Cagalli and Flay

January 27, CE 71, approximately 13:30 standard time.

Flay, still groggy from her nap, was jolted awake by the loud shouting of her "roommate."

"Damn it! Take that! Hit him! Yes! Finally cleared it!"

"Cagalli, you're too loud!"

Faced with Flay's morning grumpiness, Cagalli stepped out of the simulator, beaming. She looked as though she had just fought a major battle, drenched in sweat. She scratched her short blonde hair like a boy and offered a cheerful apology to Flay.

"Sorry, sorry, my bad, Flay. I finally took down that insane boss who summons twelve magic orbs with a single wave of his hand. I got a little too excited and lost track of things. Wow, I'm sweating a lot. I need to take a shower. You don't need it right now, do you, Flay?"

"Please, go ahead."

Once she had Flay's permission, Cagalli impatiently began stripping to prepare for her shower. Watching her roommate reveal a figure that was actually quite well-endowed, Flay couldn't help but "remind" her.

"Please undress inside the bathroom and put your clothes properly in the laundry basket!"

Watching her roommate laugh sheepishly as she scurried into the bathroom in just her undergarments, and listening to the sound of the shower starting, Flay couldn't help but reflect on the roller-coaster events of the past few days.

It had only been two or three days, so why did it feel more profound than the life she had lived since the war began nearly a year ago?

Come to think of it, that morning, she had been leisurely shopping with her friends and being teased about her relationship with Sai. Looking back, the mysterious woman in sunglasses who demanded they make way had left a deeper impression; she was likely one of the people who participated in the battle later, wasn't she?

Then there was Kira, the admirer specifically mentioned by Lord Luther. Thinking back carefully, he seemed to be a friend of the boyfriend of Miriallia, a senior from her club. Hadn't she once remarked that he was cute when they met?

The sequence of events that followed was now a blur in her memory.

She felt dizzy as she followed everyone to evacuate, eventually ending up in a shelter filled with strangers amidst the chaotic crowd. She couldn't remember how long she had spent waiting in fear before being ejected from Heliopolis amidst a dizzying red light. Then, just as everyone in the escape pod panicked over a suspected malfunction, they were rescued, and upon exiting the pod, they found themselves on this warship called the Gwameir.

Although there were strange mobile suits, since the ones who rescued her were non-humanoid mobile armors, she had tentatively tried using her father's name to get the unfamiliar soldiers to take her to him. However, her father's name, which had always worked in the past, seemed to have lost its effectiveness.

After finally waiting for Lord Luther, who was in charge, she was intimidated by his malicious teasing, and at the time, she had truly thought they had encountered space pirates.

Fortunately, she soon saw the "Celestial Being Declaration," and her roommate Cagalli helped explain it. Although she didn't understand the "ideals" or "future" Cagalli spoke of, she at least understood that "Celestial Being" were not bad people. Moreover, life on the Gwameir was comfortable, the living quarters were well-equipped, and she felt she had even gained a little weight from eating too much and moving too little over the past few days!

Now that she had accepted the fact that Heliopolis had completely collapsed, she could only comfort herself by thinking of this as a vacation. The environment was even better than the business class she had taken to Heliopolis, so there was really nothing to complain about.

Not only did she and Cagalli seem to receive special treatment—staying in a double room meant for officers rather than the four- or eight-person rooms for civilians—but the "Celestial Being" soldiers she occasionally encountered in the living area while they were off-duty were also very polite, feeling even more reliable than the Earth Alliance soldiers who had escorted her in the past.

Her roommate, Cagalli, was also a very decent person, even if she was a bit strange.

When they were first "escorted" to this room by "Celestial Being" soldiers, she had mistaken Cagalli, who was wearing a hat and men's clothing, for a boy, which had caused quite a scene. But that was all Cagalli's fault!

Judging by her dining etiquette and daily habits, she was undoubtedly a peer who had received an elite education, yet she deliberately acted boisterous and tried to lean toward being a boy, which was why she had misidentified her!

Furthermore, when it came to hobbies, she had no interest in perfume, fashion, or cosmetics, but she was obsessed with the game simulator in this officer's quarters, challenging it whenever she had free time. What was so fun about all that killing and fighting?

However, thanks to Cagalli's analysis and explanations, she had gradually calmed down from her initial panic. According to the "hints" from Lord Luther that Cagalli helped analyze, she would be able to see her father in another week.

When that time came, she would definitely have a good talk with her father about this roommate who was full of mysteries yet felt like her father in certain ways.

In short, she was quite satisfied with life on the Gwameir. If she had to name one grievance, it was the cosmetics. Although she had tentatively made a request to the management staff and quickly received free supplies, every brand, while looking high-end, was one she had never seen before, and they were produced in a place called Zum City that she had never heard of.

Fortunately, they worked quite well, though it was a pity that her request to try more styles on Cagalli had been rejected—it was a shame, as Cagalli actually had a good foundation.

While Flay sat on the bed with her knees pulled up, mentally critiquing her roommate, Cagalli finished her quick shower and stepped out, wiping herself with a towel while still in her undergarments.

"Ah, that feels much better. Flay, after clearing the highest difficulty in the game, the simulator gave me a prompt saying, 'Please consult the staff to unlock more content.' I'm planning to go ask someone about it. Are you coming with me?"

"No. I plan to take a bath and then go browse the clothing store in the living area. I don't know why, but it seems I have quite a lot of points available for spending. Also, please get dressed before coming out!"

Although it had only been two or three days, similar conversations had already occurred more than once.

Regarding Flay's refusal and "complaints," Cagalli didn't seem to care at all; she simply changed into the free-issue, rankless military casual wear of the Principality of Zeon and waved goodbye as she left the room.

"Honestly, not ladylike at all."

Flay complained, picking out a 'trophy' she had selected that morning before walking toward the washroom.

She tossed her own discarded clothes along with Cagalli's into the washing machine equipped with automatic drying and ironing functions, and after a quick rinse, she curled up with her knees to her chest, soaking in the reasonably sized bathtub.

As the warm water enveloped her entire body, Flay's thoughts began to unfurl along with her skin.

"I wonder how Sai and the others are doing right now."