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? - 45-46

Chapter 45: Abisu’s Room

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Labyrinth City First Hospital.

“Excuse me.”

When I entered Kisaragi’s hospital room, she let out a startled “Wah!” and quickly put on a gas mask.

“…A gas mask this time, huh? Just how many masks do you have?”

“I’m constantly adding more so you don’t get bored! It’s like clothing, really!”

Kisaragi spoke proudly. Thinking back to why she started wearing masks in the first place, I couldn’t really laugh about it.

“I won. From today onward, you’re officially a member of Odd Cat.”

“Really?! Thank you so much!”

“…Huh?”

“Hm?”

“No, I just thought you’d be more surprised. Weren’t you convinced the other side had the advantage?”

“I thought so too, but for some reason, I wasn’t worried about you at all on the day of the match. Somehow… I just couldn’t imagine you losing, Hamura-san.”

Kisaragi said that with a cheerful “Ehehe~” and smiled. She sounded genuinely happy.

I’m really glad I managed to pull Kisaragi away from Iizuka…

“…I made sure to get back at that bastard Iizuka, by the way.”

“Get back at him…?”

“I heard from Iizuka himself. He said you got punched so hard your face swelled up… He told me that you started wearing masks to hide the swelling.”

“Hm?”

Kisaragi tilted his head in confusion.

“A swollen face… What are you talking about?”

“Huh?”

I repeated exactly what Iizuka had told me, but Kisaragi just let out a laugh and said,

“Iizuka-san never punched me. He did kick me in the butt and slap me a few times out of spite, but never a punch.”

He threw a few playful air punches, mimicking a shadow boxing stance.

“So that was just some made-up crap to piss me off?!”

“Yep.”

Ugh, how embarrassing! I completely fell for that guy’s cheap provocation!

“Then why are you hiding your face?!”

“I’m just shy and don’t like people seeing my face.”

“That’s all?!”

“I told you before, didn’t I? It’s embarrassing to be seen.”

Well, whatever. At least Kisaragi didn’t go through anything overly traumatic. Iizuka got what he deserved anyway. Whether he hit Kisaragi or not, considering all the crap he pulled, what I did to him was still too soft.

“Looks like you’re ready to be discharged.”

Kisaragi had packed everything into a large bag and aside from the hospital’s property, there was nothing else in the room.

“Yep! I can leave anytime! I already got permission from the hospital too!”

“Can you head to Odd Cat’s headquarters now?”

“No problem, but what for?”

“Abisu wants to talk to us. It’s probably going to take a while. If you’re not feeling up to it, we can go another day…”

“No, I’m fine! I can go! I’m full of energy!!”

“R-Really? Alright, then. I’ll call a taxi.”

I picked up Kisaragi’s bag.

“Oh, sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it. You just got out of the hospital, so take it easy.”

“But aren’t you exhausted from the guild duel this morning, Hamura-san? You’ve still got some visible injuries…”

I had gotten treated by a guild association healer, but honestly, my whole body still ached.

Not like I’m diving into a labyrinth or anything. I can manage just fine if it’s just this much.

“This much is nothing. Come on, let’s go.”

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Odd Cat Headquarters.

Kisaragi was genuinely surprised by the building’s exterior, reasonably so.

“This building is Odd Cat’s headquarters…?”

“It looks like an abandoned building, but the inside is impressive, you know?”

I explained the details of the headquarters to Kisaragi.

“A building with labyrinth-like properties, huh?”

“Yeah. Each floor has a massive space. There are twelve floors in total with eight above ground and four below. The first floor is a training room, the third is a lab, and the second basement floor is a medical room. Those are the only ones I’ve been to. Riku mentioned that the fourth floor is a shopping area and the fifth is a bar.”

Kisaragi and I stepped into the elevator of the abandoned building.

“Where’s the meeting spot?”

“The top floor. According to Abisu, it’s called the Master Room.”

I pressed the button for the eighth floor. After a few seconds, the elevator arrived at the top. As the doors slid open, we stepped onto the highest floor.

“This is…”

“A massive library.”

Bookshelves stretched as far as the eye could see. The design reminded me of Mexico’s Vasconcelos Library.

“Hey! Over here!”

A voice called out from above the bookshelves. Turning toward the sound, I spotted Abisu sitting atop one of the shelves, surrounded by a mountain of books.

“Welcome to my room! It’s pretty awesome, right?”

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Chapter 46: Seekers and Supporters

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I climbed up to the top of the bookshelf first using the ladder, then offered my hand to Kisaragi as she followed.

“What are you reading?”

I asked Abisu, who was engrossed in a book. Was it a magic textbook or a tactical manual? I was curious about what an S-rank Seeker would be reading.

“A light novel.”

Abisu said a word I wasn’t familiar with.

“A light novel?”

“Yeah. Light novels. You’ve never heard of them?”

