The New Guild Contest
The guild contest was a battlefield of schemes and machinations. Heck, with my own education as thin as a wallet after a spending spree, I’d even bought a handful of military strategy books and devoured them like a starving monk. No matter how small this new guild contest was, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down. First thing tomorrow, I should try recruiting a few more guild members. Building up the forces comes first when you’re preparing for war.
After the stream ended, I stepped out of the studio—and there, standing right in front of me, was the boss. Judging by her expression, she didn’t look like she’d come to scold me.
"What brings you here?"
"You worked hard on today’s stream. I saw the article."
"Huh? An article?"
I stared at her blankly, and she showed me the news on her phone. Even the headline was outrageous.
"Huh."
It had barely been any time since the stream ended, and already there was a news article? Slowly, I began to feel just how huge a thing I’d done.
"But what exactly is this? It went unexplained for ten years... and you’re the one who figured it out?"
"Well..."
How should I even explain this? The boss was quick on the uptake, so I laid everything out for her from beginning to end, then added a neat little summary at the end.
"I got lucky."
"Luck aside, I think you’re even more impressive. They say the expected value is ten million won if you fail, and the variance is so huge it barely even means anything... and yet you still pressed the tenth enhancement button even though it would erase a +9 item."
That was true. I’d just gotten addicted to the thrill of gambling and clicked before I knew it. It felt a little too flattering, honestly. She must have sensed that, because she cornered me with a single, perfectly aimed question.
"Are you that bold, or are you just so hooked on gambling that you’ve lost the ability to judge risk?"
"Th-the former, obviously! Hahaha! I’m following the fearless spirit you used when you founded Shining Parade, Boss."
She seemed to like that? Or maybe not. With the boss, you could never quite tell how she felt just by looking at her face.
"Anyway, do you even have money for dinner? You spent the five million won you borrowed in a single day."
"That... I do not. I never do."
"Right. Come on. Let’s get dinner. I’ll treat you."
Honestly, maybe the biggest stroke of luck in my life wasn’t the game enhancement at all, but meeting our boss. Just in case, I asked,
"Is this my last meal?"
The boss burst out laughing, clearly amused by the joke. Good. Looks like I’d just bought myself another extension on my lifespan. But why did she keep laughing like that?
"You’re really not going to kill me, right?"
"I’m not."
On the way out of the company, the boss brought up Ju-a senior’s fifth new song.
"Sally told me something. She said that while listening to your stream, it felt like she’d been hit over the head."
"If I said something out of line, I apologize..."
"No, that wasn’t it. She said it wasn’t shameful to fail—it was shameful to avoid trying because you were afraid of failing. That line. It sounds like it really hit her deep."
That was something I’d said because I wanted to gamble, but if it gave her strength, then hey, I felt proud.
"After her fifth song, she’d been thinking of giving up because she was afraid of people’s reactions, but thanks to you, she wants to try again. She’s in the studio practicing now. Well, it won’t come out immediately—it’ll probably take a month or two."
"Ohhh."
Come to think of it, didn’t Ju-a senior have a Composition skill at S rank? Then why were her new songs always getting such a lukewarm response? When I asked carefully, the reason turned out to be simple.
"She’d hired some pretty well-known lyricists and composers, but that doesn’t mean something will automatically succeed. There’s nothing to be done about it."
It was because she had never actually gotten to show off that talent. Feeling sorry for her, I said,
"How about writing and composing the next song yourself, senior?"
"Hmm... I’ll ask about it first."
"Yes, ma’am."
I prayed that her sixth song would be a smash hit. If Sally—one of the pillars holding up Shining Parade—succeeded, a whole mountain of benefits would surely spill over onto me too. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason I was wishing for it.
Meanwhile, it seemed the boss still had more to say, because she changed the subject right away. So that was why she’d wanted to have dinner together—she wanted someone to talk to.
"Later, when you do something like enhancement in Unknown Universe, can I join the call and watch from the side? I’m curious what it feels like."
Wait. What did she just say?
"I didn’t mishear that, did I?! CEO Chae, the absolute giant of a streamer with 1.9 million subscribers and more than ten thousand average live viewers, is asking me for a collab stream?!"
"Would you hate that?"
"No! I’d love it. I’ll definitely call you when I do the enhancement next time."
While I was at it, I gave her a quick rundown of the schedule. Being someone who had gone to college, she caught on immediately.
"So after the new guild contest and the hard boss raid, the avatar drops guaranteed there, and then you need to pull the right option for that avatar... and you want to do that together? Sounds good."
"Boss, what if you get hooked on Unknown Universe and start playing with me?"
"Then the company would be doomed. I’m not starting."
"If it’s just a casual test run, you can do it free-to-play."
Even so, she looked unwavering. A little disappointing, honestly. But then again, you never knew with people—maybe someday she really would start.
