Chapter 381: Episode 38

I opened my smart phone. There was a new email notification on the home screen. Check your inbox quickly. The name is "Luan Almesa."

Sigh. Goodbye. When I opened the email, as expected, there was a line of garbled text I could not decipher.

Recently, my smart phone has been acting strangely. The screen often causes garbled text. Then, before I knew it, I started frequently receiving emails of unknown meaning from a person named Luan registered in my address book. Deleting them and rejecting calls did nothing.

Did it get a virus? I installed proper security software, and I shouldn't have been visiting any strange websites. I asked a mobile phone shop to repair it, but they refused to support me. I couldn't help it; I tried various methods, such as checking it myself and formatting it, but it didn't work. There is a limit to what amateur knowledge can do.

This smart phone does not seem to be a commercially available model. Just as Pomerni, who gave it to me, said, it is special. However, it is impossible to contact Pomerni.

It has been over a month since I started working as an Ituber. It has been a turbulent month. I cannot accept this reaction head-on myself.

The first video I accidentally posted was rough. Even though I deleted it immediately, reposted videos were published one after another, and there was nothing I could do. I thought that no one would be able to see such a low-quality video anyway, so my perspective was naive.

The status of an official Pomerni child is that big. However, I think I was angry because I uploaded a video that betrayed that expectation. My dream of becoming a YouTuber was shattered.

But I am still active. Thanks to Pomerni for getting me back on my feet. I had given up on the idea that I couldn't do it, so he encouraged me many times over the phone. This commotion is only temporary. Your talent is not cheap enough to be ruined here.

There is no talent like an Ituber. I know that firsthand. However, I continued to post videos, determined not to fail his expectations again. Thanks to this, I am now known to the world as an excellent Ituber.

... The story cannot end with a grand finale. Even if the name is known, it is considered notorious. Although the number of views is quite high, it seems the audience is attracted by the notoriety.

The comment section of the videos I post is still relatively rough, and I fear I cannot confirm the reposted videos yet. Self-searching might allow you to accurately evaluate yourself online, but you don't have the courage to do so.

After all, even if the number of views increased, it was not because my videos were interesting. I am called a child of Pomerni. I have always been under the care of Pomerni.

Nevertheless, I desperately thought about what kind of interesting videos I could make. If I did the same thing as others, they wouldn't notice me. I want to make a video of what I can do and what only I can do.

That is how I came up with the idea of animal-themed videos. Videos of cute animals like dogs and cats are one of the popular genres. And I don't know why, but I have a mysterious constitution that attracts animals. I thought if I used that, I could create a video that no one else has.

You can easily interact with wild animals that would usually stay alert and not come near. Conversely, pets accustomed to humans will snuggle up to them regardless of our situation, so in that respect, it is easier to interact with wild animals that keep a certain sense of distance.

A successful video about a pack of wild wolves went viral, but Pomerni warned him not to do anything dangerous. Even if it is something I don't care about, if it is seen by someone who knows nothing, it is dangerous. In fact, some speculated that it was posted for thrills.

I know Pomerni was well-intentioned and warned me, but I rejected his view on the matter. There are parts I feel sorry about. However, I have a strong feeling that I don't want to lose the lead I finally found as an Ituber.

It is hard to say that it is on the right track, but I think the number of proper fans is gradually increasing. However, I am facing another test.

It is a rest meeting.

As Christmas approaches, a fan event jointly held by Itube and related businesses every year is waiting. A dream offline party where Pomerni and the children of Pomerni gather. Yes, official children are also eligible to participate.

It is a semi-mandatory event, but I could have refused. At first, I was prepared to refuse. Just imagining standing on the stage of such a large event, with a mindset where I wouldn't even dare to look at the video comment section, made me feel like I was going to faint.

However, this offline meeting is different from usual, and disturbing information keeps emerging. Aitube announced that Pomerni will not participate. It is no exaggeration to say that he is the biggest guest, and this event will be held without the protagonist. What's more, this year's 5th anniversary offline party was scheduled to be held grandly.

Aitube and Pomerni's office have been avoiding the subject, but the internet has been talking about what happened to him. The videos that were posted almost every day have stopped updating. I tried to get in touch with him, but the phone line was cut.

One day, suddenly, I received an email from Pomerni. The content was to encourage me to attend the year-end party. Moreover, if you don't participate, you will be stripped of your official child title, and you will no longer be able to work on Itube.

Although I was confused by the content of the email, which he would not usually say, I confirmed his safety for the time being. As usual, the phone did not connect, but there was an email reply. He told me not to worry, saying that although I am in trouble, he will attend the year-end party, so I must attend. After that, the message was cut off again.

After all, something must have happened to him. Honestly, I couldn't be happier. I decided to attend the off-party. As long as they show us that everything is safe and sound inside the Venue, that is enough. So unless I see him directly and confirm it, I won't be at ease.

