The day after our final dungeon exploration of the year concluded without a hitch, we gathered in the clubroom after classes. With the year drawing to a close and the season filled with festivities, the school felt a bit more boisterous than usual, even for after-school hours.
To put it simply, the entire student body was in a holiday mood.
"First off, good job, everyone. Especially you two, Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san—this is your first time back at school after a dungeon dive. Are you holding up all right? Not too tired?"
"Ah, yes. I’m not physically exhausted at all. I'm doing fine."
"I'm okay as well."
Since it had only been an initial trial run, their time spent exploring inside the dungeon had been short. It seemed neither of them had much lingering physical fatigue.
However...
"I see. But how are you feeling mentally? You’ve killed monsters with your own hands for the first time. There’s always a certain number of people who find that reality hard to shake off."
Immediately after a dungeon exploration, the lingering tension and adrenaline can sometimes dull the mental impact. However, once some time passes and you calm down, it’s common for the weight of having actually killed something to sink in, leading to a psychological slump.
Back when we first started, the way that reality slowly, persistently set in over time was a major shock for us, too.
"...To be honest, I still feel it a little."
"Me too. I find myself remembering it at unexpected moments. That sensation left in my hands from when I defeated them..."
Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san both looked down at their hands and stared at them intently, their expressions darkening slightly.
Well, this was a wall one had to scale if they intended to continue as an explorer.
"I understand. That feeling isn't wrong by any means, but if you're going to keep being an explorer, you have to come to terms with it eventually. If you just force yourself to keep going while bottling it up, what you've suppressed will eventually explode."
"We’ve reached a point where we can compartmentalize now, but in the beginning, we had some pretty uneasy days," Yuji added.
"That's right," Hiiragi-san said. "I only kept going because I had a clear purpose, but that didn't mean the unpleasant feeling in my hands just vanished. Eventually, I grew accustomed to the sensation, but until then, it was hard to describe the unease."
"Yeah, it was rough for me until I got used to it too..." Mika-chan murmured.
Saori-chan nodded. "Knowing it was something I did by my own will made the raw sensation even harder to deal with. It was tough for me at first as well."
The five of us recalled our own first dungeon explorations, encouraging Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san by letting them know their current emotions were perfectly normal. Because we usually killed monsters with such detached efficiency, they might have mistakenly begun to think they were "wrong" for feeling an aversion to it.
If they stopped facing their own emotions while under that misconception, it could eventually lead to a mental breakdown and a major incident.
"Was it like that for all of you, too?"
"Of course," I replied. "We were just ordinary high schoolers at first, too. Even if they’re monsters, any normal person is going to feel an aversion to killing. But as you keep at it, you eventually realize that you just... get used to it."
"...Is that so?"
Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san looked slightly surprised, as if they had assumed we had been cold-blooded and efficient from the very start. Perhaps seeing us now made them think we hadn't been as shaken as they were during our first time.
Of course, that wasn't true. We were just as shocked as anyone else.
"Yeah. But 'getting used to it' and 'forcing yourself to keep going' aren't the same thing, okay? Since this was your first time, the aversion is going to be strong, but you'll find the impact lessens as you continue. However, it never truly goes away; it just accumulates in a way you can't see. And if it builds up to the limit..."
"It explodes?"
"Exactly. And in the worst-case scenario, it’s a disaster that pulls in everyone around you. Someone might lose their mind and start swinging their weapon recklessly, or fire off offensive magic indiscriminately, or charge forward in a daze and cause the battle line to collapse... it's a total catastrophe."
"..."
"..."
While we had never personally witnessed the moment of the "explosion," we had seen parties in the aftermath several times. We'd seen groups where members were deeply wounded, the area heavy with an atmosphere of anger and self-reproach, while the person responsible stared blankly with a pale face, completely lost to despair.
The "better" cases were the ones we occasionally saw on the shallower floors during summer vacation when newcomer explorers were everywhere. On the upper floors, there are usually enough other parties around to facilitate a rescue before things reach a terminal state. The real danger is when it happens in a mid-level party. Out there, there are no other parties nearby to help, and you're dealing with multiple, more powerful monsters. In those cases... well, it’s the worst.
"That's why I want you both to think about how you feel based on the experience you gained this time and in the next exploration. If you feel like you can't handle it, please tell us immediately."
"Yes..."
"Understood."
Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san both took a small, sharp breath at my warning and nodded, their faces tight with tension. Well, it would take more combat experience and time to really see if they had the aptitude for this.
Alright, that was enough of the heavy talk for now.
Once the conversation with the juniors was finished, Yuji had something to share with Mika and Saori-chan. It was likely about what we'd discussed yesterday.
"Now then, I have something for Mika and Saori-chan. Yuji, can you take it?"
"Sure, I'll take over. Regarding the proposal I made yesterday on the way home, I've gotten in touch with the craftsman."
"You mean the blacksmith who handled the maintenance for Onii-chan and the others?" Mika-chan asked.
"Yeah, that's the one."
Yuji had contacted Kyosuke-san yesterday, and he had filled us in on the results before morning homeroom.
"To give you the short version, he's agreed to handle the maintenance and overhaul for your gear along with ours."
"Oh!"
"Awesome!"
Since we had mentioned that he might not accept the work, Mika and Saori-chan looked both surprised and relieved.
"However, there are a few conditions for him to take on your modifications."
"...Conditions?"
"Nothing too crazy. It's about the materials needed and the timeline."
"Eh?"
