Kael woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He reached for it blindly, nearly knocking it off the bedside table before finally grabbing it.
"Hello?" Kael answered sleepily.
"Kael? It’s Harrick. Are you planning to come to work today or not?"
Kael opened his eyes. For a moment, he forgot where he was. Then he looked around the unfamiliar bedroom and remembered everything that had happened over the past two days: the system, the apartment, Sera, and Noah.
He sat up. "Sorry, Mr. Harrick. I should have called you last night."
"You should have," Harrick replied. "I’ve already had to ask someone else to cover your shift. What’s going on?"
Kael rubbed his face. He had completely forgotten about work.
"I have a family emergency," Kael explained. "I won’t be able to come in today."
There was a short silence on the other end.
"A family emergency?" Harrick repeated. "You’ve never mentioned having a family before."
"It’s a long story, sir."
"Hmm."
Kael waited. Mr. Harrick wasn’t a bad man, but he wasn’t particularly patient either. He ran a small convenience store, and having an employee suddenly disappear wasn’t something he would appreciate.
"Can you come in tomorrow?" Harrick asked.
"I’ll try, sir. I need to sort a few things out first."
"All right. Call me when you’ve figured things out. I can’t keep rearranging the schedule at the last minute."
"I understand. Thank you, sir."
Kael ended the call and stared at his phone before falling back against the pillow.
"Great. I’ve been a father for two days, and I’ve already forgotten how to do my job."
He covered his face with his hands. He couldn’t afford to lose his job just because his life had suddenly changed. Even with the money the system had given him, he didn’t want to become careless. He still needed to understand how everything worked, and staying home all day wasn’t going to solve every problem.
Kael sat up again. "All right. One thing at a time."
He got out of bed, washed his face, and headed toward the living room. The apartment was quiet, but he soon found Sera sitting on the sofa with Noah in her arms. She had been watching something on her phone, but the moment she noticed him, she put it aside.
"Good morning," Sera greeted him.
"Morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Better than I have in a long time," Sera replied.
Kael smiled. "Good. That’s what I wanted to hear."
He walked over and looked at Noah. The little boy was awake, staring at the ceiling with his tiny hands moving around.
"Morning, troublemaker," Kael said.
Sera laughed. "He’s been awake for a while. I think he’s hungry again."
Kael looked at her. "Again? Didn’t he eat not long ago?"
"That was hours ago, Kael."
He glanced at the clock. It was almost nine.
"Oh."
Sera shook her head, smiling. "You’re going to need to get used to this."
"I’m beginning to understand that."
Kael carefully took Noah from her and sat beside her. The baby looked up at him, and Kael smiled.
"Don’t look at me like that. Your mother says you’re hungry, so I suppose we should do something about it."
Noah made a small sound.
"Exactly. That’s what I thought."
Sera watched them with an amused expression. "You’re getting better at this."
Kael looked at her. "At what?"
"Taking care of him."
He glanced down at his son. "I’ve only changed his diaper twice."
"And fed him, held him, and stayed awake to watch him sleep," Sera replied. "That’s a good start."
Kael didn’t know what to say. He had been so worried about doing everything wrong that he hadn’t stopped to consider whether he was actually making progress. Maybe he was.
He smiled at Noah. "Well, little man, looks like your dad is learning."
[Ding!]
[Family Care Recorded.]
[Family Bond experience increased.]
Kael glanced at the notification before dismissing it. He was getting better at hiding his reactions whenever the system appeared. He didn’t want Sera asking questions about why he occasionally stared into empty space. The less she knew about the strange voice in his head, the better.
"Kael?" Sera called.
He looked up. "Yeah?"
"Were you listening?"
"Of course."
"What did I say?"
Kael paused. Sera folded her arms.
"That’s what I thought."
He scratched his cheek. "Sorry. I was thinking about something."
She sighed, but there was a smile on her face. "You really need to get some rest."
"I slept for several hours."
"Then you need more."
Kael chuckled. "Is that an order?"
"Yes," Sera replied. "And if you don’t listen, I’ll make sure Noah keeps you awake all day."
