Char and Mu Reunite

Captain Mu adjusted the collar and cuffs of his crisp uniform slightly, making his attire look even neater and sharper. Then, in a steady, magnetic voice, he said, "Then... I have a lot to say to him. Could you give me a little time?"

There was clear expectation and concern in his gaze as he fixed his eyes tightly on the two women before him, as though silently asking for their understanding and support.

His eyes held both an elder brother's deep concern for his younger brother and a soldier's calm restraint in the face of a complicated situation.

Murrue Ramius and Natarle Badgiruel showed obvious expressions of confusion almost simultaneously.

They instinctively exchanged a glance and saw the same puzzlement and inquiry in each other's eyes.

Captain Flaga's request seemed somewhat abrupt and inappropriate amid this race-against-time military emergency, where danger lurked on every side.

Personal matters should have been set aside for the moment.

Yet they could also clearly sense the insistence in Captain Mu's tone, as well as the intense emotional connection he made no effort to hide in the way he looked at the boy.

Their curiosity about the relationship between this legendary ace pilot and that mysterious boy instantly surged. He had just called him...?

After receiving Murrue's somewhat hesitant but ultimately permissive nod, Captain Mu straightened and lowered his saluting hand.

Every movement was precise and crisp, without the slightest hesitation. Then he slowly turned around to face Char.

At the instant he turned, the hard lines of a soldier on his face seemed to soften slightly. The scrutiny and probing in his eyes quietly faded, replaced by something deeper and more complicated—a mixture of worry, confusion, and an indescribable tenderness.

It was the unique bond between family, silently working without the need for words.

He started forward, his steps firm and steady as he walked toward Char one step at a time.

"...Yeah, I thought so," Char sighed softly to himself.

In truth, from the moment he had clambered awkwardly out of the Blaze Gundam's cockpit, he had already felt his brother's hawk-sharp gaze locked onto him like something tangible, never once shifting away.

That gaze held too many emotions, too much weight. There was the fleeting relief and reassurance at seeing him safe; immense surprise at why he had appeared in a troublesome place like Heliopolis and even piloted an MS; deep concern over what kind of dangerous battle he might have just experienced; and an almost overflowing doubt about the reasons and secrets behind this entire string of abnormal actions.

It was as if countless questions had gathered in that gaze, becoming an invisible pressure that weighed heavily on his heart.

At last, Mu stopped before him. His tall body leaned forward slightly so that he could meet his still-slender younger brother's eyes. Those blue eyes, so similar to Char's yet more mature and piercing, stared at him intently. His voice was low, but its weight could not be ignored.

"...Why?" Mu's voice carried restrained anger and profound confusion. "Why were you riding one of those things, Char?"

The "thing" he meant was naturally the Blaze Gundam beside them, which had just rampaged across the battlefield and now stood silently like a crimson giant.

The reproach was not a harsh scolding. It was more like the exasperated complaint of an elder brother who dearly loved his younger brother, seeing him do something incomprehensibly dangerous—angry and anxious, heartsore and helpless all at once.

He did not understand, nor could he accept, why his younger brother, who should have been living peacefully somewhere safe, had become caught in the heart of this sudden war and even formed such an unbelievable connection with the Earth Alliance's most advanced MS.

"...It just happened naturally." Char raised his head slightly and met his brother's probing gaze. His eyes were so calm they were nearly indifferent, as though he were merely stating an unimportant fact.

He knew that this airy answer would not resolve a single one of his brother's doubts. It might even make things worse.

But what could he say at a time like this? Was he supposed to explain that he was not native to this world, that he had arrived here carrying foreknowledge of the future and some special mission?

Was he supposed to explain that he had come here precisely to interfere in this war and change certain predetermined tragedies?

Those matters were too complicated, too bizarre, and even involved his deepest personal secrets.

They were impossible to explain in a few words, and the timing was wrong. More importantly, if he laid everything bare, would that protect his brother—or only bring him an even greater burden and danger?

He could not be sure. So he chose the simplest, and most perfunctory, response.

