Graduation Season, A Scammy Team Assignment

Time flew by, and it was September 20th.

The war between the PLANTs and the Earth Alliance hadn't escalated into a full-blown conflict. Although there were skirmishes of varying degrees during this period, no large-scale battles had broken out, as if both sides were recuperating.

"Say cheese!"

Click!

Inside the school, a crisp shutter sound marked the moment, freezing a youthful, vibrant face in time.

Five individuals in slightly different red uniforms stood before the school gate, with a guy in a green uniform sandwiched in the middle.

Everyone, except for the white-haired one who wore a look of disdain, had a smile on their faces.

Today was graduation day at the ZAFT school.

"Noer!"

"Noer's over there!"

"Quick, quick! Go after him!"

"Noer~!"

Before the photos were even developed, countless sharp female voices erupted from behind them, drawing the attention of numerous students.

The group at the school gate also looked in the direction of the voices.

Dozens of young girls, dressed in various outfits, were rushing towards the photography team.

"I'm outta here! Bye-bye!"

Noer, startled, bolted without even taking his photo.

Shortly after Noer left, under the bewildered gazes of Athrun and the others, a group of girls swept past them and chased after the receding green figure in the distance.

"I don't get it. Noer's just a guy in a green uniform, why is he so popular?"

Yzak watched Noer being chased by countless girls, feeling a bit... annoyed.

"What? Jealous?"

Diakka said slyly from the side.

"Get lost! As if I'd be jealous of him? Jealous of someone who couldn't even get a red uniform!?" Yzak adamantly refused.

"But is Noer okay? That many people..."

Nicol looked worried. Although Noer had good grades in firearms and physical fitness, the sheer number of people was intimidating.

"He should be fine."

Athrun shook his head. He then called out to Noer's retreating back, "Noer, don't forget our team dinner later!"

"Got it!"

Noer shouted back without turning his head.

"Has this guy's running speed gotten faster?" Yzak frowned, watching Noer's retreating figure.

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened, just not with so many people.

The main reason for Noer's popularity wasn't his good looks.

Of course, Noer wasn't unattractive; in a place like PLANT, filled with handsome and beautiful people, he was considered above average.

It wasn't because he had some domineering aura either. It was because of his status.

Noer was the only person at the ZAFT academy who wasn't subject to the mandatory marriage registry.

However, that alone wouldn't have drawn so much attention. What truly made him stand out was his MS piloting skills.

A guy in a green uniform who could fight evenly with the top five students in practical MS combat couldn't help but attract attention.

Coupled with his social circle – the children of the Supreme Council, those in red and white uniforms, and even Councilor Sala knew him.

Someone with looks, ability, and background was already attractive enough.

Plus, this guy was an orphan with a house and a car...

Before graduation, everyone had maintained some composure, bound by school regulations.

But now that they'd graduated, if they didn't act now, they'd miss their chance!

At precisely 8:00 PM, Athrun's car pulled up steadily in front of his house.

Noer, having changed into casual clothes, opened the car door and stepped out. He casually led Athrun towards the rooftop of Athrun's home.

"Why is this guy here too..."

However, as soon as Noer reached the rooftop, he saw the one-eyed, manipulative man – Cruze.

"If it's a team dinner, do you think he'd be here?"

Athrun stood beside Noer, having heard his muttered complaint.

Athrun recalled the expression on Noer's face when he learned he was being transferred to Cruze's team, and couldn't help but ask, "By the way, do you and Captain Cruze have some kind of misunderstanding?"

"Misunderstanding? Why do you say that?"

Noer didn't know why Athrun was suddenly asking this.

Athrun took a closer look at Noer and shook his head, saying, "Never mind what I said, let's go in together."

With that, he pushed open the door and walked in with a bewildered Noer.

"I thought you wouldn't come."

Just as Noer had spotted Cruze, Cruze also saw Noer pushing open the door.

Noer rolled his eyes in frustration, too lazy to argue with Cruze.

If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't resist, Noer would have already snuck away.

Thinking about the transfer order from a few days ago gave Noer a headache.

He really wanted to ask Cruze, "What is it about me that you like? Tell me, and I'll change it!"

Actually, Noer wasn't supposed to join Cruze's team initially.

Cruze's team was an elite unit, and normally only accepted the top ten graduates, the so-called Red Uniforms. Noer, ranked eleventh and a Green Uniform, didn't qualify to join.

In the initially announced roster, only Athrun, Yzak, Nicol, Diakka, and Latis were listed as members of Cruze's team.

After carefully confirming the list, Noer was so excited he couldn't sleep all night.

The reason was simple: Noer had originally wanted to join the protagonist's team, mainly because he thought it would be safer and have a higher survival rate.

But then he thought about it and realized that wasn't necessarily true.

Was the protagonist's team really safe?

Could he be safe?

What was the protagonist's team? As protagonists, they would undoubtedly be at the forefront of the war, essentially rushing into danger wherever it was.

As a mere Green Uniform, a nameless cannon fodder, running around with them every day would just be delivering kills to Kira, wouldn't it?

Cruze's team, on the other hand, had been clashing head-on with Kira's team the entire time.

Kira, the ceiling of MS combat power in the SEED world, could even change the tide of a large-scale war single-handedly in the later stages.

When there were no other MS super aces involved, killing thousands of MS was as easy as eating and drinking.

Of course, Kira's combat power wasn't that terrifying at this point, but he was definitely not bad.

Moreover, this guy could activate his SEED mode, and his combat power would double, allowing even a novice to go toe-to-toe with two Red Uniforms.

Although he seemed to have this ability too, after so long, Noer had tried countless methods without success.

But Kira's seemed to activate whenever he wanted, which was incredibly awesome!

Besides his strength, Kira at this time period loved targeting the cockpit, meaning a headshot, and only started preferring to disable opponents in the later stages.

Therefore, in conclusion, not joining Cruze's team at this stage was the best option.

Until... Cruze played a little trick.

With a 'snap', his dream was shattered.