“Well, as I declared. We’re going to have the ultimate NG scene screening. Everyone, be careful not to spit out your drinks!”
“NOoooooo!?”
With the PV shoot successfully wrapped up, our work for the day concluded.
At six in the evening, we gathered in the Party Room: our Dungeon Tester team, along with Suella, Memoria, Himik, and Keiri-san, who had clung to me half-crying, saying she’d be lonely.
This was a review meeting doubling as a wrap-up party for the time-consuming PV shoot.
Naturally, an NG compilation was indispensable for a review meeting.
I announced this, armed with a DVD I’d had the demons in the filming crew dub for me, and two shrieks erupted from the room.
They were Kaido and Minami, this time’s contenders for the comedic MVP award.
Though the shoot went smoothly, it wasn’t completed in a single take.
We had numerous retakes until the director was satisfied with the footage.
And then, they compiled all the parts he wasn’t satisfied with, along with the purely failed takes, into a video.
“As expected of demons, they’re geniuses when it comes to enjoyment. They utilized Body Reinforcement and the latest PCs to their fullest for their video editing techniques. When I half-jokingly asked them to make it as a review material, they happily obliged. While doing their actual work of image editing, they made it in five minutes… no, they happily made the NG compilation. If a TV station had found it, they probably would have scouted them immediately.”
“You almost said ‘for amusement,’ didn’t you! And Senpai! There’s no way a demon wouldn’t jump at an interesting story like that!! I wish they had prioritized their actual work!? They don’t need to put so much effort into something like that!!”
“Exactly! Why is this happening? Is this a public humiliation? Is this bullying? If so, I absolutely protest!”
The Demon Lord’s Army sometimes does astonishing things on impulse, but while Suella and the others already knew, I was impressed by their use of Body Reinforcement for PC operation, even using three PCs simultaneously.
My eyes saw both their arms moving freely across the mouse and keyboard, but any ordinary person would have mistaken that demon for an Asura.
“You guys don’t have to watch, you know?”
“?”
“But we’ll be watching!”
“Uwaa, the worst! This person is the worst!”
This NG compilation, made by that demon, is truly the whisper of a devil.
Never before, no, perhaps I’ll be consumed by a wicked smile, similar to how the instructors enjoyed their training.
“Jiro-san, shouldn’t we start instead of teasing us a bit more? Himik’s cooking will get cold, you know?”
“Right. Has everyone gotten their drinks? We’ll start, ignoring the will of a few.”
“Yes!”
“Eh!?”
“Seriously, are we starting in this atmosphere!?”
Suella, though stepping in with a wry smile as if it were a natural thing to do, wasn’t against watching herself, so she was probably looking forward to seeing what kind of material this NG compilation contained.
Each of them, whether they were adults or from the otherworld group (excluding Suella), picked up their drinks, while the minors grabbed their favorite non-alcoholic beverages, and they prepared to toast.
Kaido and Minami also hurriedly grabbed their drinks and joined the toast.
And then, the screening began.
“NO!? Stop it! That’s a trap! Avoid that part! Why did I put on such a smug face here!?”
The first to appear was Kaido. At first, he moved stiffly, but after cutting down a few monsters, he realized it wasn’t that difficult and started fighting naturally.
However, becoming overconfident due to having an advantage against the monsters was his downfall.
Kaido, getting carried away, declared:
“Now, my ultimate Flaming Hell Sword!”
He boldly declared, striking a pose with a camera angle that seemed to highlight his bared teeth in a dramatic close-up.
“Why is it called Flaming Hell Sword? If you’re going for Chuunibyou, you need a little more sense. No, that smug face is just too much…”
“What was that? Did you do that seriously? I really wanted to see it live. No, I definitely would have laughed and lost my focus. Plus, you missed your attack.”
“…”
“Amī? No, she’s clearly holding back her laughter and not hearing it.”
“If you’re going to laugh, laugh wholeheartedly!! That kind of half-hearted laughter is more hurtful!”
“Ahahahahahahahahaha!!”
“You’re really laughing!? Our female group is merciless!?”
At first, the women tried to suppress their laughter for Kaido’s pride, but it was obvious they couldn’t hold back any longer. Kaido’s taunting comment about his own display unleashed their suppressed laughter, which echoed through the room.
Having thoroughly amused the women, Kaido, with a resigned air, turned to the otherworld group, asking for their opinions while downing more drinks.
“Isn’t that just a standard flame enchantment magic? Was there anything unusual about it?”
“No, not particularly. It was perhaps stated with a bit too much exaggeration, but other than that, it was a fairly ordinary technique.”
