The day after Mika and Saori’s first dungeon exploration, I woke up earlier than usual. A quick glance at my phone showed it was about an hour before my alarm was set to go off.
I considered trying to squeeze in another thirty minutes of sleep, but for some reason, I felt wide awake. Giving up on the idea of rest, I climbed out of bed.
"Yaaaawn... so tired..."
My head was still a bit foggy, but since the sleepiness had vanished, I decided to go wash my face. Rubbing my bleary eyes, I left my room and headed downstairs. From the living room, I could hear the rhythmic tap-tap-tap of a kitchen knife against a cutting board.
Before heading to the washroom, I poked my head into the living room.
"Good morning, Mother..."
"Oh, Daiki. You're up early today, aren't you?"
"Yeah. I just sort of woke up..."
My mother was in the kitchen getting breakfast ready. Judging by the savory scent of miso wafting through the air, it was going to be a traditional Japanese meal.
"I see. Well, I'll pour you a cup of coffee to help you wake up. Go wash your face first."
"Yeah. Thanks, Mother."
I gave her a quick nod, closed the living room door, and went to the washroom. Splashing cold water on my face a few times finally cleared the cobwebs from my brain.
When I returned to the living room, my father was already at the table in his suit, eating his breakfast.
"Oh, Father. Good morning."
"Morning, Daiki. You're up early."
"Yeah, just happened to wake up..."
I offered a brief greeting, then took the coffee my mother had set out and sat down.
"Thanks for watching over Mika yesterday," Father said.
"It was nothing special. Both Mika and Saori-chan were very cooperative and followed our instructions to the letter. I had to stay alert, of course, but it wasn't as difficult as you might be imagining."
"Is that so? I've never stepped foot in a dungeon, so I have no idea how grueling it really is. I have to take your word for it... But tell me, do you think Mika has what it takes to be an explorer?"
Father paused, his chopsticks hovering mid-air as he looked at me with a serious expression.
Whether she could make it as an explorer...
"Well... we plan on supporting them for a while, and I intend to train them until they can hold their own. So, if you're asking if she can do it, then yes, I believe she can."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah. Though I can't say for certain how long she’ll actually want to stick with it."
Ultimately, it came down to personal aptitude. If Mika and Saori-chan discovered they didn't have the stomach for it, I had no intention of forcing them to continue once they reached their initial goals.
Being an explorer meant killing living creatures, even if they were monsters. Forcing yourself to do that if you truly hated it was a quick way to warp your personality.
"Well, that's fair enough. Mika couldn't seem to eat much at dinner last night, so we should probably keep an eye on her for a bit."
Father was right. As I’d expected, Mika’s appetite had vanished last night. Much like my own first time back from a dungeon, she had barely touched her food.
She’d looked confused herself, but when your body refuses to eat, there’s not much you can do. In the end, she’d only managed a small bowl of ochazuke.
"I agree. For now, I'll make sure she's trained well enough to avoid any serious injuries while she's under our wing."
"I appreciate it. Daiki, I'm sorry to dump this on you, but look after her, alright?"
"I will."
I nodded, reassuring him that I had things under control.
As Father finished his meal and began gathering his things for work, Mika wandered into the living room, rubbing her eyes.
"Morning, Mika."
"...Morning."
"You're still half-asleep. Go wash your face."
"...Okay."
She gave a lifeless reply and shuffled toward the washroom. Her complexion looked fine, and she didn't seem particularly sleep-deprived.
"...She seems alright," Father noted.
"Yeah. I was worried the stress of the dungeon might keep her up, but it doesn't look like that happened."
Though I still wasn't sure if her appetite had returned.
"Well, at least I got to see her before I left. I'm heading out now."
Father picked up his briefcase. Mother came over from the kitchen with a lunch bag.
"Have a good day, dear. Good luck at work."
"Thank you."
"Here's your bento."
"Thanks for always taking care of this."
Father tucked the lunch bag into his briefcase.
"See you later, Father."
"Right, I'm off."
I gave him my usual send-off as he headed for the door. He gave a small wave in return and stepped into the hallway. A moment later, I heard Mika’s voice from the corridor.
"Oh, Dad? You're leaving already?"
"I am. Make sure you aren't late for school, Mika."
"Okaay!"
The front door opened, followed by Mika’s loud "Have a good day!" and the sound of the door clicking shut.
Mika returned to the living room a few minutes later.
"Morning, Onii-chan. Morning, Mother."
"Morning."
"Good morning, Mika. Did you sleep alright?" Mother asked.
"Yeah. I slept like a log until morning."
"That's good to hear. Sit down, I'll get your breakfast ready."
"Okaay!"
Mika took her seat. The grogginess was gone from her eyes now that she'd washed up. I checked for dark circles or swollen eyes from crying, but she looked perfectly normal.
