After Dropping Out, I Started Raising Little Monsters [Interstellar]

Three years ago, Shui Xi made history as the first specially admitted student in the mecha program at the First Military Academy, thanks to her S-rank mental strength.

Three years later, unable to improve her mecha synchronization rate, Shui Xi made history again: the academy advised her to withdraw.

Amid the mocking eyes of everyone around her, the former genius left the Imperial Capital Star with a lonely look on her face. No one cared where Shui Xi would go, carrying the shame of being forced out of school.

Then came the year the Zerg launched a full-scale invasion, driving the Federation forces back at every turn. A figure long since forgotten rode a terrifying beast across the sea of stars, bringing a glimmer of hope.

Shui Xi: "Hey, will you feed me if I help you fight?"

Everyone: "!! Yes! And not just food, we'll even throw in a full-body massage!"

From Shui Xi's perspective:

She'd been living a quiet retirement on an agricultural planet when her biological father and stepmother, who were both absolutely awful, used her grandfather's illness to force her to the Imperial Capital Star and marry her off to a disabled member of the Wen family in her younger sister's place.

If she had to marry into the family, fine. As long as there was somewhere to eat and raise pets. But one aptitude test thrust her into the spotlight.

The Federation had never seen an S-rank mental strength before. She was admitted without taking an exam, and the country bumpkin from an agricultural planet became the hottest rising star in the Imperial Capital overnight.

Even her useless fiancé was suddenly replaced by a promising colonel from the Wen family.

Shui Xi: "So nobody's going to ask what I think, huh?"

She'd deal with whatever came her way. Shui Xi had planned to stick it out until her grandfather recovered and then leave, but she discovered she and mechas were simply not meant for each other.

She couldn't improve her synchronization rate, and then her grandfather passed away. To outsiders, being advised to withdraw was a humiliation. To Shui Xi, it meant life could finally return to normal.

She could raise little monsters for fun, hatch monster eggs now and then, and livestream her pack of bad-tempered fluffballs. Shui Xi not only supported herself, she raised the little ones until their coats gleamed and their bellies were round and plump.

Just after she finished dealing with the family members who still wanted to squeeze every last bit of value out of her, war between the Zerg and the Federation erupted in full. Traffic to her livestream plummeted, her little monsters were starving and squeaking, and Shui Xi was so worried she nearly lost all her hair.

Looking at the little monsters, now all grown up, Shui Xi waved a hand.

I raised you when you were babies. Now you're adults, so you can hunt for yourselves. The Zerg are all-you-can-eat, and they go crunch when you bite them.

The cute little monsters transformed into savage beasts the size of starships. Carrying their keeper, they flew toward freedom and a feast, leaving the Federation army, experts at dealing with the Zerg, utterly astounded.

Theme: Gold will always shine.