The three of us followed Hirasaka-sensei’s instructions, parting ways with the rest of our classmates as they headed for the sports field. The school building was deserted and wrapped in a profound silence, with nearly every other student outside preparing for tomorrow’s events.
In such a quiet atmosphere, the sudden summons from the Student Council began to stir a sense of unease within me.
"Hey, why are we being called in? Did we do something wrong?" I asked.
"There’s a chance we’ll get a lecture for going a bit overboard during the club activity appeal," Yuji replied, his tone as logical as ever. "But I doubt that’s it this time. Hirasaka-sensei mentioned they wanted us for sports festival safety measures."
"He's right," Hiiragi-san added politely. "It’s likely about that incident during the 200m dash, where the runner veered wildly off-course. If they need help with safety measures, that’s the most pressing issue."
"...Ah, right. That."
I recalled the sight of the explorer student careening out of bounds. Some kind of precaution was definitely necessary—that incident had practically been a high-speed traffic accident.
Lost in thought, we reached our destination before I knew it.
"Alright, we’re here," Yuji said.
He stopped in front of the Student Council Room and glanced at Hiiragi-san and me. We both gave him a short nod of confirmation, and Yuji knocked lightly on the door.
"Yes, come in. It’s open."
The response was immediate, a voice from inside granting us entry.
"Excuse us," Yuji said as he led the way.
We stepped into the room to find the members of the Student Council along with fifteen or sixteen other students in gym clothes. They were split into two groups lined up along the side walls. Among one of the groups, I spotted my former classmate, Noguchi.
"Welcome. I’m sorry for calling you here on such short notice," Hisamatsu-senpai said.
"It’s no trouble..."
"Well, now that everyone has arrived, let’s get started."
After welcoming us, Hisamatsu-senpai glanced over the assembled students and cut straight to the point.
"First, I’d like to apologize for pulling you all away while you're so busy."
Hisamatsu-senpai gave a slight bow, and the rest of the Student Council members followed her lead.
"The reason we’ve gathered you here is to address the safety concerns that became apparent during today’s rehearsal. As you all know, the accident during the 200m dash could have turned into a catastrophe involving the spectators if things had gone slightly differently. We cannot allow the festival to proceed without countermeasures."
It seemed Hiiragi-san’s intuition had been correct. At least we weren't here to be scolded for our performance earlier.
"...However, with the festival starting tomorrow, we don’t have time for major adjustments. We simply cannot procure enough safety mats to line the spectator areas along the curves in such a short window."
Hisamatsu-senpai’s expression was grim. She was right; the school certainly didn't have enough mats in storage to cover the entire perimeter of the track, and borrowing them from other schools was impossible since everyone was holding their festivals on the same day.
And then came the request.
"Therefore, it is with great regret that I must ask for your help."
"Our help...?" one of the students murmured.
"Yes," Hisamatsu-senpai replied with a deep nod. She swept her gaze over us before continuing. "As far as the Student Council is aware, every one of you in this room is among our school’s top-class explorers. We ask that you lend us your strength so we can see this sports festival through safely."
Once again, Hisamatsu-senpai and the council members bowed, pleading for our assistance.
Top-class explorers, huh? I glanced at the others who had been summoned. They seemed to be thinking the same thing, as our gazes met and we exchanged wry smiles. However, when my eyes met Noguchi’s, I caught a flicker of something resentful in his expression.
As I was pondering Noguchi's reaction, a third-year boy standing on the opposite side of the room raised his hand.
"Um, President? Is it really true that everyone here is a top-class explorer?"
"Yes, it is. Is there a problem?"
"I don't mean to sound suspicious, but do these guys really have that kind of skill? I see Noguchi’s group in the dungeon all the time, so I get why they're here, but..."
Doubtful gazes from both groups turned toward the three of us. It was understandable; we had made a point of keeping a low profile until very recently.
Sensing the tension, Hisamatsu-senpai clapped her hands to regain control of the room.
"That’s enough. I understand it’s a shock to hear they’re top-tier out of nowhere, but it’s the truth."
"But, President..."
"You all saw the mock battle they performed during the club rehearsal, didn't you? At the very least, that wasn't something an average explorer could manage."
"Ugh... W-Well, I guess that’s true."
The third-year looked away awkwardly, likely recalling the display Yuji and Hiiragi-san had put on. Then, Hisamatsu-senpai dropped the real bombshell.
"Furthermore, they’ve reached the 25th floor."
"What!?"
A collective cry of shock erupted from the other students.
"W-Wait a second! The 25th floor!? Are you serious!?" the third-year stammered, his face pale with surprise.
