At Yuta-san’s prompting, we looked over the second sheet of property information. This one appeared to be a mountain with a reasonably wide river flowing around it.
A property right next to a river... That sounded like a place where we could all play in the water or have a barbecue in the summer.
"This is our second property. Much like the first, it was owned by someone formerly in the forestry industry."
According to Yuta-san’s explanation, this mountain had also been used for forestry work. Because of that, it featured a somewhat cleared-out area where a work shed had once stood, along with narrow, unpaved logging roads. However, since it had been abandoned for many years, it would require significant maintenance before it could be used.
"And there is one other feature that distinguishes it from the first property. It has a pier jutting out into the river."
"A pier?"
"Yes. Apparently, back when the forestry business was active, they used this pier to load timber onto boats and transport it downstream."
"Ah, I see. I’ve seen that in historical documentaries—floating logs down the river to the towns below, right?"
It’s a common trope in those shows; they usually display old black-and-white photos while explaining how forestry used to thrive in the area. You see people standing on logs, navigating them downstream like makeshift rafts. It made sense that a mountain near a river would be used that way, which explained the presence of a pier.
"Yes, that’s exactly right. However, this has also aged significantly from neglect. It will need repairs before it can be used again. That said, the support pillars are still solid, so they should be perfectly fine for tying ropes and mooring a boat."
"The pillars are still usable, then..."
"Yes. While I wouldn't call them 'fresh,' they used incredibly thick logs as the supports, so the cores seem to be intact."
Logs that hadn't rotted even after being submerged for decades... They must have used some very high-quality timber. After confirming the finer details of the property’s current state, I decided to ask Yuta-san the most important question.
"So, Yuta-san, from what we've heard so far, it sounds like a great property. Where’s the catch this time? Is it the access again?"
"...Yes. As you’ve likely guessed, the transportation access to this site is quite poor."
"I figured. So, what’s the situation?"
I wasn't surprised. If it weren't for a major drawback like that, they wouldn't be showing us such a good property. If the access were convenient, there was no way we could afford it with the budget we’d proposed.
Yuta-san took a moment to steady himself after Yuji’s question, then spoke up with a look of hesitation.
"Well, the thing is... for this property, there isn't actually a path that can be called a 'road' to reach the site."
"...Huh? No road? What do you mean by that?"
At this unexpected answer, we all stared at Yuta-san with wide eyes and stunned expressions. Finding himself under our collective gaze, Yuta-san gave a dry laugh and began to explain the logistics.
"Well, as I mentioned, the former owner ran a forestry business here. During that time, all the timber they cut was sent to the downstream town by river."
"...Ah!"
From Yuta-san’s suggestive tone, the truth suddenly clicked for us. And as if to confirm our suspicion, Yuta-san nodded deeply.
"Yes. As you’ve realized, to reach this mountain, you must travel upstream by boat. This property is located deep within a range of mountains. While it is technically possible to cross over the mountains to get there, there are no established trails, and the risk of getting lost or stranded is high. Traveling up the river is the safest route."
"Traveling up the river..."
"Yes. There are train stations and bus stops further downstream. From there, you would use a boat to head upriver. If you were using a car, you could start from a point a bit further upstream, but..."
Yuta-san cast a quick, checking glance our way. He likely meant, Since you guys don't have driver's licenses... He was right, of course. We weren't old enough to drive.
"Um, Yuta-san. How far would we have to travel upstream?"
"The distance? Let's see... it depends on where you start, but because the river meanders, it would be nearly ten kilometers or so."
"Ten kilometers..."
I didn't know how much speed you could get out of a boat, but if we had to go against the current, it would probably take over an hour. This was definitely a "hidden gem" in the most literal, isolated sense.
"Just for reference, when the former owner was still operating and boats went upstream, I believe it took nearly two hours....Coming back down only took about an hour, though."
"That makes sense if you're fighting the current. Still, two hours..."
Given the history, he was probably talking about rowboats. If we used a boat with an engine, we could shorten that time, but... could a high schooler even get a boating license? I’d have to look up the qualification exams later.
Still, even so...
"It’s in a pretty remote spot. Just getting there is a project in itself," Yuji noted.
"Haha, well, you did ask for a place with a good environment regardless of access. When I looked for something matching that description, this was the hit... I apologize."
"Oh, no. The property itself seems to be exactly what we asked for. We just assumed the 'rough path' would be a mountain trail, so the idea of traveling by river was a shock."
Seriously, Yuji was right—going by river was completely outside our expectations. I’d never even considered traveling by boat. Wait, what happens if explorers like us use a rowboat? Would we move as fast as a motorboat?
An image flashed through my mind: the three of us in a rowboat, tearing upstream at a ferocious speed while kicking up massive plumes of water. Yeah, probably not... though I wouldn't say it was impossible.
"I understand. However, for better or worse, if it hasn't rained for a few days and the water level is low, there’s an exposed riverbank that leads all the way to the mountain. It’s a very rugged path that would be difficult for ordinary people to traverse, but for explorers like you, it might be doable."
"Wait, we can walk there?"
