Graduation Season

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was September 20th.

Eno Kamal and the others reached their graduation ceremony.

During this particular period, the graduation ceremony at the ZAFT Military Academy was quite grand.

In truth, it was easy to understand why.

Because the ZAFT military urgently needed to re-prove its strength to the citizens of PLANT.

Following the Bloody Valentine tragedy in C.E. 69.

The ZAFT military had expanded significantly as many hot-blooded youths volunteered to enlist, but ironically, this expanded ZAFT military had been weakened in many ways for a time.

The reason was that in every battle, many recruits were injured and discharged, and there were not a few instances where entire units were wiped out in high-intensity combat.

Even for Coordinators, who possessed superior physical abilities due to genetic modification, they could not fully utilize their potential without relevant military training.

This was also the reason why Eno Kamal and his batch of pilots only had one year of training time.

It was not that the school did not want to give them more time; it was simply that ZAFT could only afford to give them one year.

The ZAFT military graduation ceremony was not actually much different from any other.

The only difference might have been the speakers on stage and the high status of the guests attending the ceremony.

For example, the speaker, Minister of Defense Patrick Zala.

Chief of Staff Natarle, who attended in her capacity as Chief of Staff; the Nebula Medal recipient Rau Le Creuset, wearing his white uniform and mask; and Lacus Clyne, the idol of the nation representing Siegel Clyne.

In addition to these, there were other members of the Supreme Council dressed in purple uniforms.

On the stage, Patrick Zala was delivering his speech.

Sitting in the front row below were Athrun Zala and the others in their red uniforms; naturally, Eno Kamal was among them.

However, unlike the focused targets of Athrun Zala and the others.

Eno Kamal's gaze was primarily fixed on Rau Le Creuset and Lacus Clyne.

It was his first time seeing them in person.

Seemingly noticing his gaze, both Lacus Clyne and Rau Le Creuset nodded toward this side with faint smiles.

Of course, Eno Kamal himself could not be certain whether they were nodding at him or at Athrun Zala and the others beside him, though it seemed likely to be the latter.

After all, Athrun Zala appeared to be a member of the Le Creuset Team, and Lacus Clyne was Athrun Zala's fiancée.

It had to be said that as a leader of the Zala Faction and a pioneer of the establishment of PLANT.

Patrick Zala's talent for speech was quite high; one only had to look at the students below the stage, who looked as if they had been injected with adrenaline, to know how formidable his oratorical skills were.

The graduation ceremony proceeded quickly.

In no time at all, it reached its conclusion.

By noon, everything had settled.

"Cheese!"

"Click!"

In front of the Military Academy gates, accompanied by the sound of a crisp shutter, eight youthful, vibrant faces were frozen in time by the camera.

Looking at the photograph in his hand, Eno Kamal felt a complex mix of emotions.

Athrun Zala, Yzak Joule, Nicol Amalfi, Dearka Elsman, Rusty Mackenzie, Michelle Aiman, Giles Arthur—

These were the seven from his memories, but now, he had added himself, Eno Kamal.

Six in red uniforms and two in green...

"I suppose I'm an intruder here, but why the Le Creuset Team?"

Eno Kamal, who roughly knew the flow of the plot, actually did not want to join the Le Creuset Team.

Although he himself had once thought about defecting from the Archangel, that was just a thought.

Because the actual feasibility was too low.

In the midst of battle, if an enemy soldier ran up and told you, "I'm one of yours," would you guess that the other side might just blow your head off?

Unless he could infiltrate that neutral colony in advance and provide them with intelligence, but unfortunately, that was impossible.

After all, he was a spy, and an exposed one at that; they would never let him act alone until they had gained enough trust in him.

In fact, if he showed even the slightest sign of being compromised, he might end up sacrificing himself as a martyr.

But why would they let him join the Le Creuset Team?

The Le Creuset Team was an elite squad, and the missions they were responsible for were all extremely important.

Under these circumstances, letting a spy like him tag along... Was it to monitor him? Or to test him? Or perhaps both?

"What do you mean by 'intruder'?"

Just then, Nicol Amalfi suddenly leaned in from the side.

"It's nothing."

Eno Kamal collected his thoughts and tucked the photograph away.

Whatever the purpose behind ZAFT having him join the Le Creuset Team might be, as long as it kept him alive for the time being, that was enough; as for the future, he would just have to take it one step at a time.

However, asking him to take action against the Earth Alliance...

He didn't know if it was because his predecessor had been so deeply brainwashed, but he felt a strange hesitation, a sense of inexplicable resistance that surfaced whenever he thought about it.

Of course, this resistance seemed trivial when weighed against his own life.

"Is there something you need from me?"

Eno looked toward Nicol.

"The squad is having a get-together this afternoon; do you want to head over with us now?"

Nicol asked with a cheerful smile.

"I... I'll come over this afternoon."

Eno had been about to say yes, but he noticed Instructor Natarle standing not far away with two adjutants, watching him.

"Alright, just remember to come by this afternoon."

Nicol didn't press the issue, turned around, and left.

Once Nicol was out of sight, Eno straightened his uniform and walked toward Instructor Natarle.

"Instructor."

Eno gave Instructor Natarle a military salute.

Instructor Natarle didn't speak immediately; instead, she looked him up and down before saying, "This uniform suits you well. You made the right choice."

"Is that so?"

Eno looked puzzled; he felt there was something hidden beneath her words.

"Eno, I have a question I hope you can answer."

Instructor Natarle continued.

"What question?"

Eno noticed that Instructor Natarle was acting quite unusually today.

"Do you consider yourself a Coordinator?"

Instructor Natarle asked.

"Of course."

Eno looked confused; wasn't the answer to that question obvious?

"Perhaps I didn't express myself clearly. Do you consider yourself a Coordinator of PLANT?"

Instructor Natarle continued to ask.

"..."

Eno's expression stiffened. This question made his heart tighten and led him to some uncertain speculations.

"Whether a Coordinator or a Natural, we are each independent individuals, and we should each have our own thoughts."

Instructor Natarle didn't know what she was saying, nor was she clear on what she wanted to express, but she felt she had to say what was on her mind: "I hope that at any given time, you will have your own independent perspective. We humans are free, and our thoughts are free. I hope you will use your own, uninfluenced reason to find your own path—your true path."

"Instructor..."

"You are very smart, but often, smart people are the ones who suffer from more external interference. I hope the future you look forward to is the one you truly desire."

Instructor Natarle laughed suddenly as she said this: "Sorry, I don't even know what I'm saying anymore."

Eno Kamal fell silent, for he did not know how to respond to Instructor Natarle's words.

"You are still young, and you are a very, very long way from the end. I hope you will think carefully about what kind of path you truly want to walk."

After saying this, Instructor Natarle reached out to straighten Eno's uniform and smiled: "This uniform really suits you."

With that, Instructor Natarle turned and left with her two adjutants.

Watching the instructor's retreating figure, Eno opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't say a word, and could only silently watch her back disappear into the crowd.