Miliaria's Gratitude

Char La Flaga walked through the metal corridor leading to the cafeteria, his steps unconsciously slowing. It was not from fatigue, but from the weight of his thoughts.

A deep furrow was etched between his brows, and his profound eyes, usually as sharp as a hawk's, were now veiled in gloom.

Ever since he and his companions had narrowly escaped the solid ZAFT fortress of Artemis while piloting his beloved Gundam, codenamed Blaze, a technical problem had clung to him like a bone-deep parasite.

Blaze Gundam, a machine secretly developed around the same time as the Strike Gundam piloted by Jiliang Yamato, was a masterpiece of the Earth Alliance.

Unlike Strike Gundam, which pursued versatility through interchangeable packs for different combat situations, Blaze Gundam had pursued one extreme goal from the moment of its creation: unparalleled speed and assault capability.

To achieve that, it had sacrificed heavy armor and powerful long-range weaponry, pouring every resource into its propulsion systems and close-combat mobility.

The result was that Blaze Gundam possessed explosive speed and flexibility beyond all currently known mobile suits. In close combat, it was like a crimson bolt of lightning, impossible to catch.

Yet the more outstanding its strengths were, the more fatal its weaknesses became.

In one-on-one combat, Blaze Gundam might hold the upper hand, but in fleet battles or situations requiring sustained firepower, it fell short.

Its weak long-range firepower was almost incapable of posing an effective threat to enemy warships or defensive installations.

Xia Ya knew well that in future battles, especially across the boundless battlefield of space, relying on speed and close combat alone would never be enough.

He had to find a way—a solution that could significantly improve Blaze Gundam's firepower projection without sacrificing the mobility it depended on for survival.

It was practically a paradox.

Increasing firepower usually meant mounting more weapons, which inevitably increased weight and energy consumption, thereby affecting mobility.

Reduce the armor to balance the weight?

Blaze Gundam was already lightly armored and heavily armed. Cutting its defenses further would be no different from suicide.

Replace the engine with a more powerful one? The current engine was already at the limit of existing technology, unless there was some revolutionary breakthrough.

Xia Ya constructed one modification plan after another in his mind. Install a large beam cannon?

No. The energy burden would be too high, and the enormous cannon body would severely disrupt the machine's aerodynamic profile and balance.

Use solid rocket pods? Perhaps, but their ammunition capacity would be limited, their endurance poor, and they would add useless deadweight.

Equip remote cannons? That had been his specialty in his "previous life," but the technology of this world apparently had not advanced that far yet.

"What exactly should I do..." he muttered, his voice seeming somewhat faint in the empty corridor.

Anxiety coiled around his heart like an icy snake, leaving him with a suffocating sense of helplessness.

He was like a spacecraft lost in a magnetic storm, surrounded only by endless darkness and chaotic signals, unable to find a beacon to guide his way.

Just then, the hatch ahead slid open. Warm light and the scent of food from the cafeteria spilled out, accompanied by a burst of noisy voices.

A crisp, pleasant voice, like wind chimes, pierced through the din and landed squarely in his ears:

"Xia Ya! You worked hard."

Xia Ya abruptly raised his head, as if that voice had yanked him out of the whirlpool of his deep thoughts. Before him was Jiliang Yamato's bright and captivating face.

She had long, smooth, lustrous hair. Having just finished maintenance work, several strands at her forehead were damp with sweat and stuck to her smooth skin, yet this did not diminish her charm in the slightest. Instead, it added a touch of heroism and vitality.

Her smile was as brilliant as sunlight breaking through dark clouds, instantly dispersing the gloom that had gathered in Xia Ya's heart.

Jiliang, the genius girl who had been swept into the war alongside him and entrusted with piloting Strike Gundam in a moment of crisis, had now finished servicing her machine.

She was sitting at a table with her friends—Miliaria Hau, Tolle Koenig, Kuzzey Baskirk, Sai Argyle, and the others—having a meal. When she saw Xia Ya enter, Jiliang immediately put down her utensils, rose enthusiastically, and waved at him.

At Jiliang's movement, the others at the table also turned their gazes toward Xia Ya at the entrance. There was curiosity in those looks, scrutiny, and perhaps a faint, barely perceptible sense of distance.

Xia Ya paused slightly, then put on his usual gentle yet somewhat detached smile and lightly nodded. "Mm, not bad."

He responded to Jiliang's enthusiasm, but he did not walk over to their table. Instead, he scanned the cafeteria, found an empty seat in a corner some distance away from them, and walked over somewhat stiffly. He set down his tray and sat.

It was a subtle distance.

He and Jiliang had built a tacit understanding and trust beyond that of ordinary friends through fighting side by side, countless technical exchanges, and trials of life and death. It was enough to support such natural conversation.

However, with Jiliang's childhood friends, these civilian students who had also come from the Heliopolis colony, Xia Ya had always been separated by an invisible wall.

He had hardly ever properly spoken with Tolle and the others. It was not because he was arrogant or disdainful, but because... he did not know how.

The owner of the name Char La Flaga possessed a handsome face capable of making any idol star pale in comparison. His deep blue eyes seemed to contain a sea of stars, his high nose outlined a perfect side profile, and his resolute jawline hinted at extraordinary willpower.

From any angle, he was an impeccable, exceptionally handsome man.

