Age of Summoner

“But I want to add a young member to our team because I believe that someone like you will be able to come up with fresh ideas for our publisher. And don’t tell anyone this...”

The man moved in closer before cupping his hands around his mouth.

“I am actually an alumnus of your faculty, so I want to hire you as a special case.”

These were the words that could make Joke smile. This man seemed to be completely different from all his previous interviewers. Even though he was an alumnus of his university, he was not someone who judged a person from the cover like the others from all previous publishers he had gone to.

It might turn out okay if he had a boss like him…

But still, having to wait up to four months…

“Can I please take some time to consider the offer?” Joke asked.

“Of course.” The man in front of him smiled in return. “We also don’t want to force you into waiting for our publisher alone. It’s fine if you find yourself a better option during that time. But if you are still up to the offer then, we will be happy to hire you.”

.

.

“Four months?”

Joke muttered as he was walking out of the publisher where he just applied for a job. Of course, there were some changes that were different from his previous experiences this time around. He could not fully say that this interview was a failure, but it was not completely correct to say that he now had a job like everybody else.

Needless to say, the main issue was if he actually decided to wait for the job at this company, four months was considered to be a very long time. Furthermore, he would not be receiving any money from his family to help out with his apartment rent as before. The point was, he could not afford to sit still at a time like this.

“Or should I do part-time during those four months?”

Joke tried figuring his way around because this publisher was considered as one of his goals, and landing a job here would be regarded as having a successful career. So, it would be worth the four-month wait to be working here.

“What sorts of jobs will be enough for the apartment rent, then?”

He tried thinking of ways around the problem as he walked along the Sukhumvit road while on his way to Asok Skytrain station. However, at this point en route, his eyes went towards the alleyway leading to the place he had just visited yesterday—the Butterfly Card Shop—and Rin’s words suddenly rang in his mind again...

“A pro player?”

Joke murmured as he narrowed his eyes, shaking his head vigorously to shake off these insane thoughts.

“How much could I earn with a skill like this?”

Even though he was speaking as if that idea were the stupidest thing, he was not totally against that option in his heart deep down. At the very least, he still had those twenty million baht in his pocket and the easiest way out of this problem was to sell that card, which would allow him to live comfortably during those four months along with a huge amount of leftover savings that would last over a decade.

But the idea of selling that card was never once in his mind. Instead, he wanted to get to know more about AOS before making any decisions. As he was pondering, his legs brought him inside the alleyway without his realization.

And he was now already right in front of the Butterfly Card Shop!

The store seemed to be looking different from yesterday at around four to five in the evening—it now looked quiet. Even though the open sign was turned on, there were not a lot of customers like yesterday. Joke had no idea what he was doing here, but he needed to take a retreat first, and this place was the nearest to him.

Grrrrrr!

As soon as the door opened, there was a sound of something like a faint roar, presumably the automatic electric bell at the entrance. The inside of the store seemed like it was not yet opened. Even though the air condition was running, the tables that used to be full of customers were completely empty.

“Welcome to… Oh, you again?”

Someone was emerging from behind the counter with a greeting, causing Joke to be slightly startled. Once he turned to look, he saw that the shopkeeper, “Fon”, had poked her head out looking somewhat sleepy.

“What are you doing here this early?” She asked, scratching her head like someone who had just woken up.

“Huh? Oh… I’m just stopping by for a visit.”

Joke answered simply. He wished he could lean over to have a look at whether she was really sleeping under the counter over there.

“At ten in the morning?” Madame Fon spoke, looking up at the clock on the wall. “Don’t you have any work to do, stopping by this early? The others are not here yet. They all got work and studies to do.”

She said and took a deep breath before grabbing a cup of iced coffee that was probably brought somewhere outside and placing it on the counter.

“Well, I’m still looking for a job.”

“Oh, is that so…”

She answered before starting to drink that coffee to freshen up herself. With the hand holding the paper cup in, she pointed towards Joke.

“Wait a minute, then. If you are going to buy something, I need some time to set up the computer. I just woke up, too. You can go sit and wait there first.”

She spoke as if she was brushing him off before pointing at the sofa on the opposite side, leaving Jakkarin to nod in silence before doing as she said obediently.

“Is the store usually 24/7, Madame Fon?” He asked.

“Yeah,” Fon said as she set up the computer. “I used to have day and night shift employees. And children under 18 are not allowed here at night after ten. Some of them even go online here overnight. You can do that as well if you’re interested, and it’ll be cheaper if you sign up for a member card. Plus, you can collect points to redeem rewards as well.”

“Oh… okay.”

Joke’s lips were slightly twitched. He wanted to go on with the chat, but she seemed to always be coming back to speaking businesses. What a dealer she was.

“So, what time does Rin usually come?

“Huh, Rin?”

Fon stopped short before turning to look at the man across her before revealing a sly smile as if she was onto something. She, again, pointed at him with that coffee still in hand.

“Don’t tell me that you’re here early because you want to see Rin?” She then smirked. “If so, let me tell you that she’s way out of your league, young man. Rin’s popular, with guys trailing after her, but she never had a special interest in anyone.”

“It’s not like that,” Joke sighed. “I just don't know anyone else in the store, and there are many things I really want to ask her—about AOS only.”

“I didn't mean that.” Her expression wilted, “What I meant was that you are not the first person to hit on her like this. Say, how about I sell you Rin’s LINE ID? I’ll give you a good price—only a couple of hundreds. But if you want her Facebook, it’s five hundred. And for her number, I won’t sell you those—in case you’re a psychopath going after her.”

He was too lazy to argue with this business-in-her-blood woman.

He did not think of her that way at all. It was true that she was an adorable woman in both character and appearance, but Joke did not have time to worry about the opposite sex now when his life was this messy.

“So, what are you going to ask her?”