“A kid who thinks this is easy must be a serious one, right? I mean, they take words at face value.”
The idol, Harusaki Ayukawa, muttered while yawning.
Oh no, even if you praise me like that…
“H-Haru, you shouldn’t make fun of people.”
“Oh? I’m not making fun of anyone~ but to Natsu, everyone must look foolish, huh~”
“Wha!?”
Huh?
Was I being made fun of?
“Okay, okay, Haru-chan. Don’t bully Natsu-kun too much. Aki, what do you think?”
“Yeah. If most of the other groups remain unaware of the real basis of this exercise, it benefits us. It’d be best to leave them be… or so I’d like to say… But, what do you want to do, Kasuya?”
“Huh?”
Why me?
“Come on, it’s obvious. A serious person like you, Kasuya-kun, wouldn’t wish for anything but a fair competition, right?”
Why does Snow seem a bit proud?
“W-well, keeping quiet would be to our advantage… Ah, sorry, I guess I only have the courage of a plankton.”
What are they talking about?
If you ask me what I want to do… well…
Standing out too much isn’t good, but this is a team effort after all.
If I consider the roles of Snow-san and everyone as the protagonists…
“Of course, we’ll go for a decisive victory. Let’s be number one, without leaving room for complaints.”
“Woohoo!”
“W-wow, Kasuya-kun, you’re pretty fired up.”
“A-ah, it’s like something out of a shonen manga… I’m melting with self-loathing…”
“…Haha, they said you’re intense, right, Snow?”
Huh?
What’s with that reaction?
Did I say something weird?
“Heh, I believed you’d say that, Ta— I mean, Kasuya-kun.”
“Oh, thanks.”
What is this about?
As I was thinking that, Snow-san stepped forward.
“Professor Ansverna? May I ask a question?”
“Hmm, what is it, Snow-dono?”
“…You’re quite the trickster, Professor. In your earlier explanation, it seems like you left out the key point of the grading criteria.”
Snow-san’s words caused a stir among those around us.
…Huh? Why?
Isn’t this a really straightforward task?
Beat the enemies, loot the treasure, conquer the dungeon, that’s it!
Isn’t it?
“Hohoho. Please, go on.”
“…One of the grading criteria you mentioned included the number of monsters defeated and the materials brought back. Doesn’t that mean that the rarity and difficulty of obtaining those materials are also factored into the grading?”
“…Was this insight provided by Professor Nohr?”
“Oh no, not at all~. Reading between the lines of the rules is part of this exercise too~. I wouldn’t do something like cheating~.”
A cheerful exchange between the professors.
But the other teachers seemed to be in a tense mood.
“…Snow-dono is correct. The grading does take into account the market value and rarity of the materials.”
At Professor Ansverna’s words, the surroundings erupted again.
Complaints about it being different from what they were told, or that it’s too difficult.
…Why?
“Then, Professor, may I ask another question? After bringing back the materials, is it possible to re-enter the dungeon? You mentioned that the dungeon exercise lasts for one week, but from your explanation, it almost sounded like we could repeatedly transport and deliver materials.”
The commotion around us grew louder.
Huh, is that not the case?
Since the grading is based on the materials brought back, doesn’t that mean you have to exit the dungeon at least once…?
“…The dungeon exercise simulates accepting a job as an actual adventurer, acquiring materials on site, bringing them back to the guild, and delivering them. That’s the general flow of a single quest. I can’t say more than that.”
“Thank you, that’s practically an answer.”
“No way!?”
“So, for this exercise, do we have to live in the dungeon for a whole week!?”
“Nobody said that! That’s not fair!”
“N-no, but it doesn’t mean we have to stay in the dungeon for the whole week…”
“Idiot! If you leave, your score will drop! All the grading criteria are set up so that the longer you stay in the dungeon, the higher your score!”
“Oh…”
Snow-san finished asking her questions and returned to us.
The students who started to understand the rules were making a fuss behind her.
“Kasuya-kun, is this alright with you?”
“Huh, uh, yeah.”
Wait a minute.
I still don’t quite get it.
But it seems like, at the very least, everyone in our group has that, “Ah, I see, so that’s how it is,” look on their faces.
Navi-chan!!
《…It’s similar to game theory. If you think about it further, it likely also involves human psychology, like the sunk cost effect.》
Speak Japanese!!
