Once Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san had finished selecting their weapons, we headed toward the shop where Mika and the others had bought their tracksuits. We wanted the whole club to have matching gear. Of course, it was also a good excuse to go grab some lunch.
First things first: food.
"Hmm, I wonder if this place is okay?" I asked.
"Looks fine to me. It seems pretty empty," Yuji replied.
"I agree," Hiiragi-san added. "It looks like we could all fit at one table over there, so why not?"
"Then let's head in."
After wandering through town for a while, a conveyor belt sushi chain that looked relatively uncrowded caught our eye. Since there were so many of us, a shop with large booths was the best bet.
"Welcome!"
After checking in at the ticket machine, we were shown to our seats immediately. We’d managed to miss the peak lunch rush, so there was no wait. We all settled into our booth and took a collective breather while sipping green tea.
"Phew. Well, good work everyone. I’m relieved we got the weapons sorted without any issues."
"Yeah," Yuji agreed. "Though, all we’ve done is pick things they seem to have an aptitude for. Whether they can actually master them is still a total unknown. For now, we just have to keep at the practice and see how it goes."
"So, the plan is for them to learn the basic forms from Hirose-kun and then move into repeated mock battles?" Hiiragi-san asked.
That would be the routine for a while. Even with a natural aptitude, it wouldn't mean anything without training. Besides, doing nothing but form drills wouldn't help them in an actual dungeon combat scenario.
However, since Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san didn't have the explorer correction yet, we couldn't push them too hard. We wouldn't see any rapid growth until they officially became explorers and gained the level-up modifier.
"We’ll help out as your sparring partners, so let's work hard together!" Mika said enthusiastically.
"I don't know if we can handle you as well as the seniors do, but we’ll give it our best shot!" Saori-chan added.
"U-Um... thank you? We’ll be in your care," Tatebayashi-san replied.
"P-Please go easy on us..." Hino-san pleaded.
Mika and Saori-chan were fired up about being training partners, but Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san bowed their heads with somewhat strained, fearful expressions. Lately, they’d likely begun to grasp—if only vaguely—the sheer gulf in physical capability between explorers and regular people. Having friends who were vastly stronger than them so eager to fight was probably terrifying; even if they were happy for the help, they were understandably worried about accidents.
"Before you two face off against Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san, you need to practice how to hold back properly," I cautioned. "At the rate you're going, it’s scary. One slip of your strength control and we’ll have an accident on our hands."
"He’s right," Yuji said. "If you want to act as partners for mock battles, you need the right training for it. Even the disciples at my dojo who aren't explorers are usually covered in bruises during practice, and that's with protective gear. If an explorer and a non-explorer go at it, a bad hit could easily result in a broken bone even with armor. Mika-chan and Saori-chan might be used to training together, but as receivers for mock battles, they're as inexperienced as they come."
"Exactly," Hiiragi-san said. "Without the skill to handle any attack calmly, you might fail to react to an opponent’s sudden move and accidentally deliver a blow with too much force."
The skill of the receiver determined both the safety of the training and the speed at which the trainee learned. Being a "receiver" didn't just mean being a punching bag. Managing distance, spotting openings, and reacting after a strike was blocked or parried—the breadth of experience a trainee gained was entirely dependent on the partner’s skill level.
A difference in training experience translated directly to a difference in real combat capability. People are slow to react to things they haven't seen before. If that lack of experience were to show in a fatal moment... well, that would be it.
"So, that’s why," I continued, "if you want to be their training partners, you first need to learn how to be a proper partner. Tatebayashi-san and the others will be too anxious to learn unless they know you can manage your strength."
Okay! Mika and Saori-chan chimed.
Phew... Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san let out small sighs of relief.
"Alright, let's eat. Are they running any specials right now?"
"Looks like a tuna fair," Yuji noted, checking a flyer. "The fatty tuna is supposed to be cheap."
With the conversation winding down, we started ordering sushi via the tablet terminal. I made sure to add one thing before they went wild.
"Oh, by the way—lunch is on us today. Order whatever you like."
Yay!
The four girls cheered at the announcement. Yuji, Hiiragi-san, and I had already agreed on this beforehand. As long as they didn't go for the super-premium stuff, the total for the six of us wouldn't be anything crazy.
"Now then, what should I get first?"
We passed the tablet around, tapping in our orders one by one.
After leaving the sushi restaurant, we moved on to the sports goods store where Mika and Saori-chan had bought their training wear. It was close by, so the walk was brief. The bill for lunch had come to just over ten thousand yen—less than two thousand yen per head.
"Ah, this is it! We bought them at this store!" Mika pointed to a large general sporting goods shop ahead. Banners for a clearance sale fluttered in the wind.
"This is the place, huh? Looks like the sale is still going. Hopefully they still have the same ones..."
"We'll just have to look," Yuji said.
"True," Hiiragi-san added.
It had been a while since Mika and the others made their purchase, so I was skeptical about finding an exact match, but I held onto a faint hope they’d at least have a similar design. Inside, the store was spacious and well-organized, making it easy to navigate the different departments.
"They have a pretty good selection here."
