Goodwill

With Hinata's soft body resting atop his head, Tahm walked a long way out, yet his mind was still replaying Naruto's expression from earlier. After all, not long ago, Tahm had met a real, fragile Naruto who was completely different from the hot-blooded protagonist in the manga, and it had affected him deeply.

"Um..." Tahm heard Hinata's soft voice from above. "Mr. Tahm?"

"Hmm?"

"You're going the wrong way. My house is over there."

"Huh? Haha..." Tahm laughed sheepishly, turned around, and quickened his pace.

"And..." If Tahm could have seen her, he would have noticed that Hinata's face had already flushed red. "What Mr. Tahm did just now was really cool."

"Oh? You don't hate that brat anymore?" Having been a frog for over a year, Tahm had never imagined that he would receive the praise of being "cool" in this lifetime.

"No... I think he's pitiful. He must have been bullied a lot, right?" There was a deep, melancholic sadness in Hinata's voice, making Tahm seem to understand something.

Tahm stopped and gently lifted Hinata with his hands, raising her tiny body into the air like a father doting on his daughter. He let her large, sorrowful eyes look straight at him. The abrupt movement made Hinata let out an adorable, bashful little whimper.

Tahm stared into Hinata's eyes until the bashful liveliness in them dispelled the sadness at their depths. Only then did he speak in the domineering tone of a corporate executive. "Hinata."

"Hmm?" Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz. Only then did Hinata realize that Tahm had already taken to calling her by her name. In Japanese culture, only people who were very close could address a girl that way. As for the strange fact that she had never actually told Tahm her name, her little head was already far too overwhelmed to process it.

"I'm your summoner's beast, which means I'll be your companion for the rest of your life. As long as I'm here, I'll protect you for your entire life!" Tahm made a solemn promise to the little girl. The delicate girl before him gave him a sense of responsibility, as though he were protecting his own younger sister.

"Okay!" Hinata smiled, the corners of her mouth curving into pretty crescents. "Please take care of me from now on, Tahm."

"Ha, let's keep going!" Tahm gently placed Hinata back atop his large head and continued forward, his plump body swaying as he walked.

Tahm had plenty of strength in his legs and walked quickly, but his steps were steady. His plump body made the best shock-absorbing cushion. Sitting atop Tahm's broad, sturdy head, Hinata enjoyed this exceptionally stable ride. Because Tahm stood over two meters tall, Hinata felt as if her field of vision had widened considerably, as though the entire world looked different through her eyes. She cautiously reached out and stroked Tahm's smooth, soft head beneath her, experiencing a childlike joy she had never felt before.

What a reliable and gentle person Mr. Tahm is, Hinata thought.

Ding... At that moment, a system notification suddenly rang out in Tahm's mind:

Host activity detected. Original work heroine/supporting character favorability...

Favorability system module unlocked...

Upon reaching 80 favorability with the character Hinata Hyuga, unlock the first-level reward and gain one random skill draw...

Skill drawing in progress...

Ding! Skill obtained: Starcall: Sacrifice a portion of your own health to heal an allied unit.

Huh? That's way too much information for me to process all at once. What? Isn't my system supposed to be from a MOBA game? How did it turn into a Gal Game with a female-character favorability system? Those domineering CEO lines I gave actually earned me The Starchild Soraka's signature skill? Wait... Did I get another skill slot? Have I become an all-round Tahm who can tank, heal, control, and deal damage?

It took a long time before Tahm figured out what this newly unlocked system module did. It was an utterly shameless favorability system that rewarded him for raising his affinity with the heroines and supporting characters from the original work. The system had also divided his favorability with female characters into several levels:

Favorability 60: Acquaintances

Favorability 70: Ordinary friends

Favorability 80: Lifelong friends (reaching 80 grants the first-level reward, randomly awarding a hero's minor skill)

Favorability 90: Friends who would brave life and death together (reaching 90 grants the second-level reward, randomly awarding a hero's ultimate)

Favorability 100: Lovers. (Reaching 100 grants the ultimate mysterious reward)

This was a blatantly obvious temptation! Whether it was a random minor skill or a hero's ultimate, either one would bring a qualitative improvement to Tahm's strength. Calling it the ultimate cheat ability would not be an exaggeration. Tahm was already imagining a pillar of light descending from the heavens as he shouted, "Demacia!" Not to mention that the ultimate mysterious reward for reaching 100, which even the system refused to explain clearly, made Tahm yearn for it even more.

But... this system required him to make friends with those pretty girls and reach at least the level of lifelong friends. With the looks that could absolutely have been called handsome in his previous life, he had never even found a girlfriend, turning a young heartthrob's potential into the fate of a total shut-in. With those skills, was he supposed to become a human space heater who warmed the entire world in this life too? Not to mention that he was now a fat frog! What girl would want to be friends with a frog? That ultimate reward at 100 had to be a joke, right? I'm already a frog, so how am I supposed to pick up girls and become lovers with them? Tahm felt an urge to flip the table. At this moment, Hinata had probably reached the high level of 80, lifelong friends, because she was his contracted partner and he had saved her.

Sigh, forget it... I'll find chances to try making friends with those girls in the future... After all, I'll definitely be fighting monsters, leveling up, going on adventures, and saving the world alongside them. We'll develop some comradeship sooner or later, right? Besides, even though I've become Tahm, I'm still a little cute in my chubby form. Maybe there's a market for that... Tahm silently searched for psychological comfort.

As for the ultimate mysterious reward unlocked by reaching 100 favorability and becoming lovers, Tahm had already given up on it completely. From the moment he reincarnated into a fat frog in this life, Tahm had long since seen through the mortal world. Even if some girl really were blind and had psychological problems bad enough to fall for him, he absolutely could not bring himself to make a move as Tahm. What would that even be? A human and a frog, love without end?

Still, although he no longer had a human body, Tahm's human sense of beauty remained. Being able to see such beautiful female characters from the manga with his own eyes was an enjoyable experience in itself. As he thought about it, Tahm grinned foolishly.

Feeling the soft, gentle body atop his head and the small hand lightly stroking him, he could clearly sense Hinata's trust in and dependence on him. She really is adorable... Tahm was also infected by Hinata's charm, just as Jiraiya had been before him. How could Tahm not like a little girl as gentle and warm-tempered as Hinata, with her delicate, doll-like appearance? It was a pure love for beautiful things, without the slightest trace of impure thoughts, inspiring a protective sense of responsibility.

I'll protect you... No matter what!

Although I designed a favorability system, my current idea is that it will all be pure comradeship. After all, the protagonist is a frog ==

There won't be a heroine before the finale; I'll decide whether there will be one when I write the afterword and side stories.

Besides, even if I really do write a heroine after the finale, I'll have the protagonist turn back into a human in the side story. I can't stomach the Black Beast plot myself... Sigh... Did I just reveal something?