Enrollment

Yuka was jolted awake by her AI butler.

At half past six in the morning, it blasted the Alliance's military march in her bedroom, the sound of the snare drum echoing throughout the space, giving Yuka such a headache.

She stretched her hand out from under the covers, grabbed a toy bear lying nearby, and threw it furiously at the floating orb. The orb was knocked away, landing on the fluffy carpet, and the music abruptly stopped. It struggled to its bearings, flew up to Yuka's ear, and cheerily said, "Master, you're awake, well…"

Yuka, with a deadpan expression, looked at it and said, "Spit it out, will you?"

The orb reminded her, "Master, a lady shouldn't speak like that."

"Alright," Yuka replied with a forced sweet smile, "What is it you want to tell me?"

"You've been accepted to Union University of the Alliance!" the orb said joyfully, spinning around in the air and releasing a shower of flower petals, which gently fluttered down and then disappeared along with Yuka's smile.

Yuka exclaimed in disbelief, "What? Why was I accepted? I didn't even take the college entrance exams!"

She had avoided years of mandatory education at home, just waiting to inherit her father's fortune and live a life of leisure. And now, her butler was telling her she was admitted to UUA…

Jumping out of bed, the orb butler considerately said, "The admission notice is in your opticomputer."

Trembling, Yuka picked up the opticomputer by her bed and opened the unread message.

Dear Taira Yuka,

We are delighted to inform you that you have been admitted to UUA. You will spend a wonderful four years with us (unless you're expelled or have to repeat a year), and we look forward to welcoming you on September 1st, Star Year 229.

Please fill in your desired major: __ Department

PS: Remember to send it back to the UUA official email after filling it out. If you have any questions, please contact customer service.

Taking a deep breath, Yuka immediately switched to a human customer service representative.

CS Jessica greeted her, "Hi there, what can I help you with?"

Yuka asked, "Why was I admitted?"

After a brief pause, CS Jessica replied, "Just a moment, let me check for you."

"It turns out," CS Jessica explained, "that since you haven't been enrolled in any school before the age of eighteen, your Alliance ID card lists you as 'illiterate'. According to Alliance regulations, illiteracy can lead to the revocation of your citizen ID card. The Alliance Population Bureau gave you one last chance by arranging your admission to UUA."

Anticipating Yuka's next question, CS Jessica added, "You can't drop out, dear, and failing due to poor grades won't do either. If you don't graduate from UUA, you'll lose your ID card."

Yuka's hand paused.

Not having an identity card was a major hassle. Without it, she would be treated as a space pirate, unable to even step outside her door — otherwise, she would be riddled with bullets by the Alliance army.

Suddenly, something came to her mind. She continued to ask, "I had a home tutor before and took lessons. I shouldn't be considered illiterate, right? His name was Konda Nori, you should be able to find him in the teacher system."

After a brief pause, CS Jessica replied, "Dear, I couldn't find any record of him." She sent a compressed image.

Yuka, with a growing sense of foreboding, braced herself and opened it. The photo of Nori was as she remembered, except for the glaring red "Danger" sign in the top right corner. Yuka's eyes moved down to the additional information:

Name: Konda Nori

Gender: Male

Status: Identity unknown, wanted by the Alliance, danger level A+. If spotted, run away immediately and seek help from the Alliance army.

Yuka was at a loss for words — whether to be thankful for his long service as her tutor, despite her infuriating him to the point of stomping his feet, yet never harming her, was unclear.

She closed the image in a daze and saw a message from CS Jessica, "Don't worry, dear. He has been out of the Alliance for many years. If you see him again, remember to report him to the Alliance army. Anything else?"

Yuka replied, "No, thank you."

After ending the chat, she took a deep breath and turned towards the quietly functioning butler AI. She remembered that this butler system was something Nori had taught her to make, though he did most of the work, and she had only managed to create more problems.

Sensing Yuka's intense gaze, the butler AI twisted its metallic body nervously and exclaimed, "Oh my God, my creator is an Alliance fugitive, how terrifying! More frightening than Uncle Sam's unwashed socks!"

Yuka decided not to argue with an AI. Her opticomputer on her wrist showed it was August 31, meaning she would arrive at Octoxis, the capital star, the next day and begin her college life.

UUA was the best university in the Alliance, with very strict academic requirements, producing elite graduates. The problem was, Yuka really just wanted to coast through life.

In her past life, she was known for her relentless effort, either fighting to protect her homeland or laboring in construction, holding a hammer until her death. Reborn as the beloved daughter of the universe's wealthiest man, Yuka had lived eighteen blissful years. Now, being forced back into the competitive environment of a university, she really hoped she could just play dead and lay there before the campus gate.

Yuka, staring at the major selection screen, instructed her butler, "Butler, open the search, keywords: 'UUA', 'major', 'easy', 'high pass rate', 'no failing.'"

"Search complete, 1338 results found. The most frequently occurring term is 'History Department,'" the butler responded.

So, Yuka filled in 'History Department' as her preferred major. She sent her choice back to UUA's email and then lay back down in her bed. The butler flew to her pillow, suggesting, "Master, we should watch today's 'Essential Etiquette for Ladies' flower arrangement video."

"No," Yuka muffled under her pillow. "Haven't you noticed I always play games whenever you play those videos? They are useless to me. Just give up; I'll never be a lady in this lifetime! Right now, I just want to sleep... Oh, send a message to my dad, tell him I'm going to college."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Yuka, the butler reluctantly sent a message to the wealthy father and then whispered near Yuka's ear, "A lady..."

Yuka sharply retorted, "Scram."

"Okay ):," the butler replied dejectedly and retreated to a pile of plush toys, watching Yuka sleep with its electronic eyes.

The butler had always been concerned about Yuka's development. From a young age, she never exhibited the grace expected of a lady; she was strong enough to knock out an electronic bull, and her natural talent for insulting, mocking, and pranking was unparalleled.

Now, with her entering university, the butler worried. 'What if she bullies her classmates... or worse, got bullied herself?'

Lost in these thoughts, the concerned butler remained deep in contemplation.