Having confronted the facts we’d rather have ignored, we shared a collective sigh, wallowing in a melancholy that felt far beyond our years. Our days were consumed by dungeon exploration and training... it was a high school life smeared with blood, sweat, and dust. This was a far cry from the life I had envisioned when I first enrolled. Of course, the primary cause was the fact that the world’s common sense had been upended by the appearance of those foreign anomalies called dungeons.
That being said, now that we were aware of the problem, it was only human nature to want to attempt some level of improvement.
"For now, let's set aside the plans for hanging out and focus on the meeting at the Association. This is a formal summons, after all."
"Yeah, you're right. We should definitely clear that hurdle first. Even though they’re calling us in, I expect the main business will just be an interview and signing the non-disclosure agreement."
"I agree," Hiiragi-san added. "In this case, we're nothing more than the discoverers. We found a troublesome item, though, so they might have some rather annoying things to say about that."
Uwajima-san had told us beforehand that they might ask for our cooperation with a formal statement, so the summons itself wasn't a problem. Even when they drafted the official report for this incident, they would need it to be based on a statement taken with the cooperation of the discoverers.
The real issue lay with the handling of the magic bag we had turned over.
"That's the thing. An appraisal of fifty million yen looks like a massive figure at first glance, but considering the actual value of a magic bag, it's quite cheap. I'm sure the authorities are doing their best with that amount, but the majority of that sum is likely hush money. Assuming dungeons are state property, the ownership of the magic bag itself belongs to the country. From a legal standpoint, we are essentially contractors who found and recovered a magic bag from a dungeon and are now receiving a reward. The major catch is that dangerous goods like toxins produced in a dungeon can be seized by the state without any reward under the guise of a disposal fee. They could have easily classified the magic bag as dangerous goods to be destroyed, meaning they wouldn't have had to pay us a cent."
"I suppose so," Yuji agreed. "We also signaled our intention to Uwajima-san and the others that we wanted to be rid of a nuisance that might cause conflict with the state. Even if they had disposed of it as a dangerous item and offered no reward, we wouldn't have protested. More importantly, notifying us of a high appraisal for a magic bag—which looks like nothing more than a leather bag—is a bad move if you're trying to maintain confidentiality. The fact that they issued an appraisal reward anyway means we should view it as payment for our silence regarding the new dungeon and the magic bag."
"So the government... the office... shelled out fifty million yen not for the value of the magic bag, but as hush money," Hiiragi-san murmured.
I could clearly see how serious the other side was. Whether the money came from secret funds or reserve funds, I didn't know, but a government office wouldn't easily decide to move that much money so quickly. Not unless it was a matter of grave importance or a national emergency.
In other words, the existence of a magic bag was just that significant. Along with the new dungeon itself.
"I hope this upcoming meeting... ends peacefully."
"Yeah..."
"I hope so, too..."
The meeting with the Association would essentially be the cleanup phase, but it looked like it was going to be quite an ordeal. I just hoped it would conclude with the signing of the non-disclosure agreement regarding the magic bag and nothing more.
After finishing our talk about the meeting scheduled for the end of the week, we decided to head to the dojo. We needed to give Juzo-san a brief report on the situation. Since he had acted as our intermediary with Kiritani Real Estate, we had to keep him in the loop within the bounds of what we were allowed to say.
Even if it had been an unavoidable accident, we had dragged the people he introduced us to into a mess that was more than just a little troublesome.
"Hey, Yuji, did you talk to Juzo-san about this yesterday?" I asked as we walked.
"No, nothing in detail. I just told him we got caught up in something a bit annoying during the property tour. Since I don't know exactly what we’re allowed to disclose right now, I told him that if he really wanted to know, he should ask Kiritani-san without pressing him too hard. Kiritani-san knows the legal limits of what can be shared. Basically, I just dumped the whole thing on him."
"If we don't know the limits of what we can say, leaving it to someone who actually understands the regulations isn't a bad idea. Though it must be a nightmare for Kiritani-san, since he’s already swamped with the dungeon paperwork..."
"But it's better than us blindly talking as if we know everything," Hiiragi-san noted. "Even though we haven't officially signed the non-disclosure agreement yet, we can't just blab about this, even to family."
Knowing Juzo-san, I suspected he had already contacted Kiritani-san and grasped the situation to some extent. Even for Kiritani-san, since we were students Juzo-san had personally introduced and entrusted to him, he would likely provide a report within the bounds of what was permissible.
Still, as the parties involved, it would be improper if we didn't give some kind of report to the man who made the introduction.
"Well, that's true, but I still feel bad for Kiritani-san," I said.
"He's probably at his absolute busiest right now," Yuji added. "I doubt he even knows what kind of procedures are needed for a dungeon land transfer, and he has to persuade the landowner on top of everything. All while keeping up with his regular business..."
"It’s what you’d call a battlefield, or a death march."
"He sounds like he won't have a moment to sleep."
Thinking of Kiritani Real Estate, which was likely in the midst of a logistical nightmare, we offered a silent moment of prayer.
Hang in there, we thought.
"...Next time I visit Kiritani-san, I'll bring a gift box of sweets. But for now, we have to deal with the Old Man. I wonder how I should phrase it..."
"Shouldn't we start by checking how much he already knows?" Yuji suggested. "If he’s already heard the story from Kiritani-san, there's no need for us to repeat it."
"Right," Hiiragi-san agreed. "Juzo-san is technically an outsider to this matter, so a minimal explanation should suffice. We have to consider our duty of confidentiality, after all."
Even if the person was Juzo-san, we couldn't just tell him everything. This was a case where a strict duty of confidentiality was likely to be enforced; we couldn't just casually inform him of the specifics. The appropriate level of information would be a simple assurance: we were caught up in something annoying, but it wouldn't escalate into anything worse.
