Chapter 31, AI, and the Newly Recruited Noel Arisugawa!

Translator: Lizz

 

Fukurokouji Michimune is panicking. In the dimly lit President’s office, he holds his head in his hands, alone.

 

Over the past few days, the performance of the affiliated streamers has been far from promising.

 

On top of that, some members cause trouble outside of streaming, and he even faces issues that might lead to breach-of-contract penalties for advertisements.

 

“This is bad. Seriously bad.”

 

He has always favored employees he likes and fired those he doesn’t without hesitation. Now, the consequences of that are starting to catch up with him.

 

On SNS, posts claiming they were fired by him are gradually spreading. Michimune doesn’t know this yet, but he senses an unsettling atmosphere around him.

 

There are even rumors circulating that he used to habitually sexually harass female employees and part-timers. That is true.

 

Because of this, both Team Dead End and Michimune himself are starting to face heavy criticism online.

 

Even the previously planned Team Dead End Special Live isn’t making any progress. If things stay like this, a huge loss is inevitable. That’s why various parties are suddenly pulling back.

 

He also considers whether he needs to change the plan to have Ai’s team challenge the ‘Dark Dragon’s Lair’.

 

The reason is that rumors are flying around that the designated exploration site for the next Dungeon Festival might be the Dark Dragon’s Lair.

 

In the Dungeon Festival, participants must enter the dungeon specified by the Guild. The location is kept secret until the last moment, but sometimes information leaks. Whether true or not, there’s talk that the next one will be the Dark Dragon’s Lair.

 

If things go on like this, the project will overlap and lose its freshness. Ai’s team might end up exploring the same dungeon repeatedly. Everything becomes a source of stress.

 

More than anything, if this continues, the revenue drop could be far worse than just a downward trend.

 

If that happens, how should he explain it to the Chairman and shareholders?

 

“N-no! I still have hope. Our number one is still here. Ai, and the newly recruited Noel Arisugawa! That’s right. If it’s those two—”

 

Michimune suddenly realizes. Come to think of it, their dungeon exploration stream is about to start, isn’t it?

 

He opens his laptop, logs into Utube, and begins watching Ai’s stream in real time.

 

◇

 

A group of people are  standing at the entrance of a rundown building somewhere in Tokyo.

 

One of them is Ai, the central figure and leader of today’s stream. Following her is Noel Arisugawa, who also has a large number of Utube subscribers.

 

In addition, there are two guest explorers and one person assigned to carry the gear.

 

None of them are veterans, but they all have a decent amount of exploration experience.

 

Ai is killing time at the entrance of the worn-out building, fiddling with her smartphone.

 

“Ai-san, ten seconds to go!”

 

The gear carrier calls out cheerfully.

 

“Okayyy.”

 

Ai sounds somewhat listless. Maybe she’s in a bad mood from waking up early.

 

As for Noel Arisugawa, he tries to appear calm, but he can’t hide his nervousness.

 

He’s still being criticized on other channels for abandoning the popular streamer Aoi and running away. That’s why he wants to redeem himself here.

 

“Three… two… one…”

 

“Heeey! Good morning, everyone! It’s Ai! So today, well, it’s kind of a classic dungeon, but I’m exploring with some amazing people!”

 

: Good morning, Ai-chan!

: Mornin’

: You’re as cute as ever, Ai-chan

: This place is a classic. But that’s what makes it great

: It’s been a while since an exploration stream

: Can’t wait!

: Amazing people?

: Who could it be?

: Could it be…!

: Morning, Ai!

: So happy to see Ai-chan again today

: Morning

: Hello

: Please say something about the agency situation!

: It’s starting!

: Good morning

: It’s hereee

: The hype is real today too

 

A livestream on a channel with over a million subscribers quickly receives a flood of comments.

 

At that moment, Ai feels a slight discomfort with the comment section.

 

(Why are they asking me about the agency? Like I’d know.)

 

But she quickly shifts gears and beckons Arisugawa over.

 

“Curious who it is, right? Weeeell… it’s a super popular handsome streamer! Noel Arisugawa-kun! Come on over, Arisugawa!”

 

“Yo! Sorry for the sudden collab! I got invited and jumped right in. We’re going deep today, so let’s go!”

 

Noel Arisugawa is known for his overwhelming popularity among women. With someone like him joining, subscriber numbers are bound to explode, and concurrent viewers will break past previous limits into a whole new dimension.

 

Ai is convinced of that, but the comment section begins to overflow with unexpected remarks.

 

: Ohhh

: Awesome

: …Wait

: Arisugawa’s here!

: This is kinda…

: He’s good-looking

: Don’t wanna see this guy

: Ai-chan, run!

: Isn’t this the guy who left his collab partner to die?

: Ehhhhhh

: Huh?

: Looking forward to it

: This is a bit…

: No no no no no

: It was definitely a surprise

: Hmm

: That’s Ai-chan for you!

: Heard they’re in the same agency now, but already teaming up, huh

: You okay?

: You really shouldn’t do this

: This is gonna break records

: Whoa

: Good luck!

: This is seriously bad

 

(What the hell is this reaction? He’s dragging down my stream.)

 

Seeing the comment section, Ai glares at Arisugawa for a moment. But she quickly puts on a smile and tries to carry on as if nothing happened.

 

“Okayyy! Let’s dive in today too. It’s basically a warm-up for Dungeon Fest. I’m aiming to casually break a new record in this dungeon!”

 

“Got it! Ai, leave it to me. I’ve been in here plenty of times, and if anything happens, I’ll protect you.”

 

Ai seems off today. Some viewers tilt their heads in confusion on the other side of the screen.

 

Meanwhile, others feel irritated by Noel Arisugawa’s claim that he’ll protect her, especially since he abandoned Aoi not long ago.

 

With an uneasy atmosphere hanging in the air, Ai and her team step into the dungeon.