Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize

Chapter 612: Daniel’s Torment - 02

"Second, we have soccer star Ethan Star, who's recently joined the Premier League in Britain!" the host continued, as the program played a video showing a handsome athlete skillfully dribbling the ball, weaving through opposing players before delivering a perfect pass to his teammate, who scores a goal.

Next, a picture of Ethan in casual clothes appears, showing him at his team's training camp, exuding a relaxed and carefree demeanor. The vibe he gives is distinctly different from Miguel Stuart's princely celebrity charm.

Meanwhile, in Daniel's dining room, the family is still enjoying dinner and watching the evening news—a program Daniel usually follows to keep up with events in the city and important happenings worldwide.

At the dining table sat only Greed, Penthesilea, Michaela, and little Sylvana. Koyuki had already returned to Japan for additional training. From what they knew, Koyuki's training was nearing completion, and she could now control six out of the eight parts of Yamata no Orochi's power.

On the right side of the screen, the live chat feed begins scrolling non-stop, slowing only to highlight some paid messages in larger text.

As the program continues to feature the "most desirable man" voting segment, little Sylvana is watching attentively.

GoldenMary: "Ahhhh! My prince!"

PrincessSusan24: "Please marry me! No! I'll marry you!"

Women_PowerGO101: "Ahhhh, I'm so thirsty!"

GirlBoss31: "You're thirsty? I'm already wet!"

Lizzy_Nonbinaries: "You're already wet, but I've given up changing my underwear!"

Watching the flood of comments, Envy decides she's had enough. She places food on Greed's plate, then looks to Michaela, who's sitting closest to the TV remote.

"Michaela, dear, could you hand me the remote?" Envy says, reaching out her hand. Michaela calmly picks up the remote nearby and passes it to her.

Envy takes the remote and turns off the TV. "I don't think this program is quite appropriate for you, sweetie," she says with a smile.

"Huh? Why, Mama Envy? Are they bad people?" little Sylvana asks innocently. "They just said they're thirsty, and someone forgot their umbrella and got wet. I don't think they're bad people."

"Well…" Envy pauses, choosing her words carefully. "Let's just say they're unruly and lack a bit of decorum. They're not necessarily bad people, but those words aren't something you should learn from," Envy explains gently.

"I see!" Sylvana nods, though a hint of confusion and curiosity lingers on her face.

"Let's just forget about those comments, alright, sweetie? How about something tasty? Would you like spaghetti carbonara with ham? I can whip it up for you," Envy says, employing a quick diversion.

"Yay! Spaghetti carbonara! I want one! No, I want two!" Little Sylvana giggles, wiggling in her seat with excitement.

Envy smiles and heads back to the kitchen to prepare two servings of Sylvana's favorite dish.

While Daniel's family enjoyed their dinner, the program continued, its content after that was unnoticed by them.

— The Next Day —

The following day, Daniel resumed his usual activities: sketching new prototype blueprints, testing weapons and artifacts, consulting with Nexus Prime on new technologies, and drafting contingency plans. With Nexus Prime's assistance, he simulated various scenarios to devise countermeasures for potential threats.

This routine filled his days whenever there were no major events or pressing matters requiring his personal attention, as most of the high-level management—financials, budgeting, and logistics—were securely handled by Aryan Sharma, a skilled businessman and strategist.

Having someone trustworthy to oversee the company's operations freed up Daniel's time, allowing him to focus on what he loved. However, in Daniel's case, these activities weren't exactly hobbies; even he didn't consider his habit of planning for worst-case scenarios a "hobby." It was more of a necessity, driven by his vigilant nature.

At lunchtime, Daniel paused his work, usually eating an hour later than others to avoid crowds. Today, however, was special: it was little Sylvana's Magic User Certification exam for novice rank.

Sylvana was considered something of a magical prodigy, especially gifted in plant-based magic, allowing her to communicate with plants—a rare talent typically found only in the royal elven bloodline.

Daniel drove to the school, encountering no incidents or mishaps along the way—not even the usual quirky city antics like someone in a T-Rex costume running through the street with some police chasing after this… troublemaker.

