We spread out the documents Yuta-san had brought and listened to the explanations for each property. Now that our budget had increased, the options included properties with excellent transportation links and others with massive surface areas.
I wasn’t sure if I should say our horizons had broadened or if the number of things to agonize over had simply increased...
"There’s quite a variety here, even at the same price point," I remarked.
"Indeed. Using the conditions you gave us previously as a guide, I’ve brought several options within each budget tier."
I had expected about ten documents as reference material, but Yuta-san had brought nearly fifty. There were two or three variations for every price range, featuring a diverse lineup: properties with easy access to transit, mountain plots tucked away from the main roads that encompassed entire peaks, and even small islands floating in the sea.
It was amazing to see the kind of properties that became available once the budget went up.
"Heh, so even islands are up for sale," Yuji noted.
"Japan has many small islands, after all. Quite a few of them find their way onto the market."
"But even if you call it 'small,' this one is about the size of a large stadium, isn't it?"
The document Yuji had picked up showed an island a bit too large to be called "tiny." The attached photo depicted a solitary, rocky island with trees growing atop sheer cliffs. It was exactly what most people imagine when they think of a desert island in the middle of the ocean. Since the perimeter consisted of steep cliffs, landing there looked like it would be quite an ordeal. However, there was a simple pier and ladder installed, so it didn't seem impossible to bring a boat alongside and go ashore.
"The price reflects its offshore location," Yuta-san explained. "To get there, you either have to own a boat or hire one from a nearby port. For locations closer to the coast, there are islands you can reach even in a recreational rubber dinghy. Of course, the price for those is several times higher."
"With transportation being an issue, and it being the ocean, isn't there a risk of getting stranded if the weather turns bad?" I asked.
"Yes. Because it's offshore, if the waves get too high, boats won't be able to leave the port. That’s a definite possibility. Furthermore, if you intend to build anything on the island, you’d have to start by renovating the pier. It’s a property that requires significant time and capital to develop into anything like a resort."
"I see. So the price is a result of taking all those hurdles into account."
The price was within our budget, and the size of the island and the privacy of such a secluded location were attractive, but the transportation—needing a boat—was a major sticking point. Even if we could get a boating license ourselves, the maintenance costs for a vessel were a concern.
While the idea of a "solitary island" had a romantic allure, I still felt that land was more convenient for our purposes. If we bought it purely for the dream without thinking it through, we’d likely regret it later.
"Indeed," Yuta-san said. "If you can stomach the complications, it’s quite a good property."
"It would certainly take effort, but it could become a great resort if developed," Kiritani-san added. "Even with such a difficult location, there will always be customers who want to visit exactly because it's hard to reach."
"That's true. At the very least, you could install a helipad and turn it into a secluded, high-end restaurant."
I’d seen things like that on TV—exclusive, members-only restaurants that only took a few groups a day. A location where uninvited guests couldn't easily approach would certainly appeal to a certain demographic.
However, we weren't looking for a business venture, so the transportation bottleneck was nothing but a drawback for us.
After skimming through the materials Yuta-san had brought, we took a short break. After processing that much information, we needed some time to think. One thing was clear: shifting the price range had completely changed the nature of the properties on offer. It wasn't quite a matter of 'you get what you pay for,' but spending a decent amount of money certainly brought out more viable options.
While sipping tea, we chatted casually with Yuta-san, exchanging opinions on the listings.
"We’ve seen a lot of variety, but with such different characteristics, it’s hard to choose. Even the transportation links, which were a concern, are quite good on some of these."
"Given the locations, accessibility is bound to be worse than in the city," Yuta-san admitted. "But even having a local train line or a bus route nearby makes a world of difference."
"Things might be different if we could drive, but we're not old enough for that yet," I said.
Most were mountain properties, but the transport links were better than I’d expected. Even if there were only one or two services per hour, the presence of public transportation was a huge plus. Since we didn't have vehicles of our own, having public transport nearby was an invaluable asset.
However, transport links also meant a fair number of people passing through. Balancing convenience with security and privacy was a delicate task.
"It’s a problem that will be solved in a year or two, but for now, it's a major constraint," Yuji added.
"Yes," Kiritani-san remarked. "Even though the school rules are vague about obtaining a license, they generally discourage students from owning or driving cars while enrolled. Considering the fallout if a student causes an accident, I can understand the school's position."
"If a student causes a fatal accident, the school has to hold a press conference to apologize," Yuta-san noted. "For a school worried about bad publicity affecting recruitment, it’s only natural they’d want to ban driving, which is the root cause. For a private school, a drop in enrollment could jeopardize their very existence."
"The fact that they ban driving but not getting the license itself is the school’s compromise," I said.
Getting a license takes time, so it made sense to get one as a student during summer or winter breaks. I’d heard it’s nearly impossible to find the time once you enter the workforce.
That said, as long as there’s a risk of accidents, the school’s stance was understandable. Even though we could technically get motorcycle licenses at our age, the school didn't recommend that either. Naturally, commuting by motorcycle was forbidden.
