Silence… still silence.
Until—knock, knock-knock—
The sound of knocking broke the suffocating stillness of the room. Lelouch and C.C. turned their heads at the same time. The automatic door opened, and a blind girl, reliant on a wheelchair, was pushed in by a maid. Following close behind was a girl in Ashford Academy's beige uniform, with short, shoulder-length fiery red hair.
"Brother, are you feeling better?"
From her lap, the small girl in the wheelchair presented a tray like a treasure. Upon it sat an unopened pizza box, a steaming bowl of soup, a pot of fragrant vegetable stew, and a small plate of toast slices.
Without question, the stew and toast were meant to nurse the ailing Lelouch back to health. As for the pizza…
"Thank you, Nunnally."
C.C. hopped up from the sofa with practiced ease, reaching out to take her share. She then glanced at Lelouch, who sat on the bed looking bitter and lost at Kallen's arrival. "Much more considerate than this competitive brat."
"Please don't say that about my brother."
On this matter alone, Nunnally's voice, though soft, carried a firmer edge.
"Illegal chess gambling and such—my brother only got involved in terrorism because of me. I'm sorry… Nunnally's disability means I can't help him…"
At those words, when she mentioned herself, the blind girl's gentle tone grew tinged with sobs. This cut Lelouch's heart deeper than his physical wounds. More painful was the guilt—the memory of failing to protect Nunnally and their mother, and now having to deceive his gentle sister…
To protect the secret of ZERO's identity and to shield Nunnally's kind nature, Lelouch, along with C.C., Kallen, and Sayoko Shinozaki—Nunnally's caretaker—had woven a cover story. They told her that he had been caught up in an anti-Britannian terror incident while illegally gambling at chess to earn their living expenses.
Naturally, ZERO's true face had been revealed to Kallen and Sayoko.
To Kallen, because she had saved him when the battle was lost.
To Sayoko, because as their maid, hired by the Ashford family, she had long known Lelouch's identity as a disinherited prince. She had cared for the siblings faithfully for years, practically family, and was trustworthy. Especially while Lelouch recuperated at home, hiding the truth would only arouse suspicion, so it was better to be open.
A well-intentioned lie—but one that left Nunnally blaming herself…
Just as Lelouch struggled to rise from the bed, intending to comfort her, someone pressed him back down.
"A patient should act like one."
It was Kallen.
The red-haired girl, expression conflicted, gently held down his trembling shoulder.
How to put it—Kallen could only think the world was strange.
ZERO was really Lelouch?
The revelation left her shocked and doubtful.
That flirtatious noble student at Britannia's academy, tangled with Shirley and Milly, the one who had stolen a kiss from her, who liked to tease her—was really ZERO?
Kallen recalled the storm of emotions when she first learned the truth, in that dire moment—
Receiving ZERO's call for reinforcements, then rushing in to find Lelouch disguised as ZERO, bleeding and wounded; the disbelief when she unmasked him; the instinctive obedience to his orders, even then, without breaking down…
During the retreat, she had been the one to administer emergency care: stopping the bleeding, applying medicine, wrapping bandages, injecting the set dose of anesthetic so he could keep commanding.
After their desperate escape, she had helped him out of ZERO's uniform, disguising him as her classmate on a casual outing. She even invoked the rarely-used Stadtfeld name and her family's noble rights to contact the family's contracted private doctor for surgery.
Thankfully, no vital organs were hit.
Once assured Lelouch was out of danger, she moved him back to Ashford Academy for home recovery.
In the process came her stepmother's mocking about her "dating a Britannian classmate," her best friend Shirley's jealous glances at a rival, Milly's teasing with the other students… Ah, it was enough to make her furious!
This Lelouch—what a sinful boy!
Because he had once suddenly mentioned "Shinjuku," Kallen had suspected his identity before, but dismissed it later. And now—you tell me you're ZERO? Doesn't that just make me look stupid for not realizing earlier?
And you even told me not to let Ohgi or the rest of the Black Knights know… what a bastard!
If not for this unexpected injury, were you planning to keep it hidden forever?!
Kallen almost wanted to slap that handsome face of his right then.
But seeing Lelouch so weak and drained now, she let it go…
She didn't want to end up being commended by Britannia for killing him.
"I saved you, not so you could throw your life away."
Locking eyes with Lelouch's gloomy violet gaze, Kallen clicked her tongue. His frail, sister-obsessed self contrasted so sharply with ZERO's mysterious, unfathomable presence that they felt like two different people.
Stopping his attempt to climb out of bed, she pulled a cushion over and placed it gently behind his head.
