"Art Appreciation class?" Yuka tugged at her curly hair, asking the butler, "What's this class about?"
As she was freshening up, the butler replied, "It's a mandatory Friday class, both for the infantry and mecha specialization."
Bending down to put on her shoes, Yuka casually asked, "So, what's on the agenda today?"
Both Ayoi and the butler chimed in together, "Flower arranging!"
Ayoi exclaimed excitedly, "It's with Kishi Sensei, the legendary kindest and most beautiful teacher!"
Ayoi remained thrilled all the way to the classroom, eagerly anticipating meeting her idol.
Yuka looked around and noticed that the usually unkempt infantry specialization guys, who reportedly wouldn't wash their hair for weeks, had groomed themselves and slicked their hair with gel, revealing their foreheads.
The butler commented dryly, "Ptff, the low-quality mating rituals of humans..."
Kishi entered the classroom on delicate heels, a classic beauty with long, straight black hair reaching her waist, and a kimono highlighting her splendid figure. Her bright red lipstick added a touch of glamour.
She stood at the podium, greeted everyone with a smile, and her unique, husky voice captivated the room, "Hello, everyone."
Yuka raised her eyebrows. 'Wow, that voice...'
"I'm Kishi Izumi," Kishi nodded slightly, "and I'll be teaching you 'Art Appreciation' this term. Art is interpreted differently by everyone, and we all have our preferences. So, there's no fixed grading standard in this class; it's all about being enriched by art."
"Today's lesson is about flower arranging."
Kishi showed the equipment behind her, "As you can see, we have vases, plates, bowls, jars, tubes, baskets, and pots – the seven main types of flower containers. Feel free to choose one, then come here to select flowers for your arrangement."
"Flower arranging isn't overly concerned with the type or number of flowers. Arrange them as you think best," Kishi said with a gentle smile, "Let's begin."
Yuka stood up, picked a pale blue open-neck porcelain vase, and then browsed the various flowers, selecting blooms.
The gentle and beautiful teacher, exquisite containers, and fragrant flowers created an elegant air, relaxing everyone as they immersed themselves in artistic creation.
Half an hour later, Yuka finished her arrangement.
Her round arrangement of light pink roses and purple lavender with green leaves, interspersed with tiny baby's breath, was harmonious.
It contrasted starkly with a nearby student's arrangement of bright red peonies and lilies.
Kishi approached, admiringly asked, "It's beautiful. Have you studied flower arranging before?"
Yuka sat on the floor, her upper body straight, tilting her head slightly. She smiled and answered with her sweetest voice, "Yes, sensei."
The butler was startled by Yuka's sudden gentleness and asked, "Master, what happened to your voice?"
Yuka ignored it.
"Aha, I see," Kishi nodded, then addressed the class, "It looks like everyone is done, so let's start grading."
"I won't be giving scores. You'll give yourselves the score you think you deserve, and I'll record it as your grade," Kishi explained. "You can give yourself full marks if you like. I encourage you all to be confident and aim high."
Yuka was shocked. 'Another 'give yourself full marks' situation?'
As soon as Kishi finished speaking, the confident infantry specialization guys immediately awarded themselves full marks, oblivious to their ugly mismatched arrangements.
Kishi gently noted their scores, encouraging them to keep up the effort, then turned to Yuka, asking with her eyes how many points Yuka thought she deserved.
After a few seconds of thought, Yuka spoke up, "Sixty."
Kishi was puzzled.
"May I ask why?" Kishi suppressed her surprise, "I think... sixty seems a bit low for such a fine piece. It deserves a higher score."
Yuka twirled her hair, still altering her voice, and explained with downcast eyes, "You see, sensei, my butler has been committed to raising me as a lady since I was young."
The butler puffed up with pride, "Mm-hmm."
"He's a strict old man," Yuka continued, "and he has high standards for me. Every word and action of mine must adhere to a lady's decorum. Under his guidance, I've always been self-reflective, improving through criticism and honing myself."
The butler was baffled and protested, "I'm not, I didn't, don't make things up!"
"So," Yuka fluttered her eyelashes, looking up at Kishi with eyes full of self-reproach and grievance. "I feel that I haven't done my best. The color of the vase and the flowers still have slight mismatches. A passing grade is already the highest I can give myself."
Everyone around, having heard her words and looking at their own bizarre and color-clashed arrangements, fell into silence.
Kishi was also stunned, opening her mouth but at a loss for words.
Fortunately, the bell signaling the end of the class rang, saving her. Kishi managed a stiff smile and said to everyone, "That's all for today, goodbye boys and girls."
As Kishi was about to leave the classroom, Yuka called out to her.
Yuka, looking shy, asked, "Sensei, may I ask for your opinion on the European medieval style from the former universe era?"
Kishi's expression changed momentarily, but she quickly regained her composure. "Sorry, my interest is more in the pre-universe East Asian culture, I don't know much about European culture."
"Oh, I see." Yuka sounded a bit disappointed. "Then, I won't bother you further. Goodbye."
Kishi smiled at her and quickly left the classroom.
Ayoi came over, fuming, and whispered to Yuka, "Yuka, they're saying you're just like the vases here—good-looking but useless!"
Yuka's face lit up with joy, "Who said that? I should thank them properly. What a great compliment!"
Ayoi was confused.
"No, I mean," Yuka cleared her throat, "how can he say that about me? I'm also trying hard, but I just can't meet the standards, and there's nothing I can do about it."
