As we peered at the itemized bill, we all let out stifled groans in unison. Our eyes widened, and hands flew to our mouths in shock.
No, no, no. I'd expected the total to be steep after seeing the prices on the drink menu, but I never imagined it would reach this level. I had completely underestimated high-end establishments.
"Rounding it down, that’s about 400,000 yen..."
Setting aside the exact change, the bill listed a total of approximately 400,000 yen for seven people eating and drinking.
If we’d stuck to the course meal price we’d been told about initially, it should have stayed between 100,000 and 140,000 yen. It seemed the extra drinks we ordered had nearly tripled that base cost. The beverages alone accounted for two-thirds of the total. To think this was the cost of just one dinner...
"The drinks really were expensive, weren't they?"
"Yeah. I didn't think they'd make the price jump this much. They were delicious, though."
Hiiragi-san and I both felt a headache coming on as we stared at the figures. Our smiles were a little strained.
Seeing our reactions, Yuji offered a wry smirk and pointed out a detail I’d rather have ignored.
"I hate to break it to you, but this is actually on the cheap side. We're all minors, so we didn't touch the alcohol. If we had, the drink bill would have doubled—or even gained another digit."
Alcohol is terrifying...
"Usually, people say that when they're regretting something they did while drunk," Yuji remarked.
Well, he wasn't wrong, but the thought of the price doubling or gaining a zero was a horror of its own.
Beside us, the four girls—Mika and the others—were still staring at the bill with wide eyes. They looked like they were about to have out-of-body experiences.
"Hey, guys? You okay?"
"..."
Yeah, they were completely checked out. I hoped they hadn't actually fainted.
"Come on, everyone, snap out of it. Staring blankly at the bill isn't going to make the total go down."
Hiiragi-san gave a sharp kashiwade, the loud clap bringing them back to their senses. Mika and the others jumped, looking at us with frantic expressions.
"O-O-Onii-chan!?"
"T-T-T-This is—!?"
"Wait, wait, wait!"
"Awa-wa-wa..."
It was absolute pandemonium. All four were so rattled by the astronomical sum that they couldn't even form coherent sentences. Mika was gesticulating wildly; Saori-chan was glancing back and forth between us and the bill, struggling to find words; Tatebayashi-san looked like she couldn't even process the numbers anymore; and Hino-san was simply lost in a whirlwind of confusion.
It was a quadruple-header of pure chaos.
"Look, I know you're shocked, but don't shout. You'll bother the other guests."
"Ah... S-Sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Anyone would be shaken seeing a bill like this for the first time."
At Hiiragi-san’s gentle reprimand, the girls quickly lowered their heads in apology.
It was only natural. For high schoolers to be presented with such a bill after a dinner party was enough to make anyone's head spin. We only managed to keep our cool because we’d been explorers for nearly a year and had grown accustomed to dealing with large sums of money. Expecting Mika and the others—especially Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san, who had only just made their dungeon debut—to stay calm was asking for the impossible.
After finishing off the last of their juice to settle their nerves, the four girls regained some semblance of composure. We all looked over the binder containing the itemized list once more.
"Still, that's more than I expected. If this is lunch, what would dinner be like?"
"The course alone would be several times more expensive," Yuji said. "And if you included alcohol, you'd easily be looking at a seven-digit figure."
"For a single meal..."
I used to think that a million-yen dinner was something from another world, but seeing a glimpse of it today made me realize it was very real.
As the weight of that reality sank in, Yuji lowered his voice to offer a serious piece of advice.
"That's right. One meal. And you all need to be careful, because there are plenty of people out there who will use a meal like this as leverage to force you into favors. They'll invite you under the guise of 'treating you to a nice lunch,' but then they bring you to a place like this to force a debt of gratitude onto you. Later, they'll say, 'I treated you to that expensive dinner, so surely you can do this one little thing for me, right?'"
"...I see. If someone treated you to a meal this expensive, it would be really hard to turn them down. You'd feel like you owed them something, even if the request was a bit shady."
"Exactly. Especially if it's not an outright 'unreasonable' request. It’s a perfect way to set the hook. If that relationship continues, the demands slowly get bigger and bigger."
"The psychological hurdle gets lower until you're led down a bad path before you even realize it, right?"
Yuji nodded slowly, looking at the girls, who were listening with wide, surprised eyes.
"Since the explorer job became a thing, students can make huge amounts of money if they have luck and skill. But that also means there are predators looking to exploit those students. You've seen it in the news, right? Reports about 'student explorers turning to crime' or 'organized crime syndicates behind the scenes'?"
"I remember seeing that. People talking students into doing bad things."
"The methods vary, but a student with little life experience who gains power beyond that of a normal person... if they get cocky, they're easy prey for someone who's serious about deceiving them. If they get their hands dirty just once, thinking it’s no big deal, that becomes the leverage to pull them in until they can't escape."
"...And you're saying these high-end dinner parties are one of those methods?"
