chapter04 · 094-ep94
Episode 91: Q&A Chatting Stream and the Secret of Karin Ojou-sama's Strength, Part 1
About two days had passed since the People's Honor Award ceremony.
Karin had replayed Setsuna Kiryuuin's special message, fainted, awakened with a cry of, "Hah! S-so it was all a dream, desu no! Of course something that incredible couldn't possibly be real... Eh, what is this video file... OGYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?" watched it again, and fainted at the very peak of happiness. After repeating this futile process roughly ten times, she finally managed to accept that the special message existed and return to everyday life.
One day after school, seeking to clear away the dangerous image of "Genocide Ojou-sama," Karin continued following Mafuyu's advice and held a relaxed chatting stream.
"Good evening, everyone, desu wa~. There was a little gap because of various events, so today is a nice, relaxed chatting stream for rehabilitation, desu no~"
【IT'S HEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!】
【It has been too long, Karin ojou-sama!】
【Guardian Deity Genocide Atomic People's Honor Award Ojou-sama, desu waa!】
【Overloaded-with-titles Ojou-sama!】
【I heard she's the only streamer who knows how the floor of the Prime Minister's Official Residence feels】
【Yes, yes, "various events" hardly begins to cover it...】
【We've been waiting, desu wa!】
【So this is Japan's "ojousama" who came straight out of that comic... (English)】
【Having a monster like this and calling itself a dungeon developing nation? How very Japanese—the country that insists its Self-Defense Force isn't a military... (Chinese)】
【Isn't the country calling Japan a dungeon developing nation the barbaric state that casually throws children into dungeons as soon as they're old enough to think? (French)】
【↑You're from that same barbaric country, frog bastard! (English)】
【There were plenty before, but the foreign languages have exploded, LMAO】
【These aren't ordinary foreign fans anymore. They're straight-up intelligence agents lmao】
Comments flowed at a tremendous rate the instant the stream began.
Despite this being a mere chatting stream, concurrent viewers quickly passed one million.
That was better than the other day's twenty million concurrents, but Karin still couldn't conceal her confusion at a number so divorced from reality.
(The People's Honor Award effect may be part of it, but that is an incredible number... And there are so many languages I don't know... B-but after Setsuna-sama said all that to me, it goes without saying that I must practice even harder behind the scenes and grow stronger and stronger. I must also work hard at running an Elegant channel...!)
Thus, even for a chatting stream, Karin was bursting with motivation.
She renewed her determination while gratefully sipping the tea Lip○on had sent her to commemorate her world record.
That said, Karin was a streamer focused first and foremost on dungeon exploration.
She didn't make her living through banter, so she had been at a loss for what to discuss before the immense figure of twenty million subscribers. But just then, she realized there was something useful available.
All sorts of anonymous questions—"macarons," as they were called—had arrived through her social media account, and without her noticing, a great many had piled up.
The timing was perfect, so on today's stream, she would answer frequent macaron questions and some posted in real time.
"Then, as announced, today I shall answer the questions that have piled up, a few at a time, desu wa!"
【Hell yeah】
【This ojou-sama is nothing but punchlines, so she must get tons of questions...】
【For the record, she already announced on social media that she won't answer what is presumably the most common question—her level—because "Keeping it secret is more Elegant, desu wa!" and "Besides, it rises so quickly that I'd end up answering it over and over!"】
【That is what I want to know the MOST, desu no!?】
【Well, at this point, ojou-sama's level and the secrets of her power might as well be military secrets...】
【Everyone on the dedicated thread was probably too afraid to look directly at the "it rises so quickly" part, LMAO】
【Um, the higher your level gets, the more experience it should require, so growth should slow down... um...】
【Today will probably be mostly answers about ojou-sama's equipment and dungeons...】
"Then let us begin with our first question, desu wa. 'This just occurred to me, but do boss monsters not appear on the way back out of a dungeon?' Indeed, they do not. As you all know, if you enter a boss room from the surface side, the boss appears; but if you enter from the underground side, the boss does not spawn, and you can simply walk through on your way back. It is a mysterious little courtesy, desu no. And though nobody knows how the dungeon detects it, after you defeat a boss once, it will not appear for a while even if the same person reenters from the entrance side. Personally, I would appreciate a system where bosses appeared both on the return route and upon reentry, because it would give me more attempts when hunting the boss-sama who drops that item-box material... That boss-sama appears to be an extremely low-probability random spawn, so with the current dungeon system, the number of times I can challenge it during a single expedition is limited. Even after dozens of attempts, I almost never encounter one, desu wa ne."
