Is This System Even Serious?!

Lokkishi had arrived.

After acknowledging her hurried warning, Allen could not help but recall the original plot.

There was no doubt that her appearance here at this time, suitcase in hand, meant she had just parted ways with Rudy's family, left Buena Village, and set off on her adventures once more.

He had missed it.

But it seemed he had not.

If he had caught it...

Then the question was.

The Transmigration Guide system required him to participate in the major events of Mushoku Tensei based on each stage of Rudeus's growth, leaving an impression in the eyes of the protagonists and supporting characters to earn participation ratings.

Did he have an opportunity now?

According to Allen's plan, approaching Lokkishi would definitely let him farm a great deal of points. As he had said before, Lokkishi was simply too important to the original story.

In Rudy's growth, the conflict with the Man-God was the main thread of the entire story, and Lokkishi was the cause of the Man-God's appearance.

After the Great Transfer, Lokkishi helped Rudy search for his family. During that process, the two developed feelings for one another, and the child they had together—Lara—was the key figure who would seal away the Man-God in the future. The Great Transfer altered causality, and through Future Sight, the Man-God saw his own ending. Only then did he begin interfering with Rudeus, setting the main plot into motion.

With this opportunity laid before him, Allen hesitated.

As someone who had read the books, his greatest cheat was his pseudo-Future Sight. The system came second.

In other words, he should not let his fondness for the original characters interfere too heavily with the plot. Ideally, he would participate in each major event as a relatively powerful passerby.

If he caused too great an impact and was discovered by the Dragon God, who wandered through cycles of reincarnation, there was a very real chance the Dragon God would not listen to his explanation and simply stab him to death on the spot. Judging by the system's current growth attributes, fighting the Dragon God was still a matter for the distant future.

Future Sight was more important. He could use it to avoid encountering him too early.

Seeing Allen's expression gradually turn grave, Lokkishi uneasily shifted her legs. She reached up to tug at the blue hair hanging over her forehead, directing her gaze toward the bloodstained grass beside them as though she wanted to say something.

Just then, clusters of smoke and dust appeared out of thin air, blocking Allen's view of Lokkishi.

He blinked in confusion.

Hm? Why was the system showing up now? My swordsmanship shouldn't have suddenly improved enough to require an update.

Then, lines of bold, underlined red text condensed in the air. Allen's face immediately stiffened.

Jobless Reincarnation Transmigration Guide: Instant Quest Release.

First Encounter with Lokkishi.

Quest Background: The host has once again missed the event where Lokkishi taught the young Rudeus. Lokkishi parted ways with Rudeus two days ago. Encountering Lokkishi now is the host's last remaining chance to make up for it.

Quest Details: Within one hour, obtain Lokkishi's favorability. Within four days, obtain Rudeus's favorability.

Quest Reward: Healing Magic Slot—Unlock (2/4).

Healing Magic Slot—Four magic-pattern slots are engraved upon the host's Dragon Saint Battle Qi Core Embryo, corresponding to four types of magic within the Healing Magic system: Healing Magic; Detoxification Magic; Barrier Magic; Divine Strike Magic.

The host may obtain magic patterns through physical contact. Requirement: the creature must have used one of these four types of magic within the previous minute. After contact, the target's magical fluctuations will be copied and solidified by the system within the slots, becoming magic patterns. Once activated, a magic pattern can continuously apply the corresponding magical effect to the host's body until the host's mana is depleted. Note: magic patterns are effective only on the host's body and cannot be used on external objects.

Quest begins.

Lokkishi: Countdown: 0:59:59. Upon completion, the Healing Magic Slot may be unlocked.

Rudeus: Countdown: 95:59:58. Upon completion, the Detoxification Magic Slot may be unlocked.

What? Bro? Favorability???

Huh?

Was this system even serious? Lokkishi's favorability was one thing, but what the hell was Rudeus's favorability supposed to mean?! Huh? And it was hiding the remaining 2/4 from him? It could not hide anything! Anyone could tell the other two had to be the remaining female leads!

Watching Allen's expression change as though he were switching faces, Lokkishi finally could not bear it any longer. Trying to ease the awkwardness, she scratched her cheek awkwardly and spoke.

"Um... I was traveling through the night, and I saw firelight in the forest, so I came over. I happened to see monsters attacking a human. I cast magic without thinking, but I didn't expect you to be able to handle them yourself. I guess I was just meddling, and I nearly hit you too."

Her adorably stammering voice, clearly unaccustomed to dealing with people, snapped Allen out of his daze.

The system panel had already dissipated into the air, allowing him to see Lokkishi clearly again.

Under the campfire's glow, the goddess uneasily shifted her legs. The black knee socks on her calves had loosened and slipped slightly down, revealing faint reddish pressure marks on her fair skin. Her cheeks were flushed, and her wandering eyes flickered as she looked around at the surroundings.

She simply would not look up at Allen.

At that moment, the battle qi surging through his body calmed down. Allen felt a sudden heat in his nose, and his nosebleed quickly began to flow. He was not looking down because he had been staring at her legs.

He blankly touched beneath his nose and glanced at Lokkishi's two aqua-blue braids. He seemed to hesitate for a long time, but in truth, he only paused for an instant.

Then his eyes rolled back, and he fell straight backward.

Of course, he was only pretending to faint.

