As Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san looked on with anxious expressions, the three of us fell silent, agonizing over how to respond. Lending them the money for weapons wasn't an issue in terms of liquidity; after yesterday's windfall in the dungeon, we certainly had the funds. However, the real problem was whether it was right to lend hundreds of thousands of yen to club juniors whose aptitude and resolve for the profession were still completely unproven.
A fair number of rookie explorers pack it in after their very first encounter with a monster, driven away by terror, revulsion, or a simple lack of stomach for the work. If Tatebayashi-san and her friend became explorers with high spirits only to falter during their first trial run, they would be left with a debt of several hundred thousand yen and no means to repay it. And that debt would be owed to their club senior, who was also the brother of a close friend—all while they were still in high school.
"..." "..." "..."
The same grim possibilities seemed to occur to all three of us. We exchanged silent looks, our brows furrowed in shared difficulty. This was not a matter we could lightheartedly agree to.
Moreover, that was the "better" scenario. In the worst case, they could suffer severe injuries like the loss of a limb or deep psychological trauma that would interfere with their daily lives. If we had to provide the high-grade recovery potions we kept in stock for their treatment, they would find themselves saddled with further debts in the tens of millions.
"I understand," I said finally. "It’s certainly a difficult amount to bring up. However, I think you have to start by discussing it with your parents first. Tell them why you want to become explorers and how you plan to handle the initial investment. If you need the opinions of experienced people to help persuade them, we can share as many of our own stories as you need."
"Yeah," Yuji added. "You have to run the idea of becoming an explorer by your parents first. As for the weapons... I’ll think about whether there’s any good gear available. Honestly, it might be better to try using tool-based equipment for your first test to see if you even have the aptitude. You can get those for cheap, and plenty of student explorers use them."
"He’s right," Hiiragi-san agreed. "Besides, you’ve saved up everything except the cost of the weapons yourselves, haven't you? If you show them that, I don't think your parents will doubt how serious you are about wanting to be explorers."
For now, this was the only answer we could give.
It would be wrong to make an easy promise under these circumstances. Above all, high schoolers cannot borrow or lend hundreds of thousands of yen without their guardians' knowledge. At the very least, they had to talk to their parents about their career goals before any money changed hands.
"..." "..."
Hearing our response, Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san looked as though the answer wasn't quite what they had hoped for. They had likely expected us to provide the weapons or lend them the money right then and there. Considering Mika’s situation, it was perhaps natural for them to hope for that, but this was a different situation entirely.
And they weren't the only ones dissatisfied. While Mika and Saori-chan looked like they understood why we had to say what we did, they still seemed a bit unhappy.
"...You look like you have something to say, Mika."
"Eh? Ah, yeah, a little," she admitted. "I understand what you’re saying, Onii-chan, but... the way you're treating them is so different from how you treated us."
"Well, that’s just how it is. I understand Tatebayashi-san's dilemma, but we can't just casually decide on a loan of hundreds of thousands of yen. You’ve been an explorer for a while now, Mika, so you understand, right? It's not as easy as the world makes it out to be. It’s true that becoming an explorer is just a matter of applying for and passing the qualification exam, but continuing as one takes a certain amount of luck, skill, and grit."
"Yeah, that’s true."
The government was currently lowering the barrier to entry to promote the dungeon industry, seeing it as a growth sector and a catalyst for economic expansion. Starting was easy. However, whether one could actually make a living as the world claimed was a different story.
Furthermore, the accumulation of knowledge regarding dungeon exploration was still insufficient. The industry seemed satisfied as long as the number of new participants exceeded the number of people quitting.
"If you can't provide the funds yourselves and start by going into debt for expensive weapons, you might find yourselves in a situation where you can't back out even if you don't have the aptitude... That's what I'm worried about."
"...That's..."
"You know how dangerous an explorer in that mental state can be, don't you? I don't want to see someone recklessly challenging monsters just to chip away at their debt... especially not someone I know personally."
"You're right," Mika murmured.
Whether they had someone specific in mind or not, Mika and Saori-chan looked away and fell silent with pained expressions. On the upper floors, where Mika and the others had been active for a while, you saw that type of explorer quite often. They fought monsters with a hesitant, reluctant air, looking relieved that they survived without injury but guilt-ridden as they gathered drop items. They would sigh as they checked their loot, their backs looking heavy as they trudged forward.
In worse cases, you’d see people walking around with blood-stained bandages from half-hearted treatment because they didn't want to spend money on recovery potions. The common thread among those people was their eyes—clouded with resignation, wondering when it would all end—and expressions of utter mental exhaustion.
"Besides," I continued, "lately, the influx of drop items into the market has increased with all the new participants, so purchase prices are lower than they used to be. I think it's becoming quite difficult to pay back a debt while maintaining explorer activities compared to the past. Unless you get lucky and find a rare drop like a skill scroll, a short-term repayment is going to be tough."
With tens of thousands of student explorers having joined over the recent summer break, even if only half of them continued, the purchase prices for drop items from the upper floors were bound to drop. More people meant more items collected, which meant the high demand that had been driving prices up was finally being met.
While cheap dungeon materials were good for the market, a beginner explorer gathering drop items in the upper floors would likely feel like they were being lowballed. They’d feel like the reality was different from the success stories they’d heard.
