A Lucky Surprise

I was in the kitchen balancing six spoons, one banana, and a wine glass filled with sparkling cider all on my face. My body was leaned back somewhat as I used my psionics to keep the spoons and banana upright while I also secured the wine glass. Yuki was recording the video of me doing this so she could put it on TipTop.

How we got here is a bit of a blur, but I know it was because we started off at first testing my abilities which then soon became our current tomfoolery.

"I can't wait to see how many views this gets!" Yuki exclaimed as she was uploading the video.

"You know what else would be fun to do? Pranking people by having them think Sarah is stronger than she looks." Alex said as she looked at me with a mischievous smile.

"Ooh! Yeah! Like mom goes into a gym and starts to bench press more weight than she should."

"As funny as that would be, I think we shouldn't go too overboard with these things. Anyway, all this playing with psionics made me hungry. How about we eat out tonight?" I said, trying to diffuse their prank ideas.

"Great idea, mom! How about sushi. I know of a place that has decent sushi for a reasonable price."

"Don't worry too much about the price; I'll help foot the bill," Alex said as she grabbed her things.

We quickly got our things together, walked outside, and I locked up the house. Our house wasn't located in the best part of town, but luckily my neighborhood had a small friendly gang. They thought of themselves as the neighborhood guardians. They were primarily ex-military who, for reasons, could not adapt to civilian life, so they started a gang.

Now that's not to say they were saints either. They still had a reputation for drugs and theft, but they did keep it out of the neighborhood. There were times when they would help people in need on their turf. They even helped me a few times, especially when I first came to the neighborhood.

We all piled into Alex's car, and she drove off. It was about forty minutes to the restaurant, but the drive there was pleasant. I don't get to the city often, but I enjoy the times when I can. The bright lights and the holo-ads are a sight to see, though some of the adverts I could do without as they are a bit more sexual than I like…although maybe it's not that bad? Everyone just seems to not care. Am I the only one who even cares?

Looking at the people walking on the sidewalks inspires awe in me. I see some people sporting new technology such as cybernetic enhancements. They were first invented by billionaire Ellen Dusk when she successfully made the first cybernetic implant in the brain. Which would become the backbone for all cybernetics. Since it is still so new, there has been a lot of pushback from people, and only a few people have installed one.

While we are stopped at a red light, I see a man, engrossed in his phone, start walking across the street into oncoming traffic. In a panic for the man, I quickly tap into my psionics and yank him back onto the sidewalk. Causing the man to yelp as he throws his phone into the road and lands harshly on his butt. Alex and I share a look for a moment before exhaling and laughing from the release of tension.

"Holy shit, that was close," Alex said as she continued driving.

"Yeah, mom. You just saved truck-kun from unnecessary isekai paperwork." Yuki says while snickering.

I look at her with a bit of confusion. "Another world paperwork? What are you even talking about?"

"Never mind, mom. I forget pop culture stuff isn't really your forte. You'd rather go on and explain the theoretics of how a white hole is the exit door of the universe."

I get some laughter from Alex at that remark.

"I just like space and anything to do with it. That was my original goal to become an astrophysicist, y'know."

We finally arrive at the restaurant and walk inside. It's a small and quaint place and has a relaxing atmosphere. We sat at the bar with a revolving sushi belt and enjoyed our meal. I also may have done something a little wrong as I saw a man sitting away from us. Every time he looked away, I would rearrange his plates and stack them in different ways while enjoying his confusion.

We arrived back home to find a well-dressed man with a briefcase at our door. Noticing our arrival, he waited until we approached.

"Hello, I am Mark Wolfe. I am part of Exodus Technologies's legal team. I am here to discuss your case if you have the time."

I invited the man inside, and before we continued any further, Alex contacted a lawyer who had been our father's friend for a long time. He agreed to help us for free and arrived quickly despite the short notice. We then discussed everything related to my entrapment, omitting obvious details such as gaining powers.

Our lawyer looked over the paperwork provided by the Exodus legal team and found that everything was in good order. It turns out they wanted to settle out of court and didn't want any news of my experience to reach public ears. The price of my inconvenience and silence was a whopping ten million dollars and one new unannounced VR device!

I was ecstatic! This solves so much of our money and living issues. It felt like a huge burden had been lifted from my shoulders. After everything was signed, notarized, and the two lawyers had left, I broke down. I cried my eyes out while hugging both Yuki and Alex.

It felt like I finally got what I deserved from that farce called a divorce.

"Y-Yuki. We can finally get a better place! We have the money needed for your higher education." I say to Yuki while trying to control my sobbing.

"So, when are you planning to move?" Yuki asks while clearly enjoying my hugs.

"I figured we would look around after you finish high school and find somewhere close to the college you wanted."

"Good for you, sis. I am glad life is finally starting to look up for you."

"Thanks, but now I feel bad because I feel like I need to help you, mom, and dad. You guys are still living in houses no better than mine."

"You shouldn't worry about it too much, but if you really want to help us out, I can just move in with you, and you can just get something decent for our parents. Maybe get them into a safer part of the city or into a better district. The gym I work at isn't doing so well anymore anyway. I was thinking of moving to find another one to work at. This just gives me an excuse to do it."

Yuki finally separated herself from me and asked a question. "I wonder what that new VR thing is about?"

I then remembered the rest of what I got from the settlement. "I don't know, but they said we would in the coming days, and after it was announced, I would get it."

We sat on the couch and talked for a while until the sun started to go down. Alex then stood up and stretched.

"Well, Sarah, since you are awake and good now, I think I will head home. I want to head back in-game and see if I can't get any cool powers like you now."

"I think I will get back into the game tomorrow too. Still need to add you as a friend so we can meet up. What about you, Yuki? Want to get back in the game?"

"I do. I think I will separate myself from you for a bit so I can get my race changed. Since we don't need to earn money anymore, what will you do now, mom?"

"I think I will just do the same as I have been doing. Earning extra money won't be so bad, but now I can enjoy the game more since I don't have to worry about it so much."

"Sounds good, sis. Well, see you guys later!"

With that, Alex left the house, leaving Yuki and me alone on the couch.

"Mom?" Yuki questioningly said to me.

"I kinda got used to sleeping in your bed. Do you think…I can continue to sleep there?"

I smiled at her as I kissed the top of her head. "Sure, sweetie, I don't mind."

I could see my response had made her glow a bit. We both got up from the couch, moved to my bedroom, and got ready for bed. We were both lying down in the darkness when Yuki broke the silence.

"Mom? Do you think you could hug me while we sleep?"

Poor girl probably missed me that entire week. I gave a nod even though I knew she couldn't see it in the darkness and hugged her from behind, letting our breathing lull me to sleep.