“Good morning. I’m Sakura Amagi. I’m not used to this, so I don’t think I can speak very well, but please take care of me.”
【Here it comes!!!!!!】
【Whoa, she’s way cuter in person.】
【Yeah, there’s an angel here.】
【Amazing. She could actually rival Shiraishi-sama.】
What are they even talking about?!
“While I agree Amagi-san is an angel, where did people even find out about us in the first place?!”
“Ah, Toma-kun, wrong answer! Minus points!”
“Why?!”
【Why?!】
【What just happened?】
【No idea, but Yumenoma-leader just lost some points!】
Why are they so casual about this?!
“It’s because you called me by my last name when we agreed to use first names. That’s a no-go!”
“Ah… I see.”
【Ugh, this is straight out of youth romance!】
【So jealous, so jealous, so jealous.】
【Got called out by a cute girl—instant win!】
【Wait, wasn’t that Yumenoma-leader’s fault?】
【Also, Amagi-san just moved on, so is this okay?】
Oh. Wait!
“So, I was wondering why people seem to know about us?”
【Because you guys defeated the Archdemon, the Nightmare King, and Balor, right?】
“Yeah, that was… Sakura-san’s doing.”
【Wouldn’t that last part count as a foul?】
“It’s not a foul! I was just surprised by how much we’re known, that’s all!”
【Tch, sneaky…】
What even is sneaky about that?!
【There were highlight images from that time, weren’t there?】
“Wait, what? Were we being recorded somewhere?”
“Ah, it’s the academy’s official footage. The school is obligated to record students’ explorations, and those get uploaded to a public server. I heard from my middle school friends that even though the Archdemon and Nightmare King fights were deleted, the videos went viral during the time they were available.”
“Ah, I see…”
“They explained all this when we entered the academy, remember?”
“Uh… (whistling)”
【The obvious dodging of responsibility… 40 points!】
What kind of scoring is that?!
I think they might have mentioned something like that, but for me, escaping to the academy was my top priority. I didn’t care about anything else.
Besides, I never planned to stand out. I just wanted to take things easy and go at my own pace. Being on camera or in livestreams wasn’t something I considered…
And it looks like Amagi-san—no, Sakura-san—isn’t too thrilled about it either. Her face is a little red; it must be embarrassing for her.
“This is my first time streaming, so I’d be happy if you could watch over me warmly.”
【You’re right. Sorry about that!】
【Your focus is exploration, so don’t worry about us.】
【We’re just getting hyped on our own, don’t mind us.】
【And we’re fully supporting your goals, too!】
“Thank you.”
They’re a lot kinder than I expected. The last streamer I watched had a much harsher audience…
Now that I think about it, having videos and images of us out there is kind of bad. What if a certain someone notices…
No, let’s not think about scary stuff.
【By the way, doesn’t the academy dungeon have a ridiculously high magic concentration?】
【Yeah, I noticed that too. For a D-rank dungeon, it’s unreal.】
“It’s because of the current abnormal situation. The selection exam is partially an investigation into that.”
【I see. Did the government or academy push this on you? That’s terrible.】
“The academy originally planned to investigate using the teachers, but the government decided to turn it into a selection exam, which made the staff really angry. The principal even said that if we encounter S-rank monsters in boss rooms, the test will be canceled, and we’ll cooperate to take them down. To support those decisions, the teachers’ party is also in the dungeon.”
“Ah, Yumenoma-kun…”
【I see. At least the teachers seem competent.】
【It’s always the government causing problems…】
“Ah, was that bad to say? Oh well, it’s the truth.”
【Breaking news: The government meddles again!】
【Hey, don’t make it harder for the students. I’m saving this clip, though, just in case it can help defend you later (from a lawyer).】
Yeah, well, streaming means this stuff gets out there. It’s inevitable.
We kept moving forward carefully. Monsters occasionally attacked, but Sakura-san took care of everything in an instant. My job was just support and healing.
【You catch glimpses, but Sakura-chan is way too strong.】
【Sure, it’s the first layer, but she’s one-shotting everything.】
【Strong and cute… Amazing… ♡】
【There’s no way someone who beat the Nightmare King would lose here.】
【The glowing around Sakura-chan sometimes—is that from your support magic?】
“Yes. She doesn’t need it much yet, but she does use energy and takes minor scratches since it’s melee combat. So I heal her when needed.”
【Casually dropping support and healing magic like it’s nothing.】
【No chant, no charge-up—just instant casting. Wow.】
【Honestly, I want to scout you right now.】
【But why only a three-person party? Won’t you expand?】
“Uh…”
【If it’s hard to explain, don’t worry. You probably have your reasons.】
Talking about negative skills isn’t a great idea, so I kept quiet.
But then Sakura-san stepped back. I decided to stick to calling her by her first name—it’s the mindset that counts.
“Our party is three people because of me. It’s because I have ‘Mana Overflow.'”
【Ah, I see.】
【What’s that? Someone knowledgeable, please explain.】
【’Mana Overflow’ is a so-called negative unique skill. It releases mana uncontrollably during combat, negatively affecting allies and enemies alike.】
【Wait, so are the leader and Sayamura-san okay with that?】
【They must be, or they wouldn’t team up. And that’s why it’s just the three of them.】
“Yes. Toma-kun has a unique skill that makes him resistant, and Eriina —Eriina —has ‘Mana Resistance.'”
【Got it. That makes sense now.】
【Even with that handicap, she’s still so strong.】
【A negative skill usually comes with an incredible positive skill, right?】
【Oh, I didn’t know that.】
【That’s probably the secret to her strength.】
【Overcoming a handicap to form a team and keep fighting—amazing. Truly inspiring.】
【Exactly. They’re already defeating A and S-rank monsters. We’ll keep cheering for them!】
The viewers were so warm and supportive that Sakura-san, who had been a bit tense, finally relaxed. Her smile at that moment was the best reward.
