Soft sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains as my smartphone alarm blared throughout the room. I reached out from under my light blanket and silenced the noise, my eyes still heavy with the lingering fog of sleep.
I was the one who set it, but when a crude electronic chime drills into your ear while you’re sleeping peacefully, it makes you want to smash the thing and blame it on being half-asleep....Well, I wouldn’t actually go through with it, obviously.
"...It’s morning."
I tossed the phone onto my pillow, then sat up and stretched. I’d only been asleep for a few hours, but my body already felt stiff.
Rubbing my eyes, I climbed out of bed and pulled back the curtains. The brilliant summer sun flooded the room, its rays practically shouting at me to wake up.
"Summer vacation... ended yesterday, didn't it?"
I stared at the calendar on the wall, murmuring with a touch of nostalgia as I looked back on the past few months. A lot had happened this summer, but looking back, it had been a summer of valuable experiences. It was safe to say it had been a fulfilling break.
After tidying up my bed, I headed to the living room for breakfast.
"Morning."
"Morning, Daiki."
"Good morning, Daiki. You're up early."
After washing my face, I stepped into the living room to find Father drinking coffee while reading the newspaper and Mother preparing breakfast. It seemed Mika wasn't down yet. I hoped she wasn't sleeping in, still stuck in a vacation mindset.
With those thoughts in mind, I asked Mother for a cup of coffee to help me wake up.
"Well, I did set my alarm. Though I still feel a bit sluggish since it’s the first day back."
"Don't think that just because it's the first day back you can start complaining about wanting to skip school, alright?"
"Haha, I know, I know."
I took the coffee with a wry smile, playing along with Mother’s teasing. The idea of skipping did cross my mind for a second, but saying it out loud would only get me a lecture.
I sat down at the table, took a sip of coffee, and checked the news on the TV. It was the usual mix of everything from heartwarming human-interest stories to murder cases, but one headline caught my eye.
"Huh... Trial drilling for seafloor resources starts at the end of September? They're moving fast."
"The end of September... I wonder if they’re facing external pressure from somewhere?"
"External pressure? You mean from other countries?"
"Most likely. Demand isn't going to vanish overnight, but if seafloor resource mining succeeds, it’s certain to drop. They probably want to crush the project before it can establish a track record. This move might be a deterrent against anyone thinking of interfering. Once they achieve results and announce them to the world, nobody will be able to act like it never happened, right?"
As Father said, once there were tangible results, it would be much harder to shut down. Even if global demand remained, certain parties stood to lose profit and would likely try to intervene. By moving quickly and announcing their results, Japan could keep those parties at bay. If someone tried to sabotage it now, it would be blindingly obvious who they were and what they were after, which would look terrible on the international stage.
Of course, that just meant the opposition would likely switch to more indirect, underhanded methods.
"Yeah. But on the flip side, it shows just how much the world is watching the potential of seafloor resources. That’s something Japan should be proud of."
"Exactly."
For a resource-poor nation like Japan that relies heavily on imports, the chance to produce its own resources was an opportunity they had to seize no matter what. They clearly weren't planning on backing down even under pressure this time.
Furthermore, if they led the way in seafloor mining, Japan would be in a position to secure numerous patents. If the industry expanded globally, the country could make a fortune from patent royalties and construction orders for mining facilities. That was likely another reason for the aggressive timeline.
"Morning..."
As I was talking with Father, the living room door opened to reveal Mika, her hair a chaotic mess of bedhead as she rubbed her eyes.
I glanced at the clock; she was cutting it pretty close.
"Morning. You look exhausted."
"...Yeah. I was up late talking with Saori-chan and the others..."
"The 'others'? You mean Tatebayashi-san and her group too?"
"Yeah. It was the last night of summer, so we got carried away talking about the BBQ and everything..."
Mika gave an embarrassed smile as she answered, while I looked on with an exasperated expression.
Well, that was all well and good, but... she should look behind her.
"Good morning, Mika. Breakfast is almost ready, so go wash your face and fix that hair. It’s the first day of school, and you look like a mess. Stop acting like you're still on vacation!"
"Ah! Right!"
One sharp word from a frowning Mother was all it took to wake Mika up. She scrambled out of the living room and toward the bathroom. Good grief, she should have at least washed her face before coming in here... but I suppose this kind of morning routine was a sign that school was finally back in session.
A few minutes later, Mika returned, her hair smoothed down and her eyes finally bright.
After finishing breakfast, Mika and I went back to our rooms to finish getting ready. I’d checked my bag yesterday, so I just had to change into my uniform. I did a quick check of my emails, swapped my clothes, grabbed my bag, and left the room. It was just the opening ceremony today, so I didn't need much.
When I got back down to the living room, Father was just getting up from the sofa to head to work. Usually, we all left around the same time, so he was a bit early today.
"Oh, leaving already?"
"Yeah, I want to get an early start today. Tell Mika to be careful on her way to school since I missed her."
