The two MCs shifted from the center of the stage to the wings, signaling that preparations for the first demonstration were complete.
"Now then, everyone, please give a warm round of applause! Our first performer today is from Kawaguchi Exploration Industries! Take it away!"
Applause erupted at the MCs' signal. To the rhythm of upbeat music, a shirtless young man in shorts stepped out from the wings. He wasn't particularly muscular like a bodybuilder, nor did he possess the wiry, chiseled look of a lean athlete. He was a small, slender youth who looked like he might engage in light exercise at most.
...Wait, what exactly is he planning to show off? It certainly isn’t his physique.
"Welcome, everyone! I’m Hashiba, an explorer with Kawaguchi Exploration Industries! Our company supplies restaurants with the high-quality products our explorers harvest from the dungeons. If you’d like to know more about what we do, please stop by our corporate booth later. Now then, please enjoy our appeal demonstration. Since we’re the first ones up, we’ve prepared something simple and impactful!"
Speaking into a headset microphone, Hashiba greeted the crowd while ramping up their expectations. He had a point—starting off with a complex, technical presentation would have killed the mood. Focusing on something easy to understand was a smart way to warm up the room.
After a slight bow to the audience, Hashiba beckoned toward the wings.
"Let's begin the demonstration. First up is this!"
Staff members wheeled out a dolly carrying a large rice bale woven from straw.
"The feat we’re going to show you today is weightlifting! People often say explorers are incredibly strong, but few people have actually seen that strength in person. I’d like to show you exactly how much weight an explorer can handle!"
Excited whispers and curious murmurs rippled through the audience. I had to admit, it was a clever way to hype the crowd. Watching a slender, small young man perform a feat of strength was a visual testament to the power one gained after becoming an explorer.
Though, strictly speaking, wouldn't a slender female explorer have been even more effective for the visual contrast?
"This rice bale weighs exactly sixty kilograms. To start, I’ll give it a lift!"
It looked at least a size larger than the ones typically seen as prizes on variety shows.
Having finished his introduction, Hashiba approached the dolly and casually gripped one of the bale's knots with his right hand.
"Here we go... hup!"
"What?!"
"Whoa!"
With a short grunt, Hashiba hoisted the bale with one hand in a single, fluid motion. Gasps of shock and admiration broke out across the venue. The audience had expected him to lift it, but they certainly hadn't expected him to do it with one hand—and as effortlessly as if he were holding a balloon.
Hashiba began using the bale like a dumbbell, performing curls and extensions as if it were a light weight.
"How’s that? Once you become an explorer, you can handle heavy loads like this with ease!"
"That's incredible..."
"He’s tossing that bale around like it’s nothing..."
"Wait, is that thing actually full?"
"Yeah, looks a bit suspicious to me."
Amidst the impressed murmurs, a few skeptical voices began to surface. It was a natural reaction, I suppose.
Hashiba, seemingly anticipating this, set the bale back onto the dolly and scanned the crowd with a knowing smile.
"It’s only natural to have doubts. So, would anyone like to come up and try lifting this for themselves? Ah, but I must ask those with an Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures to please refrain."
Hashiba called for a volunteer to verify the bale’s weight. It was a standard but effective move. He clearly wanted to highlight the massive physical gap between an explorer and ordinary people.
Hands shot up across the audience after a brief moment of hesitation.
"So many volunteers! Thank you. You there, the gentleman in the front, please come up on stage."
"Alright!"
The man Hashiba selected was quite large. He looked like he took pride in his strength, probably someone who played sports or hit the gym regularly. He climbed onto the stage with plenty of bravado and stepped up to the bale.
"Whenever you’re ready. Please lift it slowly so you don’t strain your back. And don't push yourself too hard."
"Haha, this'll be a breeze... Hah!"
Ignoring Hashiba’s warning entirely, the man dropped his hips, grabbed the knots on both sides of the bale, and hoisted it to chest height with a roar of effort.
He really didn't listen to a word the guy said.
"Oooooh!"
The crowd cheered as the man successfully lifted the bale, but his expression immediately contorted in pain. He slammed the bale back down almost instantly....Wait, did he just throw out his back?
Hashiba noticed the change as well and leaned in, whispering with a worried look.
"...Are you okay?"
"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine. This thing is the real deal. It’s packed solid."
"Oh, uh, yes. It is."
"Sorry for doubting you. Good luck with the rest..."
With that, the man hobbled off toward the wings with agonizingly slow steps, accompanied by two staff members. An awkward, heavy silence settled over the stage, leaving Hashiba looking somewhat sheepish and at a loss.
That’s why the guy told him to lift it slowly.
The atmosphere was a bit strained after the mishap, but thanks to some quick recovery work by the MCs, Hashiba managed to get the demonstration back on track. Fortunately—or unfortunately—the man’s "sacrifice" had proven beyond a doubt that the weights were real. No one questioned the authenticity of what came next.
