chapter02 · 056-ep56
Episode 55: Joint Training for the Young Recruits
Some time after the trouble with the crooked clan that began with Karin's picture-frame stream had finally died down—
"Good evening, everyone, desu wa~. As I announced the other day, today's stream will be a visit to the police and major clans' joint month-end training for new recruits!"
【Good evening, desu wa!】
【We've been waitinggggg!】
【It's the monster ojou-sama who moved a whole countryyyyy!】
【The police have really gotten a taste for this lmao】
【Are you all right taking police-sponsored jobs one after another, Karin ojou-sama!? Perhaps you should let off some steam in the dungeon soon!?】
【Someone here thinks Karin ojou-sama's some kind of battle maniac...】
【Well, she's close enough, desu wa!】
Comments poured in as soon as the stream began. After the recent commotion, Karin's subscriber count had eventually passed seven million, and her average concurrent viewership had risen too. Though this stream strayed a little from the channel's original purpose, viewers flocked in by the tens of thousands almost at once.
Today's broadcast was an introduction to the joint explorer training run by the police. The police had been delighted that the last collab—or rather, sponsored stream—had drawn not only <Divine Artisan> applicants but ordinary police applicants as well. They'd asked Karin back to show viewers how they trained younger members.
"Um, I should warn you first that I've never done a promotional video or a report like this before... So I apologize if it's a little awkward."
【You'll be fine, desu wa!】
【Karin ojou-sama's probably entertaining just being herself, desu no!】
【She's a natural-born entertaining woman...】
【Can't go worse than when you turned into a broken radio next to the commissioner-general, so it'll be fine, desu wa!】
【That was funny in its own way!】
【A different KIND of funny, though】
"Th-that's reassuring to hear, desu wa!"
Between her rapidly climbing viewership and the unfamiliar format, Karin had been fairly nervous. The warm (?) comments helped her relax a little. She ignored with all her might the references to her near-disaster of a stream the other day—an episode she'd prefer to erase from history—and turned her attention to the broadcast.
"Well then, let's take a look at the training!"
Karin adjusted the floating camera, showing a police-owned training ground in Tokyo: one of the few places where those who'd gained levels in dungeons were allowed to use their full power.
Many young people were already training in separate groups. Most were junior police officers, joined by new recruits from major clans that often worked with the police. Mid-level experts from each organization led sparring matches and instructed them in basic martial arts. Shouts and the sounds of combat echoed across the grounds.
The planned video had no designated guide. Instead, Karin would interview the instructors and representative participants in each group. They'd actually prepared a scripted version with a guide, but it was scrapped because Karin ojou-sama didn't look likely to memorize it. That was a secret.
"Oh... Karin ojou-sama...!"
When Karin looked toward the group nearest the entrance, someone called out happily and ran over.
"Why, Honoka-sama. It looks as though you're working hard at your training!"
"Yes! The Anti-Dungeon Division's been really good to me since then... They gave me priority to come today because they said it'd be good experience!"
Honoka Kamishiro. The girl with <Divine Artisan> whom Karin had rescued from the crooked clan.
【HONOKA-SAMAAAA!】
【She looks even healthier than before, desu wa!】
【So glad to see her looking so well, desu no!】
【You can tell by her face she really found a good place to work...!】
【Those beads of healthy sweat are so beautiful I want to lick them, desu no~!】
【↑ Purge them, desu no】
Honoka's appearance set chat buzzing, and the viewership climbed steadily. Chat cheered for her as she smiled with genuine fulfillment. Karin nodded with satisfaction. "I'm glad to hear it, desu wa!"
The biggest reason Karin had accepted yet another police-sponsored stream was that she wanted to check whether Honoka was doing well at her new workplace. The police were trustworthy, and the division had promised the best possible treatment, but that didn't automatically mean Honoka would fit in. So Karin had suppressed her wish to get back to her usual Elegant dungeon streams and accepted this job to see things for herself. Now that she was here, her worries looked unfounded.
"Whoa, Karin ojou-sama really IS here...!?"
"Wow... she really wears a dress..."
"She goes down to the lower layers in THAT and doesn't get a scratch...?"
"W-wait, Karin ojou-sama!? Why!?"
"Huh? You guys weren't told Karin ojou-sama was coming? They told us police trainees."
"No, those of us sent by clans were only told Mitsuki-san from White Knight would be streaming..."
"Sounds like the bosses messed up. Seems the decision was last-minute."
