We watched the river, which had swollen beyond our expectations, and debated whether to continue upstream as planned. Rowing a boat against a current this swift was... well, a bit much, wasn't it?
Of course, if the question was simply whether we could do it, the answer was yes.
"What do you think, Yuta-san? Trying to row a boat upstream in this state looks like it'll be quite the struggle."
"You're right... the water's moving much faster than I anticipated. This might be tough even for a small boat with an engine, let alone a rowboat."
"Oh, right. Just to be clear, strictly speaking, I think we can make it," Yuji said, looking down at the oar in his hand with a grimace. "But..."
He trailed off, and I knew exactly what the problem was.
"These oars are plastic to keep them lightweight," I noted.
"If we row hard enough to fight this current, they'll probably snap like twigs," Yuji added.
"They'd likely break on the very first stroke..." Hiiragi-san agreed.
Because the equipment prioritized portability and weight, it wasn't built to withstand our physical output. If the river were at its normal level and speed, they wouldn't have been an issue, but right now, they were far too flimsy. At this rate, the oars would break, we'd be swept downstream, and that would be that.
"Well, these are the only oars we have... What should we do?"
"..."
To be honest, we were at a total standstill. Unless we had metal oars that could handle our strength or some kind of substitute, navigating the river was essentially impossible. Honestly, it seemed smarter to just take the mountain path.
As I racked my brain for a solution—waiting for someone to suggest we just give up on the river—Yuji let out a small exclamation as if something had just occurred to him.
"...Come to think of it, that village we passed on the way here had what we need."
"Hm? What was there, Yuji?"
"A hardware store. I remember seeing the sign. I might be able to find a substitute for the oars there."
"A substitute? At a hardware store?"
A substitute for oars at a local hardware shop? I wondered if he'd seen a plastic pool on display through a window or something. It was a riverside village, so it wasn't impossible, but still...
"I'll run back and grab something. Everyone wait by the car."
"Eh? Oh, okay. Sure... but shouldn't you take the car? That village is a good ten minutes away by road."
"Oh, it's fine. It's not that far... I'll be back before you know it."
With that, Yuji handed his oar to Yuta-san, swapped spots with Hiiragi-san to let her help steady the boat, and took off toward the village at a jog.
It took about ten minutes by car because the road was so winding, but if he took shortcuts, Yuji could probably make the round trip in about fifteen minutes at his speed. I had no idea what he was planning to buy, though.
"There he goes, Hirose-kun..."
"Yeah. But don't worry, he'll be back soon. More importantly, Yuta-san, let's head back to the car for now. No sense standing around here forever."
"Haha, you're right. Let's regroup and think of a backup plan in case he can't find anything suitable."
"Good idea....Though, is the river route absolutely necessary? Given the weather, wouldn't scouting the mountain path be enough?"
"Well, I suppose so, but that would mean we'd have to come back another day specifically to test the river route. Would you guys be okay with a follow-up? Also, having a recorded case of explorers navigating a river even in these conditions would be a massive help for our company. It gives us data to justify relaxing the safety criteria for explorer-oriented properties."
Yuta-san looked slightly apologetic, but he clearly wanted to see if we could handle the river now. His reasoning made sense. Part of this property viewing was to establish the baseline for what kind of locations were suitable for explorers.
The more extreme conditions we could handle, the easier it would be for the real estate agency to set standards and expand their listings. It was a good opportunity to gather data on exactly what flow rate explorers could row against. Of course, if it were genuinely life-threatening, I would have refused.
"I see. I'd definitely prefer to finish the scouting today if possible. And going upstream isn't impossible as long as we have sturdy oars... probably. If Yuji finds a substitute, we can make it. If not, we'll stick to the mountain and try the river another day."
"...Fair enough. That's the most sensible approach. If Hirose-kun comes back empty-handed, we'll do that."
"Right."
Our plan was set. Everything depended on what Yuji managed to find. I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking.
About twenty minutes after he left, Yuji returned. Subtracting the time it took to shop, his actual travel time must have been under ten minutes. He definitely took some shortcuts, but that was still incredibly fast.
Yuta-san heard Yuji's voice and checked his watch, his eyes darting back and forth between the boy and the time with an expression of pure disbelief.
"I'm back. I got them."
"Welcome back. That was fast."
"I found exactly what I was looking for right away."
Yuji raised his hand, showing us his purchase.
It was...
"...Shovels?"
"Yeah. Sturdy ones that should work as oars."
Yuta-san's eyes widened in surprise. What Yuji had brought back were shovels with all-metal shafts. Those definitely weren't going to snap. They might be a bit less efficient due to the shape, but they'd move enough water to serve as oars.
I suppose a hardware store would always have shovels in stock.
"I see. Shovels. Those should definitely be able to handle our output. They might be less efficient, but we can make up for that with sheer stroke volume."
