We pored over the documents detailing the rent while listening to Kiritani-san’s explanation. To be honest, we didn't have the slightest idea if the price was even fair. At the very least, I wanted to understand the logic behind how these figures had been determined.
"Allow me to explain the breakdown of the rent. As you know, this property is a cape jutting out into the sea, featuring an underground Great Cavern. While the acreage is vast, various circumstances make it difficult to support large-scale structures, which limits its utility. Furthermore, there is no public transportation nearby—specifically, no train lines or expressways—so accessibility is poor. It’s also quite isolated from the city center, and there are no major commercial facilities within a ten-kilometer radius. Without a private vehicle, even daily shopping would prove difficult."
"Hearing it laid out like that, it really is a difficult property," Yuji remarked.
"Haha, quite so. If the resort project had succeeded, the area would likely be bustling with facilities and housing by now, forming a brand-new town... but alas, things rarely go exactly according to plan."
"True. However, for us, it’s a property that perfectly matches our requirements."
Even though it was exactly what we had asked for, we were certainly getting involved with a high-maintenance piece of real estate. If someone heard about this deal without knowing our specific circumstances, they’d probably wonder why on earth we’d spend so much money to get our hands on such a place.
"I’m glad to hear that. Because of these factors, the land value is quite low. Furthermore, since the majority of the perimeter consists of sheer cliffs, the land along the coastline is effectively unusable."
"Is that because the cliffs might collapse if someone tried to build right on the edge?" I asked.
"Precisely. Well, if you were actually building there, you would take sufficient survey measures beforehand, so it wouldn't be a major issue. However, doing so would make construction costs considerably higher than a standard project. On top of that, since parts of the land have caverns beneath them, those countermeasures also add to the cost..."
"In other words, they’re all negative factors that drag down the land's valuation?"
When Yuji voiced his understanding, Kiritani-san gave a wry smile and nodded. This really was a complicated piece of land.
"Yes. Therefore, the price per acre is quite low. Though, given the sheer size of the grounds, the total is still a significant sum..."
"I see... Just out of curiosity, how much would it cost to buy the land outright?"
"To purchase it, the price would be roughly forty-five million yen. It’s within the budget you provided us beforehand."
"Forty-five million... That is indeed within our purchase budget."
It was a staggering amount, but since it didn't exceed our limit, the price itself wasn't a deal-breaker.
While I was mulling that over with a look of acceptance, Kiritani-san moved to confirm the duration of the lease agreement.
"Since you’re looking at a lease for now, I’ve calculated the figures based on a three-year term."
"Three years... That means the lease would end right around the time we turn twenty."
"Yes, I set it with that milestone in mind. One year is far too short for a contract, and twenty is a natural turning point."
"That makes sense."
As Kiritani-san suggested, twenty would be a good time to reassess.
Besides, in three years, the explorer industry should have stabilized to some extent. Using three years as a period to monitor the situation seemed like a reasonable plan.
"Therefore, once the three-year lease expires, you will need to decide whether to renew, look for a different property, or purchase this land."
"Understood. The lease period works for us."
"Then I’ll finalize the calculations for a three-year contract. Also, rather than monthly payments, if you pay the entire three-year rent in a lump sum, I can offer a small discount... How would you like to proceed?"
"A lump sum, huh..."
A lump sum payment... At two hundred thousand a month for thirty-six months, that came to 7.2 million yen. It wasn't that we couldn't pay it, but was it the right move?
We traded glances, consulting each other silently on how to handle Kiritani-san’s proposal.
"If we pay in a lump sum, how much of a discount are we talking about?"
"Let's see... I can't offer anything massive, but how about I round the balance down to an even seven million?"
After a brief, thoughtful pause, Kiritani-san suggested the figure. Since the base price was already quite low, it wasn't a huge reduction, but two hundred thousand yen was nothing to sneeze at. That was effectively a full month’s rent.
"Seven million... Understood. We’ll discuss it among ourselves."
"Of course. It was a sudden proposal, so please take your time to talk it over."
Since we had only come today to hear the terms, we didn't need to decide right this second. Kiritani-san was encouraging us to consult with one another, so we’d put this on the agenda for later.
After finishing the general explanation of the lease conditions, I decided to ask about something that had been bothering me.
"Kiritani-san, if we decide we want to purchase the Cape after the three-year lease is up, what would the conditions look like? Specifically, the final purchase price..."
"Let’s see. In that case... I believe we would take the land price, subtract the three years of rent already paid, and add a small premium. It would be slightly more expensive than if you had bought it directly, but please understand that as a fee for switching from a lease. If the lease is signed with the intent to purchase from the start, I could offer a slight discount... though it would still be a bit higher than an outright purchase."
"I see... Just for comparison, what’s the difference in total cost between a lease conversion, a purchase-premise lease, and an outright buy?"
"The difference? One moment, please."
Kiritani-san pulled out his smartphone and began calculating the numbers Yuji had requested.
After about a minute, he had the results.
"This is just a preliminary calculation, but a contract change after the lease would be roughly fifteen percent more expensive than a direct purchase. If we go with a purchase-premise lease, the markup would be about ten percent."
"So, compared to buying it now, it would cost around five million yen more. A contract change later might push us slightly over our planned budget..."
"Yes. Compared to a direct purchase, it's unavoidable... I'll provide you with more detailed figures later, but I don't expect the core results to change much."
"Understood. We'll use these figures as a reference while we think it over."
