When I arrived at school the next day, the classroom was buzzing with more energy than usual. Curious, I listened in on my classmates' conversations and discovered they were all talking about the new policy for the sports festival.
While most of it was just conjecture—rumors about what might happen or what seemed likely—it appeared that yesterday’s faculty meeting had finally reached a verdict: explorers and non-explorers would be separated for each event.
"So, that’s how it turned out after all..."
I let out a soft sigh, set my bag on my desk, and sank into my chair. I’d expected that we would likely be separated, so the news wasn't a shock, but the thought of having to re-decide which events to enter made my heart feel a bit heavy.
Especially since the rest of us had plans to travel a bit further out after school today.
"Morning, Kokonoe."
"Yeah, morning."
"Sighing first thing in the morning? What's up?"
"Just thinking about things."
The one who spoke to me was Shigemori, who was already at his desk.
"Did you hear, Kokonoe? Apparently, they're definitely going to separate the explorers and non-explorers for the sports festival."
"Yeah. Though I've only heard the rumors."
"True, but it’s basically a done deal. There's just too much of a difference in physical ability between explorers and non-explorers. Trying to make them compete in the same events is just asking for trouble."
"...I suppose so."
Shigemori’s expression was a mix of 'it can't be helped' and 'it’s only natural.' I was sure he had his own complicated feelings on the matter.
After all, Shigemori was one of the few non-explorers left in our class.
"Shigemori, you still haven't gotten an Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures, right?"
"Yeah. Haven't bothered."
"No interest in becoming an explorer?"
When I asked, Shigemori looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head.
"Not right now. I’m planning to wait a bit longer to see how things go before I decide. But since most of the guys around me and my friends are explorers, I’m thinking I’ll probably get the permit and try a dungeon at least once just so I can keep up with the conversation."
"...I see."
His answer made me want to let out another long sigh.
It hadn't even been a year since dungeons were opened to the public, and it had already come to this. Among students, where the explorer rate was particularly high, a permit was being treated as a social tool for making friends. Since recent classroom topics were heavily saturated with dungeon talk, you needed at least a superficial level of knowledge if you didn't want to be left out. Right now, it was a 'don't miss the trend' mentality, but if this kept up, the idea of high schoolers getting explorer permits would become the new standard.
"Well, it's not like anything dangerous like PK-ing has happened lately. I'll probably go for it during summer break," Shigemori said with a shrug and a smile.
While I was talking with him, Yuji walked up with his school bag in hand.
"Morning."
"Hmm? Ah, morning."
"Morning, Yuji."
Yuji dropped his bag on his own desk and leaned over mine.
"I heard the news. Looks like the sports festival is definitely being split."
"It's still just a rumor, technically."
"The whole school is talking about it. The results of the faculty meeting must have leaked from somewhere."
Saying that, Yuji pulled out the empty chair in front of me and sat down backward.
"So, how's it actually going to work? Individual events are one thing, but I don't see how they can split team events like the cavalry battle..."
"Considering the difference in numbers, maybe they’ll just make it so only permit holders can participate?" Shigemori suggested. "But Kokonoe, even if it's just permit holders... isn't the power gap still too wide?"
"Hmm, you've got a point..."
As Shigemori said, even if you just looked at 'explorers,' the level range was vast. There was a world of difference in physical enhancement between someone at level 5 and someone at level 50... although the three of us were outliers even in that context.
Then Yuji, looking as if he’d had a realization, spoke up.
"They'll probably make us self-report our levels. The Association offers a status appraisal service, right? They could group athletes based on the levels recorded there."
"Oh, I forgot they did that. But Yuji, that’s a paid service. Do you think the school will actually demand we get one just for the sports festival? It's an out-of-pocket expense, after all."
I doubted the school would provide a subsidy for appraisals. If students had to pay the full fee themselves, plenty would probably refuse.
"The appraisal fee itself isn't that high, so I think a fair number of explorers have already done it. Though I'm sure some beginners haven't bothered yet."
When you've just started, you don't really feel like your level has gone up enough to be worth checking. Many people probably wait until they leave the tutorial zone. Then again, human curiosity is a powerful thing; people are naturally curious about their own status. There might be more people who've had an appraisal than I thought.
By the way, since the three of us use Appraisal Analysis for self-checks, we haven't set foot in an Association appraisal booth even once.
"Fair enough... So, what are yours and Yuji’s levels?"
...Who knows?
At Shigemori's question, Yuji and I looked at each other and then simultaneously put on blank faces. Officially, there was no record of the three of us ever receiving an appraisal.
Since we couldn't exactly tell him our actual levels, playing dumb was our only option.
"What?! Seriously, you guys don't know your own status? You've never been appraised?!"
Shigemori raised his voice in genuine shock. Well, that was the expected reaction.
"Yeah. The timing just never felt right," I said, scratching my cheek.
"I don't really need to see numbers to understand the condition of my own body," Yuji added, sounding perfectly composed. "I swing a sword at my family's dojo every day, after all."
"Oh... uh, okay then."
I looked away to hide my expression while Yuji stared Shigemori down with an air that asked what the problem was. Shigemori, who looked like he had more to say, was completely shut down by Yuji’s sheer confidence.
It’s hard to press someone when they state their case with that much conviction.
"Ahem! Well, fine. Do you two plan on getting a status appraisal eventually?"
Shigemori cleared his throat, trying to reset the awkward atmosphere.
"Hmm. Not really. If the school makes it mandatory, I might, but I'm not that worried about my status. It hasn't caused me any problems so far."
