"Leon...?" Lily's voice called out from the kitchen. She stepped into the living room, wearing an apron. "Hey, I didn't expect you to get home so early."
"Ah, yes..." he replied, unsure how to explain the situation to her.
They lived with their uncle, who worked hard to support their education. Since starting high school, Leon had been working a part-time job to pay for his own studies.
Now, in his second year of university, he continued to work to help cover their daily expenses, hoping to contribute to Lily's school fees as well. Naturally, the news of his sudden job loss would be a cause of concern for his little sister.
Leon and Lily were both students—Leon was in his second year of university, while Lily was in her second year of high school. Ever since their parents left when Leon was eight, they had leaned on each other and their uncle for support.
The three of them shared a small, modest living space. Their uncle often had to travel for work, leaving Leon and Lily to look after themselves. With Leon's demanding schedule, juggling both work and school, he was rarely home, adding to the challenges they had to navigate.
"Are you okay?" Lily asked, sensing his unease.
Lily couldn't help but wonder why Leon was acting so strangely tonight. From playing video games longer than usual to coming home early from work.
She tried to piece it together, thinking maybe he was stressed and had gotten a bit too addicted to the game he was playing. Her classmates often talked about games, especially Immortal Legacy, so it didn't seem unusual for someone Leon's age to get hooked on one.
For about a year, Leon had been spending more time at home ever since a pricey, cutting-edge virtual world capsule device arrived at his doorstep in an anonymous package.
Although the sender of the mysterious gift remained unknown, the label addressed to him made it clear that the device was meant for Leon.
Their uncle was initially worried when the expensive package arrived, fearing that it might be a scam that could bring trouble to them, especially for Leon. However, after leaving it unused for a few weeks, Leon finally decided to accept it, thinking that it was indeed a gift meant for him. As to from whom? No one knew.
The capsule device was the only hardware that allowed full dives into the virtual game Immortal Legacy. Despite its high cost, many people were eager to own it due to the game's popularity and the various job opportunities it offered within the virtual world.
"Is Uncle coming home tonight, Lily? Did you cook for him?" Leon asked.
"I cooked for you! You haven't eaten since this afternoon, right? But it appears you'll have to wait a little bit. Is that alright?" she asked.
"Ah, okay, thanks," Leon replied, taking a look at the clock on the wall. "I'm certainly happy, but shouldn't you be getting ready for school tomorrow?"
Lily only smiled at his question and then shook her head. "It's okay," she replied. "I'm just in a good mood and wanted to do something in the kitchen. I had a sudden urge to cook."
"Do you need my help?"
"No, I'm okay," she shook her head. "I think you should return to your room and finish your game. Will you be out in a few minutes so we can have dinner together?"
However, Leon refused and immediately put down his bag and headed to the kitchen. "It's okay, I'll help with the cooking. I'll cut this one," he said.
Lily looked annoyed and tried to grab the knife from his hand. "Stop it. I said go to your room and play your game."
"Why? I want to help you. Wouldn't it be faster if we did it together?"
"No! You're just getting in my way. Let me handle it myself."
They ended up grappling over the knife, with Leon trying to ensure that it didn't harm his sister.
"What are we doing?" she said, giggling.
"I just want to help."
"No! Go to your room and play the game!" Lily insisted. "Someone is waiting for you, right? A girlfriend, perhaps?"
"Where did you get that idea, Lily?"
"What else could it be? You've been playing the game for over three hours, and you came home from work so quickly. It's not because you want to help me cook, is it? My classmate said that it's common for someone your age."
"I couldn't log out of the game because I met someone."
"A girl?"
"Uh, yes."
"So, it's a girlfriend. Tell me more about her… is she pretty? Do you have her picture?"
"No, it's not like that... um, how do I explain it? She was asleep, and that's why I couldn't log out. I had to wait for her to wake up because she said she'd give me something... special."
"Got it! So, you were staying with a girl while she slept, in the game..."
"It's not like that. It's not what you think," Leon said quickly.
"Then what is it like, Leon?"
Leon sighed, trying to find the right words. "She promised me something special but she suddenly fell asleep in front of me."
Lily giggled. "Oh, so it's all about the game, then. Well, you better go back to it and make sure you get that special thing."
Lily had clearly heard from her classmates that people could start families inside the game, even get married and have children, though the children were game characters.
With this fact in mind, she also read that people could do "that thing" inside the game. Her face flushed as she tried to dismiss the thought from her head.
Leon was a young adult. It was natural for him to have a serious relationship with a woman, so it was understandable. Maybe soon, he would introduce a woman to her and their uncle. He had worked so hard until now; it was natural for him to have some fun with his own interests.
"So... Leon," she said hesitantly. "I'm glad you finally have a special relationship with a woman... so... please make sure it's a player, and not an NPC, okay?" she said, giggling.
"It's an NPC, but it's not as special as you think. It's not a romantic relationship."
Lily laughed. "Just go already. And don't forget to join me for dinner later."
"Okay then," Leon finally agreed. "I'll be out shortly to join you for dinner. Bye, Lily."
He then rushed back to his room, his eyes gleaming at the sight of the advanced capsule device.
"Here we go," he muttered with a smile before hopping back into the capsule and logging back into Immortal Legacy.