The morning started with a knock on Raj's door.He was already awake, sitting by the window with his journal open, scribbling design ideas. Nothing special. Just rough sketches of wrist supports and a simple logo stitched on the side.When he opened the door, a staff member handed him a slip.
"Sponsor meeting – 11 a.m. – Block B, Room 3."Raj folded the note and nodded.
By 10:45 a.m., he was outside the sponsor room.His RajCraft gear bag was over his shoulder ,not the usual sports duffel, but the same rough cloth bag he had brought from home. It still smelled like the storeroom in his old school.
Inside the room sat three people at a long table. Two men in formal shirts, one woman in a sporty jacket. Laptops open. Documents stacked neatly.
"Raj," one of the men said. "Glad you could make it. Take a seat."He nodded, took the chair at the end, and placed his glove on the table.
One of the men leaned forward and touched it. "So this is the one?".Raj nodded. "Version two. I stitched it two days ago."
"Nice," the woman said. "We've had eyes on your work. You've built something very honest."Raj wasn't sure what that meant.They spent the next twenty minutes talking about materials, designs, and what Raj could do if he had better tools.They asked questions like:
"Would you be open to using machine-cut foam instead of hand-cut?"
"Can we simplify the stitching for mass production?"
"What if we print the RajCraft logo in bright red?"
Raj answered everything politely.But a small part of him was uncomfortable.This wasn't like stitching alone on the floor.This was business.They weren't asking how to make it better for kids like him.They were asking how to make it faster.And sell more."We'd like to test a small batch," one man finally said. "Ten pieces. You make them, we handle promotion. You'll get a cut."
Raj blinked. "Like... a paid deal?"
The woman smiled. "Yes. It starts small. But if it works, it grows."He looked down at his hands.The same hands that once pricked on broken needles.Now someone wanted to buy what they made.He nodded slowly. "I'll do it."
[System Notification: Major Task – Business Route Activated]
RajCraft Small Batch Order: 10 Gloves – 7-Day Deadline
Reward: Business Trust Level 1 + Passive Skill Preview (Coming Soon)
After the meeting, Raj walked out into the sun.It was hot.Too hot.But he didn't mind.For the first time, someone believed in his work enough to pay for it.And yet something still felt strange inside.He couldn't name it.At lunch, Uday and Zayed messaged to check in.
"Bro, you signed the deal??" They asked.
To be continued.....