"Daiki has a point," Yuji said. "Before you confirm your aptitude as an explorer, you should hold off on going into debt for high-end weapons. As long as one of us is with you, you won't get hurt by the monsters on the first floor anyway."
"I agree," Hiiragi-san added. "I think it's better to try it once before you commit to buying your weapons."
Following my lead, Yuji and Hiiragi-san both advised them to try fighting a monster in the dungeon once to see if they were cut out for it before purchasing weapons. Last year, even with a high initial investment, the drop items could be sold for high prices, making it easy to recover the costs even if you stayed on the upper floors—provided you had the aptitude. Even earlier this spring, as long as you got used to it like Mika and her friend, you could eventually recover the initial investment.
But now, after the summer break, it would take a considerable amount of time to pay back that investment without securing rare drops. Purchase prices were lower, and the sheer number of explorers on the upper floors meant the encounter rate with monsters had dropped. This led to slower leveling due to a lack of experience points, which in turn slowed floor progression and made it even harder to obtain high-value drop items.
"Eh? Um, so... based on what everyone is saying, we should wait until we've tried fighting a monster once before buying weapons?" Tatebayashi-san asked.
"I... I guess so. When you put it that way, it does seem like it might be better to try it first," Hino-san added.
They listened to us with strained expressions, looking visibly shaken. They seemed surprised and confused by the discrepancy between the rumors they’d heard and the internal reality we were describing.
Most of the stories that made it onto TV or into magazines were the successful ones. The bitter internal details rarely came to light, and the "exposure" stories on the internet were often of dubious authenticity and lacked credibility.
"Exactly. We can't really recommend buying expensive weapons at a stage where we don't even know if you two have the aptitude."
"Even though we're the ones giving advice now," Yuji said, "I still remember the shock of fighting a monster for the first time. I was with Daiki and Hiiragi-san back then, and I had a reason to keep going as an explorer, so I was able to get past it. But if my goals had been vague, I might have quit right there."
"I feel the same," Hiiragi-san said. "I still remember that shock from my first fight in the dungeon. It’s only natural that some people can't get over that and quit being explorers."
"Yeah, me too," Mika said. "I still remember it..."
"Me too," Saori-chan whispered. "I don't think someone who isn't suited for it could keep going..."
The five of us looked off into the distance, our expressions twisting slightly with bitterness as we recalled the first time we killed a monster in the dungeon.
Looking back, it was a wonder none of us had broken.
We had strayed a bit from the topic, but after hearing the firsthand accounts of experienced explorers, Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san seemed to realize they were being a bit hasty and decided to change their approach.
First, they would tell their parents they wanted to become explorers and discuss the funds for their weapons. In return, we promised that we, as their seniors, would help persuade their parents by sharing our experiences.
"We'll help persuade your parents, but whether you get permission depends on your own enthusiasm, okay?" I reminded them.
"Yes, we understand. We'll do our best to convince them," Tatebayashi-san replied.
"If we tell them that our seniors and Mika-chan's group are supporting us, I don't think my parents will just dismiss us out of hand. They saw how amazing you all were at the sports festival, too."
"Wait, they saw that?"
"Yes. It was our first sports festival in high school, so they came to cheer for us. Even after we got home, we talked quite a bit about your appeal demonstration."
The three of us felt our cheeks twitch. To think their guardians had seen that... Well, it was a sports festival, so I suppose it was bound to happen.
Still, if that was the case, maybe it would work in our favor? Our words would probably have more weight coming from seniors whose glimpses of explorer skill they had already seen, rather than just being words from random club seniors.
"I-I see... Uh, by the way, did you tell them that we're those same students and your seniors in the club?"
"Yes, I told them when I joined. They were surprised when I said it was an economics-focused club, though."
"I bet... There's quite a gap between that demonstration and an economics club. It's no wonder they were surprised."
"My dad was amazed that a member of a culture club could move like that just by becoming an explorer," Hino-san added.
I had said we’d help, but now I felt a bit awkward about meeting them. With the preconception of the sports festival demonstration, I was a bit nervous about which way their opinion would swing.
"I see. So we can assume they understand this isn't an explorer club, right?"
"Yes. They even came to the school festival recently and looked at our club's presentation with great interest."
It seemed there were no strange misunderstandings, so I could breathe a sigh of relief on that front. I had been worried they might think we were forcibly turning club members into explorers for the sake of the club’s activities. After all, the actions of the Goto group made such a misunderstanding a real possibility.
That meant if we were to participate in persuading Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san's parents, we could just speak as club seniors who happened to be explorers.
"Is that so? It's a shame we didn't run into them at the school festival. Well then, you two, do your best to convince your parents."
"Yes!" they answered in unison.
"Alright, let's wrap things up. Good job on the exam, everyone. Get some good rest today, and let's get back to it tomorrow."
"Good job, everyone!"
With the consultation from Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san settled, our post-bookkeeping exam party came to a successful(?) conclusion. It would be a while before we got the results, but we would just have to wait patiently with a mix of confidence and a little anxiety. For now, I just hoped their talks with their parents would go smoothly. It would be best if we didn't have to get involved at all.
However, my wish was in vain. Three days after the bookkeeping exam ended, the seven of us found ourselves facing the parents of Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san in a rental conference room near the station. It seemed the persuasion process was not going well at all.
With the purchase price of drop items from the upper floors falling, I really didn't want to let my juniors take on a large amount of debt...