Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 36: Going Shopping

Time quickly passed to Friday, marking the day of Professor Pickle’s class.

As Professor Pickle adjusted his glasses, he glanced over the students to ensure they weren’t carrying any cheat sheets.

Satisfied, he distributed the test papers onto their opticomputers and activated a lock-out feature to prevent them from exiting the test interface to search for answers.

He paced around the classroom, occasionally pausing to observe how the students were doing.

Yuka, propping her face with one hand, gazed at the paper filled with pictures of familiar insectoids.

These insectoids were no strangers to her, as she had encountered in her previous life. She had slain countless, enough to rival the size of the colossal Capital Octoxis. She remembered every feature and name of these insectoids with crystal clarity.

Reflecting on her past, she thought about her final confrontation with the Queen insectoid and wondered if the survivors were relieved after the huge bug was dead.

After her rebirth into the galaxy, she found herself devoid of any memories before the age of one, her early life a blur no matter how hard she tried to recall.

Yuka had often asked her dad about her mother, but he always told her she was artificially created, without a mother.

By the time Yuka became conscious, she was already the beloved daughter of the universe’s richest man, Hideki.

At the age of two, she secretly used Hideki’s opticomputer to research this era’s history and found that, aside from space pirates, the world was remarkably peaceful with hardly any dangers.

Recalling her past life of hard labor and dangerous insect-hunting missions, she couldn’t help but shed tears of gratitude for her current life of luxury and safety.

She decided never to struggle again, aspiring instead to live a carefree and laid-back life.

Professor Pickle, pausing beside Yuka, frowned at her, as she hadn’t written a single answer in the first ten minutes. ’Is the test really that hard?’

Suddenly, Yuka sprang into action, swiftly jotting down the answers she knew by heart. Within minutes, she completed half of the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions.

Unconcerned about her grades since she was leaving very soon, she thought scoring a perfect grade occasionally wouldn’t hurt her laid-back image.

Professor Pickle’s frown eased as he observed Yuka’s accurate responses. Nodding in approval, he moved on.

After the exam, Yuka, Ayoi, and Alex left the classroom together. Yuka suggested, "How about we go shopping again this afternoon?"

Remembering the girls’ shopping frenzy the day before, Alex vigorously shook his head, "No thanks, I’ll pass this time."

Yuka and Ayoi continued their shopping along the pedestrian street, dazzling every shopkeeper with their lavish spending. Even as they left, many shop owners stood at their doorways, calling out fondly, "Will you visit us again? Please do come back!"

Exhausted from their Friday afternoon adventure, Yuka said to Ayoi on Saturday morning, "I hate adjusted schedules."

Ayoi, equally drained, responded, "I hate them too... especially when it’s replaced with physical training classes."

However, Instructor Yonda was brimming with energy. His loud voice startled the sleepy students awake, followed by a cheery remark, "What’s wrong? Stayed up late last night?"

He continued, ignoring their sleepy faces, "Well, you should’ve known that you’d have to attend my class anyway. Today, we’re doing combat training. It’s a one-on-one fight, and I’ve matched you all up using a random name-calling program. It’s completely fair – the system decides your opponent."

Groans filled the air as the students lamented, "Why combat training all of a sudden?"

Yonda replied, "That’s how my schedule is planned. Combat is not about being friendly. Forget the ’let’s all be nice to each other’ attitude. Even if you’re up against a friend or sibling, show no mercy. Fight hard!"

Yonda added the rules, "Whoever falls and stays down for three seconds loses, earning zero points, while the winner gets full marks. The fight lasts five minutes. I’ll call out three pairs at a time to speed things up. Once you’re done, class is dismissed."

Ayoi murmured, "Good grief, he truly is a devilish instructor. I hope we don’t end up going to the autumn outing covered in bruises."

Overhearing Ayoi’s complaint, Yonda added, "If you don’t want to get hurt, you can concede defeat. But remember, surrendering means zero points for you and full points for your opponent."

"First up, Donny and Alex!"

Both of them hesitated for a moment.

The combat took place on the sandy training ground, with Donny and Alex facing each other.

Yuka and Ayoi watched from the sidelines, with Ayoi cupping her hands around her mouth to cheer, "Go Alex!" She then noted in surprise, "Hey Yuka, Donny is actually a bit taller than Alex!"

Donny was troubled. She had always been taught to strive for perfection, to be the best in everything. However, her father also instructed her to protect Alex and maintain a good impression for the Horn family. Torn between these expectations, she wondered what to do.

"As you were," said Yonda, blowing his whistle to start the match.

At the sound of the whistle, Alex immediately charged towards Donny. Reflexively, Donny dodged to the side, evading Alex’s subsequent attacks without fighting back.

Alex, noticing Donny’s reluctance, angrily asked, "Donny, are you looking down on me?"

Tight-lipped, Donny finally fought back, sweeping Alex off his feet with a leg sweep and pinning him to the ground, her hold tight around his throat.

After three seconds, Alex ceased struggling, and Donny released him.

Yonda announced, "Donny wins. Next two pairs, be ready!"

