In some contexts, Evolvers—whether guides or sentinels—were even referred to as a second gender.
Because guides and sentinels shared a unique, exclusive ability to "bond," there were even some R-rated phenomena like "bonding heat" associated with it. Not to mention the existence of "fated mates"—a one-in-a-million chance of finding the one person you were literally destined to love.
For the sake of marital stability, national law and social customs both favored matching guides and sentinels as lifelong partners.
A female sentinel could find a male guide, but the law equally supported her marrying a female guide.
As for whether same-sex pairings would lower birth rates?
Well, the Empire had a trump card for that!
—Three-person marriage.
…
Every time Vivienne Cross saw news about this, she found it utterly indecent, offensive to all sensibilities.
People online would call citizens like her, who found such things appalling, the "Feudal Traditionalists."
And not only that—Vivienne, the self-proclaimed feudal traditionalist, was also a firm heterosexual.
For the first gender, she only liked men.
For the second gender, she only liked guides.
As for the Jan Squire she ran into today…
Vivienne didn't want to be self-absorbed, but thanks to her mother's excellent gene-matching skills, and her own natural beauty, she'd rejected enough sentinels to develop an instinctive sensitivity to that subtle, hard-to-describe "sentinel interest."
She only hoped that Jan Squire's attention toward her was just her imagination.
She hated the mental bodies of other sentinels. Ultimate homophobia !!![1]
At 7 a.m., Vivienne's terminal woke her up.
The good news was that it was Friday—there were fewer classes today, and she would be free after just two sessions for the weekend.
The bad news was that when she checked the schedule, she almost blacked out: "Combat Techniques" and "Mental Control".
Vivienne put on the military academy uniform she had picked up from the dorm supervisor the night before, her mood heavy with dread. Following Tony Zane's advice, she chose the lightweight athletic version—well-fitted and sleek in design, clearly made for ease of movement.
The first class of the day was "Combat Techniques".
By the time Vivienne arrived at the gymnasium, there were already over a dozen students waiting.
Her only two acquaintances, Tony Zane and Jan Squire, hadn't arrived yet.
Vivienne quietly slipped into the crowd, angling her body casually so she wasn't facing anyone directly. Some students were chatting idly while waiting.
They glanced at her, finding her face unfamiliar—but after all, school had only been in session for a month. It was normal not to recognize everyone, and they continued gossiping.
"Did you hear? We've got a new student in our class. Yesterday, Tony Zane and the others put her in the hospital yesterday."
"Isn't it like a month into the semester? Military training's over, and she just shows up?"
"First thing she does is pick a fight and get injured? What's her background—so fierce?"
"I heard it was just an accident during basketball…"
"Accident? Come on, that's gotta be old grudges!"
The person in question twitched at the corner of her mouth, quietly reducing her sense of presence.
…
Class began.
The instructor was a tall, imposing woman, nearly 1.9 meters tall, with a perfectly toned, Barbie-warrior physique and a bright, confident smile. Her name was Milo.
Milo announced: "I already went over the rules on Monday. We'll stick to the previous groupings for training today."
"Alright, free practice to start—spread out!" She clapped her hands. "Oh, who's Vivienne Cross?"
The class scattered into groups like falling stars. Everyone got busy, punching and kicking away, but Vivienne could still feel many stealthy, curious glances aimed at her.
"…"
She raised her hand reluctantly. "That's me, ma'am."
"Ah, a potential star." Milo looked her up and down with interest. "Why are you joining so late, student? You missed military training."
Vivienne kept her answer vague. "Ran into some trouble on the way."
Sigh. If there hadn't been trouble, she'd probably be outside the school—not in it.
"No worries, no worries."
"Let's get a baseline assessment." Milo led her to a hanging sandbag, speaking encouragingly: "Come on, Vivienne. Hit this sandbag with everything you've got."
Vivienne: "…Alright."
…
Across the gym, Joey Yu threw a left hook at Bailey Tong:
"When Tony Zane knocked someone over yesterday, I didn't get a good look. So that's what the new student looks like~"
Tony Zane dodged Jan Squire's palm strike, sweeping his leg proudly: "Pretty, right? Any thoughts?"
Bailey Tong flitted around like a butterfly, keeping Joey Yu spinning in circles, while sighing: "One look at her face, and I know she's been through hardship."
…
Vivienne took a deep breath, clenched her fist, focused her core strength, and punched!
Slap!
The plump sandbag remained perfectly still.
No… upon closer inspection, it did sway ever so slightly.
"Wow…" Tony Zane exclaimed.
Jan Squire, who glanced over, subtly furrowed his brow. Her strength was actually that low?
Several other students who'd been secretly watching were also stunned.
"Vivienne, you…" Milo walked over, visibly surprised. "Hold on, let me check."
Despite her shock, Milo didn't jump to conclusions. Carefully, she lifted the sandbag, weighing it in her hands while muttering: "Nothing wrong with it. Same sandbag as usual…"
She couldn't help murmuring: "How did you even get admitted…"
Milo had only wanted to assess the new student's combat level. Who could've guessed her "level" was so profound…
Vivienne silently raised her reddened knuckles, showing she hadn't been slacking: "Miss Milo…"
"No worries, no worries." Milo snapped out of it, deciding to take another approach.
"Come on. Hit me with everything you've got." Vivienne sighed inwardly and did as told.
…
After a full set of strength, agility, and reaction assessments, Milo finally faced reality. She looked at Vivienne with concern. "Student, what are you going to do about your final exam this semester?"
Forget the finals—for now, even forming a training group was a problem.
Normally, students with comparable abilities trained together so they could learn from each other.
But in Vivienne's case, no one in the class was at her level—so low, in fact, that she'd drag any team down.
Even this set of "playground" tests had left Vivienne utterly exhausted. She adjusted her breathing silently.
If she were forced into a group, it might provoke resentment. No one liked carrying dead weight…
"Miss Milo." Just then, a brown-haired girl with glasses stepped forward—Bailey Tong.
"I'd like to team up with Vivienne." She smiled gently at Vivienne, who felt her heart soften.
Such a kind guide girl.
"Bailey Tong?" Milo looked surprised. "If you're willing to team up with her, that's great. But what about your original teammate?"
"How could you do this, Tong?" Joey Yu clutched her chest dramatically "Weren't I your favorite?"
Bailey Tong cooed, "There, there. I'm setting you free."
Joey Yu sighed theatrically. "Looks like I've been abandoned."
Jan Squire took two steps forward. "Miss Milo, I can team up with Vivienne too."
Tony Zane, still jogging in place to adjust his breathing, turned his head in confusion. "Huh?"
Jan Squire looked at him. "Tony, you can partner up with Joey Yu."
The total number of students wasn't even. Someone would inevitably have to join an existing pair to make a trio. They were all friends, so mixing things up wasn't an issue.
"The class monitor's willing to pair with the new student, too." Milo grinned "Even better."
"You two help Vivienne with her training. Her foundation is too poor Actually, there's no foundation at all. I can't tell which school she studied under." She patted Vivienne's thin shoulder. "Student, you've got a long way to go. You'd better work hard."
Vivienne:
"…"
[1] “Author’s note: No hate, folks! I’m just spicing up the plot — you’ll thank me later!”