For the sake of contest preparation, Ms. Yumi brought Kenji and Raisa to a special training facility.
"The first part of the contest is the Best Vassel Showcase," Ms. Yumi explained. "Of course, that means your Vassels must be either handsome or beautiful—so you both qualify just fine."
She then opened her laptop, which was equipped with advanced holographic technology.
A shimmering projection appeared in front of them, displaying a range of elegant outfit designs—on the left side, styles tailored for male Vassels; on the right, stunning options for female Vassels.
So for the solo performance, you're free to choose," Ms. Yumi said with a cheerful grin. "Pick two outfits for each of your Vassels."
Raisa glanced at Ms. Yumi, who was still practically glowing with excitement. "Alright, but no takebacks," Raisa replied firmly.
She then pointed to a stylish Korean-inspired male outfit. "That one—for Miranda."
Ms. Yumi blinked. "Wait… you're picking a male outfit for Miranda?"
"Trust me, Sensei. It'll look amazing."
"Haha, you're still a tomboy, huh?" Kenji teased with a chuckle.
"What do you mean?" Ms. Yumi asked, turning to him.
"She used to wear boys' clothes all the time," Kenji answered casually.
"You don't believe me? Just wait—you'll see," Raisa said confidently.
"Well, alright. I trust you," Ms. Yumi smiled. "A tomboyish aesthetic can be beautiful too."
She tapped her laptop and continued, "Now for the pair performance. The school already decided on this: Miranda will be partnered with Hercules. Both will wear athletic-style outfits that show off their muscles. They're a perfect match."
"And Ranita will be paired with Thor. For that, we've chosen wedding attire."
"Wait, wedding attire?" Raisa's face turned red.
"We ran simulations with different outfit themes," Ms. Yumi explained. "With Thor's striking looks and Ranita's goddess-level beauty, wedding outfits had the highest impact score. So, the school even commissioned a custom wedding dress."
"H-Hold on! Isn't there a better theme?" Raisa stammered.
"Kenji, you're okay with it, right?" Ms. Yumi turned to him.
"No problem," Kenji replied with a shrug.
"There you have it," Ms. Yumi said sweetly. "Two votes against one. Besides, it's not like you're really getting married—it's just a contest. Think of it as… practice for the future," she added with a mischievous grin.
Raisa turned a deeper shade of red but gave up arguing.
"So… what kind of outfits are we talking about?" she asked weakly.
Ms. Yumi flipped through designs and projected them.
For Miranda: a black sports bra and matching black briefs—minimalist but designed to emphasize the Vassel's sculpted abs. Hercules would wear only black athletic shorts.
For Ranita: a regal white wedding gown, full of elegant frills and floral accents. Thor would wear a modern-style white tuxedo with silver trim.
Using the hologram system, they fine-tuned the costumes to fit the body types of Raisa's and Kenji's Vassels. The interface made adjustments easy.
One minor tweak suggested by Kenji—adding a cartoon bear face to the waistband of Miranda's black briefs—left Raisa flustered. But after testing the look, Ms. Yumi unexpectedly approved it.
"Why did you put that on there?!" Raisa hissed, biting Kenji's arm in frustration.
"It's a ferocious bear! Strong and intimidating!" Kenji grinned.
"It's a cartoon bear! And it's adorable! What were you thinking?!" Raisa pouted.
Kenji just laughed.
"For the Blessing contest, it's performed on stage," explained Ms. Yumi as she activated a holographic display of the contest stage. "Since you're registered as a pair, there will be both solo and duo performances at the end."
"Usually it's just a few minutes at the end, so prepare something truly impressive."
"What? Isn't the third contest held separately?" Raisa asked, confused.
"No, separating them would take too much time. The performance goes like this..." Ms. Yumi gestured to the hologram, which showed a runway-style stage.
"You'll walk down this runway—alone for the solo round, and together for the duo round. At the end of the stage, you'll show off your Blessing. Make it as amazing as you can. Then return backstage with elegance."
"Then the judges will evaluate you," she continued. "With so many schools entering, even making it into the top 100 is already a huge achievement. So don't feel disheartened."
"Top 100?" Raisa said in surprise.
"Yes. Out of all participants, 100 top pairs will be selected. Then it's narrowed down to the top 10, and finally, winners for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place," Ms. Yumi explained. "So you'll need to prepare three performances."
"In that case, why don't we prepare three outfits too?" Raisa asked.
"The school budget is tight," Ms. Yumi sighed. "Even making one good outfit for a Vassel is expensive."
"What about renting costumes?" Raisa suggested.
