After finishing our change of clothes and leaving the locker room, Yuji and I bought drinks from a vending machine and sank into the chairs in the waiting area.
"Well, for our first day, things wrapped up safely enough."
"Yeah. Both of them probably gained a decent amount of battle experience today. I'm sure they walked away with a real feel for it."
While sipping our juice, Yuji and I held a brief review meeting regarding the day’s exploration. We discussed everything from our own shortcomings in leading them to the frequency of breaks and our follow-up during combat. Our conversation was broad and touched on many different points.
Eventually, the topic we’d both been thinking about came up.
"Still, Yuji... Saori-chan’s reaction when she killed that goblin..."
"Yeah. We might need to keep a close eye on that."
The two of us recalled the scene, expressions of complicated nuance crossing our faces. While Mika had been left reeling from the psychological shock, Saori-chan had remained perfectly composed—in fact, she had seemed slightly exhilarated.
"It’s not like she’s intoxicated by the blood, but those combat crazy tendencies are definitely starting to peek through..."
"...I'll talk to the Old Man. I'll see about having him add mental discipline to their regular training regimen."
"That’s probably for the best, especially for Saori-chan. Once someone gets a serious injury, it’s too late for words."
"True."
Yuji and I shared a small nod and a dry laugh. I wondered if training would actually be enough to curb it.
By the time we finished our drinks, we saw the three girls emerging from the locker room. Both Mika and Saori-chan looked slightly more spirited than they had when we first exited the dungeon.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, you two."
"It’s fine, we haven’t been here that long," I replied, raising a hand to Hiiragi-san as she apologized. In reality, we’d been waiting for about fifteen minutes, but it would be tactless to point that out.
I turned my gaze toward Mika and Saori-chan, who both looked rather drowsy.
"Hey... you two doing okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine!"
"Yes, I’m alright!"
It felt like they were both running on sheer willpower. The second they let their guard down, they looked ready to pass out. Well, it was their first long exploration, so it couldn't be helped.
"More importantly, Onii-chan! Let’s go get our payout!"
"Oh, right. Are you sure you don't want to rest first?"
I gestured with my half-finished juice can, asking if they wanted to take a break.
"No, if I sit down now, I feel like I’ll fall asleep... right?"
"Yeah. If I relax for even a second, I’ll probably be out."
"I see... What about you, Hiiragi-san?"
Since Saori-chan also seemed to be in the "move now" camp, I shifted my gaze to check with Hiiragi-san.
"I’m fine too. I’ll buy a drink over there and have it while we wait for the processing."
"Understood. Let's move, then."
After confirming everyone was on the same page, Yuji and I downed the last of our juice and stood up.
When we entered the building housing the purchase counter, the place was packed with explorers. Since I don’t usually visit at this hour, I hadn’t realized it, but this was apparently the peak time for payouts. There were probably 1.5 times as many people waiting as there were during our usual visits.
We pulled a queue number from the ticket machine.
"Number 235, huh..."
"...About twenty people ahead of us?"
"Looks like it. If things move at a steady pace... maybe a thirty to forty-minute wait?"
"“Thirty to forty minutes...”"
Mika and Saori-chan slumped, their faces filled with despair. I couldn't blame them; fighting off sleepiness after that level of exhaustion only to be told you have to wait forty minutes is brutal.
I scanned the waiting area for any empty seats.
"Oh, looks like those seats over there just opened up."
I pointed to a corner of the waiting room where a couple of people had just stood up.
"But Onii-chan, that’s only a two-person seat. There are five of us, so we can’t all sit together."
As Mika pointed out, it was only a small bench, and the five of us wouldn't fit. Other waiting explorers were also keeping their distance from the empty seats, likely because their own groups were too large. When everyone is exhausted, having some people sit while others stand can lead to unnecessary friction. Most coordinated explorer teams avoided those kinds of petty disputes by simply waiting together.
"Well, as long as Mika and Saori-chan can sit, isn't that enough? You two look like you're about to drop. Is that okay with you, Yuji? Hiiragi-san?"
"Yeah, I don’t mind."
"I’m fine with it too."
"There you go. Now, go grab them before someone else does."
Ignoring their hesitance, I gave Mika and Saori-chan a little push toward the empty seats. In terms of physical fatigue, the three of us were practically at full strength, so there was no reason for the girls to feel guilty. They didn't realize that, of course, which was why they were being so reserved.
Once we reached the seats, we practically forced the still-protesting girls to sit down.
"We’ll wake you when our number is called, so go ahead and take a nap."
"Eh, but..."
"Just sleep. It’ll make the rest of the day easier."
"O-okay."
Once they finally let go of the tension, it didn't take long. Within minutes, Mika and Saori-chan were leaning against each other’s shoulders, breathing softly in a deep sleep.
"They really were exhausted, weren't they?"
"Definitely."
"Well, I’m going to go grab a drink. You two keep an eye on them while I’m gone, okay?"
"Got it, leave it to us."
Hiiragi-san headed off toward the vending machines. Yuji and I moved to a spot against the wall where we could watch over the sleeping pair without blocking the walkway. We spent the time finishing our review meeting until our turn came.
