We exchanged looks of pure disbelief at the shocking proposal Yuji had casually tossed out. We were already hesitant about the mandarin orange juice serving as an aperitif, yet here he was, calmly suggesting we order something even more extravagant.
The initial shock was quickly replaced by total bewilderment.
"Uh, Yuji? That apple juice is one of the most expensive items on the drink menu, isn't it?"
"Hmm? Well, yes, but wouldn't you rather have something that actually makes the food taste better?"
"I mean, sure, but honestly, just flat-out ordering something at that price makes me want to shrink back... It feels almost disrespectful."
"You think so? If anything, this place is a bargain. There are other shops that set the price even higher."
No, no—even if you told me it was "cheap," I couldn't exactly take your word for it.
I didn't know what kind of pricing other establishments used, but we were talking about a drink that cost several times more than the juices we usually drank.
"Well, this is just the nature of an establishment like this. It's better to just order what you like without worrying about the total. Fortunately, with what we earn, paying for a meal here is no problem at all."
"I know that, but this is like a different world..."
"You'll get used to it eventually. If we're going to continue as explorers, we'll probably have opportunities like this several more times. Just think of it as a trial run so you can feel at ease when the time comes."
"That’s an experience I'd rather not repeat," I muttered.
I felt discouraged by Yuji's unsettling prediction, but I let out a small sigh inwardly, realizing that if we continued as explorers at our current pace, such occasions might indeed become unavoidable.
From an outsider's perspective, we were high-quality student explorers positioned in the private-sector top-tier, with plenty of experience and the ability to instruct juniors. To a dungeon-related company, we were prime candidates for early recruitment; to the Dungeon Association, we were likely promising assets they wanted to bring into their fold. There was no telling when we might be hauled off to a formal "dinner party" that was really a high-stakes negotiation.
"Well, everything is an experience. If you know how much things cost and what they're worth, it serves as a yardstick to measure how your negotiation partner evaluates you."
"So, if they serve us expensive food, it means we're highly valued?"
"Conversely, if they can't even tell the quality of something like this... well, they might judge their partner as being out of their league, perhaps?"
"I don't want to participate in any dinner parties that would give me a stomachache like that."
Unfortunately, the possibility that such a day might eventually come couldn't be ruled out if we continued our current explorer activities. After all, we had done quite a few flashy things in our public activities over the past year.
"Well, there’s no use worrying about it now. Look, this is our year-end party, so let’s just cut loose and enjoy ourselves."
"Yeah... I guess you're right."
After letting out a long sigh, I switched gears and looked over the drink menu. Ordering the most expensive one right away felt a bit too bold, so maybe I'd try this grape juice instead?
Whether out of resignation or sudden enlightenment, everyone finally decided on their drinks and placed their orders with the waitress. Calculating how much just the drinks would cost was terrifying, but since there was no use worrying, I had no choice but to be defiant and enjoy it. I didn't know what the final total would be, but I was certain to be shocked when it came time to pay the bill.
"Now that we've finished ordering drinks, shall we talk a little about our future plans?"
"Future plans, huh?"
"Yeah. Regardless of the rest of this school year, we’ll technically be students preparing for exams starting next term. We won't be able to keep diving into dungeons quite like we have been this year."
"Exams... Right. We're going to be third-years next year."
While sipping my mandarin orange juice, I troubled my head over a fact I didn't want to remember.
Ever since dungeons appeared and the explorer profession was established, the number of students who chose not to pursue higher education and instead became full-time explorers had increased. However, many students still chose to continue their education. This trend remained the same at our school, where the third-year class schedules were still designed around the assumption that students would be taking entrance exams.
"That's true. It's the time when we have to seriously consider whether to go on to higher education or find a job. Fortunately, our school isn't some prestigious prep school, so we don't have that cutthroat atmosphere where everyone is aiming for T University or K University. It's a bit more relaxed."
"I've heard that at those kinds of schools, the air becomes quite toxic during exam season. Compared to that, our school is pretty laid back even during exams, except for a few people."
Hiiragi-san, who had joined the conversation, wore a thoughtful expression while frowning slightly.
In terms of advancement to higher education, our school was in the middle of the pack. Some students aimed for national universities, while the rest hoped for private universities or vocational schools; though fewer in number, there were some who went straight into the workforce. I'd also heard that this year, there were quite a few people who planned to turn pro with their party members instead of going to college.
"I heard that last year, since the dungeons had only recently been opened up, the career paths for third-years were the same as usual. I wonder what it'll be like this year. If a student has been going to dungeons diligently, they'll be at a decent level by the time they graduate."
"I've heard that for groups other than those seriously considering university, their paths are quite up in the air. Apparently, there are so many students who want to pursue explorer activities as their career that the guidance counselors are at their wits' end."
"Well, the explorer system has only just begun. It's an unknown quantity, and if so many students are requesting it, I'm sure it's not just the guidance counselors but also the parents who are tearing their hair out."
The school likely didn't have any proper reference materials regarding dungeons or explorers, so they probably couldn't provide decent career guidance. Data such as turnover rates and average income were things that would only be accumulated over time.
Moreover, the only information currently known was the sensationalized idea that it was "dangerous but high-paying." While it was true that being an explorer was a profession where one could earn a high income despite the risks, that only applied to explorers who had surpassed a certain level. If someone were to start as a brand-new newcomer explorer after graduation, they would likely struggle quite a bit financially during their apprenticeship.
"Since the school doesn't specialize in explorers, they'd probably prefer as many students as possible to go on to university or other institutions, just like before. For the school's reputation, they won't want to lose the selling point of a high advancement rate."