I should have made up my mind, but at this moment, I am about to give up on this determination. Today is the day of the party. I am at the airport going to the Venue. No, to be precise, the Venue is coming to the airport to pick me up.

Sky Island, the world's largest sightseeing ship. Even from the window of the waiting room, one can see the majestic figure worthy of the island's name. It can accommodate tens of thousands of passengers and is equipped with a wide variety of entertainment and commercial facilities, including three concert halls alone.

This will be an off-party that will last for 2 days and 1 night. In addition, the participation fee is free. Invitation tickets will be distributed to 2,000 people by lottery. These tickets are resold at ridiculously high prices and are extremely difficult to obtain. It is a daunting story.

This is my first time flying in the sky, but I don't feel very excited. The steps to get here are Heavy, and it is the last minute of the designated boarding time. If I don't hurry, I will be left behind... I don't think so, but it will cause a lot of trouble.

Check yourself before boarding. The clothes are the same as before; I bought them on Sky Island. The electronic money enough to buy new clothes is in the smart phone as advertising fees. I originally wanted to buy new clothes, but it seems these clothes are valuable. I thought they were just second-hand clothes, but it turns out many comments say they want to buy them at a high price.

Just like the appearance, human fashion is a realm that is difficult for me to understand. When I checked online, I found that those worn-out ripped jeans, which were almost discarded, were selling for hundreds of thousands. I think my clothes are also vintage. Looking back, I feel I have a good old taste.

As expected, the dirt became noticeable, so I washed it in the river. Perhaps, in this way, it should become a look that is not embarrassing even if it appears in front of people. Speaking of the difference from before, she is carrying a small backpack. This is to put the insect's body inside. If you keep it hidden under your clothes, you might be suspected. This is even more so if there are more opportunities to appear in public.

As expected, I could not complete the boarding procedure without anyone noticing. When I talked to the receptionist, he immediately guided me to the boarding gate. I told the management in advance that I could not bring a guardian, nor could I prepare an ID card. Thanks to the other party's understanding of various things, there was no detailed explanation, and I did not prepare anything special.

"I'm going to check the luggage."

Avoid making strange sounds. I thought I could endure it. Send a look requesting help to the inspector.

"Show me what's in your bag."

Eye contact failed. If you refuse here, you will be suspected. I tried to act calm and took out the things in the backpack.

There was only one item inside. It was a teddy bear. In case of this, I prepared a stuffed toy and hid the main body inside. If it's just the appearance, it can only be considered a stuffed toy.

"Can I help you check it?"

The inspector reached out. Bad, if he touches it, he will know. It's just that the cotton of the stuffed toy was pulled out, and the main body was stuffed in. Touching it, you would know there is something inside, and holding it, you would know it is obviously Heavy.

Then, you have a suspicious passenger trying to bring a suspicious item onto the plane. They couldn't possibly ignore an unrecognizable, creepy insect-like thing.

"No, no..."

I hugged my teddy bear and stared at the inspector. I shook my head, refusing to hand it over. Crying. This is the only one. I beg you, give up...

The man smiled awkwardly and started to contact someone via radio. They seemed to be fighting over how to treat me. This might work.

"Ha... I'm really sorry, I don't know why the alert level for patrols was raised, I couldn't help but check. It's okay, I won't do anything bad to your bear. Give it to your brother, can you give it to me?"

This is not good. On the other hand, if I run away here, I will be even more suspicious. Everything is fine. Even so, I still wanted to run away rather than have them see the inside, when a noisy voice approached me from behind.

"Oh! It's Retsu-chan!!"

When I turned around in surprise, there were two men. No, are they men or women? One of them had an androgynous face, making it hard to tell the gender, but the voice sounded like a woman's. The other man was wearing an eye patch on his left eye.

"This is the real Retsu-chan!"

"Customer! Entry is currently restricted!"

What are you talking about?

"No, so general customers can enter from a different boarding gate..."

I didn't care about the inspector's restraint, and when he approached me, he snatched the stuffed toy from my hand. I was startled and let go easily.

"What kind of stuffed toy is this! So cute!!"

But what happened next surprised me even more. The woman took the main body out of the stuffed toy with the speed of Flow and stuffed it into my backpack. The inspector didn't seem to notice. The other person created a blind spot, making it so the inspector couldn't see, and performed a series of movements there quickly.

"Ah, sorry! The thing is broken!"

The inspector took back the stuffed toy from the laughing woman. The neck was about to fall off, and the cotton was sticking out. That hole was the part I had originally torn open to put the main body in, and it was also the part that was sewn together.

"What the hell...! You took a stuffed toy from such a small child and destroyed it, don't you even have human common sense! Security, come here!"

