Jobless Reincarnation: Sword, Magic Hat and Romance System

Chapter 59 Liking someone is a self-inflicted struggle of gain and loss.

Allen continued his rapid trek on foot, but after the battle, he felt noticeably tired after only four hours of running with his battle aura. By noon, he had buried himself in a pile of grass by the roadside, intending to take a nap.

I'm so sleepy.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the lush grass, casting scattered shadows on his face. The grass stalks danced in the wind, tickling his face and making his eyelids droop.

Just then, he remembered Luo Qixi's hand.

".system?"

【explain.】

This time, the system was available on call.

Allen blinked his dry eyes, suddenly feeling embarrassed. He hesitated for a moment before finally asking his question.

"Um, I have a question. In the past, even the smallest things would increase my favorability with Luo Qixi. This time, I've had a fairly pleasant time with Luo Qixi—at least I think so—but why aren't there any more prompts to gain her favor?"

"I'm worried that you're taking a cut of my points, you know what I mean?"

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the smoke and dust that appeared this time seemed to be pulsating, as if...

It looks like he's laughing.

The moonlight was beautiful last night.

Allen was somewhat dazed and nodded subconsciously.

"really."

[You held their hand and chatted for a long time, the atmosphere was clearly a bit ambiguous, so why didn't it show an increase in affection level? Is that what you meant?]

Allen's face stiffened upon hearing this.

"I'm innocent! I was just after the points!!"

Oh? Is that so?

"It's absolutely true. Tell me quickly why my points aren't coming in!"

[What the host needs to know is that, in terms of human emotions, intimate relationships have clear boundaries.]

[For example, there are clear boundaries between strangers, acquaintances, friends, lovers, romantic partners, and relatives.]

Once a certain threshold is reached, going any further isn't something that can be crossed by casual conversation, simple physical contact, or a serious wave goodbye.

Do you understand?

Allen stared intently at the system panel, his gaze lingering on the word "friend" fluttering in the wind for a long time, but he answered with his inner thoughts.

"I understand. Last night it was just holding hands, no, that wasn't even holding hands, it was just a coincidence at best. What's wrong with me? I suddenly feel like my IQ has dropped, damn it, like a primary school student, thinking Luo Qixi was interested in me. This is probably the number one of the three great illusions of life, just typical male idiots."

"Calm down. Right now, Luo Qixi's feelings for me are probably stuck at the friend level. We're still a long way from having a romantic or ambiguous relationship."

Thinking of this, Allen breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment of silence, the smiling face of Luo Qixi when they parted couldn't help but appear in his mind.

"Ha! If it really crossed some kind of boundary, I wouldn't... In the novel's plot, Eren is a complete unknown. If he really replaced Rudy and had a relationship with Loki, that would be too difficult. In the future, how could he participate in subsequent major events? Wouldn't he be completely lost and confused? Lala won't even be able to have children, so how could that god appear to intervene? Stop! Stop this nonsense! How can this be related to having children?!"

Allen looked at the green grass in front of him, remained silent for a moment, closed his eyes, and drowsiness slowly crept over him.

"Luo Qixi has already given me a lot of points; my first encounter with her gave me 23 points. I shouldn't ask for too much; this is good enough, this is fine, this is good enough."

『Luo Qixi』

"very good."

Surrounded by the scent of fresh grass, Allen, whose mind had been tense all night, finally drifted off to sleep.

However, the system's smoke and dust were still floating and jumping around.

Time and the future are so fascinating. What happens now is often predetermined by a choice made in the past, and what will happen in the future has already been sown in countless present moments.

【hehe.】

[Your points, the moment you met Luo Qixi, already covered your future.]

[Allen.]

-

By the time Allen made his way back, it was already mid-July.

The rice paddies outside the village were rippled with golden waves by the wind.

When he arrived at the village entrance, the two little ones were practicing magic tricks there. Hilfi saw Allen from afar, and after a moment of stunned silence, a happy expression appeared on her face. She quickly rushed into Allen's arms.