【Hold on, what outrageous thing did this ojou-sama just casually drop in the OPENING!?】
【So you ARE living in the abyss!?】
【Breaking News: We knew】
【People worldwide had theorized it from ojou-sama's remarks, but that abyssal boss really is a random spawn...】
【Isn't the outlook getting rather ominous with the very first question? (trembling)】
【So if not for the dungeon's mysterious courtesy, there's a chance ojou-sama would have obtained far more item-box material...?】
【Thank you, dungeon】
【Speaking of abyssal bosses, what did you end up making from those two drops?】
"Oh, a question has arrived in the comments too. Let me see—what I made from the abyssal boss materials... Oh! About that, desu wa ne, I carefully finished it after the stream ended, and I must say, the final result was quite a good—ah. N-no, it was nothing at all, desu wa. I used them for perfectly ordinary item-box manufacturing experiments. That was close, desu no. Now, let us proceed to the next question."
【Hey. HEY】
【Karin ojou-sama absolutely made something dangerous!】
【Ojou-sama's voice was so lively and cute! (trembling)】
【Something impressive enough to make THIS ojou-sama's voice light up...】
【Even if that obviously evasive "item-box manufacturing experiment" were true, it would be terrifying in its own right, okay?】
【Judging by that wooden acting, she almost forgot Best friend-chan or someone had forbidden her to discuss it on-stream, right...?】
【The prevailing theory that Best friend-chan decides what information Karin ojou-sama is allowed to say on-stream】
【Well, there's no way Karin ojou-sama could make judgments like that herself...】
【For them to impose another restriction after ojou-sama scattered THAT much dangerous information during the abyssal-floor-1 solo...】
【Did she seriously make equipment that lets her pop directly into every government's residence and say HELLO? Are we okay? Have the world leaders' stomachs exploded by now?】
【W-well, it is frightening, so you needn't force yourself to answer!】
【Not knowing what she made is even scarier!】
【A sophisticated information war: by concealing the ojou-sama's capabilities here, foreign powers become even more reluctant to act】
【Even if every weapon she possesses now were identified, I feel like she'd make new equipment next week and render all their countermeasures meaningless】
【She actually modified the item box and completely nullified Black Tiger's Karin-ojou-sama countermeasure...】
"Next is... this one, desu wa. 'You managed to stream from not only the deep layers but even the abyss. How do radio waves reach inside a dungeon when there are no base stations?' I only thought, 'Come to think of it!' after someone asked me, desu wa! It is strange, isn't it? As for the reason... Dungeon walls transmit radio waves extremely well[1], and the mana filling a dungeon both strengthens its walls and amplifies radio waves, enabling communication far underground.[2] This allows humanity to observe the existence of unreached regions such as the abyss and pit[citation needed] in combination with detection skills... That is the reason, desu wa ne!"
【She copy-pasted Wikipedia lmao】
【Karin ojou-sama is reading the wiki entry without understanding a word of it, lmao】
【I wondered what she meant by saying "one" and "citation needed," but she's literally reading EVERYTHING lmaooo】
【Didn't they teach you in school that the wiki is useful but only moderately reliable, desu no!?】
【Where did that internet literacy () you unleashed upon the Dungeon Bureau go...?】
【Internet literacy: "Just stepping out for a moment, desu wa (pat pat)"】
【W-well, the information itself isn't wrong for the moment...】
【O-ojou-sama did a splendid job researching what she didn't know and preparing an answer in advance!】
【It's the fault of the person asking Karin ojou-sama something one quick search would answer (desperate defense)】
【This is absolutely the sort of question you should ask Mitsuki-sama when she's doing one of her normal streams】
【Well, she has a huge audience, so it's pretty useful for teaching basic dungeon information...】
【Between bosses not appearing on the return route and this, dungeons have quite a lot of convenient-story-setting features when you stop and think about it】
【That side of them is one reason even dungeons—with all their vicious irregularities—are sometimes treated as trials given by god. The way their materials advance all kinds of research and technology is another】
"Now, let us keep going! Let me see... 'Ojou-sama, is it not incredible that your floating camera never breaks during those outrageous battles?' Ah, that is because Floating Camera-sama follows my intentions and moves out of the combat zone in advance to film from above, desu no. Its speed also changes somewhat according to the user's mana, so even if a battle begins by surprise, it can evade in time. And while we are on the subject, it follows its user like a magnet, so within limits, it can keep up even at rather high speeds. It is very capable, desu no! As expected of a luxury product also classified as a magic item. It has excellent performance even without me modifying it, desu wa!"