"It was Fred's sidekick!" Ayoi said angrily. "He and others were saying that you only scored a few points in the mecha class yesterday and today you're claiming to be a lady. They said you can only arrange flowers at home and are good for nothing else!"
Yuka thought, 'To be honest, staying at home is my dream.'
Ayoi got more agitated, rolling up her sleeves, "I'm going to teach him a lesson!"
Yuka quickly held her back, but before she could say anything, the sidekick loudly mocked, "Some people are just like the 'vases' here on the table, pretty to look at but otherwise worthless."
Standing behind Fred, the sidekick said to Yuka with a triumphant air, "Just drop out already, VASE. You can't even navigate a mecha properly, why even attend mecha specialization classes?"
Alex frowned and retorted, "You're humiliating yourself. We're all classmates here; who do you think you are to insult Yuka like that?"
The sidekick sneered, stepped forward, and pushed Alex, making him stumble. Just as he was about to push again, Donny grabbed his hand.
Donny, with a cold expression, said, "Alex is right. A lackey like you has no right to speak ill of anyone."
Fred, who had been enjoying the scene, darkened at Donny's words and confronted her, "Donny, what do you mean by that?"
Donny ignored him, standing behind Alex, silently expressing her and her family's stance.
Seeing the conflict escalating, Yuka smiled and walked towards the sidekick.
The sidekick's eyes widened. He had thought Yuka would be mortified, maybe even run off crying, but she was smiling and approaching him…
He involuntarily stepped back when he met Yuka's smile.
"You said I'm like a vase?" Yuka asked him.
The sidekick swallowed, trying to sound bold, "Yes, that was me, so what? Aren't you a vase?"
"I am," Yuka smirked, "but I'm a loaded wealthy."
"You calling me a vase, I have no objections, I admit it," Yuka looked towards Fred, "but you hit my friend and mocked me in front of everyone, and that makes me very angry."
Yuka said to Fred, "The words he spoke, they were under your instruction, weren't they? So, this means your family no longer wishes to do business with mine, right? You're planning to cut off all ties with our automotive, auction, and royal exclusive product industries... correct?"
Fred choked for a moment. His mind was in turmoil, but he quickly regained composure. He didn't believe that a few harsh words would lead the Taira family to sever their extensive business ties with his family. Moreover, Yuka was just a student; surely her father hadn't entrusted her with handling the family business.
'She must be bluffing,' he thought.
Fred had made up his mind. Since he already had a conflict with Yuka, making her his future empress seemed unlikely. Besides, Yuka had befriended his worthless younger brother, so he saw no need to maintain a good relationship with her.
"What?" Fred finally spoke. "Do you really think you can make your father give up business with the royal family?"
"Let me correct you," Yuka said. "It's not business with the royal family, but with your family."
She picked up her opticomputer. "Oh, you might not know, but most of my father's assets are in my name. I certainly can decide who to collaborate with."
Fred watched Yuka calmly navigating her opticomputer and started to doubt his judgment. 'What if Hideki has really handed over the business to Yuka?'
After pondering, Fred decided to back down and suppress his anger, asking, "What do you want, then?"
"An apology," Yuka stated. "Apologize to me and my friends."
Fred's face went through several changes before he slapped his sidekick and said through gritted teeth, "Go apologize."
Knowing that Fred was on the edge of rage, the sidekick hurriedly walked to Alex, humiliated, and apologized, "Sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you."
Alex had been bullied by this sidekick for years and had never heard an apology from him before. However, he had no intention of accepting it.
The sidekick, not receiving a response from Alex, lowered his head and approached Yuka, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spoken about you that way."
Yuka, too, didn't respond.
The sidekick, his face reddened, retreated behind Fred, whose expression had twisted with displeasure. "Let's go."
He led his group out of the classroom, leaving the other students to change their opinion of Yuka from "just a vase" to a "vase not to be trifled with."
Alex approached Yuka to express his gratitude, "Thank you."
"It's nothing," Yuka smiled. "You stood up for me too, right? That's what friends should do for each other."
Ayoi leaned in and asked, "Yuka, can you really afford to stop doing business with Fred's family?"
"Ah, I was just bluffing him," Yuka said with a sly smile, showing her companions the screen of her opticomputer. Instead of a chat interface as they might have expected, it displayed a casual match-three game.
Ayoi and Alex laughed at the revelation.
Donny, however, remained serious and said to Yuka, "Don't just be a vase."
"If you want to improve your skills," Donny offered, showing her contact information to Yuka, "you can come to me. I can help train you, boost your abilities, and stop them from mocking you."
Yuka pretended not to hear and quickly changed the subject. "We all don't have classes later, right? How about we go out this weekend?"
Seeing Yuka's reluctance to make an effort, Donny replied disappointingly, "I won't join then. Goodbye."
Ayoi then suggested enthusiastically, "Let's go to the underground arena to watch a match!"
Yuka inquired, "The underground arena? What's that?"
Alex explained, "It's an underground venue hosting the biggest virtual mecha tournament in the Alliance. Anyone can participate."
"The tournament runs from January to the end of December. The first-place prize is said to be very lucrative, attracting many for the reward," Alex continued. "Also, it's rumored to be a secret practice spot for many senior mecha students... I haven't been there myself and don't know much, but if we could meet some seniors, they might give us more insights."
After pondering for a moment, Yuka replied, "Then let's go."