As for the nosebleed...

The North God Style—Combat Faction's Twenty Slashes was a rapid series of Iai Slashes that relied entirely on physical ability and proficiency. In his current state, he could not fully support five consecutive slashes in a short period. His body had not fully matured yet, and the excessively rapid circulation of battle qi had ruptured his capillaries.

That was also why his North God Style level was not high. He could not sustain the Combat Faction's techniques in prolonged combat, while the Qiba Faction's methods were so bizarre that he had not mastered many of them so far.

It was not that he could not. He simply did not want to.

There were still things he could manage. For example, that conspicuous North King from the Asura Throne Succession War who covered his entire body in mirrors. But unless it was absolutely necessary, Allen really did not want to turn himself into a nightclub Light Orb.

Logically speaking, a few ruptured capillaries alone did not mean Allen had to "faint."

But the quest had been issued, the countdown was still running, and the opportunity had delivered itself to his door.

So there was no reason to hesitate.

In the short term, if he wanted to gain Lokkishi's favorability, fainting was actually the simplest and most effective method.

Through the Franklin Effect, or social effect.

The most direct way to win the favor of a stranger upon first meeting was not to help them, but to ask for their help.

First, it gave them a sense of self-worth, making them feel valuable and important.

Second, while helping you, their subconscious would resist letting their investment go to waste. As a result, they would involuntarily pay you more attention in later interactions, making them like you more.

It manifested as: "You're asking how my relationship with him or her is? Let me think... Since I helped him or her before, we get along pretty well~"

And this was the perfect moment for the Franklin Effect to take hold. If Allen fainted now, it would naturally and reasonably establish the prerequisite for asking the other person for help.

On top of that, Lokkishi's Water Ball Magic had nearly backfired and struck Allen, so she already felt a trace of guilt toward him.

Obviously.

Now! Right now, at this very moment, was a limited-time plea for help that absolutely would not be refused!

With a thud, Allen lay down.

Franklin Effect, do your thing! Blue Mom, help your child! You are the one true god of Mushoku Tensei. Say a spell and make Lokkishi help this faithful believer rise again!

Allen closed his eyes and prayed inwardly for the goddess's favor. Sure enough, Lokkishi's flustered muttering and hurried pacing soon reached his ears.

"He... he fainted? Could Water Ball Magic have still hit him? Wh-what... what should I do??"

Allen: Healing Magic!

"Should I run... run away?"

Allen: Huh???

"W-wait, Lokkishi, don't panic. Calm down, calm down."

A cool hand pressed against Allen's lips.

"H-he's still breathing. It's an external injury. Use Healing Magic. With my Healing Magic level, there's still time!"

Allen: I'm up. Thank you.

He secretly let out a sigh of relief. Still, Lokkishi's series of frantic reactions, as though she might jump out of her skin, reminded him of how she had panicked in the novel after using the Saint-tier water spell Thunderstorm Cumulonimbus to summon lightning and knock out Rudy's family's horse.

Reality felt more vivid than anime or novels. Blue Mom, with her expressionless face, looked serious and composed, but this airheaded Blue Mom had an utterly adorable gap to her.

Uh.

Though trying to abandon the body and run was pretty realistic too.

She really did come from an adventurer's background.

Lokkishi's somewhat hurried voice rang out.

"Goddess of maternal love! Heal this person's wounds! Restore him to a healthy body! Healing Spell!"

Allen had been waiting for this. The moment the chant ended, he immediately opened his eyes and sprang upright like a dead fish!

So fast!

He shot out a hand at lightning speed and grabbed Lokkishi's hand. Amid her wide-eyed mixture of shock, embarrassment, bewilderment, and relief, he spoke with a serious, earnest expression.

Allen: "Thank you! Goddess."

Lokkishi: Σ(°ロ°)!!

As soon as his words fell, the Ruyan System panel appeared before him.

Lokkishi's favorability has been successfully obtained. Time taken: 2 minutes 47 seconds.

Evaluation: Quick man. Fierce. Blond-haired delinquent vibes.

Healing Magic Slot unlocked.

The host is currently in physical contact with Lokkishi. Searching for Healing Magic cast by Lokkishi within the previous minute.

Search successful. Magic pattern engraved—Intermediate Healing Magic.

Allen blinked, somewhat moved as he stared fixedly at the blue-haired legal loli before him, whose face was full of frightened panic.

For a moment, he could not tell whether this inexplicable favorability came from the Franklin Effect or simply because he had praised her.

But one thing was beyond doubt.

She was a goddess.

Generous, fair-skinned, beautiful, and adorable.

The goddess's cheeks reddened. She pulled her hand from Allen's grasp, brushed aside the loose strands over her forehead, and shifted her gaze away again.

"...What do you mean, goddess? It was just ordinary Intermediate Healing Magic. Calling me a goddess is way too exaggerated."

And easy to please.

Allen looked at Lokkishi, who was sitting in a duck-sitting pose right in front of him. Her half-lidded eyes looked as though she could barely stay awake, and the corners of her mouth appeared somewhat cold. Yet beneath her flustered expression was unmistakable happiness at being praised as a goddess, completely at odds with her expression.

Gap moe.

Tch. Rudeus's tastes really had been tempered by thirty-four years as a Japanese NEET and eroge veteran.

The man had not lied.