Mika and Saori-chan exchanged silent, contemplative looks for a moment in response to my proposal, then gave each other a small nod. It seemed they had reached a conclusion.
When Mika turned back to me, her eyes were filled with the light of resolve.
"Hey, Onii-chan? I just want to make sure, but you and the others are going to help us, right?"
"Yeah. I don't intend to get directly involved, but if you need to talk about anything regarding instructing Tatebayashi-san and the others, feel free to consult me anytime."
"I see... Saori-chan?"
Mika turned to Saori-chan, who was staring at me with a slightly uneasy expression, to confirm her final answer. In response to Mika's prompt, Saori-chan kept her eyes fixed on me and gave a firm nod.
Having finished their final check, Mika looked me straight in the eye.
"We'll do it. If Asami-chan and Hino-san decide to become explorers, we'll act as their instructors. Right, Saori?"
"Yes. I don't know how well I can do, but I'll try my best to live up to the expectations of Onii-san and the others."
With determination in their eyes, Mika and Saori-chan gave their clear consent to take on the role of instructors.
"I see. Well, it ultimately depends on what Tatebayashi-san and her friend decide, but if they're in, I’m counting on you two."
"Got it!"
"Yes!"
Hearing Mika and Saori-chan's energetic replies, I glanced toward Yuji and Hiiragi-san as if to ask, This is fine, right? Both of them gave a slight nod, returning a look that suggested they agreed with the plan. Good.
Then, Yuji and Hiiragi-san offered words of encouragement to the two girls.
"Do your best, you two. You might feel a bit lost at first, but I'm sure it'll be a great experience."
"I’m always here to talk if you need anything. Don't hesitate to reach out."
"Thank you very much!" they said in unison.
As I watched the four of them interact, I let out a small, inward sigh of relief. Things were proceeding smoothly.
With Mika and Saori-chan’s agreement, we could achieve more than just the goal of having them reassess their own skills through teaching. By gaining experience leading others through junior mentorship, they could cultivate the foundational skills necessary for organizational management—something essential for continuing to keep the Goto group in check. You can't learn this kind of know-how without actual experience. If there are too many people to lead from the start, a lack of experience often leads to being overwhelmed; likewise, if there’s too much of an age gap, people tend to shrink back and lose the ability to give proper instructions. In that regard, instructing Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san—leading a small number of peers—would be a perfect first step. Since we planned to expand the organization around Mika and the others from here on out, it was necessary for the two of them to learn the nuances of organizing and leading people early on.
...Especially since it looked like this was going to turn into a long-term conflict thanks to someone’s interference.
"Everyone, let's get going. Even though I told him we might be late, I'd feel bad making Juzo-san wait too long."
"Ah!"
Everyone let out awkward cries as they checked the time. We had asked Yuji to tell his grandfather that we would all be visiting for a report and verification meeting to evaluate the results of our recent expedition.
After confirming our surroundings were safe, we began moving toward Yuji's house at a brisk pace. Of course, even a "brisk pace" for us meant we were moving about as fast as a bicycle.
After finishing the report and verification meeting with Juzo-san, everyone except Yuji headed home, gazing at the sky as it turned crimson with the setting sun.
"Hmm. Teaching people really is difficult..."
"You're right. Mika-chan, Saori-chan... from your perspective, was our instruction a bit too strict?" Hiiragi-san asked.
"Hmm, maybe a little..." Mika replied, tilting her head slightly.
"Which parts felt strict?"
"We took short breaks after every battle with a monster, but we were walking non-stop when moving between floors or through the halls, except for meals... I guess?"
"I see... Was it the same for you, Saori-chan?"
"Y-yes. Just like Mika-chan said, not having any breaks while moving was a little tough."
Come to think of it, we did spend the entire time between battles walking as we searched for monsters...
"Was it physically tough because you were walking non-stop?"
"No. If anything, it was more that we were mentally exhausted..."
