Chapter 9
It was the second morning at number one on the world's trending list.
'“Intrusion Episode” Concurrent Viewership Ends Without a Count—Streaming Site Declares, "Accurate Records Are Difficult to Determine"'
'Kenjo Rei's "Teacher" Remark Reported in Translation by Media Around the World—"SHIN-SENSEI" Crosses Borders'
'Who Is the Unknown Coach "Shin"? Industry Insiders Point Out the Contradiction with Clan Genbu's "No Connection" Statement'
After skimming three headlines, I turned my phone facedown. It was the same procedure as yesterday. The difference was that the phone I'd turned facedown hadn't been silent once since morning.
As for me, I cooked rice, leafed through my notebook, and prepared for tonight's stream. It was day twenty of my wholesome life as an unemployed man. ...Though insisting on calling it that was starting to become a stretch. The definition of "unemployed" probably didn't include being number one on the world's trending list.
A dutiful message from Rei arrived during the morning.
【Teacher. Thank you for yesterday. I'll send more tea leaves when you're running low】
When I replied, "You don't need to send any more," all I got was a read receipt. He was going to send them. He had always been that sort of man.
By noon, I'd received more than sixty calls from unknown numbers. Half the voicemails were requests for media interviews. The rest were from TV shows, three publishers, two overseas media outlets, speaking engagements—and four offers for exclusive contracts from major clans.
I returned all the calls I could, taking a lunch break in the middle. As someone who'd been a working adult for twenty years, leaving voicemails piled up was more unsettling than answering them.
"—Yes, this is Shin. ...Yes, I appreciate the offer, but I'm declining the interview. Why? Since this is a beginner's course, I discuss everything in the course already. I don't have anything set aside specifically for interviews."
"—Yes. ...No, I haven't decided on a book yet. Turning my notebooks straight into a book wouldn't make for readable material."
By around the fourth call, I'd gotten my refusal speech down when an especially courteous call came in. The caller introduced himself as the head of the training division at a clan second only to Genbu in size. When I heard the terms they were offering, I counted the digits twice. The annual salary was greater than my entire lifetime earnings during my B-rank days.
"...I appreciate the offer, but I'll have to decline."
'M-may I ask why?'
"I'm completely tied up training Hina-cha—my student right now."
The division head was silent for a long time, then said, 'I'll contact you again soon,' and hung up. Even if he did, my answer wouldn't change.
This wasn't mere false bravado. The best time for a coach is when he has students. You can't buy that time, no matter how many digits a salary has. After twenty years in the profession, that was one thing I knew.
◇
That night, when I pressed the start-streaming button, the viewer count passed 【300,000】 within ten seconds.
"Good evening, I'm Shin. There seem to be a lot of first-time viewers, so let me say the usual thing. This is a course for beginners. I won't be covering flashy techniques or talking about the strongest gear. It's dull. Probably shockingly dull."
【I know】
【The most famous opening in the world】
【He really started as usual the day after all that】
"Oh, and one more thing. Sorry for all the commotion yesterday. Today, we'll do things as usual. —Lesson Twenty: 'How to Tie a Rope.'"
【Rope LOLLLLL】
【The day after becoming number one in the world, he's teaching rope knots】
【What a contrast】
【That's what makes him Teacher】
"Strictly speaking, today's lesson is about both tying and untying. To cut to the chase—explorers are more likely to die because they can't untie a rope than because they can't tie one."
【...Huh?】
【What does that mean?】
"When you read reports of falls or accidents involving people left dangling in midair, the rope itself is often doing its job properly. The problem comes afterward. With wet hands, numb hands, or an injured dominant arm, you can't undo a tightly cinched knot. And while you're stuck unable to untie it, the monsters' patrol comes around. ...So there's only one thing to learn today: a knot that never loosens under load, yet can be undone one-handed in five seconds by pulling the end. It's called a quick-release knot."
I demonstrated in front of the camera. I didn't look at my hands. This knot is used in situations where even a glance down can get you killed, so you learn it from the beginning without watching your hands. I don't know how many times this course has mentioned where to look, but we'll do it as many times as necessary. That's what fundamentals are.
The comment section, which had been a barrage of 【Dull】 comments for the first three minutes, gradually shifted back to its usual tenor.
