After finishing lunch at a Western-style restaurant near the office that Kiritani-san had recommended, we sat back and discussed our plans over the coffee that came with our sets. I hadn’t been able to speak my mind freely in front of Kiritani-san and the others, so this was our first real chance to debrief.
"So, what did you two think? Any impressions now that we’ve actually seen one?"
"Let's see," Yuji said. "I think the place itself was better than I expected, even if it didn't technically meet our requirements."
"I agree," Hiiragi-san added. "If we were looking for a place for recreational use, it would have been perfect."
"I felt the same way. It’s just... as a training ground, it was a bit too nice."
We all reached the same conclusion: while the mountain didn't fit our needs, it was a high-quality property. Since it had originally been used for timber, it was well-maintained and would have been ideal for leisure activities. But for us, seeking a training ground, a place that was too well-kept was actually a drawback.
With the first mountain settled, our conversation shifted to the second property.
"The first one seemed decent, but do you think the second one will be any better?" I asked.
"Well, the fact that it's a former mine is a bit of a hang-up," Yuji noted. "Still, depending on how far that first mountain actually is from the waste site, it might be worth reconsidering."
"True," Hiiragi-san said. "They say it's fine now, but what if we buy it and then an earthquake or something causes mine-polluted water to leak into the groundwater? If the downstream area gets contaminated, we wouldn’t be able to take responsibility for that. It might be fine for the first few years, but if we’re going to own it for ten or twenty years, we have to consider those long-term risks."
"..."
Buying a mountain isn't like buying a plot in a residential area; it’s not something you can just flip the moment you want to sell. If we were going to commit, we had to be careful, or we’d end up regretting it for a lifetime. The mountain we were about to see was a former mine, which was why it had sat on the market for years. Unless a mountain has some incredible added value, you have to assume that once you buy it, you're stuck with it forever.
Furthermore, the criteria we were looking for—wild, neglected, and dangerous—were the exact opposite of what normal buyers wanted. Even if the price was dirt cheap, resale would be nearly impossible. There simply wouldn't be any demand.
"Considering all that, maybe leasing would be better than buying... like renting the land for an annual fee," I suggested.
"That’s an idea," Yuji agreed. "I’d been assuming we’d have to purchase, but given our criteria, we’re looking at properties with zero resale value. Since we aren't planning to build a resort, leasing might actually be the smarter move."
"You're right... but I wonder if you can even lease a mountain?" Hiiragi-san asked.
Now that we were actually looking at the realities of the market, I was starting to feel some hesitation about buying. It wasn't that the price was outside our budget, but the idea of being legally tied to the land indefinitely was a bit daunting.
"...Let's try asking Kiritani-san if that’s an option," I said.
"Yeah. Better to get an expert's opinion than just sitting here worrying as amateurs."
"True. And even if it's not possible, if we loosen our requirements a bit, I'm sure we can find something better... probably," Hiiragi-san said.
Even if leasing was a no-go, a few tweaks to our search parameters would likely turn up more options. After all, our current wishlist was essentially a catalog of "undesirable" traits.
"All right. We still haven't seen the second site, though, so let's wait until after the inspection to bring up the leasing idea."
"Agreed. Yuta-san is about to guide us there now anyway," Yuji said.
"Right."
"Sigh..."
We let out a collective sigh at the prospect of making yet another troublesome request, then finished what was left of our coffee. They’d told us to speak up if we had concerns, but it’s never easy to ask for something difficult.
Checking the clock on the wall, I saw it was ten minutes before our meeting time. We hurriedly paid the bill and left. We couldn't afford to be late when Yuta-san was going out of his way to guide us.
We reached the parking lot five minutes early. Yuta-san was already waiting by the company car, and after a quick, apologetic greeting, we climbed in. We weren't technically late, but he’d clearly been ready and waiting for us.
The car pulled out, and we began the trek to the second inspection site.
"It’ll take about an hour and a half to two hours to reach the next mountain," Yuta-san informed us.
"That’s quite a drive," I remarked.
"Well, unlike the first property, this one is really deep in the heart of the mountains. The straight-line distance isn't that far, but we have to navigate mountain passes and winding roads, so I can't exactly floor it."
"Mountain roads... are the conditions bad?" Yuji asked from the passenger seat.
"No, not really. It’s properly paved. It’s just that the roads get very narrow and there are a lot of sharp curves..."
As he answered, Yuta-san stared straight ahead, his expression looking as if he’d just swallowed a bitter pill.
Apparently, just getting to the site was going to be an ordeal. Given our requirements, I suppose it was unavoidable, but when you added a four-hour hike on top of a two-hour drive... yeah, it was no wonder the place wouldn't sell.
"I see..."
"There's a local station nearby, technically... but just getting to that line takes forever. From the office, it's much faster to go by car."
"Ah, I see..."
The station would be useless, then. If it takes that much effort just to get to the transport that's supposed to be "convenient," it’s a lost cause. Even if we did buy this mountain, we’d probably just end up using bicycles to get there.
"Well, on the bright side, it’s exactly what you asked for—hardly anyone ever goes out there."
"That’s a huge plus for us," I said. "If a hiker were to wander into our training by mistake, they could get seriously hurt. The inconvenience is actually a blessing if it keeps people away."
"Seriously hurt...? Is your training really that dangerous?" Yuta-san asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.
Since we were so insistent on seclusion for safety reasons, it was only natural he’d want to know what we were actually doing.
"Well..." Yuji started. "We don't think it's that bad, but it would probably look terrifying to an outsider. For example, if we were to throw a stone the size of a ping-pong ball with all our strength, it would definitely cause a life-threatening injury to anyone it hit."
