Yang Hui had grown accustomed to the slight dizziness from teleportation. In the blink of an eye, they returned to Prometheus Fortress, where they saw Graham and the rest of the second team arriving from the other side. Though disappointed that no portal had been established, they were relieved to see no casualties.
"Welcome back."
"Right back at you."
Yang Hui and Graham bumped fists before he exchanged hugs with Flit, Asemu, and the others. Every mission was unpredictable, and even though the second team was composed of members all above B-rank and equipped with Mobile Suits perfectly suited to them—and even though the Gundam W world shouldn't have posed any real danger—who could say for sure?
After all, who would have expected the Gundam SEED world to encounter an outsider like the festum?
So for them, every safe return from a mission was worth celebrating.
"No unexpected incidents?"
"Nope—"
"Except for Graham getting so caught up in a fight that he nearly took a Colony head-on, everything went smoothly." Graham's answer was cut off by Flit, whose expression made him look like a wronged wife.
"Uh… haha…" Graham scratched his head awkwardly, caught red-handed.
"Oh? Well, that's not too bad. We ran into some real trouble on our end." Yang Hui didn't scold Graham—he had faith in Graham's abilities, as well as in Flit and the others to rein him in when his battle lust flared up. That was precisely why he trusted Graham to lead the second team.
"Huh? With your lineup, you still ran into trouble?" Graham and the others were shocked. The current mission difficulty wasn't supposed to be high. With Yang Hui, Setsuna, Lyle, Tieria, Wang Liu Mei handling intel and logistics, and Sumeragi analyzing data and formulating strategies, they were practically the Dream Team!
"Yeah, but let's save that for later. First, let me introduce the new members." The newcomers weren't just from the Gundam SEED world—the second team also had three unfamiliar faces.
Though… unfamiliar was only true for Sumeragi and the others. Yang Hui recognized them immediately.
A golden-haired nobleman, a sharp and cold Easterner, and a short-haired, efficient female soldier—who else could they be but Zechs, Zhang Wufei, and his devoted admirer, Lucrezia Noin?
"Right. It's a shame we couldn't establish a connection with that world." Flit sighed regretfully. Unlike Yang Hui, they didn't know the direction of the world's plot. Though they had achieved a decent deviation rate, it hadn't reached 100%, so they couldn't link with the Gundam W world.
As for why they only brought back three people—it wasn't due to limited slots. It was simply because, among those they considered worthy, only these three were willing to come to Prometheus Fortress.
The four Gundam Pilots—Heero, Duo, Trowa, and Quatre—had achieved their goal of peace and no longer wished to fight. Treize, an all-round warrior who could rival Flit, also wanted to enjoy a quiet life. Even the five Gundam scientists, who should have been obsessed with unknown technology, declared it was time to retire and had no desire to leave their world.
So, only Zechs—who believed the world no longer needed him after achieving his goal—Zhang Wufei, unwilling to abandon his identity as a warrior, and Noin, who wished to follow Zechs for life, accompanied Graham and the others to Prometheus Fortress.
"Do your best, but don't force it."
Yang Hui was being honest. Because he knew the plot, he could easily achieve high world deviation levels. Thus, he never demanded that other teams must secure the qualification to connect worlds. Moreover, after the unexpected interference of the festum this time, everyone's safe return was already a good outcome.
Though the newcomers were brimming with curiosity about Prometheus Fortress, they suppressed their excitement and followed Yang Hui and the others to the central hall. They would first learn the basics before touring the fortress with a guide.
"Let's start with introductions."
The first order of business was naturally introductions. Those who could come to Prometheus Fortress immediately after world connection, or those who used the limited slots, were undoubtedly future candidates for the core leadership.
"..." Everything had been going smoothly until Yang Hui introduced Murrue, Natarle Badgiruel, and Lacus. The meeting room fell silent. Graham, Flit, and the others first locked their gazes on Murrue, Natarle, and Lacus, then shifted to Yang Hui, before turning to Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei. Finally… their eyes landed on Yurin, who was smiling gently. And then…
Whoosh~
In perfect unison, Graham and the others took a synchronized step back, as if bracing for something terrifying.
But… to their astonishment, Yurin didn't react with anger or sorrow. Instead, she walked over with gentle warmth, took Lacus' hand, and greeted Murrue and Natarle with kindness—even with a hint of joy and relief?
"...Do I have three more sisters-in-law?" Flit muttered.
"...Do I have three more aunts?" Asemu wondered.
"...Do I have three more sisters-in-law?" Graham added.
Boo~
The previously unified formation instantly crumbled as everyone jeered at Graham.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Graham protested.
"What about you?"
"Huh? What about me?"
"Where's your sister-in-law?"
"Where's your aunt?"
"Where's your wife?"
"I…"
"Got it! Flag Gundam!" everyone chorused.
Graham: (_)
"Pfft—sorry." Athrun, Kira, and the others couldn't help but laugh. They had been a little nervous at first, unsure what their future comrades would be like or whether they could get along. But this moment instantly bridged the gap between them, dissolving any awkwardness.
"Oh? Seems like a good bunch. Life won't be boring from now on." Creuset smirked, pleased that his future companions were both decent and amusing.
If they had been dull, Creuset would have simply ignored them. He followed Yang Hui for the man himself, not the others. As long as Yang Hui retained his current charisma, that was enough. Even if Yang Hui became boring, Creuset would find ways to entertain himself.
However, this process... might not be to everyone's liking.
"Alright, introductions are done. Graham, why don't you brief us on your situation first? Our side has some complicated matters to address." Seeing the previously tense atmosphere ease up, Yang Hui brought everyone back to the main topic.
"No problem, on our end..."
(End of Chapter)