Having secured Juzo-san’s cooperation through an unexpected stroke of luck, we decided to set the matter of the dedicated training ground aside for a moment and discuss how to spend the rest of our summer vacation. There was less than a week left. It was worth considering that it wouldn't be ideal if my only memories of my second year of high school were of being perpetually immersed in dungeon exploration.
After quenching my thirst with some tea, I let out a slow breath to collect myself before speaking up.
"Now that we’ve found a lead for the Dedicated Training Ground Construction Plan, why don't we digress a bit and talk about what to do with the time we have left? It would be pretty depressing if our only summer memories were of nothing but dungeon diving."
"Hmm, yeah, you've got a point. 'The summer of my second year was a blur of blood, sweat, and the stench of dust,' huh? It sounds more like a soldier’s war journal than a student's diary."
"Haha, that’s a joke that hits a little too close to home," Hiiragi-san added. "I mean, technically, being in a dungeon is like wandering through a battlefield... but it really is a problem if those are our only summer memories."
"..."
We exchanged wry smiles before averting our eyes almost simultaneously. We were all painfully self-aware—as far as high school summer memories went, ours were a bit too grim.
However, even if we wanted to make some fun memories, we were running out of time. An overnight trip taking several days to Okinawa or Hokkaido would be difficult to pull off—not because of the money, but because of the preparation time. In that case...
"Well, considering how many days we have left, wouldn't it be more realistic to go to a nearby leisure facility or something?" I proposed while keeping my eyes averted, gauging their reactions.
Of course, the mountains or the sea were summer staples, but as for the mountains... well, I felt like we’d seen enough of those for a lifetime. And the sea... once Obon was over, you had to worry about jellyfish. That left leisure facilities like amusement parks as the safest bet.
"Hmm, I guess so. But wouldn't those kinds of places be packed this time of year?" Yuji asked.
"Well, that’s true," Hiiragi-san replied. "It might be crowded with people who, like us, want to enjoy the very last days of vacation. But if we start worrying about crowds now, we won't be able to go anywhere, will we?"
Yuji had a point, but as Hiiragi-san said, if we let the crowds stop us, we’d be stuck at home. Still, I really didn't want to wait in line for hours for a single attraction. That meant we needed to find somewhere relatively uncrowded... but did such a convenient spot exist? We tilted our heads, racking our brains for a place where we could have a unique experience worthy of a summer memory.
The conclusion we reached was simple.
"Let’s all get together and have a barbecue."
"Yeah. For all that agonizing, we ended up with something incredibly cliché," Yuji noted.
"No, no, I really had to squeeze that one out, okay? It would be great if there were fireworks or summer festivals, but there aren't any scheduled nearby for the next few days..."
"Well, that’s fair."
Yuji nodded with a bitter smile at my defensive tone. Honestly, once you actually started looking for something to do, nothing came to mind. In the end, we decided to just get everyone together to eat, drink, and hang out, almost like a wrap party for the summer.
Since time was short, it was probably better to do something low-key than to stress ourselves out with elaborate preparations.
"So, Kokonoe-kun, you said everyone... who exactly are you planning to invite?"
"Well... I’m definitely inviting Mika and Saori-chan, but I'm thinking we should invite Tatebayashi-san and her group too. We could just make it a club event."
"A club event, huh? Come to think of it, Daiki, you took Tatebayashi-san and the others to that corporate event, didn't you?"
"Yeah. They both seemed like they were doing well. They seemed genuinely interested in the life of an explorer—or the dungeon itself—and they really seemed to enjoy the dungeon food."
Based on how they looked at the end of that day, I had a feeling they might announce they wanted to become explorers themselves. If that was the conclusion they reached after thinking it through, I intended to mentor them so they wouldn't do anything reckless and get hurt. This was as good an opportunity as any to hear what they were thinking.
"I see. In that case, let's invite them."
"I agree," Hiiragi-san said. "We haven't seen them since July, and it's important to maintain a connection with our fellow club members."
"Then let's start by checking their availability. What day works?"
Even if I was just checking their schedules, we needed a tentative date.
"Let's see... the last day of summer vacation is probably pushing it. If we're doing it, shouldn't it be the day before that at the latest?"
"That means the 30th or earlier, right?" Hiiragi-san calculated. "Preparing the ingredients and equipment today or tomorrow would be a bit much... so maybe two days from now?"
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
And so, it was settled: two days from now, we would have a barbecue to foster some club camaraderie before the summer ended. The details, like the location and time, were still up in the air, but I sent emails to the four of them immediately to see if they could make it. I needed to confirm their intent as soon as possible.
"Sent. Now, what about the location?"
"Wouldn't a barbecue area at a local park be fine? It'll be a pain if we have to go too far," Yuji suggested.
"Yes, and it would be easier if it's a place that rents out equipment," Hiiragi-san added. "Since we don't have a car, it's better if we only have to carry the food."
"Good point. Let's look it up."
I hopped online to search for nearby parks with rental gear. I quickly found a place that provided a full set of barbecue tools for about 3,000 yen.
"Found one. How about this place?"
"Let me see. Ah, yeah, that looks good. It's close enough that we could even go by bike."
"You're right. There’s a bus stop nearby too, so transportation shouldn't be an issue. Oh, and look, there's a supermarket right near the park entrance."
It seemed to be the perfect spot. With facilities like that, we could practically show up empty-handed.
"Then this is the place. What time should we meet? And should we meet there or go together?"
"Considering the prep and travel, how about 10:00 AM?" Yuji suggested. "No point in getting there too early."
