chapter03 · 081-ep81
Episode 78: Mafuyu Sasaki's Resignation
She'd had her doubts from the start. Would clearing the deep layers really dispel the allegations completely?
Not that she doubted her best friend's plan. Her subscriber count and concurrents had risen to utterly ridiculous numbers, and now the internet was chanting that the ojou-sama had proved her innocence. But was it really complete? Wasn't the impact just a little short—only one small step away?
Mafuyu was kind. She prioritized safety margins and would probably try to quietly make up the difference through her own hard work. And Karin hated the thought that even the tiniest opening for allegations might let those operatives keep causing trouble for her friends and acquaintances. It wasn't Elegant.
That was why Karin Yamada had announced to her floating camera, in the deepest part of the deep layers:
"Today, I'll go just a little farther, as a special treat!"
〇
"Those concurrency and subscriber numbers are pretty good."
Mafuyu watched from her apartment while working to counter Black Tiger and its operatives. Karin's deep-layer conquest and the resulting numbers had largely satisfied her. The final giant fortress monster had been a little too powerful, revealing a little more of Karin's abilities to the world than she'd wanted. Still, an unscathed deep-layer stream in a dress was already extraordinary. It couldn't be helped.
With numbers like these and a world record, the accusations of staging incidents were all but dispelled. The stream was a great success. But she couldn't let her guard down. For Mafuyu, the real work started now.
"A world record alone isn't the same as the popularity that comes from dramatically saving many lives. Black Tiger knows that too. Normally they'd back off now, but they picked a fight with Karin when she's allied with the police. And if they do have something close to future-sensing powers, they may well keep using operatives to nitpick for any opening they can find."
They had badly damaged Black Tiger's income, but it was still a top clan with reserves, and powerful figures might be on its side. It could continue the information war through hard-to-trace operatives.
Mafuyu had a long list of finishing moves to make. The police, now free of concern about public opinion thanks to Karin's conquest, would investigate with everything they had. But killing every operative socially would take time when their activity was routed overseas, unlike the opportunistic antis they could crush immediately. Finding a separate charge on which to arrest Black Tiger, a clan that had evaded scrutiny for years, would be hard too. In the meantime she needed to stop any ongoing defamation, identify and turn those considering betraying Black Tiger now that it was losing, and fight many other covert battles to finish the corrupt clan off.
Stopping those who continued to slander Karin was an absolute priority. Her conquest meant the operatives could hardly change public opinion now, but there were still small details to exploit. The record had enormous impact; growing complacent might allow entrenched antis to multiply. In any case, Mafuyu had no intention of overlooking unfair attacks on Karin just when her dream was finally within reach.
"Crippling Black Tiger and going after online operatives will be endless hard work, but... I'm practically retired from Public Security because of my injury. It's not like I have anything else I want to do. As long as Karin can keep streaming with a smile, that's fine."
Black Tiger, its operatives, the opportunistic antis—she would make them regret dragging Karin's name through the mud, however many years it took. Her only real dissatisfaction was that, in the end, Public Security had gotten what it wanted: Karin's immense power used to undermine Black Tiger. Still, Karin had safely finished the conquest. Now it was Mafuyu's turn to work hard. She might have a way to sweep aside all those concerns and destroy Black Tiger in one fell swoop, but she couldn't ask any more of Karin. Mafuyu steeled herself for her own task.
And that was when Karin spoke on the stream.
"Today, I'll go just a little farther, as a special treat!"
".............What?"
For a moment, Mafuyu sincerely thought she'd misheard. But Karin was striding down the passage beyond the deep layers, and chat, formerly one big celebration, had filled with variations on 'Huh?' at the insane ojou-sama heading into the abyssal layers.
"What is that idiot DOING!?"
Mafuyu panicked at this entirely unplanned move and called immediately.
"Hello, desu wa~?"
"Don't 'hello, desu wa~' me!"
Karin had muted her stream to answer. Mafuyu shouted at her breezy voice.
"What are you doing!? What are you planning!?"
"Well, I thought conquering the deep layers solo wasn't quite impactful enough. So I thought I'd take a little peek into the abyssal layers!"
"...!"
Just as Mafuyu had feared. As she fell speechless, Karin apparently mistook her silence for something else.
"Oh, but don't worry. I'll leave a safety margin and only go as far as the floor 1 boss. And as you always tell me, I won't use my serious magical gear. I'll stick to the flashy deep-layer-boss-class equipment I prepared for today."
