"I might know a little about this thing..."
Xia Chuan hesitated for a moment before suddenly speaking. If he weren't currently in his Gundam form, he'd probably be scratching his head while saying this.
"Huh?"
Lu Tianming was somewhat surprised. He found it astonishing that Xia Chuan could also serve as an information source, and leaned forward curiously, signaling him to elaborate.
"This thing isn't as miraculous as it seems—it's probably just a visualization of subconsciousness or some other messy stuff."
"Anyway, since my body has been replaced with a mechanical one, I can actually perform self-diagnosis by scanning my own data... though there's a lot I don't really understand."
"I think those text messages are similar products, like medical advice or real-time heart rate readings."
Although Xia Chuan's description was somewhat vague compared to others, Lu Tianming, who was accustomed to communicating with him, could roughly grasp his meaning.
In short, that text was a mutation triggered by the connection to the Strike's operating system, allowing the Strike Gundam's mechanical properties to digitize and visualize the originally vague 'connection' mechanism that relied on intuition.
Lu Tianming was actually somewhat disappointed with this answer... He had thought he could use this opportunity to understand more about the so-called 'connection.'
"But speaking of which, the next battle... will be against the complete ZAFT's Little Four."
Lu Tianming nodded slightly, his tone growing more serious.
The next assault would likely come from ZAFT's main forces. Unless something unexpected happened, all four stolen Gundams would probably attack.
Strictly speaking, this would actually be the first large-scale battle that he and Xia Chuan would experience. Previous encounters... were merely minor skirmishes between a few MS, far from qualifying as real warfare.
To ensure their own safety in this upcoming war, and even protect the Archangel... aside from improving spatial abilities and mastering the Wire-guided Cannon Backpack, he and Xia Chuan needed to prepare one more trump card before the battle began.
That was—true 100% resonance.
————————————————————
In the hangar, Kira's group had gathered together, and even Flay had been released from the confinement room.
This gathering wasn't due to any general amnesty or similar circumstance... but because an important decision awaited them—whether to remain on the Archangel or leave.
The two battleships from the vanguard fleet had joined with the Eighth Fleet headquarters during the Archangel's battle. Under Admiral Halberton's orders, the Montgomery's crew and some surviving officers had taken shuttles to Alaska.
Survivors from both battleships had also descended to Earth in batches via shuttles. Although Kira and the others couldn't leave immediately as they needed to stand their final watch, the Eighth Fleet considerately delayed the last shuttle's departure, giving them one final opportunity.
Now, whether to seize this chance to leave became the focus of their discussion.
After all, strictly speaking, Kira and the others were only temporarily enlisted volunteer soldiers. Before formally joining the military registry, they could still leave if they wished.
"So... what should we do? Does everyone want to leave?"
Sai, who was temporarily acting as the group's leader, glanced around briefly before asking.
Tolle shrugged, equally indecisive:
"I don't know... Though I wouldn't mind staying, I'm also looking forward to going home."
Katz shrank his neck and muttered quietly:
"Wouldn't it be better to leave? After all, who knows what dangers this battleship might encounter later..."
"But I feel we owe a lot to Mr. Lu and Ms. Murrue. Without their help, we would have died in Heliopolis, right?"
Miriallia sighed, her expression tinged with reluctance. Hadn't Mr. Lu Tianming saved them when they couldn't find shelter back then?
Though Kira remained silent, he too was struggling internally... While he longed for peace and reuniting with his parents, he couldn't bear to part with life here—saying goodbye to Mr. Lu, the Strike Suit, and everyone on the Archangel.
Because in the peaceful world, he was just an ordinary person, but here he could utilize his talents and strengths.
Here, he could feel that Mr. Lu and the Strike Suit needed him, and so did everyone in the maintenance bay—this gave him a sense of purpose and the value of his life.
Just as everyone hesitated in silence, Flay, who had been the quietest among them, suddenly looked up with determined eyes and declared:
"I'm staying here."
"Huh...? Flay, are you serious?"
Sai was somewhat surprised. In his understanding, Flay was the least likely person to choose to stay.
She couldn't exactly say she had no good memories here; at the very least, she should have been eager to avoid the Archangel.
After all, in Sai's impression, Flay was either being reprimanded by Lu Tianming or on her way to being reprimanded. Why would she stay under such circumstances? Could it be that she had developed a fondness for being scolded?
"...I'm serious. During my confinement, I reflected a lot. Mr. Lu's earlier reprimands were indeed justified."
"Now that my father is gone, I can no longer afford to be as willful as before. The military is the best place for self-discipline and breaking old habits."
"Moreover, because of my willfulness, I caused a lot of trouble for Mr. Lu and everyone on the Archangel. To just walk away now... I can't do that."
Flay's eyes were clear, her tone firm and righteous, one hand placed over her chest as she spoke solemnly.
Her demeanor shocked everyone. Could it be that Flay had genuinely reflected on herself during her confinement?
Regardless, since Flay decided to stay, her fiancé Sai couldn't leave alone—and the others couldn't bring themselves to abandon the two and depart either.
Thus... the entire group, led by Flay, collectively decided to remain on the Archangel.
After making their decision, they reported it to the staff at the shuttle. After repeated confirmations, the staff finally relayed the message to the last shuttle: "No need to wait any longer."
Just seconds after the message was transmitted, a mobile unit flew straight out from one of the Drake-class battleships outside the viewport, heading directly toward Earth—that was likely the long-awaited shuttle.
Watching the shuttle descend toward Earth like a shooting star outside the viewport, Flay's lips curled faintly at the corners, revealing a smile that seemed to say her plan was proceeding smoothly.
Then, after gathering her emotions, she turned to Kira with a pitiful expression, maintaining her previous tone while adding a touch of remorse:
"Kira, do you know where Mr. Lu is now? Regarding the reckless mistake I made earlier—I want to apologize to him personally."