A dull thud echoed through the dojo.
It was the sound of my bare hand catching the tip of the wooden sword Juzo-san had suddenly swung at Mika, stopping it just inches before it struck her. The strike had been swift, but Juzo-san had clearly held back; it lacked real weight.
Even so, I wasn't about to let this slide.
"What do you think you're doing, Juzo-san!?"
Still gripping the wooden sword, I voiced my protest.
My shout finally brought Mika and Saori-chan back to reality. Their legs gave out and they collapsed, watching the turn of events with stunned expressions—no, they were completely dazed.
"...Hmph."
"Don't 'hmph' me! Why would you do something like that!?"
"Nay, I simply wished to test your vigilance."
"What!?"
I couldn't immediately grasp his meaning.
As I searched for his true intentions, Juzo-san let go of the sword to show he had no further intent to attack, then lowered his hips and sat back down.
"I heard that you lot were going to act as guides and take these young ladies into a dungeon. I wanted to see just how serious you were about your role as guards."
"...?"
"To guard someone means placing yourself in a situation where you never know when an attack might come. It means ensuring the safety of your charges even at the cost of your own life. Do you follow me so far?"
"...Yes."
Since Juzo-san had sat down to explain his sudden assault, I reluctantly suppressed my fury and listened.
"Kokonoe boy. You did protect the girl, albeit at the very last second. However, as a guard, you are a failure. You missed the signs of an impending attack and allowed the strike to be carried out while protecting those with no ability to defend themselves."
"...But, Juzo-san. I never imagined you would actually slash at us. Especially not here in the dojo..."
"Is that so? I believe I displayed fairly obvious signs."
"...Gramps. Are you talking about how you had your wooden sword resting right next to you even though you were supposedly meditating?"
"What’s this, Yuji? You noticed?"
"...Well, yeah."
Yuji interjected bluntly, pointing out the sign Juzo-san had mentioned. Based on the old man's reaction, he was right.
"Gramps doesn't usually keep a sword by his side when he meditates. I was wondering why it was there... Sigh."
"I shall give you a passing grade for noticing the deviation from the norm, but it is no good to stop your thinking there. You lot came here to train so that you could dive into dungeons and return alive, did you not? If so, the moment you set foot in this dojo, you should have maintained the same level of awareness as if you were in a dungeon. Honestly, I have launched surprise attacks during our practice sessions before..."
Juzo-san crossed his arms and sighed at our lack of resolve.
Seeing his disappointment, I instinctively looked away out of guilt. Now that he mentioned it, resin kunai had been thrown at us from the sidelines several times while we were sparring...
When I had reflexively protested back then, he told me that on a battlefield, there is no such thing as a one-on-one duel without outside interference. In practice, when fighting multiple monsters at once inside a dungeon, interferences like stray attacks happen exactly as Juzo-san described.
"Forgive me, young ladies, for such a sudden display."
"N-No. Um... it seems there was a proper reason for it, so you don't have to bow so low..."
"...T-That's right. Please, look up!"
Juzo-san bowed deeply toward Mika and Saori-chan as he apologized, causing the two girls—who were still struggling to process the sudden shift in atmosphere—to panic. Anyone would be flustered if a man like Juzo-san suddenly bowed and apologized to them.
"I see. In that case, shall we finally begin our discussion regarding you young ladies?"
Juzo-san raised his head and spoke in a gentle tone.
Good grief, I was already exhausted, and the training hadn't even properly started yet.
Teacups were prepared for everyone. While we took a breather, we had Mika and Saori-chan explain their reasons for wanting to become explorers directly to Juzo-san. Once the two of them finished their story, including the trouble they had experienced today, Juzo-san let out a deep sigh.
"I see. Hearing about their rowdiness directly is even more unbearable than the reports."
"Yeah. They're a real nuisance."
"Yes. As time passes, the size of their team is increasing, and their attitude toward anyone outside the group is becoming more tyrannical. We can still refuse their recruitment for now, but once summer break is over..."
"Based on what I have heard, it will likely be difficult."
The Repeating Student explorer team, who had apparently spent the entirety of Golden Week diving into dungeons, had significantly increased their numbers in the short time since the holidays ended. They had amassed a large amount of funds through their daily explorations and were hosting karaoke parties and the like after school on the team's dime. By flaunting their wealth, they were securing the "neutral" students who hadn't shown clear opposition to the team's existence.
Apparently, the reason Mika and Saori-chan were late coming to our classroom today was because they were being pressured to join a party in addition to being recruited as explorers.
"They're a troublesome bunch..."
"They're using the carrot rather than the stick to build their influence... Even if we tried to dismantle the organization, we wouldn't succeed in making members defect unless we offered them better rewards in return."
"That's true. And while many members likely can't take the Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures Issuance Exam yet due to age restrictions, every single one of them will eventually become an explorer as time passes."
"Since they're already taking the bait, the Repeating Student explorers won't let them back out of getting their qualifications at the last minute."
Given that they've already enjoyed the benefits, the non-explorer members will have no choice but to become explorers whether they like it or not.
"In that case, will they just be pulled into the existing hierarchy and treated as meat shields?"
"They probably wouldn't be that blatant about it, but..."
"If they've built a solid organization, you never know," Hiiragi-san added.
They'd likely exploit a portion of their dungeon income under the guise of "dues."
Becoming an explorer early means their levels will be that much higher. This naturally creates a structure where those whose birthdays come early are at the top and those whose birthdays come late are at the bottom.
