We resumed our tail as the three targets stepped out of the Kokonoe residence. I had been certain that the surveillance mission was finally coming to an end, yet here they were, back on the move.
"Is the surveillance time being extended?" I asked.
"Looks like it... We don't have much of a choice," Fuyuki-san replied.
"I suppose you're right... Sigh."
I couldn't help the heavy sigh that escaped me. I’d been counting down the last thirty minutes until this tedious job was over. Extending the mission now meant the final wrap-up would be pushed back even further.
I wondered if we would even be finished by 8:00 or 9:00 PM.
"What do you think they’re planning to do now?"
"Who knows? But Kokonoe-kun isn't carrying any explorer gear, so I doubt they're heading to a dungeon."
"I hope you're right..."
Watching Kokonoe-kun walk empty-handed, I could only pray that was the case.
After a short walk, a house with an incredibly grand gate came into view. Kondo-san and I were about to keep walking, our mouths agape at the sight, when Fuyuki-san grabbed our arms and pulled us to a halt.
"Stop, both of you. Any closer and you’ll be in range of the security cameras."
"...Fuyuki-san. Is that Hirose-kun’s house?"
"...Yeah."
As if to confirm his words, we watched the three of them pass through a side gate next to the main entrance. This massive estate really was the Hirose residence...
I compared the mansion before me to my own one-room apartment and felt another sigh escape. Life really isn't fair, I thought.
"We won't go any closer. We’ll continue the surveillance from here."
"From... here?" I asked.
I looked at Fuyuki-san in disbelief. We were at least twenty meters from the gate, and the walls surrounding the estate were so high that we couldn't see a thing inside from this position.
Sensing my confusion, Fuyuki-san spoke again, his voice flat.
"I know what you're thinking, but getting any closer is impossible... Or rather, I just don't want to go near it."
"Excuse me?"
The dumbfounded reply slipped out as I stared intently at Fuyuki-san’s face—and felt a jolt of alarm.
"W-What's wrong, Fuyuki-san?! You look terrible!"
"I-I'm fine..."
"Fine? You look anything but..."
Fuyuki-san’s face had gone pale. He was trembling slightly, hugging his own arms as if trying to keep himself together. Looking at him like that, there was no way I could believe he was "fine."
"I just... remembered this morning."
"This morning... Oh, right. You mentioned it at the station."
The word "morning" triggered a memory of the story Fuyuki-san had told us. The moment he had started tailing Hirose-kun earlier today, he’d been struck by an overwhelming sense of dread.
"Um... Fuyuki-san. Please don't overdo it. Tagawa-san and I can handle the surveillance, so why don't you step back and rest for a bit?" Kondo-san offered, her voice laced with concern.
She was right; it would be difficult for him to continue in this state.
However, Fuyuki-san raised a hand with forced composure, declining her offer.
"I-I’ll be alright. It’ll pass in a moment. Let’s stay on mission."
"..."
"Understood."
With that, Fuyuki-san began taking small, deep breaths. Though his complexion remained poor, his trembling stopped, and he turned his gaze back toward the gate the targets had entered.
...I really hoped he wasn't pushing himself too hard.
In the end, it took about two hours for Kokonoe-kun and Hiiragi-san to emerge from the Hirose residence. By then, it was nearly 7:00 PM.
Great. I’m not getting home until after 9:00.
"It looks like Kokonoe-kun is walking Hiiragi-san home," I noted.
"Seems so..."
The two of them walked together toward Hiiragi-san’s house.
"Alright, Fuyuki-san. Kondo-san and I will follow them. Could you contact the Section Chief for us?"
"Yeah, got it. I’ll keep watch here for a bit longer, and if there’s no further movement, I’ll withdraw."
"Understood. How should we regroup? We’re all heading back to the Association together, right?"
"Yeah. Let’s meet at the station once the surveillance is officially over."
"Copy that."
