Family Man System: Taking Care Of My Family Makes Me OP

Chapter 25: I will tell you everything

{So, like... you have a daughter now, huh? And the mother of your child, apparently, is living with you for the time being?}

Kai hummed. "Yeah, that’s the gist of it."

He was standing outside now because he didn’t want Jean to overhear their conversation.

She was already worried that she might have caused him trouble, but Kai had never considered hiding the truth about her or Elara from Mark.

{Man... who could have imagined that the woman whose name you couldn’t stop chanting after two drinks would one day end up living with you?}

Kai knew there was no one around to overhear him, but he still glanced around out of habit before lowering his voice.

"Don’t even mention that in front of Jean when you meet her."

{Oh? So you’re actually willing to let me meet her?}

Kai snickered. "You’re Elara’s only uncle. Wouldn’t you want to see the little angel who’s blessed my life?"

{Oh, I’m definitely excited. I’ll bring her something special when I visit her... and my sister-in-law.}

Kai slapped a hand against his forehead. "Stop that. Please. Jean would be so uncomfortable. Dude, I’m nothing more than a former classmate she happens to get along with and the father of her child."

Mark hummed knowingly.

{Keep telling yourself that. If she didn’t have something for you in her heart, she wouldn’t have trusted you enough to share that shack with you.}

Kai clicked his tongue. "That’s not a shack. And anyway, I’m moving soon. I recently bought a home."

Well, technically, he had sold one. But he would buy another soon enough.

{Eh? What? When the hell did you...}

Kai cut him off before the barrage of questions could draw him into a longer conversation.

"I’m going. They’re waiting for me. I’ll tell you everything once you return. Bye."

With that, he disconnected the call.

Naturally, he had no intention of telling Mark about the system, which meant he needed to come up with a plausible explanation soon. More importantly, he would need one for the future as well. If anyone ever questioned where his assets had come from, he needed a false story convincing enough to withstand scrutiny.

But that was a problem for another day.

For now, there was a far more pleasant matter waiting for him.

He was going shopping with his family.

....

"I never noticed this place," Jean said as they approached a large store not far from their house. She hadn’t seen it earlier when she had gone out to visit the bathhouse.

"Well, the lighting isn’t exactly the best," Kai replied, adjusting the strap of the baby carrier.

He had ordered it that afternoon because carrying Elara in his arms for extended periods could quickly become tiring, and Elara might feel uncomfortable too being held like that.

The carrier held her securely against him, and judging by how peacefully she rested inside it, Elara seemed perfectly comfortable as well.

"Hmm," Jean hummed as they walked deeper into the aisles. "What should we make for tonight? Do you have any preference?"

Kai gave her a sheepish smile. "I like anything with chicken. I’m a simple man. Fried chicken and soda are more than enough of a celebration for me."

Jean shook her head with a smile.

Kai hurriedly added, "Of course, if we’re going to remember this day, we might as well make something worth remembering. How about a three-course meal or something?"

Jean’s smile softened as she glanced at him. "I... can cook something like that, but we’d need ingredients. A whole lot of them."

Kai huffed confidently. "Go ahead and put down everything you need."

With a flourish, he pulled a shopping cart toward her and declared, "There isn’t a thing in this store that these arms can’t carry."

Jean laughed, a soft, fleeting chuckle that somehow sounded like a melody to his ears.

’Man... she’s beautiful when she smiles.’

He found himself sighing before clearing his throat. "Well, shall we get started?"

Jean nodded. "Sure. Follow me, then."

They moved through the aisles, gathering seasonings and spices as Jean carefully selected what they needed.

Contrary to what she had said, however, she wasn’t putting an excessive amount into the cart. Most of what she picked looked practical enough to be used in everyday cooking, nothing particularly extravagant.

Kai wouldn’t have minded otherwise too.

He had barely known how to use most of these ingredients before, but the system had recently taught him a surprising number of dishes. If he wanted to make them properly, he needed the necessary supplies.

So yes, these were essential purchases.

"What about alcohol? We could get some wine or beer. You choose," Kai suggested.

Jean hesitated. "I... I’m not very good with alcohol. What if I get drunk and the baby needs her diaper changed?"

Kai immediately reassured her. "I’ve learned enough just by watching. You can trust me to handle that."

Jean gave him a faint smile, looking slightly tempted by the idea before finally nodding.

"Okay, but only a little."

Kai nodded in agreement. He had no intention of drinking enough to get drunk either. This was simply a small celebration. After all...

"My little bean finally has her name. Right, Elli?" Kai asked, glancing down at the baby nestled against him.

Elara kicked her tiny feet excitedly, as though she understood exactly what he was saying.

Kai smiled and gently kissed her forehead.

Then, suddenly...

"What?! You aren’t paying for that?!"

A sharp voice cut through the store, immediately drawing Kai’s attention.

It wasn’t just him and Jean. Several other shoppers nearby turned toward the commotion as well.

A stern-looking woman, who appeared to be the store staff, stood before two elderly women while clutching a packet of red meat in her hand.

From the looks of it, the two elderly women had damaged the packaging and were now being asked to compensate for it.

Kai’s attention, however, didn’t remain on them for long.

Jean’s quiet voice reached his ears.

"Miss Naomi and Lyra?"

Kai’s brows rose.

Jean knew them?