Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 120: Close To Heart

Not long after all the students were rescued, the live stream was cut off. So, nobody saw how long Kenji and Yuka hugged.

But even that couldn’t stop the gossipers online. Many started searching for evidence of a romantic relationship between Kenji and Yuka.

Technically, Kenji and Yuka weren’t exactly teacher and student, as Kenji was a guest instructor at UUA, there mainly to identify potential recruits for the Alliance Army, not a regular faculty member.

...

At the tournament place, a now calmer Kenji loosened his grip, realizing it wasn’t appropriate to hold Yuka like that and slowly let go of her.

Yuka stood up from his embrace, and Lory and the Ichiro brothers, seeing them finally apart, rushed to thank Yuka.

She waved off their gratitude and repeatedly refused their offers of gifts, but they insisted.

Finally, annoyed, Yuka stood beside Kenji.

A glance from Kenji silenced Lory and the brothers, making them step back, not daring to bother them further.

To avoid further disturbance, Yuka got into the off-road vehicle where Kenji was. She and Kenji sat in the back, both silent for a moment. Yuka, looking at Kenji’s ears turning red from shyness, thought, ’He hugged me suddenly; shouldn’t I be the shy one? Why is he acting shy?’

While distractedly driving, Kenji’s subordinate kept glancing at them through the rearview mirror, admiring Yuka and thinking how heroes struggle with love.

The subordinate thought he was being discreet enough, but Kenji noticed and coldly suggested, "If you don’t want to drive, switch to autopilot."

The subordinate touched his nose and focused on driving, but couldn’t help thinking, ’Come on, it’s just a few glances at her and he’s being so stingy?’

Yuka felt like she was forgetting something. Looking down, she found her opticomputer and the butler’s round head in her pocket. ’The live broadcast!’ She almost exclaimed but then calmed down, thinking it was just a hug, and the audience probably wouldn’t care.

Even if the audience did make a fuss, she was about to change majors anyway. She planned to submit her transfer application to the school and then openly date Kenji. What others thought wouldn’t matter.

Although Yuka tried to dismiss her concerns, she couldn’t resist opening her opticomputer to check the online reaction to their hug and the unexpected intrusion of space pirates into the Academy Tournament.

She thought she had done a good job keeping things secret, but her expression slowly fell apart as she saw her name linked with terms like "Pinky," "Lady," "Parasite Killer," and "My Baby" spread all over the internet.

Kenji, having braced himself to ask Yuka about a previous conversation, noticed her weak and embarrassed expression. He rushed over, anxiously asking, "Are you hurt? I’ll take you to..."

"No," Yuka closed her eyes, stopping Kenji from taking her to a doctor, and said pitifully, "Now everyone knows my real strength."

The thought of being the center of attention at school made Yuka feel suffocated, wishing she could buy a ticket and rush home to isolate herself.

She had to stay in Capital Octoxis for two more days to collect her underground tournament prize and deliver Mr. Bald’s surprise before going home for the winter break.

"It’s okay," Kenji reassured her, "the school will let you change majors, and I’ll handle the Alliance Army." As he said this, Kenji subconsciously aligned himself with Yuka, ready to support her choices unconditionally, no matter what the General Fleet Admiral’s plans were for recruiting Yuka.

Yuka smiled at Kenji, resting her chin in her hand as she watched his ears turn red again. She realized this seemingly cold man was actually quite innocent, even blushing at his own heartfelt words.

Yuka wondered if Kenji might faint from shyness if they ever kissed, especially given his frail health.

Being straightforward by nature, and having suppressed herself in her past life, Yuka decided to be more proactive in this life. She planned to start training Kenji to be less shy around her, preparing for future intimacy.

Yuka took out an ointment given to her by a doctor from another pocket and handed it to Kenji. Pointing to a bump on her forehead, she said nonchalantly, "Help me apply this."

Kenji paused for a moment, then pulled out a medical kit from the car.

After disinfecting his hands, he gently cleaned Yuka’s forehead with a cotton ball dipped in disinfectant. He squeezed a bit of white ointment on his fingertip and gently applied it to the bump on Yuka’s forehead, massaging it lightly. The need to apply the ointment brought them physically closer.

The subordinate driving the car, sneaking glances at them, suddenly exhibited his worst driving skills. He turned a smooth dirt road into a treacherous cliff-edge riding experience.

The vehicle jolted and veered, making sharp turns over just a few meters, then swiftly returning to its course.

This erratic driving resulted in Yuka and Kenji involuntarily coming even closer together. At the next turn, Yuka fell into Kenji’s arms. He quickly protected her forehead, intending to move back, but she was already leaning against him, her hands on his chest, looking up at him with moist eyes.

