Mu's Request

"Char La Flaga! Jiliang Yamato!"

Just as the momentary calm was about to settle in, a clear, resounding voice suddenly came from outside the room, calling his full name and that of the girl beside him with perfect accuracy.

The voice pierced through the bulkhead with an unquestionable authority, instantly putting everyone on edge.

Like a startled fawn, Jiliang whipped around, her amber eyes filled with pure surprise and a trace of barely noticeable tension.

Her body even tensed slightly, as if she were ready to deal with an emergency at any moment.

Char, meanwhile, appeared much calmer. He slowly turned around, his movements unhurried.

There was little surprise in his deep eyes—only the composure of someone who already understood.

In fact, he did not need to turn around to confirm it. From the voice alone—its tone, its cadence, and that familiar, slightly hard-edged military air—he had already guessed who had come: his older brother, Mu La Flaga.

"Jiliang is one thing," Char said with a slight lift of his brow, deliberately putting on an annoyed expression as he teased, "but did you really have to call me by my full name too? It sounds awfully formal."

The person outside did not immediately appear. His voice came through the door, carrying deliberate solemnity and even a hint of embarrassment. "Well, consider it a formality. Or perhaps courtesy... Mainly, considering what I'm about to ask of you, I felt it would be more appropriate to address you this way."

"You want to ask something of us..." Char drew out the words as he repeated them. His all-seeing eyes narrowed slightly as countless fragments of information rapidly assembled in his mind. "Could it be?"

Before he had even finished speaking, Char already understood. He instantly picked up on several key details.

First, the person standing outside was not merely his occasionally laid-back yet reliable older brother. He had come in the capacity of Major Mu La Flaga, MA pilot of the Earth Alliance's 7th Mobile Fleet—a serious military officer.

The distance in that form of address and the gravity in his tone both made that clear.

Second, considering Archangel's current situation and Mu's identity, Char could determine with almost absolute certainty what his brother was about to ask of them.

This was practically a "plot point" engraved deep in his memory, impossible to erase.

At the same time, Jiliang beside him seemed to have caught the key information from their brief exchange as well.

Her previously astonished eyes now held a flicker of understanding.

The tension had not entirely faded, but a quiet resolve seemed to be gathering within her.

She gently bit her lower lip, her gaze shifting between Char and the door as though waiting for the inevitable announcement.

The door opened. Mu La Flaga appeared in the doorway, dressed in a standard Earth Alliance officer's uniform. His short blond hair was impeccably groomed, and the usual teasing smile was gone from his face, replaced by the solemn steadiness unique to a soldier.

His gaze swept over Char and Jiliang, and he nodded.

"Come with me." Mu gave no unnecessary greetings and issued the order directly.

Char and Jiliang exchanged a glance, then silently followed Mu out of the room and into a relatively secluded corridor.

The lights here were somewhat dimmer, adding further gravity to the atmosphere.

Mu stopped and turned around, his solemn gaze falling on the two of them. "The situation is somewhat urgent," he said bluntly, his voice low and firm. "As you know, Archangel is currently heading in secret to the Eurasian Federation military fortress—Artemis—for emergency resupply and repairs."

He paused, making sure they were both listening carefully. "To minimize the chances of being detected by ZAFT Forces, we will be adopting Silent Running for the next stretch of our journey. In other words, we'll shut down the main engines and coast on inertia. This will effectively reduce our heat signature and electromagnetic emissions, but it will also greatly reduce our speed and leave us with virtually no maneuverability."

Mu's expression grew even more serious. "It's a necessary concealment measure, but it also brings risks. If we are unfortunately discovered by a ZAFT patrol fleet or hidden reconnaissance units, the consequences will be unimaginable. Without the ability to maneuver away quickly, we'll be sitting ducks."

His gaze moved between Char and Jiliang before settling on them both, heavy with expectation and request. "So, I need you to be prepared. If—if the worst happens, and we are discovered and attacked by ZAFT Forces, I want you to immediately sortie in Blaze Gundam and Strike Gundam. Cover Archangel, buy us time to respond, and perhaps... carve a bloody path through."

He took a deep breath, his tone filled with unwavering resolve. "This is my formal request to you as an officer aboard Archangel. We need your strength."

