I reached the door of the rental conference room with slightly tense footsteps. Taking a shallow breath and waiting a beat, I gave the door a light knock.
A man’s voice, sounding somewhat cheerful, echoed from the other side.
"Yes, come in. It’s unlocked."
"Excuse me."
After announcing myself, I opened the door and saw the parents of the four girls. It seemed everyone had managed to make it. Since it was a sudden request, I had worried that coordinating everyone’s schedule would be difficult, but we had managed somehow.
"Thank you for waiting. And thank you all for responding to our sudden invitation today."
Thank you.
As we entered the conference room, Yuji took the lead as our representative. Before taking a seat, he gave a polite bow and expressed his gratitude to them for answering our call. Following Yuji’s lead, the rest of us also offered our thanks with a light bow.
"No, we are the ones who should apologize. We feel terrible for causing you all so much worry because of our sudden, impulsive idea. We are nothing but grateful that you’ve prepared this opportunity for a meeting; please don’t think of it as a nuisance," Kengo-san replied.
He wore an expression of deep apology while welcoming the chance to meet with us. The other three parents bowed their heads as well, mirroring Kengo-san’s regretful look. It seemed there was no lingering dissatisfaction regarding our sudden request for this meeting.
"I’m glad to hear that. Even though we were the ones who asked for this meeting, so little time has passed since our last talk that I was concerned about your schedules. I’m very grateful that we can conduct this meeting with everyone present. Given the nature of the matter I want to discuss, I was hoping to speak with all of you together."
Well, the matter itself was something we had already reached a consensus on behind the scenes, but it was necessary to prepare a formal setting to officially decline the offer. Especially since word of this might have leaked to the school via Hashimoto-sensei, we needed the performance of having formally turned it down.
If we left it as an informal, vague arrangement, there was a chance people would go looking for problems where none existed. It was best to eliminate potential sources of anxiety beforehand whenever possible.
"You’re right," Kengo-san agreed. "Even if it started as an informal talk, since we moved forward as potential clients and contractors, we should conclude things in a formal manner. We have no complaints about you preparing this venue; it’s the proper way to handle things. Now then, why don’t you all take your seats? It will be awkward for us if you remain standing."
"Thank you. If you’ll excuse us."
With the initial greetings concluded, at Kengo-san’s urging, the six of us took the seats opposite the parents. Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san sat in the seats next to their respective parents—the same seating arrangement as the previous meeting.
Once he confirmed everyone was settled, Yuji straightened his posture and spoke in a clear, decisive tone.
"Then, though it may be blunt, I’d like to skip the preamble and get straight to the main point."
"We’re listening," Kengo-san said. He and the other parents straightened their backs and looked Yuji in the eye.
"Regarding the consulting proposal from the Tatebayashi and Hino families, we have considered it from various angles and reached the conclusion that we cannot accept. There are three main reasons for this decision."
Yuji held up three fingers on his right hand toward the parents.
"First is the issue of consulting fees, second is the concern for safety during the requested period, and third is the issue stemming from our own positions."
While evaluating the proposal, these were the three points we simply couldn't clear.
"I’m sorry," Kengo-san said. "Based on what I heard from my daughter, I think I roughly understand the first and second points, but could I hear more detail about the third?"
"Of course."
At Kengo-san’s request, Yuji explained the third issue: our status.
Specifically, he detailed our standing as students who were also active explorers and the concerns the school administration held. He explained that if we accepted a consulting contract, based on our discussion with Hashimoto-sensei, our standing at the school could become quite precarious. Considering the potential influence on other students, we might be handed down severe disciplinary actions, including a recommendation for withdrawal or voluntary withdrawal.
"Th-that is..."
"Well, from the school’s perspective, I think it’s an unavoidable stance," Yuji continued. "Since the rules for student explorers haven't been formally established, a student being an explorer while enrolled can be interpreted as a personal decision of the student and their family. However, it’s a different story if current students are receiving payment to do a job where the life or death of the client is involved. If an accident were to happen, the school would be held accountable for why they overlooked such activities by their students."
"That may indeed be true."
"Yes. Therefore, in our current position as students, we cannot accept a request for explorer consulting. As you might expect, we aren't willing to risk dropping out of high school for the sake of a contract..."
As Yuji stated this while awkwardly averting his eyes, Kengo-san and the other parents covered their faces with both hands and leaned their elbows on the table, letting out long sighs. They probably never imagined when they first made the proposal that it could escalate into a serious disciplinary matter with the school.
Finally, Kengo-san raised his head, looking utterly dejected. He glanced slowly at our faces before bowing deeply.
"We have truly done something terrible. To think that because of an idea we had on an impulse, we forced you all to shoulder such a burden..."
"Ah, no. This was an issue we discovered only after considering the offer; it’s not like we knew all this from the start," I interjected.
"Even so. If you had accepted the offer right then and there, we might have forced a tremendous debt upon you. We can’t take what we did lightly. Especially when we consider that the targets were young people of the same age as our own daughters..."
"..."
It seemed Kengo-san’s sentiment was shared by all the parents, as the four of them bowed deeply in unison and offered their apologies.
"We truly apologize for making such an unreasonable request without thinking it through."
"I am so sorry."
We are very sorry.
