"The whole debate about who UNKNOWN really was, and nobody expected him to be a high schooler, right?"


    : Yeah, totally.


    : Some people spected, but it got dismissed as impossible.


    : When he first appeared a year ago, there was talk about him being a high schooler.


    : I never thought he''d actually be a teenager.


    : Talent really is a thing, huh?


    : At that age, carrying the weight of a whole nation on his shoulders.


    "Must be tough... although there are EXs like Kamishiro-chan, who just wander around doing whatever they want."


    : That''s just how it is.


    : Free spirit.


    : She doesn''t have the EX mindset, so it can''t be helped.


    : She posted another pic from a baseball game the other day.


    : She really loves baseball, huh?


    Kamishiro Rion... Maybe I should follow her on social media. We''re not exactly strangers, after all. We have a weird friendship, built on beating each other up in battle. She reaches out to me sometimes, so I guess we''re close.


    Still, this is what virtual streamer chats are like. I thought thement section would be more hyped, like an idol concert, but maybe this is just Tori Momo Sasami''s style. Or maybe all virtual streamers do this? Do the ones selling an idol image even do chat streams?


    "When I watch Kisaragi-kun''s streams, it kind of makes me want to be an explorer again."


    : Same here.


    : He''s so cool.


    : I totally get the admiration.


    : If you''re a guy, aim to be the strongest.


    : Watching him makes me want to be an explorer too.


    : He''s like a hero.


    "So I got curious and checked my magic power level for the first time in a while... and it had actually increased a bit! It really shows how important daily training is."


    : Magic power is like muscle.


    : If you don''t train every day, it won''t change.


    : That''s why explorers get stronger magic over time.


    : Do a training stream!


    : Are you nning to be an explorer?


    "Who knows? Streaming keeps me pretty busy."


    I don''t know how old Tori Momo Sasami is, but it''s impressive that she''s been training consistently enough to see a visible increase in her magic power. Thement section isn''t making a big deal out of it, but if you want to increase your magic power without crazy dungeon training, you''d need to exercise like you''re running a marathon every day.


    That shows just how passionate she is about dungeons.


    Grrr...


    "Huh? Oh, sorry."


    I had gotten so absorbed in the stream that I didn''t notice Raijū hade back. Right, I was supposed to be handling the magic anomaly in Hachioji Dungeon. Raijū''s returned, but it seems like there are still monsters left. Either there were more than I thought, or it hasn''t been that long. Probably thetter.


    "Guess I should help out a little too."


    I could''ve left everything to my shikigami, but watching the stream and hearing someone admire dungeon explorers made me feel like I needed to step up my game. If these streams can inspire more people to be explorers, that would be great.


    "Good work out there."


    "I''ve cleared everything out. It should be fine now."


    The monster cleanup was quick once I jumped in. The monsters in Hachioji Dungeon aren''t particrly strong, and this was just the middle floors, so there was never any real threat. Now my mind was upied with thoughts of Tori Momo Sasami''s stream and my own future ns. I should start preparing tounch thepany soon.


    School''s on summer break, and once August ends, they''ll probably start talking about future ns in September. Can I just put "CEO" on the form?


    "Tsu-kun! It''s been a while!"


    ...Why is she here?


    Maybe it''s my fault for being distracted while walking, but I could feel my face tense up when this brown-haired woman suddenly hugged me.


    "I''ve told you to stop calling me Tsu-kun."


    "But Tsu-kun is Tsu-kun, right?"


    She calls me Tsu-kun because of my name, Tsukasa. I might have been guilty of giving others random nicknames too, but being called Tsu-kun feels a bit like being given a nickname I didn''t ask for.


    "Why are you in Japan, Kamishiro Rion?"


    "Eh, I got bored of America!"


    Can I hit her?


    Arguing at the entrance to the Hachioji Dungeon didn''t seem appropriate, so I ended up taking the train with her to Shibuya. But even during the ride, Kamishiro kept up her relentless chatter. She asked if I had a girlfriend, whether it was true I started dungeon streaming, thanked me for following her on social media, and gave unsolicited advice about dating as a high schooler. It was infuriating.


    Now that I''ve gained some recognition, and Kamishiro is way more famous than me, it wasn''t long before people on the train started to notice us.


    "Isn''t that Kamishiro Rion?"


    "Who''s next to her?"


    "That''s Kisaragi Tsukasa! The EX known as UNKNOWN!"


    "Wait, so there are two EXs here!?"


    "No way, that''s insane!"


    "I''m gonna go get an autograph."


    "Me too."


    "I want a handshake."


    "Wow, Tsu-kun, you''re famous now too! You''re okay with autographs and handshakes, right?"


    "I''m not an idol. I''m not doing that."


    "Aw, you''re still so serious."


    "You''re just way too carefree."


    "She''s thezy older sister, and he''s the responsible younger brother."


    "They totally look like siblings."


    "Yeah, the little brother gets dragged around by the big sister."


    I''m nobody''s little brother. I might be pretending not to hear, but I hear everything. I''d rather die than be the younger brother of this chaotic woman.


    "Hey, is Asakawa-chan your girlfriend?"


    "No, she''s a friend."


    "A friend? Tsu-kun made a friend!"


    "I''ll hit you."


    "I''m just so happy for you... I really am!"


    God, she''s annoying... I''m starting to understand what it feels like to have an obnoxious older sibling.


    "So, anything newtely?"


    "Just tired from the constant understaffing."


    "Same old, huh... I wonder why the Japanese government isn''t doing more."


    "If it were that easy, it wouldn''t be a problem. Besides, it''s not like the government can just ask people to take on a job where they risk their lives."


    "But they had no problem sending people to war to die."


    "Different times."


    Thanks to dungeons, the world hasn''t seen any major wars in the past hundred years, just minor skirmishes here and there. The existence of explorers has probably upset the bnce of power between nations, which is why WDAO was created in the first ce.


    "If high school Tsu-kun is working this hard, I guess I need to step up as your older sister."


    "Aren''t you still in university?"


    "Huh? I dropped out. Got bored."


    "Can I please hit you? Maybe it''ll fix some of that stupidity?"


    "That''s so mean!"


    The real problem is your brain, not me.