Estimated reading time: ~10 minutes
Chapter 44
The time is 9:45 AM.
Isamu, dressed in a suit, looks up at the high-rise building.
He takes a deep breath before entering.
He heads to the reception desk and speaks to the strikingly beautiful receptionist he had seen before.
「Good morning. My name is Taida Isamu. I have an appointment for an interview at 10 AM. Could you please notify Mr. Kimura?」
「Ah, Mr. Taida, we’ve been expecting you. Please take the elevator over there to the 5th floor and proceed to Conference Room Delta.」
「Thank you very much. I’ll be on my way then.」
Isamu bows deeply to the receptionist and enters the elevator.
Upon reaching the 5th floor, he follows the floor guide and stops in front of a door labeled 「Conference Room.」
Isamu takes another deep breath before knocking on the door.
Immediately, he hears a 「Come in!」 from inside.
(Alright!)
Isamu psyches himself up internally and slowly opens the door.
「Excuse me. I’m Taida Isamu. Thank you for having me today.」
「Ah, Mr. Taida! Welcome!」
「Oh, so you’re Mr. Taida! We’ve been waiting for you. Please, have a seat over there!」
As Isamu bows and greets them, two cheerful greetings come back.
When he looks up, he sees Kimura sitting at the back and next to him, a kind-looking man in his early 50s.
「Yes, thank you!」
Isamu bows again at a right angle and responds crisply.
He then takes out an envelope from his business bag and, following instructions, sits opposite the two men.
Kimura and the man exchange glances, then Kimura speaks with a wry smile.
「Um, Mr. Taida. Today isn’t really an interview, just a casual meeting, so you don’t need to be so formal.」
「That’s right. We came here with that intention too, so you can relax a bit more. Okay?」
Isamu had been told by Kimura beforehand that this was a pre-employment meeting.
However, he thought it might actually be an interview in disguise, and he might be rejected if he let his guard down.
That’s why he had been trying to be as polite and courteous as possible, but judging from the two men’s reactions, it really does seem to be just a casual meeting.
Realizing this, Isamu relaxes and responds with a smile.
「Oh, I’m sorry. I thought it might actually be an interview…」
「Ah, I see! Well, since we scouted you, there’s almost no chance we’d reject you. This is just a formality we need to go through.」
「That’s right. Today’s meeting is more about you deciding whether you really want to take on this role.」
「I-I see. In that case, I’ll… act more like my usual self.」
「That’s what we want! Oh, sorry for the late introduction, but I’m Hitomi, the Head of Human Resources. We probably won’t interact much directly, but nice to meet you!」
As he finishes speaking, the man extends his right hand.
Isamu takes it, shaking it firmly as he speaks.
「Mr. Hitomi, right? Once again, I’m Taida. It’s a pleasure to meet you.」
「Yeah. Well then, shall we start by taking a look at your resume and work history? Though as I said, there’s no selection process.」
「Ah, yes. Here you go.」
「Thank you. I’ll just take a quick look.」
Hitomi says this as he looks down at the documents.
Kimura, sitting next to him, also leans in to review the papers.
Isamu watches the two nervously, but in less than a minute, Hitomi puts the documents on the table.
「Well, there’s a lot there. Shall we move on to explaining the job details?」
「Huh?」
Isamu had fully expected to be questioned about his reasons for leaving the food company and the long gap in his employment history.
He had even imagined a worst-case scenario where they might say, 「We’re going to have to cancel this offer.」
Contrary to his expectations, they had completely skipped over it, causing Isamu to respond in surprise.
「Hm? Is something wrong?」
「No, it’s just… I thought you might ask about the reasons for the gap in my employment…」
「Well, normally we would definitely ask about that, but in this case, we’ve heard about you from Kimura.」
「Oh, from Mr. Kimura?」
「Yeah. About your achievements, how diligent you are, all sorts of things.」
「I see. Thank you so much, Mr. Kimura!」
「Oh, no, it’s nothing.」
Kimura smiles awkwardly, looking embarrassed.
His attitude is because he strongly recommended Isamu’s appointment primarily to make up for his own mistake, but Isamu doesn’t know this.
As Isamu is puzzled by Kimura’s attitude, Hitomi continues speaking.
「Originally, we were thinking of hiring Mr. Taida as a contract employee, but Kimura strongly insisted on making it a full-time position. So we decided to offer full-time employment this time. You should be grateful to Kimura. Of course, that’s if you decide to take the job.」
「I see… Mr. Kimura! Thank you so much!!」
「Oh, you’re welcome! Well, you’ve been a great help to me too, Mr. Taida!」
In contrast to earlier, Kimura now speaks proudly.
And rightly so, as his strong recommendation for full-time employment wasn’t for his own sake, but out of Kimura’s own goodwill.
