Chapter 49
Tuesday holiday, 10:45 AM.
Isamu, dressed neatly in a jacket, T-shirt, and chino pants, stands in front of the Sundapole office.
(Alright!)
After psyching himself up internally, he enters.
He heads straight to the reception and addresses the familiar receptionist sitting there.
「Good morning, I’m Taida.」
「Mr. Taida, welcome. Please proceed to the 5th floor, conference room Alpha.」
「Ah, yes. Thank you very much.」
Isamu bows slightly and heads towards the elevator hall.
On the way, he can’t help but smile.
(Mr. Taida, welcome, huh?)
The use of 「Mr.」 instead of a more formal address, and 「welcome」 instead of 「good morning.」
Those words make Isamu happy, reaffirming that he’s become a part of Sundapole.
「Oh, if it isn’t Taida!」
As he’s waiting for the elevator after pressing the button, he hears a voice calling him from behind.
Turning around, he sees an older man in a polo shirt, carrying a large bag in his right hand.
「Ah, Mr. Teshigawara! It’s been a while. Looking forward to working with you today!」
「Yeah, likewise! I’m glad to be working with you again, Taida.」
Teshigawara extends his hand, which Isamu grasps with both of his, shaking it in reunion just as the elevator arrives.
The two step into the elevator, and as Isamu presses the button for the 5th floor, Teshigawara speaks up.
「Oh, that’s right. I heard you became an official player, Taida! I was surprised when I saw the announcement.」
「Ah, yes! Mr. Kimura offered me the position!」
「I see. This must be because you’ve been working hard as the Tutorial Guy. Congratulations!」
「Thank you very much!」
As they’re talking, the elevator arrives at the 5th floor.
Isamu and Teshigawara check the floor guide before moving, stopping in front of a door with a plate labeled α.
Isamu knocks twice on the door, and a voice from inside says, 「Come in!」
Isamu enters first.
「Ah, Mr. Taida! Good morning. Looking forward to working with you today!」
「Good morning! Yes, likewise!」
「Hey, good morning Kimura. Thanks for inviting me again this time.」
「Mr. Teshigawara! Good morning! Thank you for accepting our invitation! I didn’t realize you two came together.」
「Yeah, we ran into each other downstairs.」
「I see! Well then, please have a seat over there!」
Isamu and Teshigawara sit down across from Kimura.
「Oh, that’s right, Mr. Kimura. Thank you again for the combat arts the other day!」
「No, no, it’s nothing! We should be the ones thanking you. You went out of your way to learn it, thank you so much!」
The other day, while playing with Lucifer and the others, Isamu learned that there was already a player who had mastered the fourth combat art.
As a result, it’s expected that this combat art will be used frequently during the second event.
If he couldn’t explain it then, it would be a problem for his commentary.
So Isamu tried to learn the fourth combat art himself, but his level wasn’t high enough to confirm it on his own like before.
After thinking it over, Isamu contacted Kimura and asked, 「For the sake of commentary, I’d like to learn it. Could I get some footage or data on the fourth special skill or magic that can be learned?」
In response, Kimura said, 「It’s easier to understand if you see it directly,」 and used a master account to show him how it’s actually used.
Isamu is thanking Kimura for making time to show him, and Kimura is thanking Isamu for studying specifically for the event.
「Hm? What are you talking about?」
「Actually, Mr. Taida learned some special skills and magic just for this event.」
「Oh, is that so? That’s very commendable of you, Taida!」
「No, it’s nothing. I’m a part of Sundapole now, so it’s just part of my job.」
「Well, that may be true. But still, I think that attitude is wonderful. We’ll be counting on you again this time.」
「Ah, yes! Leave it to me!」
「Man, you guys are really reliable! I’m looking forward to working with both of you today. Well then, shall we start the meeting—」
☆
The time is 12:30 PM.
「—Dream Fantasy players across the nation, thank you for waiting! Today, we bring you coverage of the Dream Fantasy second event DF Medal Battle!」
As soon as the live broadcast begins, Teshigawara energetically delivers the opening greeting.
「And so, I’ll be your commentator—Teshigawara Shinji. Everyone, thank you for joining us today! And of course, our analyst is none other than this man!」
「I’m Sieg, also known as the Tutorial Guy! Everyone, looking forward to working with you today!」
Isamu greets the audience brightly and confidently.
Although he’s nervous, it’s not as bad as during the inaugural event.
This is partly because Teshigawara is next to him.
And also thanks to the many viewers cheering him on in the comments.