Allen, watching Sylphie's rapidly twitching pointed ears, instinctively picked her up and spun her around.

Then I saw Rudy standing to the side, who was happy for only a moment before his expression turned to sorrow.

Allen's expression froze, realizing that the other person had already discovered that his underwear was missing. He coughed awkwardly a few times, put Hilfi on the ground, and avoided Rudy's resentful gaze.

Hilfi steadied herself, lowered her head to tidy her messy hair, her expression somewhat flustered, her voice soft and sweet.

"Alan, Rudy and I have been very worried about you for the past month."

Allen's brow twitched, his pupils reflecting Rudy's gaze, which was not feigned concern at all, and he recalled his interactions with Loki along the way.

His smile immediately became somewhat subtle, and then he spoke cautiously.

"That Rudy, uh... about the underwear, I can explain."

"Allen!"

Before he could finish speaking, a muscular man suddenly jumped out from the clinic next door, startling Allen so much that he stared intently at him.

It's Paul.

"Hey, Paul."

"Wait, why is this guy out at the clinic with his wife in broad daylight again?"

The thought had barely crossed his mind when, before he could even say hello, Paul suddenly grabbed him by the throat and dragged him home. Out of a pang of guilt for leaving without saying goodbye, Allen didn't struggle. But when he realized that Paul's arm was tightening around him and that his head was completely buried in the cleavage of Paul's chest muscles, and the strong scent of male hormones filled his nostrils, he was deeply hurt.

He panicked.

Then he began to struggle violently! As he swung his arms, Allen squeezed his face out from his chest to look at Rudy, frantically giving him meaningful glances.

"I can't handle Paul's enthusiasm! Rudy, don't just watch, help me, help me!"

Rudy understood Allen's look, but he just pursed his lips and didn't really want to pay attention to him.

He had already done a recap when he discovered the sacred object had disappeared—first, he should have fallen asleep in Lokishi's room that night, but when he woke up, he was in his own room.

It's highly likely that Loki and Allen sent him back.

He racked his brains and vaguely recalled some hazy memories. It seemed that Allen had spoken to him that night, and before that, there were hurried footsteps of someone leaving.

The conclusion is then clear—the sacred object was taken back by God.

It's truly heartbreaking.

Logically speaking, this step shouldn't seem to have anything to do with Allen. But the problem is...

Why are my underwear in the shrine?!

Rudy gritted his teeth and glared at Allen, only to see him reach out and grab Allen's hand as he broke free from Paul's embrace. Allen's eyes initially showed gratitude, but quickly turned to terror.

He carefully tucked it back into Paul's arms and patted his hand to comfort him.

The expression on Allen's face when he woke Rudy up that night and then comforted him to sleep wasn't exactly the same, but it was practically identical.

"These past few days, your father has been very worried about you, so he's been staying with us at the village entrance. Just go along with him."

"Huh?? What's this??"

Allen struggled a couple more times, only to find that Paul had his neck tightly wrapped in his arms like an iron hoop. He looked at Rudy with a mournful face and let out a resigned wail. Under Rudy's slightly bewildered gaze, he was dragged all the way back to the study at home.

As for why they didn't use swordsmanship to fight back?

Emotionally, Allen was afraid of fencing with Paul, but rationally he could tell that the current situation was not going to unfold in such a complicated way.

That must be because Allen left without saying goodbye, so Paul might really be a little angry. In that case, let's go along with him for now, and he can explain things to Paul in detail when he gets home and calms down a bit.

He thought so.

However, when he returned home, things took an unexpected turn.

Senis wasn't at the clinic; she was at home. The moment she saw Allen, a look of surprise and joy appeared on her face, but then her expression suddenly darkened. Ignoring Allen's pleading gaze, she followed Paul and the others to the study on the second floor, with Lilia following behind.

With a bang, the door slammed shut, and Paul sat in his seat with his arms crossed, his face full of anger.

He remained silent.

