Chapter 50

"The group page has already been created, and there are already a few hundred people who have joined. We've also posted recruitment notices in it, but..." H, one of the three people in charge of recruitment, explained, but then paused, hesitating as if uncertain about how to continue.

"But?"

"Well, there are already people who wanted to join us, but the problem is, none of them are located nearby to us," H sighed, wearing an expression of helplessness..

"How about other platforms such as Twitter, Friendster, etc.? Didn't we also create a fan page on them?"

"Uh, we did create fan pages on those platforms, but there aren't many followers, and... our posts didn't attract attention as much like on Facebook," A, another person in charge of recruitment, explained.

"That... Okay." Hearing this, Edward nodded in understanding and then suggested, "After we post our video, we can also add a recruitment notice in the description box. Surely, it won't be missed by many people, right?"

"Oh, why don't we shoot an additional recruitment video at the end of our video?" Angela raised her hand and made a suggestion.

Hearing this, Edward and the others pondered the suggestion and it seemed like a good idea, so they readily agreed without much deliberation.

"Let's just do that," affirmed Edward, and everyone nodded in agreement.

A while later, after the group finished their meal, they continued chatting for a bit longer, exchanging stories and laughter. Eventually, they bid farewell to each other, heading their separate ways.

As he got to his parents' apartment, their warm smiles greeted him once again. It was something he had grown used to over the years, a comforting routine.

But this time, he felt a strange vibe in the air, something not quite usual.

"Is everything okay?" Edward asked, concern in his voice as he looked at their faces.

His mother and father exchanged a quick glance, both were smiling. "Everything's fine."

At the dinner table, as he ate with them and chatted about the recent events and their neighborhood, his parents suddenly dropped a bomb on him.

"Son, we have some good news for you." his father said with a grin.

"Huh, what? Is it about the convenience store?" Edward asked, trying to connect the dots.

"No, that guy is still stubborn. However, the price was already lowered to around ₱280,000," his father explained.

"Oh, that's good... then the good news?" Edward inquired, curious yet slightly puzzled.

"Hehe, you're going to have a sibling soon!" his mother announced with a joyful smile.

"..." Edward was left momentarily speechless, trying to process the unexpected news.

"I'm going to have a sibling? Are you adopting someone?"

"No, I'm pregnant," his mother explained and blushed, while his father beside her proudly smiled.

"T-that... you're pregnant, and I'm going to be a brother?" Edward stammered, stunned and struggling to find the right words to express his surprise and emotions..

"This has never happened in the previous timeline... What happened?" Edward thought to himself, trying to make sense of the startling deviation from the history he remembered. He couldn't grasp what might have caused this unexpected change.

"And their age has already passed their prime?" he pondered further, doing mental calculations.

Looking at his parents, he calculated silently, and suddenly he was stunned... that's right, he had traveled 13 years back in time from the future.

His mom had given birth to him when she was 17, and his dad was 19. This meant that at this current point in time, his parents were only 33 and 35 years old.

'But, I'm only away for a month?' Edward couldn't help but wonder.

Is it because he was away that they had more time to do the deed? or Is it because of ease from financial pressure? Or both?

As far as he remembered, his parents were so busy in their work to do anything at that time, there are many things that need to be paid, bills, loans, rent, necessities, and his studies..

Let alone doing that, they have no time to date at all.. which causes him to become the only child.

Thinking of this, Edward felt confused.

"T-this, is good right?" Edward forced a smile on the surface, attempting to share the joy his parents expressed. Yet inside, a swirl of complex emotions churned.

He was genuinely happy for them, no doubt about that. But at the same time, he wasn't sure how to handle this unexpected twist. And most importantly, a worry nagged at him—that maybe what he did had triggered a sequence of events, altering their lives in ways he hadn't fully realized.

The next morning,

Edward followed his typical morning routine and, around eight o'clock, headed to the Billiard Hall to meet his friends.

The familiar sound of clashing balls and the lively atmosphere of the hall greeted him as he walked in.

The scent of chalk and the sound of banter from other players filled the air, creating an energetic and bustling environment, reflecting the excitement of the game.

"Hey.. where's other?" Edward found his friend in the usual corner as he greeeted them he couldnt help but asked.

