The day after we’d enjoyed the minotaur meat barbecue, we were busy loading our luggage into the car to leave my mother’s family home. Since we didn't have much to carry, the task mostly fell to my father and me.
Mother and Mika were busy saying their goodbyes to my aunt’s family and my grandparents.
"Miharu, next time you come, make sure you stay a little longer," Aunt Miku said.
"I will, sister. Next time, I’ll make sure to clear a more relaxed schedule."
"Honestly, the day just flew by," Grandmother added.
"It really did, Mother," my mother agreed, reluctant to part from Aunt Miku and Grandmother so soon.
I felt the same way. Next time, I wanted us to have at least two or three days to spend here.
"Bye, Fumika-neesan! Good luck with university!" Mika called out.
"Thanks, Mika-chan. Everything you and Daiki-kun told me was incredibly helpful."
"Don't just say yes easily even if your friends invite you, okay?"
"Right. I’ll make sure to give my answer only after talking it over thoroughly with the person who invited me."
Mika still looked a little worried as she cautioned Fumika to think carefully before becoming an explorer. Fumika nodded firmly, looking as if she were saying "of course" to herself. I hoped the stories of our experiences would steer Fumika’s decision in the right direction... I just hoped the delicious marbled minotaur meat hadn't distracted her too much.
Despite the determined look in Fumika's eyes, I couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of concern.
"Daiki. I won't oppose what you've decided for yourself, but don't push yourself too hard. Stay safe and work hard," Grandfather said, approaching me after I finished loading the car.
His voice was tinged with concern. He wasn't against me being an explorer, but he couldn't stop worrying about the risks. If Mika or I had ever come home with a serious injury, I had no doubt that Grandfather would have dropped his permissive attitude and opposed us vehemently.
"Daisuke-kun. Next time you're here, let's have a proper drink and talk—about everything," Uncle Masaru said to my father.
"You're right, Masaru-niisan. We had to rush around this time, so I had to stay sober. If the day after our next visit is a holiday, we can drink all night long."
"Haha, that's a promise. I'm looking forward to it."
"Me too."
The two men exchanged smiles. Alcohol, huh... I wondered if that ever dropped in dungeons? I thought back to the grassland area that stretched beyond the 30th floor and wondered if plant-based monsters might have a chance of dropping something like that.
"Well then, we'll definitely stay longer next time."
"We'll come to see you again for New Year's."
"Thank you for having us."
"Stay healthy, everyone!"
"Take care!"
With the well-wishes of my uncle’s family and my grandparents following us, we departed from my mother’s childhood home.
Next stop was my father’s family home.
We left my mother’s family home and drove for a few hours, taking a few breaks along the way. We reached the vicinity of my father’s family home a little after noon. Since it was past lunchtime, we decided to eat before showing our faces. Showing up at a random hour would just be a nuisance.
We decided to stop at a national family restaurant chain that caught our eye. Since we weren't familiar with the local spots, a chain restaurant where the quality was consistent felt like the safest bet.
"Hey, Dad? Since this is your hometown, don't you know any good places?" Mika asked.
"Well, it's been a long time since I left. I know some of my old favorites, but most of them are right near the house."
"I see. Then it can't be helped."
My father and Mika chatted while he parked the car. I understood Mika's desire to taste the local flavors since we’d come all this way, but asking someone who had been away from the area for so long was a bit much.
We stepped into the restaurant.
"It's pretty crowded. I guess that's the Obon effect," I remarked.
"It is," Mother agreed.
As we stood at the entrance checking the crowd, a clerk rushed over and guided us to an empty table. It looked like we wouldn’t have to wait in line to get fed. We opened the menus the clerk left behind and started discussing what to order.
"The place is busy, so why don't we all just go with the daily special? It’ll probably come out the fastest," Father suggested.
"Good idea. Anything too complicated might take a while," Mother agreed.
"What? The daily special!? Let's order something better!" Mika complained.
While the parents pushed for speed and Mika agonized over the variety of choices, my eyes landed on the Obon limited-time recommended menu.
"An 'Orc and Minotaur Meat Fair,' huh."
"What’s that? Did you find something good?" Mika asked, peeking over my shoulder.
I let out a small sigh and tilted the menu so she could see it.
"Whoa, so expensive! Over three thousand yen for a single item at a family restaurant?"
"Still, considering the cost of the ingredients, it's not exactly a total ripoff," I noted.
"But at this price, you can't just order it on a whim..."
I nodded. I agreed with her—three thousand yen for a casual meal was steep. Since the regular daily special was only five hundred yen, most customers probably didn't even consider the limited menu.
The fair featured items like orc meat ginger pork sets, orc meat sweet and sour pork sets, minotaur meat beef bowl sets, and minotaur meat hamburger steak sets... almost all of them averaged over two thousand yen.
"Daiki, Mika. What are you looking at?"
"The Obon limited menu. Want to see? They're really swinging for the fences with these premium prices."
I handed the menu to Father.
"...That is quite a price tag."
"Yeah. But like I told Mika, if you think about the wholesale cost of the meat, it’s not actually that crazy."
"...I see."
Father looked at the menu, and Mother, peeking from the side, kept glancing at my face with a complicated expression. They were definitely thinking about the minotaur meat barbecue we’d had yesterday. If we had eaten that amount of meat at a restaurant, the bill would have easily cleared ten thousand yen.
