Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 29: Yuka, The Gymnast

Yuka paused for a moment.

She exchanged glances with Ayoi and then looked at Alex. Turning to Donny, she said, "Of course, we can."

Donny then cracked a very faint smile.

Outside the Combat Department dorms, on the wild hill, Yonda gathered them at the base of the hill and instructed, "Line up according to your teams."

He was pleased to see no one was left alone, and that each team had at least one member from a different specialization. Then he continued, "Your dorms are right there; after the run, you can go back and rest."

Suddenly, someone in the ranks shouted, "Sir! Can we snatch other teams’ flags?"

This question drew all eyes to him, and the others subtly distanced themselves from their teams.

Yonda, a bit surprised, then flashed a spine-chilling smile, "Of course... you can."

The previously harmonious air instantly tensed. Teams eyed each other warily, quickly creating distance between each other.

"Enough talk," Yonda waved his hand, "Start timing, run!"

As soon as he spoke, a team comprising four from the infantry specialization and one from the mecha specialization dashed forward. The four infantry guys carried the mecha guy on their shoulders, running like they were carrying a sack, taking turns when tired.

The rest of the crowd was utterly shocked.

Alex approached Yuka, and Donny nodded at him, "Your Highness."

Yuka noticed something off about Alex’s expression. After looking back and forth a few times, she suggested, "Let’s get going too." They had already warmed up, shouldering their weight packs and setting off on the dirt road. They were in the middle to the back of the pack, the flags along the way already snatched by those ahead.

Alex looked concerned, "According to Instructor Yonda, a flag is worth twenty points, so even if we reach the end on time, we’ll only have forty points."

"Ah? What do we do then?" Ayoi asked while running, "Should we snatch flags from the other teams?"

Yuka wasn’t too bothered about the score; forty points were sufficient for her. But for Ayoi and Alex’s sake, she "tried hard to" keep pace, panting slightly, "We probably should."

Donny nodded in agreement, "We definitely should."

"But how do we snatch them?" Ayoi frowned, "By the time we reach the end, those ahead would have already arrived, and the flags would be gone, and so would our chance at a score."

"It won’t be like that," Alex’s eyes sparkled with a hint of light.

"Why is that?" Ayoi asked, puzzled.

"Because of human greed," Alex explained, tactfully pausing for a moment.

Ayoi didn’t quite understand.

Yuka chuckled and then explained, "Let’s put it this way, if you’re in the middle and there’s only one flag left ahead, your team obviously won’t have enough points. At that moment, wouldn’t you think about snatching flags from the teams in front?"

"As for the teams in the front, each member certainly wants full points." Yuka took a breath. "But the question is, are there enough flags? Once they run out, they will definitely try to grab from teams ahead."

"All the pressure piles up on the leading teams. But would they just let others snatch their flags? They will also foresee this situation," Yuka paused. "I hope those in front aren’t fools... They’d better not take all the flags just to prevent the teams behind from scoring."

Ayoi couldn’t help asking, "What if they do take all the flags?"

Yuka gloated, "Then they’d better brace for a group beating."

Alex continued, "So, all we need to do is pick up the leftovers."

Donny glanced at Alex and Yuka, suddenly coming up with a strange thought. ’Maybe they aren’t as powerless or easy to handle as they seemed on the surface?’ This idea contradicted the education she had always received.

Hesitating only a moment, Donny dismissed the thought, running steadily beside them, occasionally supporting the "fragile" Yuka to prevent her from falling.

Their cross-country route wasn’t straight. Yuka, under the pretext of needing a break, chose a high ground by the roadside to climb up, sitting on a rock, resting her chin in her hands, and gazing into the distance.

"The fight has already started up front," Yuka announced to the three below, "Wow, someone’s tooth just flew out."

Hearing this, Alex also climbed up the slope. He looked at the intense battle in the distance, frowning.

Donny followed, with Ayoi peeking out behind him.

Donny calmly said, "I know that big guy, he’s from our specialization. He’s protecting Fred... They already have way more than three flags on them."

As more people arrived, they too joined the fight. However, this didn’t affect Fred’s team’s progress at all. The tall guy with great strength simply lifted his hand, and those in front of them were sent flying.

