Summoner System in the World of Monster Tamers and Hunters

By mid-afternoon, he arrived at the shared flat again, this time officially moving in. Zhi Yan welcomed him with a warm nod. "Room's ready. Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge."

Li Liu didn't say much, again. Just her usual nod and soft "Hey" before returning to her handheld gaming console.

The couple who shared the third room were home at that time.

Zhi Yan did the honors, introducing his co-tenants. "C'mon, you should meet the other two."

They walked past the small kitchen and turned toward the second bedroom. The door was open, and the sound of someone laughing at a video echoed faintly from inside.

Inside, a tall woman with chestnut brown hair and bright red glasses sat on the edge of the bed, scrolling through her phone. She looked quite athletic. A bit much for Lin Fang's taste. He could see she had bigger biceps than he did. For a moment, he couldn't help but wonder why she was hired as a receptionist, though.

"Oh, so you're the new guy!" she chirped, watching them step in. "Welcome! I'm Yu Xiaofei. You can call me Xiaofei or Fei Fei. Let me know if Zhi Yan forces you to wash dishes."

"Hey!" Zhi Yan slapped her arm playfully from behind.

Beside Yu Xiaofei, sitting cross-legged on the bed with a calm, half-asleep expression, was her boyfriend, Hao Bin. He had shaggy black hair, a gentle face, and wore a loose t-shirt with plaid pajama pants. He gave Lin Fang a small wave. "Hey, Man. What's your age?"

"Eh?" Lin Fang was momentarily taken aback, but then said. "24."

Hao Bin replied with a nod. "I'm 27. So, you can call me Brother Hao."

Lin Fang didn't know how to react but could only nod as he maintained a smile. "Hello."

Soon, after Lin Fang unpacked his clothes in his room, he returned to the living room, where all of them seemed gathered, including Li Liu.

He sat down with them on the floor to converse with them.

The conversation was lighthearted, and it didn't take long for Lin Fang to open up with them, although the attention was stolen by Po. As soon as he introduced it to everyone, they just fell in love with the cute and chubby baby panda. Po liked Li Liu the most, though. Perhaps it was because Li Liu was a monster trainer. Or atleast, that's what Lin Fang assumed.

As the sun goes down on the horizon, the ladies become busy in the kitchen, preparing dishes for the welcome dinner. Zhi Yan chopping vegetables with practiced ease, Li Liu grumbling at a stubborn garlic peel, and Yu Xiaofei humming tunelessly while stirring a pot.

Hao Bin had already excused himself, yawning his way to the bedroom. His night shift at the call center loomed ahead.

Not having anything to do, Lin Fang also retired to his room. He started arranging his folded clothes in drawers, lining up his old chargers and a couple of vintage monster training books on the small table.

At his feet, Po waddled about curiously, sniffing corners and chewing softly on the edge of a bath towel.

*Buzz*

*Ding!

The sound came from his phone and the chime in his mind simultaneously, earning his attention. He paused mid-fold, a shirt still in his hand, and stared at the holographic screen floating before his eyes.

[You received an Order: 4x Luminous Panda Eggs.]

He blinked. And then he stared at the screen again.

His eyes widened at once. His heart thudded like a drum in his chest. "The F**k." A scream of surprise escaped his mouth, nearly tossing the shirt aside. Po shivered at the sudden scream and looked at its master, blinking its large, round eyes.

Four eggs? At once? That was a hundred thousand credits in one go!

His fingers scrambled across the phone screen, bringing up the sales app. There it was: a new order, confirmed and pending shipment.

Before he could even comprehend what kind of person was buying so many pandas, his half-closed door creaked open.

Standing outside was Zhi Yan, holding a ladle in one hand and an apron wrapped over her body, a faint look of worry on her face.

"What happened?" She asked quickly. "Did something break? Or did you see any cockroach or some sort?"

Lin Fang turned toward her, beaming like the sun had risen again. "I just got an order," he said, striding toward her with childlike glee. "A big one. That's a hundred thousand credits!" His voice rose high.

Zhi Yan blinked. "Seriously?" Her face also lit up in delight, and she stepped forward, grabbing his hand. "That's great."

Lin Fang didn't even realize his hand had found hers, but he squeezed it tightly "Zhi Yan! Your idea… your idea about going online? It just clicked! It's all thanks to you…"

He nearly shouted the last part. "I'm not trapped anymore.

"Haha… I'm so happy for you…" Zhi Yan stared at him with a smile before turning unreadable as Lin Fang stared back at his phone, speaking about his difficulties. "I've been struggling to make even a few thousand a month for the past couple of years. Living off loans just to pay off other loans… and now, look at this. One week. One week and everything's changed."

While speaking all of this, he doesn't even realize he was still holding hands with Zhi Yan, who was just silently staring at him.

Well, until…

*Ahem*

Zhi Yan flinched and turned her head, spotting Yu Xiaofei. The latter leaned against the doorframe with arms crossed, a smug look on her face. "Zhi Yan, you only told me that he is your old classmate, but didn't tell me that you were this close?"

"Huh?" Lin Fang blinked.

Zhi Yan frowned, "What do you mean?"

Yu Xiaofei pointed downward with a twirl of her index finger. Lin Fang followed her gaze and immediately froze.

His hand was still holding Zhi Yan's.

Zhi Yan looked too, then abruptly pulled away with an awkward cough, rubbing her neck as if trying to find a good excuse hiding in her skin. "I should… uh… head back to the kitchen," she said, breaking the brief, crackling silence.

"Y-Yeah," Lin Fang stammered. "I should… check the, uh, packaging for the order…"

Zhi Yan stepped past Yu Xiaofei quickly.

But not before the latter raised a single finger, wagging it teasingly as if to say I see everything. Zhi Yan shut her eyes in playful annoyance and dragged her friend with her, ignoring her whispering giggles.

Back in the room, Lin Fang stood there, still somewhat dazed, scratching his head. "It's not like that," he mumbled to himself, cheeks tinged with red. "I mean… It's not. Right?"

Po let out a curious little chuff.

Its appearance reminded something to Lin Fang and he shook his head, picking it up with a grin. "That's right. My priorities should be focusing on steadily improving sales and reputation. Everything else should be thrown aside. Let's not think much."