Hirasaka-sensei raised and lowered his hands in a calming gesture to quiet the heavy buzz of conversation.
"Quiet down, everyone. I’m going to explain."
His voice rang out, and the noise in the classroom gradually subsided. It took about a minute for the room to return to a state of relative silence.
"…Good. Now, I’ll give you a brief overview of the situation. The proposal to separate the events for explorer and non-explorer students was raised during this morning’s faculty meeting."
"Sensei, is that because of that news report?"
"I can’t say it’s entirely unrelated. However, the primary reason is based on the results from high schools that held their sports festivals ahead of schedule. While we’d heard about the injuries during practice that I mentioned earlier, those were initially treated as isolated accidents during training. But once the actual festivals took place, the results were undeniable. The disparity between students with an Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures and those without was simply too stark. It led to a serious debate over whether mixed-state competitions were still appropriate."
As I listened to Hirasaka-sensei, I couldn’t help but think, Why the sudden change? The gap in physical ability between explorers and non-explorers hadn't just appeared today; it had been explicitly clear in the data since our fitness tests. Anyone looking at those numbers should have realized that mixed competitions would be problematic.
Sensing our skepticism, Hirasaka-sensei spoke in a persuasive, steady tone.
"I know what you’re thinking. You want to ask why we didn't realize this sooner when the difference in physical ability was so obvious, right? You’re correct. We teachers knew that perfectly well long before the sports festival was even organized."
Then why? The question hung in the air, and the atmosphere in the classroom grew slightly heavy.
"As for why no measures were taken until now… well, it was the result of adhering to the principle that a sports festival is an event where all students participate equally without discrimination. Fundamentally, a school is an institution that treats its students as equals unless there is a truly extraordinary reason."
I tilted my head. I understood the principle, but surely the superhuman physical gap between explorers and non-explorers qualified as an extraordinary reason?
Hirasaka-sensei anticipated my thought and added another point.
"You probably think this physical gap should be reason enough, right? Unfortunately, according to long-standing school tradition, having physical abilities that are a head and shoulders above the rest doesn't count as an extraordinary reason."
"…Why not?"
"Think about it. Even high schoolers who compete in the Olympics or world championships have always participated in their sports festivals normally. They possess physical abilities far beyond the average student, yet you’ve never heard of them being banned from participating or forced to sit on the sidelines, have you?"
"Ah…"
A wave of realization washed over the classroom.
Now that he mentioned it, he was right. If we barred people solely on the basis of a physical gap, then every student athlete who excelled on a national level would have been disqualified from the festival years ago.
"But this time—specifically, just the other day—actual sports festivals proved that the gap between explorers and non-explorers is so vast that the competitions essentially cease to function. Consequently, schools that haven't held their events yet have been advised to change their formats if possible. And that, in a nutshell, is how we arrived at the decision to separate the groups."
As Hirasaka-sensei finished, the room erupted into chatter again. It was only natural.
"Therefore, the faculty will finalize the new direction for the sports festival sometime today. I expect to announce the new policy tomorrow, but depending on the outcome, you may have to re-select which events you’re competing in—despite the trouble you went through to decide last week."
"Ehhhhhh!?!?"
We had to pick our events all over again? After we’d spent so much time arguing and compromising to finalize the list just last week?
Hirasaka-sensei glanced at us, then clapped his hands several times to restore order.
"Quiet! I know it’s a hassle, and I apologize. That said, the current plan is to split the blocks between explorers and non-explorers within the existing events, so unless it’s a specific type of competition, there shouldn't be any massive changes."
"…Specific competitions?"
"Yes. Mainly things like the cavalry battle and the tug-of-war. For the cavalry battle, where physical collisions are constant, the risk of serious injury is too high if we don't separate explorers from non-explorers. And in the tug-of-war… well, there’s a concern that the rope might actually snap."
He had a point. The cavalry battle was notorious for injuries even in normal years. If you mixed the groups, non-explorers would be in real danger. If a non-explorer acted as a 'horse,' they could end up with broken bones or internal injuries; even as a rider, they risked being launched into the air during a collision.
As for the tug-of-war, you did occasionally see news reports about ropes snapping during large events. If every participant was an explorer, it would be equivalent to having two or three times the normal number of people pulling. If the rope was at all worn out, it would almost certainly break.
"Anyway, I’ll give you the details tomorrow. For now, just keep in mind that you might have to adjust your selections."
"Yessir…"
We replied in flat, uninspired voices.
Having finished his announcements, Hirasaka-sensei prepared to wrap up.
"Alright, that’s all for the morning notices.…Oh, I almost forgot. The temporary cheering stands were set up on the sports field over the weekend. They’re dangerous, so don't climb on them unless you’re using them for practice. That’s all for homeroom… Day monitor."
"Rise. Bow."
"Thank you very much!"
With the closing greeting finished, Hirasaka-sensei left the room.
The moment he was gone, the students left their seats to discuss the news. We did the same.
"So, what do you think? About the split?" I asked Yuji, who had walked over to my desk.
