Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 87: Good Luck And Bad Luck (1)

Returning to school, Yuka immediately fell asleep.

When Ayoi came back from the library and saw Yuka asleep, she didn’t disturb her.

In the evening, Yuka woke up hungry.

Rubbing her eyes, she got out of bed and asked Ayoi, "Hey Ayoi, want to go grab some dinner together?"

"Sure," Ayoi replied.

On their way to the cafeteria, Yuka suddenly remembered her match at the underground arena.

Turning to Ayoi, she said, "Oh, Ayoi, I fought in a solo match yesterday and now I’m the top ranker in the underground arena."

"Really? That’s amazing!" Ayoi exclaimed joyfully, grabbing Yuka’s hand. "Let’s invite Alex and celebrate with a big meal in the cafeteria!"

Yuka then ordered a big meal for three on the self-service menu and waited for Alex to arrive.

Alex soon joined them at the cafeteria, sitting opposite them. He was also very happy for Yuka. "That’s great, Yuka! Now you can win the underground arena prize!"

Yuka nodded slightly and said, "But it’s not certain yet. The players right behind me are not far behind in points, and the competition doesn’t end until the end of December. There’s still half a month left. If someone surpasses me, I won’t be the top ranker."

"Ah, I see," Ayoi frowned, then suggested to Yuka and Alex. "Let’s go to the underground arena again after our mecha class tomorrow. We can compete in the team matches that give more points, to boost Yuka’s ranking and stay ahead of the others."

Yuka and Alex nodded in agreement.

The three of them chatted while eating, consuming the equivalent of nine people’s meals. The cleaning robot that came afterwards almost couldn’t carry their plates steadily, wobbling its way back to the kitchen.

By Thursday morning, Yuka and Ayoi struggled out of bed and headed straight for the training ground.

Kenji had already arrived at the class venue. He opened up his transport vehicle, revealing his mecha, and prepared to start the class.

After weeks of training, everyone had become proficient in using their mechas and engaging in mecha fights with other classmates... except for Yuka.

As usual, when her name was called, she conceded to her opponent and drove her mecha to the side to watch the others compete.

The other students were used to her usual approach and didn’t pay much attention, as they might not see her in this specialization next semester.

Fred initially wanted to walk over and taunt Yuka again, but seeing Kenji standing next to her, he quietly backed off.

Ever since Kenji abandoned the idea of recruiting Yuka into the Alliance Army, she found herself particularly fond of sitting next to him.

It was as if he had some anti-harassment function; no one dared to approach or even look at him. By staying close to him, Yuka enjoyed the same privilege and a moment of tranquility.

As the class was about to end, Kenji suddenly asked everyone to return their mechas and line up on the field.

"There are only two weeks left until the final exams," he said, eyeing the listless crowd. "The Academy Tournament, which happens once every four years, will be held at the end of this year and the beginning of next. You won’t have any tests for the final assessments this year, you finally score will be decided based on your performance the Tournament."

"But judging by your current state, I don’t think any of you will pass," Kenji said coldly.

The students, who were previously standing casually, immediately straightened up, avoiding his gaze.

"The Academy Tournament’s assessment consists of three rounds and will be broadcast live. Freshmen from all five academies will participate. To ensure fairness, the format and content of the matches will be announced only ten minutes before they begin. Don’t be fooled by anyone claiming to have inside information or trying to sell secret content. If anyone is caught attempting to cheat, they’ll be expelled immediately," Kenji warned.

His icy gaze quelled any thoughts of cheating among those who had them.

"To get you accustomed to the Academy Tournament’s assessments and to avoid embarrassing UUA in front of the whole Alliance, I will take you off Capital Octoxis next week for special pre-tournament training on a professional training planet," Kenji announced.

The crowd buzzed with excitement. Most knew that each academy had its own training grounds, usually reserved for upperclassmen.

Yuka quirked an eyebrow and quietly said to Ayoi, "Maybe I shouldn’t go."

"Why not?" Ayoi asked, surprised.

Yuka tactfully replied, "I don’t think I’d learn much even if I went."

Ayoi, thinking Yuka was feigning weakness again, quickly played along, "Oh, is that so? Maybe you should ask Mr. Kuba?"

Yuka turned to meet Kenji’s gaze, raised an eyebrow, and blinked, signaling she had something to say.

Kenji almost mistook her gesture for flirting and averted his gaze.

Someone bravely asked Kenji, "Mr. Kuba, can we really go there?"

"Of course, and you don’t have a choice," Kenji stated firmly. "You need to at least master the basics to avoid being eliminated in the first round of the Tournament. UUA has never had the embarrassment of the entire class failing the first round. Don’t be the first to set this precedent. It’s truly shameful. Please, don’t tell anyone you’re my students if that happens."

The students’ excitement waned under Kenji’s successive warns, even those who had been standouts in mecha class began to doubt themselves.

"Alright," Kenji continued, "assemble here next Thursday. I’ll take you by spaceship to the training planet. Class dismissed."

"Yuka, stay behind."

Hearing this, the others cast sympathetic glances at Yuka, assuming she was being kept back for a stern reprimand due to her poor performance.

Yuka gestured to Alex and Ayoi that it was okay and they should go ahead without her.

The two left with mixed feelings, wondering about the nature of Yuka’s relationship with Mr. Kuba. There seemed to be something, yet nothing, very strange indeed.

Once everyone had left, Yuka approached Kenji.

"I don’t want to go to the training planet," she said.

Kenji looked at her and softened his voice, "And why is that?"

Yuka, unsettled by Kenji’s unexpected gentleness, pondered carefully before responding, "Don’t you think every time I travel far with others, especially on a spaceship, I seem to run into bad luck?" —Like encountering space pirates.

"That’s just coincidence," Kenji replied.

Yuka found her reasoning a bit shaky, but she did always feel surrounded by a strange magnetic field, attracting all sorts of chaos.

"You should go," Kenji said. "There’s no harm in it."

As he spoke, he clenched his fingers, hiding his hands behind his back, his expression remained serious, not betraying his nervousness.

In reality, his words were a veiled invitation.

Apart from teaching at school, he found no reason to meet Yuka. He secretly hoped she would join the trip to the training planet, giving him more time to be with her.

After this semester, he would return to the Alliance Army and no longer hold a teaching position. Yuka would likely transfer to another major. By then, he might never have another chance to see her again.