"Wait, what?"
"Once an explorer raises their level enough, even a girl who looks as delicate as Hiiragi-san can throw faster than a pro baseball pitcher," Yuji added.
"Wait, seriously?"
Yuta-san glanced through the rearview mirror at Hiiragi-san in the back seat. Finding herself under his blatantly skeptical gaze, Hiiragi-san gave a small, awkward nod. I couldn't blame him; if someone who knew nothing about explorers was told that out of the blue, they’d never believe it.
With a strained smile, Hiiragi-san spoke up to satisfy Yuta-san's silent demand for proof.
"It’s true. I've never measured it, so I don't know the exact numbers, but I’m pretty sure I throw faster than the serves the tennis club at school was hitting."
"Faster than a tennis serve...? Aren't those supposed to be around 200 kilometers per hour?"
"I think so. I mean, they were high schoolers, so theirs were probably a bit slower than that, but..."
"Ha... haha... I see."
At Hiiragi-san's nonchalant explanation, Yuta-san let out a short, dry laugh, his cheek twitching. It was a perfectly reasonable reaction. He shook his head slightly, took a deep breath, and gripped the steering wheel tighter.
"I-I see. If that’s the case, I definitely understand why you want a secluded place. If someone is out hiking and a stone flies at them at 200 kilometers per hour, there's no way they could dodge it. If it hit them, it would be a disaster."
"Exactly," I said. "Of course, we’d be as careful as possible, but you can never say a freak accident is impossible if people are wandering around. It’s much better to have a training ground where no one ever comes in the first place."
"Y-Yeah, that makes sense..."
Yuta-san still looked shaken, but he seemed to finally grasp why we were looking for such a remote property.
An awkward silence filled the car for a few minutes, but Yuta-san eventually spoke up again, clearly trying to shift the mood back to real estate.
"S-Speaking of which, about the property we're headed to... you know it was a mine, right?"
"Yes, we heard the basics back at the office."
"Right. Well, here’s the thing. Apparently, that mine hasn't had a single resurvey of its mineral resources since it closed down."
"Uh... what exactly does that imply?"
We all tilted our heads, unsure where Yuta-san was going with this. If a mine is abandoned, isn't it normal for surveys to stop?
But Yuta-san shot us a mischievous grin.
"Don't worry, I'll explain everything. This mine was actually a hidden gold and silver mine belonging to the lord who used to rule this region."
"A hidden gold and silver mine? You mean a secret source of off-the-books funds?"
"Exactly. Large-scale mining didn't even start until the Meiji era, but for various reasons, they stopped in the late Meiji period and it’s been abandoned ever since. So... there’s a chance the mineral veins might still be there."
"What?!"
We all stared at him, eyes wide. Satisfied by our reaction, Yuta-san pressed on.
"Think about it. Mining technology has come a long way since the Meiji era. Resources that were impossible to extract back then might be reachable with today's tech."
"So you're saying... if we dig, we might actually find gold and silver?" I asked.
"It’s a possibility! At the very least, it’s a nice dream, isn't it?"
"..."
We looked at Yuta-san’s beaming face with a mix of exasperation and disbelief. Sure, it was a nice story, but was it really responsible to dangle the lure of a gold mine in front of high school students? What if we actually took him seriously and went wandering into an unstable mine shaft? I knew he was just trying to lighten the mood with a bit of local trivia, but firing up a young person’s curiosity like that felt a little reckless.
And besides...
"Um, Yuta-san?" Yuji asked.
"Yeah?"
"What exactly were those various reasons for the closure?"
At Yuji’s pointed question, Yuta-san’s smile faltered, and he looked away.
"...Ah, you caught that? Well, it's not a secret, so I figured you'd ask eventually."
"Yeah. So, what was it?"
"Well, it's exactly what you'd expect. There was a bit of trouble during the mining process that forced them to shut down."
"Was it groundwater leakage?" Yuji pressed.
Yuta-san nodded and continued.
"Yes. Apparently, they hit a massive underground vein during excavation. The site flooded, and there were quite a few casualties. They thought about pumping it out and restarting, but..."
"But the water they pumped out was full of mineral toxins, right?"
"Spot on. Back then, water treatment technology was primitive. Between the poison and the sheer volume of the flood, they decided it wasn't worth the effort. It was officially abandoned by the end of the Meiji era."
"Then even if there is gold left, no one is ever going to restart that mine. The cost of modernizing the site and dealing with the environmental impact would be astronomical."
It would easily cost hundreds of millions, if not billions. Anyone who bought the land dreaming of a gold rush would find themselves in a financial hellscape. We gave Yuta-san a look of silent reproach, warning him not to lead us on. It wasn't a glare meant to intimidate—we knew better than to use real pressure on a civilian—but it was enough to convey our disapproval.
Yuta-san shrugged apologetically.
"Sorry, sorry. The owner specifically asked me to mention that as a 'selling point' to potential buyers. We aren't trying to trick you, I promise. I just thought it added a bit of romance to the property."
"I see... but is that really a selling point?"
"Who knows? Everyone looks at things differently. I’m sure there are people out there who’d fall for the romance of a secret gold mine."
Yuta-san clearly didn't believe the "gold mine" angle himself, as he was quick to side with our assessment. Well, I suppose there’s no harm in dreaming.
After nearly two hours of winding through the mountains, the car finally came to a stop at the base of our destination. It was time for our second hike of the day.
The idea of digging for gold is romantic and all, but... really?