Fortunately, school for 8-year-olds only lasted from 8 to 11 in the morning, so Raisa could go home quickly.
Having once been an office worker who had to clock in at 7 and leave at 9 at night, Raisa felt incredibly relaxed.
After having lunch at home, Raisa was planning to go back to browsing the internet, but Sakura interrupted her.
"Can you deliver this food to our neighbor?" Sakura asked.
"Where? I don't want to," Raisa replied.
"It's just across the street," Sakura said, pointing to the house directly opposite theirs.
"Oh, that's really close. Fine," Raisa agreed.
Raisa walked over and knocked on the door. To her surprise, it was Marsa who opened it.
"Oh, so Kenji really is the neighbor across the street," Raisa thought.
"Ara, Raisa finally left the house! I thought you were glued to your room," Marsa teased.
"Hehe, it's not that I hate going out, I just get too lazy," Raisa replied, handing over the food. "Here, this is from my mom."
"Thank you. Wait a minute, why don't you come in?"
Raisa hesitated but eventually stepped inside. She noticed Kenji sitting on the floor, playing a racing game on a console, probably a PS.
Raisa, being somewhat competitive, couldn't help but feel intrigued. Though it wasn't a MOBA, she also enjoyed racing games since they involved competition.
Kenji lost the race, finishing in last place, and Raisa couldn't hold back a chuckle.
"Why are you laughing? It's not that easy!" Kenji pouted.
"Oh? You want to see how it's done?" Raisa teased.
"Fine, go ahead!" Kenji handed her the controller.
Raisa took over and, to Kenji's shock, easily secured first place, even lapping the opponents once.
As a top-ranking player in Goddess MOBA, her gaming skills were not to be underestimated.
Raisa smugly lifted her chin, looking at the stunned Kenji.
"Call me 'Big Bro' and I'll teach you some tricks," she grinned.
"But... you're a girl," Kenji replied, confused.
"Hmph, just call me 'Big Bro' and I'll show you how to win."
"No way! I can beat you next time!" Kenji insisted.
"Oh? You wanna challenge me? Bring it on!" Raisa smirked.
They played again, and once more, Kenji lost miserably, trailing behind by two laps.
"Well? Ready to call me 'Big Bro'? I'll teach you some pro tips," Raisa teased.
"No! I just made a mistake. I'll definitely win next time!"
"Oh, still not giving up? Fine, let's play again!"
The two continued playing, completely absorbed in their matches, until the sun was almost setting.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Marsa, have you seen my daughter?" Sakura asked.
Marsa pointed to the living room. "There, look at those two. They've been glued to the game for hours."
Sakura glanced over and saw Raisa and Kenji arguing over the game, but Raisa was visibly smiling and seemed genuinely happy.
"Well, well. It's getting late. Are you planning to stay over at Kenji's place?" Sakura teased.
"N-no, I'm going home!" Raisa quickly responded, reluctantly leaving the game and walking toward her mom.
"If you want to play, just come over anytime!" Marsa called out cheerfully.
As Raisa was about to leave, Kenji hesitantly approached her.
"Just wait! Tomorrow, I'll definitely win!" he said, his confidence peeking through his usual shyness.
The next morning, Raisa was already dressed and ready for school. As she stepped outside, she noticed Kenji knocking on her door.
"Oh, Kenji. What's up?" Raisa asked.
"Uh... I was thinking we could go to school together. My mom said it would be better if I went with you," Kenji replied honestly.
"Ah, so his parents are still trying to set us up," Raisa thought, a bit amused.
"Well, it's just a childhood thing. They'll forget about it when they're older."
The two of them walked to class together.
Since the seating arrangement wasn't fixed yet, Kenji and Raisa chose to sit near the back. Raisa, remembering how their previous teacher, Macau, was a muscular man, didn't feel like sitting up front.
However, to her surprise, a young, beautiful teacher walked into the classroom.
"Wait... isn't our teacher supposed to be Macau?" Raisa regretted her decision to sit at the back.
She raised her hand.
"Yes? Do you have a question?" the teacher asked.
"Teacher, where's Mr. Macau?" Raisa inquired.
"He's teaching the support class today. I'll be taking over this class," the young teacher replied.
"Macau is more skilled in guiding Vessel usage, while I specialize in star energy training."
"Oh, I see," Raisa muttered.
"Alright, since you all introduced yourselves yesterday, I'll go straight to the attendance," the teacher announced, holding the class roster.
The young teacher began calling out names one by one, and Raisa did her best to remember them.
"Kenji!"
Raisa smiled slightly. Ah, the nervous one.
"Daiki!"
A big kid with a sturdy build. The strong one, a bit chubby but full of energy.
"Taro!"
Messy hair, laid-back expression. The lazy one.
"Haruto!"
Straight, neat hair, serious face. The neat and smart one.
"Yuto!"
Short blonde hair, full of enthusiasm. The athletic one.
"Sota!"
Glasses with curly hair. The bookworm.
"Ryota!"
Wavy hair and shy demeanor. The second shy one, Kenji's rival.
"Kenta!"
Short, rough hair, fierce look. The tough guy, or maybe just his style?
"Aiko!"
Long, neat hair with a bright smile. The cheerful and friendly one.
"Hana!"
Long curly hair, a bit shy. The timid but sweet one.
"Mio!"
Short hair with a confident vibe. The tomboy.
"Raisa!"
Raisa raised her hand immediately. Yep, that's me.
Raisa felt a bit relieved. Okay, I'm starting to remember a few. At least Kenji is easy to recall. The legendary nervous one.
Raisa was already planning to form a gang with the girls later. Haha, with my grown-up mindset, it should be easy.
She confidently nodded to herself. Alright, I've remembered them: Aiko, Hana, and Mio.
Ms. Yumi stood in front of the class with a warm smile.
"Hello everyone, my name is Ms. Yumi. I will be guiding you in meditation and the understanding of star energy."
She paused, letting the students settle down before continuing.
"There are many ways to obtain star energy, but the safest and easiest method is through meditation."
She walked around the room, explaining calmly.
"There are several types of meditation. The simplest and most effective is group meditation with four people. Then, there's meditation with three people, two people, and finally, solo meditation. However, meditating alone requires natural talent to absorb star energy efficiently."
Ms. Yumi clapped her hands lightly.
"Alright, let's form groups. Since there are twelve of you, let's make three groups of four. Raisa, Hana, Mio, and Aiko will form the girls' group. As for the boys, you can decide among yourselves as long as there are four in each group."
Raisa smirked inwardly, already feeling a sense of accomplishment.
"Perfect. I've already got my girl gang planned out. This is going to be easy."