Harboring a tinge of unease, I finished viewing the Art Club’s exhibition and continued my stroll. Every club seemed to have put their heart into it, and there were many places presenting impressive, large-scale attractions.
For example, I caught a glimpse of the Calligraphy Club. They were performing live for the guests, writing a single character on oversized paper—something you occasionally see on television.
"So, 'Explore' is the character of the year."
The character the Calligraphy Club had chosen to represent this year was tan, or 'Explore.' Last year’s character, announced at a certain temple at the end of the year, had been 'Stray.' Since it represented both the labyrinths—the dungeons—and the general confusion of society, I remember agreeing with the choice when I saw the news.
Considering that, the 'Explore' written by the Calligraphy Club must represent the explorers. Global events aside, our school had certainly dealt with its share of explorer-related blunders. As a character to represent our school’s year, 'Explore' was definitely fitting.
"In both good and bad ways, the actions of explorers really stand out."
As a result of the increase in student explorers, various problems had cropped up—not just the incident with Goto-kun and his group, but also the fact that many sports clubs were effectively in a state of suspended activity. Conversely, the growth in numbers had fostered a sense of camaraderie among fellow explorers, leading to more active interactions between students that crossed grade and class lines.
It was now a common sight to see a senior showing off by treating a junior teammate to a meal on the way back from exploring a dungeon together.
"Well, time to move on."
Having seen the main attractions, I quickly headed for the next club. My unexpected delay at the Art Club had left me with very little time.
I moved toward our club room, glancing inside the rooms I passed to check out their exhibits one after another.
"Everyone’s presentations are so well-organized. Ours was basically just a filler project."
Compared to the high-effort displays of the other clubs, the thrown-together feel of our exhibit was embarrassing. And yet, our turnout of guests was actually higher. A growing sense of guilt welled up inside me as I looked at the other stalls.
"Self-made manga and games... I wonder how much time it took to make those?"
The Cooking Club was revealing original recipes, the Film Club was showing self-produced short films... they were all showcasing the results of activities that couldn't be done overnight.
Well, I suppose it was impossible for our newly formed club, which had been cobbled together primarily for deterrence, but maybe I should have tried a little harder.
"Well, no use grumbling about it now."
Though I had some regrets, there was nothing I could do about it now. I just had to shift my mindset, reflect on this, and make sure I didn't have any regrets next year.
"I think the next one will have to be the last..."
With less than ten minutes left before my shift change, this would have to be my final stop if I wanted to leave time for the handover.
I looked for a display that wouldn't take much time and settled on one.
I stepped into the club that had caught my eye.
The final attraction I visited was the Newspaper Club. As the name suggested, they gathered news about events happening at the school, produced a paper, and posted it on the bulletin board near the entrance.
Usually, most students just walk past it, so their name recognition isn't very high. However, since it's a newspaper dedicated specifically to our school, they apparently cover just about every rumor that gains traction on campus. Or so I’ve heard; I’ve rarely actually looked at it myself.
"...I see. It looks like they’re exhibiting everything published since the start of this year."
The Newspaper Club room was empty of guests. Posted on the walls and several partitions were numerous newspapers that the club had produced. Checking the dates and issue numbers, it seemed they published roughly once a week.
As I took a proper look at the school newspaper for the first time, I noticed it wasn't handwritten but made on a computer. Perhaps they used a specific template, as the layout looked as professional as a major newspaper company's.
"...If this were posted on a bulletin board, people might pass it by thinking it's just a clipping from a regular newspaper."
I glanced at the posted papers and let a comment slip under my breath.
That was the problem. It looked too professional. It was the kind of layout that made students mistake it for a generic news clipping or an official school notice rather than a student-run feature. The reason so many students ignored it was likely that its quality was unnecessarily high, causing them to mistake it for a dull administrative posting.
"Um, excuse me. Do you have a moment?"
"? Yes, what is it?"
"It sounded like you had an opinion about our newspaper..."
A female student called out to me, having overheard my mutterings. From the context, she was clearly a member of the Newspaper Club.
There was a slight sharpness in her eyes, suggesting she was a bit offended by what I'd said.
"Uh, sorry. It wasn't really a 'complaint,' per se..."
"You felt something, didn't you? If you could tell me, it would help us in the future..."
Her words were polite, but the look in her eyes said: If you’ve got something to say, say it.
"...Phew. Fine, to be frank: this newspaper is too professional, which makes it a bit plain. While a clean, rational layout is important, I think it needs more 'flavor'—or rather, more individual personality—to catch people's eyes."
"...Plain, is it?"
"Yes. The quality is great, but because it’s hard to distinguish from a regular newspaper, I think most students avoid it. They know it's there, but they don't feel the need to stop and read. To use an analogy, it’s like the flyers placed in front of the school's administrative office. People who need them will look, but everyone else won't even give them a glance."
"...I see."
The sharpness left the female student's eyes, replaced by a sad look as she turned back to the displayed papers.
After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"Maybe I was trying too hard... or rather, I was too focused on following the professional models."
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken so freely."
Seeing her look so dejected made me feel guilty. I might have overstepped.