The unfortunate one, now missing a front tooth, scrambled up from the ground, lunged at Fred’s sidekick, and started grabbing at the flags on his waistband. The sidekick struggled fiercely, but couldn’t overpower the toothless man’s rage. Eventually, he lost his pants and his flags.

The unlucky guy hadn’t even had time to rejoice when the crowd surged forward, regardless of his agonized cries, and snatched away the red flags from his hands, leaving him with none. Yuka just turned her head away, choosing not to witness this pathetic scene.

"Let’s discuss our next move," Alex said. "If we wait any longer, by the time they finish fighting, there won’t be a single flag left for us to grab."

Yuka touched the spherical body of the butler in her pocket and said to Alex, "I can do this..."

Alex’s eyes lit up, "Splitting up would indeed make things much easier, but Yuka, are you sure you can break through?"

Yuka nodded confidently, "No problem. I might not be strong in physical strength or combat, but when it comes to dodging, no one can catch me."

Donny also agreed, "I think it’s feasible."

Ayoi, with a blank mind, quietly exited the conversation.

"Alright, that’s our only option then. The only thing we need now is someone who can mix into the mess and lure them into our trap," Alex mused.

All eyes turned to Donny, the only combatant in their group.

Donny: ...

With a nod, Donny agreed, "Alright, I’ll go." She then glanced at Alex, hesitating, "Your High..."

Before she could finish, Ayoi suddenly said, "I’ll go with you!"

Surprised, Donny nodded, and they both ran forward.

Ayoi glanced back at Yuka and Alex. Yuka gave her a thumbs-up, signaling her good work.

In that moment just now, Yuka had signaled Ayoi to intervene, noticing Donny’s intent to invite Alex. Although Ayoi didn’t fully understand the situation, she intuitively went along with Yuka’s plan.

With Ayoi and Donny gone, Yuka and Alex continued upwards.

"What’s with Donny and you?" Yuka asked while walking.

Alex smiled wryly, "You noticed, huh? Donny is backed by the Horn family, staunch monarchists. They seem to have placed their bets on me."

"I heard that Donny is likely the Horn family’s next heiress, known for their strictness. Donny has been raised under their strict education, probably sent to protect me, in line with her family’s wishes," Alex said, eyes downcast.

His heart felt desolate, even mocking.

Protect? No, it was surveillance, to see if he was as incompetent as rumored, easy to manipulate, to assist the Horn family in controlling him, helping him ascend the throne, and then controlling the royalty through him.

Alex sighed, rolling up his sleeves.

Yuka’s gaze fell on his arm, bruised extensively.

Alex, noticing her stare, began to lower his sleeve, but Yuka stopped him.

"Who hit you when you returned to the palace?" Yuka frowned.

"I’m used to it..." Alex forced a smile, trying to brush it off, but meeting Yuka’s serious and concerned eyes, he couldn’t hold back, "It was Fred who had the servants beat me."

He looked down, struggling to hold back tears.

Yuka paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you want to ascend the throne?"

"I don’t," Alex shook his head, his eyes ablaze, "I want to see the monarchy fall. I wish to completely destroy the royalty."

It was dirty, ugly, corrupt – a playground for power brokers, a dreamland for lackeys. His nightmare, the source of his agony, the pain he felt every time he closed his eyes.

Yuka looked at Alex, seeing in him a wounded cub challenging a beast a hundred times his size. She was silent for a couple of seconds, then nodded and said softly, "I understand."

She smiled at Alex, "You’ll succeed."

Alex, staring at Yuka’s gentle smile, suddenly felt a surge of boundless courage. They had reached the summit, where trees were sparse but scattered rocks and gravel littered the ground, especially at the top with large rocks and pebbles everywhere.

Below, Donny had already led Ayoi into the fray. True to the Horn family’s reputation, Donny’s combat movements were flawless. She struck with machine-like precision, targeting vital points with each hit. Soon, she cleared the area around her.

Ayoi followed, finishing off anyone not completely downed with a chop to the back of the neck, knocking them out and smoothly snatching their flags.

