With the general plan settled, the next phase would be dedicated to basic training and researching equipment for purchase. From the perspective of Tatebayashi and Hino, I’m sure they wanted to obtain their Armed Exploration Permits for Special Underground Structures as soon as possible, but they couldn't exactly jump into action when they were so unprepared.
Besides, there were other matters to attend to while we had the time.
"I think we're set to move forward with this plan for now, but I have a favor to ask of you two. Would that be all right?"
"A favor?"
"Yeah. Well, it's not a particularly difficult one."
I spoke to them with a small, reassuring smile to ease the slightly anxious looks on their faces.
I suppose it was only natural for them to feel uneasy when a senior who had been looking after them went out of his way to say he had a "favor" to ask.
"Remember how I mentioned turning down the consulting offer? I told you to relay that to your parents, but if possible, I’d like to set up a formal meeting where everyone is present—just like before—to officially decline."
"The offer was made in the heat of the moment, but it was technically a formal request for a contract review," Yuji added. "It’s fine to give them the gist of it right away, but we should have a proper venue to turn them down officially."
"He's right," Hiiragi-san agreed. "While we're at it, I think it would be best to explain their training policy and get their approval then. Since the topic of consulting came up in the first place, your parents will likely be worried if they don't know what kind of guidance you're receiving."
For various reasons, rejecting the consulting offer was a done deal, but the parents would likely wonder why. Even if they’d told us they didn't mind if we refused, we still had to explain our reasoning.
Since we’d already explained those reasons to Tatebayashi and Hino, the message might get across through them, but it was a matter of formality and sincerity to show that we had officially declined.
"It’s a bit of a burden to ask everyone to gather again, but I want to make sure we decline the offer properly. Since the two of you can explain the general circumstances, it’s fine if it takes a bit of time to schedule the meeting."
It wasn't like we needed to meet tomorrow or the day after, so a bit of a gap was fine. I figured we’d be able to meet within a week or two.
"I understand," Tatebayashi said. "I’ll report what happened today and tell my parents exactly that."
"Thanks. We're not in any particular rush, so please tell them they don't need to force their schedules to work."
"Yes, sir."
Tatebayashi and Hino both nodded in agreement.
With the discussion finished and the hour getting late, we wrapped up our club activities for the day. Yesterday, the atmosphere had been heavy and awkward because the conversation was focused on grim necessities, but today, everyone seemed to be heading home in a peaceful mood.
Having a concern that had been weighing on us successfully resolved made a huge difference—even if there was still some cleanup to do.
"Alright, you two take care. Give my regards to your parents."
"We will!"
After walking for a bit past the school gates, we parted ways with Tatebayashi and Hino.
Next, Hiiragi-san, Yuji, and Saori-chan each went their separate ways, leaving Mika and me to walk the rest of the way home together.
"Everything worked out somehow," I said.
"Yeah. After yesterday, I was worried Asami and Suzune might give up on becoming explorers..."
Mika’s expression flickered with a momentary loneliness before shifting into a relieved smile.
"They want to explore the dungeons with everyone, huh? I guess it makes sense. If we're all acting as explorers and they’re the only ones left out, they're bound to feel alienated."
"Mm-hmm. They used to ask us about the dungeons all the time, and we’d talk about it thinking they were just curious. Looking back, there were plenty of times when Saori-chan and I would get carried away talking just between ourselves. That probably wasn't great."
"Getting caught up in 'inside talk,' huh? We might have been doing that without realizing it, too."
Mika gave a self-deprecating, apologetic smile, and I scratched the back of my head, reflecting on how I might have been guilty of the same thing.
There was no denying the possibility that the experiences we’d unknowingly shared had placed unnecessary pressure on Tatebayashi and Hino, making them feel like they had to become explorers to stay part of the group.
"But hey, isn't it great? Your friends didn't give up on their dreams; they said they wanted to go on an adventure with you."
"You're right. Yesterday’s talk was a shock to us, too, but if they're going to be explorers, they can't afford not to know those things. I thought it would be understandable if they got scared and quit, so I was surprised—and happy—that they chose to continue."
"Yeah."
I felt like I’d partially steered them toward that decision by reminding them of their original motivations while their hearts were wavering, but they’d done well to choose the path forward.
"Come to think of it, you and Saori-chan have been training Tatebayashi and Hino, haven't you?"
"Oh, yeah. They asked for advice on how to become explorers, and we decided that building basic fitness was the first step."
"So that’s why they’re running and doing muscle training."
"Yep. Neither of them had much experience with sports, so we started with light exercise."
When I asked Mika for more details, it turned out they’d been approached right after the school festival—right around the time we were running around looking for a training facility.
No wonder we hadn't known about it.
"Usually, after school ends, we borrow a corner of the school field for them to run and do muscle training. There aren't many athletic clubs active right now, so there are plenty of places where we aren't in anyone's way."
"...I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. It might be good for you guys, but it's a real headache for the school and the clubs."
The fact that there were plenty of vacant spots meant that many clubs were either on hiatus or had scaled back significantly.
I’d heard that many freshmen who joined athletic clubs quit after summer vacation to pursue explorer activities, but I hadn't realized the impact was so visible.
"Haha, true. But thanks to that, Asami and Suzune are making progress. Though, since they only just started, they haven't seen any dramatic results yet."
