Sora-san's Dungeon Stream: The Expressionless Girl Is Actually a 38-Year-Old Salaryman - Even so, I am myself.

Outside the window, the sound of dead leaves scraping against the asphalt could be heard. *Rustle, rustle, rustle.* Souji sat hugging their knees in their six-tatami-mat, one-room apartment at Corpo Sakuradai. A full night had passed since the events on the seventh floor. They had removed their mask and let Kanata hear their real voice. The voice of a thirty-eight-year-old man. (*She accepted me.*) She had laughed. Even without knowing the full circumstances, she had said, "That just makes it even harder to leave you alone." Deep in their chest, a faint warmth still lingered. But— (*What am I supposed to do from here?*) The issue of age verification, the problem of their family registry—none of it had been resolved. Having Kanata as an ally was reassuring. But the world itself hadn't changed at all. Souji picked up the white half-mask. The cold feel of the resin transmitted through their small palm. As long as they wore this mask, they could be Sora. If they took it off, they returned to being "Souji," someone no one could prove existed. As they were thinking about such things— *Ding-dong.* A lazy-sounding doorbell echoed through the room. Souji's shoulders jumped with a start. (*Who is it?*) No one ever came to visit them here. Even the landlord wouldn't show their face as long as the rent was transferred. *Ding-dong.* The doorbell rang again. Souji quietly stood up, muffled their footsteps, and approached the door. They peered through the peephole. —A woman with black hair was standing there. It was Kanata. " Sora-kun, are you there? It's me, Kanata." The voice through the door was muffled, but it was unmistakably her. Souji hesitated for a moment, then unlocked the door. *Click.* They opened the door just a crack. Kanata peeked her face through the gap. " Ah, good. Sorry for dropping in so suddenly. There's something I wanted to talk about." She wore her usual sharp expression, but smiled with just a hint of nervousness. In her hand, she carried a thin bag that looked like it held a laptop. " ...Please, come in." Souji spoke in their natural voice, without the voice changer. There was no need to keep up pretenses in front of Kanata anymore. That fact alone lightened their spirits, just a little. As Kanata entered the room, she let out a small gasp. A six-tatami-mat, one-room apartment. Old, worn walls. The bare minimum of furniture. Only the laptop and streaming equipment were arranged with an oddly meticulous order. " ...So you've been here, all alone." " It's efficient. The bare necessities are sufficient." When Souji stated this matter-of-factly, Kanata's eyebrows drew down slightly as she smiled. " I see. Yeah, that's just like you, Sora-kun." She gently unfolded the folding chair placed in the corner of the room. Then, she sat down facing Souji. Gray eyes and black eyes met. " I came here today to talk about your streams." Kanata said this as she opened her laptop. The screen displayed the streamer management page for DeepCast. "Streams, you say?" " Yeah. Sora-kun, do you still want to continue streaming? Or do you want to quit?" Her voice was direct. There was no pity, no hesitation. She was simply asking for their will, as one streamer to another. Souji thought for a moment. (*Reasons to continue streaming.*) For living expenses. That was certainly one reason. But it wasn't the only one. Diving into dungeons, defeating monsters, gathering materials. Streaming it all. Only during those times could they stop thinking about who they were. " ...I want to continue." They were a little surprised by the words that came out of their own mouth. " I see. That's good." Kanata smiled, looking relieved. " Well then, I've come up with a new strategy. Will you hear me out?" Souji, expressionless, gave a small nod. " Up until now, the atmosphere of your streams has been about 'supporting a poor, pitiable child.' The viewers weren't watching your movements, Sora-kun. They were only seeing a figure that looked frightened and throwing Super Chats at it." Kanata's voice was serious. " But the real you is different. You're calculating, tactical, and an amazing streamer who can conquer dungeons more efficiently than anyone. The way you're being seen right now is wrong." (*Wrong.*) That word sank straight into their heart. No one had been looking at me. But Kanata-san, she had been watching from the very beginning. " So, we're going to fundamentally change the direction of your streams. First, we'll clearly communicate a rule to the viewers: 'Please don't pry into my identity.' Then, we'll shift the atmosphere of your streams to 'watching an amazing streamer's adventure.'" "...Don't pry into my identity." " Yeah. Since that news story broke, I think the viewers are vaguely aware that you must have some kind of circumstances, Sora-kun. So, if you tell them directly, 'Please don't ask,' I'm sure many people will understand." Kanata turned her laptop screen around to face Souji. Written there was a draft for a new stream description. *'I'm Sora. I will be resuming my streams. Please, I ask that you do not pry into my circumstances. I am simply a streamer who fights in dungeons. Nothing more, nothing less. I would be happy if you would watch my movements, my battles.'* It was a short message. But. (*With this, I can...*) Souji read the message over and over. It was a statement that defined them not as a "poor, pitiable child" or a "victim to be protected," but as "just a streamer." " ...I think it's good." " Really!? That's great!" Kanata's face lit up brightly. Her black eyes narrowed happily. " Well then, I know it's sudden, but how about doing a stream tonight? I'll be right here watching with you." "Tonight?" " Yeah. Strike while the iron is hot, as they say. What do you think?" Souji stared at the white half-mask placed on the desk. (*Resume streaming.