The aroma of freshly baked cake filled the small dining room. It was unusual—Mira had never made desserts before—but tonight, alongside the usual simple dinner, she placed a round, golden-brown cake at the center of the table.
Raghav raised his brows in surprise. "What's this, Mira?"
Mira chuckled softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Just… something new I wanted to try. Arin was talking about homemade things the other day, and I thought, why not? It might be fun."
Arin's eyes lit up the moment he saw the cake. But behind that excitement, his Observation skill flickered to life.
[Talent Progress Detected]
Mira – Baking Talent
Status: Level - 2
Arin's heart skipped. It worked…! Mom's talent is starting to awaken.
Mira sliced the cake carefully and served each of them a piece. The first bite melted in Arin's mouth—soft, slightly sweet, with a warmth that made him feel at home. His eyes widened genuinely.
"This is amazing, Mom!" Arin said with boyish enthusiasm, his voice full of energy. "Seriously, it's better than anything I've ever eaten before."
Mira laughed lightly, her cheeks warming. "You're just being dramatic."
But Arin didn't stop there. "No, really! This is incredible. Dad, don't you think so?"
Raghav took a bite, then froze mid-chew. His eyes flicked toward the cake in surprise. "...Wait. Mira, this… this is actually good. Not just good—this tastes better than anything we've bought from the store."
Mira looked down, embarrassed but unable to hide her small smile. "Oh, stop it, both of you. It's just a simple cake."
Arin leaned forward, seizing the moment. "Mom, you could seriously open a bakery with this. I bet people would line up to eat what you make."
The words slipped out naturally, but they struck deeper than he expected.
Raghav's fork clinked softly against his plate as he looked at Mira, thoughtful. "You know… he's right. Why not? We've never tasted cake like this before."
Mira blinked at him, wide-eyed. "Open a bakery? Raghav, don't be ridiculous. I don't even know if I can bake anything else."
But Raghav shook his head, smiling in a way that was both gentle and firm. "Mira, you underestimate yourself. If this is what you can do the first time you tried, imagine what you could do with practice."
Arin added softly, "And you looked so happy while making it, Mom. Maybe… maybe this is something you actually enjoy."
Mira fell silent, her eyes moving between her son and her husband. She touched the edge of the plate, hesitant. "Even if I wanted to… running something like a bakery isn't easy. There's money, planning, everything else. It's too much."
Raghav's smile widened, more determined now. "Then I'll handle it. Finances, planning, management—I'll take care of that. You just do what you're clearly good at: baking."
Mira stared at him, her lips parting slightly. "You… you'd really do that?"
"Of course," Raghav said without hesitation. "We've been living day by day, barely getting by. But this? This could be something meaningful. Something ours."
Arin sat quietly, his heart swelling. He hadn't expected his father to jump in so strongly, but maybe deep down, Raghav had been waiting for something to fight for too.
Mira exhaled slowly, her gaze dropping back to the cake, then rising again to meet her family's hopeful eyes. She laughed nervously, shaking her head. "You two… you make it sound so easy."
"It won't be easy," Raghav admitted. "But it will be worth it. And we'll do it together."
For a long moment, silence hung in the room. Then Mira finally gave in, her lips curving into a shy, genuine smile.
"Alright," she said softly. "Let's try it. Let's… open a bakery."
Arin's heart raced. He glanced at the system, half-expecting another notification—but none came. Still, he didn't need one. This moment, this decision, was more valuable than any skill update.
Because tonight, over a simple cake, their family's future had begun to change.