Rudy silently sighed to himself.
But Allen's response afterward made it impossible for him to keep pretending to be childish and venting his resentment.
From Allen's expression, it was clear that he truly believed he would see Lokkishi again someday. The answer was obvious.
This guy really plans to search for Lokkishi in the future, maybe even travel the world with her as an adventurer.
Honestly, I may have said similar things before, but deep down, I was never mentally prepared to travel the world with Lokkishi. From that perspective, it makes sense that Lokkishi thinks more highly of Allen.
Maybe that's his charm. He likes saying pretty things, but somehow, they always sound surprisingly nice. If I were a girl, I might have fallen in love with him at first sight.
...When will I be able to talk so boldly and stylishly to girls? He's the kind of guy who makes you jealous, yet impossible to dislike.
Rudy helplessly scratched his head, then looked at the three of them and spoke in the tone of someone calling children over.
"Come over here, everyone. Teacher is leaving tomorrow, so I thought fireworks would make things feel more fitting."
The windows in Rudy's house were large. As they stood side by side before the sill, Rudy used Wind Magic to protect the wall, then stretched out a hand and conjured a massive fireball outside the window. Wind magic seemed to have been mixed into it as well, causing it to spin rapidly in his hand. Beneath the scorching glow of the flames, Rudy's expression gradually softened.
"Keep your eyes on the sky. Don't blink~"
With a deafening boom, the Fireball Spell surged from Rudy's hand into the sky. Then, fireballs rolled forth one after another before his hand, following after it like a rapid barrage.
The fireballs rose higher and higher before vanishing from sight. Lokkishi and Sylphy blinked in confusion, about to turn around and see what Rudy and Allen were up to.
Just then, Rudy, who was watching the night sky, smiled.
"Boom!"
The moment he spoke, the Fireball Spells he had launched seemed to answer the future Magic King's call, exploding sharply and densely across the sky!
A chain of brilliant flaming streaks burst across the heavens, setting the night alight.
The firelight illuminated the eyes of Rudy, Sylphy, and Allen.
Allen narrowed his eyes in apparent contentment and applauded at just the right moment.
"That's so cool, Rudy. This is the charm of magic, huh?"
At that, Rudy wiped beneath his nose without saying anything. He merely looked up at the fireworks continuously bursting overhead and chuckled.
The wind swirled before their faces as light and shadow flickered.
Lokkishi was not watching the fireworks.
Within the ripples of her deep-blue eyes, Allen, wearing a somewhat childlike expression, rested his chin on his hand and watched the sky with a smile in his eyes.
Allen was not watching the fireworks either.
Before his eyes, amid the fireworks, hazy smoke drifted into view.
The path to gaining favor had not ended. You had further gained the favor of Lokkishi, Rudeus, and Sylphy. Your participation rating in major Mushoku Tensei events had increased. Current stage: Childhood. Cumulative participation rating: 70 points. Please keep up the good work. At this rate, the host could absolutely receive the full-score bonus reward.
Bonus reward... You never mentioned it, and the earlier prompt didn't explain it in detail either. So what exactly is the bonus reward?
Wouldn't an unknown surprise be even more exciting?
Allen curled his lip.
Not at all. You're being so mysterious—is this reward even proper? It can't be some common setup from erotic games, where you get magical bonus items after pushing someone whose favorability reaches the threshold, right? Although, now that I think about it, that sounds kind of interesting... No, wait. Wouldn't that mean I'd have to push Brother Paul first? After all, he's the first person in this household to have a favorable impression of me???
If that is the host's wish, then I can only wish you happiness.
Damn it, what exactly is the reward?
Mushoku Tensei major-event character location search.
Allen froze, his expression gradually turning blank.
Location search? Clairvoyant Demon Eye?? Satellite positioning??? Does that mean I can obtain other people's locations in real time after the Great Transfer?
Yes.
How do I use it?
Usage: Through system retrieval, a map of the Jobless World will be projected in the form of a panel, displaying the target's location with a maximum accuracy of within one hundred meters. Eligible targets: Characters from whom the host has previously obtained points. Usage interval: Once per week, per person.
Delight blossomed in Allen's eyes. This system reward was incredibly practical. It largely solved the problem of how difficult it would be for him to participate in Mushoku Tensei events after the Great Transfer. In the original story, the timing of various events after the Great Transfer was not precise enough. With location search, he could basically determine how far the other party had progressed through the novel's plot based on Rudy's location, giving Allen a chance to take part.
That was right. He had no intention of risking his life by involving himself in the Great Transfer. If something went wrong and he was thrown into the sea—or dropped from high in the sky—it would be an instant GG.
Please do your best, host. What a pity—perhaps Mrs. Somal might still have some potential points for you to obtain.
...Get lost.
Oh.
Though Allen told it to get lost, he was actually quite happy. At this rate, reaching 100 points was entirely possible. There was still more than a year before the end of childhood, enough time for him to farm points from Paul's family.
There's also that cheating incident later on. If I handle it well, I should be able to get quite a few points. So far, it seems that the way to gain points is by influencing characters' actions. Even though the system keeps sarcastically calling it favorability, the scattered points I've gained so far all came from prompting actions these characters never took in the original Mushoku Tensei timeline.
Looking at it this way, doesn't it feel like the system is encouraging me to stir up the Butterfly Effect and deliberately make my major-event missions harder? If I rely on the Future Sight gained from having read the novel, it's safer, but I can't gain points quickly. If I stir up the Butterfly Effect, it will affect Future Sight to some extent, but I can gain points faster.
That's right. So far, stirring up a smaller Butterfly Effect has resulted in fewer points—for example, Paul's actions in searching for me, Sylphy and Rudy meeting early, and Rudy placing the underwear in the shrine ahead of time. The most points I received at once came from running into Lokkishi. That caused a major Butterfly Effect, directly bringing about significant changes to the plotline. Lokkishi returned after leaving and came into contact with Rudy's family again.
At that thought, Allen felt an intense gaze upon him.
He blinked and shifted his eyes away from the fireworks that were gradually dying out, looking to his side.
Lokkishi happened to turn her head, looking toward the night sky that had become dark ashes.
Allen subconsciously scratched his head.
In his pupils, as Lokkishi turned, the loose strands before her forehead bounced through the air, then happened to fall before her blue eyes, leaping into that deep-blue lake.
Before you continue