Lately, Daniel had noticed an increase in eccentric behavior in New Atlantis like those weird Floridian men memes… He wondered if the city's location, now more exposed to the open sea, might be influencing people. Despite a 24/7 weather-control station orbiting the city, is it because of the heat? The warmer climate might still be affecting things. He'd heard the saying that heat can make people mad—perhaps there was some truth to it.

While Daniel was thinking about some nonsense, he had already arrived at the school. He parked his car and immediately headed to the school canteen. There should be a lot of people in the school canteen during this time so Daniel decided to use the service of the luxury restaurant that is nearby the school canteen.

One might wonder why a school would have a luxury restaurant on its grounds, especially so close to the school canteen. The reason is that 30% of this school's students come from wealthy mage families, and, as mage families are often significantly wealthier than the average family, even the canteen food is priced well above that of an ordinary school.

The canteen primarily serves students from less affluent backgrounds, some non-mage school staff, or those simply looking to save money. Since Daniel doesn't give little Sylvana a large allowance—as per family policy—she should be in line at the canteen right now.

Daniel didn't want to bother her, as he'd come in secret to quietly watch her test and surprise her with congratulations afterward. With that in mind, he headed straight to the luxury restaurant.

He entered the restaurant, called over a cute waitress, and placed his order. For a moment, he considered inviting little Sylvana to join him, but quickly dismissed the thought.

While ordering some à la carte dishes to satisfy his hunger, he noticed the waitress gazing at him dreamily, her cheeks blushing. Confused, Daniel thought to himself, He's not that handsome—not like that celebrity guy, Miguel Stuart. Why is she blushing?

"Excuse me, miss. I'll have the braised chicken and rice," Daniel said with a smile, snapping the waitress out of her daze.

"Oh! Yes… daddy er… I mean… Mr. Emberweave. I'm very sorry!" she stammered, bowing and apologizing before hurrying to place his order.

Daniel just nodded, smiling politely. He didn't mind her knowing his name—even though he didn't appear much on screen, he still made public appearances on important occasions.

As he waited, he became aware of several eyes on him, and the feeling of being watched made him slightly uncomfortable. He felt like candy being eyed by a group of hungry children.

Discreetly glancing toward the most intense stare, he used his peripheral vision and noticed a good-looking woman in a private booth, visibly flushed, with her hand moving suspiciously below the table. Her face, partly obscured by the booth's frosted glass, looked flushed, as though she were… panting.

Quickly averting his gaze, Daniel decided he wanted no part of whatever strange behavior was happening over there. Perhaps the heat problem in the city is worse than I thought, he mused. Now even some attractive women are acting oddly!

While mulling over this peculiar situation, Daniel's keen hearing picked up whispers from other women around him.

"Hey, hey... look at him. Is that really him? The champion?" the first voice asked, curiosity evident.

"Yes, yes! It's him! It's really him! Oh, Daddy Danny, do you think he'd be interested in me?" replied the second voice, with a hint of heated excitement.

"Wait... didn't you identify as non-binary? Why are you suddenly interested in a man? Don't you hate 'chuds'? Isn't he just another 'white chud' to you?" questioned the first voice.

"Shut up! Good-looking, rich men aren't chuds, and I'm a 'gendermancer'—I can shift between non-binary and female."

"What are you? A clownfish?" the first voice retorted.

Conversations like this suddenly become common in this restaurant. This is the first time Daniel felt so uncomfortable and bewildered. It was so weird.

[What the hell? Is this some kind of prank TV show?] he thought, glancing around to see if any hidden cameras were recording him.

At that moment, the braised chicken and rice arrived at his table, delivered by the same waitress, who wore the sweetest smile she could manage. She leaned forward as she placed the dish, her blouse's first and second buttons intentionally left undone. Daniel frowned, then noticed a small slip of paper alongside the plate, listing a cell phone number, email, and chat app ID.

"Damn... isn't this the legendary baiting?" Daniel muttered with a perplexed expression.

Daniel could still feel the stares of people in the restaurant, but he soldiered on, finishing his meal quickly before paying and making a swift exit. He noticed a small crowd of ladies following him, including the "thirsty" one and the "clownfish" lady among them.