After hearing Hiiragi-san’s proposal, Yuji and I were starting to think it might actually work when the clubroom door opened and Mika and Saori-chan walked in.
“Sorry we’re late!”
“We apologize for the delay.”
Carrying their lunch boxes, Mika and Saori-chan apologized as they took their seats. Even though they were worried about being late, only about ten minutes had passed since we’d arrived ourselves.
“Don’t worry about it, you two. Also, sorry for starting our lunches ahead of you even though we were the ones who invited you.”
“No, it’s fine. We were the ones who were late, so it can’t be helped. Don’t let it bother you.”
As she spoke, Mika and Saori-chan unpacked their lunches and began to eat.
Once we confirmed they had started, we returned to the topic we’d been discussing.
“So, to get back to the point—is it alright if we proceed based on the revisions I proposed?”
“Yeah, I think it’s good. It considers the impact on ordinary students much better than the original plan. We still have to hammer out the details, though.”
“True. But isn’t that performance a little… embarrassing?”
“Oh, come now, Hirose-kun. It’s a special event, so there’s nothing wrong with being a little playful…”
A little, huh? Was that performance really just a little playful? I tilted my head slightly as I watched Hiiragi-san state that to Yuji with a perfectly straight face.
Observing our exchange, Mika spoke up with a question.
“Hey, Onii-chan. What are you talking about?”
“Hmm? Oh, we’re talking about the appeal for the club introduction at the upcoming sports festival.”
“The club introduction appeal? Didn’t you already decide that everyone would do a demonstration?”
“Well, yeah, but… Mika, you guys were told something during morning homeroom today, right?”
When I asked, Mika tilted her head, then looked as though she suddenly remembered the morning’s events.
“By something, do you mean the change in policy for the sports festival?”
“That’s the one. Considering the content of that talk, the demonstration we had planned is a bit… you know?”
“In other words, you guys think the demonstration you planned would have too much of an impact on the ordinary students who aren't explorers, so you’re trying to change it?”
“Bingo.”
I explained the details of what Yuji, Hiiragi-san, and I had discussed to Mika and Saori-chan.
Mika and Saori-chan nodded deeply, each offering their thoughts on our demonstration.
“Hmm, I see. What you’re worried about might actually happen…”
“You’re right. Up to a certain point, it would just be ‘impressive,’ but with the demonstration you guys were going to do…”
“From the perspective of what ordinary people consider a demonstration, it’s so far removed that it would be totally off-putting.”
“At a glance, that stuff looks like it’s straight out of a manga or anime.”
Hearing their impressions, the three of us felt our cheeks twitch.
“…Is it really that bad?”
“Yeah. The first time I saw the matches you and the others do with Juzo-san during practice, it looked like a battle scene from a manga.”
“The part where you kicked off the ceiling to attack Juzo-san from above was completely out of a manga world,” Saori-chan added.
“““…”””
Hearing their impressions of our matches with Juzo-san for the first time made our faces cramp up completely. I had noticed they were stunned the first time we showed them our training, but I never imagined they viewed it that way…
This is bad. When it comes to things related to explorers, our senses seem to have deviated quite severely from those of ordinary people. Which meant…
“Th-then, listen. From your perspective, Mika, how did the demonstration we were practicing for the sports festival look?”
“Hmm. It was… amazing, I guess?”
“Yes. It was amazing.”
“Amazing, huh…”
After hearing their thoughts on our training with Juzo-san, it was hard to take their words at face value. After all, the word “amazing” has a wide range of meanings. Did it mean “a little better than an ordinary person,” or “so far removed that it’s terrifyingly amazing”…?
Sensing it would be dangerous to just nod and accept it, I decided to dig a little deeper.
“Which parts of the demonstration did you two think were amazing?”
“Let’s see… For me, it was when you and Yuji-san were exchanging blows, and Yuji-san caught the wooden sword you swung with just two fingers.”
“For me, it was… the way Yukino-san’s wooden spear pierced through that thick dictionary thrown into the air in an instant without knocking it away. With our current skill, we’d be lucky to even hit it, let alone pierce it…”
After hearing their impressions, the three of us took deep breaths and tried to think calmly according to general common sense.
