Immediately after parting ways with Onii-chan and entering the classroom, the three of us felt a strange vibe hanging in the air. Since summer break had just ended, I could have understood a bit of restless energy or lingering vacation brain, but this was different.
How should I put it? Was it awe? Envy? Or were they just stunned? It was a chaotic mix of conflicting emotions.
"Good morning~"
"Ah, good morning, Mika-chan. Asami-chan and Suzune-chan, it’s been a while!"
"Yeah, it has."
"Good morning."
As I called out with a light wave, our classmate Harada noticed us and returned the greeting. It had been quite some time since we’d seen each other, but she seemed perfectly healthy.
After a bit of small talk to gauge the situation, I threw out the question I was actually interested in. Specifically, about the mood in the room.
"Anyway, what’s with the atmosphere? The classroom feels a little… weird."
"Ah, so you noticed it too."
"Yeah. Do you know what’s causing it?"
"Yeah, well…"
Harada scratched her cheek with a troubled look, a complicated expression crossing her face as she explained the source of the tension.
"Have you guys heard the rumor that Kirishima-kun from Class 5 quit school to focus on the explorer profession?"
"Yeah. Suzune-chan told me about it this morning."
"I see. That makes this easier. Actually, there’s more to that rumor. Apparently, Kirishima-kun wasn't the only one who quit…"
"What?"
The three of us cried out in surprise. I’d heard from Onii-chan that there might be others who followed Kirishima-kun’s lead in a chain withdrawal, but I hadn't expected to hear that more dropouts had already been confirmed.
Seeing our shocked reactions, Harada gave a small sigh and continued.
"Also—and this isn't confirmed yet—but there are rumors that someone from our class has dropped out, too."
"From our class…?"
"Think about it. We had several people in our class who were part of Kirishima-kun’s group, right? The rumor is that one of them is gone…"
Hearing Harada’s explanation, I instinctively scanned the classroom. There was still time before the final bell, so empty seats were to be expected, but now that she mentioned it, the room felt emptier than usual.
Specifically, I noticed that the absences were most prominent among the boys who had been particularly focused on their explorer activities.
"Is there any talk about who exactly quit?"
"No. So far, I haven't heard a specific name from our class. But the fact that the rumor is even going around means… well, you know?"
"…"
It seemed likely that someone from our class had indeed dropped out. It wasn't set in stone, but the possibility was high. This was clearly what was weighing on the room.
When I was talking with Onii-chan this morning, I hadn't expected the reality of dropouts to hit so close to home so quickly.
"If someone really did quit our class, the teacher will probably tell us during morning homeroom."
"I guess so. If they’re gone, they have to announce it."
"We haven't even been in high school for half a year, and they're already quitting…"
"I wonder if they can really make it as full-time explorers…"
Asami-chan and Suzune-chan had just heard about the harsh reality of the profession from Onii-chan this morning, so their expressions were dark as they considered our classmates' futures. Even if it had only been a short time, they were still classmates we’d shared a room with. I really hoped things wouldn't take a turn for the worse… but I felt uneasy.
Just as a somber mood began to settle over us, a cheerful voice called out.
"Good morning! Why is everyone so gloomy first thing after summer break?"
"Oh, Saori-chan. Good morning. Well, you see…"
"Ah, yeah. Good morning."
"？"
The newcomer was Saori-chan, who seemed to have just arrived. We usually ran into her on the way to school, so our timing must have just been slightly off today.
We returned her greeting and filled her in on the situation.
"Ah, I see. Yeah, hearing that first thing in the morning would definitely bring the mood down."
"Right? But honestly, if they've already withdrawn, there's nothing we can do. If we’d known before they quit, maybe we could have talked them out of it, but…"
It was too late. If a classmate had truly withdrawn, the ship had sailed. No matter what we said now, if the paperwork was already processed by the school, there was no going back.
"I’m not sure that would have worked anyway. Quitting before even six months have passed means either their resolve to live as explorers was rock-solid, or school life just didn't suit them."
"True. You wouldn't choose to drop out this early unless you were really backed into a corner or had a very strong reason."
"But Senpai said it’s incredibly difficult to make a living solely as an explorer, right?"
"Yeah, and I’m sure the people who quit know that too. Even so, they still chose to leave…"
"Maybe school just wasn't for them…"
That was certainly possible. If Kirishima-kun and the others were already making good money as explorers, they might have decided that school was just a waste of time compared to their activities in the dungeons. In that case, being stuck in a classroom for hours every weekday would have been nothing but a burden.
As I pondered this, Asami-chan and Suzune-chan let out soft, thoughtful murmurs.
"Is being an explorer really that much more attractive than school…?"
"They worked so hard to pass the entrance exams, and they’re quitting in less than six months…"
"Whoa, stop right there, you two! Onii-chan told us this morning, didn't he? Deciding to go full-time as an explorer right now is a bad idea! It’s fine while things are going well, but if something goes wrong, there’s no safety net!"
