Chapter 58
I got caught by someone with the scary name "Jigokudo."
But honestly, getting caught by the even scarier people called the police because of the peeping incident sounds worse, so I have no choice but to do as I'm told.
And so, we came to a café.
It opens early in the morning.
A waitress with stunning silver hair that could wake you up brought us coffee.
"The End of Coffee and an espresso."
Jigokudo took the espresso.
I got The End of Coffee. For better or worse, I'm starting to get hooked on it.
"The first thing I want to ask you is... this is your account, correct...?"
She pointed to the Finger Man account on the foundation's SNS.
My "Today's Hunting Grounds" was displayed on it.
Well, it's definitely my account.
Maybe it's better to just be honest.
But I get the feeling it's kind of scary.
"It's not mine."
I tried lying for now.
"Then, could you open the foundation's SNS right now...? I want to check your account..."
Her already low voice seemed to drop even lower. Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
"I'm sorry, I'm Finger Man."
She's scary, so I'll just apologize now.
"Why did you lie...?"
"No real reason... um, did I do something bad?"
"You could say you did, or you could say you didn't..."
"That's a strange way to put it."
"Finger Man, what exactly were you thinking...? Spreading such a powerful meme..."
"Huh?"
"...Playing dumb won't help."
"...(What is she even talking about?)"
"...(He really looks like he doesn't know.)"
"..."
"..."
"...Could it be, you seriously don't know what this is about?"
"Sorry, I don't really have any idea."
Jigokudo looked completely shocked.
Her sleepy eyes opened wide—it was kind of amusing.
"I can only say I'm surprised... I never imagined this could happen."
"This could happen, you mean?"
"...There's actually an urban legend called Finger Man, and because of that, so-and-so happened..."
Jigokudo told me the shocking truth that I had become a kind of meme-type anomalous substance.
"It's similar to Araragi's bamboo shoots in terms of regulatory power... Finger Man, your existence can't be recognized by anyone... Strictly speaking, while everyone knows an imaginary Finger Man, they don't know Akagi Hideo, they can't remember you, their perception replaces you with something else, and you'll remain a mystery forever... You're trapped in that state..."
"That can't be. Then, for example, what if I stopped a meteor from crashing and saved the world?"
"People would say Finger Man saved the world, but no one would be interested in you as an individual."
No way... That's basically a curse.
"B-but, surprisingly, Finger Man has a lot of fans, you know? Look, even the last post..."
Shares: 20,425 Likes: 51,532
Whoa, seriously!?
It's racking up way more than I expected...!
"Exactly. Finger Man is a mystery."
"?"
"Mystery, enigma, secret, concealment... As an explorer who uncovers such things, you should understand—people love mysteries. Mystery cloaks you. Everyone's interested in Finger Man, but no one is interested in Akagi Hideo..."
"...But if I told the fans that I'm Finger Man and showed them this screen on my phone, they'd understand, right?"
"Maybe they'd understand for a moment... But the meme of Finger Man is so strong that corrective forces would quickly act, and people's subconscious perception would exclude you again."
"(Nope, I have no idea what she's talking about.)"
"To put it simply, you can't remain in anyone's memory, Finger Man. That applies even to electronic data. As long as humans interact with it, you are and are not Finger Man."
What even is that...
I mean, well, it's fine, I guess...
"Hm, but Shurado and the doctor recognize me. And you recognize me too, Jigokudo-san."
"Some people are unaffected. Especially explorers with high levels or strong mental fortitude—those kinds of people can perceive you... Yes, fellow A-rank explorers like yourself should be mostly unaffected. Shurado and I are the same..."
"So fellow explorers can recognize Finger Man. That's a relief..."
In that case, I guess it's fine.
Though I'd still be heartbroken if Shurado-san forgot about me.
"Well, I'm not really aiming to be famous, but... is there any way to neutralize the meme? If there is, I'd love to know."
"There isn't. Once it spreads, that's the end."
That was a harsh reply.
We both fell silent.
In that sudden silence that came at the lull in the conversation, I found myself unsure what to say next.
"Somehow, I feel relieved..."