"Government departments not talking to each other..."
"I suspected when I saw Karin ojou-sama's announcement, but they really forgot to tell us..."
As nearby trainees stirred at Karin's arrival—
"Hey, Kamishiro!"
A woman radiating particularly powerful mana barked at Honoka. Unlike the others, Karin's arrival hadn't distracted her; she continued irritably.
"Your next spar is with ME! How long are you gonna stand there chatting!? I don't care if you're Karin ojou-sama's student or whatever. You've gotten too full of yourself! I'll finally put you on the ground this time, so get ready!"
"Oh, right. I forgot I need ten wins in a row to rotate out, and I've only got nine..."
Honoka didn't flinch in the least at the rough voice.
"Sorry for interrupting our conversation, Karin ojou-sama... I'll finish this quickly."
She returned to the ring of trainees and faced the woman, who was raring to fight.
【Honoka-sama!?】
【Thought that junior officer looked rough for a cop, but Honoka-sama's even scarier lmao】
【Did she just casually say NINE wins in a row!?】
【W-well, with those boots of hers she could easily go musou at a young-recruits' exercise】
【...But, um, she doesn't seem to be wearing those broken boots...?】
【Huh】
【She's NOT!?】
As chat pointed out, Honoka wasn't wearing the magic equipment she'd made. The Anti-Dungeon Division wanted her to develop her basic fighting skills in safe sparring matches, so they'd restricted her from using the boots today.
The average level among the young trainees here was 150. Her opponent, however, stood out even among them at level 200. And Honoka's talents lay in crafting, so the result seemed obvious. But—
"Match, begin!"
The contest ended almost as soon as the instructor-referee called it.
"HRAAAAAH!"
"Hah!"
Honoka, who'd been taken into the dungeon by her seniors at the division and had already reached level 200, deftly evaded her opponent's sword strikes. She activated the detection skill that let her read both attacks and defenses in advance, honed even further during her middle-layer musou. She also made use of the fundamentals of feinting and timing in person-to-person combat that her seniors had drilled into her as their first priority. After nine matches combining all these elements, she'd mastered how to fight without her boots.
DOGON!
"UGOOOOOH!?"
"That's it! Point!"
"...Thank you for the match."
A roundhouse kick slipped past the woman's guard and struck the side of her head, ending the bout instantly.
【WHAAAAAAAAAAAA!?】
【YOU'RE KIDDINGGGGGG!?】
【She won normally WITHOUT the boots!?】
【They're young, but anyone at this joint training must be promising already!?】
【And that delinquent-looking policewoman's probably a leader among them!】
【What is this!? Honoka-sama's steadily turning into an ojou-sama!?】
【She's not quite as ridiculous as Karin ojou-sama, so it's EASIER to see how fast she's growing. That's even scarier...!】
【Wait, wasn't she hired by the division, like, hardly any time ago...?】
Chat wasn't alone in its excitement.
"WOOOOO! Honoka-san, you're amazing!"
"That's already her third win against Inomata, the top of our intake, even without the boots... She's the real deal."
"Hey, come watch! This is great! The people who said she only got into the division through favoritism can't say a word!"
"D-damn it...! I'm going back to the dungeon to train, and NEXT time I'll win!"
The trainees watching the spar cheered Honoka's victory. It seemed her ability was well recognized inside the police, and she'd adjusted nicely to an environment that could be rough and aggressively athletic, for better or worse.
"Yes, yes. With strength, one can handle anything, desu wa!"
Karin wore the smug look of a master proud of her student from the sidelines. Then—WOOOOOOOO!
"Oh? Something's happening over there too. Let's go have a look!"
The cheers were rising from a separate group for unarmed and weapons training, every bit as loud as those for Honoka's tenth victory. Karin offered a quick goodbye to the sparring group and headed over alongside Honoka, who'd finished her sparring drills for now.
Beyond the crowd, the person acting as instructor was a girl around Karin and Honoka's age.
"—So, as you just saw, the boost to your fighting power from gaining levels and skills is remarkable. At times, honing small techniques might even feel pointless. You may think it's far more efficient to fight monsters in real combat and level up in the dungeon. But! That's a trap explorers easily fall into early on, when levels come quickly. Don't tell my father this, but when I first leveled up, I also wondered whether I should have skipped all that hard work on swordsmanship and trained in the dungeon from the beginning."