"！ Right… you’re right."
For a second, it looked like the "allure" of the explorer life was starting to pull them in, so I hurriedly grabbed their shoulders and shook them back to their senses. They almost let themselves get swept away by the hype.
Harada, who had been watching our exchange with a stunned, slightly confused expression, asked a question that seemed a bit difficult to voice.
"Hey, Mika-chan? That 'Onii-chan' you were talking about… you mean Kokonoe-senpai from the second-year, right? The one who did that crazy performance at the sports festival?"
"Yeah. That’s him."
It seemed Onii-chan’s display at the sports festival was still fresh in everyone’s minds, even after the long break.
"I see… If someone who can do things like that says being a full-time explorer is tough, then…"
Harada nodded weakly a few times with a distant look in her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh.
…Wait, what was that for?
"If even seniors like that say it’s impossible, then there's no way novice explorers like us could make it, right? Looking at it that way, I’m starting to worry about the people who quit…"
"Yeah. If those seniors can't make it, I wonder just how much skill you need before you can actually go pro?"
"It’s a fact that the seniors have way more experience than any of the first-year explorers."
"……"
Hearing the grumbling from Harada, Asami-chan, and Suzune-chan, I felt my face—and Saori-chan’s—twitch slightly. I certainly agree that the world of explorers, where luck and skill are everything, is a brutal place to go full-time. However, there’s no way people as skilled as Onii-chan couldn't make it. They play it down because they don't want to cause a stir at school, but from our perspective, they're clearly top-tier. I’ve heard they’ve been scouted by all sorts of dungeon-related companies; they definitely have the skills to go pro.
So, while I don't know how good Kirishima-kun and the others were, if they're lucky, they might manage to scrape by… maybe? Probably. But if I said something like that and gave people false hope, the rumors might spiral out of control, so I decided to stay quiet.
"Yeah, I think it’s definitely better to be careful about your career path."
"We just started high school, after all. There's no harm in taking a little more time to think about the future."
Saori-chan must have been on the same page, as she backed up my plan to keep them focused on staying in school. I didn't want to be the one who irresponsibly told them it was okay and accidentally triggered even more dropouts.
Our message seemed to get through, as Asami-chan, Suzune-chan, and Harada all took on expressions that said they’d reconsidered the idea of being a full-time student explorer.
After the five of us talked for a while, the front door of the classroom opened, and our homeroom teacher appeared. Everyone hurried to their seats at the sight of him. Me too, of course.
But as I sat down, I couldn't help but notice the empty desks. The rumors were true.
"…Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning!"
"I’m glad to see all your healthy faces after the summer break…"
The teacher’s expression was nowhere near as upbeat as his words. He glanced around the room, his eyes lingering on the empty seats for a moment before he took a deep, steadying breath.
Then, with a look of grim determination, he looked straight at us.
"Some of you may have already heard the rumors, but I have a very unfortunate announcement."
"……"
"Regrettably, there have been a number of dropouts among the first-years, including students from our own class. To be clear, these were not expulsions for disciplinary reasons. These students all formally submitted withdrawal papers to the school over the summer break."
"！！"
The rumors were officially confirmed. The people who belonged in those empty seats were gone.
The classroom immediately erupted into a cacophony of voices. Some people mocked the decision to quit, some praised the "courage" of the move, and others expressed envy, saying they wanted to do the same. But all the chatter died down the moment the teacher spoke again.
"The total number of dropouts from the first-year class is ten. Our school has never seen such a large number of students withdraw simultaneously in a coordinated fashion."
"！？！？"
The room was filled with shocks that were almost like screams. Ten people?! All at once?! Did an entire explorer party just quit together?! You’ve got to be kidding… I almost shouted in surprise myself, but I managed to bite it back at the last second.
As the room remained in an uproar, the teacher continued with a look of weary disappointment.
"When asked for their reasons, they stated they wanted to focus on the explorer profession with their companions. It was so sudden that the school was caught off guard, but since they submitted formal withdrawal papers, we had no choice but to accept them. However, everyone, if you ever consider something like this, please talk to the school or to us teachers before you file any paperwork. At your age, it's easy to wonder why you're even studying or to find school a chore. But what you learn here will help you in your future. If you’re struggling with anything, please just come talk to us. We might not have all the answers, but we can help you find them. You don't have to carry the burden alone; talking to someone else can help you find a perspective you might have missed."
The teacher scanned our faces with a look of genuine concern.
As he said, a mass withdrawal like this without any prior notice must have been a huge shock to the administration. The first-year teachers were probably getting grilled by the principal and vice principal about why they hadn't seen the signs.
"In response to this, we’re going to distribute a survey to all first-years to check in on everyone’s career goals. Please fill it out so we can collect it during the next homeroom."
"Ehhh…"
"It’s anonymous, so please just give your honest opinions."
With that, the teacher began passing out the survey forms.
Ten people, though… I wonder if the ones who quit to go pro were Goto-kun’s group?