"Relieved?"
Jigokudo broke the silence.
"That Finger Man isn't someone terrifying who would threaten the world..."
As she said that, she smiled gently.
In that fleeting smile—so subtle you might miss it—I realized she had been feeling some inexplicable unease about my existence.
"Rumors can't be trusted, huh..."
"That's for sure."
"Please don't feel too down..."
"Do I look like I'm down?"
"Yes. I feel like your tone dropped a little... Not that I'm one to talk..."
"I see."
"Not being able to reveal your true identity isn't all bad... There are many people in this world who want to hide who they are but can't... Like Hollywood stars being chased by paparazzi—you hear about that a lot, don't you?"
"That actually sounds kind of enviable, though."
"If you're aiming for the top as an explorer, you won't find a better advantage... People hate being pursued by the media, detectives, or internal investigators from the foundation so much that they end up holing up in dungeons..."
"Is that really the reason everyone holes up?"
"It's something I've heard... But I don't think it's entirely wrong... Because heroes hide their identities, right?"
I caught a brief glimmer of light in Jigokudo's dark eyes.
"They usually keep their identity hidden, and no one can uncover it even if they try... But when a crisis hits, they appear with flair... Heh heh, don't you think that's cool?"
I thought, wow, she actually says pretty childish stuff sometimes. Period.
"That kind of hero is cool, but personally, I do want to be pampered and adored."
"Hehe, how cute..."
She laughed through her nose.
Huh, is this line of thinking because I'm small-time?
No, no—I want to be a big shot! (Simple-minded)
"The voices of the masses will soon stop mattering... if you're truly an A-rank explorer."
Jigokudo pulled a small box out of her pocket.
When she opened it, a syringe came out.
"Why do you have a syringe...?"
"Actually, I wanted your blood—"
According to her, it's necessary to measure something called dungeon factors.
I don't really understand why she needs to check the dungeon factors, but I'm a little curious, so I'll gladly let her do it.
"Please roll up your sleeve, I'll disinfect it..."
"I'll do it myself, so it's fine."
"?"
I took the injection and stabbed it straight into my neck.
Jigokudo widened her eyes in shock.
"You should be more careful... It's better to properly hit a vein..."
"I just love stabbing it in like this. It feels so good (I've used 'Blue Blood' too much for HP recovery, so now just injecting it makes me feel good)." "Um... excuse me, but... have you been using drugs or something..." "Drugs? (You mean recovery potions? Everyone uses those, right?) You're not using them?" "(Am I the weird one here...? Which side is justice again?)" Jigokudo stared at me with a look of terror. What's wrong? She's not using drugs? Whoa, that's rare. Seriously rare. "I'm not here to lecture you, but I do recommend taking a closer look at your own health." She's worried about my health... What a good person. "So, what do you think about my dungeon factors? It's been hard leveling up lately. Am I about to hit my growth ceiling?" They say the stronger your dungeon factors, the stronger an explorer you can become. If possible, I'd love to have the strongest possible factors. "...Something strange is mixed in with your blood." Jigokudo stared wide-eyed at my blood sample. It was red blood. But if you looked closely, you could see something like blue threads running through it. It looked like threads, or maybe lightning trails, and it occasionally pulsed with a glowing blue light. "I think it's because of this skill." I opened my status and showed it to Jigokudo.
'Phobia Syndrome Lv8'
'Single Strike Lv6'
'Steel Spirit'
'Probability Time: Coin Lv2'
'Super Metal Assault Lv6'
'Blue Pulsation Lv2'
'Black Swamp's Severer'
'Super Catcher Lv3'
Equipment
'Blue Blood Lv3' G4
'Proof of the Chosen One' G3
'Labyrinth Conqueror' G4
'Adolphene's Holy Shroud' G3
'Mugen High-Load ver5.0' G4
'Bloodstained Comrade' G4
'Metal Trap Room Lv2' G4
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"See this 'Blue Pulsation Lv2' here? I think that's probably the cause."
"...Th-this status is...——"
The moment she saw the status, Jigokudo furrowed her brows.