Kit woke early the next morning and logged out straight away. His eyes fluttered open to the sight of the glass covering opening. He listened to a soft whine as the step came out of the metal capsule. Kit sat up and climbed out of the gamming capsule.

The first thing he did was to have a shower. It was still early in the morning, so he headed to the market to go and buy some food to restock the kitchen. When he returned Kat was waiting, drinking a cup of coffee.

“My little kitty, I missed you.” Kat put down her cup then pounced on him for a hug. Kit had to drop the shopping bags to return her embrace.

“Quick come make some breakfast for me and fill me in on your adventures.”

“Hello Kat, I missed you too.”

Kit picked up the bags and started breakfast. He filled her in on everything he had done so far.

“My little kitty already has a restaurant. That is amazing!” Kit couldn’t help a big smile forming on his face. He was very proud of his little slice of heaven.

“Damn, building a town sounds exciting. Are you sure it won’t be too much along with your restaurant.” Kat had a frown at her words.

“No, I told you I have a lot of people helping. It is not just my responsibility. We all help each other. Honestly, I think I made the right choice building there. Everyone is invested in making Spartan Fire prosper.”

“As long as you’re happy then.” Kat ran her eyes over him.

“You look even better than last time I saw you. Your smile is so big today.” Kat looked pleased at the sight of him.

They finished breakfast in a companiable chatter. Kat had the day off and wanted to spend time with him. So, she helped him research on town building. Kit felt a bit more pressure after doing some research. He soon realised he had a lot to learn. There were even university degrees in town planning!

Kit soon decided to do other things in case he went into a bout of his depressive episodes because of the amount he had to learn. He decided he would talk more with Mars and Twix on his return about what they should each study.

Kit soon lost himself in looking up new recipes. He didn’t forget to find a few with frog’s legs involved.

The two days went by in a flash, and it was soon time to log back in. Kit climbed into the gaming capsule with his nerves on fire. His grand opening was only one day away! Kit felt his heart beating fast as he watched the glass dome close.

Kit closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was lying on his bed in his mud hut. Kit could hear unfamiliar loud noises filtering through his open window. He quickly scrambled to put his boots on the walked out his front door.

Kit’s eyes went wide at the sight that greeted his return to the game. A sea of tents covered the surrounding area. His mouth dropped open in shock. “What the hell had happened while I was gone!”

“Kit my boy, you’re finally back!”

Kit opened and closed his mouth, he was still trying to wrap his head around all the tents. Kit couldn’t even begin to guess how many tents there were, there was too many.

“Grandpa, what happened?”

“What do you mean. They all came for your grand opening. We should get some new residents out of this as well.”

Kit finally realised what the calculating look in the old man’s eyes had been about when they were planning to send out the invitations. He had been looking to increase Spartan Fires residents. He really was a crafty old fox. Kit could only admire his crafty nature. Hopefully he could continue to learn a thing or two from the old man in the future.

Kit couldn’t help his gaze returning to the tents. They were scattered around the surrounding area creating a dazzling display. The tents were all different colours and shapes. Kit felt his heart start to pound. They were all here for his grand opening?

Kit felt pressure build up behind his eyes. They started to twitch. How on earth could he feed all these people inside his restaurant! Kit’s mind automatically went to the four tables inside his restaurant. It wouldn’t be possible!

Kit breathing started to increase with his heart rate. He felt like he was hyperventilating. Kit clutched his chest.

“Kit, calm down!” Grandpa came over and patted his back.

“Take some deep breaths my boy. This is a very good thing to have all these people come.”

Kit started to suck in great big lung full of air. Soon he had calmed his racing heart. He finally stopped his panic attack from consuming him.

“Thanks Grandpa. I wasn’t ready for such a big surprise.”

“It’s ok. Come we can all help you formulate a plan. Don’t worry, we won’t leave you alone to deal with everything. We can divide jobs amongst us all.” Grandpa gave Kit a reassuring smile.

Grandpa started to head towards the restaurant. Kit followed while glancing at all the people. As they walked Kit started to notice other changes in the village. Kit felt a burst of joy at the sight. Kit could see seven new mud huts built. That was at least seven new residents!

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Then Kit noticed another recently built structure. It was nestled behind the town hall. “Grandpa what’s that building over there.”

Kit pointed to the new building. A smile blossomed on Grandpa’s face when he followed the direction Kit was pointing to.

“That is our new general store. Pretty good, right?”

“Yes, that’s amazing. Is it one of the new residents that build it?”

“Mmm… Her husband accepted the job of the warehouse manager. I’ll introduce you to the pair later.”

They had already filled one of the positions while he had been away. This was fantastic!

“Grandpa, did the clerical job also get filled?”

“Yes, we got a new graduate. She still has a bit to learn, but she is bright. I’m very hopeful about her prospects. I think we hit the jackpot with her, honestly. She graduated amongst the top students in her class.”

Kit was impressed. Kit didn’t have time to marvel over all the new differences in the town. They had arrived at his restaurant. Kit stood in front of his restaurant in a stunned state. What the hell had happened while he was logged out.

Kit eyes darted around the building. It was completely different to the building that he came to every day up to six days ago. Instead of three mud huts squished together it now had four. The outer walls were intricately carved with beautiful flowers and trees.

In big bold writing was written the name of his restaurant amongst the scenery. Was this still his restaurant? How had it changed so much?

