Deliberately ignoring the stares Yuji and Hiiragi-san were giving me, I decided to shift the conversation to change the mood. Having those flat, judging eyes directed at me for too long was starting to weigh on my conscience.
It was more of a follow-up to our previous talk than a brand-new topic, really.
"That reminds me, to continue what we were talking about... when I mentioned the training ground project at home, Mika said she wanted to use it, too. I didn't think it was right to just give her a free pass, so I told her she could use it if she helped us build it. I hope it was okay for me to give her the green light?"
"Hmm, well, I don't see why not," Yuji replied. "We have certain things—skills—we want to keep hidden, but there shouldn't be any problem with Mika-chan and her friends using it for normal practice. The site is unnecessarily large, anyway. We can just tell them it’s dangerous to train too close to each other and keep our distance. That should solve it."
"I agree," Hiiragi-san added. "When we need to practice things—skills—we'd rather not show others, we can simply do it when Mika-chan and the others aren't around. Besides, it’s not like they'll be using the training ground every single week. I think it’s perfectly fine."
I let out a sigh of relief at their positive reactions. While I’d considered the possibility of Mika and her friends using the place, I had felt a bit uneasy since I’d moved the conversation forward with her before getting my partners' official confirmation.
Then again, they weren't strangers, so I’d suspected the two of them wouldn't mind.
"That's a relief. Thanks, you two. Also, sorry for speaking for the group without asking first."
"Nah, don't worry about it," Yuji said. "I figured Mika-chan would jump on the idea the moment you mentioned the training ground to your family."
"Indeed," Hiiragi-san said. "If there’s a place where one can use skills freely and safely, it’s only natural she’d want in. Even now, official training grounds where skills are permitted are... well, now that the number of explorers with skills has increased, it's almost impossible to get a reservation. The odds of winning that lottery are probably lower than getting concert tickets for a top-tier idol."
The Dungeon Association was apparently trying to build more skill-ready facilities to address the demand, but they were running into issues with land acquisition and noise complaints. Progress was slow, and they were nowhere near meeting the demand.
It wouldn't be a problem in deserted mountain areas, but the transportation there would be terrible. Conversely, trying to use high-output skills in urban areas would lead to a flood of complaints from the neighbors. We had run into those same concerns ourselves during our search, albeit from a different perspective.
"You're right... I haven't heard of anyone in my class winning a slot at a training ground lately," I noted.
"Me neither," Yuji agreed. "I haven't been actively snooping around for info, but word usually travels."
"Same here," Hiiragi-san said. "I think I might have heard a rumor once about someone in another class getting lucky, but for an entire school, those are incredibly low odds."
Since that was the reality of the situation, I’d known it was inevitable that Mika and the others would want to use our facility once they heard about the plan.
Seriously, the Association needs to hurry up and build more of those things...
"In that case, I'll let Mika know you both approved. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
"No problem at all."
By the time we finished settling the matter, we had reached the clubroom.
When we opened the door, the room was empty; it seemed Mika and the others hadn't arrived yet. They were likely still stuck in homeroom.
We set our bags on the table and took our usual seats.
"So... I'm pretty sure Mika has already told the other first-years about the training ground, but we should probably give them an official version ourselves, right?" I asked.
"That would be best," Yuji said. "It would be a pain if they started acting on misinterpreted information. We should give them the straight facts. Especially since Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san aren't explorers yet—they might get the wrong idea about how things work."
"You're right," Hiiragi-san agreed. "Regardless of Saori-chan, we should definitely explain things carefully to those two."
If Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san heard about us buying land, I didn't want them getting the mistaken impression that being an explorer was just easy money. While the job certainly paid well, earning tens of millions of yen required either accepting massive risks or having extraordinary luck.
The main reason we had the funds for this project was the sheer coincidence of obtaining first drop items from a highly classified dungeon. Depending on the item, we could have just as easily ended up with something common that would have sold for a standard price, and that would have been that.
"So, should we just give a brief summary without diving too deep into the details?"
"Yeah," Yuji said. "But I don't think we need to mention the specific source of the funds. Even if we tell them we're buying land for a training ground, we don't have to disclose exactly how big the plot is."
"True," Hiiragi-san added. "If we say we're buying a plot of cheap land in the countryside with poor access, we won't technically be lying."
Well, it’s not a lie, but it’s definitely a bit of a dodge, I thought. Oh well. If we just described it as a patch of land large enough for training, they'd probably just assume any explorer making a decent profit could afford something similar in the middle of nowhere.
I’d have to warn Mika not to say anything unnecessary before we started... I just hoped she hadn't already let the cat out of the bag.
"Then I'll prepare some 'reference' materials... I'll pull up the info for those properties we were shown at the very beginning of our search."
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Yuji said. "They're actual properties we looked at, so we won't be at a loss for answers if they probe for specifics."
"In terms of budget, an advanced explorer party of independents should be able to afford those, too," Hiiragi-san noted.
They might be able to afford it, but it would still be a steep price for a typical student explorer. Unless they were lucky enough to land a rare drop or just steadily grinded away in the dungeons without spending a cent... maybe.
For your average student, the Association would probably finish building more public facilities before they ever saved up enough to buy their own.
"All right. So the plan is: tell them we're buying a training ground, and if they ask for details, we describe those early properties."