Since the exact amounts would shift slightly depending on the final contract, we agreed to receive the formal figures at a later date. For now, since we were just weighing our options, having a ballpark figure was enough.
Still, because the base price was so high, a ten percent difference meant a massive gap in cost. It made the discount for the lump-sum rent payment look tiny by comparison.
"Understood. Then please let us know your decision via phone or during your next visit."
"We will. We'll talk it over and get back to you as soon as we can. We really liked the property we saw today, so I think we’ll have a positive answer for you."
"Is that so? I shall look forward to hearing from you, then."
There we were, looking pensive as we realized how much we had to discuss, while Kiritani-san and Yuta-san wore satisfied smiles for having finally matched a difficult property with the right clients.
Our expressions were a study in contrasts, but at least it was the result of a productive meeting.
"Then, here is a set of materials regarding the property and a draft of the terms for the lease agreement. The core content is essentially identical to what will be in the final contract, so reading through this should serve as a good reference," Yuta-san said.
"Understood. We'll look them over."
Acting as our representative, Yuji accepted the thick brown envelope from Yuta-san. It supposedly contained all the data on the Cape, so we needed to go through it with a fine-toothed comb.
"Thank you for everything today. I'm glad we found a good property."
"The pleasure is ours. You really helped us out by cooperating with the verification session. We expect to see more people from the explorer profession as clients in the future, so the data we gathered today is incredibly valuable. If we don't understand our customers' needs, we can't introduce the right properties. Thanks to you, we’ve learned just how much of a gap there is between explorers and our typical clients."
"No, we're the ones who should be thanking you," Yuji replied. "Thanks to you and Yuta-san, we've learned about techniques and regulations we never would have known. If we had just started developing land haphazardly using our explorer abilities without any specialized knowledge, we would have caused a massive headache for everyone."
Our physical abilities as explorers far exceeded those of ordinary people, which opened a lot of doors, but we would have eventually run into trouble if we proceeded blindly. I’d only learned today that even on remote land you own, and even for something as small as a storage shed, you often have to file paperwork with the local government. I only found that out because of the experts Kiritani Real Estate brought in for the verification, but if I’d built something without knowing the law, I might have been ordered to tear it all down as an illegal structure.
"I’m glad to hear that. If it was beneficial for both sides, then the verification session was well worth it. We might ask for your help again in the future, and we'd be happy to have you."
"Same here. It’s a great chance for us to learn things we don't know, so we’ll cooperate however we can."
"In that case, I'll reach out to some experts in other fields related to land development and see if they'd be interested in collaborating."
"Thank you very much."
Yuji and Kiritani-san shared a firm handshake, confirming their intent to maintain a professional relationship. From the real estate side's perspective, this was a rare chance to get data on top-tier explorers; from our perspective, it was a way to gain professional expertise under the guise of being test subjects.
Since it was mutually beneficial, I wanted to keep the cooperation going as much as possible.
After leaving Kiritani Real Estate, we stopped at a family restaurant near the station to unwind. Between the morning and afternoon sessions, it had been a long day, and we all needed to catch our breath.
"First of all, good work today, everyone."
"Good work," the others echoed.
We toasted with glasses of juice from the drink bar, acknowledging the day's efforts.
"Man, I'm wiped. I never imagined I'd spend the day tunnel-boring," Yuji groaned.
"Me neither. Even though I was just focused on digging, I didn't think I’d actually punch a hole through the rock..."
"It was easier to dig through than I expected, so I think I started having too much fun halfway through," Hiiragi-san admitted. "It was just so satisfyingly smooth."
Despite our sighs over the unexpected mishap, we all had small, amused smiles on our faces. We never would have had the chance to try something like that if it weren't for today.
A blunder is a blunder, but knowing what we were capable of was a good thing. It would definitely be useful for the new property.
"Well, let's learn from the mistakes and move on. I'm just glad we found such an incredible property."
"Yeah, it’s exactly what we were looking for. And it even comes with a cave in the basement that's perfect for a secret base. Seriously, it feels like this is the only place for us."
"I agree," Hiiragi-san said. "And the view of the ocean is stunning. We only saw it during the day, but I bet the sunset is breathtaking. Like Kiritani-san said, if someone built a restaurant there, it would be a hit."
The land definitely had the potential to draw people in if it were developed properly. If we ever bought the land and found we no longer needed it years later, we could likely sell it for that kind of purpose. It was another point in the property's favor—it would be much easier to sell than some plot in the middle of the mountains where no one ever goes.
To that end...
"Hey, Yuji. I want to get Juzo-san’s take on the contract for this place. Do you think you could find out when he has time to talk? Honestly, even with these documents in front of me, I have no idea if this is a fair deal or not."
"I'm in the same boat. I don't know the first thing about real estate standards, so I was already planning to talk to the Old Man. It’ll be better if we all hear his advice together. I'll check his schedule."
"Thanks. I’ll ask my parents as well," Hiiragi-san added. "Their field is different, but they might have some useful insights."
Since none of us had ever handled a contract like this, we decided to turn to the people in our lives who had more experience. I had a feeling it might turn into a bit of a headache—or more likely, a full-blown argument—but signing a bad contract without consulting anyone would be even worse.
Of course, since the money for the training ground is coming from hush money, it’ll be a bit of a pain to dodge questions about the source of the funds.
We’d figure it out with the experts. Contracts had to be handled with care.