After leaving the matter of the unauthorized scouts to the Vice Principal and his team, we performed some light cleanup before returning to our designated conference room. Since the scout incident was now a problem for the adults to discuss, there was no longer a part for us to play.
I barely had enough breathing room to sit down before the reports started coming in.
"Welcome back, Chairperson Hoshino. We received several other reports while you were out; a few members are currently handling the situations."
"Good work," I replied. "What’s the nature of the trouble?"
"Based on what we've heard, nothing too serious. There were some arguments over competing for customers and a territorial dispute between the stalls in the courtyard over their supply storage areas. The executive committee members on the scene say the disputes have already been settled and they’re just finishing up the paperwork."
"I see. It's best to nip these problems in the bud, so please keep up the good work for the rest of the day."
Since the school festival had only just begun, minor friction was popping up all over the place. For the most part, these issues ended as trivial bickering between students. Nothing major enough to require a teacher's intervention—like that scout problem—had occurred since.
Honestly, the behavior of those scouts was just beyond the pale.
"Chairperson Hoshino, another issue. This one involves the Drama Club's attraction in the gymnasium. It seems they weren't ready for their first performance and tried to push the start time back, but they didn't explain the delay well. The guests who showed up are starting to get restless."
"Can the Drama Club handle it on their own?" I asked.
"There are a lot of external guests, and it sounds like they're short-handed."
Nakano-kun's report made the situation clear. Unlike our regular students, external guests have limited time. If the start time shifts, it throws off their entire schedule, which explains the anxiety. The Drama Club’s performance in the gymnasium is one of the festival’s highlights, and many people look forward to it. Because the gymnasium is also used for other stage events, a major delay there creates a domino effect that messes up the entire afternoon.
Then again, the larger the scale of an event, the harder it is to keep everything running like clockwork.
"The Drama Club says the delay itself should be resolved in about thirty minutes, but..."
"Then we’ll lend them some manpower from the executive committee to help manage the crowd. How many members are available right now?"
"I can spare three. Considering we might have other incidents, that's the limit of who I can dedicate to this."
"Three should be enough to help with the explanations. Dispatch them to the gymnasium immediately."
"Understood. I'll pick the members and send them over."
Dealing with these sorts of issues is relatively easy—as long as you have the people to spare, you can usually find a solution.
However, a far more complicated problem suddenly landed on our desks.
"Chairperson Hoshino, I have a report on a rather messy situation."
"Messy?"
"At a first-year shooting gallery, a student explorer acting as a claimer is on the verge of a violent outburst. Apparently, he's extremely agitated. They said there’s no telling when he might snap. And to make matters worse..."
Nakano-kun frowned and looked toward the ceiling for a moment before continuing in a bitter tone.
"According to his own shouting, he's an explorer."
"An explorer..."
Hearing the claimer's identity, I shared Nakano-kun’s grim expression. Explorers—this was a new risk factor we had to be wary of, something that hadn't existed in previous school festivals. Since any student can explore dungeons as long as they get the qualification, the number of student explorers is rising steadily. Our school is no exception.
And now, one of our biggest fears for this festival—violence involving a student explorer—was finally threatening to erupt.
"Is there any way to settle this without our direct mediation? If the claimer is already that agitated, a third party stepping in might just provoke him more."
"I doubt it. If they could have handled it themselves, they wouldn't have called us. If anything, having the committee step in might actually force the claimer to snap back to his senses."
"I suppose you're right. We'll have to intervene. Leaving it alone won't make it better."
"Yes. Just to be safe, I’ll select second-year and third-year committee members who are also explorers for the team. In the worst-case scenario, it takes an explorer to stop an explorer."
Nakano-kun was right. If a student explorer actually started a fight, the only way to restrain him while minimizing injuries was to use people with similar capabilities. If this had happened in a second- or third-year classroom, the surrounding students might have been able to suppress him together. But for the first-years, their levels and experience are generally too low to handle a rampaging explorer.
Sending in the older student explorers from the committee was the only logical move.
"Please, take care of it. I want this settled before anything disastrous happens. If anyone gets hurt, this won't stay a 'school matter' anymore."
"I'll go as the representative of the executive committee as well. Rather than just a regular member, seeing a vice chairperson show up might make the claimer realize how much trouble he's in. Hopefully, it'll cool his head."
"Right. But be careful. There’s always the chance he gets desperate and lashes out."
With people like this, even when they're clearly in the wrong, being confronted with logic can sometimes drive them into a blind rage. While I hoped he would back down, I couldn't ignore the nagging anxiety that he might snap.
"Even if we do nothing, there's a chance he'll lash out. I'd rather take the path that has the highest probability of calming him down."
"Fair enough. Nakano-kun, I'm counting on you."
"I'll be back."
After a tense nod, Nakano-kun selected the high-level student explorers from our ranks and headed for the first-year classroom where the Claimer was causing a scene.
I watched their backs as they left, praying they would all return safely without incident.
A while later, Nakano-kun and his team returned. They brought back two others: a second-year student—judging by his school badge—and an external guest who looked like a University Student. The second-year, presumably our Claimer, looked haggard and miserable. The University Student guardian with him looked equally awkward.
