Master Xiao Ran, Mental Mentor

Xiao Ran shook his head, deciding not to dwell on such profound matters for now. In a gentle voice, he comforted him, "Kira, you've really had it hard these past few days. But you don't need to be so upset. Whether you're a Coordinator or not, every hardship you've endured has been shared by your friends and companions. Like you, they're helping you fight aboard this ship. They worry about your safety and face the threat of life and death as well."

"So you're not fighting alone. You don't just represent yourself—you represent everyone on this ship: Tolle and the others, the people you saved and brought aboard, and the crew of the Archangel. So until we're safe, we have no other path to choose." As he spoke, Xiao Ran patted his chest self-mockingly and smiled. "Look, aren't I the same? I boarded the Archangel too. I may not be piloting a Gundam into battle, but I look much worse off than you. First I got shot, then my head got cracked open, and I was unconscious for a full two days. Don't you think I'm more pitiful than you?"

Kira slowly raised his head. Seeing Xiao Ran wrapped in bandages practically everywhere, he scratched his head awkwardly and couldn't help laughing. "Teacher, you really do look much worse than me."

"Haha!" Xiao Ran laughed heartily, only for a rumbling sound from his stomach to abruptly cut him off. He didn't seem embarrassed in the slightest and deliberately sighed. "Ah, I slept for two days. I haven't eaten in so long, yet I still have to go hungry while comforting my student. How pitiful."

"Ah..." Kira gave an embarrassed cry, hurriedly straightened up, and kicked off toward the door. He tapped a panel beside it, and the weightless room slowly began restoring normal gravity, allowing Xiao Ran to settle comfortably into his seat. Once he was done, Kira turned back and said before rushing out, "I'll go see what the cafeteria has right away."

Watching the door close after Kira left, Xiao Ran immediately felt his head begin to ache—not from the wound he had received, but from sheer annoyance.

He was worried the plot had changed too drastically, worried that Kira's nerves would snap sooner or later, and even more frustrated that he had slept for two whole days.

"Fortunately, nothing major changed while I was unconscious. Things are still moving along the original course. If my presence had changed the earlier events and Lacus never boarded the Archangel, that would have been ridiculous." Xiao Ran patted his face and let out a relieved breath.

Since the Archangel had left Artemis Fortress without receiving supplies, it would definitely head to Junius 7 to replenish its provisions, especially daily necessities.

"And since nothing much changed on the Archangel's side after I lost consciousness, there shouldn't be any discrepancy in timing either. That means encountering Lacus is inevitable."

Xiao Ran smiled leisurely. "The only two Coordinators aboard the Archangel should have plenty to talk about, right? As for Flay, she's also an important character. I can definitely trigger a side quest through her, though I can't be sure what it will be yet."

"Mu is another possible side quest on the Archangel. Preventing his disappearance in the final battle should count as one too, but that side quest will be difficult for me as well."

"And Bargyll... no, that's not quite right." As he thought, Xiao Ran shook his head slightly. "For every participant other than me, the concept of a plot simply does not exist. Getting Kira aboard the Archangel before, or helping the Archangel escape the Colony Satellite—both successfully triggered side quests. Does that mean maintaining the development of the plot to a certain degree also counts as a side quest?"

The door opened again, interrupting Xiao Ran's thoughts. When he turned his head, he found that it was not Kira, but Miriallia in a pink Earth Force uniform.

As soon as she entered, Miriallia stuck out her tongue cutely at Xiao Ran. Then she tilted her head and examined him from top to bottom. "Looks like Teacher is safe and sound now. And here I was, shedding so many tears for you."

"Heh, Kira already told me. Thank you for worrying about me." Xiao Ran smiled and stood, taking the tray full of food from Miriallia. Everything on it was simple, light, and easy to digest. It was obvious it had been specially prepared for him.

"It's only natural for me to worry about Teacher." Miriallia clasped her hands behind her back, a happy smile on her face. "If Teacher hadn't always been helping us, who knows what would have happened to us? But it's really wonderful that you're all right."

"Then it's only natural for me to help you as well." Xiao Ran smiled. "After all, I'm your teacher, aren't I?"

"Mhm!" Miriallia nodded vigorously. As the two chatted, Xiao Ran gradually filled his stomach.

After watching Xiao Ran finish eating, Miriallia began telling him about the confusion and fear in her heart. Xiao Ran patiently listened as the young girl vented, though inwardly he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Since when had he, Xiao Ran, become everyone's mental mentor? By the time he had thoroughly comforted the tearful Miriallia, several hours had passed since he woke up.

Other than eating, he had spent those several hours entirely on two confused youths. Just as he wanted to get up and walk around, he stepped out of the room and saw Mwu approaching alone. Upon seeing her, Xiao Ran gave a bitter smile and raised a hand to usher her into the room.

"Mr. Xiao Ran, are you still feeling unwell anywhere?" The two had barely taken their seats when Mwu asked with concern, before Xiao Ran could say anything.

