Artificial Fantasy

Chapter 34: Family Dinner

Wow... Another day, another brain-breaking exam. It had been a while since I'd had a chance to worry about my studies despite that it was nearing the weekend and the holidays, but I had managed to send in my homework beforehand. Crafting items in virtual reality was surprisingly difficult, but on the bright side, nothing was more difficult than avoiding forgetting my studies because of a highly-advanced video game.

Kaz and I were so tired right that, at the moment, we were lying down on our beds rather than logging into <Isekai> after we had entered our bedroom and removed our backpacks. When I said exams are very exhausting, I really meant it. Kazuki flopped facefirst into his pillow as I heard him groan from it before he slowly raised his head and turned towards me.

"How many more days and classes do we have to go, Hayate...? It's almost winter break, they're supposed to... you know... give us a real break from school during winter!"

I sighed before turning towards Kazuki. "Just hang in there a little longer, Kaz. If you can endure monster attacks in the game, I know you can do the same for school. For now, just focus on passing the exams and soon the most boring part of our current lives will be over with. Just ask Zac. He endured Damon's strict tutoring and still managed to log in the game with no problem after that. Although he did complain about it once after I met him again."

I knew Damon's tutoring was for Zac's own good, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for his current situation so far. I decided I should talk to Damon about his tutoring style when I had the time.

"Oooh, ooh! Speaking of games..."

Ugh... Why did I have to say that word out loud now?!

"How about we try taking on the <Tested Wild> right now? You do remember we have our new gear from Annie and Star."

I sighed again. "Ever heard of priorities? I do want to test out my new bow as much as you want to test your staff, but we still need to prepare for Mom and Dad's arrival. Plus, we need to restore a bit of our real-life energy if we want to get any dinner preparations done."

"Yeah, yeah."

As he grumbled in his pillow again, I could tell he still remembered what today was. Mom and Dad were coming home tonight and I had to prepare dinner while Kazuki had to prepare the dining table. Although, we both decided that we would need a few more minutes of rest before we could start doing anything else. So I just planted my face on my pillow and gave out a loud sigh out of exhaustion as I drifted off to sleep.

----

Eventually, after an hour, Kaz and I woke up from our short nap, and began on working on the homecoming dinner for our parents. Sure, they were just coming home from work as usual, but considering what we endured in the game, just seeing our parents after a week-long absence could perk us up for a while.

After a few hours of preparation, we heard the door open as a familiar voice echoed through the house. "We're home. Where are our favorite boys?"

I smiled. This is how Dad always greeted us when he came home after a few days at work or after a long business trip. And like before, Kazuki was the first one to rush towards the door and hug him as Mom put down her camera and her belongings on a nearby table.

"We missed you, Mom and Dad!" he declared as he flashed a big grin towards our folks. "You never believe what we did back in Isekai Online while you were away! We did such incredible stuff there and got awesome items and weapons that we made by hand!"

"Oh, you did now? I'm glad you're enjoying the game as much as I am during its development." Dad then towards me and asked, "What about you, Hayate? Did you enjoy the game's virtual world and gameplay so far as well?"