Chapter 4 Collaboration with Maya
Today, I was helping with cute Maya’s stream. We’re diving back into a labyrinth, and I’m serving as her cameraman. It’s technically a collab stream, but I have no intention of being in the spotlight. When I rewatch this later, I don’t want some weirdo like me messing it up.
As soon as the stream starts, Maya flashes a bright smile. “Evening, everyone! Today, we’re back at the Black Dragon Labyrinth after last time’s frustrating run!”
〈No way〉
〈Cameraman’s Onii-san, right? Then we’re safe〉
〈I mean, with Onii-san there, it’s probably fine…〉
“Yup, no worries there. I brought Onii-chan along. Oh, by the way, Onii-chan, this is a collab stream!”
When Maya tries to snatch the filming phone, I step back. “Onii-chan, you gotta show up more!”
“I rewatch all your streams, you know.”
“Uh-huh, and?”
“So I don’t want any noise in them!”
“Then let’s ask the clippers! They can make an Onii-chan-free version or something!”
〈Got it〉
〈Heck, I’ll make a Maya-chan-free version too〉
“Hey! Don’t cut me out either! Oh, Onii-chan, why’re you tilting your head?”
“What’re clippers again?”
“Oh, you don’t know? Fans take the funny or cool parts of streams and post them as short videos.”
“Oh, those things in my recommended feed? So that’s clipping. Cool. Alright, clippers, make a montage of Maya’s cute moments for me.”
〈On it〉
〈Leave it to us, Onii-san〉
“Geez…” Maya puffs her cheeks but smiles.
Clipping, huh? That’s something to look forward to at home.
〈By the way, Onii-san’s already clipped to death…〉
〈His fight scenes are insane. So satisfying to watch〉
〈The Black Dragon fight still gets crazy views〉
〈It’s over 10 million plays…〉
Come to think of it, I’ve seen “came from a clip!” comments. Guess they help with promotion.
“You’ll spot traps this time, right?” Maya asks.
“Leave it to me.”
Last time, I was too busy staring at cute Maya to notice. Though, traps on the first floor are rare to begin with.
“Alright, let’s get into some combat. Onii-chan, let me know if anything’s off.”
“Got it, you’re good.”
〈What kind of issues?〉
〈Like her movements or something?〉
Comments flow by as Maya’s labyrinth stream kicks into gear. She faces the first floor’s monsters—goblins. Gripping her dagger, she closes in and slashes them down cleanly. No issues in combat. Maya’s strong and cute.
〈…She’s crazy strong〉
〈Guess it makes sense with a brother that OP〉
〈Maya-chan’s not even breaking a sweat…〉
While the comments roll, I’m watching the mana flow in Maya’s body. She’s fine now, but to get stronger, she needs proper guidance. Gotta get her to Black Dragon-slaying level someday.
“Maya, your mana circulation’s off. Focus more mana into the dagger at the moment of impact.”
“Y-Yes!”
“And distribute mana evenly across your body. Otherwise, your physical enhancement balance will be messed up.”
“Got it!”
Maya nods eagerly, closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath. …Good, she’s calm. She still gets rattled in combat, but her physical enhancement is solid. Why do I train her? Simple—because Maya’s cute. That makes her a potential target in dangerous incidents, so I’ve trained her since she was little. Thanks to that, her physical enhancement is top-notch, strong enough for higher-rank labyrinths. Plus, she’s got—
“Flame Shot!”
—fire magic aptitude. Maya’s balanced for close, mid, and long-range combat, way more versatile than me. As I film my adorable sister, the comment section fills with questions.
〈…What’s going on?〉
〈Onii-san can sense mana flow?〉
〈Physical enhancement’s easy for basic use, but mastering it’s tough, right?〉
〈Yeah, imbalance puts strain on the body〉
The comments are spot-on. For example, enhancing just your right arm requires equal mana in the wrist and fingers. If one’s stronger, it overwhelms the other. Shortness of breath or pain during enhancement comes from mana control errors. The more mana you use, the harder it is to control.
“Onii-chan’s always been great at sensing mana, huh?” Maya says.
