After staying at Jaburo Base for a week, Tim Ray headed into space. Amuro remained behind. Yang Hui assigned Amuro the role of his assistant, with no immediate plans to send him into battle. It wouldn't be too late to deploy him after he was properly trained.
To be honest, even though Amuro hadn't fully grown into his body yet, he looked quite sharp in his military uniform.
"Sigh, lost again." Amuro walked out of the simulation pod dejectedly, just as South Burning, his opponent, approached.
"Kid, thinking you can beat me after just a few days? Don't look down on me," South Burning said with a laugh, ruffling Amuro's hair.
"Stop teasing me, Sergeant Burning! I'm not a kid!" Amuro swatted his hand away, stepping back a few paces in protest.
"What else is a 16-year-old if not a kid?"
"I'm the Major's assistant now!"
"Oh! That's impressive, kid assistant."
"Sergeant!"
"Hahaha…" Everyone resting nearby burst into laughter.
"Kid, lasting a minute against Burning is already pretty good, you know?"
"Yeah, I only lasted 45 seconds!"
"Uncle Burning has never dropped out of the top three on the rookie rankings."
Originally, the elite soldiers transferred from various units wouldn't have had such a harmonious atmosphere. But over the past week, the brutal training regimen Yang Hui had devised for them forced them to overcome hardships together. Through shared struggles, mutual support, tears, arguments, and bloodshed, they quickly forged resilient bonds of camaraderie.
Amuro was no exception. Although he was Yang Hui's assistant, Yang Hui's purpose in keeping him close was to train and discipline him, not let him remain a playboy. So, Amuro participated in all the unit's training programs.
At first, Amuro complained, grew tired, and wanted to quit. But Yang Hui gave him no way out, slamming a gun in front of him with the ultimatum: either complete the training or die on the training ground. There was no third option.
Under the heavy pressure and intense killing intent radiating from Yang Hui, Amuro wet his pants but managed to finish the first day of training. After that, he never dared mention quitting again.
The others in the unit also changed their opinion of Amuro. Initially, they truly believed he was some rich kid who had pulled strings to get in and polish his resume. But through the grueling training, they gradually accepted him as one of their comrades.
"Hmph! I'll definitely beat Sergeant Burning! Then Captain Jung and the others, and finally the Major!"
"Whoa! That's some ambition, impressive!" everyone exclaimed, though it was mostly in jest. Who among them didn't want to grow stronger? Who didn't want to surpass their own goals?
It had to be said that Amuro's presence was one of the reasons driving everyone to redouble their efforts. At 16, Amuro was the youngest, but his talent was exceptional. Half of them couldn't even beat him in simulation training, which thoroughly stung their pride.
As former aces of their respective units, being bested by a teenager would be utterly humiliating if word got out.
"I wonder when we'll get to train with real machines. I really want to get my hands on an actual MS," Liddell Wolf, with his dark skin, eagerly anticipated the arrival of his own big toy.
"How far are you from the baseline standard?" Charlulu Kissinggum asked.
"Still 18 points short. I should be able to make it in the next assessment," Liddell Wolf replied.
"That'll take at least a week. I'm about the same, 14 points short," Charlulu Kissinggum said.
"Ah!!! Why am I still 38 points behind?!" Diris Hanovers shouted frantically.
"Heh, serves you right! Who told you to be careless in the last assessment?"
"You guys are already doing great, okay? I'm still 52 points short," Christina Mackenzie grumbled, one of the few female pilots, along with several other equally frustrated female pilots.
"It's fine, Chris. Women's physical fitness is naturally weaker than men's. It's normal."
"Yeah, the Major is really something. Doesn't he know how to be gentle? Holding you to the same standards as men," Alpha A. Bate complained on behalf of the female pilots.
"Don't say that, Alpha. The Major is just being responsible for us!"
"Cima can do it, why can't we?"
"Speaking of which, Cima, how many points are you short?"
"Five."
"So impressive!"
The women admired her, while the men felt ashamed. They had just boasted that women couldn't compare to men, only to be proven wrong immediately.
"Train, train! I must pass the next assessment!"
"Exactly! We must surpass Cima! Show what men are made of!"
"Let's go! Extra training, extra training!"
Stimulated by Cima Garahau's results, the men ended their break early and dove into the simulation pods, swearing not to let men down.
The women, meanwhile, crowded around Cima Garahau, asking her for tips. But Cima Garahau's response was cold: "Just train hard. There are no shortcuts."
"Alright, we'll just have to work twice as hard."
"Come on, sisters, let's do our best. We can't let those stinky men look down on us."
"Ah! Wait for me!"
Similarly, inspired by Cima Garahau's example, the women ended their break early and returned to the simulation pods for extra training, determined to prove they were no weaker than men.
As the instigator of all this, Cima Garahau watched with calm, unblinking eyes. She had no interest in any of it now, not even in interacting with her teammates. All she wanted was to grow stronger, stronger and stronger, until she was strong enough to help Yang Hui, strong enough to protect the only light in her heart.
"Cima." Just as Cima Garahau was about to resume training, South Burning called out to her.
"What is it?"
"The Major wants you to go to his office."
