Chapter 25 - Chapter 25: Blown
Returning from the dungeon, monsters had spawned despite it being daytime.
They were black, shaggy Trolls.
I defeated them, but it seemed the onlookers had witnessed me using my Item Box at that moment.
I woke up in the morning and checked my phone to see the view count on the video, only to find a summons message from the authorities.
I had ignored the man who had harassed me, but it seemed others had also reported me to the authorities.
I suppose I should have hoped they would let it slide since we are fellow adventurers.
There is always a certain number of people who cannot stand seeing others succeed.
Well, I suppose there is no helping it.
I cannot ignore a summons to appear.
If I don't go, there is a possibility my adventurer license will be revoked.
"Haaah~"
I let out a huge, terrible sigh.
"Good morning. Daisuke-san, what's wrong?"
Sana must have woken up as well; she seemed to notice something was off with me.
"Yeah, it seems my use of the Item Box during yesterday's battle has been exposed."
"Eh?! Is that true?"
"A summons order came from the government office."
"I-I can't just not go, right?"
"Since this is an order, ignoring it or playing dumb would be bad, I think."
They are probably sending recorded footage as well.
Even if AI can create fake images, if I am confronted face-to-face and try to play dumb...
There will likely be 24-hour surveillance from the state around me.
If that happens, evidence will be gathered immediately.
In that case, it is better to just confess outright.
Of course, the matter of the dungeon in my backyard must remain confidential.
I will just say I obtained the Item Box skill for the first time upon arriving at the Tokyo dungeon.
The cause will remain unknown...
"Mutter, mutter..."
As I muttered to myself, Sana looked worried.
"Daisuke-san?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. They aren't going to eat me or anything."
"But still..."
"Sorry, but I am taking the day off today. If you want to go to the dungeon, follow Kirara."
"Yes."
Ren had also woken up, so I told her about the situation.
"Eh? Daisuke, are you okay?"
"Well, I didn't commit any crime, so I'm fine. I think they will ask various questions and put me under surveillance."
"Didn't that top-ranking woman also say she has an Item Box?"
"That's right? So it shouldn't be a problem. Though I might not be able to travel anymore."
I planned to return to the countryside and live a leisurely life once I earned some money anyway.
It must be tough for the government officials sent to monitor such a remote area.
But that is their job, I suppose.
While preparing breakfast bread and cafe au lait, the eyebrow-less Kirara arrived.
I told her as well.
"Oh, well, that situation was unavoidable, but you have bad luck, don't you?"
"Yeah. But there's nothing to be done."
"Hehe, isn't it because of your usual behavior?"
"What are you saying to catch such a person of near-infinite kindness?"
"It's because you call me BBA."
"Why is that bad!"
I twisted my body and spread my arms.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about!"
"Well now, I have no idea what you mean."
I ate the bread.
"Hmph."
Kirara also took a bite of her bread.
"If Sana and Ren are going to the dungeon, you should go with them."
"I understand."
She is a bit vain, but she is not a bad person.
She surprisingly takes good care of her juniors as well.
"..."
Mio silently listened to everyone's conversation.
"What's wrong, Mio-chan? Wasn't that your favorite bread?"
"...No."
"Then what?"
"Daisuke, are you going to disappear?"
It seems she is worried about my situation.
"Haha, I'm fine. I'm fine, so go to school."
"...Okay."
"...Even if nothing happens, there will be surveillance, right?"
"Yeah. Which department handles this kind of surveillance? Public Security? The Cabinet Investigation Office is an intelligence gathering department, after all."
"I don't know."
Well, there is no point in talking here.
When the time comes, I will have to appear.
After seeing Mio off to school, I checked the uploaded video and asked everyone about their plans.
Sana and Ren seem to be going to Haneda to buy a notebook PC.
"I see."
The first video I uploaded has surpassed 10 million views, and other videos are getting views rapidly.
'Amazing! Is this a Treant?'
'I thought it was a tree, but it's bleeding.'
'Treants are monsters that mimic plants. They have internal organs inside.'
'You know a lot, just like a monster doctor.'
As expected, since it is a rare monster, the reputation is excellent.
The Treant battle was fine, but the video of the Troll fight is strange.
The view counter is spinning at an incredible speed.
It has already reached 1 million views, and the comment section seems to be in chaos.
'This guy used an Item Box.'
'For real?!'
'Item Box?!'
'Indeed... I was at the scene too, but I felt like a huge weapon suddenly appeared.'
'This old man hasn't publicly declared he has an Item Box, has he?'
'I reported him.'
It is burning up like this.
"Ah, damn it! Did it burn up here, so the authorities noticed me?"
"See, I told you it was your usual behavior? Hehehe."
