Mushoku Tensei: The Fool Magician

The thought of those grueling study sessions with Roy brought a pang of despair to Asuna.

Roy had a dark sense of humor—something she'd come to fully understand after spending so much time with him.

On the surface, he seemed cheerful, almost radiant. And yes, he was undeniably handsome.

But deep down? He was pitch black.

Throughout their time together, she couldn't even count the number of times he had teased her.

Asuna's lips twitched in exasperation. If this guy were a hero, she had no doubt that after defeating the Demon King, he'd take the villain's place himself.

But then she remembered something—how Roy had snuck off for a while to practice swordsmanship, returning with the title of All-Japan Kendo Champion.

Seeing him in action today, it was clear that title was well-deserved.

"You're the national champion." She murmured, her voice laced with a mix of admiration and sarcasm. "Must feel nice, huh?"

Sliding his sword back into its sheath, Roy scratched the back of his head, pretending to look bashful. "It's not a big deal. But if you keep saying that, I might actually blush."

Asuna had no words left. Knowing his personality all too well, she realized that if she pushed this further, his ego might inflate to unbearable levels.

Instead, she stayed silent.

Roy beckoned her over with a casual wave. "Your turn."

She blinked, pointing at herself. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we'll need to rely on you soon enough." He replied with a grin.

"Rely on me?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"I'm not about to lose to my dumb little brother a month from now." He said nonchalantly.

It suddenly clicked. Asuna remembered the bizarre bet Roy had made with his younger brother.

Letting out a resigned sigh, she steeled herself and charged at a man-eating plant.

To her surprise, Asuna improved rapidly. Within minutes, she had grasped the basics of fighting low-level monsters and using sword skills effectively.

After clearing the area of creatures, she glanced at the time and gasped. "It's already 6 o'clock! My mother's coming home soon—I have to log out!"

Roy nodded, not bothering to respond. As Asuna vanished from the game, he resumed his monster hunting, immersing himself in the grind.

But not long after, a message from his brother, Kirito, interrupted him.

[Kirito: Aren't you going to cook dinner?]

[Roy: Why don't you do it?]

[Kirito: Give me a break. Suguha will kill me if I try.]

"..."

Sighing, Roy reluctantly logged out.

As he removed his VR headset, he was startled to find someone standing right in front of him.

"Leafa, you can't just stand there like that—you're going to scare someone." He said, rubbing his temples.

Suguha—better known as Leafa in-game—gave him a slightly annoyed yet wistful look.

Roy stood and ruffled her hair, eliciting a sharp protest. "Stop it! I'm not a little kid anymore!"

Roy couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. Despite her words, it was clear she didn't mind the gesture at all. Her defiance was purely for show, and her actions betrayed her true feelings.

But rather than call her out, he chose to humor her. "So, what do you want for dinner?"

Her eyes lit up with excitement. "Ramen!"

Ever since Roy had started cooking dishes, Suguha had been utterly captivated by his culinary skills. And now, it seemed ramen had firmly claimed a spot in her list of cravings.

After finishing dinner, Roy once again challenged Kirito to a duel.

Through relentless effort, Roy quickly familiarized himself with the intricacies of various game mechanics. Together with Asuna, he blazed through challenges, cutting down enemies and advancing steadily. Initially, Kirito, the lone wolf, had left him far behind. But as they climbed higher floors, the challenges became increasingly difficult, forcing Kirito to scramble just to keep up.

It wasn't just the unique abilities of the floor bosses—some of the regular monsters were so troublesome they posed a serious threat to his life.

In just one month, Kirito had racked up over twenty deaths.

Reluctantly, he admitted that going solo wasn't sustainable. He needed a teammate.

"Hi, I'm Misumi." the new arrival introduced himself.

The man was enormous, with a hulking frame, a menacing face, and protruding eyes. Slung across his back was a massive, sinister scythe.

But when he saw Asuna, his tough exterior momentarily cracked. His eyes widened, and he rubbed them in disbelief before hesitantly speaking. "Asuna?"

Asuna blinked in surprise, glancing between the intimidating figure and the oversized weapon on his back. She swallowed hard and asked hesitantly, "Do I know you?"

After a brief pause, he sent her a friend request. Then, using his real voice, he said, "It's me, Tozawa Misumi. Don't you remember?"

Asuna's eyes lit up with recognition. Grabbing his hands in astonishment, she exclaimed, "Misumi? You're in this game too?"

Misumi shook his head. "In-game, call me by my ID—Mito." He pointed at the name displayed above his head as he spoke.

Kirito and Roy exchanged surprised glances.

Roy immediately sent his brother a private message.

[Roy: What's this? You've been secretly looking for girls behind my back?]

[Kirito: ???]

[Roy: Isn't it obvious? That's clearly a girl.]

[Kirito: I don't follow.]

[Roy: Asuna goes to an all-girls' private school. If they know each other, it can only be from school. What do you think?]

[Kirito: ...]

[Roy: Want me to help you figure it out?]

Kirito glanced at his brother, who was grinning mischievously and winking at him. He sighed deeply.

He hadn't been looking for anything more than a capable teammate—honestly.

[Kirito: She's actually pretty skilled.]

[Roy: Oh? Got your eye on her?]

[Kirito: ...]

Three messages in, and Roy was already jumping to conclusions.

Meanwhile, Roy decided to take a different approach. He secretly messaged Asuna.

[Roy: Asuna, you there?]

[Asuna: What do you want?]

[Roy: Who's that? My little brother's still single, you know.]

[Asuna: ...]

Her patience wore thin as she shot Roy a cold glare. But after some thought, she begrudgingly typed out a reply.

[Asuna: What does your brother even look like?]

[Roy: Amazing, obviously.]

[Asuna: ...]

There were so many things wrong with his answer that she didn't even know where to begin.

Looking up, she found Roy staring intently at her, waiting for a response.

Resigned, she finally typed a proper explanation.

[Asuna: Her name's Tozawa Misumi. She's a classmate of mine. Don't even think about it—she's not just smart, she's stunning, warm, and outgoing. She's out of your league.]

[Roy: It's not me—it's my brother.]

[Asuna: ...]

The urge to strangle him was overwhelming. Classic Roy.

She decided to ignore him entirely and began chatting with Misumi instead.

Seeing Asuna unresponsive, Roy shifted his focus back to Kirito.

[Roy: FYI, she's a real beauty IRL. Top of her grade, even beat Asuna academically. Want me to help set you up?]

[Kirito: ...]

[Kirito: For the last time, no! It's a coincidence, you idiot.]

[Roy: Aw, shy? Can't say it yourself? I'll handle it for you.]

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

***

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