I fought through the temptation to nap after eating my fill and spent the after-school hours in the clubroom answering questions from Mika and the others. They were furrowing their brows in anxiety and confusion, likely having spent their time before school let out mulling over what little we’d told them. Some of the questions they threw my way were quite difficult to answer.
I managed to dodge the more awkward details while giving them the gist of it, and before I knew it, enough time had passed that it was time to head home. However...
"Sorry about this, you two," Yuji said.
"No, don't worry about it," I replied.
"The Old Man insisted on hearing your thoughts on the training first-hand. He told me to bring you both along today."
Hiiragi-san nodded. "As the one responsible for throwing us into that training, it's only natural he’d want to hear how it went. So really, don't worry about it."
And so, after parting ways with Mika and the others at the school gate, Hiiragi-san and I followed Yuji to give a training report to Juzo-san. He had likely received a general summary from Yuji yesterday, but he probably wanted to hear the perspectives of Hiiragi-san and myself as well. If the point of view changes, the things observed change with it.
He likely wanted to verify and share the experiences we’d gained by looking at them from multiple angles.
"By the way, Yuji," I asked as we walked. "How exactly did you report things to Juzo-san?"
"How? I just gave him a standard rundown of our actions and how I felt from the first day to the last. Though, my mind was half-gone because of the drugs, so I might have left some gaps."
"Which means he wants to hear our side to fill in those blanks?"
"That’s probably it."
As the three of us walked side-by-side, we coordinated our stories. It was better to avoid repeating the same points as much as possible.
Before long, we were sitting in a row before Juzo-san in the dojo. He sat on a cushion with his arms crossed, looking as imposing as ever.
"...And that concludes what I felt and learned from this training," I finished.
"...Hmph."
After letting out that single grunt, Juzo-san closed his eyes and fell silent, arms still crossed. I wasn't sure how to take it. Was he weighing our words? Or was he angry that we hadn't achieved enough? We straightened our backs and held our breath as Juzo-san sat motionless, lost in thought.
A heavy, tense atmosphere filled the dojo. Finally...
"Well, for your first time in such unfamiliar training, it seems you’ve achieved decent results. What matters now is how you turn this experience into your own strength."
"Ye-Yes!" we replied in unison.
After that long silence, Juzo-san finally spoke. His words were of appreciation and encouragement... I think. Well, it felt like that, anyway. At any rate, I was relieved it wasn't a lecture or a display of disappointment.
"That said, experiencing it only once is hardly sufficient. Mastery of such things is best achieved through repetition."
"..."
Uh... what exactly was Juzo-san getting at?
"I've already asked Genya to help again this weekend. Use what you learned this time and do your best. Since you've done it once already, you should be able to handle it much better."
"!?"
Shocked expressions broke across our faces, and an air of total dismay surrounded us. However, seeing Juzo-san sitting there so composed, seemingly unconcerned by our reaction, I realized this was already a done deal.
We have to do it again... are you serious?
"What’s this? Are you dissatisfied? If you intend to keep challenging dungeons, this experience will undoubtedly be to your benefit. And it was safe, wasn't it?"
"W-Well, that's true, but..."
"Genya was quite eager. After what happened with his granddaughter, he said he couldn't bear the thought of you—the very people who saved her—falling into the same trap. He's determined to help you avoid those dangers by building your experience ahead of time. He's offered his full cooperation."
"Uh, ah, well..."
So that utterly merciless training was a product of Genya-san's genuine goodwill. If he put it like that, we couldn't exactly refuse, could we? Declining after hearing that would be impossible.
We exchanged looks of weary resignation. After letting out small sighs, we nodded weakly to each other.
"I-I get it... I'll do my best."
"W-We'll do our best," the others echoed.
"I see. Then I'll give Genya his answer right away."
The three of us were dejected and utterly exhausted just thinking about it, while Juzo-san sat there with the corners of his mouth curled into a slightly mischievous, wicked grin. It was a study in total opposites.
And so, our second hellish training camp was officially on the books.
The lingering hyper-vigilance from the training took about three days to fade, but I spent the rest of the week in a gloomy mood, dreading the hellish tour—I mean, training camp—coming up this weekend. It was a sharp contrast to my classmates, whose spirits were high and flighty with exams over and summer vacation just around the corner. Only the three of us were drowning in grief. I hoped I was just imagining the annoyed looks some of our classmates were giving us for being such a buzzkill.
To avoid those gazes, we retreated to the clubroom as soon as classes were over, exuding a dismal atmosphere.
"Starting tomorrow, we're back at that camp..." I muttered.
"Don't say it, Daiki. It just makes me more depressed," Yuji said, furrowing his brow.
"...Exactly," Hiiragi-san added.
When I sighed and lamented tomorrow's start, Yuji and Hiiragi-san looked slightly irritated and told me to stop. Normally, they wouldn't get annoyed by a little complaining, but they were clearly on edge. Having Mika and the others around usually served as a buffer, but Mika had mentioned this morning that she had a class meeting and couldn't stop by. It was just the three of us.
Consequently, the mood in the room continued to sink.
"Sorry. Yeah, you're right. No point in whining....But seriously, what are we going to do? For the camp starting tomorrow? Since we've been through it once, we can't just do the same thing again, right?"
