After a while, Yuta-san’s condition improved enough for us to pile back into the car and start the journey to the office. He estimated it would take a little over an hour, which meant we’d arrive while the sun was still high.
Of course, once we got there, we’d have to discuss the changes to our search criteria, so it would probably be a while longer before I actually made it home.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I’m okay now, so please, just make yourselves comfortable," Yuta-san said.
"Ah, right. Thanks for the lift."
He still looked a bit pale, but he seemed capable enough of handling the steering wheel. With that, we left the mountains behind us, the car swaying as Yuta-san drove.
"So, we visited two properties today... how were they? Honestly, what did you think after seeing them?"
"Let’s see... They seemed pretty good," Yuji replied. "I think the routes would be grueling for ordinary people, but for an explorer, there shouldn't be any major issues."
"I see... So even those paths weren't a problem for you."
"Yeah. Though I should clarify that’s based on our standards as explorers. Low-level explorers whose physical abilities are still close to ordinary people would definitely struggle out there."
Please don’t lump all explorers together, I thought. If they sold a property requiring a trek like that to a low-level explorer, the backlash would be immense. People would claim they’d been sold a stigmatized property at an exorbitant price.
I figured it would be fine since they planned to do a secondary verification, but I felt like I should give him one more warning just in case. Yuji seemed to have the same idea.
"Just to be safe, I should mention that our team is considered high-tier in the dungeons we frequent," Yuji added. "The explorers you usually see on TV are mostly mid-tier. There’s a massive level gap between high-tier and low-tier, so please keep that in mind."
"Ah, so you guys really are the elite. Got it. I’ll make sure to convey that clearly to the President."
"Please do."
If we hammered it home this much, they hopefully wouldn't complain later that the reality didn't match the description. Yuta-san, please make sure you suggest using low-level explorers for that secondary verification.
"Anything else?" Yuta-san asked.
"Well, Yuji and I were talking about it earlier. Since the plantation forests have been left alone for so long, they’re a bit overgrown, but they still felt... too orderly? When Daiki and I went back for the rubber boat earlier, we ran through the woods on the return trip, and it was much easier than I expected."
"Easier to run? Wait... with all those trees and weeds, I didn't think that was an environment you could run in."
Yuta-san looked at us with a dubious expression. From an ordinary person’s perspective, I suppose it was hard to believe we’d just sprinted through that forest. After all, when we’d regrouped, our clothes weren't even dirty or ruffled, let alone us having any injuries.
It was a place filled with uneven trees, waist-high undergrowth left to rot, and unstable, undulating slopes. It certainly wasn't a place meant for running.
"It’s surprisingly manageable," Yuji said. "The undergrowth was a bit annoying, but you can just swat it aside with a shovel to keep moving. The real issue is that it’s too easy to move through."
"...Ah, right. You mentioned needing it for a training ground."
"Exactly. But after actually seeing the sites, I’m starting to think those specific conditions are hard to find. For explorers like us, whose physical abilities have far surpassed ordinary people, places the general public calls 'steep' or 'harsh' just don't quite cut it."
"...You did descend that cliff like it was nothing," Yuta-san muttered, letting out a weary sigh and shaking his head.
From the perspective of a real estate agent, the properties they’d shown us today were stagnant properties—listings so inaccessible that no one would buy them. To hear us describe them as "too easy" must have been a blow to his professional pride.
He was probably racking his brain right now, trying to figure out how on earth he was supposed to find a property that actually met our ridiculous standards.
"If sheer cliffs are just shortcuts and the wildlife is in a state of total surrender... I wonder if a mountain harsh enough for your criteria even exists?"
A normal real estate agent definitely wouldn't have anything like that on their books.
Seeing his distress, Yuji gave a wry smile and spoke in a slightly apologetic tone.
"Actually, about that... after the viewing today, we were thinking of changing our criteria."
"What!?"
"To be honest, today's experience was... well, it was something. We talked it over and decided to drop a few of the requirements."
At the very least, "steep terrain" and "abundant wildlife" had to go.
When we told Yuta-san which conditions we were cutting, he looked profoundly relieved. It was as if a mountain of impossible problems had just crumbled into dust. Compared to what we were dropping, the remaining requirements were much easier to handle.
"Are you sure about dropping those? It certainly helps us, but..."
"Yeah, they’re clearly difficult to satisfy. We’d rather focus our efforts on the other requirements. Besides, even without those specific words, I don't think the essence of what we're looking for changes much."
As long as it was a secluded property difficult for ordinary people to reach, it would naturally be steep and full of wildlife. We didn't need to make those mandatory criteria. Yuta-san seemed to accept that logic and nodded.
"I see... that makes sense. In that case, dropping them shouldn't be an issue."
"Yeah, we thought so too."
"This definitely opens up more options for us. Like entire areas surrounding an abandoned village in the middle of nowhere."
"An abandoned village?" Yuji asked, a flicker of concern crossing his face. "Is a place like that really okay?"
