A Stay-at-home Dad’s Restaurant In An Alternate World

Mag nodded, smiling. “I’m sure you will.” Amy’s thoughtfulness made his heart ache. Mischievous kids had often mocked Mag Alex’s way of walking when he limped on the road. They had even thrown stones at him.

He had tried his best not to let Amy see this, but still she had seen it several times. The little girl had stood before him, crying, telling them to go away. He could still remember it like it was yesterday. Maybe that’s when the idea of protecting me took root in her mind.

Looking at Amy’s earnest and determined face, Mag couldn’t help but lift her up, hold her in his arms, and kiss her on the forehead. His nearest and dearest was always putting him first. It warmed his heart and made him feel like crying.

“Don’t worry. Father will become stronger too. It should be me protecting you. You just need to be happy every day,” Mag whispered in her ear. I’m not a good father, letting her carry so much.

“But…” Amy lifted her head.

Mag knew what she wanted to say. He shook his head with a smile. “The day after tomorrow is our rest day. We can play all day. We’ll visit Chaos School to see if we can find a suitable magic caster to teach you.”

Amy’s eyes brightened instantly. “Really?” She gazed at Mag with her big blue eyes, surprised. Then she became a little worried. “But I’ve promised half-beard grandpa to teach him fireball magic. I don’t want to be called a liar.”

Mag shook his head, smiling. “Actually, he is a very powerful magic caster. But he wanted to take you to a far faraway place to learn magic, so I turned him down. You don’t have to teach him fireball magic, because he already knows how to use it.”

“Really? But his beard got burnt by my fireball,” said Amy incredulously.

Mag nodded with a smile. “That’s because your fireball is very powerful. So, if you have to use it again, first you must consider if he or she can stand it, or they might be roasted,” Mag said seriously.

He was teaching her to learn to control the power she possessed.

Although Amy was still small, Mag was already starting to shape her worldview. He didn’t expect her to become a saint, but he didn’t want her to grow up a devil, either.

Kindness was a good quality, to an extent.

That was what he had gradually apprehended after he got transported into this world by God. Anything could go bad without limits. One might escape the punishment of men, yet he couldn’t escape the righteous judgment of God.

Amy nodded earnestly. “Yes, Father.” Then she looked down at the little kitten, which was looking up at them. “Roasted, roasted…” she murmured in a low voice.

“Meow…” Amy’s words sent a chill down the kitten’s back, and it flinched in fright.

“Go play with Ugly Duckling. If you’re tired, go upstairs and sleep. I’ll clean the restaurant.” Mag stroked Amy’s hair, smiling, and put her back on the floor.

Amy shook her head. “No. Ugly Duckling, Mushroom Fairy, and I will wait here.” She picked up the kitten, climbed onto the long-legged chair, turned on the music box, and hummed along. Suddenly, she looked at Mag, who was wiping tables, and asked, “Dad, if I sing for Teacher Luna, will she be happy?”

Mag nodded, smiling. “Of course she will.” Amy really liked Luna, but she was too young to be enrolled in Chaos School. Luna had taken the liberty of letting her in many times, though.

Mag had planned to check with some teachers in the school to see if they could teach Amy some rudimentary knowledge about magic.

Amy had invented fireball magic all by herself. If she didn’t know the basic concepts of magic, she might not be able to control this power. He didn’t want his precious little girl becoming a rascal in other people’s eyes. There was big difference between innocent and wild.

Amy nodded. “Then I’ll study harder. I’ll sing for dad and Teacher Luna,” she said solemnly, and started humming along again.

A smile touched Mag’s lips, and he worked faster. Amy was starting to get used to saying “dad”. Although sometimes she still used “Father” subconsciously, Mag didn’t care anymore. Sometimes, he even found the sound of “Father” a little cute. He decided to let her use whichever she wanted.

Mag cleaned the restaurant, marinated some meat to use in three days from now, and washed his hands. Amy was leaning on the counter, asleep, with the kitten dozing off in her arms. The music box was still playing, but its sound seemed to have become a little hoarse.

Mag raised an eyebrow. “System, listen to your 5,000 copper coins’ worth of music box. What a rip-off! It’s broken in only one day!” he said in his mind.

“There is no perpetual motion machine in this thing, so the acoustic quality will change when the power runs out. You just need to buy four A size batteries to replace the old ones,” the system said calmly.

“You use A size batteries for such a fancy music box?! It should come with a lithium battery and a charger!” Mag complained. He could feel his vicious tongue stirring.

“In the detailed directions on the description page, it says clearly that the music box is powered by four A size batteries. It’s not my fault that you didn’t read it. But I can alter it for you if you want. You have four choices to choose from,” the system said, its voice still calm.

“Wait…” As Mag watched the four choices pop up in his head, he felt he had been tricked by the system. He hadn’t had time to read the directions, and the system had taken advantage of that. He felt a little annoyed.

When he looked through the four choices, he could barely hold back his laughter.

“First: power source alteration. The four A size batteries will be replaced by a fast charging ultra-capacity lithium battery. Three minutes of charging can last the music box three hours. If it’s fully charged, it can last it three days. Sale price: 10 gold coins. Accessories: one original charger.

“Second: power source alteration and clothes. Apart from the same service as the first choice, you’ll get 10 sets of beautiful clothes for the doll. You can change its clothes just by pushing a button. Sale price: 20 gold coins.”

…