Now that we’d decided on our program for the school festival, we got straight to dividing up the roles. Even though it was still a bit of a way off, we only had about a month. If we dallied too much, we’d end up in a special kind of hell—pulling an all-nighter right before the main event to get everything finished. It was better to clear whatever we could in advance.
That said, the division of labor was already pretty much a given.
"Right here! The four of us will handle the Impact Survey first!"
Mika raised her hand energetically and volunteered to gather materials for the survey. It was an idea her group had originally proposed anyway, so there shouldn't be any problem leaving it to the four of them.
"Hmm, I guess that makes sense. It’ll probably take some time since there's a lot to look into, so it’s better for you four to start on it early."
"You're right," Yuji added. "If they gather the materials beforehand, it’ll take less time to compile them later."
"I agree," Hiiragi-san said. "We already have most of the materials for our side, so we don't need that many people."
With their agreement, it was decided that Mika and her group would conduct the Impact Survey and prepare the materials first, while the three of us would join in to support them after we finished compiling the tax-related documents.
It was a reasonable division of labor.
"Then, now that the roles are decided, let's all work hard so we're ready for the school festival," Hashimoto-sensei said.
"Yes!"
Hashimoto-sensei wrapped up the discussion, and our club's policy for the school festival was set.
We’d originally formed this club to act as a deterrent, keeping Goto-kun’s clique from harassing Mika and her friends. Now that the targets of that deterrent were gone, we were in a bit of a state of limbo. I suppose our only choice now was to do our best as a normal club that looked out for student explorers.
Now that the talk about the Mass Withdrawal Incident and the festival plans was over, I thought we were done for the day and was about to stand up when Hashimoto-sensei called out to stop us. There was a serious look on her face, suggesting it was something relatively important.
Did she forget to tell us something?
"I just wanted to double-check... You’ve all submitted your summer homework, right?"
"Huh? Yes, of course. We finished ours at the beginning of summer vacation, so I think everyone’s submitted it. Right?"
I glanced at everyone’s faces, and after confirming that they were all nodding, I gave Hashimoto-sensei my answer.
She let out a small sigh of relief and explained why she had asked. Apparently, the submission rate for this year’s summer homework hadn’t even reached seventy percent—particularly among the first and second years.
"The school expected the submission rate to be poor," she admitted. "We figured students would get too caught up in explorer activities and come back to school without having touched their work. But still..."
"You didn't expect that over thirty percent—one in three students—wouldn't submit it?" I asked.
"Yes. As a precautionary measure, we’re waiting until after tomorrow's test to give them a final chance, but I wonder how many of them will actually be able to turn it in..."
Those who rushed at the last minute but ran out of time would probably use the grace period to finish, but there would definitely be a certain number of people who hadn't touched it at all and had given up entirely.
If twenty or—god forbid—thirty percent of the students gave up, it would be a major issue for the school. There probably wouldn't be penalties like suspension, but their grades would be a disaster. And on top of that...
"...Come to think of it, tomorrow is the Confirmation Test."
"It covers everything learned in the first semester, including the summer homework. The homework was meant to be a review of the first semester, but..."
"If they’ve been playing around for a whole month, or living a life immersed in exploration, they might have forgotten everything they learned in the first semester," I noted.
"Exactly. If they fail to submit their summer assignments and then get a failing grade on the Confirmation Test..."
Hashimoto-sensei frowned, massaging the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger as she fell silent. If that happened, a rather "delightful" future—that is, a set of disastrous academic transcripts—awaited them.
I felt sorry for the teacher who was worrying over such a miserable situation, so I decided to offer some support.
"Now, now, Sensei, at this point, what happens happens. Besides, even if many students can't submit their summer homework, as long as they’ve been paying attention in class, they should be able to avoid a failing grade with a light review. It’s unlikely many students will strike out on both counts."
"That's right, Sensei," Yuji said. "If they realize they won't make the homework deadline, they’ll probably work hard to at least get a good grade on the test."
"D-Do you think so? I hope you’re right..."
With our support, Hashimoto-sensei's spirits recovered slightly. Still, she looked quite exhausted. Dealing with the Mass Withdrawal Incident and then a massive wave of non-submissions... things were rough for the teachers right from the start of the new term.
Hashimoto-sensei gave us a light glance and spoke weakly.
"...You all make sure to do your best not to get a failing grade on tomorrow's test too. It was admirable that you finished your assignments so early in the break, but since so much time has passed, you might have forgotten the material. You should definitely review and study properly."
"Yes, we'll be careful."
"Well, that's all from me, so I’ll be heading out now. Oh, don't forget to lock up the room."
"Yes, thank you for your hard work."
"Thank you for your hard work!"
Hashimoto-sensei left the clubroom with a smile that still carried a hint of fatigue.
After she left, we stayed behind for a bit to talk—mostly about tomorrow's Confirmation Test. Following Sensei's advice, I thought it would be better to check everyone's progress. After all, once I’d finished my own homework, my life had been nothing but dungeon exploration.
"Did you guys do any studying after finishing your summer homework? I only lightly read through some reference books; I barely did any school-related studying."
"I haven't done much either," Yuji admitted. "I did a bit of studying for my qualification exams, but it was just some light reading."
"I hardly did any schoolwork either," Hiiragi-san said. "I was working on texts for the qualification exams, but..."