She wore light armor inspired by a suit of samurai armor and a katana at her waist. Her hair was pale. With her poised expression and bright smile, she spoke clearly to the trainees and the floating camera: a beautiful girl for whom 'swordsmanship beauty' seemed the perfect description.
Her lively but graceful, easy-to-follow talk held everyone's attention. Everyone there was listening intently.
"...!? W-who is this person...!?"
Karin, of all the listeners, was the most astonished. Because—
(S-she's absurdly Elegant, desu wa...!?)
Every tiny gesture, every detail of her posture, expression, and presence was exquisitely refined. She carried genuine grace, like Setsuna-sama herself. While Karin stood stunned, chat erupted at the girl's appearance.
【It's Mitsuki-sama!】
【People said their streams overlapped, but they're actually at the same place!?】
【Oh, Mitsuki-sama started streaming just after Karin ojou-sama too! They've really double-booked them!】
【W-who's this gorgeous girl!? She's teaching even though there are all these big, tough grown men here...!?】
【You don't know Mitsuki-sama? Seriously?】
【Karin ojou-sama looked totally clueless too, so it's fine!】
【This is Mitsuki Shijou-sama! The daughter and heir of a distinguished warrior family whose ancestors taught swordsmanship to the shogun's household, a member of White Knight—one of Japan's strongest clans—and a popular streamer and fighter tipped to become 'the next strongest of the young generation,' desu wa!】
【Wow! A genuine ojou-sama streamer!】
【The real deal, desu wa!】
【I've never seen a REAL ojou-sama streamer before...】
【You lot!? Why are you talking like there's a fake one around!?】
【What do you think the channel you're watching every day IS!?】
【Hey, hey! Can't you read 'Natural-Born Ojou-sama Karin Yamada's Elegant Dungeon Conquest Channel'!?】
【F A L S E A D V E R T I S I N G】
【V I O L A T I O N O F C O N S U M E R L A W】
【K N O C K O F F T H U G O J O U - S A M A】
【That rapid-fire red text lol】
【That's WAY too harsh on the golden-hearted ojou-sama who saved Shibuya and Honoka-sama lol】
【That teamwork is too good lmao】
【Her heart's genuinely ojou-sama, so it's fine!】
"Oh... Karin ojou-sama, do you not know Mitsuki-san?"
"Y-you know her, Honoka-sama!?"
"Y-yes... She was famous even before I got too busy to follow things."
According to Honoka, the beautiful instructor in the martial-arts and weapons area was Mitsuki Shijou, seventeen years old. She came from a genuinely distinguished family and was a dungeon streamer enormously popular overseas as the 'Samurai Girl.' Five million subscribers were remarkable when she hadn't even solved some dramatic crisis like Karin had.
But after seeing her, Karin had no trouble believing the number. Clear explanations, lively talk, radiant bearing. Besides her striking, poised looks, her fundamental skill as a streamer was on another level from Karin's. And then—
"Now I'll show you just how much pure technique can accomplish, without skills or mana!"
The instant Mitsuki put a hand on her sword's hilt, the air changed.
The weapons-training area was filled with practice targets resembling rolled straw mats. Each was an endlessly self-repairing apparatus made using the core of a formless monster called a slime, nicknamed an 'Infinite Slice-Me.' Mitsuki's sharp gaze fell on a custom one made with a slime particularly resistant to slashing. It was the toughest Infinite Slice-Me there: even a level-900 instructor, the same level as Mitsuki, hadn't been able to cut it using skills at the start of the lesson.
And Mitsuki—SWAPAPAPAPAPAN!—sliced that Infinite Slice-Me to pieces with swordsmanship sharp enough to cut the wind, without using a single skill.
"—As you can see, refined technique can sometimes surpass brute force with skills. Even with a practice sword that conducts mana poorly, you can do this much. The speed at which someone gains levels depends on their innate abilities, and skills are difficult to teach because everyone experiences and is suited to them differently. But martial arts are different. Building a strong foundation can bridge the gap between your level and your enemy's, allowing you to defeat stronger foes. You'll be more likely to survive, which in turn helps your levels and skills grow. That's why I'd be delighted if you learned the fundamentals of Shijou family swordsmanship, weapons techniques, and footwork today, without neglecting the basics!"
