Yuta-san and the three of us stared at each other in silence for a long moment. The conversation finally resumed, albeit awkwardly, when Yuta-san guiltily averted his eyes.
A collective sigh escaped our lips.
"So there really is one... a slag heap."
"Yes, well..."
"Um, that part is safe too, right?"
"..."
What was with that silence? Wait, was he serious?
Anxiety welled up within us as Yuta-san met Yuji’s question with nothing but a heavy silence.
"...Yuta-san?"
"Well, um... it’s a minute amount, but... there are spots that exceed the reference values. But it really is a minute amount, you know?"
"..."
At Yuta-san’s reply, all of our cheeks twitched in unison. Oh boy, you've got to be kidding me...
Seeing our reaction, Yuta-san hurriedly began to offer an explanation.
"O-Of course, even if it exceeds the standards, it's not at a level that would have a serious impact on the human body. It's just that the established standards are very strict to begin with..."
"...But it does exceed the standards, doesn't it? Even if there's no direct impact on the human body, isn't it affecting the surrounding environment?"
"As far as we are aware, we don't believe that to be the case..."
"As far as you're aware," huh? In other words, in the areas they hadn't grasped, there might be an impact. To be fair, if they were to conduct a serious environmental impact study, it would consume years of personnel and budget. Unless there was a glaringly obvious problem, they probably wouldn't carry out a full-scale, long-term investigation.
Moreover, this area was depopulated. It was a place that had essentially been abandoned ever since the mine stopped operating. There probably weren't even any nearby residents left to request an environmental study.
"When the mine was surveyed, didn't they conduct a survey of the surrounding environment, like the slag heap, at the same time?"
"The land we've been entrusted with by the landowner who requested the sale is only the land immediately around the mine. For us to go ahead and survey land outside of that scope on our own would be..."
Yuta-san trailed off, essentially saying it was outside their jurisdiction. Well, I suppose they couldn't just go around surveying other people's land without being asked. It would be a different story if a clear impact occurred and the government or local municipality ordered a mandatory investigation.
Though we weren't satisfied, we put on expressions that suggested we understood and pressed Yuta-san with more questions.
"I see... Is the land around the slag heap also owned by the same landowner?"
Since there was talk of contamination levels exceeding the standards, an inspection must have been carried out at least once. I wanted to hear about whatever measures the landowner was taking.
However, my guess was way off. Yuta-san hesitated, a troubled expression clouding his face at Yuji's question.
"Um, well... I don't know."
"What do you mean?"
"The thing is... the land around here, including this mine, is currently split and owned by multiple individuals."
"Wait... how does that work?"
Multiple owners? Wasn't the landowner who made the request a descendant of the former mine operator?
As we tilted our heads in confusion, Yuta-san explained the systemic problems with the land in this area.
"Originally, the land around here was owned by the person who managed the mine. That included the slag heap area, of course. It was put up for sale after the mine closed, but because it was a property with a history, it didn't sell for many years. However, between the 1960s and the 1980s, it passed into the hands of the current owners."
"The sixties to the eighties... Ah, does that mean—"
"You're familiar with it? Yes, that was the period when wilderness scams were rampant. The land around here was part of the land being sold during that era."
True, a former mine with a history like this was, practically speaking, a valueless or low-value piece of land. Unless it was someone like us who found a specific use for it, there was no reason to actively buy it. If that was the case, then naturally, it became an easy target for those kinds of scams.
"The landowner who requested us to sell this land also seems to have inherited it as part of their parent's estate, who purchased it during that period."
"...And after inheriting it, they realized it was a troublesome piece of land and tried to sell it, but haven't been able to until now—is that it?"
"Yes. Similarly, for the other people who bought land around here, their relatives have inherited it, or it's being managed by an inheritance property administrator..."
"..."
Seeing Yuta-san scratching his head with a look of annoyance, we were rendered speechless by just how much of a headache this land was.
A few seconds later, a possibility occurred to me. Pressing my hand against my twitching cheek, I opened my mouth to ask Yuta-san a question.
"Um, Yuta-san? A question just occurred to me... is that okay?"
"What is it?"
"Based on what you just said, if word got out that we bought this land, wouldn't all the other people who own land nearby come rushing over, saying 'Me too, buy mine too'?"
"...I can't say for certain that wouldn't happen. From the perspective of the current owners, they probably just want the ownership to transfer to someone else, even if the selling price is a pittance. After all, even if you refuse an inheritance and abandon ownership of the land, you can't abandon the obligation to manage it."
"..."
At first, I thought this was a good property, but the outlook had suddenly turned grim. I was already starting to get cold feet before even reaching the purchase stage. Furthermore, it was the kind of property that felt like it would bring even more trouble once we bought it.
Setting that aside, there was something in Yuta-san's explanation that bothered me.
"Um, Yuta-san. Even if you abandon ownership of land, you can't abandon the management obligation?"
"Yes, that's what the law stipulates. Even if an heir renounces their inheritance, the right to inherit passes to the spouse, children, parents, or siblings. Furthermore, even if all those with inheritance rights renounce it and abandon ownership, an inheritance property administrator must be appointed, and the obligation to manage the land remains. And even for land where ownership has been abandoned, in the unlikely event that some kind of damage is caused—if it hasn't been sold or taken over by the state—there are cases where the final owner is sued for damages."
"..."
Looking at Yuta-san as he gave his matter-of-fact response with a serious expression, we were forced to realize just how naive our understanding had been. It was a former mine, but since it met the criteria we'd set, we thought there wouldn't be a problem as long as the contamination we were worried about was below the standards. But after hearing Yuta-san's explanation and considering the worst-case scenarios, it was simply not the kind of property we could touch. It was only natural that Kiritani-san and Yuta-san had looked so grim.
