Summer vacation was over, and the second semester had kicked off with several shocking developments. On this, the first weekend of the new term, the five of us—our usual trio plus Mika and Saori—had arrived at our regular dungeon. Yuji had suggested that he wanted to see how much the girls had grown over the summer, making this our first five-person expedition in quite a while.
Since the younger girls were with us, we couldn't do an overnight dungeon stay. However, I was scheduled to meet with a real estate agent tomorrow to finalize some details, so the timing was actually quite convenient.
"Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve been out this way, but the area around the station has really developed. I guess this is all thanks to the dungeon boom?"
"You're right. Last time we came, most of the shops were still under construction, but so many of them are already open now..."
As soon as we stepped off at the station nearest the dungeon, Mika and Saori stared around with wide eyes, letting out voices of pure surprise. While the station building itself still retained the charm of a rural stop, the development surrounding it was staggering. We had been frequenting this place since the early days of the explorer system, back when dungeons were first opened to the public, yet even we were constantly amazed by how much the town could transform in less than a year.
It felt strangely nostalgic to remember how shocked we’d been just to see a single convenience store built next to what had once been a desolate country station. It really proved that as long as there was solid demand, even the most remote backwater could modernize in no time. Then again, the opposite was also true; if that demand ever vanished, the place would likely wither away just as fast.
"You two, the bus is coming. Don't just stand there gawking, let's go."
"Huh? Oh, right. Sorry, I'm coming!"
"Ah, sorry!"
At my call, the two of them snapped back to reality and hurried after us toward the bus stop. Although the crowds had thinned slightly now that summer vacation was over, there were still plenty of people gathered at the station rotary. Since the seasonal extra buses were no longer running, the number of trips to the dungeon was limited. If we didn't get in line now, we’d be waiting forever. We could have taken a taxi, but I preferred not to use them unless absolutely necessary since they were so expensive.
Just to be clear, we were earning enough that we could afford the fare. However, a group of high schoolers constantly taking taxis would stand out in a bad way and might attract trouble from the wrong crowd. There are always petty people out there who start trouble just because they're jealous of what others have. I’ve always thought that being unable to gauge an opponent’s strength—even roughly—just by looking at them is a fatal flaw for an explorer, though.
"Looks like we all managed to squeeze on. Now we just wait until we—hey, Mika? What’s wrong? You’re glued to the window. Did you see something?"
"Eh? Oh, yeah. I just noticed there are so many apartments now. I mean, Onii-chan, this whole area looks like a new residential district. Do that many people really move this deep into the mountains?"
"Ah, you're right. There really are rows of identical houses now."
Prompted by Mika, I looked out the window and saw a vast number of what appeared to be one-room apartments standing side-by-side. It had become such a familiar sight that I hadn't really processed it, but... she was right, there were a lot of them.
Wait, when did the number grow this much? The large building visible in the distance looked like a logistics warehouse... I wondered if some major dungeon enterprise had started investing here.
"They started building rental apartments for commuting explorers quite a while ago, but I didn't realize they'd multiplied like this," I noted.
"The demand from explorers is one thing," Yuji added, "but with the town developing this much, the shops need housing for their employees, too. That’s probably what caused the sudden spike."
"That makes sense," Hiiragi-san agreed. "More shops mean you need more staff. Even if they hired every original local resident, they wouldn't have nearly enough people. They have to bring in people from outside..."
"And they didn't have enough housing to hold them, so they built it all in a rush..."
The real estate industry, smelling profit, must have moved aggressively to meet the rising demand.
"Back when we first started coming here, this area was nothing but fields and empty lots. Compared to the city, securing land probably wasn't that difficult for them," I said.
"Probably not."
Farmland is usually sold in large plots, so they likely didn't have to negotiate with hundreds of different owners to get a project started. I’d heard that the biggest hurdle in land development was the buyout negotiations, so being able to skip that complexity allowed them to build everything at once. No doubt other developers and speculators saw how well the early birds were doing and jumped in to get a piece of the action.
Still, wasn't this a bit much? There were still plenty of buildings under construction. At this rate, it wouldn't just be cheap apartments; they’d probably start putting up high-rise condos soon.
"I see. So this is also part of the economic impact of the dungeons. This could be a great topic for the school festival..."
"Oh, you're right! Mika-chan, let's take some photos. This might be useful for Asami-chan's presentation materials!"
With that, Mika and Saori pulled out their smartphones and began snapping pictures of the scenery passing by the window.
The regional economic revitalization and population growth trends resulting from the appearance of a dungeon, huh? It was true that you didn't see such dramatic shifts around dungeons that appeared in the middle of established cities. It was precisely because there was open, developable land here that urbanization could center itself entirely around the dungeon.
From that perspective, this town was a textbook model case for dungeon influence. If they were going to present something at the school festival, focusing on these local changes was a smart move.
"...Or so they say. What do you think as the guy in charge, Yuji?"
"I think it’s perfect. I’d forgotten about it because I was so used to seeing it, but this place is definitely a prime example of dungeon impact. Instead of collecting vague materials for an ambiguous theme, it’ll be much easier to pull a compelling story together if we center it on this town. I can even include my own firsthand account of how the area has changed."
