A few hours afterward, we're back in our house with our parents already home. Since it's almost the winter holidays, Mom has less work and will have a few weeks off while Dad has already returned from work and decided to continue his AI work here for the holidays. As for us, we have our winter break starting next week. We only have a few homework assignments left and after that, we can focus more on the game and Kazuki's birthday.

After dinner, I'm about to head upstairs with Kazuki when I feel someone grabbing my shoulder. I turn around and see Dad behind me.

"Sorry to disturb you, Hayate. But can we talk in private for a while?"

Private, huh? I'm guessing that it must be the birthday gift plan. Regardless, I shrug and turn to Kazuki. "You better go on ahead. I'll catch up in a few seconds."

"Sure. I'm actually going to read more on the expansion update on the computer until then."

I nod and turn around as I let him go ahead.

"So what do you want to talk about, Dad? If it's about the birthday gift, I already asked my friends to help me out with it."

"Ah, that's good to know. But I want to talk about something else and it revolves about [Isekai]."

[Isekai]? Why does he want to bring that up at this time?

"Um... Okay? What about it?"

"Well, the developers were observing your progress into the game and they are impressed with your in-game achievements so far."

"Uh... Yeah..." That's right. We’ve also been playing the game to test out some of the features that Dad and his company have added to the game. "I'm guessing you already know about them through the news articles, right? Heck, I'm guessing you might be responsible for that last event that almost gave everyone trouble."

He then chuckles in response, much to my annoyance.

"I can't say that I'm responsible, but most of the developers are trying to fulfill the players' feedback after the potion event. Don't worry, we'll make sure to inform everyone before we can pull that stunt again."

I sigh in annoyance. I love my Dad, but he can be pretty mischievous when it comes to his AI projects.

"Right, right. Back to the subject at hand, I was wondering if you, Kazuki, and your friends are interested in visiting [Isekai Online's ] developer studios. It's their way of thanking you for your hard work."

Developer studios? That's a bit sudden for them to ask. Still...

"Huh? I'm a bit interested, but why tell me all of this? Should you include Kazuki into this conversation?"

"I know. But here's the thing. I was hoping that it will occur two days before his birthday. Just think of it as his first early birthday gift. I know this is a bit much, but you are aware this is an important day both in the game and his livelihood."

Important, huh? Now that he mentioned it, he will become 12 years old in the next few weeks and the game allows 12-years-old and up to play with the [Guardian Player] feature. Don't tell me...

"You're telling me he will be able to play without me?" I sigh, realizing the inevitable. “I guess my time as a [Guardian Player] is almost over, huh?"

"Not exactly. As a reward for accompanying him on his in-game journey, you will receive a special title and a [Storyline Bonus] passive skill. You can still accompany him to unlock more skills and possibilities."

My eyes widen when I hear those familiar words.

"Wait, you mean the same passive skill Kazuki's race has? Hang on, did you get involved in the game's story at our expense?!"

"Who knows? Just be prepared for what's ahead in the upcoming expansion."

I sigh in defeat, knowing I can't pry everything out of him.

"Alright. Just don't do anything stupid in the game, please. I rather not get more paparazzi because of your crazy ideas."

I then head upstairs, knowing the inevitable. True, we can still play together, but for how long?

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"Oh, there you are, Hayate!"

I wave to Kazuki as I enter the bedroom.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. What did you find there?"

"A lot. New skills, locations, and more about ."

"Can you tell me more about the latter then? We might able to learn more about if we visit there." Plus, despite my remarks about Zac's attraction to a magician NPC, I am interested in where Dahlia is working.

"Sure! According to this, is known as the "Kingdom of Light". It's where many magicians made their names and the resides. It's also where the and the of the country reside and I think this Dalhia person might be in one of them."

I see. Considering that I might get the skill after the maintenance, there’s a chance for us to learn more about [Mana] and these [Mana Landmarks] Bai Hu mentioned. Not only that, the culprit behind the plague is still on the loose. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were wandering around in the kingdom undetected. "At least that's enough for us to know what we're getting into for the expansion launch. If we want to move on, we have to get stronger in the game. Which means we have to max out our [Masteries] if we can."