"Mentally exhausted?"
"Yes. We were constantly on guard, wondering if there were any traps or if we'd run into a monster the moment we turned a corner. Our nerves were always frayed, so it was a bit much."
As Mika and Saori-chan pointed this out, Hiiragi-san and I realized our mistake.
It was true that Mika and Saori-chan’s physical strength had been significantly enhanced by becoming explorers, but if they were constantly sharpening their nerves to check for traps during movement—not just during combat—their minds would naturally be drained. Furthermore, in a continuous dive involving an overnight stay like this last exploration, fatigue accumulates and mental recovery slows down. Especially since both of them had killed humanoid monsters for the first time during this trip; their exhaustion would be even more severe than a normal exploration, making it impossible to fully recover.
"I see... I get it now. Sorry, you two. We were definitely too focused on the monster battles and didn't give enough consideration to how much your minds would wear down during movement."
"You're right. If we walk at our pace, since we're used to dungeon exploration, it really would be a grueling pace for Mika-chan and the others... We should have included more short breaks during travel... especially on the second day," Hiiragi-san agreed.
She and I both let out self-deprecating sighs. I'd have to tell Yuji about this tomorrow.
If we didn't grasp the differences in where fatigue sets in—arising not just from level gaps but also from differences in exploration experience—various problems would crop up when instructing others. In our case, leaving aside the obvious level gap with Mika and the others, the difference in the quality of our exploration experience was vast. Because we lacked the kind of exploration hurdles that typical explorers stumble over, we had subconsciously forced our own "normal" onto rookies like Mika and the others.
The lack of breaks during movement this time was something that simply didn't happen during our usual explorations, where we vastly exceeded the recommended levels for the floors we explored and could immediately spot traps with Appraisal Analysis.
"No, it's fine. We know how much you and the others look out for us when you take us exploring, so there's no need to apologize."
"That's right. It's true that it was a bit mentally tough, but thanks to you and the others, Mika-chan and I were able to explore without a single major injury. It's nothing you need to apologize for."
Hiiragi-san and I looked at each other and let out wry smiles at Mika and Saori-chan’s words of comfort.
We had been talking grandly about letting Mika and the others gain experience by teaching Tatebayashi-san and her friend, but it seemed we were still lacking in experience ourselves.
"Thanks, you two."
"Thank you, Mika-chan, Saori-chan."
When Hiiragi-san and I spoke our thanks, Mika and Saori-chan looked away, appearing a bit bashful.
After parting ways with Hiiragi-san, the three of us talked about what happened at school today while walking Saori-chan home.
I had heard a bit about the situation with Goto and his group, but it seemed that because of our performance at the sports festival, Mika and Saori-chan had become the center of attention just like the rest of us. Apparently, they had been bombarded with questions from the moment they arrived at school and had to struggle to deal with them.
"And you know, Onii-chan? Among the boys who surrounded us, there were some who said they didn't believe us and provocatively told us to show them the demonstration we did at the sports festival right there in class."
"Even though we had performed the demonstration in front of everyone during the rehearsals. Besides, there's no way we could do something like that in a classroom."
"...Were those guys part of the Goto group's hangers-on?"
I thought perhaps they were trying to provoke the girls out of desperation because they’d been pushed aside after being the center of the class until the sports festival... but I was wrong.
"No. As far as I know, I don't think so," Mika said.
So they were just heckling for the sake of it.
"But because everyone around us started cheering and making a scene, things got heated..."
"And just when it felt like we were going to be forced into doing it..."
"Asami-chan stopped them for us."
"Heh, Tatebayashi-san did..."
That meant Tatebayashi-san had a decent amount of influence within the class.
"And then, time ran out and that session ended, but..."
"During the next break, Asami-chan and her friend came and said they wanted to join our club..."
"And then you brought them along?"
"Yeah. Though even after school, we were getting bombarded with questions, so we couldn't go to the clubroom right away."
