Chapter 93

Thank you for the support. Over 10,580 favorites, over 5,230,000 page views, and 14th place in the genre's daily ranking.

After all the classes ended, we three waited a bit before heading to the staff room again to meet with Mr. Hirazaka, who would introduce us to the candidate for the club advisor.

We entered the staff room after a brief greeting and approached Mr. Hirazaka, who was organizing papers at his desk.

"Sorry for the wait. Mr. Hirazaka, where is the teacher you're going to introduce us to?"

"Hmm? It seems they haven't returned yet."

Mr. Hirazaka, still seated, stretched his neck to look around the staff room.

"You can wait here if you like, but what do you want to do? I intended to have the discussion in the consultation room, so I've already reserved it. Should we move there first?"

Asked by Mr. Hirazaka, I hesitated for a moment but then decided.

"Sure, we'll do that."

I agreed to move to the consultation room. I didn't want to stay here indefinitely without a purpose. From the lack of objections from Yuzi and Hime, it seemed they felt the same way.

"Then, I'll let the teacher know we've moved. I'll get the key, so please move to the consultation room. I don't think you'll have to wait long."

"Yes, thank you. Excuse us."

We bowed slightly and left Mr. Hirazaka. Before exiting the staff room, we took the key to the consultation room from a key rack near the entrance and left.

Incidentally, the consultation room is in the same row as the staff room, so it took less than a minute to move. When we opened the door and entered, there were 6-7 folding chairs and a long folding table arranged.

"This is my first time entering the consultation room, but it's quite simple, isn't it?"

"Well, it's just a room for talking, so there's no need for fancy decor, right?"

"True. As long as it has the minimum facilities for conversation, it's fine."

We placed our bags on the table and sat on one side of the folding chairs. The chairs were cheap and the cushions were thin; sitting for a long time would probably make our butts hurt.

"Well, what kind of teacher will it be?"

"I heard from a friend in the class the teacher is in charge of that the teacher is a new graduate and very serious."

"Really?"

A serious teacher... I see. Since it's a new teacher, they must be putting in a lot of effort. I hope they're not overworking themselves. Even a quick search online shows that being a school teacher is a very demanding job, with a high rate of illness-related leave compared to other professions.

After hearing about Hime, I was concerned about the candidate for the club advisor, whom I didn't know well yet.

After about 10 minutes of casual conversation in the consultation room, the door suddenly opened, and a young female teacher entered. She seemed to be new to the job, and her movements still had a fresh, college-like quality.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Are you the students Mr. Hirazaka mentioned who want to start a new club?"

The teacher, confirming our presence near the entrance, smiled and asked.

"Yes, I'm Kusakari, a second-year student."

"I'm Hime."

"I'm Hirose."

We stood up from our chairs, bowed, and introduced ourselves briefly. The teacher then introduced herself in response.

"I'm Hashimoto Sayaka, the second-year civics teacher. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too!"

"Since the introductions are done, let's sit down."

Prompted by Ms. Hashimoto, we sat down, and she took a seat opposite us. Now, let's start the discussion.

"So, your request is for me to be the advisor for the new club you want to start, right?"

"Yes. What have you heard from Mr. Hirazaka?"

First, we need to align our understanding. If there's a discrepancy from the start, it will be troublesome to correct.

"Mr. Hirazaka told me that you want to start a club for entrepreneurship studies. It's quite unusual for high school students to be interested in such a topic."

Ms. Hashimoto looked at us with a curious expression. Indeed, it's not common for high school students to be interested in entrepreneurship, and we are aware that it's an unusual activity.

"True, we think so too, but considering the current needs of society, starting a business as a high school student is becoming less unusual."

"Especially with the rapidly changing social conditions... I believe the number of high school entrepreneurs will increase."

"I think there will be students at our school who will start businesses out of necessity."

Listening to our opinions and understanding their meaning, Ms. Hashimoto's expression became serious. As a graduate of an economics university, she seemed to understand even without detailed explanations.

"Are you talking about the income issues of explorers?"

"Yes. There are many students at our school with explorer qualifications. They will eventually face the issue of exceeding the dependent exemption limit. Last year, due to the late timing of the explorer exams, there were few students who exceeded the limit, but this year, many students will exceed it."

"Yes, you might be right, Kusakari."

"We are also explorers, and we have already started our own businesses."

"Wait, you've already started businesses?"

At Hime's statement, Ms. Hashimoto's eyes widened, and she looked at us intently. It's a natural reaction to hear that we've already started businesses.

"Yes, out of necessity."

"Our explorer income is higher than expected, and no matter how we calculate it, it won't fit within our parents' dependent exemption this year."

"We found something rare during an exploration, and when we sold it, it turned out to be quite valuable. I don't know if it's good luck or bad luck..."

We all smiled wryly, acknowledging the truth of our situation, and Ms. Hashimoto sighed deeply.

"You are all very capable..."

"It's just good luck. We happened to find something rare."

"Still, exceeding the dependent exemption limit means earning over 1 million yen."

"True, that's right."

Ms. Hashimoto sighed again, seemingly reflecting on our income.

"I also formed a party with friends and went to the dungeon during my college days... but I quit soon after."

"Did someone in the party get injured?"

"No, fortunately, we didn't suffer any major injuries."

"Then why did you quit?"

After a moment of hesitation, Ms. Hashimoto explained why she quit being an explorer.

"Do you remember the incident where PK (Player Killing) occurred in the dungeon? Some of the victims were students from our university."

"Really?"

Is this about the Miyano group...?

"I wasn't particularly close to them, but hearing that students from the same school were victims... and that the dungeon they were in was the same one we visited... I couldn't continue exploring as I had before."

"..."