"So, for now, our only reliable means of transport are public transit or bicycles," Yuji said. "We can cover a decent distance on bikes, but they’re still just bicycles. We can't use highways, and they aren't built for the kind of high-speed travel that rivals a car. They eventually just break."
"The fact that you can put out enough speed to break a bicycle is surprising," Yuta-san said, looking startled, "but it’s certainly best to avoid reckless usage."
"It would be great if manufacturers started making reinforced bicycles for explorers," Yuji mused. "Though I’m sure regulations would be slapped on them immediately if they did."
"Well, if people started riding at automobile speeds, it would be dangerous without some form of regulation," Yuta-san agreed.
Yuta-san looked surprised by Yuji's disclosure and glanced at Kiritani-san as if he wanted to say something. Kiritani-san looked thoughtful for a moment, then spoke to Yuji to confirm a suspicion.
"Could I hear a bit more about that?"
"About the bicycles?" Yuji asked.
"Yes. Can explorers really reach those kinds of speeds on a bike? You mentioned before that mid-level explorers could cross mountains in a short time..."
"Yeah. There are limits to the bicycle’s frame, but an explorer who has leveled up a decent amount could easily match the speed of a moped. As long as the bike holds up, I think we could comfortably keep riding for a hundred kilometers or so."
Thinking about it in concrete numbers, the combination of an explorer and a bicycle was a revolution. It was like a professional cyclist being able to maintain their top speed while doing three laps around the Yamanote Line. If the bicycle could handle the strain, an explorer might not even need a car.
As we thought idly about such things, Kiritani-san and Yuta-san looked utterly shell-shocked.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
"No, well... it’s just a bit more incredible than we imagined," Kiritani-san said. "Umm, look at it this way. For a typical office worker commuting by bike, the average distance is about ten kilometers. That takes about thirty to forty minutes."
"Heh... oh!" Yuji's voice trailed off as the realization hit him. Hiiragi-san and I were struck by it at the same time. I finally understood why Kiritani-san and his assistant were so shaken.
From a real estate agent's perspective, this was a seismic shift in information.
"If the commuting range for bicycles—the most common way for ordinary people to get around—changes, then the entire habitable range changes too, doesn't it?" I asked.
"I believe it will, eventually," Kiritani-san said. "Right now, explorers are a small part of the workforce, but that number will grow every year. For the younger generation, it might become standard to have some experience as an explorer. Many of them will enter society rather than becoming full-time professionals, and their entire living sphere will be different."
"Convenience is everything in rentals," Yuta-san added. "Proximity to the station, the bus stop, or the office. But based on what you’ve told us, those conditions might become irrelevant in a few years."
"If a large portion of the younger generation can move dozens of kilometers in a short time on a bicycle, the society changes," Kiritani-san said. "The number of people willing to pay high rent for tiny rooms near city centers will plummet. This is game-changing information for the real estate industry."
When put that way, it was indeed a massive revelation. For a real estate firm with many urban properties, it meant their customer base could shrink annually. Younger people, especially those looking to save on housing, might choose cheap, spacious rooms in the suburbs over expensive ones in the city. The bottleneck of distance was no longer a problem for a mid-level explorer. It was obvious what would happen to companies holding onto high-maintenance urban properties that no one wanted to rent anymore.
Kiritani-san and anyone else in the industry who could see this shift coming would naturally want to pivot before they took a massive loss.
"Ah, sorry. This doesn't really concern you all," Kiritani-san said, catching himself.
"No, we’re the ones who brought it up. It’s a fascinating perspective," I said. "It’s only natural that ease of travel would change the social structure. To us, it just feels like we can get around easily, but from your point of view, it changes the way people live. I hadn't considered that."
"It’s only because it relates to our livelihood that we noticed," Kiritani-san said, looking somewhat relieved to have caught on. "If I’d just heard that you could go far on a bike, I probably would have ignored it."
"True. Traveling by bicycle is such a mundane thing that it’s easy to overlook," I agreed.
Kiritani-san looked thoughtful, perhaps facing the difficult question of how to adapt to a changing world. We were only in the dawn of the explorer era, and the social ripples were just beginning.
He might not have expected explorer affairs to affect his main business so directly, even with undiscovered dungeons popping up on his land. But the information we’d shared today was enough to impact his entire management strategy. It was certainly enough to make a man hold his head in his hands.
"I’d appreciate it if you could tell me more about these things another time..."
"Sure. You’ve been very helpful to us, Kiritani-san. We’ll cooperate however we can."
"That would be a lifesaver. Just chatting with you provides so much useful information. For better or worse, we don't have any explorers on our staff, so we’re a bit out of the loop. It sounds like things change drastically once someone reaches the mid-level."
"Once you hit that mid-level, you start to see the benefits in your physical capabilities even without specific skills," Yuji explained.
There weren't many of them yet, but as more explorers reached that point, Kiritani-san's concerns would become reality. He needed to gather intel now and plan his countermeasures.
Since we’d been a handful for him lately, providing this kind of information as a sort of "trouble fee" felt right. Besides, we were likely going to have a long relationship with Kiritani Real Estate over this training ground.
A shift in transportation always leads to a shift in where people live and do business, after all.