Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and Romance!

Rudeus let out a quiet sigh in his heart.

But Allen's words and actions just moments ago made it impossible for him to continue sulking like a child.

From the look on Allen's face, Rudeus could tell—he truly believed he would see Roxy again. That much was clear.

So this guy really does plan to go out and find Roxy in the future... maybe even travel the world with her as an adventurer.

To be honest, I've said similar things before, but deep down, I've never really prepared myself mentally to leave home and journey with Roxy. In that sense, it makes perfect sense that she sees Allen differently.

Maybe that's what they call "personal charm."

He's always full of smooth talk, and yet… somehow, it never comes off as disingenuous. If I were a girl, I'd probably fall for him at first sight too.

...How long until I can start saying bold stuff like that and actually mean it? Ugh, what a frustrating guy. So likable it's annoying.

Resigned, Rudeus ruffled his hair, then turned to the others with the tone of someone calling over kids to see something fun.

"All right, everyone—come over here. Since Sensei's leaving tomorrow, I figured… fireworks might be a nice sendoff."

The window at the Greyrat house was wide. The four of them stood lined up before it. Rudeus cast a wind spell to shield the walls, then reached outside and conjured a massive [Fireball], the flames tinged with swirling wind magic. It began spinning rapidly in his palm, the fiery glow softening his features.

"Keep your eyes on the sky. Don't blink~"

Boom!

With a loud bang, the [Fireball] shot into the air. Following that, Rudeus launched a rapid sequence of spells, firing off one blazing orb after another like a string of firecrackers.

The [Fireballs] soared upward, vanishing into the dark. Roxy and Sylphy blinked in confusion, just about to turn and ask what the point of this was when—

"Boom!"

Rudeus grinned up at the night sky as the first of the [Fireballs] exploded with a crackle of light.

The rest followed in quick succession, bursting into dazzling colors and illuminating the heavens.

The fiery blossoms reflected in the wide, astonished eyes of Rudeus, Sylphy—and Allen.

Allen squinted in satisfaction and clapped his hands at just the right moment.

"Not bad at all, Rudeus. So this is the beauty of magic."

Rudeus wiped his nose with the back of his hand, silently enjoying the praise. He tilted his head back and simply watched the bursts of light overhead, chuckling to himself.

The wind stirred their hair. Light and shadow danced across their faces.

But Roxy wasn't looking at the fireworks.

Her deep blue eyes shimmered softly. Reflected within them was Allen's profile—chin resting on his palm, smiling up at the sky with a look that was equal parts childish and serene.

---

Allen wasn't looking at the fireworks either.

In front of him, a light haze of smoke drifted from the fire spells. His vision blurred faintly—and in that blur, a familiar interface appeared.

[The path to favor is far from over. You've gained further Affection Points from Roxy, Rudeus, and Sylphy.]

[Your Participation Score in the "Jobless Reincarnation" Main Event has increased.]

[Current Phase: Childhood Arc. Total Participation Score: 70 points.]

[Keep up the good work! At this rate, you're on track to earn a perfect-score bonus reward.]

Bonus reward, huh... Honestly, I kind of forgot that was a thing. You never actually said what it was. So what is it, exactly?

[Isn't the mystery part of the fun? The anticipation?]

Nope. Not at all. The way you talk, this better not be some shady "H-game common route" crap where maxing someone's favor unlocks a magical bonus item post-hookup or something... Wait. That would be kind of funny. But—hang on, wouldn't that mean I'd have to unlock Paul first? Wasn't he the first person in this house to gain favor with me?!

[…If that's truly your wish, then I can only wish you happiness.]

The hell it is. I'm asking you—what's the actual reward?!

[Jobless" Event Character Locator Unlocked.]

Allen froze. His expression gradually went blank.

"Character Locator"? You mean like a clairvoyance spell? Or satellite GPS? Wait, are you saying that once the Teleportation Incident hits, I'll be able to find everyone's location in real time?

[Correct.]

How does it work?

[Function: The system will display a projected world map overlay of the "Jobless" setting. Target character location will be marked, with a precision radius of up to 100 meters.]

[Usage Conditions: The target must be a character from whom you've gained Affection Points.]

[Cooldown: Once per week, per target.]

Allen's eyes lit up. This reward was incredibly practical—almost overpowered. It would go a long way in solving the post-Displacement Incident chaos. In the original novel, tracking the timing and locations of major events after the disaster had always been difficult. But with this, he could pinpoint where Rudeus was, and from there, infer which part of the story was unfolding.

And that meant Allen could insert himself into critical events more effectively.

No, he had no intention of being thrown into danger for the sake of blind heroics. If he ended up dumped in the middle of the ocean—or worse, dropped from the sky—he could very well be dead before the story even began.

[You're doing great! Shame about Mrs. Eto though… you might still be able to earn points with her if you try~]

...Shut up.

[Okay.]

Despite the curt reply, Allen couldn't hide his grin.

At this rate, reaching 100 points by the end of the Childhood Arc was totally doable. He had more than a year left—and plenty of time to farm points with the Greyrat family.

There's that whole affair plotline coming up, too. If I handle that right, I could rack up a big score. From what I've seen, gaining points seems tied to influencing character behavior. The system keeps yapping about "affection," but in truth, the points only show up when I push the story off its original track.

So in that sense… is the system actually encouraging me to deliberately stir the pot and amplify butterfly effects? Sure, playing things safe with my meta knowledge keeps me on course—but it's slow. Stirring the waters gets me points faster, even if it makes things unpredictable.

Yeah… Seems like small butterfly effects yield small points: like Paul's actions to find me, Sylphy and Rudeus meeting earlier than planned, Rudeus preemptively offering up his panties to the shrine god… All little deviations. The biggest gain I've gotten so far was bumping into Roxy. That one completely derailed the timeline—her returning to the Greyrat household kicked off a whole new branch of the story.

As he thought this, Allen suddenly felt a pair of eyes burning into him.

He blinked, pulled his gaze away from the fading sparks of the last firework—and turned his head.

Just in time to see Roxy look away from him and up toward the now-dark sky.

Allen scratched the back of his head reflexively.

In his eyes, her movement sent her bangs fluttering. A single strand caught the light as it danced, then gently drifted down—falling perfectly across her blue irises.

And sank into the calm waters of her gaze like a stone into a lake.