That wasn't the point! Of course Mafuyu worried about Karin's safety, but something else was far worse. A sixteen-year-old capable of advancing alone into the abyssal layers would draw too much international attention if she streamed it. There was no doubt it would cause complications far beyond her proposed <Divine Artisan> clan. Karin could probably repel any resulting danger by force, but the complications were certain.
Mafuyu couldn't say that outright without shattering Karin's dream. Besides, Karin wouldn't understand all that complicated stuff in a brief phone call!
"Karin, I know how strong you are, but going that far on stream is dangerous! Getting badly hurt—or dying—in front of your viewers wouldn't be Elegant!"
She tried a safer argument first. But—
"It's fine, it's fine, desu wa. Ever since the Kagerou incident went viral, the numbers growing so fast have scared me. I've secretly trained off-stream to make absolutely sure I could keep my streams Elegant, and my level has been shooting up!"
(Argh! You growing adolescent!)
As expected, she didn't listen. Mafuyu would have to explain everything to stop her: that those who could enter the abyssal layers so casually were explorers capable of overthrowing a country alone, the truly strongest whom governments courted and kept secret; and that teenagers who conquered the pit like Setsuna-sama and her friends were pure fiction. But could she really smash this girl's dreams like telling a child Santa wasn't real, when Karin had persevered through more than a year of dead streams? ...Then again, could she afford not to?
As Mafuyu struggled with the decision, Karin spoke.
"Besides, Mafuyu. I don't know how, but you're planning to secretly work hard to clear away whatever doubt my solo conquest didn't erase, aren't you?"
"...!?"
"I knew it!"
Damn it. Mafuyu regretted her moment of surprise, but too late. Karin had clearly gained confidence in her intuition.
"Oh, I'm not blaming you, desu no. But I was the one who came crying to you for help with this mess... You're kind, so you do all sorts of things for me, and I feel bad making you carry too much. And I don't want the tiniest suspicion to remain and keep troubling Tamago-sensei or everyone in the Anti-Dungeon Division... I want to hit this hard enough to settle it once and for all! Thoroughly, like beating a boss monster to dust and leaving nothing behind! Any risk to me comes second to that, desu wa!"
This time Mafuyu truly couldn't find a reply. Karin had no common sense, but she had a conscience. She never used her power wantonly except for Elegant streams and helping others. Invoking Setsuna-sama might normally have persuaded her to stop, just as she'd listened to Mafuyu's advice and entertained viewers on tea conquests only as far as the lower layers. But when she was doing it for someone else, Karin Yamada wouldn't stop. Mafuyu couldn't bring herself to argue with the lovable idiot she always wanted to look after.
"Oh, I'm nearly in the abyssal layers. I sense some pretty huge things too, so I'd better hang up—this might be dangerous!"
"W-wait!"
Click. The call ended. Another rang almost immediately.
"Hey, Poison Spider!? That insane ojou-sama's heading into the abyssal layers! Nobody told me about this!?"
The caller was Kasumi Makihara, the Public Security woman who had approached Mafuyu before and questioned her about Karin killing a deep-layer boss with her fists. Her usual easygoing air had vanished; she let loose over the phone.
"A kid who strolls into the abyssal layers broadcasting it to the entire world could seriously affect international affairs!? I mean, after she beat that giant thing unharmed and still hadn't shown us her limit, she's definitely aramitama-class, and that's bad enough already! What IS that girl!? She's way stronger than we expected! Japan's supposed to look like a dungeon developing nation, you know!? Honestly, I'd cut the stream right now, but we locked down everything to make absolutely sure Black Tiger couldn't interrupt it, and now it's backfired! We'd have to chase her into the abyss and do something to her camera to shut it off immediately! The top brass keep calling me nonstop! What do we do!? Could we bring down that monster server we expanded ourselves with a DDoS attack if we teamed up with Black Tiger!?"
"...At this point, we might as well show everything openly."
Mafuyu sighed deeply as she answered.
"Showing just enough of Karin's threat to make people wary, like when she almost formed a <Divine Artisan> clan, would be worse than revealing a substantial amount. Better to announce that you already have a nuclear missile than let others suspect you're making one."
"...!?"
"You Public Security people and the government higher-ups won't have time to sleep for a while, coordinating with everyone concerned... But whatever the reasons, you've left Black Tiger alone to grow arrogant for years. Consider this the bill coming due."