The three of us shared a look, then let out synchronized sighs.
"Yes. It’s true that we’ve reached the 25th floor," Yuji confirmed.
"Is... Is that for real? You’re not joking?"
"No, it's the truth."
"B-But still..."
The third-year boy stared at Yuji in disbelief, while the others in the room looked equally dazed and confused. Then Noguchi, who had been watching in silence, finally spoke up.
"Can I ask something, Yuji?"
"Sure. What is it, Noguchi?"
"Setting aside the floor count for a second... I’ve never run into you guys in the dungeon even once. Judging by your mock battle, it’s obvious you’ve been diving frequently, so how is that possible?"
Noguchi’s question brought the attention back to us once more. This was getting uncomfortable. Yuji, however, didn't seem bothered at all.
"Before I answer that... Noguchi."
"Yeah?"
"The dungeon you usually go to is the one near here, right?"
"Yeah, obviously..." Noguchi looked at him as if he were asking something trivial.
"Well, the dungeon we use is a bit further away, deep in the mountains."
"The mountains...!? You mean that one where the 30th floor was just cleared!?"
"That’s the one."
"Are you serious? You guys were traveling all that way?"
The entire room was stunned. Compared to the local dungeon, the trek to the mountain dungeon took nearly three times as long.
"For a while after the explorer system was introduced, every local dungeon was overcrowded and chaotic," Yuji explained. "We didn't want to get caught up in drama or friction with people we knew, so we intentionally chose a place where we weren't likely to run into anyone from school. I’m sure you’ve had your share of trouble like that, Noguchi."
"...Yeah, I’ve seen that kind of mess more than a few times."
"Right. That’s why we never crossed paths."
"I see..."
Noguchi looked like he had a bitter taste in his mouth, but he seemed to accept the explanation. Seeing that the tangent had concluded, Hisamatsu-senpai stepped back in.
"If we’re finished with that, can we return to the main topic?"
"Ah, yes. Sorry for the distraction..." Noguchi apologized, giving her a quick bow.
Though the doubts about our strength were still simmering under the surface, Hisamatsu-senpai steered the conversation back to the logistics of the sports festival.
"Returning to the safety measures, I have a specific request for all of you. During the festival—especially the relay races—I would like you to stand by along the outer perimeter of the curves."
"Stand by on the curves?"
"Yes. We need you to wait there and, if an explorer runner loses control and heads for the spectator stands, we want you to catch them."
"..."
A heavy silence fell over the room as we looked at each other in disbelief. An explorer runner flying off-course at the speed of a moped was essentially a projectile. She was asking us to be human meat shields for the audience.
Sensing our hesitation, Hisamatsu-senpai and the Student Council members bowed even lower.
"We know this is a difficult and inconvenient request. But please, for the sake of a safe festival, we need your cooperation."
"Please!"
When asked so earnestly, it was almost impossible to refuse. We shifted uncomfortably, avoiding their eyes, and finally let out a collective sigh.
"Fine... If it’s within our power, we’ll help," the third-year boy said, acting as the group’s representative.
"Thank you."
Hisamatsu-senpai thanked us with a look of relief. We simply shrugged, resigned to our fate.
Once we had all agreed, Minashiro-san, the secretary, moved a whiteboard to the front and flipped it over. On it was a list of every event in the sports festival.
"Now, let's decide on the assignments. Please tell me which events you are personally participating in."
One by one, we declared our individual events, and Minashiro-san noted them down in black marker. Looking at the finished list, the distribution was surprisingly even.
"I’ll try to assign six people per event. Let me know if there are any conflicts."
For the next five minutes, Minashiro-san worked through the schedule, assigning us to safety duty during the gaps between our own races.
"So my shifts are for the 200m dash and the inter-year relay..." I muttered, checking the board.
The 200m dash was a guaranteed disaster zone. There was bound to be someone who would get overconfident, pick up too much speed, and wipe out on the turn. I let out a small sigh, certain that my role as a meat shield was going to be put to the test.
"Now, please break into your assigned groups and coordinate exactly where on the curves each of you will be standing," Hisamatsu-senpai announced.
She pointed to different corners of the room for each group to gather.
"Good luck, Yuji. Have fun with Noguchi," I said.
"Yeah. I'll manage him."
Since Yuji had been placed in Noguchi’s group, I left him to it and headed for my own meeting spot by the right wall. Waiting there was the third-year who had questioned our skills earlier.
"Looks like everyone's here. Let’s start with some quick introductions," he said, offering a bright, refreshing smile. "I’m Masahiko Obayashi from the third year. Glad to be working with you."