You Said You Didn't Want to Be Here

" N o r r i s, l e t h i m g o . . . "

As Norris faced off against the two Gundams, a voice came through the comms and sent a chill through him.

"Miss Aina, what are you...?"

At this distance, they could establish a video link.

Norris quickly noticed that Aina had removed her helmet, revealing her short, silvery-white hair.

For a moment, Norris remembered what Miss Aina had looked like as a little girl, with her long hair.

Back then, Aina had been like a real doll. Anyone who saw her for the first time would have wanted to protect her.

When had that adorable doll put on a military uniform?

"Norris, I knew it. I'm not cut out to be a pilot. I don't want to be here at all. Weapons that can so easily take other people's lives have nothing to do with me..."

Aina was smiling, but how could Norris, who had watched her grow up, fail to see the strain and sorrow in her eyes?

"Aina..."

"Shiro Amada was supposed to be a Federation pilot. Why did he help me back then? I can't make sense of this war between Zeon and the Federation anymore."

Seeing that Aina couldn't stop once she started talking, Norris finally realized just how much psychological pressure she had been under all this time.

Her brother had shackled her life, going against her wishes and trapping her inside this killing machine.

He should have noticed sooner.

"Whether it's my brother's expectations or Shiro's invitation, I don't want to let either of them down. Tell me, Norris, can you teach me what to do...?"

Aina's smile was so strained that all Norris could do was part his lips, only to find he couldn't utter a single sound.

What was he supposed to say? He had watched over Aina as she grew up and thought of himself as her elder, yet he hadn't even noticed what was in her heart.

Then Norris's pupils contracted.

An alert sounded in the cockpit.

It wasn't a lock-on warning. It was notifying him that an allied cockpit was opening.

Even from this distance, Norris could see Aina's slender figure against the Apsalus. Beside the massive machine, she looked like someone trapped in a monster's jaws.

"Shiro, catch me."

There was no dramatic leap. Her figure drifted down toward the depths of the ravine like a leaf blown off by the wind!

"Miss Aina!"

Norris cried out in shock.

But just then, his mobile suit shuddered violently.

He immediately turned to look. The Ground Type Gundam he was holding had punched the Gouf in the head and broken free.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Gundam leaped away from the Apsalus and even fired its thrusters to dive downward!

"Shiro! That guy..."

Eli watched as Shiro, who hadn't responded and had probably been knocked unconscious when the Gouf kicked him down, came to at just that moment and began leaping down as if he didn't care whether he lived or died.

But more importantly, Eli immediately aimed his gun at the Gouf, intending to finish it off in one shot and then go help Shiro Amada.

However, the Gouf followed the Ground Type Gundam down in a dive.

"One after another... Sanders, get to the Apsalus cockpit. Make sure that thing doesn't crash!"

As he gave the order, Eli moved his mobile suit to the edge of the Apsalus, crouched, and raised his Beam Rifle to aim at the diving Gouf.

"Aina!"

"Miss Aina!"

Eli was momentarily stunned by the overlapping roars of two men.

Only Shiro Amada should have been on the comms, yet he could hear Norris's voice too.

Was this a Newtype ability? He'd never heard someone so clearly before.

"If you don't want to be here, then I'll take you away! Zeon, the Federation—I don't care! We'll leave here, leave this place behind!"

Shiro Amada's roar seemed to echo across the entire battlefield.

But Aina, right in front of his mobile suit, remained unmoved, letting the unpredictable winds in the ravine toss her around.

Shiro Amada abruptly shoved the control stick forward.

The force drove the mobile suit's arms forward as well!

It cupped its hands, as if catching a falling dead leaf, and shielded Aina's body between them.

Then Shiro Amada opened the cockpit without hesitation, braced himself against the gale, and reached out to touch Aina.

He pulled her into his arms, leaned back, and returned to the cockpit.

The cockpit sealed shut, blocking out the wind and sheltering them together.

"Hang on, Aina. I'm getting you out of here right now!"

Shiro Amada placed his hands back on the control stick.

But the Ground Type Gundam had been in free fall for too long, and it had even accelerated with its thrusters. It might not have enough distance left to slow itself down with reverse thrust.

"Clang!"

Suddenly, the mobile suit jolted and gained extra lift, slowing its descent.

"So that's what..."

Eli slowly lowered the cockpit's sighting device, his expression complicated as he watched the scene on the screen.

The Gouf had thrown away its shield and braced its left arm beneath the Ground Type Gundam's armpit. At the same time, it fired all its thrusters, applying reverse thrust alongside the Gundam.

That way, both mobile suits could land safely.

"Sanders, take control of the Apsalus. I'm going down to have a look."

With that, Eli also piloted his mobile suit off the ledge and down below.

As he slowed his descent with short bursts from his thrusters, he had already figured out why Aina had done this.

She didn't want to let Shiro or her brother down. The only thing she could do was decisively cast everything aside and free herself from it all.

It might have seemed like an act of running away, but for a caged bird, it was the choice least likely to hurt anyone.

By the time Eli reached the ground, the two mobile suits had separated.

The Ground Type Gundam was still standing at the bottom of the ravine and didn't seem too badly damaged.

But black smoke poured from the Gouf. Its engine had clearly blown, leaving it unable to fight.

"...So you're Shiro Amada..."

As Eli approached, he happened to hear the two men talking over the comms.

"I am."

"I see... I failed in my duty as a retainer. I couldn't see what was in Miss Aina's heart. Can you keep your promise and take her away from this war?"

"I can."

Norris didn't spare Eli's arrival so much as a glance. His eyes were fixed solely on the man Miss Aina had fallen for.

"I see. That's a relief..."

Then the Gouf stepped forward once more, slowly approaching the two Ground Type Gundams.

"Don't—"

"Vmmm!"

Before Shiro Amada could finish speaking, a pink beam came from above and struck the Gouf.

The shooter was skilled. They had completely avoided any chance of detonating the nuclear reactor, piercing only through the cockpit and out through the upper back.

"Who was that!"