((Player [Amy Riggs] has accepted your invitation to the Group [Riggs].))
"!?"
Max practically threw the fishing rod aside, not even bothering to collect the 19th and 20th fish he caught, as he quickly opened the Chat function and switched to Groups.
Just then, as if having agreed on joining the Group at the same time,
((Player [Emilia Riggs] has accepted your invitation to the Group [Riggs].))
((Player [Adeline Riggs] has accepted your invitation to the Group [Riggs].))
Looking at the three new members of the group, Max felt a burden in his heart disappear.
((Member [Emilia Riggs] requests a Group Video Chat. Grant permission?))
Rather than giving permission, Max switched to the settings and changed all three of them from members to Administrators.
There was a short pause before another prompt appeared in the Group Chat.
((Admin [Emilia Riggs] has initiated a Group Video Chat. Join?))
"Yes."
The next moment, three screens, each with the face of a person he had been wanting to touch, to hug, and to apologise to for over eight years, appeared before him.
Yet the moment he stood face to face, even if through screens, Max felt all the words he had practices, all the lines he had prepared for the occasion, stuck in his throat.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
None of the four spoke as they merely kept watching silently. Finally, Max broke the silence.
"You all…look fine." (Max)
"And you haven't died yet." (Emilia)
Max smiled as he heard Emilia's voice, not caring for her words.
"Yes, fortunately, I haven't died yet, Emi." (Max)
"Don't call me that!", she roared back the moment he completed his sentence, "Don't call me that! You lost the right to call me that…the day you…abandoned us…"
"…" (Max)
"What!? Don't you have anything to say to us!? To me!? To your sisters!?" (Emilia)
"…" (Max)
"Say something you asshole! What's the matter! Don't you have a tongue!? Use it!" (Emilia)
Max merely continued smiling a he listened to his little sister curse him using every foul word in the English dictionary, resisting the urge to reprimand her for her language.
On the other screens, the beautiful Amy, who appeared a splitting image of her equally beautiful twin sister save for her general atmosphere itself which seemed to scream 'gentle' and 'kind', as well as the young and cute looking Adeline, smiled brightly as they heard their sister scold their brother.
They didn't need to say anything. Or perhaps, they had nothing to say.
At that moment, they were just glad to see his face again, to know he was still alive and well.
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
"You alright?" (Max)
For the first time in almost half an hour, Max spoke, looking at the gasping Emilia worriedly.
"Drink some water, don't let your throat rupture." (Max)
"Shut up!", she shouted back before coughing. She took out a bottle of water that all Players had gotten and took a couple sips, moistening her throat, and looked back at her 'brother', ready to continue scolding him.
After all, she had accumulated eight long years of grievances. Just half an hour was too little time to let it all out.
"Alright, don't scold him anymore.", the gentle Amy came to poor Max's rescue just as Emilia opened her mouth.
"Big Brother…it's been a while since I uttered those words…" (Adeline)
Max felt his body shake as he heard those words from his little sister Adeline.
"I…I'm sorry…for not being there for you." (Max)
"Mm…it's alright, you're here now right?" (Adeline)
"Yeah, it's been a long time, but it's nice to finally see you again, Brother." (Amy)
"Humph! If it weren't for this stupid Game thing kidnapping all of us, who knows if he'd even want to see us? In fact, it's because of those announcements that you even contacted us isn't it!?" (Emilia)
Despite saying that, even someone with an EQ of 0 could see that she didn't believe it. Or rather, she didn't want to believe it, didn't want it to be true.
"Actually…", Max scratched the back of his head as he chuckled softly, "If it weren't for the Game, we would be talking face to face. Or I'd be in the hospital after Emi smashed my head with whatever she gets her hands on."
"Eh? Big Brother, you mean…" (Adeline)
Adeline's eyes widened as she heard his words.
"I was literally 3 feet away from the old house's front yard and was just taking a couple deep breaths to prepare myself. The next thing I know, I'm here." (Max)
Max shrugged with a bitter smile, while the three women, or perhaps two women and one girl, burst out laughing.
"Wow, talk about a coincidence…" (Adeline)
Adeline wiped the corner of her eyes as she smiled, but then her expression froze.
"Sister! Run!"
For a moment, neither Max, Emilia, nor Amy could understand, yet the very next moment, Emilia shouted as loudly as she possible could.
"Amy! Behind you!" (Emilia)
"Watch out!" (Max)
Max felt his heart tighten as he saw the humongous shadow appearing behind her.
Amy couldn't even react before the shadow approached her, it's head splitting one as it opens its mouth, it's hundreds of sharp teeth glistening as it's tongue approached the frozen woman…
And none of the two could do anything as they felt the world move in slow motion, as the huge and terrifying shadow approached their sister…