A long series of notifications filled the window in front of Cynthia.
At the same time, a dark-blue sphere of light suddenly materialized in midair before her.
She instinctively took a step back.
Even after everything that had happened yesterday, and despite already knowing that the café could produce things out of thin air, actually watching an object appear directly in front of her was still rather startling.
The glowing sphere simply hovered there without moving.
After a moment, Cynthia cautiously reached out and touched it.
The light immediately scattered.
Something small and blue dropped into her palm.
On closer inspection, it appeared to be a piece of candy wrapped in pale-blue paper, no different at first glance from the sort of sweets children might eat.
[Blue Mystery Box opened.]
[Congratulations!
You obtained: Rare Candy ×1 (C)]
[Description: A sweet piece of candy that both humans and Pokémon seem to enjoy.]
Cynthia stared at the candy in her hand.
So the mystery box had given her…
A piece of candy?
For a moment, she genuinely did not know what to make of it.
She had assumed that finishing today’s session might grant her something on the same level as yesterday’s ability to understand ancient languages.
Thinking about it more carefully, though, rewards of that caliber probably could not be handed out every single day.
Perhaps something like this was closer to the norm.
As for the candy itself, Cynthia simply tucked it into her bag.
She was not especially fond of sweets, particularly hard candy like this.
Garchomp did not seem to care for sweet food either.
Roserade, on the other hand, had always had something of a sweet tooth.
She could take it home for Roserade.
After putting the candy away, Cynthia spent another moment carefully going through every line on the settlement screen.
Her brow gradually furrowed.
Today’s session rating seemed better than yesterday’s, yet tomorrow’s available playtime had increased by only fifteen minutes.
On her first day, she had been allowed one hour.
Afterward, that had doubled to two.
This time, however, the increase was much smaller.
That mattered.
The amount of time she was allowed to play each day directly determined how quickly she could progress through the game—and, more importantly, how soon she might reach the information she truly wanted.
Naturally, the more time she could earn, the better.
Her eyes settled on the large C rating.
The key apparently lay in the session evaluation.
But what exactly determined it?
As Cynthia focused on the rating, another explanation appeared beside it.
[Session ratings are calculated based on the player’s progress within the game, gifts sent by livestream viewers, and the overall volume of chat activity.
Viewer participation carries a comparatively high weight.]
[To achieve higher ratings, increase the number of viewers and overall engagement within the livestream.
Players are encouraged to interact actively with their audience.]
…
Cynthia nodded slowly.
That made sense.
Her audience had grown considerably compared with yesterday, but apparently it was still nowhere near enough to reach a higher rating.
At first, Cynthia had not paid much attention to the viewers from that other world.
Now that she thought about it, however, they had actually helped her quite a bit.
Without them, her progress through the game would have been much slower.
There was a very real chance she would still be wandering in circles inside Granite Cave on her second day.
Perhaps she should make more of an effort to talk to them.
Build a better relationship with the audience?
As Champion, Cynthia certainly had no trouble dealing with people in reality.
She could comfortably handle formal events, League officials, reporters, researchers, and even the most enthusiastic fans.
But sitting in front of a screen and communicating with more than a hundred people at once through a constantly scrolling wall of text was completely different.
She still was not used to it.
Especially when none of them believed she was actually Cynthia.
She rubbed her forehead.
Come to think of it, she felt as though she had heard of people doing something like this before.
Streamers.
Yes.
That was what the viewers kept calling her.
Apparently, it was an actual profession.
‘When I get home today, I should see whether anyone has published academic research on livestreaming.’
Cynthia considered the matter with complete seriousness.
She would have to study it properly.
While she was thinking, another notification suddenly appeared on the computer.
[Improved session performance detected.
Bonus reward triggered.]
[Obtained: Damaged Treasure Map Fragment ×1 (Special)]
The next instant, something resembling an old scrap of cloth appeared on the desk in front of her.
Another explanation followed.
[Collect 3 Damaged Treasure Map Fragments to combine them into a complete Treasure Map.]
[The completed Treasure Map will reveal the location of a hidden treasure.]
Cynthia picked up the fragment and examined it carefully.
The material was worn and mottled with age, while intricate patterns covered part of its surface.
Her new archaeological ability did not react at all.
So the markings were probably not a form of writing.
They seemed more likely to represent geographical features or part of a larger map.
“Two more, then…”
Cynthia murmured to herself.
She had visited countless ruins over the course of her life and personally seen more than a few valuable relics and hidden treasures.
Yet this was the first time she had found herself genuinely excited over an incomplete treasure map.
The reason was simple.
It had come from this internet café.
Anything this mysterious place itself considered a treasure was unlikely to be ordinary.
…
With the treasure map fragment awarded, the settlement finally ended.
The computer screen went dark.
Cynthia carefully stored the fragment away and turned around.
Then she stopped.
Garchomp was no longer standing behind her.
It was over by the counter.
Felix was holding an ordinary plastic comb and running it carefully along Garchomp’s scales while casually talking to it.
Cynthia stared.
That was genuinely unexpected.
Despite appearances, Garchomp’s skin was covered in countless tightly packed scales, as was typical of many Dragon-type Pokémon.
Keeping those scales properly maintained could be surprisingly troublesome.
Mostly because Garchomp hated allowing anyone else to touch them.
Anyone except Cynthia, at least.
She had once hired professional Pokémon breeders who specialized in scale care.
Garchomp had refused to cooperate with every single one of them.
The moment one of their specialized grooming tools touched its scales, Garchomp would growl several times and start flexing its claws.
Eventually, Cynthia had simply accepted that scale maintenance was something she would have to handle personally.
She had never minded.
Garchomp was her most precious partner, after all.
But now…
Garchomp was leaning comfortably against the counter with its eyes half closed, allowing Felix to comb through its scales without the slightest complaint.
It even looked…
Extremely relaxed!
And Felix was not using some expensive piece of professional Pokémon-grooming equipment.
It was an ordinary plastic comb.
Cynthia genuinely wanted to ask how he had managed this.
Professional breeders armed with specialized scale-care equipment could barely touch Garchomp without being threatened.
Yet Felix was apparently allowed to groom it with something that looked as though it came from a bathroom drawer.
Still, Garchomp looked so comfortable that Cynthia chose not to interrupt.
She simply stood nearby and watched, her expression becoming increasingly complicated.
Then Garchomp seemed to sense something.
It turned its head and its eyes met Cynthia’s.
Garchomp froze.