When we came out of the company, I ran into Mizuki, whom it would feel strange not to see at this point. But her expression looked a little pouty.
"Nice to mee..."
"Ru-chan! I’m not a rat."
"Hahaha."
So that was why.
"I know. You take such good care of me. I thought the Red Blossom song was great, by the way. Is it okay if I play it on stream sometimes?"
"Mhm, mhm! If you listen to it, I’d be so happy. I’ll make lots of other cover songs for tonight’s broadcast too."
When the boss looked over at us, she was smiling with that motherly expression of hers, clearly pleased.
"You two would have great chemistry in a collab someday. I’ll make room for it. There’s something I’m preparing these days, you know. I’ve already preordered something amazing."
Something she was preparing these days? What could it be? Whatever it was, if the boss had planned it, it was sure to be incredible.
"Sounds good."
"Plex!"
Was she copying my subscriber reaction? What a spirited little junior, seriously.
"Do you have to stream right now, Mizuki?"
"Mm-mmm."
Was that yes or no? I was confused, but eventually concluded it was a no.
"If you haven’t eaten dinner yet, come get dinner with me and the boss."
"I will! But what are we eating?"
"Hamburgers. Burgers & Chicken."
The reason we were going there specifically was because of the Unknown Universe collaboration-game coupon. It didn’t give you anything game-breaking, but it handed out some pretty decent items, so it was worth going for the meal too.
"Is it because of the Unknown Universe coupon?"
"Y-you’re very sharp, Boss."
"Then I’ll get the burgers, and Ru-chan can have the coupon."
"My queen, Tama."
Inside the hamburger shop not far from the company, the three of us entering together gave off a strange vibe—like a mother, older sister, and youngest daughter—but I was getting used to it. I looked at the employee.
"Do you have the Unknown Universe collab burger?"
The very friendly employee mistook me for a child and said,
"Yes. We still have the goods you can buy separately too. It’s the last one, though! But it comes with a pretty spicy sauce, so it might be hard for you to eat. The Children’s Chicken Burger would be perfect for our little kid."
"Thanks for looking out for me, but I’m an adult."
"...?"
She blinked, momentarily confused, then hurriedly apologized over and over again.
"It’s okay. But what do you mean you still have the goods?"
Then she showed me a pillow wrapped in plastic. It was a cute character modeled after the owner of Unknown Universe’s planet, a pillow shaped like a little round meatball—the Starming pillow. But what I needed was the coupon, so I’d decided not to buy it.
"It’s cute! That looks like it would suit Ru-chan. Buy it!"
Mizuki was showing a lot of interest.
"No, it’s fine. I don’t want to make the boss pay any more than she has to."
"You’re casually trying to shove the bill onto me, aren’t you?"
"A-ah, no, no, that’s not it! I really want to buy it, but my bank account is sitting at zero won... Or just put it on my debt ledger. I’ll pay you back as soon as possible."
"Forget it. If not for times like this, when would I ever get to play the boss?"
"You say that like you’re not always being the boss. You’re too humble. A person with more than enough already, and yet somehow still acting modest."
Even from before, the boss didn’t really react to this level of fussing anymore. Maybe I needed to step it up.
"Three Unknown Universe collab burgers and one remaining good, please."
"And please leave the spicy sauce off one of them."
Just in case. You never knew what life might do.
"I should pack one up for Ju-a too. What was it she likes again?"
"Boss, um..."
"Hm?"
"Could you please pack Ju-a senior’s as an Unknown Universe collab burger too, and give me the coupon?"
Every time I had to make a request like that, the self-loathing was almost unbearable.
"...Fine."
"I’m sorry, and thank you."
"Ru-chan is really economical, huh."
It felt like a storm had blown through and passed in an instant. After the order was placed, the employee handed the Starming pillow over to the boss. The boss didn’t show much reaction, but Mizuki stared at Starming like she was already in love with it.
"Wow! Boss, me too."
"Here."
She fiddled with the pillow, still wrapped in transparent plastic, and when we sat down, she handed it to me.
"Still, I think it suits Ru-chan best."
"Nope."
What kind of guy carries a merch pillow around? Even if I’d become a tiny girl, my heart was still that of a man who’d happily sleep on a five-thousand-won pillow from a market stall.
But Mizuki was stubborn, and then the boss joined in too.
"That’s right. We bought it for you. Hurry up and hug it. I think it’ll suit you."
"What?!“
"Show us! Show us!"
We’d come to buy hamburgers because of a coupon, so how did this turn into this? There didn’t seem to be any way out. So, with no other choice, I hugged the Starming pillow.
"Kyaaah! Ru-chan is so cute."
"Oh. It suits you. Worth the merch price."
Gaaah!
A grown man hugging a merch pillow and being told he’s cute!