Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 51: The Guy’s A Monster (2)

Kenji scoffed, "On the battlefield, will the enemy stop because you’re tired? Will they halt the battle for a break? No, they’ll attack even more fiercely, and you’ll die on the battlefield from lack of strength! Stand up and start the frog jumps now. Anyone not back in thirty minutes gets a zero!"

The students, realizing the harsh reality of Kenji’s training, got up from the ground, now understanding why the forums said, "He is even more devilish than Instructor Yonda."

Yuka raised her hand, "Sir, can I opt out and just take a zero?"

The admiration from the other students towards Yuka was palpable, silently commending her boldness with thumbs up.

Despite his familiar surge of anger, Kenji simply responded with a cold smile, "No."

Yuka, sitting on the ground, touched the mechanical leg of her mecha, "But sir, the class is almost over."

The other students echoed her sentiment.

Everyone was looking at Kenji anxiously, including Yonda. They were surprised when Kenji finally let out a sigh and announced, "Everyone out of your mechas, class is dismissed."

The students were puzzled. ’No punishment?’ They had never seen Kenji so lenient before. ’Who is this mecha pilot? She has calmed Kenji’s anger twice in a row?’

As the students dismounted from their mechas, disconnecting their psychic links, they stood aside, curious about how the transport vehicles would handle the mechas.

Yonda realized why Kenji had refrained from getting angry at Yuka. She was like a rolling pin, unfazed by whatever was said to her, following her own path and achieving precisely the grades she aimed for. Anger was futile against her.

Kenji approached and touched each mecha, forming a psychic connection with them. Everyone watched intently, not wanting to miss a moment.

Under Kenji’s control, each mecha moved smoothly towards the transport vehicle, perfectly coordinated and without any chaos. They stood neatly in position, waiting for their next deployment.

It was as if each mecha was piloted by a well-trained human pilot.

The onlookers were left with their mouths agape, utterly astonished by the display.

Yonda was moved to tears: "Admiral Kuba is still as formidable as ever! What a show of skill!"

Yuka, chin in hand, thought about the fearsome extent of Kenji’s psychic power.

’How high is his psychic power level?’ she wondered, a question shared by everyone present. They knew the answer was top secret, likely beyond their reach.

Unable to contain their curiosity, someone asked, "Sir, how can we achieve such a level of control... Uh, I mean, how can we learn to control several...no, at least two mechas at once?"

While they didn’t aspire to match Kenji’s one-man-army capability, the thought of controlling two mechas simultaneously was a tantalizing prospect.

"Having high-level psychic power," Kenji answered, "and then practicing day after day. But I don’t recommend you start trying to pilot two mechas now. First, master controlling one properly. If you can’t handle one mecha smoothly, how can you even imaging controlling two?"

His message was clear: they were not yet ready for such a challenge. The students, especially those in the infantry specialization, understood their limitations upon hearing the psychic power requirement.

However, a few from the mecha specialization, blessed with higher psychic power, seemed eager to try.

Kenji, noticing their enthusiasm, cautioned, "Even if you have high psychic power, don’t attempt it lightly. The psychic power needed to pilot two mechas is much more than you think. If forced, it could lead to psychic power overload."

The mention of "psychic power overload" dampened the remaining enthusiasm.

Kenji then left the training field on an automated transport vehicle.

Yuka, hearing about psychic power overload for the first time, nudged Ayoi, asking, "What is psychic power overload?"

"When someone overuses their psychic power, it causes a vibration in their mental realm. If it’s mild, you’ll have a terrible headache," Ayoi explained nervously. "But if it’s severe, the mental realm can shatter, leading to insanity or a vegetative state!"

"Ah," Yuka mused, holding her face, "That does sound dangerous."

Yuka and Ayoi noticed Donny talking to Alex. When Alex returned, both looked at him expectantly, their eyes glittering with curiosity.

Alex said, "She asked about our capture by the space pirates again, and I stuck to our agreed story."

But Donny seemed skeptical about their story of staying on the pirate ship until Mr. Kuba single-handedly stormed it to rescue them.

Despite the Horn family not having deep ties with the Alliance Army, they had access to some basic information. Donny’s father had warned her that Alex might not be as easy to manipulate as they thought, advising her to be cautious.

"I insisted on our previous version," Alex continued. "I don’t know if she believed it, but she invited me to make skewers with her on the school celebration day at the playground."

Meeting Yuka and Ayoi’s gaze, Alex smirked, "Of course, I refused. We have plans to sneak... I mean, ’borrow’ something from the library on the celebration day. I haven’t forgotten."

Yuka’s opticomputer beeped. She pulled it out, glanced at it, and raised an eyebrow, "Coincidentally, Kimiko says she’s got the solution ready to coincide with our plan on the day after tomorrow, the school celebration day."

"Shall we head to the history department now?"

...

As Yuka, Ayoi, and Alex entered the History Department’s dedicated building, they were immediately struck by a group of people wearing colorful robes, engaged in a heated debate.

Kimiko quickly approached them, explaining, "They are reenacting a debate from Raphael’s famous painting ’The School of Athens’ from the ancient era. Don’t mind them. Our professors have a bit of an... obsession with pre-space era history."

"The Literature and Art departments often collaborate with us," Kimiko continued as they walked. "Our professors also frequently lecture there. Honestly, our department is quite good; if you’re diligent, you can learn a lot. But most people are just here for the degree." freёnovelkiss.com

Ayoi and Alex glanced at Yuka, implying she was one of those just ’here for the degree’.

Arriving at a discussion room, Kimiko assured them it was secure and soundproof, then produced a small spray bottle from her bag. "This is the solution. I didn’t dare take too much, in case my grandfather notices. But he mentioned that this solution reveals hidden writing when sprayed. The amount should be enough."

The trio briefly examined the deep purple liquid before losing interest, turning their attention to planning for the school celebration day.

...

The day before the school celebration, Kishi entered the classroom with her usual gentle smile, announcing, "Today, we’ll do free drawing. After you finish, write your name and grade yourself on the bottom right corner of your artwork. I’ll collect them at the end of the class."

Yuka noticed the faint traces of concealer under Kishi’s eyes and the tiredness she seemed to be hiding. She blinked, registering this observation.

Not particularly skilled in drawing, Yuka dipped her brush in ink and started to sketch a mountain. After a few strokes, she paused. The mountain peaks on her paper strikingly resembled the ones she had seen in her previous life, just before she died.

Memories from her past life suddenly flooded in, overwhelming her brain and emotions, catching her completely off guard.

Yuka vividly recalled that day under the shadow of the insectoid Queen, her massive form blocking all sunlight, casting her into darkness.

Yuka’s only companion was her shattered weapon.

The person who had pushed her into the swarm had long since fled the mountain.

Wiping her face, Yuka’s hand mixed sweat with blood.

Her physical strength was nearly depleted, but the Queen’s grotesque skin continuously produced eggs, birthing larvae that wriggled out and lunged at her.

She struggled to sweep the bugs away, but some managed to bite her, feasting on her flesh.

In the end, numbed by pain, she dragged her legs up the mound of insects, driving her spiked hammer into the Queen’s head.

Yuka heard the Queen’s shrill screams but didn’t know if she had truly died, as her consciousness was rapidly fading.

Just before her death, she thought she saw a black light engulfing thousands of stars rushing towards her — but how could light be black?

"Yuka?" Ayoi’s voice pulled her back to reality.

Blinking, Yuka turned and responded, "Well...?"

"You’ve been staring into space for a while," Ayoi said with concern.

"It’s nothing," Yuka replied with a smile, turning back to her drawing. Her lapse into memory had caused the paint to spread across the paper, creating a large black stain. It seemed that it was ruining the drawing.

With no desire to continue, Yuka signed her name in the corner and gave herself a zero before handing it to Kishi.

Kishi had grown accustomed to Yuka low self-grades, however, this time, she was surprised by the accidental blotch on her artwork.

Kishi even pondered if it was a new art style she was unaware of.

"Do you have something on your mind, ma’am?" Yuka asked. "You look very tired."

Startled, Kishi quickly responded, "No, no, just didn’t sleep well. Thank you for your concern, Yuka. I’m really fine."

She avoided Yuka’s puzzled gaze, smiled lightly, and left the classroom.

As soon as Kishi exited, her smile faded. ’Tomorrow, I’ll have to get that thing, no matter what it takes.’