As we left the classroom and headed toward the clubroom, we exchanged thoughts on the story we had just heard from Shigemori.
I had always assumed that while he was interested in explorers, he had no intention of becoming one himself. It turned out that Shigemori had been moving forward with a very clear goal in mind.
"Who would’ve thought Shigemori had such firm ideas about being an explorer?" Yuji remarked.
"Yeah. But he’s right—if your goal is specifically to use magic, there’s no need to rush into it while everything about the dungeons is still so unclear. It’s never too late to start once more information is available."
"I agree," Hiiragi-san said. "If you don't have a burning desire to be a top explorer or make a fortune, there’s no reason to hurry. As long as you can get your hands on a scroll, any explorer can eventually use magic. Of course, the real difference is whether you buy one or find it yourself."
Compared to the early days, the number of magic-granting skill scrolls on the market had increased, making them significantly easier to obtain. While prices hadn't plummeted, depending on the specific spell, some could be bought for anywhere from several hundred thousand to over a million yen.
A flashy, "magic-like" spell of the sort Shigemori would likely want would probably cost around a million yen. That was a hefty sum for a high school student, but I suppose it was still better than buying a brand-new car.
"Exactly. If your objective is just to use magic, the method of acquisition doesn't really matter. Though, if you’re going to buy it, you still have the problem of how to earn that kind of money."
"Skill scrolls that grant magic are still expensive," I noted. "That’s a substantial amount for a high schooler who isn't an explorer to save up. Does he have a plan for earning it?"
"If he's already decided to buy one, perhaps Shigemori-kun has a part-time job?" Hiiragi-san suggested. "Or maybe he’s been saving his allowance and New Year’s money for a long time?"
Knowing Shigemori, he had likely thought it through and was already working toward saving the funds. I hadn’t heard anything about him having a job... but he probably had one, right? I’d have to find the right time to ask him about it later.
"I only asked him just to make small talk, but that turned out to be a surprisingly good conversation," Yuji said. "We should tell Tatebayashi-san and the others that there are people who think like that."
"Right. So far, we’ve only heard that Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san want to be explorers, so let's ask them what they actually want to do once they become one. If they have a specific goal, they probably won’t give up on the path, even if they’re feeling lost right now."
"Both of them seem to have been wavering since they heard yesterday’s story," Hiiragi-san added. "I think this is the perfect time to help them reconfirm why they wanted to be explorers in the first place. Once their purpose is clear, they’ll be able to reach an answer for themselves, regardless of what they choose."
If Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san just quit because of the prevailing mood without a clear purpose, they would likely end up with regrets. When you're lost, stopping to remember your original intention is an effective strategy. Answers reached in a state of panic or under pressure almost always lead to regret later on.
"Oh, we’re almost at the clubroom. I wonder if Mika and the others are already there?"
"They probably are. We spent quite a while talking with Shigemori."
As I glanced toward the clubroom, I felt the presence of people inside. It seemed Mika’s group had already arrived.
When we opened the door and entered, all eyes turned toward us at once.
Mika and Saori-chan gave us silent, slightly disgruntled looks that said, "You’re late," while Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san looked on with nervous expressions that seemed to say, "We actually showed up."
"Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone. We got caught up talking with a friend."
I offered a light apology with a wave of my hand. Yuji and Hiiragi-san followed me inside, giving slight nods as they apologized for the delay.
"It’s okay, we haven’t been waiting that long. We only just got here ourselves," Mika said. "So, Onii-chan, what were you guys talking about that was so interesting?"
"Hmm? We were asking a friend who isn't an explorer why he hadn't started yet. His answer was actually quite intriguing, and we ended up getting sucked into the conversation."
As we sat down in our usual seats, I explained the reason for our tardiness. This piqued the girls' interest, and they looked at us expectantly, prompting us to continue.
"Wait, what was it? If you guys were that impressed, what kind of story was it?" Mika asked.
"Well, it was like this..."
After a quick glance at Yuji and Hiiragi-san for confirmation, I recounted the conversation we’d had with Shigemori. By the time I finished, Mika and Saori-chan looked impressed, while Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san looked like they’d been hit with a revelation.
"So, that’s the gist of it. He’s been watching the whole explorer craze from the very beginning of the dungeon opening at this school, so he made his decision after considering everything. Looking back at that frantic race for power, I can understand why someone would stay calm, take a step back, and move only after figuring out what they truly wanted. Momentum is important, but nobody wants to end up looking like a mummy wrapped in bandages."
"Because he set a solid goal, he can take things slow without rushing," Yuji added. "If he didn't have that, he probably wouldn't be able to stay so relaxed while almost all his classmates are already explorers."
"True," Hiiragi-san agreed. "In our class, you can count the non-explorers on one hand. There are probably only about twenty in the entire grade."
The only other non-explorers in our class besides Shigemori were students in athletic clubs. There was an ongoing debate about whether athletes with an Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures should be allowed to compete, so students who were serious about their sports and wanted to participate in tournaments were taking a wait-and-see approach.
It would be a tragedy to lose your eligibility for tournaments you’d worked for years to reach just because you impulsively got an explorer permit during the dungeon boom. I’d heard rumors about creating separate tournaments exclusively for permit holders, but with nothing decided yet, it was a high risk for athletes to get their permits.
"It’s probably around that many," Saori-chan said. "Right now, there are hardly any athletic clubs in our school that can properly participate in tournaments. So many members got their explorer permits on impulse that they can't even get enough people together to form a team."
