Ch 28: Helping Others, Evil Scheme Part 3
“…I can talk. And my body can move too…?!”
Mumbling from rigidity. And then, as if realizing the situation, Sana sat up from the bed with a thud.
Just a moment ago, she had been lying weakly on the bed. Unable to move or even be moved. That was the state she was in.
But now it’s different. Her body is filled with vitality, and she’s moving her whole body to check her condition. Her appearance is that of a healthy person.
“Sana ……? Sana!”
“Wow, mama ……?”
Midou-san, who had been frozen in shock by the sudden turn of events, finally seemed to understand what had happened and tightly hugged Sana. She was shedding tears of joy in great abundance.
“Sana-chan…”
At the same time, Sera-senpai is also teary-eyed. Should I also shed tears to read the atmosphere? Well, just kidding.
「It’s a relief that a miracle happened, isn’t it?」
“A miracle… You mean what Yozakura-kun did, right?”
“Oh no no no. I didn’t do anything. I just came to talk with a get-well gift. Yes, so I’m really surprised at the current situation.”
“How cheeky…”
HAHAHA. Even if you say that, it’s a fact, so there’s no helping it. What I brought is the 【Fake Immortal Peach】 known as a dungeon-produced ingredient that can be found by searching. A certificate of authentication by someone with an appraisal skill guarantees it.
The appraisal skill is a skill that reads information on a target as text. The information that can be read is determined by the skill level.
If the skill level is inferior to the target, it may not be possible to identify it, or only partial information can be obtained. If the skill level matches the target, general information can be obtained. And if the appraisal skill level is higher than the target, more detailed information can be obtained.
So the fact that a certificate of authentication has been issued means that at least some information that can confirm it as a Fake Immortal Peach has been read.
Therefore, even if a previously unknown effect that differs greatly from the generally known Fake Immortal Peach is confirmed, or if it is something that the country should manage as a type of unknown potion, at this stage, this is a Fake Immortal Peach treated as an extension of commercially available Chinese medicine.
It’s just that the appraiser couldn’t read the healing effect part properly.
“…But is it really okay? Using potions on others is against the law, isn’t it?”
“What are you worried about? What I brought as a get-well gift is the fake Immortal Peach. It’s proven by this piece of paper. It’s true that it has a healing effect beyond that of the fake Immortal Peach, but that’s a mistake made by the issuer of the certificate. So, it’s not a problem.”
“You’re really adamant about not admitting it. Well, it does seem like some sort of exploit, so I guess you can’t admit it.”
“I don’t really understand what you’re talking about.”
There’s no way I would do something like preparing a fake Senzu for Deep Layer production with a higher effect than usual and throwing it to the appraiser in charge of the Mid-Layer level items.
「But isn’t this causing trouble for the other party? There’s a chance of being arrested for negligence or something.」
“Don’t worry about that. I mentioned it briefly to Sana-san, but these kinds of irregularities happen occasionally. There may be some scolding, but there won’t be any real punishment.”
If we had falsified the appraisal results, we would have been in big trouble. But when it comes to appraisal errors, the treatment is different. It’s like external elements have a stronger influence on the appraisal than regular skills. It’s like the software installed is more important than the skills themselves.
The rank of the appraisal skill possessed determines the rank of the items that can be appraised. Therefore, there are items that some people simply cannot appraise due to their lower skill rank. That’s why when irregular items are brought in, we tend to make mistakes.
It’s like the system in social games where character episodes are unlocked by increasing the intimacy level. If the numbers aren’t high enough, the window won’t be unlocked, and the latter half won’t be visible.
Especially in this case, what I brought in is what is commonly referred to as ‘high-quality iron ore’ or something similar, an unknown item in that category. It’s still iron ore, so even if you can’t read the flavor text about its quality, you can still make a rough judgment. It looks the same too, which makes it even easier to mistake…of course, that’s what I was aiming for.
“Well, there’s no need to worry. People with the Appraisal skill are valuable. It’s difficult for government officials to learn the skill because they need a scroll, so the number of people who have the skill doesn’t increase due to supply issues. However, if you use it a lot, the skill can change to a higher level, so there are skilled people out there. Therefore, there are circumstances where they can’t be punished for a few mistakes.”
First of all, as a premise, scrolls themselves are a quick and easy way for explorers to enhance their abilities, so they are rarely put up for sale. Among them, the appraisal skill is a big hit with many uses, so they just consume them themselves.
The country does set a high purchase price and offers good treatment to former explorers with appraisal skills, but apparently they are not keeping up with the demand.
“Well, in this case, unless I sue for financial damages, they’ll probably just brush it off and let it slide. If we ignore that part, it’s a heartwarming story of a bedridden woman who had a miracle happen to her and became happy. The person in charge won’t be held accountable anyway.”
“…. You seem to know a lot about the inside workings of government agencies. Have you experienced this ‘rare occurrence’ too, Yozakura-kun?”
“I wonder about that.”
