retired, technically. I don't owe you people reports—especially not about a friend I met outside work."

"Sigh... Always so quick with an answer. You need to tell us at Public Security about outliers like her beforehand. America still thinks we're a dungeon developing nation."

"You're still on about that? Ridiculous. Don't tell me you're letting that trash clan Black Tiger run wild and crush promising youngsters for the sake of that stupid image."

"Haha. That's a stretch. The higher-ups do want to do something about them. But we're a nation governed by law. Once they've gained influence, bringing them down cleanly isn't easy or quick."

The woman's smile deepened. "...Come to think of it, a very strong explorer recently got into trouble with Black Tiger's young scandal-streaming ace. Looks like she might end up opposing the clan outright."

PING.

A thin thread touched the woman's neck. With a little force, it could strangle or behead her.

"I'm retired," Mafuyu said in an ice-cold voice, "but if you plan to use her, I won't hold back, even against you. And you'd better not provoke her carelessly. Karin Yamada's already among the strongest explorers in existence."

"...Just checking. In Japan?"

"In the world."

"..."

Sweat ran down the woman's cheek. She knew Mafuyu wouldn't say something so absurd as a joke or a petty bluff.

"You really are trouble." She lifted her hands in surrender and exhaled. "So that's three aramitama our country has to worship, placate and grant favors to keep them quiet. Karin-chan's still provisional, but still. We can't keep hiding this from America much longer. She's putting videos out for everyone to see, for one."

Her voice turned a little playful. "At least it's fortunate she's so thoroughly one of the good guys. That wholesome adventure anime seems to have shaped her. Maybe the country's policy of pushing dungeon stories wasn't a waste after all."

"It WAS a waste of taxes. Every title the government pushed bombed. This is thanks to private companies and talented individual creators."

"...I know. Just trying to defend my employer as a public servant." The woman looked into the distance. "Oh, speaking of anime, I've been wondering. It's fine that she likes it, but how did she end up so lacking in common sense with YOU around? Not knowing how strong she is, fine. But saying her item box was ordinary compared to one in an anime? Even my face twitched at that stream."

"..." Mafuyu hesitated, then reluctantly answered. "Partly because I didn't want her to figure out my past if I said too much about deep dungeons and explorers' strengths. And partly... her eyes shone so sincerely whenever she talked about Dungeon Alive. I... couldn't bring myself to crush her dreams."

"...R-right. You've really softened up."

The woman seemed to accept the unexpected answer, though Mafuyu went on awkwardly.

"...For what it's worth, I AM holding her back. I keep her from mentioning the really dangerous things on stream. I told her, 'It's more elegant not to tell everyone everything. Setsuna-sama kept plenty of secrets too,' and things like that."

"Hey... You're saying that ojou-sama has even MORE to show?"

"I said she's among the strongest in the world."

"..." The woman sighed again, thought it over, then nodded. "Well, all right. If you understand her that well and you're by her side, there's no need for extra surveillance. Secretly watching someone like her would be nearly impossible anyway, and angering <Poison Spider> sounds like work. I'll leave it to you."

And with that, she disappeared as suddenly as she'd appeared.

"...You don't have to tell me," Mafuyu murmured alone in the alley. "She's the friend who pulled me out of a bad place after my injury with all her ridiculous antics."

Her voice held sincere feeling, unlike her usual dry tone. But she took out her phone again.

"Though who knows how long SHE'll still feel the same."

She fiddled with it, looking at all the talk about the newly famous Karin, and sounded just a little sulky.

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*Added later: I forgot to mention it, but I borrowed "Elegatling guns" from the comments. Some of you in the real comments are as clever as the people on the in-story forums! I'll change it if that's a problem, but I might quote other comments that really tickle me in the future.