Kit's heart raced as the hatch clicked open. He scrambled out of his pod and hurried towards the door, but paused once he reached his small lounge area. It was still early morning - he had forgotten that Kat would still be asleep.

Deciding not to disturb her, Kit occupied himself with converting his earnings. A wide grin spread across his face as he stared at his bank account: 32,800 dollars was a shocking amount for Kit. He had never seen so much money in his life, and all thanks to playing a game.

Feeling too energized to sit still, Kit decided to take a walk to the local markets and prepare a special breakfast for Kat. When he returned with his arms full of groceries, Kat was already up making coffee. "Little Kitty, you're finally back!" she exclaimed and helped him unload some of the bags.

"Why did you buy so much? This will last us for weeks," Kat asked as she started to put away the groceries.

"Oh, I thought I would make something special for you since I earned 32,800 dollars," Kit replied nonchalantly.

"Something special? Did you learn a new recipe in the game?" Kat smiled as she continued unpacking the groceries. Suddenly, she stopped and turned to face Kit. "Wait! What did you say?" Her eyes widened with shock.

Kit couldn't contain his laughter. "I said I earned 32,800 dollars!" He quickly showed Kat the balance in his bank account.

"Holy shit!" Kat exclaimed, pouncing on Kit and messing up his hair. "My little brother is amazing!"

After his sister calmed down and the groceries were put away, Kit made breakfast and fresh coffee before sitting Kat down on their cozy couch. "Kat, 32,800 is equivalent to 10 months of game time for me. I'm confident I won't need that much time to make my restaurant successful enough to support us financially."

Kit put down his mug and reached out to grasp his sister's hand with his free one. "What do you think about splitting the winnings so you can join in on the game too?" He held his breath, waiting for Kat's response.

She squeezed his hand back and smiled softly. "Thank you for the offer, Kit, but I'll wait until your restaurant is making enough money before I start playing. I know it won't take long, so don't give me those disappointed eyes."

Kit couldn't help but let out a small sigh. He had a feeling Kat would say something like this. "Kat, I understand that you're worried about me not being able to play CAL and my mood taking a hit. But even if I can't play again, that won't happen. I have you and other friends in real life now. Did you forget about the two downstairs?"

Just as Kit mentioned their friends, there was a loud banging on the door accompanied by Mars' voice. "It's just us! I'm coming in!" Without waiting for a reply, Mars barged into the room. A mischievous grin and sparkly eyes greeted them.

"Hey Kat, what's up? Peaches and I ordered you a CAL capsule and paid for 4 months." Mars gave Kit a thumbs-up.

"What the hell, Mars!" Kat bellowed.

"What? We knew you'd turn our dear Kit down, so Peaches and I took matters into our own hands." Mars boasted.

"It was mostly Mars' idea." Peaches added softly.

"Hey, you gave me money too!" Mars glared back. "Besides, you can't return it now." He boasted to Kat. "And let's be real, without your brother's skills, we wouldn't have earned all this money!" Mars turned his grin towards Kit. "So...what's for breakfast?"

It took a moment for Kit to process everything that had just happened. Then, he burst into laughter. Mars truly was a genius! "Kat, I can't wait to show you my restaurant! And you'll get to meet all the others I've been telling you about!"

Kit's grin stretched from ear to ear as he watched his sister's stunned reaction. It would take her some time to process the news, so Kit grabbed his breakfast and headed into the kitchen. He decided to cook a special meal for Mars and Peaches as a treat for convincing his sister to play CAL.

As he cooked, Kit's mood soared. He couldn't help but smile even wider as he listened to the conversation happening in the living room. "Kat, you are going to fall head over heels for CAL!" Mars exclaimed excitedly, explaining the details of the game to Kat.

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When Kit finished cooking, Kat was bouncing with anticipation in her seat. "Okay, you convinced me! I'll take a week off work to try it out first. I'll make up an excuse for why I can't go in."

With his sister's agreement, Kit felt grateful and happy that he could finally repay her for everything she had done for him. He was thankful every day that he’d met Mars; without him, none of this would be happening. As soon as he logged back onto CAL, he promised himself that he would create something special for his foodie friend.

The next day, Kat's capsule arrived and was installed without any issues. Kit watched as his sister stared at the capsule in awe. "You won't even be able to wait until tomorrow to start playing," he commented with a chuckle.

Kat turned her sparkling eyes towards him. "I'll be honest - I'm dying of curiosity about this game."

Kit burst into laughter. "Then log in! You have to start in a beginner town anyway, so it doesn't matter if we pick you up tomorrow. Just go and have fun!"

