Chapter 514: Crystal Palace Happiness State Trap, Childhood Friend Loses to Girl From the Sky

Once again gaining the chance to recover her loop memories, Nanahoshi Shizuka was very happy; at the 52nd loop she worked even harder to plunge herself into a higher level of Happiness State.

This affected her research into counter-summoning magic somewhat, but it didn't matter — as long as Happiness Points production kept pace, she would have endless time.

And from the 51st loop onward, the Buroehi Adventure Party also began adventuring in the Six-Faced World; only by the 52nd loop an extra member had joined the adventuring group, turning the squad into the five-person Buroehi Seven party.

Ghislaine didn't come along, because her class overlapped with Eris's; to give Eris a better adventure experience, she stayed behind in Buena Village as the guard dog.

As for Broly, although he also overlapped somewhat, most of the time he wouldn't act on his own — adventure is adventure; there has to be danger for it to be called adventure. If he handled all the dangers encountered during the adventure, the others wouldn't be adventuring; they'd just be freeloading to victory.

So the main combat members of this squad are Eris, Roxy, and Sylphy; of course, at the 52nd loop Nanahoshi Shizuka was added.

This otherworld girl's swordsmanship is no good, her magic isn't too great either, but she has a knack for Magic Tool research.

And to increase Happiness Points output, she actively tried to fit in with Broly's family as one of them, and she succeeded through her own effort — joining the Buroehi Adventure Party in the capacity of a Magical Tool Master.

"I feel this world's Adventurer's Guild should award Nanahoshi a new class."

Just after finishing exploring a Labyrinth, while resting, Eris said.

"What class?"

The others looked over with some curiosity.

"Combat Magical Tool Master."

Eris loudly declared the class name she felt was extremely fitting.

"Eh, I don't like fighting."

Nanahoshi Shizuka, resting next to the large Backpack she'd brought, hurriedly said.

"Calling it combat is too biased, Eris; Nanahoshi is far more quiet than you — at home she's often reading books."

Roxy said.

"Someone who likes reading books should be called a Scholar."

Sylphy chimed in; she also likes reading books.

When she accompanied Roxy to Ranoa Magic University for Imperial Water Magic academic exchange, she was once asked by Mentor Ginas — rumored to be Roxy's teacher from a past loop — whether she also intended to become a knowledgeable Magical Scholar.

"So the correct class should be Magical Tool Scholar."

Just like that, after a Labyrinth exploration, amid the Buroehi Seven party's idle chat, Nanahoshi Shizuka gained an unofficial new class: 【Magical Tool Scholar】.

Only the class name was a bit of a mouthful, so afterward it became the abbreviated version 【Magical Scholar】.

This is a class that uses knowledge in one's head and outside money to materialize Combat Strength, thereby serving oneself.

But unless one is like her — possessing considerable wealth under her control — ordinary people can't afford this extremely money-burning class of researching all kinds of Magic Tools and producing finished Tools.

And based on the clever water-element Summoning, this Magical Scholar Nanahoshi Shizuka — who mostly relies on external objects — has strength fluctuating between Advanced and Imperial.

If she can research God-tier Magic Tool production in the future, claiming she herself is a God-tier expert would also be possible.

The class prospects are extremely bright; it's just that it burns a ridiculous amount of money — the monthly income she gets from otherworld knowledge basically can't be retained.

Often she receives it at month-start and by month-end falls into Deficit; if not for food and drink provided by Broly's family, Nanahoshi Shizuka suspects she might starve herself to death doing research.

Of course, that's an exaggeration; practically, if Broly weren't there as a safety net, she wouldn't spend so lavishly researching Magic Tool weapons like the Rock Cannon Pistol, Frost Grenade, Flame Explosion Bow, etc.

Worth mentioning: being able to research these things isn't just Nanahoshi Shizuka's own credit; fellow Reincarnator Rudeus also contributed significantly.

For example providing ideas and assisting in developing these Magic Tools' research and such.

Time quickly arrived at the 53rd loop.

In the 3rd month of Dragon Calendar Year 420, while the Buroehi Seven party was adventuring on the Heaven Continent.

On the 5th, Broly suddenly ran over and told Nanahoshi Shizuka a piece of Good News.

"Nanahoshi, the Happiness Points you've produced have broken even!"

