Chapter 75 - Chapter 75: Outsourcing
A hologram communication device capable of projecting three-dimensional images was installed in the Princess's room.
The silhouette of a woman materialized in the dimmed room. Seeing her, I was startled.
She looked exactly like the professor who researches monsters at the university.
The woman in the hologram was a Doctor conducting life-extension research for the Yaegashi Group.
It seemed she had discovered a method for rejuvenation using the Elixir I sold.
After speaking with her about various things, she uttered some surprising words.
In fact, this Doctor is the Professor's mother.
Of course she would look so similar.
"Doctor, you had a child?!"
It seemed neither the Princess nor Kaorulko knew about this.
"Well, I certainly did."
"I never heard such a story..."
"Well, that was over 20 years ago, you know~"
The Doctor spread her arms as if exasperated with herself.
"Well, I can understand that if you got young again, you'd look like your daughter, but why the surname..."
"That girl probably took her father's surname."
So the Hashidate surname belongs to my old man?
That means they must have divorced.
"So, did you divorce?"
"Ahaha, is the Princess Sakurako interested in me for once? Usually, you avoid me."
"It's because I don't know what you might do!"
"I won't do anything to Kyoko-sama's great-granddaughter~"
"Hmph, we'll see."
The Princess didn't trust her at all.
She had mentioned it in conversation, but her great-grandmother's name seemed to be Kyoko-san.
If she's around 120 years old, she's from the Showa era.
Back then, names ending in "ko" were common, right?
Well, the Princess is Sakurako, and Kaorulko is like that too.
Maybe that Kyoko-san gave them those names.
"Well, it seemed they liked each other, and she was interested in childbirth as well."
"Judging by that look, it seems she lost that interest quite quickly."
"Ahaha, as expected of Lady Sakurako."
She apparently became single-mindedly devoted to her research, ignoring her husband and child, and drove them away.
The husband probably got custody, right? That's why the Professor uses her father's surname.
The Doctor herself showed no sign of regret whatsoever.
She's truly dedicated.
"Do you keep in touch with your daughter?"
The Doctor answered my question.
"No, not at all. I only saw her name in some materials, so I knew she was researching monsters."
I probably shouldn't tell the Professor about the Doctor.
She might be someone the Professor wants to forget.
She's quite an eccentric, but she's undoubtedly an excellent scientist for finding a way to rejuvenate using the Elixir.
She's employed by the Yaegashi Group, after all.
That much is certain.
Just as I was about to end the hologram call, the Doctor seemed to have something else.
"Oh! If you get another Elixir, please sell it to me first."
"Well, if the Yaegashi Group buys it, it's guaranteed. I'll do that."
"I'll convey that to Kyoko-sama."
"Thank you."
"Oh, by the way. Kyoko-sama also said she wants to meet your Darling over there."
Why does this person call him Darling too?
My nickname is going to get fixed as Darling.
Being called Darling by women is nice, but when men say it...
―― The communication ended.
Now I can use holograms.
I can receive communications from the government here as well.
It means I don't have to go to the government office in person.
That's very convenient.
"I never thought the mad scientist the Princess told me about was the Professor's mother... The world is small."
"Darling, is that professor researching monsters?"
Iroha seemed interested in the Doctor's daughter from earlier.
"Yeah, she got very excited when I showed her rare monsters."
"Doesn't that sound like the Doctor from just now?"
"No, I don't think she's that bad. Just a normal... well, a monster otaku, I guess."
"Heh~"
"She was also very interested in the merman monster we caught in the sea with the Princess."
Iroha reacted to my words.
"Ew! That gross thing!"
"Did you watch my video?"
"I watched it, I watched it! The one with the fish head, right?! Those eyes are scary. If I pulled back the futon and found that thing, I'd faint!"
She's saying something incomprehensible and flailing around.
"Why would a monster be under the futon?"
"It could be there! If they spawn outside the dungeon too, it wouldn't be strange if they spawned in my futon!"
Is that so? Maybe?
Well, I get that it's gross.
I thought so too.
I understand that fish eyeballs are gross, and the merman's eyeballs were huge.
The Princess said it was gross too, and the comment section on the video was a chorus of 'Gross!', 'Gross!'!
"Anyway, setting the merman aside, did you feel refreshed with everything?"
