chapter04 · 119-ep119
Side Story: Bonus-Merchandise Ojou-sama!
"U-ugyeh...! Wh-what an outrageous number of e-mails again today, desu wa..."
One evening.
Karin let out a slightly un-Elegant noise in front of her bedroom computer.
She was doing what had recently become a firm part of her daily routine: checking her e-mail.
Ever since stopping the dungeon collapse and solo-slaying an abyssal boss brought her tremendous recognition and popularity, a staggering number of job requests had arrived in Karin's inbox every day.
Sponsorships, as they were known, ranging from introducing a company's product in a stream video to appearing in commercials. All sorts of offers came from not merely inside Japan but overseas. (Incidentally, clan invitations had looped all the way around to not arriving from anywhere, because Karin kept saying she prioritized solo play and because everyone knew they would "absolutely be unable to handle her.")
Checking that mass of e-mails had somehow become a daily routine... but honestly, she accepted almost none of them.
Partly because her ordinary streams, school, and independent training kept her busy, but also because Karin had absolutely no idea which jobs were trustworthy.
For a streamer affiliated with a company, the company would probably screen such offers. But Karin was a thoroughly independent streamer. And since her fame had risen so abruptly, she had no experience handling these sorts of sponsorships. Her social-media profile even included a note stating there was an extremely low chance she would be able to reply.
"Still, I would like to accept requests from those who have helped me or whom I can trust. There might also be projects like the rookie-training stream Mitsuki-sama introduced to me, which could dispel my mistaken image... Even if replying is difficult, I must at least read them, desu wa."
Karin began checking her e-mail with the cognitive ability that let her instantly read even a lightning-fast comment section. After putting her hands together before the tea sent by Lip○on and saying, "What a blessing, desu wa...! A gift from the heavens, desu wa...!" as usual, she took a sip and processed e-mails with her hands and eyes moving at a somewhat disturbing speed.
"Hwon?"
Then, at that moment.
Her hands suddenly stopped on a particular e-mail, and her heart gave a light jump.
Bersercle Publishing Comic Editorial Department.
An e-mail had arrived from Mochimochi Tamago-sensei's editor.
Karin had actually exchanged several messages with Tamago-sensei's editor before, but even so, receiving contact from someone at the publisher—Tamago-sensei's editor, no less—still felt unreal and left her unable to shake her nerves. It made her heart pound far more than an e-mail from an enormous corporation whose authenticity she could not even determine.
"Wh-what could they need...? Ah, perhaps this concerns the obi recommendation blurb for the new edition of Dungeon Alive they requested before. They said they would send me complimentary copies of every volume, which is far too great an honor, so perhaps it concerns that...?"
After stopping the dungeon collapse with zero casualties, Karin had accepted exactly one corporate project from the flood of requests. She was asked to write a recommendation for the obi of the hurriedly announced new edition of the original Dungeon Alive manga.
It had been some time since she accepted a request she had no reason to refuse, despite panicking, "A-are you truly certain someone like me is acceptable!?!?!" She then sent them a deranged missive over ten thousand characters long about Dungeon Alive, only to receive an apologetic reply: "Sorry, we'll publish the full text elsewhere, so please keep the obi comment to around fifty characters..." Her agony at her own mistake had also occurred some time ago.
With release nearing for the new edition, which was said to include plenty of new material and behind-the-scenes stories from Tamago-sensei, Karin wondered whether they had another announcement and opened the e-mail.
"Still, this e-mail arrived at three in the morning... The last one came at around four as well. When does Editor-sama sleep, I wonder...?"
She murmured this as she read the body of the message—and immediately afterward—
"Egh."
A slightly filthy noise escaped Karin's mouth.
But that was only natural.
The e-mail wasn't about complimentary copies at all.
"They're asking for permission to offer merchandise based on an illustration of me by Tamago-sensei... as a paid store bonus with the new edition of Dungeon Alive, desu no...!?"
