Heartbeat

(Sorry, I forgot to update. My apologies.)

Xiao Ran glanced at Cruze, then turned and nodded at the soldiers. Soon, the civilians who had been waiting were organized by the soldiers, lined up to be scanned and checked by the sweating ZAFT soldiers. After their identities were registered, they boarded one by one. Seeing the smiles on the civilians' faces, Xiao Ran, standing by, couldn't help but show a sincere smile.

Until all the civilians had boarded the shuttle, Cruze hadn't seen the Lacus that Xiao Ran mentioned. He asked directly, "We have taken in all the civilians as agreed. Where is Lacus Clyne, who you are supposed to return?"

"One moment." Xiao Ran turned and walked towards the soldiers. As Xiao Ran walked, Cruze's body tensed slightly, but he relaxed when he saw Xiao Ran simply take a communicator from a soldier.

"Kira, it's time." After speaking into the communicator, Xiao Ran returned to stand before Cruze. "Lacus Clyne will be handed over to the pilot of the Aegis Gundam after you leave the Archangel. That should be acceptable, right?"

Cruze looked at Xiao Ran, tilted his head with a smile, and turned to board the shuttle. "Of course."

Watching the white shuttle depart, Xiao Ran walked back to the quarantine door and stood beside Mwu, who had been hiding behind him. "The job is done."

Mwu recalled Cruze's decisive departure and asked, puzzled, "He just leaves like that, trusting us to return Lacus to them?"

Xiao Ran thought for a moment, shrugged, and chuckled, "As long as he makes a show of it, whether we return Lacus or not is irrelevant to him."

Mwu asked, confused, "Why?"

Xiao Ran replied, "I don't think he cares about Lacus's life at all. It would probably be even better for him if we didn't return Lacus, giving him a legitimate reason to mobilize more ZAFT forces to eliminate us. You know, Lacus's father is currently the leader of the peace faction in PLANT, and to some extent, he's been holding ZAFT back."

Mwu fell silent for a moment, perhaps understanding Cruze's thinking. If Lacus were on the Archangel, or if something happened to her on the Archangel, the peace faction might turn into a fanatical war faction. Once PLANT united, the current Earth forces would truly be no match.

Shaking her head, her flowing long hair flying, Mwu said, "I'll head back to the bridge. Once Kira and Mu return, we'll leave this star sector and head to the rendezvous point with the Eighth Fleet. At that point, we can officially discharge you and Kira from the Archangel."

"Is it really that easy?" Xiao Ran shook his head and smiled, but didn't say anything further. Leaving the hangar and returning to the living quarters, he found the usually lively area now quiet. The civilians who had been bored and gathered in twos and threes, chatting or playing cards, were gone. The entire Archangel suddenly felt much emptier.

More than ten minutes later, the Strike Gundam and Moebius Zero returned to the Archangel. After a noticeable tremor, the Archangel's thrusters were fully engaged, and it left the star sector at maximum speed. Perhaps it was because Lacus and the civilians had occupied the ZAFT forces, but after the Archangel left, there was no sign of ZAFT pursuing them.

Upon returning to the Archangel, Kira immediately went to his room and stayed there for a whole day, refusing to come out no matter who called. He only returned to normal the next day.

Three full days passed uneventfully. In everyone's eyes, the Archangel was no longer being pursued by enemies, and the ship had shed a huge burden. They would soon rendezvous with the Eighth Fleet. Although it had become a bit quieter, overall, things were quite good, filled with joy and relief. However, in such an atmosphere, at least two and a half people felt out of place.

The first was Kira. With Lacus gone, the ship had lost someone who truly understood him, someone who could guide and comfort him. Kira felt like a piece of him was missing. When he handed Lacus over to Athrun, he had refused Athrun's request to leave together. But after returning to the Archangel, accustomed to chatting with Lacus, he now had to bear that loneliness alone, which made him very uncomfortable. He also didn't know what kind of treatment he would receive from the Eighth Fleet after meeting them, whether his civilian status would be reinstated, or if he would continue to pilot the Strike Gundam. If he could, with no one he cared about on this ship, he truly wished he could just leave, either returning to Orb's homeland or heading to PLANT.

The second person was Frey. Having lost her father, she spent every day silently in her room, her expression sometimes struggling, sometimes pained, or even ferocious. Frey felt no sense of relief; only heaviness, sadness, and hatred. She would look at everyone who appeared before her with deep, lost eyes, and stare at Kira with hateful eyes, piercing Kira's already lonely heart once more.

As for the last half person, it was Xiao Ran. He would joke and relax with everyone, but he spent most of his time on the virtual training machine in the hangar, diligently training his piloting skills and sweating. Perhaps due to the increase in proficiency, Xiao Ran found himself becoming more skilled with D-class units, making fewer operational errors, and even performing actions that previously required intense concentration with ease.