"Yes, but since those areas are usually underwater, the rocks are covered in moss and the footing is quite treacherous. Plus, it’s entirely dependent on the lack of rain. Depending on the season, that riverbank might only be exposed once a month, if that. So, you should fundamentally consider this a boat-access property."
Hearing Yuta-san’s words, I momentarily thought, If there's a riverbank, we can just run there! but it wasn't going to be that convenient. It was a path left to the whims of the weather. If we bought this property, we could only use it on weekends or during school breaks. Excluding the long holidays, how many weekends a year would the weather cooperate? Yeah, it was basically unusable on foot.
It was best to keep the riverbank in mind as a lucky bonus or a backup route if the boat broke down.
"I see. But if we do buy this place, we'll need a way to actually get there."
"True. For explorers, a manual inflatable boat from a home improvement store might work, but if you want something with an engine, you should probably get a boating license. You can use a mini-boat with two horsepower or less without a license, but since you'll be fighting a current, you'll want something with a bit more kick. If I recall correctly, you can take the exam for a second-class or limited license starting at age sixteen."
"A boating license, huh..."
"Would you like me to look into the details for you?"
I was surprised when Yuta-san offered to look up exactly what I’d been thinking about. If we did buy this place, a license would definitely be a good idea.
A high schooler who owns a mountain and then a boat... Usually, people start with a car or a motorcycle, don't they?
"Ah, no. We don't know for sure if we'll buy this one yet, so we'll look it up ourselves later."
"I see. Well, if you need any help, please feel free to ask."
With that, the explanation for the second property was done. I never would have guessed I'd be looking at a place accessible only by river. If it were a mountain trail, we could probably cut the travel time down significantly with our physical abilities, but traveling by boat was uncharted territory. I had no idea how fast we could go. I hadn't rowed a boat once since becoming an explorer. Maybe I should try it out at a rental place somewhere?
...I’d probably end up going way too fast and crashing. Or worse, the oars would snap under the pressure.
"Shall we move on to the third property, or would you like a short break?"
"Ah, a break sounds good. I didn't realize we'd been talking for nearly an hour already."
Following Yuta-san's suggestion, we decided to take a breather. The clock had almost made a full rotation since we’d arrived. We’d been so focused on the information that time had flown by.
As we sipped on our now-lukewarm drinks, Yuta-san and Kiritani-san told us about what had happened after our last visit. Apparently, they’d done some research into the physical abilities of explorers, and the results had shocked them.
Well, obviously, I thought, nodding inwardly while maintaining a polite, neutral expression of mild interest.
"You know, after you left last time, I talked with Yuta-kun about the property viewing," Kiritani-san said. "I never imagined that being an explorer granted such incredible physical abilities. To think a viewing that would normally take a whole day was finished in just a few hours..."
"Haha, well, yeah. Even for us, before we became explorers, we never thought we’d be able to move like characters in a manga."
"I'm sure! After hearing Yuta-kun’s report, I did some digging into explorers myself. I’d heard they were amazing, but the specifics were beyond anything I imagined. Even if they're unofficial, the difference in track and field records between now and before explorers appeared is staggering. And the records just keep on climbing!"
"Explorers receive a stat enhancement to their physical abilities every time they level up," Yuji explained. "It's hard to say if the records are due to pure skill or just the benefits of leveling up. Of course, it takes skill to master that enhanced body, so it’s not like they're just relying on the level itself."
Kiritani-san was gushing, but honestly, I think sports records for explorers and ordinary people should be kept in separate categories. The stat enhancement from a level up is just too much. Records set by people who trained their natural bodies shouldn't be compared to ours. The gap in physical ability is way more than just double.
"Even so, it’s a revelation for us in this industry," Kiritani-san continued. "To be honest, the two properties I just showed you have been 'salted'—sitting on our books for ages because no one would touch them. You can see why, right?"
"Yes. The properties themselves are great, but the journey to get there is far too harsh. Even if an ordinary person bought them, they couldn't do much unless they planned on living a completely self-sufficient lifestyle on-site."
"Exactly. They really are wonderful plots of land, but that access bottleneck was a deal-breaker. That’s why they’ve been stuck... until now."
"But if your clients are explorers like us, that bottleneck either vanishes or becomes manageable, right?"
When Yuji said that, Kiritani-san nodded enthusiastically with a grin.
"Exactly. You’ve spoken with Juzo-san, haven't you? The three properties we’re showing you today are some of the most difficult to reach in our entire inventory. When I consulted Juzo-san after your last visit, the idea came up: if you all would help us by providing data on how feasible it is for explorers to reach these sites, we could offer a massive discount. We want to expand our business to other explorers, but we don't have data on what kind of terrain is 'acceptable' for them. If we can get that information, it’s no loss to us to hand these properties over for a very low price."
"...Wait, what?" Yuji blurted out.
"Hmm? Is something wrong?"
"Ah, no... it's nothing."
Yuji looked completely caught off guard. He shot a sharp glance at me and Hiiragi-san that clearly said, Did you know about this?! We shook our heads. I certainly hadn't heard a thing about it. If anything, I expected Yuji to be the one in the loop through Juzo-san.
Unaware of our confusion over this sudden revelation, Kiritani-san happily continued his explanation.