「Alright, now that we’ve covered that, let’s get to the main topic. First, about the job details. Kimura, can you explain?」
「Yes. As I mentioned before, Mr. Taida, we’d like you to act as the Tutorial Guy, providing guidance to players and commentary during events. Also, if players have any feedback, please relay that to us each time. And of course, if you have any suggestions for improvements, we’d love to hear those too.」
「Yes, understood!」
「Now, regarding the player guidance—」
Kimura then explains the method for providing guidance.
To summarize, the guidance sessions are divided into one-hour blocks.
Kimura will announce the schedule in advance on the game, official website, and social media. Taida will then provide guidance to the players who gather at each scheduled time.
For example, a few minutes before 10 AM, Isamu will standby at the designated location.
At 10 AM, he’ll start the guidance session for the gathered players, finishing in about 50 minutes before returning to the designated spot.
Then at 11 AM, he’ll start from the beginning with a new group of gathered players.
This will be repeated for 8 sets a day, with a one-hour break in between.
The start times will vary depending on the day.
The content of the guidance is left up to Isamu, and he already has a general idea of how he wants to structure it.
The designated location is the fountain square in the Starting Town, where new players first spawn.
They plan to set up a stand similar to a food stall there, with a sign indicating that guidance is available.
This way, even new players who haven’t seen the announcements will know about the Tutorial Guy’s existence and can receive guidance if they need help.
「I see, I understand!」
「That’s good. We won’t be checking your attendance, but we’ll know if you’re not there based on social media information, so please make sure you’re at the designated location before each scheduled time. If you’re not feeling well or have any issues, please let us know in advance.」
「Y-Yes!」
「Well, I’m sure it won’t be a problem with you, Mr. Taida! That covers the job details. Mr. Hitomi, over to you for the rest.」
「Right. Then let me explain the terms of employment again. First, it’s a full-time position. The salary is 240,000 yen before taxes, which comes to about 200,000 yen after taxes. The work hours are 8 hours a day with 8 days off per month. It’s a shift system, so the working hours will be irregular, but we’ll make sure it’s not too demanding.」
The salary, days off, and working hours are as Kimura had told him earlier.
This is the first time he’s heard about the variable working hours, but it’s not a problem at all.
These are more than satisfactory conditions with nothing to complain about.
「Yes, thank you very much!」
「Is there anything else we need to tell you… Oh, right. Regarding your department, we’ll be assigning you to the Customer Support team, Mr. Taida.」
「Customer Support?」
「Yeah. It’s mostly just a formality, but we need it for the contract documents and such. Besides, what you’ll be doing is essentially customer support.」
「I see, understood!」
「That covers everything from our side. Do you have any questions, Mr. Taida?」
「Ah, yes. Actually, I have a few, and they’re a bit difficult to ask, but…」
「Oh? What is it?」
「Well, um… if Dream Fantasy were to… you know, decline in popularity, what would happen to me?」
Dream Fantasy has only been out for a few months.
That’s why it’s bustling with many players now, but that momentum will eventually fade.
What will happen to him then?
He doesn’t have the skills to create games, nor does he have any creative talents. The only thing he can really contribute is guidance for beginners.
So even though it’s a full-time position, he wonders if he might be laid off.
Isamu, concerned about his fate after the Tutorial Guy becomes unnecessary, asks about his future prospects.
「Ah, I see. That’s certainly a valid concern. We’re currently developing a new IP, and by the time Dream Fantasy starts to decline, it should be ready for release. We plan to have you serve as the Tutorial Guy for that game as well.」
「What? Does that game also have terrible tutorials?」
「No, the tutorials for the new IP are well-designed. But no matter how well we create them, there will always be players who don’t understand, and many who skip the tutorials altogether.」
「I-I see!」
It seems that Isamu won’t be laid off even if Dream Fantasy declines in popularity.
Realizing this, he breathes a sigh of relief.
「Right. Is there anything else you’d like to know?」
「Ah, yes. Um, I was wondering if it would be okay for me to continue playing normally outside of work hours, just as I have been?」
「Of course that’s fine! In fact, we’d be happy if you did!」
Kimura answers instead of Hitomi.
If hired, Isamu would become part of the game admins, not just a regular player.
Because of this, he was worried they might ask him to refrain from playing as he had been.
But it seems his concerns were unfounded.
「I see. That’s a relief!」
「Yes! Is there anything else you’re curious about?」
「No, I think that covers everything!」
「Alright. Well, based on today’s meeting, we still want to hire you, Mr. Taida. What do you think?」
Isamu had come to today’s meeting intending to accept the offer.
And after hearing everything, his feelings haven’t changed.
Without hesitation, Isamu answers.
「Yes. I’d be delighted to accept your offer!」
「Thank you. Well then, I look forward to working with you.」
「Mr. Taida, I’m looking forward to working with you too!」
「Yes! Mr. Hitomi, Mr. Kimura, I’m looking forward to working with both of you as well!」
And so, Isamu was officially hired by Sundapole Inc, the company operating Dream Fantasy.
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