Night had fallen.
The woman with naturally wavy brown hair returned to the VIP guesthouse looking somewhat exhausted.
Now that the Coordinators' genetic problems had been made public, everyone knew that a Coordinator hoping to have healthy children and avoid abnormalities would be better off choosing a Natural as their partner.
Murrue was a Natural.
As a result, she had become a popular marriage prospect at that evening's formal banquet.
Several people from PLANT had approached her as a potential match.
Naturally, she had rejected every last one of them.
Someone had already found his way into Murrue's heart, even if that someone happened to be an incorrigible womanizer who refused to take responsibility.
He had also attended the banquet with Lacus.
Most of the guests did not recognize him, and he clearly disliked formal occasions like this one.
His taciturn demeanor was accompanied by a dangerous aura. It was like a deer encountering the king of beasts for the first time. Even if it had never seen a lion before, the blood flowing through its veins carried the genetic memory of ancestors that had been hunted by lions. That instinct alone would fill it with fear and keep it from approaching.
Consequently, Kain spent most of the evening quietly enjoying the food.
After exchanging the necessary greetings, Lacus sat beside him and began "taking care" of him like a devoted wife.
She brought him one dish after another, almost as if she were rewarding a husband who had spent the entire day working hard.
Even the Coordinators who did not recognize Kain could tell something from Lacus's behavior. None of them were foolish enough to approach and interrupt the pair.
A few people from the Earth Alliance were genuinely incapable of reading the atmosphere and tried to invite Lacus to dance. ZAFT personnel promptly drove them away.
After entering her room, Murrue kicked off the unfamiliar and uncomfortable high heels. She slipped her black-stockinged feet into a pair of slippers and headed farther inside.
Just as she was about to turn on the lights, she sensed something.
Her hand stopped over the switch.
Instead of pressing it, Murrue swiftly drew a compact pistol from beneath her clothes. The instant she stepped into the living room, she aimed it at the figure sitting on the sofa.
A small screen glowed in the figure's hands. It looked like a phone, but it was actually a handheld game console.
"Why aren't you protecting your precious princess? What are you doing here?"
Murrue lowered her pistol as she spoke, but her brow remained furrowed.
"Miss Murrue, are you jealous?"
"No."
She denied it immediately, then gave an obviously displeased snort.
Murrue walked over to one of her bags and retrieved a thermos containing the breast milk Kain wanted.
"Did you need something?"
She asked the question before entering the bathroom.
Murrue did not believe he had come all the way here in private merely for the milk.
Perhaps there really was something important he needed to discuss with her.
He might want to ask her to look after Lacus once he was gone. The possibility left Murrue with complicated feelings.
On one hand, entrusting Lacus to her would prove that Kain trusted and acknowledged her completely.
On the other hand, while Lacus lacked experience, it was difficult to say which of them would actually end up taking care of the other.
Lacus was also extremely important. If anything happened to her, Kain might never be able to return to this world.
Even so, the thought of being asked to look after her still left Murrue feeling jealous.
"I don't need this."
Rather than answering her question, Kain approached and took the thermos from her hand.
Murrue froze, then immediately became dejected.
So he did not want it anymore.
Apparently, her charms only went so far.
"I'd rather drink it directly. Would that be all right?"
"What?"
Murrue stared at him blankly.
So that was why he did not want the thermos.
The request made her heart race.
She lightly bit her lower lip while the man before her patiently waited for an answer.
"You don't look like you only want to drink it directly. You have something else in mind too, don't you? Perhaps that incredibly naughty yin-yang position?"
Murrue's voice became faintly resentful as her face gradually reddened.
"Would you agree to that as well, Miss Murrue?"
"You really don't hesitate to ask, do you?"
His honesty in matters like this left her speechless.
Then Murrue suddenly thought of something and narrowed her eyes.
"You didn't come here just to keep yourself from embarrassing anyone tomorrow, did you?"
Lacus would be holding a concert the following day. To protect her properly, she had already explained the plan to everyone.
Kain would effectively serve as Lacus's exoskeleton. The two of them would then enter the mascot costume together, allowing him to provide constant close protection.
