The following day. After school ended, we headed toward the address Juzo-san had given us, still wearing our uniforms. We traveled five stations by train and took a ten-minute bus ride to reach our destination.
The house was in a suburb slightly removed from the city center, but it was surrounded by white walls even larger than those at Yuji’s place. It was less a house and more a manor.
“Is this just the standard scale for a samurai residence?” I asked.
“I wonder…” Hiiragi-san replied.
Both of us stood before the estate with a distant look in our eyes. How should I put it… it felt like we lived in completely different worlds.
I had been going to Yuji’s house frequently lately, so I thought I was getting used to it, but seeing this made me realize how out of place it felt for average middle-class citizens like us to be visiting a place like this.
“What are you two doing over there?” Yuji called out.
“Ah, no, it’s nothing. Right, Hiiragi-san?”
“Yes, it’s nothing at all.”
“...If you say so.”
Yuji gave us a dubious look at our obviously forced reactions, but he pushed his doubts aside for the moment and reached for the intercom next to the entrance.
A light chime rang out, and a few seconds later, someone answered.
“Yes. Who is it, please?”
“It’s Hirose. I had an appointment for a meeting today…”
“!? Ah, Master Hirose! We have been expecting you! I will open the gates immediately, so please wait just a moment!”
“Ah, y-yes.”
The intercom cut off while Yuji was still stunned by the sheer intensity of the response. What was that about? I didn’t sense any hostility from the speaker's tone, so I didn't think they were unhappy about our visit, but…
As Hiiragi-san and I tilted our heads at the strange exchange, Yuji turned toward us with slow movements.
“...Did I say something wrong?”
“No? You just gave a standard greeting,” I said.
“Yes. That’s what it sounded like to me, too,” Hiiragi-san added.
“Right…?”
After hearing our thoughts, Yuji tilted his head in confusion once again.
We waited for a few minutes until the large main gates began to open slowly, creaking as they swung wide.
Beyond the gates, I could see meticulously pruned garden trees, stone lanterns with delicate carvings, a ground covered in white gravel, and a main building that was a retro, single-story wooden structure rich with history. But what caught my eye more than anything else was the reception line. Servants in matching aprons and students in martial arts uniforms were all bowing their heads in unison.
““““Welcome, Master Hirose, Master Kokonoe, Miss Hiiragi!””””
“““...”””
The sight left us speechless.
What was this? This level of hospitality was way over the top.
While we stood there dazed and frozen, a dignified, middle-aged man in a martial arts uniform stepped forward toward us.
“Welcome. I have been waiting for your arrival. Yuji Hirose-kun, Daiki Kokonoe-kun, and Yukino Hiiragi-san. I am Morito Fujiki. I am the head of this household.”
Our eyes widened in shock as Morito-san introduced himself.
The head of the family came out to the entrance to greet us personally? Seriously, what was going on here?
“Ah, um, well… Thank you for agreeing to our sudden request!” Yuji managed to say.
Even though he was flustered, Yuji bowed while greeting Morito-san, so Hiiragi-san and I hurriedly followed suit.
“Please, don't worry about it. This was a request from Juzo-san, after all. Now, this isn't the place to talk… Please, come inside. I will show you the way.”
“Y-Yes!”
The voice coming out of Yuji’s mouth was quite strained; he was clearly stiff with tension. Then again, Hiiragi-san and I were so nervous we couldn't even speak in this bizarre atmosphere, so Yuji was doing a great job just by being able to talk.
Led by Morito-san, we passed between the rows of servants and students and entered the main house. We moved through the entrance in tense silence, and as we walked down a long corridor, a dry landscape garden came into view in the corner of my eye. Moss-covered stones were placed within white sand that had been raked into ripple patterns, and stone bridges connected the rocks to one another.
Sensing that my gaze was fixed on the garden—or perhaps just trying to put us at ease—Morito-san spoke to us in a gentle tone.
“What do you think? It is quite something, isn't it?”
“Ah, yes. It’s a wonderful garden…”
I stopped in my tracks and replied. Though, if he’d asked me exactly what was so good about it, I wouldn't have been able to put it into words.
“The gardener who made this said it represents the islands and the great bridge of the Seto Inland Sea. The mossy rocks represent the islands, and the stone bridges represent the Great Seto Bridge.”
Huh, the Seto Inland Sea…
“In that case, do the circular ripples in the white sand represent whirlpools?” I asked.
“Yes, that is exactly what the gardener said.”
It seemed my observation was correct, as Morito-san wore a gentle smile, like a teacher praising a student for the right answer.
Yeah, that was actually a bit embarrassing.
After lingering there for a short while to observe the garden, we followed Morito-san down the corridor for a bit longer until we arrived at a room that looked like a grand hall.
However, Morito-san did not open the sliding doors immediately. He gestured for us to stop, then knelt in a formal position before the doors and called out.
“Excuse me. Father, I have brought the guests.”
“...I see. Have them come in.”
After a beat, a low, powerful voice echoed from inside. Wait… Father?
While I was wondering about Morito-san’s use of the word “father,” the doors to the grand hall were opened. Inside the hall sat a small, white-haired elderly man wearing traditional work clothes.
After entering the hall, the three of us sat in a row on cushions laid out before the old man. Sitting on our heels like this in such a formal setting was nerve-wracking. Morito-san, who had entered with us, sat diagonally in front of us, a short distance away from the old man’s side.
Then, the old man spoke.
“Now then, please don't be so tense. You may relax your posture and sit comfortably.”
He told us to relax, but that was impossible. There was no way we could feel at ease in this situation.