Kit noticed a new flower bed off to the side of his restaurant. He walked over to take a closer look. When he reached the colourful display, he sucked in a breath. It was an outdoor seating area! Kit felt his heart rate increase. Tiny explosions went off inside his head. He felt his mouth split into a huge grin.

It was a freakin’ outdoor seating area! There were four more tables that had four accompanying chairs. They were still the simple barrels that were used inside. With the way the garden was set out they didn’t look out of place. Instead, they complimented each other.

There was a small water feature that ran along the length of the outdoor area acting as a fence. Flowers bloomed in brilliant dazzling colours in a garden that linked the water feature to the wall of the restaurant. This created a closed off area for the outdoor diners.

Kit had lost all his words. It looked amazing! How did this happen? Kit quickly turned and headed inside to find Snickers to find out the answer.

He didn’t have to go looking for her, Snickers rushed over to Kit as soon as he walked in. Her tiny arms gave him a warm hug.

“Kit, welcome back! What do you think of the changes I made? Fantastic right?”

Kit felt Snickers had a look of ‘praise me’ written all over her face. He couldn’t help but to laugh at her antics.

“From what I have seen so far it looks brilliant! Snickers you have really outdone yourself.”

“Kit, you’ve only seen the outside. Quick, come I’ll show you the inside.”

Snickers eyes twinkled with delight. She puffed out her small chest then pulled him further into the dining area. Kit noticed that the inside had numerous changes as well. Yellow paper lanterns now hung from the roof. Kit guessed they would provide a light source once it became dark. This would be much better than the candles they had been using.

The walls were carved with a beautiful scenic view. Kit stared in open wonder at the sight. The tables had Twin blooming hope flowers artfully arranged around glass jars filled with tiny twinkling lights inside.

The changes to his restaurant were immense.

“Snickers how did you do all this?”

Kit heard tinkling laughter greet his question. “Kit, you didn’t think I would be idle while you were gone. Come and see the kitchen. I know you will be the happiest with the changes in there.”

Kit blinked. That’s right, there was an extra mud circle attached to the building. Kit felt a thrill pass over his body. He couldn’t wait to see what Snickers had done. He followed behind the tiny elf with an eager step.

Kit walked into a kitchen that was twice the size of the original. His eyes darted around the room to take in all the changes. Next to the half wall stood two, time freeze storage shelves. Kit felt his creative juices flow at the sight.

He could have a wider selection of dishes! Kit wanted to get to work making more meals right away. He then noticed the other changes. A sink was sitting nestled amongst bench tops. Kit felt a burst of delight at seeing a kitchen sink.

Washing the dishes outside in a water barrel had been a pain. Having a sink inside would make things a lot easier. Kit walked around inside his now spacious kitchen. He didn’t know how these changes were possible. He asked Snickers to relive his curiosity.

“With the promotion of the town to a small village it unlocked a larger space for the restaurant. I knew you would prefer to extend the kitchen instead of the dining area. So, I just went ahead and made the changes.”

“The sink also became available. So, I put it in. You were always complaining about having to use the barrel outside to wash things. There are a few other things available in the blueprints section, but I left those for you to decide if you wanted to purchase them.”

Kit was amazed that more options had opened up after Spartan Fire was promoted to a small village. He thought he would have to wait until he had reached a one star before it would be possible. Kit was delighted. He realised promoting the town alongside his restaurant would open up more features for him.

Kit wondered if it was the same for other buildings. Kit then remembered the outdoor area. “Snickers what about the outdoor area? Did that unlock after promoting Spartan Fire.”

“Oh, you unlocked that at the start of your restaurant. I always wondered why you never built it. Then I thought you might have just forgotten all about it. So, I just added it while you were away. It’s an important feature, it gave us another four tables.”

Kit was so happy he had Snickers. She was right he had completely forgotten about the bonus outdoor area. He would have missed out on extra seating! That would have reduced his profits!

“How did you manage to get the façade on the walls? It really makes the mud walls look more upscale.”

“That was Leonard. I chose what I wanted and made him do it.”

Snickers looked pleased with herself about making Leonard carve the walls. Kit had a different feeling after hearing Leonard’s name. Kit felt a jolt of fear spread over him, he hadn’t forgotten what happened last time he saw the large man.

The fear faded fast with his attention on the restaurant. He looked at Snickers standing there waiting for him to reply to her.

“Snickers, I honestly can’t thank you enough for all the work you have done while I was away. I would be lost without you.”

Kit was speaking the truth. He didn’t know when he signed the contract with Snickers how lucky he was to get her as manager. He was now starting to understand how valuable she was. He hoped she would never leave.

“Snickers I want to do something to thank you. Is there a certain dish you want me to try to make for you?”

Snickers eyes went round. Then a pure look of delight appeared in her eyes. “Yes, I want some rum.”

“What?” Kit was surprised at what she asked for.

“Rum Kit, you know hard liquor. I want that.” Snickers started to smack her lips. Kit felt a little terrified at the prospect of a drunk Snickers. He felt he couldn’t refuse though.

“Ok when I find some ingredients for rum, I’ll make it for you.”

“Haha, great! I already found a place nearby that has just what you will need. Once the grand opening is over, we can go there.”

Kit had a funny feeling she had been waiting to make this request to him. He didn’t mind. Being able to sell rum would be great!

With all the surprises over Kit decided it was time to plan around tomorrow’s grand opening before he lost himself in the kitchen trying to make some new creations.