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

"Erm. She rather likes little sisters. She loved Gjerj's baby when it was born." Mag nodded with a smile, pretending that he didn't understand.

He snuck a look at Irina. Why did she suddenly bring this up? Didn't she know the situation was very tense now? How would he dare to make a baby?

"Oh really? Then, do you like them?" Irina asked Mag smilingly.

"Of course I do. Little girls are so cute, just like Little Amy. Everybody likes them." Mag nodded in agreement. He picked a thermal cup and took a sip of goji berry tea. This winter air was so dry that his throat felt scratchy.

Irina's gaze fixed on Mag became more and more intrigued. She liked to see Mag at a loss. Although he was the fearsome dragon slayer in front of others, he would get embarrassed and blush in front of her. She suddenly got close to Mag's ear, and whispered, "Then, when are we having another one?"

Mamma Mia!

Mag felt his legs weakening. What was she trying to do now?

"Ding!"

The restaurant's door that wasn't locked was pushed open, and Firis came in. She was a little taken aback to see Irina and Mag standing so close together.

Mag and Irina turned around, and looked at Firis at the same time with narrowed eyes.

Silence the witness!

That was the very first thought that popped up in Firis's mind.

"Oh, you came, Firis. I was just talking to Princess Irina about you, and you appeared," Mag said smilingly, and slowly moved to the side discreetly.

"Talking about me?" Firis looked at Mag in surprise. So Boss and the princess were in a discussion, and they were talking about her. Could it be that the princess wanted to give her to Boss as an appreciation gift?

Firis blushed as soon as she thought about that. Although she wanted to stay with the princess and serve her, if she needed to sacrifice for the Night Elves, then she…

Irina gave Mag a dressing-down with her eyes, and then sat back in her seat leisurely. She grabbed Ugly Duckling, which was backing away, as she said to Firis, "We're building a factory together to house the Night Elves. The canteen is short of a cook, so we intend for you to be the head chef."

"Head chef?" Firis was slightly taken aback. So, they were not talking about "sacrificing her". She heaved a sigh of relief, yet she felt an unexplainable sense of loss at the same time.

"Yes. I have heard the princess say that you have done a very good job at arranging the meals for the Night Elves in the underground cavern. You will be great at this job." Mag smiled and nodded. This was the issue that Irina and he discussed last time, and it was perfect to be used as an excuse now.

"Mm-hmm. Yes. I will try my best to provide delicious food for everyone." Firis nodded. Contributing to the Night Elves was what she should do. Moreover, with the experience gained in the underground cavern, she was no longer as afraid of taking charge as she was initially.

Mag nodded. In this case, the Night Elves' logistics issue was solved too. Now, they simply had to wait for the Night Elves to arrive at Chaos City.

"Then, please continue with your discussion. I will go and prepare the ingredients." Firis went to the kitchen.

"I need to do some preparations too." Mag stole a glance at Irina who was staring at him, and escaped to the kitchen. Who was able to withstand that?!

"Coward." Irina chuckled. She squeezed Ugly Duckling's face, and said, "Little fat duck, you'll be too greasy if you get too fat. You've got to exercise more."

Ugly Duckling, whose eyes were squeezed shut, opened them wide and stared at Irina with fright.

"Don't worry. You are still too small to talk about braising or steaming," Irina consoled Ugly Duckling, stroking its head.

"Meow~"

Ugly Duckling's fur bristled, and it shivered on Irina's lap.

As it got closer to noon, the staff began to arrive at the restaurant.

The new employee, Rena, greeted everyone a little awkwardly. She removed her well-worn big jacket, and revealed a brand new black-and-white chef's suit she was wearing. It was similar to Mag's, but it was a lady's version with a very fitting cut.

"Rena, you look great wearing the chef's suit. You look just like a head chef," Yabemiya said to Rena with envy.

A smile appeared on Rena's face, but she still humbly replied, "Thank you, but I am only an apprentice now."

"It's fine. Your nose is very sensitive, so you will definitely learn very quickly," Yabemiya encouraged her.

"Rena, come in please," Mag called out from the kitchen.

"Alright." Rena strode into the kitchen, and looked at Mag nervously.

"It will be just like in the morning. You are still not needed to do anything for the afternoon besides watching me cook from the side. However, you have to decide what is the first dish that you want to learn in the afternoon."

"Mm-hm." Rena nodded.

"Relax a little. Although cooking isn't a relaxing matter, it should be an interesting matter. You would only create dishes with soul like this," Mag said smilingly when he noticed Rena was nervous.

Rena was a little surprised to hear that. Soon, a smile appeared on her face. To her, cooking was indeed an interesting and happy matter. Even standing and watching Mag cook for over one hour by the stove was much more interesting than daydreaming in the office.

Mag washed his hands and began to make their own lunch.

Rena's talents let Mag see the possibility of grooming a successor rapidly. He might have to disappear frequently soon, and that would be unacceptable to the restaurant's regulars. If Rena could learn to make his dishes, even just a few of them, the restaurant could remain open, and it would be better than nothing.

Firis's talents were good too, but she had to take care of the Night Elves's food now, so she didn't have much time to learn how to cook now. Hence, he had to strike her out temporarily.

***

The peak period of lunch was over, and Mag removed his apron. He took a sip from his thermal cup, and heaved a sigh of relief. Every service was like a long and intense battle.

Rena approached Mag, and said, "Boss, I would like to learn how to make hot pot."

"Hot pot?" Mag looked at Rena in surprise. He had made all the dishes on the menu except the hot pot, so he hadn't expected Rena's choice would be hot pot.

"Yes. It was because of the hot pot that I could join the restaurant, so I want to learn hot pot as my first dish." Rena nodded with conviction.

"That's fine too. Then, we will start from learning how to make a pot of broth first for this afternoon." Mag nodded after pondering for a moment.

The hot pot was a good choice. If Rena could master hot pot, she could prop up half of the restaurant, and it would be much more stable than the other dishes.

Was the new Queen of the Hot Pot going to appear under his tutelage?

Mag suddenly felt very expectant.