"Since it was after school and there was no end in sight, everyone was asking about this and that quite persistently."
Mika and Saori-chan let out deep sighs, perhaps remembering the exhaustion of that moment. It seemed they had gone through quite a lot of trouble to get away. Considering they arrived at the clubroom even later than we did—and we had been held up in the Student Council Room for a fair amount of time—they must have been stuck for a while.
As we walked and talked, we arrived in front of Saori-chan's house before we knew it.
"See you tomorrow, Saori-chan!"
"Yeah. See you tomorrow, Mika-chan."
Mika and Saori-chan waved as they said their goodbyes.
"See you, Saori-chan."
"Yes. Thank you for walking me home, Onii-san."
Saori-chan gave a polite little bow in return.
After confirming that Saori-chan had gone inside, I turned to Mika.
"Shall we head home too?"
"Yeah!"
Having finished seeing Saori-chan home, Mika and I began walking side-by-side toward our house as the sun dipped more than halfway behind the mountains and the world began to grow dark.
After we finished dinner and the whole family was relaxing on the sofa, Mom spoke up as if she had suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, that's right, Daiki. This morning, a message was left on the answering machine for you."
"Huh? An answering machine? For me?"
"Yes. From some logistics company. They asked if you could give them a call back because they wanted to talk to you."
"...Logistics company?"
Hearing Mom's story, I recalled the talk about scouts that Hashimoto-sensei had mentioned in the clubroom.
Could that message be...
"Mom. Did that call... mention anything about scouting?"
"They didn't say anything about scouting. Daiki, do you have an idea of what it’s about?"
"Y-yeah. Actually..."
I explained the scouting offers I had heard from Hashimoto-sensei today.
Upon hearing the story, the three of them looked surprised for a moment, but when I mentioned it was because they saw our demonstration at the sports festival, their expressions turned to understanding.
"I see. That demonstration you and the others did really was amazing."
"You're right. We knew you were working hard as an explorer, Daiki, but we never imagined you could do something like that. We were surprised too," Dad added.
"If people saw that, it makes sense that they'd want to reach out to you and your friends, Onii-chan."
All three of them looked at me with admiring, impressed expressions. To be honest, a scout felt more like a hassle than something to be happy about... but I guess that didn't get across.
With a slightly troubled expression, I mentioned that I had declined all the scouting offers.
"What?! What a waste. Onii-chan, why did you turn them down?"
"I mean, even if they say 'scout'... We're still only in our second year of high school. I have no intention of dropping out, and the scouting conditions didn't match our style."
"What do you mean, 'didn't match your style'?"
"There's no value in taking a scout offer and entering a sponsorship agreement if it means replacing the equipment we're already used to. Even if they say it's 'sturdy armor,' that's only in its base state without any level-up modifier. The gear we're using now is far tougher than some mediocre armor plating, you know?"
When I said that, Mika backed down with an expression that wasn't quite convinced. She looked pretty dissatisfied.
Then, Dad, who had been listening to my conversation with Mika, spoke up.
"Well, I don't know what kind of path you'll take in the future, Daiki, but you should choose after thinking it through carefully. I don't know much about the explorer profession, so I can't give you advice on what would be best, but I can listen to you, so come talk to me anytime. Sometimes just speaking out loud can help organize your thoughts better than agonizing over them all by yourself."
"Yeah. Thanks, Dad."
I gave a small bow of gratitude at Dad's thoughtful words.
As we were having that father-son exchange, Mom clapped her hands and cut into the conversation.
"Yes, yes. Putting the future aside for now... you two? Are you going to be okay for the upcoming term-end exams? You seem to be putting a lot of energy into your explorer profession lately, but if your grades drop too much, I'm going to make you quit. Understood?"
"Ugh?!"
At Mom's words, Mika and I both groaned as we remembered the immediate problem: the term-end exams.
I... I should be okay. I think.