"Of course, I was about to graduate and start working, so it was a good time to quit. Also, the members of my party were scattered across the country for their jobs, making it impossible to continue the party."

Ms. Hashimoto explained her reasons for quitting in a light tone, but we remembered the Miyano group without changing our expressions. Even without being direct victims of PK, the impact was significant. How many explorers quit because of the incident?

"So, I know the difficulties of earning money as an explorer."

"Is that so..."

"Now, I've heard that the number of encounters with monsters has increased due to the removal of entry limits and excessive gatherings on the same floor, but the buyback prices for drops have also decreased. To say that you, as high school students, have a confirmed income exceeding the dependent exemption limit... that's proof of your capabilities as explorers."

Indeed, Ms. Hashimoto might be right. Excluding long breaks, full-time high school students can only visit the dungeon on weekends. At our school, we have classes on Saturdays, so we can only explore on Sundays. Under these conditions, earning enough to exceed the dependent exemption without finding rare, high-value items like skill scrolls and fighting low-level monsters... it's not easy.

After Ms. Hashimoto finished her story, we finally got to the main topic of our consultation.

"So, about the club advisor... can you tell me more about the club's activities? I'll decide whether to take on the role after hearing about the club's content."

I took a sheet of paper from my bag and handed it to Ms. Hashimoto. It was the club application form I received from Mr. Hirazaka yesterday, with all the sections filled out except for the advisor's signature.

"Let me see... What? No morning practice, weekends off, and activities end at 5 PM on weekdays..."

"We're not a sports club, so it's unlikely that members will get injured during club activities."

"...Injury... responsibility... apology... measures... improvement... report..."

"There will be no need for me to accompany you to competitions, as we will present our achievements during the cultural festival."

"One day off per week... confirmed..."

"Also, we can provide our own supplies and equipment."

"...No expenses... okay."

Ms. Hashimoto muttered to herself while staring at the application form. For a new teacher like Ms. Hashimoto, these conditions are quite attractive. Especially since she is currently the assistant advisor for a sports club, this would be even more appealing.

After nodding several times while staring at the application form, it seemed like her decision was already made, but I decided to confirm just in case.

"Ms. Hashimoto... can you take on the role of club advisor?"

"..."

Ms. Hashimoto almost immediately agreed but then covered her mouth and hesitated. After a few deep breaths to compose herself, she spoke.

"Can I get back to you after confirming a few things?"

"Of course. What would you like to know?"

"First, the short activity hours. According to the application, you only have about an hour of activity on weekdays... is this really enough? Other clubs usually have about two hours of activity."

"Yes. We have other things to do besides the club, and considering the purpose of starting the club, an hour is sufficient."

Ms. Hashimoto tilted her head at my response. Indeed, with such short activity hours, it's hard to see the point of starting a club.

"Is there another reason for starting the club besides what's written in the application?"

"Yes, this is actually the main reason for starting the club."

"Can you explain what you mean?"

I explained the reasons for starting the club to Ms. Hashimoto in chronological order. The aggressive recruitment of first-year students by repeat explorers, the rapid expansion of repeat explorers after the Golden Week, and the concerns about the future of high school life for Mika and others... I summarized the important points, but it took over 10 minutes to finish.

"I see... So, you're starting the club for these reasons. Hmm..."

Ms. Hashimoto sighed deeply after listening to my explanation. It seemed like she was genuinely tired.

"I'm sorry for not telling you about these complicated issues."

We bowed slightly from our seats and apologized to Ms. Hashimoto. We didn't intend to deceive her, but we did involve her in a complicated situation.

"Don't apologize. In this matter, it's the teachers who should apologize."

"Excuse me, what do you mean?"

"We teachers are aware of the problematic behavior of repeat explorers. It has been discussed in staff meetings several times. However, we only know about it through rumors. We haven't caught them in the act or obtained clear evidence, so it's difficult to take action like life guidance."

It seems the teachers were aware of the issues with repeat explorers but lacked concrete evidence to act. Indeed, the school can't interfere in student matters without a valid reason.

"Actually, it's our responsibility as teachers to solve these problems, but we've been dragging our feet... I'm ashamed."

Ms. Hashimoto lowered her head and fell silent. It seemed that her deep sigh was a sign of self-reproach.

However, the teachers probably didn't expect repeat students to cause such problems. It's understandable that their response was delayed. For the students affected, it's a serious issue, but...

"Ms. Hashimoto, you don't have to feel so down..."

"Yes, Ms. Hashimoto, please cheer up."

It would be troublesome if she stayed down for too long. Yuzi and I encouraged her, and she raised her head. Her expression seemed to show that she had made a decision.

"You're right. There's no point in staying down. I'll take on the role of club advisor... I'll help you solve the problems with repeat explorers."

"Really? Thank you so much!"

"Nice to meet you."

Surprised by the sudden acceptance, we shook hands with Ms. Hashimoto, who extended her right hand with a smile. I guess we can consider our goal achieved.

"I'll sign the application and submit it. Since there's a mid-term exam, the decision on the club's approval will likely be made next month."

"Understood."

"That's a lackluster response. Well, it's fine. Since it's a non-sports club, you can apply to use a special classroom as your club room. Do you have any preferences?"

"Club room... I haven't really thought about it."

I looked at Yuzi and Hime for their opinions, but they didn't have any specific preferences either.

"We don't have any preferences."

"Okay. I'll find a suitable room for you. Is that alright?"

"Yes, thank you."

With this, the advisor issue is resolved. Now, we just need to wait for approval to start the club.

Well, it's a bit late, but let's go to practice. I hope Mika and the others are doing well.

We managed to get the advisor's approval.

The actions of repeat explorers are recognized among the staff.