An Junlie felt her gaze and looked up, smiling faintly, "Awake?" Ziye nodded, just about to speak, when An Junlie added, "Hurry up and wash, we’ll take your temperature after breakfast."

Ziye pouted, "Got it, Mom!"

An Junlie shook his head helplessly, too lazy to argue with her.

As soon as Ziye entered the washroom, Little Sprout zipped in after her, landing on her head. She was washing her face, and the sudden weight nearly sent her tumbling into the basin.

Her hands were wet, and she didn't want to soak its fluff, so she said, "Stop fooling around, get out."

Little Sprout absolutely refused, clinging to her hair and whispering conspiratorially, "Ziye, I have a secret to tell you."

Ziye was closing her eyes while washing her face, responding vaguely, "Go on."

Little Sprout leaned close to her ear, grinding its teeth, "Ziye, you have to watch out for the alien. He’s a liar, and a colossal scoundrel!"

Ziye was slightly surprised. "What bad things did he do?" "He wants to kill Douzai! And, he’s awful to me!" Little Sprout grew angrier the more it spoke. "Don't think he was just teasing me; that big bad guy was threatening me. He told me not to tell you anything, or he’d strip me naked. Tell me, how could he be so wicked?"

Ziye frowned upon hearing this. "He was quite nice to Douzai yesterday." Little Sprout flew into a rage, "Are you believing him or me?"

Ziye blurted out, "Of course I believe..." Believe who? She believed both of them. In her view, this was clearly just Little Sprout and An Junlie messing around.

Was it even at the level of believing or not believing?

Little Sprout saw her reaction and became even angrier. "Even you don't believe me?"

Ziye hastily assured it, "No, no, of course I believe you. You have to believe me too; I definitely won't let him just dispose of Douzai so easily."

"Hmph. That's more like it!" Little Sprout happily kissed her cheek and zipped out in a zigzag pattern.

After finishing her ablutions, Ziye left the washroom and immediately heard Little Sprout playing a recording of her voice, modified by itself: "Of course I believe you, the alien is a big jerk, I don't believe her at all!"

Ziye turned back to the washroom, splashed some water on her cheeks, and let out a soft breath. Sometimes, an overly intelligent doll was a real headache.

Unfortunately, no matter how much it fussed, An Junlie categorized its actions as: trivial antics from a small toy. He didn't take it seriously at all, which made Little Sprout even more frustrated. It flew angrily into the studio to stay with Douzai.

It had to watch Douzai; the alien must not succeed!

Ziye shrugged at An Junlie.

An Junlie smiled and pulled her down to sit, looking to be in excellent spirits. He accompanied her for breakfast and then took her temperature. Seeing it return to normal finally eased his mind, and he cautioned, "If you feel unwell in the future, you must rest immediately."

Ziye yawned lazily on the sofa, responding casually. "Alien, should I go to class today?"

She was permitted five days of rest, that was true.

But she felt much better—no fever, her stomach didn't ache, and her physical condition was good. Lying around at home felt like such a waste of time.

But she was so lazy.

An Junlie asked, "What classes do you have today?"

Ziye opened her schedule and scanned down the list. "Structural Reinforcement Theory. Propulsion Systems... Huh, there’s a Combat Class today."

An Junlie immediately cut in, "You are not allowed to attend the Combat Class."

Ziye rarely saw him use such a rigidly firm word as "not allowed." She shot him a sidelong glance. "Why?"

An Junlie patted her head. "You are in a special condition right now; your physical response time isn't as sharp as usual, and the Combat Class shows no mercy. Be good, wait until you feel better." Ziye hesitated. "But, this is Red Hair's class."

An Junlie raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Red Hair became a teacher?

An Junlie couldn't connect Red Hair with being a teacher in any way; that was too drastic a transformation. However, on second thought, he admired Red Hair even more.

People from Silver Sigil Star generally had prior records; to avoid recognition, they had to go by assumed names and start new lives under new identities.

Red Hair choosing the teaching profession was truly brilliant. Who would ever suspect the notorious pirate was a teacher on Kaga?

He certainly wouldn't suspect.

And he believed the vast majority of people who considered her a thorn in their side wouldn't either!

He gave Red Hair a silent thumbs-up. "Even if it's her class, you cannot go."

Ziye gave him a frustrated pinch and sent a message to Red Hair.

Red Hair exploded before she even finished listening, "You dare skip my very first class, old girl?"

Ziye feigned injury, "I don't want to, but I have a fever, and Madam Red is here too."

Red Hair held up a fist toward her, enunciating slowly, "Do you realize you are the only female student in my class? You do not have the right to skip class!"

Ziye scratched her head. "This..." She desperately wanted to say she was lucky she didn't go, or she wouldn't know how she died. But she couldn't say that in front of Red Hair, or she would surely die with excellent rhythm.

Despite her frustration, Red Hair didn't force Ziye to show up in person in the end, only ordering that she must watch the entire Combat Class session from start to finish.