"It seems like a reasonable call. Like Hirasaka-sensei said, doing it together would just lead to injuries."
"True. Even if we’re careful, a collision with a non-explorer while running would be a disaster," Yuji agreed.
"Even a low-level explorer can break ten seconds in the hundred-meter dash if they push themselves. And since their bodies are so much tougher, the non-explorer would be the only one getting hurt."
We both let out a small sigh. The realization that simply participating could make us the ones at fault—the ones who caused an injury—was a heavy thought. I’d heard that the injured students were healed with recovery potions, but that didn't mean there was no problem. To an explorer, a broken bone was just a routine hazard of the job, but to a normal person, it was a major trauma.
As Yuji and I were talking, Shigemori, who sat next to me, spoke up.
"Hey… Kokonoe, Yuji?"
"Yeah? What is it?"
"Does it really make that much of a difference if explorers and non-explorers compete together? Like Sensei was saying?" Shigemori looked skeptical. "I mean, I know the fitness test results, but running isn't everything in every event, right? What about the obstacle course?"
"Well, sure, but…"
"The fundamental physical abilities are just on different levels, Shigemori," Yuji cut in bluntly. "Unless it’s an event where luck is the primary factor, like the scavenger hunt, the non-explorers have almost no chance of winning."
I nodded in agreement. While some events weren't purely about strength, most sports festival activities could be brute-forced with raw physical power. Even the obstacle course Shigemori mentioned would be second nature to an explorer used to navigating dungeons.
"…Is it that bad?"
"Think about the ball toss," I suggested. "An explorer could carry an armful of balls and just jump until they’re level with the basket. They’d clear it in seconds."
"At that point, it wouldn't even be a game of how many balls you can get in," Yuji added. "It would be a speed-run of how fast you can empty the bin."
"……"
Shigemori was at a loss for words. He’d probably seen those competitive speed-toss clips on TV; they were impressive, but they weren't exactly in the spirit of a high school sports festival.
"The more we talk about it, the more it feels like a terrible idea to have them compete together," Shigemori muttered.
"Yeah. Well, we’ll see what happens tomorrow. The faculty probably has to coordinate with the Student Council and the Sports Festival Organizing Committee now. Until they hammer it out, there's nothing we can do."
"…True."
Shigemori sighed and sat back down. Yuji also headed back to his desk to prepare for class.
"I wonder how this year's festival is going to turn out…"
Watching the first-period teacher enter the room, I took out my textbook and stole a quick glance at the cheering stands standing on the field outside.
Once the morning classes ended, the three of us grabbed our lunches and headed to the clubroom. I’d sent a message to Mika and her friend, so they’d likely show up eventually.
We started talking about the festival while we ate.
"So, what's the plan?" Yuji asked. "For the appeal time demonstration."
"What do you mean?"
"If we perform the demonstration as we originally planned, the psychological impact on the regular students will be even worse than what those repeating students did."
"He’s right," Hiiragi-san added. "The students who chose not to become explorers and have been working hard in their sports clubs might be hit the hardest by the display."
They had a point.
The demonstration we’d planned had been supervised by Juzo-san specifically to strike fear into the repeating students. It was designed for explorers. If a regular person saw it, the impact could be devastating. Those who had resisted the lure of the dungeon to focus on their clubs might see that massive gap and lose all motivation, leading them to quit.
"That… would be bad, wouldn't it?" I asked.
"Extremely bad," Yuji said.
"It would," Hiiragi-san agreed. "Since explorers appeared, athletic clubs have already been struggling. If we ruthlessly demonstrate that kind of power gap, it might be the final push that leads to the dissolution of those clubs entirely."
"And if that happens, we won't just be resented—the faculty will be all over us," Yuji noted.
Some club advisors might welcome the 'motivation,' but if we became the reason every athletic club in the school collapsed, we would face a massive backlash from the teachers, the PTA, and the student body.
If we were asked why we did it, we could explain, but the school administration would likely try to cover up the fact that they’d been ignoring the repeating student problem. If the school’s failure to act led to a situation where students solved it themselves—resulting in the destruction of school clubs—the administration would face a crisis of responsibility. If they were shameless enough, they might even claim we had simply gone rogue and pin the whole mess on us.
I didn't think our school would go that far, but it was worth worrying about.
"That’s why I think we should change the content of our appeal, including the demonstration itself," Yuji said.
"I see your point, but… won’t that weaken the impact on the repeating students? If we don't give them a shock that makes them realize messing with us is a death wish, won't they just keep coming after us?"
"That’s the risk. A half-hearted appeal might actually encourage them," Yuji admitted.
We both sat there with our chopsticks in hand, agonizing over the balance. Our original plan was a perfect warning for the repeaters, but it carried too much collateral damage for the general students. We needed a precise level of aggression that spared the innocent.
"In that case, how about this for the appeal?"
As Yuji and I racked our brains, Hiiragi-san—who had been nibbling on a piece of rolled omelet—offered a suggestion.
When she explained her idea, I blinked in surprise. Wait, is that kind of appeal really okay…?