Tatebayashi-san spoke to me with an expression that was somewhere between anxious and skeptical, as if she were searching for something in my face while listening to Mika and Hino-san's conversation.
"Kokonoe-senpai. Are you really that concerned about Kirishima-kun dropping out?"
"Eh? Oh, yeah. I mean, I can understand the desire to focus on the explorer profession, but to go as far as dropping out of high school... It’s true that the profession hasn't even been around for a year, so there’s a chance a newcomer could catch up to the top tier if they dedicated themselves now. But to do that, I think they’d have to dive with an incredible amount of recklessness."
"...So it really would be that difficult."
"Yeah. For instance, what would happen if they suffered a major injury during that reckless push? Sure, if you use a high-grade recovery potion, you can heal almost any injury—even amputation-level ones. But to get your hands on those, you need either the strength to earn them or the capital to buy them. I just wonder if this Kirishima-kun has either of those... that’s all."
"..."
When I voiced my concerns about Kirishima-kun’s decision to drop out and turn pro, Tatebayashi-san fell silent, looking lost in thought. Mika and Hino-san, who had apparently overheard us, also went quiet, their eyes darting around with awkward expressions.
Yeah, maybe I hammered the point home a little too hard. But it would be a problem if they started sympathizing with the idea too much.
"Besides," I continued, "even if the physical wounds are healed, that’s only the body. If you suffer mental scars—trauma—there’s no easy way to fix that. Even a mild case would make it impossible to continue diving with the same recklessness, so catching up to the top tier would become... well, I won't say impossible, but extremely difficult. If that happens, dropping out of school to focus on the explorer profession becomes meaningless."
"..."
"Well, it also raises the question of whether you can even continue being an explorer while carrying trauma in the first place."
I kept my eyes fixed on the path ahead, speaking in a flat tone without looking at Mika and the others.
The image of a certain party of four explorers I’d encountered in a dungeon once flickered through my mind. If someone ended up like them, they wouldn't just struggle as explorers—even daily life would become an ordeal.
"..."
Overwhelmed by the heavy air I was projecting, Mika and the others looked pale, glancing at one another. Wait, this is bad. It’s the first day of the new term; this isn't the kind of mood I should be brewing first thing in the morning. Case in point—even the other students commuting nearby who overheard us were looking dejected and depressed.
...I’m sorry for bringing this up so early.
"W-Well, it’s not like it’s something we can do anything about now, so don't worry about it too much. Besides, things don't always take a turn for the worst. It’s much healthier to pray that Kirishima-kun succeeds and becomes a reputable explorer."
"T-That’s right! I’m sure Kirishima-kun will do great and become an explorer of note. Yeah, I’m sure of it!"
"Y-Yeah. Y-You're right..."
"...Yeah."
Though it felt forced, I did my best to put on a bright expression and suggest that Kirishima-kun would surely manage. Of course, I didn't actually know what he looked like or what kind of personality he had.
Still, with everyone's cooperation, my attempt to pivot the mood was a tentative success. The heavy atmosphere that had settled over us seemed to lighten, if only slightly.
"Anyway, look. We spent so much time talking while walking slowly that we're running a bit late. Shall we hurry up?"
"Eh? Oh, you’re right!"
"It might indeed be better to pick up the pace."
"Yeah. Let's go."
Seeing the mood shift, I showed them my watch and suggested we hurry to school before things turned dark again. In reality, we weren't that pressed for time, but if the conversation continued, I felt like I was liable to step on another landmine. It was better to get to school quickly and cut the topic off entirely.
And so, feeling a bit guilty about the surrounding students who were still looking gloomy, we left the area at a light jog.
After parting ways with Mika and the others at the entrance, I walked toward the classroom alone. I kept an eye on my surroundings along the way, but fortunately, I didn't see a repeat of the nightmare that followed winter break.
Man, what a relief. My heart had been pounding at the thought that I’d have to start the term in a place that looked like a haunted house again.
"Morning."
"Morning."
As I entered the classroom and gave a greeting, a normal-looking classmate near the door replied. It was a mundane interaction, but I felt a genuine wave of relief just receiving a normal response. After winter break, I’d been greeted by a literal mummy wrapped in bandages...
Glancing around the room, I took my seat.
"Phew... I'm exhausted and I just got here."
The main cause was my own fault for picking such ominous words during that conversation. If I’d known it would get that heavy, I should have just given a lighter response like, "Oh, I see, he's quite the challenger."
As I let out a small sigh and began organizing my things, Shigemori, who had apparently arrived earlier, spoke up.
"Yo, Kokonoe, long time no see. What’s up? Sighing the moment you get to school?"
"Hmm? Oh, Shigemori... No, it was just a conversation I had on the way here."
"A conversation on the way? What, did you have a breakup or something?"
"Haha, unfortunately, it wasn't anything that romantic."
Shigemori looked intrigued and asked for details. I felt a bit hesitant, but I lowered my voice and told him about the talk I'd had with Mika and the others. I made sure to skip over certain parts to keep the mood from getting too dark, though.
When I finished, Shigemori crossed his arms and looked grave.
"Hmm, I see. Yeah, if you were talking about that in the morning, I can see why you'd let out a sigh."
"Right? Though I think the reason it got so heavy was because of the way I phrased things."
"Nah, I don't think so. They might have been heavy words, but if you're going to touch on that subject, those are the things you have to consider."
