Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 122: Meeting Nori (1)

The new year’s competition in the underground arena had begun.

Everyone’s excitement had been raised to unprecedented heights by Pinky’s spectacular performance last year. So now, even with a few standout new and old competitors, the audience still didn’t seem as interested as last year.

To avoid drawing attention and unnecessary trouble, Yuka and her two companions split up to head to the second floor.

They quickly located the bodyguards patrolling the underground arena, and revealed their identities, and the bodyguards in black suits immediately escorted them upstairs, blocking others who tried to follow.

Upon opening the door to the second floor, Yuka was greeted by a large reception room. A smaller door sat directly opposite the main one and was also open.

Looking through this small door, she could see a long, narrow corridor, with another door at the end. The bodyguard who escorted them up explained that behind the door at the end of the corridor was where they could claim their rewards, with only one person allowed to go at a time.

Yuka, as the first-place winner in the solo competition, was entitled to three types of rewards: a cash prize, a new model mecha, and the answer to a question. She, along with Ayoi and Alex, who were first in the team competition, had to share these rewards. Yuka turned to ask Ayoi and Alex, "How shall we divide them?"

Ayoi, looking a bit anxious, volunteered, "May I have the answer to a question?"

Yuka and Alex exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. Alex thought for a moment and said, "Then I’ll take the cash prize." Ever since leaving the palace, he had been cut off financially and was in dire need of money. The cash prize would cover his university expenses for four years.

Naturally, Yuka chose the new model mecha.

After they had divided the rewards, Ayoi urged Alex, "You go claim your prize first."

As Alex approached the door and entered the long corridor, Yuka turned to Ayoi, who seemed a bit off, and asked, "What’s wrong? Is there something you want to tell me in private?"

After a moment’s hesitation, Ayoi whispered in Yuka’s ear, "I want to know who killed my parents."

Yuka was about to ask Ayoi why she avoided telling this to Alex, but she quickly realized— "You think," Yuka slowly began, "this has something to do with Bartland?"

Ayoi pursed her lips and nodded.

Ayoi had mentioned before that her parents were thieves. They had heard from the previous space pirate about a location buried with a vast amount of Oniyon, worth billions. To avoid being silenced by the space pirate, they chose to return to the Alliance, but were ultimately murdered, and Ayoi was adopted by a new family.

At that time, Bartland had joined the space pirates and had become their new leader. "If it really was Bartland who planned this..." Yuka asked, "what are you going to do?"

"I don’t know how to face Alex," Ayoi said, sounding downhearted. "If it was Bartland who did this, I’ll definitely seek revenge. If Alex can set aside the fact that Bartland is his grandfather and see him just as a space pirate, then I can stand with him. But if he still has feelings for Bartland, I... I don’t know."

Ayoi opened her mouth to say more, but Alex reappeared in the corridor, prompting her to purse her lips and fall silent.

Yuka felt uneasy as well, patting her shoulder and saying, "Go ahead and ask."

Alex passed by Ayoi without noticing anything unusual. He returned to Yuka, excitedly saying, "The cash prize is one million astracredits! Inside, there’s a holographic pod. The bodyguard didn’t let me use it, though. He just had me show my opticomputer’s payment page, transferred the money, and let me out," he shared his experience of claiming the prize with Yuka.

Yuka smiled at him, not mentioning what Ayoi had said earlier.

Three minutes passed, and Ayoi still hadn’t returned.

Alex muttered, "What kind of question takes this long?"

Yuka, hearing this, felt a sense of foreboding and stared at the ground.

Two more minutes passed before Ayoi appeared in the corridor, her steps unsteady and her face pale. She managed a weak smile.

Yuka, seeing her slightly red eyes, understood everything. She signaled to Ayoi and said to both of them, "I might need more time, you guys go ahead without me. Don’t wait for me."

This matter was between Ayoi and Alex; it wasn’t Yuka’s place to intervene or take sides. She needed to step away, allowing them to resolve it themselves. If Ayoi could clarify things with Alex in her absence and their friendship remained intact, that would be the best outcome.

Yuka instinctively avoided considering any outcome other than this positive one. In her previous life, she had few friends in warrior school, and the one she considered a friend, whom she trusted and cared for deeply, had betrayed her, pushing her into an insectoid wave.

Actually, Yuka avoided the years of compulsory education and stayed at home partly because she didn’t want to enter a school like the school again. She didn’t want to meet new people, and then be deceived, abandoned, and betrayed once more.

When Ayoi initially offered to be her friend, Yuka was skeptical and cautiously tried to befriend her, as Ayoi’s personality reminded her too much of the seemingly innocent girl from her past. However, a series of events proved Ayoi’s genuine friendship, and Yuka gradually opened up to her.

As for Alex... When Yuka first met Alex, she felt he was a lot like herself when she first joined the school. Back then, she was weak and was often bullied by the stronger ones. In a world where the strong preyed on the weak, no one reached out to help her.

So when Yuka saw Alex being bullied by Fred but still stubbornly refusing to compromise, she instinctively helped him.

Ayoi and Alex were friends who had fought alongside her, sharing life-and-death experiences. Yuka didn’t want to lose either of them.

The butler, shocked by this sudden melodramatic turn of events, held back its sarcastic comments upon sensing Yuka’s mood.

Yuka had now reached the end of the corridor. She paused, then pushed open the small door in front of her and walked in.