"That should work," Yuji said. "And honestly, we could probably use this training ground project as a subject for our club's activity record task. The presentation on taxes we did for the school festival was a great start, but it's not ideal to have only one achievement on the books."
"I agree," Hiiragi-san said. "What kind of procedures and applications are required when an explorer moves a large sum of money to buy real estate... that would make for an excellent topic. We could frame it for student explorers who've made money in the dungeons and are looking to rent an apartment or buy a house to live independently after graduation."
From the perspective of club achievements, I agreed with Yuji that our previous presentation was solid, but for a consistent track record, taking on a new task was the right move. In a few months, the current third-years would be graduating; this was a high-demand topic.
Even though the third-years were now in the final stretch of studying for entrance exams, plenty of students had earned a fair amount from the dungeons over the last few years. To one degree or another, those who had been working as explorers usually had some savings.
"You're right. But if we do that, does that mean we have to distribute materials to the students again...?"
"Why not?" Yuji shrugged. "It'll be a useful guide for anyone thinking about moving out."
"Yes," Hiiragi-san added. "It might also be appreciated if we included red flags to watch out for when renting. Most students won't have any experience with the real estate market."
We had certainly learned a lot through our own trial and error. When we first started looking, I hadn't expected things to be decided instantly, but I also hadn't expected it to take this long. Once we actually started viewing sites, all sorts of criteria popped up that we hadn't even considered.
It would be... well, impossible for a student to find what they wanted from scratch without any guidance.
"I mean, it's the kind of information you could find in a real estate magazine at a bookstore if you looked," I said.
"But having it compiled and distributed by students at their own school is what will draw the most interest," Yuji countered. "Most people won't look at that kind of info unless they're absolutely forced to."
"Exactly," Hiiragi-san said. "The content we presented at the school festival was also information that anyone could have looked up easily. And yet, if we hadn't presented it, most students probably wouldn't have noticed the tax implications until the very last minute. This is the same principle."
Yuji and I nodded at Hiiragi-san’s assessment with slightly weary smiles. In this information age, our "research" was really just things anyone could find with a quick search. Our club’s actual job was to pique their interest and give them a reason to start looking.
As we were talking, time slipped away, and I soon heard the cheerful voices of Mika and her friends coming from outside the clubroom.
Once the girls took their seats, the entire club was present. Our faculty advisor, the Teacher, wasn't there, but since we didn't have any major administrative decisions to make, it wasn't an issue.
Once the idle chatter died down, I decided to explain the training ground project to Saori-chan and the other two. I gave Mika a sharp, meaningful look, silently telling her not to make any unnecessary comments since I’d already given her the gist of things yesterday.
"You might have heard a bit about this from Mika already, but the three of us are currently planning to buy a plot of land together."
"We wanted a private place where we could practice explorer-related things—like skills," Yuji explained.
"You see, the public training grounds provided by the Association are so backed up with reservations that we can't really use them," Hiiragi-san added. "So we figured we'd just build our own."
"What?!"
Saori-chan, Hino-san, and Tatebayashi-san all cried out in shock, as if they were hearing this for the first time. Wait, did Mika really not tell them anything?
I glanced at Mika, who was sitting there with a small, mischievous smile.
"I didn't say a word," Mika said. "Onii-chan hadn't said it was okay to tell Saori-chan and the others yet, and I thought it would be better coming from you guys anyway."
"I see... well, thanks for being considerate," I said.
"Don't worry about it. But are you sure they're okay? Saori-chan and the others are so shocked they've completely frozen up."
"Huh?"
When I looked over, sure enough, all three of them were sitting there with their mouths hanging open, totally stunned. It was like a carbon copy of my parents' reaction yesterday.
After Mika called out to them and gave them a little shake, the three girls finally managed to "reboot."
"Sorry, sorry," I apologized. "I thought Mika had already briefed you, so I skipped way too far ahead."
"Ah, no, sorry, we just..." Saori-chan stammered.
"Well, it's only natural to be surprised when someone tells you that out of the blue....Are you three okay?"
"Yes."
They still looked like they were reeling, but they seemed capable of listening now, so I started the explanation from the beginning.
"Let me explain again. The three of us are planning to buy land to use as a private training ground. The reason is that we need a secure place to practice the skills we've learned through our explorations. While the Association provides official facilities, they're currently flooded with reservations from thousands of explorers. We have no idea when our turn would come. The competition for a slot is like dozens or even hundreds to one."
"...And so you're going to buy your own?" Saori-chan asked, still looking like she couldn't quite wrap her head around the concept.
"Yeah."
When I gave a casual nod, her eyes widened further. The idea of a student explorer owning a private training ground simply wasn't something that would occur to most people.
"As you probably know, using skills with offensive or lethal properties is generally restricted to dungeons or official facilities. However, there's an exception: skill use is permitted on private property as long as it's been approved by the Association."
"...So that's why you're buying the land," she said, nodding slowly as the pieces fell into place.
"Exactly. Though, they won't give permission for a lot in the middle of a residential area, obviously."
"I suppose that makes sense..."
The three girls continued to look back and forth between us, trying their best to process the scale of the plan. Just like my parents yesterday, they were clearly suffering from a bit of information overload.
I figured it would be best to give them a few minutes to let the news sink in.