Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 157: [Parallel World] He’s Mine Tonight (1)

Note: The Parallel World series happened in a parallel universe; the plot and settings are completely unrelated to the previous story. This Yuka is still the famous "Vase."

Returning to the underground bar, Yuka felt completely different from her last visit. She sat alone at a table in a corner, watching the people coming and going, trying to spot Kenji among them.

She had memorized Kenji’s figure and walking style the day before. Now she was confident she could easily recognize him. Yet, Yuka was worried. Kenji was seemingly on the brink of, or already in, his heat cycle. ’Why would he come to such a chaotic place for a mission then?’

Logically, as an admiral now, he should delegate such tasks to his subordinates instead of taking them on himself. ’Is this mission so dangerous that only he can handle it?’ Yuka wondered.

Lost in thought, Yuka caught a glimpse of a tall figure. Kenji was bending over to tidy up the glasses on the table, his shirt outlining his lean waist. His broad shoulders and long legs caught Yuka’s eye.

Yuka felt an itch to follow him but didn’t want to interfere with his plans for the evening. She stayed put and ordered another low-alcohol cocktail.

The butler muttered, "Drinking too much is harmful to your health."

Yuka ignored it, playing with her glass. Suddenly, a hand landed on her shoulder, and a greasy voice whispered, "Hey, sunshine, would you like to..."

Turning around, Yuka saw a drunken alpha, who obviously mistook her for a beta. She flashed a "friendly" smile and asked, "Why don’t you take a closer look?"

Alphas had smaller glands than betas, located higher on the neck. But the drunk, convinced that the seemingly fragile beauty before him was a beta, reached out, banking on his alpha strength to take advantage.

Yuka frowned impatiently and released a hint of her pheromone.

The rose-scented pheromone she emitted was light, but the drunk alpha instantly stiffened, sensing danger, and withdrew his hand, quickly leaving the scene.

The butler loudly exclaimed, "Hit him, hit him! Such ruffians are a menace to the world!"

The alphas around, initially attracted to Yuka’s beauty and now aware of her alpha status through her pheromone, backed off. But as the alphas retreated, a beta approached. A delicate-looking male beta shyly asked Yuka, "Would you like to have a drink together?"

He looked very innocent, almost like a fresh graduate, if not for the unmistakable bite marks on his neck. The beta tentatively released a hint of his musk-scented pheromone.

He was quite confident in the allure of his scent, believing that alphas were typically drawn to it.

Even if the alpha before him seemed physically weaker, her clothes were high-end, and her top alone was worth an entire cabinet of liquor in this underground bar. Flirting with her seemed like a no-lose situation.

Yuka didn’t even look up. "Not interested."

Her indifference didn’t deter the beta; in fact, he became more intrigued by this alpha who seemed unfazed by his pheromone.

He leaned in closer to test her reaction.

A hand interposed between him and Yuka. Surprised, the beta looked up to see a waiter in a tailcoat. The waiter’s voice was cold, "She said she’s not interested."

The beta’s gaze fell on the waiter’s name tag, then back at Yuka, noticing her interested glance at the newly arrived waiter. Irritated, he turned and left.

Yuka met Kenji’s gaze and quickly explained, "I really wasn’t interested in him. Thanks for stepping in."

The beta, not far off, overheard Yuka’s words and quickened his pace. He was going to complain about that waiter.

Kenji, regretting his impulsive intervention, heard Yuka and realized she probably recognized him. He hummed a low acknowledgment.

Yuka whispered to him, "I came to see you. Last time at the restaurant, didn’t you leak a bit of your pheromone? I thought I smelled it here too, so I wanted to see if I could find you, and maybe get your contact details. I hope I’m not interrupting your mission."

"No, you’re not," Kenji replied. "It’s too crowded here... you should go home."

The thought of other betas approaching Yuka made him uneasy. Yet, learning she had come specifically to see him brought an inexplicable joy. He pursed his lips and exchanged contact details with her using his opticomputer.

"It’s too early to go home," Yuka beckoned Kenji closer. "I have a plan that could help you complete your mission without too much hassle. Want to try it?"

Kenji asked, "What’s the plan?"