Kirara has a triumphant look on her face.
"Well, it doesn't matter. If it burns up and goes viral, money comes in."
"You could just declare you have an Item Box."
"Exactly. Besides, hiding it is inconvenient. When I hunt monsters, I put everything in the Item Box and sell it all at once, which is easier."
"That's right."
"There are quite a few monsters stored in the Item Box, so if I cash them all out, I can give everyone a decent share."
"Um..."
"Hey."
Sana and Ren exchanged glances.
It seems they are hesitant to take a share from me.
In contrast, Kirara has no such hesitation.
"Does that mean I can get a share too?"
"Yeah, I will give it. So please take care of the young ones."
"Well, if I can get something, I might get motivated too."
"This cash-hungry guy."
"Just do as you please."
As expected, when you get older, you lose your hesitation.
I don't say it is bad.
Just do what you need to do.
After finishing the meal, I decided to respond to the government summons.
I really cannot ignore this one.
"Well then, I'm going."
"...Have a safe trip..."
The girls look worried, but I won't be arrested or anything.
I went down the hotel stairs.
"Oh my, alone today?"
"Yeah, I got a summons from the government office."
"What did you do?"
Does Oba-chan not watch video sites?
Well, if she did, she would have known my channel went viral by now, but that's not impossible.
"Haha, it's nothing much..."
"Don't worry the children."
"I know."
After finishing the conversation with Oba-chan, I stepped outside the hotel.
I wondered if there might be people waiting in ambush in front of the hotel... I tensed up a bit, but it was unfounded anxiety.
I walked towards the government office through the crowd.
The town looked no different from usual, continuing its calm daily life.
People moved busily through the streets, and shop owners could be seen displaying their goods at stalls.
Watching all this, I arrived at the government office.
Upon entering, I spoke to the usual receptionist sister.
"Um, I received a summons."
"Oh! Please wait a moment."
She must have known I received a summons as well.
She flew to the back and returned immediately, opening the counter door and coming out.
"Please follow me."
"Yes."
Guided by her, I went up the stairs.
Second floor... third floor. It seems the destination is the third floor.
The sister opened the door to a room at the back, and I entered.
"What is this?"
The room was empty, with nothing inside except the windows.
No, something mechanical was hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room.
"Please sit on this."
She brought over a pipe chair.
"What are we doing here?"
"Well, you will understand soon. Since we have some time, would you like some coffee?"
"Eh? Huh? Ah, yes, I will have it. With milk, no sugar."
"Please wait a moment."
She brought me coffee in a paper cup.
This is the vending machine type.
"Slurp."
I took a sip of the coffee for now.
Are they waiting for important officials to gather here?
But there is nothing here...
"Um..."
While I drank my coffee in silence, a staff member spoke to me.
"What is it?"
"Is it true that you have an Item Box?"
"It seems it is already exposed, so hiding it is pointless."
"I see."
"You aren't going to be arrested or anything like that, right? I don't think there was such a law."
"There will be no arrest. There is a rule that people with Item Boxes should report it, but there were no penalties specified."
"That's right."
After all, having an Item Box is self-reported.
There is no way to verify if it is true.
Sometimes it gets exposed like this.
We talked about trivial things until time ran out.
She went to the corner of the room and operated a remote control.
The room turned pitch black in an instant.
What? Were the windows polarized glass or something?
My eyes were not used to the sudden darkness, so I couldn't see anything.
As I fumbled around, the center of the room began to glow.
As I wondered what it was, men in suits, old men and middle-aged men, sat around a desk surrounding me.
There was one monolith standing without a desk, labeled SOUNDONLY.
I feel like there was an anime like this in the past.
Is this a hologram device?
It can do this.
Japan had advanced without me noticing.
More importantly, the old man in front of me looks familiar...
"Huh? I feel like I've seen you somewhere..."
As I traced my memory, the man in front of me spoke.
'Well then, shall we begin? Um, Niwa Daisuke-kun, is that right? Can you see me?'
"Yes, I can see you."
'Can you guess who I am?'
Hearing that, I remembered who he was.
"Could it be the Prime Minister?"
"That is correct, you are right."
He was smiling, but I felt no malice.
Well, he is a politician who became Prime Minister.
He would surely have the composure to make a forced smile.
"Is it normal for the top of Japan to appear among ordinary men like this?"
'Well, I am no longer an ordinary man, so that is why I am here.'
Laughter leaked from the men in suits around us.
"So, is it a confirmed fact that those with Item Boxes cannot escape?"
'Of course, at this point we have no way to confirm, so you could play dumb and run away, but I think you will end up in a terrible situation if you get caught later...'
The Prime Minister seems quite casual.