“Never. What kind of useful information do they contain?”

Abisu showed me the cover of the so-called light novel. On it, alongside illustrations of busty beauties, was the title 『SuccuRem! My Dorm Life Harem with 100 Succubi!』

“…What is this?”

“I told you, it’s a light novel. They’re easy-to-read novels for middle and high school students. I like harem stories. They don’t have all that heavy, dramatic back-and-forth. Just characters living freely and uninhibited. That’s what makes them so great.”

I… This is a world that I don’t understand at all…

“Kisaragi-chan and I had a blast talking about light novels in the hospital room the other day, didn’t we?”

“Eh!? W-Well… I guess…”

“…Kisaragi, do you like harem stories?”

“N-No! I just… um…”

“Kisaragi-chan is actually a total bi—”

“Waahhh!”

Kisaragi’s sudden outburst echoed through the room.

I’ve never heard her make a sound like that before…

“Abisu-san! You have something to discuss with us, right!? Cough, cough! I’m not feeling well, so could we get to the point quickly!?”

“Is that so? Alright then.”

Abisu closed her book.

“Hmm. Let’s start by talking about that silver-haired man.”

“The silver-haired man?”

Kisaragi tilted her head.

“The guy who participated in the Guild Duel alongside Mia and Iizuka.”

“He called himself Ul. When I checked with the members of Fenrir, I found out his full name is Ul Wendia. He’s a relatively new member of Fenrir and a B-rank Seeker, but beyond that, there’s almost no information on him. There’s definitely something shady going on, but he’s not letting anything slip past.”

“He knew that I was the one who took down the Red-Eyed Minotaur. Even though we told the public it was Abisu that defeated it, not me…”

“On top of that, according to Kazuhara-kun, he didn’t seem too concerned about winning or losing the Guild Duel. This whole thing reeks.”

Abisu narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze sharpening. She was clearly highly wary of Ur…

“We’ll continue investigating him. Now, about Origin…”

“Origin?”

“Oh, right. I haven’t explained it in detail to you yet, Kisaragi-chan.”

Abisu then began explaining Origin, my prosthetic arm, to Kisaragi.

“An artificial OOPArt… A prosthetic arm made from OOPArts stolen from the Divine Tomb!?”

“I understand why you’re surprised. If we were to get caught, we would receive the death sentence. That’s how serious this crime is.”

“How reckless…!”

“Well, well, what’s done is done, right?”

“No, it’s not!”

“Let’s move on. Regarding that incident where your prosthetic arm went out of control during the Guild Duel… To be honest, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

“Is that so?”

Abisu nodded.

“Origin has three stages: Egg Stage, Soul Imprint Stage, and Hatching. The Egg Stage is when Origin is completely dormant. It has monster-killing properties, but it’s far from the full power of an OOPArt. Next comes the Soul Imprint Stage. This is when the user’s soul begins fusing with Origin, adapting to it. It’s the most unstable period and the hardest to control, just like what happened earlier.”

“So that means… Right now, this prosthetic arm is in the Soul Imprint Stage?”

“Exactly. Once this phase ends and your soul fully merges with Origin, it will hatch. In other words, this prosthetic will become an OOPArt that belongs solely to you. Just like my ‘Sin and Punishment’ or Naruse Mia’s ‘Inazuchi,’ it will take on a unique form and ability. The period from the Soul Imprint Stage to hatching is short, so you’re just one step away from awakening.”

“A complete OOPArt…!”

I clenched my prosthetic fist tightly.

“Just a little more… Just a little more and… I’ll have the same power as other Seekers. I’ll finally become a Seeker…!”

“About that…”

Abisu looked somewhat uncomfortable.

“Hamura-kun, unfortunately, you won’t be able to become a Seeker, at least, officially.”

“…Huh?”

I… Can’t become a Seeker?

“Think about it. You were unable to receive an OOPArt. If you suddenly registered as a Seeker now, wouldn’t that be suspicious? Without a doubt, the Guild Association would conduct an investigation on you and if you started waving around a newly obtained OOPArt during that process, the Guild Association and eventually even the Divine Order would take notice. There’s almost no doubt that the true existence of Origin would be exposed to them.”

Now that I think about it, that’s true.

The fact that I couldn’t receive an OOPArt was officially recorded. If someone like me were suddenly in possession of one, it would definitely raise suspicion.

“You’ll be working with Kisaragi-chan on explorations from now on, but your official registration will remain as a Supporter.”

Wait. Something about this doesn’t add up.

“W-Wait a minute! That would mean two Supporters in a team!”

“No, Kisaragi-chan.. She’s the one who will be the Seeker.”

Kisaragi… Will be the Seeker!?

“That’s impossible! I can’t…”

“It’s not impossible. Because you—”

Abisu locked eyes with Kisaragi.

“You have an OOPArt, don’t you?”

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