Chapter 26 – Discussing the Future at a Bar, the Old Man and Wei
Chapter 26 – Discussing the Future at a Bar, the Old Man and Wei
Аftеr having a light drink, we еnjоyed mаny deliсiоus dishеs аt thе bаr.
After еating gelаtо for dеssеrt, wе wеrе admittеdly quitе full, so we dесidеd tо take а walk tо settle our stоmаchs.
“Want to seе thе streaming gear I usuallу usе?”
“Ah, yes, yes! I’m nоt mоnetized уet, sо I dоn’t hаvе much leewaу, but…”
“It’s still earlу dауs. And for Littlе Sрiсe, I think yоu’ll probаbly be able tо mаnage it аftеr this cоllab.”
So thаt’s how it is!
An eхpеriеnced person’s оpiniоn is rеаlly hеlpful.
Thе twо оf us visited neаrby mаjоr еlесtroniсs stоrеs.
So уоu don’t necessarily need to go to specialty stores… that’s good to know.
“For us independent streamers, it’s realistic to make do with what we can get, and then gradually upgrade to better stuff once our income stabilizes. You shouldn’t overreach from the start. This editing software is good.”
“Ah, affordable…”
“Download sales have random sales, but here it’s always a bit cheaper.”
“I see… Well then, I’ll buy this.”
‘It’s good to have an experienced senior, isn’t it?’
“Really.”
“Huh!? Are you talking to someone?”
“Ah, well, you see, it’s like a talking A-Phone, or rather, a book-like thing with an AI inside…”
“Whoa! You have some unusual stuff. Is it a one-off? I see, I see. That could be a real asset.”
Even when looking at Flota, he seems genuinely impressed.
He seems trustworthy.
After visiting several stores and doing some shopping, it was a good time, so the two of us entered an izakaya.
We toasted with beer.
The first glass is fine, but I don’t like beer that much, so from the second glass onward, I’ll go with a sour.
“Wow, quitting your salaryman job to become a streamer!? And you’re doing well. I’ve never worked for a company.”
“Is that so!? Mr. Charaway, you’re the one who seems really put together.”
“I was originally a pro gamer. But with the world being a Dungeon, real-life interactions are impossible, right? Thanks to people in the past risking their lives to spread the internet, we can still do things like chat, but…”
“Yeah… that’s true. Ah, so you mean things like world tournaments can’t be held.”
“Exactly! The lag is terrible! You really need to be able to gather in person. So, I became a streamer thinking I’d try to realize that kind of world.”
“That’s a lofty ambition…! I kinda respect that. For me, it was more about making a living and such. Well, there are other reasons too.”
The real reason… I’ll wait until I’ve gotten a better read on this man, Charaway.
I think he’s a good person, but I need to actually stream with him and see if he’s worthy of revealing my secrets to.
‘Both of you! If you drink too much, it’ll affect tomorrow’s stream! Even though it’s from the evening, when you get older, the alcohol doesn’t leave your system easily!’
Flota said something very reasonable from inside the bag, so Charaway and I ended up looking at each other.
We both laughed.
“Nah, you’re absolutely right! Well then, I’ll cover the bill here.”
“Eh!? That’s not right! Let’s split it…”
“Please let me invest in a promising newcomer’s future. I have high hopes for Little Spice, you know.”
Charaway gave my chest a light tap with his fist.
Even though he’s a guy, it made my heart flutter a bit.
Even though on stream he’s all ‘Hyahha!’
And so, the next day!
After getting myself in condition, I hurried to the site where I had a collab reservation with Charaway.
The location was a section of road.
Here, a car that had been driving aggressively rammed into the rear of a truck, crushing the front and sandwiching the driver in metal.
And that driver’s misplaced grudge is what Dungeonized this road.
Talk about misplaced.
But most Dungeons are like this.
People who boil with selfish hatred get used as fuel for this system that creates Dungeons, exploited by unreasonable anger… or something like that.
“Little Spice, over here!”
“Ah, hey.”
A HiAce was parked on-site.
So this is Charaway’s car.
Inside were staff he had hired, handling the driving.
“Please Virtualize inside this car. Onlookers are already gathering at the site. Man, even though they know it’s dangerous, the gawkers never stop coming. When a Dungeon gets attention or becomes widely known, it somehow gets bigger and stronger.”
“Doesn’t it get bigger if it’s left alone for a long time?”
“The monsters inside increase if it’s left alone. But the Dungeon itself getting bigger happens when it becomes widely known. Among streamers, there are those who don’t clear Dungeons but just amusingly spread the word about dangerous ones, and those guys are increasing the danger.”
We gotta do something about that, Charaway muttered.
“Ah, it’s time.”
“Yo, shall we go then!”
Charaway picked up his A-Phone.
“Virtualize!”
His form was rewritten.
A slightly stylish, trendy-looking guy transformed into a mohawked, spiked-shoulder-padded, ripped-sleeve leather jacket-wearing, muscular giant.
He smoothly put on sunglasses, looking very much like himself.
And as for me…
“Metamorphose Spice!”
A black-and-white spiral welled up from the seat I was sitting in and enveloped me.
In the light, I was remade into a beautiful girl!
Lustrous, shining black hair in twin tails.
Black and white ribbons on each side.
An apron dress with a maid-like style, with a brooch shaped like a pepper shaker at the chest.
Black patent leather pumps with ribbons attached, very cute.
“Whoa, that’s not Virtualize!?”
Charaway seemed astonished.
So it’s been found out…
Spice is a little different from other streamers…
And so, the two of us opened the door and stepped out!
“Ah! A brutal giant in an Apocalypse-world style and a petite, Gothic Lolita-esque beautiful girl stepped out together from the HiAce!”
“Incident! …Just kidding, it’s Charaway and… Little Spice!!”
The onlookers erupted in excitement.
They must have been listeners…
But from here on out, I’ll act as a professional.
“Everyone~! He~llo! I’m the Magical Girl-type streamer, Black Pepper Spice!! Today, guess what, I’m doing a collab with Mr. Charaway!!”
The comment section expanded around us, comments flowing in with a ‘Whoa!’
Yeah, yeah, quite a reaction.
On Charaway’s stream slot, it also seemed to be very well received.
“Hyahha! We had a fateful encounter, and now we meet again here to challenge a Dungeon!! Watch the exploits of the strongest combo with your eyes wide open! No blinking allowed!!”
Whoa, Charaway used something like a flamethrower to shoot flames into the air.
But looking closely, they weren’t real flames, but that kind of hologram.
We adventure streamers operate in accordance with Japanese law, so we do not carry dangerous items.
“Alright, the stream is starting! Spice has also learned a new skill, so I think I’ll show it to everyone!”
With high tension, the Dungeon clearing collab stream begins.
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