We vented our frustration on the monsters that appeared along the way, taking about an hour to return to the surface. Since we were back much earlier than planned, the area near the entrance gate wasn't very crowded, and we cleared the exit procedures—including decontamination—without any issues. We soon left the facility housing the gate behind us.
Outside, the sun was still high in the sky. I let out a sigh as I recalled the unexpected—and rather unwelcome—nature of our success, my steps heavy as we headed toward the locker room to change.
"Normally, once we're done changing, I'd be saying 'let's go to the purchase counter,' but that’s not happening today," Yuji noted.
"Yeah. Before we can cash anything in, we need to talk to the person in charge here about the ogre soldier. More importantly, the first hurdle is figuring out how to actually get an appointment with them."
"True," Hiiragi-san agreed. "If a team of mere explorers asks to speak with the director, I wonder if they'll even bother relaying the request on such short notice. Especially since we’re high school students... it's going to be difficult."
Even if this was just a local branch office, someone in charge of an entire facility would be buried in work. If we had made an appointment several days in advance, they could have adjusted their schedule, but trying to walk in on the day of was a tall order. In a true emergency, we might be able to skip the red tape, but while the appearance of an ogre soldier was an anomaly, it was also a problem that only occurred if someone cleared certain special conditions to fight an ogre. It was abnormal, certainly, but if anyone were to ask how truly urgent it was, I’d probably hesitate to give a straight answer.
Furthermore, since that floor was rarely used by student explorers and the report was coming from a team of teenagers... I had to wonder if they’d take us seriously or just dismiss us as pranksters looking for attention.
"Still, going home without reporting it isn't an option," Yuji said. "I guess our only choice is to ask at the counter if we can see the person in charge."
"Right. If that doesn't work... I guess we go through the back channel with Miyashita-san? Between the monster and the drop item, bringing this straight to the purchase counter without laying some groundwork would be a disaster."
"I agree," Hiiragi-san said. "If the staff at the counter realize the drop item is that, it’ll cause a massive scene. As much of a hassle as it is, it’s better to maneuver behind the scenes first."
No matter how rare the mithril drop was, it was likely already in the Association’s database. If it were identified at the window without any prior notice, the chances of it causing a public disturbance were high. If word got out that we had obtained mithril, we’d be plagued by people pestering us for the ogre soldier's spawn conditions, people trying to take the physical ingot by force before realizing we’d sold it, or people threatening us to go back and get more. Precisely because it was so rare, it was bound to attract trouble.
To avoid those headaches, we needed to lay the groundwork to ensure a minimum level of information control.
"I’m hoping they’ll see us right away once they consider our track record," I said. "If they look at our history of cashing in drop items, they should realize this isn't our first time fighting an ogre."
"Good point," Yuji added. "Since we've cashed in items from around the 30th floor multiple times, they shouldn't think we're just here to pull a prank. Assuming they bother to look it up, anyway."
"We should lead with that," Hiiragi-san suggested. "State our records and then tell them we have an urgent report regarding an ogre. That should increase our chances at least a little bit."
It felt a bit awkward, like we were showing off our accomplishments to get special treatment, but if it increased the probability of a meeting, it was the right move. If a moment of embarrassment saved us from future trouble, we just had to suck it up.
We’d had a scout brokered—or rather, forced on us—here before, so our names likely carried some weight. I just hoped they’d actually check their files.
"Alright. Then once we’re changed, we’ll head to the reception and ask for a meeting with the director to report an anomaly. If they hesitate, we’ll ask them to check our history."
"Sounds like a plan..."
"Then let's get changed quickly. We don't know how long this will take, so we need to move fast."
At Hiiragi-san’s suggestion, Yuji and I both nodded. We hurried toward the locker room, our steps lighter than before. Even if we secured a meeting, the director would have their own schedule, so some waiting time was inevitable. We had no way of knowing if it would be minutes or hours, or if the actual report would end quickly.
In the worst-case scenario, we could be stuck there until sundown.
After a quick change, we grabbed our bags and headed to the branch office building where the counters were located. It was still a bit early for the bulk of explorers to be returning, so the lobby was relatively empty. It looked like we wouldn't have to wait long at the reception.
That said, we weren't using the chronically crowded purchase counter today, but the general consultation reception counter instead. This area seemed to have very few users; after taking a ticket, our number was called almost immediately. It would be a dream if the purchase counter were this efficient... but that was wishful thinking.
"Thank you for waiting. How can I help you today?" the female receptionist asked.
"Um, a monster in the dungeon showed some highly unusual behavior, and we’d like to report and consult about it," Yuji began. "And, uh... if possible, we’d like to do it in a private room. We were also hoping the person in charge here could be present for the report."
"...My apologies, could you wait for just a moment?"
When Yuji stated our request, the receptionist’s face flashed with a mix of suspicion and confusion for a split second. She asked us to wait, bowed, and left her station. I followed her with my eyes as she headed toward a man sitting in the back, likely her supervisor.