"Got it. Have a good one, Father."
"You too, Daiki."
Father gave me a quick wave and headed out the door.
I sat on the sofa and watched TV while waiting for Mika. Mother, having finished the dishes, sat down with a cup of tea.
"By the way, Daiki, you went out with your friends yesterday. What were you up to? You seemed so excited when you left, but you looked completely dejected when you got home."
"Oh, about yesterday... Well, I was planning on making a purchase—some mountain land—but there were some misunderstandings, and the dedicated training ground I wanted fell through. That’s why I was so down. We decided to put the purchase on hold for now and focus on looking for better options."
"I see. That’s a shame. But it's better than settling for something you'll regret later, isn't it?"
"Yeah, you're right. There’s no rush. I’ll take my time and look carefully."
I could tell Mother and I weren't exactly on the same page, but I figured it was better to keep it vague for now. After all, this was a purchase involving millions of yen. If I told her the full scope before the plan was solidified, she’d almost certainly oppose it. It would be much easier to convince her once I had a concrete plan and all the documentation ready.
It was a plan that had started on a whim, but if we were going to do it, we needed to do it right. That was the social lesson we’d learned yesterday during Juzo-san's "practical training."
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Onii-chan! Wait, where's Dad?"
Mika finally came down, fully dressed for school. She seemed confused by Father’s absence, but she really needed to check the clock.
We had less than five minutes before we needed to leave.
"Father already left. He said to be careful on your way to school."
"Aww, really? He’s gone already..."
Mika looked genuinely disappointed to have missed him.
"If you wanted to see him off, you should have come down sooner."
"I was trying to hurry! I just got caught up double-checking that I didn't forget anything."
"...Sure."
I gave her excuse a half-hearted listen as I stood up and grabbed my bag.
"Well, Mother, we're heading out."
"Alright. You two be careful of cars, okay?"
"Yeah, got it."
"See ya!"
Mika and I called back to Mother and headed for the front door.
As we walked, Mother's standard warning about cars echoed in my mind. Now that I was an explorer, I wondered which was more appropriate: "be careful of cars" or "cars, be careful"?
As we walked the familiar route to school, I saw crowds of students in their uniforms for the first time in weeks. During the break, I’d only seen the occasional student heading to a club. Seeing everyone again felt strangely nostalgic.
More than that, seeing so many students walking to school in their ordinary uniforms made me breathe a sigh of relief.
"? What’s up, Onii-chan? Why the sudden sigh?"
"Nothing. I just realized that a perfectly normal morning commute is a beautiful thing."
"? What are you talking about?"
Mika gave me a look of pure confusion. I suppose that didn't make much sense to her, but she didn't have to look at me like I was a weirdo. It was actually starting to hurt a little.
I decided to explain before the misunderstanding got any worse.
"Look, remember after winter break when the third term started? A huge number of students came to school covered in bandages, Band-Aids, and medical tape. Compared to that, almost nobody looks like they’re recovering from injuries today. I just found it... moving."
Mika blinked, then looked around at the other students. After a moment, she nodded in agreement.
"...Now that you mention it, you're right. No one looks beat up."
"Exactly. I was half-expecting to be walking in the middle of a parade of mummies today. This normal scene is actually quite impressive."
"Considering how many student explorers there were over the summer, it really is amazing."
"I don't know if the environment for newcomer explorers has improved or if recovery items are finally becoming more available, but it seems like things are moving in a good direction for the rookies."
As we walked and talked, a voice called out to us from behind. It was a voice I knew well.
"Good morning, Kokonoe-senpai, Mika-chan!"
"Good morning!"
"Morning, Tatebayashi-san, Hino-san."
"Morning, Asami-chan, Suzune-chan!"
It was the junior duo, Asami Tatebayashi and Suzune Hino. They seemed to have run a bit to catch up with us and were slightly out of breath.
"You okay? You’re huffing and puffing a bit."
"Yes, we're fine. We just saw you guys and wanted to say hello."
"I see. Thanks."
We waited for them to catch their breath before we all started walking together. I mostly stayed on the sidelines, letting the three girls talk while I offered the occasional nod as a listener.
However, a certain topic eventually caught my attention.
"By the way, Mika-chan, did you hear? Kirishima-kun from Class 5 dropped out."
"? Kirishima-kun? Sorry, I don't think I know him. Who is he?"
"Oh, you didn't know? He was the first person in Class 5 to become an explorer. Rumor has it he made a killing over the summer, so he decided to quit school and go pro."
"No way! Is that true?"
"Well, that’s just the rumor..."
Mika looked stunned by Hino-san's news. I felt the same way, though I kept my face neutral. If the rumor was true, this Kirishima kid was taking a massive gamble. Injuries are part of the job for an explorer; having a high school diploma at least gives you a fallback. But it was his life to live.
The real concern was the potential ripple effect. If one person took the plunge, others would likely follow. I just hoped this wouldn't start a chain reaction of student explorers dropping out.