After watching a tragedy like that play out, nobody was going to call the guy a shill.
"And for our finale, please bring it out!"
The final item was a massive cruiser motorcycle, a two-seater with an engine clearly over 1,000cc.
Yeah, that thing was a beast.
"Finally, we have this bike. It weighs approximately four hundred kilograms."
"No way. Is he seriously going to lift that?"
"That’s impossible..."
"Even a mid-sized bike is hard enough to pick up if it falls, but actually lifting it?"
Anxious mutters spread through the crowd. They had seen him lift plenty of things by now, but this felt like a bridge too far. Even some students in the crowd who held an Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures looked skeptical. It made sense; for a rookie explorer who hadn't been active for long, their level-up modifier wouldn't be high enough to handle that kind of weight yet.
As the crowd buzzed with unease, Hashiba’s expression grew serious. He steeled himself, stood beside the bike, and took a deep breath.
"Here... I... go! Hah!"
With a thunderous shout, Hashiba threw his entire body into the lift, wrapping his arms around the frame.
The massive bike was clearly a different beast; it didn't budge at first. Hashiba refused to give up, his face turning a deep shade of crimson as he strained against the weight. Seeing his struggle, the audience naturally began to react.
"Gnuuuuuuuu!"
"Go for it! You can do it!"
"You've got this! Don't give up!"
"It moved! It moved! Just a little more!"
"Careful, though! Don't hurt yourself!"
The spectators around the stage broke into a spontaneous, collective cheer.
Bolstered by the support, Hashiba arched his back with a desperate burst of strength. The tires cleared the ground, if only by a few inches.
"Oryaaaaah!"
"Whoa! It’s up!"
The moment he heard the crowd's roar of confirmation, Hashiba lowered the bike back to the pavement. He leaned against the seat, gasping for air, and thrust his right fist toward the sky... letting out a triumphant roar.
"Shaaaaaaaa!"
"Uwoooooh!"
"That was amazing!"
"Way to go!"
The audience erupted in a standing ovation, echoing Hashiba’s raw emotion. He had successfully performed a feat that seemed impossible. Many in the crowd looked at the exhausted, sweat-drenched Hashiba with genuine respect.
After taking a moment to catch his breath, Hashiba sat on a folding chair provided by the staff and began his closing remarks.
"S-So... how was that, everyone? Did you enjoy the show?"
"Yeah, it was incredible!"
"That was so cool!"
The crowd was clearly satisfied, showering him with praise for his "all-out" effort.
"Hahaha, thank you. That concludes the demonstration for Kawaguchi Exploration Industries. We have a booth in the corporate area, so please stop by if you have the time. I couldn't get into the specifics here, but we’d love to tell you more about our company’s work. I’m Hashiba, and it was an honor to be your opening act!"
Still seated, he gave a small bow. Then, with a staff member supporting his shoulder, he vanished into the wings to the sound of lingering applause. As a corporate pitch, it might have been light on details, but Hashiba’s performance had left a massive impression. I wouldn't be surprised if plenty of people sought out their booth afterward. Being the first act, maybe their strategy was simply to be the most memorable.
Well, if the opener was that good, I had high hopes for the rest.
Once the final demonstration concluded, the two MCs returned to center stage. The event had lasted about an hour, and it had been surprisingly compelling.
"Alright, thank you very much! And that brings us to the end of our appeal demonstrations!"
"It certainly does! Every company brought their A-game with such creative performances!"
"They really showed us things only an explorer could do!"
Just as the MCs said, the event had been full of highlights. It started with Hashiba’s weightlifting, moved into standard mock combat, an oddly entertaining rhythmic gymnastics routine by a group of explorers, and even a "unique" one where a staff member in a suit gave a very serious corporate presentation using a projector. Though, the fact that a "serious presentation" was considered the weird one said a lot about this industry.
Regardless, it had been an entertaining stage event.
"It’s time for us to part ways, but this concludes our afternoon stage program. We’ll be holding another event this evening, so if you missed anything or want to see it all again, please come back then! Thank you all for coming!"
"Every company that participated today has a booth in the hall, so if any caught your eye, please go pay them a visit!"
Thank you very much!
The MCs bowed deeply, and the stage lights dimmed as the event officially ended. I’d started watching out of curiosity, but it had turned out to be quite a bit of fun.
As the crowd began to disperse, I turned to Mika and the others.
"Should we head back to the food court? We’ve been standing the whole time, so you guys must be wiped. Let’s grab some drinks and take a breather."
"Good idea. Shall we go, everyone?" Mika asked.
"Sure... but do you think we can find a seat?" Saori wondered.
"True. It looks like everyone else had the same idea," Hino added.
"Well, I’m parched... let’s at least give it a shot," Tatebayashi suggested.
And so, we began the trek back to the dining area. With the massive wave of people leaving the stage at the same time, though, I had my doubts about whether we’d actually find an empty table.