"I think that’s a good time," Hiiragi-san agreed. "And instead of meeting on-site, let's all gather first and take the bus together. The travel time is a good chance to catch up."
She had a point. If it were just us, we’d go by bike and cut the travel time down significantly, but Tatebayashi-san and the others weren't explorers; they wouldn't be able to keep up with our pace. Taking the bus would be less flexible, but it allowed for conversation. If the goal was social interaction, this was the way to go.
"Makes sense. So, this park, 10:00 AM. Everyone okay with that?"
"Works for me."
"Me too."
With the logistics settled, replies to the emails I sent Mika and the others started coming in.
"It's from Mika and Saori-chan. They're both in. Huh? A participation fee?"
Since they’d asked about the cost, I looked up at Yuji and Hiiragi-san.
"They’re asking how much the fee is. What do you think?"
"A fee, huh? Honestly, for this amount, we could probably just cover it since we're the ones inviting them..."
"No, don't do that," Hiiragi-san interrupted. "If this is a club event, letting the seniors pay for everything will just make the juniors feel constrained and uncomfortable."
Since the cost was pocket change compared to what we earned as explorers, Yuji and I had been ready to just tank the bill, but Hiiragi-san’s warning made sense. Always being the recipient of charity could be awkward.
"Then how about we have Mika and the others chip in 1,000 yen each, and we'll cover the rest? If they think of it as just paying for the equipment rental, they won't feel so bad."
"That sounds like a good compromise. We'll handle the food and the main costs..."
"And I'll bring something from home," Hiiragi-san offered.
With the fee decided, I replied to Mika and the others. Mika’s response came almost instantly. She was with Saori-chan, and both of them were officially in.
"Mika and Saori-chan are confirmed."
"Good. Now we just need to hear back from Tatebayashi-san and her friend."
"I'm sure they'll reply by the end of the day."
It was a spontaneous plan, but it was shaping up to be a nice way to end the summer. Our discussion had carried on quite a bit, and before I knew it, it was lunch time. Hiiragi-san and I were about to excuse ourselves and head home.
But just as we were about to stand, we both sensed someone outside the room and sat back down.
"Hm? Ah, forgive me. It seems I've timed my return poorly."
Juzo-san, who had left earlier, walked back in with a noticeably lighter step. Seeing that we were about to leave, he gave a small, apologetic bow.
"Oh, don't worry about it. Is something up, Juzo-san?"
"Regarding our earlier conversation, I went ahead and put in a word with a realtor I know."
"Oh, thank you very much."
"Thanks, Old Man."
"Thank you."
He’d moved surprisingly fast. And judging by that spring in his step...
"So, I checked with them, and it turns out there's a property that matches your criteria. Of course, I can't say for certain until you see the actual place for yourselves."
"Oh!"
We couldn't help but let out a collective exclamation. I hadn't expected to find a candidate property this quickly. I’d seen the Dedicated Training Ground Construction Plan as a mid-to-long-term project for a year or two down the line. I’d assumed no realtor would take us seriously until we were at least out of high school, regardless of how much cash we had.
To find a potential site on the very first day... it was a stark reminder of how much connections mattered.
"From what I've heard, the location isn't too far, either. Though I imagine you'll need a car to get there."
"As long as it doesn't require taking the highway, it's fine. We can probably cover the distance by bicycle," I said.
"By bicycle, you say? Well, if you say it's fine, then I suppose it's fine."
"Yeah, it’s an explorer thing."
Juzo-san gave me a slightly skeptical look, but he eventually nodded to himself. Most people would have that reaction if someone said they’d bike a distance usually reserved for cars. Since Juzo-san was well aware of our physical capabilities, he didn't press the issue.
"In any case," Juzo-san continued, "I told them we wanted to decide after a site visit, so they're putting together some materials for a preview right now."
"Materials?"
"Yes. Even if you just call it a 'mountain,' there's a lot to consider during a preview. Especially in the mountains, property boundaries can be quite ambiguous. If you don't have a clear grasp of exactly where your land ends, you can apparently get dragged into some very annoying trouble."
"Apparently?"
"Fortunately or unfortunately, I've never been caught up in that sort of mess myself. It's just what I've heard from others."
"I see..."
I’d seen that on TV—people being asked where their land ended and giving vague answers like "everything you can see." I suppose it really was that difficult to track. But for a legal sale, accuracy was a must. I realized then that buying forest land was going to be more complicated than I thought.
"So, once the materials are ready, I'd like you all to go and take a look... are your schedules free?"
"About that... Old Man, how soon can you get those materials?" Yuji asked.
"They said they already have some basic survey data, so I should have it by tomorrow at the earliest."
"Tomorrow... we should probably try to go during summer vacation, right?"
"Well, whether you buy it or not, it's better to give them an answer quickly. If it's not to your liking, I'll have to have them look for something else."
Yuji glanced at me and Hiiragi-san, thinking for a moment before answering.
"How about three days from now, on the 30th? The day after tomorrow is the club BBQ, and I want to save the last day of vacation for getting ready for the opening ceremony."
"The 30th, then. That should be fine. Yuji, I'll hand the materials to you when they arrive, so make sure you map out the route properly."
"Of course. Thanks for pulling those strings, Old Man."
"It was no great trouble. Well then, Kokonoe boy, Hiiragi girl."
"Thank you for everything, Juzo-san."
"Thank you!"
Having finished his business, Juzo-san waved a hand dismissively at our thanks and departed.
Phew. It looked like the end of summer vacation was going to be anything but idle. It was going to be a hectic race to the finish.