The Hotel Hostage Incident (6K)

A clear look of worry and distress appeared on Nunnally's face.

Indeed, because C. C. doesn't accompany Lelouch as he does in the original story, it's normal for Lelouch to have difficulty controlling his emotions and experience fluctuations in his mood.

But unexpectedly, Nunnally was ignored.

After thinking for Mahiro, Zhenxun stood up and came to Nunnally's side, maintaining a half-squatting posture, and gently stroked her long hair.

"Nunnally, do you really want to know?"

"Um, can you tell me, Mr. Mahiro?"

"Right now... I'm afraid that won't work. How about this, after your teacher heals your eyes, I'll tell you everything, okay?"

"Can we make Mahiro promise, Mr. Zhenxun?"

"Pinky promise?"

"Yes, it was Sayoko who taught me. It's a Japan custom that says once you pinky swear, you can't lie."

As she spoke, Nunnally held up her little finger to him.

"All right."

Mahiro smiled helplessly and hooked his little finger with hers.

"If you lie, may you swallow a thousand needles! That's a promise."

Nunnally recited clearly, swaying her little fingers together, in a singing tone.

"That's really scary. If you swallowed a thousand needles, you'd die, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, that's why you must never lie!"

Nunnally nodded firmly; clearly, she now completely believed the legend.

But a hint of disappointment flashed across her face unnoticed.

She had originally planned to take advantage of this opportunity to secretly use her abilities.

Although it was somewhat despicable, she still hoped to uncover the truth in her own way.

Unfortunately, she was completely unable to understand Mahiro's heart.

And so, the dinner came to an end.

Back in her room, CC lay down on the large bed, gazing up at the ceiling with its ornate chandelier, and said in a wistful tone:

"How did Lelouch manage to discover Nunnally's actions?"

"Of course."

Mahiro brought over two cups of black tea, handed one to CC, then leaned against the desk, took a small sip, and said:

"Don't always treat Nunnally like a child. After all, she's the child of the curly-haired girl and Marianne, and her abilities are in no way inferior to Lelouch's."

If it weren't for her physical disability and the unexpected event of exile, and if Nunnally had been properly trained, her military talent would probably have been no less than Cornelia's.

Her intelligence and political acumen are no less terrifying than Lelouch's.

It's a pity that the perm hairstyle abandoned Nunnally.

"Oh my, I didn't expect you to think so highly of Nunnally."

CC looked at him with obvious surprise, while Mahiro shrugged and smiled:

"Of course, that's what happens when I'm her teacher."

Chapter 260 Hotel Hostage Incident (6K)

In the impoverished slums, the sounds of mournful weeping and desperate howls echoed everywhere. Immersed in such an atmosphere, the ruins suddenly trembled violently.

This shock was like a hammer blow, repeatedly striking the chests of all the ELEVENs living in the slums.

That was the sound of a high-speed train passing by, built on the slums. On that magnificent train sat the invaders of this land, the subjects of the Britannia Empire.

They are like high and mighty gods, who will never know the hellish lives of the ELEVENs living below.

At that moment, Mahiro happened to be on this train.

Amidst the rumbling sound of metal cabinets being crushed, he was washing his hands in the washroom inside the carriage.

In the hallway outside the door, Alpha was leaning against something with his arms crossed.

Her attire remained the same as always: a black tulle dress that perfectly hugged her curves, and a white sun hat pulled down to cover most of her face.

Her long, golden hair cascaded down like tassels.

"I didn't expect you to have this kind of interest."

"What interest? I was just helping out by pretending to be his fiancé, doing him a small favor. What, are you jealous?"

"I don't care about such trivial matters."

After washing her hands, Mahiro turned around and met Alpha's long, beautiful, azure eyes. After only a brief moment of eye contact, Alpha turned away and looked away.

And he hummed softly:

"I won't get jealous over such trivial things."

"Yes, yes, I know. My Alpha is the most magnanimous and generous man."

Mahiro out of the washroom into the corridor and found that Alpha had not left. She grabbed Alpha's hand, pulled her into her arms, and kissed her directly.

The lips meet.

Alpha's eyes widened slightly, and his body involuntarily tensed up.

Although it wasn't the first time I'd been kissed, and I could even say I was used to it, it was the first time in public, with so many people watching.

Just as she expected, the people around them, seeing how intimate they were, all covered their mouths in surprise, and couldn't help but smile like doting aunts.

That was as if to say, "It's so good to be young."

After all, they looked no different from young couples on a trip, and coupled with their seemingly innate noble air, most people mistook them for descendants of some prestigious family.

Alpha gradually stopped caring about the people around him, gave up struggling, and slowly wrapped his arms around his neck.

The aggressive masculine aura gradually softened Alpha's body, causing him to lean against Mahiro's chest.

After a long while, their lips parted.

Whether it was from lack of oxygen or from shyness, Alpha's face was covered with a charming blush, and a blush of breath escaped from between her cherry lips.

