chapter01 · 007-ep7
Episode 7: "The Strongest Appears in the Comments"
The explorer board on an anonymous message board, late at night. The kind of thread that only goes up the morning after a frenzy appeared there once again.
"[Theory] Thread to Investigate the Identity of 'R,' Who Sent the Maximum Superchat to the Course"
【1: If you watched last night's celebration stream, you know. A maximum-amount superchat, message just "Congratulations." Sender: one letter, "R." Theory squad, time to work】
【3: An editor trying to pitch him a book deal】
【5: A major clan scouting him. Maybe Genbu's getting ready to do a one-eighty】
【8: Just a rich beginner. Boring】
【11: Looked through explorers whose names start with R. ...Well, there's the most famous one, but】
【12: Don't say it】
【14: Rei Kenjo. S-rank #1. Humanity's strongest. —Yeah, yeah, no chance. Number one is nine thousand kilometers away on an expedition to an unconquered dungeon right now】
【17: True. Sorry, forget it】
【23: More importantly, I dug up something interesting. Official Association records. The first ever E-to-C skip-level passer—eight years ago, seventeen years old, an unaffiliated sword trainee. Name: Rei Kenjo】
【24: Everybody found that out yesterday】
【26: There's more. The recommender field. No clan name. It says "recommendation by an individual certified coach." The individual's name is redacted. —Meaning the person who first took in and raised humanity's strongest, back when nobody knew him, wasn't an organization at all. It was an individual coach whose name isn't even on the record】
【29: ...Hey】
【31: Stop】
【33: I'm not saying it. No way am I saying it】
【36: Eight years ago, an unknown individual coach got an unaffiliated washout through a skip-level exam. This year, an unknown individual coach got an unaffiliated washout through a skip-level exam. —Funny how coincidences happen twice】
【38: Take it to the paranormal board】
The thread kept growing past noon, stopping one step short of a conclusion because nobody could bring themselves to write the final line.
◇
As for me, that day was peaceful too.
Cooked rice, flipped through notebooks, prepped for the night's stream. Day eighteen of my wholesome unemployed life.
The only unpeaceful things were the numbers—and that thing last night. A maximum-amount superchat from "R." I couldn't return it; this streaming site had no refund function. So last night I'd bowed and said, "I'll gratefully put it toward running the course." Not that the operating expenses of this course amounted to much beyond 30,000 yen in secondhand gear and the rice I eat.
"...R, huh."
Teacup in hand, I looked at that single letter again. It still left me strangely unsettled.
For an instant, my students' faces surfaced at the back of my mind. I dismissed the thought. They're working on the front lines for all humanity. Every second of an S-rank's time is booked by the world. There's no way any of them has time to tip some no-name old guy's stream.
"No point thinking about what I can't know."
I went back to leafing through my notebooks. Tonight was lesson eighteen. I'd settled on the subject long ago. One of the real foundations of all fundamentals—the center of gravity.
◇
That night, I hit the Start Streaming button, and the viewer count passed 【50,000】 in the first minute.
"Good evening, this is Shin. A lot of you seem to be new, so here's the usual: this is a course for beginners. No flashy techniques. No talk about the strongest gear. It's dull. Probably shockingly dull."
【We know】
【Fifty thousand of us came to hear that】
【Found out who R is yet?】
【Here from the theory thread】
"I don't know who R-san is either. If they ever tell me, I'll thank them properly. —Now, lesson eighteen. Today we're talking about 'where your center of gravity is.'"
I opened the notebook I'd picked out for tonight.
"When a person is standing, their center of gravity is generally a little below the navel. ...That's the textbook answer, and it's just the introduction. The real point is that your center of gravity moves. Even when you don't know it's happening."
"Watch recordings of people who die by the third layer, and almost without exception, the same thing happens seconds before they're hurt. Their center of gravity rises, then flees to their heels. They think they haven't moved an inch, but their center of gravity has already run off ahead of them. Once your weight's on your heels, you can't move in a pinch. You can't move, so you take the hit."
【Oh... that's me】
【Quit talking about what happened to me last week】
"And here's the real point of today's lesson. Why does it move without you noticing? The truth is, your center of gravity—"
That was when it happened.
A line with an unfamiliar mark slipped smoothly through the flood of comments.
A verification badge. A blue mark only official accounts get.
