Waiting in the room with Hashimoto-sensei was Satsuki Minashiro, the former student council secretary and current president. She had succeeded the third-year Hisamatsu-senpai after the July elections, stepping up from her previous role to lead the council for the current term.
Still, what was the Student Council President doing in our clubroom?
"It’s been a while, Student Council President Minashiro. Is this the first time we’ve spoken face-to-face since we were coordinating for the sports festival?"
"It has been a while, everyone. You’re right, that was roughly the last time we spoke directly. However, I’ve heard rumors of your exploits quite frequently."
"Haha, well, that certainly makes me curious about what kind of rumors are going around."
"The rumors are mostly positive."
Yuji and Minashiro-san exchanged pleasantries, both wearing polite smiles.
She said "mostly," so what about the ones that weren't? I wanted to ask, but I decided not to push. Better not to go digging for things I’d rather not know. In cases like this, rumors usually have some sort of unpleasant exaggeration attached to them, for better or worse. For now, I’d just keep in mind that the general sentiment seemed fine.
"In any case, Sensei, what is the meaning of the Student Council President being here? You said you wanted all the club members to gather..."
"I’ll explain that once the first-year group arrives. It’s not bad news, so don't worry," Hashimoto-sensei replied.
"If you say so..."
Yuji asked Hashimoto-sensei about the reason for the summons with a slightly worried expression, but Hashimoto-sensei, looking somewhat exhausted, simply told him to stay calm.
To be honest, when a discussion involves the Student Council President, an ominous feeling tends to linger even if you're told it's not bad news. I didn't have any memory of doing anything wrong as a club or as a student, so I didn't think we were about to be scolded... but maybe we’d messed up somewhere without realizing it?
"That aside, since we rarely have the chance to speak like this, I wanted to thank you."
"Thank us... for what?"
"Yes. Thanks to your... activities, the issue regarding the aggressive recruitment by the first-year repeating students has been resolved."
"Ah... well, even if you say it’s resolved... that conclusion was a bit..."
As Student Council President Minashiro offered her thanks with a light bow, we all made conflicted expressions. We had performed that appeal demonstration at the sports festival out of a desire to help Mika and the others with their troubles, but it had led to a rather unpleasant conclusion. While our performance might not have been the sole cause of the mass mid-term withdrawal, there was no doubt that it played a part.
Being thanked for that incident inevitably left us with a bitter taste in our mouths.
"It certainly ended on a somewhat sour note, but it is also an undeniable fact that the problem was solved and many first-years who were being harassed were saved. I won't say you should be proud of it, but it isn't something you should disparage yourselves for, either."
"I suppose that's true, but we still can't help but wonder if there might have been another way," Yuji replied.
Student Council President Minashiro nodded slightly, her expression suggesting she understood our inner turmoil.
"Perhaps there were other ways. However, at that time, neither the school nor the Student Council could come up with an effective solution. All we could do was go along with the deterrent measure you proposed. Since we couldn't offer an alternative, neither the Student Council nor the school has any right to criticize your actions as wrong."
"..."
"It was a bitter ending, but in the end, those students were the ones who made the decision to go through with their mid-term withdrawal. Regardless of the reasons leading up to that decision, they chose their own path. It may sound cold, but that’s all there is to it."
"Yeah, I'm sure you're right, President..."
My head understood that what the President was saying was logically correct; I just couldn't quite bring myself to be satisfied with it. I suppose this was something I’d just have to process over time in a way that I could live with.
After an awkward silence filled the room, Hashimoto-sensei, who had been watching our exchange, spoke up in a reserved tone.
"Regarding that matter, the school has concluded that while there were some issues, we will respect the students' will. Unlike elementary and middle school, high school is not compulsory education; it's a place you attend because you chose to learn. The students who withdrew this time simply chose to go out into society and work rather than continue their education. Besides, with the emergence of the explorer job, cases like this will likely continue in the future."
"So the school won't stop them?"
"As long as the student and their guardian agree to the withdrawal, the school cannot stop them. Like I said, high school isn't compulsory. Of course, if a student or a guardian were trying to force a withdrawal unilaterally, the school would step in and try to persuade them to reconsider."
"Does that mean that in this case, consent was obtained from both parties?"
Yuji, sensing something in Hashimoto-sensei’s words, pressed for more detail. After all, the only thing we had heard was that a large number of first-years had withdrawn after the summer break.
"Yes. According to the teachers who went to confirm their intent to withdraw, they were able to confirm the consent of both the students and their guardians. Apparently, the parents were somewhat anxious, but they ultimately completed the withdrawal procedures, saying it was the path their children had chosen."
"I see."
"Of course, it’s not as if any of the guardians were in full support of the move. The impression was more that they felt it couldn't be helped."
Maybe those guardians had heard about what their children had been doing at school. They might have visited the school for events like the sports festival, noticed something off in the reactions of the other students, and pressed for answers.
If that were the case, they might reluctantly agree if their child said they wanted to quit and take a different path.
"I see. If both parties consent, then I suppose it isn't the school's place to interfere."
