An indescribable silence filled the classroom, which felt more like a funeral wake despite the morning sun streaming through the windows. I didn't know which class was to blame, but how could they have been so stupid?
Usually, the week after a school festival is supposed to start on a bright note, with everyone talking about how much fun they had or how hard they worked, right?
"Given the gravity of the situation, the school is considering severe disciplinary measures," the teacher said. "However, since nearly an entire class is involved, we can't exactly hand out mass suspensions."
Well, that made sense. If it was a whole class, that meant nearly thirty students. Even if the school did suspend that many people at once, they wouldn't have the manpower to manage the oversight.
Besides, suspension wasn't as simple as just staying home. I’d heard there was actually a mountain of paperwork and tasks the students were required to complete during their time away.
"Currently, the plan is to suspend everyone who drank or brought alcohol. Those who were merely present will be required to perform community service after school."
Suspension for the drinkers was a reasonable punishment, but those who were just there were incredibly unlucky... or maybe they were considered just as guilty for failing to stop it?
I wasn't sure what the community service would entail, but it was certainly better than a suspension or a formal reprimand, neither of which would look good on a student transcript. Having something like that on your record would be a major disadvantage when it came time for college applications or job hunting.
"I find this incident deeply regrettable," the teacher continued. "Not only because our warnings went unheeded, but because we couldn't stop you from narrowing your own paths through your actions. I hope nothing like this ever happens again."
He concluded his speech while glancing over our faces, looking genuinely disappointed. It was an important matter, but not the kind of topic anyone wanted to drone on about. It was best to end the lecture there.
Then, as if to shift the atmosphere, the teacher lightly tapped the top of the lectern.
"Alright, enough with the gloomy talk. Let’s change gears and move on."
He looked around at us with a forced, bright smile, then suddenly broke into a refreshing grin as he dropped a bombshell.
"The school festival is over, so I assume everyone is prepared for the midterm exams?"
Screams erupted from all corners of the classroom. They were the agonizing cries of people being reminded of a reality they desperately wanted to forget.
The teacher seemed satisfied with our reaction. He nodded slightly and continued, "Based on those looks, it seems most of you are completely unprepared."
"..."
In response, most of the students averted their eyes, suddenly finding the walls and ceiling very interesting.
The teacher gave a light sigh.
"The midterm exams this time will mainly be a review of what you learned in the first semester. We want to see if you’ve forgotten everything over the summer break. Since we haven't covered much new material in the second semester yet, the content shouldn't be that difficult—assuming you didn't slack off and spend the whole summer playing."
"..."
"Now, now, there’s still time before midterms. Enjoying the festive mood is all well and good, but if you let the excitement drag on too long, you’ll end up with disastrous results. Make sure you draw a clear line between work and play."
"...Yes, sir."
Between the lecture and the warning about exams, the last remnants of the festive mood—that lingering school festival high—were completely blown away. It was clear that if we didn't shift our mindsets immediately, we'd be in for a miserable time.
Even if the midterm exams had fewer subjects than finals, the scope of the first semester was broad. Even if we’d studied it once already, plenty of students likely had their memories wiped by the summer heat. Reviewing and relearning everything would take a significant amount of time.
"That’s all for the morning announcements. Don't let your guard down, and do your best today."
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Alright, class rep, give the signal."
"Stand. Bow."
Following the signal, we bowed our heads. After seeing us off, the teacher hurried out of the room, likely because the staff meeting had run long and delayed the start of homeroom.
Regardless, I felt incredibly exhausted, as if the day were already over before the first period had even started.
Once the teacher left, the classroom became noisy in the short interval before the first period began. The primary cause of the commotion was the mass drinking incident we'd just been briefed on.
The general consensus was: "To think they ignored the warnings, drank, and then got caught because they went on a rampage... how stupid."
"Underage drinking itself isn't exactly praiseworthy, but to lose control and cause property damage..."
"Yeah. These kinds of incidents have happened elsewhere for ages, but I never thought it would happen at our school," Shigemori added.
"I can understand being curious about alcohol, but this is a total no-go, right?"
The three of us—Yuji, Shigemori, and I—wore exasperated expressions as we discussed the stupidity of it all, while also worrying about what kind of impact the incident would have on the rest of us.
"It ended with just property damage this time, but it’s terrifying to think what would’ve happened if they’d attacked someone in their drunken state," Yuji noted.
"If the target were an explorer of a similar level or higher, it might be fine," I said. "But if it's a low-level explorer or a non-explorer, it would lead to serious injury—or worse."
"That’s for sure," Shigemori said. "I don’t know about low-level explorers, but an ordinary person like me wouldn't come out unscathed. Like that stuff you guys did at the sports festival—if a regular guy got caught in the middle of that, he'd be finished."
Shigemori shuddered, looking genuinely spooked. Setting our specific situation aside, if a non-explorer got caught in a brawl between explorers—especially drunken ones with impaired judgment—the outcome would be devastating.
I felt bad for the shop that suffered the damage, but in a way, they were lucky. The damage was apparently minor enough that the owner offered not to involve the police as long as the repairs were paid for.
"Well, considering the physical abilities of an explorer, an ordinary person wouldn't stand a chance. If you really got caught up in it, you wouldn't be able to get away even if you tried to run."