*) Their heart beat just a little faster. But it wasn't only from anxiety. " ...Understood. Let's do it." Night came. In the small room at Corpo Sakuradai, the two of them proceeded with preparations for the stream. Souji put on the white half-mask and hung the Muse Link around their neck. They donned the black cape and logged into their streaming account. " This angle for the camera is probably best. The light... yeah, this is fine." Kanata adjusted the equipment with practiced ease. It was only to be expected from a former pro gamer who now worked as a streaming consultant. " What should we do for the stream title?" " Let's see... 'I'm Sora. Resuming.' ...No, how about something simpler, like 'I'm back, this is Sora'?" "...I'm back." They tried saying the words out loud. It was a phrase used by people who had a place to return to. " Yeah. It properly conveys that you've come home, Sora-kun." Her smile was gentle. Souji let out a small breath, then typed in the stream title. *'I'm back, this is Sora.'* " ...Starting now." " Okay. I'll be watching right here. If anything happens, I'll back you up in chat." Kanata sat down in a spot outside of Souji's field of vision and opened her own laptop. Souji moved the mouse cursor over the "Start Stream" button. Their finger trembled faintly. (*It's okay.*) They told themselves, and clicked. The stream screen rose up from the darkness. The viewer count began to tick up from zero. One, two, three... Comments started flowing. *'Sora-chan!?'* *'You're alive!'* *'Thank goodness... really, thank goodness.'* *'I saw the news and was so worried.'* Souji didn't read these comments aloud with an expressionless face. They simply stared straight into the camera lens. Gray eyes faced the viewers on the other side of the screen. " ...This is Sora." An androgynous voice, filtered through the voice changer, echoed in the room. The comments accelerated further. *'I'm so happy to hear your voice!'* *'Sora-chan, are you okay?'* *'Is someone threatening you?'* There were still eyes looking at a "poor, pitiable child." But. " I started this stream today because I have a request for everyone." Souji continued, matter-of-factly. " Please, don't pry into my circumstances. I am simply a streamer who fights in dungeons. That is all." For a moment, the comments stopped. Beside them, Souji sensed Kanata holding her breath. (*Please.*) Souji prayed in their heart. (*Don't turn me into some strange "someone."*) After a while— *'Okay.'* A comment of just those three characters flowed by. It spread like ripples. *'Yeah, we get it.'* *'If that's what Sora-chan says.'* *'Don't push yourself too hard.'* *'We'll keep supporting you.'* It wasn't the one-note, pity-filled comments from before. They were calmer, the kind of words directed at a single streamer. Deep in their chest, Souji felt something that had been tightly knotted loosen just a little. (*Thank goodness.*) If not for the voice changer, their voice might have trembled. " ...Thank you very much." After that, Souji headed for the dungeon as usual. The third stratum of Twilight Hollow. The shore of the subterranean lake. Aqua Fangs leaping out from the water. Souji dodged with minimal movement and finished it off with a single strike from their tonfa. The monster dissolved into particles. A scale clattered to the ground. *'Your moves are as sharp as ever!'* *'Wasn't that dodge insane?'* *'As expected of Sora-san.'* The comments were starting to change. Not "you poor thing" or "are you okay?" They were reacting to the content of the stream itself. (*So this is what Kanata-san was talking about.*) Souji thought as they efficiently gathered materials. Mixed in with the comments, Kanata was subtly guiding the atmosphere of the stream. *'Sora-san's footwork is so precise, it's really satisfying to watch.'* *'The way they collect Blue Crystal is always so efficient, it's a great reference.'* She wasn't "protecting a pitiable child," but steering the comments toward "praising an amazing streamer." The viewers, influenced by this, began to change as well. *'Now that you mention it, looking closely, their movements are amazing.'* *'So this is what it means to have no wasted motion.'* *'Is Sora-san actually incredibly strong?'* —It was then. *'Sora-san, I'm glad I could see you again.'* The moment that comment flowed by, Souji's hands stopped. Inside a quiet cave, devoid of monsters. Pale blue crystals faintly illuminated the surroundings. (*Glad I could see you again.*) It wasn't Kanata. It was a comment from someone whose name they didn't even know. But those words reached deep into their heart with unbelievable directness. Souji turned toward the camera. Silence, for a few seconds. Worried comments flowed by. *'Sora-san?'* *'What's wrong?'* Souji took a breath. The voice changer picked up that small breath. " ...I'm back." At that single phrase, the comments accelerated all at once. *'Welcome back!'* *'Welcome home!!'* *'We've been waiting!'* *'Welcome back, Sora-chan!'* The screen was buried in words of welcome. Souji just stared intently at the wave of comments. Beneath the mask, their lips relaxed just a tiny bit. (*I came back.*) It was a change so faint they might not have noticed it themselves, but they were definitely smiling. Kanata, who had been watching over them from nearby, smiled softly too. She typed into the chat: *'Welcome back, Sora-kun.'* The stream ended just past ten o'clock at night. When Souji cut the stream, silence returned to the room. Only the low hum of the computer's fan could be heard. " Good work, Sora-kun. That was the best comeback stream ever." Kanata spoke with a smile from the heart. " ...It's because you guided things so well, Kanata-san." " Hehe, even so, that last 'I'm back' was your own words, wasn't it, Sora-kun? That's what touched the viewers' hearts the most." Souji removed their mask. Their long silver ha

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Episode 7

Name: Sora-san's Dungeon Stream: The Expressionless Girl Is Actually a 38-Year-Old Salaryman
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