No other acquaintances dropped by during the remainder of my shift after my mother left. Based on what I’d heard from Tatebayashi-san and her group, I’d been on high alert for any "scouts" or familiar faces from the outside, but fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—none appeared. My time ended without incident, and the morning group began their handover to the lunch group.
Since the relief shift had gathered ahead of schedule, the transition was seamless.
"That’s everything for the handover," Azuma-san concluded.
"Understood. Doesn't look like there are any major problems," the leader of the lunch group replied.
"Right. The background music was a last-minute addition, but I’ve already cleared it with the committee. Just ask that student over there to handle the playback."
"I really dropped the ball on that one. You’re right; a quiet cafe with no music feels half-baked. We spent so much time discussing the details, I can't believe I didn't think that far ahead..."
The girl speaking with Azuma-san was the leader of the lunch group, someone who had been just as involved in the class preparations as we were. She let out a heavy, frustrated sigh, looking disappointed in herself. Well, no matter how much you plan beforehand, there are always things you only realize once you actually get started.
It wasn't a fatal error like a paperwork mistake with the authorities or a failure to secure our inventory; it was a minor issue that was easily fixed, so it could have been much worse.
"Well, things are going fine so far, so just try not to overthink it. The customers know we’re just students," Azuma-san said.
"Easy for you to say... but alright, I've got it."
"Thanks. We're counting on you for the afternoon."
With that, the transition concluded without any chaos. To ensure we had time for the rotation, we had stopped taking new orders and asked guests to wait, so those of us finishing our shift decided to clear out quickly.
But first...
"Good work, Hiiragi-san. I heard from Tatebayashi-san and the others; sounds like things were getting pretty wild over at the clubroom..."
"Good work, Kokonoe-kun. Yes, exactly. It would have been fine if it were just regular guests coming to see our exhibition, but..."
"That wasn't the case?"
"No."
Hiiragi-san let out a weary, genuinely annoyed sigh as she began to vent.
"Apparently, they were from the same agencies that tried to scout us through the school before."
"Wait, really? So they just marched in out of spite for being rejected?"
"I don't know if it was spite... maybe they just wanted to see our faces directly? They completely ignored our club exhibition and kept pestering us about why we'd turned down their offers."
"Ugh..."
That was incredibly tactless. At the very least, they should have looked at the exhibition first and then brought it up during the feedback. The impression they left would have been entirely different. Since our presentation covered general explorer topics, it would have been natural to touch on our own activities afterward. We’d even included accounts of experiences that only active explorers would know.
To ignore all of that and jump straight into recruitment...
"Oh, don't worry, though. People who act that tactlessly aren't left to roam the school grounds for long."
"What do you mean?"
"Students who saw the commotion reported it to the executive committee and the teachers. Every one of the scouts was asked to leave. They’ve probably been given the boot by now."
"Haha, well... that’s a relief."
It seemed the situation had already been handled. Hiiragi-san wore a satisfied smile, likely because dealing with them had been such a chore.
"Also, it’s not really a problem, but a lot of parents came by. They were all reading your presentation quite intently, Kokonoe-kun. Though quite a few had rather stiff expressions..."
"Ah, that. Depending on the family, that content might become a real issue in a few months. I guess it caught the attention of parents who hadn't heard the specifics of their kids' explorer activities. The ones with the stiff faces... they probably suspect their kids have been playing fast and loose with their earnings."
"I imagine so. If a child earns enough to blow past the dependency deduction limit without their parents realizing, it makes the year-end adjustment a nightmare for anyone working a corporate job."
Finding out right before filing was bad enough, but finding out after the fact meant the corrective paperwork would be a nightmare. In the worst-case scenario, the kid would get a notice for a final tax return in the mail early next year. Yeah, that would be a disaster.
I suspected a lot of households with student explorers would be dealing with that exact problem this year.
"Anyway, the handouts you prepared were a big hit. Almost every parent who came by took one. We were down to the last few copies by the time I left, so you might want to prepare some more."
"Right, I'll do that. I'm heading to the clubroom later anyway, so I'll bring the extras then. Do you think they’ll let me use the photocopier in the staff room?"
"I don't see why not. There are teachers stationed there, so if you explain the situation, they should let you."
"Then I'll make the copies and bring them over."
Would fifty more be enough? Actually, based on what Hiiragi-san said, maybe I should make more.
"Please do. If word spreads among the parents, more people might want them. It’s better to have too many than too few."
"Got it. I'll print a hundred; that should cover it."
"Yes, that sounds about right given the crowd this morning. And it's not just the parents—once students hear about it, they’ll want copies too."
"Honestly, it's the kind of information every student explorer should have."
After exchanging information with Hiiragi-san, I said my goodbyes to the rest of the morning group and left the classroom.
Now, I finally had some free time. Where should I start?
I decided to head to Mika’s classroom first. If I told her I missed it because I ran out of time, she’d never let me hear the end of it. It was best to check off the "must-see" spots early.
