After class ended, Raisa gathered her three friends, just as they had planned earlier.
Raisa:
"Hey, were you guys tired after the practice earlier?"
Hana: (gently patting her cheeks)
"I felt dizzy... all that blue swirling energy made my head spin too."
Mio: (looking up thoughtfully)
"I was confused. Why does the energy have to go left? Why not right?"
Aiko: (shrugging)
"Why didn't you ask during class? I just went along with it even though I wasn't really sure either."
Mio: (groaning lightly)
"I was too embarrassed to ask the teacher..."
Raisa: (smiling)
"If you're too shy to ask the teacher, just ask me first. I can ask for you."
Mio: (grinning and giving a thumbs up)
"Nice! You're the best, Raisa!"
Hana: (smirking softly at Raisa)
"By the way... how did it feel to do the paired meditation?"
Raisa: (pausing briefly)
"U-uh, it was fine. Pretty normal, I guess..."
Hana:
"I was so nervous... my hands were freezing the whole time."
Aiko: (nodding with a small laugh)
"Yeah, we're not used to holding hands with boys. That's probably why the energy didn't swirl that much. I read about that in the book."
Mio: (suddenly remembering)
"Oh! But did you see earlier? Raisa and Kenji's swirl was huge!"
Raisa: (quickly defending herself)
"T-that's only because he's my neighbor! I'm just used to him, that's all..."
Hana: (raising her eyebrows teasingly)
"Really? Are you sure there's not something more?"
Raisa: (looking down, cheeks turning pink)
"There's nothing going on... seriously!"
Aiko: (half-teasing, half-serious)
"But technically... if your energy swirl is that big, it means you two are compatible as cultivation partners, right?"
Raisa: (blushing even harder)
"Okay, okay, stop! I just wanted to make a girl squad, not become gossip material!"
Mio: (grinning mischievously)
"Yeah, yeah, we get it... neighbors for now. But someday, same house?"
Raisa: (about to protest, flustered)
"I—I mean..."
Suddenly, a voice called from behind.
Kenji:
"Raisa, wanna walk home together?"
Raisa froze.
Her face flushed—not from excitement, but from sheer secondhand embarrassment.
She sighed quietly, looked away, and covered her face with one hand.
Aiko, Hana, and Mio went silent... for about two seconds.
Then, they exchanged glances and started giggling under their breath.
Raisa (muttering):
"Seriously... Why did he have to say that in front of them…?"
She shot a quick glare at Kenji, then smacked his arm—not gently.
Raisa:
"If you're gonna say stuff like that, don't do it while people are watching."
Kenji just laughed, completely unbothered.
He even looked smug.
Kenji:
"Well, now they know."
Raisa:
"Unbelievable..."
Still, she walked beside him, trying her best to look composed—despite knowing she was now the center of attention.
Behind them, the three girls exchanged looks again, then burst into quiet laughter.
Mio (whispering):
"Yup. Future cultivation partners for sure."
*****
On the way home, Raisa stomped ahead, clearly sulking. Kenji walked casually beside her, acting like nothing had happened.
"Kenji... that was so embarrassing!" Raisa grumbled, her cheeks still flushed.
"But it's true, we're neighbors. What's the big deal?" Kenji replied.
Without warning, Raisa leaned over and bit his hand—not hard, but enough to make him jump.
"Ow! What was that for?!" Kenji yelped, laughing in surprise.
"That's for running your mouth in front of everyone!" Raisa huffed, her voice more pouty than angry.
They walked in silence for a moment before Kenji spoke again.
"Hey... our energy spiral was really big today, huh?"
Raisa glanced at him, then looked away. "Yeah, so what?"
"What if we trained together more often? I mean, dual cultivation works better if your energy matches, right?"
Raisa hesitated, then sighed. She couldn't deny it—the energy flow with Kenji had felt unusually smooth.
"...Fine. But this is strictly for cultivation, got it? Don't get any weird ideas."
Kenji grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "Deal, partner."
Kenji said, "Alright, you came to my house yesterday, so today I'll come over to yours. We'll do some cultivation, and tomorrow you can come back to my place—your choice, for training or just to play games."
"Fine," Raisa replied.
After they reached their neighborhood, they parted ways since their houses were right across from each other.
Raisa entered her house and went up to her room—only to stop in shock. She opened the door wide, eyes growing big.
"What the—?" she gasped, then stepped out and looked again, as if hoping her eyes had tricked her.
Her room was drenched in pink. Dozens of plush dolls, big and small, lined the walls and bed. Cute dresses hung neatly on racks. All her old boy clothes were gone.
"Mom! What happened to my room?!"
Sakura, her mother, appeared from the hallway, looking a bit startled by Raisa's panic—especially knowing Kenji would be visiting soon.
"Well… since you're a girl now, we thought it was time to redecorate," Sakura said casually.
"But I liked it the way it was! And where are all my old clothes?!"
"I donated them. Most didn't fit you anymore anyway."
"Mom, Kenji's coming over! He's going to see all this and I'll die of embarrassment!"
"Oh, Kenji's coming? That's perfect! Now your room won't give away that you were ever a boy, hehe."
"Gender has nothing to do with bedroom decor!" Raisa snapped, red with frustration.
"But this room suits your new body much better," Sakura said with a bright smile. "We're not changing it back. If you don't want to sleep here, you're welcome to share a bed with your father and me."
"…Fine. I'll sleep here," Raisa muttered in defeat.
Raisa returned to her now completely redecorated bedroom, looking around at the pink walls and the frilly clothes hanging neatly. With a resigned sigh, she picked an outfit at random, went to take a shower, and changed while waiting for Kenji to arrive.
When Kenji came in, his eyes scanned the overwhelmingly pink room—then landed on Raisa, who was sitting on the bed hugging a giant teddy bear.
"Uh… I thought you'd be wearing boy clothes," he said, blinking in surprise.
"My mom donated all of them," Raisa replied flatly. "So I have to wear this."
Kenji let out a short puff of laughter, almost holding it in. "Pfft—"
Raisa narrowed her eyes. "Why are you laughing?" she snapped, throwing the teddy bear at him.
Kenji caught it easily, grinning. "Alright, alright! Let's cultivate. I think we can hit Star 2 soon."
Raisa glanced at him, puzzled. Kenji was only eight years old—why was he so enthusiastic about cultivation? Didn't he ever get bored?
Still, they sat down and began. The improvement was fast—shockingly fast. After thirty minutes, their legs and backs were sore, but their energy had grown significantly. Then they switched to solo cultivation practice—learning the Sun and Moon meditation methods.
But Kenji seemed far more interested in dual cultivation.
Of course, Raisa didn't realize the real reason yet—Kenji liked dual cultivation mostly because it meant they had to hold hands.