After school ended, I rushed home and searched for that video. The ones Abe and Watanabe mentioned earlier at school were these three:
1. “What Caused the Explosion!? Insider Exposes Unsafe Practices and Illegal Activities at the Factory!”
This video was an internal exposé by someone from the factory. It revealed the causes of the accident and the dangers posed by improper waste disposal. The whistleblower’s identity was blurred, but it might have been the person I rescued last at the factory.
2. “Applause for the Brave Souls Who Risked Their Lives to Save Others! Their Courage Brought Me to Tears!!”
This video captured the chaos right after the explosion—employees fleeing in panic. Amidst it, two individuals were seen desperately trying to save someone trapped under heavy materials.
Even with flames closing in and the risk of the factory collapsing, these people displayed incredible bravery despite lacking cheat-level powers like mine. The video ended right before I made my entrance.
3. “Mystery Hero Appears!? Surveillance Cameras Capture Dramatic Rescue During Explosion!”
…This is the problem video. After rewatching it a few times, I concluded it doesn’t provide any direct evidence to identify me personally. Still, I don’t know how advanced technology has become. Could they extract my exact height, walking style, or posture to identify me? It’s unsettling to think about.
To make matters worse, most comments on the video weren’t about the rescue or my abilities. Instead, they focused on my outfit:
“Looks so lame,” “What’s with that weird getup?” “Fake hero,” “Suspicious dude, lol.”
...I don’t have any life points left to lose here.
The account that uploaded the video had no other content and was created the same day the videos were posted. Yet, the quality of the titles and editing didn’t seem amateurish. Who could it be?
I considered tracking down the uploader and negotiating (with intimidation skills in hand) to have the video removed. But I had no way to trace them. My skills and magic as a grand mage are great for saving people or resolving conflicts—but absolutely useless against modern networking systems. I guess it makes sense; there’s no internet in the other world.
Could the uploader be someone related to the factory? Or maybe the police? Either way, there’s nothing I can do now. All I can do is hope no more videos get uploaded and that I don’t get identified from this one.
Over the next four days, life moved on. It’s Friday now. No new videos have surfaced, and neither the police nor reporters have come knocking on my door. The video did attract significant attention initially, even getting featured on TV news. But by today, it’s dropped in the rankings, and things are starting to calm down.
With time, it might fade into urban legend territory—like UFO sightings or the Loch Ness monster.
Fast forward to Saturday. Tomorrow, we’re all going to see Sayama-San and her idol group’s live performance. I’ve been told by Watanabe that no special preparations are needed, so I’m free today.
I thought about visiting Ms. Sara or Lilith, but instead, I decided to go for a solo food walk. …Maybe it’ll help heal my wounded pride a bit. Plus, I can gather some intel on my next destination.
Strolling through the food stalls alone turned out to be a wonderful change of pace. The best part? Not having to worry about money. I could eat whatever I wanted without a second thought.
In my original world, I had to budget carefully during festivals or street events. But here, my wealth is practically unlimited. It felt amazing to pick anything without glancing at the price.
The stall owners were friendly, too. If the place wasn’t too crowded, they’d chat with me after I made a purchase. Thanks to them, I gathered plenty of useful information.
Next weekend, I’ll head to a new town. Can’t wait to see what’s in store there.