Family trouble

Ikky was currently riding a train, trying to find the news that Norm mentioned. It didn't even take him ten seconds to find several posts on all of the News websites.

*Big news! Big stockholders are investing rapidly into a new VR game called Ancient Era.* one of the subjects showed so Ikky opened that link to read it in more detail.

*Big stockholders are investing in Crystal company. Crystal company market value is reaching unbelievable numbers! Not only the game seems to be a real breakthrough technology, but some smart stockholders already saw the loophole in Crystal's company market strategy and utilized this to their advantage.*

*What Loophole are you asking? It's simple. Even if Crystal company planned to use VR game merely as a kick-starter and then lead us into general usage on market, the big stockholders understood a hidden truth about the game. It's very simple, truth is that there is no need to buy overpriced technology from the general market when you can use an already existing one.*

*As Crystal company released a list of planned VR technologies, big companies already saw through and found that over seventy percent of those planned technologies are already present in the game.

*Why buy overpriced personal servers, when you can simply meet in the game? And with the recent update, those companies can utilize a new feature, aka. Guilds, to make a company inside the game. But that was not the main reason! Yes, there is more!*

*With the latest update Crystal company signed a contract with Authorities and legalized the exchange of the in-game currency and real money!!!*

Ikky was dumbfounded, even though he was not a gamer in the past, he was still aware of how game currency was working. Due to laws, any exchange between in-game currency or items, for real-world money was strictly prohibited.

People were punished and accounts were terminated, all because of an act of illegal activity. Yet somehow, Crystal company drove Authorities to sign a contract for the legalization of exactly such activity. How did they even push Authorities to sign such a contract?

'No wonder there were so many people trying to upgrade their VR helmets, they all are planning to make money out of the game and want to maximize their in-game time exactly for that reason.'

Now Ikky understood why companies invested in Crystal company stocks. It was not only about possibilities in the game, but also about money. Currency exchange? What does it mean?

Free advertisement, tax-free exchanges, and much more. Even if they somehow manage to track all transactions for a tax fee it would still be lower than real-life taxes.

'This is also a pretty smart move from the Crystal company, as people will spend more money to rent higher-tier versions of VR helmets.' Ikky continued to read the rest of the news about both game and Crystal company.

***

When Ikky arrive home it was already something over 10 am. After opening the door he was welcomed by his sister.

"Brother I'm bored!" she complained.

He smiled and asked, "Why are you standing in front of the main door?" he asked.

"Mom went shopping for ingredients for lunch, I wanted to go with her, but I changed my mind, so I'm waiting here for her return." his little sister said proudly.

"Yes,..dog," Ikky said his last word very quietly.

"How did you call me?!" his sister was triggered and jumped on his leg trying to bite it. If she had the tail, it would definitely swing from left to right.

"Would you like to surprise Mom?" he asked with a smile while trying to walk with his leg occupied by some oversized bug.

"Yea!" she said enthusiastically and let go while running to the kitchen.

Later the mother arrived from shopping, she was welcomed by the nice smell of the food.

"Hello?" she called from the main corridor.

"We are in the kitchen," yelled Ikky.

When she entered the living room she was welcomed by a table full of food.

"Oh my,... why did you cook, you didn't have to." mother said with tears in her eyes.

"I just felt like it," said Ikky with a smile. After a short silence, he wanted to apologize for yesterday, but before he could even start as his sister interrupted him.

"I helped! I helped!" she kept yelling.

"Yes, now get down from the table before you step on food." he scolded her for standing on the table, especially a table full of food.

They all laughed in happiness.

"Let's eat," said Ikky while taking bags full of food from his mother's hands. They all just sat at the table when the doors opened again.

"Dad! Dad is home from work!" sister yelled happily.

However, Ikky was not so happy when they noticed the dark air around their father when he entered the living room, especially his tired face.

"Honey? What are you doing at home so soon? Do you feel sick or something?" his wife asked him with concern, attempting to get up from the chair, but her husband stopped her with a hand gesture.

When he landed on the chair he sighed heavily.

"Let's eat first," he said with a faint smile.

---

When they finished eating, father finally spoke and broke the heavy silence which was following them the whole time.

"I was fired from the company," he said simply.

"What? Why, How?" the wife asked with concern.

"Because of that." he pointed his finger in front.

They all turned to see what was he pointing at, at that moment Ikky noticed that his VR helmet was still in the living room as he went straight to the kitchen when he arrived from the Testing center.

"Because of the game?" his wife asked confused.

"Yes, our company owner decided to give up on Software development and ordered everybody to start playing the game. However, he told me that there was no longer any need for the team leader as I have zero knowledge about gaming. Therefore I was fired, together with all older employees." their father said while trying to keep his anger in check.

"You are not that old!" said their mother, while Ikky wondered if she said it for their father or herself.

"Don't worry dad, you will find another job!" said his daughter with an encouraging voice.

"That's correct! Experienced Software engineer and team leader will be welcomed by many companies." added his wife.

"No.. I won't," he said with an even heavier voice.

"I was fired in the morning, for the rest of the day I spent visiting different companies asking for a job, but nobody was interested." silence followed.

"To be more precise, every company was firing people and they were looking only for people's knowledge about gaming." he finished and a heavy mood fell on the whole family.

Little sister was too young to understand the seriousness of the situation so she just looked from one to another while moving her little shoulders in the process.

"I will start working again." said mother with a daring voice.

"NO!" yelled both Ikky and her husband.

They looked at each other without saying a single word.

"I'm bored anyway, I can handle some part-time jobs, and.." mother tried to continue, but she got interrupted.

"Stop, not in front of the kids." said her husband with a strict voice then looked at them.

"Can you leave us for a bit?" he asked them to leave.

"Come, Milly, let's play upstairs for a bit," Ikky asked his little sister to follow him.

"I don't want to play now!" she complained.

Father wanted to say something, but Ikky overtook him.

"Would you like to listen to a story about what your brother did in the game? I fought a very big battle!" he asked her hoping that she would take the bait.

"Really?! I want to listen!" she said happily and ran to the exit door from the living room.

"Come, fast!" she yelled back to her brother.

"I will be leaving then," said Ikky to his parents and followed the sister.

Afterward, he closed the door to the living room and walked to the stairs. Then he remembered something.

"Can you go ahead and wait for me in my room? I forgot the VR helmet in the living room," he asked his little sister.

"Okay!" she ran upstairs.

Ikky approached the door and put his ear on it, he didn't want to listen to them like this, but this was a serious issue, he shouldn't be taken out of such conversation, especially when he was in his last year before either attending college or start working.

*..will be alright.*

*It's worse than you think, you know I was paid from finished projects, not salary.. if they cancel it, it means I'm not even getting the next payment.*

*..from savings..*

*No, it will only cover our current loans, not the rent or living fee..*

*NO, I already said you will not work!* A yell was heard through a door.

Ikky knocked on the door **Knock**, everything got quiet.

"Sorry I forgot the VR helmet here," Ikky said in an apologetic voice while running to pick it up, he didn't dare to look at his parents at all.

Closing the door to the living room again he sighed heavily.

'I need to somehow help them, Mom can't work, not after that accident.' an image of her lying on a hospital bed flashed through his head.

Ikky clenched his jaw, if they have a money problem, I will make the money from the game!

With determined steps, he walked to his room. But first, he had a story to tell, and even though he was not in the mood to talk, his sister was a top priority.

***