Fate Online: Shadow

An hour later, Michael was finally done with everything as the three of them started eating around the dinner table.

The three of them started talking about different subjects, like funny events that happened to them or tragic events that they saw on the news.

"Oh right, you just mentioned earlier that you finally got your first paycheck. Does that mean you have a new job now?" Alice suddenly asked Michael as she remembered that Michael talked about his first paycheck earlier.

"Ohh..well, I won’t really call it a job. Hmm...have you guys heard about the new Virtual Reality game lately, called Fate Online?" Michael gulped down the food in his mouth before he answered Alice.

"Ohh..that game huh?" Alice’s enthusiastic voice suddenly died down as she gave a quick glare to her husband.

"Hahaha! So you play that game too lad, eh?" Tom scratched the back of his head as he laughed heartily.

"Are you also playing that game too!?" Michael almost spurted out the water in his mouth as he didn’t expect to hear that Tom is actually playing Fate Online! But the most shocking thing for him is that the old man is playing a game! A freaking game!

After all, Michael knew that Alice hates seeing Tom playing Virtual Games since he got hospitalized because of it a few years back, and from that point on, his wife had forbade him in playing virtual games since then. Which saddened the old man as he was really into playing virtual games since he was still young lad like Michael.

Michael took a quick glance at the frowning Alice as she ate her food in silence, but her body movements clearly shows that she’s still listening.

"Uhhm...I thought that you don’t play games anymore gramps?"

"It’s all thanks to Mine Tech. for creating the game! I’d chosen a Barbarian as my class, but I don’t like you guys, but instead I go fishing!"

"What!? You can actually fish in the game?" Michael was shocked at that revelation that his fork full of pasta is even hanging just outside of his mouth as he looked at Tom with a startled look in his eyes.

"You didn’t know? You can buy a fishing rod at the Blacksmith Shop if you ask him" Tom laugh and Michael noticed that one of his hands reached forward and held one of Alice’s hands, and gave it a few slight squeeze.

Michael just acted like he didn’t see anything, and gave a thought at what Tom just said to him, ’Does that mean there is actually sub professions in the game that isn’t revealed to the public? It seems that Mine Tech. wanted their players to explore the game and treat it as a second world like Earth’

"So does that mean your first paycheck came from the game then?" Tom was the one who asked him this time, as he slowly let go of his wife’s hand and started eating again.

"Uhmm...I sold a Skill Scroll to player called Falling Moon for $10,000" Michael replied to him, like what he just said is something simple and wasn’t a big deal at all.

*Cough!*

"Careful now. Here, have a glass of water dear" Alice immediately handed Tom a glass of water, when she saw him suddenly choking on his food, and even she was shocked about what Michael just said. Tom immediately glugged down a glass of water, and looked at Michael with his piercing eyes.

"You’re that person who sold that?"

"Yup!"

"Good lad! I didn’t know you had it in you! I wanted to buy you a game helmet for you but you declined, and here I thought you weren’t interested in playing the game!" Tom suddenly laughed heartily, that he even slapped Michael’s back hard that it almost made choke on his food.

’Yeah, I was really an idiot rejecting your offer to buy me a virtual helmet a few days ago’ Michael thought bitterly, as he started to slowly realize just how stupid he was back then.

"Great job dear!" Alice smiled happily at him as she softly patted one of his hands.

"Thanks gran"

"It seems you’re doing quite well in the game if you’ve already earned that much when the game was just launched?" This time, it was Alice’s turn to ask him questions.

Michael suddenly gulped down his food down in his throat nervously, and for whatever reasons he didn’t know why he’s suddenly feeling nervous in front of her.

’I don’t know if I’m just rusty or is it because she’s just one of the few people who truly cares about me?’ Michael thought inside, a bit confused.

"So?" Her voice immediately brought him back to his awareness, he then noticed that Tom had already moved back to the living room with his food.

"Uhn..I guess so. After all, I just sold another item for $700 last night before the game went into an update"

"Now, you don’t need to worry about paying us rent" Alice gave joyful laughed.

’Actually gran, if you ask me right now not to pay my rent then I would immediately agree to it right here, right now’ Michael thought, it just shows how money grubber he truly is, just like a certain someone called Weed.

’Grr, how could I be so stupid back then to decline! I could have saved a lot!’

’Dammit!’

While Michael is having an internal monologue inside him, he suddenly noticed Alice staring at him intently.

"Uhh..what is it?" Michael took a mouthful of the spaghetti as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye

"Say...do you really not want us to adopt you?"

"Sure!" Michael immediately answered her without even thinking for a second.

"Eh?" Alice looked at him dumbfounded, as she didn’t expect him to suddenly agree when he had just rejected them a month ago.

"Well, I mean...if guys want to adopt then I’d be happy to agree, and I thought a lot about it a month ago, and it’s not like we’re strangers to each other. After all, I’ve been practically almost living off of you guys for over three years now"

Alice suddenly stood up and started clapping happily as she went over to Michael’s side, and hug his head.

"That’s great! Why don’t we process the paperwork right now or maybe tomorrow if you’re not busy!?"

"Tomorrow, I guess" Michael replied with a stiff smile on his face, as he didn’t expect that reaction from her of suddenly burying his head into her voluptuous chest.

"What? What’s happening!? Why are you suddenly yelling over there!?" Tom suddenly yelled at them from the living room.

"Michael just finally agreed to us adopting him dear!?"

"Seriously!? That’s great news! I knew this brat would change his mind sooner or later! I just didn’t expect that it would actually take a month! Hahaha!"

Two hours later, Michael exhaustedly left their apartment, after a long debate of finally convincing them that they should just let him stay at his own apartment, as he didn’t want to move in with them.

After all, Michael would need a lot of privacy, as he is after all an assassin, and he still plans to be one. And tomorrow, he would go and accompany them to process his adoption papers.