Ziye immediately agreed and maximized the apartment’s virtual screen, positioning it against a blank section of the wall, found Red Hair's course, and waited for it to begin.

The Combat Class was scheduled for Kaga Fighting Arena No. 8, starting at 2:20 PM, lasting one hour and thirty minutes.

Ziye had spent the entire morning being lazy. Five minutes before class started in the afternoon, she signed in on the screen, then lazily sat on the sofa with An Junlie, listening to the lesson.

Red Hair stepped into the fighting arena right on time.

For her first class, to establish her image, she was dressed very much like a teacher.

Her hair was dyed gold and casually tied back, the ends flicking slightly with her movements. She wore a white button-down shirt, with the top two buttons undone, revealing tantalizing glimpses of her full chest. A slender, feminine tie was loosely knotted, its long end swaying gently.

To match her attire, she deliberately wore black, round, thick-rimmed glasses.

In short, she looked respectable.

As for the lower half, Ziye paid close attention. She wore tailored short trousers paired with the shirt, exposing two long, pale, exquisite legs. Thankfully, it wasn't a skirt; just as she was about to give a silent nod of approval, she saw Red Hair wearing 8cm high heels.

High heels for a Combat Class?

Ziye’s eye twitched. That was ruthless!

If she were teaching an ordinary course, fine. But to wear heels for this? Ziye had one hundred percent confidence in Red Hair’s combat ability; someone who could contend with An Junlie even during her cycle would be overwhelmingly powerful against students like these.

Combat Class had a long history on Kaga, as did the tradition that the teacher had to accept student challenges in the first lesson.

Only by winning over the students could one qualify as a Combat Class teacher.

Most previous Combat Class instructors were retired fighters from professional arenas or professional combat coaches who had changed careers—all of them imposing figures with iron arms and bronze fists. Thus, as soon as Red Hair appeared on the fighting floor, she was met with ridicule from the overwhelming majority of students.

In fact, there had been female combat instructors before, but never had a female teacher dared to dress like this entering the arena. Nor had any female teacher ever managed to win against challenges from an entire floor of muscle-bound men.

Ziye sat on the sofa. Watching the boys showing off slabs of muscle, and then looking at Red Hair, who resembled a little lamb, she felt a touch anxious. They looked so strong; was Red Hair really going to be fine?

What if they used a swarm tactic...

Ziye nervously squeezed her cushion, wishing she had gone to the class. This lesson was definitely more exciting to watch remotely than in person.

Red Hair took in the gazes of the men, sauntered to the center of the floor, and hooked her fingers with a faint smile. "Anyone who wants to challenge me, feel free to come forward!"

The moment the words left her mouth, two boys broke from the crowd and stood before her.

Red Hair struck a perfect pose for a photograph, giving them her most flattering angle, a smile playing on her lips. "Both of you, at once?"

That statement seemed grossly insulting.

One of the two boys’ faces flushed crimson, while the other was reacting to the jeers of the onlookers. Annoyed by Red Hair’s condescension, the second one snapped, "If I beat you today, you get lost far away from here. This is a fighting ground, not your fashion show!"

Red Hair laughed and tugged her tie. "Come on then."

One of the boys lunged forward, while the other subtly retreated.

The surrounding laughter grew louder. Someone shouted, "Hey girl, didn't you say two-on-one?"

Just as he spoke, the retreating boy stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud. Red Hair, while dodging an attack from the other boy, said to the fallen one, "Once you enter the battlefield, you cannot retreat, or you’ll be the one who falls."

With that, she delivered a kick that sent that boy sliding to the side.

This opening was spectacular, causing the surrounding boys to whistle enthusiastically. As soon as the whistles died down, the boy attacking her was also tripped by her foot; her 8cm heel landed precisely over his spine as she addressed the entire class, "Whether this is my show or not, you decide. Come on, who else wants to challenge me?" The two fallen boys weren't the weakest in the class; they were down in under three moves, which served as a resounding slap in the face to the watching crowd.

It turned out the little lamb of a teacher was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

The boys dared not hold any disrespect anymore. After she spoke, the two boys were already down. They started lining up to take turns.

A war of attrition seemed better than a swarm, but it drained stamina and will, requiring far greater capability than a group brawl.

Ziye’s eyes were fixed on Red Hair’s feet. Sometimes she genuinely couldn't figure out how Red Hair could maintain such perfect stability on high heels in any environment.

It was truly baffling!

Ziye wasn't the only one thinking that; the boys were terrified, constantly worried she might lose her footing, leading to a sickening crack as a spine snapped under her heel.

In under forty minutes, all the boys who had gone up were down, collectively lying on the ground looking up at Red Hair. Her hair had come loose during the fights, cascading down her back, and her smile was like that of a goddess.

She surveyed the group, her gaze landing on the only two people still standing—the twins. "Oh? Why aren't you two stepping up?"