"That's awesome! Thank you, Little Bean Sprout." Amy's eyes lit up, and she carefully placed the two seeds inside Daphne's box.
"Take care not to let them come into contact with soil or water. Otherwise, they might destroy your house," Ignatsu reminded her. He then asked, "Also, why do you call me Little Bean Sprout? I'm clearly older than you!"
Amy smiled as she looked at the green bean sprout on his head, and replied, "That's because you have a little bean sprout on your head! That little bean sprout is so adorable; I think it's a great name for you."
"This is a seedling of the tree of wisdom, not some little bean sprout! My father says that only the most talented demons have trees of wisdom growing on their heads. This is a sign of my wisdom and aptitude!" Ignatsu retorted proudly.
"Then why do you always place last during exams?" Amy was confused.
"That's because..." Ignatsu felt as if he had received a heavy blow, and was at a loss for words. He scratched his head, and said, "I actually just can't be bothered to compete with them. Otherwise, with my intelligence, I can get first place with ease."
Daphne crossed her arms, and disdainfully said, "Don't you feel ashamed, saying that in front of the person who always gets number one?"
Ignatsu blushed as he looked at Amy, and said, "In any case, it's not some little bean sprout; it's the tree of wisdom. If you're going to give me a nickname, it should be Tree of Wisdom."
"Alright, Little Bean Sprout." Amy nodded with an earnest expression.
"It's Tree of Wisdom!"
"Wise Little Bean Sprout?"
"What the hell is that?"
"I think Little Bean Sprout is better."
"Alright, you can call me Little Bean Sprout." Ignatsu finally gave up with a resigned shake of his head.
"Two of Amy's friends have arrived already. Parber, the big sister that you're always thinking about is there; in fact, there are two of them." A horse-drawn carriage slowly came to a stop in front of Mamy Restaurant, and Gjerj chuckled as he looked at the people gathered at the entrance.
"Big sister? Where?" A little head immediately poked out of the horse-drawn carriage, and he immediately began to clap his hands with joy at the sight of Amy and Daphne. "Big sisters! I want kisses! I want huggies! I want to be raised up high!"
"No, no, and no." Amy rejected all three of Parber's pleas with a cold expression.
Parber's joyful expression immediately crumbled, and he pouted as he turned to the Daphne with a pitiable look.
"Daphne won't do it, either." Before Parber even had a chance to say anything, Amy rejected him in Daphne's stead, and said, "We're all kids here; no one is going to spoil you."
"I... I'll walk by myself and hug myself then..." Parber sniffled, and tried his best to suppress his tears.
"Hahaha, what an adorable little girl. Honey, is that Amy? She really is so adorable!" A woman with a bulging stomach emerged from the carriage, and looked at Amy with a doting smile. She was clearly not intending to defend her son.
"Yes, Miranda, that's Amy. I'm sure there's also an adorable little princess in your stomach." Gjerj held a little boy with a wooden pacifier in his mouth, and nodded with a smile. He then nudged Parmer, who was still sitting in the carriage, and prompted, "Parmer, why aren't you greeting everyone?"
"Parmer? Why are you here?" Daphne was a little surprised to see Parmer in the horse-drawn carriage.
"Isn't he really angry about losing to Amy last time in arithmetics?" Ignatsu murmured.
"They forced me to come. I actually didn't want to come at all. I only wanted to stay at home and study; studying gives me joy." Parmer wore a slightly awkward expression at the sight of the curious Daphne and Ignatsu. He didn't think that Amy would invite those two as well.
"But, Big Brother... Didn't you get on the horse-drawn carriage yourself after Father said there was going to be dessert today?" Parber looked at Parmer with a perplexed expression.
"Pffft... Hahahaha..." Ignatsu immediately burst into laughter. The fat on his little stomach quivered with his mirth, and he was completely unable to stop laughing.
Parmer's expression stiffened, and he looked at Parber with a vexed expression as he said, "I'm not holding you today, either. You can walk on your own."
He then jumped off the horse-drawn carriage.
"Looks like the little guy is developing a pretty strong ego; he knows that he can't allow himself to be embarrassed in front of girls." Miranda chuckled with amusement.
"He sure is." Gjerj nodded with a smile. He laid his hand over Miranda's and said in a gentle voice, "You stay seated for now; I'll help you off the carriage soon."
He then gently laid Parber onto the ground, and then passed Angus to a servant before carefully helping Miranda down from the carriage.
"Wow, Uncle Blue Fatty, is the little sister in this auntie's stomach?" Amy looked at Miranda's bulging stomach with a curious expression.
"Indeed. She already had three big brothers, so this time, it must be a little sister." Gjerj nodded with a smile.
Miranda appraised Amy with a gentle look, and asked, "Little girl, do you prefer little sisters over little brothers?"
"I do. Little sisters are more adorable, and more fun to play with. I love little sisters!" Amy nodded with elation.
"Then after I give birth, I'll get my little girl to come over and play with you. I brought a present for you today as well." Miranda brought out a small golden bracelet, and gently picked up Amy's little hand before placing it around her wrist. The golden bracelet was very intricately crafted, and it appeared even more dazzling as it was complemented by Amy's snowy white skin.
"What a beautiful bracelet; it looks really good on you, Amy," Daphne praised before looking at the long gray box in Amy's hand with a conflicted expression. Her present seemed to be a little ugly in comparison... "Thank you, Auntie. I really like this bracelet, and the presents from Daphne and Little Bean Sprout too." Amy then held onto Daphne's little hand, and said, "Please come in. There are still some guests who haven't arrived yet, but you can all have a seat in the restaurant."
Daphne's eyes immediately lit up again, and they were practically glowing as she fixed her gaze on Amy.
"Sure. This is my first time coming to this restaurant." Miranda nodded with a smile, and made her way toward the restaurant as she said, "Honey, you told me that this restaurant only serves two types of dishes; is that really the case?"
"Mag said that he's going to be releasing new dishes today, so there might be a few more..." Gjerj replied with a slightly unnatural expression. He suddenly realized that he seemed to have forgotten something very important. "Really?" Miranda was a little skeptical.