This dungeon raid had various issues, so we decided to just party it up and clear our heads.
"Of course! I want to feel refreshed by Darling every night~"
"Like that's going to happen! He's my Darling!"
"What? It's fine, right?"
"Doesn't that mean my share decreases?!"
As the Princess and Iroha bickered, Kaorulko came gliding over to me with a susu-susu sound.
"Kaorulko seems obsessed with my back, but Iroha has a wider back."
"I wish Oga-san was male."
"So Kaorulko prefers someone like Iroha... I see~"
Does she like a massive type?
"No, she wanted to see interactions with Daisuke-san... Daisuke-san taking the hit."
"I'm the one interacting?! And I'm the one taking the hit?!"
"Yes."
No, it's not 'Yes'!
By the way, she was a yamato nadeshiko.
I'm in trouble.
Since the work was finished, Kako was drinking tea with me.
"Phew... I can't believe there are so many girls doing this kind of work."
"Kako-san says that, but in this era, only a handful can go to university, and even if they do, there are no jobs. Most jobs are in primary industries, right?"
"Well, that's true."
"In that case, thinking about skipping school and hitting it big wouldn't be strange."
"It's not a job you can do forever, is it?"
"True... That topic always comes up. Iroha, are you thinking about the future?"
I want to hear the opinions of other adventurers too.
I'm interested as well.
"When I retire, I'll become a consultant and train the younger ones."
"Oh, you're thinking about it properly."
I want to tell Kirara that.
Well, she seems to have changed her mind recently too.
"But, if the dungeon suddenly disappears one day, you'd be lost, ahaha!"
It doesn't feel like a joke.
It wouldn't be strange if dungeons, which suddenly appeared in the world one day, suddenly disappeared one day.
"Maybe Iroha could become an action star using that body?"
"Yeah, yeah!"
Koeda, who had been listening to my suggestion, nodded.
"Eh~? Me?"
She sounded unsure, but I'm sure she'd become popular.
"Because your body type is a real-life superhero. You might get offers from America."
"Is that so, I guess~"
She's blushing, but her physique is amazing, and she can really do action scenes.
"Boo~"
Since I was praising Iroha, the Princess's mood was off.
"Then, maybe the Princess could appear in the movie too."
"Why would I..."
"I think it would be good, since your characters are at opposite ends."
That's right -- we'd make a lot of money. How about making a movie?
Based on Iroha's reaction, I think she'd agree.
We'd use footage from the dungeon for the battle scenes.
That sounds good!
I'll think about the movie later.
Since Iroha and the others seemed satisfied, we dispersed after breakfast.
I have work to do.
I need to edit the videos I captured during this attack and upload them to the video site.
This is quite a difficult task, but -- wait?
I have money now.
Shouldn't I outsource the editing?
Hiring a professional would raise the quality higher than my casual editing.
Even if it costs some expenses, if the views go up, I can recover it easily.
The first video I uploaded already has about 50 million views, and the subsequent videos have skyrocketing view counts across the board.
It might easily reach 100 million views.
As far as I know, I'm the only one who can capture digital footage inside the dungeon.
"Alright!"
I contacted the outsourcing company I had researched beforehand.
The sample video was quite high quality.
The price was about 100,000 yen per video.
In the early days of video sites, it was apparently around 50,000 yen per video, but now there's inflation.
Searching the net, it seems this is the going rate.
Since they agreed to take it, I handed over the materials.
It seems they live in the Special District.
The unedited videos are quite large in capacity, and sending all of them over the net is quite difficult.
If they live in the Special District, wouldn't it be faster to hand it over in person?
They agreed, so we decided to meet.
When I told them I was staying at a hotel, they said they would come pick me up in the lobby.
That's very convenient.
I took out the camera from the Item Box and removed the HDD recording media.
First, I make a backup.
"I'm going to meet the outsourcing person in the lobby."
"...I'm going too."
It seems the Princess is coming along in casual clothes.
She has an image of wearing bikini armor, so people often don't recognize her in casual clothes.
Well, she's fundamentally beautiful, and she radiates the aura of a super-celebrity, so she attracts attention no matter what.
Once the backup was finished, I went down with the Princess.
The message said to look for someone in conspicuous clothing, so it would be easy to spot -- and there she was.