【...Hey, I just tried it with my belt, and it really did come undone one-handed】
【"Dying because you can't untie it" was way too much of a blind spot】
【You can feel the body count behind every single piece of reasoning in this course (as always)】
【The day after the legend that crashed the aggregation server, he's teaching rope knots. Somehow, that makes it even more impressive】
"And one item of business. I've received a lot of interview requests and contract offers since yesterday. I'm grateful, but I'm declining all of them. I'm completely tied up training a student right now. —Hina-chan, I'll be raising the difficulty of your assignments by one level starting next week. Be prepared."
【Y-yes! I'll do my best!】
【The thing keeping him too busy to accept a major clan's salary offer is one C-rank student】
【At this point, we have no choice but to believe him】
【Got it. Shin-sensei is the real deal. Yesterday convinced me, and today confirmed it】
【The person who can carry on like normal the day after a festival is the scariest of all】
What's wrong with business as usual? The festival ended yesterday. The class goes on.
"Well then, that's all for today. Next time: 'How to Pack Your Gear.' We'll discuss whether heavy things belong on top or on the bottom."
【Dull!】
【Looking forward to it】
◇
That same night, at Clan Genbu headquarters, an emergency executive meeting in the large conference room on the top floor had already lasted more than two hours.
There was only one item on the agenda: last night's "Intrusion Episode" and Kenjo Rei's remark—'And yet, the industry cast this man aside.' Everyone in the media had long since figured out exactly whom "the industry" referred to. Inquiries had been clogging the PR lines since morning.
"Chairman, there is no need for concern."
The first to speak was a veteran executive who headed the sales division.
"That was just an emotional performance by Kenjo. The independent group is taking a beating from the public. Letting the cameras capture him bowing to his benefactor buys goodwill. It's calculated. The public will forget in a month—"
The table exploded.
It was the sound of Togakushi Gen slamming his fist into it.
"...Kenjo Rei..."
A low voice crawled through the silent conference room.
"He spent six years on our front lines. He never once negotiated his pay. He never even smiled in front of a camera. You think he would bow his head out of calculation? Let his eyes well with tears out of sentimentality? —You blind fools."
The executives froze. Togakushi himself was more startled than anyone by his own outburst. He couldn't quite explain why he'd shouted.
After the meeting broke up, Togakushi replayed the archive of that night's broadcast in his office, alone.
Humanity's Strongest, seated seiza-style on a cheap cushion in a six-tatami room, looked straight at the camera and said, 'This man made me Humanity's Strongest.' With the eyes he'd used for twenty years to appraise people and build an organization, Togakushi searched those eyes again and again for calculation. For sentimentality.
Neither had been there. There were only the eyes of a man stating a fact.
A trivial memory surfaced in a corner of his mind: the unremarkable middle-aged man who bought a rookie a canned coffee by the hallway vending machine. That same man's back as he silently folded his contract-termination notice in half and bowed, saying, 'Thank you for everything over the years.'
The amateurs' little festival would be over in a month. —Only the sound of his own voice saying that remained strangely cheap in his ears.
Togakushi picked up the intercom.
"Tell the research team to send all the materials on that course, starting with the initial report, to my office. And also—the records of Kenjo's rank-skipping examination from eight years ago."
He set down the receiver and looked out over the nighttime cityscape. Togakushi Gen still did not know exactly what he had cast aside. But—he was beginning to realize that he didn't know.
◇
Later that same night, around midnight.
In a high-rise apartment, Hidō Mio stood in the middle of the darkened room, looking down at her phone.
On the screen was the archive from the stream that had just ended: 'Shin-san's Beginner Dungeon Course: Lesson Twenty.' Her account name looked nothing like her real name, just a string of characters. From Lesson One through today, there wasn't a single episode she hadn't watched.
Her finger brushed over the screen and opened the call history. The top entry was last night's call: Caller ID blocked, duration eleven seconds.
For eleven seconds, she couldn't say a word. She drew breath again and again, swallowed her words again and again—and then he recognized her with a single word: '...Mio?' The instant he called her by name for the first time in two years, her finger disconnected the call on its own.
Rei can do it. Rei is the sort of person who can go straight to someone and meet them in person. He always has been.
But I...
"...Why bother now, after all this time?"
The mutter fell onto the floor of the empty room. There was a reason Hidō Mio couldn't call him.