The sun hadn't risen high yet when Raisa was already sitting at the dining table, swinging her legs while staring at her mother with hopeful eyes.
"Mom, can I have some money for snacks?" she asked in a sweet voice.
Sakura, who was packing a lunchbox, glanced at her briefly. "You already had breakfast. School only lasts half a day. Why waste money on random snacks?"
"But there are so many tasty snacks at school," Raisa whined, eyes downcast in despair.
Sakura just waved her hand. "Whatever. Go ask your father."
Without delay, Raisa approached Daigo, who was reading the morning newspaper.
"Dad~" she said, holding out her small hand. "Snack money, please."
Daigo reached into his pocket and handed her two coins. "Here, two rupiahs. Enough for two candies."
Raisa froze, staring at the coins as if they were relics from the stone age.
"Only two candies? I can't even buy fried snacks with this!"
Daigo just smiled. "Don't snack too much, you'll get chubby."
Raisa pouted. "I'm still growing! How could I get chubby?"
Sakura called from the kitchen, "Oh yeah, we should buy more papayas, milk, and supplements."
"What for?" Raisa asked suspiciously.
Sakura grinned mischievously. "So you grow taller and... well, to enhance your curves too."
"Mooom!!" Raisa blushed furiously, wishing she could disappear.
Soon after, there was a knock at the front door.
"Raisa, let's go to school," Kenji's voice called from outside.
Reluctantly, Raisa headed out. On the way, she could only afford two tiny candies that melted far too quickly.
She looked at the leftover coins in her hand, feeling disheartened. "Childhood is supposed to be filled with sweets and snacks... but mine is ruled by the tyranny of healthy living."
Kenji glanced at her gloomy expression, then suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her toward a small roadside shop.
"Eh, where are we going?" Raisa asked, confused.
"Look, they have candies there. I'll buy you some."
"Really? You have money?"
Kenji proudly pulled out his pocket money. "Tada! Thirty rupiahs!"
Raisa's eyes widened. "Whoa, that's a lot! I only got two..."
Inside, Raisa felt the world was unfair. Not only was she losing the snack war, but also the freedom to manage her own snack money.
At school...
After arriving at school, Raisa happened to see Mio, Hana, and Aiko sitting together.
"Hey, what are you doing?" she greeted.
"We're gossiping about you," Mio replied casually.
"Huh? You guys are being really honest," Raisa said, feeling a bit weirded out.
"Kenta and Ryota said they saw you and Kenji holding hands, and then Kenji bought you candy. Are you two really just friends?" Aiko asked with a curious look.
"Of course! I only had 2 rupiah and Kenji had 30, so of course he treated me," Raisa replied bluntly.
"Ohoho~ maybe Kenji has feelings for you? Why else would he treat you?" Hana teased.
"At least you got 2 rupiah... I only brought a lunchbox and wasn't allowed to buy anything," Aiko said sadly.
"Maybe you need to find a boyfriend too, Aiko," Hana suggested playfully.
"What? It's not that easy! Even though our class has more boys, most of them are just... weird," Aiko replied while glancing at a group of boys wrestling and playing messily nearby.
---
Meanwhile…
Kenta and Ryota were talking to Kenji nearby.
"Bro, I thought you'd be super shy on your first day," said Ryota. "But you're the first one to get close to a girl!"
"Yeah, we saw you being all sweet with Raisa," Kenta added, dramatically hugging himself and swaying.
At that moment, Mr. Macau entered the classroom.
"Everyone, head to the field! Today is show-off class—ahem—I mean, practical class," he announced, correcting himself.
Since Raisa and Kenji were the class president and vice president, they led the way at the front, following Mr. Macau.
When they arrived at the field, 44 other students had already gathered. In the Support Class, the number of female students was surprisingly higher—30 girls and only 14 boys.
Kenta looked around and sighed with slight regret.
If only I had awakened a Support-type Vessel instead...
In the Fighter Class, the number of girls was much lower, and now he felt like he was missing out.
"Listen up! Today, we'll be training with your Vessels," Mr. Macau announced loudly.
"This training will help you better understand the power of your own Vessel."
"In front of you is a large boulder. Fighter Class students will use their Blessings to attack it."
"As for the Support Class, you'll simply demonstrate what you can do with your abilities. That's all."
"I will call your names one by one. Step forward when I do. We'll start with the Support Class."