The three of us had spent a good portion of the latter half of summer on overnight dungeon explorations. Even on days we weren't exploring, we spent the time on Obon or resting, so we hadn't exactly hit the books. Thinking about that, it would probably be better to follow Hashimoto-sensei's advice and do some test prep, even if it was just cramming for one night.
"How about you, Mika?"
"..." "..." "..." "..."
At my question, Mika and the others averted their eyes.
Wait, hey. That reaction... don't tell me you guys too...
"Haha, well, our summer homework was done, so maybe we felt too relieved and thought we could just play?"
"T-That's right. We did a lot of exploring and played a lot, didn't we?"
"I-I did study for the qualification exams! For the qualification exams..." Tatebayashi-san stammered.
"...S-Summer vacation was fun!" Hino-san added.
Their answers told me exactly how the four juniors had spent their summer. It seemed they had fully enjoyed their break, which was all well and good. As people who had spent our own summer immersed in the dungeon, we couldn't really judge...
However, realizing that things might be bad, we looked at each other and nodded as if we had prearranged it.
"Look, I have a suggestion... why don't we have a study session together after this? Fortunately, we only had the opening ceremony today, so we have the whole afternoon free."
As I said that while awkwardly scratching my cheek, everyone reacted immediately, their eyes sparkling.
"True, it might be a good idea to have a study session for the first time in a while," Yuji said.
"Right. It would be good for all of us to teach each other while confirming how much we actually remember from our classes," Hiiragi-san agreed.
Perhaps they weren't confident in their ability to recall the material on their own; Yuji and Hiiragi-san agreed, maintaining calm facades but with eyes that looked like they had found a lifeline. Since tomorrow was already the test, we didn't have much time. We couldn't afford to slowly recall the first semester's material. Since it was stuff we’d already learned once, we’d probably remember it quickly if given a prompt, so it would be more efficient to teach each other.
And...
"Yes, I'm all for it! A study session sounds great! Let's do it, let's do it!"
"I agree. I think it’ll be easier to remember if we study together!"
"If there's anything we don't understand, we can teach each other!"
"Let's definitely do it!"
Without even needing to confirm, the four juniors raised their hands in favor. It seemed none of them were confident about tomorrow.
Now that I had everyone’s agreement, I checked the clock.
"All right, since everyone’s on board, let's hold the study session. It’s almost noon, so how about we head home for now and meet up around 2:00 PM with our gear?"
"That sounds about right," Yuji said. "You can use my place as the venue, just like before."
"Thank you, Hirose-kun. I'm sorry for always imposing on you," Hiiragi-san said.
Yuji casually offered his home again. Honestly, it was a huge help. My place wasn't big enough for a large group to gather. Plus, there was that other thing.
"Don't worry about it. More importantly, the explorer group should be fine, but will Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san make it by 2:00 PM?"
Yuji turned a worried gaze toward Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san. While the explorers could easily make it if they ran home, it might be a tight schedule for non-explorers. Especially since they were girls, it would probably take them more time to get ready before heading out again.
The explorers, on the other hand, could move twice as fast as normal people if they hurried, leaving them plenty of time.
"Oh, uh, I think it’ll be okay. I should make it by 2:00 PM," Tatebayashi-san said.
"I'll be fine too... probably," Hino-san added.
"I see. If it looks like you won't make it, just let us know. There's no need to force yourselves to rush, okay?"
Yes, thank you!
So, the meeting time and the venue were settled. Now, I had to get home quickly and prepare.
Mika and I hurried home, changed from our uniforms, and ate lunch in a rush. We finished in about fifteen minutes and told Mother that we were going to Yuji's place to study for tomorrow's test.
Mother looked relieved and muttered, "I was worried since you two were either in the dungeon or just playing around all summer; I wondered if you were actually studying."
Ouch. My apologies.
"A-Anyway, that's why Mika and I are heading out right now."
"Yes, yes. You two, make sure you actually study, okay? I’ll be angry if you get a failing grade on the test."
"Yeah. The whole point of the study session is to avoid failing, so of course."
Mika and I hurried to our rooms and gathered our study materials. Tomorrow's test only covered the five core subjects, but as I stuffed everything into my bag, it turned into quite a heavy load.
After finishing my preparation, I sat down on the living room sofa to wait for Mika. There was still a bit of time, so I decided to have some coffee.
"...Withdrawal en masse, huh."
While relaxing and watching the afternoon news, the matter of Goto-kun's clique quitting school crossed my mind. It was true that Mika and the others had been fed up with their behavior, and I had started the club as a deterrent to ease that situation. However, that was born from the simple desire to make Goto-kun and his group stop bothering them. I never intended to drive them out of the school. I just wanted them to settle down enough not to cause trouble for others.
However, looking at the results, it had developed into a situation where they withdrew as a group. Of course, our activities weren't the only cause, but... it left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Onii-chan! We shouldn't be late, so let's go!"
"Hm? Oh, you’re ready. Well then, it’s about time, so let's head out."
"Yeah!"
I was concerned about Goto-kun and the others, but for now, I decided to be happy that Mika and her friends could attend school without worry. There was no point in worrying when I had no information on what they were doing. I shook my head, clearing them from my mind.
Besides, I had to worry about tomorrow's test.
"Well, Mom, we're off."
"We're going now!"
"Make sure you study hard."
After calling out to Mother, Mika and I left the house.
Time to do my best so I don't fail tomorrow.
The time to pay the price for playing around all summer vacation—that is the post-summer-break test.