"So you have no intention of seriously answering my question..." Mu's brows immediately drew together tightly, and the dissatisfaction he had been suppressing was nearly boiling over. "Besides, I've never heard that you'd gone running off to a place like Heliopolis!"

His gaze became even sharper, as if he wanted to see straight through Char and dig the real answer out from beneath that seemingly calm expression.

His younger brother's evasive attitude, as though none of this concerned him, caused Mu's worry and anger to rise together.

This was no longer simple fooling around. He was gambling with his life!

"Because I had the servants at home keep quiet beforehand." Char sighed again, lowering his voice with a trace of barely noticeable apology. "So please don't blame them."

He knew that telling the truth would hit an even rawer nerve, but it was indeed the truth.

To keep his actions secret, he had used certain methods.

He understood that his willfulness had caused trouble for those around him, especially the loyal servants who might be implicated.

He hoped his brother could understand that he had no choice... though he himself knew that hope was most likely wishful thinking.

"That's not what I'm talking about—ah, damn it!"

Mu was completely set off by Char's answer, which always missed the point—or rather, deliberately veered away from it.

The conversation simply would not come together. The irritation in his heart grew wildly like weeds, and he could not help raising a hand to rake it forcefully through his slightly curly blond hair. An expression of almost twisted frustration crossed his handsome face. "Damn it!"

He had originally thought that after seeing his younger brother, he could at least get some key information about the current situation from him. Even a few words might have helped him sort through this tangled mess.

But now it seemed that communicating with this younger brother was more exhausting than piloting an MA through a hail of gunfire!

Seeing his brother so worked up, Char silently apologized to himself.

He did feel sorry for his brother, but he truly had no intention of explaining things clearly. It was only natural that the conversation would go nowhere.

Just as the atmosphere between the two brothers reached a stalemate—one furious, the other utterly unmoved—

"...Captain Flaga," Natarle Badgiruel, who had been observing from the side, finally could not help speaking.

Clear surprise showed on her face as her gaze moved back and forth between him and Mu. Her tone was filled with irrepressible curiosity. "This civilian boy... is he someone you know?"

Her eyes were sharp as she tried to glean more information about their relationship from their interaction and the details of their conversation.

Not only had this boy piloted an MS, he also had such an unusual—perhaps even intimate, though negatively so—interaction with the renowned Captain Mu La Flaga.

There seemed to be a secret here that went far beyond mere acquaintanceship.

Mu was already upset by his inability to communicate with his younger brother. When Natarle suddenly asked that question, he froze for a moment.

The tense expression born of irritation instantly stiffened, as though he had suddenly realized something—or rather, realized just how inappropriate it was to continue a private argument in a setting like this.

He drew in a deep breath, forcing down the irritation that was nearly breaking through his reason, then let it out in one heavy, long exhale.

When he raised his head again, his expression had returned to a soldier's customary calm and seriousness, though the concern for his younger brother deep in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest.

He looked at Natarle and spoke with a tone that blended pride, helplessness, and an unquestionable certainty.

"This guy is my younger brother." He paused, clearly stating the name that seemed to carry some kind of magic. "Char La Flaga... shouldn't you have heard that name once as well?" He meant that Murrue must have reported the pilot's name to her earlier.

"Char La Flaga—!?"

This time, Second Lieutenant Natarle Badgiruel's reaction was even more intense than when she had heard that a civilian child had piloted a Gundam!

She nearly gasped, her eyes widening more than ever before. Her gaze was filled with extreme shock and disbelief, mixed with a trace of... hidden awe and complicated emotion?

Her eyes once again locked onto Char without blinking, as if she wanted to completely reassess him from the inside out.

That name was clearly not just a name to her. It seemed to have touched an extremely sensitive nerve, or perhaps formed a powerful, world-upending connection with some crucial information she knew!

"Could it be... this boy is... that...?" she murmured, her voice so low it was nearly inaudible. Yet the shock on her face plainly revealed the turmoil raging within her.