『Will the holder of ticket number 235 please come to the reception counter?』
After thirty minutes of waiting, our number flashed on the electronic display and the mechanical voice announcement echoed through the hall.
"Hm? Ah, finally."
"We should wake those two up."
"Right."
Hiiragi-san approached the bench and gently called out to the two girls.
"Mika-chan, Saori-chan. It’s our turn. Wake up."
"“Mmm... no...”"
"Come on, if you don’t get up now, they’ll skip us."
Hiiragi-san shook their shoulders, but Mika and Saori-chan were out cold. They were buried deep in sleep. After watching the struggle for a few moments, the voice announcement repeated.
"Oh, for goodness' sake... Kokonoe-kun, Hirose-kun, sorry, but could you two go on ahead and start the paperwork? At this rate, we’re going to lose our spot."
"Got it. We’ll go ahead."
"Good luck with them, Hiiragi-san."
"Yes, I’ll have them up in a second."
Leaving Hiiragi-san to wrestle with the two sleepyheads, Yuji and I took the ticket and stepped up to the purchase counter.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Not at all. How can I help you today?"
"I’d like to sell some drop items."
I gave a slight bow to the staff member, who responded with a professional—if slightly strained—smile.
"Understood. First, please present your Explorer Card."
"Here."
"Thank you."
I pulled my card from my pocket and handed it over. The staff member ran it through a machine to verify my identity.
"Everything is in order. Please place the items for purchase on the counter."
As I took my card back, Yuji hauled the bag of drops onto the counter. It landed with a heavy, metallic thud that drew a few looks from nearby.
"There's quite a lot here. Do you mind if I take the entire bag back for processing?"
"Go right ahead."
"Very well. We will begin the appraisal. Please take this ticket and wait until your number is called again."
"Thank you."
Taking the new ticket, Yuji and I headed back to the waiting area. By the time we reached the bench, Mika and Saori-chan were awake, looking groggy as they sipped on sports drinks. Hiiragi-san must have bought them while we were at the counter.
As we approached, they noticed us, and I raised a hand in greeting.
"Good morning. We’ve already checked the items in."
"Thank you, both of you. Sorry we couldn't make it to the window with you."
"Don't worry about it. Thanks for looking after them, Hiiragi-san."
I gave Hiiragi-san a reassuring look, and the two sleepy girls bowed their heads in apology.
"We're sorry."
"I'm so sorry."
"It’s fine. If you couldn't wake up, it just means your bodies needed the rest. Sleep while you can. Right, Yuji?"
"Yeah. Falling asleep that fast is a clear sign of exhaustion."
Once we’d reassured them, the girls lifted their heads, though they still looked a bit sheepish.
"Anyway, here. You should hold onto this."
I handed the appraisal ticket to Mika.
"There's a lot of loot this time, so it'll take a while. Use the time to wake yourselves up, okay?"
"...Okay. Thank you."
Mika took the ticket with a small smile.
About ten minutes later, our number was called again. We all headed back to the window.
"Thank you for waiting. This is the breakdown for today's appraisal. Please look it over."
"“Yes!”"
Mika and Saori-chan leaned in to scan the document the staff member handed them. When their eyes hit the total at the bottom, their shoulders stiffened, and they turned to us with looks of pure shock.
"O-Onii-chan... is this for real?"
"I-is this... is this right?"
"Hm? Let's see..."
We leaned over their shoulders to see what all the fuss was about.
Total appraisal value: 737,350 yen. Not a bad sum at all for a pile of drops from the shallow floors. Quantity really does make a difference.
"You guys did pretty well."
"Eh?! That’s all you have to say?!"
"What? I mean, it's about what I expected. Most of what we sold were common drops from the lower levels, after all."
"“Whaaaa...”"
The girls looked at us as if we were speaking another language. To be fair, when Yuji and I dive on our own, we’re used to seeing totals with an extra digit. Compared to that, this wasn't particularly shocking.
The staff member cleared their back-of-the-throat and spoke up again.
"Ahem. Additionally, this particular item appears to be a magic item. We will mail the formal appraisal results to you at a later date. Please bring the deposit receipt and the notice of appraisal to your nearest Dungeon Association branch to complete the sale."
"“Y-yes, sir.”"
"If you are satisfied with the current purchase, please sign here."
Mika and Saori-chan signed the form and handed it back.
"Thank you. Now, for the bank transfer... shall I use Mr. Kokonoe’s account?"
Since they’d used my card to start the process, they assumed I was taking the whole payout.
"Actually, could you split the payout evenly between these two?"
"Certainly. Please provide the Explorer Cards for both parties."
"“Y-yes!”"
The two of them scrambled to dig their cards out of their bags. I watched them with a wry smile; there was no need to rush that much.
"Confirmed. We will process the split transfer to your accounts. And for the mailing address for the magic item appraisal..."
"Ah, please send it to her."
"Understood. We will send the appraisal notice to Ms. Kishida's address."
"Thank you very much."
We collected their cards and the deposit receipt for the magic item, then finally left the purchase counter. Phew. Another long day in the books.