With that in mind, I made my way to the first-year floor.
"...Looking at it now, these classes really went all out."
Everywhere I looked, the walls and entrances were flamboyantly decorated. Signboards and pop-up displays, clearly the result of hours of student labor, lined the hallways. Some stalls were easy to identify at a glance, while others were so over-the-top I couldn't tell what they were supposed to be.
Perhaps because of everything that had happened this year, the first-years seemed to be letting loose and enjoying themselves to the extreme.
"Well, it's good that they're having fun."
I dodged the solicitations of first-year students acting as barkers and pushed toward my destination. I saw a few interesting attractions along the way; maybe I’d circle back later.
Eventually, I reached Mika’s classroom.
"This is it."
Like the others, Mika's classroom was adorned with paper flowers and various decorations. I couldn't help but feel it was a bit of a mismatch for the attraction I’d heard about. A door covered in floral ornaments... for an exhibition of karakuri contraptions, wasn't there something more fitting?
They could have attached a small coin-drop game to the door to pique interest, for instance...
"Well, whatever. Let's just go in."
Swallowing my critiques, I opened the classroom door. The noise from inside flooded out to meet me. I could hear cheers of joy and groans of despair; success and failure were clearly playing out in equal measure.
"Too bad, time’s up!"
"Arrgh, damn! I only had one more to go!"
"Here is your participation prize."
In one corner, a boy was stomping his feet in frustration.
"Incredible! A success!"
"Yay!"
"Here is your prize for clearing the game."
In another corner, a girl was shouting with delight. It seemed they had a series of games for guests to participate in.
"Oh, Senpai! You actually came!"
"Hey, Saori-chan."
Noticing me at the entrance, Saori-chan walked over. She was wearing an apron that looked suspiciously like the uniform of a home improvement store clerk. Given the mechanical nature of the attraction, I guess that was the aesthetic they were going for.
"Mika seemed like she was working really hard on this, so I had to come see the final product."
"I see! Mika-chan was on the morning shift, though, so she’s not here right now."
"I know. We were on the same shift for our own classes."
"She should be on her break now. She might have even gone to your classroom to look for you, Senpai."
If so, we’d just missed each other, but we’d be working together at the club exhibition later, so it was fine. Saori-chan began to lead me further into the room.
"Please, come this way. First, let me introduce you to the individual mechanisms we have on display."
"Thanks. Lead the way."
"You got it! So, first..."
Listening to Saori-chan’s commentary, I began my tour of the karakuri contraptions.
It looked like their strategy was to take the individual components used in the massive central device and explain each one’s structure first. It made sense; it was easier to appreciate the complexity of the final product if you understood the individual parts beforehand.
The initial impact might be slightly lessened, but since the main device wasn't something they could just reset instantly every time someone wanted to see it, this was a practical compromise.
"Heh, so that’s how that works."
"Right? When we were researching ideas for this, we found so many mechanisms we’d never even heard of. We actually had to cut quite a few that were too difficult to build or had a success rate that was too low."
"This one looks like it has a low success rate, though..."
"The angle adjustment is just tricky. Once it’s locked in, it’s actually very consistent."
I watched with genuine interest as a ping-pong ball bounced along the tops of tilted empty cans. She said the adjustment was "tricky" like it was no big deal, but they must have spent hours testing it to find the perfect setup.
"This is just the warm-up. Let me show you the next one."
"Sure."
As Saori-chan took my hand to lead me to the next display, I felt a wave of gazes hitting me.
"..."
"Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing."
I feigned ignorance to Saori-chan, but as I glanced around, I saw several students working the stall directed sharp, resentful looks my way.
However, it wasn't just resentment; I also saw fear, caution, and even a few looks of gratitude. It was the legacy of the Mass Dropout Incident and the sports festival.
"By the way, Saori-chan, are you enjoying the school festival?"
"Eh? Oh, yes! Definitely! It's great!"
"I'm glad. A lot has happened lately, so I was worried."
"Haha, yeah. A lot really did happen..."
To gauge the meaning behind those glares, I deliberately brought up the past incidents. The reactions were varied: some looked away awkwardly, others’ faces twisted with remembered bitterness, and a few just let out weary, exasperated sighs.
It seemed our impact on the first-years—who had been at the heart of it all—was even deeper than we’d realized. We were the ones who had both caused the chaos and resolved the Forced Recruitment Scandal. They probably just didn't know how to act around us and felt they had to keep their distance.
"Anyway, Senpai! We're planning to run the big central device in a little while. Since there’s still time, why don't you try one of the games while you wait?"
"The games?"
"Yeah! If you can clear the designated mechanism within the time limit, you win a prize. The prizes get better depending on the difficulty."
"Heh, sounds like fun. I'll give it a shot."
After finishing the tour of the displays, I let Saori-chan lead me over to the game corner. It was the source of all the cheers and groans I’d heard earlier.
In a situation like this, the standard move was to go for the highest difficulty, right?
If I did that, I'd certainly be the center of attention in more ways than one.