“It’s pretty much my only talent.”
Even that came from years of labyrinth diving. Solo runs meant missing an ambush could kill me, so I honed it.
“But you’re cool, so it’s all good!”
“And you’re cute, so you’re perfect!”
〈Here come the idiot siblings〉
〈LOL〉
〈They’re casually dropping insane stuff mid-banter…〉
〈Sensing mana’s a crazy talent〉
〈I want Onii-san’s coaching… His advice is so precise〉
Maya glances at me as the comments pile up. “Onii-chan, you should hold a class or something.”
“I’m not great at teaching.”
“But I got this strong because of you, right?”
“That’s ‘cause you’re cute.”
“That’s not related!”
Maya gives a wry smile, then takes down a goblin with her dagger. Getting used to enhancement, she slips behind one, snapping its neck cleanly. The goblin turns to mist, and the comments erupt.
〈…Maya-chan’s insanely strong?〉
〈Minus the Black Dragon freakout last time, she’s top-tier for a high schooler adventurer, right?〉
〈This sibling duo’s wild〉
〈Onii-san, question! I suck at long-range magic and can’t close distances well. Tips?〉
It’s Maya’s stream, but I’m getting questions. I could answer, but let’s use this as a teaching moment. “Maya, how would you handle this question?”
“Um… like this!” She demonstrates what I taught her, darting into a goblin’s range and slashing its throat. “Step into their space in a flash!”
“Exactly. Nice job, Maya. Questioner, got it?”
〈No way I can do that!〉
〈Too meathead lol〉
〈Onii-chan… What about against an equal opponent?〉
Fair point. Guess I’ll explain. “If that’s the case, practice low-damage long-range magic. Even as a feint, it’s useful.”
〈Makes sense〉
〈They won’t know if it’s weak or not〉
〈So use it for show…〉
〈That tracks〉
“Since the questioner struggles with magic attacks, try this.” I spot a pebble on the ground.
〈A rock?〉
〈Oh, to distract them?〉
Labyrinths have natural objects like this, useful in many ways. The comments are close but off, so I’ll show them. As mist gathers and a goblin spawns, I point the camera at the pebble, signal Maya to stay back, and say, “Shoot!”
I kick the pebble hard, coating it with mana to boost its durability. It pierces the goblin’s head cleanly. “Like that.”
“Wow, Onii-chan, amazing. I can only poke holes in small rocks…” Maya says.
“Nah, you’re cute and have fire magic, so don’t sweat it.”
“…Really? But I want to learn this for situations where magic’s not ready.”
Maya’s ambition is unreal… Her drive’s adorable, so I keep filming, but the comments are buzzing.
〈Huh?〉
〈What’re these siblings talking about…〉
〈What just happened…?〉
〈Onii-san just kicked a rock, right?〉
〈Why’d it blast through the goblin’s head like a sniper rifle…?〉
Better clarify before viewers get confused. “I’m infusing the object with mana to enhance it. Some people do this with weapons, right? Master it, and you can do this much.”
〈…No way〉
〈I know about coating swords with mana, but this kind of power? Never heard of it〉
〈It’s just a minor buff, right…?〉
〈So the long-range counter is something only monsters can do…?〉
Yeah, this level’s tough to pull off right away. “Even if you can’t go this far, throwing rocks normally works. Train your throwing skills and learn to use your environment.”
As someone with few long-range options, I use whatever’s around. Magic tools for ranged attacks are pricey and need maintenance.
〈Got it…〉
〈Onii-chan’s pretty logical in combat〉
〈Sounds like a normal adventurer when he explains〉
〈Looks meathead, but it’s all honed skill〉
The comments make it sound like I’m usually unhinged, but I’m totally normal, right?
“So, start with mana enhancement training. Practice physical enhancement until you avoid strain or issues—that’s failure. For object enhancement, start with paper or tissues. Cheap, and if you succeed, they get crazy sharp. Fail, and they tear, so it’s easy to tell.”
I pluck nearby weeds and channel mana into them. The limp blades stiffen, standing straight. “If they’re taut like this, mana’s flowing well. Sharpen it further for cutting power. At its peak—” I approach a tree and slice through it with the weeds.
