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

“I’ll cook some breakfast; you two can go and play together for a bit,” Mag said with a smile. He turned toward the kitchen, and thought about how amusing it was that Ugly Duckling had acrophobia. Thankfully, it wasn’t a bird. Otherwise, that would be quite a concern.

There were occasionally some customers who came to the restaurant, but they could only sigh with disappointment upon discovering that it wasn’t open for business.

The customers were beginning to get a grasp on Mag’s personality. He was very easygoing and benevolent, but the restaurant rules he’d established were set in stone. No one could break those rules, or they would be placed on Mag’s dreaded blacklist.

After a simple breakfast, it was already 9am. The sun had risen to the ideal point, and the conditions were perfect for kite-flying.

“Let’s go fly our kite!” Amy jumped out of the restaurant with Ugly Duckling trailing behind her. Mag emerged last from the restaurant, with the kite held in his hands.

Even discounting its long three-pronged tail, the kite was about as tall as a grown man, and there were specks of shiny silver interspersed with its vibrant purple surface. The color scheme was very exuberant, making it appear as if it really did have feathers.

The kite was huge, but also very light, just as if it were completely weightless. Its frame was very rigid yet supple, and it felt as if the kite would fly into the sky as soon as Mag tossed it into the air. He was very happy with the level of quality, and he almost praised the system for it.

However, he couldn’t bring himself to do so. The system would become so inflated if he were to praise it that it would float into the sky before the kite did.

“Wow, what a beautiful kite! Is little Amy going kite-flying with Mag?” Xixi was feeding Black Coal and Green Pea at the entrance of the magic potion shop, and her eyes lit up at the sight of the large purple kite.

“I sure am! Father made the kite for me. Big Sister Xixi, do you want to come with us?” Amy was very proud of her father.

Xixi took a glance at the magic potion shop before shaking her head with a smile. “I really want to go kite-flying as well, but I still have to work, so I won’t be able to come today. Have fun with your father.”

“Alright, then.” Amy nodded before turning toward Black Coal and Green Pea as she asked, “Green Pea, Black Coal, do you guys want to come?”

“No!” Black Coal immediately refused. It was looking at Amy with a hint of horror in its eyes.

“I don’t want to go, either.” Green Pea also shook its head. It used its red beak to smooth down its soft green feathers, and said, “I can fly on my own, so I don’t like to fly kites.”

“Don’t worry, Black Coal, I won’t use you as an experimental subject for my flames of extreme frost anymore,” Amy consoled.

However, before Black Coal could heave a sigh of relief, she continued seriously, “I’ll wait until Master Turtle teaches me a second spell.”

“The honorable… no, the lowly Fama Odin Ben is sorry! Please forgive me. I’ll do whatever you say, so please don’t use that ice to freeze me again. It was so cold!” Black Coal’s pitiable eyes were already shimmering with a film of tears as it pleaded with Amy.

Amy looked at Black Coal, and contemplated momentarily before nodding in response. “Alright, I won’t freeze you next time, then.”

“Thank you! From now on, Little Black is your most loyal servant. You can tell me to do anything.” Black Coal was so elated that his voice was trembling slightly.

“Then…” Amy looked down at Ugly Duckling, which was just preparing to pounce on a colorful butterfly.

“Meow~” Ugly Duckling seemed to have sensed Amy’s gaze, and its body immediately stiffened. It was still recovering from the trauma of being frozen solid as well, and it shook its head with all its might.

“What you two are doing is wrong! Whom am I supposed to test out my spells on, then?” Amy pouted with displeasure.

“Amy, you shouldn’t force Ugly Duckling and Black Coal to be your test subjects. No matter what you do, you have to consider other people’s feelings. If they’re your friends, then you shouldn’t force them to do things against their will.” Mag looked at Amy with a serious expression.

“Really?” Amy looked up at Mag with a hint of conflict and confusion in her eyes.

Mag nodded. Using a gentle voice, he explained, “Yes. Ugly Duckling doesn’t want to be frozen by your magic spell, so it’s experiencing fear. That’s a negative emotion; it means that it’s not happy. We should try to make our friends happy, just like how you always try to make Jessica happy.”

At Amy’s age, she had yet to develop a concept of what was right and what was wrong. As such, she required parental guidance to put her on the right track.

“Treat them like I treat Jessica…” Amy’s eyes gradually lit up, and she nodded earnestly as she said, “I understand now, Father.”

“Good girl.” A smile appeared on Mag’s face.

Amy looked at Ugly Duckling with a smile, and said, “Ugly Duckling, I won’t use my flames of extreme frost on you from now on.”

“Meow~” Ugly Duckling was ecstatic, and it rubbed its head against Amy’s leg to express its joy.

“However, Jessica never asks me to hold her, so I won’t hold you again, either. You’re quite big now, so you should learn to walk on your own,” Amy added in a serious voice.

“Meow~” Ugly Duckling’s elated expression immediately disappeared. It looked up at Amy, and raised its two forelegs, trying to beg her to hold it in her arms.

“No. Father told me that I have to treat you like how I treat Jessica. If hold you, then I have to hold Jessica, but she would be too heavy for me to hold her, so it wouldn’t be fair to her.” Amy shook her head, and waved at Xixi before skipping toward the square. At that point, there were already many kites in the sky over the square.

Ugly Duckling was very dejected, and it reluctantly switched its target to Mag.

“My hands are already full, so you’ll have to walk on your own.” Mag shrugged with the kite in one hand and the line reel in the other as he followed along behind Amy. He couldn’t spoil Ugly Duckling too much. What if it grew up to be an obese cat?

“Meow!” Ugly Duckling cried with indignation before trotting along behind the two of them. Its movements appeared slightly labored, but it was still able to keep up.

In the square, there were many parents flying kites with their children. There was a massive circular plaza at the center of the Aden Square, and it was paved with bluestone to create a very level surface. It was perfect for kite-flying.

All of the children were competing to see whose kite was prettier and whose father was flying their kite at the highest altitude.

“Father is the best! Our kite flies the highest, and it’s the largest, and most beautiful one!” A little girl with her hair organized into a bun clapped her little hands together. She was chasing a man in a black jumpsuit, and her little face was alight with excitement.