As soon as I say this, Kazuki's eyes widen before he stands up and shouts, "Max them out?! Are you sure we can do that? What happens if we die and lose some of our experience due to the death penalty?"

That's true. Fighting stronger monsters is a risk, but it's worth a lot of [EXP] according to Zac. Besides, my first [Duel] has given me an insight into my current skillset and I'm now aware of my limits. "We'll figure something out when that happens. For now, we have to grind up and decide on what to do with our equipment. Since we're going to have a winter break next week, we have to use our time wisely."

"Ah, okay... I understand."

Good. Now all that's left is our homework and...

Uh...

"Why are you staring at me?" I ask as I notice him doing so while he's smiling like a Cheshire Cat.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that you've changed a lot ever since the game launched. You're starting to obsess over it as much as I do, aren't you?"

Obsess?! Why does he even think of that? I'm just treating [Isekai] as my hobby. A hobby that is basically like my second life...

Okay, I see what he meant. I only sigh in response to this.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Kaz. I joined the game to keep an eye on you as a [Guardian Player] and I have to make sure you won't spend too much time there. I get your love of it, but don't forget real life and your studies here."

"Yeah, yeah. Tell the guy who treated an in-game kingdom as a real one."

I gulp when he mentions this. I just say nothing as I sigh again.

"Let's focus on our homework before I lose my mind."

I silently pick up our textbooks while I hear my younger brother snicker behind my back. At this point, I begin to regret my decisions and mentally curse my Dad for this.

----------------------------------------

Adam Palmer stands in front of the window inside of his home office. After his conversation with his older son, he can't help but sigh in contemplation. It has been a few months since the launch of the game and as time passed, both of his sons have slowly become celebrities in the eyes of [Isekai] gamers. He can't tell if it's a blessing or a curse for them, but their reputation as the players who shook up the world of has not only gained attention from many aspiring gamers around the world, but also the developers and publishers of the game.

Regardless, his decision of inviting his sons was worth it and because of them, they’ve made more improvements to the AI and worked on the story and lore in anticipation of the first expansion of the game. Now all that’s left is...

RING! RING!

He gasps when he hears his phone ringing. He takes it out of his pocket and answers it.

“Talk to me. How are you, Evan?”

He can hear his colleague chuckle sheepishly and say, “Semi-good. Our baby is driving us nuts in here and right now, my wife is trying to rein him in as much as we can. I’m just glad I can get a break from him for a while.”

Adam chuckles when he hears of his colleague's small, but humorous dilemma in his household. "Trust me. In my experience, having kids can be a handful especially when you have two of them running around the house. Ironically, Hayate was the most difficult before Kazuki came in."

"I can imagine that. That aside, did you tell them about the studio tour?"

"Yes. Though I only told Hayate about it. I'll tell Kazuki sometime before school tomorrow. But are you sure you want to bring them there? Considering what happened in the game, Hayate might use that chance to have a not-so-nice chat with you and your friends there."

"Hey, I'm not the one who even suggested that event idea. In all honesty, I was the few people who objected to it and we did have a few complaints about it in the aftermath."

"Right, right. I'm sorry about that. It won’t happen again. But on the bright side, we did get a lot of data from it."

"Yeah, yeah. Back with the tour, I’ve already in contact with the players of the well-known guild, and most of them accepted the invitations as well. Along with the beta testers and competitive gaming players, it should be enough for the tour."

"Well, you should add a few people to the guest list, Evan. I have a feeling Hayate might invite his friends along and I don't want them to disappoint them. Besides, there are a few people who helped them with some of the [Quests] in the game."

"I understand. I'll see what I can do with the higher-ups about it. Until then, I suggest you should lessen your work for the winter break. I know you want to improve the game's AI and all, but you have to spend the holidays with your family. That's what my father told me and you should do the same, too."

As much as he wants to say otherwise, he's right. With all of the craziness his sons have endured in the game so far, he might as well follow his friend’s advice.

"All right, I understand. If it's for Peace and the boys, then I’ll take it down a bit.”

“That’s good to know. If you excuse me, I gotta get back to see my kid. I hope I can those boys soon.”

“Same here. See you at the tour.”

With that, he ends the call and stares out the window again.

“What kind of adventures will you get into next, you two? It’s a brand new chapter and I hope you two have a good time in .”