“Indeed. If he had made the flames bigger, or, given his magic power, concentrated them, the power would have increased.”
“His sword technique is also sloppy. Instead of such a wide swing, he could have increased the power and sharpness by swinging more sharply with his elbows tucked in.”
“Hmm, personally, I think wind would have been more effective than fire there, what do you think?”
“…Katsu-kun, it’s just as painful to be evaluated so calmly, isn’t it?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Kaido’s epic pose was completely ignored. The otherworld group, who interpreted the NG compilation in a completely serious manner with their advice, wounded Kaido from a different angle.
“Damn it, if I’m going down, I’m taking you with me! Next up is Minami-chan!”
“What!?”
Kaido, who had taken the first hit, seemed like a fish out of water. No, would it be better to say he was like a zombie trying to increase the number of infected? I could visualize Kaido grabbing Minami’s leg as she tried to escape the abyss.
Despite Kaido’s grin, which was clearly tinged with malice, Minami, who had been laughing heartily, instantly sobered up and tried to stand in front of the screen to block it, but…
“H-Let go, Gozaru!! Please, spare me and let go, Kitamiya!”
“It’s fine. Kaido exposed himself, so you should expose yourself for reflection too.”
“This fool is drunk!? Damn you!?”
Perhaps Kitamiya is weak to alcohol? Her usual stern expression had softened, and she seemed to be enjoying herself, pinning Minami to the floor as she got caught up in the mood. Minami, smelling alcohol from her lips, realized Kitamiya was drunk, but she couldn’t break free from her magic-enhanced grip, and unfortunately, Minami’s scene played on.
“As long as I, gozaru, am here, there shall be no defeat in this battle!”
At first, she played it straight, only her samurai speech occasionally slipping out. But perhaps it was the luxury of confidence gained from dungeon attacks that allowed her to break free, and her past as a hikikomori seemed to have vanished. She struck a pose that would make one think she might become a magnificent Kabuki actor with more experience.
“Gyaha!?”
“Ah.”
However, like Kaido, you shouldn’t get carried away.
After striking a pose, a monster flew directly at her head and collided with it.
“W-What’s with the ‘gyaha’?”
“R-Right. Saying ‘gyaha’ after posing so coolly.”
“…”
“That couldn’t be helped, could it!? A monster suddenly flew at me from behind!? Besides, that monster was Katsu’s mistake!?”
Katsu noticed something during Minami’s scene, and as the screen switched, Katsu looking at Minami with an expression of “I messed up” was also shown. It clearly looked like he had interfered with Minami’s cool moment, but to Katsu, it was just a normal mistake. It just so happened that the timing created a comedic situation.
“I’m sorry, but…”
“But? Why gozaru?”
“I don’t think ‘gyaha’ is appropriate.”
“Pu-ahahahahahahahahahaha!”
And with Katsu’s words, Kaido and the others burst into laughter. Though they might not have noticed, I didn’t miss the scene in the background where Katsu, watching Minami’s reaction, averted his gaze and was holding back his laughter.
“Minami-san has good peripheral vision and is good at support, but why did she strike that pose in that situation? If she had been a little calmer, she wouldn’t have done something like that. What do you think, Memoria?”
“My father once told me that it’s a custom for Japanese heroes to strike poses, and that they would raise their swords to the sky during battle to boost troop morale.”
“I see. So, she did that for the party? She just got a little careless with her surroundings and failed, but is that a challenge for next time?”
“Hmm, indeed, the hero I served did something similar. I thought it was embarrassing, but the soldiers were motivated by it.”
“Hmm, I feel like I’ve seen this scene before.”
For Minami, it was just spur-of-the-moment posing, but thanks to the difference in common sense and a misunderstanding from past stories, she blushed at the unexpectedly high praise from the otherworld group and buried her face in her hands, curling up on the spot.
“I wish there was a hole I could crawl into. I never knew being evaluated so calmly would be this embarrassing.”
“For you, it was just done on a whim, wasn’t it?”
“I know!! If that’s the case, Kitamiya, I’m taking you down with me!!”
“Heh, as if that would happen to me!”
The difference in temperament between the Japanese group and the otherworld group was balancing out quite nicely. It was a fun atmosphere in the Party Room, with Kaido, Minami, and Katsu having gone through their scenes. Kitamiya, who had completely let her guard down after assuming the two who were prone to fail would come out first, was mistaken. She was too naive; there was no way the demon who loved plotting behind the scenes would end it here. They always strike at the perfect timing when you’re off guard. The next one to grace the screen would, of course, be…
“Frozen Ice Flower!? Ah, I failed the incantation, noooooooo!!”
