Allen was still traveling quickly on foot. But after the recent battle, after only four hours of dashing with tōki (battle aura), he was already starting to feel tired. By noon, he collapsed into a patch of tall grass on the roadside, hoping to catch some sleep.
He was exhausted.
Sunlight filtered through the grass, casting fragmented shadows on his face. Blades of grass danced in the breeze, brushing his cheeks with a ticklish sensation. His eyelids grew heavier by the second.
And at that moment, he thought of Roxy's hand.
'...System?'
[Speak.]
This time, the system responded instantly.
Allen blinked his dry eyes and suddenly felt embarrassed. He hesitated for a moment, then finally asked his question.
'Uh… here's the thing. You used to pop up every time I did the tiniest thing and gave me affection points. But this time, I spent all that time with Roxy—I'd say it was a pretty good time… or at least I thought it was—and yet I didn't get a single affection notification?'
'I'm worried you're skimming my points. You know what I mean, right?'
The smoke from the system screen flickered oddly. Almost as if... it was laughing.
[The moonlight was pretty nice last night.]
Allen, still half-asleep, nodded slightly.
"It was, yeah."
[You held her hand and talked for a long time. The mood was clearly ambiguous. You're asking why there wasn't an affection update, right?]
Allen froze.
"That's slander! I'm innocent! I was only thinking about my points, I swear!!"
[Oh? Really?]
"I mean it! Just tell me why I didn't get any points!"
[You need to understand, from the perspective of human emotion, relationships have distinct thresholds.]
[Strangers, acquaintances, friends, lovers, romantic partners, family—each tier is separated by clear emotional boundaries.]
[Once you cross a certain threshold, further development is no longer driven by idle chatting, casual physical contact, or a formal farewell.]
[Do you understand?]
Allen stared at the system panel. His eyes lingered on the flickering word 'Friend' as it wavered in the wind. He answered in thought.
'I get it. Last night, we just… held hands, not even really. More like… accidental contact. What am I doing, acting so pure and dumb? Damn it, am I a middle schooler? I really thought Roxy liked me? Classic dumb guy delusion.'
'Calm down. Right now, Roxy probably sees me as a friend. Nothing more. There's a long way to go before anything romantic happens.'
Oddly enough, that realization made Allen relax a little. A calm settled in his chest.
Moments later, he recalled Roxy's smile when they parted.
'Ha… if we'd actually gone beyond some boundary, it'd feel wrong. In the original story, Allen doesn't even exist. If I really replaced Rudeus and started dating Roxy, how would that even work? With all the future events and plotlines? What about Lara? Would that future even unfold the same way? Would Hitogami even appear to intervene—WAIT! Stop thinking about babies!! What the hell?!'
Allen stared at the grass again. After a brief silence, he closed his eyes. Sleepiness finally overtook him.
'Roxy has already given me lots of points. That first encounter alone gave me 23... I shouldn't ask for more. This is enough. This is good. This is… just fine.'
'Roxy...'
'...is enough.'
As the scent of grass surrounded him, Allen—who'd been tense the entire night—finally drifted off.
Yet, the smoke from the system still danced silently.
[Time and the future are strange things. What happens now often stems from a choice made in the past. And what unfolds in the future... is always seeded in the present.]
[Heh...]
[Your points, Allen... were already spent the moment you met Roxy.]
——
By the time Allen returned, it was already mid-July.
The rice fields outside the village swayed in golden waves.
As he reached the village entrance, he saw two little ones practicing magic. Sylphy spotted him from afar, froze for a moment—then smiled brightly and ran to hug him.
Allen instinctively hugged her and spun her around. Then he caught sight of Rudeus, who had been smiling for a second before his face turned into one of silent suffering.
Allen froze. Yep—Rudeus had found out his underwear went missing.
He awkwardly cleared his throat, set Sylphy down, and avoided Rudeus's gaze.
Sylphy straightened her hair, her voice soft and nervous.
"Allen, Rudeus and I were really worried about you this whole month."
Allen twitched. Rudeus was clearly not worried, just full of suspicion. Allen thought about his recent escapades with Roxy and tried to speak carefully.
"Hey, Rudeus... um... about the underwear thing, I can explain—"
"ALLEN!!"
A burly voice suddenly roared from the clinic nearby. Allen flinched.
Paul.
'Oh no, Paul-nii.'
'Wait, why is this guy hanging out in the clinic again during the day?!'
Before he could say anything, Paul lunged at him and put him in a headlock, dragging him home. Allen didn't resist, feeling slightly guilty for disappearing. But when Paul's grip tightened and Allen's face was buried in his pecs, overwhelmed by the musky scent of manliness—
He panicked.
Struggling fiercely, Allen glanced at Rudeus with desperate eyes.
