Today is Friday. I’m sitting through class at Hachioji First Academy – a country-wide public merged middle and high school. Each grade has three regular homerooms of thirty students, plus one Explorer class.
The Explorer class is limited to enrolled Explorers only, and class sizes differ – usually ten to twenty students each. That said, not all Awakened sign up as Explorers; those who don’t attend the regular track. Awakened students receive benefits like canceled tuition and meal fees – though since we submit Magic Stones, calling it a complete waiver isn’t exactly precise.
Explorer classes only run in the morning. Afternoons are free – students either dive into dungeons or train in combat arts. I head into Hachioji Dungeon almost every day, but others use contacts with senior Explorers or adults to visit other dungeons.
Hachioji Dungeon only spawns slimes, so both experience and income are pretty slim pickings. So why do I stick to Hachioji? Because I don’t have contacts – and I don’t have friends either! So I’m a loner, sue me! I’m the kind of guy who can survive on his own! Even as I told myself that, I felt a little sad.
”Oh? If it isn’t the constant G-rank Explorer, Kondou-kun. What’s this – the hero of Hachioji Dungeon?” Yamazaki Satoshi strolled over with a grin, ready to pick a fight. “What exactly does grinding in a place like that get you? Pocket change?”
My jaw tightened. The same guy who lived in my orphanage, whose brother had kept me awake all night with those sounds through the paper-thin walls. Leave me alone. I barely got any sleep thanks to your brother. But I swallowed the words.
In the orphanage and in class, Yamazaki sat near the top of the social ladder. Better not to cross him. Yeah, yeah. Good for you having contacts. My eyes went flat as I stared at Yamazaki –
But then someone cut in.
”Yamazaki-kun, that’s not nice,” Nishizawa Shizuka cut in, her voice gentle but firm. “Kondou-kun is doing his best as an Explorer too.”
The class representative was a pure Japanese beauty, her long black hair flowing straight past her shoulders, with the polished graceful air of an elegant young lady. The most popular girl in the grade. Number one without contest.
Of course, Yamazaki nursed a crush on her. And her habit of stepping in whenever he trapped me only seemed to spark his envy.
Please, Class Rep. Don’t get involved either. You’re only making him come at me harder.
I slipped out of the classroom, leaving the two of them to bicker. It was Friday – the weekend was here, which meant heading straight into the dungeon. I’d crash in the Guild’s nap room and hunt slimes all weekend.
Summary:
Kondou endures another day of school routine before Yamazaki’s mockery triggers his suppressed frustration. Nishizawa’s well-meaning intervention only deepens the social tension, forcing Kondou to retreat. He escapes into the familiar grind of Hachioji Dungeon, seeking solitude over conflict.
Trivia:
- Kondou is a G-rank Explorer, the lowest possible rank, and has been stuck there permanently.
- Hachioji Dungeon only contains slimes, making it low-reward for both experience and money.
- Yamazaki and Kondou both live in the same orphanage, not with their families.
- Yamazaki’s older brother kept Kondou awake the previous night with loud sexual activity.
- Nishizawa’s interventions accidentally make Yamazaki more aggressive toward Kondou.
- Explorer classes are half-day, leaving afternoons free for dungeon diving or martial training.
- Awakened status waives tuition and meal fees in exchange for Magic Stone contributions.
- Kondou explicitly has no connections or friends, which forces him to rely on Hachioji Dungeon.