The study was unusually quiet, with only Allen's heavy breathing as he finally broke free from the muscular man's embrace.

The latter sensed the strange atmosphere in the study, glanced at Rudy and Hilfi sitting obediently in their chairs, and Senis with a solemn expression, and lowered her head to Lilia, who looked dutiful, and slowly swallowed.

"Something's not right. What's going on? Shouldn't this be a one-on-one confession session between men? A simple question about where I went, followed by an explanation and a lecture, and that's it? Why is there this strange atmosphere?"

Paul's face was tense. He tried to say something several times, but in the end, he only let out a sigh.

"Allen, do you really think it's a good idea to leave without saying goodbye?"

Allen was taken aback.

"What's going on? The original plot about Paul teaching Rudy was ruined because of my appearance, and then fate somehow shifted the blame onto me?"

He subconsciously glanced at Rudy beside him, but Rudy didn't show the slightest dissatisfaction; he simply looked straight at Allen.

Allen blinked, then turned to look at Senis, whose expression was almost identical. He then turned to look at Sylphie.

The child didn't have a serious face, but looked at him with a somewhat worried gaze.

"Allen, everyone is really worried about you. Uncle Paul had a huge outburst a month ago."

Allen was taken aback, but then suddenly realized what was happening.

He left in a hurry without thinking much, leaving a letter for Paul and saying he would come back after dealing with "Maned Wolf". Paul knew his identity, and Senis often looked at him with the expression of looking at her children at home, so she probably knew as well.

In Allen's own eyes, his departure for a while and subsequent return was no big deal, since it wasn't a true employment relationship. As for Paul's current job as a knight in Buena village, it was arranged for him by Philip. As Philip's son, Paul had every reason to take care of him and tolerate him, whether out of gratitude or familial affection.

But this is seen as highly unreasonable by others.

You go to work at the company, and then you leave a letter for the boss saying that you have some personal matters to attend to, and that you'll see him in a month.

No need to farm gold coins this month, just let me farm more gold coins when I get back.

Then they ran away without saying goodbye.

Is this appropriate?

so.

Paul has most likely already explained his identity to his family members.

Even so, they shouldn't have that expression. Reprimanding is understandable, but this interrogation-like demeanor...

Paul scratched his head in annoyance, still looking angry, and didn't say anything. Senis, on the other hand, adopted a serious posture and spoke slowly.

"Allen, I've already explained your identity to everyone. Your uncle was furious that day, so it's no longer possible to hide it. Besides, I think..."

Senis looked at Allen's astonished expression and said, word by word.

"I don't see any need to hide it. We all treat you like one of our own children, and Rudy clearly gets along very well with you. It's not just a simple teacher-student relationship; everything is fine, but..."

"With you acting all unilaterally, do you even consider us your family?"

Allen swallowed hard, unsure of what to do.

"Family? It's only been a little over three months. Is it because I'm Philip's child? But if we were family, shouldn't it be easier to understand?"

Just then, Luo Qixi's troubled expression appeared in his mind, along with the sound of her voice in the night wind.

"If it's a very urgent matter, you should also ask for help from Master Paul. He's superior to all three schools of thought, and it's dangerous for him to act alone. Everyone will be worried about you. You should apologize to them properly when you get back."

Allen paused, Senis's words giving him no time to catch his breath, clearly conveying her thoughts at that moment.

"We truly consider you part of the Grellat family. I know you may not feel a strong sense of belonging to the family, and I understand that. But you should know that we worry about you, Allen."

"Is there something you can't discuss with us before making a decision? The way you left a letter... it's like..."

Senis paused, her usually gentle expression now showing some complexity. She gave Allen a deep look before continuing.

"It's as if we're monsters in the forest that you avoid us so much. Or do you really think you're just an outsider hired by the Grellatt family? Paul didn't actually look angry, we were just a little..."

I'm not feeling well.

After Senis finished speaking, she seemed a little tired. She glanced at Allen again, but didn't say anything more. She got up and walked out of the room.