Leaving Fuyuki-san to continue his watch over the Hirose residence, Kondo-san and I trailed Kokonoe-kun and Hiiragi-san. Maintaining a discreet distance, I struck up a conversation with her in a low voice.
"I wonder what they were talking about all that time?"
"Who knows? We can't exactly hear them from outside the walls. If only we could have planted a wiretap, things would be different..."
"Wait—a wire—?!"
I almost shouted, but managed to stifle it at the last second. It was dark, and the residential street was quiet with few cars or pedestrians. Raising my voice now would definitely get us noticed.
But seriously, a wiretap...?
"K-Kondo-san? Isn't that... a bit much?"
"Not at all. If we’re going to conduct surveillance, we should be thorough. A half-hearted investigation is a failure."
"Er, well, I mean..."
"And yet, that person in charge... He told me that equipment like wiretaps and transmitters can only be issued to professional investigators!"
Nice job, Equipment Department! I’d been mentally complaining about the lack of binoculars or directional microphones, but that was a brilliant decision. If she’d been given that kind of gear, there was no telling what she would have done.
"I actually considered bringing my own private collection, but I couldn't remember where I packed them when I moved, so I couldn't bring any today."
"H-Haha. Is that so..."
"It’s a shame. Things would have been much easier with 'those' available."
What do you mean by "those"?! And what did you mean by "collection"?! Kondo-san, what on earth happened in your past?!
Watching Kondo-san let out a small sigh and mutter something under her breath with a disappointed expression, I couldn't help but feel a chill of my own. Is that ex-boyfriend who cheated on her still alive? I wondered.
"Ah, right. Well, anyway... Once they’re back home, this surveillance mission is over, so let’s just give it our all until the end."
"You're right."
My voice was a bit shaky, but I managed to keep my face from twitching as I urged Kondo-san to focus on the task. Honestly, I was the one who needed to focus. If I didn't stay sharp, I’d be too terrified to stay alone with her.
Following them, we eventually reached Hiiragi-san’s house. The two exchanged brief goodbyes at the door and parted ways. I followed Kokonoe-kun as he began his walk home, while Kondo-san stayed behind for a short while to confirm Hiiragi-san had remained inside.
"Just a little more..."
If he just went straight home, the mission would finally be over.
Fifteen minutes later, Kokonoe-kun arrived at his residence at a brisk pace, officially ending the day's surveillance. Phew. All that was left was to regroup with Fuyuki-san and Kondo-san, then give a verbal report to Chief Wakita.
I pulled out my phone to let Fuyuki-san know the mission was complete and started walking toward the station.
Back at the Association, we were in the same meeting room as before, giving our verbal report to Chief Wakita. We’d sent word ahead that the surveillance was running late, but I still felt for the Section Chief, having to stay behind and wait for us until this hour.
"...And that concludes the results of our tailing and observations for today."
"I see. Good work."
"Thank you, sir."
Fuyuki-san acted as our representative, delivering the oral report and handing over the samples he’d collected. As the Chief listened, his expression turned grim.
"Salt and spicy seasonings like chili powder... They were proactively using things like that to clear the dungeon?"
"Yes. Having witnessed it firsthand, we were astonished by the effectiveness. The slimes, in particular, showed a dramatic reaction."
"...Killing slimes with salt, eh? Did you manage to collect a sample of what they used?"
"Unfortunately, we couldn't recover a sample of the substance used on the slimes. As of right now, we can only describe it as 'a white powder that resembles and is referred to as salt.' To confirm it, we’ll need to conduct actual verification tests against slimes using ordinary salt."
"I see..."
Chief Wakita looked disappointed. It made sense; slimes are treated as nuisances even among dungeon monsters, often requiring magic or consumable weapons to defeat. If they could be handled with something as cheap and accessible as salt, it would be a revolutionary discovery. He was likely thinking that if we’d secured a sample, the Association-led verification would have progressed much faster.
"Understood. You three did well today, from early morning until this late hour. Get the written report in as soon as possible... by the end of the week."
"Yes, sir."