Yuji nodded. "Yeah. Especially in a place with private rooms like this. The sense of intimacy makes it easier to feel a heavy sense of obligation. You feel like you have to pay them back because they spent so much on you."
"True. If it was a family restaurant or a fast-food place, you'd just think you could treat them next time to even things out. But at a place of this rank, that's not the first thought that comes to mind."
"And while you're agonizing over how to repay the debt, they swoop in with a 'favor' in exchange for the meal."
"The simpler the favor, the easier it is to agree to. And then you're just sliding down the slope."
You think it’s just a nice dinner, but you're brought to a high-end place to dull your senses with tension and confusion, then hit with the price tag to manufacture a sense of debt. Student explorers might have the money, but almost none of them have the social experience to handle this. Even if they wanted to celebrate a big haul, they’d usually just go to a place they already know and order the most expensive thing on that menu.
They would never think to come to a place like this on their own, making it an incredibly effective psychological ambush.
"That possibility is always there," Yuji continued. "Mika-chan and Saori-chan already know how much an explorer can make, and if Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san are going to keep at it, I thought you all needed to get used to these kinds of places. That's why I chose this restaurant."
"Ah, I see. So that's why we're at a place like this for a student year-end party..."
"You don't have to become an expert on fine dining, but experiencing it once gives you the mental breathing room to react. An ambush is only effective because it’s something the target doesn't know. If you've seen it before, your reaction might be delayed, but you can avoid a fatal blow. The counter to this specific tactic is simple: stay calm and say, 'That was wonderful. Next time, let me introduce you to a delicious place I know.' If you clearly state you're paying back a meal with a meal, they'll know their leverage didn't work and won't push as easily. Heck, you could even just bring them back here. This place is as high-end as they come."
"True. Having used the place once, it’ll be a lot less intimidating if we ever have to come back."
I’d still be nervous, sure, but I could probably fake it. As long as I didn't look bewildered, that would be enough. If I could handle myself smoothly after the meal, it would signal that I wasn't an easy target.
"The staff will likely remember your faces now. As long as you follow the proper reservation steps, they won't turn you away just because you're high schoolers."
"That's a good point. Most high schoolers wouldn't even know a place like this exists," I said. "At best, they'd know the flashy places featured in magazines. If we went there, it would be obvious we were just trying to look cool, and they might think we were easier to handle."
"Likely so."
"So it’s better to know at least one high-end 'hidden gem' like this."
The more we earn as explorers, the more we need to prepare ways to protect ourselves. That was the real reason Yuji brought us here.
Still... what a pain. I’d much rather deal with monsters in a dungeon than navigate human politics.
"So, while it’s expensive, if you think of it as a study fee or an insurance premium for your career as an explorer, it’s not that bad."
"Well, when you put it that way..."
"I agree it's necessary, but still..."
"I understand the logic. Really, I do..."
"After what happened recently, I can see why we need to know this, but..."
"..."
The six of us shared a look, then let out a heavy, collective sigh before protesting in unison.
If that was the plan, please tell us from the beginning!
"If I told you first, it wouldn't have been an ambush, would it? Experiencing the shock is the whole point!"
As we slumped over the table in exhaustion, Yuji just beamed at us, looking thoroughly satisfied with his little prank.
Seriously, even for a lesson, that was bad for my heart.
Now that the truth behind the venue had been revealed, our time at the restaurant was drawing to a close. That left only one issue: the payment itself.
"We'll have the receipt made out to Mika and Saori-chan, but how are we splitting the actual bill?"
"I'll pay the total now, and you can pay me back later," Yuji suggested. "As for Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san’s drink costs, we'll cover those as a celebration for your start as explorers. Sound good?"
"Yeah, fine by me."
"I'm in."
"Works for me."
"Thank you so much!"
The rookies' wallets weren't exactly heavy yet. Since they’d known the food price from the start, that was fine, but having the drink total—which was nearly double—waived was a huge relief for them. And framing it as a "debut celebration" from their seniors made it easier for them to accept.
"Alright, it's about time. Shall we?"
"Right. I'll call the taxi. I gave them a heads-up on the timing earlier, so it should be waiting by the time we finish at the register. Give me a moment."
Yuji pulled out his phone to arrange the return trip with the same company we’d used to get here. It turned out the taxi would arrive in about ten minutes—perfect timing for when we’d be done paying.
"All set. Ready to go?"
"Yeah. Everyone, make sure you didn't leave anything behind."
"Right."
Got it!
Yes!
We stood up and double-checked the room. Looking at it one last time, it really was a magnificent space. I was still surprised they’d let a group of students use it, even with Yuji's connection.
It was true—if someone were suddenly brought here without warning, they’d be so overwhelmed they’d agree to almost anything. Yuji was right; experiencing this once as a countermeasure was the smart move.
"Excuse me, we'd like to settle the bill."
After leaving the room, we placed the binder on the counter and pressed the call button. I’d been incredibly tense, but somehow, the year-end party had concluded successfully.
We still had plenty of events lined up for the Year-end and New Year holiday period. I just hoped we could keep this momentum going and survive the rest of the break.