The inspector apologized repeatedly and returned the plush toy to him. I took it blankly and began walking toward the back of the boarding gate.

What was that? Were those two fans of the Six? But their movements were too baffling. They acted without hesitation, as if they had known something from the very beginning.

Looking at the results, it was helpful. I was able to pass through the baggage inspection and bring the host in. Even now, that man and woman were still arguing with the inspector. Perhaps he had taken it upon himself to keep the inspector's attention away from me.

I don't know what happened. Although my mind was already full of thoughts about the upcoming offline meeting, a meaningful pair of a man and a woman had appeared on top of that. My brain exceeded its capacity and gave up on thinking; all I could do was trudge toward the airship.

The Sixth Disaster Countermeasures Office is a secret organization, united under the secret orders of the Sahelta government. Its existence and all its operations cannot be made public. No matter who you are dealing with, you must handle it behind the scenes and in secret. In some cases, other countries should not know of the existence of the Sixth Disaster.

If this matter were revealed to the world, things would not stop at Sahelta's responsibility for bringing back the Disaster. This is because Sahelta's second expedition to the Dark Continent was carried out without the approval of the V5 summit, a fact that should not be recorded in history.

To date, the major countries of the five continents have traveled to the Dark Continent many times. Even before it was prohibited by treaty, its danger had been told in ancient history. However, humanity, blinded by the return, knowing the danger of bringing back risks, repeated the voyages.

The atrocities indeed brought about disasters and continued until the danger was truly recognized. V5 would redefine the contents of the treaty more strictly to curb travel by major countries. The Licensing Office plays a supervisory role in maintaining the treaty. Under these circumstances, Sahelta began its second expedition.

Externally, it was under the pretext of investigating undeveloped territories outside the Human Territorial Waters. There were no plans to go deeper into the dark seas. After putting on such an appearance, he kept the Special Travel Division as a watchdog by his side, deceived V5, and obtained a ticket to the Dark Continent.

The power of the Licensing Office is too great. Originally, it was just one of the internal organizations of the United Nations, and its coercive power stemmed only from the sovereignty of its member states. There was almost no coercion. When it faced a threat that could destroy humanity, all of that changed. It has grown into a major organization responsible for overseeing the investigation and research of disasters, and it possesses an independent military force in case it cannot be managed.

Some of this is inevitable. A nation always has an aspect willing to sacrifice others, and sometimes even itself, for the sake of the body (citizens) that constitutes it. Wanting to obtain it for the benefit of one's own country, even if it means ignoring the danger of world destruction, is a lustful beast. The history of the return of the five disasters proves this.

Why do the gatekeepers of the dark sea repeatedly bring back disasters as warnings? Well, that is because humans are stupid and do not learn. Some claim that they set it up as if to destroy humanity, but that is completely wrong. On the contrary, it can be said that this is a serious response.

A powerful supervisor is needed to restrain the powerful beasts of that country and put on a collar to prevent them from traveling. This was impossible in the traditional United Nations where the opinions of major powers dominate. As a result, the Licensing Office stepped up to become an independent agency, free from the control of V5.

However, in the end, the Licensing Office is nothing more than an organization composed of humans. Although it was initially formed for the noble purpose of preventing human extinction, its expanding power is slowly corroding the inside. This is why it can be said that Sahelta's second expedition was overlooked.

High hopes were placed on the expedition to Sahelta. They successfully developed a ship capable of navigating the waters where one can live in Nutakambu and established a permanent route connecting the Dark Continent and the human sphere. By taking a bite out of the plan, the Licensing Office tried to steal huge profits from the sidelines.

It was expected that once the route was established, the truth of this illegal expedition would eventually be revealed. However, the dissatisfaction of each country would be suppressed by its overwhelming achievements. If you hurt the feelings of the Licensing Office and Sahelta, you will not be allowed to use this safe route. It will further strengthen its influence on the world.

However, the plan ended in failure. I was told that there was no absolutely safe route in those seas. Sahelta and the Licensing Office, as accomplices in violating the treaty, could no longer make this fact public. The existence of the Sixth Disaster also had to be kept secret.

"So, even if someone from the Licensing Office sneaked onto this ship, it wouldn't be a big fuss, is it okay to admit that?"

This is the largest major Arena on the Sky Island. The stadium is large enough to host an international football championship. Cher could not believe he was on a ship.

Sixth Disaster Countermeasures Office, agent Cher. At first glance, because of the androgynous features and good physique, she looks genderless, but she is a woman. However, the clothes he is wearing now have a design of a knight that is very likely to appear in an RPG. In fact, this is a cosplay costume imitating the protagonist of a popular role-playing game, and because of this, she looks like a beautiful red-faced knight.

"Well, if you think about it normally, that's how it is, but it's a bit strange. We can't confirm if the Licensing Office really did anything about Mr. Pomerni's disappearance, and there are some things like kidnapping world-famous celebrities, would others do it?"

