Chapter 81 – The Witch of the Mind Invades

Latelу, реrhарs becausе I’vе been dоing a lot оf сhаt strеаms…

It sеems the Witсh of the Мind hаs finallу run оut оf раtienсe.

Wе’ve beеn wаging а quiеt war for thrеe mоnths, after all.

Shе’s bеen launching terriblу tеdious attacks, like сrеating small Dungeons with monstеrs shе contrоls and hаrаssing оthеr Streamers.

And nоw, it seems shе’s stаrtеd causing smаll-sсаle, artifiсial Stamрedes.

For the rесord, the first Stаmрedе ocсurred around thе time I rеvеaled my true identitу to Маshirо and wаs supprеssеd bу Yatagаrasu, whо just hарреned tо bе thеre shорping.

Apparently, Yatagarasu had come to buy a Kiraboshi Hazuki figure.

“It was a re-release, so I couldn’t miss it. I was too busy to pre-order the first run.”

“I see, I see.”

Yatagarasu and I are in that city right now!

We’re in a private room at a cafe, drinking coffee and chatting.

This actually happened because I ran into him by chance.

Since it was a good opportunity, we decided to chat, and now we’re here…

By the way, Yatagarasu was really enjoying his coffee float.

“At my place, I have all the Now Fantasy figures lined up too. I have a figure room, so even though it’s a 2LDK, I’m practically living in just one room.”

“You live a more… eccentric life than I imagined…”

“It’s the spice of life. Plus, I want to support my friend’s little sister… And also, Ms. Spice, these small Stampedes have been popping up all over the place lately. Things are getting dangerous. Smaller Streamers must be in a pinch, right?”

“I see… I think it’s because she’s getting impatient too.”

“Is it related to the Witch of the Mind? But somehow… doesn’t it feel smaller in scale compared to the earlier Witches? The Witch of Flame felt more like a natural disaster, didn’t she? I was asleep that day, so I only saw the Archive.”

‘Oh, shall I explain?’

“That’s Little Flota, right? Please, go ahead.”

‘Haaai. Well, you see, she’s sending Mind Magic from her homeland, influencing us here via the Otherworld. Honestly, the distance is just too great for her to exert her full power. So, I think next, she’ll personally cross over into the Otherworld to get closer to us! Even for that Abazure, this is risky, so I think she wanted to save it as a last resort—’

“I see. So the final battle with the Witch of the Mind is near.”

‘It should be soon, right? But her desperate struggles are truly nasty, so you’d better be careful! The reason we’ve been preparing for these three months is because we will definitely get hit by those desperate struggles, and we need to recover from them quickly!’

“So that’s what it was? I wondered why you suddenly started ASMR. I bought your Voice—I listen to it before bed.”

“Whoa, you listen to that!? I have… mixed feelings.”

“Little Spice is cute. Even though she’s the Bratty Girl who mocked me so much during that collab game, she’s cute.”

“You’re still holding a grudge.”

“I’m a persistent guy… Oh, right, right. The reason I ran into you here, Ms. Spice, is maybe…?”

“Yes, I was planning to launch an attack from here. This is a Device to cross the Wall of the World, entrusted to me by the Labyrinth Ministry.”

“It’s tiny!!”

“You attach it to your A-Phone to use it. As long as you have the ability to use Magic, you can cross the Wall of the World in a limited way.”

“So I can’t use it, huh. But the world is getting pretty crazy.”

“Thanks to that, I’m being made to walk around outside in the peak of summer heat. Apparently, the Wall of the World has thinned somewhere. And it seems the Witch of the Mind is fixated on this city…”

“I seeee. Well, I finished pre-ordering the Kiraboshi Hazuki plastic model and have some free time now, so want me to tag along?”

“Is that okay? I’d appreciate it.”

“Okay. It’s my day off, so I should enjoy these sudden events.”

And so it was decided.

With Yatagarasu in tow, I walk around the city.

No reaction at the north exit.

In my Floppy disk is the pilot version of an app developed by the Labyrinth Ministry to detect the dimensional Wall separating worlds—Wall-Breaker-kun.

Because I got on good terms with the Director-General, I was able to get it prioritized.

Hmm, collusion between government and private sector~

That guy also said things like, “You’re like my streaming mentor.”

“I don’t understand Magic Power or anything at all, though…”

Yatagarasu takes something out of his pocket.

A short metal rod.

A retractable Pointer Rod, maybe?

“It resonates in places that feel ‘off.'”

“Ah, so that’s your method.”

“It’s not Magic, but somehow I can tell.”

‘Magic is also a technique, you know. If you master sword technique, it can approximate Magic. It’s a common thing.’

“Ah, I see! So my sword is in the realm of Magic.”

‘Yes, you’re a monster.’

“You and Flota are getting along so amiably, but the content is outrageous.”

We pass through the station to the south exit.

Along the way, Yatagarasu rapidly explains how amazing the alternate hairstyle is—the limited pre-order bonus from Shiawaseya, the manufacturer and seller of the Kiraboshi Hazuki plastic model.

Such passion…

“Do you like Kiraboshi Hazuki?”

“She’s my best friend’s little sister. I want to support her. But, part of my Listener base hates her…”

“Ah, because she’s hard to approach. That’s tough. My Listener base is mostly full of unconditional supporters.”

“They’re the kind of Listeners who wholeheartedly cheer for an old man turning into a little girl. They probably won’t waver over small things.”

“True…”

“Whoa…!”

Yatagarasu stops.

The Floppy disk in my pocket also reacts.

‘Reaction detected. Strong reaction. A small-scale Stampede is about to occur.’

“Alrighty, let’s go then. Let’s hide somewhere out of sight…”

“This is tough… Well, if I’m spotted, it’ll cause a commotion too.”

“Very true.”

“I’ll stand at the entrance, so please use the shadow of the stairs.”

“Nice, thanks! Metamorphose!”

I transform in the shadow of the stairs.

A sudden spiral of black and white light erupts in the middle of the town, causing passersby to turn around in surprise.

And there… is Spice now, that’s what!

“Saved! Okay, Spice is going in!”

“You’re welcome! I can’t go since I don’t have Magic… Huh? Wait, maybe I can go?”

The Floppy disk vibrates brrr, and the app starts up.

The connected Device lights up its LEDs with a flash…

For just a moment, the space in front of Spice’s eyes opens up.

Alright—it’s battle time!!

I’ll start the Stream too.

To fight with any advantage I can get.

“Oh, I got in too!”

“Eh—!?”

I turn around, and there’s Yatagarasu stepping across the Wall of the World.

Before I know it, he’s even done a Virtualize.

“What are you doing, Yatagarasu-saaan!!”

※ ‘Ah, a Guerrilla Stream started!’ ‘Spice-chan and Yatagarasu are suddenly on screen!?’ ‘The background looks weird too…! It’s like those Fantasy Ruins from before!’

“Ughh!! It turned into an impromptu Collab! Oh well! Let’s refocus… Helloo!! Today, we’re finally going to fight the Witch!!”

I forcefully kick off the final battle.