When she spoke to the man—presumably the Section Chief—he looked over at us. We gave a light bow to show we’d noticed him. He stood up with an expression that suggested he was doing this out of obligation, then walked toward the counter with the clerk.
"Thank you for waiting. I understand you have a matter you wish to discuss privately?"
The Section Chief was polite enough on the surface, but his eyes betrayed a lingering sense of doubt. It made sense; if a group of student explorers suddenly claimed they had top-secret information, any reasonable person would suspect a prank. Especially since we were in our street clothes now, which only emphasized how much we looked like ordinary kids our age.
Maybe we should have stayed in our gear? We weren't that dirty, and it might have added a sense of urgency to our claims.
"Yes," Yuji said. "We have a few things to discuss. First, a monster we encountered today displayed movements it doesn't normally perform. Second, we want to know if the Association is aware of this behavior. And third, we need to discuss the handling of the drop item that monster left behind. We’d really prefer a private room for the details. It's a bit much for an open counter..."
"I see... I apologize for the formality, but may I see your Explorer Cards?"
"Oh, right. Just a second... here you go."
"Thank you, I'll take those."
The Section Chief took the cards and handed them to the receptionist, asking her to look them up. It was a standard procedure; if someone claimed to have sensitive information, the first step was identity verification. Reliability varied wildly depending on who the information was coming from.
"Wait! Section Chief, look at this..."
"Hm? What is it?!?"
A look of pure shock crossed the receptionist's face as she stared at the terminal, and she hurriedly urged the Section Chief to check the screen. As he leaned over and read the data, he turned a look of absolute disbelief toward us. I was dying to know exactly what was being displayed on that screen to get such a dramatic reaction.
Once the check was complete, the suspicion in their eyes vanished entirely, replaced by a heavy sense of seriousness.
"Thank you for your patience. I am returning your cards."
"Ah, thanks."
"Regarding your consultation, I will check the availability of the consultation rooms. Please wait a moment. Once a room is ready, we will call you by your ticket number."
"Understood. Sorry for the trouble."
We gave a polite bow and returned to the waiting area. As we sat down, we all let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Looks like we're in," Yuji whispered. "I don't know who they're going to send out, but at least we can talk in private."
"Yeah. For a minute there, I thought they were going to kick us out. But seriously, what was on that screen? Their attitude did a complete 180 the second they looked us up."
"I bet Miyashita-san put something in our special remarks," Hiiragi-san suggested. "Something like 'Individuals with knowledge of vital secrets regarding the magic bag.' That would certainly explain the shift."
If an ordinary clerk opened a profile and saw a note about a high-level secret, it was no wonder she’d be shaken. I didn't know the exact phrasing, but given our record of clearing the 30th floor as civilian students, we must have been flagged with something significant.
As we chatted, another twenty minutes passed before our number was finally called.
"Thank you for waiting. A consultation room is ready; please follow me."
The receptionist placed a "Closed" sign on her counter and led us toward the back. I felt a bit bad about her closing her window, but there were few other visitors and the other counters were still open. She seemed to be in a hurry, likely because she couldn't keep her station closed for long.
We were led to a small meeting room at the far end of the second floor. The room next to it was also empty, suggesting they were being very careful about privacy.
"It's this room. I’ll go fetch the Consultation Supervisor, so please wait here for a moment."
"Understood. Thank you for guiding us."
After we thanked her, she bowed and left the room. We sat there, relieved that things were moving along. If they had told us to come back another day, we would have had to involve Miyashita-san directly, which would have led to a much more awkward meeting.
"I hope whoever they send is someone we can actually talk to," Yuji said.
"Yeah. The anomaly itself is a problem, but the real question is whether this was the first case. I want to know if they haven't told civilian explorers because it's so rare, or if they were intentionally suppressing the information. I hope the person in charge understands that distinction."
"In games, people often hide information about rare drop items to maintain a monopoly," Hiiragi-san noted. "Of course, information always leaks eventually, so it only works for a limited time..."
If the government or the Association already knew about the ogre soldier, the optimistic view was that they kept it quiet to prevent civilian casualties from people chasing rare drops. The pessimistic view was that they wanted a monopoly until someone else stumbled upon it. Mithril was a metal with incredible properties, after all; they might have wanted to hoard it for research to get a head start on technology. Then again, since the dungeons were open to the public, they had to have known it would be discovered sooner or later.
But if that were the case, our report might be arriving exactly when they were planning to go public. I wanted to make sure they didn't announce us as the "first civilians to obtain mithril" or anything like that. We had to be firm about our terms.
Five minutes after the receptionist left, a man in his fifties wearing glasses and a sharp suit entered the room. He gave us a piercing look, then immediately softened his expression into a polite, gentle smile as he introduced himself.
"Thank you for waiting. I am Hakamada, the Director of this branch office. I understand you have a private matter to discuss?"
Even though it was exactly what we’d hoped for, I was still stunned. Usually, you have to talk to several subordinates before the person at the very top makes an appearance. Why was he here already?
Just what kind of reputation do we even have with the Association? I’d love to know what they actually think of us...