"Yes. The school was certainly flustered because we hadn't anticipated such a large number of people withdrawing all at once, but the core of the matter is students withdrawing with parental consent. If the procedure is legitimate, the school can't say no. Though, I do wish they had consulted with us beforehand, rather than just dropping the paperwork on our desks."
"It would certainly be a shock if multiple people started withdrawal procedures at once without any warning."
"Yes, it nearly escalated into a panic over whether they had been caught up in some major criminal incident."
In a way, I guess they were caught up in a major incident—our appeal demonstration at the sports festival.
Still, if all the dropouts left with their guardians' consent, then there was no point in us beating ourselves up over it. It wasn't written in stone that they’d fail as explorers, so there was no need for us outsiders to worry too much. As long as they didn't get too reckless, they should be able to make a living, even if they didn't strike it rich.
"Oh? Looks like they’re here."
As the mood in the room grew somber, a knock sounded at the door.
It seemed Mika and the others had arrived.
With Mika and her group entering the clubroom shortly after us, everyone Hashimoto-sensei had called for was present—though we did have one unexpected observer.
Once everyone was seated, Hashimoto-sensei finally got to the point.
"First of all, good work, everyone. Thank you all for coming on such short notice."
"It's fine. So, what is this meeting about? Since Student Council President Minashiro is here, I assume it’s something involving the whole school, not just our club..."
"Yes, this is a request... or rather, a favor from the Student Council. That’s why I asked President Minashiro to join us today."
Hashimoto-sensei glanced toward her, and President Minashiro gave a light bow as she addressed the room. Mika and the other first-years didn't have any direct acquaintance with her.
"This is the first time I've met the first-years face-to-face. I am Satsuki Minashiro, the Student Council President. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
"Nice to meet you!" the first-years replied in unison.
Mika and the others looked panicked. Since first-years almost never have a chance to speak with the Student Council President, they were stiff with tension and looked incredibly uncomfortable.
It’s not like she’s going to eat you, I thought. President Minashiro even gave a wry smile at their rigid reaction.
"So, President, to be blunt, what is this favor you mentioned?"
"Then I’ll get straight to the point. The request from the Student Council concerns the printouts you distributed during the school festival."
If she meant the ones we handed out at the school festival, she must be talking about the tax-related information for explorers.
President Minashiro looked around at our faces before continuing.
"I reviewed the handout you distributed via the school festival executive committee. I was quite surprised by the content, as it’s not something most of us consider. I’ve judged that this information is something that should be distributed to the entire student body."
"To the entire student body?"
"Yes. We don't have an exact count, but at the moment, it's estimated that over half of the students in this school hold an Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures. As for how many of them actually understand the tax implications written in your handout..."
"Well, taxes aren't exactly on the radar for most high schoolers. We only realized it ourselves after talking with our parents at the end of the year and had to look into it in a panic."
Man, I was really glad I started my explorer activities later than everyone else. If I had been going hard since day one or cashed in a major rare drop, it would’ve been a disaster. I probably would have blown right past the dependency deduction limit, making a mess of my parents' taxes.
If the dungeons had been opened to the general public just two or three months earlier, I bet the tax evasion of student explorers would have been a massive scandal at the start of this year.
"I imagine so. Even I was taken aback when I saw your handout. Most students who are working as explorers probably haven't given a single thought to taxes."
"It would be easy to say it's their own fault for not researching it, but it might be best to inform everyone, even if it's just the basics."
"Exactly. To that end, the Student Council would like to distribute the handout you created to every class, but under the Student Council's name."
"Under the Student Council's name?"
I didn't think distributing it was a problem, but was it no good to do it under our club's name?
As we tilted our heads in confusion, President Minashiro explained the bureaucracy.
"Yes. I apologize to you as the creators, but the school administration raised concerns about distributing a club's specific handout to the entire student body. While they understand that your research is beneficial, since it specifically targets explorer students and not every single student, they deemed it inappropriate to use school funds to print and distribute it as a club activity."
"...I want to say they're being stingy, but printing enough for the entire student body does cost a fair bit."
"Yes. If it were something that concerned every single student, there wouldn't be an issue, but explorer students are still technically a subset. I proposed distributing it by class as a compromise, but the custom has always been to post club materials on the common bulletin board. Distributing something issued by a specific club to every class would be breaking precedent."
"And it would lead to a flood of requests from other clubs wanting their own materials distributed to all classes too?"
With a weary expression, President Minashiro nodded at Yuji’s question.
"Therefore, the suggestion was to distribute it under the Student Council's name. If it’s from the Student Council, it counts as an official cautionary notice from the student representative body. That way, we won't have to deal with distribution requests from other clubs."
"I see. That makes sense."
"However, I don't want to simply take credit for your hard work, which is why I’ve come to ask for your permission today. Of course, when we distribute it, we will clearly list this club as a collaborator in the production of the handout."
"...I understand the situation."
After watching President Minashiro bow her head to ask for our cooperation, Yuji looked at us with a gaze that said he found the whole thing incredibly tiresome.
He was essentially asking us: What do you think?