Chapter 17: Tsukikage Luna

“Tsukikage Luna…? Who might that be?”

“No idea. Who could it be?”

It seemed this app had a feature allowing channels to exchange messages, and this one was sent using that function.

For now, I was in the middle of dinner, so I hurriedly finished my curry before continuing to read the message.

“‘I’d like to hear more about that footage. If possible, please reply.’ …Huh.”

The footage must refer to the archive of my stream. It’s practically a black mark in my history. What should I do? I don’t really have much to say about it anyway.

Plus, I have no idea who this “Tsukikage Luna” is.

Clicking the link in the message redirected me to their channel profile.

— [Investigative Dtuber, Tsukikage Luna. I cover anything and everything—occult, urban legends, the supernatural. Bring it on, paranormal phenomena!]

“Looks like they’re an occult streamer.”

“Eeek… I-I’m not good with ghosts…”

Karen-san fled to the corner of the room, trembling like a leaf.

Tsukikage Luna’s avatar was a cute, modern-looking anime-style girl. These days, many streamers use avatars like this. Considering I wear a mask myself, I guess it’s not so different.

“Hmm… How should I reply?”

The footage in question is undoubtedly from [Garden of the Gods], but is it safe to admit that outright?

If this person turns out to be suspicious, my information could be misused. The internet is a scary place these days, especially with things already gaining attention online.

That said, lying feels wrong too. What should I write? This is tricky.

“Y-You shouldn’t associate with someone so suspicious!”

Karen-san said, shrinking into the corner.

Come on, you’re just scared of ghosts, aren’t you?

Still, I couldn’t deny my curiosity about this person—how they even found my channel in the first place.

…Maybe I should investigate a bit more.

I opened my smartphone browser and typed [Tsukikage Luna] into the search bar.

“…Huh?”

What I discovered shocked me.

It turned out her agency was the same as the Luna Stars. No wonder there was a connection in their names.

I hadn’t paid much attention to anyone outside the two members of the Luna Stars, but it seemed she was quite a famous streamer. Her subscriber count was impressive.

At least she didn’t seem shady. Maybe I should hear her out and judge her character then.

Not that I’m thinking about the slim possibility of meeting the Luna Stars. Nope, definitely not.

“For now, I’ll send a reply.”

“No, absolutely not! You mustn’t do this!”

“But she doesn’t seem suspicious, does she?”

“No! Absolutely not! …Evil spirit, be gone! Namu Amida Butsu! Rokkon Shojo! Kyuukyuu Nyoroitsuryo!”

Karen-san clung to me, desperately trying to stop me from replying.

With a swift sidestep, I avoided her, and Karen-san flopped onto the tatami mat.

“Oww… T-This is horrible…”

“Okay, let’s see… ‘Can you tell me more details?’ And… sent.”

“A-Ah… This is the end… the end of the world…”

“It’ll be fine. By the way, how about we play some Smassys to lighten the mood?”

“Y-You mean Smash Sisters!?”

“Oh, you know it?”

“Of course! I may not look it, but I’m quite the gamer!”

After finishing our meal, we enjoyed a round of Smash Sisters.

Incidentally, Karen-san was abysmally bad at it. Gamer, huh…?

◇◇◇

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room of a high-rise apartment somewhere in Tokyo…

A single figure stared at the softly glowing computer screen.

Her name was Mina Tsukishiro.

An investigative Dtuber, Mina had recently been gaining attention as a junior member of the Luna Stars agency. She murmured to herself as she focused on the screen.

“It looks like this footage wasn’t fake after all.”

The channel she had been tipped off to by a viewer contained footage of a man in an odd mask and a black tracksuit calling himself Bochidan, navigating a dungeon that appeared to be [Garden of the Gods]. That viewer was the sole person who had seen Bochidan’s debut stream.

The video quality was rough, likely due to an old drone being used, and the audio was equally poor. Still, the footage clearly showed a mysterious man effortlessly defeating an angelic monster in an instant.

After mobilizing her analysis team, Mina concluded the footage was genuine. That’s when she decided to send a message to the channel.

“Wait, a reply already…?”

The response came much sooner than expected. Surprised, Mina sat up straight and opened the message.

“‘Can you tell me more details?’ …Alright!”

Mina made a small triumphant fist pump, feeling relieved that her next project was off to a promising start.

“A mysterious figure stirring up the internet… Hehehe, I’ll uncover the truth!”

The admin of the infamous blog documenting SSS-class dungeon strategies.

The streamer Bochidan, who broadcasted SSS-class dungeon runs.

And the black-suited man who had aided the Luna Stars.

Mina had deduced these were all the same person.

Although online rumors suggested this man was Masaru, she knew that couldn’t be the case. While their builds were similar, their movements were far too different.

Besides, Mina knew that Everlight was currently preoccupied with the Tower of Illusions raid.

“Alright, let’s go with this: ‘If you’re available, could we meet this weekend?’ …Perfect.”

—This is going to skyrocket my subscriber count.

Adjusting her non-prescription glasses, Mina grinned mischievously.