From the perspective of those currently in the team, the party expenses they're covering now are likely seen as an investment. Even if they're spending money now, they'll be in a position to exploit others as executives in a few months. Those who follow the sweet lure of free entertainment will likely end up with massive debts later on. Specifically, the members whose birthdays fall after summer break.
"So the ones who are already explorers are the executive candidates, the ones whose birthdays come before summer break are the mid-ranks, and the ones whose birthdays come after summer break are the bottom-feeders?"
"That's likely how it will turn out. Once you belong to an organization like that, it'll be difficult to leave."
"It's like the mafia."
Except it was an organization of mentally immature teenagers who possessed power far exceeding that of current security forces... it couldn't get any worse.
As we discussed our deductions, Mika and Saori-chan spoke up with trembling voices.
"O-Onii-chan... how much of that guess do you think is right?"
"Hm? Well... it's just a guess, so I'm sure it's not entirely accurate, but I'd say you should take at least half of it as a given."
"Even half is too much..."
Mika and Saori-chan murmured, their faces pale. Even if only half of it were true, the future looked grim. It was only natural they'd feel that way.
"By the way, Mika-chan, Saori-chan. Currently, what are the proportions of the different factions among the first-year students?"
"Hiiragi-san? Uh, um... Saori-chan, do you know?"
"...I'm not certain, but before Golden Week, the ratio was probably about thirty percent clearly opposed, sixty percent neutral, and about ten percent who had joined the team."
Hiiragi-san questioned the two girls, who were looking anxious. Wait, since when did she start calling them by their names? Mika didn't seem to know the numbers, but Saori-chan appeared to have a general grasp of the power dynamics. They had already gathered forty to fifty members even before Golden Week?
"Since they're currently working on recruiting the neutrals, I don't know what the ratio is now. But since the number of people attending their parties has increased over the last few days..."
"It's safe to assume a significant number have switched to the 'joined' faction."
Our collective sighs echoed through the dojo.
They were already a major force, and at this rate, it wouldn't be long before their membership exceeded a hundred people—more than a quarter of the entire grade. I was starting to feel that Mika and her friend simply becoming explorers wouldn't be enough to solve this.
While we were racking our brains, Saori-chan timidly raised her hand.
"Um, even if we can't crush them, I think we should at least form a team for the opposition to stand against them..."
"Well, certainly, a one-party dictatorship isn't desirable..."
"That's true. Even if the influence is small, it would be better to have a force with at least a minimum amount of leverage, but..."
"But can an organization capable of opposing them actually be established? They're already a team of nearly a hundred people."
"Recruiting a large number of people would definitely be difficult. If we're inferior in terms of both finances and combat strength compared to the Repeating Students' team, very few people would want to join willingly."
"I see..."
We reacted with hesitation to Saori-chan's suggestion. Her point was valid, but there was one thing missing to make it a reality.
"If we were to launch a team to oppose them, we'd need a flagship who can stand up to the Repeating Students."
"I suppose so. At the very least, it would be ideal if they were in the same level range as the Repeating Students. Unless the leaders are equal in power, it won't serve as a deterrent."
"Also, the flagship must be a first-year. This is ultimately an issue within the first-year grade. If second or third-years get involved, the problem will only become more complicated. If a senior were to become the flagship, the balance of power would collapse when the current first-years become third-years, and the deterrent would vanish."
Indeed, to build an organization, you need either a flagship as a symbol or a righteous cause. However, as of now, the Repeating Students' team hasn't engaged in any public misconduct other than their aggressive recruitment. In this situation, it was impossible to establish an opposing organization under the banner of a righteous cause. The only way forward was to nominate a flagship—someone who would clearly declare their opposition—and build the organization around them.
"...In that case, I'll do it."
"...Mika?"
As we were discussing countermeasures, Mika suddenly spoke up.
Wait, "I'll do it"... is she serious? As we stared at her in bewilderment, Saori-chan, sitting next to her, put a hand on Mika's shoulder.
"Mika-chan, are you serious?"
"Yeah. I thought that becoming an explorer would let us push back their recruitment, but after listening to Onii-chan and the others, it sounds like that won't be enough. If that's the case, I guess we just have to act ourselves."
"But being the flagship means standing in the line of fire. They'll definitely target you."
"I know. But if things stay like this, we'll end up spending our three years of high school hiding and sneaking around to avoid them, right?"
"..."
Saori-chan fell silent. It was exactly as Mika said. If we were to create an opposing organization, the time (before summer break) was our last window. If we missed it, their influence would become insurmountable. While the current seniors were still in school, the Repeating Students probably wouldn't do anything reckless, but once they became the oldest students... I couldn't imagine a bright future. If they just sat idly by, Mika and Saori-chan would have to spend their entire high school lives walking on eggshells. That was simply unacceptable.
"Then I'll be the flagship and build an organization to oppose them. I don't want my high school life to be ruined by people like that."
Mika stated firmly with a smile, declaring her intent.
While we remained silent at the sudden development, Saori-chan offered her cooperation.
"...All right. Then I'll support you, Mika-chan."
"Saori-chan?"
"I can't just let you stand in the line of fire alone..."
"Saori-chan... yeah, let's work hard together."
The two took each other's hands and vowed to see it through. We could only watch in silence.
Sigh... if Mika has decided, then we have no choice but to do everything in our power to back them up.