「So, we’ll be bringing you today’s coverage with the same duo as the inaugural event! …Well, Sieg. It’s finally starting, isn’t it!」
「Indeed! I’ve been really looking forward to it! I was so excited I could only sleep for 9 hours a day!」
「Hey, that’s a lot of sleep! Well, after that obligatory joke, this exciting second event is a battle between guilds! Sieg, could you please explain the rules again for our viewers?」
「Certainly! The rules for this event are—」
Following the script, Isamu explains the rules.
Once that’s done, Teshigawara explains about the prizes.
「Those are the prizes for the second event! Man, they’re amazing! Now, we’ll use the remaining time to briefly introduce the guilds participating in the main tournament. We’ve also received comments from each guild, which we’ll share with you as well!」
The game admins had sent a questionnaire to the guilds that passed the preliminaries.
The content included questions about what kind of group they are, what kind of guild they are, and their enthusiasm for the main tournament.
This was information Kimura had shared during the earlier meeting, but Isamu had known about it even before that.
This is because Kaito, Shuka, and the others had told him about it when they reported their preliminary results.
「Well then, Sieg!」
「Yes! First up is [Agreable]! This guild was formed when groups of university students and high school students became close through the game. In their comment, they said, ‘Of course we’re aiming for victory, but more than anything, we want to enjoy the event!’」
As he speaks, the guild name and the names of the members participating in the event appear on the broadcast screen.
Kaito’s guild [Agreable] is participating with their full roster of 12 members.
「Oh, that’s a great comment! Now, I’ll introduce the next one! [Happinesstrong]! This is the guild centered around Shuka, who also performed well in the inaugural event. We received a comment from Shuka saying, ‘We’re definitely going to win!’ Man, I hope they do their best!」
Shuka and Nana’s guild [Happinesstrong] is participating with their full roster of 13 members.
「Next is [Strawberry Montblanc], a guild consisting of three streamers belonging to the major streaming agency, Girly Live! Their comment is, ‘We’ll do our best for our supportive viewers!’ That’s just like them!」
Elena, Cocono, and Mew’s guild [Strawberry Montblanc] is participating with their full roster of 3 members.
「Next up, [The Gathering of Old Dudes]! As the name suggests, this guild is formed entirely of men in their late 30s! Notably, Mr. Takashi, who won the inaugural event, is a member of this guild! We received a comment from Mr. Takashi saying, ‘We’ll do our best not to lose to the young ones!’」
Takashi’s guild [The Gathering of Old Dudes] is participating with 5 members, excluding two.
「[Dark Faith]! The guild name doesn’t mean ‘dark face,’ but rather ‘faith in darkness,’ apparently! Their members include Rayleigh, who placed third in the inaugural event! Their comment is… ‘Behold our dark power!’ Well, that’s quite an unique comment!」
Lucifer, Destroy, and Rayleigh’s guild [Dark Faith] is participating with their full roster of 3 members.
「Indeed! Next is [Liberaltia Empire]! This is the guild of Kaiser, a professional gamer and hugely popular streamer! They’re participating with skilled players selected from their viewers! We received a comment from Kaiser saying, ‘We’re aiming for victory this time!’ Will they achieve that victory?」
Kaiser’s guild [Liberaltia Empire] is participating with 8 members.
「Well, next is [Numbers]! This guild was apparently formed on short notice specifically for this event! All the members’ names are unified with numbers, which makes for quite an impressive guild! We received a comment from their leader, Zero, saying, ‘Our aim is victory and nothing else!’」
The impromptu guild [Numbers] is participating with 10 members.
「Next up is—」
☆
「And that concludes the 30 guilds participating in the main tournament! Man, each guild has its own unique character, so this should be an interesting event! So, Sieg, which guild are you particularly looking forward to?」
「Well, I’d have to say Kaiser’s guild, who performed brilliantly in the last event.」
「[Liberaltia Empire], right? Kaiser was indeed strong!」
「Yes. This time, Kaiser has hand-picked the members, so I expect they’ve assembled quite a powerful team. What about you, Mr. Teshigawara?」
「For me, it’s definitely [The Gathering of Old Dudes], which includes Mr. Takashi, the winner of the last event! I hope they can aim for a second consecutive victory!」
Just after Teshigawara says this, a staff member holds up a sketchbook with 「20 seconds left」 written on it.
Isamu glances down at the tablet in his hand, realizing that there’s less than a minute left until the start of the main event.
「…Well, as we’ve been talking, it’s almost time for the event to begin! To all the participating players, good luck! And to all our viewers, please cheer on the players! Now, let’s start the countdown!」
「「10, 9, 8– 3, 2, 1! 」」
Isamu counts down together with Teshigawara.
As it reaches zero, right at 1:00 PM—
「The second event [DF Medal Battle] starts now!」
The event begins.
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