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Allen turned and went back to his bedroom. Zenith's slightly heavier pregnancy breathing echoed in his ears as he leaned against the door, a mocking smile appearing on his face.
'Paul's treatment of his family is beyond reproach... but when it comes to controlling his lower half, he's consistently terrible... And Lilia... is also guilty...'
He shook his head.
'Participation score?'
Mist appeared.
[Current stage: Early years, Cumulative participation score: 70 points.]
Allen stared at the 70-point participation score in silence.
Indeed, his participation score had completely stagnated over the past half year. No matter how much he improved his relationship with Rudy and Sylphie, it was of no use. As the system had said, his relationship with the two little ones had reached a threshold that was difficult to break through.
He needed to find breakthroughs for gaining points elsewhere.
This was the fundamental reason why he chose not to disturb the two's affair.
'The affair event, the birth of Aisha and Norn... surely my participation score should rise from this?'
Allen's inner voice sounded somewhat urgent. His previous scores had come too easily, but they were mainly acquired from Roxy. Under the continuous butterfly effect, his score had soared in a short time.
But after returning to the Greyrat house, the momentum of score increases had stalled.
Satellite positioning ability was too important in a world without phones, especially after the Great Displacement.
[There will definitely be opportunities for score increases, but whether the host can make the best choices, and ultimately how many points you can get, that depends on your ability~]
The system's text carried a somewhat malicious teasing tone, causing Allen's mouth to twitch.
'Wait, why do I feel like you're excited? Is there something amusing about me that makes you happy?'
The text bounced cheerfully in front of Allen.
[Absolutely not~]
'This time I definitely need to accumulate enough points... If this continues, getting a perfect score will be too difficult. Looking back, my previous judgments were too presumptuous... I wondered why the perfect score mission reward was so attractive. So it's because getting above 60 points is so hard...'
[Do you need a reminder?]
'Yes!'
[Scores above 60 points mainly depend on the host's deep participation in Mushoku Tensei's major events.]
'...Deep participation?'
Allen blinked, and the string in his brain labeled "prankster" was suddenly plucked. He instantly laughed and hurriedly said:
'Speaking of which, if I went to the door now and suddenly appeared the moment Paul finished, scaring him impotent, would that count as deep participation? Look, this would ensure Aisha's birth, prevent Paul's potential future affairs, punish this scumbag for Zenith, and warn Rudy, telling him that psychological issues can also lead to impotence, so he can prepare early! Four benefits in one!'
[...And then the next day, Paul would send your dog ass back to James.]
'??'
——
The snow in the winter of the 412th year of the Dragon Calendar fell particularly tenderly. Whenever the snow showed signs of subsiding, another small snowfall would arrive.
In this continuous cycle, Lilia became aware of her pregnancy.
This was something that couldn't be hidden.
So, she chose a time after dinner. After clearing the plates from the table and returning to the kitchen, without washing the dishes, she turned around and walked out to face everyone.
This action drew the attention of those chatting at the dinner table.
Zenith blinked.
"By the way... Lilia, are you not feeling well today? I noticed your complexion hasn't been good since we started eating."
Lilia quickly glanced at Paul, who was looking at her in surprise from beside the table. She avoided Rudy and Allen's gazes. Taking a deep breath, her pupils behind her glasses were very calm as she bowed her head to Zenith.
"...I'm very sorry, but I'm pregnant."
The smile on Zenith's face froze for a moment, then slowly disappeared. This news left her unable to react immediately.
Paul's expression drastically changed.
Rudy sat dumbfounded, his gaze repeatedly shifting between Zenith and Lilia, who was feigning calmness.
Allen had already left the dinner table when Lilia started approaching. He walked to the side of the wall and leaned against it, clearly positioning himself as an outsider.
'In the original story, Paul would soon be kneeling and apologizing, while Rudy would be the core figure in resolving this family drama. He first shifted all blame to Paul, then gave Zenith a way to save face, then verbally guided Zenith to force her to accept the fact of Paul's affair and welcome the new member of the Greyrat family.'
'Honestly, this approach is quite... Zenith, as the only victim in this incident, had Rudy's thoughts completely imposed on her, resolving the conflict in a way that forced her to accept it.'
'Looking at the result, only the victim ended up getting hurt.'
'Although Rudy later apologized to Zenith, it seemed rather hypocritical.'
'After all, he had already forced Zenith to make a promise, hadn't he?'
'Regardless of how Rudy handles the problem... I definitely need to avoid the center of the storm of conflict that's about to erupt. No matter what I say now, Zenith won't listen. As for the key to increasing my score, it's in approaching Zenith after she calms down, bringing Rudy, or better yet, the whole family together to talk to her, and then...'
Just as Allen was calculating, mist appeared.
[Immediate mission released: Lilia's moment of need.]
[Mission reminder: Despite her outward calm, Lilia's heart has turned to ashes. She has prepared herself to be driven out of the house this winter and accepts that making a wrong choice deserves the appropriate punishment. At this moment, Rudy has not yet acted... the time has come for the host to perform!]
[Mission reward: If handled properly, you will gain the gratitude of the entire Greyrat family and replace Rudy's "position" in relation to Aisha in the original storyline. Participation score: 20 points.]
[If handled improperly: 0 points.]
[At this crossroads of fate, among countless choices, can the host select the most appropriate action for the current situation? Complete the redemption of Lilia's heart?]
[Mission begins!]
Allen stared at the cheerfully bouncing text, his entire face frozen.
His expression was even more dramatic than Paul's, shocked in every possible way.
'What the hell is "Lilia's redemption"?! Shouldn't the focus be on helping Zenith?! Damn! You were waiting for this moment?! How am I supposed to participate without getting kicked out of the house along with Lilia?'
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 115 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 40 power stones I will publish the next chapter.