It is not like this in the Diet's question time.
"Will I get caught?"
'Of course! From today, Public Security and bodyguards will be attached to you 24 hours a day.'
Ugh... so it comes to this.
I had thought I would be fine inside the dungeon, but there are government officials who are adventurers.
They send the Self-Defense Forces and conduct training and experiments.
I made up my mind.
"Phew... Yes. I have an Item Box."
'Could you show me a little?'
I took out the sandbags I had stored.
'Ohhh!'
The old men and middle-aged men surrounding me erupted.
'This is...'
'Defense-related...'
'As a deterrent...'
I heard some ominous words muttered, but I pretended not to hear them.
'This is the Item Box!'
Even the Prime Minister, who looked at the sandbags, seemed to stand up in excitement.
"Yes."
'How much capacity does it have?'
A question came from another middle-aged man... um, I think this one was the Minister of Defense...
"I don't know. I haven't stuffed anything in that much."
'Mutter, mutter...'
'Bombs, tanks...'
'Cannot leave it unchecked.'
Again, I heard uneasy words.
'I am sorry, but since it is confirmed that your ability is real, you will be placed under state surveillance.'
"Well, that is unavoidable."
'With such an ability, you could take out or bring in all sorts of dangerous things.'
"Yes... Um..."
'What is it?'
"There is a top-ranking female adventurer who publicly declares she has an Item Box. Is she similarly..."
'Of course.'
So that is how it is.
I thought so, but searching for her didn't bring up any stories about difficulties with security.
"You said I would be monitored, but surely you won't install surveillance cameras inside this room?"
'Well, that would infringe on basic human rights.'
Good... I breathed a sigh of relief, but they might secretly install them even if they don't say so.
And wiretapping as well.
I think I have to be careful, but since I always use my smartphone, the state authority probably takes logs normally.
"Phew... Is that all? Just monitoring?"
'I want to ask you to work occasionally using what you have.'
"Can I refuse that?"
'Of course, it is possible. Japan is a democratic nation.'
He is smiling, but his eyes are not smiling.
"If it is not dangerous work, I am willing to accept, but will the remuneration be paid properly?"
'Of course, it will come from the national budget.'
"That is good. If you are a Japanese citizen, serving the country is natural! I thought you might say 'Do it for free!'—what would I do then?"
'No need to worry. I silenced those who say such things.'
So there are people like that.
"I hope nothing happens that shakes my patriotism."
The Prime Minister was smiling, but there was an old man who looked unhappy.
Is it because an ordinary man like me holds power that can influence the nation's fate?
Well, if the job is not worth it, I can just kick it.
They must understand that if I do something too rough and escape abroad, it will be a disaster.
'By the way... do you know the conditions for acquiring the Item Box skill?'
"Oh, I just obtained it by defeating monsters in the dungeon normally, so I thought it was a coincidence."
Of course, it was a big lie.
'...As expected...'
'...Like the previous sample...'
'Did you ask the same question to others with Item Boxes?'
'She also said she didn't know.'
It is not strange if there are multiple acquisition conditions, but do they really not know... or are they keeping it secret like me?
I don't know.
It seems the conversation ends there.
'I hope to get your cooperation.'
"That depends on this."
I made a circle with my fingers.
'Haha, please be gentle.'
When the hologram disappeared, the room brightened.
"Whoa! It's dazzling!"
"Thank you for your hard work."
"I am really tired. How will my information be announced after this?"
"I think it will be published in the government's public relations and the official gazette."
"Oh, that's how it is."
In that case, there is no need to hide the Item Box anymore.
"What kind of work will the government make me do?"
"Um..."
"Sister, do you know?"
"It seems to be mostly transporting hazardous materials and waste."
"Oh, I see. With an Item Box, you can transport anything..."
Even if I run around or shake it, it is fine.
Poisons and hazardous materials are no problem.
That is the situation.
"It seems you will have a hard time from now on."
"Well... if one government job pays tens of millions of yen, it might be quite delicious."
I don't know until I actually try it.
"Um, is Kirara working seriously?"
"Yes, for now... she is taking care of the young ones."
"I see."
It seems they used to hang out together in the past, so maybe she is worried because they are friends.
"She doesn't seem like a bad person at heart, so she should be fine, right?"
"Thank you."
While talking to the staff sister, a notification came to my smartphone.
Looking at it, it was a friend registration notification from the Prime Minister.
Why does he know my account?
Well, I probably told them when I registered with the government, so everything is leaked.
I pressed the approve button.
Sharing it via SNS means if there is something or a complaint, tell the Prime Minister directly.
Will this be inherited even if the Prime Minister changes?
It seems like the policy might change suddenly.