"We're back, Chairperson Hoshino. The situation is resolved for now. I’ve brought the student responsible back for a talk."
"Good work, Vice Chairperson Nakano. And this gentleman?"
"He's the student's guardian. He says he knows what caused the outburst and came along to help explain."
"I see."
So the guardian was here to provide context in hopes of leniency? Judging by Nakano-kun’s demeanor, they had managed to stop the situation before anyone was hurt, so I didn't intend to be overly harsh.
Besides, the executive committee only has the authority to issue warnings. Suspensions or banning external guests from the campus are matters for the faculty.
"Well then, I'd like to hear from both of you. Is that alright?"
"...Yes," the Claimer mumbled.
"Yes, of course," the University Student guardian added, his voice thick with apology. The student seemed to have regained his composure; he looked genuinely remorseful for his actions.
After asking a few questions and hearing his side of the story, I had to suppress a weary sigh.
"I see... I think I have a grasp of the situation. It’s not really my place to lecture you, but taking your frustrations out on others is wrong. This time it ended as just an argument, but if it had turned into a physical brawl and people were injured, we couldn't have just let it go. You'd be facing the school board, or at worst, the police."
The two of them remained silent.
"Furthermore, if you possess the power of an explorer, you need to be more aware of that responsibility. If a fight breaks out between a regular student and a student explorer, the explorer wins every time, and the regular student ends up in the hospital. We wouldn't be talking about a trip to the nurse’s office; we'd be talking about an ambulance and a long-term stay."
They both averted their eyes, clearly aware of the truth in my words. I suppose if you spend your days fighting monsters in the dungeon, you can't help but realize how much stronger you are than an average person.
Still, if they understand that, I really wish they wouldn't start these problems to begin with.
"That's all from me. However, given the scale of the disturbance, the school administration might still take action. I’ll pass what you’ve told me on to the teachers, but if they ask to speak with you directly, please comply and be honest with them."
"...Yes, I understand."
"We will. Thank you."
"You're free to go. And—though I’m sure you're not in the mood—it is still the school festival. Try to enjoy the rest of your day."
As I watched them leave, I doubted they had the mental energy left to enjoy much of anything. I was glad it hadn't escalated, but the whole thing left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
The festival moved into the midday peak. Students and external guests were everywhere, looking for lunch. The food stalls in the courtyard had massive lines, and the noise level reached its height for the day.
The savory aroma of charred sauce and glaze from yakitori and yakisoba drifted all the way into our room, making me incredibly hungry.
"I'm... starving."
"Me too," Nakano-kun agreed. "It's about that time. Should we start taking turns for lunch?"
"Let's. We should go in two shifts so we always have people here to handle any emergencies."
"Agreed. If we all leave at once, our response time will tank."
"Then, first—"
Just as we were about to decide the shifts, a female student burst into the room. She was panting heavily, having clearly run all the way here.
"Please! You have to help! There's a fight breaking out in the courtyard eating area!"
"Deep breaths," I said, trying to calm her. "First, tell me exactly what's happening. We can't act until we know the details."
If it was a student dispute, we could handle it. If it was external guests, we’d need the teachers.
The girl caught her breath and began her explanation.
"I see. So students are fighting over seating?"
"Yes. Two groups of about ten people each are glaring at each other over the same spot... They're both claiming they got there first."
"With these crowds, I can see how a group of ten would be desperate to find a place to sit together. It’s a perfect recipe for a fight."
"Exactly. No one’s thrown a punch yet, but the tension is... it’s scary."
That’s a huge nuisance for the people around them. Everyone is trying to enjoy a festive meal, and having twenty people about to brawl right next to you would ruin anyone's appetite. We needed to solve this before it spread.
"Understood. We'll take care of it. Thanks for the report."
"Please, hurry!"
She looked immensely relieved as she ran back out.
"Nakano-kun, I'll go handle this. You and the others should take the first lunch shift."
"Are you sure? I don't mind going."
"No, go eat. You handled the shooting gallery earlier, so it's my turn."
"If you're sure... then thank you."
I headed out to deal with the trouble, racking my brain for a solution. How was I supposed to find a place for twenty people to eat in this chaos? The school cafeteria was an option, but it was almost certainly packed already. That left somewhere outdoors, but I couldn't think of a single empty spot.
However, when I arrived at the scene, the sight that met me was completely unexpected.
"...Huh?"
I had been told two groups were on the verge of a fight, but there was no sign of conflict. At the designated spot, everyone was eating normally. In fact, they looked like they were having a great time.
Trying to figure out what happened, I asked a student eating nearby. Apparently, there had been a dispute, but it was already over. I don't know the specifics of how it happened, but at some point, the two groups had apparently hit it off and decided to just eat together. The people laughing and sharing food in front of me were the very same groups who had been "at each other's throats" minutes ago.
"I see... Well, thanks for the info."
I let my shoulders slump, feeling like I'd walked all this way for nothing. Still, a peaceful resolution was better than the alternative.
If you were going to be friends, you should have just sat down together in the first place, I grumbled to myself as I made my way back to the meeting room.