"They aren't as long as oars, though, so we have to be careful not to accidentally puncture the boat in our hurry," Yuji warned.
"True. Even though it's heavy-duty material, it's still a rubber boat. If a metal shovel hits it with enough force, it'll slice right through," Hiiragi-san added.
Their concerns were valid. Since the boat had multiple air chambers, one hole wouldn't sink us instantly, but it wasn't an experience I was looking for. We'd have to be extremely careful. With our strength, those shovels would go through rubber like a hot knife through butter.
As we accepted the shovels as our new oars, Yuta-san looked on with a slightly uneasy expression.
"Um... are you guys really okay with those?"
"Hm? Yeah, we should be fine... is there a problem?"
"No, not exactly... it's just that compared to actual oars, the length and shape look like they'll be hard to use. I was just worried."
"It'll be fine. We'll have to increase our stroke count, but with our enhanced physical abilities, it won't be an issue."
Yuta-san's worry was natural, but for us, it was a minor detail. If anything, I was more worried about getting soaked from the splashing water since the handles were so short. We probably weren't getting out of this dry.
"I-I see... then I'll leave it to you."
"Right."
I didn't ask Yuta-san to row. An ordinary person without any level-up enhancements wouldn't be able to make any headway against a swollen river like this. It was better to let him focus on guiding us and filming.
"Let's get moving. We lost time with the shopping, and the sun will be down before we know it."
"Ah, right. Let's go."
Once again, we carried the boat down the narrow path toward the riverbank.
Reaching the shore, we found the river still raging, its width and speed increased by the rain. No ordinary person would ever dream of trying to navigate this in a rubber boat. Looking at it again, even with all the crazy things we'd shown Yuta-san, this felt like a particularly tall order.
"Alright, let's get it in the water. Careful not to let it drift."
"Understood."
We stepped into the water, gripping the ropes as we launched the boat. Our waders kept our legs dry, but the water was noticeably cold.
Once afloat, the boat bucked and tossed in the current, but it wasn't so wild that we couldn't control it. Feeling the current's power firsthand, I realized it would be a struggle, but it wasn't insurmountable.
"Okay, Yuta-san. We'll hold it steady, so climb into the bow."
"Right, I'll head in first."
While we held the boat in place, Yuta-san stepped cautiously into the river and tumbled into the bow. Boats are unstable at the best of times, so a bit of an ungraceful boarding was par for the course.
Once he had managed to balance himself and sit down in the front, Yuji called out to him.
"You okay there, Yuta-san?"
"Yeah, though keeping my balance is trickier than it looks."
"I bet. We're coming in next, so could you hold these for a second?"
"Got it. Careful now."
Yuji handed the two shovels to Yuta-san. It was safer to have him hold them until we were settled so we didn't accidentally puncture the boat during the boarding process.
With the shovels tucked away, Yuji prepared to hop in.
"I'm next. Hold it tight."
"Got you."
"Hurry up, standing in this water is freezing," Hiiragi-san complained.
"Hup!"
Yuji hopped lightly into the boat. It rocked from the impact, but he didn't lose his footing, quickly taking his seat at the back right.
Once he was stable, I let go of the boat, took a shovel from Yuta-san, and passed it to Yuji. This was a long-type boat designed for several people, so the distance between the bow and stern was surprisingly far. I didn't want to risk dropping a shovel on the floor, so passing them through an intermediary was the safest move.
"My turn. Hiiragi-san, keep it steady."
"Okay."
"Hup!"
I was the next one in. Yuji and I were the designated rowers, so I needed to get into position quickly. If our rowing was out of sync, the boat would never stay straight. In a current this fast, that would mean being swept downstream instantly. Because of that, Hiiragi-san was the last one to board.
"Here's your shovel."
"Thanks. We're ready, Hiiragi-san!"
"Understood! Here I come. Three, two, one, zero!"
Counting down, Hiiragi-san let go of the boat and hopped in.
The moment she did, the boat caught the current and began to drift rapidly downstream.
"Daiki!"
"On it, Yuji! On three... one, two..."
"Three!"
Shouting in unison to sync our timing, we dug our shovels into the water with everything we had. The boat's downward drift stopped instantly. Timing it for the moment the bow pointed back upstream, we dug in again even harder. Slowly but surely, the boat began to move against the current. The shovels were going to work.
After a quick check to make sure the shovels weren't bending, Yuji and I settled into a rhythm, coordinating our strength.
"You're doing it! We're moving upstream!"
"Looks like we've got this."
"Yeah! Yuta-san, we're good to go!"
"I see that! It looks like a lot of work, but I'm counting on you!"
"Leave it to us!"
I’d been nervous about the shovels, but they were working out better than I'd hoped.
I knew it—shovels really are the peak of human ingenuity! The ultimate multi-tool.