Chapter 10: Chapter 9: Calm Trip
After taking a lot of things into consideration, I've decided to help the others control their mana better by including it in our games.
"So as I was saying, you guys need to learn to suppress your presence to hide or use your mana to strengthen your body, as Rolls or Leia does. That's how we'll be playing hide and seek today, and I'll be it." I announced.
"I'm not really good at mana control..." Selene said.
"Me neither! I don't know how to do it." Sara too.
"Hmph! I don't have too much mana... So it's hard to practice..." Jasmine was in a similar boat.
"... I'm actually a bit good at it." Naomi surprised me.
"Boss Rolls taught me! I can do it!" Marion exclaimed.
"You already know I'm good!" Rolls smiled proudly.
"I know a thing or two about mana control..." Crystal responded.
"Controlling mana is easy, of course, I can do it." Leia smiled proudly.
"Ok... Seeing as most of you can't do it, we'll focus on learning from tomorrow on, today just try to do your best." I decided and then continued to speak. "And now for the rules, don't go into buildings and stay in this area, ok?"
Everyone seemed fine with it, and after that, I started counting. Once the game started, I easily found Jasmine, Marion, and Naomi. Rolls, Leia, and Selene took much more work to find.
However, no matter how I looked, I couldn't find Crystal and Sara...
(Where did they go?) I wondered and called everyone so we could try and find them.
After searching for what felt like an eternity, we found them at an old library nearby reading books together with an older woman.
"So, Pinocchio goes off to look for ways to be a good boy, so he can become a real boy..." The woman seemed to be reading them a rather popular story.
"Well, well, well... Would you look at that? Crystal and Sara... How nice to see you both happy!" I forcefully smiled as I looked at them having fun despite not telling anyone they were going somewhere else.
"Hmmm..." Sara was startled and couldn't say anything.
"That's... Hehehe..." Crystal laughed guilty.
Behind me, the rest of the gang was whispering to themselves.
"I've never seen him so mad... Even that time when we fought he was calm..." Leia mumbled.
"Why is he so angry?" Selene questioned.
"Yeah he should calm down, right, Boss Rolls?" Marion was just as confused.
"He's angry because he was worried about them... It's cute." Rolls explained.
"Hmph! He's never talked to me like that! So he doesn't care about me!" Jasmine got mad.
"Wait, you're jumping to a conclusion, I'm sure he would do the same for you." Naomi tried to calm her down.
As that was going on, continued to make the two runaways aware of their mess up.
"Hello miss, they were playing with us before they disappeared without saying anything! So we came to find them." I explained to the older woman with them.
"Ohhhh, so you two were with your friends and didn't say anything?" She asked them.
".... I forgot..." Sara covered her face as she expressed.
"... I thought it would be fine... Sorry..." Crystal avoided eye contact with me.
"Forgot? Forgot?!... And thought it would be fine... That it would be fine to just go off without telling anyone!!" I made it clear how I felt about this situation, and they had to understand if I don't want this to repeat itself.
"Sorry! I got distracted!" Sara apologized with tears forming in her eyes.
"I said I'm sorry... I really didn't mean to..." Crystal was getting teary-eyed as well.
"Fine... Just make sure to tell us next time you're going to go somewhere else! Understood?" I decided to end it here seeing as they seemed to understand.
Both of them nodded while looking at me with their teary eyes.
(That's enough, they'll actually cry if I say anymore.) I concluded.
"Miss, I'm sorry to have interrupted your work." I expressed.
"Oh don't, it's always nice to meet people who still prefer the good old paper books. They can come here whenever they want, I'll be happy to read with them." She smiled and seemed unbothered so they were at least polite.
"Really? Then we have to come tomorrow again to finish the books! Right Crystal?" Sara became excited.
"Definitely! I saw a lot of books that looked fun to read!" Crystal nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, yeah... We have to get home. It's getting late!" I reminded them.
"If it's that, I'll take you home. It's no big deal." The lady said.
She then guided us outside and I was ready to get attacked or something but she was actually being genuine and she had an expensive car with two woman in suits working her... Is this lady really just a librarian?
"So, whoever wants to be taken home, can get in." She announced.
Hearing her, Rolls, Marion, Sara, Crystal, and Naomi got in the car and just left.
(Is this okay?....) I didn't know what to think.
"I can't believe Naomi left me!" Jasmine was not satisfied.
"She was a really nice lady, anyway let's go home." Leia looked at us and called.
(Maybe I should have entered the car...) I wondered as we went back home.
.....
....
...
While the lesson was going on and the teacher was talking, I was busy playing with my mana.
"Ok, so the candidates for class representative are Feylin, Rolls, Jasmine, Jean, Ashley, and Makiel." The teacher said as he wrote on the green board.
(Wait... What?!) I realized what had just happened.
I raised my hand and. "Hmmm... Teacher, I didn't participate... So, why is my name there?"
"You really never pay attention... How are your marks so good?... Whatever, your name is there because someone said you would make a good class rep." Jasmine was the one to respond.
"What? Me? Who would think that? Why?" I couldn't believe this was happening.