"Oh, no. Don't worry about it. I was the one who asked for your opinion."
"Ah, but I really do think the quality is high. The font size and the photo layout are excellent and very easy to read..."
"That's because the templates are good. But if that resulted in making something that the very people I want to reach won't even look at..."
"Haha..."
I didn't know how to comfort her as she stood there with slumped shoulders.
Then, the female student shook her head as if to reset her mood and looked me straight in the face.
"Thank you for your honest feedback. I was wondering why the club's reputation wasn't growing, and now I think I understand why."
"I'm glad if I could help."
"That aside, I never imagined such a famous person would come by as a guest, Kokonoe-kun."
"!?"
I didn't remember introducing myself. How did this Newspaper Club girl know my name?
I reflexively became wary, my eyes narrowing as I looked at her. Seeing my reaction, she gave a light smile and explained how she knew me.
"Don't be so defensive. You guys showed off those incredible moves at the sports festival, remember? There's no way the Newspaper Club wouldn't investigate people like you for a story."
"...Ah, I see. That makes sense."
It was just as she said. We had done something that flashy. It was only natural that the Newspaper Club, which documented school events, would look into us.
To prove her point, she guided me to one of the newspapers.
"This is it—the article covering the sports festival. The space is small, but your grand performance? is firmly documented right here."
"Let's see... Whoa, you guys really praised us."
"That's because it was that impressive. I actually jumped on the bandwagon and got my Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures to go into the dungeon, but I quit pretty quickly. I realized that a grand performance against monsters just wasn't for me. But after hearing that leveling up improves your physical abilities, I still go occasionally for physical training since I want to be a journalist. I don't do any real exploration, though. That’s why I understand how incredible what you did was. I can only imagine how much effort you put in to reach that level of physical ability."
"Haha, well... we worked reasonably hard, I guess."
To be fair, we were probably working harder than almost any other civilians.
"Besides, thanks to your efforts at the sports festival, the issues we were having with the first-years settled down. One of the first-years in our club said they were really saved by you."
"Oh, is that so? The first-years in my club also said that the rowdy types settled down after the sports festival ended. Though, well, it ended on a rather unfortunate note..."
"Ah, the mass withdrawal incident. That took us by surprise too. We thought about writing an article on it, but we decided it would be in poor taste and scrapped the idea."
"It definitely caused a stir, but it's a difficult topic to handle in a student paper..."
Even if they reported on the fact that many students had withdrawn, what would they actually write? They couldn't exactly list every student's name, and they couldn't go around interviewing them for their reasons.
In the end, all they could say was that a large number of students had withdrawn simultaneously after summer break. It was probably better not to write about it at all. Even for a school paper with low visibility, writing about it poorly would have drawn criticism from all sides.
"Anyway, that's how we've looked into you a bit, which is why I knew your name. Even without that, you've been a major topic of conversation since the sports festival, so anyone who follows the school news knows who you are. Whether they can match the face to the name is another story."
"That makes sense. I suppose those who know, know."
When I was touring the first-year stalls, I had noticed people giving me looks that said they knew my face but weren't sure of my name.
I was curious about what kind of rumors were going around, but decided it was better not to care.
"Changing the subject... would you be willing to do an interview for us? I want to run a special feature. Something like, 'The True Face of the Top-Tier Student Explorers.' After that performance at the sports festival, I don't think anyone would complain about calling you top-tier."
"A feature, huh..."
"The impact has faded a bit with summer break in the middle, but there are still strange rumors about you. I think an interview would be useful for clearing those up."
"..."
While it was true that spreading accurate information to dispel weird rumors was a benefit, being labeled as 'top-tier' would likely invite jealousy and unwanted attention from troublesome people. Students who become explorers tend to have a fair amount of pride in their own strength. They probably felt pretty good about themselves for defeating strong monsters. If we claimed to be 'top-tier' without having proven it in a formal tournament, a certain number of people would definitely be annoyed.
Besides, any explorer who could use martial arts and dive below the 20th floor could probably replicate the appeal demonstration we did at the sports festival. After the 'strengthening period' of summer break, it wouldn't be surprising if a fair number of student explorers had reached that level. If this were right after the sports festival, the shock of the performance would have silenced any complaints, but now...
"I'm sorry, but I’ll have to decline the interview. While it might clear up the rumors, I feel like it would just attract a different kind of weird crowd instead..."
"I see... That's a shame, but I understand. We can't force an interview on someone who doesn't want it."
"Sorry I couldn't help."
"No, don't worry. I asked knowing it was a long shot. It’s hard to find anyone willing to be interviewed these's days."
Whether she was just used to being turned down, she looked disappointed but accepting. Usually, people didn't say yes to these things easily. That said, it was about time.
"Anyway, I'm sorry, but I really have to go. It's almost time for my shift."
"Oh, sorry for keeping you so long. Your feedback was really helpful. If you have time again, I’d love to hear more of your opinions."
"Haha, if the opportunity arises, sure."
"I'll be looking forward to it."
After that exchange with the Newspaper Club girl, I left the room.
Well, Yuji and the others are probably waiting. Time to go and do my part handling the guests at our booth.