"Mika, do you feel like you can eat this morning?" I asked.
"Yeah. I don't feel sick or anything, so I think I'm fine."
"Good. Don't force yourself, though."
"I won't. Thanks for worrying, Onii-chan."
It seemed her appetite was back to normal.
"Sorry for the wait. Let's eat."
Mother brought the food over on a tray. It was a classic Japanese breakfast: rice, miso soup, dashi-maki tamago, natto, and pickled cucumbers.
Let's eat!
We clapped our hands and dug in. I caught Mika happily stuffing a piece of the omelet into her mouth. Seeing her enjoy her food brought a small sense of relief, and I turned my attention back to my own meal.
After breakfast, we got ready for school and killed some time in the living room watching TV.
"Hey, Mika?"
"Yeah?"
"It's been a night since the expedition. How are you feeling now?"
"How...? What do you mean?"
"Like, do you feel like you never want to fight another monster? Do you want to quit being an explorer?"
"...Well..."
Mika hesitated. It was a blunt question to ask the day after her debut, but I needed to know where she stood.
"...No, I'm okay. I don't feel like I want to quit or anything. At least not yet."
"Good to hear. If you have any questions or concerns, just let me know. I'll help however I can."
"Okay."
Soon, it was time to head out.
"Bye, Mother! We're leaving!"
"I'm off!"
"Watch out for cars!"
We will!
Mika and I left the house and started our usual walk to school. We hadn't gone far when a voice called out from behind us. I turned to see Saori-chan jogging up to catch us.
"Good morning, Onii-san! Good morning, Mika-chan!"
"Good morning, Saori-chan," I replied.
"Morning!"
Saori-chan greeted us with her usual energy, but when I looked closer, her expression seemed a bit strained. She was clearly still feeling the weight of yesterday's events. Compared to her, Mika seemed a bit more resilient—or at least better at hiding it.
"Onii-san, thank you so much for yesterday."
"Oh, don't worry about it. Like I said before, you don't need to keep thanking me."
"No, I do. Not just for the dungeon, but for everything you did after we got home."
"What do you mean?"
"The dinner thing. You treated us to that big lunch because you knew we wouldn't have the stomach for dinner, didn't you? Thanks to that, I didn't have to deal with being hungry in the middle of the night. Thank you so much!"
It looked like Saori-chan had figured out why I'd been so insistent on that expensive lunch. Mika, on the other hand, looked genuinely surprised. Apparently, it had only just clicked for her.
"It was nothing. When we first started out, we couldn't eat dinner either. Just call it a preemptive strike."
"No, it was more than that. You also asked my parents to look after me, right? Last night, when I was alone and started remembering things... I got really upset. But my mom stayed with me and talked me through it. It helped me process everything."
So Saori-chan had gone through the same thing. Mika had come to my room last night to vent as well. They had both tried to stay strong in front of the group, but taking a life—even a monster’s—was a shock to the system. Mika hadn't cried, but she’d been visibly shaken.
She’d cheered up significantly after talking it out, though. For my little sister, she was surprisingly tough.
"I was the one in charge of the trip," I said. "It's my job to handle the aftercare."
Ideally, I would have handled the follow-up myself, but with school the next day, a sleepover for emotional support wasn't an option. That was why I’d taken Saori-chan's parents aside to explain the situation. Having someone who understands the context makes a world of difference when you're trying to decompress.
"I see... well, your kindness really saved me. Thank you, truly."
"...You're welcome."
I cut the gratitude short before we got stuck in a loop and we continued on our way.
I was relieved to see Saori-chan in one piece. If I hadn't run into her this morning, I would have been worried about her until after school. I’d have to report their status to Yuji and Hiiragi-san once I got to class.
When we arrived, Yuji and Hiiragi-san were already there. I filled them in on how the girls were doing, and both of them let out visible sighs of relief.
Finally, after surviving the usual Monday slog of classes, the bell for the end of the day rang.
"Finally over... Why are Mondays always such a drag?" Yuji groaned.
"Tell me about it," I replied. "But the real work starts now."
"That's right," Hiiragi-san added. "Even though we have verbal approval, I won't be able to relax until we have the physical permit."
"True."
The three of us stood before the door labeled "Student Council Room." We were here to collect the Club Formation Permit, as the Student Council Secretary had instructed. Between the initial application and the midterm exams, nearly a month had passed.
But today, the club would finally be official.
"Well, standing around won't get us anywhere. Let's go."
Yuji gave the door a firm knock.
"Yes? Who is it?" a voice called from inside.
"It's Hirose, second year. We're here about the club application. I have two others with me. May we come in?"
"Oh, the club formation! Yes, please come in. The door's unlocked."
"Understood. Excuse us."
Yuji opened the door and led the way inside.