Mika and I hurried out of the house, discussing our progress on the sports festival preparations along the way.
"Hey, Onii-chan? What’s the plan for after school today? I know we finished up the props for the club introduction yesterday, but..."
"Well..."
I scratched my head, looking conflicted. Just as Mika said, our club's preparations for the sports festival were mostly wrapped up. Aside from the matter of the dungeon’s time difference—which I couldn't share with her yet—I didn’t have any pressing business.
"We don't have anything specific left to do for the club. Yuji and I are planning to consult with Juzo-san after school, but if you have things to do for your class, you and Saori-chan can prioritize that."
"Consulting with Juzo-san again? You’ve been doing that a lot lately. What are you even talking about?"
"Just... stuff."
I offered a noncommittal smile, trying to sidestep her question.
"There you go again, dodging the question. Hmm, but even if you tell us to go do something else..."
Mika pouted at my vague answer, but she started racking her brain to see if she actually had anything to do. My class wasn't doing anything special this year, but last year, some of the more enthusiastic classes had held high-energy pep rallies after school. I wondered if Mika’s class was similar.
"Hmm. I don't think we have anything."
She shook her head. It seemed her class wasn't doing a pep rally either. After digging a bit deeper, I learned that since the sports festival was this weekend, she didn't even have plans to hang out with her friends after school.
"I see... Then why don't you go shopping with Saori-chan? I’m sure she’d be up for it."
Since they were in the same class and club, I figured their schedules would align. However, Mika gave me a flat, sour look.
Wait, did I say something wrong?
"Shopping? You might have forgotten, Onii-chan, but Saori-chan and I are broke. Between all the dungeon expenses lately, our wallets are completely empty. We can't go shopping until we liquidate those drop items from the other day."
"Oh. Right. I forgot..."
Now that she mentioned it, they had both been complaining that their finances were in a deep freeze. Given how ecstatic they were to get those skill scrolls, it was easy to see why they were strapped for cash. They really couldn't afford to go window shopping until they turned their loot into gold.
I gave a little apologetic bow to appease Mika, who was still glaring at me with grumpy, half-lidded eyes.
After managed to coax her back into a better mood, we parted ways at the shoe lockers. I glanced at my watch and hurried toward my classroom. I wasn't in danger of being late yet, but I wanted at least a few minutes to relax before the bell.
When I stepped through the rear door, about two-thirds of the seats were already occupied. Everyone was early today.
"Morning."
"Hm? Oh, Kokonoe. Morning."
On the way to my desk, I greeted Shigemori, who was busy pulling textbooks from his bag and organizing his desk. He looked up, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.
"You're late for once. To think you'd arrive after me... Did something happen?"
"Hm? No, nothing in particular. I just left the house a bit late."
"Huh."
Shigemori gave a half-hearted, uninterested grunt and went back to his books. If you don't care, why bother asking? I thought, though I was glad he didn't press for details.
"By the way, did you hear, Kokonoe?" Shigemori asked as he finished his preparations.
"Hear what?"
"Apparently, after the full rehearsal tomorrow, our class—well, every class—is being forced to hold a pep rally."
"Huh?" I stopped mid-motion, my hand still inside my desk.
"You've probably noticed it too, but this year's sports festival feels... sluggish. Like no one’s really motivated. It’s more like a collective sigh of 'fine, let’s just get this over with,' you know?"
"Well, it certainly feels that way..."
The last-minute changes to prioritize safety and the policy of separating events for explorers and non-explorers were necessary measures, but they had effectively gutted the students' enthusiasm. Even if people weren't outright miserable, most viewed the festival as a chore.
Enthusiasm—or the lack thereof—was contagious, resulting in the current lackluster atmosphere.
"The cheer squad and the kids practicing every day are exceptions, but apparently the faculty decided they can't show such a pathetic student body to the guests. So the teachers had a meeting about it."
"Ah, I see..."
It made sense. VIPs like members of the Board of Education and city councilmen usually showed up for these things. If they saw a sea of bored, uninspired teenagers, the faculty would undoubtedly face a firestorm of criticism about their "lack of guidance."
The staff wanted to avoid that at all costs. Their solution was to force a burst of spirit the day before just to keep up appearances for the main event.
"Well, a pep rally is fine, I guess. Whether it actually fires anyone up is a different story."
"Good point..."
I silently prayed that the cheer squad wouldn't be the only ones yelling into a void of silence tomorrow.
As Shigemori and I chatted, Hirasaka-sensei entered the classroom through the front door.
"Homeroom is starting. Everyone, get to your seats."
At his signal, the students settled down. Well, time to get through another day.
Once morning classes ended and lunch break began, I grabbed my bento and went over to Yuji.
"Yuji, want to grab lunch?"
"Hm? Oh, sure."
"Let's get Hiiragi-san and head to the clubroom."
