Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and Romance!

Shortly after breakfast, Allen suddenly remembered what he'd forgotten.

He'd forgotten about Sylphy.

It came to him just as the three of them were reviewing yesterday's battle—Roxy sitting nearby, occasionally nodding and offering admiring comments.

That was when she arrived.

As always, Sylphy stood just outside the courtyard, pretending to be a passerby who'd happened to wander by, her gaze fixed on the weeds at her feet.

But the moment she caught sight of the blue-haired girl in the yard, she abruptly turned and blinked at Roxy.

Roxy met her gaze, curious.

Both froze in place.

Rudeus and Allen, however, looked even more stunned.

Rudeus sprang up with a horrified look, clutching his head.

I'm doomed! I forgot all about Sylphy! This is that classic galgame setup! Roxy's going to think this same-age elf girl is my girlfriend, isn't she?! I'm screwed, totally screwed! No wait—!

Roxy never even saw me as a potential romantic partner to begin with, and now this just reinforces that I'm just a kid in her eyes! Noooo! Even if I've always respected her as a mentor, Allen's words made me dare to hope for something more someday!!!

Meanwhile, Allen was also screaming inside.

Crap, I forgot about Sylphy too! This is that cliché galgame scenario! Sylphy's gonna think that this youthful-looking Roxy is some kind of love rival, isn't she?! Oh no, Rudeus is about to enter his own love triangle deathmatch! What do we do—wait a second...

What the hell does Rudeus' love drama have to do with me, Allen?!

And just like that, clarity bloomed in Allen's mind. He met Rudeus' desperate, pleading gaze with the calm of a Zen master—then promptly pretended not to notice it. Resting his chin in his hand, he watched the tension between Roxy and Sylphy with great amusement.

Haha, Rudeus, oh Rudeus… In the original story, you somehow always dodged these kinds of love triangle messes thanks to Sylphy's almost absurd patience and understanding. Your harem came together way too smoothly. But now? Now I understand why I was reincarnated into this Jobless Reincarnation world—it's to flap my butterfly wings and bring down divine retribution upon your playboy ass! Yes! Face your punishment for toying with the devout, oh chosen one! This is the price you pay for future double-armed waifu cuddles!

But man, even though Sylphy's still just a kid, that alert glint in her eye—she's already got that woman's instinct. This is getting good… oh boy, let the chaos begin! I want blood! Let it fly!

Sylphy, after a moment of frozen hesitation, quietly walked over to Allen when Paul called her. She sat down beside him without a word, but her red-brown eyes never left Roxy.

And Roxy, too, calmly met her gaze with those deep blue eyes.

Seeing this, Allen quickly glanced toward Rudeus—whose pupils had all but glazed over. Allen slapped a hand over his mouth.

I really might laugh out loud.

But in the very next moment, Allen's grin froze.

The familiar system window materialized in front of his nose.

[Affection from Sylphy and Roxy toward the Host has slightly increased.]

[Event Contribution Score to Jobless Reincarnation storyline has risen.]

[Current Phase: Childhood Arc. Total Participation Score: 65 Points.]

[Evaluation: Everyone laughs at Rudeus—but everyone is Rudeus.]

[What is the meaning of reincarnation? This is the meaning of reincarnation, Allen-san! What is a love triangle battle? This is a love triangle battle! (leans back dramatically)]

Allen stared dumbly as the system panel faded away. Slowly, he lifted his gaze to Roxy, then turned to look at Sylphy beside him.

What the hell is this nonsense???

Just then, both Roxy and Sylphy spoke in perfect unison, their voices brushing against his ears.

"...Allen, who is she?"

Allen froze, swallowed hard, and looked toward Paul in stunned silence.

But Paul, wise to the storm coming, had already backed away at lightspeed. He now stood at a distance, pretending to admire the clouds in the sky.

Rudeus, meanwhile, had snapped out of his panic and now watched Allen's shellshocked face with a gloating grin.

"Pfft—hahaha! Allen, accept your punishment! Roxy will be mine!"

He'd meant to send it via telepathy, but in his excitement, he blurted it out in full voice.

It echoed across the courtyard.

Everyone turned to stare at him.

Even Paul, who had been watching the sky, could no longer pretend not to hear. He turned back toward his son, expression one for the ages.

Under everyone's piercing stares, Rudeus' face morphed through several stages of color. Allen, still dazed, couldn't help but think, Huh. I guess even Japanese people can change expressions like that.

The wind blew gently across the courtyard.

Rudeus struggled to recover.

"I—I mean, Roxy is definitely my… highly respected mentor!"

Roxy blinked in surprise, then turned her head and looked at Allen.

"...Things have been feeling off ever since earlier. Allen, if I'm getting Rudeus right… are you asking me to take this lovely long-eared girl as my disciple?"

Allen blinked, then glanced at Rudeus, who was staring at him like a drowning man. His mind moved fast.

"Ah, yes! Exactly!"

He immediately placed a hand on Sylphy's head. She blinked up at the two boys in confusion.

"This kid's name is Sylphy. She's a magical prodigy who can cast spells without incantations! So I was hoping you could teach her for a few days, evaluate her level as a Water Saint-ranked magician, and maybe give her an official title."

Then he beamed at Sylphy.

"This is Roxy Migurdia, the mage who taught Rudeus. She's a Water Saint-level magician. Rudeus relies a lot on instinct when it comes to magic, but for your questions, Roxy is the perfect teacher!"

Take that, love triangle! I'm hijacking the original master-disciple bond from the untouched timeline!

The moment Roxy heard no-chant magic, her expression shifted slightly. She opened her mouth to politely decline, but Sylphy—catching on immediately—greeted her sweetly, playing along.

"Hello, Miss Roxy. I've heard so much about you. So you're Rudeus' teacher? I thought maybe you were one of Allen's friends... I'm Sylphyette."

Roxy forced down the words that had been on the tip of her tongue and managed a polite smile.

"Nice to meet you, Sylphy. I'm Roxy Migurdia. You don't have to call me 'teacher.' Honestly, you kids with your no-chant magic are really something… I'm not qualified to be your mentor, but I can at least help evaluate your current level. Surely you're not more advanced than Rudeus, right?"

Sylphy glanced sideways at Allen, who was practically throwing her signals with his eyes. She gave a well-timed nod.

"I'm not. I just started learning magic two months ago, Miss Roxy."

Roxy:

Two months and already no-chant… Seriously, stop calling me 'teacher'... I wanna die. T_T Why did I even listen to Allen and stay here? So this is what he meant by needing me here? Allen, you sly bastard.

And that's when the next disaster hit.

"Paul! Is Allen bullying my boy Somar again?! I demand an explanation this time!"

Allen, still basking in the afterglow of survival, froze mid-swipe of sweat.

He turned, stunned—just in time to meet Paul's equally stunned expression. Together, they looked toward the courtyard gate where Mrs. Eto had appeared.

She stood at the edge of the wall, eyes narrowed at Paul and Allen.

But then she spotted Roxy.

Her gaze scanned Roxy from head to toe—pausing slightly at her chest—before curling into a mocking smirk.

Roxy, in turn, gave Mrs. Eto a passing glance before calmly returning her attention to Allen, silently watching him.

Allen's lips twitched. He muttered a plain, heartfelt reaction:

Oh, shit.

[New Immediate Task: "A Wagonful of Disdain." Mrs. Eto once felt threatened by Roxy's sudden move into the Greyrat household, but later dismissed the notion when she realized Roxy had zero romantic interest in Paul. However, now that Roxy has returned, she seems to think you—]

Shut up!

[Oh.]