After our half-day of classes on Saturday, I met up with Mika and Saori-chan in the cafeteria to have lunch together. Incidentally, everyone had ordered the curry today. It was nothing more than generic, mass-produced retort curry, but since we were all starving, we ate in silence.
Once I was halfway through the plate and my hunger had somewhat abated, I stopped my spoon and spoke to the group about our plans for the afternoon.
“So, everyone. I’m planning for us to head over to the training facility after this, but is there anything you need to take care of at school first?”
“Hmm, I don’t really have any business left here,” Yuji said.
“Neither do I,” Hiiragi-san added, pausing her meal to answer. “We’ve finished creating and distributing the posters, and I already told Hashimoto-sensei yesterday that we wouldn't be holding club activities today.”
I had been secretly hoping for news about interviews with prospective members, but I suppose that was asking for too much. Unfortunately, no one had approached us today either. It seemed that putting up recruitment posters wasn’t very effective without a tangible track record to back them up.
“How about you, Mika? Saori-chan? Did anyone ask for details about the club or express interest in joining?”
“Hmm, unfortunately, no,” Mika replied. “What about you, Saori-chan?”
“None for me either. A few kids brought up the club half-jokingly, but I don't think any of them were actually considering joining…”
“I see…”
I guess since it was a newly established club, everyone was still in the "wait-and-see" phase. We would have to wait until after we demonstrated our skills at the sports festival to start our recruitment activities in earnest. This situation was more or less expected, so it was fine.
“Well, it’s a shame, but does that mean everyone is okay with leaving right after we finish?”
“Yeah, unfortunately,” Yuji replied.
“Regrettably, yes,” Hiiragi-san agreed.
Mika and Saori-chan both nodded with similarly disappointed expressions.
“I see…”
I wore a matching look of disappointment as I brought another spoonful of curry to my mouth.
After everyone finished their meal, we took a brief walk around the school grounds before heading out. If we kept up these pre-departure strolls until the sports festival began, it would cement the fact that Mika and Saori-chan were under our protection in the minds of the students staying late for activities.
After traveling by bus and then on foot, the loathsome building where I had previously tasted humiliation loomed before us: the trap training facility operated by the Dungeon Association.
“Hmm. Are there more people here than the last time we came?” I asked.
“Looks like it,” Yuji noted. “The increase is probably from new high school students like Mika and Saori-chan, right? They likely got caught in a dungeon trap, worried about how to handle it, and came here to practice once they heard about this place.”
“I think a lot of people probably saw the flyers for this facility on the bulletin board at the dungeon branch office we visited the other day, too,” Hiiragi-san added.
A crowd of young people, many still in their school uniforms, was streaming into the facility. Some of them wore the same uniform as us. We had already gone public with our status as explorers at school, but if we had still been keeping it a secret, this would have been a bit awkward.
“Hey, Onii-chan. Let’s go inside already. Standing around here won’t change anything,” Mika urged.
“Ah, right. Let’s go.”
Prompted by Mika, we stepped inside the trap training facility to find a long queue already formed in front of the reception desk. Since the majority of those in line were students in uniform, it looked less like a government facility and more like a line at a popular campus store.
“Wow, it’s packed…”
“It is. Well, for now, let’s just get in line.”
I was momentarily intimidated by the length of the queue, but we regained our composure and joined the back. Immediately, students from other schools lined up behind us. The place really was thriving.
After twenty minutes of waiting, it was finally our turn at the counter.
“Thank you for waiting. How many in your party?”
“Five—two males and three females.”
“Five people, understood. I will now explain the facility’s rules, but is this your first time using it?”
“No. It’s our second visit, so we don’t need the explanation.”
“I see. In that case, which zone would you like to use today?”
“The Beginner Zone, please.”
“The Beginner Zone, understood. Please present your Explorer Cards.”
I handed over the cards I had collected from everyone beforehand. The staff member took them and quickly swiped them through a reader to verify our identities.
“Everything is in order. The usage fee will be one thousand yen per person.”
As I took the cards back, I paid the five thousand yen total. I asked for individual receipts for each person, a request that made the receptionist look slightly annoyed for a second. However, once I briefly explained the situation, her professional mask slipped back into place and she complied.
“Thank you. That is exactly five thousand yen. Here are your locker keys. Red for women, blue for men.”
“Thank you.”
“We hope you have a productive session today.”
We gave a brief nod and moved away from the reception desk as quickly as possible. I could feel the intense pressure radiating from the people behind us, silently urging us to clear out now that we were done.
“Here. Your cards, locker keys, and receipts.”
While handing them out and collecting the thousand-yen bills from everyone, I made sure to take the money from Mika and Saori-chan as well. Since they were now officially in business, we had to be meticulous about any financial transactions related to dungeon exploration.
“Mika, don’t lose that receipt. You need to record it as a miscellaneous expense in your books.”
“I have to record stuff like this too?”
“You don’t have to, but if you don’t, the usage fee comes out of your personal pocket and you’ll end up paying more in taxes. You should record every single business expense, no matter how small.”
“…Yeah. Got it.”
“And remember, Mika, you’re required to keep receipts and invoices for a certain period of time. Get a dedicated folder or case so you don’t lose them. If you have an entry in your books but no receipt to back it up, the tax office will give you a hard time. You too, Saori-chan, make sure you keep yours safe.”