Even Karin could only find the request incomprehensible. Her thought process short-circuited, and she stood frozen for some time.
Then, a while later—
"G-good day to you all, desu wa~! Today's stream is somewhat unusual—or rather, difficult to call a sponsored video... A sample of the paid bonus for the Dungeon Alive new edition, which has already been lightly announced, has arrived, so this stream is to introduce it, desu no!"
【Good day to you, desu wa~!】
【I've been waiting, desu no!】
【I came because the announcement made me doubt my eyes, desu wa~!】
【Karin ojou-sama becoming a Dungeon Alive bonus—nothing makes sense anymore】
【How does a mere fan of a work become official merchandise!?!?!?!?!?】
【Not even Mr. Y of Chiba Prefecture became official merchandise, desu no!?】
【It makes no sense, but looking at recent events, we have no choice but to accept it!】
【Has Bersercle Publishing finally lost its mind? Lmaooo】
【This is the publisher that not only didn't stop Tamago-sensei from mass-producing support illustrations during the self-staging allegations, but spread them around while announcing legal measures against slander】
【Well, Karin ojou-sama is practically a manga character anyway...】
【Feels like Karin ojou-sama has always been in Dungeon Alive, scampering around behind Setsuna-sama as her little-sister disciple】
【M E M O R I E S T H A T D O N O T E X I S T】
【Independent student-streamer ojou-sama had no merchandise, so I'm honestly grateful, desu wa~!】
【They say it's based on an illustration of Karin ojou-sama by Tamago-sensei, but what exactly did they make, desu no~!?】
Karin had approved the publisher's unprecedented proposal and was now streaming from home to introduce the merchandise sample that had arrived with almost frightening speed.
The concurrent viewer count continued climbing before her eyes.
Despite her popularity, Karin had never had any merchandise at all. Then official goods suddenly appeared—and from the rather wildly unexpected source of a paid bonus for the Dungeon Alive new edition. The Karin Party had rushed in en masse.
"...!? S-somehow the comments are moving even faster than usual, desu wa!? I-it is terribly embarrassing to introduce merchandise of myself... and if any more viewers arrive, I shall only become more embarrassed and find it even harder to say...! S-so I shall bring it out immediately! The paid bonus that, far too great an honor though it is, will accompany the Dungeon Alive new edition is this: an acrylic stand of me, desu no!"
And with an "Ei!" Karin held the item sent by the publisher in front of the camera.
It was a transparent acrylic plate printed with Karin's illustration by Mochimochi Tamago-sensei, inserted into a base so it could stand upright.
【Ohh!】
【I see, an acrylic stand, desu no!】
【Very nice, desu wa ne!】
【The price is friendlier to students than a figure, desu wa~!】
【First ojou-sama merchandise + newly drawn Tamago-sensei art—two delicious bonuses in one, desu no!】
【I was worried about resellers, but apparently they've secured a vicious number of them. Truly Lmao】
【Acrylic stands are relatively easy to produce more of too】
【This is simply a fine product, desu wa!】
【OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!! Utterly Elegant!! I'll pour every yen I made streaming into securing as many as possible!!!!】
【↑Hey, this is Mitsuki-sama's alt, isn't it】
【She'll buy ten each for use, display, storage, evangelizing, use, and use】
【Use for what, one wonders...】
【It's guaranteed an article will circulate about how the suspected bulk-buying reseller turned out to be Mitsuki-sama】
The viewers grew excited over the merchandise Karin showed on camera.
An acrylic stand.
The spiteful sometimes called them cheap next to figures, but the durable acrylic material and non-bulky form made them easy to carry, display anywhere, and maintain. Combined with their accessible price, they were popular merchandise that met a different sort of demand from figures.
Naturally, goods of this kind involved all sorts of rights issues, and determining whether the requesting company was trustworthy was difficult, so the underage, independent Karin had possessed no plans to develop any. But this project was led by the publisher where Mochimochi Tamago-sensei did most of his work.