"Hm? We have class-specific practice this afternoon, so wouldn't it be better to eat here? We have to change into our gym clothes and everything."
Yuji glanced around the room. I followed his gaze and noticed more people than usual were eating at their desks today. Only a handful had headed for the cafeteria or the store.
"Yeah, you're right, but... I wanted to talk about that matter. It's not really something for the classroom."
"That matter? Which one?" Yuji tilted his head.
Fair enough. We had enough secrets that "that matter" could have referred to any number of things. I tried to give him a hint that wouldn't raise suspicion.
"You know. The thing I consulted Juzo-san about. The one I said I'd investigate."
"Investigate... Oh, that."
"Yeah, that. A bit of a problem came up."
Yuji’s expression sharpened as he realized what I meant. Since it involved Juzo-san, the only logical conclusion was the dungeon investigation. Seeing my grim look, his brow furrowed.
"...Is it something we need to hear right now?"
"No. It's not like hearing it this second will change the situation, but..."
"I see..."
Yuji looked conflicted. In reality, there was nothing they could do about the dungeon's time difference even if I told them now. If anything, the shock would probably ruin their concentration for the rest of the day. I’d been pretty shaken myself when I first realized the truth.
I looked at Yuji apologetically. "Actually, let's wait until after school so we can talk with Juzo-san. I think you two would be pretty overwhelmed if I told you now."
"...Is it really that big of a deal?"
"Yeah. I was pretty rattled when I found out yesterday. For now, just be ready for a very heavy conversation."
"...Understood."
I pulled an empty chair over to Yuji’s desk and set my bento down.
"I'll tell Hiiragi-san later. But Yuji, will Juzo-san be around after school?"
I checked to see if Hiiragi-san was still eating with her friends while Yuji considered the question.
"Today? I think so. The old man is usually at home, and he didn't say anything about going out this morning. I'll double-check with him later."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
"No problem."
With that settled, we finally started eating. We needed time to change into our gym clothes afterward, so we made it quick.
After finishing the class-specific practice, we quickly changed back and sat through Hirasaka-sensei’s afternoon homeroom. The main topic was tomorrow’s rehearsal.
"...And so, we have a full run-through starting tomorrow morning, so don't be late. Once the rehearsal is over in the afternoon, we'll set up the venue, and then each class will hold its pep rally."
"Ehhh..."
As Hirasaka-sensei confirmed the news, a wave of groans swept the room. According to the original schedule, we were supposed to be dismissed after setting up the venue. To students who already lacked motivation, a pep rally was just a roadblock on the way home.
"Quiet! Listen, don't complain. The only reason we're doing this is because you lot have been so half-hearted about the festival. If you’d shown a bit more spirit, we wouldn't have to do this."
"But Sensei? You can't expect us to be excited when every fun event was canceled for being 'dangerous'..."
"Urgh. Well... I suppose you have a point, but..."
When one student hit the nail on the head, Hirasaka-sensei looked awkward. It seemed the teachers were well aware of the cause.
"A-hem! Regardless! Your parents and other guests are coming to see this festival. Do you really want to show them such a pathetic, uninspired side of yourselves? You wouldn't want that, right? Neither would I."
"..."
The students who had been complaining fell silent, looking just as awkward as the teacher.
"Look, I admit that the safety-first program is part of the reason your motivation is down. I'm not asking you to be hyperactive about it, but at least approach the festival with a modicum of willpower and pride."
"...Yes, sir."
Moved by the teacher’s moment of honesty, the students gave a weak, reluctant response.
"Right. That's all for today. Student on duty."
"Rise! Attention, bow!"
At the signal, we stood and bowed. Hirasaka-sensei practically fled the room. He probably didn't want to give anyone a chance to argue.
Once homeroom ended, most of the class cleared out quickly, their shoulders slumped. The lecture seemed to have drained what little energy they had left.
On our end, since our goal was to promote the club, we actually had a fair bit of drive. The lecture didn't hit us nearly as hard as it did the others.
"Well, let's head out."
"Yeah."
"So, Yuji? Still haven't heard from Juzo-san?"
"...No. It looks like he went out somewhere."
"I see..." I sighed. Yuji had tried to contact him during lunch and again just now, but both times went straight to voicemail.
"Kokonoe-kun?" Hiiragi-san spoke up. "I know we can't reach Juzo-san, but what about the consultation? Should we wait for him, or is it something we can hear now?"
"Ideally, he’d be there. But... yeah. I should tell you two now."
Seeing the expectant looks from Yuji and Hiiragi-san, I decided to go ahead and reveal the truth about the time difference, even without Juzo-san.
"In that case... do you mind stopping by my house?"
"Fine by me."
"I don't mind."
With their agreement, we grabbed our bags and left the thinning classroom.
I wondered just how they’d react once they realized the implications of the time difference...