The hangar was finally quiet.
After the nightmare that was Odessa, Gary Lin found himself leaning against a maintenance crate, sipping from a can of lukewarm coffee. The Strike Gundam stood nearby, half-disassembled, surrounded by mechanics who moved like ghosts. The smell of ozone and oil filled the air.
He exhaled slowly, watching the morning sun bleed through the hangar's open shutters.
"Man," he muttered, "I forgot what peace sounds like… Oh wait, it sounds like exhaustion."
Just as he was about to take another sip, a familiar, monotonous voice chimed inside his cockpit headset.
> [Notice: Second summon status available for review.]
Gary blinked, then stared at the Strike's display panel. "...Wait, what?"
> [Reminder: Two unidentified summoned entities remain unreviewed. Would you like to open status data for Subject #2?]
He groaned. "Oh right… I did summon some people before Odessa."
He rubbed his temple, sighing. "God, I can't believe I forgot about that. Too many explosions. My brain's probably still in low power mode."
He waved a hand lazily at the console. "Yeah, yeah, go ahead. Surprise me."
The display flickered, and a new holographic profile appeared.
> [Subject #2: Tomoya Aki.]
[Affiliation: Zeon – Mobile Suit Trainee Division.]
Gary's eyes widened slightly. Then a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me. Tomoya Aki? From Saekano?"
He leaned back in his chair and chuckled. "So the Federation gets the sarcastic loner philosopher of high school romantic comedies, and Zeon gets a harem game developer. I see how it is. Balance, huh?"
He pointed a finger accusingly at the Strike's console. "You're telling me that guy—the one who recruits girls to make dating sims—is piloting a mobile suit for Zeon?"
> [Affirmative.]
[Subject demonstrates exceptional adaptability in simulation environments. Predicted compatibility rate with Zaku II model: 97%.]
Gary's laughter turned into a sigh. "Yeah, sure. Next you'll tell me he made a VN called 'My Girlfriend is a Mobile Suit.'"
The System continued, ignoring the sarcasm entirely.
> [Subject possesses Perk: "Mechanical Comprehension – Otaku Genius."]
[Effect: Instantly understands any Mobile Suit design and control interface without formal training.]
For a second, Gary just stared.
Then he slowly lowered his coffee can, expression blank.
"…Come again?"
> [Repeat: Subject instantly comprehends any MS system—]
Gary took a long sip, stopped mid-swallow, and promptly choked.
"WHAT?!"
He coughed violently, slapping his chest. "He WHAT?! That's— that's not fair!" He set the can down with a clank, glaring at the console. "You're telling me Zeon gets a super-otaku engineer prodigy while I get a depressed essayist who monologues about youth?!"
> [Correction: Subject Hachiman Hikigaya provides morale stabilization effects through sarcasm.]
Gary groaned. "Oh yeah, real stabilizing. He probably makes his squad question their existence before breakfast!"
He threw his hands up, pacing in the narrow maintenance aisle. "What's next, System? You gonna give Zeon some kind of genius-level plot armor too? Because it sure feels like I'm stuck in a meta balancing act written by a drunk fanfic author!"
> [Balance Adjustment Complete. Both factions now possess unique narrative variables.]
He froze. "You did not just say 'narrative variables.'"
> [Affirmative.]
Gary dragged his hand down his face. "I hate how self-aware you are…"
He sat back down, staring at the Strike Gundam's gleaming chest plate. "So let me get this straight. Zeon now has a literal otaku genius who can instantly understand mobile suits. A guy who probably thinks the Gelgoog is a waifu."
> [Statistical probability: 64%.]
He barked out a laugh. "Oh, that's just great! The Federation gets the philosopher of pain, Zeon gets the mechanic of dreams, and me? I get high blood pressure."
The System didn't even pause.
> [Would you like to review the third summon status?]
Gary immediately held up a hand. "No. No way. You've already ruined my morning. I'm not emotionally prepared for another bombshell."
> [Acknowledged. Postponing subject #3 reveal.]
He leaned back again, exhaling through his nose. The quiet hum of the hangar returned — the distant clang of tools, the soft chatter of engineers. For the first time since the Odessa battle, the war felt far away.
Gary looked up at the ceiling, talking more to himself than the System.
"So now I've got Hachiman the philosopher of despair and Tomoya the miracle engineer. Federation and Zeon each have an anime protagonist. You know, I used to dream about this kind of crossover… until I realized I'd have to manage them."
> [Observation: Host's management skills remain inconsistent.]
He smirked. "Wow. Even my System throws shade now."
> [Sarcasm detection: 100%.]
Gary chuckled softly, staring at the faint sunrise bleeding through the hangar's edge. "Still, I guess this means the war's about to get a whole lot more interesting…"
He picked up his coffee again, took a cautious sip, and added under his breath,
"Just please—please don't let the third one be from a magical girl anime. I don't think the timeline can handle sparkles and death beams at the same time."
The System gave a neutral ping, almost like a mischievous smirk hidden behind code.
> [Awaiting third summon disclosure.]
Gary froze mid-sip. "Don't you dare."
The sound of his frustrated groan echoed softly across the quiet hangar — a weary hero, a broken meta universe, and a System with too much attitude.
And above them all, the world of Gundam kept turning, unaware that its next chaos would come not from war… but from anime logic itself.