Beneath the Fireworks, Within Her Eyes, Above His Heart

Rudy sighed inwardly.

But Allen's subsequent reaction made it impossible for him to continue feigning childishness and venting his resentment.

From Allen's expression, it was clear he genuinely believed he'd see Lokkishi again in the future, so the answer was obvious.

This guy really plans to find Lokkishi in the future, even adventuring around the world with her.

To be honest, even though I've said similar things, deep down I haven't mentally prepared myself to travel the world with Lokkishi. From that perspective, it's understandable that Lokkishi sees Allen in a different light.

This might be his personal charm. He likes to say nice things, but they always sound surprisingly good. If I were a girl, I might have fallen in love at first sight, right?

…When will I be able to talk so charmingly to girls? He's truly a guy you envy but can't bring yourself to dislike.

Rudy ruffled his hair helplessly and looked at the three, speaking in a tone as if calling out to children.

"Come on over. The teacher leaves tomorrow, and I think setting off some fireworks would really set the mood."

The windows in Rudy's house were large. The group stood side by side in front of the sill. Rudy protected the wall with Wind Magic while reaching out the window to conjure a massive Fireball. It seemed to be mixed with Wind Magic, spinning rapidly in his hand. Under the blazing light of the flames, Rudy's face gradually softened.

"Everyone look at the sky, don't blink~"

With a loud bang, the Fireball Spell shot from Rudy's hand into the sky. Immediately after, a series of Fireballs coiled from his hand, following like a rapid-fire barrage.

The Fireballs steadily rose, disappearing from everyone's sight. Lokkishi and Sylphy blinked, confused, and were about to turn their heads to see Rudy and Allen's expressions, wondering what they were up to.

Just then, Rudy, looking at the night sky, smiled.

"Bang!"

No sooner had he spoken than the launched Fireball Spells seemed to answer the call of the future Magic King, exploding in rapid, dense bursts in the air!

A series of dazzling fiery streaks shot across the sky, igniting the night.

The firelight illuminated the eyes of Rudy, Sylphy, and Allen.

Allen squinted, looking very pleased, and applauded at the right moment.

"That was really cool, Rudy. This must be the charm of Magic."

Rudy rubbed under his nose at the comment and said nothing, just looked up at the constantly exploding fireworks in the sky, chuckling.

Wind swirled before their faces, light and shadow flickering.

Lokkishi wasn't watching the fireworks.

In the ripples of her deep blue eyes, Allen, with a somewhat childish expression, rested his chin on his hand, looking up at the sky with a smile in his eyes.

Allen wasn't watching the fireworks either.

Within his line of sight, before the fireworks, a hazy mist appeared before his face.

[The path to gaining favor has not ended. You have further gained the favor of Lokkishi, Rudeus, and Sylphy.]

[Mushoku Tensei major event participation score increased.]

[Current stage: Childhood, cumulative participation score: 70 points.]

[Please keep up the good work. At this rate, the host can fully obtain the full score bonus reward.]

Bonus reward… I almost forgot about it. The previous prompt didn't go into detail, so what exactly is the bonus reward?

[Don't you think unknown surprises are more exciting?]

Allen pouted.

No, not at all. You're being so mysterious. Is this reward legitimate? It can't be some common setting from a hentai game, where if someone's favorability reaches a certain level after 'pushing' them, there's a magic power bonus reward… But thinking about it that way, it's a bit interesting… No, that's not right. If that were the case, wouldn't I have to 'push' Brother Paul first, since he's the first one in this family to have a favorable impression of me???

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

What the hell is the reward, seriously?

[Mushoku Tensei major event character location retrieval.]

Allen froze, his expression slowly going blank.

Location retrieval? Clairvoyant Demon Eyes?? Satellite positioning??? Does this mean I can get real-time locations of others after the Great Transfer?

[Yes.]

How do I use it?

[Method of use: Retrieved by the System, projects the Mushoku Tensei world map in a panel display, showing target location, accurate to within approximately one hundred meters.]

[Targets: Characters from whom the host has previously gained points.]

[Usage cycle: Once per week per person.]

Allen's eyes gleamed with pleasant surprise. This System reward was incredibly practical. It largely solved the problem of him being unable to easily participate in Mushoku Tensei events after the Great Transfer. In the original work, the timing of various events after the Great Transfer wasn't precise enough. With location retrieval, he could essentially determine which part of the novel's plot Rudeus was in based on his location, which would give Allen opportunities to participate.

That's right, he didn't plan to put himself at risk by getting caught up in the Great Transfer event. What if something went wrong and he was thrown into the sea, or flung high into the sky? That would be an immediate GG.

[Host, keep up the good work… What a shame, there might still be a possibility of gaining points from Mrs. Somal…]

…Screw off.

[Oh.]

Even though Allen cursed him to get lost, he was actually quite pleased. At this rate, getting 100 points was entirely possible. He still had over a year until the end of his childhood, which was plenty of time to rack up points with Paul's family.

There's also that affair later on. If I handle that well, I should get a lot of points. It seems the way to get points right now is by influencing characters' actions. The System keeps talking about 'favorability' in that annoying way, but actually, all the scattered points I've gotten so far are because I've caused these characters to do things they never did in the original Mushoku Tensei timeline.

Looking at it that way, it feels like the System is encouraging me to stir up the Butterfly Effect and deliberately making my major event quests harder, doesn't it? Relying on foresight from having read the novel is safer, but it won't earn me points quickly. If I stir up the Butterfly Effect, it might impact my foresight, but I can get points fast.

Right. From what I can tell, stirring up smaller Butterfly Effects results in fewer points: for example, Paul's actions to find me, Sylphy and Rudy meeting earlier, or Rudy putting his underwear in the Shrine sooner. The most points I've gotten at once was from accidentally meeting Lokkishi. That action caused a significant Butterfly Effect, directly leading to a major change in the plotline, with Lokkishi returning and interacting with Rudy's family again.

Thinking this, Allen felt an intense gaze on him.

He blinked, shifting his gaze from the gradually fading fireworks to his side.

Lokkishi happened to turn her head, looking at the night sky, which had turned into dark embers.

Allen instinctively scratched his head.

In his eyes, as Lokkishi turned her head, the wisps of hair on her forehead danced and bounced in the air, then coincidentally fell in front of her blue pupils, plunging into the deep blue lake.