Yuka smiled at him, then waved over another waiter. She told the waiter, pointing at Kenji, "Tell your manager, he’ll be with me tonight."

The other waiter, who had witnessed Kenji deflecting admirers for this customer, was initially gleefully anticipating his complaint by the beta. But to his surprise, Kenji now seemed to be charming this wealthy client. Half in envy, half in jealousy, he glanced at Kenji and then went to find their manager.

Kenji, still processing what had just happened, blushed as Yuka spoke. He anxiously grabbed her wrist and whispered, "No..."

"Is it not okay?" Yuka blinked, "You can leave anytime to do your mission. Don’t worry about the payment. It is no big deal for me."

After a few seconds of silence, Kenji sat down beside Yuka. The manager came over quickly, and Yuka transferred the payment efficiently. Watching Kenji put on the gold name tag indicating he was now exclusively hers for the night, the itch in her heart resurfaced.

Kenji, seeing how adept Yuka was at paying and booking people, felt his initial shyness fade, replaced by a sour feeling.

’She must have done this many times,’ he thought. ’Will she really like someone inexperienced and unsmiling like me? Or is it just a novelty, a change from others?’

Kenji’s inner conflict changed his tone. He slowly said, "Thank you for the help. If you need anything, feel free to ask me."

He tried to set boundaries while warning himself not to overthink. However, Yuka didn’t respond as he expected; she just smiled and said, "Sure, I need a favor... When you’re ready for a relationship, think of me first."

Kenji felt as if his heart had been gently prodded. He stopped breathing for a moment, unable to handle the tenderness and smile in Yuka’s eyes, and turned away silently.

’...She’s such a wild player.’

The atmosphere grew charged, and Kenji managed a mumbled "Hmm."

Seeing Yuka’s radiant smile, he couldn’t stay any longer. He abruptly stood up and said, "I need to step out for a bit," before quickly walking away.

Yuka, supporting her chin, watched Kenji’s retreating figure, slightly regretting her forwardness. ’Maybe I’ve pushed him too far.’

The butler commented slyly, "Master, you just seemed like an alpha teasing an innocent beta."

Yuka shrugged and leaned back on the couch, "But I couldn’t help it."

Elsewhere, Kenji stood in front of a mirror, lifting his mask slightly, then splashed his face with cold water, trying to cool his flushed cheeks.

He thought calmly, ’Should I believe her sweet words? If her feelings are genuine, maybe I shouldn’t keep running away. Perhaps I should respond, even just a little.’

Kenji had no ill feelings towards Yuka. He thought, if she could give up her past habits, stop flirting around, and be devoted only to him, perhaps he could consider dating her, even marrying her...

’Seriously? Am I really thinking about marriage already?’

Quickly splashing his face again with cold water, Kenji dried off and stepped out of the restroom, ready to return to Yuka’s side and continue his mission.

However, as he left the restroom, his target appeared in his line of sight. Kenji paused, then discreetly changed direction to follow.

The last space pirate he had caught was a low-ranking member, yielding little useful information. The Alliance Army only knew of Professor Humphrey, a defector from the Science Academy, collaborating with the space pirates. Humphrey and the current vice-dean of the academy, Konda Nori, both former students of the dean, specialized in pheromone research.

Humphrey aimed to develop pheromones that could control humans, and the space pirates wanted to conquer the Alliance. Their interests aligned, causing chaos within the Alliance. In recent months, there had been reports of alpha and beta disappearances on minor planets at the border of the Alliance. Now, space pirates were bold enough to target alphas and betas in Capital Octoxis.

Following his target, Kenji ascended a staircase and found himself outside the same private room as last time.

It seemed the enemy hadn’t changed their base of operations.

As Kenji prepared to plant a listening device on the door, it suddenly swung open. He raised his hand to attack but the man inside crushed a test tube in his hand.

Kenji’s punch landed on the man’s nose, eliciting a cry of pain. The man, cursing at Kenji, realized something.

Ignoring the man’s curses, Kenji turned to retreat, aborting the mission.

But after only a step, his legs weakened. Struggling to maintain his balance, he felt his glands heating up, his pheromones uncontrollably spreading. He tried to cover his glands, but it was futile; the pheromones kept emitting.