This was good news, yet upon actually hearing it, Nanahoshi Shizuka didn't feel particularly happy.

Instead it was like she was having a blast when someone dumped a bucket of ice water over her head — her steps faltered, and she stood frozen in place, somewhat dazed.

The reason was none other than: breaking even itself carried a hint of alienation, signifying that although she had joined the Crystal Palace as a wife, in essence it was only to preserve her loop memories — not because she was willing to become someone's wife.

"What's wrong, Nanahoshi? Your Happiness Points have broken even; aren't you happy?"

Broly noticed the abnormality on Nanahoshi Shizuka's Crystal Palace Panel and couldn't help asking.

"No, I'm very happy..."

This was a lie; the amount of Happiness Points obtained often proves the depth of the Happiness State. Under circumstances where the girl had already integrated into this family — able to share joy and anger, living together in harmony — suddenly receiving news of breaking even was almost equivalent to being reminded: you are not a part of this family. How could she be happy?

"Broly, can I ask you all a question?"

Nanahoshi Shizuka stayed rooted, not moving, and asked.

"What?"

Everyone turned to look at her, not knowing what she wanted to ask.

"After Happiness Points break even, can I still join the Crystal Palace next loop and live with you all, adventure with you all?"

Nanahoshi Shizuka was extremely worried, asking with a somewhat hopeful tone.

"What strange things are you saying? Does breaking even mean you won't recover loop memories anymore? You joined the Crystal Palace in the first place just to make Happiness Points break even?"

Broly looked at her somewhat strangely.

"Family not living together — where else would you want to live?"

Roxy tilted her head.

"Of course adventuring together; if you want to leave the party, that requires my approval as Captain Eris, and I don't agree — you're a very useful Magical Scholar in our squad!"

Eris said with hands on hips.

"Nanahoshi-neesan, is something on your mind?"

Sylphy asked.

"No, nothing — just suddenly thought of some things, but they're solved now. Come on, let's go, keep moving forward — the Heaven Continent's Hell Dungeon, here comes the Buroehi Seven party!"

Nanahoshi Shizuka raised her right hand high and strode forward with large steps, passing everyone to become the caravan leader.

"What's going on?"

Broly and the others behind her faced each other, not too clear on what her situation was.

"Broly-san, don't you think Nanahoshi-neesan looks like she's in a really good mood?"

The green-haired long-eared race girl leaned over to ask, and Broly nodded deeply in agreement.

And on the Crystal Palace panel, Nanahoshi Shizuka was already in a state of re-producing happiness points, and the momentum looked very fierce.

In the evening, when Broly dug a large pit on the Aurora Plateau and manufactured an artificial hot spring to prepare for bathing, Nanahoshi Shizuka, who would originally bathe separately from them, walked over wrapped in a towel.

Broly looked at her with a strange gaze, and Nanahoshi Shizuka's ears were a bit red, but she feigned naturalness and came to the side to ask: "It's a bit cold here, I want to bathe together with everyone, is that okay?"

"It's okay, but aren't you afraid of me seeing your naked body?"

"Haha, what's so scary about that, I'm already someone who joined the Crystal Palace and became your wife, and a wife being seen naked by her husband seems like a perfectly normal thing, right?"

The otherworldly girl's face grew redder and redder with her explanation.

"Alright, Broly, don't ask this and that, you go give Eris and Sylphy and the others backrubs, Shizuka-san and I will scrub each other's backs, and then everyone will get in the bath."

Roxy noticed something, walked over and mediated, saying so.

Broly went to the side, and this let Nanahoshi Shizuka breathe a sigh of relief.

"Shizuka-san, welcome, today you officially join our family."

And when Roxy helped scrub her back, the words she leaned over to whisper in her ear made the black-long-straight girl directly redden.

"Roxy-sensei, you figured it out?"

Nanahoshi Shizuka asked in a small voice.

"What's there not to figure out, a girl willing to let the opposite sex see her stark naked, excluding the influence of being coerced by external objects, besides discovering she's already fallen for that opposite sex she's willing to be seen naked by, what other explanation could there be?"

"Don't you think I'm despicable?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"Clearly I'm different from you all, I only joined to preserve my loop memories, but now I'm planning to intervene in your family and relationships."