When Karin was under suspicion of staging her own incidents, Mochimochi Tamago-sensei had drawn endless support illustrations. But that had not merely been Tamago-sensei going berserker alone; the publisher had also acted on the logic of "if Tamago-sensei is that certain," fully prepared to become embroiled in the controversy themselves. Because of that bond, Karin trusted them considerably. The actual contract terms were also extremely favorable to Karin, and with Mafuyu readily approving, matters proceeded rapidly. Acrylic stands were comparatively easy to manufacture, so a sample had been ready almost at once.
And despite the speed, its quality was as solid as if the company's fortunes had been staked upon it.
【No, but this is genuinely nice, desu wa yo!?】
【Mochimochi Tamago-sensei's illustration is simply divine】
【I am now determined to secure one at any cost and display it beside my Setsuna-sama figure and Nendoroid】
【Karin ojou-sama smiling with her fist clenched is both adorable and dignified, desu wa ne!】
【Lmao, veins are bulging on her fist】
【Displaying it on a desk feels like it would give you energy, desu wa!】
【I'm delighted by this Elegant merchandise, desu wa~!】
"E-ehehe. Truly, desu no? I was quite worried whether an inexperienced person like me deserved to become merchandise through Tamago-sensei's Elegant art... but hearing you say so puts me at ease, desu wa!"
The viewers' response was highly favorable even through the camera, and Karin smiled bashfully.
But just as Karin relaxed over the acrylic stand's reception—
【It's seriously well made, desu no!】
【It feels as if Karin ojou-sama is truly right beside you, desu wa~!?】
【It seems like it would make a good ward against evil, desu wa ne!】
【Also, it looks like it has durability no acrylic stand should possess】
【If you kept it in your breast pocket, it'd probably deflect a bullet without a single crack】
【The image should rub off if cleaned with alcohol, but this one feels like it wouldn't】
【If you left it at home, it'd probably repel burglars】
【Treating it carelessly feels like it would drag you into ruin on Black Tiger's level】
【Treating it well feels like it would bring good luck】
【The hair might grow longer even though it's an illustration】
【It'd probably start moving on its own at night and raid the fridge】
【If you forgot its offerings, you might hear a voice saying I'M HUNGRY, DESU WA】
【If you watched Dungeon Alive, it would move beside you at some point and stare at the screen too】
【If it appeared in Toy ○tory, it'd be the only one with the power of the real person and annihilate everything】
【Lmao at the avalanche of slander】
【It skipped straight past magic item to being treated like an occult object. Truly Lmao】
【These accusations are completely baseless, yet somehow difficult to deny. Seriously lmao】
"Hold on!? Everyone, what sort of evaluation IS this, desu no!?"
Some sort of riffing(?) had begun, and Karin screamed as the comment section's mood tilted in a strange direction.
I-it has not undergone any strange crafting, desu wa!? protested the flustered Karin, missing the point slightly. Despite that interlude, her first merchandise-introduction stream proceeded with high ratings one way or another.
―――――――――――――――――――――――――――
And so, as I announced in the recent-news post and elsewhere, the March 18 release of Ojou-sama Buzz volume two will genuinely offer a Karin ojou-sama acrylic stand as a paid bonus, desu wa~! What's more, it features brand-new art drawn by the series illustrator, Fuku Kitsune-sensei! (There's an image in the recent-news post, desu wa!)
It is available from Melonbooks, so please consider it along with the book cover featuring a bonus short story (an additional forum episode set within volume two's timeline), desu wa! (Ojou-samas living outside major cities should be able to order online.)
※Apparently acrylic stands are bonuses available only to works with strong sales that Melonbooks is pushing heavily, so this opportunity truly exists thanks to everyone's support, desu wa! Once again, thank you very much! If you find the series entertaining, continued support through stars and follows would help the wind at volume two's back and make me tremendously happy, desu no!