Kael looked at his son, who chose that moment to yawn. He laughed.
"All right. I surrender."
For the next hour, Kael helped Sera prepare breakfast and took care of Noah while she ate. It wasn’t much, but the routine felt surprisingly comfortable. After breakfast, however, he remembered the phone call. He needed to make a decision about his job, and he needed to make it soon.
"You’re thinking about going back to work already?"
Sera looked at Kael in surprise. They were sitting at the dining table after breakfast, with Noah sleeping nearby.
"I have to," Kael replied. "It’s my job."
"But we just moved in yesterday. There’s still so much to do."
"I know."
Kael leaned back in his chair. "Mr. Harrick called this morning. I told him I couldn’t come in today, but he wants me back tomorrow."
Sera frowned. "Can you manage that?"
Kael considered the question. The convenience store wasn’t far from his old apartment, but the trip from Crestview District would take longer. More importantly, he couldn’t leave Noah alone, and Sera was still recovering from whatever she had been through. He didn’t want to put all the responsibility on her.
"I’ll have to talk to him," Kael said. "Maybe I can reduce my hours for a while."
Sera looked down at her hands. "I could look after Noah while you’re at work."
Kael shook his head. "You need time to recover, too."
"I’m his mother, Kael. Taking care of him isn’t a burden."
"I know that."
He paused before continuing. "But you’ve barely had time to rest since you arrived. I’m not going to pretend everything is fine just because we have a new apartment."
Sera remained quiet, so Kael softened his voice.
"I’m not saying you can’t take care of him. I just don’t want you pushing yourself too hard."
She looked up at him. For a moment, her expression was difficult to read, but then she nodded.
"All right. But we still need to work something out."
"We will."
Kael glanced toward the living room, where Noah was still asleep. He needed a plan that would let him keep earning money without neglecting his family. Fortunately, he had options now that he hadn’t had before. He had savings, a new apartment, and the money the system had already given him. He could afford to take some time to figure things out.
Still, he didn’t want to quit his job impulsively. It was the first stable source of income he had ever managed to hold onto for long, and if he wanted to build a future for Noah, he needed to learn how to manage his money properly.
Kael stood up. "I think I’ll call Mr. Harrick again later. For now, let’s focus on getting everything sorted out here."
Sera nodded. "That sounds reasonable."
Kael smiled. "Good. Because I’m not ready to become a full-time househusband just yet."
Sera laughed. "Who said you would be good at it?"
Kael pointed at her. "You’re supposed to support me."
"I support you. I just think you should learn how to cook something other than eggs first."
He stared at her. "That’s harsh."
"It’s the truth."
Kael shook his head and walked toward the kitchen. "Fine. I’ll make something else for lunch. Then we’ll see who’s laughing."
Sera smiled as she watched him go. For the first time in a long while, she felt as though she could breathe. She didn’t know how Kael had managed to afford their new home, and she still had plenty of questions about what had happened to him over the past few years.
But he hadn’t turned her away. He hadn’t demanded that she explain everything before helping her. He had simply made room for her and their son.
She looked down at Noah. "Your father is a strange man," Sera whispered.
The baby moved his tiny hand, and Sera smiled.
"But I think we’re going to be all right."
An hour later, Kael stood in the kitchen, staring at a recipe on his phone. He had decided to make chicken fried rice, which seemed simple enough. Cook the rice, prepare the chicken, add vegetables, and mix everything together.
What could go wrong?
Apparently, quite a lot.
The first problem was that he had no idea how much seasoning to use. The second was that he had cut the chicken into pieces of wildly different sizes. The third was that he had somehow managed to burn a small portion of the rice before he even started frying it.
Kael stared at the pan. "How is this harder than fighting with a crib?"
From the living room, Sera called out, "What did you say?"
"Nothing!"
He quickly lowered the heat and continued cooking. After another twenty minutes, he finally managed to put together something that looked like fried rice. It wasn’t perfect, but it smelled decent enough.
Kael carried a plate to the dining table. "Sera, lunch is ready."
She walked over with Noah in her arms and looked at the food before turning toward Kael.
"You made this?"
