Increased Participation Score, Friends, and Names

Rudy pursed his lips, seeing Sylphy still looking timid.

"Listen, if you don't fight back against guys like that, they'll just keep pushing you further."

"I—I can't win."

"...The important thing is to have the will to resist."

Though I'm not really one to talk.

"Usually, when the younger kids come, I do fight back, but today they had older kids..."

As she spoke, she glanced at Allen.

Allen was far away, and Sylphy's voice was a bit soft, so he couldn't hear clearly, but that didn't stop him from smiling and nodding, a bright smile on his face.

Seeing this, Sylphy quickly looked away, her ears twitching.

Under the tree, Allen's expression suddenly changed. He frantically waved his hands in front of him, as if shooing away something unclean.

Rudy didn't notice Allen's sudden strange behavior. He just spoke earnestly to Sylphy.

"Ah, I see~ You heard what Allen said just now, right? If they dare to bully you again, Allen will twist their heads off."

Allen, however, heard that sentence clearly. He had already waved away the System panel that notified him of favorability changes in the air. Then, with a crestfallen face, he glanced at Rudy and couldn't help but complain.

No, seriously, your mental age is five years older than mine! Is it appropriate for you to use me as a tiger's prestige while hiding behind me? Isn't using magic more impactful than me swinging a sword? Just casually set off a big fireball fireworks display; you can attract girls and scare off opponents, killing two birds with one stone. Why are you cowering there...?

Forget it... I'm also partly responsible. This incident happened earlier than in Mushoku Tensei, and Rudeus just got out from under Lokkishi's protection, so he probably still has a psychological shadow from older kids... In his previous life, he was tied naked to the school gate and humiliated; it's not that easy to get over.

Rudy saw that Sylphy didn't answer, just tilted her head to sneak a glance at Allen. He helplessly spread his hands.

"...But speaking of which, you really have it rough, being bullied just because your hair color is so similar to the Superd Race."

Upon hearing this, Sylphy instinctively shrank her neck and stammered, "D-don't you care?"

"Because my teacher is from the Demon Race, I'm not sure about his thoughts, but it sounds like he never thought you were of the Superd Race from the beginning. How should I put it, perhaps that's a Swordsman's keen observation."

"Oh, a Swordsman, huh..."

Sylphy nodded.

Rudy, meanwhile, looked at her long ears and asked curiously.

"By the way, you have elf-like ears. Are you not Human Race?"

"No, no, my father is only half Long-eared Race; the other half is Human Race."

"Oh? What about your mother?"

"Human Race, but with a little Beastman blood."

Before Rudy could even form a bewildered conclusion, Sylphy suddenly began to sob.

"Father... even though... I'm not Demon Race, my hair color is... is different from theirs..."

Rudy was a bit dumbfounded, unsure how to deal with Sylphy, but when he glimpsed Allen, who was equally dumbfounded under the tree not far away, he suddenly had an idea.

"Don't cry! Allen hates it most when children cry. He might chop off your head!"

Allen: ???

The crying stopped abruptly, and Sylphy's expression instantly turned to one of panic.

Sylphy's favorability towards you has slightly decreased.

Allen was overjoyed at the news.

Ah, good! Just like that, keep it up, keep going. Get the storyline back on track!

...

Rudy, however, inwardly chuckled at Sylphy's expression.

"Is your father very strict with you? You don't seem to handle strict types well."

"...Mm, Father is scary when he's angry, but as long as I'm obedient, he won't get angry."

"Ah~ What about your mother?"

"Mother is very gentle..."

"Ah, speaking of which, were you going to bring food to your father just now? I see your basket is full of bread. Oh, it's all dirty with mud, all Allen's fault!"

Having just calmed down, Sylphy immediately panicked again upon hearing this.

"Ah!... S-sorry! I'm so sorry! I apologize!"

Rudy: ???

Allen: ????

Rudy had a blank expression.

"Why are you apologizing... Never mind. How about this, you take me to your father, and I'll apologize to your father for Allen. As for Allen, he's not good at building relationships with people at all; he'll just stare at you with a cold face and keep smiling, which is terrifying."

Allen: ?????

Sylphy nodded, then looked at Rudy hesitantly before turning to face Allen, her fingers intertwined as she lowered her head.

"Thank you for protecting me."

Then she looked back at Rudy.

"And thank you for washing my hair."

"But if you do this, the others in the village will dislike you too, and you won't have any friends… How about you just leave me alone from now on? I can manage by myself."

Sylphy was on the verge of tears as she spoke, but she bit her lip to hold them back.

Because Allen disliked the sound of children crying.

Just then, Allen stepped closer, extended both hands, and ruffled Sylphy's and Rudy's hair, one after the other, before moving past them.

His indifferent voice drifted on the wind.

"Rudy and I won't be friends with them. But speaking of friends…"

Then, without looking back, Allen held up two fingers and wiggled them, speaking casually as if coaxing a child.

"Now, each of us three has two friends~"

Rudy watched Allen's retreating back, blinked, and then chuckled.

He patted Sylphy's shoulder, who was staring blankly at Allen, and said in a gentle tone, "Come on, don't let his fierce expression fool you. He's actually a really good person. He helped me out before too, so that scary face of his is just on the surface. Don't be scared."

Sylphy blinked her long eyelashes and gave a strong hum of affirmation.

Allen, walking ahead, didn't quite hear what Rudy was saying. He just smiled and waved away the dust in front of his face.

Mushoku Tensei Major Event Participation Score increased. Current Stage: Infancy, Cumulative Participation Score: 50 points. You have gained the approval of Rudeus and Sylphiette and earned their friendship.

From behind them, the children's whispers drifted on the wind.

"…I forgot to ask your name."

"Syl…phy," the voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, the last syllable swallowed by the wind.

"…Sylph, what a beautiful name, like a wind spirit."

"Thank you, thank you. Is his name Allen? What about you?"

"Yes, the one with the fierce face is Allen. My name is Rudeus."

"Allen… is a good name, like… like a savior who destroys the world…"

Rudy: ???

"I was complimenting your name, but your description is quite fitting. It would be even more so if his last name were Jaeger."

"Huh?"