As a result, we reached the conclusion that we had been seriously messing up.
“““…”””
“Huh? What’s wrong, Onii-chan? Why the sudden depression…?”
“Hirose-san, Yukino-san, what’s the matter?”
As we slumped over, realizing the extent of our blunders, Mika and Saori-chan called out to us with puzzled expressions.
I mean, really.
“Oh, yeah. No… we just realized that we’ve been doing all sorts of things without realizing how crazy they were. We only just noticed.”
“You’re right. If we had gone ahead with the original plan for the demonstration, it might have been a disaster…”
“Yes. It seems our perception was indeed warped…”
The performance we thought would be well-received and look good to ordinary people was, apparently, nothing more than a collection of shocking footage. As we muttered this in faint, dejected voices, Mika and Saori-chan came in for the finishing blow with surprised voices.
“Wait! You guys didn’t realize it?!”
“We totally thought you were doing that on purpose to completely crush those seniors…”
At their words, the three of us buried our faces in our hands and slumped onto the desks.
After a lunch break where we were confronted with a rather shocking fact, our first period in the afternoon was PE, so we changed into our gym clothes and gathered on the sports ground.
However, Yuji, Hiiragi-san, and I were still feeling dejected; the shock from the lunch break hadn't quite worn off.
“Sigh… I knew my common sense had been drifting since becoming an explorer, but it really stings to be told to my face.”
“Yeah. Just because the Old Man still deals with us as easily as ever during practice doesn't mean that's normal…”
“Juzo-san, huh… Honestly, how is that man still able to serve as our practice partner so casually?”
Setting aside technical skills, our levels had risen significantly since we started training, and in terms of physical ability, we should be several steps above Juzo-san. And yet, in our mock battles during practice, we’d never once managed to take a proper point from him.
Seriously, what is with that man?
“Who knows? But even from my perspective as his grandson, I think the Old Man’s strength is at an absurd level. Especially since we started working as explorers. I can’t believe he’s not an explorer himself.”
“I know, right? I wonder what would happen if Juzo-san gained the physical abilities of an explorer?”
“Well, simply put, it would be like giving a club to an ogre, or wings to a tiger…”
In other words, he’d be peerless.
As the two of us talked as if to comfort one another, Shigemori approached us with a somewhat twitchy expression.
“Whoa, what’s up with you two? It’s just after lunch, but you’re wrapped in such a dark aura. Did something happen?”
“…Oh, Shigemori. Do you need something?”
“What do you mean ‘do I need something’? Did something really happen?”
When I gave a half-hearted reply, Shigemori dropped his twitchy expression and replaced it with a worried one.
“No, not particularly…”
“‘Not particularly’ my foot. There’s no way nothing’s wrong when you’re putting off an atmosphere this heavy and unapproachable. Just look around you.”
“…Around us?”
Prompted by Shigemori, I looked around and saw our classmates, also in their gym clothes, watching our exchange from a distance. Their faces ranged from worried to uncomfortable. Yeah, this was bad.
Yuji and I lightly slapped our own cheeks to pull ourselves together.
“Whew, sorry. We were just confronted with a bit of a shocking fact during lunch.”
“A shocking fact? What kind of thing was it?”
“Sorry, it’s not really something I want to say out loud. Right, Yuji?”
“Yeah. We’d appreciate it if you didn't ask for details.”
“I see. I won’t force it if it’s hard to talk about, but don’t get too depressed, okay? It’s hard to deal with you guys when you’re like that.”
When Yuji and I appealed with our eyes for him not to ask anything, Shigemori let out a small sigh and gave us a light warning.
““Yeah, we’ll be careful.””
As Yuji and I replied to Shigemori, the bell rang at just the right time, and the PE teacher’s voice rang out, calling for us to gather.
“We’re starting class! Everyone, gather up!”
Following the command, the students gathered around the PE teacher.
