Interview

Akira invited his two guests inside, leading them through a narrow hallway to the meeting room. In his mind, he worried about them seeing the current state of his office. Some of the office facilities were in disrepair, like leaky pipes and rotten floors. 

Although Akira didn't care much about what others thought of him, he cared deeply about the image of Quantum Esports. He didn't want outsiders to look down on the team he had painstakingly built.

His anxiety grew when he saw the wet floor. He hoped his guests wouldn't slip while walking over it. Ever since Haruto and the other members left the team, Akira hadn't visited the office. Only Daiki, the sole remaining member, still went to the office even though the team was inactive. 

As Akira opened the meeting room door, he saw Daiki sprawled out on the couch, surrounded by a mess of food. Empty fast food wrappers and energy drink cans were scattered on the table and floor. Snoring loudly, the skinny man was sleeping.

Akira couldn't help but lower his head, feeling embarrassed as his guests saw the messy room.

"Sorry about the mess," he said with an awkward smile.

Hana gave a sympathetic smile, while Haruki seemed unfazed by the scene. After apologizing, Akira woke Daiki up in a personal way.

SLAP!

"Aw!"

Daiki woke up, rubbing his cheek where Akira's handprint was still visible. Confusion filled his face as he looked at Akira, who was grinning like a devil ready to torment his victim.

"Daiki. We have guests. Can you clean up this room and make us some hot tea?"

Hearing the threatening tone, Daiki gulped. He saw the two guests standing behind Akira. Hana waved at him with a slight smile.

"Of course, Aki—Boss!" Daiki replied.

In a rush, Daiki cleared the table and carried all the trash out of the room. 

"Sorry, we only have one room. I hope you don't mind if it's a bit messy," Akira said.

"No problem. It reminds me of when I first started my business," Hana replied.

Akira invited his two guests to sit on the comfortable sofa, while he took a seat across from them. Without much small talk, Akira dove right into the main topic.

"So, what brings you to see me?" Akira asked, trying to maintain a professional demeanor.

Hana placed her hands on her son's shoulders. Haruki looked nervous, his facial muscles visibly tense.

"We're here because my son, Haruki Ito, is very interested in joining your esports team," the woman explained.

Raising his eyebrows, Akira was a bit surprised to hear their actual purpose for visiting. He was sure he hadn't received any emails or direct messages about Haruki Ito.

"If your son wants to join our team, he could have sent an email. That way, we could prepare for your visit," Akira said.

"My son has been sending emails for the past few months, but there's been no response from your team. So, we decided to come here in person."

"Oh, I see."

From her statement, Akira quickly understood what had happened. Over the past few months, the company's email had received one or two applications, but their resumes didn't meet the criteria.

Among the incoming emails, there was one that kept spamming even after being deleted multiple times. Akira hadn't checked the name because his former manager handled recruitment at that time.

However, if someone had sent an application, especially repeatedly, and didn't get a response, it meant they didn't make the cut. This was common knowledge; everyone knew it. Seeing the mother come directly to his office with her son, Akira knew she was trying to get her son in one way or another.

Meritocracy is the foundation of Quantum Esports. He wouldn't accept anyone incompetent into his team. If her son was someone the team had previously rejected, Akira wouldn't accept him even for a large sum of money. But since he had already invited them in, he couldn't turn them away immediately.

"Maybe there was a mistake from our management, as we've just undergone a team overhaul," Akira lied. "So, a lot has been happening."

Hana smiled. "What a coincidence then. How about you consider my son? He's very passionate about gaming." Her son puffed out his chest as she said this. 

Meanwhile, Akira sighed. Like it or not, this woman was quite adept at steering the conversation.

"Why not? Let's start the interview," Akira said.

Of course, Akira didn't intend to actually recruit him. He already knew the outcome even before starting the interview. But he needed to go through the formality to politely send them away.

"So, Haruki Ito, right?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, Maxfit—I mean, Mr. Takeda."

Akira raised an eyebrow slightly when Haruki mentioned his in-game nickname. It was rare for someone to call him that in real life.

"Tell me about yourself," Akira asked out a generic question.

"My name is Haruki Ito! I'm 18 years old! I've been playing Rex Regum Online since it first launched! And my rank is Silver II!"

Haruki introduced himself by shouting. The small meeting room amplified his voice, making it echo around the room. Akira was even startled when the boy first said his name.

"That's quite an introduction," he remarked, glancing at Hana.

"Thank you!" Haruki yelled back.

"You can speak more quietly."

Besides his poor self-explanatory style, the boy's history was equally bad. Rex Regum Online ended its open beta eight years ago. If he had been playing RRO since its release and was still stuck in Silver rank, it only showed how terrible his skill was.

From this, Akira could already conclude that Haruki didn't pass the interview. But out of respect for the boy's mother, he continued.

"You're a veteran player, so tell me. What do you know about RRO?"

"RRO is a free action game where you control Super Soldiers from a first-person perspective. You can do cool parkour moves, like wall running and double jumping while shooting your enemies. There are also lots of RPG elements where you can collect and upgrade gear and skills for your character in a huge and exciting sci-fi world."

Haruki explained Rex Regum Online with such enthusiasm that his words were a bit jumbled. But Akira got the gist. The boy meant to say RRO was an action looter shooter RPG.

Next, Akira asked the usual HR questions. Like why Haruki wanted to join Quantum Esports, his strengths and weaknesses, and what salary he expected when joining the team.

The interview session ended when Daiki arrived with three hot teas. Akira shot him a sideways glance because the skinny guy had taken too long to make drinks for their guests.

"Alright, Haruki. We'll consider you. If we need you, we'll contact you," Akira said, smiling.

"If I may ask, how long until we hear back?" Hana asked.

"Maybe seven days at the latest."

As Akira was about to escort the mother and son to the front door, Daiki suddenly blurted out.

"No skill test like other applicants? Just the interview, boss?"

Naturally, Haruki and Hana looked at Akira with questioning expressions as if they wanted an explanation.

"What test? Every applicant has to undergo a test?" Hana asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh, right. When I read the recruitment post, it mentioned a skill test. Do I need to do that too?"

"Uh, it's just a formality," Akira replied awkwardly.

Akira tried to explain to them, but Hana seemed to know that he had no intention of recruiting her son. The single mother began persuading Akira to let Haruki take the skill test.

"As you heard earlier, my son has been playing this game for eight years. I think you should see his skills."

"Ugh, that…"

Akira wanted to decline politely, but her gaze was intimidating. Not to mention, the woman was extremely wealthy. He didn't know what might happen if he refused her request.

With a deep sigh, Akira finally gave in, his shoulders dropping.

"Okay, we'll do the test for Haruki."

"Yosh! I'll show you my best!" Haruki exclaimed enthusiastically. His mother smiled softly at him.

As they left the meeting room, Akira shot a terrifying glare at Daiki, making him swallow hard.

Akira led them to the second floor. If the ground floor was for meetings and relaxing, the upper floor was where the Quantum Esports members trained.

The training room was spacious, like a combination of all the rooms downstairs. Inside, there were five gaming computers facing the walls. One side had three computers, and the other had two. Unlike the messy downstairs, the second floor was tidy. The desks were clean, and the floor wasn't wet.

Haruki was awestruck when he first entered the training room. This made Akira frown in confusion. This gaming setup was pretty standard. There were even better ones out there. Considering his mother was rich, Haruki should have a better gaming setup than this.

"Which computer will I use for the test?" Haruki asked, his eyes sparkling.

"You're free to choose."

Haruki picked the computer in the corner, which was the one Akira usually used.