【Come to think of it, the floating camera doesn't appear in its own stream, so it's easy to forget how high-performance it is】
【Its performance depends on the user's mana, but it can move pretty fast】
【Buying the latest model normally is reeeally expensive...】
【Come to think of it, floating cameras constantly consume mana, even if only a little, so reaching the deep layers while filming with one seriously makes no sense...】
【She went to the abyss, never mind the deep layers...】
【Did she just casually imply she can modify commercial products afterward...?】
【She can retrofit her item box, so modifying a commercial product would be a piece of cake】
"I also received similar questions asking whether the smartphone on my arm and floating camera aren't far too sturdy during dungeon streams. For those, I made objects similar to the picture frame I once crafted on-stream with <Divine Artisan> and attached them to the phone and floating camera. That is why they don't break, desu wa!"
【Ahh, I see】
【That picture frame she beat a minotaur to death with...】
【Ojou-sama evades monster attacks, but I wondered why her equipment didn't break from her own attacks and the aftereffects of battle. So she'd already taken precautions】
【Of course no ordinary attack would break them!】
【(Also, ojou-sama has <Recoil-Free Cannon>, so the recoil from her own attacks is probably already greatly reduced)】
"And to answer all the camera-related questions together... 'Your superchats and ad revenue should start arriving soon. Are you not going to replace your streaming equipment, especially the floating camera?' But... I plan to keep my current equipment, desu wa! Especially the floating camera. It is a precious memento I happened to obtain on an outing my best friend invited me to. I may modify it to improve its performance, but I want to keep using this one, desu no!"
【Precious】
【Oh my~】
【Very good indeed~】
【Considering how well that floating camera performs despite being secondhand, even if she upgrades anything, it'd probably only be her home equipment or the throat microphone she can use during deafening battles】
¥10,000
Speaking of superchats, how much did you receive during your last deep-layer conquest stream (not only the deep layers), desu no?
"Phew, answering questions alone uses quite a bit of time, desu no. Before I knew it, we had nearly reached the scheduled end time. There are still plenty of questions, but I shall answer them in another installment. For the last one, I will pick something from the comments... Wait, a-another red superchat, desu no!? H-hawawa, thank you very much, desu no... Let me see, the total in superchats...?"
The Q&A stream had passed more quickly than expected. As Karin looked through the comment section to finish it off, she flinched at a red superchat she still wasn't used to because of her deeply ingrained frugality. She read the contents, then widened her eyes.
(Ahh, come to think of it!? So much happened—the Genocide allegations, the People's Honor Award—that I completely forgot about the superchats, desu wa!? The comments turned completely red with celebratory superchats when I crossed the deep layers and conquered abyssal floor 1... Just how much was the total...?)
Her chatting stream after the dungeon collapse had received ¥300 million, and if the sum was around that much again, her heart wouldn't survive. Karin opened her account page.
(W-well, I think it will be fine. A major reason it reached ¥300 million last time was that people caught in the dungeon collapse donated to express their gratitude. Even if this was an outward world record, celebratory gifts alone surely wouldn't reach that much...)
Convinced that she wouldn't have to consult Mafuyu this time, Karin checked the recent superchat total on her smartphone.
Three billion yen.
"................................................................................................Hah?"
Karin's time stopped completely.
Believing she had misread it, she checked the screen over and over.
But the number did not change at all. Finally, face twitching, Karin displayed the portion of the analytics page that contained no personal information on-stream.
"U-um... My eyes appear to have gone strange, so I cannot quite tell... H-how many ten-thousand-yen units is this, desu no...?"