She had a shaved, flashy-colored hairstyle and was wearing a pink leather jacket -- a woman?
She was a woman.
The Princess had a look that said, "See? I told you so -- coming along was the right choice."
"Are you Quadrifoglio?"
"Oh, yes!"
"I'm Niwa."
She stood up energetically.
"Oh, um! Could it be! Are you... Lady Sakura-hime?!"
The woman pressed forward against the Princess.
"W-well, yes..."
"I'm a fan! Please shake my hand!"
"Hey, if you cause a scene in the lobby, you'll be kicked out."
I warned her, just in case.
"S-sorry!"
The Princess looked somewhat helpless and shook her hand.
There's no way I'm the main character; I'm just a mob. The Princess is the heroine.
The heroine is bound to be more popular.
"Kyaa~!"
The woman was flailing around.
Well, she seems to have many fans of the Princess.
Maybe she accepted my work because she knew I was dating the Princess.
"The Princess isn't involved in this job, is that okay?"
"Oh! S-sorry. It's work, right! I'll accept it."
She seemed enthusiastic, so I decided to entrust it to her.
Judging by the sample, the level seemed quite high.
I handed her the external HDD containing the materials.
"This is... scenes of Lady Sakura-hime fighting..."
"I think she's probably in them."
"Yay!"
She jumped up hugging the HDD.
"Hey, hey, don't leak the data."
"That's fine! (Kirari!)"
Kirari! -- That's fine, but... will it be okay?
Well, she's a pro, and she knows what happens if she does something like that.
I decided to leave it to her.
"Oh, by the way, Quadrifoglio-san."
"Yes?"
"You don't need this for this job, but can you add effects to the battle scenes?"
"Hmm, it's possible, but -- I have acquaintances who are professionals in that field, so you should ask them."
"Professionals, like people who do CGI for movies?"
"Yes."
Oh, this is an unexpected connection.
"Darling."
She pulled on my shirt.
"What is it?"
"What is Quadrifoglio?"
"It means four-leaf clover. I think it's Italian."
"That's right!"
"Darling, can you speak Italian?"
"No, there was a car with that name a long time ago."
"Oh, I see."
The Princess seemed impressed, but she and Kaorulko speak English fluently.
It seems they were given native teachers from childhood because it's absolutely necessary for business.
Kaorulko also said she speaks French.
She really feels like a young lady of the Yaegashi Group.
But since she left the group to become an adventurer, her relatives must be turning green with envy.
They don't seem to intend to return to the group, but they aren't cut off either.
They might be thinking she'll come back eventually, but...
How about it?
Looking at them, they don't seem to have the slightest intention of returning.
"Lady Sakura-hime, do you call Mr. Niwa 'Darling'?"
"W-well, yes..."
"It's so cute..."
Cute? I don't really get it.
Anyway, it seems she'll talk to the CGI professional as well.
We haven't decided to do anything yet, though.
"There are people saying things like this~"
That's all I'm saying.
Since I handed over the data, what should I do next?
Since I came down anyway, I might cash out at the market.
"Hmm."
The Princess had a difficult expression in the lobby.
"What's wrong?"
"I came along because I was worried about Darling..."
"You're way more famous than I am..."
"Guh..."
"If I just walk normally, I'm just an old man, so I don't think anyone will notice me."
"But..."
She doesn't seem convinced, but if I'm with the Princess, the probability of getting caught up in an accident is high.
Maybe the Princess has a constitution for getting involved in things?
In the dungeon, it feels like she's the one pushing herself into trouble.
I head to the market with the Princess.
It's to cash out the items in the Item Box.
However, I intend to give the Lesser Demon to the university professor as a sample.
It's certainly a rare monster, but it's humanoid, and the meat probably doesn't look delicious.
Those garish colors mean it's a warning color.
It's advertising, "I have poison."
Even if it didn't have poison, I wouldn't want to eat that.
Then what about Orcs or Minos? -- Well, they are relatives of pigs and cows -- so I convince myself.
Probably others think the same.
"Hi~"
I went to the usual old man's shop to sell things.
He was honest with me, a beginner, and conducts business properly.
He is trustworthy.
"Oh, brother! Speaking of which, I heard you attacked Floor 7!"
"Floor 7?!"
