With my [Appraisal] Skill, I Became the Top of the Streaming World - Chapter 28
In the morning, I headed out carrying the Tide Magic Stones and the fragment of the matrix I had collected in Yokohama.
First, I brought the three Tide Magic Stones to a magic stone specialty shop. While the representative lined them up for inspection, he asked about their origin.
"They're from the Yokohama Minato Mirai dungeon."
"Isn't that still closed to the general public?"
"I gained entry with a Private Appraiser certificate."
"I see," he said, calculating the total. The three pieces together came to 142,000 yen.
I took the fragment of the matrix to a different dealer. There was a shop in Shinagawa that handled marine-type materials, which Asada had told me about before. The shop owner held the fragment up to the light, checking its weight in his palm.
"Was this cut directly from a matrix?"
"Yes."
"Items derived from a matrix don't come through here often."
After a thorough inspection, he offered 220,000 yen. I told him I’d take it and handed over the fragment.
With that, two sales were finished before noon.
◇
I had no particular plans for the afternoon.
I entered a park in front of the station and sat down on an empty bench. When I popped the tab of a can of coffee, the small sound blended into the midday quiet.
Perhaps because it was a weekday afternoon, there were few people around. On the bench opposite me, an elderly man was unfolding a newspaper; the sound of turning pages only reached me during breaks in the wind.
By noon, I had finished dealing with everything from the Yokohama collection. In the past, I think I would have checked the balance in my account over and over. And yet today, even looking at the figures, my emotions didn't stir as much as I expected.
Looking up at the sky, thin clouds drifted slowly over the buildings. The edges of the clouds melted into the sunlight, gradually losing their shape. I followed them with my eyes for no particular reason.
I finished the coffee before it turned lukewarm, stood up, and tossed the can into the trash. Having time with nothing to do felt more unsettling than I had anticipated.
I left the bench.
◇
At night, I started my 22nd stream.
"I'm back in Shinagawa today. Since I was in Yokohama for most of last week, it feels like it's been a while."
The comments flowed in.
『I hope you go to Yokohama again sometime』
『I like Shinagawa too』
『Congrats on 20k! (Even if I'm late)』
"Thank you. It still hasn't quite sunk in yet."
I focused my patrol on B3F. I moved forward while carefully inspecting the walls, but nothing significant turned up. Just two low-quality fragments and one piece of trash. I collected them, but they weren't worth anything.
Even so, the comments kept moving.
『It’s a quiet episode』
『This is relaxing』
『It doesn't have to be a big discovery every time』
"Most days are like this. Thanks for watching."
I ended the stream after about two hours. The peak viewership was 8,200.
◇
After stepping outside, I opened my phone while walking toward the station.
When I checked the "Identity Thread," I saw it had been updated frequently. The number of posts had increased recently, and the thread was growing long. After scrolling through a few entries, my finger stopped at one post.
Could this be Mr. Makabe from [Redacted] Co.? I heard a little while ago that he’s doing appraisal-related work now, and his build seems to match.
The surname Makabe was right there.
I stared at the screen, unable to move for a moment. I followed the string of characters with my eyes several times, reading it over from the start, but what was written was undoubtedly my surname.
When I tucked the phone back into my pocket, I realized my fingertips had gone a bit cold.
Looking up, the flow of people heading toward the station was moving as usual. No one was looking at me. That should have been obvious, yet that obviousness felt strangely pointed.
I started walking. My stride and pace were the same as always. However, the weight of the phone in my pocket remained clearly at the front of my mind.
◇
After returning to my room, I opened the thread once more.
The reactions to the post were divided. Comments like "You can't ID someone with just a last name" and "Don't post names without proof" followed, and the original poster hadn't written anything else.
I got a call from Sakaki. When I answered, his voice was a bit faster than usual.
"Makabe-san, did you see it?"
"I did. Just now."
"I was watching it too. It’s not your full name, and they didn't write the company name. At this stage, it's not confirmed information."
"...For now, I'm going to wait and see."
"I think that's the right call. If you take any action, it'll be seen as confirmation. Since the critical comments are continuing, I think it’ll just wash away."
"I understand. Thanks for the call."
"No problem. Tell me immediately if anything else happens."
I hung up.
I closed the thread, but out of nervousness, I opened it again.
Critical posts had increased, burying the original comment. I read that first post one more time. The description of the work, the build, the activity hours—the writing was specific. It wasn't a text written based on mere guesswork.
I set the phone down and lay on the floor.
The night felt exceptionally quiet today.
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