Kenji’s heart raced again, feeling the softness against his chest and abdomen, his ears burning with redness that spread to his cheeks. In embarrassment, he turned away, ignoring the sensation and angrily told the driving subordinate, "If you can’t drive, get out."

The subordinate, scolded by Kenji, drove more carefully, no longer causing trouble.

After applying the ointment on her forehead, Yuka naturally extended her arm, indicating Kenji to apply it on the bruises there.

The purplish bruises on her pale arm looked striking and pitiful.

Kenji, suddenly conscious of his rough, calloused hands and unsure of his strength, was about to refuse, but Yuka’s coaxing "Hurry up" caught his attention. He reached out, almost reverently, and gently massaged the ointment into her skin.

Kenji was aware of the surprising strength in Yuka’s slender arms, even stronger than his own. Yet, he handled her arm as if it were a delicate, precious piece of porcelain.

When Yuka saw that he was done with her arm, she turned around, pulled her hair aside, and tugged at her collar to reveal a bruise on her neck and shoulder. She said to Kenji, facing away, "Here too."

Kenji stared at the patch of skin she exposed, his Adam’s apple moving up and down.

The subordinate in the front seat, sensing the moment, lowered the partition, giving Kenji and Yuka complete privacy in their enclosed space.

This time, without waiting for Yuka’s prompting, Kenji’s fingers gently touched the bruise. His fingertips were warm, and the warmth spread to Yuka’s skin.

She shifted uncomfortably, only to be steadied by Kenji’s other hand on her back. She heard Kenji’s warm, restrained voice from behind, "Don’t move."

Yuka’s cheeks also tinted pink.

Kenji carefully applied the ointment, taking care not to let it stick to Yuka’s collar or shoulder straps.

After the application, Yuka withdrew her arm and returned to her opticomputer, while Kenji turned his head away, lost in the memory of the soft and smooth sensation under his fingertips. Both were too shy to look at each other.

Yuka, embracing a ’what’s done is done’ attitude, read through a page of online comments, thinking that nothing else surprising could come up now that her cover was virtually blown. However, this naive thought was shattered by a link sent by Ayoi.

The link was to a voting site promoting Yuka for Fleet Admiral, a position she had no intention of seeking.

The public, disillusioned with the Alliance Army’s recent blunders and reluctant to trust the once-infamous and oppressive royal family, either in serious hope or jest, started voting for Yuka.

She was just a freshman, but her ability to single-handedly rescue classmates from space pirates had caught their attention, and her votes soared.

Yuka had always wanted to lead a simple, trouble-free life. She wouldn’t have attended university or joined the mecha program if not for her Alliance citizenship card. She wouldn’t have revealed her wealthy background or confronted Fred if not for helping Alex. And she certainly wouldn’t have entered the underground arena if not for seeking an answer to a long-standing question.

Becoming an interstellar Fleet Admiral was the last thing she wanted.

Luckily, upon opening the link, Yuka found her vote count significantly behind the top ten candidates. Many had already cast their votes, and since it was Friday and voting would end on Sunday night, she hoped her numbers wouldn’t climb too high.

As Yuka breathed a sigh of relief, Bartland was seething with rage.

He smashed a steel table with his fist, breathing heavily while staring at Yuka’s photo on the screen.

He was filled with frustration, regretting not having killed her back on the training planet. His scheme to use space pirates to crush this generation’s elite students had backfired, boosting Yuka’s fame and support as a potential future leader of the Alliance.

Comparing the rejection he faced from the General Fleet Admiral to the support Yuka received, Bartland’s eyes reddened with fury. He decided to unleash the insect swarm waiting at the edge of the Alliance system and initiate his plan to seize control of the Alliance.

Unaware that she was now a primary target for Bartland, Yuka sent a ’[banging head against the wall]’ sticker in their group chat.

Ayoi quickly responded with ’[moment of silence.jpg]’, followed by Alex’s ’[stay strong.jpg]’.

Yuka, pouting, asked when they were going to collect their prizes from the underground tournament. Ayoi suggested either that evening or the next day, and Alex voted for that evening.

Yuka then invited Ayoi and Alex to spend the winter break at her place, promising a fun-filled holiday.

They both excitedly agreed.

The off-road vehicle reached the edge of the valley, stopping before the spacecraft transporting the students.

Yuka put away her opticomputer, waved goodbye to Kenji, and walked resolutely onto the spacecraft, ready to face her classmates’ overwhelming curiosity and gratitude.

As she was surrounded by classmates, her ears filled with screams and thanks, Kenji, still in the car, retrieved a small pink bow from the seat’s gap.

It was Yuka’s hair accessory, dislodged during the tumultuous drive while applying the ointment.

He looked at the bow for a long time, then quietly clenched his fist around it, placing it in the pocket closest to his heart, as if cherishing the connection it symbolized.