"I guess so... but it was still a bit much for the morning..."
Really, it wasn't a topic for the start of the day. I should have waited until after school in the clubroom. If I’d done that, I probably would have heard the rumors beforehand and could have planned out how to explain it to Mika and the others.
Earlier, I’d been so surprised to hear it second-hand that I ended up speaking bluntly without any sugarcoating.
"Still, can a first-year who drops out actually make it as a pro?"
"Who knows? Today was the first time I've even heard his name, so I have no idea what kind of person he is. If you ask me if someone like that can make it, all I can say is 'I don't know.'"
"Well, that’s true. Then, how does it look from the perspective of a general explorer?"
Shigemori accepted my reasoning but asked for a broader outlook. A general perspective, huh... Me talking about the viewpoint of a general explorer... yeah, that was a bit of a stretch.
Still, I had to give him some kind of answer.
"...It depends on his companions, I think."
"His companions?"
"Yeah. As you know, you can't explore a dungeon alone. You need trustworthy companions to dive with. If he’s coordinating properly with them... then maybe he can make a go of it."
Under current regulations, you can't dive into a dungeon without a party. Of course, solo explorers—who are essentially sole proprietors—sometimes form temporary parties through business alliances, but generally, dungeon exploration is done with a fixed party. This is especially true for student explorers.
And since Kirishima-kun was a student explorer, now that he’s dropped out, if his companions didn't drop out with him, he'll have to start from scratch to find a new party. Furthermore, if he intends to dive as a solo explorer in temporary parties, he’ll have to be extremely careful about who he teams up with. If the objectives of solo explorers in a temporary party aren't aligned, their coordination will fall apart. At worst... well, things get ugly.
"I see..."
"Well, I don't know the details. But the chances of things going smoothly are... yeah."
"..."
I’d just have to hope that Kirishima-kun had persuaded his companions and that his party was staying together. Though if that were the case, it would mean multiple first-years dropped out this summer....Is our school going to be okay? A new, slightly worrying thought surfaced, but since I hadn't heard any other news about dropouts yet, I decided to assume it was just him.
As I changed the subject and talked with Shigemori for a while, someone else called out to us. Well, not just someone—it was Yuji, who had just arrived.
"Yo, Daiki, Shigemori. Morning."
"Morning, Yuji."
"Morning."
Raising a hand, Shigemori and I greeted Yuji back. Since I had seen him yesterday, it was no big deal for me, but since it had been a while for Shigemori, he chatted with Yuji with a hint of nostalgia.
I suppose it also served as a change of pace since the heavy air from our previous talk was still lingering.
"Anyway, what were you two huddling about? You're leaking a heavy atmosphere all over the place."
"Ah, that..."
Feeling a bit awkward, I told Yuji about the conversation.
After listening, Yuji let out a small sigh and spoke with an exasperated look.
"What are you guys talking about first thing in the morning? Daiki's concerns are valid, sure, but this isn't exactly the place to hash it out, is it? Besides, if this Kirishima-kun has already dropped out, then the only thing we can do is pray that his chosen path turns out well. You're overthinking it."
"Well, I know, but..."
"You think too much, Daiki. Just leave it at 'I said too much, I should be careful next time' and be done with it."
"Haha, you're right..."
With Yuji cutting straight through it, the lingering tension was finally settled. Overthinking... yeah, he was right. I averted my eyes from Yuji, who was looking at me like I was a hopeless case, and scratched my head to hide my embarrassment.
Yuji joined us, and the three of us talked about our summer vacations. That said, the main focus was Shigemori’s stories. After all, Yuji and I had spent almost the entire break diving into dungeons. A summer filled with nothing but dungeon exploration... I don't think it was the wrong choice, but listening to Shigemori made me wonder if I'd missed out. The beach... no, I should have at least gone to a pool. I even had some beauties I could have invited.
The door at the front of the classroom opened, and Hirasaka-sensei walked in. It had been a while since I'd seen him, but he looked quite tanned.
He stood at the podium and called out to those of us who were still wandering around.
"Get to your seats! Homeroom is starting!"
At Hirasaka-sensei’s command, the students returned to their desks.
Once he confirmed everyone was seated, Hirasaka-sensei began to speak.
"First off, good morning, everyone. I'm glad to see that everyone is back and healthy."
It was a standard greeting for after a long break, but there was something slightly off about the way Hirasaka-sensei looked at us with such a deeply moved expression. Wait? Was he always the type of teacher to look like that just from seeing us after a vacation?
Before my question could be answered, Hirasaka-sensei’s expression turned grave, and he spoke heavily.
"However, that is precisely why I have a disappointing announcement to make."
"A disappointing announcement...?"
"Yes."
After a brief pause, Hirasaka-sensei delivered the news.
"Some of you may have already heard rumors, but a student from the first-year class has voluntarily dropped out to focus on the explorer profession."
"..."
Question marks floated over everyone's heads. Why was he telling us this during a second-year homeroom?
But Hirasaka-sensei's next words made everyone shout in shock.
"And they did it as a group of ten."
"WHAT!?"
At Hirasaka-sensei’s words, delivered with an expression of pure regret, the entire class erupted.
Wait, seriously!? It wasn't just Kirishima-kun? Ten people dropped out all at once!?
It wasn't a chain reaction of students leaving one by one; they had withdrawn from the school as a single collective.