"So, what's the plan? Is everyone going with the daily special?"
"I suppose... Mika?"
"Hmm, okay. But can I order this on the side?" Mika asked, pointing to the cheese-baked colorful vegetables.
That seemed fine. The order was set: daily specials for everyone and one shared plate of cheese-baked vegetables. Funnily enough, the total for our entire table was still less than a single order of the most expensive limited-time item. Those things were seriously overpriced.
After a short wait, the clerk brought our food.
"Thank you for waiting. Here are your orders."
The daily specials were placed in front of us, and Mika's baked dish was set in the center of the table. It arrived faster than I expected. After we’d spent a few minutes eating in silence, Father spoke up.
"Still, for dungeon food to be available at a regular place like this, it’s really gone mainstream, hasn't it?"
"It has... though it’s not exactly at a price point where you can eat it casually," Mother replied.
Mika and I kept eating in silence, feeling a slight sense of awkwardness. Sorry, but we eat that stuff—monster meat—pretty regularly.
After our slightly quiet meal, we left the restaurant and drove toward my father's childhood home.
Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the house on the outskirts of town. My father's family had been farmers for generations, and their home was a traditional, single-story Japanese building. We parked in the yard, and Father called out as soon as he stepped out of the car.
"I'm home! Dad, Mom, are you here?"
His voice echoed through the quiet surroundings. After a moment, a man in work clothes appeared from a shed at the back of the property.
"Who is it?"
"I'm home, Dad. It's Daisuke. I told you I'd be back today, didn't I?"
"Oh, Daisuke! Good to see you!"
Recognizing my father, the man approached with a joyful air. This was my grandfather, Daikichi Kokonoe. His gait was firm and steady, showing no signs of his age—no doubt thanks to a lifetime of farm work.
"Miharu-san, Mika-chan, Daiki. Good to see you all."
"It's been a long time, Father-in-law."
"Grandpa, it's been a while!"
"Thank you for having us."
After greeting Grandfather Daikichi, we followed him inside. In the living room, my grandmother and aunt were drinking tea while watching TV.
"I'm home, Mother, Maho-san."
"Hmm? Oh, Daisuke. Welcome back," Grandmother said in a relaxed tone.
"Eh? Ah, Daisuke-san! I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you were here!" Aunt Maho exclaimed, looking a bit flustered.
That was Grandmother Kana Kokonoe and my aunt, Maho Kokonoe. Their reactions to our arrival were quite the contrast.
"It's been a long time, Mother-in-law, Maho-san."
"Long time no see."
"Thanks for having us."
We exchanged greetings, and Mother handed the minotaur meat souvenir to Aunt Maho.
"I'm so sorry, you didn't have to bring such a nice gift..."
"No, no, we're the ones imposing on you, so it's the least we could do. Besides, Daiki was the one who prepared this."
"Daiki-kun did?" Aunt Maho’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at me.
She seemed genuinely shocked that I’d provided the souvenir... but I wondered if this was Mother’s way of providing us with cover? Just in case the true value of the meat was ever discovered, we’d have an excuse ready.
"Yes. I go to the dungeons with some friends, and this is some meat I got while I was there. It's frozen, so just thaw it out when you're ready to eat it."
"Thank you, Daiki-kun."
"It's nothing. I just happened to get lucky with something rare and wanted to share the bounty."
Aunt Maho bowed her head slightly in thanks. By the way, that meat really was rare—an ultra-low drop rate item.
"Come to think of it, Daiki-kun, you mentioned going to the dungeon. Are you working as an explorer?" Aunt Maho asked as she returned from the kitchen after putting the meat in the freezer, handing out cold barley tea.
I guess having a relative who was an explorer was still a major talking point.
"Yeah. It started when a friend invited me, but I've been an explorer since the end of last year. Mika’s been doing it with her friends since she started high school, too."
"I see... I suppose many kids your age are becoming explorers these days."
Aunt Maho let out a heavy sigh and rested her cheek on her hand. It was the kind of sigh that suggested some hope of hers had just been dashed.
"Um... did something happen?"
"...Daiki-kun, do you know that there's a dungeon nearby that’s been designated for general opening?"
"Oh, yes. When I checked the Dungeon Association's website, I saw that the one near here was on the list."
"Good, that makes this easier to explain....Well, because there's a general opening dungeon so close by, my son has started working as an explorer with his school friends."
"Taiga-niisan too?"
Taiga Kokonoe was Aunt Maho’s son. He was a year older than me and currently a third-year in high school. Since we hadn't seen him during New Year’s, it had been a full year since I’d seen him. What could have happened with Taiga-niisan to make Aunt Maho so despondent?
"Yes, and he’s completely obsessed. Recently—ever since he became an explorer, really—he's been going to the dungeon every single day after school, and he’s there every weekend too."
"Wait, uh..."
"And now, because things are going well for him, he’s started saying he won’t go to university and wants to be a full-time explorer instead... Sigh."
"..."
Mika, my parents, and I all froze, our expressions twitching. This was a completely unexpected development. While Fumika-neesan was agonizing over whether to become an explorer to help her career, Taiga-niisan had decided to throw everything away to be an explorer full-time...!?
Choices certainly vary from person to person, but I really didn't appreciate being hit with two opposite extremes in such a short period of time.