"Dad, what were you thinking?!"
I scream in my Dad's face after I tell him what happened in [Isekai] yesterday. After meeting Yuri there, I decided to confront my Dad about bringing a minor beta tester right before I head to school. Thankfully, Kazuki is out taking out the trash so he won't hear me yelling at Dad. I think...
Basically, I'm just trying to smack some sense into him.
"I understand that you're mad about it. But Yuri and his parents accepted the offer and moved in of their own volition. I just didn't expect he would be transferred to Kazuki's school afterward." My glare gets more and more incensed as I keep my focus on him. "I-I swear! We only helped them paid the move-in fees and immigration. That's all we did!"
I groan at this. Guess that's a relief to hear, but I'm still not happy about this.
"Still, what's with you and hiring minors? I know he's old enough to play by himself. But is Kazuki enough to help out with the testing stuff?"
"Honestly, Yuri is the son of the writer of the game. But the only reason why is that he's the one who asked me to let him join the program. I met him when one of my colleagues on a business trip found him at a bus stop in Shibuya and made a deal that he would be allowed to play the game if he learned his lesson not to snap at his parents by doing something risky again."
Yuri did mention he ran away and got grounded before playing the game. So that checks out his story.
"But Yuri's problem aside, we want to have players who will not only experience more than just the gameplay, but also see if they can make their mark in [Isekai's] story. Having some professional eSport players and content creators helps us improve the game sometimes, but we want to break the barriers between a game and world-building and achieve it through our company's AI programs and ADVR."
"So you invited us along with Yuri because Kazuki is a fantasy geek and perfect for the job, right?" I blatantly asked.
"It's more than personal reasons, Hayate. You're about to graduate high school soon and I'm worried that you've been clinging onto him lately. I understand you're trying hard to be a good big brother, but he needs some independence sometimes and I'm a bit concerned you might overreact to the point of barring him from playing the game because of its scary imagery."
Wait, is that what he thinks of my protection methods with Kazuki in the game?! I'm not that overprotective. Am I?
"Hayate, I commend you for becoming a true brother for the last two years now, but Kazuki is a growing boy like you. There is a possibility that you have to move far away from him someday. Whether it's because of college, your job, your passion, or your family, Kazuki needs to learn not to depend so much on you and to start thinking about his own future. That's what growing up is all about."
Well, Dad has a point there. But still, I just acted like a real big brother out of the bloom after saving him from those bullies that day. If I do leave so for so long, how can I live the fact I ignored my younger brother for so in our childhood?
"I-I'm just on the fence about all of this. I'm still indecisive with my future and the only job I have right now is making sure Kazuki has a better future than me."
"Is it? I told you, you can't just live your whole life protecting him. That's the same as your [Guardian] role. While you still retain the bonuses and benefits for keeping your commitment not to leave his side, once Kazuki turns 12, he'll be free to log into the game by himself. Sure, we can still bar him from the game when it comes to his exams, but he is now free to write his story. Isn't it time for you to write your own as well?"
"Dad's right, Hayate."
I turn around and see Kazuki by the back door, showing that he's done throwing away the garbage bags. I then see him heading to a sink to wash his hands as he says, "I'm a little scared about playing [Isekai] alone after my birthday, but while I want to keep exploring the world with you, I do want to decide what kind of mage I will be in <Volo>. You should do the same with your goal as a hunter. Hopefully, we might be able to make our paths separately when the time comes!"
So... That's his decision, too, huh?
"Hayate, you don't need to rush things. You're free to take things nice and slow after your graduation. You don't need to split off from Kazuki if you like. As long you find your future, you may be able to move forward like him."
Move forward, eh? Guess that's 3 good points from Dad again.
"I guess. I'll think about it very hard. Though, please promise me to think before you recruit more players and beta testers! I don't want to get another heart attack like yesterday."
I can hear Dad chuckling behind my back. "I promise. Now, aren't you two supposed to have breakfast right now?"
Oh, shoot! I almost forgot! I better start eating and preparing if I don't want to be late for school again!
-----
"Yuri Ichiro. A 12-years-old player from Tokyo, Japan, and the son of the worldbuilding writer, Katashi Ichiro," Mr. Spears read out aloud as he went through the folders inside the observance room. "I did hear him boast that he's a big fan of mecha anime shows and video games such as Pokemon and Dragon Quest."
"Still, I'm surprised you found himself at the Shibuya bus stop during your business trip, Miles. I heard the traffic there is dangerous for a young kid like him. Who knows what would happen if you didn't notice him in time?" Mr. White wondered.
"Agreed. Though I'm more surprised that Adam told me Yuri transferred to the same school as his younger son. I also heard his older son wasn't happy about the revelations though."
Mr. Spears chuckled as he stared at the files. "Still, seeing him with the second book might make things a lot more unpredictable on our end. Considering the story Mr. Ichiro pulled out along with the others, even we can't expect something predictable on our end."
Mr. White sighed and stared at the monitor.
"Let's just wait before we can confront him like with Palmer and his potion shortage idea."
-----
After school, Zac, Damon, and I decide to pick up my brother again. But as we arrive at his school gates, we notice that he isn't alone. Beside him is a boy with bluish-black hair somewhat his age and wears a blue hoodie jacket, blue shirt, blue denim shorts, and green sneakers. Just staring at him seems very similar to a certain player we recently met. Of course, it's no riddle at all since we already know the truth.
"Oh, hey guys!" Kazuki shouted as he and the boy run up to us.
"Hey, Kazuki. Is this your friend in real life?" I cautiously ask, not because I'm suspicious, but because I don't want to offend Kazuki's first real-life friend.
"What do I look like then? A ghost?" The boy grins as he places his hands over his back like any other shonen protagonist I saw. "But seriously, it's nice to meet you guys in person. The name's Yuri. Yuri Ichiro!"
