After handing the handouts over to Yuji, I decided to use my remaining free time to make the rounds and visit other clubs’ exhibits. It was partly a courtesy call; I figured it would be bad if I didn’t have at least a basic grasp of what everyone else was doing. In a completely unexpected turn of events, a long line had formed at our booth. If I claimed I was too busy with our own crowd to notice what the neighbors were presenting, I’d likely come off as an arrogant prick.
For the sake of future peace during club activities, I needed to at least show my face to the other clubs on the same floor and apologize for the commotion.
"…I guess I’ll start with the neighbors."
With that, I headed into the Railway Research Club first. They were the closest to us and likely the ones most inconvenienced by our queue.
"Excuse me."
"Welcome… Oh, you're from next door."
"I'm Kokonoe. My apologies for all the trouble we’ve been causing you."
"Haha, trouble? I’m actually a bit jealous, but please, don’t worry about it. You don't need to be so formal."
A male Senior with glasses greeted me with a wry smile. The room was packed with railway photographs from various lines, along with route maps and timetables. In the center of the room sat the main attraction: a fairly large diorama railway model.
"Things seem to be going incredibly well over there," the Senior remarked.
"Haha, so it seems. I’m actually the relief for the next shift, so I’ve only heard about it second-hand, but apparently, it’s been quite the spectacle. A lot of people from an unexpected demographic showed up."
"It seemed reasonably busy until the morning, but things really picked up this afternoon. A line formed, and I saw your members rushing out to make more copies of some handouts while apologizing to everyone."
"It was a total surprise. We never expected to get this many guests given the nature of our exhibit."
I let out a weary sigh, and the Senior’s wry smile deepened.
"Well, it's a good thing to have people come to see your work. Regardless of the reason, it's nice to have your activities recognized and appreciated—especially when people who weren't interested before start to care because of what you've done."
"I suppose so. If anything, our exhibit was intended as a bit of an enlightenment campaign to get people interested in the first place."
"We get a decent number of guests here too, but it's mostly people who were already into the hobby. We don't get many newcomers. I was hoping to broaden the horizons of this hobby by reaching people who haven't been exposed to it yet."
The Senior turned his gaze toward his displays.
"For our exhibit this time, we tried to take a 'broad and shallow' approach to appeal to a wide range of people."
"The photos are certainly eye-catching. Did you and your clubmates take these?"
"About half of them. The ones we took focus on the local railways; we figured people would relate more to things they see every day. Those shots of the winter scenery and the ones in the Alps were taken by famous professionals. You might recognize them from somewhere, right?"
"Now that you mention it, they do look familiar."
"For the other exhibits, we also focused on local items mixed with a few famous ones."
It made sense. People are often more drawn to familiar things than to famous sights from far away. Seeing an unexpected side of something you see every day can be a great hook. For a club trying to attract new blood, the Senior’s strategy was quite sound.
While we were chatting peacefully, another group of guests arrived.
"Welcome! Please, take your time."
"Well, Senior, it looks like you’ve got more guests, so I’ll be heading out. I expect we'll continue to be a nuisance for a while, but thank you for your patience."
"Being popular is a good thing. Don't worry about it, and good luck with your booth."
"Thank you. Take care."
I gave him a light bow and left the Railway Research Club. I was glad that went smoothly. On to the next one.
I moved past our club room to the Quiz Research Club on the opposite side. I could hear voices from inside discussing questions, so they clearly had visitors as well.
"Excuse me."
"Welcome… Oh, it’s you."
A male student clerk I knew from my year greeted me with a surprised look. We weren't close, but we saw each other in the hallways often enough to recognize each other.
"I’m Kokonoe from next door. I’m sorry for all the trouble we’re causing."
"Haha, don't worry about it. It’s unexpectedly popular, but the line is orderly and isn't blocking anything. One of your clubmates came by to apologize a little while ago, too."
"That's a relief."
I breathed a sigh of relief. If they had complained about the disruption, I would have had to reorganize the line to queue toward the Railway Research Club side instead. Our club simply didn't have the spare manpower for that—the classic downside of a small club during events like this. Larger clubs can afford to have a rotation, but we were stretched thin.
"Still, you guys are a hit. Based on what I heard yesterday, I thought student explorers were your main target… but I was shocked to see so many parents and guardians visiting. Was that your plan?"
"Not at all. It was completely unforeseen. I have no idea why external guests—specifically people who seem like guardians—are flocking to us. Our exhibit is incredibly dry, you know?"