While a subtle tension filled the hall, an older female servant brought in tea and sweets. The aroma of the steaming green tea helped calm our nerves. We thanked her and took a sip.
“Phew…”
“Have you calmed down?”
“Yes,” we replied.
After drinking the tea and finally feeling like ourselves again, we began to speak with the old man.
“I have yet to introduce myself. I am Genya Fujiki, Morito’s father-in-law. I have passed the headship to Morito and am now just a retired old man.”
“I’m Yuji Hirose.”
“I’m Daiki Kokonoe.”
“I’m Yukino Hiiragi.”
We introduced ourselves to Genya-san with light bows while remaining in our formal seating.
Once the introductions were finished, Genya-san brought up the reason for our visit.
“...I have heard from Juzo that you all are working as explorers?”
“Ah, yes. We’ve been explorers for about six months now,” Yuji answered.
“I see…”
When Yuji confirmed Genya-san’s question, the expressions of both Genya-san and Morito-san darkened slightly.
Did something happen?
“No, forgive me. We’ve had… a few things happen recently regarding explorer-related matters…”
“Ah, I see…”
Genya-san wore an awkward expression and apologized for asking a strange question. I didn't think he needed to apologize, but as I shifted my gaze toward Morito-san, I was startled. His face was completely expressionless. However, it was the kind of expression that suggested he was forcibly suppressing intense anger deep inside.
I wanted to ask why he looked like that, but it didn't seem like something I should pry into lightly, so I held my tongue.
“...Let us get to the point. What kind of training do you wish to receive from us?”
“Ah, yes. Actually…”
On our behalf, Yuji explained the circumstances that led us here. He explained that because we had been relying entirely on skills, our weakness in situations where skills couldn't be used had been exposed, and we wanted to fix that.
“I see. If that is the case, then we can certainly help with your training,” Morito-san said.
“Indeed. If you want to learn that kind of know-how, it makes sense that Juzo would rely on us,” Genya-san added.
Apparently, they were convinced.
“Well, it’s Juzo’s request, so I don't mind taking you on.”
“Is that true? Actually, we were worried you might turn us down, saying it was secret family know-how that couldn't be taught to outsiders,” Yuji said.
Based on what I’d heard from Juzo-san about the Fujiki family, they were a lineage of bodyguards. For a bodyguard to leak their know-how to an outsider was the same as giving a potential assassin the knowledge to find an opening. Keeping their methods secret was the key to their success.
That was why I thought they would be reluctant, even with Juzo-san’s introduction. For them to agree so readily… wasn't it strange?
“Yes. However, naturally, I cannot teach you unconditionally.”
I knew it; there was a trade-off. We had heard the condition from Juzo-san beforehand, but…
Sensing our focused gazes, Genya-san swallowed once before stating their true business.
“As I told Juzo over the phone, the condition is either the transfer of a high-grade recovery potion or the introduction of a connection to obtain one.”
“I heard from Juzo-san that you possess one… Do you have it?” Morito-san asked with a pleading look in his eyes.
They were really hanging everything on this potion.
“Yes. It’s true that we possess a high-grade recovery potion,” Yuji confirmed.
“Is that true!?”
“Yes. We obtained it when we defeated an area boss. We had it appraised by the Dungeon Association, and they confirmed it is indeed a high-grade recovery potion.”
“Ah… thank goodness.”
When Yuji confirmed it was a genuine, association-appraised potion, Morito-san collapsed to his knees, weeping with relief. Genya-san remained seated, but his eyes filled with tears as he looked toward the ceiling.
For a while, the only sound in the grand hall was the quiet sobbing of the two men as their relief finally burst through.
Eventually, they composed themselves and wiped their eyes with their sleeves.
Though his voice was still thick with emotion, Morito-san spoke.
“I apologize for showing you such a pathetic sight…”
“No, it’s fine,” Yuji replied. “So… if I may be so bold as to ask, what happened to make the two of you so distraught? Given how much you desire a high-grade recovery potion, has someone suffered a major injury?”
“...Yes. Since you are giving us such a precious item, it is only right that we explain our circumstances.”
Morito-san closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began to speak.
“The truth is, the one who needs the high-grade recovery potion is… my daughter.”
“Your… daughter?”
“Yes. My daughter, Ririka Fujiki. She was supposed to be a third-year high school student this year.”
“...Supposed to be?”
That sounded ominous.
“...Presently, my daughter is recuperating at home. she is not attending school.”
“Eh?”
Recuperating at home? Not going to school? That meant…
As a bad feeling took hold of us, Morito-san began to speak with a voice full of deep regret.
“Like all of you, my daughter received her explorer license last year. And at the beginning of March this year, she suffered a terrible accident during a dungeon exploration. She lost her dominant arm and one eye…”
“““...”””
Morito-san looked down as he said this, his teeth audibly grinding together.
Are you serious?
We were left utterly speechless.
“Fortunately, she used a mid-grade recovery potion immediately after the injury, so her life was saved. But her arm and eye… they did not come back.”
“““...”””
The topic was so heavy I couldn't find a single word to say.
Yuji and Hiiragi-san were the same; their faces were stiff as they stared at Morito-san, who continued to speak of his daughter’s tragedy.
“I asked doctors and everyone I could find if there was anything that could be done, and that was when I learned of it. The existence of a high-grade recovery potion! I learned that even lost limbs could be regenerated if it was used!”
As Morito-san looked up, tears were once again welling in his eyes.
And then…
“Therefore, I beg of you! Please, for my daughter's sake, would you let us have the potion!?”
Morito-san pressed his forehead to the floor in a desperate plea, begging us to give him the high-grade recovery potion.
This was… this was a lot to take in.