Reunion Day, Nighttime Talk

In the end, "come up and sit for a while" somehow turned into sitting in Allen's own bedroom.

The front door downstairs was locked at night, so Allen naturally climbed in through the window before sneaking downstairs to open it. Lokkishi also felt too embarrassed to disturb everyone's sleep in the middle of the night, and after entering the house, she paced around uncertainly, not knowing where she should go.

And so, somehow, things naturally developed into the strange invitation of, "Why not come up to my room for some water?"

The candle flame flickered on the table between them. The two sat facing each other in silence beneath its light.

With the Darkness Effect and the overly beautiful moonlight just now, they had even managed to rapidly close the distance between them with only a few words. But now, under the bright candlelight where they could clearly see each other's faces, the awkwardness of having met only once and not seen each other for two months was laid bare before them.

Things would have been fine up to this point. The key thing that pushed the atmosphere to the edge of a cliff was—

Lokkishi's miniature figurine was still sitting on Allen's desk, and it was the detachable kind.

Allen stared blankly at Lokkishi, who was frowning as she examined the figurine.

Even after witnessing it many times, the host's interlocking techniques were still astonishing. First, he tugged her along until she entered his bedroom, then deliberately let her see the figurine on his desk, subtly implying that he had been thinking of her whenever he looked at it.

Faint writing drifted into view, and Allen covered his face in anguish.

Don't start. I completely forgot about the figurine. As for dragging her here... I can explain. There's a very simple reason for it. Under the Darkness Effect, it's easy for people to—

The Darkness Effect? Then should I blow out the candle and excuse myself?

...That won't be necessary. Thank you.

The host should be reminded that even if Lokkishi's affection continues to rise, it will amount to only a few points of evaluation at most. Uh... could it be that this, too, was within the host's expectations? I spoke out of turn. Then I wish you a wonderful night.

Mm, great. If you can't talk properly, I suggest you get lost.

Good night~)

The instant the smoky haze dispersed, Blue Mom's characteristically cool voice reached Allen's ears.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Allen looked up in astonishment at Lokkishi. She had already taken off her magic robe and was sitting perfectly straight in the chair, looking slightly awkward while trying to maintain a composed demeanor.

At some point, she had also shifted her gaze away from the figurine and toward Allen.

Candlelight shimmered in her deep blue, lake-like eyes, sending ripples of beautiful green through them.

Allen looked into Lokkishi's eyes and murmured,

"I was uncomfortable just now. I'm fine now."

At this moment, it was just like that moment.

Seeing Allen suddenly go blank, Lokkishi blinked.

"Could it be... that you're saying something meant to flirt with girls again? I don't really understand."

Allen was overjoyed.

"Then that's great!"

.

Lokkishi gave him a somewhat strange look but did not pursue the matter. She soon turned to look around the bedroom.

"This really brings back memories. This was the room I lived in for two years."

"Yeah. The other rooms in the house don't have beds. This is the only guest room, and if we want to tidy somewhere else up, we'll have to wait until Master and Madam wake up tomorrow. You can make do here for the night. Uh..."

Allen froze before he could finish.

Damn it, what kind of line was that?!

Lokkishi shifted her gaze back to the figurine on the desk. She did not misunderstand anything, merely speaking calmly.

"...That's true. It's too late, so I can only make do by sleeping on the table. By the way... this doll was Rudy's work, wasn't it?"

Allen looked at the overly realistic miniature version of Lokkishi on the desk, the corner of his eye twitching.

"Uh, why don't you ask him yourself tomorrow?"

Lokkishi turned her head and looked at Allen's eyes in confusion.

"Oh? Could it have been made by you?"

As she spoke, Lokkishi reached out toward the figurine. She shook her head helplessly, then covered her mouth and yawned before leaning over the table.

Her gaze settled on the stunned Allen once more.

"Familiar Earth Magic. He must have made it. Such a clever little brat. Ah, I almost forgot that you're still very young too. By the way, Allen, what exactly did you do in the royal capital to make your family... uh, it's fine if it isn't convenient to say."

Allen scratched his head.

"It's nothing that can't be said. It's just the usual power struggle among nobles. You might not know this, but the Boreas Family has a tradition. The successors competing to become the next family head hold a contest for the position while they are still young. The winner is chosen as the next head's candidate, while the other losers must adopt out their male children to the winner at birth, making them the winner's 'biological children,' thereby preventing future internal strife caused by struggles for power."

At that, Allen raised a finger and pointed at his own face.

"And I'm one of those adopted children. Although I was raised by James in the royal capital, I am actually the eldest son of Philip, the mayor of Roa City."

Lokkishi rested her head on her arms, her half-lidded eyes widening slightly.

"Mayor Philip? Then... how did you know that you were Mayor Philip's child?"

Allen lied without even drafting an excuse. To conceal the fact that he had read the novel and wanted to take part in the major events of Jobless Reincarnation, he chose what sounded like the most reasonable explanation at the moment.

"My so-called mother treated the children far too differently, which made me suspicious. Then, based on the timing of her pregnancies, I concluded that the child she clearly favored, who had been born during the same period as me, was her legitimate son. The rest was simple. I only needed to ask outsiders about the Boreas Family's traditions, and the truth came naturally."

"As for the assassination, did they discover what you were asking about?"

"...I'm not sure. But I've always lacked the proper respect for James, so perhaps he became suspicious. He cares deeply about power, and Philip, who has considerable ambition, is a huge threat to him. He had every motive to arrange my assassination... and apart from him, there was no one else. It's not like I offended anyone."

"...I see."

"As for seeking refuge with my uncle, it was because I couldn't directly acknowledge Philip as my father. James would definitely notice that. Fortunately, my uncle took me in—"

Allen stopped speaking. He looked at Lokkishi and found that she had already fallen asleep on the table.

He smiled at Lokkishi's sleeping face. Using Flow Arcana's fine control over strength, he moved her onto the bed with almost no jostling, then turned and blew out the candle.

Then he took a map from the drawer and picked up a pen.

Moonlight spilled across the old map as Allen slowly drew a new circle—the forest northeast of Rigette City in Donardi Territory.

Allen murmured,

"...In the forest southeast of Rigette City, there's a bandit stronghold trafficking people through smuggling. They've continued searching for traces of me. The direct trigger of the Butterfly Effect that sent Lokkishi back to Buena Village. Will this location create even more Butterfly Effects later on?"

"What an eyesore."

On the bed, the travel-weary Lokkishi had suddenly been laid upon soft bedding. Before long, she began breathing evenly, so faintly that it was almost imperceptible.