The Meeting at Heavenly Pillar 5

After several seconds—perhaps more than ten—of silence, Mina's lips moved.

"...Impossible."

It was a cold verdict, devoid of any emotion.

"Why?" Char asked in return.

"I should be asking you that, Char La Flaga." A mocking curve touched Mina's lips. "What makes you think that an ideal world found only in fairy tales could be realized in reality?"

A nearly crystalline chill glimmered in her sharp eyes.

"Open your eyes and look at the world as it is. Look at what is happening." She extended a hand, as though she meant to encompass the entire hangar—perhaps even the whole universe. "People do not try to understand one another. They even refuse to listen to what others have to say. They merely cling stubbornly to their own positions, arming themselves with prejudice and hatred. Naturals hate Coordinators, and Coordinators despise Naturals. By this point in the war, both sides have long forgotten what started it all. Nothing remains but pure hatred driving them onward. That is what humanity is like—slaughtering one another while continuously polluting the world that gave them life. Tell me, why is that?"

She paused, seemingly waiting for Char's answer, only to immediately answer her own question.

"..." Char said nothing. He knew Mina was not finished.

"Because, deep down, everyone pursues this so-called 'equality.'" Contempt entered Mina's voice. "Those with nothing envy those with wealth. Those of mediocre ability envy those blessed with exceptional talent. Those with weak bodies envy those with superior genes. It is precisely this inferiority complex and jealousy, born from the deepest recesses of the human heart, that caused this foolish war. You should understand that better than anyone, shouldn't you?"

Char could not refute her. Mina's words were harsh, but they struck at the heart of the matter.

Indeed, many Naturals had