In terms of having experienced it, I would say about half of the past cases were me? Another 40% were acquaintances, and the remaining 10% were others. But let’s keep it a secret, especially since this current suspicion is getting deeper.
“Anyway, it’s boorish to pry into miracles. Let’s just be happy about Sana’s recovery for now. Shouldn’t Sera-senpai join in too?”
“Hmm, it’s true that Sana-chan is my best friend, but I think it would be rude to intrude on their family time of joy. …After things settle down, I’ll go give her a hug.”
“Is it over?”
Although I’m talking to Sera-senpai, the mother and daughter over there are still crying their eyes out. At first, it was just Midou-san who was crying, but now Sana-san has also been infected by her tears.
I understand the feeling of wanting to cry, so I don’t plan on interrupting them and I’m mindful of the atmosphere. However, it seems like it’s going to take a while for them to calm down.
“Well, never mind. I’ll contact the Association about the irregularity and arrange for a doctor to come. In the meantime, Sera-senpai, please talk to the two of them about their future plans.”
“…So basically, you’re telling me to intervene between those two indirectly? And their future plans?”
“Yes. It’s not like it’s a crime or anything, so there’s no need to worry about that. But envy is something that can happen even if it’s legally safe.”
Is it the work of humans to be amazed or not? My estimation is that even if they overcome the biggest obstacle, the difficulties of Sana and Uta-chan will continue.
“She is a popular VTuber, you could say she’s a celebrity. She’ll certainly receive congratulations from many people, but there will be some who will definitely try to bring her down. They might treat her as a criminal or a prostitute.”
“…I can’t deny that.”
“Right?”
Seira sighed deeply, as someone belonging to Denjilas, a female VTuber with over six-digit fans, and having been through a lot of harassment from anti-fans.
Those kinds of people are usually impossible to deal with. They shout out their baseless delusions at the top of their voices. And just because their voices are loud, they create unnecessary gawkers.
This time, they might say things like “Take responsibility for the uproar,” “That kind of miracle is impossible. They must have secretly used a potion,” or “They probably opened their legs to the mountain master for help.” And maybe a little differently colored, like “It’s unfair that popular people can be helped when there are more pitiful children in the world.”
If it’s a defamation or harassment that involves me, I’ll deal with it mercilessly, but if it’s not, I can’t do anything. However, I can’t expect Sauna’s mental state to be up to that level after her recovery.
“I think it’s better to discuss these things early on. I’m going to be taken by the association after this, so the only one who can raise the issue as quickly as possible is Sera-senpai, who was present here. She is not only a colleague but also a close friend.”
“I see…”
“Knowing everything, it’s up to her and her family to decide whether to resume activities as soon as possible, take a break and report on recovery, or fade out of the V-world. It’s all good.”
Well, I think it’s not easy to choose retirement or a hiatus considering the future life. She is a popular live streamer and should have some savings, but considering the medical expenses and taxes this time, it’s not easy.
But even if she recovers her health, if her mental state is damaged, it’s all for naught. Especially as a member of Denjilas, there are examples of people with mental problems and razor blades nearby…
“… Yeah. You’re right, I understand. I’ll pass on the message to Sana-chan.”
“Thank you for that.”
“By the way, Yozakura-kun, what do you think is the best course of action for you? As someone involved in this incident and someone who helped that girl.”
Do you want to know the opinion of the person who helped on what would be the best course of action for Yozakura as the person involved in this incident under the guise of a miracle?
“First of all, that was an unexpected miracle, and Sana-san was lucky enough to be saved without any effort on her part. That being said, as someone who brought the peach, I can only say ‘please do as you like.”
“‘Please do as you like,’ huh. Why is that?”
“Well, it’s because I didn’t save VTuber Iroha Uta, but Sana-san. And I wanted to help her because I heard from Raika-san that Serah-senpai was feeling down. In many ways, it might sound like a weird line, like I’m trying to hit on her or something. But the truth is, I only act to make Sera-senpai smile.”
“Wha…!?”
By the way, this is serious. I just thought I would lend a hand because a senior at the agency I’m indebted to was sad. I just felt like offering one of the many peaches I have, which has just a little bit of a healing effect.
However, if, for example, Sera-senpai and Sana-san were just acquaintances in terms of work, I wouldn’t have done such a serious scheme.
After all, since it had caused such a big stir, we are in the entertainment industry, so we would have cooperated to some extent, but we would have kept it at a business level at most.
In short, it doesn’t matter what choice Sana-san makes. If she recovers and Sera-senpai gets better, I’m not interested in anything else.
“Other senpais have also done the same, but haven’t you been taking care of me since my debut? So this is my way of returning the favor. It’s a thank you gift.”
“…Is this gift unfair? And you’re too dutiful, Yozakura-kun.”
“Don’t you know? Men tend to show off. And being a dutiful man, you’ll be treated as a cool protagonist in a straightforward way.”
“Yeah… it’s cool.”
“Thank you very much. Well then, I’ll let you know when I contact them.”
Well then. Since I said something a little embarrassing, I’m going to make my retreat!
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