Interlude

"My deepest apologies, Lord Ginias. I failed to save that position."

Norris, his right arm wrapped in blood-stained bandages, spoke to the man before him with a look of shame.

Ginias Sahalin, the current head of the Sahalin family to whom Norris had pledged his loyalty.

Though to call it a family, it consisted of nothing more than Ginias and his younger sister today.

This was the very reason why the once-illustrious Sahalin family had ended up on this battlefield in Southeast Asia.

Ginias intended to restore the Sahalin family through the grand project he had proposed himself.

Because of this, Norris, who considered himself a loyal retainer, could not accept that his failure might impact Ginias's plans.

"It is of no consequence. It is merely a minor loss. As long as the Apsalus succeeds, these losses will not matter."

Ginias, of course, would not punish his Norris over an insignificant artillery position.

"Go and rest properly. The test flight is about to commence. Without your escort, Aina would not be safe in the sky, would she?"

Ginias offered Norris a kindly smile and even reached out to personally tighten the bandages that Norris had failed to secure properly in his haste to apologize.

"Dong!"

Just as Ginias finished adjusting the dressing on Norris's right arm, the sound of the clock chiming the hour rang out.

"Creeeak..."

The sound of heavy wooden doors being pushed open echoed through the room.

"Brother, it is time for your medicine."

The person who entered was Aina, the very person Ginias had mentioned—the other member of the Sahalin family, his younger sister.

Aina was dressed in her standard uniform, carrying a tray with a glass of water and pills.

She came to a stop before Ginias and offered him a smile.

Her gaze then shifted to Norris, and upon seeing the wound on his right arm, her eyes filled with concern.

"Are you alright, Norris?"

Aina set the tray down on a side table and gently lifted Norris's right arm.

"I am fine, Miss Aina. It is but a trivial injury; it will certainly not hinder the Apsalus test flight mission. If you will excuse me, I shall head off to rest and recuperate."

Norris waited until Aina had finished her inspection and seemed at ease before taking his leave of the two.

Ginias nodded, and Aina waved at him.

Norris departed, leaving the space to the siblings.

Watching Norris leave the room, Aina turned back to look at her brother.

Ginias was currently sitting on the sofa, using the water from the side table to swallow his medication.

Aina walked over gracefully, sat down beside Ginias, and leaned against him.

"Brother's dream is about to come true."

Aina watched as Ginias swallowed the medicine and spoke.

"We are still far off, but at least we have taken the first step."

Ginias gently stroked Aina's short, practical hair.

Even though she had cut it short to make piloting an MS easier, Aina's hair still felt smooth and carried a feminine scent.

Just as Aina herself was a beauty, that essence remained unchanged by her appearance.

"How is the status of the Apsalus?"

As the lead of the Apsalus project, Ginias was naturally well aware of its status.

Yet, he asked Aina regardless.

To him, this was the way they shared their bond as siblings.

"Hmm~ everything is perfect, though the air conditioning doesn't seem to be working very well; I'm drenched in sweat."

Aina replied to her brother with a playful tone.

Until just a moment ago, she had been inside the cockpit of the Apsalus, assisting with the adjustments.

She had come straight here with the medicine after stepping out of the machine, without even changing her clothes.

"Is that so... please, bear with it a little longer. Changing it now would interfere with the test flight schedule."

Even when his sister made such a request, Ginias did not compromise, showing that his prioritization of the project outweighed his indulgence of her.

Aina did not continue to act spoiled.

She lay quietly against Ginias's chest, feeling the rhythm of his heartbeat.

All of this was Ginias's dream: to complete the Apsalus and revive the Sahalin family.

Precisely because of this, Ginias could not tolerate anyone else serving as the test pilot for the Apsalus; he would only feel at ease if his own sister were the one at the controls.

Aina had not a single complaint about this.

"All of this is as it should be."

Aina felt the weak heartbeat of Ginias, allowing the guilt within her heart to drown her as she obeyed his arrangements.

Shiro Amada put away the lady's pocket watch in his hand.

For some unknown reason, it had suddenly started ringing just now, disturbing Shiro's peaceful slumber.

This pocket watch rang at this time every day; it must be a time of great importance to her.

With this thought in mind, Shiro Amada did not tamper with the watch or cancel the alarm.

It was just that today was the day they had finally returned to base for rest, and Shiro Amada and the others were currently sleeping.

"How annoying. Is that from your girlfriend?"

Eli, who lived with Shiro Amada as a fellow officer, rubbed his eyes as he sat up in bed, teasing him.

Of course, Eli knew exactly what this pocket watch was about, but if he were to point it out directly, it would be far too shocking.

Moreover, there were things Eli still wanted to know.

Now that they had already participated in the battle against Zeon, what kind of feelings did Shiro Amada actually hold for Aina?

"Did I wake you? Sorry. This? Of course it's not from a girlfriend. How could I have the heart for such things in our current situation?"

Shiro Amada first apologized to Eli before answering his question.

"This is something a friend gave me. I might never see them again, so I keep it as a memento."

Shiro Amada looked at the pocket watch in his hand, his words tinged with regret.

What exactly was he regretting? Was it the regret of not being able to leave with Aina back then, or was he longing for the time they spent together, regardless of their opposing sides?

Eli did not press the matter further, instead climbing out of bed and putting on his uniform.

"Are you heading out?"

Seeing Eli like this, Shiro Amada asked.

"I'm going to prep my mobile suit. There's some equipment I want to use."

Eli had nothing to hide, so he told Shiro Amada directly.

"What is it?"

"A Beam Rifle."

"Why use that all of a sudden?"

Shiro Amada asked in confusion.

The Gundam Ground Type could also use a Beam Rifle, but a single rifle could only fire a dozen or so shots per battle before its energy was depleted, and it could not be recharged on the battlefield.

Furthermore, the Southeast Asia region was humid, and the precious Beam Rifles often suffered from various malfunctions.

Additionally, the heavy moisture affected firing accuracy to a certain extent, so such weapons were mostly kept in storage and rarely used.

Eli was naturally aware of these facts.

He turned his head and flashed a smile at Shiro Amada.

"Just call it my intuition."