"Huff... Huff..."
Nael and Mira quickly made their way back to the bustling ceremonial grounds, the familiar noise of the crowd washing over them once more.
'Hmm, where is he...' Nael scanned the area and finally located their homeroom teacher, Mr. Borin, who was overseeing the student roster near the side of the platform.
"Let's go," he urged Mira to follow him as he led the way.
Mr. Borin was known for his strict but fair demeanor, and more importantly, his integrity. He was the only person who could help them unconditionally right now.
"Teacher Borin!" Nael called out, approaching with Mira close behind.
"?" Mr. Borin looked up from the papers in his hand, his weathered face creasing into a slight frown. "Nael? I thought you'd already completed your awakening. And, student Mireille..." His trailed off. "Is your father alright now?"
"Y-yes," Mira nodded weakly, her voice still hoarse from crying.
"Teacher, we need your help with something." Nael stepped forward, his expression serious and direct. "I want to cover Mireille's Awakening Fee. Can you please add her back to the list before it's too late?"
Mr. Borin's eyes shot up in surprise. He looked from Nael's determined expression to Mira's hopeful, desperate one. He knew the financial situation of both very well. "Nael, that's... a significant amount for students. Especially..."
"I understand, sir. I have the funds available." Nael pulled out his arconomoter, the device's screen still displaying his balance. "I can transfer them to you right away. Please, give her a chance."
"This..." Mr. Borin was stunned. He held Nael's gaze for a moment and gave a curt nod. "Alright. Quickly then." He pulled up his own arconometer.
Nael initiated the transfer, watching as his balance dropped from 2307 to 307 credits.
'...'
His entire inheritance, gone in an instant. But seeing the hope return to Mira's eyes made every credit worth it.
"Done," Nael said. "Thank you, sir."
Mr. Borin gave a grunt of acknowledgment and immediately turned to the data-slate not far away. He returned a few moments later.
"It's done. You're back on track, student Mireille. But your turn will come at the end of the list. You can wait till then, right?"
"Yes, we can," Nael answered in her stead, noticing Mira's state.
Relief so profound it was almost dizzying washed over her features.
"T-Thank you, Mr. Borin! Thank you, Nael!" she stammered and bowed in gratitude. "I will never forget this kindness."
"Don't thank me," Mr. Borin said with a slight shake of his head. "It's my duty as a teacher to help my students when they need it. Instead, you should thank Nael here. He's the one who did everything." He paused, a rare, almost imperceptible twinkle in his eye. "Maybe you can marry him someday to repay the debt."
"T-Teacher!" Mira's face turned bright red. She took a furtive peek at Nael, who had frozen completely at the unexpected comment. When their eyes met for a split second, she quickly looked away, her ears reddening further, practically glowing.
Mr. Borin chuckled again, barely stopping himself from laughing out at their flustered reactions. "Then, I will get going now. I have other duties to attend to."
"I hope you awaken a good class, student Mireille." He gave Nael a firm tap on the shoulder, startling the boy out of his frozen state. "Good job, young man. And cheer up, don't listen to other words. I know you can do better." Though the words were cryptic, the tone was one of genuine, gruff encouragement.
Though surprised by his unexpected praise, Nael nodded in appreciation. "Thank you again, sir."
"Mm." Mr. Borin gave them one last approving look before heading back toward the platform area.
Nael then turned to the still blushing Mira. "Let's go back to our seats. We are gonna wait for a long while."
"Mm..." Mira nodded hastily, keeping her face pointed firmly at the ground as she followed him, desperately trying to hide her embarrassment.
But she couldn't help but keep taking glances at Nael's profile as he led the way back to their seats.
'...Is he thinking about what Teacher Borin said just now?' she wondered, her heart doing a nervous flutter. 'About... marrying...'
But she quickly shook her head, noticing his intensely focused expression, his brow slightly furrowed.
'No, of course not. Right now isn't the time for that. He's probably just worried about the ceremony,' she reasoned, trying to quell the heat in her cheeks. That's just how Nael is—always thinking ahead, always serious.
But contrary to her thoughts, Nael had been briefly replaying the teacher's shocking comment, his own ears still warm. That was, until his attention was completely and utterly stolen by something else.
It happened just a second before Mr. Borin tapped him on the shoulder.
A soft chime, audible only to him, echoed in his mind. His vision flickered, and a translucent, blue-tinted message window materialized, hovering in the air before him as if etched in light.
He had to act as naturally as possible after that. But now, he could focus on them freely.
'So, my skill got activated on its own, huh?' Nael thought, his internal monologue a mix of awe and intense curiosity.
[ The skill [Invest] has been activated. ]
[ Target: Mireille Solen ]
[ Amount Invested: 2000 Credits ]
[ Return on Investment: Calculating... (Determined by Target's Growth) ]
[ Special Condition: "The First Investment" detected. Success rate has been amplified. ]
[ Awaiting Results… ]
He stared at the message screen, reading and re-reading the words that made his seemingly mundane Class feel suddenly, profoundly real.
'So this is how The Great Weave interacts with the Awakened...' Although they were taught and shown basic interface concepts, it seemed like this was entirely different.
The way the Great Weave interacted with him.
'It probably depends on one's class,' Nael concluded, recalling a few examples they had studied in the last term.
Farmers would get messages about crop yields and soil conditions, while Warriors received combat analysis and weapon proficiency updates. So naturally, a Sun Knight or other high-grade classes would have their own specialized interfaces.
'Hmm...'
Nael stared at the translucent window with a mixture of awe and analytical curiosity.
The Great Weave, the mystical force that governed the Classes and the Essence, was actually communicating directly with him through these ethereal messages.
It was one thing to learn about it in theory, another entirely to experience it firsthand.
But what fascinated and puzzled him was the content itself.
'Investment? What does that exactly mean?'