"Ana!"
Ana then stepped forward, transforming into her Vessel with the Blessing of Dance of Grace.
She began to dance elegantly, her movements fluid and captivating. By the time she finished, the students burst into applause.
The Support Class mainly possessed Blessings related to professions and everyday life.
Some had the Blessing of a beautiful voice, others were talented in sewing, programming, engineering, blacksmithing, or agriculture—like accelerating fruit growth or making them taste sweeter. There were even Blessings for mining, such as detecting iron ore.
In essence, these Blessings were not meant for combat, but rather for practical and supportive purposes.
"Now, we'll move on to the Warrior Class," said Mr. Macau.
"Hana!"
Hana stepped forward confidently. She activated her Blessing: Summon Sharp Swords. In a flash, several gleaming swords materialized in the air around her. With a swift motion of her hand, the swords flew toward the large boulder in front of the class, striking it with precision and leaving deep cuts on its surface.
"Aiko!"
Aiko walked up calmly, her eyes focused. Her Blessing: Control of Fire Orbs. She summoned three blazing fireballs that hovered around her like small suns. With a flick of her wrist, they launched toward the boulder, exploding in bursts of flame and blackening the stone with scorch marks.
"Mio!"
Mio dashed forward as her body was enveloped by a faint glow. Her Blessing: Super Speed. In the blink of an eye, she circled the boulder multiple times, creating strong gusts of wind, before delivering a high-speed kick that chipped a corner of the stone.
"Kenta!"
Kenta cracked his knuckles and grinned. His Blessing: Limb Enlargement. His arms grew massive, muscles bulging as he raised both fists and slammed them into the boulder. A loud BOOM echoed across the field as the rock cracked under the force.
"Ryota!"
Ryota held up his hand, and the tip of his index finger began to glow. His Blessing: Finger Light Beam. With a confident smirk, he pointed at the boulder and fired a concentrated beam of light. It carved a glowing line across the surface, almost like a laser.
Raisa was stunned. The Vassals all looked ordinary at first glance, but their Blessings turned out to be incredibly powerful.
She was so captivated that she didn't realize several students had already taken their turns.
"Kenji!"
Kenji stepped forward, his body massive and muscular like Hercules. His Blessing: Super Strength—a complete package that enhanced strength, defense, and speed.
Instead of attacking the boulder, Kenji grabbed it with one hand and lifted it effortlessly. Then, he lifted another one with his other hand. With both massive stones in each arm, Kenji threw them high into the sky.
He leapt upward and smashed the first boulder with a punch, reducing it to rubble mid-air. As he landed, the second boulder came falling down—only to be shattered upon impact with his broad, armored chest.
Raisa's eyebrow twitched. No wonder this feels more like a show-off class than a training session...
"Raisa!"
"Ah!"
Turns out, she was the last one. She also wanted to show off, but didn't know how.
Her Vassal, Miranda, only summoned an AK-203. Hesitantly, she aimed at the boulder and pulled the trigger.
Tatatatatatata!
When the bullets ran out, Miranda calmly summoned a reload cartridge, changed the magazine, and kept firing.
Tatatatatatata!
Once the dust settled, everyone saw the result: the large stacked stones were full of holes. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that her bullets had pierced through three to five of the boulders in one go.
Mr. Macau was stunned. The attack wasn't just fast—it had incredible power and penetration, able to pierce through five large stones.
Miranda smiled sweetly after finishing her shooting demonstration, and that smile was enough to make many of the boys blush. Some even looked away, unable to meet her gaze directly. Raisa felt quite satisfied using the Miranda Vassel. Not only did it make her feel stronger and more flexible, but Miranda's beautiful appearance also gave her a boost of confidence.
Her eyes drifted toward Kenji, who was still standing confidently with his muscular body—Hercules Vassel, strong and powerful. Not bad, Raisa thought. If we teamed up…
Hercules could fight on the frontlines, taking the hits, while Miranda shot from the back with precision. A perfect strategy—like a tank and DPS in an MMORPG.
As she was lost in thought, a large hand waved in front of her face.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Kenji asked with a small laugh.
"Eh? Nothing…" Raisa quickly looked away, then said, "I was just thinking… we'd make a good team. You tank in front, and I shoot from behind."
Kenji grinned. "Ah, so you play MMORPGs too?"
"No… I've just seen them online, but I've never actually played."