'Paul-nii is too much! Save me, Rudeus!!'
Rudeus understood. But instead of helping, he sighed and didn't move.
He'd already deduced what happened—he remembered fragments of that night, the sound of footsteps, Allen's voice… he'd pieced it together.
So the conclusion was simple: his holy relic had been retrieved by the gods.
Why was it his underwear in the shrine though?!
Still, not technically Allen's fault...
...BUT WHY HIS UNDERWEAR?!
With a cold smile, Rudeus grabbed Allen's hand—just when Allen looked grateful—and shoved it back into Paul's grip.
Allen's expression turned from gratitude to terror.
Rudeus even patted Paul's hand.
"Father was really worried about you. Just go with it."
"HUH?!"
Allen flailed again, but Paul's arms were unrelenting. Allen cried in despair as he was dragged into the second-floor study.
Why didn't he use sword techniques to resist?
Because emotionally, Allen still respected Paul. Rationally, he figured Paul wasn't that mad and would just talk.
He was wrong.
Senis was at home, and when she saw Allen, her smile lit up—then immediately faded to a dark expression. She followed them upstairs, along with Lilia.
The door slammed shut.
Paul sat with arms crossed, silent.
The room was dead quiet, save for Allen's heavy breathing.
He scanned the room—Rudeus and Sylphy looked serious. Senis looked conflicted. Lilia kept her head down.
'This… isn't right. Isn't this just a 1v1 scolding scene? Why this... trial atmosphere?'
Paul sighed.
"Allen, did you really think leaving without a word was okay?"
Allen froze.
'Wait a second... is this the canon event where Paul teaches Rudeus about responsibility? But since I interfered, it's happening to me now?!'
He glanced at Rudeus. No anger. Senis looked just as serious.
Sylphy, bless her, only looked worried.
"Allen... Uncle Paul got really angry a month ago. We were all worried."
That's when it clicked.
He had left a letter. Said he'd take care of some 'direwolves'. Since Paul knew his identity, and Senis probably guessed it too, he figured it'd be fine.
But to them… he'd vanished for a month. No word. No warning.
Even with his family ties to Philip, this behavior was reckless.
Like quitting a job by saying, "Yo boss, gotta take care of something. See you in a month."
Senis exhaled deeply and spoke gently.
"I explained your identity to everyone after that day. Paul was too angry to keep it hidden. But… I don't think we needed to hide it anymore. We already see you as part of this family."
"Even Rudeus has become close to you. But… when you leave like that—"
"Did you ever think of us as your family?"
Allen's throat was dry.
'Family? It's only been three months… is this because I'm Philip's son?'
But then he remembered Roxy's voice in the wind.
"If something urgent happens, ask Lord Paul. He's high-ranked in three styles. Acting alone is too dangerous. Everyone will worry. Make sure to apologize properly when you return."
Senis continued.
"Even if you're not used to family, we will still worry. Why couldn't you discuss things with us first? Leaving just a letter… it made us feel like we were monsters to you."
"Like we weren't your family."
"We weren't angry. We were... hurt."
Senis left. Paul sighed, patted Allen's shoulder.
"I found a bounty notice in your drawer. You probably went to settle it. Your clothes have bloodstains. You're strong, but next time, talk to us first. We'd support you. That's what families do."
"...Well, maybe you won't understand. But just think about it."
Lilia left next. Rudeus gave Allen a light slap on the arm and joked about being distant cousins. Then left.
Only Sylphy remained.
She looked back and forth between the floor and Allen's face.
Then she hugged him gently.
"Sylphy was really worried too. But... you came back. That's enough."
She smiled and left.
The sunset stretched Allen's shadow across the room. His expression was dazed.
——
Dinner was eaten in silence.
Late that night, Allen lay on his freshly sun-dried bedding, still unsure what to make of everything.
Like reading a novel where the characters suddenly yell at you. Or a game character stepping out of the screen to slap you.
He stared at his hand.
'This isn't a game.'
'Maybe I'm the one being weird. Maybe this is the right response. Maybe I've been treating Mushoku Tensei like a simulation instead of living in it.'
'But still...'
"Worried... over just three months? Even if I'm Philip's son, that seems extreme."
Silence.
"To be seen as... family."
"Tomorrow... I'll apologize properly."
The whisper continued in the darkness.
"Family..."
——
In the end, Allen never got the apology out.
Because the next morning, everything was back to normal.
The same smiles, the same sword and magic training, the same playful days under the big tree, the same night whispers from the next room…
The same monthly salary—two silver coins, never late.
Yet Allen felt... something was off.
Time passed in a blur of swordplay and magic.
Winter came.
Senis was pregnant.
(End of Chapter)
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