Multiversal Friendship System-Chapter 145 - : A Day’s Return with Rin Across a Thousand Miles

Because Souta was standing very close to the princess's bed, after Illya finished speaking, her little foot stretched out past the edge of the bed and lightly hooked onto the corner of Souta's clothes, as if subtly conveying an invitation.

Illya still remembered that Souta often stared at Rin Tohsaka's legs.

She suspected that Souta had a thing for legs, so today, she deliberately wore pure white stockings.

After all, he was the benefactor who had given her a new life, and Illya wanted to do her best for him.

On the other side, after hearing Illya's words, Souta fell into contemplation.

He hesitated for two seconds before rejecting Illya's somewhat improper invitation.

Doing something like that to a 12-year-old girl—he would feel like a complete beast!

Besides, it was broad daylight, and there were definitely other people in the house. If someone walked in on them, it would be a disaster.

"Alright, stop messing around. Get up now."

Souta reached out and grabbed Illya's slender foot wrapped in white stockings, pressing down her restless legs that had been posed so suggestively.

The delicate texture of the stockings and the warmth of Illya's sole transmitted through his hand, causing Souta to hurriedly suppress the sudden surge of temptation with his divine power. With a helpless expression, he said:

"Illya, the reason I helped you wasn't so that you'd do something like this for me."

"Big brother, you worry too much. Illya doesn't mind at all."

Illya got out of the princess bed and slipped on her indoor slippers, which had a cute bunny design at the front, making her look even more adorable.

She showed a slightly regretful expression.

Souta could only use the ultimate head-pat technique, sighing as he stroked her head:

"Right now, you're in a state of gratitude towards me, so you might not be thinking rationally. If you still feel this way after some time..."

At this point, he suddenly stopped.

If Illya still felt the same way, what was he supposed to do?

Hmm... Should he let her help him out, or be bold and just go for it?

"If I still feel this way, what will big brother do?"

Illya, seeing that Souta had stopped mid-sentence, prompted him.

"Then I guess I'll just go with the flow."

Souta thought about it and gave such an answer.

Hearing this, Illya's face blossomed into a sweet smile. "Then it's a promise! I've already told my mom—I'll be big brother's bride."

"...What about my opinion?"

"Big brother, you're not being honest, so Illya has to take the initiative."

Illya grabbed Souta's hand and started pulling him toward the door, bouncing slightly as she walked.

Her personality seemed to have brightened considerably, no longer carrying the cold detachment that used to only be surface-level.

Noticing this, Souta felt a sense of relief.

Just as he was feeling pleased, the long-unheard system notification sounded in his mind:

[Illya's affection for the host has reached the required level. The host will randomly acquire one of Illya's abilities.]

[Random ability extraction in progress... Congratulations! The host has obtained the ability: "Acting Cute."]

Souta stopped in his tracks, stunned.

After about two seconds of shock, he turned to the silver-haired girl holding his hand with a strange expression.

He had always suspected that Illya had a tendency to act younger than she really was, but that was just a hunch—maybe it was just her personality? It wasn't certain.

But now, even the system had officially recognized that Illya had the "Acting Cute" ability and had even let him acquire it...

Souta felt a bit conflicted.

No wonder she was already 18, yet her behavior still carried traces of childishness.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Souta suddenly stop, Illya turned her head in confusion.

"It's nothing," Souta replied calmly with a smile. "Let's go."

Some things were better left unsaid.

As for the ability he had just acquired... Souta didn't feel particularly disappointed.

Illya's abilities—magic aptitude, Lesser Grail, acupuncture magic—none of these were of any real use to him now that he was a god. They didn't even have value in cultivating a divine role.

So from the beginning, he had never considered farming Illya's affection just to acquire abilities.

"Acting Cute," huh... Souta thought this was probably the most useless ability he could have gotten.

However, this extraction did remind him of something important—the system didn't just pull supernatural abilities; it could also extract ordinary skills.

Souta started wondering: if he later became good friends with Chelsea and her affection for him reached the threshold, would he gain her "Makeup" skill?

"Acting Cute" and "Makeup" were fine—after all, they were active skills and wouldn't affect him much.

But he definitely, definitely didn't want to accidentally extract something like "Tsundere" from Rin Tohsaka.

That would be a complete disaster!

"Are You... Souta?"

When Souta and Illya arrived at the living room of the mansion, they ran into Irisviel, who was reading a book.