Char listened quietly, without a ripple in his heart. If anything, he wanted to sigh.

Sure enough, everything was playing out exactly like the "script" in his memories.

Heliopolis collapsed. They were forced aboard Archangel. Escape. Pursuit. Artemis. And then... discovery during Silent Running, followed by the outbreak of battle.

Fine, Char calculated inwardly. If things follow the original story, it'll be easier to predict what comes next—the enemy, their tactics, even the variables that might arise... That's actually a good thing for us. At least I'll be able to protect myself better, and... her.

His gaze unconsciously flicked toward Jiliang beside him.

Just as Char was about to agree, a clear yet exceptionally firm voice spoke first.

"I understand."

It was not Char who answered, but Jiliang.

Her voice was not loud, yet it carried weight. There was not the slightest hesitation in it.

Mu was clearly taken aback. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at the girl, who still appeared somewhat young and even a little fragile. "...Is that really all right, miss? Do you understand what this means?"

His surprise was obvious.

After all, Jiliang was a civilian, a Coordinator who had been dragged into this war against her will. Not long ago, she had still been afraid of battle and lost in confusion.

Mu had originally thought it would take more time and more reasons to persuade her. He might even have needed to resort to compulsory orders, though he truly did not wish to do that.

Jiliang met Mu's surprised gaze. Instead, a faint, teasing smile curled at the corner of her lips. That smile dispelled the last trace of hesitation on her face, leaving behind only clear resolve.

"You're the ones asking me for help, so why are you the one who's surprised?" She tilted her head slightly, looking at Mu's stunned expression with the mischievousness unique to a young girl. "Did you want me to refuse?"

Mu was rendered momentarily speechless by her unexpected retort. He instinctively rubbed his nose and gave a wry smile. "No... of course not. I was just... surprised by your determination."

The smile on Jiliang's face faded somewhat, replaced by a deeper emotion.

She lowered her eyes and said softly, "...I hate fighting. I really hate it. Killing, destruction, death... Just thinking about it scares me. If I could, I'd leave this ship right now and run somewhere without war."

Her voice was quiet, carrying a faint tremble that revealed her true feelings.

"But..." She suddenly raised her head, her eyes becoming exceptionally firm, as if something had been completely ignited within her. "I can't just abandon my friends. Sai, Miriallia, Tolle, Kuzzey... and Flay... They're all on this ship. I can't stand by and watch them fall into danger."

She paused and took a deep breath, as though gathering every ounce of courage she possessed.

Then she abruptly turned toward Char. Her clear amber eyes were filled with a complex, burning emotion—an intense feeling that Char found unfamiliar, yet could not ignore.

"And—" Her voice reached Char's ears with perfect clarity, every word striking at his heartstrings. "I don't want you to fight alone."

"...?"

Char was genuinely stunned. He looked at Jiliang in confusion, trying to read more from those overly honest eyes.

Confusion.

A tremendous sense of bewilderment flooded his heart like a tide.

Why?

Why did this world's Jiliang Yamato possess such powerful resolve?

She should have been like Kira Yamato in the "original story"—confused, passive, even resistant to fighting in the beginning.

Yet now, she had not only accepted the request to sortie voluntarily, but had even... said something like that?

And what Char found even harder to understand was the almost undisguised affection she held for him.

What exactly was going on?

How long had they even known each other?

At most, only a few days.

They had indeed fought together on the edge of life and death, side by side amid the smoke and fire of Heliopolis. Such experiences could easily give rise to special bonds and trust.

But even so, this almost... intense emotion had come far too quickly, far too unusually.

Was it simply because he had saved her? Or because of his face?

Or was this "worldline's" Jiliang fundamentally different from the original story to begin with?

Countless thoughts flashed through Char's mind, but he could not find a definite answer.

All he could feel was that the Jiliang Yamato before him seemed to be growing ever further from the image in his memory, becoming increasingly... real, and increasingly difficult to predict.

Just as Char sank into thought and Jiliang began to blush slightly at her own bold words, making the atmosphere subtle once again, Mu's teasing voice sounded at just the right moment and broke the silence.

