Feeling a bit dejected after realizing a fact I had overlooked, I prompted Mika to continue her story.
"Um, well. My class is making a Pythagoras Switch for the school festival."
"...A Pythagoras Switch? You mean like the ones on TV or online videos, where you combine all those little contraptions to reach a goal?"
"Yeah, exactly. We’re going to build various mechanisms and unveil them on the day of the festival."
"Heh, sounds like an interesting project."
A Pythagoras Switch, huh... Whenever I saw them on TV, they looked like an incredible amount of work, requiring minute adjustments for hours until everything finally clicked. But for a school festival, I suppose that struggle was part of the fun.
In fact, Mika looked like she was having a wonderful time as she talked about her class's exhibit, already brainstorming what kind of mechanisms to build. Actually, her spirits seemed exceptionally high. Was this the result of that mental weight—the recruitment attempts by Hisashi Goto’s group—finally being lifted?
"And then! We’re preparing displays of small contraptions in advance, but for the main event, we’re planning a large-scale setup. We'll be adjusting it on the day of the festival to see exactly when it finally succeeds!"
"Adjusting the device on the day of the event? That means no one knows when it’ll actually work, right?"
"That’s the best part! The suspense of not knowing when it’ll succeed! The guests who come to see it will enjoy that way more than just looking at a row of finished contraptions!"
"Well, I suppose so, but..."
They were planning quite the challenging event. The larger the device, the harder the adjustments would be. Still, as long as they were having fun, it was fine. The grueling preparations and the inevitable troubleshooting on the day were the essence of a school festival.
It was one of the few events in a short high school life where you could make a big fuss; it was good for them to enjoy—and struggle—to their heart's content.
"But in that case, isn't it tough to handle both the class and club exhibits? If your class project is that involved, it's going to take up a lot of your time."
"Hmm, it's okay for now. The data collection for the club exhibit is mostly done, and for the class project, we just do a little work here and there after school."
"I see. Well, if balancing them gets difficult, just let us know. We’ll cover for you on the club side of things."
"Yeah, thanks!"
Since the most tedious part—the data collection—was finished, putting the report together shouldn't take much effort. Fortunately or unfortunately, my own class’s exhibit was a blatant, low-effort attempt at saving face. Since the preparations were all simple, I had plenty of time to spare leading up to the festival.
While walking along the commute route talking with Mika, we arrived at the school gates before I knew it. Honestly, it was a rare day where we hadn't run into anyone else on the way to school.
"Well then, Onii-chan, see you in the clubroom after school."
"Yeah, good luck."
Exchanging brief greetings, I parted with Mika at the entrance and headed toward my classroom. On the way, though there weren't many people at school yet since it was early, I felt a restless buzz hanging over the entire building, likely because the festival was so close.
Upon reaching the classroom, I sat down in my seat while exchanging greetings with the few classmates who had already arrived. Looking around, it seemed neither Yuji, Hiiragi-san, nor even Shigemori had arrived yet.
Deciding to kill some time while I waited, I pulled out my phone and skimmed the news.
"Hmm... Well, I guess that’s to be expected."
After glancing through the top headlines, I accessed the Dungeon Association’s website, which was my primary concern. I was curious to see if yesterday's incident had already been publicized.
But the result was as expected; naturally, there was no announcement of a new dungeon discovery just one day later. If the site were in the middle of town, it might be different, but it was deep in the mountains, far from any settlement. The Association likely wanted to pick the perfect moment for their announcement.
"It looks like it’ll be a while before it’s publicized. Well, I’ll just check back periodically for now."
I exhaled softly, closed the Dungeon Association’s site, and looked away from my phone. Checking the clock, about ten minutes had passed since I started waiting, and the once-sparse classroom seats were fairly occupied.
Looking around, I saw that Yuji was in his seat, so I put away my phone, stood up, and went to talk to him.
"Good morning, Yuji."
"Oh, morning."
"Man, yesterday was quite an ordeal, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, it was. It was... I can only say it was an unbelievable turn of events."
I greeted Yuji while lightly chatting about yesterday's events. Of course, I kept my phrasing incredibly vague.
After some small talk, Yuji took on a serious expression and looked around briefly before leaning in slightly to speak to me.
"Ideally, I should probably tell you when Hiiragi-san is here too, but since you have your own schedule to think about, I'll tell you first, Daiki."
"Hm? What's up? You’re acting so formal."
"Actually... some documents from the Association arrived in my mailbox this morning regarding yesterday."
"Already? That’s remarkably fast..."
If documents regarding yesterday had already arrived, it likely meant the appraisal for the magic bag had been delivered.
Yuji seemed to notice that I had grasped the subject, and he spoke with a slight furrow in his brow.
"Yeah. And about that... the contents are a bit problematic. I want the two of you to come directly to my house to see the paperwork for yourselves."
"...In other words, it contains things too sensitive to bring here to school?"
"Exactly."
"..."
Seeing Yuji rub his brow as if he had a migraine, I couldn't help but look up at the ceiling with a look of quiet resignation. Appraisal documents with contents—amounts—too sensitive to carry around... If it was something Yuji didn't want to bring to school, was it a figure in the high seven figures, or perhaps even eight?
The thought alone gave me a sympathetic headache. You've got to be kidding me...
"So, yeah. Sorry, but it would be a huge help if you could stop by my place on the way home."
"Got it. I'll drop by."
"I appreciate it. As for Hiiragi-san, I'll fill her in once she gets here."
"Right..."
