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

“Creak~”

The door was gently pushed open, and a sneaky figure slipped into the room before heaving a long sigh of relief. She stretched lazily, and burped as she fiddled with the automatic oil lamp beside her door. As she did so, she murmured to herself, “Thank heavens I wasn’t caught. Otherwise, those guys are going to report me to Father again.”

“Those guys are really annoying, right?” A voice echoed in response.

“Yes! They’re so annoy—” Vivian replied instinctively before her expression abruptly stiffened. The oil lamp slowly lit up her room, and she turned with a panicked expression toward the table, where Michael was sitting. “Father! Why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be back really late tonight?”

“If I hadn’t come back early, I wouldn’t have caught you, you greedy little cat.” Michael wore a serious expression on his face. He was also feeling quite resigned at the sight of Vivian in male attire.

“Who told you that? I only went out for some fresh air; I’m not a greedy cat… Burp~” Vivian stared at up at the ceiling with a blush on her face. She was trying to defend herself, but had burped at a critical juncture to give her away; how embarrassing!

“Remember to wipe your mouth clean before you come in. Otherwise, I can tell that you went out for food even if you don’t burp.” Michael couldn’t help but burst into laughter as he pointed at the corner of Vivian’s lips.

Vivian wiped her hand over her lips, and a trail of red oil was left on the back of her hand, upon which her expression became even more awkward. It appeared that she hadn’t cleaned her face properly after dining on the grilled fish. She scrambled for an excuse in her mind as she sat across from Michael, pouring herself a glass of water. She tipped her head back, and downed the water in the glass before looking at Michael with a serious expression as she said, “Father, I didn’t go out just to have a meal today. I was doing some investigating for you.

“The result of my investigation verifies everything that Uncle Robert said earlier today. The food from that Mamy Restaurant really is super delicious, and the restaurant is extremely popular as well. They had a completely full house, but there was still a long line of customers that were willing to wait for seats. The restaurant secured those high rankings in the Aden Square food competition, only to be stripped off the rankings board. From that, I can deduce that there’s definitely something wrong with the Catering Association, so you should launch an investigation against them. Otherwise, the food rankings won’t be fair.”

“Oh? You went to that restaurant to do your own investigation?” Michael was a little surprised as he looked at Vivian.

“That’s right. I had their spicy grilled fish, and it really was very, very delicious. How about we go with mother again tomorrow?” Vivian nodded with anticipation shimmering in her eyes.

“I have many things that I have to do tomorrow. At noon, I have to welcome an orc ambassador, and at night, I have to mediate the battle between the demos and the dwarves. I won’t have any time.” Michael shook his head as he looked at Vivian with a stern expression, and said, “Also, Master Adams said that in your current condition, you can’t eat spicy foods, so this is the last time that you can have the spicy grilled fish.”

“Oh.” Vivian pouted at the sight of Michael’s stern expression, but she still nodded obediently.

Michael’s expression softened upon seeing that, and a concerned look appeared on his face as he asked, “Are your lower abdomen and feet still cold today? It’s time for your appointment with Master Adams again. I came back early today so I could take you over to him.”

“Today…” Vivian raised her legs one by one before rubbing her lower abdomen, upon which an elated expression appeared on her face, and she exclaimed, “It doesn’t hurt at all! And it doesn’t feel cold, either; I feel like I’m completely cured!”

“Really?” Michael was clearly very skeptical. In a meaningful and heartfelt manner, he said, “Vivian, even though Master Adams’ treatment process is a little painful, his fire-type magic is the best in the entire Chaos City. Only with him treating you once a month can the frosty energy in your body be suppressed—”

“But Father, it really doesn’t hurt anymore! I was still feeling a little uncomfortable when I got up this morning, and nights are usually when I suffer the most, but I don’t feel anything now. Could it be because of the spicy grilled fish that I just had? As I was eating it, my entire body felt really warm, and I was drenched with sweat. Now, I feel really good, and all I want is a shower.” Vivian cut off Michael’s words with an incredulous expression even on her own face.

“Give me your hand.” Michael laid his finger over her wrist to inspect her pulse. He closed his eyes in doing so, and abruptly opened them a short while later with incredulity as he also exclaimed, “The frosty energy within your body really has dwindled significantly, especially in your meridians. In fact, there are almost no traces of it left.”

“Father, does that mean I’ll be fully cured if I keep eating that spicy grilled fish?” Vivian’s expression lit up with joy. Compared to drinking foul concoctions every day, eating spicy grilled fish was like rising from the depths of hell right into the embrace of heaven!

“Come with me to visit Master Adams, and let him assess your condition,” Michael urged.

“Can I take a shower first?” Vivian asked.

“Alright, but make it quick. I’ll go tell your mother; she still hasn’t had dinner yet.” Michael nodded, and exited her room.

…

“Here are your tofu puddings.”

Yabemiya was holding a sweet tofu pudding and a savory tofu pudding, both of which she placed on Warren and Tonis’ table.

“I heard that the customers of this restaurant are constantly fighting over which flavor is better. What’s there to fight about over a bowl of mush like this?” Tonis looked at the savory tofu pudding in front of him with a dismissive smile.

“Let’s have a taste to find out.” Warren could feel himself salivating at the aroma of the tofu pudding wafting toward him. Back when he had joined the Food Association, it wasn’t anywhere near as prominent as the Catering Association of today. The reason he’d joined it was because he really liked to eat, and he wanted to dine at all of the best restaurants in the Aden Square.

Now, he could decide what people in the Aden Square ate, and which restaurants could thrive. Never did he think that the Aden Square food competition could change his life so drastically.

Warren looked at the tofu pudding in front of him, and found that it was a little like egg pudding, except it was bouncier. He dug into the soft white tofu pudding through the reddish-golden syrup, and the two slowly combined. The tofu pudding was enveloped in a layer of glistening syrup as it wobbled in his spoon, giving off the appearance of an intricate work of art.

“Both its aroma and presentation are exemplary; I hope the taste won’t disappoint me.” Warren placed the spoonful of tofu pudding in his mouth with an expectant look on his face. The delectable tofu pudding melted almost as soon as it entered his mouth, and the syrup was extremely rich and delightful. Despite that, it was not overpowering, and the faint taste of the tofu pudding was still clearly discernible.

“This flavor is amazing!” Warren couldn’t help but gasp with praise.