Chapter 28

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Translator: True Detective

Chapter: 28

Chapter Title: Even if the Dog Barks, the Train Goes

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1.

"Is this really everything?"

I set the box down in the living room after pulling it out from my subspace. It was all the belongings from one person's life, yet it only amounted to three boxes.

"Yeah. You told me to throw out anything you didn't need and donate whatever was already at home, right? So I gave everything to the nearby orphanage."

"...Good job."

I couldn't scold her since I'd said it myself first. Besides, it was a good deed.

"More importantly, moving like this is so convenient. Way faster and better than hiring a moving company."

"You didn't have much stuff to begin with."

"Even so, thinking about the bed and wardrobe, it wasn't that little. Especially for two women to move all that—do you think it's easy?"

"Fair point."

I headed to the room we'd decided on beforehand when Sis visited last time. I unpacked all the furniture from subspace and set it down.

"Bed in the corner. Drawers here, wardrobe over there. Capsule on this side."

I arranged the furniture according to her instructions using magic. Once it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was all done, I flopped onto the bed.

"Didn't do much, but I'm tired."

"That's moving for you. Even with packing services where you barely lift a finger, it's exhausting, right?"

"True."

We lay side by side, staring at the ceiling.

Sunlight streamed warmly through the window, accompanied by the occasional chirp of birds. The languid air made my eyelids heavy.

"In the end, we're living together again."

I answered with my eyes closed at Sis's words from beside me.

"Yeah."

"When you disappeared, I thought this moment ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would never come again. You really never know with life."

"I knew. This was the one thing I was running toward."

I felt Sis shift beside me. Opening my eyes and turning my head, our gazes met.

"Thank you. For coming back."

"I'm the one who's grateful. For holding on."

We smiled quietly at each other. It was a peaceful afternoon bathed in warm sunlight.

To celebrate the move, we ordered Chinese food. As we were picking at the leftover sweet-and-sour pork after finishing the jjajangmyeon...

"So, you're streaming today?"

I swallowed the meat in my mouth and replied.

"Gotta. Missing one day is fine, but two in a row and Elena will swarm me again."

"I watched her stream yesterday, and your name popped up in chat a bit."

"How was the vibe?"

"It was good. It was a review of your cooking to begin with. Lots of viewers, tons of donations. She said it broke the all-time record excluding tournaments?"

"Phew, glad to hear it."

At least I'd paid her back properly.

"Not sure about today's stream, though. Probably won't get as much trolling as before?"

"...Doesn't Elena ever take a break? From when I first met her till now, I don't think she's missed once."

Other streamers took at least two days off a week.

"Elena's famous for her work ethic. No regular days off."

"Then when does she rest?"

"She doesn't. Only if she's really sick. Or for weddings or funerals—otherwise, no breaks at all."

"Impressive."

Streaming every day in VR wasn't easy. To keep it up that long, she had to be in great shape.

"Must work out."

"Gotta be. No other way to have that stamina."

"Speaking of working out, when are you going, Sis?"

At my nudge, Sis glanced around slyly and stood up.

"Ah, that was good. I'm gonna head in and rest. Good luck with the stream. Hope it goes according to plan, my little sis. Mwah."

She rattled it off smoothly and slipped into her room nonchalantly. I chuckled and cleared the delivery containers from the table.

We'd ordered the two-person set, but both of us had left more than half.

'Never ordering Chinese delivery again.'

Why do Chinese places taste so off these days?

I shook my head and sorted the trash. After dropping it off at the recycling bin, I returned home.

'Alright, time to log in.'

Strike while the iron's hot, right?

Meal done, nothing else to do—perfect time to start streaming.

『Imagine Diver.』

I sat in the capsule and hit the button. My consciousness blinked. Opening my eyes revealed the purple void.

Sis had mentioned sprucing up my room last time. Streaming in this felt rude, so I headed to the shop.

'Recreate that inn I used often?'

I had memories from that other world. For some reason, that place popped into my head now and then.

Probably not the place itself, but the people I left behind. The Hero's companions had been kind to me. They were all my benefactors.

'Something like this?'

Smiling faintly, I recreated the inn as best I could. It looked about right, so I hit save.

"Done."

I confirmed the revamped My ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Room and launched the streaming program. Since I'd streamed once before, no settings tweaks needed.

'Title it this.'

There was a saying here with the same vibe as what the Mage Tower Lord once told me.

All set. I hit start without hesitation.

The notification brought up the camera and chat window. Seeing myself on screen, I gave an awkward smile.

'The Hero really was stunning.'

Sis had put her heart into this avatar, but it still didn't measure up to the Hero's looks.

'Well, she's a human beloved by that damn goddess, so everything about her is perfect.'

I wonder what the Hero's up to now. Heard the crown prince proposed. Did she marry and become queen? Whatever it is, I hope she's happy.

Lost in thought, the rapidly scrolling chat caught my eye.

Viewers already over 100. The aggro was still pulling strong.

"Hello, everyone."

I switched from the waiting screen to broadcast mode right away.

"Oh, the title? What's up with it? Problem?"

I tilted my head, checking the title. Seemed perfect for the situation.

"What to explain? It's literal. No matter what others say, I'll stick to my plan."

Question marks flooded chat at my words. More viewers now.

"I'll explain my plan once more people join."

As expected, with more viewers, chat got messy. I watched for now.

Just 5 minutes of neglect turned chat into a warzone. Couldn't fight with donations, so they brawled in text.

The worst were the ones spamming curses.

'Time to step in.'

Letting it go could cause issues, so I started banning trolls.

As I purged the bad actors, most backed off. Too late—I remembered all the trolls from before.

I spent over 5 minutes banning, and chat ended up spotless.

"Alright, chat's clean now. Time to explain my plan."

I sat on the inn bed and continued.

"First off, no donations for the foreseeable future. To prevent anyone trying to control me with them."

"Hey, no trash-talking. So, what's next? Anyone remember what I said on Elena's stream?"

Chat buzzed at my question.

"Everyone remembers. Right. Challenger climb stream. That's what I'm doing to prove my words."

Chat exploded, but I ignored it. That's what the title meant, after all.

"Train departing. Name: The Legendary Arena. Destination: Challenger."