If the opposition party's Prime Minister takes over, everything might change 180 degrees.
I said goodbye to the sister and left the government office.
"..."
I feel like there are already a few people who look like surveillance officers.
They are dressed as adventurers with modern armor, but they are not ordinary.
Maybe my intuition has sharpened because my level is high?
When I glanced at someone and our eyes met, they looked away.
She was a woman with short hair, but her build was clearly muscular, and her posture was different.
Speaking of which, when you level up, your stamina and strength increase, which I and the girls know, but this means a buff is applied to the base stamina, right?
That means training the body to raise the base is an effective method.
Someone with 10 stamina gets a 10x buff to reach 100.
Someone with 20 stamina reaches 200 with the same buff.
"Hmm..."
Worrying is useless.
I move.
Well, since the Item Box is going to be public, hiding it is pointless, right?
I should take everything out of storage.
I can shop openly.
Even if there is trouble, there are surveillance and bodyguards.
I headed to the buyout market in front of the dungeon.
"Yes, yes! I'll buy! I'll buy! I buy anything!"
I found the middle-aged man who bought the white wolf before.
"I have something to sell."
"Huh? Oh! The customer who sold the white wolf before!"
"You remembered?"
"Hahaha! No, I made a profit from that one."
"So... that means you sold it for a high price?"
"Hahaha!"
He was laughing, but his attitude showed it.
White wolves are rare, after all.
"So... is the buyout okay?"
"Oh, show me anything! — Well, that's what I want to say, but you aren't holding anything, brother."
"Move aside a bit."
"Oh...?"
I made space by asking the buyer and the customer to move apart.
"This and this... summon everything!"
All the monsters I had stored were spat out, forming a mountain.
'Ohhh?!'
'What?!'
'Item Box?!'
'For real?!'
Immediately, many people were taking photos and videos with their smartphones.
"O, customer! Could it be... an Item Box?!"
"Yes, yes... the government found out. They say it will be in the official gazette, so hiding it is pointless now."
"This is amazing..."
The middle-aged man crossed his arms and looked at the mountain of monsters.
"Buy them for now."
"Wait a moment. Can you put them away for a bit? I can't process them all at once."
"Okay, fine."
The bottom of the monster mountain was Orcs, so I put them back in storage, leaving them behind.
'Ohhh?!'
'Chatter, chatter'
Surprised voices rose again from the onlookers.
The disappearing scene seems to be something many people recording video want to see.
"By the way, will you buy the bear too?"
"Bear? A Fang Bear?"
"No, a brown bear."
I took it out of the Item Box.
"Wow! It stinks!"
As the middle-aged man said, it smelled intensely of beast.
"This is not a monster, it is a real brown bear."
"It's fine! I will buy it. There are people who want it."
"OK."
I put it back in storage and waited for the work to finish.
If the other party has an Item Box, they could just hand it all over and be done with it.
While waiting, some adventurers approached me with scouting voices.
"Sorry. I have my own guild."
"Our guild earns more than such a pitiful guild."
"Do you think you can team up with someone who insults my guild?"
"Our guild is 'Dancing Darkness'!"
"Again, you guys. Are you the companions of the guy who tried to extort me, held a grudge, failed PK, and turned into a Ghoul or Zombie?"
"You are the one from that video channel..."
"Yes."
"Don't regret it later!"
I cannot team up with guys who leave such parting words.
Young people with the power of level benefits tend to become arrogant, but that is not their own strength.
They are just borrowing the power of something incomprehensible called a dungeon.
While waiting, I searched for news about the dungeon on Google.
'[Breaking News] Adventurer who publicly declares having an Item Box appears!'
Gah! It is already posted.
Did the government office already make an announcement?
There is no point in reading about myself.
It seems a new entrance to a discovered layer has opened, and high-level adventurers have started attacking.
Just because it appeared below the second floor doesn't mean it is the third floor.
There is a possibility of a completely different layer, and I don't know what traps are there.
If there is treasure, it is lucky, but the danger to life is high accordingly.
While searching Google online, I waited for the buyout.
Did they see the news? I feel like more people are whispering while looking at me.
It is like I am being treated like a celebrity.
Well, I am definitely a celebrity.
In the end, the monster buyout came to about 6 million yen.
I have to give everyone a bonus again, haha.
And... I want a new weapon for stronger monsters.
I have been searching the Special District weapon shops for a while and have a target in mind.
I headed to that shop.
As expected, I could tell that about four people were following me in formation.
These must be the people monitoring me.
It is a lot of trouble.
I sympathize with them, but this means no one will touch my companions, right?
There might be people who try to move me by taking the girls hostage.
To deter such people, the whole guild should have protection and surveillance.
That gives me peace of mind in itself.