Chapter 30
「Well then, that’s a wrap! Great work everyone!」
「…Phew.」
Isamu and Teshigawara let out simultaneous sighs as they wave at the camera.
The livestream has ended, marking the conclusion of Isamu’s role for the day.
「Taida, excellent job. Your presence made today’s stream go so smoothly. I really appreciate it!」
「Thank you, it’s my pleasure! Honestly, having you by my side helped me get through it without getting too nervous!」
「Haha, I’m glad to hear that. But I must say, not only are you knowledgeable about games, I didn’t expect you to be such a natural speaker. It felt like working with a professional.」
「Oh, thank you so much! Well, I used to work in sales, so maybe that experience came in handy here…」
Isamu responds with an awkward smile, as if it’s a somewhat difficult topic for him.
「In any case, today was a blast! I forgot it was work at times!」
Perhaps sensing Isamu’s discomfort and inferring the reasons behind it, Teshigawara abruptly changes the subject.
(Ah, I made things awkward for him. I feel bad about that.)
「It really was fun. I’m so glad I was invited to participate!」
「――Mr. Teshigawara, Mr. Taida! Thank you both for your hard work today. Now, if you could please join me in the conference room!」
Isamu and Teshigawara follow Kimura to the conference room, where they each receive an envelope of cash and sign for it.
「Well then, I must be off now. I would have liked to chat more, but I have another recording to get to.」
「Wait, you have more work after this!? That’s rough…」
「Haha, I’m grateful to be kept busy. Anyways, Taida, if we happen to run into each other again, whether on a job or in-game, I look forward to it!」
「Yes, absolutely! Thank you again for everything today!」
Isamu grips Teshigawara’s extended hand in a firm handshake.
「You too Kimura, great work. I’m excited for the next event. I’d be delighted if you reached out to me again when the time comes.」
「O-of course! And I apologize for any inconvenience today. We look forward to working with you again!」
「Alright, I’ll be heading out now.」
After shaking Kimura’s hand, Teshigawara exits the conference room.
(Teshigawara is such a great guy. I’ll have to keep an eye out for shows he appears on from now on.)
「Well then, I should probably get going too…」
「Ah, Mr. Taida, thank you so much again for today! I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but your commentary was way more insightful than I expected. Frankly, we were just hoping to have you on as a guest, even if you only sat there without saying much.」
Kimura says this with a laugh.
The fact that they had asked Elena before Isamu suggests they weren’t expecting much in terms of Isamu’s skills as a commentator.
In other words, there was no need for Isamu to have gone out of his way to study up beforehand. Still, his efforts weren’t in vain and proved quite helpful.
「Haha, I appreciate that. Oh right, Mr. Kimura, thank you for reaching out to me for this opportunity!」
「It’s my pleasure! If you’re open to it, we’d love to discuss having you appear again for the second event. Would that be alright?」
「Of course! I’d be happy to, if you’ll have me! You can count on me being there.」
Getting paid the equivalent of over a month’s wages at a convenience store for just one day, roughly 8 hours of work – it doesn’t get much better than that.
Plus, Isamu genuinely had a great time today. He felt a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment that he hasn’t experienced in a while.
Though he doubts he’ll be paid as handsomely next time, Isamu is eager to take on the role again if asked.
That’s why he agrees without hesitation to Kimura’s proposition.
「Thank you! We’ll be in touch then when the time comes. Mr. Taida, thanks again for all your help today! Sorry, I have some work to get to, so I’ll be heading out now.」
「No worries, thank you as well! I’ll be taking my leave then too.」
After bidding farewell to Kimura, Isamu steps out of the Sundapole office.
(Phew. I think I’ll treat myself to something tasty before heading home!)
☆
A few hours later, after thoroughly enjoying some solo yakiniku courtesy of his extra earnings, Isamu returns home in high spirits.
He takes a bath to wash away the day’s fatigue. By the time he checks the clock, it’s almost 10 PM.
(Uh oh! I may have lounged around a bit too long!)
Isamu hastily rummages through his bag for his Headgear and logs into the game while lying in bed.
☆
Upon logging in, Isamu makes a beeline for the central fountain square of Starting Town.
He checks each of the benches surrounding the area one by one until –
(Ah, there he is!)
Isamu rushes over to a man sitting on one of the benches.
「Sorry for the wait!」
「Oh! Sieg, you made it! No worries at all, I’m just glad you’re here.」
The stylish middle-aged man, Takashi, replies.