With a clap of excitement and a squeal, Kat scrambled into the capsule. Before the lid closed, Kit quickly reminded her of the name of the starter village they had found for her to spawn at. "Don't forget, it's called Tangled Vines!"

Kat rolled her eyes and said, "I know," before closing the lid of the capsule and starting the log in process.

The next day, Kit followed Kat into CAL and spawned at Regal Mist harbor. Originally, he had planned to immediately return to Spartan Fire, but now he had to pick up his sister. Impatiently tapping his foot for five minutes, Kit waited for Mars and Peaches to appear.

When they finally did, Kit couldn't help blurting out, "Finally!" Peaches laughed while Mars smirked playfully and said, "Someone is impatient."

Instead of waiting for a response, Kit activated the travel gate and quickly searched for the closest settlement to Tangled Vines.

Three hours later, they appeared in a small village that stunned Kit. He had forgotten that villages in the forsaken state were far behind in progress compared to other states. This village was more like a shanty town with mud huts and dirt roads stretching out before them.

Kit felt anxious that this would be his sister's first impression of CAL. "Maybe I should have had her spawn in Sweet Meadows," he muttered to himself.

But Mars heard him and responded, "I think you're right, Kit. We didn't think this through properly; we just chose the closest starter village to Spartan Fire for Kat to spawn in."

The three of them exchanged grim expressions, and Kit could only hope that Kat wouldn't be put off by this village. Then another thought crossed his mind. "Nothing happened to Kat while we were gone, right?" Memories of his own first experience in the forsaken state flooded his mind, particularly images of Pint exploding heads.

Panic gripped him as he exclaimed, "Hurry! Let's find the meeting point!" Without wasting any time, Kit raced towards the central point of the town where he hoped to find the fountain waiting for them. That was where they had organized to meet Kat. He cursed himself for not planning his sister's entry into CAL more carefully.

Kit and Mars combed every corner of the village, but soon Kit realized something alarming - there was no central fountain in this village! "Damn it, how are we going to find Kat?" Kit's frustration was evident in his voice.

"Stay calm, Kit. Let's look for the town mayor - new players usually get quests from them," replied Mars calmly. He grabbed the nearest person to ask for directions to the mayor.

After a long search, they finally found the mayor - a young man dressed in an animal skin vest. Kit had expected someone older. Without wasting any time, Kit asked about his sister's whereabouts. "Hello, have you seen a young lady who recently arrived in the village?"

The mayor's expression turned stern at Kit's words. "I'm sorry, I can't answer that. I respect people's privacy," he firmly stated.

Realizing that he may have caused a misunderstanding, Kit quickly clarified himself. "I'm looking for my sister - she was supposed to meet me at the fountain here. But it seems like this village doesn't have one."

Recognition sparked in the mayor's eyes and Kit breathed a sigh of relief. "So, are you Kit?" asked the mayor.

Excitedly, Kit confirmed his identity. "Yes! Do you know where Kat is now?"

The mayor pulled out a letter and handed it to Kit with haste. "She left this for you."

A frown creased Kit's forehead as he read the contents of the letter.

Greetings dear brother,

I apologize for not being able to meet you right away. I am currently on a quest chain and I don't know when I'll finish it. If all goes well, I should have a surprise for you when we finally meet in-game. Beans has offered to take me to Spartan Fire after I finish my quest, so don't wait for me to return.

With love, Kat.

"Who is Beans?" Kit couldn't help but voice his disappointment at not being able to find his sister.

"Don't worry, I've known Beans my whole life. She's a good person and will take care of your sister. Plus, she's strong in combat so you don't have to worry about her safety," reassured the mayor.

Kit rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Thank you for trying to ease my anxiety. Do you have any idea how long this quest my sister is on might take?" The young mayor shook his head.

"Thank you for giving me the letter. We’ll be on our way now." Kit thanked the mayor, then trudged towards a nearby wooden bench and sank down onto it, deep in thought about his next course of action.

Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder, bringing him out of his reverie. "Don't worry about Kat," Mars said reassuringly. "She's clearly having a great time, otherwise she would have been waiting for you."

Kit took Mars' words to heart and felt a smile spread across his face. "You're right, Mars. She must be enjoying herself." With his spirits lifted, Kit knew that Kat would come find him when she was done exploring CAL on her own. After all, he had wanted her to have some fun in the first place.

Feeling much better, Kit turned to his friends with a twinkle in his eyes. "Shall we head back then?"