【Rei Kenjo · Official】 "There's a second part to that explanation. 'Your center of gravity follows where your heart goes'—right, Sensei?"
The comment section stopped.
In a classroom of fifty thousand people, not one of them typed a thing. Three seconds. Three long seconds.
Then it exploded.
【What????】
【!?!?!?】
【Verified badge. That's a verified badge. Not an impersonator】
【Humanity's strongest??? Why??? This is a BEGINNER COURSE???】
【Did he just say "Sensei"?】
【He did. He said "right, Sensei?"】
【HE SAID SENSEI!!!!】
【Was the theory thread RIGHT!?】
【K-Kenjo Rei!? Is that really you!?】
Even Hina-chan's comments were swallowed by the torrent. The screen began updating a beat late. The viewer count couldn't keep up with its own digits. Apparently a load warning was showing across the site.
As for me.
I pushed up my glasses and read the line twice.
...Verified badge. Official. Real name. Streaming sites have gotten convenient these days. Still.
"...Rei-kun?"
His name came out more naturally than I'd expected after two years.
"Rei-kun, you shouldn't be slacking off on your expedition."
The comment section exploded again.
【Slacking...】
【Humanity's strongest getting scolded】
【They know each other. They ACTUALLY know each other】
【"Sensei" confirmed】
【World, behold the legendary no-name course】
【Rei Kenjo · Official】 "I'm not slacking off. I finished the work over there before coming back. ...And that lesson is my favorite one. I couldn't help myself."
"'Couldn't help myself' isn't an excuse. And don't jump ahead in somebody else's lesson. That was the best part today."
【Rei Kenjo · Official】 "Sorry."
【He apologized!?】
【Number one sitting up straight and taking his scolding (artist's impression)】
"...Well, fine. Since we're here, let's continue. —As Kenjo-kun just said."
I looked down at the notebook. This was a page I'd written eight years ago for my first student.
"Your center of gravity follows where your heart goes. When you're afraid, your heart wants to retreat. Your center of gravity follows it onto your heels. When you're anxious, your heart wants to hurry up and finish, and it leans forward. Your center of gravity follows it, floating up on your toes. —You can't fix it by fixing your body alone. That's why half of training your center of gravity is training where you place your mind. Breathe out slowly. Grip the floor with your toes. That isn't about muscles. It's a procedure for bringing your mind all the way down to the soles of your feet."
【Goosebumps】
【What the hell am I listening to in a beginner course】
【Rei Kenjo · Official】 "I still make a fist with my toes inside my shoes before entering a dungeon. I haven't missed a day in eight years."
【Humanity's strongest??? Does that basic drill??? EVERY DAY???】
【Hey, I get it. I actually get it now】
【This old guy built the fundamentals of humanity's strongest】
【The world is finally putting the pieces together】
Near the end of the stream, I looked properly at the number in the corner of the screen for the first time.
Concurrent viewers: 【418,229】.
I found out later that the previous domestic record for a dungeon-related broadcast was apparently 390,000, set three years ago by Genbu's all-out official broadcast of its "Deep Layer, Fiftieth Layer — Simultaneous Assault."
And a beginner course about centers of gravity had beaten it.
"...Well, that's it for today."
I cut the stream as usual.
◇
A corner of the arrivals lobby at Narita Airport.
Rei Kenjo looked down at his terminal, one hand holding the handle of his suitcase.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He'd planned to check into a hotel after landing, get himself presentable at daybreak, arrange two years' worth of words in the proper order, and then go see him. A perfect plan, assembled over nine thousand kilometers in the air.
But after landing, he'd opened his terminal and found the course live, and of all possible subjects it was the center of gravity—and before he knew it, his fingers had moved.
Rei reflected on the way his plan had fallen apart using the "observation" his teacher had drilled into him. When you're anxious, your heart leans forward. Your center of gravity rises onto your toes. —He knew full well that his had been floating for two straight years.
Rei breathed out slowly and gently curled his toes inside his leather shoes. Then he opened a contact—not the streaming account, but the one he'd saved eight years ago and hadn't been able to delete or call in the last two—and typed a short message.
【I'll come see you tomorrow. —I'll tell you everything.】
Send.
Feeling his center of gravity settle to the floor for the first time in two years, humanity's strongest swordsman walked slowly toward the exit and into the night.