"Hehehe... I don't know why, but it was Sara." Jasmine smirked.
(Sara?! Why would you do that?! Are you trying to destroy my peace and quiet?!) I internally panicked.
{Tsk!... Is that really what you should be worrying about? How about the Quest?! Plus you should be getting used to these positions if you really are going to be... What was it again? I know it was something ridiculous... Ah, I remember... The ruler of all things... Hahaha!} Vandir expressed.
(I really want to be mad at you... But you've got a point... I should at least try.) I couldn't deny that he had a point even if he was annoying about it.
-Later-
That same day, Feylin, the girl who bullied Selene the day we met her, was now distributing churros, mini pizzas, and burgers to get people to choose her.
"My dad paid for it, so eat all you want." Feylin smiled as she said.
(Why is she going so hard just to be class rep... That position sucks...) I couldn't understand.
"If Feylin becomes the class rep, she'll buy us snacks for lunch once a month." One of her lackeys said as she distributed food.
"Yeah, everyone should definitely vote for Feylin, I mean what can the others even do?" another one of her lackeys expressed.
{You know, it would probably be a good idea to get on the good side of someone with monetary funds, for the future.} Vandir came out of nowhere to say.
(No, I'm not buttering Feylin up because she has money! She bullied Selene and has come nowhere near apologizing, so no! I would rather stay poor.) I reject the notion.
{Again with such naivety... So what if she's not the best person right now? Can't you help her improve or whatever... Plus, What's the problem with using her if you hate her so much?! It's not like I'm telling you to kneel to her or something, you have your own dignity, I just want you to make the most of all the resources that could easily be available to you.} Vandir elaborated.
(... Just no... This isn't it...) I shook my head.
{Good. Stand your ground even against me when you don't agree, don't be a pushover! For now, because of the quest, I won't bother you because of it, but once the quest is over, I better not see you getting pushed around without a good reason!} Vandir advised.
(You're surprisingly nice when I least expect it...) I complimented him.
No answer came and just as I was about to say more.
"Hey, here, choose something." Feylin smiled as she offered me food from a tray.
"I'm good, thanks." I replied.
"I already ate at home, I can't." Rolls also rejected.
"I don't really like fast food too much." Sara followed.
"Give it to someone else... I'm on a diet..." Marion responded.
"I'll buy my own food if I'm hungry." Jasmine rolled her eyes.
"I already took in my carbohydrate intake of today, it will mess up my diet if I eat that right now." Naomi expressed.
"I'm lactose intolerant and don't eat sweet stuff." Crystal answered.
Even Selene got offered, but she vehemently refused.
"It seems we're all on the same page." I smiled seeing it unfold.
.....
....
...
-Little Caterpillar Elementary School; Spring Field trip-
The teacher looked at everyone as we stood there grouped up.
"As you all know, we're going in for our trip, but before it starts, I'll call for attendance. Please raise your hand when I call your name.... Is anyone listening?! Children?!... Class rep or vice-rep, please call to attention your classmates." The teacher found himself struggling to get the kids to listen.
It was 1st year, class 7's Feylin Veamin, the class representative, and 1st year, class 7's Jasmine Olberg, the vice class representative.
In the end, I completely lost... Feylin got most votes and all the rest except 1 went to Jasmine. It seems Sara was the only one who voted for me.
"No worries, teacher. We'll handle it." Feylin replied.
"Yeah, got it. Listen up, everyone!! The teacher is talking!!!" Jasmine's yelling got everyone's attention as silence took over.
From then on, the teacher took control and we went on the trip. Visiting the mountainside and even going to a temple on our way. In the end, we went to a park and set up a picnic.
Opening my lunch box, I could see chicken curry and a ketchup message, saying, Makiel, we love you, Mom and Leia, with a tongue-out face.
(How is this still visible? It should have been ruined by all the moving I did...) As soon as I asked it got ruined when the curry sauce touched it.
{Remember when I told you mana is in everything? It's possible to manipulate the mana in other things if you're precise enough or lucky. It's extremely hard to do on purpose with inanimate objects and nigh impossible to do with living and non-living beings.
{Anyway, if someone has a high enough mana pool they can influence the mana on small objects, like a glue up a broken small doll or a project a ketchup message by accident, though they won't be able to make a hole on a wall or stitch back together a person the same way.} Vandir clarified.
(I see... There's still a lot to learn about mana...) I nodded my head.
Everyone ate their food and had fun.
____________________________________________
(Third Person's POV)
-Meanwhile, elsewhere-
A young man was running away from giant wolf-like creatures known as hounds, but as he was running from these rank 1 grade 3 monsters, he ran into a small reptilian with fur holding a cub, a kobold... Another rank 1 grade 3 monster.
"What now?! Why are there so many monsters here?!" Before he could do anything the kobold smashed his head with the cub.
Right after the same kobold was jumped on by multiple hounds who ate it alive.
"Enough!... We are done with this area, we'll be moving down to the next one! Now! Until there are no more kobolds or humans!!" A much bigger hound, one known as a hellhound, a rank 2 grade 2 monster, ordered all the other hounds.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone