Chapter 29
「Alright, we will now present the winner Takashi with his prize and conduct an interview! Please bear with us for a moment while we make some preparations!」
Teshigawara says this and bows his head towards the camera.
As Isamu also deeply bows his head,
「Okay, we’re good to go! Mr Teshigawara and Mr Taida, please put on your headgear!」
Kimura’s voice reaches his ears shortly after.
「Phew. Great job, Mr. Taida!」
「Ah, yes! Great work everyone!」
「You exceeded my expectations with your commentary! I had no idea you were so knowledgeable about the game.」
「Oh, thank you so much! I’m relieved to hear you say that.」
「Excuse me! Here is Mr Teshigawara’s headgear!」
As Isamu is talking with Teshigawara, one of the staff members comes running over.
The staff member hands the headgear to Teshigawara while peeling off a sticker.
「Thank you!」
「Alright! Here you are, Mr Taida!」
「Thank you very much!」
Isamu receives his headgear in the same way.
This is a personal item he brought from home.
The other day, Kimura sent an email telling him to bring it, and he had handed it over before the rehearsal.
「Sorry to keep you waiting!」
This time, Kimura comes running over, replacing the staff member.
「As we discussed in the meeting, activating the headgear will teleport you to the center of the event map! Takashi should be there, so please conduct the interview.」
「Got it.」
「Got it!」
「Also, I’ve added the grand prize to Mr. Taida’s inventory. So please present it to Takashi using the gift function!」
「Roger that!」
The winner receives it directly from Isamu. The game admins will send the prizes separately to the other top finishers.
This is also just as they heard in the meeting.
「Well then, please begin whenever you’re ready!」
「Alright. We shouldn’t keep Takashi waiting, so let’s get started.」
「Alright!」
Isamu and Teshigawara put on their headgear and touch the button on the side, leaping into the world of Dream Fantasy.
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When he opens his eyes, he finds himself in the middle of the forest with lush trees that he had just seen on screen.
A little way ahead is the ever-handsome middle-aged gentleman – Takashi.
「Everyone, sorry to keep you waiting! First, let’s find Takashi… Oh, there he is!」
Saying this, Teshigawara walks towards Takashi.
As Isamu moves his feet to follow, Takashi notices the two of them and comes running over.
「Takashi, congratulations on your victory! That was magnificent!」
「…Thank you very much!」
After winking at Isamu, Takashi returns his gaze to Teshigawara and responds.
As expected of Takashi. He has a firm grasp of the time, place and occasion, and doesn’t make an unseemly display like immediately greeting Isamu upon reuniting or asking Teshigawara for a handshake.
「Well then, let’s jump right into the interview! First, could you tell us how you’re feeling right now?」
「Let’s see. I never imagined I would actually win, so to be honest, I’m a bit bewildered. But of course, I’m thrilled!」
「I see, thank you! Next, I’d like to touch on the battle royale itself. What would you say was the key to your victory?」
「It was landing the instant death effect of Assassin Attack at the very end. To be frank, it was a long shot.」
Takashi answers with a wry smile.
In reality, he probably never thought he’d actually hit the jackpot at such a crucial moment.
「I see! I apologize, I’m not very familiar with the Assassin Attack technique. Sieg, do you know about it?」
「Yes. Assassin Attack is a dagger skill that has a low probability of instantly killing the opponent. It was impressive how you managed to get that low probability at that moment.」
「Oh, is that so! So Takashi, were you betting everything on that one strike from the beginning?」
「No, I originally intended to fight normally, but those two looked so strong. I felt I stood no chance against them head-on, so I decided to gamble it all once I was alone.」
(Huh, so that’s how it was. Way to go, Mr. Takashi!)
「Ah, and that paid off! Wow, well done! Takashi, congratulations again on your victory! Now, let’s move on to presenting the grand prize! Sieg, if you would!」
「Yes, the grand prize is the featured item being added in next month’s update, the [Goddess Bracelet]. When equipped, your HP and MP will recover at twice the normal speed. It’s an excellent item. So, I present this to Takashi! Congratulations again on your win!」
In Dream Fantasy, HP and MP gradually recover over time.
Having that recovery speed doubled makes it quite an appealing item.
Isamu opens the menu window and sends the [Goddess Bracelet] to Takashi.
「Thank you very much!」
「With this, we will bring Dream Fantasy’s inaugural event to a close! To all the players who participated, thank you so much! After this, Sieg and I will do a recap of today’s event in the studio, so please stick around until the end!」
Teshigawara bows his head towards the camera floating in front of him.
Isamu also bows, following Teshigawara’s lead. After a while, the camera moves away and the two raise their heads.
「Phew. Great job, Takashi. And sorry for taking up so much of your time.」
「Not at all. Excuse me, the camera’s no longer rolling, right?」
「Yes, until we return to the studio.」
「I see! Teshigawara, I always watch you on TV!」
「Oh, why thank you!」
Teshigawara responds with a smile while extending his hand. Takashi grasps that hand in both of his own and moves it up and down lightly.
After finishing the handshake, this time Takashi extends his hand towards Isamu as he speaks.
「Sieg, it’s been a while! I never thought I’d reunite with you like this.」
「It’s been a long time! I had no idea you were participating either, Mr. Takashi! And to think you’d go on to win!」
「Hm? So you two know each other?」
「Yes, Sieg helped me out in the past.」
「Is that so! As much as I hate to interrupt this reunion, we really must be getting back to the studio. I’m terribly sorry, but…」
Teshigawara interjects apologetically to the two of them.
Hearing this, Isamu and Takashi both start with realization.
「O-oh, I’m sorry!」
「Ah, of course. My apologies.」
「No, I’m the one who should apologize. Well then, shall we… Let’s go, Mr. Tai- I mean, Sieg.」
「Right! See you later then, Mr. Takashi!」
To log out of the game, Isamu and Teshigawara open the menu window.
And the moment they extend their fingers towards the logout button,
「Sieg! If you’re free, meet me at the bench in the plaza at 10 PM today-」
Takashi tries to convey something in a hurried tone, but halfway through, Isamu’s finger touches the button and he ends up logging out.
(Ah… I didn’t catch the end of that… Well, he was probably telling me to come to the bench in the plaza. I don’t know the reason, but I don’t have any plans anyway so I might as well go. I want to talk to Mr. Takashi too.)
「Mr. Teshigawara, Mr. Taida, great work! I’m sorry to ask this of you right after returning, but would it be alright if we resume the broadcast?」
「I’m fine with that.」
「Same here!」
As the two respond simultaneously to Kimura’s words, one of the staff members starts a countdown with their fingers.
And the instant it reaches zero-
「Everyone, sorry to keep you waiting! Now then, we’ll be reviewing the event with commentary from Sieg!」
The live broadcast starts once more.
After that, Isamu diligently fulfills his role as a commentator while watching the digest video of the battle royale.
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