Now that we were faced with the actual property and had the risks explained to us, we realized how thoughtless we'd been. The mountain Kiritani-san had introduced and Yuta-san had guided us to this morning was reasonably well-maintained and was a property we could actually sell if we no longer needed it.
Feeling awkward, we averted our eyes from Yuta-san's gaze.
After asking Yuta-san for a moment, we gathered a short distance away and began to discuss things with bitter expressions. We had to decide on our future course of action.
Feeling a sense of self-loathing at our own lack of foresight, I managed to squeeze out some words.
"We were a bit naive, weren't we...?"
"Yeah, you're right. We might have thought about buying land a bit too lightly," Yuji agreed. "We looked into what procedures are required after buying it, but... we didn't think as far as what happens when we no longer want it."
"Me too," Hiiragi-san added. "Once you own it, if you can't sell it, you have no choice but to keep holding onto it. For generations to come..."
After glancing at each other, we let out sighs followed by self-deprecating smiles. When we first thought of building a training ground, we’d gotten cocky and ahead of ourselves, thinking it would be easy since we had money from the dungeon. While I don't think the idea of building a dedicated training ground itself was bad, money alone cannot solve everything. You need to have solid knowledge and carefully consider the location and the exit strategy. We were far too underprepared.
Thinking back, the fact that we were able to negotiate directly with a real estate agent in one fell swoop thanks to Juzo-san’s mediation was, in a way, an abnormal situation. We were high schoolers who didn't even have experience with an apartment lease, and yet we were suddenly trying to dabble in land transactions. That's normally impossible.
"This... Juzo-san might have played us."
"Yeah, that's a possibility," Yuji said. "Before we got ourselves into trouble by dabbling in land sales with such naive thinking, he might have asked a realtor he knew to give us a taste of reality... That Old Man is definitely capable of that."
"And we were dancing right in the palm of Juzo-san's hand, just as he intended," Hiiragi-san noted.
As we held our heads as if to endure a headache, the image of Juzo-san laughing loudly with a smirk on his face—as if a prank had succeeded—popped into our minds. It was a bit... no, quite annoying, but if things were as we thought, it made sense. At the stage where we readily jumped on Juzo-san's offer, he probably realized we were getting ahead of ourselves.
"Sigh..."
We shook our heads wearily. To wake us up from our overconfidence, shoving reality in our faces was certainly the most effective way. That said, it was incredibly pathetic that we'd fallen for his scheme so completely.
With slightly tired, wry smiles, we switched gears and began a more forward-looking conversation.
"For now, let's set aside the question of whether Juzo-san was plotting something and move on to what happens next."
"Right, that feels a bit better. Although, I feel like the conclusion has already been reached."
"True," Hiiragi-san said. "Well, the conclusion is... this place is a no-go."
Yeah.
Yuji and I nodded in agreement. After hearing what Yuta-san had to say, there was no way we were buying this place.
Having reached that conclusion, we moved back to Yuta-san, who had been waiting alone a short distance away.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"No, don't worry about it. So, have you reached a decision?"
"Yes."
Yuji, looking slightly nervous, relayed the conclusion of our discussion to Yuta-san.
"Um, well... the conclusion of our talk is that we'd like to decline purchasing this property."
"...May I ask why?"
"In terms of requirements, this place matches what we're looking for. However, the existence of the mine is a dealbreaker. We've heard that the contamination is currently below standards, but we've also heard the reason it stopped operating was due to flooding by groundwater. In the unlikely event of an earthquake or something similar, and contaminated water flows into the groundwater and spreads downstream, we can't even imagine the extent of the damage. If we were sued for damages after purchasing this land, it would be far beyond our ability to handle."
"It's been over half a century since the mine stopped operating, and no such situation has ever occurred, you know?"
"Just because it hasn't happened until now doesn't mean it won't happen in the future," Yuji countered. "Especially in a disaster-prone country like Japan. And the next reason is the existence of the slag heap, which could be a source of contamination, even if only in minute amounts. Having that nearby is just..."
Yuji continued to explain the reasons why we couldn't buy the place. After spending about five minutes laying it all out, we bowed slightly and voiced our final refusal.
"We're sorry, even though you guided us all this way."
We're sorry.
"No, please don't worry about it."
Yuta-san gave a light nod of acknowledgment to our bows, wearing a smile that seemed to say, "Well, it can't be helped." It seemed even Yuta-san hadn't expected this property to sell easily.
And so, the second viewing also ended in a decision not to purchase. I mean, the location itself was good, but... you know?
Since it was a path we’d already traveled once, we were able to make it back to the clearing where the car was parked in about fifteen minutes. As expected, Yuta-san, whom Yuji had carried on his back, looked even more nauseated than on the way there and was resting in the driver's seat. I thought he might have developed some resistance to the piggyback dash since it was the second time, but if anything, it seemed to have gotten worse.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, well, thank you. But please wait a little longer."
Yuji spoke to Yuta-san while handing him a bottle of tea he’d brought. Drinking some water would help calm him down a bit... though it would probably be impossible for him to drive right away. So, we decided to kill some time while looking at the lush forest until Yuta-san's condition improved.
Regardless, once we got back to the office, we'd have to apologize to Kiritani-san as well. And then, this time for sure, we'd ask for his help in finding a proper property. It was better to listen to a professional’s opinion rather than having amateurs try to figure things out on their own.