"Ah... big brother has a bit of advice for you, Miss Jiliang." Mu draped an arm over Char's shoulder and winked at Jiliang, his usual carefree grin returning. "Falling for this guy is hard work, you know? Sometimes he's as dense as a rock, and other times he's stubborn beyond belief. You'd better prepare yourself."

"T-That's not what I meant, Mr. Mu!" Jiliang's cheeks instantly turned bright red, like ripe apples. She hurriedly waved her hands, trying to explain, her voice trembling with embarrassed indignation. "I just... I just don't want to see Char face danger alone... As a friend... Yes, as a friend!"

The more she spoke, the softer her voice became. The last few words were nearly inaudible, and even she felt that explanation sounded weak.

Char's mouth twitched. Though he did not quite understand what had triggered Jiliang's sudden panic, Mu's words had successfully shifted the focus and seemed to have helped Jiliang relax a little, even if the blush on her face refused to fade.

"Now, now, don't be nervous." Mu patted Char's shoulder, then gave Jiliang a thumbs-up with a brilliant smile. "If ZAFT really has the nerve to come knocking, I'll sortie in my Moebius Zero too. Just fight without worrying. I'll have your back!"

He pounded his chest in assurance, then seemed to remember something. Leaning closer to Jiliang, he lowered his voice and added in the tone of someone imparting a secret technique, "Oh, right, Jiliang. Char may always look cold and hard to approach, but actually... he's made of mud! He's soft by nature! You need to push harder and take him down! I'm rooting for you!"

"Hey!? Mu! What are you talking about!?" This time, Char could not help protesting. He glared irritably at his brother, who seemed determined to make trouble. This guy was getting more and more ridiculous! What did he mean, made of mud?

"Pfft—"

As though a switch had been flipped, Jiliang finally could not hold it in when she saw Char's rare flustered expression and thought of Mu's absurd metaphor. She burst out laughing.

"Hahahahaha!"

Her laughter was clear and pleasant, like the chiming of silver bells. The earlier tension, embarrassment, and heaviness all seemed to vanish with it.

Seeing her laugh, Char could not help laughing too. It began as a helpless wry smile, but eventually became a relaxed laugh from the heart.

Mu wore the smug expression of someone whose plan had succeeded. Watching the interaction between his "younger brother" and potential future sister-in-law, he smiled in satisfaction.

The laughter of the three of them echoed through the corridor. On a warship with an uncertain future and dangers lurking everywhere, it felt particularly out of place, yet exceptionally precious.

If the meticulous and discipline-minded Lieutenant Badgiruel had seen this, she would probably have put on a stern face and harshly reprimanded them for "having no sense of crisis in such a dangerous situation."

Even so, laughter at this moment was far better than having their bodies stiffen from excessive tension.

The best proof was that the obvious stiffness and pallor on Jiliang's face when she heard Mu's grave request had now completely vanished, replaced by a softness and brightness like clear skies after rain.

It was as though that brief laughter had given her more courage and comfort, and the heavy burden called "battle" had become much lighter.

The way she looked at Char still carried that special emotion, but now there was more ease and... the trust of a comrade.

At the same time, the atmosphere in Archangel's lounge was nowhere near as relaxed as it had been in the corridor.

Flay Allster's face was pale. Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with incredulous shock, confusion, and deep unease. She clenched the hem of her clothes tightly, her knuckles whitening from the force.

She asked softly, her voice carrying a faint, almost imperceptible tremble, as though she feared hearing the answer she had already vaguely guessed but desperately did not want to accept. "...Sai, tell me... The one piloting that white mobile suit... the one fighting ZAFT... it really was... Jiliang, wasn't it?"

Her voice was soft and drifting, like a feather floating weakly through the heavy air. She feared that confirmation, as though once it was given, something precious that had been supporting her would completely collapse and shatter.

Sai Argyle, seated across from her, wore an equally grave expression, even tinged with pain and helplessness. Looking at Flay's tearful appearance, his heart was full of complicated emotions.

He gave a slight nod, his voice low and strained. "Yeah... that's right. It was Jiliang."

There was an indescribable heaviness in his eyes, as though he had been forced to carry a weighty secret and now had no choice but to reveal it.