Sensing the sincerity in her tone, Xiao Ran grew slightly more serious and smiled. "Thank you for your concern, Miss Lamias. I feel like I'm recovering quite well. My recovery ability has always been somewhat stronger than that of ordinary people."

"That's good. Seeing that you're all right puts my mind at ease." Mwu smiled and nodded, then spoke to Xiao Ran with a hint of apology. "Mr. Xiao Ran, thank you for persuading Lieutenant Kira to help us before, and for helping us resist ZAFT's attack at Heliopolis. You weren't even a soldier, yet you had to face something like that. In the end, you were seriously injured, and your students had to join the battle several times as well. I'm truly sorry."

Xiao Ran quickly waved his hands and replied politely, "Not at all. I was helping myself as well. If I hadn't done that under those circumstances, I probably wouldn't be sitting here talking to you right now. As for Kira, while I was the reason he joined the fight the first time, afterward, I think that like Miriallia and the others, he wanted to do something for this ship and the civilians aboard it."

"Yes. There are already many children their age on the battlefield, but making them go through a battle like this from the very start is indeed too much for them." Mwu sighed softly. Then she suddenly smiled and looked directly at Xiao Ran. "What about you, Mr. Xiao Ran? You also have the ability to do something for your students and the civilians aboard this ship. Are you willing to be like Kira and the others?"

Mwu's words happened to align with Xiao Ran's intentions. To complete Main Mission Two, he had to choose a faction to join, and the only one he could naturally join was the Archangel. Yet seeing Mwu's faintly pleading expression now, so different from how she had pointed a gun at him before, Xiao Ran couldn't help wanting to tease her.

"Me?" Xiao Ran raised an eyebrow and slowly leaned forward, bringing his face close to Mwu's in a mischievous manner. He asked softly, "What do you think someone in my condition can do?"

"Mm..." Mwu reflexively straightened her back, putting a little more distance between herself and Xiao Ran. For some reason, her face had turned slightly red. When she saw Xiao Ran burst into laughter as though his prank had succeeded, she turned her head away irritably. "Mr. Xiao Ran, please don't make jokes like that in the future."

Seeing Mwu's somewhat bashful expression as she tried to remain composed, Xiao Ran's heart couldn't help thumping twice. Still, he did nothing more excessive and merely smiled helplessly. "I didn't mean to make a joke."

Mwu was stunned by Xiao Ran's noncommittal words. She was not like Xiao Ran—she knew absolutely nothing about him. Her flushed face just now had merely been a woman's instinctive reaction; it was not as though her heart had raced because of him. Xiao Ran, on the other hand, knew quite a bit about Mwu. In the anime, she could be considered the sort of woman people called a goddess. It was perfectly understandable for his heart to skip a beat.

If Xiao Ran had merely transmigrated into this world, he certainly would not have objected to something happening between them. He might even have pursued her proactively. But now, even his life did not fully belong to him. Knowing that he would struggle and fight through one world after another, he was unwilling to leave his feelings behind in this world, because he understood that he would inevitably leave it.

Xiao Ran smiled free and easy, changing the subject. "Miss Lamias, honestly, what do you think I can do to help? I can't pilot an MS as well as Kira. I know nothing at all about bridge duties such as CIC work, and I certainly can't do maintenance work. I don't understand why you hope I can help you."

Instead of answering Xiao Ran's question, Mwu posed one of her own. "Mr. Xiao Ran, if someone were pursuing you from behind, and two paths lay before you—one seemingly full of danger and long in distance, while the other was close and safe, with ample supplies available—which would you choose?"

The moment Xiao Ran heard Mwu's words, he understood what she meant. He inwardly sighed, realizing that the events at Artemis appeared to have left a very deep impression on her.

Xiao Ran said, "I know what you mean. For an ordinary person, under those circumstances, Artemis—with its ample supplies—would naturally be the first choice. But someone who could resolve to make even a neutral Colony Satellite collapse in order to obtain the final MS, or to sink the Archangel, was certainly no simple character. If your choice was the normal one, then it was equally normal for such an opponent to predict your route."

"If I hadn't been unconscious at the time..." Xiao Ran looked at Mwu and spoke leisurely. "I would have advised you to head toward the Moon Base, then change course midway and resupply at the Debris Belt. Junius 7 and the wreckage of countless warships are there. You could have obtained more than enough supplies. Instead of going to Artemis, that is. That way, the enemy definitely wouldn't have been able to guess our route."

"The Debris Belt?" Mwu stared at Xiao Ran, stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly. "If I hadn't agreed to let you enter the bridge back then, you wouldn't have been unconscious for so long, and we wouldn't have ended up taking such a detour. Our current route is precisely toward the Debris Belt. The ship's supplies were already scarce, and Kira brought back so many civilians that our resources became tight all at once—water in particular. If we don't resupply soon, we may die of thirst in space before we even reach the Moon Base."

Xiao Ran merely smiled upon hearing Mwu's words, though inwardly he gave a bitter smile. I only said that because I know how the plot unfolds. If I knew nothing, I wouldn't have said anything like that.