The day after we finished choosing weapons and shopping, five of us—our usual trio plus Mika and Saori-chan—were on the move. We were all riding our bicycles down public roads at speeds comparable to mopeds, drawing looks of pure shock from some of the drivers we passed.
Well, if we were on racing machines like road bikes, it might be one thing, but a group of standard city cycles cruising at that speed? It was bound to turn heads.
"Everyone! There's a roadside station a little further ahead, so let's take a break there!"
Riding at the front of the pack, I raised my voice to ensure it wouldn't be drowned out by the wind.
The riding order was me, followed by Mika, Hiiragi-san, Saori-chan, and finally Yuji. Since Mika and Saori-chan’s level of physical enhancement is significantly lower than ours, this arrangement was a precaution to make sure we didn't accidentally leave them behind by going too fast.
"Yeah, sounds good!"
"It's been about an hour since we started, so a break would be lovely, wouldn't it?"
"Agreed!" "Me too!"
Yuji and Hiiragi-san replied with perfectly relaxed voices, but Mika and Saori-chan’s responses were slightly ragged, their exhaustion clear.
For us, this was just a casual cruise, but for Mika and Saori-chan, it seemed this pace qualified as a grueling long-distance ride.
"We should arrive in about ten minutes. Hang in there."
"Right!"
Thanks to their effort, we arrived at the nearest roadside station about three minutes earlier than planned. Having an accessible rest area like this really is a lifesaver.
"Alright, let's take a breather. It’ll take a bit longer to reach our destination."
I explained our plan for the rest of the trip as I parked my bike in the designated space.
"Wait, we’re still going? Hey, Onii-chan, how far have we come?" Mika asked.
"Right now? I'd say we're about halfway."
"Only halfway...?"
Hearing that the journey was only at the midpoint, Mika and Saori-chan let out weary sighs.
If it were just the three of us, we could have covered this distance in less than an hour. However, since we were keeping pace with Mika and the others today, we were riding at a very restrained speed, making the trip take much longer than usual.
"Well, if we take breaks along the way, we'll be there in no time. Besides, there’s absolutely nothing out there. If we don't buy ingredients for lunch here, we'll just have to ride all the way back out later to get food, right?"
"I definitely don't want to do that. Why is it so empty out there?"
"It was originally part of a massive resort project, but the plan fell through. Now it’s just a vast plot of abandoned land."
If it had been built according to the original plan, it might have been a thriving area today. Mika and Saori-chan wore complicated expressions as they listened to the history of the place.
"Well, on the bright side, it means there aren't any neighbors to complain no matter how much noise we make. Though we might startle a few wild animals."
"I suppose that's a good thing for a training facility, but it sounds terribly inconvenient," Mika noted.
"It’s not as bad as you think. If you go just a little further, there are a decent number of shops."
"It might be 'just a little' by your standards, Onii-chan, but for me and Saori-chan, it’s quite a haul. For people who aren't explorers, like Asami-chan and the others, this is a major trip."
Well, it was a twenty-minute ride on bicycles moving at the speed of a car on rural roads with few traffic lights. As Mika said, from the perspective of ordinary people, it was hard to call that distance "just a little."
"Hey, you two. This is supposed to be a break, so don't just stand there talking. We’ve still got a long way to go—want to grab a snack?" Yuji called out.
"If we have a long way to go, eating too much will just give us stomachaches, won't it? Maybe we should stick to drinks," Mika suggested.
"I think we'll be fine if it's just something light. There's a stall selling stuff that looks easy to eat while we walk."
Yuji pointed toward a stall giving off the delicious aroma of kaiten-yaki. Those would certainly be easy to eat and perfect for satisfying a small craving.
"Kaiten-yaki, huh?"
"They have all sorts of fillings. When you're tired, you need sugar."
Sure enough, the menu posted in front of the shop listed five different types. Black bean paste, white bean paste, custard, chocolate, and matcha...
"And besides, it looks like the ladies have already made up their minds."
"Eh? Oh."
Prompted by Yuji, I looked over to see the girls already huddled around the menu. Yeah, I couldn't exactly say no now.
So, I joined the others in browsing the options. I think I'll go with the classic black bean paste.
After our short break at the roadside station, we got back on our bikes and headed for our destination. The shops and houses gradually thinned out, replaced by a sense of isolation as the road stretched into the distance. Fortunately, the terrain remained flat, so Mika and Saori-chan were able to maintain their speed without too much fatigue. We were on track to arrive in about thirty minutes.
"There really is nothing out here," Mika remarked.
"Yeah. After the original resort project collapsed, it sounds like no other major developments ever materialized. The land was there, but since there was no projected demand after the bubble burst, the whole area has been left untouched for a long time."
"And you guys actually bought it?"
"We did. It was meant to be a resort, so aside from being remote, it’s a solid property with very few hazards like landslides. As long as we don't do anything stupid, we shouldn't have any major accidents."
The ground underneath was riddled with hollow spaces, but since we had plenty to hide, that wasn't a drawback—it was a feature. You can't exactly practice sensitive skills in public on the surface where you never know who's watching. In many ways, this property was a real find.