"With the current situation where no one really understands what a career as an explorer entails, it would be difficult for the school to actively support it. Maybe in a few more years, they'll start providing support or job placement assistance for dungeon-related companies, even if only reluctantly."
"The school probably doesn't have those kinds of connections yet. And since they see students coming to school with injuries from the dungeon, they might be focusing only on the dangers. There are various other problems too, so it might be one of those paths the school simply can't recommend."
It must be a troubling situation for the school as well. They likely want to support the students' wishes as much as possible, but in the current state of insufficient data, effective guidance is impossible. However, due to the social dungeon boom, many students are requesting that path, and dungeon-related companies are expanding their recruitment quotas for student explorers in hopes of expansion.
It wasn't quite a seller's market, but if a student had a reasonable amount of dungeon experience, finding employment at a dungeon enterprise wouldn't be difficult. That said, the lack of data meant it was currently difficult to distinguish between good companies and exploitative ones. Since the school would want to avoid introducing students to suspicious companies, they would have no choice but to discourage the path entirely.
"I suppose so."
"I'm sure that's it."
Thinking of the anguish of the faculty members who were racking their brains over how to deal with such a troublesome problem, we offered a silent prayer with solemn expressions.
Well, whatever the case, I wish them luck.
"Anyway, leaving the explorer-related stuff aside for a moment, what are you two thinking regarding higher education?"
"As for my current status, I'm thinking of going to university for now. I'm not aiming for a famous one, but I'll attend a local university while helping out with the family business and learning the ropes."
"I think I want to continue my education too. I don't feel like making the explorer profession my main job yet, and I want to help out at home. Considering that, I wonder if a culinary school would be a good choice for me?"
"I see. So it looks like everyone wants to continue their education for now."
I also had a vague desire to go to university. While the world was indeed in a dungeon boom and the number of explorers was rapidly increasing, the industry was in its infancy, and there was no telling how it would turn out. In that sense, I thought going to university was a good choice, both as insurance and to have a backup plan. Fortunately, there weren't many issues regarding my academic ability or finances.
"I see, everyone wants to continue their education. Well, even if we're not all aiming for the same school, I'm glad our directions are aligned."
"True. If even one of us wanted to become a full-time explorer immediately after graduation, we might have ended up arguing and disbanding."
"Disbanding due to 'creative differences,' like a band," I joked.
There were probably many explorer parties like that. Especially with current high school third-year parties, you'd have members who originally intended to go to university and were only doing explorer work as a hobby, only for one member to get serious about the job, leading to conflict. It wasn't that anyone was in the wrong; it really was just a difference in direction.
"Well, for now, since everyone wants to go on to higher education, let's think about our policy. Depending on the schools we're aiming for, we might need to significantly reduce our explorer activities to secure study time."
"That's true, but... are you planning on applying to a school that requires that much desperate studying?"
"I'm not aiming that high. I think given our current academic abilities, as long as we don't aim for something unreasonable, we won't have to struggle that much."
Thanks to the benefits of our explorer activities, our grades were steadily improving. Our enhanced stamina meant our concentration lasted longer, which significantly improved our learning efficiency.
That said, it only meant our grades within our school had gone up. If asked if we could rank among the top-tier in a national mock exam, well, that would be difficult. I didn't know if we could do it even if we suspended our explorer activities and devoted ourselves entirely to studying.
"So, we'll reduce our explorer activities slightly to secure study time and adjust as we go based on the results?"
"That sounds like a good plan. I think it would be best for all of us to take a mock exam to check our current standing. If it looks like we're not within the passing range for our choice of schools, we'll increase our study time. If we can secure a safety margin, we can allocate more time to dungeon exploration."
"I agree. I think we can maintain our current pace for the rest of this year and then change things based on the results of next year's mock exams."
Even if we wanted to take a mock exam, they only happened during specific periods, so we couldn't take one right away. It would be safest to maintain the status quo while making changes after seeing the results of our trial run.
If we were applying to top-tier universities, people might say we were late in our preparations, but as long as we didn't aim too high, I thought we would be fine if we maintained our current academic level.
"True. Well, it's probably best to keep trying our best to study so we don't get careless."
"Yes. I don't think it's good to get complacent just because our academic ability is sufficient."
"If you get too overconfident and fail your exams, you'll be crying. Let's all keep up with our studies to some extent."
Having confirmed our rough career paths for the time being, we decided that we would slightly decrease the frequency of our explorer activities next year and keep things moderate.
Then, the waitress brought the drinks we had ordered along with the next dish, so we paused our conversation to receive them.
The second dish she brought was a suimono. According to her explanation, the dashi was a blend of bonito and tuna flakes, containing lotus root balls, mushrooms, and mitsuba for color. It was a simple-looking bowl, but there was a slightly spicy note mingled within the aroma of the dashi, suggesting it wasn't as simple as it looked.
"Please, enjoy," the waitress said.
After collecting the dishes from the finished appetizers and lining up the suimono in front of us, she bowed and left the room.
"Shall we eat, then?"
"Yeah."
First, a sip of the dashi... Mm, delicious. The flavor of the blended dashi was firmly present, and with the umami from the mushrooms, it resulted in a broth that was richer than its clear appearance suggested. And within this moderate saltiness, was that the tingle of black pepper on my tongue? I took a bite of a lotus root ball, and along with its pleasant, firm texture, a faint scent of yuzu drifted out, stimulating my appetite.
"This is delicious."
"It is. It feels like my body is warming up from the inside."
"It's a rich but refreshing soup, isn't it?"
A satisfied sigh escaped me at the delicious suimono. It was a dinner party filled with tension and confusion, but the food was truly exquisite.
I was genuinely looking forward to the dishes that would follow.