"Good, the lights are still on. Are Auntie and Uncle still working?"
Ten minutes after leaving my house, I finally reached Mitsui's home and butcher shop in the shopping district of Asagaya, next to the station.
The streets on the way here were noticeably dimmer.
Only about a third of the streetlights on the main roads were on, and none all in the narrower alley.
There were hardly any cars on the road, and on the way here the only thing I saw was trucks
The few people I saw were either wearing leather armor, like explorers, or walking in business suits.
As I got closer to Asagaya Station, I saw more people, but even though this area was popular with young people, it was nowhere near as lively as I remembered.
Homeless people were everywhere—in front of the station and in the parks.
Then there were the guys loitering in leather armor near the station.
Though they were not carrying weapons, but they looked frightening enough.
I even saw what looked like patrolling officers carrying swords at their waists, so they gave off somewhat aggresive vibe.
And the convenience stores? Every single one was closed.
I didn't fully understand the situation inside Japan yet, I figured the supply chains must have been disrupted.
Japan is heavily reliant on imports for resources and energy, so it's no surprise supplies are scarce.
As I ran through the transformed streets at what would seem like a full sprint to a regular person—but actually it was just a slow marathon to me. I finally arrived at my destination.
I rang the doorbell beside the shop entrance and waited.
"Yes?"
Ah, that was Auntie's voice.
"Good evening. It's been a while—I'm Akutsu. Is Mitsu home?"
"What… A-Akutsu? Wait, just a moment! I'll open the door now! Kazuki! Dear! Akutsu-kun! He's alive! He's alive!"
Wait what, did they think I was dead?
I mean, I've been through experiences where that wouldn't have been strange if I was dead.
Hearing Auntie who normally calm and composed lady genuinely shocked and flustered, I regretted not making a single call or sending a quick email after the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare had taken me away.
At that time, it had all happened so suddenly—I was panicked, and I was busy researching about that ridiculous "Special Employment Law for the NEET," and had my phone confiscated immediately after that.
But I could've at least sent a message. Sorry, I made you guys worried.
"Akutsu! You…you're alive! Why didn't you contact me, you idiot!"
"Hey, Mitsu, long time no see. A lot happened, and I couldn't even use my phone. Sorry for worrying you. And, Uncle and Auntie, I apologize as well."
The sliding door opened and Mitsui appeared while crying and yelling. Behind him stood his uncle, beaming, and his aunt, wiping away tears.
After explaining myself a little, I bowed deeply, apologizing for what I had caused.
Ever since I lost both my parents one after another when I was 20, they had been there for me, always watching out for me.
"You didn't respond to calls or messages, and your place has been empty for over a year. Your electricity was even cut off. Of course, we were worried."
"Akutsu-kun, it must've been tough. A lot has happened right? There are times like that for a boy to become a man. Come on in. Have you eaten anything? Things are rough right now so we can't offer you anything good, but you should eat something."
"Akutsu-kun, thank goodness you're alright. We were so worried. We even thought maybe you'd been captured by the Special Police or some noble…"
Special Police? What's that? Well, there's a lot to catch up on.
After apologizing once more, I stepped into their home and sat down in the tatami-floored living room.
I politely declined dinner, mentioning I'd already eaten, and Auntie brought me some barley tea instead.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't do anything wrong, but I was in a sort of prison for almost two years."
"I see… Given the state of Japan now, I can believe it. Was it the Special Police or the Nobles' Army?"
"No, it was the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. I got caught up in that 'NEET hunt' around two years ago."
Eventhough I was really embarrased, I wanted to be honest with the people who cared about me, so I told them about my past NEET life and how I'd been forcibly recruited under that terrible law.
"I heard about your situation at your last job, but… So you were one of those targeted by that. Couldn't reach out because of the Explorer Association, huh? It's a miracle you're still alive and well."
"Akutsu-kun, were you sent to a dungeon?! I'm surprised you made it back alive…"
"Unbelievable… that you went through something like that…"
"There were many many times when I was close to death, but yeah, I spent almost two years trying to get out of a dungeon and I finally made it out somehow. So, I have no idea what's been going on outside."
"What?? Two years in a dungeon?! Are you serious?"
"I wish I wasn't. There are things I need to do now, so I can't explain everything, but could you fill me in on what happened these past two years—the 'NEET hunt' survivors and about the empire?"
"Things you need to do? If you say so… I understand. First of ll, there is that law…"
I didn't want to cause any trouble for this family with what I'm about to do, so I kept quiet about Sakurajima incident.
I figured government officials would eventually come asking questions to them, but if Mitsui's family didn't know much, they might think we weren't that close.
If the government just see us as a high school classmate, they wouldn't bother Mitsui too much.
As long as I never come back here, everything should be fine.
With that in mind, I asked about what everyone already knew.
According to Mitsui, around 10,000 people were recruited under the so-called "Special Employment Law for NEETs"
Apparently, 3,000 of them ended up with jobs in the Explorers' Association.
Mitsui said there was information online about it, and in May, only the Sankei Channel ran a program on people who had started working under this law.
Sankei was a channel I couldn't watch inside the Explorer's Associaton; they only let us see MHK channel.
In that Sankei program, they only showed people working in factories doing simple labor, and they were not mentioning Explorers' Association at all.
Meanwhile, on the internet, people were raising an uproar, saying they couldn't get in touch with friends or children who joined the Explorers' Association.
The only response from the Association was that those missing had "escaped from the dungeon and were missing."
There were no bodies found — it was practically the perfect crime.
Apparently, some returned injured, but everyone kept silent about what happened, so no one really knew what was going on.
Despite the social media commotion, in parliament, not even opposition party members pressed the issue, aside from a few legislators.
Any questioning received evasive responses from the government, who claimed that employment was handled by private companies, so inquiries should go through them.
Hearing all this, I was shocked to learn that only 3,000 people joined the Explorers' Association.
I didn't know if it was due to luck, age, or health, but we were among the unlucky 30% and went through hell because of it.
Mitsui tried to stop when he saw my reaction, but I asked him to continue.
I wanted to know everything before drawing any conclusions.
As time passed, the parents of those who had lost contact with their children started taking action, gathering signatures to demand transparency from the government and the Explorers' Association, and preparing for lawsuits against them.
But, in October last year, just after I entered Sakurajima dungeon, a new continent suddenly appeared in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
According to reports from the Meteorological Agency, Japan's Self-Defense Forces, and the U.S., the magnetic field over the Pacific suddenly fluctuating, and this massive island emerged, engulfing Hawaii and other islands in the Pacific.
It seemed to resemble the sudden appearance of dungeons around the world four years ago.
In satellite, the island showed something like thin cloud images. And the satellite could not capture any of the detailed images inside the newly emerging island
Previously, satellite images were accessible via online, but now censorship has tightened, and they're restricted from publishing anything
Mitsui had some patchwork images resembling what he remembered, so he showed them to me.