"True," Yuji agreed. "If we don't change anything, we won't learn anything. We should take every precaution we can based on the last session. To start with... food?"
"I agree," Hiiragi-san said. "The mental fatigue from worrying about whether the rations were safe was surprisingly taxing."
Indeed. Even though Genya-san had guaranteed it was safe, the mere fact that we hadn't prepared it ourselves created a seed of doubt that caused us massive mental strain. One could say we were being paranoid, but it was impossible to shake that suspicion in such an extreme environment. Even a tiny doubt that wouldn't matter in normal life swells into an undeniable problem under those conditions.
In the end, it really had been standard, store-bought food with no tricks at all.
"Then it’s better if we prepare and bring our own food. At least we won't have to waste energy wondering if it's been tampered with."
"Agreed. We should go shopping today, then. If we wait until tomorrow, we'll end up making Muroi-san wait when he comes to pick us up."
"Right....I wonder if supermarkets sell preserved foods?" Hiiragi-san mused.
"Supermarkets might have some, but a home center or an outdoor store would have more variety. I'd like to avoid eating the same thing every meal if possible. I want us to actually have a meal to look forward to this time."
At the very least, I wanted to enjoy the food. During the last camp, eating was nothing more than a mechanical intake of nutrients while suppressing anxiety. Even though we had different items every meal (except for the first night), everything had tasted equally bland. Looking back, we must have been in a pretty precarious mental state.
This time, I wanted food with actual flavor.
"Then let's hit a few stores and stock up. Is there anything else we'll need? Let's buy it while we're at it."
"Anything else..."
If asked what else I wanted, the honest answer was "everything." But since this was training, there was no point in bringing every convenience. We had to keep it to the essentials.
As I considered our options, Hiiragi-san raised her hand slightly.
"I want bug spray or some kind of insect countermeasure. When I was on night watch, the bugs attracted to the light were incredibly distracting."
"Oh, I agree. Those tiny gnats swarming the light... the buzzing was maddening."
"The sound of wings really gets under your skin," Yuji added.
Since we were in the mountains with no other light sources, the bugs swarmed us no matter how many times we swatted them away. By the final day, when we were being ambushed the moment we moved a hand, dealing with them had become a serious hindrance.
Knowing we’d be back in the mountains, insect repellent was a must.
"Mosquito coils... use fire, so that's probably a no-go. That leaves sprays or battery-powered units. I wonder which is more effective?"
"Who knows? We use coils at my house in the summer, but I've never really compared them to anything else."
"My house uses the battery-powered ones that don't emit smoke," Hiiragi-san said. "I rarely get bitten."
"...Let me look it up," Yuji said, pulling out his smartphone.
The results came up in seconds.
"The ones you wear on your arm or waist that disperse the repellent with a fan seem to have a good reputation. They're built for outdoor use and run for over a hundred hours, so the battery won't die during the camp. Should we go with these?"
"Sounds good. Better than nothing."
"Hirose-kun, are those sold in stores? If they're online-only, we won't get them in time."
"Yeah, they’re available in retail stores too."
"Perfect. Let's go with that, then."
Yuji showed us a picture of the product. It wasn't very large, so it shouldn't hinder our movements. Wearing it on the arm seemed like it would be a bit of a nuisance, so clipping it to the waist was probably the way to go.
Assuming we could find enough for everyone, that is.
"Bug repellent added to the list... anything else?"
"Hmm..."
"Hey, instead of just talking here, why don't we head to the store? We can think better once we see what they have. We need to consider the size and weight of everything we bring anyway."
"Good point. It’s better to decide once we have the items in front of us."
Hiiragi-san’s suggestion made sense. It was much faster to look at the actual products than to sit in the clubroom talking in circles.
We packed our things and headed out on our shopping trip.
Whether it was the experience from the first round or the effectiveness of the supplies we’d prepared, the second training camp hosted by Genya-san was much easier—or at least, much more bearable. We could actually taste our food, and we managed to get some decent rest, even if it wasn't a full night's sleep. We didn't manage to dodge every single ambush, though. However, since the only time we got hit was on the third day, Genya-san told us that we should be capable of staying overnight in a dungeon for a two-day, one-night trip.
Of course, he also warned us that this wasn't an absolute guarantee and was only a guideline, as it depends on our physical condition and the environment. He told us that even if we do stay overnight in a dungeon, we shouldn't sleep right near the front lines just because it's convenient for resuming the conquest; we must ensure we select our lodging sites with a sufficient safety margin.
"Thank you very much, Genya-san. Thanks to this training, we've finally gotten a feel for bivouacking," Yuji said on our behalf before we headed home.
In truth, I felt a natural surge of gratitude. Having such a large-scale training session conducted twice in a row was something to be truly thankful for.
And beyond that...
"Think nothing of it. If anything else comes up, feel free to consult me. I'll cooperate however I can."
Seeing Genya-san's warm expression, it was easy to see how much he and his family appreciated what we’d done for Ririka-san. I have to do my best to live up to that gratitude and their expectations.
"Thank you for everything. We'll be sure to reach out if we need anything."
"Yes. Take care of yourselves, and don't push too hard in the dungeons."
"Yes, sir!" we replied.
And so, our pre-vacation bivouac training came to an end.
Next weekend is finally the closing ceremony. Summer vacation is just around the corner.