Karin had entered such a state of confusion that she asked her viewers to count it. Naturally—
【Hah!?】
【Ojou-sama, your eyes aren't what has gone strange; it's your head, as usual... Wait, what IS this amount!?】
【THREE BILLION YEN!?】
【THAT'S CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZY!?】
【Considering the pace of those superchats, it makes sense, but still...】
【Come to think of it, so much happened that nobody volunteered to count the superchats this time...】
【This is the recent superchat total, so it probably includes celebratory donations during the People's Honor Award ceremony too!?】
【There may be thank-you donations from people who hated Black Tiger】
【The superchats were wild during the release of the Black Tiger massacre video too】
【Black Tiger's accumulated hatred has become ojou-sama's wealth!】
【The power to turn hatred into money...】
【Even so, three billion yen is LMAO】
【She stopped trusting her own eyes and exposed part of the analytics screen—an entire LMAO plantation】
【Anybody would doubt their own eyes and brain if that much came in, not just ojou-sama... Wow】
【She warp-digivolved from the ¥300 million woman to the ¥3 billion woman, LMAO】
【Jumping from ¥300 million to ¥3 billion? Is this Luffy's bounty? lmao】
【Even Luffy went through ¥500 million and ¥1.5 billion first】
【Ojou-sama, that is three billion yen!】
【Forty million and three hundred million were already crazy, but with this wealth, she's now a genuine ojou-sama in every sense】
【A wealthy Thug Genocide Ojou-sama? That's just an ojou from a yakuza family】
【Karin ojou-sama has the face of an Insect Warrior struck with impact beyond its capacity lmao】
【This ojou-sama looks like she's never owned more money than could fit inside a clasp purse...】
Countless repetitions of "three billion" filled the comment section.
They were the clearest possible proof that Karin had not miscounted and her superchat total had truly reached an outrageous sum.
"Ah, ah, ah..."
Something snapped inside Karin. Then—
"A-a number like this, straight out of the national budget, cannot be real, desu nooooo! P-Prime Minister Kongouji must have accidentally transferred part of the national budget to meeeeeee!? If I use any of this, I shall absolutely be scolded later, desu nooooo! I have seen this on the neeeeeews!"
【Prime Minister Kongouji: "Wha!?"】
【Sudden false accusation lmao】
【LMAO at a conspiracy theory too ridiculous for even the media to level】
【Also, that money hasn't even been transferred to you yet!】
【Karin ojou-sama broke】
【Business as usual, then. All good!】
【Karin ojou-sama has been breaking nonstop lately, as if the backlash from all her own stunts is hitting her lmao】
【Is this really the explorer who casually hammer-and-anviled away materials estimated at hundreds of billions...?】
【Maybe the most effective way to defeat ojou-sama isn't direct combat, but placing mental strain on her with new Setsuna-sama footage or huge cash deposits?】
【↑This is turning into "Manju Are Scary," LMAO】
【A boss immune to all damage except a special method? Is she a gimmick boss?】
And so, amid her panic, Karin ended the chatting stream.
"M-Mafuyuuuuuu! The national budget is attacking meeeeeeeee!" she cried, once again fleeing to her best friend with an expression terrified of the outrageous superchat total.
―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
And so, this chapter answered questions that had appeared in the comments before, desu wa!
This time I happened to be able to incorporate them into the flow of the main story, but generally, I hope to answer them in side-story form whenever enough have accumulated. For questions difficult for Karin ojou-sama to answer in her streaming format, I may use Mitsuki-sama's stream or answer normally in an afterword. Please ask if you have any others, desu waa! (I may have missed some, so feel free to repeat questions you've already written in the comments! Answers to things likely to appear in the main story later, such as the ojou-sama's level or the Humanoid equipment, will be postponed.)
As for the secret of her strength from the title, that will be next time, desu wa ne.
※When Episode 90 was posted, the number of stars increased by 1,600 in a single day, and I genuinely became like Karin ojou-sama counting her total superchats...! Even though the series was only half a year old and already had quite a lot of stars, that seriously shocked me, desu no! Truly, thank you so much, desu wa! It made me incredibly happy! (I was so happy + happened to have the breathing room, so I replied to comments for the first time in a while, desu waa!)