As the sun began to dip below the horizon, we finally arrived home for the first time in two days. It was a relief. When we’d been caught in traffic, I wasn’t sure if we’d make it back before nightfall, but we managed to pull in while there was still a bit of light left.
Stepping out of the car, I stretched my stiff muscles. Unlike the cool country air at Uncle Yamato’s, the atmosphere in this residential area was still heavy with heat. It was a bit discouraging.
"Man, it’s still hot over here..."
"Yeah," Mika agreed. "At Uncle’s place, a fan was enough, but I don't think that’ll cut it here."
"If we try to tough it out, we’ll probably get heatstroke."
Mika and I had our explorer correction, so we were likely fine, but it would be rough on Father and Mother.
While we were standing there discussing the local climate, Mother called out to us.
"You two, the sun’s going down. Don’t just stand around idling—get the luggage inside, quickly."
"Oh, right!" "Coming!"
Mika and I hurried to unload the trunk and carry everything into the house. Having been closed up for a few days, the air inside felt a bit stale and dusty. Mother had already gone in ahead of us and was opening every window she could reach, so it would probably be aired out in no time.
"Father, that’s the last of the bags."
"Thanks. I’m going to pull the car into the garage now, so you and Mika can head in."
"Understood. See you inside."
With the unloading finished, I gave Father a quick nod and headed into the living room. There was no sense in loitering in the driveway. Mika and I gathered the bags we’d left in the entryway and moved them to the center of the room.
"Mother, we’re all done with the luggage."
"Good. Thank you, Daiki, Mika. Daiki, sorry to ask for one more thing, but take the laundry to the washroom. I’ve bundled it all into the large bag; just leave it there in the plastic liner."
"Got it."
"Mika, come help me get dinner ready."
"Okay!"
Following Mother’s instructions, I dropped off the laundry that had accumulated during our trip while Mika joined Mother in the kitchen. Apparently, she had prepped most of the meal before we even left for the countryside, which was why we hadn't stopped to eat on the way home.
By the time I returned to the living room, Father had finished with the garage and was coming inside.
"Father, thanks for driving the whole way."
"Oh, it was nothing."
He waved off my gratitude with a casual tone, though he had to be exhausted after navigating that holiday traffic. As we stood there talking, Mika called out to us while setting the table.
"Dad, Onii-chan, don't just stand there chatting. Take your seats, dinner’s almost ready."
"Right, sorry. We're coming."
"Still, Mika, that was fast. You just started, didn't you?" I asked.
"Tonight’s dinner is easy. The main dish is somen, and the sides are just frozen karaage and some potato salad I made in advance."
That made sense. With somen and frozen food, all you had to do was boil water and hit a few buttons on the microwave. For a second, I thought I caught a look from Mother that seemed to say, Do you have a problem with that? Father and I both silently took our usual seats, telling ourselves it was just our imaginations.
Better to let sleeping dogs lie—no sense in poking the hornet's nest.
"..."
We sat quietly and waited for the final preparations to finish.
Five minutes later, just as the sun vanished completely and darkness swallowed the yard, the food was served. Once Mika and Mother took their seats, we all spoke in unison.
"Let's eat!"
We began slurping our somen. It was simple, but it hit the spot.
"By the way, Father, you have work the day after tomorrow, right?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes. There weren't enough people available to cover the Obon shifts..."
"I see..."
I felt a slight pang of doubt. Usually, for holiday shifts like this, wouldn't they prioritize calling in the single employees? Sensing my unspoken question, Father set his chopsticks down.
"I can tell what you're thinking. For the record, the schedule was split into first-half and second-half shifts this year. Everyone has to take a turn."
"So you just happened to get the first half off?"
"Exactly. Though it only lasts until the day after tomorrow."
I guess that made it fair. As I was processing Father’s explanation, Mika spoke up with a bright smile, still slurping her noodles.
"So you’re free until tomorrow! Hey, Dad, Mom, let's go somewhere!"
"We aren't going anywhere," Mother countered. "We've been away for days, and there's a lot of cleaning and tidying to do."
"Aww, but it's a holiday! Let's go out..."
"If you want to go out that badly, why don't you go with your friends?"
"Everyone’s away visiting family or on trips..." Mika slumped, looking dejected. I suppose it was depressing to be stuck at home while all your friends were off doing interesting things.
However, having her sit next to me sighing and moping was... well, it was hard to ignore.
"...Mika, you want to go see a movie tomorrow?"
"!?...Really?"
"Yeah. I’m pretty much free too."
Yuji and Hiiragi-san were both busy with Obon plans. I couldn't exactly go to a dungeon alone, so I had nothing on my plate. I could have shut myself in my room and used the Drawer Dungeon, but doing that during Obon felt a bit... disrespectful. If the spirits of the dead showed up in my dreams again like they did on New Year’s, I’d never hear the end of it.