"So, are you still jealous?"

Mahiro asked with a smile.

However, Alpha ignored him, only giving him a coquettish look before leaving his embrace.

She straightened his clothes a little, put his hat on properly, and then reached out to help him adjust his tie and the wrinkles in his clothes. She looked just like a gentle wife.

"I have something to report to you today."

"About the Shadow Garden?"

"Yes, and not entirely."

"Oh?"

Alpha's answer surprised him for a moment. As if he had thought of something, a slight smile appeared on his lips as he said, "Then tell me."

"Um."

Alpha nodded, and after straightening his clothes, he completely broke free from his embrace, leaning against the corridor wall once more, and said:

"First, regarding Knightmare, Ita has completed the development of our Knightmare, which completely surpasses the Lancelot Z-01 we captured earlier in terms of performance. However, the quantity is limited, with only nine completed so far, and they cannot be assigned to the designated users yet."

"So that means it's not in mass production yet? That's alright, but will there be any problems with subsequent modifications and evolution?"

"No problem. As per your requirements, all the mechs are semi-finished products, ready to be equipped with brand-new weapon systems at any time."

"That's fine."

Mahiro and replied with a knowing sentence.

It's not that he looks down on Ita's intelligence and ability. The reason he only allowed it to produce a half-finished product and didn't let Ita spend time researching those new weapons was mainly because the development speed of mechs in this world was too outrageous.

The Lancelot piloted by Suzaku Kururugi and the Crimson Lotus piloted by Kallen are like two mechs engaged in an arms race.

It is a guide weapon that surpasses the sixth generation and is introduced as the seventh generation.

First, Lancelot equipped himself with an energy shield, and then Crimson Lotus developed a radiation wave weapon specifically designed to counter the energy shield.

Later, a flight system appeared, and it was even faster than a fighter jet.

Then came things like Hadron Cannon, Charged Particle Cannon, Druid System, and Absolute Defense Territory System, possessing fortress-level defensive capabilities.

And all of this took only a few months.

Of course, Mahiro didn't care about these things, because the Nation-Protector Divine Machine he piloted was itself a giant CAD.

All of these things can be accomplished using magic.

But the Shadow Garden is different; they don't have something as overpowered as the Rewriting Eye, so naturally they can't be proficient in all the magic in the system.

However, Ita, working alone in isolation, could not possibly surpass the long-established research achievements of the natives of this world.

So it's better to wait for these things to come to us on their own, and then upgrade the mechs.

When we truly reach our limits, we can certainly build upon these foundations and develop our own weapons, such as turning Freya's antimatter bomb into a weapon system.

"Besides that? Is there anything else?"

"There's another matter concerning the Japanese Liberation Front. An army lieutenant colonel is preparing to attack the Convention Center Hotel at Lake Kawaguchi, which is..."

"I know."

Mahiro interrupted Alpha, saying quietly, "I knew it a long time ago."

"And you..."

"Whatever. If you're willing to come and aren't afraid of death, then come. If you're not afraid of being surrounded and attacked by Cornelia, or by being ganged up on by the Knights of the Rounds, then come on."

He shrugged, looking completely unconcerned.

"Besides, don't you think this is a fantastic opportunity to make a public appearance? A chance for the Shadow Garden to officially show itself to the public."

It's time for us to step out from behind the scenes and into the spotlight.

After hearing what he said, Alpha's eyes widened slightly.

She hadn't expected him to have such an idea, but if that were the case...

"I understand what to do."

After saying that, Alpha left.

She left the train that was speeding along the tracks.

As for what method she uses Mahiro doesn't care; she'll always find her own way.

When he returned to the passenger compartment and saw the three girls sitting in the VIP seats, he couldn't help but pause for a moment.

Today is a rest day, and the entire Ashford Academy is closed.

Besides, today was also the day Milly was going on a blind date, but unexpectedly, in addition to bringing herself along, she also brought Shirley and Nina.

When he saw these two people, he basically knew what was going to happen today.

It was the starting point for Nina, the Knight of the Table...

Just then, the train entered the tunnel, and it immediately became pitch black outside the window.

Nina, who had been sitting quietly in her seat, let out a frightened scream and curled up slightly.

"It's alright. There are many Britannia tourists at Lake Kawaguchi, and the area is very safe. Nothing terrible like what happens in densely populated areas will happen."

Milly stepped forward and took Nina's small hand, which was clutching her skirt in fear, and comforted her.

Although Shirley, who was sitting next to Nina, didn't know what had happened to Nina back then, she knew that Nina had a great fear of Eleven, so she didn't say anything more and simply supported Nina's back.

"But..."

With the reassurance of her two friends, Nina's fear subsided slightly, though her voice still carried a hint of apprehension.

"We'll stay by your side and won't abandon you. And isn't there Mahiro- sensei? He'll protect you, Nina, right? Mahiro- sensei."