However, in terms of proficiency, after several days of training, his piloting skill proficiency had surprisingly only increased by three points and then stopped moving. His Space Combat Proficiency was slightly better, stuck at 49 and showing no further progress. Knowing he had hit a bottleneck, Xiao Ran stopped wasting time on virtual training.

Upon returning to his room and tidying himself up, Xiao Ran was summoned to the bridge by Mwu. As soon as he entered the bridge, he heard Bargyll hum softly. Seeing her feigned displeasure despite clearly having accepted the situation instantly amused Xiao Ran.

Although Bargyll often clashed with Xiao Ran, Xiao Ran held no ill will towards her. He knew what kind of person Bargyll was: outwardly cold but inwardly warm, with an undeniable military bearing in her words and actions. She was dedicated to her work and sternly upheld military principles, naturally disapproving of Xiao Ran's actions that deviated from those of a professional soldier. It wasn't just Xiao Ran; even the nonchalant Mu received similar treatment and frequent reprimands.

Especially after Xiao Ran took it upon himself to return Lacus to ZAFT, although Bargyll understood the gravity of the situation and tacitly approved of Xiao Ran's actions—after all, the civilians on the ship and the Archangel could not be lost, and it was also for the sake of rescuing the army—she still had some reservations about Xiao Ran's approach.

Of course, she wasn't the one who had turned Lacus into a bargaining chip, so she wouldn't know that this was originally something she, Bargyll, was supposed to do. In her heart, she probably knew that Xiao Ran's actions were not wrong at all, but for some reason, Bargyll simply disliked Xiao Ran, who talked more than he acted. More importantly, whenever she argued with Xiao Ran, she never won, only ending up infuriated.

It had to be said that even a soldier with superb professional ethics was still, after all, a woman. Sometimes, a woman's displeasure towards a man, regardless of what he had done, would still lead to displeasure.

Hearing Xiao Ran's voice, Mwu looked up and smiled at him. "You're here. We've already rendezvoused with the Eighth Fleet."

"We've rendezvoused?" Xiao Ran turned in surprise. Outside the reinforced glass window, a massive fleet composed of warships flashing red and yellow lights was almost within sight. Their steel bodies, arranged in rows, appeared before Xiao Ran's eyes, a sight far more impressive than any single or two warships could provide.

"Yes, General Harborton will be coming to the Archangel soon." Mwu's expression seemed happy, and her tone was filled with joy. "After all, it was General Harborton who strongly pushed for this project, and he's very much looking forward to the Archangel and the Strike Gundam. General Harborton also specifically requested to meet you and the students from the Industrial University."

"Yes, it's only right to meet Kira and the others, as they've put in a lot of effort." Xiao Ran nodded with a smile, appearing relaxed. "So, does meeting the Eighth Fleet mean we're free?"

"I've explained your situation to the General. The General will personally come aboard later to announce your arrangements, but the possibility of you leaving is very high." Mwu smiled gently, paused, and then lowered her head. "That... Xiao Ran..."

Xiao Ran looked at Mwu curiously, feeling his heart race a little. "Yes?"

Mwu suddenly looked up, shook her head with a smile, and said, "It's nothing... I just wanted to ask where you'd like to go if you leave."

Xiao Ran opened his mouth, lowered his head, and rubbed his nose. He casually said, "Probably back to Orb, or maybe become a teacher."

Upon hearing Xiao Ran's answer, Mwu looked at him and smiled softly. "Orb... Yes, being a teacher would indeed suit your personality."

"Right? I've always thought so too." Xiao Ran felt that Mwu was exuding an alluring aura at that moment, making his heart pound uncontrollably. He gazed deeply at Mwu, as if trying to imprint her in his heart, then forced himself to look away.

As if sensing Xiao Ran's abrupt movement, Mwu stood up, her full figure swaying, causing Xiao Ran to hold his breath, as if afraid his breathing would disturb her.

Mwu looked at Xiao Ran's somewhat flustered expression, felt inexplicably pleased, and with a slight smile, said something before turning to leave the bridge. "Time is short, I have other matters to attend to."

Xiao Ran nodded lightly. "Okay."

"Wait for me, Captain." Bargyll also stood up and floated after Mwu.

Only when the elevator doors closed did Xiao Ran shake his head and sigh, mocking himself. "No way, I'm not interested in popular figures like Lacus, but I'm developing feelings for Mwu? Is this what happens when you reach my age? Sigh, I feel like my brain is malfunctioning from being cooped up for too long, how pathetic. But if Mwu knew we couldn't actually disembark, her expression would be quite interesting, wouldn't it?"