Ms. Yumi paused, thinking deeply. The more she considered it, the more reasonable it sounded.
"But who would even rent out Vassel outfits?" she muttered.
"Actually, my mom is a seamstress," Raisa said suddenly. "She has a Blessing too—related to tailoring and design."
Ms. Yumi's eyes lit up. "Really?! Ah, I'll definitely talk to your mother later!"
After class, Raisa and Kenji walked home together—but Ms. Yumi was following behind them.
"Why are you following us, Miss? Wouldn't it be better if you went ahead first?" Raisa asked.
"Oh? Am I interrupting your date?"
"N-no! This is just our normal walk home," Raisa replied quickly.
"So, you always walk home with Kenji?" Ms. Yumi asked curiously.
"Yeah, our houses are right next to each other."
"Hmm, hmm…" Ms. Yumi nodded, clearly amused.
When they arrived home, Ms. Yumi followed Raisa inside and spoke with her mother, Sakura. The moment she heard that Ranita and Thor would be wearing wedding outfits for the contest—
"What? Do we need to bring a wedding officiant too?" Sakura joked.
"Mom, it's just a contest!" Raisa said, flustered.
"Aww, that's a shame. Would've been nice to get married during the contest. Two birds with one stone!" Sakura teased.
"Oh my god, what kind of mother wants to marry off her 10-year-old daughter?" Raisa groaned.
"That would be me," Sakura admitted shamelessly, making Raisa pout, though she was still willing to try on a few outfits.
Sakura even called Kenji over to help bring out some old wedding outfits they had in storage.
"Alright then! Let's get started!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes sparkling like a child in a candy store. "Kenji, could you help me bring out the boxes from the storage? I've got some old wedding dresses we can try."
Kenji, who for some reason was always eager to get involved in Raisa's family drama, nodded enthusiastically. "Ready, Auntie!"
Raisa could only sigh. She already knew this was going to be a long day.
Not long after, the storage room revealed a surprising sight. It wasn't just dusty boxes full of old clothes—instead, there were chests adorned with intricate patterns, faintly glowing with magical energy. Sakura, with her Blessing in tailoring and design, clearly had a far more impressive collection than Raisa had imagined.
"Here it is!" Sakura cried, pulling out an ivory-white gown that looked ancient yet shimmered softly. "The first dress in my collection! I made this one myself for our ancestor. Just look at the stitching!"
Raisa examined the dress. There was something different about it. The fabric didn't just feel odd in her hands—almost alive—but she also sensed a starlight energy radiating from the threads. This was no ordinary dress.
"Mom, why does the dress have starlight energy?" Raisa asked, puzzled.
Sakura smiled mysteriously. "Oh, that's my secret ingredient. The threads were woven with starlight essence from an ancient weaving Vassal. So this dress isn't just beautiful, it has special traits. It can adapt to its wearer, for example. And most importantly," she added with a wink, "it never wrinkles or gets dirty—even if you go on a rampage."
Raisa stared at the dress in awe and slight dread. A rampage? In a wedding dress?
"I'll make some adjustments so it fits Ranita's form. And for Thor…" she glanced at Kenji. "How about we try this one?"
Sakura pulled out a modern white suit made from the same mysterious material.
Kenji and Raisa then tried fitting their Vassels. First up was Miranda in her male Korean-style outfit. When Raisa transformed, Miranda appeared in a sleek black leather bomber jacket, a white undershirt, fitted black joggers, and high white sneakers. The design was minimal but highlighted Miranda's toned body perfectly, giving her a cool and effortless vibe. A few silver chains hanging from her pocket added an edgy flair.
"I told you so," Raisa grinned at Kenji and Ms. Yumi. "Pretty cool, right?"
Kenji whistled. "Wow, Raisa. Your taste is on another level. That's awesome!"
Ms. Yumi clapped. "Outstanding! Elegantly tomboyish—perfect!"
Then came Ranita and Thor in their wedding attire.
As Raisa transformed into Ranita, the gown wrapped around her like it was part of her own body. The majestic white dress flowed gracefully, adorned with glowing starlight floral embroidery. Though it emphasized Ranita's mature curves, Raisa somehow felt more comfortable now, as if the gown's aura was shielding her from her own awkwardness.
Beside her, Kenji transformed into Thor. The white tuxedo with silver accents fit perfectly over his muscular frame, making him look like a fairytale prince.
"How do I look?" Kenji asked, flashing a slightly nervous smile.
"It's just... a little weird, that's all," Raisa muttered, turning away, her cheeks flushed.
Sakura and Ms. Yumi smiled knowingly, enjoying the view before them.