We took a single deep breath, letting the tension drain from our bodies as we regained our composure. Since we had come here today with our minds made up to sign the contract, we steeled our resolve, knowing there was no point in wavering now.
Sharing wry smiles, we settled in to wait for Yuta-san to return.
"This is it... finally."
"Yeah. But we've done all the preparation we could for today. There’s no reason to be needlessly nervous."
"That’s right. We just need to check the contents as usual and follow the necessary procedures."
With our calm restored, we conversed naturally. The stifling tension from a few moments ago had almost entirely vanished, and I could feel our expressions softening.
After all, this was the reception room of Kiritani Real Estate, a place we had visited many times. Once we had settled our nerves, it felt like a familiar environment where there was no reason to be on edge.
"We brought all the necessary documents, so there shouldn’t be any problems... right?"
"Yeah, I checked them over and over before we got here. I don't think there are any mistakes."
"You both worry too much," Hiiragi-san said. "It’s better to have the mindset that if something is wrong, we can just fix it and start over."
She was right. While it would certainly be a nuisance for Kiritani-san and his team, in the worst-case scenario, we would just have to have them draft a new contract and fill it out again.
It would be embarrassing, but not the end of the world.
"You're right..."
The decision to enter into a lease agreement with Kiritani Real Estate was already set in stone. Whether the paperwork was submitted perfectly on the first try or required a slight delay didn't change that fact.
As the three of us went over our lingering concerns, I sensed movement outside the shop door. It seemed Yuta-san and the others were back.
The door opened, and Kiritani-san appeared alongside Yuta-san, who was carrying drinks and a document file. Neither of them looked particularly tense; they wore their usual professional smiles.
I suppose for them, a lease agreement with us was just another part of their daily routine. Even if the path leading up to this specific contract had been highly unusual, the act of signing the documents was standard business. That being the case, they had no reason to be nervous at all.
"Thank you for waiting. Please, help yourselves to a drink."
"Thank you very much."
Once Yuta-san had finished distributing drinks to everyone on the sofas, Kiritani-san began to speak with a smile that suggested he was genuinely happy to see this day arrive.
"Welcome, everyone. I am very pleased to see that your hard work has paid off and that we have safely reached this milestone."
"No, we’re the ones who are deeply grateful," Yuji replied. "It’s thanks to the cooperation of everyone at Kiritani Real Estate that we’ve reached today’s signing. Especially regarding the applications—if we had been on our own, there’s a high probability we would have given up halfway through."
"That application process was a great learning experience for us as well," Kiritani-san said. "To take the first step into an unknown field, one often needs a strong catalyst. Helping you find a property made us feel strongly that we must move into sectors necessary to adapt to the new era."
"I was worried we had only caused you a great deal of trouble, so I’m just happy to hear you say we were of some help."
Yuji returned the sentiment with a pleasant smile. Although it was a formal exchange, there was no doubt that both parties were genuinely relieved to have reached this point after so much mutual struggle.
Thinking back, we had been navigating a search process that was completely unknown to us, while Kiritani Real Estate had been verifying details in a completely new field, step by painstaking step.
"It makes me happy to hear you say that. Well then, without further ado, did you bring the contract documents we sent over for you to fill out?"
"Yes, of course."
Yuji rummaged through the bag he had brought and pulled out a large brown envelope.
"Here you go. All the required fields are filled in, so please check them over."
"Thank you, I’ll take those. Yuta-kun, if you would."
"Yes, sir. Please wait a moment."
Kiritani-san took the contract documents out of the envelope and handed them to Yuta-san, who was sitting beside him. Yuta-san began checking the entries with a practiced hand.
Finishing the check in less than five minutes, Yuta-san reported the results as he handed the documents back to Kiritani-san.
"There are no problems. All required fields are filled in correctly without any errors."
"I see. Thank you, Yuta-kun. Sorry to keep you waiting; it seems the contract is in order."
"Is that so? I’m glad there weren't any mistakes."
Hearing those words, we all breathed a collective sigh of relief. We had checked the entries many times, but we lacked confidence in whether they were correct from a professional's perspective. Our anxiety had been high.
It seemed the time we spent double-checking had been worth it.
"Also, just as a confirmation, the primary lessee for this lease agreement is Yuji Hirose-sama, correct?"
"Yes. We’ve settled on me being the primary contractor. I thought about contracting under a corporate name if we were incorporated, but we haven't reached that stage yet."
"I see. Next—and this is just a confirmation to be safe—Hirose-sama is a minor who has not yet reached the age of majority. When a minor enters into this type of contract, the consent of a guardian... a legal representative, is required."
Kiritani-san’s gaze sharpened slightly as he hammered home the prerequisites. This was a topic that minors like us absolutely could not avoid when entering into a legal agreement.
"A contract entered into by a minor can be canceled later if there is no consent from a legal representative," I noted. "From your perspective, Kiritani-san, that consent is a condition you’d definitely want to verify."
"That is correct. While there is a signature space for the legal representative’s consent on the lease agreement you submitted, we are also confirming it orally just in case."
"Of course," Yuji said. "I have obtained the consent of my legal representative. As shown on the contract, my father has signed it."
"Thank you very much."
