Re:Zero: No Job, No Magic, Just a Stupid Romance System

Rudy sighed quietly to himself.

But Allen's words earlier had made it impossible for Rudy to keep pretending to be childish just to vent his own feelings.

From Allen's calm expression, it was clear—he truly believed he would see Roxy again in the future.

So the answer was obvious.

"This guy seriously plans to go find Roxy again someday... and probably travel the world with her as an adventurer."

"To be honest, even though I've said similar things, deep down... I haven't really prepared myself to travel the world with Roxy. From that perspective, it's only natural she treats Allen differently."

"Maybe that's his charm. He's always saying sweet things, but somehow, they're always pleasing to hear. If I were a girl, maybe I'd fall for him at first sight too…"

"Man, when will I be able to say things that cool to a girl? He's a guy I should be jealous of… but I just can't bring myself to hate him."

Rudy scratched his hair in frustration and called out to the others like an older brother talking to kids:

"Alright, everyone—come over here! Since Teacher's leaving tomorrow, I figured we should set off some fireworks. It'll feel more special."

Rudy's house had large windows. The four of them stood side by side by the sill.

Rudy used wind magic to reinforce the wall, then reached out his hand, summoning a huge fireball outside the window. The fireball swirled rapidly, seemingly infused with wind magic. The flames lit up Rudy's face, softening his expression.

"Watch the sky—don't blink!"

With a loud bang, the fireball soared into the sky. Rudy quickly followed it with another, and then another—like a chain of firecrackers.

The fireballs rose one after another and quickly disappeared into the night sky.

Roxy and Sylphy blinked in confusion. Just as they were about to turn and ask what Rudy and Allen were planning—

"Bang!"

Rudy smiled at the sky.

Right on cue, the fireballs exploded in a brilliant cascade.

A series of dazzling streams of fire lit up the night sky—beautiful and radiant.

The flames reflected in the eyes of Rudy, Sylphy, and Allen.

Allen squinted slightly, clearly enjoying himself, and clapped at just the right moment.

"So cool, Rudy. This is the charm of magic."

Rudy wiped his nose and said nothing. He simply gazed up at the fireworks, laughing to himself.

The wind brushed past their faces as the firelight danced and flickered.

Roxy didn't look at the fireworks.

In the reflection of her deep blue eyes, Allen—his face still full of boyish innocence—watched the sky, chin in hand, a smile in his gaze.

Allen wasn't watching the fireworks either.

In front of his eyes, a hazy interface appeared.

[The road to gaining favor is not over yet. You have further increased favorability with Roxy, Rudeus, and Sylphy.]

["Reincarnation: Jobless" event participation score increased.]

[Current stage: Childhood. Cumulative participation score: 70 points.]

[Please keep up the good work. At this rate, the host can definitely earn the full extra reward.]

"Extra reward…?"

"Honestly, I almost forgot about that. You've never explained what it even is. So what exactly is it?"

[Don't you think an unknown surprise is more exciting?]

Allen curled his lip.

"No, I don't. You're too mysterious. Is this even a serious reward? It's not like one of those dating sims, where you get a special CG or an item after reaching full affection… wait. That'd be weird. Does that mean I'd have to max out Paul first? He was the first one in this family to like me, right???"

[…If that's the host's wish, I can only wish you happiness.]

"What the hell kind of reward is this?!"

[New Reward: "No Job Event" Character Location Search.]

Allen froze, and his face slowly stiffened.

"Location search? Like a clairvoyance-type magic? Or GPS tracking? Wait—does that mean I can find anyone's location in real time after the Great Teleportation Incident?"

[Correct.]

"How do I use it?"

[Usage: Open the system panel and search. The world map of Asura Continent will display with target locations, accurate to within 100 meters.]

[Target users: Characters from whom the host has gained favorability points.]

[Usage limit: Once per week. One person per use.]

Allen's eyes sparkled with surprise. This reward was incredibly practical.

It solved one of the major post-teleportation problems: how to locate and interact with key characters again.

The timeline of events after the Great Teleportation wasn't always precise. But with location tracking, he could gauge which part of the story people had reached just by tracking Rudy—and reinsert himself at critical plot points.

He didn't plan on risking his life in the chaos of the teleportation.

If he ended up in the sea or sky, it'd be game over.

[Please stay motivated, host. What a shame. You still had a chance of earning points from Mrs. Somar…]

"Get lost."

[Oh.]

Even as he cursed, Allen was actually thrilled.

At this rate, hitting 100 points by the end of the childhood period was totally doable. There was still more than a year left, and plenty of opportunities to build favor with the Greyrat family.

"There's still that whole affair incident coming. If I handle it well, I'll definitely earn a lot of points."

"Seems like the way to earn points is by influencing people's behavior. The system always talks about favorability, but in reality, I've only gotten points when I've pushed characters off the original timeline of 'Jobless Reincarnation.'"

"In other words… it feels like the system's rewarding me for triggering butterfly effects that make the story diverge. Sure, using my knowledge of future events is safer—but it's slower. Triggering changes creates bigger results, but also carries risk."

"Minor butterfly effects give low points. For example, Paul's search efforts, Sylphy and Rudy meeting early, Rudy's offering at the shrine—those are all small."

"The biggest gain so far was from randomly encountering Roxy. That caused a huge butterfly effect. She came back and got involved with Rudy's family again."

Just as he thought that, Allen suddenly felt a warm gaze.

He blinked, pulled his eyes away from the fading fireworks, and looked to the side.

Roxy had just turned her head, gazing at the now darkened sky.

Allen scratched his head awkwardly.

In his eyes, her turning caused her bangs to flutter, the strands of hair falling over her deep blue pupils like drops into a quiet lake.