Amaris' POV
I was midway through a bite of my sandwich—chewing quietly with my mouth closed, of course, when I heard Ethan's voice from across the table.
"Hey, Amaris," he called.
My cheeks were still full, so I simply responded with a soft, "Hm?" tilting my head slightly to show I was listening.
Ethan leaned forward, eyes glinting with curiosity. "Are there multiplayer games on these phones?"
I took a moment to consider his question. In truth, multiplayer games were plentiful on consoles and PCs... but on smartphones, at least in this world where the technology was still new, they were rare. Nevertheless, a few did exist. I nodded, quickly swallowed, and replied in my usual careful manner, "Yes, there are multiplayer games. However, I believe the available ones on the app market are only a handful."
Ethan nodded thoughtfully, but before I could continue, Conner chimed in with a confused frown. "Why's that?"
Ethan turned to him like he was staring at the densest human being on earth. "Dude, this device is, like, brand new. What do you expect?"
Conner gave a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh... right."
The table filled with light laughter, and I smiled softly. "If you would like," I offered, setting down my sandwich, "we can attempt a multiplayer game now."
That caught their interest immediately.
"What game?" Trent asked, leaning forward a little, clearly intrigued.
"Minecraft," I said with a small, secret smile.
They blinked at me blankly. For a moment, I thought perhaps I had spoken in another language.
"Mine... craft?" Kira echoed, tilting her head in that curious way of hers.
"A construction and survival simulator," I explained patiently, lacing my fingers together atop the table. "You create your own world from elemental materials — stone, wood, ores — while ensuring your survival against environmental hazards and creatures."
Conner leaned back on his elbows, laughing incredulously. "Wait, wait. We build stuff... and fight stuff? On the phone?"
"Precisely."
"Sounds like a blast," Ethan said immediately, pulling out his smartphone and already poking around the screen. "Okay, Amaris, teach us your ways, oh wise tech goddess."
I allowed a small laugh to escape my lips, an involuntary reaction, but not unwelcome and began showing them how to locate the app.
Given that smartphones were newly introduced and most popular apps from my previous world were not even invented yet, I had decided a little shamelessly, to monopolize the market by quietly releasing well-known games under our ownership. It felt odd, morally ambiguous even, but I rationalized it as simply accelerating culture in this universe. Business, after all, was business.
Minecraft was among the few I had already released under the Shin's company name. I accessed the app store, found it easily, and purchased copies for each of them using my card. The money would, inevitably, circle back to me anyway.
Once the download hit 100%, I addressed them all again, speaking clearly and calmly. "First," I said, moving closer so they could see, "locate the grass-like block icon labeled 'Minecraft' and tap it once."
They fumbled adorably with their screens, these devices were far more responsive than the clunky keypads they were used to.
"Oh! Got it," Kira said brightly as her screen flashed to the pixelated title page.
"This looks... weird," Conner muttered, squinting at the chunky letters and minimalist design.
"It is a retro-inspired aesthetic," I explained serenely. "Charming, in its own way. Now, before we proceed, you must each create an account."
With much tapping, mistyping, and occasional cries of frustration, they each eventually managed to register accounts. I created a realm—a private, shared server and invited them to join. They hesitated briefly at the "Accept Invite" button, as if uncertain, but one by one, they pressed it.
Their screens loaded up—bright blue skies, blocky trees, endless rolling landscapes.
Their avatars materialized around me, each one the default, identical Steve model. If not for the gamertags floating overhead, I would have struggled to tell them apart.
"Whoa," Trent breathed, his voice full of awe. "This is... kinda beautiful."
Ethan was already frantically moving his blocky avatar, gasping. "How do I walk?!"
"Use the directional pad on the left side," I instructed, demonstrating on my own screen. "And to look around, swipe gently with your finger on the right."
Kira immediately made her character spin in frantic circles. "Ahh! I think I'm gonna be sick."
Conner burst out laughing, barely keeping hold of his phone. "Dude, I'm moonwalking!"
I covered my mouth to hide a chuckle. "It will become more intuitive with practice."
"Now," I continued, transitioning into teacher mode, "to survive, you must gather resources. Approach a tree, like so, and tap and hold to break the wood blocks."
I demonstrated, punching a tree until the log popped free into my inventory. They stared at me like I had grown a second head.
"You want us to... punch trees?" Kira deadpanned.
"It is tradition," I said solemnly, resisting the urge to smile.
Conner howled with laughter but obediently sent his little Steve avatar flailing at a tree. "I'm so telling Coach I learned a life skill today."
"Yeah, sure," Kira muttered, finally harvesting her first block of wood. "Life skill: aggressive tree-punching."
"Once you have wood," I continued, "open your inventory—the small grid icon and craft it into planks."
What followed was pure chaos: confused tapping, exclamations of "Where did it go?!" and a lot of accidental dropping of items.
"Wait, I dropped it, where'd it go?!" Trent cried, genuinely distressed.
"Remain calm," I said soothingly. "You may retrieve it simply by walking over it."
After much trial and error, they managed to convert their wood into planks, then into a crafting table.
"This feels like homework," Ethan grumbled, but there was a spark of excitement in his eyes nonetheless.
"Necessary preparation for survival," I reminded them kindly.
As the virtual sun began to set, a quiet unease settled over the group.
"Uh... Amaris?" Kira said slowly, her character staring at the horizon. "Is it just me, or is it getting dark?"
"Indeed," I said gravely. "And with nightfall comes danger."
As if summoned by my words, the distant groan of a zombie echoed across the pixelated fields.
Conner nearly dropped his phone. "WHAT WAS THAT?!"
"A minor threat," I assured him. "Come, we must construct shelter swiftly."
Under my instruction, they hastily slapped together a crude wooden hut. It leaned precariously, gaps yawning between planks, and the door was hung slightly sideways.
"It is... functional," I said diplomatically, choosing my words carefully.
"We live in a shack," Trent said flatly, his avatar crammed in next to the others.
"Think of it as rustic," Kira offered dryly.
Outside, something thudded against the door—a zombie.
"This is actually terrifying," Ethan whispered, huddling closer to his screen.
"You are quite safe within the structure," I said gently. "Provided it holds."
A spider, its blocky legs twitching menacingly, began climbing up the outside walls.
"Amaris," Conner said very seriously, "I don't like your game anymore."
I chuckled softly behind my hand. "In the morning, we shall emerge stronger, more experienced... and ready to build a proper home."
"First thing I'm doing," Ethan muttered darkly, "is crafting a laser cannon."
"There are no lasers in Minecraft, Mr. James," I said with a small smile. "At least... not yet."
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of nervously listening to pixelated groans and hisses, dawn broke over the horizon. We stumbled out of our rickety shelter into the light.
"That," Kira said, holding her phone aloft like a trophy, "was amazing."
"I wanna build a castle," Trent declared, his face bright with excitement.
"Or a secret underground base!" Ethan added, practically vibrating with energy.
"Or a soccer stadium!" Conner threw in.
I bowed my head slightly, warmth blooming in my chest. "Then let us proceed... step by step. Survival first. Dreams second."
As we began to gather wood and stone anew, their laughter and chatter echoed around me, filling the courtyard with life.
At that moment, amidst pixelated adventures and shared wonder—it did not matter that we bore powers or faced unseen dangers.
We were simply friends, learning to create a world together.
And somehow... I realized, deep in my heart, that this was the most important victory of all.