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? - 6

Chapter 6: Abisu

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“Oops..”

I ended up falling asleep without laying out my futon first. I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was 10:30 AM. I woke up pretty early today. With a plain, unseasoned slice of toast in hand, I browsed through topics related to the labyrinth. On a site dedicated to labyrinth-related news, a certain girl’s photo was prominently displayed alongside a headline: “16-year-old Seeker Abisu Yuiga Conquers the 150th Floor of Amatsugahara! Ninth Human to Achieve This Feat! The Youngest Record Holder!!”

Seriously…?

Currently, the highest recorded floor of Amatsugahara was the 180th. She was only 30 floors short from the top.

“She’s as incredible as ever…”

There wasn’t a single Seeker who didn’t know the name Abisu Yuiga. Half a year ago, she had become the youngest ever S-rank Seeker. She was a genius girl. She became a Seeker at 14 and reached S-rank in just a year and a half.Mia, who managed to reach A-rank in about a year, had also gained considerable attention. But compared to Abisu, she paled in comparison. There were over 200 A-rank Seekers, but only nine S-rank Seekers in total and only three of them were minors. Strong, and beautiful. Her semi-long, two-tone hair was a blend of black and green, just like her eyes. With her well-defined features and slender frame, she had a slightly boyish charm to her whole appearance..

To be honest, I was a fan of Abisu Yuiga. Not in a romantic way though.I admired her as a Seeker. She was everything I had envisioned as my ideal self. A young prodigy. The youngest S-rank Seeker. A charisma that even compelled adults to obey her.. I was jealous, so jealous of her!

“…No, this isn’t admiration. This is straight-up envy.”

Ding-dong!

“Huh?”

A visitor? 

The chime rang, but my rundown apartment didn’t have an intercom camera. There was no way anyone would come here for solicitation. Even newspaper salesmen turned on their heels at the sight of this place. With no particular caution, I opened the door.

“Yes? Who is it?”

“Hey there. You’re Shibuki Hamura, right?”

“Huh…”

Standing there was someone I never expected. Black-and-green hair along with black-and-green heterochromatic eyes. Donned in an Inverness coat reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes… There was no mistaking her.

“Abisu Yuiga…!?”

“Indeed. You can call me Abisu if you’d like.”

“Eh!? Oh, uh…”

We were classmates, so speaking casually should be fine, right? She was talking casually too… But that wasn’t the issue here! I quickly turned around, facing away from her.

W-What’s going on here? Why is Abisu here?! Why would she come to the house of someone as insignificant as me?!

Crap. My thoughts were all over the place… I couldn’t think of a single reason why Abisu Yuiga would be here. But she had called my name, so there was no mistaking it. She actually came here to look for me. I stole a glance at her and she responded with a bright smile. This was bad. I thought I wasn’t conscious of her as a girl, but seeing her in person like this, I started to lose my rationality. I couldn’t help it though! She was so incredibly cute!

“Sorry for surprising you. I’m here today to invite you to a guild.”

“A guild invitation?”

Guilds were organizations where Seekers collaborated together. They could share information and tackle labyrinths together. A guild that had an S-rank Seeker in its ranks would undoubtedly be a highly sought after guild. There were surely countless applicants, especially A-rank Seekers. The fact that she was personally recruiting the members herself was astonishing.

Mia must have been highly valued by them.

“If it’s about that, we should set up a proper meeting with Mia. She’s busy with a photoshoot today, so let’s arrange a convenient time later…”

“Huh? Mia Naruse-chan? I don’t really need her though?”

“Huh? You’re not recruiting Mia?”

“Well, if you insist, I guess I don’t mind taking her in, but if I may be honest, I don’t see much value in her. The only one I want is you.”

…Wait, what? So, she isn’t here for Mia? She’s here to recruit me personally? But why…?

“Are you free today?”

“Huh!? Uh, yeah, I don’t have any plans, but…”

“Then come with me for a bit. There’s a lot I want to talk about and a lot I want to show you.”

It was just a feeling—a premonition, nothing more. But at that moment, I sensed that my dull reality was about to change. I quickly changed into my best outfit and stepped outside, but…

“Hey, isn’t that…”

“Abisu Yuiga, right? She’s so cute.”

“Who’s that guy next to her? He’s missing an arm…”

“Her Supporter is a girl, right? There’s no way that plain-looking guy is her boyfriend…”

As expected, Abisu Yuiga was drawing all the attention. I could feel envious glares stabbing into me from both men and women alike.

“You know… Don’t you think ‘Abisu’ is a weird name?”

“Really? I think it sounds fine.”

“You think so? People usually think it’s a fancy made-up name though.”

“But doesn’t it have a unique charm to it? It kinda gives off a ‘main character’ vibe!”

“Haha! That’s a funny way to put it. A ‘main character’ vibe, huh? But don’t you think your name sounds like a protagonist too? Shibuki Hamura! Sounds like something straight out of a samurai manga!”

Abisu made a mock sword-swinging motion as she joked. She felt different from how she was portrayed in the media. The Abisu Yuiga I had seen in photos and videos was always either cool and composed or maintaining a businesslike smile. But the person standing in front of me now was very expressive and animated.

“Still, it’s surprising. Everyone’s so focused on me that they haven’t even noticed you. Even though you’re the so-called ‘S-rank Supporter’ that labyrinth enthusiasts have been buzzing about.”

“S-rank Supporter?”

Now that she mentioned it, I had seen that phrase in the comment section of Mia’s videos before. Supporters didn’t have official ranks. They only had assessment value. Their pay rate was determined by their abilities and Seekers would hire them based on that assessment. A high assessment Supporter was expensive but strong, while a low assessment Supporter was cheaper but weaker. That was the basic system. In other words, there was no such thing as an ‘S-rank Supporter.’ At best, it was a term occasionally used for those who worked alongside S-rank Seekers.

“You didn’t know? That’s the nickname people have given you. Because among Supporters, your abilities stand at the very top.”

“I have been called that before, but isn’t it just a joke…?”

“Nope. You really do have exceptional support skills. Wait, seriously? You’re completely oblivious to your own skill?”

She didn’t sound like she was just flattering me. Her words carried the tone of someone who genuinely knew my abilities. She must have seen my videos. But she was overestimating me. At best, I was an average Supporter. No, with only one arm, I was probably below average…

“Well, it’s better than being arrogant, but you’re underestimating yourself way too much. Oh, looks like we’ve arrived at our destination while we were talking.”

Abisu and I stopped in front of an abandoned building.

“This is my guild’s base, Odd Cat.”

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