Naturally, Kallen noticed the pile of encrypted phones and wireless radios scattered by his bedside.
No doubt—even while bedridden, even after suffering a crushing blow from Euro Britannia's elite forces, Lelouch had not forgotten the Black Knights. He was still micromanaging, still trying to control everything.
This was why Kallen chose to keep his secret.
She wasn't some reckless hothead.
A Britannian, still just a high schooler, leading the Black Knights in rebellion against the Holy Britannian Empire—was not something every Knight or Japanese could accept. Revealing the truth at such a critical moment of survival would do nothing but harm the cause.
What Lelouch thought didn't matter. She didn't have the energy to dig into it now. What mattered was what he had done—killing the former Viceroy of Area 11, a Britannian prince, and leading the Black Knights against Cornelia. His stance, his commitment—that was enough.
As C.C. and Sayoko teased him in tandem until Nunnally finally broke into laughter, Lelouch calmed himself. Looking at Kallen, he smiled warmly and spoke with rare solemnity: "Thank you, Kallen. I owe you my life. I promise—I will keep my vow."
The boy on the sickbed, with that gentle yet determined look, could have been on the cover of a fashion magazine.
"Hmph!"
Kallen turned her face away, awkward, a blush flashing across her cheeks.
"Just remember! From now on, no more hiding from me!"
What kind of hidden tsundere trait is this?
Lelouch blinked in surprise.
At school she was Kallen Stadtfeld, the noble young lady. With the Black Knights, she was Kallen Kozuki, ace pilot and captain of his guard. He had known her duality between fragile and fierce… but this side?
Before he could speak again—
"Brother, let's put aside your talk with Kallen for now. Eat properly, build up your strength, and recover soon."
Nunnally's soft, cheerful voice carried a hint of playful satisfaction at her brother's situation.
Sayoko pushed Nunnally's wheelchair closer, setting up a low table at the bedside and transferring the tray from her lap. Smiling gently, she said: "This is Miss Nunnally's heartfelt effort. Master Lelouch, please eat quickly. Soon, it will be President Milly and Miss Shirley's turn to bring you food."
"And Rivalz too! He said he'd bring you something special to restore your energy. Um… what was it again?"
Then, as if realizing something, Nunnally spoke in a scolding tone: "Honestly, Brother, no affairs or fooling around! Shirley, Kallen, and that pizza-loving lady—already three of them…"
"Rivalz, that guy…"
Hearing this, Lelouch's head started to ache.
A mix of pain and happiness.
It was only here, back at school, at home, where he could shed the mask of the vengeful prince and the disguise of ZERO, that some friends could still smile at him sincerely. With their genuine warmth, they washed away the shadows and bloodstains he carried from the battlefield.
"Thank you, Nunnally. Thank you, Sayoko."
Lelouch smiled as he lifted a spoonful of soup.
The soup slid across Lelouch's tongue—rich, smooth, full of flavor. It brought an unparalleled sense of comfort and satisfaction, as though even his physical pain no longer mattered.
A wave of warmth surged through his body, and his weary spirit was lifted.
This—this was why he fought.
But such warmth was destined to be brief. Beep, beep, beep—
The television flickered on.
"I'm guessing this news will interest you, Lelouch."
Sitting on the sofa with her knees tucked up, C.C. casually lifted a slice of sausage-and-cheese pizza to her mouth. Without turning, she said: "It's a broadcast for all of Area 11… not just the Settlement, but streamed across Japan's ghettos, mountains, and communal zones."
"A broadcast?"
Lelouch's eyes narrowed.
"Cornelia… the Viceroy?"
That shouldn't be. Last time, after the Black Knights' crushing defeat, the mainstream and official media of Area 11 had already reported it thoroughly. With Cornelia's blunt and fiery personality, she would never exaggerate her own victory—let alone broadcast it again.
"No. Euro Britannia."
C.C.'s voice drifted lightly as she turned slightly. In the golden eyes of the witch who bore the Code was a sharp warning to Lelouch. "Do you remember the Area 11 Expeditionary Corps, drawn in multiple batches by the Third Princess, Vela?"
"Your friend is among them. They reportedly fought well. Many died, but their achievements were great, enough to satisfy the Third Princess. On the Eastern Front, Euro Britannia just won a sweeping blitzkrieg victory. The E.U. lost heavily, and the northern front has already advanced into East Prussia—Königsberg. Right now, they are holding a parade and award ceremony."
"Tell me, Lelouch… who do you think that ceremony is meant for?"
C.C. rested her chin on her hand, amused.
At that question, Lelouch's face darkened.
—
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