Flay's brows drew together even more tightly, nearly knotting into a ball.

Her breathing became somewhat hurried as she pressed on, "Then... then what about the battle at Heliopolis? When the colony was attacked... Could it be... could it be that the person fighting in the cockpit then... was Jiliang too!?"

Her lips turned faintly white as the horrific, chaotic scenes of Heliopolis surfaced uncontrollably in her mind—the blazing explosions, collapsing buildings, crowds scattering in panic, the coldness of space... and the Strike Gundam locked in combat with the enemy.

She simply could not connect Jiliang—the gentle girl who always smiled warmly, blushed shyly over the smallest things, and was so kind she was almost naive—with that cruel and merciless battlefield.

Sai fell silent for a moment, seemingly choosing his words. But in the end, he still chose the cruel truth.

He closed his eyes and said quietly, "...That's right. At Heliopolis, the one who piloted Strike Gundam against ZAFT was Jiliang."

Those brief words were like two merciless sledgehammers crashing violently into Flay's heart.

With a buzz, Flay felt her mind go completely blank, as though countless voices were shrieking in her ears.

Before this, from Sai's fragmented and vague explanations, Flay had felt as though she had been thrown into dense fog and could not make sense of anything.

She vaguely knew Jiliang seemed to have become involved in something extraordinary and that Strike Gundam appeared to be connected to her, but Sai and the others seemed to be deliberately avoiding the specifics.

Until just now, when she had accidentally overheard part of the conversation between Mu, Char, and Jiliang in the corridor—about sortieing, about battle, about not wanting the other to face danger alone. Those scattered words were like keys, instantly unlocking every doubt in her heart.

Only then did she realize that the situation was far more serious than she had imagined. So she asked Sai again for confirmation, but the answer she received instantly filled her heart with endless grief and pain.

"Why... why did this happen!?" Flay's voice rose unconsciously, filled with unbearable pain and intense incomprehension. She nearly cried out, "Why would someone as gentle and kind as Jiliang... get dragged into something so terrible!? She's just an ordinary girl!"

Her eyes instantly reddened. Hot tears swirled uncontrollably in them before finally spilling over, sliding down her pale cheeks.

In her imagination, Jiliang—the delicate, sensitive girl who always seemed to need protection—was sitting alone in that cold cockpit, facing a hail of gunfire and enduring boundless fear and pressure... The image tore at Flay's heart.

It was not only Flay. Sai, Miriallia, Tolle, Kuzzey... all of Jiliang's friends who had grown up alongside her now wore troubled expressions, their faces clouded with sorrow.

In their hearts, Jiliang Yamato had always been such a gentle, warm presence. She always wore a radiant smile like spring sunlight, blushed at a single compliment, cried easily at touching scenes, and wept like a child whenever she was wronged.

She was kind, pure, and even somewhat innocent about the ways of the world, like the little sister next door who needed to be cherished.

Why did a girl so ordinary, so beautiful and crystal-pure, have to be the one dragged into this cruel vortex of war?

Why did she have to pilot that killing machine and face the trials of life and death? It was unfair! Why was Destiny so cruel?

"She—"

Flay opened her mouth, as though she wanted to say more—to condemn this damned war, to condemn this unfair Destiny—but the words caught in her throat as if something invisible had choked her, and she could not utter a single one.

Yet amid that sorrowful, helpless silence, in the instant when Flay's tears blurred her vision, an incomparably clear and resolute thought suddenly flashed through her heart.

That was right. Jiliang was like a younger sister to her.

Like a slideshow, countless scenes from the past rapidly flashed through Flay's mind: Jiliang always following closely behind her, looking at her with eyes full of admiration and affection; no matter where Flay went, whenever she turned around, she could always see Jiliang's sweet and lovely smile; they occasionally argued over trivial things, and whenever Jiliang started crying, Flay's heart would immediately fall into chaos. Even when she felt she had done nothing wrong, she could never stop herself from comforting Jiliang first and apologizing to her...

Flay silently told herself: So what if Jiliang was a Coordinator? It did not matter at all!

Jiliang was Jiliang. She was the most important friend Flay had grown up with, someone she regarded as her own younger sister!

This deep bond would never change in the slightest because of their different identities!