Summoning Japan: Flights of the Fancy

Extra Chapter - The Secret Behind the Magic Bulge's Creation

Runepolis Magic Academy, Runepolis, Holy Mirishial Empire

"I thought it was a good idea," complained the man he was meeting for the first time.

Sasajima, who had been invited as a lecturer to teach Japanese at the Magic Academy, found himself suddenly thrown into a room filled with many unfamiliar faces after a sudden summons.

. . .

Although Sasajima held a Ph.D. in science, he was what is known as an "over-doctor," making a living as a part-time instructor at a prep school. The declining birthrate in Japan made it increasingly difficult to find a position as a university faculty member. Moreover, many universities practiced nepotism in hiring. Unless one achieves remarkable achievements, it is difficult to get a job on your own merit.

As Japan started forming diplomatic relations with the new foreign countries after the transference, Japanese universities struggling with declining birthrates began accepting international students. Thanks to this, Sasajima initially found a job at his alma mater, but due to interpersonal issues, it did not last. However, there were opportunities for reemployment beyond Japanese universities due to the transmigration. This included foreign universities, also known as foreign employees. Sasajima considered this option, but most job listings were in engineering, and the Ph.D. in science that Sasajima held didn't quite match. Additionally, Sasajima himself felt uneasy about living in a foreign country, especially one considered a developing country from a Japanese perspective.

It was at such a time that Sasajima came across a job opening at the Runepolis Magic Academy. However, the job listing was quite unconventional. The qualifications required a Ph.D. in science or engineering, but the subject to be taught was the Japanese language. Moreover, the position offered was that of a lecturer, not a professor or visiting professor. When Sasajima inquired about this unusual job listing (through the recently established Mirishial Embassy), the response he received was, "We are not recruiting individuals with Ph.D.s in literature or linguistics, so the position of professor is not granted." While the answer seemed somewhat reasonable on the surface, it was strange for them to present such mismatched conditions in the first place. Many who saw the job listing suspected that what they really wanted was a translator, not an educator. If that were the case, they could have hired a professional translator or agency, but the reason for not doing so seemed to involve handling suspicious documents discreetly or trying to keep costs down. Because of these suspicions, the job opening remained vacant for a long time.

Sasajima's decision to respond to this seemingly dubious job offer was primarily due to economic reasons. The fact that the relocation destination was the most advanced country in the new world also helped lower the psychological hurdles.

Upon arriving, Sasajima found that being a Japanese language instructor was not a lie. While the number of students he taught was not large, he was frequently consulted. The literature students brought in overwhelmingly consisted of Japanese-language documents in science and engineering, and he often found himself explaining their content. It was as if half of his job was translation. Overall, the situation with that job opening was somewhat grey but not entirely black.

Also, by coming to the Magic Academy, Sasajima began to understand their circumstances that led to such an unnatural job opening. At the Magic Academy, science was defined as a study of magic, and scholars who did not know magic were not recognized as doctorate holders in science. Therefore, a Ph.D. in science from Japan was not acknowledged as a doctorate at the Magic Academy.

After spending half a year at the Magic Academy, Sasajima started to regret coming to Runepolis. He had chosen to work in Runepolis for financial reasons, but the lecturer's compensation was not high, and the cost of living in Runepolis was higher than in Japan. Savings were not accumulating as planned, and even working until the end of the term seemed unlikely to reach the desired amount. While dissatisfaction with finances might be manageable if there were satisfaction as a scholar, motivation was lacking when dealing only with unrelated work such as Japanese language teaching and translation. Sasajima began considering quitting, but lacking knowledge of Mirishial's laws, he didn't know the potential risks, and he didn't know whom to consult, leaving him in a difficult situation.