"Me neither," Yuji said. "Seeing a number won't change how I move or how I train."
"I-I see... Sigh..."
Hearing our answers, Shigemori looked exhausted and slumped onto his desk. He seemed particularly overwhelmed by Yuji’s answer.
It was definitely a traditional martial artist’s perspective, which was light-years away from how the average explorer thought.
While Shigemori was face-down on the desk, Yuji and I exchanged a quick look.
(Managed to deflect that.)
(Yeah.)
As we were finishing that silent exchange, the classroom door slid open and Hirasaka-sensei walked in. It seemed more time had passed than I’d realized.
"See ya, Daiki. I'm going back to my seat."
"Yeah."
"Shigemori, don't stay slumped over like that forever."
"...Who do you think put me in this state?"
"Haha. Later."
Recognizing Hirasaka-sensei’s arrival, Yuji stood up, thanked the classmate whose chair he’d borrowed, and returned to his seat.
Now then, I wondered what Hirasaka-sensei was going to announce.
Standing at the podium, the teacher glanced over the room before nodding to the student on duty.
"Student on duty."
"Rise. Bow."
Good morning.
"Morning. Sit."
Once the greetings were finished, Hirasaka-sensei took a deep breath.
"Alright, let's start with the topic you're all buzzing about. As I mentioned yesterday morning, the faculty held a meeting after school to discuss the new policy for the sports festival."
"Teacher! Is it true we're being separated?"
"Yes. To cut to the chase: that is correct."
When Hirasaka-sensei confirmed it, the classroom erupted into noise.
"Quiet! I’m going to explain, so keep your mouths shut and listen!"
The teacher clapped his hands several times to settle the students down. The effect was immediate, and silence gradually returned to the room.
"Good. As I said, the faculty decided yesterday that for every event in the sports festival, students with an explorer permit and those without will be separated."
There was another ripple of whispers, but it died down as soon as Hirasaka-sensei looked up.
"For individual events, we will hold two separate heats: one for explorers and one for non-explorers. We’ll have to adjust the numbers, meaning some people might have to run twice, but we’ve made sure that the participants who were already decided won't have to be re-selected."
It seemed we were spared the hassle of picking the athletes all over again. The teachers had at least been considerate enough to think of the paperwork. Sighs of relief echoed through the room.
However, Hirasaka-sensei then looked at us with a slightly more troubled expression.
"Individual events are simple enough, but team events are the real problem."
The students' attention sharpened instantly. In a school with a mix of explorers and regular students, team events were definitely the biggest hurdle.
"First, regarding the girls' tug-of-war. We are obviously separating the groups, but for the explorer division, we are strictly limiting the number of participants. Each team will have a maximum of ten people at once."
"Teacher, why is that?" a girl asked, raising her hand. I remembered she was signed up for that event.
"After the faculty discussion, we concluded that given the physical strength involved, having twenty or more explorers pulling against each other would be dangerous for the equipment. Our tug-of-war ropes are quite old. To ensure the rope doesn't snap and cause an accident, the explorer heats will be limited to ten people per side."
The girl looked a bit miffed by the explanation—essentially being told 'you're too strong for the gear'—but she lowered her hand. Even if they knew it was true, it was probably a weird thing for teenage girls to hear.
"Right. Next, regarding the boys' team competition—the cavalry battle..."
Hirasaka-sensei trailed off, scanning the classroom. He looked even more uncomfortable than before.
"The thing is... for the cavalry battle, participation will be restricted to explorers only. To those of you without permits who were looking forward to it, I'm sorry. Looking at the ratio of boys with permits versus those without, if we were to split the group, the non-explorer side wouldn't have enough people to actually form a match."
Ehh!?!?
Shocked voices filled the room. To think that rather than being separated, non-explorers were being barred entirely.
"Quiet down. If we tried to hold a match with only non-explorers, we’d only have about five horses per team. Having a cavalry battle with that few people on a field this size would just be... well..."
...
Following the teacher's lead, I imagined a tiny cluster of ten horses total chasing each other around a massive athletic field. Yeah, that would be a depressing sight. It would almost feel like they were being put on display.
"So, that's how it is. My apologies to the students who won't be able to participate, but this year's cavalry battle will be an explorer-only event."
Hearing that, I glanced over at Shigemori. He had a faint, lonely smile—a look of resigned acceptance. I felt a pang of guilt and looked back at the teacher before Shigemori could catch me staring.
"Also, regarding the other team events—creative dance and group gymnastics—we will be modifying the content slightly so that everyone can participate together."
"...Everyone, sir?"
"Yes. We believe that with proper care, these two events can be done safely in a mixed group. Last week, a school that held its festival early reported no injuries during these events. Besides, the faculty feels that a sports festival should have at least one event where the entire student body participates as one."
So the dance and group gymnastics stay, huh? The dance I understood, but I wasn't so sure about the group gymnastics. Our school didn't do anything crazy, but accidents during group gymnastics made the news every single year... I hoped they weren't just assuming it would be fine because 'explorers are sturdy.' I found myself giving Hirasaka-sensei a skeptical look.
Unaware of my internal monologue, the teacher checked the clock and began to wrap things up.
"I've talked long enough. That’s the situation for the sports festival. Aside from the team events, there aren't any massive changes, so just be careful not to get hurt and work hard on your practice. That's all. Student on duty."
"Rise. Bow."
"Thank you very much!"
While we were bowing, Hirasaka-sensei made a quick exit.
Phew. So the sports festival is going to be split by blocks after all. Well, I guess I'll just have to do my part.