"That's an interesting way to put it, I never thought about that, but if it's you, Shizuka, I think there shouldn't be a problem."

"Eh, why?"

"Haven't we long since gradually become a family through our time together across different loops, or are you trying to deny the intimate relationship we once built?"

"No, of course not."

After scrubbing each other's backs and starting to soak in the bath, Roxy comfortably rested the back of her head on the stone at the edge of the artificial pool and said: "Moreover, rather than saying you're despicable, it's better to say the Crystal Palace is despicable, the gentle township it gives to outsiders is just like a woven net.

The more one pursues high happiness point output, the more they'll sink into this gentle township woven net woven from happiness.

It's normal that you can't get out, that you're sunk in here, so since you don't hate it, just settle your mindset and properly enjoy this happiness!"

"Thank you."

Nanahoshi Shizuka imitated Roxy's pose and also pillowed her head on the stone.

Above her head was the brilliant aurora starry sky; placed in the modern world before transmigration, such an extremely beautiful scenery, in reality as a high school girl she would probably never see it with her own eyes forever, but here she can.

"Roxy-neesan, what are you and Nanahoshi-neesan talking about?"

Thirteen-year-old Sylphy swam over to ask.

"Nothing, just saying the sky here is very beautiful."

Roxy did not reveal Nanahoshi Shizuka's situation.

"Eh, it really is."

Sylphy copied her, also leaning her head on the stone at the edge of the artificial pool, looking up at the aurora starry sky above.

"Is the sky that good-looking?"

Soon, a person-to-person phenomenon appeared.

Eris also leaned over, lying at the edge looking at the aurora night curtain starry sky.

Regarding this, Broly couldn't quite understand, but he also followed along and looked up.

In the artificial hot spring pool, four large and one small bodies leaned against the pool edge, floating on the water surface.

From far away, it looked just like 5 corpses that had been plundered clean and then killed and dumped.

"So, you've fallen for Broly-san?"

"Mm."

"Then do you still want to go back to your previous life's world?"

"Mm, at least I have to go back and report safety to my parents, tell them I'm living very happily in this world, so they don't worry about me."

"What if after going back, you can't come back?"

"Should be impossible, since I could come over once, I definitely can come over a second time."

"Okay, then let me ask one more question, Shizuka-san, if later you need to choose a world to live in long-term, would you choose the modern world before transmigration, or this world after transmigration?"

The 53rd-loop Rudeus asked, and Nanahoshi Shizuka just thought for a while, then gave an affirmative but indirect answer: "My home is now on this side, and when children grow up they have to start their own families, I can't live with my parents forever."

"Okay, but what about that boyfriend from before you transmigrated?"

Rudeus asked again.

"Not a boyfriend, just a childhood friend I had a bit of favorable impression of, I told you that, right?"

Nanahoshi Shizuka looked over displeased.

"You told the other loops' me, right?"

Rudeus retorted, since everyone around has loop memories but he doesn't, so when chatting with Broly and the others this kind of information-gap conversation often appears, and Rudeus himself has already gotten somewhat used to it.

"I should say, childhood friend can't beat the one who fell from the sky?"

"It's not that a childhood friend loses to a destined encounter, but rather that a childhood friend you've spent a short time with loses to a destined encounter you've spent a long time with, living happily together."

"So, you specially came to find me just to tell me this?"

Rudeus felt it was strange.

"No, I mainly came over to thank you, Rudy."

"Eh, thank me for what?"

"Thank you for persuading me to join the Crystal Palace back then, and thank you for later making me actively participate in Broly's life. If it weren't for you, I definitely wouldn't have found my own happiness this fast."

"Thank you, Rudeus, but I won't give you my worn original flavor underwear. If you have any other needs, as long as they aren't some pervert requirements, you can propose them, and I'll repay you."

Nanahoshi Shizuka sincerely gave thanks, but also said in advance words guarding against Rudeus possibly proposing excessive repayment requirements.

Rudeus: "..."

He completely didn't expect that the one who acted as a matchmaker for Nanahoshi Shizuka was unexpectedly himself.

Although it was himself from another loop, it still made him feel very uncomfortable.

You have to know he's just a virgin with only theoretical experience, but others might have already entered practical experience under his matchmaking, becoming Old Drivers with rich practical experience.