Mika and Saori-chan, who had tensed up at the word 'conditions,' looked a little deflated. Both requirements were perfectly reasonable.
"First, he needs us to provide the same materials we gave him before. We still have spares on hand, so we won't need to go out and farm them."
"Um, what materials would those be?"
"High-quality iron from the dungeon. Apparently, it has specific properties that make it an excellent smithing material, and he wants to use it for your overhaul. However, demand for it has been spiking lately, and it’s getting hard to source a significant amount without the right connections. He said he could find it eventually, but if this is an urgent request, he wants us to provide it like last time."
"I see..."
"That makes sense."
While iron ore is produced in our usual dungeon and the one we visited yesterday, the ultra-high purity iron ore we provided before was something we had obtained in a Drawer Dungeon. While common iron ore is a frequent drop item, the high-purity stuff is a rare drop; getting a large quantity through normal channels is nearly impossible without serious connections.
Either that or you'd have to spend a ridiculous amount of time farming it yourself.
"The second condition is that the delivery of the modified weapons won't be until the end of January."
"? Is that a condition?"
Mika and Saori-chan tilted their heads, looking at Yuji in silence. Taken at face value, it just sounded like a typical notice that the delivery would be late. They didn't seem to understand why he'd explicitly make that a condition for accepting the work.
"It's not just about the time needed for the smithing. There's a rule called the sword-making restriction. To protect the cultural heritage of Japanese blades, a single blacksmith is limited to producing only twenty-four swords per year."
"Whoa..."
"I had no idea."
"He’s already hit his limit for this year, so no matter how much we hurry him, he can't officially finish them until January. That’s the situation."
"I see..."
"That makes sense now."
Hearing about the inner workings of the blacksmith world for the first time, not only Mika and Saori-chan but even Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san voiced their wonder. It was the kind of thing you’d never know unless you were a serious enthusiast or part of the industry.
To be honest, Hiiragi-san and I probably would have lived our whole lives without knowing that if we hadn't become explorers. Ordinary people don't exactly go around commissioning blacksmiths for swords.
"So, if you go through with the request, you'll be without your primary weapons for a full month. Not having your main gear is basically the same as being unable to dive into the deep floors. You can still explore, but your income is going to drop significantly. Are you sure you're okay with that?"
At Yuji's confirmation, Mika and Saori-chan shared a brief look before answering clearly.
"Yes, we're okay with it. Please put in the request for us."
"Are you absolutely sure? You can take more time to think it over."
"We're fine on money thanks to yesterday's haul," Mika-chan said. "Besides, we don't plan on diving deep for a while anyway."
"It's a long time to be without them," Saori-chan added, "but it would be way worse if our weapons failed during an exploration, especially in a fight."
Though they were a bit hesitant, they clearly understood the necessity of the explorer-spec modifications we had recommended.
Besides, given the busy year-end and New Year period and the fact that we'd be focusing on training Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san, the timing was actually perfect, even if their weapons were gone for a month.
"Understood. I'll let him know we're moving forward. I'll give you an update once the details are finalized."
"Thank you, we appreciate it."
"Yeah, leave it to me."
As Mika and Saori-chan gave Yuji a quick bow, the modification matter was settled.
The three of us also planned to have Kyosuke-san perform maintenance on our weapons at the same time. We didn't think we were being reckless with our gear, but it was always better to have things checked by an expert on a regular basis.
With the dungeon talk wrapped up, we moved on to the appreciation party—slash—year-end party. It had come up on the way back yesterday, but we hadn't actually decided to pull the trigger on it yet.
"We haven't mentioned this to Tatebayashi-san or Hino-san yet, but we're thinking of having an appreciation party and year-end party. What do you two think?"
I checked with them just in case, though they had likely heard something from Mika and the others. From the look on their faces, it definitely wasn't news to them.
"Mika-chan and the others mentioned it during lunch break. I'm all for it!" Tatebayashi-san said.
"Yes! I'd love to have a year-end party with everyone!" Hino-san added.
They both replied enthusiastically, their eyes sparkling at the prospect.
However, the words that followed made a shudder run through me and Hiiragi-san.
"Mika-chan told us that Hirose-senpai was going to use his connections to book an amazing place for us."
"!?"
I instinctively shot Mika and Saori-chan a sharp, accusing glare that screamed, What on earth have you been telling them?!
But while I was doing that, the conversation was already gaining momentum.
"If we're really doing this, I should be able to get us in for lunch. I'll give them a call," Yuji said.
"Wait, really?!" the girls exclaimed in unison.
"Yeah. They have private rooms, so it should be perfect. It’s a busy season, though, so I can't promise a specific date. It would help if you could give me a few options that work for you."
"!?"
Before I knew it, the plan to hold our year-end party at the restaurant Yuji recommended was becoming a reality. The restaurant run by an acquaintance of Juzo-san.
While the four girls and Yuji were happily hammering out the details, a sense of impending doom was giving me and Hiiragi-san a stomachache.
"Alright, so the year-end party is officially on. I'll check the reservation status and book it if they have an opening."
"Yes! Thank you so much!"
"Yuji... keep it reasonable, okay?" I pleaded.
"Hirose-kun, please, keep it reasonable," Hiiragi-san added.
"? Yeah, don't worry about it."
Leaving behind a lingering sense of dread at Yuji's casual response, the decision to hold our year-end party was made.
I'm really counting on you, Yuji. Just keep it reasonable. Seriously.
Then again, the definition of "reasonable" tends to vary wildly from person to person.