Irisviel stared at Souta for five or six seconds before finally recognizing him. Her face showed extreme surprise.

"How did you..."

"I teleported here," Souta explained.

Irisviel got up from the sofa, her face filled with warmth.

"It's been ten years since we last met, hasn't it? But you haven't changed a bit."

"For me, it's only been a day," Souta chuckled. "But you, ma'am, have only gotten more beautiful."

"Oh my?" Irisviel covered her mouth and laughed gently, her mature charm subtly radiating. "Your words have gotten sweeter, Souta. But you should say that to Illya—otherwise, she'll get jealous."

Then, she turned to Illya and asked curiously, "Why are you small again?"

"Because Souta is here. I need to show him the version of me he likes best," Illya answered instantly.

"Souta's preferences haven't changed, I see." Irisviel sighed internally but showed no sign of disapproval. Instead, she agreed, "A tiny Illya is indeed adorable. I love her, too."

"..."

Seeing the conversation go further off track, Souta quickly changed the subject. "By the way, where's Kiritsugu? I don't see him."

"Kiritsugu is out handling business deals. He's very busy."

The one who answered was Illya. She grabbed Souta's hand and started leading him toward the front door, saying as she walked:

"Mom, I'm taking Souta out for a bit. We'll be back later."

"Alright, take your time. You don't even have to come back if you don't want to," Irisviel said with a knowing smile.

Although she felt a bit regretful that she didn't get to talk much with Souta, she wasn't too worried—after all, he was finally back. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Her daughter's beloved had returned. Once Kiritsugu found out, he'd probably be quite happy as well.

Irisviel wore a gentle, happy smile.

Illya led Souta out of the luxurious mansion.

With the Einzbern family cutting off financial support, Kiritsugu had used his savings from his mercenary days to start a business. Over the years, he had become quite wealthy.

As a result, Illya's family didn't lack money, and they had bought multiple properties in Fuyuki City.

This mansion was Illya's favorite place to live.

After hearing this, Souta was deeply moved. Everyone's life paths had been completely derailed.

Souta used his system's phone to contact Rin Tohsaka and asked her to come out. Then, he and Illya waited outside the Tohsaka residence.

Before long, Rin stepped out, having put a little effort into her appearance. Behind her was a shy-looking Sakura.

The moment Rin saw Souta, her face showed a hint of joy.

At that instant, Souta received a system notification.

[Skill extracted from Rin Tohsaka: Bajiquan.]

"..."

Souta sighed in relief.

Phew, as long as it's not "tsundere."

If it were "tsundere," he'd have no choice but to upload it to the system marketplace.

Relieved, Souta also felt a bit happy inside.

His relationship with Rin had taken another step forward.

"When did you get here?" Rin asked.

"Not too long ago," Souta glanced at the system phone's time.

At that moment, Sakura, wearing a fitted knee-length skirt, approached. She looked at Souta nervously, carefully overlapping his current appearance with the one in her memory before softly saying:

"Um... Souta-nii, it's really nice to see you again."

Souta looked at the somewhat anxious Sakura and replied gently:

"Yeah, I feel the same. It's really nice to see you again."

Then, as if sighing to himself, he murmured:

"You've changed a lot..."

"Yeah, and it's all thanks to you," Rin said with a smile. "Come on, to show my gratitude, I'll treat you to a meal."

So, the group headed to the restaurant owned by Kotomine Kirei.

Once they found a seat, Rin finally turned to Illya with a puzzled look:

"I forgot to ask earlier... why are you so small now?"

"Huh?" Souta was confused. "Rin, you didn't know Illya has the ability to change her age?"

Rin shook her head. "Nope. In front of me, she's always been... always been... well, she always pretended to be the 'cool older-sister' type."

She suddenly bit her lip, as if unwilling to recall Illya's 18-year-old form.

After all... that would be too damaging to her self-confidence!

And then there was Sakura—her younger sister—who had developed better than her. Too unfair!

Right now, the only advantage she had left was her long legs.

"This ability came from Illya's wish to the Holy Grail back then," Souta explained, then asked,

"By the way, Rin, has your family been doing okay these past 10 years?"

"Don't worry, everything's fine," Rin said as she recalled. "After waking up 10 years ago, my father was in a deep slump for a while, but he got over it. After that, he became much easier to get along with. Once he realized the Holy Grail War wouldn't happen for another 60 years, he focused all his energy on training an heir. It's just that..."

