Chapter 71 – Asking for Teachings from the Master

It’s аll аbоut сonnectiоns.

Frоm the Anсient Witch, I lеаrnеd аbоut thе existеnce оf thе Witch оf thе Мind аnd hоw to сountеr her.

Using the hints I оbtаinеd, I grаsped thе cluе of Dungeon АSМR.

Once I had thаt, thе rest was simple.

I just neеdеd to master Dungeon АSМR myself!

Fоrtunatеlу, thаnks tо a collab strеam I did last Сhristmаs, I hаd alreаdу mаde cоntact with hеr—the master of Dungеоn ASMR.

Nоw wаs the timе to makе use of that сonnесtion!!

“Sorry for cоntaсting уоu out оf the blue.”

Наving tаken on Sрicе’s fоrm, I rеасhed оut tо hеr via Zаkkо.

Seraph Batra.

The leader of the streamer group Jane Doe, and a woman hailed as the foremost authority on Dungeon ASMR.

She writes her own scripts and handles the direction herself.

She also has a side as a multi-creator.

‘Oh, good evening! Little Spice, I’m so happy to hear from you!’

While she presents a big-sisterly persona on stream, her private voice is sweet and gentle.

Hmm, just talking to her on the call feels like it’s emitting alpha waves…

‘So, the fact that you contacted me means… you’re thinking of doing it?’

“That’s right! I’m thinking of doing it! Dungeon ASMR!!”

For the battle against the Witch of the Mind, this is the only way to recover if I get hit by her attacks!

Dungeon ASMR—to sear Spice’s voice into the Peppers and the Meat Brigade!

‘Well then, how about we go shopping for all the necessary equipment? We could buy it online, but you really can’t tell unless you try it out in person.’

“I see!! So, should I come as Spice?”

‘I think it’s fine to come as you are. I’m actually a little curious about Ms. Spice’s original form.’

“I, I see… So it’s okay to come as an old man. In my temporary old man mode.”

‘Ufufu, that’s how it goes, right? When you stream with an avatar like this, it’s like… your personality gets taken over by the avatar, in a way…’

“You feel that way too, Ms. Batra!?”

‘The longer you’ve been doing it, the more it happens. Well, in terms of work experience, you might be my senior, Ms. Spice. I only worked a regular job for about three years, after all.’

“I, I see… Well then, I’ll be in your care! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule~!”

‘Not at all~. I’m looking forward to collaborating with the currently trending Little Spice too~!’

Man, she’s such a good person.

All the top-tier streamers are proper, sensible people.

And so, I found myself heading into the city center.

To meet a work colleague—a woman I was meeting in person for the first time.

I had to make sure to dress properly.

Fortunately, there were a few days before Batra had an opening in her schedule.

I went to a menswear store and prepared a reasonably proper outfit.

This is quite the expense…!!

‘You could have just used Metamorphose to go.’

“That works on my real body too!? No way it does. Even if I put Shogo’s avatar over Spice, if the magic wore off in the middle of the city, wouldn’t that be a disaster?”

‘Master is cute, so it’d be fine!’

“It would not be fine!? I do live in society, you know, so there’s this thing called dignity as a working adult…”

‘So you haven’t been corrupted yet… You’ll need three Grimoires.’

“Damn it… this Grimoire might be my enemy.”

And so, dressed in a fairly respectable outfit, I headed for the city center.

At the meeting spot stood a woman with purple-mesh hair tied up, wearing a lace shirt and loose pants.

She was subtly glancing around her surroundings.

Could it be…?

I sent a message via Zakko.

Then her face brightened up, and she looked my way.

Hmm, she’s beautiful…!!

Her makeup was perfect, blending a mature feel with a girly touch.

She came pattering over.

“Could you be… Little Spice?”

“Yes. You must be Ms. Batra. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you~! Wow, you’re so tall! On stream, you’re so tiny.”

“There’s over a 50-centimeter height difference… That body is really nimble, so it’s easy to move around in.”

We were talking in hushed tones to avoid revealing our identities, but this was the city center.

It was crowded, and no one was paying attention to other people’s conversations.

But still, just in case… you never know.

“Well then, shall we go?”

“Yes, I’ll lead the way.”

And so it was decided.

I would have liked to go to a large electronics retailer, but apparently, they don’t carry the more niche items.

Our destination was a specialty audio equipment store.

“With ASMR, you really can’t tell unless you try it out yourself. Oh, this store is safe. You saw Batra show a card at the entrance, right? It’s membership-based; you can’t get in without a referral. So everyone inside is either a streamer or a voice actor.”

“What kind of world is this…!!”

I looked around the store.

Unlike a big-box retailer, products weren’t just hanging on the walls.

Several trial areas were set up, where customers were wearing headphones, each checking the resonance of microphones on their own…

Whoa, the trial headphones—every single one is a high-end product costing at least six figures (in yen).

“This is the affordable section here. With some effort, most people can still reach this level…”

“What did you say?”

“The real deal is in the basement.”

“The world of ASMR is too deep…!!”

And so, into the abyss of Dungeon ASMR…!!