Episode 32: The First Step
“What’s wrong? Yuma,”
His mother, sitting at the living room table, looked at Yuma with concern.
His father and mother sat across from Yuma. They were perplexed because Yuma had told them he had something to talk about.
It was the first time Yuma had ever said something like that.
“Do you have any worries?”
His father asked anxiously. Yuma’s father was a mild-mannered man who had never been angry. But he was a hardworking person who had worked at the post office for many years.
He might scold him, saying his ideas were naive.
Thinking about that, Yuma opened his mouth.
“It’s about my future education…”
“What about your future education?”
His mother also asked, looking uneasy. Feeling the heavy atmosphere, Yuma swallowed hard.
“I’ve decided to give up going to university and get a job.”
At Yuma’s words, his parents’ eyes widened.
“A job… is there a company you want to work for?”
His mother asked with a serious look.
“Not a company… there’s a profession.”
“What kind of profession is it?”
It was a natural question. But Yuma was at a loss for words. What kind of faces would they make if he said he wanted to become a Seeker who defeats Monsters in Dungeons?
Depending on the job type, they might approve. But would they approve of a job that involved danger?
Yuma opened his mouth timidly.
“I want to get a job at a Dungeon-related company. I’ve already started studying for it.”
“Dungeon-related… can’t you do that after graduating from university?”
His father, who had been watching quietly, interjected.
“I was thinking of going to university because I didn’t have anything else I wanted to do. Now that I have something I want to do, there’s no point in going.”
“I see…”
Saying that, his father fell silent. His mother looked restless and seemed to want to say something, but she deliberately avoided interrupting.
After a while, his father spoke.
“Until now… Yuma has never expressed his own thoughts. I was a little surprised. I was worried that he was apathetic about everything.”
He couldn’t be blamed for thinking that. Yuma was well aware of it himself.
“So, I’m also happy to hear Yuma’s intentions clearly. If there’s something you want to do, you should try it.”
“Really? It’s okay?”
“Yes, I’ll submit a leave of absence to the university. If you get a job and think you can manage, tell me. I’ll submit a withdrawal form then.”
His mother, who had been listening, nodded and smiled. The exam fee would be wasted, and even with a leave of absence, some of the tuition would still be charged.
While feeling bad for his parents, Yuma decided to accept their kindness.
“Thank you! I’ll do my best in my Job Hunting!”
Yuma rushed up to the second floor where his room was. He picked up his smartphone and sat down on the bed.
All that was left was to start Job Hunting in earnest.
It was October now. It was a little late for a high school student to be Job Hunting, but many Dungeon-related companies had year-round hiring.
That was especially true for hiring Seekers.
In addition to Seekers, Dungeon-related companies also hired for sales, general affairs, and technical positions. In the medical field, they were also recruiting doctors, nurses, and researchers.
As far as he had researched, only some researchers and Seekers were hired year-round.
Perhaps Seekers were in a dangerous job, so there weren’t many people willing to do it even with a high annual salary? If so, he had a good chance.
With that in mind, Yuma sent out Application Forms to every promising company he could find.
“Now all I have to do is wait…”
Two weeks later—
“Why?! Why am I getting rejected so much?!”
Yuma was holding his head in his hands. He had received rejection notices from 80% of the companies he had sent Application Forms to.
“Seriously? Is this what they call a rejection email? Are Seekers that popular?! This is too harsh…”
Yuma began to regret being so naive. However, he couldn’t just complain.
He decided to pin his hopes on the interviews he had with the companies that had somehow passed his application. Most of them were mid-sized companies, but at this point, he didn’t care where he got in.
Yuma, who couldn’t afford to be picky, renewed his determination for the interviews.