"Oh, hey, Yuri!" Zac says with his usual grin on his face. "And I must say... Ore wa..."
"Again... Please don't..." Yuri begs as I see him covering his face, at which I get the notion.
"Yes, Zac. Maybe try your Japanese on someone else that doesn't embarrass them?" I say while glaring at him.
"Or maybe try some lessons on the Duolingo app. I heard that even D- geniuses like you can ace it."
I can't help but laugh at Damon's snark as I smile at Zac growling at us.
"Oh, haha... Laugh it up you two!" Zac huffs and glares at us before he turns to Yuri and Kazuki. "So you're going to tag along with us for our usual cafe hangout?"
"Yeah. Kaz's been raving about the sweets during break time, and I can't help but to check it out with you in real life," Yuri answers. "If you guys don't mind though."
"Don't worry about it. A friend of Kazuki is a friend of ours. Plus, you are joining us for the trek in [Isekai] later, so we might as well have a bit of a strategy meeting, too."
"Great idea! A strategy meeting and a cake hangout! Let's go!"
"I'll have the usual choco parfait, as usual, Hayate!"
The two boys quickly run before us just as I can stop them or even follow them. Well, not like I can stop them anyway since we're going together this time. With that, I follow them without any protests as I see Damon and Zac do the same.
-----
Once we're at the usual cafe, we ordered our usual drinks and of course, Kazuki's parfait. As for Yuri's, I gasp to see him having a triple scoop of chocolate and vanilla parfait with two cherries on top, sprinkles, and drizzles of chocolate syrup on top. What's crazier is that it's not only a highly recommended dessert but very expensive, even for my wallet! Yet Yuri was able to afford it with his allowance! Just what kind of kid is he?!
Of course, I can't complain about it right now because I can see Kazuki staring at the large parfait with his mouth-watering, which Yuri also notices uncomfortably.
"You know, your parfait's going to melt if you keep staring at mine," said Yuri.
"O-Oh, sorry!" I quickly give Kazuki a napkin to wipe off his drool. "So... What are you guys planning to do in the <Hill Forest> once we get there?"
Kazuki hums as I see him twiddling his spoon in his mouth. "First, we get our revenge against those [Link Ants] that killed us!"
"[Link Ants]?" Yuri repeats in confusion.
"It's a long story," I interject. "After that, we'll trek through the forest with Damon and Zac guarding the entrance and we might be able to decipher the mystery behind Kazuki and Yuri's books."
"What about your [Masteries]?" Yuri asks.
"What?"
"Are you guys going to add more [Masteries] before you traverse through the woods? You guys have played this game long before I started. So you guys must have gathered a lot of [Mastery Points], right?"
He's got a good point there. New [Masteries] means more ways to fight, right? I've already picked up [Blacksmithing], so I have 8 [Masteries] on me. That means I have to pick 2 more. I... I don't know what to choose, though... For all I know, [Archery] and [Swordsmanship] are the only ones I'm skilled at right now.
"I'm actually planning to add a few more elements into my magic soon. Mostly to compliment my new staff," Kazuki answers. "Though at this point, I doubt I can get any healing spells since I'm planning to be like a combat Mage."
"So you're planning to have build similar to FF's Black Mage, huh? Makes sense." Yuri turns to me next. "What about you? I heard Kaz's going to turn 12 soon and you got a build that was suggested by him. Isn't it time for you to make your own?"
My own... That's what my Dad said to me, too.
"I... I'm not so sure..." I answer. "But, I want to try something different. If my brother can discover some strange methods with [Magecrafting], then why not me? I just... want to find my own future right here and now."
Okay, now that sounds a bit cheesy. But I think I've managed to get my point across. Although, their reactions seem to say otherwise.
"So you have no idea what [Mastery] are you going to pick, right? Didn't you try checking the wiki for the full list for yourself to choose?"
...
"Uh... No?"
Did I do something wrong? Because Yuri is smacking his forehead in frustration.
"Yeah... I forgot to mention that those two seem to play the game blind," Zac sheepishly mentions. "I would try, but he keeps insisting that they'll play it their own way. Plus, Hayate's very bad at deciding things"
Zac!!!
"Seriously?!"
Uh, oh... I think he just hit a nerve on him...
"You guys not only play the game blind, but you managed to got lucky with your [Quests], battles, and those special surprise events that I heard on the news?!"
"Um... Yes?" I sheepishly answer. "But Kazuki is a fantasy novel buff and he helped me with some tropes and stuff..."
I don't know what to say at this point. It's like I've been judged by a 12-years-old police officer and I can't even answer properly with his glare aiming at me and Kazuki.
"Ugh... Okay, new plan." Yuri takes out his phone and shows us the said site. "How about we'll decide on Kaz's big brother's next [Mastery] and go from there?"
"Agreed!"
Kazuki?!?!
"Besides, we're going to get our revenge on those ants, right? Maybe you should get a new weapon type or something to surprise them! You got humiliated by them after your arrows and sword didn't cut through their armor."
New weapon?! But I don't know if I can make a new one on time! And I just made my compound bow yesterday!
"Now that you've mentioned it, I did notice a [Mastery] while I was browsing the wiki myself. It seems perfect for Hayate."
Now Damon is in it, too?!
Ugh...
I wish I can stop them right here and now. But at this point, I just give up and sigh in defeat...
Then again, I did say I want to choose my own future and that's the same as choosing my [Masteries], right? So I decided to join in and help out. Besides, knowing Zac and Kazuki, I can't trust them picking my [Masteries]. Guess I'll enjoy this bonding time in the real world for a while before the fated trek into the forest soon. We're going to need it anyway since it might be a repeat of the <Tested Wilds> incident.