"A former resort... what was it supposed to be?"
"They had plans for hotels, golf courses, and various attractions. They were even going to build vacation homes nearby, but that also vanished when the bubble burst."
"That sounds like an incredibly expensive project. No wonder they couldn't move forward during a recession."
"The real estate agent told me that land issues caused a temporary suspension that proved fatal. He said if even half of the construction had been finished, they probably would have pushed through to completion, regardless of whether the business would have actually survived afterward."
While I filled Mika and Saori-chan in on the history I’d heard from Kiritani-san at Kiritani Real Estate, we finally reached the vicinity of our training facility. I slowed down and turned off the main road onto a side path leading into the property.
"We're almost there. The road gets a bit rough from here, so watch your step."
"Got it. You know, I was shocked when you said you were buying land for a training facility, Onii-chan, but you really went through with it."
"What, you didn't believe me?"
Mika shook her head. "It's not that I didn't believe you; it was just hard to wrap my head around. No matter how much you guys earn as explorers, high school students suddenly buying a massive plot of land isn't exactly a normal story. When we first heard it, Saori-chan and I honestly worried that you'd hit your heads in a dungeon."
"Wait, really?! Ah, well, I guess... even for us, being told someone bought land is..."
I suppose it’s only natural for them to be skeptical. If your high school brother suddenly claimed he’d bought tens of millions of yen worth of land, your first instinct would be to question his sanity. Dad and Mom believed it after seeing the deed, but for Mika, a piece of paper probably didn't cut it. It was only natural that it wouldn't feel real until she saw it with her own eyes.
"Is it really that hard to believe?"
"Of course it is, Daiki," Yuji chimed in. "Even if it were my own friends, I wouldn't believe them right away if they said they'd bought land."
"I wouldn't either," Hiiragi-san added. "I think I'd only start to believe it once I was actually shown the property."
Thinking about it now, even if it was our own business, we were doing some pretty absurd things for high schoolers. I couldn't blame them for being skeptical about something we ourselves found hard to believe.
"In that case, I'll just have to show you the proof. Look, Mika, Saori-chan. You can see the entrance gate."
I pointed toward the gate looming ahead. It was a wire-mesh gate with obvious rust and signs of repair, but its height made it look quite imposing at first glance. Combined with the fence that stretched endlessly in both directions, it gave a clear sense of the property's scale.
"That's the entrance to our future training facility."
"..."
When we stopped in front of the gate, Mika and Saori-chan looked stunned, their eyes darting between the gate and the fence extending into the distance. For some reason, I felt a strange sense of triumph.
"Did you... did you guys really buy all this? The gate is huge, and the fence goes on forever."
"I can't even see the end of it... just how big is this place?"
"Let's see. It’s roughly the size of a stadium, I'd say."
I understated the size a bit, but Mika and Saori-chan’s eyes widened in shock. After a brief pause, they let out cries of surprise. To be precise, it was more like a stadium plus all its surrounding facilities.
"What?!"
"Well, that's just a rough estimate of the area that’s usable for training. The land itself is even larger."
Since there was a cavern system underneath, we couldn't go all out everywhere. I was sure it would be fine, but a collapse would be a disaster.
"..."
"Words don't really do it justice, so you should see for yourself. Since it was meant for a resort, the view is actually spectacular."
Leaving the dazed pair behind, I unlatched the gate. It opened with the screeching sound of rusted metal. I should probably replace this or at least grease it when I get the chance.
"Let's park the bikes inside and walk from here. The ground is too uneven for these cycles."
Mountain bikes might have managed, but city cycles would likely get a flat on this terrain. The path was a mess of protruding tree roots and rocks. After parking the bikes, we secured the gate and walked deeper into the property.
As we cleared the trees near the entrance, the view opened up. The blue sky, white clouds, and the shimmering blue sea burst into our vision. Even though I’d told them it was scenic, Mika and Saori-chan hadn't expected something this beautiful. They let out involuntary gasps of admiration.
"Wow! This is incredible!"
"Yeah, we lucked out with the weather today."
I hadn't been here many times myself, but the view really was magnificent. Mika and Saori-chan seemed to forget their earlier shock, their faces lighting up with bright smiles.
"What do you think? It’s a pretty good spot, right?"
"Yeah!" they both chirped.
When I asked with a bit of pride, they were quick to offer their praise.
"I had no idea there was a place with such a great view around here. And you guys are the owners!"
"I can't believe you managed to get a place like this!"
"And look at this! It's so huge! How far does your land actually go?!"
Mika and Saori-chan continued to exclaim in surprise at everything they saw.
"Basically, everything you can see from here belongs to us. Since we haven't started any real work, it’s just a vast, empty lot for now. But it’s more than enough for day-trip training."
Since we’d only done enough basic maintenance to clear the permit requirements for the perimeter fence, there weren't any actual facilities yet. I wanted to at least set up a simple hut for shelter and sort out the plumbing soon, but finding the time was difficult. Once things settled down with Tatebayashi-san and the others, I should probably start developing this place in earnest.
For starters, I’ll ask Kiritani-san for an estimate on setting up some basic amenities.