After the dramatic action at the Mars Colony Base and the capture of Troy Steven by Augustina's forces, Zaki and Maki quickly returned to the evacuation site. They managed to sneak back into the panicking crowd of students and pretended to have just emerged from the forest area. Thanks to the ensuing chaos, no one specifically noticed their absence. However, for Gills, who saw them leave, and Aurora, who understood the timing of their disappearance, the twins' absence was a significant sign.
The entire school trip was completely disrupted. Teachers and Student Council members tried hard to calm the students who were frightened by the sound of explosions and the sight of Mobile Suits in the air. The attacked Mars Colony Base immediately sent patrol Mobile Suit units to secure the area.
Despite the serious incident, the recreational event was not entirely canceled. After the Colonians secured the perimeter and confirmed there were no more rebel units in the area, the teachers decided to continue a portion of the event in an area deemed safe: the Natural Hot Springs located on the opposite slope of the mountain from the conflict zone. The goal was to ease the students' tension and panic, and to restore the school spirit tarnished by the incident.
In the afternoon, at the separate hot springs for boys, the atmosphere was quiet and warm. Thick steam filled the air, creating a thin mist among the rock pools fed by natural water.
Zaki soaked in the rock pool, his body feeling relaxed after the extraordinary physical and mental strain from the fight against Troy Steven and the shock of AIRIS's intervention. Every muscle felt tired, but the warm water helped relieve the tension.
Beside him, Gills Treyman was also soaking, his handsome face looking serious and pensive. Gills was rarely seen calm. As the Student Council President, he was always full of energy and charisma, but right now, he looked like he was processing something big.
Many other students in the pool were gossiping about the Mobile Suit incident.
"Did you see? There was a White Mobile Suit, and a new Yellow Mobile Suit! The news said they were heroes for protecting the base from a sudden attack," said one student, his voice filled with admiration.
"That White Mobile Suit must be the legendary Mobile Suit everyone talks about. Who's the pilot? Must be a great person," chimed in another student. "And that yellow unit! Its wing shape was weird, but so fast!"
Zaki remained silent, closing his eyes, letting the steam envelop his face, trying to hide the small smile that could reveal everything.
Gills turned to Zaki. His eyes no longer showed the seriousness of the Student Council President, but the sharpness of an observer who had seen a big secret.
"Zaki," Gills called, his voice low and controlled. "You and your sister... you disappeared during the evacuation. I saw it. You weren't on the bus. Then suddenly, The White Ghost appeared."
Zaki opened his eyes, staring at Gills expressionlessly. He knew the game of pretending not to know was over. Zaki leaned his back against the rock and spoke in a flat tone. "We got lost in the woods, Gills. This mountain area is vast, and we panicked when we heard the explosions. We only knew there was an attack after hearing the Mobile Suit gunfire from afar, and immediately returned as if we had just come out of the woods."
Gills gave a wry smile. He moved his face slightly closer to Zaki, making sure his whisper wasn't heard by the other students. "Lost? What a coincidence? Suddenly returned right after the battle was over? Do you think I'm stupid, Zaki?"
Gills sighed, his expression becoming very serious. "I saw it, Zaki. I saw that White Mobile Suit land on the hilltop behind the evacuation area. I saw you and Maki jump into that open cockpit, and then the yellow unit flew with it. I saw it with my own eyes. Everything."
A chill suddenly replaced the warmth of the water on Zaki's body. Gills's confession hit him harder than Troy Steven's Mobile Suit punch. He had been careful, but Gills's obsessive surveillance of Maki and his surroundings turned out to be sharper than a Mobile Suit's sensors.
Zaki returned Gills's gaze with equal sharpness, narrowing the distance between them. "I don't know what you're talking about, Gills. Maybe you're tired and hallucinating. Or maybe you're trying to scare me. But I suggest you should focus on your Student Council duties."
Gills was undeterred. "That White Mobile Suit is a miracle, Zaki. I know it. I know that you risk your lives every time that unit flies. And you are the key. I won't tell anyone. I swear on the honor of the Student Council and my reputation among the Colonians. But... I want to know, Zaki. Why do you do it? Why do you, Earth children, risk everything to protect us, the Colonians, from fellow Earth Mobile Suits?"
Gills continued, his voice trembling with unexpected emotion. "I'm tired of the ordered and boring Colonian life. I'm only interested in uniqueness, in the unexpected. And you and Maki... you are unique. You are a mystery that I must keep. That's why I know I must remain silent."
Zaki met Gills's gaze. He sensed honesty in the Student Council President's voice—an honesty more dangerous than betrayal. "If you really saw it, Gills, and choose to remain silent, then I thank you. But remember this well: whatever you saw, it is a very dangerous secret. Never, not even once, try to find out more. Don't follow us. Don't approach that unit. This is not your business, Gills. It could kill you." Zaki ended the warning on a very cold and threatening note.
Zaki knew that Gills's honesty, though accompanied by obsessive curiosity, could be disastrous. Gills was not motivated by hatred or politics, but by admiration and obsession with Maki. This made the threat much more complicated than any military one.
In the hot springs area for girls, the atmosphere was more cheerful. The female students were soaking, chatting, and trying to forget the morning's tension.
Maki Kimeza soaked in the warmer pool, enjoying the sensation of the hot water relieving the fatigue and soreness throughout her body. She was chatting lightly with some classmates.
Aurora Anveil sat near her, just listening. Aurora knew exactly what Maki and Zaki had done earlier, and she was relieved to see them safe. She also sensed a sudden tension emanating from Zaki's direction, but she didn't know the details of the confrontation with Gills.
After a while, Maki pulled away from the chat group and approached Aurora. In her hand, she held the natural stone accessory Gills had bought her.
"Aurora, I don't know what to do," Maki whispered, her voice full of dilemma. "Gills... he gave me this. He's so kind, and his attention makes me feel... seen. But he's Colonian, and he's the Student Council President. I feel weird about liking his attention while I have to fight his people every night."
Maki truly did not know that at the same time, Gills and Zaki were confronting each other about the Mobile Suit. She was only focused on the dilemma of her teenage feelings and her hidden pilot identity.
Aurora smiled. She took Maki's hand and held it. "You have the right to be happy, Maki. And you have the right to accept kindness. Love doesn't look at Colony or Earth, Maki. Don't be too hard on yourself."
Aurora continued, "Think about this: You fight them with the Mobile Suit every night, protecting everyone, including him. Isn't that enough? Allow yourself to be a Colonian teenager at school, and an Earth hero at night. But Gills... he's someone who values beauty. If he likes you, it's because of who you are. Don't punish yourself for the feelings you have."
Maki looked at Aurora, feeling slightly comforted. Aurora always knew how to calm her heart with wise words.
"I'll try, Aurora," Maki said, then put the accessory back into her shirt pocket when she finished soaking. After the soak, she felt fresher and ready to face new challenges, both on the battlefield and at school. The complex relationship with Gills Treyman was now a personal secret she had to guard tightly, just like her identity as a Gundam pilot. She did not realize how thin the line was between her personal secret and her greatest secret after Gills and Zaki's confrontation at the hot springs area.
Behind the cheer and warmth of the hot springs, Zaki felt the heavy burden that their secret was now compromised. Zaki knew that Gills Treyman, a Colonian student and Student Council President, was now a key witness, creating a new internal threat far more dangerous than any Colonian Mobile Suit attack. Zaki had to remain vigilant, as Gills's obsession with Maki had now mixed with the secret of the White Mobile Suit.
To be continued....