After quite a while, Flay's laughter gradually subsided. From crying and laughing so hard, her breathing had become ragged and rapid. Xia Ya lowered his head, his gaze falling on her helmet visor, and broke the silence in an exceptionally gentle voice.
"...Have you had enough?"
"Haah... haah... Mm. Sorry for making you worry, Master." Flay's voice softened, carrying the sweet innocence and obedience unique to a young girl.
"Honestly, I don't know what to do with you." Xia Ya raised a hand and gently rubbed the top of her helmet through his thick bulletproof fiber glove. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I failed to protect you, made you suffer so much, endure so many wrongs."
"Mm... Then we're even."
The two pulled slightly apart, but their intertwined fingers remained tightly clasped, with no intention of letting go.
Inside the panoramic cockpit of the Unicorn Gundam, they gazed into each other's eyes from inches away, voicing apologies that had come far too late and the joy of their reunion.
Only now did Flay belatedly realize just how outrageous her earlier actions had been, and how intimate her current position was.
Flay was practically straddling Xia Ya's lap. Their arms were still wrapped around each other's waists and backs, her body completely pressed against his chest. They were so close that even the faint breaths they exhaled seemed able to pass through their protective suits.
Never before had Flay examined Xia Ya's face so openly from such close range. Once again, the face of the man named Char La Flaga utterly captured her heart and mind.
Even through the transparent visor, she could clearly see his hair, radiant as pure gold beneath the glow of the console; his thick, long lashes; and those deep, pure sapphire-blue eyes, as though