We boarded the second bus, claimed the very back seats, and immediately launched into an emergency meeting with panicked expressions. Fuyuki-san and I leaned in close, whispering so the people around us wouldn't overhear.
"What are we going to do, Fuyuki-san?! Our targets just left us in the dust!"
"What do you mean, 'what'...? We have no choice but to follow them. Since we know where they're going, we should be able to catch up around the locker rooms once this bus finally gets moving... I hope."
Fuyuki-san looked flustered, his mouth twitching slightly as he tried to convince himself.
"You hope...?"
"There’s nothing else we can do! All the taxis are gone, and there aren't any others waiting at the stand that can leave right away..."
"I mean, that’s true, but..."
I glanced around the bus before looking out the window. There were still a few empty seats, and while there wasn't a line of people waiting to board, I could see a few figures dressed like explorers sprinting toward us from the direction of the convenience store and the station building.
The bus driver seemed to be waiting until every seat was full out of the kindness of his heart, which meant it would take a little longer to depart. Why is it that a driver’s kindness only feels like an annoyance when you’re in a hurry?
"...Will we make it?"
"...We can only pray that we do. Or should I try to negotiate with the driver to leave early?"
"That’s impossible... He’d just tell us to get off and take a taxi if we’re unhappy."
The words "tailing failure" loomed in both our minds. I noticed my leg was bouncing unconsciously from the stress and clamped my hand down on it to make it stop.
However, in contrast to our frantic state, Kondo-san remained remarkably calm.
"You’re very composed, Kondo-san... Aren't you worried?"
"Worried? I’d be panicking if they were already inside the dungeon, but it’s still fine for now. We know their destination, and it’s not like they can just dive in the second they arrive. Don't worry, we'll make it."
"..." "..."
Fuyuki-san and I fell silent, unable to argue with Kondo-san’s confident assertion. Where on earth did she get such certainty?
After waiting about five minutes for the last-minute passengers, the bus doors finally hissed shut and we departed.
Once we reached the dungeon, we hopped off and sprinted toward the registration desk. Fortunately, the bus hadn't hit any traffic, arriving while the bus that left before us was still in the rotary. However, since we had taken the back seats, it took a while to actually disembark. Everyone was carrying heavy luggage for their dungeon dive, which only added to the delay.
Even if it was for the sake of our meeting, sitting in the very back was a mistake...
"Ugh... Look at that line."
"Everyone arrives at the same time, so it’s bound to be crowded."
In front of us, the group from the first bus was already lined up for entry registration. Suppressing our urge to rush, we joined the back of the queue. To our surprise, the line moved quite smoothly, and our turn came after about ten minutes of waiting.
Looking closely, there were three reception windows open, and the staff were efficiently processing the crowd.
"Thank you for waiting. Please present your cards."
"Here you go."
At the receptionist's prompt, we handed over our Explorer Cards. The staff member quickly verified them and returned them along with locker keys.
"Here you are. Your registration is complete."
"Thank you."
"We look forward to your safe return. Good luck."
"Thanks."
After receiving a canned greeting from the staff, we hurried toward the locker rooms. We couldn't exactly run without standing out, so it was more like speed-walking.
And then...
"Ah, Fuyuki-san, Tagawa-san. Look over there..."
Following Kondo-san’s finger, I spotted two of our targets sitting on chairs in the waiting area.
"The two boys... Kokonoe-kun and Hirose-kun."
"That’s right. It looks like the three girls are still in the locker room... Let's hurry."
"Right. Kondo-san, the three girls should still be in there. Try to observe them discreetly without being noticed."
"Understood."
We slowed our pace and walked past the boys as if we were just another group of explorers before entering the locker rooms. Given that they didn't react, it seemed our tailing hadn't been compromised yet.
After parting ways with Kondo-san, I went into the men's locker room with Fuyuki-san to find the lockers that matched our keys.
"Oh, here they are."
"Side-by-side lockers? With so many available, they could have given us ones further apart..."
"Tagawa, stop complaining and get changed. We finally found them; don't lose them again."
"Ah, right!"
Fuyuki-san, who had already started changing, gave me a light scolding for griping about the locker placement. Since he was changing right in front of the lockers, I set my backpack down on a nearby bench to begin unpacking.
If the lockers had been a bit further apart, I could have started changing clothes sooner...
"By the way, Fuyuki-san..."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"What floor can you dive down to?"
I asked the question that had been on my mind since yesterday, without stopping my preparations.
Fuyuki-san paused, his expression shifting slightly.
"My floor...? Only to the 6th floor."
"The 6th floor, huh?"
"Yeah. Anything beyond that is... you know?"
Fuyuki-san gave a somewhat self-deprecating smile and answered in a bashful tone.
The 6th floor... in other words, he hadn't fought a goblin yet. Fuyuki-san was one of the baptism dropouts...
"I did go down to the 7th floor once, you know? But for me... it was impossible."
"I see..."
"Yeah. Anyway, Tagawa, what about you? How deep have you gone?"
"I've... made it to the 9th floor."
It was a bit awkward to say after hearing Fuyuki-san's story, but I told him my personal best dive depth.
"I see... So you managed to overcome it."
"...Yes. Ah, but some of the friends I was in a team with quit being explorers, saying they couldn't handle it."
"...Is that so?"
Fuyuki-san let out a wry smile at my attempt to be considerate, then resumed changing. It was something I needed to confirm, but I felt like I’d asked something insensitive...
After that, Fuyuki-san and I finished changing in silence, grabbed our gear, and left the locker room.