Hearing the old man's words, other buyers gathered around.
"Let me buy it from you!" "I'll buy it higher!"
"Are you Sakura-hime?!"
One of the buyers seemed to notice the Princess.
"Yes, yes, the Princess is off today. Besides, I've already decided where to sell."
"Please, somehow!"
"Ahaha! That's how it is, sorry you guys!"
"You've been having good luck at his place lately, haven't you!"
"This brother has taken care of me since he was a beginner, so it's natural. You guys should catch adventurers like that too, ahaha!"
"That's right. When I first came here, I didn't know left from right."
"Mutter, mutter..."
The other buyers reluctantly withdrew after my and the old man's explanation.
"Ahaha! Well, we make a profit too."
"Though, this attack was full of Golems and Wraiths that don't make money."
"Haha, that was a disaster."
"Golems are hard and can't be used as materials; it's the worst."
"Well, that's true..."
"But, we got Magic Stones."
I took out the Magic Stones from the Item Box.
"Heh~! Golem Magic Stones! These are worth one finger each!"
He held up one finger.
It can't be 100,000 or 10 million yen for this size, so it must be 1 million yen.
Well, that's the market rate.
I checked online, and it was about that much.
Since they might have some use, I kept a few and sold the rest.
These will be pooled into the Guild's Princess Sakurako account, and the Guild members -- meaning me and the Princess and the others -- will split them equally.
Other buyers looked at the large Magic Stone with envious eyes, but don't make such resentful faces.
I'm not at fault here.
I'll sell the other monsters in the Item Box too.
Even selling everything, it won't reach 10 million yen, but that's not much money for me now.
I've changed.
Originally, I was supposed to return to the countryside here and FIRE, but now I have the Princess, so I can't do that.
I have to stick with her until she retires.
Even so, it's not a business I can do for a very long time.
That's right -- I don't want to buy, but let me ask about the Lesser Demon.
"I have something I want you to see."
"Hm?! What is it?"
I took out a red-skinned monster from the Item Box.
"Ew!" "Oh!" "Rustle..."
The surroundings buzzed at what I produced.
The red-skinned monster exposed under the sunlight increased its eeriness as its vivid red color was illuminated by the daylight.
The parts hit by light shone as if burning, and the texture of the muscles and skin stood out clearly.
The sharpness of the horns and claws reflected the light, emitting an extraordinary sense of intimidation.
"What is this?"
"It seems to be a Lesser Demon."
"This is a Lesser Demon... You want me to buy this?"
"No, I don't intend to sell it, but if it has a price, how much would it be...?"
"Hmm?"
The old man squatted with his arms crossed, grunting.
"No, you don't have to force a price. I don't think it's sellable either."
"Yeah, this is a bit..."
It's too gross.
"Well, it doesn't look edible as meat either, haha."
"That's true..."
"Alright, I'll take it to a research institution I know."
"I'd appreciate that."
Before storing it, I took a photo and sent it to the Professor.
"If you're interested, I'll bring it in. Please let me know a convenient time -- something like that."
Amidst the murmuring crowd, I stored the Lesser Demon in the Item Box.
I said goodbye to the buying old man and left the market.
Heading straight to the weapon shop, I asked for missile additions.
There are piles of single pipes in the Item Box that serve as materials.
They are remnants of the scaffolding used on Floor 7, but there's no place to dismantle them here.
If I lived in the countryside, I'd have plenty of space to do it bit by bit, but I don't have that time now.
If I'm going to do that, it's faster to buy new ones.
I've become quite bourgeois.
After ordering the weapons and leaving the shop, I received a message from the Professor.
"What is this! I've never seen it! Please bring it to me right away!"
"Is the location the same as before?"
"Yes!"
"Then I'm heading over now. I should arrive within an hour."
"Understood. I'm waiting!"
As expected, the Professor had never seen this monster either.
"Princess, the university professor wants to see the Lesser Demon, so I'm going now..."
"I'm going too!"
"Fine, but if I go with you, won't a merman appear again..."
"There's no way! ...I think."
Actually, maybe the Princess's scent attracts monsters?
I'm thinking strange thoughts, but since she learned the Clean magic, the scent has lessened.
Personally, I'm a bit disappointed.
Regardless of my fetishes, I decided to head to the monster research facility in Haneda.