『Whoa, whoa, whoa! Did he really just run into Headshot Yakuza? Is this for real!?』
『It’s the real Headshot Yakuza!!』
『Wait! So the reason Hinata-chan and Leveling Junkie Bro suddenly froze up was because Headshot Yakuza was right there!?』
『Is this the rumored Haki of Headshot Yakuza...!? You seriously can't even move...!!』
『Why is Headshot Yakuza in Shinjuku Dungeon!? Wasn't he conquering a different one!?』
『Headshot Yakuza is as cool as ever...!!』
『Mito-san is there too!!』
『He isn't streaming on his own channel today, so this is seriously rare footage!』
『Mito-san is as beautiful as ever—and both of them are crazy for wearing a maid outfit in a dungeon...!!』
The comments erupted with excitement, but neither Headshot Yakuza nor the beautiful maid so much as glanced at the noisy drone camera.
"............"
"Oh my, this is quite rare."
For some reason, both of them turned their gazes toward me and approached.
By the way, "Mito-san," as mentioned by the viewers, referred to the silver-haired beauty standing beside Headshot Yakuza.
Headshot Yakuza was an explorer who usually worked solo, but about six months ago, he had started exploring dungeons with Mito-san from time to time, though no one knew where they had met.
The name "Mito-san" came from the fact that Headshot Yakuza had called the beautiful maid "Mito" during a stream; her real name and other details were completely unknown.
That Mito-san stared intently at me, her eyes sparkling with interest. Then—
"Level 18 with 12 Spirit. No Mental Status Resistance skill, either. To think you'd resist Obito-sama's Intimidation—even if it's only the passive effect..."
"!?"
『Wha!? Leveling Junkie Bro is Level 18!?』
『It’s only been about ten days since he became an explorer, right!? Isn't his leveling speed way too fast!?』
『Usually, the leveling speed drops once you pass Level 10, but he’s already about to hit the next stage...』
『Me: A veteran with one year of experience. I've already been overtaken by Leveling Junkie Bro. (Shaking voice)』
『↑ Hey, you aren't actually laughing.』
『I mean, 12 Spirit at Level 18 is... well, it’s normal if you don't have any magic-type skills yet. But being able to resist Headshot Yakuza's Intimidation at Level 18 is definitely not normal lol.』
『Resist Headshot Yakuza's Intimidation!? I thought so too, but come to think of it, he was screaming earlier. Based on how Mito-san put it, that counts as a successful temporary resist...』
Wait, my personal information—my Status—was just exposed out of nowhere!?
Besides, I wasn't "resisting" that Intimidation at all! I was still paralyzed with fear!
...Or so I thought, until I saw the explanation from Explainer Bro in the comments. So that also counted as a "resist" check...
Ah, by the way, "Obito" was Headshot Yakuza's name. To be even more blunt, the reason we were paralyzed was due to one of the multiple Intimidation-type skills Headshot Yakuza possessed—one that activated automatically as a passive effect while inside a dungeon.
Among Headshot Yakuza's viewers, it was commonly known as "Haki." It was, of course, a reference to a certain pirate manga.
Normally, a passive Intimidation skill wouldn't affect anyone much, but Headshot Yakuza was a top-level explorer in Japan. Due to the astronomical difference in level and stats, the skill worked on most opponents even with a weak effect.
"Ah, I thought something was strange... It was the effect of a Title. You've had quite a troublesome label pinned on you, haven't you?"
"...?"
Mito-san lowered her voice, whispering the next words just quietly enough that the viewers could barely hear her.
I tilted my head inwardly at her words.
A Title? I shouldn't have a Title with an effect like that. And what did she mean by "label"? Was it some kind of foreign food?
Actually, I really wished people would stop peering into my Status without permission.
Yes, Mito-san actually possessed the Appraisal skill. It was also speculated that she likely had a high-tier skill that was an evolution of Appraisal.
From Mito-san's perspective, looking into the deepest depths of a low-level explorer's status was a piece of cake.
—And so, while I remained frozen and unable to speak a word out of fear,
"Mito, let's go."