"Just that...?"

"Well... I think my cover from before might be blown." Rin suddenly forced a smile. "Lately, my father has been giving me these weird looks. I think he's finally figured out that I was the 'mysterious beauty' who gave him a beating 10 years ago."

"Such shameless self-praise!" Illya critiqued.

Ignoring her, Rin continued, "So yeah, it's kinda awkward at home now."

"That's what you get for not wearing a mask back then," Souta reminded her. "Whatever you do, don't admit it. The memory from 10 years ago isn't that clear, so he's probably just suspicious. As a magus, he'd absolutely hate the person who cut off his path to the 'Root,' so you need to act like you know nothing."

Then Souta turned to Sakura.

"Sakura, you too—help your sister cover for this. Don't let anything slip."

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

"Mm!" Sakura nodded firmly.

Not long after, Kotomine Kirei arrived, bringing a plate of mapo tofu.

He didn't recognize Souta, only nodding slightly to Rin and Sakura before walking away.

"Kotomine Kirei... he's changed a lot too," Souta murmured, watching him leave.

He hadn't altered the man's memories—just replaced his natural sadistic tendencies with fatherly love.

"That guy has been getting pretty close to Kiritsugu these past few years," Illya suddenly mentioned.

"Huh? What are those two even up to?"

Souta was baffled.

He suddenly remembered how, in the original story, Irisviel had once wondered if Kotomine Kirei's obsession with Kiritsugu was rooted in something more... romantic.

Uh, no way, right?

"Illya, does Kiritsugu eat here often?"

"Yeah, all the time," Illya answered, confused. "Why?"

"Nothing," Souta shook his head, cutting off that train of thought.

No way they're like that... right?

After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant.

Now that Souta had confirmed that this world's future was on the right track, he felt completely at ease.

His mission was complete, so he planned to return to the real world soon.

After all, he still had religious matters to handle in Akame ga Kill. He wasn't exactly a free man.

However, he didn't leave immediately.

First, he escorted Illya home.

Then, he walked Rin back.

"Souta-nii, um... please come visit often," Sakura suddenly said before entering the house.

She hesitated, then gathered her courage, tugged at his sleeve, and spoke in a small voice.

Then she quickly ran inside, as if too embarrassed to wait for his response.

"..." Rin stared at Souta, her gaze sharp as needles.

"Don't look at me like that," Souta gave a wry smile. "You're making me feel like I did something wrong."

"I shouldn't have brought Sakura along today... but whatever, this isn't something I can control," Rin muttered.

She glanced at the beautifully maintained Tohsaka mansion garden, where vibrant flowers were in full bloom. A warm smile spread across her face.

"Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me..."

The soft murmur reached Souta's ears.

"Huh?" Souta scratched his cheek. "Didn't expect you to say something so cheesy."

"Don't ruin the moment!" Rin stomped on his foot, annoyed. "Remember to visit often. If not, I'll chase you to the your world and never leave!"

Then, as if making up her mind, she suddenly stepped forward and hugged Souta around the waist, resting her head against his chest.

Souta froze, about to say something, but Rin spoke first.

"Thank you..."

"You've already thanked me so many times."

"It'll never be enough. I can't be as straightforward as Illya, so... just understand it yourself, okay? Hmph!"

After a light snort, Rin let go and turned towards the house.

But halfway there, she suddenly spun back around, stretching out her hand with a "you know what to do" look on her face.

"What?" Souta was confused.

"Gems. The 10-year supply of gems you promised me back at the Matou house."

"...Rin, I think you're the one ruining the moment."

Souta sighed in exasperation.

Still, he didn't blame her.

In fact, he found Rin's money-grubbing side kind of cute.

In the end, after conjuring a hefty stash of gems for her, Souta finally returned to the real world.

Illya.jpg

PS1: Merged two Chapters, about 7,000 words today. Next Chapter will start a new arc, currently planning its content.

PS2: Book recommendation: The Poor Adventurer

Synopsis:

I, Morey, 17 years old, woke up and found myself dragged into another world by a goddess.

No powerful family backing, no harem of beauties—just a poor starting life...

But adventuring in another world is a must!

Elves, saints, beast girls—I want them all!

But there seems to be something hidden behind this goddess' reincarnation plan...

Not that it has anything to do with me.

I, Morey, am just a poor adventurer!

(A book written by a fellow reader.)

...

TL Here: Would it be funny if I smut out of this lol... would you?