Yet in stark contrast to that radiant appearance was his almost hopelessly introverted, even "gloomy," personality.

It was not that he did not long to interact with others. It was simply that somewhere deep inside him seemed to be a solid barrier that prevented him from taking the first step, making it difficult for him to truly open his heart to anyone. This contradiction troubled even him.

Don't underestimate me... he silently told himself, with a trace of stubborn refusal to lose.

But immediately afterward, he could not help mocking himself inwardly. ...What exactly am I trying to prove? Seriously discussing how I'm some gloomy character is strange in itself, isn't it?

A bitter smile crept onto his lips. He lightly shook his head, trying to shake off those tangled thoughts and focus on the food in front of him.

The cafeteria was bustling, filled with conversation from engine maintenance crew members, bridge operators, and other survivors. Xia Ya had just picked up his spoon and had not even taken his first bite when a female voice, slightly nervous and hesitant, suddenly rang out:

"Um, excuse me!"

The voice was not loud, yet it was unusually clear amid the noise, carrying a special penetrating quality that instantly drew Xia Ya's attention.

"?" Xia Ya raised his head, obvious confusion in his eyes. His gaze swept rapidly through the crowd, searching for the source of the voice.

Not far away, someone abruptly rose from her seat, the chair legs scraping softly against the floor.

It was Miliaria Hau. Her cheeks were flushed an unnatural red, her eyes darted away, and her hands twisted uneasily together. The way she looked at Xia Ya was filled with complicated emotions—embarrassment, nervousness, and perhaps even a trace of... anticipation?

Xia Ya immediately began to wonder, ...I don't think I've ever done anything special for Miliaria, have I?

He quickly searched through his memories for moments connected to the girl. She was one of Jiliang's closest friends, cheerful and lively by nature, occasionally a little scatterbrained, and responsible for communications aboard the ship.

They had had some work-related interactions, but almost no contact in private. He truly could not think of anything that would make her wear such an expression.

What surprised him even more was that just as Miliaria stood up, Tolle, who was seated beside her, stood as well.

He stayed close behind Miliaria as the two of them walked toward Xia Ya together.

"W-wait..." Xia Ya's heartbeat involuntarily quickened. He confirmed once again that he had definitely not done anything that warranted being treated with such "solemnity."

Why did Miliaria and Tolle both look as though they had done something wrong, yet had also gathered immense courage?

His palms began to sweat slightly, and obvious unease and bewilderment showed in his eyes.

He even instinctively straightened his back, assuming a defensive posture.

Miliaria and Tolle came to Xia Ya's table and stopped one step away.

The two took a deep breath, as though preparing for some ritual, then spoke in unison:

"Thank you for before."

Their voices were quiet, but their tone was exceptionally solemn.

Xia Ya froze completely, as though his brain had crashed in an instant. He stared wide-eyed at the two of them before blurting out, "...What?"

His mind was blank. He could not connect the act of "thanking" someone to himself at all.

What had he done that deserved them coming to thank him so formally? His heart filled with all kinds of guesses, and he even began to wonder whether he had lost his memory.

Before he could sort out his thoughts, Miliaria and Tolle suddenly did something that shocked him even more—the two bent sharply at the waist and gave him a deep bow, nearly a textbook ninety degrees, their attitude utterly sincere.

"..." Xia Ya stared at the two heads that had nearly reached the floor and fell into complete confusion.

His brows knitted tightly as his eyes moved back and forth between them, trying to read some clue from their tense body language.

Did I... do anything worthy of this kind of thanks? he shouted silently in his heart, while his face wore the utterly lost expression of someone completely out of the loop.

Just then, a familiar voice carrying a hint of helpless amusement came from nearby:

"You two, Xia Ya seems to have no idea why you're thanking him."

It was Jiliang. At some point, she had walked over as well. With her arms crossed, she leaned against the edge of an empty table nearby, watching the scene with amusement.

Hearing that, Xia Ya felt even more puzzled. Why are you saying that in such a helpless tone? I really don't know. What am I supposed to do about that? He unconsciously shrugged and spread his hands, innocence written all over his face.

Upon hearing Jiliang's words, Miliaria slightly raised her head. Her cheeks reddened further, and her eyes held obvious gratitude as well as an inescapable shyness. Looking at Xia Ya, she spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, yet it reached his ears clearly:

"It was... when the people at Artemis Fortress were about to take me away... You were the one who saved me..."

"...Ah—" A flash of lightning seemed to cross Xia Ya's mind as fragments of memory rapidly pieced themselves together.

Only then did he remember. During the chaos at Artemis Fortress, he had been focused solely on preventing the enemy from taking Jiliang away. All his attention had been on Jiliang, and he had not considered Miliaria's safety at all.

His main goal had been to ensure Jiliang's safety and stop anything that could put her in danger.

Saving Miliaria had been more of an incidental result, a byproduct of actions taken to achieve his primary objective.

But... from Miliaria's perspective, Xia Ya had undoubtedly stepped forward during her most desperate moment and rescued her from their clutches. He was her savior.

Xia Ya understood. Thanking one's savior was only natural, and it was also the most basic courtesy.

He understood why they had come.

At that moment, Tolle, who had remained silent until then, also straightened up. With a serious and sincere expression, he stepped forward and said to Xia Ya, "I want to thank you too. Thank you for saving Miliaria." His voice was low and firm, filled with heartfelt gratitude.