Faced with my parents’ dumbfounded expressions—likely a reaction to my confident attitude—I decided to tell them how the development verification experiment had actually turned out. Sharing the concrete results of our trial would be far more convincing than rambling about "refined Earth Magic," which was still just a bunch of untested theories on paper.
Of course, the fact that our "concrete results" involved digging a tunnel by hand sounded like its own kind of crazy theory.
"Even if the solution I just mentioned doesn't work out, we can handle most of the issues ourselves if we put in the time. It’s not like we’re building a massive project, like a hotel or a high-rise."
"We can't really comment on things related to explorers, but that doesn't sound like something easily done," Father said, sounding skeptical. "I don't know the exact scale of this underground cave, but dealing with a hole like that involves a massive amount of effort. Even if you were to fill it, you'd have to secure the soil, transport it, handle the actual labor... Doing that as an individual is..."
"It’s definitely a major undertaking. Sometimes they show disaster recovery sites on TV, and those involve a huge number of heavy machines and workers. Those projects can take days—or even months—to finish. But I’m not saying we can do it without any basis. Today, I conducted several verifications to see if an explorer's power can be utilized for land development. Based on what we found, I’m confident we'll be fine."
"Verification for... development?"
As Father tilted his head with a dubious expression, I gave a brief summary of what we had done during the trial.
"Yeah. I negotiated with the real estate agent. In exchange for them providing the property at a bargain price, we agreed to help them study explorer capabilities. Like Mika said earlier, an explorer’s athletic ability lets them easily navigate terrain that ordinary people would find impossible. The agent wants to establish new standards for when they deal with the growing number of explorers in the future. For instance, those 'minutes from the station' estimates on property listings are based on the walking speed of ordinary people. For an explorer, it would probably take less than half that time."
"I see. From a real estate agent's point of view, that's exactly the kind of data they’d want. When leasing a property, the rent changes quite a bit depending on whether it’s a five-minute walk or a ten-minute walk. Properties with low market value until now might suddenly become lucrative if the target audience is explorers. Looking at it that way... I suppose they would want the opportunity to gather data, even if it means discounting a property for you, Daiki."
"Exactly. Our interests aligned, so we ran the test. And during that test, we learned quite a bit. It turns out explorer abilities are incredibly useful for land development. For example, the ability to transport heavy cargo through mountains, or the ability to excavate holes and tunnels."
"...Excavating tunnels?"
Father tilted his head as if he couldn't quite process the words, and Mother, who was listening beside him, looked just as puzzled. I suppose if someone suddenly mentioned digging tunnels by hand, "What are you talking about?" would be the natural response.
"During the verification, we tested how much we could dig into a rocky mountain within a set time. See, if you’re building a transport route for development supplies and you hit an obstacle you can’t go around, you have to put a path through it. They wanted to see how much could be dug manually. Well, it went more smoothly than expected, and we ended up hollowing out the rock and opening a tunnel."
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Whoa. Once you get to Onii-chan's level, you can even do stuff like that..."
While my parents looked blankly at me, unable to process the information, Mika let out a sound of admiration, as though she’d expected nothing less. Her unquestioning acceptance of such a tall tale made it clear she believed opening a tunnel was well within our capabilities. Then again, I suppose we’ve given her enough proof over time to justify that kind of faith.
I waited for Father and Mother to "reboot" before wrapping up the talk on verification.
"Anyway, it might take some time, but we can handle the underground cave ourselves. You don't need to see it as a deal-breaker."
"I-I see... Well, since your mother and I are ignorant about explorer matters, I suppose we just have to take your word for it."
"He's right... but just because you can do it doesn't mean you should overwork yourself. I've heard stories about construction accidents since I was young, and they still happen today."
"Of course. We’ll carry out a thorough preliminary investigation and listen to expert opinions first. If an amateur jumps in recklessly, the risk of an accident is obviously much higher than it is for a pro."
Getting buried alive was no joke. Even if we handled the filling, maintenance, and expansion of the underground cave ourselves, I wouldn't dream of starting without expert advice and safe working procedures. I might not show them the actual work if there were secrets involved, but I definitely intended to listen to their professional input.
No matter how extraordinary our physical stats or special skills were, an amateur shouldn't try to wing it based on surface-level knowledge.
With the explanation of the property at the Cape finished for now, we all took a breather, moistening our throats with coffee that had long since gone cold. It had been a non-stop barrage of revelations, and both my parents clearly needed a moment to recover.
If a teenage son suddenly started talking about buying land and earning tens of millions of yen before his parents could even prepare themselves, this was the inevitable result.
"Daiki... if possible, I’d appreciate it if you broke these stories up into smaller pieces. Hearing it all at once is a bit much to handle."
"He's right, Daiki. I’ve become so exhausted in just the last ten minutes..."
"Haha, sorry. I just haven't had the right timing to bring it up, so I kept missing the chance... or maybe I just found it awkward..."
I gave a strained laugh and lowered my head slightly in apology. Even though I knew it would eventually come out, it was hard to find the right way to tell your parents you were making more than their annual salary. Especially since I was still a high school student; if I were an adult living on my own, it probably would have felt like less of a burden to share.