"True, you said it was mostly about dungeon logistics and taxes. How did that get so popular?"
"Beats me. But honestly, it’s a struggle to handle the crowd now that there's a line."
I was the one who wanted to know why. I didn't want the booth to be empty, but I hadn't wanted this level of chaos either. As of yesterday, I had envisioned a trickle of guests who we would briefly guide before handing them a printout on their way out. I never imagined guests would arrive so incessantly that we'd have a line and need to sprint to the copier.
My face was a mess of exhaustion and bewilderment as a small complaint escaped my lips.
"I guess I should say 'what a nice problem to have'… but seeing how busy you guys are, it really does look like a struggle."
"Ah, yeah, sorry. I guess that sounded ungrateful."
"No, no. If I imagine a line like that at our booth, I'd probably feel the same way. For small clubs like ours, having that many guests is just a headache."
It was a situation that was both enviable and unenviable—the true state of affairs at our booth. The student clerk gave a wry smile, seemingly sensing my conflict.
"Haha, well, this commotion will probably only last for today, so I’ll do my best. I’m sorry if we continue to be a nuisance."
"I don't have any intention of complaining, so don't worry about it. The school festival is almost over, so hang in there."
"Thanks. I will."
I thanked him with a nod and took my leave.
"Well, I'll be going now."
"Good luck with the rush."
"Yeah, you too."
With the minimum required greetings finished, I used my remaining time to check out other attractions. I had less than twenty minutes left, so I could only manage a quick peek. I headed down to the first floor to work my way up.
"Let’s see, maybe I’ll start with the Art Club?"
I headed toward the art room. As far as culture clubs went, it was a large organization with many members. I stepped inside, feeling a bit of uncharacteristic nervousness.
"Wow, there’s quite a lot on display…"
The room was filled with partitions pinned with numerous paintings. There were also a few sculptures and clay works displayed on the tables. A quick glance suggested there were nearly fifty pieces.
"I don't have much time, so I'll just do a quick loop."
I moved through the works, trying to stay out of the way of the other guests.
"I guess it really does reflect the state of the world," I muttered.
About half of the paintings were related to explorers and dungeons. There were explorers posing with weapons, parties venturing into the depths, and scenes of combat with monsters. Even the sculptures and clay works on the tables followed these themes. It made me wonder if dungeon-related events had permeated daily life—or if they were encroaching upon it.
"This one is quite powerful. I wonder if the artist is an explorer?"
What caught my eye was a painting of an explorer about to counterattack an orc swinging a massive club. I'm an amateur when it comes to art, but the piece had an undeniable impact—it felt like the artist had captured a scene they had actually lived through.
"Oh, you have a sharp eye. Just as you suspected, the artist of that piece is an explorer."
"…Uh, who might you be?"
"My apologies for speaking to you so suddenly. I'm a member of the club and I'm acting as a guide today. You seemed so engrossed in the painting that I couldn't help but speak up."
"I-I see."
The speaker was a small female student with a gentle aura. Since I was short on time, I’d intended to leave quickly, but it would be awkward to walk away now without listening to her explanation.
"Allow me to explain the work. As you guessed, the artist is a student explorer, and they said this scene left a particularly strong impression on them."
"…So this battle with the orc stuck with them."
"It was their first time fighting an orc. They were in a party of five, and they said they managed to defeat it after a desperate struggle. According to the artist, it was their most difficult and memorable battle."
"I see… It must have been a brutal fight."
If the composition truly reflected the artist's perspective, then they likely failed to counter and were injured immediately after this moment. The painting radiated a sense of being overwhelmed by the orc's presence; it felt like they hadn't even fully tracked the club being swung at them.
The power I felt from the painting was likely the artist's own fear, bled onto the canvas. It was probably subconscious.
"But thanks to that experience, the artist was able to create something this impactful. I hate to say it, but compared to their works from last year, there's a world of difference. It seems that becoming an explorer has allowed them to finally break through their shell."
"Break through their shell, huh…"
The guide spoke with pride about the artist's improved skill, but my expression was conflicted. Was a serious injury a fair price for an improvement in artistic skill? From the way she spoke, it was probably an injury that could be fixed with a recovery potion, but if they took a direct hit from an orc, they likely suffered at least a broken bone.
I could only hope the artist wouldn't get the wrong idea and start taking reckless risks just because their work was being praised.
I suppose it's true that your artistic sensitivity can level up through experience.