"A testimonial, huh? We really have been coming here since there was nothing. The convenience stores and family restaurants in front of the station seem normal now, but those spots were just empty fields at first. Looking back, the change is staggering."
"Exactly. That’s why it’ll make for an interesting exhibit—one that actually grabs people's attention. This much change in just one year... people will naturally wonder what it’ll look like in a few more."
Having a concrete example would definitely pique people's interest regarding the future social impact of dungeons. Best of all, since the changes here had been positive so far, it allowed for an optimistic outlook. Even the long-standing recession was finally starting to lift thanks to the emergence of dungeons.
Dry, academic content could be boring, but this had the potential to truly engage the visitors.
"Sounds like it's going to be a great exhibit."
"Yeah. Though, I feel a bit pathetic that I didn't realize it until it was pointed out to me."
"Don't worry about it. It's a classic case of not seeing the forest for the trees. Sometimes you need a fresh set of eyes to notice the changes in a place you visit every day."
"Maybe so."
Yuji gave a wry smile at my attempt at comfort and turned his gaze back to the window. Outside, the once-peaceful rural landscape was being rapidly swallowed by a developing city.
Wait, why hadn't we taken more interest in this before?
The bus arrived at the rotary in front of the dungeon on time and without incident. I’d thought this before, but considering how treacherous the mountain roads used to be, it was impressive how quickly they’d laid down smooth asphalt.
Then again, it just showed how much the city or town was raking in through subsidies and dungeon boom revenue.
"We’re here. What now? Should we head straight in, or take a break before we register?"
"I don't really need a break... What about you three?"
Yuji turned the question to the girls, who exchanged looks before Hiiragi-san spoke up.
"I don't need a break, but would you mind if we checked out the food shop before we register? Thinking about what we discussed on the bus, this shop might have some rare products made from dungeon ingredients, don't you think?"
"Onii-chan, I want to go too! There might be some good material for our research."
"I’d like to see it as well. We might notice something new, just like we did earlier."
It seemed the realization about the town's urban development had inspired Hiiragi-san and the others to look for more material for their own school festival exhibits. Since Yuji's group had already found their core theme and felt like they were one step ahead, the pressure was on.
I wasn't sure how much they’d find in a simple shop, but looking at the world with a specific goal in mind often revealed things you’d otherwise miss.
"Fair enough. Let's head to the shop first. If we wait until we're on our way back, we might be too exhausted from the expedition to really look around."
"Good point. It won't take long anyway, so let’s go."
"Yes!"
"Thank you!"
With the plan settled, the three girls beamed, clearly happy to have their request granted. Yuji didn't object either, especially since he’d just had a breakthrough for his own group.
That said... I was technically supposed to be on Hiiragi-san's team, yet I couldn't help but feel a growing sense of alienation as they all paired off and got excited...
"Well, let's get moving. No sense in standing around the middle of the rotary."
We had picked a spot out of the way, but the bus rotary was busy, and loitering there was bound to get us a few dirty looks eventually. It was better to keep moving.
The five of us grabbed our gear and veered away from the crowd heading toward registration, making our way toward the shop instead.
"Whoa. I didn't know this dungeon had a facility like this."
"I thought it would be a tiny little store, but it's actually quite big. Look at all these products!"
Seeing the food shop for the first time, Mika and Saori were visibly impressed by the wide selection.
"It opened just before the summer started," I explained. "We took a quick look once before, but it mostly stocks preservation foods—the kind of stuff you can eat while you're actually inside the dungeon. You know, retort pouches and freeze-dried stuff."
"So it’s less like a gift shop and more like a proper supply store."
"Pretty much. Though they do have some premium items made with dungeon food, so you can buy souvenirs if you really want to."
Of course, those dungeon-ingredient items tended to cost several thousand yen each. They weren't so much souvenirs as "reward meals" for explorers spending several days on a dungeon stay.
Inside a dungeon, where fatigue and tension are your constant companions, a delicious meal provides more comfort than anything else. Anyone who has spent a night in a dungeon knows that at the very least, you want your food to taste good.
"Products made with dungeon food... Hey, Onii-chan! Where are those? That’s exactly what we’re looking for!"
"You're right, that fits our theme perfectly. Let's see... I think they were over in that section."
"That way! Saori-chan, let's go!"
"Right behind you!"
As soon as I pointed the way, Mika and Saori sprinted toward the corner dedicated to dungeon food products without a second thought.
I was about to follow them, but Hiiragi-san, who had been scanning the aisles, stopped us.
"Wait a moment, you two. If we all go to the same place, there’s no point in all of us looking for ideas. Let's split up and browse different sections, then regroup with Mika-chan and Saori-chan at the end."
"Ah, good point. Then let's look around the shop separately for a bit."
"Got it. I'll check out that side."
"I'll take this one."
And so, we split off in three different directions. I wandered the aisles, hoping to find something interesting... but would there really be anything useful for the exhibit?
After walking around for a while, I found a corner in the back that held non-food items. At first glance, it looked like the craft section you’d find in a local products hall...
"Hm? This is..."
My eyes caught on something in a corner of the craft section, and I leaned in to read the product name and the brief description on the pop display.
Huh. I didn't realize they could be used like this.