Seeing that Ayoi and Donny had sufficiently stirred up the situation, Yuka turned to Alex, "Ready?"

Alex, still concerned, asked, "Yuka, are you sure you’re okay?"

"No problem," Yuka winked at him, "My butler had me learn gymnastics to train my physique."

The butler was confused again. "Really? Like, when?’

Though Alex didn’t see how gymnastics related to what they were about to do, he refrained from commenting, trusting Yuka’s confident demeanor.

Yuka pulled out a spherical object from her pocket and mentally instructed the butler to turn red. It immediately changed to a red color.

She then wrapped it with her psychic power, transforming it into something that looked like a flag – the upper half composed of thin red metal sheets and the lower half a handle.

At first glance, it was indistinguishable from a red flag.

Alex almost asked if the object was Oniyon, but then remembered that private trading of Oniyon was illegal, and it didn’t change colors. ’So, what Yuka’s holding can’t be Oniyon... right?’

Noticing his gaze, Yuka tilted her head towards him, "This is a transforming ball, a toy made by my former teacher."

She stood on a rock, waving towards the people below and shouting, "Donny—Ayoi—stop fighting—I found the flag—"

The movements of those below paused momentarily.

Yuka remained still, watching as the crowd below, including Fred, noticed the red object in her hand.

They mistook it for a flag and their eyes lit up with greed.

Up above, Yuka with the supposed flags seemed to stuff a portion into Alex’s backpack, and then crammed the rest into their own. As they made to descend the hill, the crowd below released their opponents and prepared to ambush these seemingly easy targets.

Yuka discreetly tucked the now black-colored butler back into her pocket. Alex, with a complex expression, hesitated for a moment.

Yuka urged him, "Hurry, or we’ll be too late."

Alex took one last look at her and ran down the designated trail of this training, while Yuka prepared to take a steeper, more direct shortcut down the hill.

The crowd below, seeing them split, naturally divided into two groups, each aiming to intercept Alex and Yuka to steal their ’flags’.

Fred had recognized Alex and Yuka. He saw Yuka standing frozen at the top, seemingly paralyzed by fear. Sneering, he ordered a burly young man beside him, "Go, get her flag."

The young man hesitated, noting they already had enough flags, but Fred, impatient and promising payment, commanded him to proceed.

The young man reluctantly followed Fred’s orders, tucking his flags into his waistband and rushing up the hill.

Yuka, noticing the burly young man also joining the chase, raised an eyebrow.

She assessed everyone’s position, glanced at the small stones and gravel at her feet, and kicked them down the slope.

The rocks rolled and bounced on the uneven terrain, hitting some of the climbers. A cloud of dust rose from the gravel, slowing the crowd’s advance as they shielded their eyes from the flying debris.

When they refocused, they found Yuka’s position had shifted.

In the next moment, Yuka dashed forward. The young man in the lead, anticipating an easy grab at her, reached out to catch her arm— ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

And missed.

Yuka, swift and graceful as a fish, effortlessly slipped past the outstretched hands of her pursuers.

Her agility and speed were such that not a single person could touch even a strand of her hair, and they could only watch, stunned, as she swiftly moved away from them.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Alex was panting heavily as he descended the hill, soon encountering those climbing up. They encircled him, greedily reaching for his backpack.

Alex, lacking Yuka’s agility, was quickly caught and his backpack was yanked away and emptied. To the surprise and frustration of the crowd, there were no flags inside – just a weight bag, water, and nutrient fluid.

"We’ve been tricked!" shouted the person holding the backpack.

Some in the crowd shifted their gaze to the fallen weight bag, intending to rip it open and spill its contents, thus ensuring Alex scored zero for their deception.

However, before they could act, Donny arrived on the scene. Her presence, stern and commanding, halted their actions.

"Who dares touch him?" she asked coldly.

Ayoi helped Alex up and hastily repacked the weight bag into his backpack, allowing them to leave without further hindrance.

The crowd, still wary of Donny’s prowess, stepped back.

Alex thanked Donny softly, and then he suggested, "Is Yuka OK? Shall we go to see her?"