"Also, make sure to settle your expenses quickly. If you wait too long, the reimbursement will be delayed."
Written report aside, I definitely needed to get those receipts processed. It would be a disaster if the payment got pushed to next month.
"Well then, thank you all for your hard work on a job you aren't used to. Go home and get some rest."
With those final words, Chief Wakita concluded the debriefing.
"Thank you, sir. We’ll be heading out now."
"Excuse us."
"Yeah, good night."
Confirming the Chief’s acknowledgment with a slight wave of his hand, we finally left the meeting room.
It’s over! The tedious job is finally over! Ah, it’s already past 9:00 PM... I guess dinner’s going to be a convenience store bento.
Once his three subordinates had left the room, Masaya Wakita picked up the desk phone and dialed an internal extension.
"Sorry for the late call, this is Wakita."
"...Wakita? Ah, Section Chief Wakita. If you're calling me at this hour, I assume it's about the investigation I requested?"
"...Yes, ma'am. My apologies for the late report, Director."
"Don't worry about it. It was a last-minute assignment I pushed on you, after all."
He had been prepared to be shouted at for the late hour, but the Director's voice on the other end lacked any hint of irritation. Feeling a secret sense of relief, Wakita began relaying the findings his team had brought back.
"I see. Salt and spicy seasonings... That’s certainly a blind spot. In a way, seasonings can be used as simple status-effect materials depending on how they're applied. Certainly, if one utilizes them correctly, even a beginner could hunt monsters safely."
"Yes. Based on my team's report, it's possible to view their past achievements as a result of clever utilization of these items."
"Using common household seasonings to hunt monsters more efficiently than other explorers... It makes sense. If you can hinder a monster's movement even slightly, the kill becomes that much easier."
The Director's voice sounded impressed. Wakita had felt the same surprise when he heard the report. At first, he thought they might have come up with it because they were high schoolers with limited funds for weapons, but a previous report mentioned they were using high-quality gear they had been gifted.
In other words, they hadn't just followed the path carved by explorers before them; they had blazed their own trail and established top-class results.
"Understood. I’ll receive the formal report later, so please have it submitted as soon as you can."
"Yes, ma'am. It will be finished and submitted by the end of the week at the latest."
"I’m counting on you. Oh, and regarding the seasonings, I’ll arrange for verification on our end. Tell the three who conducted the investigation to keep this strictly confidential until the tests are complete. If unconfirmed information leaks, the explorers on the ground might start acting recklessly based on rumors."
"Understood. I will inform them immediately."
"Thank you. Goodbye."
"Yes, ma'am. Good night."
Wakita returned the receiver to its cradle with a slight bow. Phew... That settles that headache for now. But wait, he had to tell them to keep quiet... and the three of them had already left. He’d have to call them. He considered waiting until after the weekend, but it would be trouble if they let it slip before then.
Pulling his smartphone from his pocket, he decided to start by calling Fuyuki.
After hanging up the phone with Section Chief Wakita, I let out a breath filled with admiration.
"My, what an unexpected little bonus. Though, it still requires verification."
Setting aside the windfall of information regarding the seasonings, I pulled the previous investigation report on the three students from my drawer.
"It was worth sending amateur investigators after all. There's no way elites like them wouldn't notice a bunch of amateurs tailing them. The only reason the tail succeeded is because they chose not to retaliate and deliberately looked the other way... That is the only logical conclusion. Furthermore, the fact that they showed off techniques they would normally want to keep secret is a clear message to us that they have no hostile intentions... Heh heh."
I gazed at the report on my desk, a smile spreading across my lips.
"So many youths who gain the power of an explorer become arrogant and thoughtless, so I assumed they were just lucky high schoolers with high numbers... but I underestimated them. They seem to understand their position perfectly and act with reason rather than emotion... I would love to have them as our staff."
I picked up the report and looked at the attached photos of the three students.
"They're only in their second year of high school. It wouldn't hurt to reach out and suggest us as a career path after graduation, would it?"