When Xiao Ran brought Stella and the other two into Orb, he did not wear the mask he usually kept on. A masked person walking through Orb's streets would only draw more attention, but if Xiao Ran simply walked out onto the streets like this, being surrounded by onlookers would be inevitable.
Although Xiao Ran had not appeared in Orb for two years in this world, photos of him could be found everywhere. Especially now, when most of Orb's civilians opposed Cagalli, Xiao Ran was known to everyone even without those photos. There was no one in all of Orb who did not recognize him. Not to mention that a statue of him still stood on Orb's main island. If he went out without any disguise, news of his return would spread throughout Orb before long.
So Xiao Ran still found a mask and put it over his face. Compared to a proper mask, a face mask was far more common and ordinary. People often used them for allergies, colds, illnesses, and the like. It could also serve the same purpose as a mask: concealment.
By the time the four of them entered Orb, roadside news broadcasts were already reporting that an Earth Force fleet had appeared beyond Orb's territorial waters. Orb had yet to issue any notification or warning, casting the entire nation beneath a suffocating atmosphere of worry and fear. More than anything, there was confusion about both the present and the future, as well as dread of war. Groups of people gathered before display screens across Orb's cities, silently watching the news.
Wearing a face mask that hid his identity from everyone, Xiao Ran stood among the crowd and watched as well. Stella, Orro, and Sting stood behind him like guards, though unlike Xiao Ran's calmness, the