Having confirmed the consent, the tension in Kiritani-san’s expression finally melted away. He was now certain that this wasn't a deal we were pushing through behind our parents' backs.
Well, since this whole training ground project had started with a recommendation from Juzo-san, Kiritani-san probably didn't think for a second that we were acting without permission.
"And although the contract is in my name, the rental costs will be shared equally among the three of us."
"As far as we are concerned, as long as the rent is paid by the due date, there is no problem."
"Right. From your end, the specific internal arrangement doesn't matter as long as the payment arrives, right?"
"Haha, well, quite."
That seemed to be the case. After agonizing over how to handle the payment, we had decided to have Yuji open a new bank account specifically for rent. Each of us would transfer a third of the rent into that account, and the full amount would be paid via automatic withdrawal.
Since the total didn't divide perfectly by three, we decided to transfer a little extra each month; any leftover change would go into the party funds for after-parties and other group expenses.
"That’s all I wanted to confirm for now. There are no issues with the contract."
"Thank you very much."
"The formal conclusion will take place after we review the documents on our end, so I should be able to hand over the certificate within a week."
"Understood. If there's anything you need to verify, feel free to contact us anytime."
Having successfully submitted the contract to Kiritani Real Estate, we exchanged handshakes with Kiritani-san and Yuta-san. Looking back, the road to finding a training ground had been long, but it had provided us with experiences we never would have had in a normal life.
About three days after we handed over the lease agreement, we received word that the certificate was ready and they wanted to hand it over along with the gate keys. It seemed we had passed the screening without a hitch.
I’d heard that people sometimes failed the screening for apartments and couldn't rent them, so I had been a little worried, but it turned out I was overthinking it. To be fair, the property had been sitting idle for years without any tenants, so they might not have had very strict criteria to begin with.
"Great! It looks like the contract went through safely."
"Yeah. It would have been a disaster if we’d come this far only to fail the screening. I’m so glad."
"I'm just relieved we've finally cleared this hurdle..."
The three of us basked in the news, finally feeling the reality that our training ground project was moving into full-scale operation.
"We’re going to pick up the keys and the certificate after school today, right?"
"Yeah. If we get the keys today, we can use the place starting this weekend. It’s just a pickup, so it shouldn't take long."
"Right. Let's go as soon as we can."
With the project officially underway, our relief shifted into excitement and anticipation.
From the moment we decided we wanted a training facility, our days had been a blur of visiting real estate agents and doing property viewings. We had discovered unexpected troubles, yet eventually found the ideal site. We had been stalled by our own over-eagerness and spent days buried in unfamiliar paperwork for legal inspections. But after overcoming all those hurdles, we had finally obtained the training facility we wanted!
"Okay, Yuji, call them and let them know we're coming today."
"You got it. I'll call during lunch break."
"I'll let Mika-chan and the others know that we're skipping club today," Hiiragi-san added.
Feeling a bit giddy, we agreed to head to Kiritani Real Estate immediately after school. We were finally getting what we had been waiting for; there was no way we were going to wait another day.
After suffering through our remaining classes, we left school, changed, and rushed to the real estate office.
"We’re here. All right, let's go in!"
Unlike our last visit, we stepped inside without a hint of nervousness. Our legs felt light, moving without any hesitation. I had to laugh at how tense we had been before.
Wearing bright expressions, we announced ourselves in voices slightly louder than usual.
"Excuse us! This is Hirose, we had an appointment! We’ve come to pick up the certificate and the keys!"
When Yuji's greeting—notably higher-pitched than usual and laced with joy—echoed through the shop, Yuta-san came rushing out from the back with a look of slight bewilderment.
"Welcome."
"Hello, Yuta-san! I’ve come for the keys!"
"Yes... of course. They're ready, so please have a seat in the reception area for a moment."
"Understood!"
Yuta-san seemed perplexed by Yuji's high-energy response, but he quickly regained his composure and went to fetch the items. He was clearly taken aback by the shift in Yuji's personality. I suppose if someone you usually found quiet and calm suddenly turned into a ball of energy, you'd be confused too.
Since we had called ahead, Yuta-san returned almost immediately with the items.
"These are the keys to the gate installed at the property and the certificate for the lease agreement. Please keep them safe."
"Understood, I'll take great care of them. Is there anything else?"
"Yes, I almost forgot. I'll give you these as well."
Yuta-san held out a sticker and a piece of paper.
"This is a copy of the Skill Use Certification Permit for the property. We will keep the original permit at our office, so if you're ever asked by the Dungeon Association or anyone else, please show them this copy first. If you contact us, we will submit any further necessary documents. Also, please place this certification sticker on the entrance gate."
"We can't have the original certification?" Yuji asked.
"We will hand over the original when you eventually purchase the property. Since this is just a lease for now, we provide the copy."
"Understood. We'll contact you if any questions come up."
I figured as long as we had the sticker on the gate, we probably wouldn't have many reasons to show the certificate to anyone anyway. The professionals said this was the way to do it, so I decided to follow their lead rather than question it.
After checking a few more points of caution, we thanked Yuta-san and stepped out of Kiritani Real Estate.
"All right, you two! Let's head there first thing this weekend!"
"Yeah!"
We finally had a training ground of our own. I couldn't wait to see how we’d transform it!
After overcoming countless hardships, the lease agreement was finally signed.