After finishing the training camp with Genya-san, we overcame the lingering effects much faster than we had the last time. I suppose having gone through it once already allowed for a quicker recovery.
Though... it wasn’t exactly the kind of thing I ever wanted to experience again.
"Tomorrow is finally the closing ceremony," I remarked.
"Yeah," Yuji replied. "Though with the summer supplementary classes, it’s not going to feel much like a vacation until August."
Having arrived at school a bit early, Yuji and I were passing the time with idle chatter in our morning classroom while wearing somewhat listless expressions. Since tomorrow was the closing ceremony, everyone seemed to be losing their focus; even accounting for the early hour, few of our classmates had arrived yet.
"Summer supplementary classes, huh... I wonder how many people will show up this year?"
"Who knows? I’m sure the third-years will show up in decent numbers, but as for the first- and second-years..."
I looked around the sparse classroom and figured the people currently here were likely the only ones who would bother with the supplementary classes. At our school, these classes didn't affect our credits, so attendance was entirely up to the students. Based on last year, the content was basically just reinforcing the basics, so there was no real problem if you could handle the studying on your own.
Of course, since the third-years had university entrance exams to worry about, I imagined many of them would attend.
"I bet a lot of people will skip the supplementary classes claiming 'family circumstances' just so they can spend all their time in the dungeons," I said.
"That’ll probably happen, right? Especially for the second-years—they’re probably thinking that since they have exams next year, this is the last summer vacation they can spend freely."
That sounded plausible. Thinking back to this past winter break, it seemed highly likely that more than half of our class would be absent.
Well, it didn't really matter to me if they wanted to take time off. I just hoped I wouldn't walk in on a school day to find half the class looking like mummies in bandages.
"Well, we’ll have our answer by next week, so there’s no point in worrying about it too much."
"True..."
After Yuji and I let out small sighs, we wrapped up our talk about the summer classes.
As we continued our chat, time passed before I knew it, and Hirasaka-sensei entered the classroom to begin homeroom.
"Morning. Today is the last day of classes for the first semester. Don't let your guard down just because summer vacation is right around the corner."
After giving us that brief warning along with his morning greeting, Hirasaka-sensei went through one or two announcements. They weren't particularly noteworthy. Finally, he looked around at us in silence before speaking again.
"Also, just to be safe, I'll remind you that even though it's summer vacation, summer supplementary classes are scheduled for the first- and second-years throughout July. While you won't be marked absent for skipping, it is highly desirable that you attend as much as possible."
"..."
The moment the words left his mouth, a faint rustle of movement filled the room. When I glanced around—careful not to move my head—I saw a multitude of classmates averting not just their eyes, but their entire heads from Hirasaka-sensei. Hey, wait! That wasn’t just half the class; a solid two-thirds of them were refusing to make eye contact.
Faced with that reaction, Hirasaka-sensei covered his face with his right hand and massaged the bridge of his nose. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke again.
"...Please attend as much as possible."
"..." "Yes, sir..."
Their reply was a chorus of tiny, fading voices, their gazes still fixed firmly elsewhere. Those guys are definitely not coming.
This year's summer classes were looking to be quite lonely.
"...That is all for homeroom."
"...Rise. Bow."
Once homeroom ended, Hirasaka-sensei left the classroom while letting out a small sigh.
Hmm. At this rate, the summer supplementary classes might end up being factored into our grade evaluations starting next year.
After the final classes of the first semester were over, we gathered in the clubroom to discuss our activities for the summer vacation with Mika and the other juniors. That said, since we had already decided on most things beforehand, it was more of a confirmation.
"...So, as a club, is it okay if we agree to have no official activities where we gather at school during the summer?"
When I asked, everyone nodded in agreement.
"Given the nature of our club activities, there's no need for everyone to gather during the summer," Yuji said. "As long as we show our faces in the clubroom occasionally during the summer supplementary class period, no one will really complain."
"The primary activity of our club is obtaining official certifications, so all we'd be doing is going through a lot of study texts anyway," Hiiragi-san added.
"Besides, since the next qualification exam isn't until November, there's no point in going out of our way to do it during summer vacation. Even if we gather to prepare for the exam, doing it after the second semester starts will be plenty of time. Though, of course, it’s best to keep studying a little bit every day."
Yuji and Hiiragi-san agreed that having no activities during the summer was a reasonable choice.
"November, huh... That’s a long way off," Mika noted.
"There was an exam in June too, but with only a month of preparation, passing would have been tough."
"Even so, isn't three exams a year kind of few? For other certifications, some have exams multiple times a month, right?"
"There's no point in complaining about it," I said. "If the organization issuing the certification decided that, then we applicants just have to follow the rules and take the test when it's held..."
Since the bookkeeping exam was still a ways off, Mika and the others didn't seem to have any objections to the policy of no summer activities. Well, aside from the occasional grumble about the lack of exam dates.
"Then, for summer vacation, let's agree that everyone will just study for their certifications on their own... Sound good?"
"Yeah."
"Yes."
"Okay!"
And so, our club's policy for the summer vacation was set.
By the way, our advisor, Hashimoto-sensei—who wasn't here because she was attending a staff meeting—was also in full agreement with this policy. A teacher busy with workshops and study sessions during summer vacation wouldn't want to take on extra work like supervising club activities if she didn't have to.
"Setting that aside, Onii-chan. I understand the plan for the club, but what are we doing for our activities as explorers?"
"Hmm? Oh, right..."
When Mika brought it up, I looked at Yuji and Hiiragi-san to see if they were okay with me sharing. Since they both gave a light nod, I decided to tell Mika and the others our plan.
