Chapter-10 · EP-163
Episode 163: Unsung Hero
The morning after the massive outbreak of Angry Goblins, I came to school as if nothing had happened.
Looking back, it felt both like a major incident and a good training session.
After parting ways with the annoying streamers, we went on to challenge the third-floor boss, the Hobgoblin.
And Murasakimura and the others, now level 3, defeated it with ease.
We ended our exploration there, returned to the surface, submitted the dungeon recorder footage to the Guild, reported on those annoying guys, and parted ways.
The Guild official made a sour face and said, "If this is true, we'll have no choice but to revoke their explorer licenses." So those guys probably wouldn't get off lightly.
Somehow, solo exploration was fun, but exploring with companions like yesterday was also fun. Well, it was fun because those guys were obedient and followed my instructions; if it were unmotivated guys like Shiraishi and Mizuno, it probably wouldn't be.
Also, when we finished the exploration, Murasakimura and the other two thanked me profusely. It felt good.
Thinking that going exploring with others might be interesting, I entered the classroom.
The classroom seemed more buzzing than usual.
The reason became clear the moment Murasakimura arrived.
When Murasakimura and Sendo slid the classroom door open with a rattle and entered together, Samejima, who had been waiting by the entrance, spoke to Murasakimura in a loud voice.
"Murasakimura-kun~! I saw it~!"
"Huh?"
Murasakimura was confused by Samejima's affected voice.
He wasn't just being approached by Samejima; he was surrounded by the girls in the class.
"A clip video~! It's trending~!"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
I thought I heard "clip video"... I had a bad feeling.
"Last night, a friend from middle school contacted me and told me. That Murasakimura-kun is in a video!"
Samejima said, showing her smartphone to Murasakimura.
Curious, I quietly stood up from my seat and approached the group.
Looking at Samejima's phone screen, Murasakimura answered.
"This is… footage from yesterday?"
"It was streamed without permission…"
Sendo, looking at it with him, was exasperated.
It seemed to be footage from Benzo and the others' stream yesterday. They said their channel was terminated, so why could it still be seen?
"Probably, viewers who recorded the stream have uploaded it as short videos."
I understood Sendo's explanation.
Sneaking a peek at Samejima's phone screen, I saw clear footage of Murasakimura fighting the Angry Goblins.
Samejima continued.
"So, this video went viral, and online investigators looked into Murasakimura-kun's identity. Someone found a photo of him on BLACK SWAN's Photogram."
Photogram was a social media site for posting photos.
BLACK SWAN was the shop we visited when Murasakimura did the modeling. They said they were taking photos for a magazine, but they must have posted them on Photogram too.
"Ah, so that's how you knew it was me."
"Yeah. A friend who read the comments on Photogram asked me about you, what kind of person Murasakimura-kun is."
I also opened Photogram on my own phone.
My account had zero friends and zero posts – I didn't even remember why I registered.
When I searched for "BLACK SWAN," I immediately found Murasakimura's photo.
It was him in front of the shop, standing next to a roadside tree, looking up diagonally. Hilarious.
I read the comments.
'I am Kyoya Murasakimura, a first-year at Tokyo Dungeon Academy. I'm still level 1, but my dream for the future is to become the world's greatest explorer.'
'The BLACK SWAN 26SS blade-resistant jacket and pants worn by Murasakimura-kun are also featured in this month's issue of "TOKYO STREET BOYS" (July issue).'
I see. He was still level 1 back then.
As I was reflecting, I heard Samejima's husky voice again.
"So, Murasakimura-kun! You're going to be in TOKYO STREET BOYS, right?"
"Ah, yeah. They said the photos were for a magazine feature."
"I've already reserved three copies!"
Other girls next to Samejima chimed in, "Me too," "Me too." What was with these guys? Why buy three copies of the same magazine?
Wondering the same, Murasakimura asked Samejima.
"Why do you need three copies for yourself?"
"Because! One for viewing, one for preserving, and one as a spare in case something happens. That's why three."
What was the spare for?
"Ah, but since it's the commemorative issue for Murasakimura-kun's modeling debut, it might become a collector's item. Maybe I'll buy another one."
Samejima started saying more incomprehensible things.
Sendo, who had been silently looking at his phone next to Murasakimura, spoke to him.
"Kyoya. This isn't bad. Looking at the comments, they're almost all favorable towards you. We thought you'd gain recognition after graduating, but becoming famous now isn't a bad thing."
"I see. I'll do my best."
Murasakimura answered Sendo's words with a smile.
Samejima, unable to read the room, spoke to Murasakimura.
"Oh, right, Murasakimura-kun. My friend wants me to send a photo of you. Can I take one? A two-shot with me."
"Ah, sure, if that's okay…"
Watching her go at him so aggressively, I suddenly remembered something.
"Hey, Samejima, didn't you say before that Murasakimura was pathetic?"
The next moment, Samejima's sharp punch landed in my gut.
"Ugh! Trying to destroy the evidence?"
Murasakimura and Sendo, seeing this, laughed happily.
Another girl called out to Sendo.
"Sendo-kun and Akaishi-kun were there too, right? You guys were fighting in the distance; it showed a little."
"Yeah. We were fighting at a distance, but Kyoya went alone to rescue the streamers."
"You two held back the other goblins, right? Amazing!"
The girls let out excited cheers.
"I was there too, you know."
The words slipped out, but Samejima, not believing me, glared.
"So what? You're not even in the footage!"
That was because I was further away, holding back the main horde... but it was too much trouble to explain.
Then Murasakimura quickly came to my defense.
"It's true. Ichinose-kun defeated most of the Angry Goblins."
Even hearing that, Samejima didn't believe it.
"But you're not in the footage at all. Murasakimura-kun is just being kind, covering for Ichinose who didn't do anything, right?"
"No, that's not it…"
"No, it's fine, Murasakimura."
I couldn't be bothered to make excuses, so I went back to my seat. On the way, Yuno, looking at her phone screen, spoke to me.
"Shirou, you went with Murasakimura-kun and the others?"
"Hmm? Yeah."
"You fought together?"
"Yeah. Murasakimura became the hero, but I'm always treated like a background character."
Hearing my mutter, Yuno looked me in the eye and offered words of comfort.
"I think people like that are called 'unsung heroes.' It means heroes who perform great deeds without seeking fame."
Taken aback by the sudden comment, I was confused.
I was used to being put down, but not to being praised.
"Unsung hero, huh… That's not bad."
I managed to answer with a smile.
This concludes Chapter 10.
Thank you for following Shirou's growth so far.
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