〈Oooooh!?〉
〈No way…〉
〈At that level, who needs weapons lol〉
〈Too monstrous lol〉
“Weapons are better. Sturdier bases enhance easier and have higher limits. I don’t never use weapons, you know.”
〈Huh? Really?〉
〈You use swords too?〉
“Yeah, depends on my mood.”
〈What’s that mean?〉
〈Like, uses them when he feels like it?〉
〈Peak strong-guy energy lol〉
“Pretty much. For example—” I activate Mana Solidification, shaping it into a sword—a greatsword this time. I hold it in my right hand, swing lightly, and sharpen and harden the blade. Done. “I can whip up a sword like this on the spot. Doesn’t last long, though, and even maxed out, it breaks after a few uses. Strong, but I don’t like relying on it.”
It’s sturdier than my body, though, so I use it for serious sword fights.
〈What!? For real!?〉
〈Anyone else stabilize Mana Solidification like that…?〉
〈Onii-san’s too much…〉
The sword I made wasn’t built to last, so it broke quickly. “That’s the gist. Everyone, train while watching Maya’s streams, yeah?”
That’ll boost Maya Channel’s views—perfect plan.
〈This stream’s legit useful for Adventurer Academy lessons〉
〈Onii-san’s coaching Maya-chan looks super skilled…〉
〈His mana sense is unreal. Catches every detail〉
“So, if you’ve got questions, ask during my streams.”
〈You barely stream lol〉
“‘Cause I’m busy watching Maya’s…”
〈LOL〉
〈This is a collab, so it’s fine, right?〉
“That’s why I don’t wanna be in it! I’d hate seeing myself later. Clippers, do your job!”
〈That’s not what clipping’s for lol〉
〈Whatever, fine lol〉
〈This guy’s so free lol〉
With that, I kept coaching Maya as we streamed.
As the stream neared its end, time had flown by talking with Maya. “See you next time!” she said.
“Phew, finally done,” I sighed.
“Onii-chan, the stream’s still on! Your slacker side’s showing!”
“Huh? For real? Cut that part later.”
“That’s getting recorded too! Ugh, fine, bye-bye!” Maya waved at the phone with a smile, ending the stream.
We’d had a few battles and casual chats, all smooth. “Phew, wrapped up nicely,” Maya said.
“Yup.”
I’m thrilled—I captured all of Maya’s cute moments perfectly. Still, I’m in the footage too. Here’s hoping for an Onii-chan-cut version. As I muse, Maya grins happily. “Thanks to you, I’m getting noticed more. People even stop me on the street.”
“That’s ‘cause you’re cute.”
“No, it’s thanks to you. You okay? You were all over TV—must be crazy.”
“I’m fine. I’ve been suppressing my mana when moving around.”
“Good! You’re a huge topic at school. Some girls even want to meet you. Wanna get introduced?”
“Nah, not interested.”
“What? They’re high school girls! You need some romance in your life.”
“That’d be a literal crime. What about you? Got a boyfriend?”
“Hehe, who knows?”
“…W-W-What, you got a boyfriend!?” I ask, hiding my panic.
“Nope, don’t worry. Oh, Ruka-san… you remember her?”
“Yeah, from your autograph session, right?”
“No, our session. She said she didn’t get to thank you properly and wants to meet up.”
“No big deal.”
She thanked me on stream anyway. I didn’t help for gratitude—more to keep Maya’s session from getting canceled. Being praised feels weird.
“Well, it was a big deal. The agency’s planning to set up a meeting, so you might see her soon.”
“Got it.”
They don’t have to go that far, but if she’s hung up on it, I should accept. It’s about her feelings too.
Leaving the labyrinth, Maya lets out a short “Oh!”
“Onii-chan, the fridge is getting low. Wanna hit the supermarket?”
“Sure, I’ll carry all the bags!”
“Let’s go!”
Maya sidles up, grabbing my hand tightly. I squeeze back, feeling her soft grip, and we head to the supermarket together.
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