The term "abandoned village" sounded a bit ominous. I wondered if he was imagining a place people had fled because of some dark secret or disaster.
"Oh, don't worry. When I say abandoned village, I just mean a place that died out because the local industry wasn't needed anymore. Everyone moved away, and eventually, the village just vanished."
"Oh... so that’s why."
"I heard this one was originally a village of charcoal makers. But as electricity and gas became the norm, they couldn't make a living anymore. People naturally left for the cities, and it became a ghost town."
"I see."
A village that died out due to the changing times. That sounded fine. If they were charcoal makers, there shouldn't be any major environmental issues like the ones at the old mine. If the demand for a product dies, the industry dies with it. It made sense for a specialist village.
"That’s just one example, of course. But with the conditions relaxed, the types of properties we can show you will definitely change."
"We appreciate you going to the trouble."
"Not at all. Our job is to find exactly what the customer wants. Real estate is often the biggest purchase of a person's life, so we’ll stick with you until you're satisfied."
"Haha, glad to hear it."
We spent the rest of the drive back to the office discussing the new criteria with Yuta-san. By settling things in the car, we hoped to save time once we met with Kiritani-san.
We arrived at the office a bit earlier than scheduled. Yuta-san led us to the second floor and then went off to fetch the President.
Left to ourselves, we settled into the reception chairs and had one final chat about how to present the changes.
"Now then, how should we start this..."
"Don't sweat it, Yuji," I said. "I'm sure Yuta-san has already given him a summary."
"Exactly," Hiiragi-san added. "He’ll ask for our impressions of the viewing anyway, so it’ll come up naturally."
Yuji still looked a bit guilty about changing his mind after they'd worked so hard, but I didn't think he needed to be. Compromising on something this big wouldn't help anyone in the long run.
Besides, I was certain Yuta-san had already tipped him off.
"Right. You're right. I'll just follow the flow of the conversation."
"There you go."
As we waited with a slight sense of nervous anticipation, we heard the door open about five minutes later.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. How was the viewing?" Kiritani-san asked as he entered.
"Ah, yes. Both properties were quite interesting."
"Glad to hear it. I understand you took some footage, so I’ll take a look at that later. For now, could you give me a brief summary of your thoughts?"
Kiritani-san got straight to the point. Judging by the faint look of bewilderment on his face, Yuta-san had definitely given him a report already.
"Yes, sir. Regarding the first property, as you explained, the path was quite steep..."
Sitting across from Kiritani-san, Yuji began to recount our day.
He kept his tone very mild. However, Yuta-san, who was sitting next to the President, had a look on his face that suggested he was reliving a nightmare.
"I see. So the animals actually moved aside for you?"
"Yes. It seemed they were just observing the intruders in their territory and didn't want a fight. We managed to pass through the mountain without any trouble."
"..."
Yuta-san looked like he wanted to scream, but he kept his mouth shut. It was probably for the best; explaining it would take too long. Kiritani-san would just have to see the footage later, though he’d probably think it was some kind of high-budget CG at first.
"And the cliff descent? Even with an explorer's enhanced abilities, that must have been a challenge."
"There were plenty of rocks to use as footholds, so it wasn't that bad. We actually made it down pretty quickly," Yuji said.
"..."
Yuta-san shot us a look that said how can you stand there and lie like that? But we weren't lying. From our perspective, Yuji was telling the absolute truth. I really wished he’d stop looking at us like we were crazy, but I knew that was asking a lot.
"And the river was swollen... I suppose traveling by river after a rain is harder than we thought," Kiritani-san remarked.
"It was. But with the right equipment, it’s manageable. We struggled a little, but we made it upstream to the mountain as planned."
"..."
As Yuji continued his report, the light slowly drained from Yuta-san’s eyes, leaving him staring into the void. Hey, don't look like that. We're being honest! It's just a matter of perspective.
After about ten minutes, the report session—which had clearly been a mental ordeal for Yuta-san—came to an end.
"I see. I think I have the gist of it. Good work, Yuta-kun. It sounds like it was a grueling day."
"Ah, no... Since they led the way, I didn't actually struggle that much. It certainly proved their point—that for an explorer, those routes are no problem at all."
"I see. In that case, your request to change the search criteria makes perfect sense."
It looked like Yuta-san had indeed paved the way for us. We gave a light bow as the conversation shifted to the new requirements.
"We’re sorry for being so indecisive, Kiritani-san."
"Not at all. You don't know what you really need until you see the options. Our job is to make sure you're happy with the result."
"Thank you. We'll be in your care."
"Right. Let’s talk about these changes, then."
We went over the revised criteria, which largely matched what we’d hashed out in the car.
Once we were done, Kiritani-san had one request. He wanted us to go ahead with the third viewing as originally scheduled so they could verify the footage we'd taken today and use it to better understand our capabilities. Since we were the ones asking for changes, we felt it was only fair to agree. We accepted his request without a second thought.
Looking back, we really should have just said no.
Making easy promises can lead to some very difficult situations later on...