I Was the Supporter of a Popular Dungeon Streamer, but the Power Harassment Was Too Much, so I Quit. I’m Useless Anyway, so It Shouldn’t Be a Problem, Right? Huh? The Views Are Dropping Like Crazy? - 22

Chapter 22: Paying a Visit to a Sick Person

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The day after Abisu came to visit, I was discharged without any issue yesterday. I bought a fruit basket filled with an assortment of fruits with me as I headed to the Labyrinth City’s First Hospital—where Kisaragi was staying.

“Yo.”

“Ah, Hamura-san!”

As I stepped into the hospital room, for some reason, Kisaragi was donned in a Hyottoko mask.

“…Why are you wearing a mask?”

“B-Because it’s embarrassing…”

She probably couldn’t put on makeup in the hospital and depending on the medication she was taking, her skin might have been affected. It wasn’t strange for her to want to hide her bare face. Though in Kisaragi’s case, it just felt like her usual shyness was kicking in.

“Here, this is for you. I’ll leave it here.”

“Thank you very much.”

I took a seat on the chair next to the bed.

“How’s your condition?”

“I’m fine now. But since I was exposed to miasma for a long time, they said I need to stay in the hospital for a little longer, just to be safe.”

“I see. Make sure to recover properly and take your time.”

“Yes!”

Kisaragi clenched her fist tightly. Good. She really did seem to be doing well.

“Has Iizuka come by?”

The moment I mentioned Iizuka’s name, Kisaragi’s voice dropped.

“Yes… He came. He said, ‘If you don’t hurry up and recover, I’ll add interest to your debt.'”

“That bastard…”

“Iizuka-san seemed really irritated. Did something happen?”

He had fled from the Red-Eyed Minotaur and had the shame of having his own Supporter saved by someone else. On paper, Abisu was the one credited with saving Kisaragi. If word got out that I, a Supporter, had defeated the Red-Eyed Minotaur, it would have caused a huge uproar. That meant Iizuka ended up having to let Abisu, the very person who had been taunting him, clean up his mess. It must have been humiliating for him. Well, he had it coming.

The incident with the Red-Eyed Minotaur had already spread as a new legend of Abisu and while criticism toward Iizuka was minimal, it was still there. He was probably desperate to erase the negative image as quickly as possible, but dragging Kisaragi into it while she was still recovering was unacceptable.

“Hey, Kisaragi. Why don’t you leave Iizuka and join Abisu’s guild?”

“You mean… Odd Cat? Now that you mention it, Abisu-san brought it up the other day. You’re a member of Odd Cat too, aren’t you, Hamura-san?”

So she had come to visit her as well.

“Yeah. It seems like Abisu has taken a liking to you too. Honestly, I still don’t know much about Odd Cat, but at the very least, I can say it’s a better place than Fenrir.”

For a moment, Kisaragi’s shoulders lifted in excitement at my invitation, but they soon slumped again.

“…I’m sorry. Iizuka-san covered my debt for me, so I can’t leave him…”

“If that obligation were gone, what then? Forget about the debt for a moment. What do YOU really want?”

Kisaragi removed the hyottoko mask and looked at me with tearful eyes.

“…I want to go to Odd Cat. I want to go to where you are, Hamura-san.”

And that must be what she truly wished for. 

“I see. That’s all I needed to hear.”

“But… I don’t want to keep causing trouble for you, Hamura-san…”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not trouble at all. I want you to come to Odd Cat, for my own sake.”

Kisaragi blinked in surprise. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I continued.

“…Actually, I’ve gained the means to fight monsters.”

“That right arm, right? I-I saw it! You defeated that Minotaur! Oh no, I should be thanking you first…! I’m sorry! You really saved me back then! Thank you so much!”

Kisaragi hurriedly bowed her head over and over.

“You don’t need to worry about that anymore. Uh, back to the topic? I’ve decided to live as a Seeker from now on.”

“Really?! T-That’s amazing! I’m sure you’ll become a fantastic Seeker, Hamura-san!!”

“And for that, I’ll obviously need a Supporter to be my partner.”

“That’s true! Odd Cat will definitely find an incredible Supporter who matches you, Hamura-san!”

“…Koyuki Kisaragi. I want you to be my supporter.”

At that, Kisaragi tilted her head, staring blankly. She looked genuinely confused at what I had just said. 

“Um? I don’t really get what you mean…”

“It’s incredible that you managed to buy Iizuka time and an opening to escape against that Minotaur. Even when I was fighting it, you moved your battered body and fired that restraint spell with perfect timing. There’s no doubt about it. Your skill as a Supporter is the real deal. And more importantly, risking your life for your Seeker and charging at a monster like that isn’t something just anyone can do. I really respect you for that. You’re the only one I can trust to have my back.”

It seemed like Kisaragi finally understood my words. She turned bright red and averted her gaze from me.

“N-n-no way! There are way more suitable Supporters for you, Hamura-san! There’s definitely someone out there who matches you much better than me!”

“…Do you not want to partner with me? If that’s the case, just say it outright. I won’t force you to become my partner…”

“N-n-no! it’s definitely not because of that!!”

Kisaragi fidgeted, touching her index fingers together over and over while avoiding eye contact from me. She then carefully formed her words.

“U-uh, umm… L-let’s see… U-uhm… I-I’d be honored… I mean, um…”

“For real?! Alright! Now all that’s left is to get you away from Iizuka!”

Kisaragi could only use up to three-character magic, but she had all the essential spells covered. Not to mention, her physical ability was on the higher end for a Supporter. Probably because she had been working with Iizuka, she was also very aware of her surroundings and acted accordingly. Her potential as a Supporter was extremely high. With Kisaragi as my Supporter, even reaching the top ranks of A-class wouldn’t be a pipe dream anymore!

“Y-you’re really serious about this… Hehe, I’m so happy…”

She looked bashful. She must have been overjoyed to have her abilities recognized. Iizuka never praised her, after all.

“OOOHH! Well, well, well! If it ain’t the pathetic, perverted, weak-ass Supporter!!”

The peaceful atmosphere of the hospital room was instantly shattered. Turning around, I saw Iizuka standing at the entrance. Of course, he was empty-handed.

“Iizuka…”

“Put a ‘-sama’ on that, you worthless trash.”

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