Kael woke up to the sound of crying. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before remembering where he was. Then he felt the hard floor beneath his back and let out a tired sigh.
"Right. I slept on the floor," Kael muttered.
His entire body felt stiff. He sat up slowly, rubbing his lower back before looking toward the bed, where Sera was still asleep. The crying came again, making him turn his head toward the baby.
His son was lying on the bed, kicking his tiny legs beneath the blanket. His little face was red, and his fists moved around as he cried.
"Hey, hey. What’s wrong?" Kael asked as he hurried over.
He carefully picked up the baby and held him against his chest.
"It’s okay. Daddy’s here," Kael whispered.
The crying didn’t stop, so Kael frowned and checked the blanket, adjusted the baby’s position, and gently rocked him. Nothing worked.
"Come on, little guy. Don’t do this to me so early in the morning," Kael said helplessly.
The baby cried even louder, and Kael looked toward Sera. She was still asleep, and he didn’t have the heart to wake her. After what he had seen last night, she needed all the rest she could get.
Besides, he was the father. He should at least be able to handle a crying baby.
Kael took a deep breath and looked down at his son.
"All right. Let’s figure this out together," he said.
[Ding!]
[New Task: Identify and attend to your child’s needs.]
[Objective: Determine why your child is crying and provide appropriate care.]
[Reward: $2,000.]
[Bonus: Family Bond experience.]
Kael blinked at the notification.
’Two thousand dollars?’
He glanced at the baby, who was still crying in his arms, then looked back at the system message.
’All right, system. I’ll take that challenge.’
He began checking everything he could think of. Was the baby hungry? He remembered feeding him during the night, but several hours had passed since then. Perhaps he was uncomfortable, so Kael checked the blanket and made sure the baby’s clothes weren’t twisted.
Then he noticed the smell.
Kael paused and slowly looked down at his son.
"Oh."
"Please tell me that’s not what I think it is," Kael muttered.
The baby responded with another cry, and Kael sighed.
"Yeah, I guess it is."
He had changed many things in his life over the years, but changing a baby’s diaper had never been one of them. He looked toward the kitchenette, hoping he might somehow find an instruction manual waiting for him, but there was nothing. No experienced parent stood nearby to help him, either. It was just him and a baby who clearly wasn’t going to wait.
Kael carefully placed his son on the bed and searched through the bag Sera had brought with her. After digging around for a little while, he found a pack of diapers and some wipes.
"Found you," Kael said with a relieved smile.
He had seen people change diapers in videos before. It couldn’t be that difficult, right?
Five minutes later, he was beginning to reconsider that opinion.
"Why are your legs moving so much?" Kael asked as the baby kicked.
The little boy waved his arms and made another unhappy sound.
"I know you’re upset, but you’re not making this easy for me," Kael told him.
He fumbled with the diaper, trying to remember which side went where. After a few attempts, he finally managed to get everything in place. It wasn’t perfect, and he was pretty sure he could do better next time, but at least his son was clean.
The crying stopped almost immediately.
Kael stared at the baby, who blinked up at him looking much more comfortable. Then the little boy gave a tiny yawn, and Kael let out a breath of relief.
"You’re welcome, little man," he said.
[Ding!]
[Task Complete: Identify and attend to your child’s needs.]
[Reward: $2,000 has been deposited into your bank account.]
[Family Bond experience increased.]
[Caregiving Proficiency increased slightly.]
Kael’s eyes widened. He pulled out his phone and opened his banking application. When he saw that his balance had increased, he checked it twice before leaning back.
"It actually worked," he muttered.
Yesterday, he had been a convenience store worker struggling to pay his bills. Now he had received twenty-seven thousand dollars from the system, not counting the value of the apartment it had promised him.
He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Excited? Confused? A little scared? Probably all three.
Kael looked at the baby again.
"But I guess I should thank you, huh?" he said.
His son responded by grabbing his finger, making Kael smile.
"Yeah. I’ll take that as a thank-you."
By the time Kael finished washing his hands, the baby had started fussing again. This time, however, he had a better idea of what to do. He checked the diaper first, but it was clean. Then he remembered the formula.
"You’re hungry again, aren’t you?" Kael asked.
The baby moved his mouth and made a small sound.
"All right. Let’s get you fed."
Kael glanced toward Sera before heading to the kitchenette. He remembered the instructions she had given him the previous night and followed them carefully, checking the temperature before returning to the bed.
The moment the bottle touched the baby’s lips, he began drinking. Kael sat beside him, holding the bottle while supporting his head.
"There you go. Take your time," Kael said.
For a while, the apartment was quiet. Kael found himself watching his son more than the bottle. He had spent most of his life worrying about himself, whether he had enough money for rent, whether he could afford decent food, and whether he would ever find a better job. Now, another person’s needs came first.
It was strange. He had known the baby existed for less than a day, yet he was already checking everything twice to make sure he wasn’t doing something wrong. Was the milk warm enough? Was the baby comfortable? Was he holding him properly?
Kael shook his head.
’I’m really going to have to learn a lot.’
When the baby finished drinking, Kael lifted him against his shoulder and gently patted his back. A small burp followed, making Kael grin.
"That’s the second time you’ve done that. At this rate, you’re going to become a professional," Kael joked.
The baby yawned, and Kael looked at him with mock offense.
"Don’t ignore me. I’m talking to you."
A quiet laugh came from behind him, making Kael turn around. Sera was sitting up in bed, watching them.
"Good morning," Sera said softly.
Kael smiled at her.
"Morning. How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Better than yesterday." Sera rubbed her eyes before looking at the baby. "Has he been crying for long?"
"Not too long. He needed a diaper change and some food," Kael replied.