A person next to him answered Cher's question. Special Investigator Tokunosuke Amamiya. The clothes that stood out differently from Cher's were unique national costumes. It is said that in the country of Japan, people of a knight rank similar to samurai wear it. On his left eye, he wore an eyepatch tied with a Sword guard. This is also a cosplay based on a role-playing character.

"Hey, do you really need to wear this?"

"No choice, because it's a mission, our faces might be cracked, isn't there a meaning of disguise?"

The Venue was crowded with cosplay fans, and the two did not stand out among them. The costumes were rented from a shop on the ship.

"So you don't have these clothes."

"Mr. Cher chose it, right? There are quite a few others chosen by others. Like maid outfits."

Cher poked Tokunosuke's side with a cosplay Sword (made of plastic). Of course, I didn't forget to put a Ryu.

"... Quinn, you didn't notice us."

Cher stopped her hand and said a sentence. Just before the event started, a solemn atmosphere hung only around the two of them, and the crowd began to make a fuss.

Cher and the others still couldn't determine if their first mission, the first contact with Six, was successful. But at least I feel like I'm not a loser. In the worst case, they tried to contact Six with the intention of being killed.

Cher and Toke, who accompanied the expedition as members of the Dark Continent survey team Quantum, met a girl named Quinn there. He promised to go on an adventure with the girl and return to his hometown together. However, the promise was not kept, and the survey team set sail, leaving the girl behind.

I don't believe Commander Andam's judgment was wrong. If we hadn't decided to set sail immediately at that time, the survey team would have been annihilated. However, it is also a fact that he abandoned the girl.

Before the threat of attacking ships, the survey team was at the mercy of the sea and helpless. The airship escaped in a short gap, but Cher and the others were convinced that this gap was not caused by chance. Leaving the land and heading to the offshore, they saw a flash of lightning cutting through the Pitch Darkness. I don't have any evidence, but I think Quinn helped me.

When the ship was attacked, Quinn was the first to jump out. Cher dialed her radio. There was no response, but the sound of a fierce battle came from the radio. I know Quinn fought for the survey team to the end.

Quinn saved my life many times. Instead of repaying their kindness, they betrayed them and survived. Just then, Cher, who was about to get off the ship to pick up Quinn to go to sea, was knocked unconscious by Andam. It was right for Andam to stop her suicidal behavior. But Cher is still thinking. If she could go back to that moment again, she would definitely try to do the same thing.

That expedition lost too much. So when the Sixth Disaster Countermeasures Office was established and Andam contacted Cher and Tokunosuke, they were really happy. When I saw the girl's video, I smiled. He was happier than anyone for her safety. Facing an existence with the potential to destroy the world, he accepted the mission without hesitation.

I have a chance to resolve the regrets I left behind. It's not too early, but this time I will repay the kindness of my dear comrades. If he holds a grudge against him, he is ready to make up for it. It's not because the other party is a Disaster, but because he is mentally prepared to face his own sins and risk his life.

However, being able to see that girl in person now, I can definitely feel it. The girl who came to this Venue as an i-tube Bar might not be Quinn. As Andam worried, Quinn and Six might be different people. She did not respond to Cher and the others. His eyes seemed to be pointing at a stranger.

"Even so, what we do won't change. I'm sure that child has a connection to Quinn. In that case, we must protect her like Quinn."

This time we will protect Quinn, just as Quinn once did. This is why they are here. For personal reasons beyond the mission assigned by the Sixth Disaster Countermeasures Office, it cannot be withdrawn.

"Hey, Tokunosuke. Is the current Shu... no, Six trying to live in this world? As a human, among humans. Is there such a thing? What the Countermeasures Office calls 'protecting' Six is exactly..."

"Cher, it's more than that."

Tokunosuke understood what Cher wanted to say. But most importantly, I controlled my own words. The government's policy of managing Disaster threats is undoubtedly fair. Whether it is Tokunosuke, Cher, or Six, trying to live as a human, they cannot live without being bound by anything in society.

"Ah, stop it! Let's focus on completing the mission now!"

Cher puffed up her cheeks and regained her spirit. Seeing this, Tokunosuke's expression relaxed.

"Yeah. Cher, you didn't know i-tube Bar until recently, right?"

"Leave it to me."

"Fuooooooooooooooo you are also comrades, and you also love Six!"

"What is this old man!?"

The two investigators blended into the crowd with their natural acting. Not long after, the lights dimmed, and the announcement resounded throughout the huge Venue.

"Thank you all for waiting so long! From now on, we will hold a grand party for i-tube at the end of the year!"

Cheers erupted. 11 protagonists appeared in the center of the stage, with fireworks, gorgeous lighting, passionate BGM, and under the spotlight.