Paul then sighed as he looked at Allen's stunned expression, suppressed his anger, and walked over to pat him on the shoulder.

"I found a wanted poster in your drawer. It seems you went to deal with this. Your clothes also have bloodstains and have been washed. Although you are very strong, in the future, you should inform us before going out. How can you be sure we won't support your actions? Isn't family supposed to support, help, understand, and help each other? That's what family is all about."

"Well, never mind, you probably wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you, so let's just leave it at that."

Allen felt his mouth go dry, but he had no way to refute it. The current situation was completely beyond his expectations, and he didn't know what to do for a moment.

Lilia glanced at Allen, then went out of the room to help prepare dinner in the kitchen.

Seeing Allen's expression, Rudy didn't want to argue with him about why he wasn't taking him with him when he was seeing Loki off. He already knew that Allen's trip to see Loki off was a pretense; he was actually there to handle some previous "personal matters." After hesitating for a moment, he finally patted Allen's arm, trying to ease the tension with a joke.

He said things like, "So you're a distant relative of mine," but when Allen didn't respond, he shrugged helplessly and walked out of the room.

When Allen came to his senses, only Sylphie was left in the study.

Hilfi's gaze lingered between the ground and Allen's face before she finally stepped forward and, to Allen's somewhat stunned look, gently gave him a hug, speaking softly.

"Hilfie was worried about you too. But, it's good that you're back."

He then blinked and left the study.

The rays of the setting sun shone through the window onto Allen, casting a long shadow on the ground.

Allen looked somewhat dazed.

-

Dinner was another silent affair.

Even at midnight, as Allen slept on the soft bed that Senis had specially taken out to air, he still felt a little unreal. To be honest, everyone's reaction was completely unexpected.

It's like the strange feeling of being verbally abused by a character in a novel, or being slapped by a game character who leans out of the screen while playing a game.

In the dimly lit bedroom, he lay awake with his eyes open, his hands outstretched in front of him.

"Is this how Paul and the others should react since time travel isn't a game? And the abnormal one is actually me, because I've always approached Mushoku Tensei with the attitude of playing a real-life game, instead of completely immersing myself in this world. But even so..."

"Worried? We've only known each other for a little over three months. Even if I'm Philip's child, is it really necessary?"

A moment of silence.

"Being considered part of the family"

"I should apologize to them tomorrow."

The darkness fell silent for a long while before the faint murmurs resumed.

".family"

-

In the end, Allen didn't say anything apologetic, because the very next morning, everyone seemed to have returned to how they used to get along.

The laughter and joy remained, as did the swordplay and magic lessons; the daily "playing" with Hilfirudi under the big tree continued; and the whispers from next door echoed every night.

The monthly salary of two silver coins was still paid on time and without delay.

But Allen felt like something was off.

And so, time flew by as they practiced swordsmanship and learned magic from Silferudi.

Winter has come.

Senis is pregnant.

Please keep reading, be sure to turn to the last page!!

Let's talk about the plot:

Actually, the pacing of this chapter doesn't quite fit the typical online novel format, especially a harem novel. Normally, it should have been a scene where Allen loudly proclaims, "I love Loki!" and then chases after her to Rigate City, only to be dumped by her. He'd then go on to have entanglements with other girls, with Loki occasionally returning as a plot device to create some drama. (Like in *The Book of Chaos*.)

The question is, is it reasonable to write it this way in this unemployed fanfic?

Does Allen like Roxanne? —Yes, he does.

Does Allen know that Loki likes him? — It's uncertain.

In this situation, I personally believe that liking this kind of feeling should be a self-inflicted struggle of gain and loss, rather than a whimsical, stamp-collecting-style approach to pursuing women. The latter is not "liking," but "liking to sleep with."

So, has Loki officially left the stage before the Great Transfer? — Yes, she left, but not completely.

Because the sweets won't stop, and as for how to distribute them when no one's around? -- You'll see soon enough. (Laughs)

(End of this chapter)