“Eh!?”
“Ah, damn it, my staff cracked. Will this be fixed?”
“Pu.”
The image was of Kitamiya swinging her staff with all her might. I had only seen something similar once: an office worker in a batting cage swinging with all her might. And it was a magnificent full swing, but the staff she was using was wooden. Even with magic reinforcement, it was inferior in durability to the metal armor of the monster. Kitamiya was captured perfectly, sweating cold as she looked at her cracking staff.
“Speaking of which, Nan-chan, there was a time when the filming was stopped at a strange moment, wasn’t there?”
“That’s right, Kaido-san. I also wondered why, but it was because of this, wasn’t it?”
“A mage swinging her staff at a goblin.”
“It’s a good swing with a lot of power from the waist, isn’t it?”
“But a mage breaking her weapon…”
“You guys line up! I’ll freeze you!!”
“Kyaa!”
In retaliation for being laughed at, Kaido and Minami, who accompanied every word with a smile, pestered Kitamiya, who was gathering magic power. But they, too, were Dungeon Testers and were used to escaping. While the three of them quietly dodged, trying not to damage the food, the otherworld group’s evaluations continued.
“Shouldn’t we be recommending close-quarters combat to Kitamiya-san soon?”
“Yes, it would be good to have another means of attack besides just the staff. It’s better to be able to respond when your weapon breaks at an unexpected moment like that.”
“How about fists? If you cover your hands with gauntlets, they can serve as both weapons and armor. It’s like killing two birds with one stone, as they say in Japan.”
“Hmm, it’s probably best to start with something manageable. The goal should be at least crushing rocks without magic reinforcement?”
“Hmm, don’t you think we could raise the standard a bit higher?”
“Hahaha, being a mage is tough, isn’t it.”
Amelia, who was wondering what being a mage truly entailed, quietly agreed with the otherworld group, who calmly evaluated the situation even with alcohol in their systems. She looked at the scene of herself performing an aerial somersault with a twist, landing in a Y-shape on top of a basilisk’s head, and felt relieved that the three who were engrossed in a game of tag didn’t notice.
“She’s very agile.”
“Hahaha, thank you.”
“Amelia-san, you’re very light on your feet. If you continue like this, you’ll learn aerial walking soon, won’t you?”
“Yes, given my position, it wouldn’t hurt to learn it.”
“Shall I teach you? If you learn the knack, you can do it right away.”
“Hmm. Amī, why don’t you let her teach you?”
“I… I’ll consider it.”
Afterward, as various bloopers and NG scenes were shown in turn, the party continued, with me enjoying the reactions of the Japanese group, who weren’t playing tag with the otherworld group. And then, as the three playing tag in the room began to slow down.
“Ah, next is Jiro-san.”
“Ooh! Master!”
“Let’s watch quietly, Himik.”
“Oh, it’s Jiro-kun. I wonder what he’ll show us?”
“Hah, hah, hah! What!?”
Finally, it was my turn.
“Kukuku, no matter what, Senpai seems to have messed up too, doesn’t he?”
“That’s right, gozaru. I’ll get revenge for making me so embarrassed.”
“Yes, let’s watch. Jiro-san’s NG scene.”
When Suella mentioned my name as my footage appeared, the reactions of the three were intense. They stared intently at the screen, their eyes shining with fierce determination.
Well then? What kind of NG did I pull off? I hadn’t seen the contents of the NG compilation myself. So, I searched my memory for any possible failures, even in areas I might not have noticed, but nothing came to mind. After all, it was an area I wouldn’t notice. I thought I had no way of knowing, so I prepared myself to be the subject of their drunken entertainment and watched in silence.
*CRUNCH*
“Huh?”
The image showed me crushing a goblin’s head in my grip without even looking at it. And then, it continued to show me calmly processing monsters, but with an expression similar to that of an instructor. The final text displayed:
“His face was too menacing to be used (lol).”
“L-Leader’s expression was scary, so it wasn’t suitable for the PV?”
“S-Senpai? I don’t think you need to be discouraged.”
“Th-That’s right. The footage that wasn’t shown is fine, isn’t it?”
The three visibly struggled to contain their laughter. So, I smiled gently and said:
“You can laugh.”
“Then we won’t hold back.”
As the three burst into laughter, I continued to smile kindly for a while. By the way, the comments from the otherworld group were that there were no issues with my combat performance at the moment. It ended with an all-too-ordinary result.
Today’s word: Be a little more mindful of your expressions.
This concludes today’s installment. If you enjoyed it, please leave comments, ratings, and bookmarks. I look forward to your continued support of this work.