Kael frowned. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"
"Because yesterday you told me you could barely cook."
"I said I wasn’t a good cook. There’s a difference."
Sera smiled. "All right. Let’s see how it tastes."
She took a bite, and Kael watched her closely. Sera chewed slowly before swallowing.
"It’s... good."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "Why did you hesitate?"
"I didn’t."
"You definitely did."
Sera laughed. "It’s a little salty."
Kael took a bite of his own food and paused before sighing.
"All right. Maybe a little."
Sera covered her mouth to hide her laughter. Kael pointed his fork at her.
"Don’t laugh. At least I tried."
"I know," Sera replied, still smiling. "And I appreciate it."
Kael shook his head. "I’ll get better."
"I’m sure you will."
He looked at the plate. Maybe he should start with simpler recipes, but he was glad he had tried. For years, he had only cooked for himself. If a meal tasted bad, he had simply eaten it and moved on.
Now he had someone else to cook for, someone whose opinion mattered. And that gave him a reason to improve.
[Ding!]
[Family Care Recorded.]
[Minor Skill Progress: Cooking.]
[Your cooking ability has improved slightly through practice.]
Kael blinked.
’Cooking?’
He glanced at the notification. The system had recorded his effort and rewarded him with a small improvement. He couldn’t help smiling. At this rate, he might actually become a decent cook.
Of course, he wasn’t going to tell Sera about that.
He took another bite of the rice. "Next time, I’ll make something better," Kael promised.
Sera smiled. "I’ll look forward to it."
Kael nodded seriously. "You should."
Then he looked down at Noah. "And you, little man, will appreciate my cooking when you’re old enough to eat solid food."
Noah made a small sound, and Kael grinned.
"See? He’s already encouraging me."
Sera laughed. "Or he’s asking for someone else to cook."
Kael stared at her. "You’re both against me."
"Maybe," Sera replied.
For once, Kael didn’t mind being teased. He had spent years eating alone, working alone, and coming home to an empty apartment. Now, even a slightly burnt lunch felt like a step toward something better: a real family life.
And he was beginning to enjoy it.
Later that afternoon, Kael sat by the window with his phone in his hand. He had called Mr. Harrick again and explained that he needed a few more days to sort out his family situation. Harrick hadn’t been pleased, but he had agreed to give Kael until the end of the week to make a decision.
That gave Kael some breathing room, though he still needed to work out what came next.
For now, he decided to check his finances. He opened his banking application and reviewed his recent transactions. The money from the system was still there, as was the rebate from their shopping trip.
Kael leaned back in his chair. He wasn’t rich enough to stop thinking about money forever, but he was no longer in immediate danger of missing rent or going hungry. That was a huge change.
He opened a notes application and began writing down his expenses.
Food.
Baby supplies.
Utilities.
Transportation.
Medical expenses.
Savings.
He wanted to know exactly how much his family needed every month. If the system continued rewarding him, that would be useful, but he wasn’t going to rely on it blindly. He needed to build a stable life for himself, Sera, and Noah.
After several minutes, he looked at the list. It was manageable, much more manageable than it would have been a few days ago.
Kael smiled and saved the document. "All right," he murmured. "First step taken."
A notification appeared.
[Ding!]
[Task Progress Updated.]
[Task: Prepare a long-term financial plan for your family.]
[Progress: 50%.]
[Additional Requirement: Establish a regular savings plan.]
[Reward: Available upon completion.]
Kael nodded. That made sense. He had written down his expenses, but he hadn’t yet decided how much money to save each month. He would need to open a separate account for Noah and figure out how to divide his money between daily expenses and long-term savings.
It wasn’t something he had ever been good at, but he could learn.
Kael looked toward the living room. Sera was sitting on the sofa, gently rocking Noah while humming a quiet tune. The sight made him smile.
Whatever happened next, he wanted to keep seeing that. He wanted Noah to grow up in a safe home, Sera to have a chance to rebuild her life, and himself to become someone they could depend on.
Kael returned his attention to his phone and began researching savings accounts. He still had a lot to learn, but for the first time, he had both the means and the motivation to do it.
And that was a good place to start.