"And if you're dealing with an explorer who’s lost their inhibitions from drinking, you can't exactly expect them to hold back," Yuji added. "There’s even a chance they might strike out with the same intensity they use when fighting monsters in a dungeon."
"...Was this incident actually way more dangerous than I thought?"
"Isn't that what we've been saying?" Yuji and I replied in unison.
Shigemori’s face turned pale.
It wasn't a joke; the situation was genuinely hazardous. It was a stroke of luck that someone capable of restraining the rampaging idiots had been nearby. I didn't even want to imagine the fallout if they hadn't been stopped.
"That said, drinking itself isn't necessarily the problem," I noted. "An adult explorer who knows their limits wouldn't drink until they lost their mind, and they'd have enough self-control not to go on a rampage."
"This was just the result of kids who don't know their limits trying to act tough," Yuji agreed. "If they were truly aware of the power they possessed, they never would have drunk to the point of losing their sanity."
"I suppose that’s true, but..."
Seriously, though. There must have been a certain "vibe" or whatever at the party, but why did they push it so far? Even setting the explorer aspect aside, it was a terrible move for high schoolers. Getting suspended for underage drinking was the kind of thing that made the news every year.
I let out a sigh and changed the subject.
"Anyway, enough about the drinking. This incident is definitely going to affect us too, right?"
"Almost certainly," Yuji said. "There was already a big explorer-related problem recently, so they might add more regulations."
With the mass dropout incident fresh in everyone's minds, the school was currently hypersensitive to student explorer issues. The administration probably didn't think student explorers were inherently bad, but they were likely to impose some kind of restrictions.
"Maybe getting a license will become a permit system based on attendance and grades," I suggested.
"If it becomes a permit system, that might put an end to the reckless scouting of new students," Yuji added.
"Yeah. If you scout someone and they don't get permission for a license, it’s just wasted effort. Scouts won't be as aggressive unless they’re sure the person can get the permit."
The school was clearly trying to regain control. Implementing a permit system would reduce incidents like the ones we'd seen this year, and using academic performance or attendance as criteria would be easy to justify. After all, a student's primary duty is to learn, and the school exists to provide that education.
Students might complain, but the guardians would likely support a permit system if it meant protecting their children's education.
"If it becomes a permit system, the students will definitely complain," Shigemori said.
"They will, but they brought it on themselves," Yuji replied. "We've had two major explorer-related incidents at this school just this year."
"Hard to argue when people say we're reaping what we sowed," I muttered.
Generally, regulations only appear after a problem occurs. If everyone behaved, there would be no need for rules. That meant the students themselves were the ones forcing the school’s hand. Like Shigemori said, it was a classic case of reaping what you sow.
"Alright, class is starting. Everyone get to your seats."
The first-period teacher entered the classroom. Looking at the clock, the bell was about to ring, and the students who had been socialising hurried back to their desks.
The final bell rang, and afternoon homeroom came to an end. Everyone was stretching, trying to work out the stiffness from a day of sitting. Perhaps because it was the first day back after the school festival, the classes had felt a bit sluggish.
However, with midterm exams looming, I couldn't afford to slack off.
"Good work, Yuji."
"You too. We’re all meeting in the clubroom after school, right?"
"Yeah. Hashimoto-sensei is coming by. She said there’s something she wants to talk about... or rather, consult with us about."
During lunch break, we’d received word from our Advisor, Hashimoto-sensei, through Hiiragi-san. Apparently, she had a consultation regarding the club and wanted all members to gather after school. It was rare for her to be so formal about a meeting, which made me a bit anxious. I wondered if it was about the incident we'd heard about this morning.
Once our things were packed, Hiiragi-san approached us.
"Hirose-kun, Kokonoe-kun. Are you ready?"
"Yeah, I'm good," Yuji said.
"Ready when you are," I added.
"Then let’s go. Sensei was very insistent that everyone be there, so I think it’s something important."
The three of us left the classroom and headed for the clubroom at a brisk pace. As we walked, I noticed that the flighty, festive atmosphere from this morning had completely evaporated. Either everyone was quick to pivot, or the shock of the morning's news had finally sunk in. It was likely the latter.
When we entered the building where the culture clubs were located, I felt eyes on us.
"I feel like people are staring," Yuji whispered.
"It’s not just a feeling. They really are staring," I said.
"Well, after the massive line our club drew at the school festival, of course people are going to take notice of us," Hiiragi-san noted.
Feeling those itchy, uncomfortable gazes, we climbed the stairs and arrived at our assigned clubroom.
"Wait... someone’s already in there," Yuji said, his hand pausing on the doorknob as he sensed a presence inside.
"Did Mika and the others get here first?" I asked.
"No, this feeling... it’s probably Sensei. But there’s someone else with her."
"Someone else?"
It made sense for Hashimoto-sensei to be there, but she’d brought a guest? Did that mean this wasn't a private club matter?
We exchanged a brief, tense glance. Yuji steadied his breathing and pushed the door open.
"Excuse us."
"Good work. I've been waiting for you," Hashimoto-sensei said.
As expected, Hashimoto-sensei was inside—but she wasn't alone.
Wait... I know that person.