Back on the hill, the crowd realized that alone, they stood no chance against Yuka’s agility.

They started to close in, reducing the space Yuka had to maneuver. But Yuka maintained her pace, even as the path ahead was blocked, with the burly young man from Fred’s side stretching his arms wide to cut off all possible escape routes.

Down below, Fred smirked in anticipation of Yuka’s capture. At the top, Yuka’s lips curved into a sly smile.

Her run slowed to a crouch, her arms swung back, and then, with a powerful push from her legs, she leaped upwards.

The onlookers gaped as Yuka soared over their heads, their mouths agape, eyes tracking her flight through the air. The tall young man, ready to snatch Yuka as she approached his grasp, suddenly felt a weight on his shoulders. Looking up, he met Yuka’s smiling eyes.

Yuka had used his shoulders as a platform, and before he could react, she pressed down hard, her force nearly driving him to his knees.

Using the tall young man’s shoulders, Yuka continued her motion, tucking in mid-air, bending her arms, and hugging her knees to complete a beautiful aerial flip.

The tall guy turned his head, watching in amazement as Yuka continued to roll in the air. She then slowly extended her body and legs, landing squarely on Fred’s face, who was too slow to dodge.

Fred was sent tumbling to the ground by Yuka’s kick, trembling with anger. He watched as Yuka used his face again to push off, performing a cushioned descent in mid-air, her body tilted downwards as she firmly supported herself with her hands on the ground, completing a forward roll.

Yuka stood up, raising her hands high above her head, steady and unshaken. A perfect landing.

Turning around, she bowed to the dazed crowd as if taking a curtain call. Then she snatched a red flag from Fred’s waist and joined Alex and the others, continuing their run forward.

Someone in the crowd murmured in awe, voicing their shock, "She just... flew over there, right? Definitely?!"

Up ahead, Donny, bringing up the rear, looked back and saw that the people behind, having run back and forth twice and been tricked by Yuka into climbing the mountain once, were now clearly exhausted and lagging far behind.

Running beside Yuka, Alex listened to her near-exhausted breathing and observed her weary expression, his earlier doubts about her strength slightly diminished.

After one hour and twenty-five minutes, the four of them finally reached the finish line. As soon as Yuka arrived, she collapsed, and Ayoi quickly helped her into the shade, opening a bottle of water for her.

Watching Yuka, who looked on the verge of passing out, Alex thought if she really was hiding her strength, she was doing it exceptionally well. And even if she was, she must have her reasons, JUST LIKE HIM...

At the finish line, Yonda sat counting their flags while munching on seeds, "One, two... ten. How do you plan to split these?"

"Three each for them, one for me," Yuka said weakly to Yonda, her eyes barely open.

Yonda opened a bottle of water and asked, "Are you sure?"

Yuka nodded before anyone else could speak, "I’m sure."

She turned and winked at the other three, signaling them not to change the arrangement. Ayoi and Donny reluctantly swallowed their objections.

"Alright, full points for the three of you, and sixty for Yuka to pass. Hey, Yuka," Yonda called out to her, "You were quite lively flying in the air just now, why so weak now?"

Leaning on Ayoi’s shoulder, Yuka managed to twist her body slightly, then said to Yonda, "Sir, I can’t move much."

Yonda walked over, squatting in front of her, and seized her up. "That move you did just now..."

"An aerial jump with forward roll," Yuka answered, "It’s a gymnastics move I practiced. But later, I was too weak and couldn’t withstand high-intensity training, so I quit."

Yonda nodded, then asked, "Show me what’s in your pocket."

Yuka lifted her eyes.

"Since the wild hill is a training ground, it’s full of cameras," Yonda smiled. "One, to ensure we can reach you quickly in case of injuries, and two, to prevent cheating."

Alex’s grip on his clothes get anxiously firmer. He looked at Yuka, worried that Yonda might found the object resembling Oniyon in her pocket.

Yuka looked directly at Yonda without flinching and blinked, saying, "Sir, you didn’t say we couldn’t bring props in, did you?"

"Is it really just a toy?" Yonda extended his hand towards Yuka, "Show me."