"You're actually doing this with Miriallia and the others?"
Several days after the battle at Artemis Fortress, Li Chengzhi had just finished his shift on the bridge.
Feeling hungry, he decided to check the cafeteria for something to eat before returning to rest.
That's when he witnessed a scene that shocked him.
Wang Hu, who not long ago had been vehemently criticizing Murrue and the others for being brainless, was now folding paper cranes for mourning and remembrance with Miriallia and several others?
"I must be too tired and seeing things."
"Damn it, I'd better go back and rest early."
Covering his forehead with his hand, Li Chengzhi muttered to himself and prepared to turn around and quickly return to his room.
"What kind of person do you think I am?"
Because of Li Chengzhi's words, Kira and several others in the cafeteria looked tense.
Before Li Chengzhi could leave, Wang Hu, continuing his work calmly and quietly, called out to stop him.
"Uh..." Pinching the tender flesh on his inner thigh again, Li Chengzhi only believed what he was seeing after feeling the sharp pain.
"Pfft." Seeing Li Chengzhi's slightly comical appearance, the lively Miriallia couldn't help but laugh.
"Miriallia!"
Noticing this, her boyfriend Tolle quickly whispered a reminder to her, then quickly looked up and smiled apologetically at Li Chengzhi, who was entering the cafeteria.
Waving his hand to indicate he didn't mind the girl's laughter, Li Chengzhi pulled up a chair and sat at their table.
Staring at the many paper cranes already on the table, Li Chengzhi was still somewhat dazed.
"You know what these are for, right?"
Pointing at the items on the table, Li Chengzhi watched Wang Hu's face, observing every microexpression.
Hearing Li Chengzhi's question, Kira and the others instantly tensed up. They had actually heard some rumors about Wang Hu's scolding of Murrue and the others on the bridge that day.
That's why today they had specifically chosen a time when Wang Hu was theoretically off duty to do this.
They just didn't expect Wang Hu to appear right when they were folding the paper cranes. When they saw Wang Hu, they had prepared themselves for a scolding.
But Wang Hu didn't say much. After glancing at what they were doing, he silently joined in.
While relieved, no one dared to speak, wanting to quickly finish folding the paper cranes and quietly get this matter over with.
'This is disastrous.' Tolle and the others didn't dare breathe heavily. Looking at Li Chengzhi who was bringing up uncomfortable topics, their frustration didn't need to be mentioned.
"They're for paying respects to the innocent Coordinators who died at Junius Seven."
Wang Hu finished folding the paper crane in his hand and picked up a new sheet of paper to fold.
"And you're participating in this?" Picking up a sheet of paper himself, Li Chengzhi asked while folding.
"Am I a born cold-blooded killer?"
Pointing at his own nose, Wang Hu asked Li Chengzhi, and by extension the others including Kira.
"No, no." Kira and the others shook their heads vigorously, of course they wouldn't call Wang Hu a murderous maniac.
This wasn't flattery towards Wang Hu - it was their genuine feeling. If even Brother Wang Hu could be considered a murderous maniac, then were there any good people left in this world?
"Then," Li Chengzhi put down the paper crane he had just finished folding, stared at the smiling young faces, and turned to ask Wang Hu, "you weren't like this when you were scolding Murrue and the others earlier."
"Fool." Wang Hu shook his head with an expression of disappointment.
"What does this world look like in your eyes? Just black and white?"
"If it were Kira and the others thinking this way, I could understand. But if even you think like this, Li Chengzhi, I suggest you go back home early and cling to your father's coattails."
"Have him transfer you out of the military to some peaceful posting where you won't have to face the world's conflicts."
"Hey, Wang Hu, what do you mean by that?" Li Chengzhi's face darkened as he spoke displeasedly.
"Biting the hand that feeds you! I was just asking - how does that make me a fool?"
"I know what you're going to say - it's all shades of gray, right? And that the victims of Junius Seven are one thing, while PLANT and the ZAFT Forces are another matter entirely."
"Oh, so you do know." Wang Hu deliberately showed an expression that said "you're not completely stupid after all."
"You!" Li Chengzhi was truly angered, his pointing finger trembling as he really wanted to punch Wang Hu in the face.
"Brother Wang Hu?" Kira interjected in this tense atmosphere.
"So you also think the Atlantic Federation Army's actions against Junius Seven were wrong?"
He carefully chose the word "wrong" when saying this, though "evil" would have been more appropriate.
"Yes, they were wrong and evil." While Kira was avoiding the stronger term, Wang Hu openly stated it directly.
"Ah!" Except for Li Chengzhi, the young ones exclaimed in unison, genuinely surprised that Wang Hu would admit it so openly.
"But does that make PLANT, who dropped the Neutron Jammers causing over a billion deaths in the Earth Sphere, righteous now?"