Juzo-san might also feel responsible for getting his grandson and his friends into trouble by introducing a business acquaintance. Then again... probably not. He’d more likely say something like, "Didn't you learn a good lesson?"
"Right, let's check with the Old Man first."
As we walked, racking our brains over the explanation, we arrived at the dojo.
Having confirmed beforehand that Juzo-san was there, Yuji called out before we stepped inside.
"I'm home, Old Man. I've got something to talk to you about. Do you have a minute?"
"Hm? Oh, Yuji, welcome back. Are the Kokonoe boy and the girl with you?"
"Pardon the intrusion," we said in unison.
"Umu. And what is this business you have with me?"
After greeting Juzo-san, who had been meditating in the center of the dojo, we stepped up, took the cushions stacked in the corner, laid them out, and sat in a row before him to begin the conversation.
"Er, about yesterday... did you hear anything from Kiritani-san?"
"Hm? Ah, that trouble you mentioned yesterday? Yes, I received a call from Kiritani this morning. He was apologizing for dragging you all into such a mess."
"Ah, so he did contact you... Did Kiritani-san explain what happened?"
As expected, an apologetic call had come from Kiritani-san. Since this was one of the scenarios we had anticipated, it wasn't an issue. The question, as Yuji said, was how much had been explained.
Juzo-san nodded in response to Yuji's question.
"Yes. It seems you found something troublesome deep in the mountains during your property tour. He said he couldn't go into details because of a duty of confidentiality, but he wanted me to tell you not to worry because they would handle all the bothersome procedures on their end. He mentioned he would contact you all directly later, of course."
"Understood. When Kiritani-san contacts us, I'll tell him it’s fine. But does that mean you don't know the specifics of the trouble, Old Man?"
It appeared Juzo-san didn't know the exact details of the incident. And the fact that Kiritani-san hadn't conveyed any specifics meant that we shouldn't delve too deep into them either.
"Indeed, I don't know, and I have no intention of prying. When it comes to a mess that involves a duty of confidentiality, both the one asking and the one telling face their own risks. Unless it's something that seems likely to cause direct harm to either party, the safest course is to ask nothing and say nothing. As they say, curiosity killed the cat."
"Understood. Then we won't say anything more about this matter either."
"That would be for the best. Well, if the time comes when you can speak of it, you can tell me the story as a reminiscence then."
"If that time ever comes," I muttered.
Since the new dungeon involved matters like security and mountain entry restrictions, the protocol for it would eventually be decided, and a time to talk about it might come. However, as for the magic bag, I had no idea when we'd ever be allowed to speak of it. Perhaps once enough had been secured to meet market demand, or when a manufacturing method for storage-type magic items had been established... there was no telling when that would be.
"Then let's conclude our talk here. Continuing any further doesn't seem likely to bring much benefit."
And so, we and Juzo-san cut short the conversation regarding the incident. Since we couldn't properly explain the circumstances, talking any more was just a waste of time.
"Now, on another note, how did the actual property viewing go? Were you able to broaden your horizons?"
"Yeah," Yuji sighed. "The tour made it very clear how little we know. Our criteria for the property we were looking to buy were too vague, so we couldn't judge whether a place was right for us until we actually saw it. We were nothing but a burden to Kiritani-san... and especially to Yuta-san, who accompanied us on several viewings."
"Well, it is difficult to judge things accurately until you have accumulated experience through repeated failures," Juzo-san replied. "What you should do from now on is reflect and identify areas for improvement based on the experience you gained. A first mistake is one thing, but it is no good to repeat the same error twice or thrice."
"Haha, you're absolutely right. We have to think it through properly before we make requests, otherwise we'll end up bothering everyone involved, not just ourselves. Even if we don't go to the site, just scrutinizing the materials for the properties takes time and effort."
The three of us gave wry smiles, reflecting on our blunders during the search. Because our requirements had been vague, we hadn't been able to find anything we wanted, no matter how many properties we viewed. If we had consulted a bit more with Kiritani-san or Yuta-san to narrow down our conditions... we might have encountered a property we actually liked.
Until now, we had only been able to view properties with lackluster evaluations because our expectations were so poorly defined. To make the next viewing a success, we had to use the knowledge we had gained to set firm criteria.
"There is no problem with taking your time to find a property you are satisfied with," Juzo-san said. "Kiritani has been in this business for many years; he is used to customers taking time and effort to find the right place. You should focus on choosing a property that you yourself are truly happy with."
"Thanks. It's true that it's better to take the time to choose a place we’re happy with than to buy something we’ll regret forever."
"Precisely. Well, if you feel you are being a nuisance, you can just take a gift box of sweets with you when you next visit. If you think of it as paying a 'nuisance fee,' it might ease your conscience a bit."
"Haha, I'll try that next time."
That would certainly make me feel a bit better... I'd pick out a high-end box of sweets, partly as a thank you for cleaning up the discovery of the new dungeon. I’d have to consult with the other two later.
After our talk, Hiiragi-san and I left Yuji's house. There was school tomorrow, and staying too long during dinner would be a bother to his family.
Upon returning home, I saw Mika's shoes in the entrance. Worried that I was a bit late because the conversation had dragged on, I entered the living room.
"I'm home."
"Hm? Oh, welcome back, Onii-chan. You're late."
"Yeah, I was just talking at Yuji's place for a bit."
"I see. Oh, right. Here, this is for you."
Mika, who was sitting on the sofa in her loungewear, handed me an envelope. The Dungeon Association's logo was printed clearly on the front, making it obvious where it had come from.
Wait. A letter from the Dungeon Association at this timing? Could it be the same thing Yuji received?