"Huh? The Major wants to see me?!" Only Yang Hui could provoke such a strong emotional reaction from Cima Garahau, who was usually so focused on improving herself and indifferent to everything around her. Her previously cold demeanor suddenly turned flustered.
"Yes." South Burning had already informed Yang Hui about Cima Garahau's condition. After being spurred on, she had pushed herself to an extreme level, which had indeed greatly improved her skills, but at the cost of exhausting her life force. If her mindset wasn't eased, Cima Garahau might not last much longer before collapsing.
"Did... did the Major say what it's about?" Cima Garahau asked fearfully. Yang Hui hadn't summoned her alone in a long time, and she was terrified that she hadn't done well enough and would be sent away by him.
"I don't know, but I don't think it's anything bad."
"Really?"
"Mmm..."
"Then I'll go find the Major first. Thank you, Sergeant Banagher."
"Go ahead."
Watching Cima Garahau's mix of excitement and anxiety, South Burning sighed and shook his head. He knew about Cima Garahau's past and sympathized with this woman who had been betrayed. Whether as a comrade or as someone older, he hoped she could emerge from the shadows.
"I hope that kid can help her."
Thinking this, South Burning also began to intensify his training—after all, he didn't want to fall behind either.
...
Cima Garahau stood hesitantly outside Yang Hui's office door. She reached out to knock but quickly withdrew her hand. She eagerly imagined why Yang Hui had called for her, yet feared she wasn't good enough and that he might send her away.
"Cima? What are you doing at the Major's door?" asked Margareta Yagarn, who happened to be passing by. As a member of the transport and logistics units, she had been transferred to Yang Hui's forces. Among those transferred in the same batch were her fiancé Hoody, the future famous captain Bright Noah, and others.
"N-nothing... It's just... the Major asked to see me..."
Margareta Yagarn raised an eyebrow and quickly understood. As a woman—and one deeply in love with her fiancé—she could easily recognize the state Cima Garahau was in. So she stepped forward and knocked on the door for Cima.
"Lieutenant Margareta!?"
"Sometimes women need to take the initiative too," Margareta Yagarn said playfully, winking at Cima before turning to leave.
At that moment, Yang Hui's voice came from inside the room, leaving Cima no room for further hesitation.
"Who is it?"
"Corporal Cima Garahau reporting!"
"Cima, come in."
"Yes!"
The door opened, and Cima Garahau walked into Yang Hui's office with stiff steps, making Yang Hui chuckle and shake his head.
"I don't think I look that scary, do I, Cima?"
"N-no, Major, you... you're not scary at all!" Cima replied nervously.
"Then why are you so tense? Have a seat." Yang Hui smiled and gestured for Cima to sit down.
"Yes!"
Still rigid, Cima sat bolt upright, unmoving, like a robot.
"Heh." Yang Hui chuckled, poured a glass of water for Cima, and placed it in front of her.
"Major! This... I... this..."
"We've known each other for a while now, Cima. You've been following me since Granada. There's no need to be so nervous. Have some water to calm down."
"Y-yes..." His gentle tone softened her stiff posture slightly. Cima looked at Yang Hui's bright, handsome smile, shyly lowered her head, and took small sips of water.
"Major... why did you call me here... is there something?"
"Yes, there is something, and it's quite important."
"Major!" Cima suddenly stood up, her expression and gaze filled with pleading. "Major, please, don't send me away!"
Yang Hui was taken aback by this reaction. "When did I ever say I was going to send you away?"
"Huh? You... you're not?"
"Of course not." Yang Hui shook his head and motioned for Cima Garahau to sit back down. "Your test results have always been among the best, and you've even outperformed many of the men. How could I bear to let such an outstanding subordinate leave?"
"I... I'm so sorry!"
"I told you, there's no need to be nervous. Sit and talk." Yang Hui sighed, once again urging the agitated Cima Garahau to take a seat.
"Yes, Major! What... what did you need me for?" Cima Garahau, now reassured that she wouldn't be sent away, felt much more at ease. Hearing Yang Hui praise her as outstanding and express reluctance to let her go filled her with joy and further relaxed her.
"Banagher has told me about your situation, Cima. You're too tense, pushing yourself too hard. You'll burn out if you keep this up," Yang Hui advised.
"But... but if I don't work hard, how can I be of any help to you, Major?" Cima Garahau thought of the gap between her abilities and Yang Hui's, her expression dimming.
"If you exhaust yourself, won't you be even less able to help me?" Yang Hui countered from a different angle.
"That's... but..."
"You've grown quickly, and I'm happy about that. But I don't want that growth to come at the cost of your health, nor do I want your excessive efforts to shorten the time you can serve by my side. Do you understand?"
"Major... you... you..."
Cima Garahau was initially thrilled that Yang Hui cared so much about her, but soon she grew shy as he suddenly leaned in, placing a hand on her face. Before long, her consciousness blurred, and she drifted into sleep, still puzzled.
Yang Hui caught Cima Garahau just in time to prevent her from falling, then gently lifted her and laid her on his own bed, covering her with a blanket. He smoothed her disheveled hair and gazed at her delicate yet weary face, speaking softly, "You look beautiful when you're working hard, but pushing yourself too much... it pains me to see. Rest well, Cima."
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