【WOOOOOO!】
【Damn, that's so cool!】
【You'd normally call bullshit on her cutting something without a skill that a level-900 guy couldn't cut WITH one, but even to an amateur her sword draw looked SO refined it's totally convincing...】
【The sword's too fast to see, but her movements are beautiful...】
【That's the presence of a five-million-subscriber streamer】
【The contrast between her steely gaze when drawing her blade and her smile while explaining it... I'm in love, desu wa!】
【Wait, join the police or a major clan and you can be taught by this REAL ojou-sama!?】
【Right now it comes with an increased chance of encountering Karin ojou-sama too!】
【Super-high risk, super-high reward】
【What is this, the Dark Continent?】
Karin's chat filled with praise for Mitsuki. Ordinarily, hearing another streamer praised on your channel might not feel so good. But—
"Wooooow! That was really, really incredible, desu wa!"
The person most enthusiastically praising Mitsuki right then was Karin herself. After all, the swordsmanship she'd just witnessed was supremely 'Elegant.'
Setsuna ojou-sama, whom Karin admired, was an explorer who primarily fought hand-to-hand. But Mitsuki's swordsmanship clearly possessed something of Setsuna's elegance: refined movements, a quality Karin could never attain on her own through entirely self-taught techniques. It was so beautiful Karin thought it might even offer inspiration for her own 'Elegant' dungeon streams. She applauded lavishly, clapping and clapping like a child at a hero show.
"Oh! I'm so glad someone likes it that much! I was going to teach everyone one at a time, but since she's so enthusiastic, let's start with her—oh."
Mitsuki smiled toward Karin—then their eyes met, and her smile froze instantly.
"Oh, uh... Karin Yamada... ojou-sama...? Why are you here...?"
Her lovely face went white, then red, and finally contorted into an extraordinarily tense expression.
【!? Mitsuki-sama, that look on your face!?】
【Wh-what happened all of a sudden?】
【I've watched Mitsuki-sama's streams for ages and I've NEVER seen her look like that!?】
【Maybe it's because nobody told her Karin ojou-sama was coming?】
【That wouldn't make you react like THAT, even if Karin ojou-sama's a walking explosive】
【Mitsuki-chan, your face!】
【What happened to Mitsuki!? (in English)】
【Oh, some explorers are wary of Karin ojou-sama's dungeon streams because they're so outrageous that newbies might underestimate the dungeon. Maybe Mitsuki-sama has a problem with that too?】
【She teaches beginners, so I could see her worrying about that... but even so, she's not the type to show it this openly?】
【No idea what's going on, but thanks, Karin ojou-sama! A rare new expression for my Mitsuki-chan collection!】
【↑ That pervert fan is unstoppable】
Confused comments flooded both Karin's channel and Mitsuki's stream. Mitsuki was acting that strangely—but Karin, perhaps too thrilled by that Elegant swordsmanship, didn't notice.
"Oh! When you say you'll teach everyone one by one, does that mean I may try cutting too!?"
"Huh? Y-yes, of course..."
"How lovely! It will be a splendid introduction to your lessons, and your swordsmanship was so Elegant I wanted to try it immediately myself! To think you'll even teach me—how wonderful, desu no!"
"...I... see..."
Mitsuki's expression hardened further. Her chilly response would normally have been unthinkable on her stream. Karin, still obsessed with the Elegant swordsmanship, made no mention of it. She picked up a practice sword and gave it a few light swings.
"Now, that magnificent stance you showed us, Mitsuki-sama... was it like this?"
Karin copied Mitsuki's sword-drawing stance. At once, the air snapped taut.
"""...!?"""
Everyone held their breath. Even those preoccupied with Mitsuki's odd behavior found their attention seized by Karin in her dress, hand on the sword: that was how intense her focus, how sharp her gaze, how overwhelming her presence. And the next moment—
"—Hah!"
Karin drew the sword with movements identical down to the smallest detail to the strike Mitsuki had just demonstrated. Instantly—BOH!!!!!!
The hardest Infinite Slice-Me, which had already regenerated from Mitsuki's cuts, took the blow. It and two others caught in the wake of Karin's strike—three in all—vanished without a sound.
――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
As I announced the other day, thanks to your support, Ojou-sama is getting a lightning-fast print release! The publisher is Gagaga Bunko, and the release date is October 18!
I've already posted rough designs for Karin ojou-sama on my update page and Twitter, so please take a look!
(I said we'd passed 12,000 stars in the last story update, but the print announcement pushed us over 13,000 at once. I'm genuinely so happy. Thank you, desu no!)
Added note: Huh!? It updated already!? Sorry, I thought I'd checked the date, but the scheduled post was a day early... The next update will be Wednesday as usual, so please bear with me. Sweat.