"I don't know what's playing, though."
"That’s fine! I’ll look it up later."
"So, the movie's a go?"
"Yes!"
The gloomy clouds over Mika vanished instantly. Father watched us with a warm, smiling expression, while Mother just let out a quiet sigh.
Dinner finished without further incident, and Mika and I retreated to our respective rooms with our bags.
Back in my room, I pulled out the Advance Searcher pamphlet Taiga-niisan had given me.
"Advance Searcher... 'Advancing Explorers,' huh?"
It wasn't a bad name. I scanned the business services. On the surface, they seemed standard. But then I hit the fine print.
"The company shall not be held liable for any injuries sustained during the execution of contracted tasks."
Since explorer insurance was still in its infancy, that was somewhat expected, but it felt cold. Most reputable places would at least offer a small sympathy payment or some level of support.
I continued reading, my unease growing.
"They have almost no management record listed... because they're new, I guess?"
The profession had existed for less than a year, so a short track record was understandable. But the results they did list looked suspicious. They were all delivery requests that looked identical to the ones mediated by the Dungeon Association. It was true that many companies needed the same types of materials, so some overlap was normal.
But there were far too few mid-tier results, like minotaur meat.
"They wouldn't be taking the requests themselves, fulfilling them, and then listing them as company achievements to pad their resume, would they?"
Once that thought took root, the whole company started looking incredibly shady.
Could a company like this actually assign appropriate tasks to the parties they managed? If my suspicion was right, the explorers running the show were mid-tier at best. If the people making the assignments lacked experience and data, it was a recipe for disaster.
The worst-case scenario: a total mismatch between the party's level and the request's difficulty.
"Giving a high-level party a low-level task is one thing, but if they send a low-level party into a high-difficulty zone..."
It would lead to injuries, or worse, fatalities.
There was no way I wanted Taiga-niisan involved with a company this suspect.
"I’m sure there are decent management companies out there, but this place... this place is bad news."
I scratched my head and booted up my computer to check their website. The content was nearly identical to the pamphlet, just with a few more low-level delivery items added. You could interpret it as them being thorough with small-scale requests, but to me, it felt like filler.
I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling.
"On the surface, they seem to focus on requests from small-to-mid-sized individual businesses..."
In a few years, laws would catch up and push out the predatory actors. But in the meantime, how many explorers would be chewed up and spat out by these middle-men?
It was a problem I couldn't solve on a large scale, which made me sigh in frustration. The only thing I could do was try to convince Taiga-niisan and his friends to stay away from this specific contract.
"Taiga-niisan seemed like he was already leaning toward quitting, but his friends are the real hurdle."
They were likely at that stage where they were making good money for the first time and felt invincible. If I just told them to quit without proof, they’d never listen. Taiga-niisan’s decision to go to university would be the catalyst, so I needed to gather enough evidence to show him—and his party—why this company was a risk. After all, I was an outsider to their group.
Ultimately, the party had to decide its own fate. If they didn't talk it out now, they’d spend the rest of their lives wondering what if.
"Alright, let's start digging."
I slapped my cheeks to focus and turned back to the screen.
I also figured I’d stop by the Dungeon Association while I was out for the movie tomorrow. If Advance Searcher had been causing trouble, the Association would have a record of it.
I was deep into a search when a knock sounded at my door.
"Onii-chan, can I come in?"
"Hmm? Yeah, Mika, come in."
"Excuse me—Wait, were you actually studying?" she asked, her eyes widening as she saw me at the desk. I suppose it was a shock to see me hunched over my desk with such intensity immediately after getting back from our trip.
I took a breath and turned to face her.
"So, about the movie..."
"Oh, did you find one?"
"Yeah. It's a foreign action movie that's getting a lot of buzz because they cast a bunch of actual explorers."
"An action movie starring explorers?"
I had a bad feeling about that.
"The big draw is that there's no CG and no stuntmen," she added.
"Well... I guess there wouldn't be."
"The plot is supposed to be pretty generic, but the action is apparently incredible. The reviews are actually quite good."
"I wonder if the director just let the actors loose?"
It sounded like one of those B-movies that tried to compensate for a weak script with pure spectacle. Still, it sounded better than a sappy romance.
"Fine, let’s go see that."
"Yes!"
Mika beamed. I made a mental note to make sure she paid for her own ticket—she was an explorer now; she had the money.
"Also, after the movie, I need to stop somewhere. Is that okay?"
"Where?"
"The Dungeon Association branch. There's something I need to look into. It won't take long."
"Hmm... well, if it's quick, that's fine."
"Thanks."
With that, our plans were set.
An action movie featuring real explorers... wait, wasn't that just a "supernatural battle" film at that point?