The big twist came as Wang Hu once again mentioned that chilling number.
"What I'm really angry about is that Murrue and the others have no brains. Isn't there a saying that if you don't occupy the high ground of public opinion, others will?"
"Kira, I told you once on Artemis, didn't I? Neither of the two main forces in this world war are any good."
"I understand." Kira nodded with apparent naivety, once again contemplating the issue of peace.
Searching his soul, he grasped the deeper meaning in Wang Hu's words.
Having a brain is a good thing - you must possess it and not let others make decisions for you.
But... Kira raised his head and looked at Wang Hu, who was still folding paper cranes without stopping.
"Brother Wang Hu, the pilot of the Aegis Gundam is called Athrun. He's my good friend."
Something he had kept buried deep in his heart, he finally revealed today at this strictly inappropriate time and place.
"What?"
Tolle and Sai were so shocked their mouths could have fit a fist, while Flay, who had been quietly observing, trembled and nearly stood up.
They stared at Kira, who seemed to be awaiting judgment, inwardly lamenting. Kira, oh Kira, is this something you should say out loud?
This is something you should keep to yourself—something you must never tell anyone!
"Oh, I probably guessed as much."
Wang Hu glanced at Kira, who wore an expression of heroic sacrifice, and at the tense faces of Tolle and the others around them.
"Sai, sit down. Don't even think about using your father's name or status to plead for Kira."
Pointing at Sai to keep him from standing, Wang Hu even found the mood to joke lightly.
"Don't be like some people who drag their fathers into trouble. Sometimes, name-dropping your dad doesn't work. If I wanted to, I could easily charge you with harboring a spy over Kira's situation."
"Do you think your father could protect you? If I were harsher, even your father could be arrested and executed."
"Huh?" Blushing with embarrassment at Wang Hu's words, Sai awkwardly sat back down.
When did I become someone who drags my father into trouble? I don't think so...
But lately, I have been mentioning my father's name too often. I shouldn't do that anymore.
"This has nothing to do with Sai and the others. They didn't know about it before."
Seeing that Wang Hu seemed to be targeting Sai, who had tried to protect him, Kira quickly stood up, wanting to clear his friend's name in his own way.
"You sit down too. Did I say how I was going to deal with you?"
Wang Hu pointed at Kira, signaling him not to be so tense.
"I'm sorry, Brother Wang Hu." Kira hesitantly sat back down.
"Sigh." Wang Hu let out a sigh, a look of helplessness crossing his face.
"Just because I scolded Murrue and the others on the bridge, don't assume I'm a madman, alright?"
"It's not like that." Sai, Kira, and the others hurriedly tried to explain.
"Enough, listen to me." Wang Hu waved his hand, silencing them.
"Everything in this world has two sides. A person's words and actions are based on their own standpoint. Simply put, it depends on whether there's any benefit for them in doing something."
"Of course, I don't deny that there are selfless saints in this world, but isn't the reputation of being a saint also a form of benefit?"
"Now, coming back to the point, what does it mean that Kira couldn't bring himself to harm that Athrun?"
"A spy? But Kira was forced by us adults to pilot the Strike Gundam in the first place."
At this, Wang Hu, who had always seemed invincible, showed a trace of melancholy.
"As an adult, I'm making a young person like Kira fight. Even I find these words I'm saying now disgusting."
"But..."
Wang Hu handed Kira a newly folded paper crane. Staring at the paper crane Wang Hu offered, Kira took it in a daze, unsure how to react.
"I'm sorry, Kira, and... I'm counting on you, Kira."
"Brother Wang Hu!" Hearing Wang Hu's final words, Kira's emotions shattered completely.
Clutching the paper crane, he broke down into loud, uncontrollable sobs. No matter how Miriallia and the others tried to comfort him, it was useless.
All the emotions he had bottled up during this time—every single one—poured out in front of Wang Hu.
"Brother Wang Hu, what should I do?" With tear-filled eyes, Kira asked the person he trusted.
"Ask yourself." Wang Hu clapped his hands and stood up.
"When you hand over your decision-making power to others, one day you will regret it."
"That's why I don't want to say things like 'if you can't make a decision, just trust the answer given by someone you believe in.'"
"Kira, in this world, pretty words from pretty people can't solve anything."
"Take action. As long as it's what you truly want to do in your heart, even if it's wrong."
"At least you won't resent the person who gave you advice later in your life."
Since going on sale at 6 AM this morning, we just reached an average of 500 subscriptions. Perhaps in others' eyes this is an achievement too small to even mention.
But in my eyes, it's already remarkable. So I'm adding two extra chapters to thank all of you who are willing to read my unremarkable novel.
I sincerely thank you all. For the next two days, I'll be updating four chapters daily regardless of circumstances.
(End of Chapter)