"But Onii-chan. That property at the Cape? Even if it has some issues, it sounds like an incredibly large piece of land. Wouldn't it be really expensive? Even if the details aren't set, do you have a rough idea of the price?"
"Hmm? Oh, they said it would be roughly 45 to 50 million yen, including the administrative costs. They mentioned they'd give us a bit of a discount, too."
What!?
Hearing my answer, Father and Mother, who had just started to relax, let out a synchronized shout of shock. Startled by the sudden noise, Mika and I both flinched before turning slightly annoyed looks toward them.
"Wait a minute, Daiki! That property costs 50 million yen?! If you buy that, every bit of that extra income you mentioned will be gone! Even if you can afford the property itself, you'll go into the red once you account for development costs, property taxes, and everything else! Don't buy something that eats up your entire budget!"
"He's right, Daiki! I understand why you want it, so I didn't want to interfere, but you shouldn't buy something at that price. Based on what you said, it sounds like a property that would be hard to resell. It's dangerous if it's not something you can maintain and manage for the long term."
My parents began frantically trying to persuade me to give up on the property. I was confused for a second as to why they were suddenly so opposed when they’d been fine a moment ago, but then I realized I’d left out a crucial detail.
"Wait, Dad, Mom. Sorry, I misphrased that. I said we received 50 million yen in extra income, but what I meant was that the three of us received 50 million yen each."
...
"Incredible! Now I’m dying to know what you guys actually found..."
Father and Mother stared at me with wide eyes, completely speechless. In contrast to their shock, Mika let out a sound that was a mix of exasperation and awe.
Haaah...
After a long, frozen silence, Father and Mother let out synchronized sighs and slumped forward onto the table.
Are you okay?
"Give me... a moment."
"Me too... just wait a bit."
After giving those weak replies, they both held their heads for a while as if nursing a headache. Once they finally recovered from the shock, Father turned a stern gaze toward me.
"Daiki. You received 50 million yen each?"
"Yeah. 50 million per person."
"I see. So I didn't mishear you. Which means, for the three of you, that's 150 million yen... Good heavens, what on earth did you find?"
"Sorry, but I really can't say. Just think of it as an item that matches that price—both in its value and the risks involved."
I put my finger to my lips, signaling that my lips were sealed. They both looked like they wanted to push further, but seeing my firm stance, they swallowed their questions with bitter expressions. I suppose it was only natural to worry about what kind of dangerous secret could be worth 150 million yen to a bunch of high schoolers.
"...Alright, I won't ask for details. We’ll leave it at that. Right, Mom?"
"Yes, I won't ask either. But... you're safe, aren't you?"
"Yeah. It’s not something we can talk about publicly, but there’s nothing illegal about it. It’s just that it would cause massive problems for the management system. The item itself is already with the Association, so as long as we keep quiet, there won’t be any trouble. And Mika, don't mention this to anyone else either."
"Got it."
With complicated expressions, Father and Mother nodded. Mika also realized the gravity of the situation and gave a solemn nod of her own.
"...Let's get back to the point. Daiki, if you're planning to buy this as a joint investment among the three of you, the cost will be split three ways?"
"Yeah. That’s how the discussion is going for now. Although we still have to figure out the specifics of the land ownership and things like that."
"The cost shouldn't be an issue then, but you definitely need to nail down those details. Have you considered incorporation?"
"That's something we're looking into. We’re thinking of leasing it first with the intent to buy. During that period, we might move forward with forming a corporation."
Turning the party into a legal entity and having the training ground be company property was a viable option. Of course, there was also the question of whether all three of us would be explorers forever, so we’d need to talk that through as well.
"True. Even if you were to incorporate, the preparations would take time, so you couldn't do it immediately. But keep it in mind as a path forward."
"I will. I'll bring it up when I talk to the others."
I nodded at Father’s advice. Incorporation, huh... I think we'll get there eventually, but maybe we’ll stay as we are while we’re still in high school. When I see corporate explorer parties in the dungeon, I sometimes feel like their style—staying on the same floor to farm drops for stable profits—is a bit different from what we're going for. Setting a foundation and ensuring safety and supply lines is a solid strategy, but...
"Well, as long as you keep a healthy reserve fund and don't overextend yourself to buy the land, I suppose it's fine. Just don't push too hard, okay?"
"I won't. We don't intend to force the plan to the point of taking on debt. If it feels impossible, we'll give up on it."
Beside Father, who had given his passive approval, Mother was also nodding reluctantly. I took that as having successfully gained their understanding.
"Hey, Onii-chan. If you guys build a training ground, can we go there to practice too?"
"Hmm? Yeah, I don't see why not. I don't think Yuji or Hiiragi-san would mind. But if you want to use it, you have to come help us build it. It wouldn't feel right to let you use it if you didn't put in any of the work."
"Okay! I'll definitely come help."
As Mika and I talked casually about the future training ground, our parents watched us with expressions that suggested the mental strain of the conversation was finally starting to fade.
By hitting them while they were still in information overload, I think I managed to secure their blessing... mostly.