"They are on their way."

Shrugging, he sat on the bench and took out his phone to pass the time as they waited. He scrolled through social media, catching up on the latest updates and chatting with a few friends.

A while later, once everyone had arrived, they gathered to start shooting a 15-second promotional video, to be featured at the end of their content.

"Everyone, our group has recently established our club, which we've named Nouveau Group or NG for short. We are actively seeking new members..."

The group assembled in front of the camera, and Edward, Jake, and Angela, known as the most beloved characters in the NG skits, took turns delivering each line of the promotional content.

They displayed their enthusiasm, infusing their personalities into the message, making it genuine and inviting for potential members.

In the end, they all stood up, bowed together, and said in unison, "Thank you very much for supporting us."

Afterwards, the group got up from their seats gathered the camera and watched the whole clip together.

"Is it... too simple? I mean, was 10 seconds enough?" Jake asked, uncertainty in his voice, pondering if the short video duration would suffice. He was worried that the brevity might not have let them explain the recruitment process clearly, possibly leaving viewers confused.

"It's fine. Short videos are more memorable than long ones, and the simpler the message, the easier it is to understand. Plus, making it too long will affect the skit..." Edward shook his head and reasoned, underlining the importance of keeping the promotional clip concise and engaging to ensure it left a lasting impression without compromising the overall skit's quality.

Time passed swiftly as the group continued their discussions and preparations. Soon, they headed towards the nearby Internet Cafe to dive into the editing process for their skit.

Like before, Edward found himself in a supervisory role, overseeing the entire editing process, observing the team's progress, and offering guidance and suggestions where needed to ensure the skit matched their intended direction

Three hours later, after carefully adding background music, sound effects, subtitles in both English and Filipino, lighting effects, and other enhancements, they successfully put everything together. They watched it several more times, making minor adjustments and tweaks to ensure it was just right before completing their work.

After making sure it was just how they wanted, everyone nodded in agreement, pleased with the final result. Edward then uploaded the skit to his second account.

After uploading, Edward joined in and played with them, creating a lively atmosphere. Around 3 in the afternoon, he bid them farewell.

On the way back to his parents' place, Edward mulled over the events of the day when suddenly two figures blocked his path.

"Ed! I wanna join you're group!"

"Me, too Ed, please join me."

"..." Edward was stunned for a moment, unsure of what was happening, as he looked at the two loli in front of him.

"Eyy Ed? You there?" Pia waved at him, her small hand just in front of his face. Edward took a step back, surprised, his heart racing for a moment.

He then proceeded to look around and seeing no one, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Y-you two, what are you doing?" Edward asked in confusion.

"Ed, we've watched you're video, and saw that you're hiring new members right?" Lesley raised her hand and explained.

"Yes, that's right!" The other loli beside her nodded.

"You've watched my videos?" Hearing their explanation, Edward was stunned for a moment and nodded his head.

Since Nina recognized him on the streets a month ago, he also thought that he would be recognized more often.. unfortunately, he was disappointed as it was not the case at all.

But again, thinking that the internet is not as popular as in the future, it's reasonable.

But now.. seeing two lolis who recognized him.

He didn't know how to feel, it would be good if they were much older.. sigh.

"How and when did you see my video?"

"I think it's on tuesday this week? Pia and I, got into the computer after class to watch justin's video on Youtube and then we accidentally saw your skits! Pfttt! I swear Edd, those skits are so Funny!" Lesly elaborated and after the second part, bursting into a fit of giggles.

"O..." Hearing their explanation, he nodded his head in understanding.

"Have others in the neighborhood known as well?"

"Yes, we tell them, but they didn't seem to care?"

"..." Edward stunned and didn't know how to react for a moment, so in the end he could only shook his head helplessly.

Another reason why no one recognized him was that people were engrossed in their own lives, too preoccupied to notice him. I mean, even if you're famous, we all have our own lives to care about. We don't care about you, so just mind your own business!

"So, Edd? Are you going to let us join?" At this time, Pia asked and Lesly who was beside her also nodded.

"Nope. You can't."

"W-what?"

"You're too young, wait a few more years."

"B-but."