When we opened the door leading to the underground cave, a pitch-black void revealed itself. When we eventually leased and renovated this place, we should probably install automatic lights. Even if you were used to the dark, the sight of a black abyss suddenly opening up before you was a bit eerie.
Otani-san, seeing this for the first time, had his eyes wide with intense curiosity, but Yaguchi-san’s face was pale and her body was rigid with tension.
"This is the entrance to the underground cave. The ladder is already installed, so we can head down immediately, but..."
Yuta-san, who had opened the door, looked toward the stiffened Yaguchi-san with a worried expression. Although she had been making brave remarks until moments ago, she seemed to be shrinking back now that the reality was right in front of her.
When someone displayed such a blatant reaction, it was difficult to simply "respect their wishes" and ignore the obvious.
"Yaguchi-san, I’m terribly sorry, but would you mind waiting here? As you can see, it’s dark inside, and we’ll be relying entirely on the lights we carry. Furthermore, the ground hasn't been properly leveled yet, so the footing is poor and there's a risk of falling..."
"I agree. Yaguchi-san, I appreciate your determination to fulfill your duties, but in your current state, I have no choice but to judge that it would be too difficult."
Following Yuta-san's safety concerns, Kawakita-san also urged Yaguchi-san to forgo the underground inspection.
Even to them, it was clear that she wasn't in any condition to go down there.
"As the person in charge of this test, Yaguchi-san, I am instructing you to wait here. I’ve determined that entering the cave in your condition would be too difficult."
"...Yes. I'm sorry."
"It's nothing to apologize for. However, in the future, please self-report early if something is beyond your limits. There are physical and mental shifts that others cannot see. If you push yourself too hard, you could end up needing long-term medical leave."
Kawakita-san spoke gently, advising Yaguchi-san not to push herself as she lowered her head apologetically.
Then, Kawakita-san wore a slightly troubled expression as he turned toward Hiiragi-san.
"I’m sorry, Hiiragi-san, but even though we’re in the middle of an important test, may I ask a favor of you?"
"A favor? What is it?"
Hiiragi-san looked momentarily wary at the sudden request, but she prompted him to continue, wanting to hear what he needed.
"I hate to ask this, but would you mind waiting here with Yaguchi-san? I’m a bit worried about leaving her alone in her current state..."
"Oh, of course. I’ll stay here with her until everyone gets back."
After hearing the request, Hiiragi-san glanced at Yuji and me for a moment before giving a warm, accepting smile.
Kawakita-san’s request was essentially what Hiiragi-san herself had suggested earlier. I saw no reason to object.
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
Kawakita-san and Yaguchi-san bowed slightly to Hiiragi-san with apologetic looks, while Otani-san and Noguchi watched them with complicated expressions.
After that exchange, we began the inspection of the underground cave, though I felt a slight tug of lingering concern.
Once we descended the ladder, the silence was heavy as we walked along the dark path. We illuminated the dim cave walls and floor with our flashlights, heading deeper into the cavern while being careful of the jagged, uneven ground.
After a while, Otani-san let out a small sigh and murmured to himself.
"Yeah, it was definitely for the best that she didn't come."
His voice was low—the kind that might have been lost among the city's noise—but in this cave, where even the smallest sounds echoed and there was nothing but our footsteps, it reached everyone's ears clearly.
Since we had been walking in total silence, Yuta-san reflexively responded to the remark.
"Um, Otani-san, what do you mean by that?"
"Ah!"
At Yuta-san's hesitant question, Otani-san scratched the back of his head, looking troubled as if he’d realized he had let something slip. Since it was obvious he was scrambling for an excuse, Kawakita-san let out a heavy sigh, glared at him briefly, and then began to explain as a matter of necessity.
"Since we’re borrowing Hiiragi-san's time during a test, I will explain the situation briefly. However, please understand that I cannot go into the finer details."
"...I’m sorry. I shouldn't have pried."
"No, the fault lies with Otani-kun's slip of the tongue... We’ll be having a talk later, understand?"
"...Yes, sir."
At Kawakita-san's sharp tone, Otani-san gave a weak, dejected reply.
I suppose that was fair.
"This concerns Yaguchi-san's private life, so I will keep it to the broad strokes. To put it simply, her party was decimated after being attacked by monsters far above their level inside a dungeon."
"...That’s..."
"Yes. It’s a common story in the explorer industry."
Kawakita-san spoke in a flat, clinical tone. Yuta-san was at a loss for words and turned to Yuji and me as if asking for confirmation. He looked like he was wondering if such things really happened.
As Kawakita-san said, stories of party wipes were things you heard from time to time. They seemed particularly common when a group transitioned from being rookies to what the industry called mid-level explorers. It happened just as they grew accustomed to the threat of monsters and gained confidence in their strength—only to face a monster that outclassed them.