Remaining pressed that close together for hours would inevitably be awkward. Murrue suspected Kain had come to settle his nerves in advance so that he would not embarrass either of them tomorrow.
The thought made her glare at him.
"Why aren't you answering? Aren't you going to explain yourself?"
"Because I have no defense."
"You're unbelievable. Couldn't you at least lie and make me feel better?"
Murrue truly felt defeated by him.
"Do you enjoy hearing lies?"
"Of course not. Do you have emotional intelligence or not? Are you deliberately trying to annoy me?"
Murrue rolled her eyes at him.
"Wait. Something isn't right."
The man before her possessed terrifying willpower. There was no chance he would be unable to suppress a momentary reaction. He was a beast who could maintain complete control over his own impulses.
Whenever rationality was required, he became absolutely rational.
The more Murrue considered it, the more she realized that his attitude toward Lacus differed from how he treated everyone else. He always seemed to maintain a deliberate distance from her.
"Tell me what's really happening between you and Lacus. I feel as though you're afraid of her, but it isn't ordinary fear. You're not worried that she'll read your mind either, because she can't see through you in the first place."
Murrue's expression was completely serious.
It would be terrible if some unspoken barrier formed between Kain and Lacus.
Silence settled over the room.
"So when it comes down to it, you still don't trust me, do you?"
"Murrue, do you think I'm a brave person?"
His sudden question caught her off guard.
"Yes."
"You're wrong. I'm exactly the opposite."
Kain had never intended to tell her this.
For some reason, however, Murrue seemed to radiate a gentle light that allowed him to lower the defenses around his heart and finally speak. In that respect, she reminded him of Alice.
Perhaps Murrue resembled a nun willing to embrace him despite all the sins he had committed, allowing him to make his confession without fear.
Or perhaps his ability to read emotions had told him that Murrue's current feelings would allow her to accept the truth.
"Huh?"
Murrue was visibly surprised.
The man before her gave a bitter smile and finally opened his heart to her.
Only after hearing his confession did Murrue realize that beneath everything else, he was little more than a naive child.
She also understood the real reason he had come to her.
Kain wanted Lacus's opinion of him to worsen. By disappearing in the middle of the night to visit Murrue, he knew Lacus would eventually realize where he had gone and what he had done.
Yet he was conflicted.
Murrue had asked him what he would do if Lacus eventually fell in love with someone else.
His silence had been the clearest possible answer.
Perhaps Kain himself had not realized it yet. Once Alice tore open the seal around his genuine emotions, the resulting crack could no longer be closed.
It could not be repaired. The more people he met and formed bonds with, the wider the fracture would become.
Eventually, he would be forced to face reality.
People outside a situation often saw it more clearly than those trapped within it.
Then again, wasn't Murrue one of the people involved?
The only difference was that she could not affect Kain as profoundly as Lacus did. She understood her own position perfectly. She was already hopelessly his, and perhaps that was why she could still see the situation clearly.
The thought left her feeling resentful again.
As for the two of them, Murrue had reached a decision.
Indecision would only create more chaos.
That did not mean Kain should sever these relationships. The genuine feelings he had refused to invest, fearing they would turn him into a hopeless philanderer, had already burst through the dam.
Little by little, he was becoming incapable of treating the people around him as NPCs.
Since the change was irreversible, he might as well stop hesitating.
"Fine. I'll help you."
Her evening gown slipped to the floor, and the room grew quiet.
Tonight would begin much like that previous night. This time, however, they would finally take the last step instead of repeatedly approaching the line only to stop short.
Lacus, forgive her.
Murrue would take the lead this time.
No, she already had another advantage.
She was probably the first person Kain had ever voluntarily approached and confessed his true feelings to.
Perhaps he had simply reached the limit of how much he could suppress.
Or maybe the breast milk she had provided had caused him to associate her with a comforting maternal warmth, making it easier for him to open his heart.
Then again, these were not thoughts he could reveal to just anyone.
Some of them were utterly shameless.
If he had confessed the same things to someone like Natarle, she would undoubtedly have stared at him with murderous coldness.
(End of Chapter)
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