"Oh, that’s right," Yuji said. "I heard things picked up a bit when the first-years joined in April, but if they keep getting their permits at this rate, will the clubs have to suspend activities again? Individual sports might be fine, but team sports are impossible without the numbers."
"Now that you mention it, I’ve heard complaints about first-year members quitting one after another after summer vacation," Hiiragi-san noted. "With the permit acquisition rate among first-years rising this much, it’s only natural it would have an impact."
Come to think of it, whether a member had an explorer permit didn't really affect activities for cultural clubs. Since most of the clubs in this building—including ours—were cultural clubs, we hadn't really felt that impact directly. However, looking back, it felt like the number of clubs practicing on the field or in the gymnasium after school had been decreasing lately... especially the team sports.
"Oh, wait. I think I remember some girls saying they quit their clubs before summer vacation," Mika said.
"Yeah," Saori-chan added. "They said their seniors tried really hard to talk them out of it, but they quit anyway."
"I recall seeing some upperclassmen coming to our classroom a few times..."
"It looked like they were having a bit of an argument."
Mika and the others seemed to have their own recollections of such events, and they looked back on those moments with complicated expressions. I suppose they were essentially in the same position as those who quit, so they likely had a few things that hit home.
Mika let out a small sigh and slowly looked up.
"I'm surprised your friend managed to stay a non-explorer under those circumstances, Onii-chan. I understand the idea of being cautious, but if I were in that position, I might have lost my patience and gone to get my permit anyway."
"Probably. Actually, it sounds like he was invited to the dungeon several times. He stubbornly refused until they finally gave up, but I heard the team that invited him ended up retiring from exploring after getting injured by a monster. In the end, his decision to refuse was the right one. Back then, we barely knew anything about the dungeons or monsters, so it wasn't unusual for people to get caught off guard. At least it wasn't a catastrophic injury like a lost limb, which was a blessing in disguise."
Even though he was so obsessed with magic, Shigemori had managed to turn down those invitations. Given the atmosphere back then, it wouldn't have been strange for him to just go with the flow. As a result, though, his classmates who were explorers now saw him as someone who just had no interest in the dungeon.
"I see... Come to think of it, when you started exploring, Onii-chan, things were way more uncertain than when we started."
"Yeah. It was right after the dungeons opened, and everyone was caught up in the craze, desperate not to be left behind. People were charging in blindly even though we didn't understand the dungeons or the monsters. We made progress and paved the way for those who followed, but it also produced a lot of injuries and retirements. After winter vacation, the whole school smelled like disinfectant and blood."
"I remember that period," Yuji said. "Swarms of students wandering the halls like mummies. Most of them weren't earning enough to buy recovery potions, so they had to rely on conventional medical treatment."
"Some kids would turn pale just from the smell, but the fever of the dungeon boom was so intense that most students eventually just got used to it," Hiiragi-san recalled. "The teachers, though—they were always wearing such grim expressions."
We looked back on those days, reminiscing about how truly bizarre the situation had been. On the other hand, the four girls—including Mika and Saori-chan—who were hearing about the reality of those times for the first time, were staring at us with cramped smiles.
"Hey, Saori-chan. We really made our explorer debut in an incredibly privileged environment, didn't we?"
"Y-yeah. We had seniors to teach us the basics of the dungeon, and we can explore based on information paved by those who came before us... Hearing this makes me realize we really became explorers at a great time."
"I had no idea the school was in such a state when the dungeons first opened."
"The smell of blood lingering..."
Well, I think their reaction is perfectly normal. And as for the timing of Mika and Saori-chan’s debut, I truly believe it was a good one. A fair amount of information was already available, and while the buy-back prices for drop items had decreased, they were still quite high compared to now.
Since the talk about Shigemori had wound down, I turned back toward Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san to address them properly.
"Anyway, changing the subject—have you two thought about what you want to do after hearing what we said yesterday? Mika told me you’ve been troubled. If you can tell us what’s on your minds, maybe we can help."
The two of them sat in silence for a moment.
In response to my question, Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san glanced at each other. Then, with expressions of renewed determination, they spoke.
"We haven't told our parents yet about what you told us yesterday."
"We understand and accept that it would be difficult for you to take us on as consulting clients after hearing your explanation. But..."
"But you can't quite wrap your heads around the fact that there are assailants who attack fellow explorers in the dungeon? Is that it?"
Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san nodded with pained expressions.
While I thought it was only natural, I was also a bit troubled by the difference in their stance compared to Mika and the others, who had accepted the reality and were trying to prepare for it. Even if it was difficult for them to process it as quickly as Mika and Saori-chan—who already had real combat experience—they would eventually have to come to terms with it if they intended to be explorers.
"Well, yeah. It’s only been a day; it’s understandable that you can’t fully process it yet. It’s a perfectly normal reaction to hesitate about becoming an explorer because of it. Anyone would hesitate to step forward if they thought they might be attacked."
They remained silent, taking it in.
"But becoming an explorer means being prepared for those kinds of dangers. And to overcome them, you have to have the strength to handle such a situation if you ever encounter it."
I paused there, looking Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san in the eye before asking:
"Tell me, Tatebayashi-san, Hino-san. Is there something you want to achieve once you become explorers?"
I asked the two girls, who were wearing tense expressions, why they wanted to be explorers in the first place.