"It’s true, Yuta-san. We’ve rescued a decimated party before, too. They were all severely injured, and we had to give them our own recovery potions. Fortunately, their injuries healed, but..."
While confirming the story, Yuji added with a dark expression that we had seen such scenes firsthand. If you used the right potions, you could heal the flesh, but...
Yuta-san, having no experience as an explorer, looked slightly relieved by Yuji's words, but Kawakita-san—who knew the reality—simply closed his eyes with a sorrowful expression.
"...Yaguchi-san was one of the survivors of that decimated party. Luckily, she recovered from her physical wounds quickly, but her other party members were forced to retire, as further exploration was impossible for them. Because of that history, she now works for the Dungeon Association as a former explorer. However, the trauma of her party's destruction left a deep scar on her heart..."
And so she developed a phobia of places that reminded her of a dungeon. That was likely the case.
Yuji and I wore grim expressions. Otani-san, who had likely seen similar tragedies, stood there with a look as if he’d swallowed something bitter, clenching his fists and enduring the memory as he listened to Kawakita-san.
"I understand. I’m truly sorry. I shouldn't have pried out of curiosity."
"No, we were the ones who brought it up. However, I’d like for this to stay between us. Please don't mention this topic in front of Yaguchi-san. Also, regarding Hiiragi-san, please explain it to her after we finish our business here."
"I understand. I'll talk to Hiiragi-san once the inspection is over."
It definitely wasn't something to bring up in front of the person herself. I’d make sure Yuta-san knew that we would be the ones to tell Hiiragi-san.
Though, for all I knew, Hiiragi-san was hearing the story from Yaguchi-san herself right now.
"Thank you. Ah, it looks like we’ve reached the Great Cavern."
As Kawakita-san spoke, his flashlight illuminated a massive, pitch-black space opening up ahead of us.
Upon arriving at the Great Cavern, we immediately began the measurements. Although most of the basic data was already in the documents prepared by Kiritani Real Estate, the Association needed to take their own photos and conduct visual confirmations.
Otani-san, who had been subdued moments ago, perked up and started looking around the cavern with excitement.
"This is incredible! I had no idea there was a space like this underground. It’s like a secret base. Pure romance!"
"Haha, you're right. On its own, this cave is a marvel of nature, but from a real estate perspective, it’s a nightmare. Because these underground caves spread across the entire property, it’s difficult to build large structures on top. Of course, we could fill them in, but the construction costs would be astronomical. Yet, if we do nothing, the ground could collapse and take the buildings with it at any time..."
"...I see. From that point of view, this Great Cavern is something that’s better off not existing."
"Exactly. That’s why the previous resort development plan was scrapped."
Otani-san, who had been high on the "romance" of the cavern, looked a bit sheepish after hearing Yuta-san's practical breakdown. If you didn't know about the failed resort project, this place was just a testament to nature's power.
After surveying the area around the Great Cavern, we decided to head back. Since Hiiragi-san and the other was waiting for us above, we couldn't linger.
"All right, everyone. Let’s head back up."
"Yes, we’ve gathered all the necessary data. Let’s head back. We’ve kept the two of them waiting long enough."
With Kawakita-san’s approval, the survey of the underground cave was officially concluded.
Otani-san looked like he wanted to explore a bit more, but he wasn't about to defy his boss’s order to withdraw. It seemed that even as an Association employee, his seeker's spirit hadn't faded.
Understood.
Yes.
We carefully retraced our steps, climbed the ladder, and returned to the surface.
Yaguchi-san greeted us when we emerged, and she looked much better than she had before.
Hiiragi-san, however, wore a somewhat troubled, indescribable expression. I suspected she might have heard the circumstances directly from Yaguchi-san while we were gone.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Hiiragi-san, Yaguchi-san. The cave survey is finished."
"Thank you for your hard work. I’m sorry... I’m sorry I couldn't join you..."
At Kawakita-san's words, Yaguchi-san bowed her head apologetically.
"Raise your head, Yaguchi-san. There’s no point in pushing yourself until you’re sick. You should never feel bad about taking a break when you’re unwell. And Hiiragi-san, thank you for staying with her. Thanks to you, we were able to focus on the inspection without worry."
"Please, don't mention it. I just couldn't leave her when she looked so ill."
Hiiragi-san offered a gentle smile, insisting she had only done what anyone would do. Still, we were grateful to her.
After Kawakita-san and Yaguchi-san briefly exchanged some information, we closed the entrance to the underground cave and headed back toward the gate where the cars were parked.
"Thank you all for your hard work today. With this, the final certification inspection for the private training facility's skill use permit is concluded."
Thank you very much!
"We will notify you of the results via mail at a later date. It should take about two weeks, so please be patient."
"Understood. Please send the documents to Kiritani Real Estate."
After Kawakita-san and Yuta-san finished the remaining paperwork, we watched as the Association's car drove away.
The results weren't in yet, but we had done everything we could. I really hoped the final certification would go through without any issues...