Faced with the sight of four parents bowing deeply all at once, we felt incredibly awkward and hurriedly asked them to raise their heads. Since Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san had bowed along with them, the atmosphere was thick with discomfort.
"W-well, for those reasons, we are officially declining the consulting offer."
"I understand," Kengo-san replied. "Since I now understand that we were asking for something quite unreasonable, we would like to withdraw the consulting proposal. Thank you for taking the time to consider it so thoroughly."
Thus, despite the heavy atmosphere, the matter was settled with the formal rejection of the consulting request. Since the conclusion had already been reached internally, I was just glad we could close it out smoothly.
While a bit of the awkwardness remained, we decided to change the subject by providing a status report on the girls' progress.
"On a related note," Yuji said, "the basic physical abilities of Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san have improved beyond the average for their age and gender. Of course, that’s the average excluding students who are already explorers."
"You mean the average records from the fitness tests we used to do in school, right?" Kengo-san asked. "If they’re exceeding the average that includes athletic clubs and people good at sports, does that mean those two can move pretty well now?"
"I’d like them to have a bit more endurance, but they have no problems with the basic motor skills required for a newcomer explorer. From here, I want them to learn the proper way to move their bodies inside a dungeon and how to handle themselves when fighting monsters."
Though we’ve only been helping with their training for a few days, both Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san are at a level where they could enter the dungeon right now, endurance aside. In truth, even someone who doesn't usually exercise can win against monsters on the 1st floor as long as they can swing a weapon. That is, if they can actually swing that weapon when a monster is right in front of them.
"? If there are no problems with their basic abilities, can’t they just go into the dungeon now?" Kengo-san asked.
"Well, I suppose someone with no experience as an explorer would think that, but even if their physical stats clear the standard, whether or not they can fight monsters is a different issue entirely."
"Whether they can fight... what do you mean by that?" Kengo-san asked, a look of confusion on his face.
"By 'fight,' I mean whether or not they can swing a weapon at a monster without flinching. It’s common for many newcomers facing a monster for the first time to freeze up due to extreme tension. They can't swing their weapons properly and end up getting injured. If they’re equipped with proper armor, they might escape with minor bruises, but students with limited funds often have insufficient gear, leading to real injuries. The monsters on the 1st floor have simple movements, and you can defeat them in one hit if you swing and hit a vital spot, but it’s meaningless if you’re too paralyzed to move."
"I see. Certainly, having athletic ability and being mentally prepared to fight are separate issues."
"Exactly. Therefore, it’s safer to become able to swing a weapon instinctively before entering the dungeon. Even if you can't hit a vital spot in one blow, you can buy time to shake off the tension and regain your composure."
Even after the team system was introduced, the probability of newcomer explorers getting injured in their first battle hasn't decreased much. Most newcomers regain their senses only after taking the first hit; they either start swinging their weapon frantically in terror until the monster is dead, or they’re saved by a teammate who recovered more quickly.
It’s also a common pattern for a newcomer who was unlucky enough to take the first hit to be so traumatized that they decide to retire on their very first day.
"So the practice is to prevent that," Kengo-san mused.
"Yes. Even if the technique is crude, if you’ve ingrained the motion of swinging a weapon into your body, your reaction in a split second will be different. For a newcomer, the first encounter with a monster is the most dangerous moment. To get through that unscathed, you have to practice beforehand."
"So high physical ability alone isn't enough."
"The job of an explorer is to fight monsters to win results, after all."
If you can't fight monsters, you can't get drop items or the experience points needed to level up.
"Right now, we’re having the two of them learn basic forms with their weapons," Yuji added. "The power of a strike changes significantly based on how you swing. It makes quite a difference whether you know the basic forms or not."
"Does that mean you all have experience in teaching martial arts?" Kengo-san and the others looked a bit surprised that we were teaching the girls the basics of combat. As a parent, I suppose it’s a natural reaction to be skeptical of instructors who are the same age as your own children. Appearances do matter when it comes to credibility.
"We can teach basic parts like fixed forms, but full-scale instruction is difficult for us," Yuji admitted. "For that, it’s better to rely on experts like a martial arts dojo or a culture school. We have a few places we can recommend, so please consult with your daughters later about which one might be a good fit. If they're going to continue as explorers, I think it’s better to have at least a minimum of formal martial arts experience."
"Thank you. Since we have no connections in that area, we wouldn't know which schools are reputable. That helps a lot. We’ll make a decision after talking it over with everyone."
Well, since they’re dojos and culture schools recommended by Juzo-san, I think they’ll gain a decent level of skill if they attend faithfully.
After finishing the general explanation, we once again received their formal approval for Tatebayashi-san’s and Hino-san’s training policy.
"Even though we caused you so much trouble, I am truly grateful that you are thinking so seriously about our daughters," Kengo-san said. "We will leave their training policy to you. We're in your hands."
"Please, don't worry about it," I said. "We’re just helping out some close juniors as their seniors."
Thus, despite the many twists and turns, the discussion was settled. Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san officially resumed their path toward becoming explorers. With the girls sufficiently motivated and their parents' consent fully obtained, all that remained was to finish preparations and push forward toward their explorer debut.
Even when the conclusion is already known, formalities are still important.