chapter02 · 053-ep53

Episode 53: A Sleepover and the Tiger's Tail

"Breaking news—Anti-Dungeon Division investigators storm the offices of Tokyo explorer clan Black Shell. All members arrested on the spot."

"Th-this has turned into a really huge deal, hasn't it, desu wa..."

Karin murmured in alarm at the bulletin that had suddenly appeared on TV.

After the collab with the commissioner-general, the stress had been so much that she'd left the post-stream gathering early and crashed at Mafuyu's apartment, where her friend lived alone. Things had been busy lately and she hadn't been over in a while, but they had sleepovers often enough that Mafuyu kept a set of Karin's overnight things there. Karin had no energy left to go home, so she'd decided to lean on her friend for a long-overdue sleepover.

She flopped over the sofa, turned on the TV as though she owned the place, and stared at the breaking news of Black Shell's arrests.

"The internet firestorm had become so enormous that, honestly, it frightened me... B-but if the police arrested them, that means they were completely in the wrong, does it not...?"

Karin spoke as though reassuring herself. Her heart still raced at how fast and how drastically everyone had acted. At this point, though, whether she was at fault or not, it was all unsettling.

"Well, everything turned out all right this time, but be a little more careful from now on," Mafuyu said, carrying over a pot stuffed with all sorts of ingredients and giving Karin a mild lecture. "The influence of someone with five million subscribers isn't ordinary. Oh, is it six million already?"

"When I checked just now, it was six and a half million, desu wa..."

Karin held up her phone, trembling a little. Footage of Honoka's training and the collab with the commissioner-general had gone viral again; the newsworthiness of a minor being exploited and rescued only added to it. Subscribers were pouring in.

With this much growth, there was no telling what effect any move she made might have. If she did anything careless, she'd end up having to rely on Mafuyu again. Keeping her viewers entertained was a given, but she resolved anew to make her streams even more 'Elegant' than before.

"Oh, speaking of relying on you, Mafuyu..."

Something occurred to Karin. Amid all the commotion and the police commissioner-general collab, she'd completely forgotten about what she'd prepared yesterday and today. She stopped eating from the pot and took it out of her item box.

"Here, Mafuyu. You've helped me so much again, so this is a thank-you."

Mafuyu's eyes widened at the gift-wrapped box.

"Huh...? A thank-you? All I did this time was go to the police with you."

"Hmm... That's true, but..." Karin knit her brows, struggling to put the feeling into words. "For some reason, I feel as if you've helped me much, much more than that."

"Oh..."

"Besides, even leaving that aside, you're always helping me. Please accept it!"

"..."

Mafuyu opened the package, looking a little startled. Inside was an adorable teacup. Karin spoke with a proud grin as Mafuyu stared at it.

"You were down because you'd broken your favorite cup before, remember? So I used my crafting skill to make one exactly like it. Oh, of course I didn't use any dungeon materials, so you needn't worry about the law."

"Can't believe you remembered a throwaway conversation like that. Honestly... making one by hand must cost more than buying one."

For someone who made a fuss just because Mafuyu put full-price meat and vegetables in her shopping basket, too.

"Well, I'll gladly take it. Since you went to all this trouble, we could have tea after dinner... no, it's late. Would decaf coffee be okay?"

"W-with plenty of sugar, please, desu wa!"

"Sure, sure."

Mafuyu went to clear up and make coffee afterward, her step somehow lighter. The two enjoyed a long-overdue, leisurely chat about nothing in particular, then fell sound asleep, relieved that the various incidents had reached something resembling a conclusion.

　　　　　　●

BANG!!

A tremendous crash rang through a room full of elegant furnishings: the clan master's office at the headquarters of Black Tiger, one of the strongest—and most corrupt—clans in Japan.

Just after cutting Black Shell loose over the phone, Black Tiger clan master Kuroi had slammed his fist onto his desk. It split in two with a deafening crack. He kicked the remains in frustration, sending another violent crash through the room.

"Karin Yamada...!"

There was unmistakable hostility in his voice. Black Shell had been a good source of funds for Black Tiger.

Expanding the clan too much meant higher taxes and more mandatory public-service obligations. So Black Tiger had set former members up as independent leaders of multiple clans that were, in practice, subordinate to it. It had worked with the Dungeon Bureau to get subsidies for provisional trainees approved with lax screening, then exploited them. Through its affiliated clans, it drew vast sums from the government on top of what it earned selling dungeon materials. That money bought greater influence in politics and business, cementing Black Tiger's position alongside its military strength.

Now someone had started cutting into that system, and the police were rapidly bolstering their ranks as well. A very troublesome situation was developing for Black Tiger.

The damage so far wasn't substantial. Including its affiliates, Black Tiger undoubtedly commanded Japan's largest force, and the police couldn't easily move against it. Even if the <Divine Artisan> unit grew smoothly, that wouldn't change overnight. Black Tiger's strength was the real thing.

But—

"Leave that absurd monster alone any longer and there's no telling what will happen..."

Kuroi's instinct for avoiding danger, a talent that had saved him time and again in the dungeon, was warning him. Whether Karin Yamada herself intended it or not, failing to do something about that inhuman creature now would undoubtedly end badly.

"So be it. Even a dragon will pay for stepping on a tiger's tail. It's time to hunt Karin Yamada down."

Kuroi breathed out, trying to calm himself. Then he began preparing a secret plan that would take time to set in motion—a plan to crush the overwhelmingly powerful Karin Yamada.