Sera stared at him.
"You changed his diaper?" she asked.
Kael looked at her in surprise.
"Yes. Was I supposed to leave him like that?"
"No, I just..." Sera shook her head with a small smile. "I didn’t expect you to know how."
"Neither did I," Kael admitted.
She laughed quietly. For the first time since arriving at his apartment, she looked a little more like the girl he remembered. She still looked exhausted and thinner than he remembered, but at least she wasn’t trembling anymore.
Kael adjusted the baby in his arms before asking, "Are you hungry?"
Sera hesitated.
"A little," she admitted.
"Good. There’s still some bread left. I’ll make something," Kael offered.
"You don’t have to cook for me," Sera said.
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Sera, you’ve said that about five times since last night," he pointed out.
She looked away.
"Sorry," she muttered.
"That’s six," Kael replied.
Sera stared at him for a moment before laughing again.
"You’re still annoying," she said.
"And you’re still terrible at accepting help," Kael replied.
For a moment, they looked at each other before Sera lowered her gaze with a faint smile.
"Maybe," she admitted.
Kael returned to the kitchenette and began preparing breakfast. It wasn’t anything special, just eggs, bread, and a little milk, but this time he made enough for two.
As he cooked, he heard Sera talking softly to the baby. He couldn’t make out every word, but her voice sounded different now. It was gentler, and there was a warmth in it that hadn’t been there when she first arrived.
Kael glanced over his shoulder. Sera was holding their son close to her chest and smiling down at him. He had never seen her look like that before, and for some reason, he found himself smiling, too.
Maybe this family thing wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
They ate breakfast together at the small table. Sera finished her food slowly, occasionally glancing at Kael as though she wanted to say something. Eventually, Kael put down his fork and looked at her.
"All right, what’s on your mind?" he asked.
Sera looked surprised.
"Nothing," she replied.
"You’re staring at me," Kael pointed out.
"I’m not," Sera insisted.
"You’ve been doing it for the past ten minutes," Kael said.
Sera sighed.
"I was wondering what we’re going to do now," she admitted.
Kael leaned back in his chair.
"About what?" he asked.
"Everything." Sera looked down at the baby sleeping beside her. "We can’t stay here forever. Your apartment is small, and I don’t want to cause you any more trouble."
Kael thought about the system’s promise. He had a two-bedroom apartment waiting for him in Crestview District. He still didn’t know how he was supposed to claim it, but that was something he could investigate later.
"Don’t worry about the apartment," Kael said. "We’ll figure something out."
Sera frowned.
"Kael, I don’t want you to feel like you have to take responsibility for me," she said.
"I’m not doing this because I have to," Kael replied.
He looked at the baby.
"I’m doing it because he’s my son. And if you’re going to be here, I want you to get back on your feet, too."
Sera remained quiet for a moment before asking, "What about your job? You can’t take care of a baby and work all day."
Kael opened his mouth, then stopped. She had a point. He couldn’t leave the baby alone while he worked, and he couldn’t expect Sera to look after him forever without discussing their situation.
He rubbed his chin.
’One problem at a time.’
"I’ll talk to my boss," Kael said. "Maybe I can change my shifts."
Sera looked at him with concern.
"You shouldn’t lose your job because of us," she said.
"I won’t," Kael replied, though he hoped that was true.
For now, he needed to find a way to balance everything. His job was still his only source of income outside the system, and he didn’t want to make a reckless decision just because a mysterious voice had promised him money. The system might be real, but he still needed to understand its limits.
Kael looked at Sera.
"We’ll work something out together," he assured her.
Sera stared at him for a moment before nodding.
"Okay," she said.
Then she glanced down at the baby.
"We still need to give him a name," Sera reminded him.
Kael smiled.
"Right. I haven’t forgotten," he replied.
"Do you have any ideas?" she asked.
Kael thought about it for a few seconds.
"How about Noah?" he suggested.
Sera repeated the name quietly.
"Noah..."
She looked down at her son.
"What do you think, little one? Do you like it?" she asked.
The baby slept peacefully, and Kael chuckled.
"I think he’s too young to complain," he said.
"Maybe," Sera replied with a smile.
She looked at Kael again.
"I like it," she said.
"Noah it is, then," Kael decided.
He leaned forward and gently touched his son’s tiny hand.
"Welcome to the family, Noah," Kael said.
[Ding!]
[Family Milestone Achieved!]
[Your child has been given a name.]
[Family Bond experience increased.]
[New Task: Establish a stable home for your family.]
[Objective: Secure a suitable living environment for your family.]
[Reward: Claim the previously offered two-bedroom apartment in Crestview District.]
Kael froze.
’So that’s how I claim it.’
He stared at the notification, then glanced toward Sera. She was still smiling at their son, completely unaware that the system had just given him another task.
Kael smiled to himself. A new home, a new responsibility, and a son named Noah. His life had changed more in the past twenty-four hours than it had in the previous eight years.
He still had plenty to figure out. He needed to understand the system, find out what had happened to Sera, and learn how to raise a child without making a complete fool of himself. But for the first time in a long while, he had something to look forward to.
Kael stood up and began clearing the table.
"What’s next?" Sera asked.
Kael glanced back at her.
"First, we need to get you some proper rest. Then I’m going to find out how to claim that apartment," he replied.
Sera blinked.
"What apartment?" she asked.
Kael paused. He had almost forgotten that she didn’t know about the system.
"Uh..." He scratched the back of his head. "That’s going to take some explaining."
Sera narrowed her eyes.
"Kael, what did you do?" she asked.
"Nothing!" Kael replied quickly.
She continued staring at him, clearly unconvinced. Kael sighed.
’This is going to be a long day.’