"Starting now is better than starting later. It’ll save time, so it’s more than enough."
It seemed like Tatebayashi and Hino had at least built a basic foundation so they could move properly. Starting from even a little bit of training was worlds apart from starting from absolute zero.
"Swinging a weapon at a monster and hitting the target accurately sounds easy, but it’s actually quite difficult. Putting in too much strength, closing your eyes and missing by a mile, or not being able to swing the weapon at all... the dungeons were full of ordinary people like that in the early days. Even now, you still see people charging in without research or preparation, getting beaten by monsters and having to be rescued by nearby explorers."
"That's true. Even for us, it was hard to swing straight at first because the weight of the weapons threw us off. When Asami and Suzune first started, they couldn't stop the poles they were swinging for practice and would hit the ground. It looked like it really stung their hands."
That’s a classic amateur mistake. You tell them to swing with all their might, and they do exactly that without thinking about how to stop, slamming the weapon into the ground and recoiling in pain.
Well, even that serves as a lesson learned the hard way about what happens when you swing recklessly. You could call it a necessary failure.
"If you're just doing practice swings, you get away with nothing more than numb hands, but if you do that in a dungeon in front of a monster, you’re headed straight for a major injury. Monsters aren't going to wait for an explorer to recover from their own clumsiness."
"...Now that you mention it, I’ve seen someone do that in a dungeon. Their teammates followed up immediately, but doing that in front of a monster is just... no."
"Yeah. But that's the kind of mistake you can prevent by practicing with your weapon beforehand. It’s good medicine for those who didn't even bother to do that much. I hear that back before the team system was introduced, people used to get seriously injured because of mistakes like that."
"I'm glad the team system exists now."
In the early days of dungeons, that was one of the top causes of injury—a cause that was no laughing matter. While the number of rookie explorers getting injured has decreased since the team system was implemented, there are still those who get hurt because they’re in a team of nothing but greenhorns who are slow to provide backup.
Well, as long as it's a minor injury, a recovery potion will fix it without leaving a trace. One just has to think of it as a steep tuition fee.
"Anyway, because they're doing the basic training you're teaching them, Tatebayashi and Hino are already in a much better position than those rookies who jump into dungeons without a second thought. Once they've got a decent amount of stamina, strength, and equipment, they’ll have reached a passing mark for dungeon readiness."
"Compared to those types, a passing mark sounds about right," Mika agreed with a light nod.
"Right? After that, they just need the guts to not flinch in front of monsters and the resilience to kill them, and they'll be proper rookie explorers."
"We won't know how that part goes until they actually get into the dungeon."
"Well, seeing their spirit today, I don't think it's something they can't overcome. If it were impossible for them, they would have backed out when I gave them the chance to quit today."
I’d asked them if they wanted to be explorers after hinting at the possibility of fighting not just monsters, but other people. If they had a mindset that shrunk away from combat, they would have stepped back right then.
Since they still chose to move forward, I figured they had a good chance of making it.
"I hope so. But they'll probably be full of hesitation when they first start fighting monsters, so Saori-chan and I will make sure to support them. We've been through it, so we know how they feel."
"That would be a huge help. We intend to support them too, but they’d probably feel constrained around us. Ultimately, the ones they can talk to most easily are their classmates like you guys."
Asking an older senior for advice can be emotionally difficult. For students, the gap of a single school year is a surprisingly large wall. Even if we're close, most people go to their peers first when they need to talk.
"Yeah, I get it."
"I'm counting on you. After that, it’s just a matter of how their parents judge things. Once they hear the reason, I’m sure they’ll let the consulting thing go, but I wonder if they’ll approve of our training policy."
Mika and Saori-chan are already giving them light instruction, but we’ve told the parents that we’ll pick out and recommend a few martial arts-based culture schools. If they look into those, they might decide that specialists with a real track record would be better mentors.
Even if they turned us down, the vibe from our talk made it seem like they’d leave it to us, but until that's clear, it’s best to stick to building their foundation.
"Asami and Suzune will probably talk to them when they get home tonight, so they might tell us something tomorrow," Mika suggested.
"True. Well, what will be, will be."
While we were talking, we arrived at our house. There was no point in overthinking things at this stage; we just had to wait for their answer and react accordingly.
Now, I wonder what's for dinner?
The next day, after school let out, the three of us arrived at the clubroom first. While waiting for Mika and the others, we discussed the curriculum for Tatebayashi and Hino.
Essentially, we were continuing the training Mika and Saori-chan were already doing, but we were debating if we should start contributing more directly.
"No, no, Yuji. Surely it’s too early for mock battles? I’m telling you, it’s better to wait until they have a bit more basic physical strength."
"You think so? You can’t develop combat instinct just by doing practice swings. In the end, you have to hone it through mock battles or real combat."
"I'm not denying that, but they haven't even decided on which weapons suit them yet. Shouldn't we wait until after that? If they pick up bad habits now, it’ll be a pain to correct them later."
"Nah, that's all part of the experience."
Yuji argued for honing their combat instinct as soon as possible, but I countered that it was premature.
Hiiragi-san remained silent as she watched our discussion, perhaps thinking that neither of our approaches was strictly wrong.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
While we were going back and forth, Mika and the others arrived at the clubroom.
Tatebayashi and Hino were with them, and their expressions looked peaceful. I take it their talk with their parents went well?