It wasn't exactly a case of one disaster after another, but since they were taking such swift action to keep things quiet, it seemed best to keep a low profile regarding Kiritani-san and the Association for a while. If we poked around carelessly, we might really stir up a hornets' nest.
Yuji and I exhaled small sighs and shared weary, half-hearted smiles. Then...
"Good morning, you two. You both look incredibly gloomy for a Monday morning. Did something happen?"
Shigemori, who had apparently just arrived with his school bag over his shoulder, called out to us. We must have been making truly dismal faces, as Shigemori gave us a genuinely worried look.
Startled, Yuji and I shook our heads and returned the greeting with smiles that were probably a bit stiff.
"Eh? Ah, good morning. No, it's just..."
"Good morning. It's nothing major, just a bit of a bothersome problem. It’s already settled, but thanks for worrying."
"I see. You guys looked so serious that I had to say something, but if you're okay, then that’s good."
"Haha, sorry for making you worry..."
Yuji and I gave awkward smiles and bowed slightly toward Shigemori. While we had kept the details vague, it certainly wasn't the kind of conversation to be having at school first thing in the morning.
Well, if we were going to make plans to meet, it was better to do it as early as possible before other obligations filled up. It was just that, given the nature of the news, it was impossible not to feel a bit dejected.
"Well, whatever. By the way, how's the school festival preparation going? I heard some other classes have already started making their moves."
"Seems so. Well, our class's exhibit shouldn't take much effort, so I think we'll be fine without rushing."
"The people in charge will handle ordering the food and drinks, and they said they weren't going to do anything elaborate with the interior, so it should be fine. We just have to follow the rotation and serve customers on the day."
"...Somehow, even though we decided it ourselves, it feels a bit uninspiring."
Yuji and I nodded at Shigemori's mutter, which sounded like a complaint. Indeed, our class's festival exhibit could honestly be called lazy. I'd heard that similar projects had been adopted by other classes, but they seemed to be putting more effort into theirs than we were. Though, apparently, that just meant being particular about the interior and costumes.
Still, it sounded like they were participating in the festival with a bit more sincerity than we were.
"Maybe so. But on the plus side, it leaves our free time open. We can just go around and see the other classes' exhibits and enjoy the festival. There will probably be classes planning all sorts of elaborate things."
"That's true. I guess we should just enjoy ourselves as participants this time."
"...I guess so. There are plenty of ways to enjoy an event."
"Exactly."
While we were chatting like that, time passed, and a teacher entered the room almost exactly when the warning bell rang, so Shigemori and I returned to our seats.
Now then, I'm mentally exhausted, but I'll do my best today.
Having managed to get through the day while carrying that mental fatigue, school finally ended, and the three of us moved to the clubroom. Mika and the others weren't there yet, so they were probably being held up by their class preparations.
With the school festival just around the corner, many students were staying behind after school, and the building was filled with lively voices.
"For now, let's wait here until Mika and the others arrive."
"Yeah. It wouldn't be right to leave without saying anything, and it's better to see everyone's faces first."
"I agree. But Hirose-kun, can you really not tell us the details until we get to your house?"
"Yeah, sorry. It's a bit of a... shocking figure, so I think it's better to look at it somewhere where no one else is around. That way, we can take some time to recover from the shock."
"...I see."
If Yuji was going this far, it really had to be a staggering amount. In that case, the eight-figure theory seemed most likely. If it were only a seven-figure appraisal, Yuji wouldn't be dragging it out like this.
Hiiragi-san and I directed slightly expectant but dubious looks at Yuji, who wore a look of distant resignation.
"That aside, Yuji, have you heard anything from Kiritani-san since then?"
"No, it was only yesterday, after all. I'm sure they’re busy over there too. If I don't hear anything for another two or three days, I'll give him a call just to check in. We’re technically involved parties, so a casual check-in that doesn't dig too deep shouldn't be a problem, right?"
In response to my question, Yuji furrowed his brow slightly and replied that there had been no contact. Well, that was understandable. Since this was probably their first dungeon-related case, they were likely at their absolute busiest right now.
"I hope so, but still, it's a bit strange to have absolutely no word."
"Indeed. But even if we ask, we should stick to things like when we can resume viewing properties. It's better not to ask anything too deep."
"Yeah, that’s how I intend to handle it. I don't want to stir up any trouble."
Yuji gave a wry smile and promised not to do anything greedy. Since a hush-money—er, appraisal amount—that surprised even Yuji had been sent, meddling pointlessly would bring a hundred harms for every potential benefit. Kiritani Real Estate already knew we were looking for land for a training ground, so just confirming the date and time for the next viewing shouldn't be an issue.
After waiting and chatting for a while, the clubroom door opened, and Mika and her group of four appeared.
" " " "Sorry we’re late!" " " "
"No, you were preparing your class's festival exhibit, right? It's not a problem."
"It's not like we have any urgent business, so it's fine if you're a little late."
"Yes, no need to rush. Come on, take a seat."
Soothing Mika and her friends, who entered the room looking a bit flustered, we urged them to sit down for now.
Once everyone was gathered, we checked the progress of each person's contribution to the club exhibit for the festival.
"It looks like the preparations for the exhibit are going smoothly."
"Yeah. The data collection is mostly done, so I think we can finish it within the week."
"I think mine will be finished within the week too."
"Mine’s fine as well, so we can assume our club's presentation materials will be ready by the end of the week."
Apparently, progress was smooth. If this kept up, we’d just have to decorate the clubroom the day before the festival. That meant, since our class exhibits were what they were, we’d have quite a bit of free time.
Things going smoothly is a good thing, but... what should we do?
They say the preparation for a festival is more fun than the main event itself.