Murrue took the mineral water Miriallia offered, thanked her, and then looked up at Barbatos.
"A wolf?"
She inexplicably uttered the name of an animal the mobile suit resembled – a wolf. Barbatos's overall appearance was indeed that of a cold, proud, and untamed lone wolf.
As she drank, she saw a few children climbing onto Strike and quickly put down her water bottle, calling out, "Get off that mobile suit, now!"
Bang!
A spark flew as a bullet grazed the armor above Tolle's head, who was sitting on Strike. Murrue had fired, but she had deliberately aimed away from them.
Kira quickly rushed in front of Murrue. "Stop! They were the ones who carried you down when you were unconscious."
Murrue remained unmoved, even pointing her gun at him. She said in a low voice, "I appreciate you saving me, but that mobile suit is an important military secret. Civilians are not allowed to touch it casually."
Tolle, who had gotten off Strike, grumbled, "What's going on? Kira was the one who piloted this MS here after you passed out!"
"What?" Murrue froze, her gaze sharpening as she looked at Kira. "Is that true? You piloted this machine?"
Kira's expression shifted at Murrue's question. He turned his head away, a silent admission.
Tolle, meanwhile, proudly puffed out his chest. "That's right, that's right! Kira piloted it much better than you did; it moved incredibly smoothly!"
Murrue's pupils contracted. Tolle's words had made the answer obvious. She looked at Kira and said, "Are you...?"
Before Murrue could finish her sentence, Barbatos's cockpit opened, drawing everyone's attention to the mobile suit.
When Murrue saw the pilot emerge from the cockpit, she was stunned. "Another child?"
Mikazuki, wearing a thin undershirt, leaped down from Barbatos, landing in front of everyone. He was a boy slightly shorter than the two girls present.
Kira's mouth fell open. He blurted out, "It's you? Mikazuki Augus?"
Mikazuki found the voice familiar and turned his head. "Hmm? Kira Yamato? Why are you here? Didn't you escape?"
"Ah, no, I didn't escape... Wait, that's not the point! It's you, you! Why were you in that mobile suit?"
"Oh, because it's my mobile suit."
"Is... is that so?"
Murrue and the others stared blankly at their conversation. After a long moment, Murrue finally snapped back to reality, her gun once again turning to aim at Mikazuki.
A cold glint flashed in Mikazuki's eyes, but he made no move.
"Who exactly are you? And that mobile suit of yours, state its origins."
Mikazuki furrowed his brow and scratched his head. Although he didn't want to answer, he repeated, "Tekkadan, Mikazuki Augus."
Tekkadan? That again. Was this boy messing with her?
"So, tell me the truth!" Murrue shook the gun in her hand, signaling that she would shoot if he didn't speak truthfully.
Mikazuki, who was usually the one pointing guns at others, was not startled by Murrue. Instead, he was provoked. His right hand quickly drew the pistol tucked into the back of his waistband, not even needing to aim.
Bang!
Before Murrue could react, the gun in her hand was struck and fell to the ground. Murrue was momentarily taken aback.
Mikazuki, holding his pistol, looked annoyed. "I hate it when people point guns at me."
He could point a gun at others, but he would absolutely not allow others to point a gun at him. Because he couldn't die. He needed to complete the mission Orga had given him: protect his family, protect Tekkadan. So, even if the other party had no intention of killing him, he would still knock their weapon away.
Orga's worried voice came through his earpiece. "Hey, Mikazu..."
"I'm fine." Mikazuki raised his gun, looking indifferently at Murrue. "If I had any ill intent towards you, given the way you operated that thing just now, you'd have died countless times over. And I'm not lying to you. I'm Mikazuki Augus, leader of Tekkadan."
Murrue calmed down after hearing this. Yes, if the other party had truly wanted to seize the Gundam, they could have done so easily while she was unconscious. But seeing the current situation, it seemed this young man was protecting them, and even if he was lying, she was helpless anyway. Moreover, just based on that marksmanship, she knew this young man was far from simple.
"Here." Seeing Murrue's wary expression seem to relax a little, Mikazuki put away his gun and handed her his Orb identity document from his pocket.
Murrue's brows furrowed tightly as she looked at the ID. An Orb civilian? Don't be ridiculous. If he were truly a civilian, how could he possibly have a mobile suit whose performance was likely even superior to the Earth Alliance Forces' new model?
She let out a long breath and returned the ID to Mikazuki. "My apologies. I was too agitated. It's just that I've truly never heard of this 'Tekkadan'."
"It's fine. Tekkadan isn't from around here, so it's normal not to know." Mikazuki put away his ID and took a date out of his pants pocket, popping it into his mouth.
Murrue's already tight frown deepened upon hearing this. It seemed the other party wasn't lying. Murrue had studied some psychology. When someone lies, a tiny flaw will always show in their eyes. Yet, in this young man, whose clothes were somewhat dirty and disheveled, there was not the slightest unusual glint in his eyes. They were clear as water, as if constantly gazing at something far away.
This suddenly made her curious about the young man before her. Even Kira piloting Strike was pushed to the back of her mind.
"Well then, let me reintroduce myself. I am Murrue Ramius, a Lieutenant Commander in the Earth Alliance Forces."
"Oh, hello." Mikazuki's flat response made Murrue's mouth slightly agape, somewhat bewildered. Even though he was greeting her, why did it feel so awkward?
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