Once outside, we noticed the targets were no longer in the waiting area. While waiting for Kondo-san, we decided to split up briefly.
I did a quick sweep of the free common space where people did warm-ups to see if they were there, while Fuyuki-san went to the reception desk to check the status of the private rooms. Unfortunately, I couldn't find them in the common area, and I returned to the waiting room feeling a bit anxious. Kondo-san was already standing there.
"Kondo-san."
"Ah, Tagawa-san! Where were you? I was looking for you!"
Confirming it was me, Kondo-san rushed over and whispered her protest.
"Sorry, sorry. I just went to check the common space."
"Honestly. Please give me a heads-up beforehand..."
"They were already gone when we came out, so I thought I should at least check where they went."
"Does that mean Fuyuki-san went somewhere too?"
"Yeah."
Kondo-san looked around for Fuyuki-san, checking the entrance and the reception area.
"He went to the reception to ask about the private rooms, so he should be back any—"
"Ah. There he is, over there."
"Eh?"
Following Kondo-san’s subtle gesture, I saw Fuyuki-san walking toward us. Noticing we had spotted him, he gave a small wave.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"No, we haven't been waiting that long. So, how was it? Did you find out about the private rooms?"
"Yeah. It’s perfect. They're currently using Private Room 3."
"I see."
It seemed we would be able to avoid the worst-case scenario of them getting ahead of us in the dungeon and losing them again.
"But Fuyuki-san, how did you find out which room they’re using? I thought they wouldn't just give out personal information like that..."
"Oh, I used this."
When Kondo-san asked how he’d extracted the info, Fuyuki-san pulled a card out from his pocket that wasn't an Explorer Card.
"Ah, is that..."
"It’s my employee ID for the Dungeon Association. I used this to get the info from the clerk by telling her it was official business."
The card Fuyuki-san held was the employee ID we normally use at work. It’s true that if you show your ID and they verify it’s legitimate, and you say it’s for official work, they might tell you...
"She was a bit hesitant, but once she verified the ID was real, she told me everything."
"I-I see..."
Was that okay? Wouldn't that clerk get in trouble with her boss later? I couldn't help but worry about the receptionist who had given Fuyuki-san the room info.
"Well, let's leave it at that. Now that we know where they are, let's go do some warm-up exercises. We need to loosen up a bit, or we'll be sluggish and get injured."
"Y-You're right."
"Yes."
We moved to the common space, secured a spot where we could see the hallway leading to the private rooms, and began our warm-ups.
We finished our routine, but there was still no sign of the targets coming out of their room. So, I decided to ask Kondo-san the same question I’d asked Fuyuki-san.
"Kondo-san, do you mind if I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"What’s the deepest floor you’ve ever reached?"
"Deepest floor...?"
Kondo-san tilted her head slightly, looking puzzled.
"Yeah. I want to get a sense of how much you can handle. For reference, I've hit the 9th floor, and Fuyuki-san has hit the 6th."
"I see... My personal best is the 3rd floor."
What?! The 3rd floor?!
"Yes. The 3rd floor."
This was an unexpected development. If Kondo-san’s maximum depth was the 3rd floor, then the furthest we could realistically follow them would be the 4th floor at best. We were ordered to monitor them, but as long as our own lives were on the line, we could push ourselves, but we couldn't be reckless.
"Fuyuki-san..."
"Yeah, I know. For this investigation, we’re stopping at the 4th floor, even if we dive."
"Eh? But, um... Fuyuki-san, Tagawa-san. I don't really..."
Rejected!
Kondo-san looked like she wanted to say something, but Fuyuki-san and I shut down her petition without hesitation.
"Listen, Kondo-san. It’s true we’re acting on orders, but you’re allowed to speak up if something is impossible."
"Wait, really?"
"It’s fine. Besides, this investigation is a makeshift setup using us amateurs; they must have expected a certain degree of failure from the start. Even the Section Manager said we could reveal our identities if we get caught. So Kondo-san, there’s no need to force yourself to tail them. Got it?"
"...Yes."
Persuaded by Fuyuki-san, Kondo-san nodded and gave a small reply.
Then, finally, the sound of a door opening echoed from the hallway leading to the private rooms. Turning our gaze toward the corridor, we could faintly see five people—two boys and three girls—who were almost certainly our targets.
"...They’re out. Okay, this time let's get ahead of them."
"Understood."
"Yes."
We shouldered the gear we had set nearby, left the common space before the targets could reach us, and moved toward the building's exit.
Checking the corridor from near the exit, we saw the targets emerge. Perfect, we succeeded in getting ahead of them. For the first time today, things were feeling good, and we couldn't help but let out small smiles.
"Quick, let's get in line for the Entrance Gate while we can."
"Right, let's go."
"Yes."
We left the building and began moving toward the structure containing the Entrance Gate.
Having gotten ahead of them, we were waiting in the queue for the gate when the targets joined the very back of the line. It was a bit concerning that there were about twenty groups between us, but we’d make it work somehow. Still, there really were more explorers dressed in all sorts of strange outfits lately...
The line flowed steadily, and finally, it was our turn to enter.
"Please present your cards."
"Here."
Prompted by the staff member, we tapped our Explorer Cards against the reader. A short electronic beep sounded, and the gate opened.
"You're clear. Please enter."
Giving a slight bow to the staff, we passed through the Entrance Gate.
All right, this is where the real work begins! I lightly slapped both my cheeks with my hands to psych myself up.