“Alright, you’re all here. Let’s begin. I’d like to say we’re starting serious practice for the sports festival today, but as you heard in this morning's notice, there’s a possibility of changes regarding the festival's policy. Therefore, we won’t be practicing group events today; instead, we’ll be practicing individual events.”
“““Ehh?!”””
Discontented voices rose from the students. It’s pretty tough not being able to practice group events just one week before the actual festival. Not being able to practice during class meant that more practice time would be scheduled after school to improve the quality. If that still wasn't enough, there was a chance lunch breaks might be eaten up too.
For those with plans after school, it was a matter of life and death.
“Quiet! I understand you’re unhappy with the lesson content, but given that there might be changes to the number of participants and the nature of the events, practicing group events now could end up being a waste of time. In that case, it’s more meaningful to practice individual events.”
Well, that's certainly true, but…
I can understand the teacher’s reasoning, but I wanted to ask how we were supposed to practice individual events, which also might have their participation changed. Then, the teacher gave a mean-spirited smirk and said this:
“With that being said, you’re all going to run around the grounds today. A marathon, essentially.”
“““Ehh?! Are you serious?!”””
This time, screams rose from the students.
Of all things, a marathon!
“Sorry, but there aren't many other activities that can serve as practice common to all events. Every class that has PE today is running. Now, before we start, there’s something I need to ask…”
With that, the PE teacher glanced over us and posed a question.
“Those of you who hold an Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures, please raise your hands.”
In response to the question, hands began to go up. Naturally, I raised mine as well.
“One, two, three… about two-thirds of the class. Alright, you can put your hands down.”
After finishing the count, the teacher signaled for us to lower our hands.
Once everyone had done so, the teacher spoke.
“Those who just raised their hands will do 30 laps of the grounds. Those who didn’t, your goal for today is 15 laps.”
“““Ehh?! 30 laps?!”””
Complaints erupted from the students who had raised their hands. Our school’s track is roughly 200 meters. 15 laps is 3km, and 30 laps is double that at 6km.
With the distance doubled, it was only natural for people to be upset.
“Quiet! I’m not telling you to run double the distance without reason. After having various classes run throughout the day, we’ve found that the time it takes to finish differs by nearly double between those with permits and those without.”
“Sensei! Can we just rest once we finish running?”
“There’s a limit to everything. I can’t let you spend more than half the class time resting, can I? If you want, those who finish can practice marching instead. Though I think you’ll be marching for over thirty minutes…”
Faced with the choice between an endless marching drill after a shorter run or a slightly longer run with rest time afterward, the permit-holding students who had been complaining fell silent.
Essentially, that was that.
“Alright, then. We’ll start after warming up and stretching. Now, spread out so you have room for calisthenics!”
“““Yes, sir!”””
While wearing dissatisfied expressions, we spread out across the field to begin our warm-ups.
A marathon, huh… I’ll have to run in pace with those around me so I don’t stand out too much.
After getting through the tedious marathon without drawing attention and finishing the rest of the classes filled with a sluggish atmosphere, after-school hours finally arrived. There were no particular announcements regarding the sports festival, and homeroom ended quickly as students began leaving the classroom as they pleased.
I finished packing my textbooks and other belongings into my school bag and was chatting with Yuji, who sat in the seat in front of me.
“Phew… it’s over. For now, we should drop by the clubroom and then go consult Juzo-san about changing the demonstration content.”
“You’re right. It would be best to have Mika-chan and the others supervise us while we work out the new composition for the performance.”
“Yeah. Mika and Saori should have less of a gap with common sense than we do.”
The problem was likely that the original demonstration composition was decided primarily by us and Juzo-san. If we had listened to Mika and the others’ opinions from the start, we probably could have avoided this situation. Even though Mika and Saori have become explorers, it’s only been about a month. Their senses shouldn't have deviated that much from ordinary people yet.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Kokonoe-kun, Hirose-kun. Let’s go.”
“Ah, right.”
“Alright, let’s head out.”
Hiiragi-san, who had been talking with her friends until a moment ago, finished her business and called out to us. Yuji and I picked up our school bags and stood up.