“Yes!” Saori-chan replied diligently.
I gave them a brief lecture on accounting as I handed over the slips. Technically, this was their very first accounting task as sole proprietors since they’d filed their paperwork. For the record, the fees I had paid for the two of them during our previous visit had been recorded in my own books as business hospitality expenses.
“Right, now that the business side is handled, shall we get changed?”
“Yeah, let’s.”
“Good idea, let’s go.”
We headed toward the changing rooms. Given the crowd, I expected the lockers to be packed, but there was no helping it. I just hoped the changing room wasn't as humid and stifling as a high school sports club’s locker room.
Fortunately, my fears were unfounded; the air conditioning was running, keeping the temperature comfortable. However, if it was already this warm inside despite the AC, I shuddered to think what it would be like in the middle of summer.
While Yuji and I waited for the girls to finish changing, we discussed our objectives for the day.
“Hey, Yuji. We’re going through the Beginner Zone with Mika and the others first, but before we leave, do you want to try the Advanced Zone?”
“The Advanced Zone?”
“Yeah. We currently hold the highest floor conquest record in the school, right? But I feel like that record is so far beyond the average student explorer that it doesn’t even feel real to them.”
“I see what you mean. It’s hard for them to relate to a number on a card if they haven't seen the floors themselves.”
It was like someone boasting about climbing Mount Fuji from the base to the summit and back in a single day. To someone who had never climbed a mountain, it would just sound like an abstract, meaningless feat. On the other hand, if you told them you could do a hundred consecutive push-ups, they could instantly grasp how impressive that was.
“Exactly. We need a relatable, easy-to-understand selling point. In that sense, clearing the Advanced Zone here is an achievement that everyone can grasp.”
“Good point. Anyone with an exploration permit can challenge the Advanced Zone, and yet it seems no one has cleared it yet. If we’re the first, it’ll be a perfect piece of publicity.”
Yuji and I looked at the scoreboard near the reception that listed the number of clears for the month. The Beginner Zone had 71 clears, and the Intermediate Zone had 4. Next to the Advanced Zone was a single, stark number: 0.
No one had cleared the Advanced Zone since the start of the month.
“So, what do you say? Shall we take it on to build our reputation?”
“Count me in. It sounds like a worthwhile challenge.”
Yuji was clearly motivated. Good, one down. I’d make the same pitch to Hiiragi-san later. A few minutes later, the three girls finally emerged from the changing room.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Hiiragi-san said with her usual poise.
“Thanks for waiting!” Mika added, looking as energetic as ever.
“Sorry for the delay,” Saori-chan said, looking slightly apologetic.
Three very different reactions, as usual. I let out a small internal sigh and addressed them.
“Was it crowded in there?”
“Yes, quite. There were significantly more people than last time. How about the men’s side?”
“About the same. Definitely more crowded than our first visit.”
After grouping up with Hiiragi-san and the others, we all headed out. Everyone had changed into the tracksuits they’d brought along. Given the season, we looked more like we were headed to a sports festival practice than a dungeon training session.
“Alright, now that we’re all here, let’s go.”
“Yeah, let's do this.”
“Lead the way.”
“Yup! I can’t wait to see what the course is like!”
“I’ll do my best!”
We followed the signs toward the building housing the Beginner Zone. It stood right next to the Experience Zone building and looked identical from the outside, save for the label on the sign. A short line had formed near the entrance.
“People are lining up here, too…”
“Yeah, but it’s much shorter than the one at reception,” Yuji noted.
Suddenly, Mika pointed toward the entrance.
“Ah, look, Onii-chan. Look at that sign. That must be why the wait isn't as long.”
“Hmm? Which one?”
“That ‘User Guide’ board over there.”
I scanned the text on the sign, and the reason for the shorter line became clear.
“‘If a participant activates more than half of the traps within the training course, they will be barred from re-attempting the zone until they have successfully cleared the designated trap training equipment in the Experience Zone,’ huh…”
“I see. With a rule like that, it prevents the course from being clogged up by people who lack the basic skills to even be here,” Yuji remarked.
Basically, if you didn't have the fundamental responsiveness required, they kicked you back to the "beginner machines" to practice until you were ready. It was a necessary "cutoff line" to ensure the facility remained efficient for everyone else.
“So the people in this line are either first-timers or people who have already proven they have a certain level of skill,” Hiiragi-san observed.
“Likely.”
Looking at the crowd, the ratio seemed to be about seven first-timers to three veterans. I was surprised the re-attempt group was so small. Perhaps most explorers preferred the "learning by doing" approach and just went straight into dungeons rather than spending time on formal training? I personally thought it was much better to train here first to avoid unnecessary injuries.
“Well, whatever. Let’s get in line.”
“Right. There are plenty of first-timers, so we shouldn't stand out too much.”
We did a quick final check of the rules posted on the board—which were mostly standard fare, including the mandatory "injuries are your own responsibility" clause—and joined the queue. We only had to wait about five minutes before we were ushered into the building.
“Heh. The entrance is modeled after a dungeon. It feels like an attraction at some old amusement park…”
I looked around the interior, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia as we prepared to begin our training.