"Yeah. We can probably find them ourselves without having to hunt down a clerk."
"Oh, look," Hiiragi-san said, "the floor directory is right here."
A map was pasted to the floor near the entrance. According to the directory, the sportswear was located toward the center-left.
"That way. Let’s go."
As we made our way through the aisles, we reached the racks of sportswear. Everything from standard tracksuits to uniforms for various sports was lined up. However, the display felt a little... off.
"Wait, is it just me, or is the layout biased?" I asked.
"Yeah," Yuji agreed. "Aren't there remarkably few uniforms for major sports? I thought specialty stores like this usually carried more."
"You're right," Hiiragi-san noted. "Generic training wear seems to be taking up all the space."
Just from a quick look, rows of standard tracksuits for men and women occupied entire double-sided racks, while uniforms for "major sports" were forced to share single rows between multiple disciplines. I wasn't imagining it. The stock for traditional sports was clearly dwindling.
"This is because of the explorers, right?" Saori-chan asked. "Since there are more of them now, interest in other sports is fading."
"Probably," I said. "Explorers need general training wear for their daily workouts, so the demand is high. Plus, as people who never exercised before start becoming explorers, the market share is shifting."
"Makes sense," Yuji added. "Major sports are on the decline, and demand is dropping, while the explorer field is booming. Any business owner is going to prioritize the popular products. It’s the rise and fall of industries."
"I understand the logic," Hiiragi-san said, "but seeing it laid out so clearly makes me feel a little sad. A bit guilty, even."
I knew traditional sports were struggling from what I’d seen in school clubs, but seeing it reflected in the floor space of a retail giant really drove home how much things were changing. It might be temporary, but if the sports industry keeps putting off the discussion on how to integrate explorers, this might become the new permanent reality.
"Onii-chan, what are you doing? I think they're over here!" Mika called out, pulling me away from my thoughts.
She dragged me over to a rack of clothing. Mika and Saori-chan helped me and Yuji search, while Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san helped Hiiragi-san.
"Is it this one?" I asked, pulling a jacket.
"Hmm... it looks similar, but I don't think so. See? The design on the sleeve is a bit different."
"Oh, right... Maybe the men’s and women’s designs aren't identical? If the colors and basic shapes match, isn't that good enough?"
"Maybe, but let's look a little more!"
With so many items, there were plenty of near-misses. We spent several minutes debating before Hiiragi-san and the juniors walked over.
"Any luck? We found mine," Hiiragi-san said.
"We found some similar ones, but nothing exact. We think the men’s version might just have a slightly different design."
"If you've looked this much and haven't found a match, that’s probably it. Is the brand the same as the one we’re wearing?"
"Yeah, the brand matches."
We compared the jackets. The differences were so minor—just a slight variation in the cuffs—that we decided it was just a gender-based design choice and settled on them. You wouldn't even notice unless you were looking for it.
"They’re about twenty to thirty percent more expensive than when we bought ours," Mika noted.
"They aren't part of the sale, so they're at list price. It’s still within the acceptable range," I said.
The price per person was less than what we’d spent on lunch, so it wasn't a problem. More importantly, we now had matching gear for the whole group. I was looking forward to tomorrow's practice.
With our main goal achieved, we decided to browse the rest of the store. As traditional sports sections shrank, explorer-related goods were taking over. While they didn't sell weapons, there was a massive display of camping gear that looked useful for dungeon expeditions. We stopped in front of a particularly large tent.
"Whoa, look at this one! How many people can fit in here?" Mika asked.
"The sign says it sleeps ten adults," Yuji read. "Who is sleeping ten people at once inside a dungeon? What kind of Corporate Party is this for?"
"Yeah, a normal party would never have ten people sleeping at the same time," I said. "Most civilian explorer parties are four to six people. You always need someone on lookout for monsters anyway, so a four-person tent is more than enough."
"And it doesn't rain in the dungeon," Hiiragi-san added. "All you really need is a screen for privacy. There’s no point in carrying a heavy, complicated tent like this."
I looked at the massive thing with exasperation. Unless you have a cheat like my storage space, weight and bulk are everything on a dungeon expedition. Food and medicine are top priorities, while a tent is an optional luxury you usually skip.
The tent had a pop-up sign recommending it for "Overnight Dungeon Expeditions," which felt like it was preyed on beginners. Any explorer skilled enough to actually go on an overnight expedition would know better, but they’d also have the money to waste on something like this.
"So... we don't need it?" Mika asked.
"Definitely not. For normal camping, the space would be great, but for a dungeon, it’s just a massive burden."
"Oh... okay."
Mika and the others looked a little disappointed as they stared at the tent. I could understand the appeal of a big, cozy tent, but in a dungeon, it would be nothing but a hindrance. I’d have to make sure they didn't try to buy one on a whim; it would be a total waste of money.
"Oh! How about that one?"
"Hey, wait, that’s..."
We spent a while longer chatting and laughing as we browsed the rest of the store. Eventually, we finished our purchases and headed our separate ways home.
I was looking forward to putting my new gear to use tomorrow.