Nicol's Curiosity

Rau Le Creuset, a man who always wore a composed expression, executing every mission with calm and steady precision, as if he were incapable of panic or error.

He was also a man branded as a failure, one who harbored a deep hatred for the world.

"A pleasure to meet you all. I am Rau Le Creuset. Although I am the nominal leader of the Le Creuset Team, I will not overly restrict your actions. I look forward to working with you all."

A magnetic tone spilled from the corners of Le Creuset's smiling lips.

Confident, capable, and easygoing—this was the first impression Athrun and the others had of him, and it was Eno's first impression as well.

Sometimes you have to admit that certain people simply possess an indescribable aura.

If not for the fact that Eno knew of the darkness and hatred for the world hidden beneath that mask, he would never have believed that the man before him dreamed of destroying the world.

In the face of Le Creuset, even a hothead like Yzak Joule dared not overstep his bounds in the slightest.

Of course, this also had to do with Le Creuset's own record.

As an ace pilot who had shot down nearly a hundred MA in a single battle while piloting an MS, he commanded the highest respect from any Coordinator of PLANT.

"Athrun Zala!"

"Yzak Joule!"

"Nicol Amalfi!"

"Dearka Elsman!"

"Eno Kamal..."

After the brief self-introductions, everyone took their seats.

Perhaps because it was their first meeting, Athrun and the others appeared somewhat reserved.

Le Creuset had anticipated this, so after some casual small talk, he left behind a date for their next assembly and excused himself.

"Good grief, we've only just graduated and we're already heading to the battlefield. They really don't give us any time to rest."

Once Le Creuset had departed, Dearka relaxed, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head as he sighed.

"What nonsense are you spouting, Dearka? Isn't the whole reason we joined ZAFT to head to the battlefield and defend our home?"

Hearing Dearka's complaint, Yzak couldn't help but shout a rebuke.

As the son of Ezakia Joule, a member of the Supreme Council's hardline faction, Yzak Joule had despised the Earth Alliance since he was a child.

Especially after the Bloody Valentine, that sentiment had transformed from mere annoyance into pure hatred.

To put it in slightly more flattering terms, Yzak was a patriotic, hot-blooded youth.

"Yeah, you're right."

Dearka nodded upon hearing this; indeed, that was the very reason he had joined the military.

However, regarding his attitude toward the Earth Alliance, Dearka was far more moderate than Yzak due to his father's influence.

"What kind of attitude is that, you brat?"

Yzak was left speechless; he couldn't fathom the meaning behind Dearka's slacker demeanor.

"Relax, relax. I've always been on your side."

Dearka knew exactly how to get along with Yzak.

"You'd better be." Yzak shot Dearka a sideways glance, though he didn't say anything further.

"By the way, I wonder what our first mission will be. Athrun, have you heard anything on your end?"

Dearka turned his attention to Athrun.

As the son of the Minister of Defense, Athrun's access to information should be far better than theirs.

"It's likely patrol duty."

Athrun thought for a moment and replied, "The Earth Alliance and PLANT haven't had any major conflicts yet, and since Boaz hasn't finished construction, the likelihood of us having direct contact with the Earth Alliance is low."

Although they were considered elites, they truly lacked extensive combat experience.

Coupled with the fact that the current war situation wasn't particularly intense, the chance of being sent directly to the front lines was slim.

"Patrol duty... that's a bit boring."

Dearka couldn't help but scratch his head at the news.

Yzak also wore a look of dissatisfaction; patrol duty sounded entirely uninteresting.

The conversation between them left Rusty and the others unable to get a word in.

The main issue was the significant gap in their standing.

Although Rusty had some background, compared to these three big shots, his connections were hardly worth mentioning.

Eno knew a little something, but because of Instructor Natarle, he wasn't in the mood for much conversation.

"Say, Nicol, why have you been frowning this whole time?"

Rusty quickly found someone who could keep the conversation going.

Hearing Rusty's words, the others instinctively looked over and noticed Nicol's brows were tightly furrowed, his expression appearing quite serious.

"What's wrong, Nicol? Did you discover something?"

Michel hurriedly asked.

Even Yzak and the others instinctively turned their gazes toward Nicol.

However, faced with their scrutiny, Nicol pondered for a moment before saying with a grave expression, "Have you all noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

"What did you find?"

The interest of the group was instantly piqued, and even Ino couldn't help but look over with curiosity.

"I've realized that it seems no one has ever seen Captain Le Creuset without his mask—"

"......"

As soon as Nicol's voice fell, the room plunged into dead silence.

"You've been looking so solemn for ages just to think about this?"

Michel couldn't help but retort.

"Aren't you curious? Captain Le Creuset has never once taken off his mask!"

Nicol looked at them in disbelief.

How could they not be curious about something like this?

That was Captain Le Creuset!

"......"

Yzak's lips twitched slightly.

"Hmm, now that you mention it, it really is true."

Once Rusty heard this, it seemed to be the case; thinking about it carefully, he really hadn't heard any descriptions of Captain Le Creuset's appearance.

"Are you guys bored or something? Just look it up online and you'll know."

Michel was completely defeated by their train of thought.

"I already checked just now. There's nothing. Not only is there nothing on the public web, but there aren't even any photos of Captain Le Creuset without his mask on the military's internal network," Nicol replied directly.

"You checked?"

"Well, that is indeed a bit curious."

"How about we try to sneak a peek another day......"

"That's enough from you lot!"

Yzak couldn't hold back any longer; he stood up abruptly and said, "Since Captain Le Creuset doesn't want to take off his mask, it means he has a reason for needing to wear it. Furthermore, we are here to discuss the upcoming war, not to gossip about others."

"Discuss the war?"

"Isn't this a party?"

"Yzak, aren't you curious about Captain Le Creuset's true face?"

"......"

Listening to the retorts from Dearka and the others, Yzak stood frozen in place: "You guys—"

"Hello everyone, I heard...... eh?"

Just as Yzak was about to snap at them, the room door was suddenly opened from the outside.

A young girl in a white dress walked in, escorted by two attendants.

Looking at the situation in the room, the girl couldn't help but say, "Um, may I ask if I've accidentally interrupted you?"

Yzak, who had been about to say something, silently shut his mouth and sat back down; he really couldn't afford to offend this person.

"Lacus!?"

Athrun reacted, quickly standing up from his chair to greet her: "Why are you here?"

"I heard everyone was having a gathering here, so I specifically came to see you all. However, since I didn't give any prior notice, I may have disturbed you. I am truly sorry."

As Lacus spoke, she placed her hands in front of her and bowed to apologize to the group.

"No, no, we were just chatting, that's all."

Seeing this, Nicol hurriedly waved his hands.

"Yes, we were just chatting here; there's no such thing as an interruption."

"Miss Lacus, you're joking. We're more than happy that you could come."

Michel and Rusty also hurriedly chimed in.

"That's good, that's good."

Lacus seemed to heave a sigh of relief at these words, a smile of genuine ease appearing on her face.

Athrun said nothing, merely pulling out an empty chair in silence.

"Thank you."

Lacus understood his intent perfectly; she offered Athrun a nod of gratitude before seating herself with graceful composure.

Following Lacus's lead, Michel and the others took their seats as well.