If Karin couldn't be stopped, Black Tiger was finished. Not just the public: most influential figures, good or bad, would probably turn against the corrupt clan rather than risk upsetting her. With Okutama Dungeon's income drastically reduced, they had little to gain by supporting Black Tiger. Karin hadn't thought that far ahead, of course. She had seen through Mafuyu's efforts and, with something close to animal instinct, picked the best way to bring Black Tiger down—a decisive blow Mafuyu had avoided for fear of exposing Karin's strength. She'd done it to lighten Mafuyu's load. Despite everything, Mafuyu couldn't help feeling touched that Karin was perceptive at a time like this.
"Haah... I figured this would happen someday if she kept pursuing her dream."
Black Tiger had forced the world to learn about part of Karin's strength much, much sooner than Mafuyu expected. She sighed again.
〇
The abyssal layers. A truly inhuman realm beyond the deep layers. Rumor said even explorers gifted at detection had gone half-mad from trying to survey them at a distance. They were untouchable, shrouded in mysteries far deeper than the deep layers. On the internet, absurd stories spread because nobody could verify the truth.
More than ten million viewers were now in an uproar at a dungeon streamer wandering casually into that realm.
【KARIN OJOU-SAMAAAA!?】
【What are you doing!? Seriously, WHAT!?】
【Huh...?】
【Wait, y-you're serious...?】
【Eh? Eh? Eh? The abyssal layers? Solo? Eh?】
【What do you mean thirteen million subscribers aren't enough!?】
【That count will keep growing, and with ten million concurrents, you probably have fifty or sixty million total viewers! You've already cleared your name!】
【Huh? Is she really going into the abyss? Eh?】
【I came because social media was acting weird... What is this...?】
¥50,000 @Mitsuki
Karin ojou-sama!? Um, you didn't tell me about this...!?
¥50,000 @Mitsuki
I-I don't doubt your strength, Karin ojou-sama, but, um... C-could you stop for a moment!?
【Mitsuki-chan's trying to stop her!?】
【Hey, this is seriously bad!?】
【Even Mitsuki-sama is trying to stop her...】
【'Even Mitsuki-sama is trying to stop her' is a new 'Gandhi taking a running start' level saying... but this isn't the time for that!?】
¥50,000
Someone stop this runaway ojou-samAAAA! I'm sorry we let Black Tiger run wild, just STOPPP!
Comments were full of bewilderment and screams begging her to stop. Karin answered blithely, "It's all right! I'm taking precautions, and I'll only take a little look around floor 1."
Then she squinted at a brilliant light beyond the natural staircase down the cavern.
"Oh, we're here!"
Without any real hesitation she stepped into the light. The floating camera revealed rolling hills stretching as far as the eye could see.
【Huh?】
【Eh, where are we?】
【Aboveground...?】
Woods and hills, nothing like the rocky cave they'd left behind. Incredibly, a blue sky hung above them deep underground. Karin gave an impressed "Ooh."
"Now, everyone, can you see this? These are the abyssal layers of Okutama Valley Dungeon. This seems to be one of the more refreshing ones; I could almost forget we're underground. I should love to have tea in such a lovely place someday."
【Uh, um, um (no words)】
【Yes! Tea would taste wonderful here! (brain switched off)】
【H-how can she 'explain' this like she's streaming in the middle or lower layers? (voice shaking)】
【We're speechless at a view of the abyssal layers we never imagined, and she's acting like it's nothing...?】
【D-don't tell me this ojou-sama normally visits not just the deep layers but...?】
【Why does she sound like she knows other abyssal layers...? (deadpan)】
【Wait wait wait wait, seriously WAIT!】
【I need a break! Let me soak in a hot spring for two hours to sort out my feelings!】
The unbelievable scene and developments left chat moving strangely slowly for an audience of over ten million.
"""GRUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!"""
"Our first guests have arrived."
Vicious cries shattered the pleasant scenery. Karin's eyes grew more serious than ever. Before her, swarms of Storm Dragons, Separation Cerberuses and lightning lions had appeared all at once, as if they were ordinary monsters.
"And now for the bonus stream! I'll have a quick look around floor 1 of Okutama Valley Dungeon's abyssal layers, all the way to the boss room!"
Demonic Dragon Armor: Storm Style, a pile bunker on one arm, Chupacabra-chan—Karin brought out several weapons at once while still wearing her dress. She raced through the air and charged at the swarm of deep-layer-boss-class monsters, leaving her stunned viewers far behind, as if determined to give them a spectacular show.