Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 65: Be Yourself (1)

"It’s due to stress. Remember to keep her from getting too startled in the future."

The doctor’s words echoed in Kenji’s mind. Turning off the shower, Kenji shook his hair, letting the warm droplets glide down the muscles of his back. His black exoskeleton, contrasting starkly with his flesh tone, flexed as he reached for a towel. He casually dried his hair as he exited the bathroom.

The opticomputer’s communication alert rang urgently. Kenji, quick to dress, sat at the table, answering the call before the second ring.

The face of the General Fleet Admiral appeared on the screen, leisurely sipping tea. "Kenji," he inquired, "I heard Yuka fainted earlier?"

Kenji, aware of the Alliance Army’s spies within the UUA, nodded, "Yes."

"Nothing serious, I hope?" continued the Admiral.

After a brief pause, Kenji replied, "The doctor said she was extremely frightened."

"Really?" The Admiral sounded puzzled. "The simulation you set up was of the frontline battles from back then. Are you suggesting she’s afraid of insectoids? She didn’t seem scared when she killed a soldier insectoid last time. Could there be a mistake?"

Kenji had considered this, but Yuka’s reaction had been too genuine to fake. He’d prefer her to feign weakness than to see her truly in pain. "No," he answered firmly. "The doctor advised against any further stress for her." freēwēbnovel.com

The Admiral pondered before speaking, "Let it be for now, but keep an eye on her. By the way, Kenji, I remember telling you about the suspected links between the royal family and pirates decades ago. They never met in person in all these years."

Without insiders deep in the royal palace, the Alliance Army lacked proof of their dealings. "Recently, our agents spotted the second-in-command of the space pirates in the palace, suggesting a deal between them, possibly involving Alex."

"Strangely, Alex has just renounced his claim to the throne," the Admiral tapped the table. "Logically, with Alex stepping down and Fred ascending, it should be the desired outcome for the Emperor. But, our spies report a rift between the Emperor and Fred.

The Emperor had always wanted to capture Alex, but the Alliance Army’s agents had covertly thwarted these attempts.

The Admiral eventually said, "About Ayoi Beatrix, don’t worry too much. She now has the backing of the new Beatrix family, so no one would dare to trouble her. The current pirate leader, Deadman, has found enough Oniyon mines outside the Alliance star system. So at least for the short term, he won’t bother Ayoi Beatrix."

Kenji nodded, lost in thoughts.

"Also, about your reassignment," the General Fleet Admiral continued, "Initially, bringing you to the UUA was indeed to avoid any conflict of interest, as the Special Combat Squad selection mostly involves people from the First Legion. Having you lead them might invite criticism. But rest assured, once SCS is stable, I’ll bring you back."

Kenji’s expression remained calm.

Meanwhile, during Kenji’s video communication with the General Fleet Admiral...

"I’m really fine," Yuka told the butler, "The doctor said I just fainted due to stress and emotional fluctuations. I’m feeling much better now, and my emotions are stable."

Ayoi had gone to visit her two brothers and wasn’t in the dorm. The butler, emerging from Yuka’s pocket, said seriously, "No, we must tell your father about this!"

Yuka turned over in bed, watching the butler dial Hideki’s communication number.

Hideki quickly answered, asking gently, "Yuko, what’s wrong?"

Hearing Hideki’s voice, Yuka was momentarily startled. She suddenly recognized who the familiar voices in her coma dream belonged to— The young Hideki and Nori.

Seeing Yuka’s eyes wandering, not speaking, the butler immediately typed a long message to Hideki, who grew more serious as he read it.

Yuka, coming to her senses, spoke before Hideki could, "I think I remember something from before I was one year old."

Hideki’s expression tensed, he awkwardly adjusted his sleeve, "Really? What... do you remember?"

"Am I really your daughter?" Yuka asked, staring at Hideki.

The butler, sensing the tense atmosphere, quietly retreated under Yuka’s blanket.

Without hesitation, Hideki answered, "Yes."

Yuka, surprised by Hideki’s straightforward answer, paused, then asked with mixed emotions, "Then you must know, I’m not originally from this world?"

"Yes, I know," Hideki said, feeling a sense of relief at her words, his earlier tension vanishing. "But as long as you wish, we’ll always be family. I’ve always treated you as my own daughter. I know I was busy with work during your childhood and couldn’t spend much time with you, but you had Nori to play with..."

"Wait a minute!" Yuka exclaimed, covering her forehead in disbelief. "Nori played with me? Do you know how many times we fought?"

Hideki’s expression suddenly became grave, "He hit you?"

Now that Nori was gone, that meat their previous pact of not telling on each other had expired. Yuka didn’t hold back, and she recounted everything Nori had done with her, from breaking each other’s ribs to Nori stealing her juice at meals, telling Hideki every detail.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Hideki, though tempted to immediately go and punish Nori and cut off his funding, maintained a smile and assured Yuka, "Don’t worry, Yuko, I will ’avenge’ you. Speaking of which... How is college? Got any friends?"

"It’s great. And I’ve met some very nice people," Yuka replied to Hideki’s questions, then asked, "So, like the insectoid Queen, did I also come from the Gate?"

Hideki paused for a second, surprised that Yuka already knew about the Gate, and thoughtfully answered, "Yes. The Gate has been opened twice so far. What it is and why it opens are still unclear, and the specifics are unknown to me. The Alliance Science Academy should have detailed records."

"The first time the Gate opened, they discovered the Queen," Hideki sighed. "You probably know the rest. Insectoids and humans couldn’t coexist, and war was inevitable."

Hideki continued, "After the Queen was killed by the Alliance Army, several decades passed before the Gate opened again."

"That’s when you appeared."

Hideki’s expression softened, reminiscing, "You were... a cute little orb of light that could be held in one hand. The scientists at the academy studied you for nearly a year but made no progress. Nori noticed you were very human-friendly, had your own thoughts, and could act like a human, so he asked if you wanted to become human."

"You agreed."

"We collected the genome of everyone who knew about it at the time for you to choose from, and you chose me." Hideki smiled, "No turning back now, Yuko. I’m grateful you chose to be my daughter."

Yuka also smiled, "It’s my honor."