Alex left the field, and Yuka and Ayoi patted his shoulder in consolation but didn’t say much. Given Donny’s high physical strength and mature combat skills, it was almost impossible for Alex to win.

In the following matches, Ayoi was paired with a thin girl specializing in mecha, who immediately conceded defeat.

Then it was Yuka’s turn.

"Next pair, Yuka and Gale," Yonda called out.

Yuka stepped up, facing her opponent Gale. ’So, Fred’s sidekick’s name is Gale,’ she thought.

"Start!"

Gale charged at Yuka, throwing a confident punch, thinking her slender frame would be no match for him.

His surprise was palpable when his punch missed.

Undeterred, Gale swung again, anticipating Yuka’s dodge to the right and simultaneously kicking out, aiming to topple her.

But to the spectators, Yuka simply leaned back slightly, sidestepped to the left, and took a half step back. Her curly hair bounced as she effortlessly dodged Gale’s attacks.

From Yuka’s perspective, everything was happening too slowly.

Yuka stood unscathed three steps away, calmly watching Gale. But Gale felt provoked. Enraged, he lunged at Yuka, aiming to pin her down and force her to beg for mercy.

Yuka stood still until Gale’s hand almost reached her neck, then she swiftly stepped back.

Gale fell forward, landing face-first into the sandy ground, his face smeared with dirt and sand getting into his eyes.

Yonda stroked his chin, impressed. "Yuka’s evasion is clean and sharp, and she’s got a stable mindset. She’s a promising talent."

Ayoi excitedly cheered, "Go Yuka!"

Alex joined in, "Go Yuka!" He ignored Fred’s menacing glare, pursed his lips, and continued to focus on Yuka.

Gale, momentarily disoriented, quickly got up, angrily shouting, "Is dodging all you can do?"

Yuka shrugged, "Isn’t being able to dodge enough?"

Yuka stood poised, her clothes tidy, her hairstyle exquisite. Her pearl hairpin, placed by the butler in the morning, glimmering softly in the sunlight. She looked less like someone who had just been in a scuffle on a sandy field and more like someone who, on her way to a friend’s party, had to tread a sandy path because other roads were blocked.

Gale was momentarily distracted by her appearance. Yonda, tapping his scoring pad, called out, "What are you waiting for? There’s only three minutes left. If you don’t attack, you both score zero!"

Curious to see Yuka’s combat skills, Yonda urged them into action.

Gale, gritting his teeth, charged at Yuka again.

This time, Yuka responded. She sidestepped, extended her leg, and tripped the charging Gale with a deft hook of her foot.

Gale flew a good two meters before crashing to the ground, lying dazed and unable to recover even as Yonda declared the fight over.

Yonda internally critiqued Gale, ’Impulsive, impatient, underestimating the opponent – he committed every combat faux pas. How could he not lose?’

He turned to Yuka, his feelings mixed. On one hand, she showed skill by dodging and taking advantage of her opponent’s unguarded moment. On the other hand, she had hardly displayed any notable offensive moves. Still, Yonda, in a conflicted state, awarded Yuka a perfect score and called for the next pair.

When all the matches concluded, Yonda announced the end of the class, allowing everyone to leave.

As Yuka, Ayoi, and Alex were about to depart, Fred blocked their way. Yuka sighed inwardly at his persistence in troubling others. freёnovelkiss.com

Fred, with a sneer, taunted Alex, "My dear brother, do your friends know you like playing with dolls like a little girl?"

Alex, visibly agitated, demanded, "What did you do to it?!"

Throughout their childhood, Fred had a history of taking or destroying Alex’s possessions, from a cherry on a cake to a pony gifted for his birthday. His joy came from leaving Alex with nothing.

Fred, relishing Alex’s upset expression, took a tattered doll from Gale and tossed it at Alex’s feet.

"This dress is so ugly," Fred remarked nonchalantly, "so hideous I couldn’t bear to look at it. I ripped it for you. You’re welcome."

Yuka, unimpressed by Fred’s cruelty, retorted sharply, "If ugliness is unbearable, how do you check yourself in the mirror every morning?"

Yuka responded coolly, "Coward."

Ayoi, filled with anger, exclaimed, "Shameless bug! I wish you never get what you want in your life!"

Fred’s arms tensed, his eyes reddening as he glared at Yuka and Ayoi for a few seconds before scoffing and walking away with Gale.

Alex picked up the doll from the ground, cradling it in his arms. He trembled as he wiped away his tears, managing a strained smile towards Ayoi and Yuka, "This is... from my mom..."

"I know," Yuka said, squatting down to gently touch the hem of the doll’s dress. She had bought it from the black market and sent it to him; of course, she knew.

Ayoi, touching the doll as well, suddenly exclaimed, "Hey! I know where to get this fabric!" She stood up, adding, "There’s an old lady who makes clothes in that store. We can go there and have the doll’s dress fixed!"

"Where is this shop?" Yuka asked.

"Not far. Shall we go now?" Ayoi replied.

Alex, holding the doll, stood up and agreed, "Okay."