「I should be the one apologizing for being late! And congratulations again on your victory, Mr. Takashi!」
「Haha, thanks. But honestly, it was just dumb luck.」
「No way, it’s still amazing! I had no idea you were even participating in the tournament!」
「I could say the same to you, Sieg. I was surprised when I saw the announcement that you’d be commentating. I had no idea you were famous enough to get invited for that!」
「Well, there were some extenuating circumstances behind that…」
The two continue chatting on the same bench where they first met.
「Alright, let’s get to the main reason I asked you here. I actually have something I want to give you, Sieg.」
「Give me something?」
Takashi nods, opens his menu window, and taps a few times with his finger.
A system message pops up in front of Isamu:
＜Takashi has sent you an item. Do you wish to accept it?＞
「Hm? I wonder what it could be – wait, what!?」
He absentmindedly accepts the item, but is shocked when he sees what it is. It’s the 「Goddess Bracelet」, the grand prize from the event tournament that Takashi won.
「There we go! I can finally fulfill my promise to you.」
「P-promise…?」
「Don’t tell me you forgot? Remember, when you taught me about this game before, I said that to thank you, I’d give you any special item I managed to obtain.」
(Oh right, I think I did say something like that…)
Initially, Takashi had tried to give Isamu cash as thanks for teaching him about the game.
However, Isamu turned it down, worried it might violate the game’s terms of service regarding real money trading.
That’s when Takashi offered to giveb him any rare item he acquired in the future instead, saying he felt bad not repaying him properly. Isamu had agreed to it at the time.
But he only went along with it to make Takashi feel better.
He never imagined Takashi would actually obtain a rare item and follow through on giving it to him.
「Um, Mr. Takashi, it’s true I said that back then, but I really can’t accept something like this…」
「Hm? You’re not satisfied with it?」
「Ah no, that’s not what I meant… It’s just, I feel bad taking such a rare item from you when I barely did anything to help.」
And for good reason.
The 「Goddess Bracelet」 is an incredibly rare item that, while it will be added in next month’s update, is currently the only one of its kind in the entire game.
Isamu doesn’t have the audacity to just readily accept it.
「Nonsense! If you’re only holding back out of humility, there’s no need for that. Please, I insist you take it. I won’t feel right unless you do!」
「Even so… Oh, I know! Rather than giving it to someone like me, why don’t you give it to your son? I’m sure he’d be thrilled!」
「Well, about that…」
Takashi’s voice trails off as he looks down dejectedly.
(Huh? Don’t tell me…)
His mind jumps to the worst possible conclusion.
「My son… he doesn’t play games anymore. He’s really into soccer these days. As a dad, I’m glad he’s out being active, but part of me feels a bit lonely too…」
(Oh, so that’s what he meant…)
Isamu breathes a sigh of relief, grateful his dire assumptions about divorce or illness were off base.
「I see… So you’ve been playing solo while waiting for your son to get back into gaming someday.」
「Hm? No, that’s not quite it. This is a bit embarrassing to admit at my age, but the truth is, I’ve become genuinely addicted to this game myself. These days, I play with others in similar circumstances as me.」
Isamu is taken aback.
He had assumed Takashi was only playing for his son’s sake, since that’s what Takashi had said when they first met. Takashi had also mentioned he doesn’t usually play games.
Isamu is surprised to see this cool older guy get so hooked on a game, but also finds it relatable and reassuring in a way.
「I had no idea. Oh! So that’s why you switched from light magic to dagger skills?」
「Exactly. I only went with light magic initially for my son’s character. After he quit, I figured I’d go with what I actually like. I tried out a bunch of stuff and ended up settling on daggers.」
「That makes sense!」
「Yeah. I’m interested in trying out axe skills too, but… oops, I’m getting off track here. Anyway, that’s why I really want you to have this item, Sieg.」
(Hmm… if he’s that insistent…)
He realizes declining too much would just make Takashi feel awkward about it.
So despite feeling a bit guilty, Isamu decides to graciously accept the gift.
「Alright, I understand! Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!」
「No, I should be thanking you again for your help before. Well, now that that’s taken care of, I don’t want to keep you any longer, so I’ll get going.」
Takashi says, standing up from the bench.
Seeing a rare chance, Isamu musters up his courage to make a suggestion.
「Are you logging off already, Mr. Takashi?」
「Hm? No, there’s an area I haven’t explored yet, so I was thinking of heading there now.」
「I see. In that case, since we finally got to meet up again after so long, would it be alright if I tagged along? If you’re okay with it, of course.」
「Of course, I’d love that! Let’s go together! I’ll introduce you to my buddies there too.」
「Alright!」
The two head to a certain area where Isamu greets Takashi’s friends, a group of men around his age.
They then enjoy exploring the new location together.
And so, after the eventful inaugural tournament day, Isamu settles back into his usual daily life.
Check out my Patreon for early access to upcoming updates. Patreon Link