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Tl: Sam

…

“By the way, Hoshino, why did you come here alone?　It’s not for me to tell you, but it’s dangerous to come alone to the middle level.”

　I ask her before resuming my stream, having finished treating her injuries. 　The level of danger is totally different between the upper and middle levels. With her ability to deal with the ogre to some extent, she would probably be fine in the upper levels, but the middle levels are dangerous.

　She might be able to win a head-on fight with a monster in the middle tier, but in the middle tier, the monsters have more options, such as surprise attacks from behind, attacks from a distance, poison and traps, and so on.

　For better or worse, it would be difficult for her to deal with such things.

“Yes. I’m really sorry. ……”

　Hoshino is dejected.

　The most important thing to remember is that you can’t just take a chance on the market.

“I knew it was dangerous. But the number of viewers weren’t growing in the upper levels, so …… I went to the middle levels as a desperate measure. Then for some reason, I was attacked by an ogre.”

“I understand that you were in a hurry because your viewership wasn’t growing, but if you died because of it, you would have lost everything, wouldn’t you?　From the looks of it, Hoshino is still a student, right?　You don’t have to go so hard to get popularity. ……”

　She shook her head as she said this.

She shakes her head. My family is poor and I have to take care of my younger brothers’ tuition. The only way I can earn money while attending college is by being a dungeon streamer or by working in the retail trade. I didn’t have time for pretending to be something I wasn’t.”

　Saying this, she sadly lowered her eyes.

　It seems that there is a deeper reason than I thought. I shouldn’t just reply randomly.

“If that’s the case, then why don’t you join a guild somewhere?　You won’t make as much as the famous streamers, but you’ll get a steady income.”

“I’m sure that’s true, but right now you have to have a college degree to get into a major guild. Everywhere you can get in with a high school degree, the pay is ……”

“Oh, ……, I see.”

　I’m not familiar with the current job market, but apparently, if you don’t have a college degree, you can only get into a black company like the one I was in. It’s sad to see that the wave of the educational mindset has reached this side of society.

“I started working as a streamer because I heard that I could get calls from big companies. And I get more money than if I worked part-time.”

“I didn’t know that was the case. I’m sorry I said all that without knowing it.”

　I bowed my head.

　As I reflect on the fact that I made her talk about something she didn’t want to talk about, she exclaims in a loud voice, “No, it’s okay!”

“I was so happy. I had never had anyone help me like that before. And, you know, when he held me in his arms, I thought, “I wonder what it would be like if I had a father” …… Well, I was kind of moved.” (Tl: That’s… Is that something you say minutes after meeting someone?)

“It’s a nice story, but I’m a little shocked to hear that I would be a father. Do I look that old? “ (Tl mid-life crisis be like (╥﹏╥))

“Ah, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that!　You don’t look old at all!　You look like a dependable older brother, uh, …….”

　She said, her eyes spinning around as if she was troubled.

“It’s a joke, I was just teasing you.”

“Haa. I’m glad to hear that.”

　Hoshino looks relieved.

　I’m not sure if she and I are alike.

　I too started working for Suda’s company after graduating from junior high school because my parents were hospitalized for magic essence poisoning and I had no one to rely on. I was still in middle school and it was the only way for me to earn money to pay for my parents’ hospitalization.

　The days were hard and painful. I was lucky that I didn’t break down. If I had been a company worker for a little longer, I would have broken down.

　When I thought that she was also in such an endless hell, I suddenly felt sad.

　I wanted to help her as much as I could, I thought.

“I’m sorry you had a hard time, Hoshino. …… I understand.”

“What?”

“I can’t take your father’s place, but I will protect you until you get out of this dungeon. I will never leave you alone, so don’t worry.”

“Eh, ah, um, …… yes. I’m looking forward to working with you. ……”

“Pssh,” Hoshino replied while letting steam rise from her head.

　Hm?　Did I do something wrong?

　I tilted my head and looked at my phone.

　Streaming is an effective way to communicate what’s going on. As I was about to resume the stream, I saw something extraordinary.

“What the hell?”

「A confession, ━━━━(゜∀゜)━━━━!」

「 “I’m not going to leave you alone, you’re going to fall in love with me” …….」 (Tl: Leave it to people on the internet to misquote you)

「Noo, I’m turning into a girl too.」

「I’m a guy and my chest is throbbing.」

「My ears are pregnant. Maybe it’s triplets.」 (Tl: Internet slang Used to compliment the sound of someone’s voice or something they say)

「My Tanaka is ……」

「My little Tanaka is ……」

「My Shachiken is ……」

「At last, all we have left is bunch of people who are in love with Tanaka」

「You’ve got new quotes. I’m sure the collection of Shachiken quotes will get thicker.」

「By the way, Yui, you’re a really nice girl. …… Let’s Super chat next time.」

「My bonus will be on fire too.」

「I wish you both the best of luck …… with your wedding stream.」

「[\30000] I know it’s a little early, but here’s my congratulations.」

　To my surprise, the stream was not cut off and the comments were piling up.

　Oh, no. I must have cut off the stream!

「Oh, did you notice?」

「Shachiken, I sure got your passion!」

「You didn’t press the button to turn off the stream, you pressed the button to turn off the video.」

「You pressed the wrong button because they’re right next to each other.」

「I remember when you were a corporate slave, you pressed the wrong button, too.」

「You’re getting good at that, aren’t you?」

「It was nice to have just the sound. It stirs the imagination.」

「I can’t believe “Shachiken AMSR” is already on the D-tube.」

“Uh, ah, u…… shu, end!”

　I panic, and this time, I turn off the stream.

　I didn’t think I’d make the mistake of pressing the wrong button again …….

“I’m sorry. Hoshino’s story seems to have been overheard. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay!　It’s not something I’m hiding, so it’s fine!　Rather than that, wouldn’t it be worse if Tanaka’s words spread? “

　Hoshino says apologetically with a red face.

　She’s a girl who cares about the strangest things.

“I’m not saying anything that I don’t want people to hear, so don’t worry about it.”

“Ahyuu!”

　Hoshino let out steam from her head again.

　I wonder what kind of structure it has. I remember Amatsuki doing the same thing a long time ago.

　Maybe I can ask her how she does it next time I see her.

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