"For now, we intend to go on several overnight dungeon explorations during the summer break."
"Overnight? Are you going to stay in a hotel like when we went before?"
"No. This time, we plan to eat and sleep inside the dungeon. That's why we've been spending our recent weekends preparing with things like that training camp."
Otherwise, who in their right mind would participate in that kind of tor... training over and over again? With a far-off look in my eyes and the air of a man who had seen too much, I answered Mika’s question.
Upon hearing my words, the four juniors took on anxious expressions.
"...Are you really going to stay overnight inside a dungeon?"
"Yeah. If we only do day trips, we can't delve very deep into the floors because of the time constraints. If we want to reach the deep floors, we inevitably have to stay overnight inside the dungeon. That said, considering the results of our training camp, one night and two days is our limit."
Hearing "one night and two days," the expressions of the four girls seemed to soften slightly, but the shadows of anxiety still remained.
"Isn't that... dangerous?"
"Of course it's dangerous. Being inside a dungeon means it wouldn't be strange to be attacked by monsters at any moment. Even while resting, we need to keep a constant watch. But since we were trained in that regard during the training camp, I don't think it's as dangerous as you all imagine."
Assuming the monsters in the dungeon weren't as merciless as the "attackers" from our training camp, that is. To begin with, if it was the kind of monsters we'd encountered in dungeons so far, we could repel them without injury even if we were resting. After all, those guys don't suppress their presence to approach or aim for the split second when your consciousness wavers...
"..."
"I'd tell you to relax... but I know you won't take that at face value. Still, it's not so dangerous that you need to be excessively worried. Just think of it as wishing for us to come back without any injuries, like usual."
I spoke in as gentle a tone as possible to reassure the four of them. At the same time, I sent a look to Yuji and Hiiragi-san, asking for backup.
"Daiki's right," Yuji said. "While it is certainly dangerous, it's nothing to worry about excessively. Besides, even if we're staying overnight in the dungeon, we're not going to sleep in a place where monsters are wandering around. We'll properly retreat to a safe zone first."
"That's right," Hiiragi-san added. "So while we're happy you're all worried about us, please don't look so anxious. If we see faces like that, it'll make it really hard for us to leave."
"..." "Yes, ma'am..."
Whether it was because of their persuasion or not, the four of them gave clear replies, even if their voices sounded a bit dejected. They probably weren't entirely convinced, but it would be fine.
"Setting that aside, Mika, Saori-chan."
"...What?"
"...Yes?"
"We're planning to dive into the dungeons in August after the supplementary classes are over, so during July, we'll accompany the two of you on your dungeon explorations."
If we dived together a few more times to let them gain experience, Mika and Saori-chan should be able to explore safe dungeons on their own. The two of them had already gained a fair amount of experience through their explorations so far. They'd also been participating seriously in Juzo-san's training, and he’d mentioned their weapon handling was becoming quite respectable.
Additionally, since we wanted to dedicate all of August to dungeon exploration, we wanted to finish our summer supplementary classes and summer assignments within July.
"Wait, really!?"
"Yeah. Though, since we have the supplementary classes, we'll only be diving on the weekends."
"That's fine! Right, Saori-chan!?"
"Y-Yeah! W-We look forward to working with you!"
Hearing that they could go dungeon exploring with us, Mika and Saori-chan's previous dejection vanished instantly, their faces lighting up with joy. Well, if we dived with them, their wallets would certainly get a lot heavier.
Conversely, Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san seemed unable to process Mika and Saori's sudden about-face; they stood there with their mouths agape and stunned expressions. Yeah, if a friend who was just wearing a worried expression suddenly started shouting with joy right next to you, it's only natural to be confused... How should I follow up?
"Um... Tatebayashi-san? Hino-san?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Well, if there's anything you don't understand in your summer assignments, feel free to ask during our club meetings after the supplementary classes. I'll teach you what I can."
"O-Oh... thank you very much."
I felt like that wasn't much of a follow-up... but I'll consider it a success since I at least got their attention back.
After chatting for a while, Hashimoto-sensei, having finished the staff meeting, poked her head into the clubroom, so we explained our summer activity policy to her. She looked a bit hesitant when we mentioned staying overnight in the dungeon, but after we carefully explained that our preparations, including the training camp, were thorough, she eventually accepted it. Her face looked a little stiff, but I'm sure it'll be fine.
The next day, with the closing ceremony behind us, we were finally on summer vacation. That said, since there were supplementary classes, the "real" summer vacation wouldn't start until August. Honestly, I felt like they might as well just hold the closing ceremony at the end of July.
Starting the following week, we spent our weekdays at school attending supplementary classes and working on our summer assignments in the clubroom, while spending the weekends exploring dungeons with Mika and Saori-chan. As expected, the attendance rate for the first- and second-years—especially the second-years—at the supplementary classes was quite poor; it was a state where you were lucky if even ten people per class showed up. I couldn't help but wonder just where the hell the guys skipping supplementary classes were right now. Well, I suppose there were some who aimed to make a living as explorers rather than pursuing further education, so skipping wasn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I'd heard that among the third-years, there were seniors whose career path was already set as explorers after being scouted by corporations. In that case, honing their skills by diving into dungeons was more beneficial for their future than attending supplementary classes. The path was probably more accessible than becoming a professional athlete, but it was a grueling road nonetheless. Good luck to them.
And so, a hectic July came to an end, and August arrived. With the supplementary classes and summer assignments finished, the real summer vacation had begun. Now, it was time for some thrilling, heart-pounding dungeon exploration!