Headshot Yakuza spoke for the first time today. He had a deep, emotionless, sexy voice that sounded like a certain voice actor named Tsuda.
A cool guy who didn't say a single unnecessary word. Seriously, he was so cool.
"Yes, Obito-sama."
Mito-san nodded gently and began to walk away with Headshot Yakuza.
However.
Released from their gazes, the fear I felt weakened just enough for me to squeeze out every ounce of courage and open my mouth.
I didn't have the luxury of hoping my idol would recognize me. But this might be the last chance I'd ever have to meet Headshot Yakuza.
Even if it was a nuisance or trivial to him, I somehow wanted to convey that a fan of his existed right here.
"U-Um, Headshot Yakuza!"
Headshot Yakuza stopped in his tracks.
"I—I've always been a fan! I'm rooting for you!!"
Saying that much was the absolute best I could do.
"............"
Headshot Yakuza slowly turned around and walked back toward me, his footsteps echoing with a heavy clack, clack.
The gaze looking down at me was that of a cold-blooded man deciding whether to bury a worthless Sworn Brother who had messed up in the mountains or sink him in the sea.
And then—
"............"
"Wa... ah...!!"
He suddenly held out his right hand.
I grabbed it with both of mine. A handshake!
So this was the feel of the real Headshot Yakuza's hand...!! His body heat...!!
I was deeply moved by the silent Headshot Yakuza's god-tier fan service.
After giving my hand a light squeeze, Headshot Yakuza let go, and then—
"Later."
With that one word, he walked away without looking back again.
Mito-san, who had been giggling elegantly at the sight, turned back toward us and gave a graceful bow.
"Apologies for the disturbance. Please do your best to conquer the dungeon, both of you. Well then, we shall take our leave."
Leaving behind those words of—I assumed—encouragement, she departed.
●◯●
"Phew... That, that was terrifying..."
"You're telling me...!!"
A short while after Headshot Yakuza and his companion left, we finally regained the ability to move.
The first thing out of Hinata-san's mouth as she let out a sigh of relief was that it was scary. As someone who stanned Headshot Yakuza, I felt the same way. The real Headshot Yakuza was seriously intense...!!
"But... I didn't know you were a fan of Headshot Yakuza-san, Takeo-kun."
"Yeah, well. I pride myself on being a relatively long-time Sworn Brother."
By the way, "Sworn Brother" was the fan name that the listeners of Headshot Yakuza's channel had started calling themselves.
"That's a bit surprising, I guess."
"Is it?"
"Yeah. I thought you were only interested in raising your level, Takeo-kun."
『Ah~, I can see that.』
『Leveling Junkie Bro is human after all.』
『I'm relieved to see he has a human side.』
『The fact that he stans Headshot Yakuza is very on-brand for Leveling Junkie Bro, though.』
『Well, he usually seems like a polite young man, so I guess that's also human in its own way...』
Hey, what was that supposed to mean?
"It's true that I love leveling up more than anything, but it’s not like I'm thinking about it literally every second. I read manga, watch anime and Yo!Tube, and I even have a favorite DungeonTuber I support."
"I see....Yeah, I guess so."
For some reason, Hinata-san smiled as if she were relieved.
I felt like I was being misunderstood in some rude way...
Well, at any rate, this time for sure, we were going back to the surface.
Hinata-san turned toward the drone camera floating in the air and explained to the viewers that she was ending the stream.
From here on out, we were just going to use the Teleportation Circle to return to Floor 1 and head straight home.
"Well then, I'll end today's stream here. Thank you all for watching today. Um... I'll probably be streaming tomorrow as well, so please look forward to it."
『lol Come to think of it, he’s diving into the dungeon tomorrow too, isn't he? lol』
『We're happy to be able to watch you guys every day lol』
『Good work, Hinata-chan.』
『Leveling Junkie Bro, go easy on her tomorrow.』
『As if he could.』
『G’work.』『Gj』『Good work.』『Bye-bye.』
After ending the stream right there, we teleported from the Floor 4 Teleportation Circle to the Floor 1 Teleportation Circle and returned to the surface.