After leaving the conference room, Athrun remained in low spirits. Operation Spitbreak... he had heard of this operation before.
However, given its confidential nature, he only knew the general idea—it was likely a large-scale offensive against the Earth Alliance, intended to break the long-standing stalemate on the front lines and bring the war to a swift end.
According to Captain Creuset, the location of this battle... was most likely Alaska.
Athrun instinctively sensed that the casualties in this battle would be far from few.
He sighed inwardly, beginning to doubt whether this approach could truly end the war.
The fundamental conflict between Naturals and Coordinators... remained unresolved at its core.
"Hmph, why the gloomy face? Did Captain Creuset reprimand you?"
Yzak's familiar mocking voice came from the side. Athrun turned to see him leaning against the corridor wall as if he had been waiting there all along.
Athrun shook his head and changed the subject:
"Have you heard of Operation Spitbreak?"
"...Did Captain Creuset tell you about that?"
At these words, Yzak's expression suddenly turned serious, shifting from his earlier casual demeanor to one of attentiveness. He glanced around cautiously before stepping closer and slinging an arm around Athrun's neck:
"Keep your voice down, this isn't something to discuss openly... What exactly did he tell you?"
First warning me to be careful, now questioning me—what are you really trying to do...
Athrun inwardly sighed at Yzak's mix of caution and curiosity. But given their long-standing camaraderie, he saw no reason to hide anything:
"Captain Creuset said that due to the threat demonstrated by the Strike Suit, Operation Spitbreak might be launched ahead of schedule."
"Wasn't the plan to wait until the new models were completed? Why the sudden rush..."
Yzak was genuinely surprised. From what he had heard, new mobile suits were already in development based on data from the G Series—and were likely intended for deployment in Operation Spitbreak.
Hearing from Athrun that the operation might be moved up came as an unexpected revelation.
"It's just speculation at this point. Nothing's confirmed yet."
Athrun offered this reassurance, though both he and Yzak knew—with the Patrick Faction currently holding power, there was an eighty percent chance things would unfold exactly that way.
"Speaking of which... Athrun, why do you think the Strike Suit didn't use its full power when fighting us?"
Yzak, who had previously believed they stood a sixty-forty chance against the Strike Suit, had completely abandoned that notion after witnessing its full barrage and the hundreds-meter-long Armor Schneider. He even suspected that his survival from that earlier kick was due to the Strike pilot holding back intentionally.
"There must be some limitations—perhaps excessive energy consumption prevents frequent use."
After a moment's thought, Athrun provided what he considered the most plausible explanation.
Then, lowering his gaze in contemplation, he added:
"Moreover... I think the Strike's pilot might not be particularly eager to kill."
"? You're saying someone who sliced a battleship in half with one blow isn't eager to kill?"
Yzak cast a skeptical look toward Athrun and remarked sarcastically.
Seeing that his point hadn't gotten across, Athrun was about to explain further when Yzak waved his hand dismissively and chuckled lightly:
"Just kidding, I know what you mean... You're saying that fighting and killing alone can't solve problems, right?Yzak had once heard a saying—soldiers in war either become fanatical about warfare through victory, or they begin to doubt the righteousness of their actions, growing increasingly lost.
What Athrun was saying... or rather, Athrun himself, was probably in the latter state.
He could understand Athrun's situation—because he himself was somewhat uncertain now, though unlike Athrun, he wasn't so straightforward as to wear all his emotions on his face.
"Yeah, that's pretty much it."
Upon hearing Yzak's words, Athrun immediately nodded in agreement.
"Hmph, it'd be interesting if he really thinks that way—if possible, I'd love to drag that pilot out of the Strike Suit and see what kind of person he really is... and what exactly is going through his mind."
————————————————————
Inside the Archangel, Lu Tianming, having gotten a good rest, rose from his bed and checked the time... estimating that the Archangel should have landed by now.
After resting, the fatigue from the previous battle had completely vanished. With nothing better to do, Lu Tianming decided to head to the Bridge to take a look.
But—the moment he opened the door, he found Flay standing there, who knew for how long.
"Whoa... What are you doing guarding my door? That's creepy."
Completely unprepared, Lu Tianming was startled by Flay suddenly appearing in his face. Who would've thought someone would be planted right outside his door?
"...I haven't been able to find you to apologize in person, so I could only wait here."
Flay's tone carried a hint of grievance as she leaned against the wall opposite the door, putting on a fragile appearance and speaking softly.
Then she took a step forward, placing her hands against Lu Tianming's chest and leaning her whole body against him—tilting her head up slightly, she looked directly into his eyes with a pitiful expression and continued:
"I've deeply reflected on my previous actions... Could you give me a chance to properly apologize?"
As she spoke, seemingly worried that her charm wasn't enough... she even deliberately pushed out her chest.
Such a vulnerable posture, such humble pleading—if this were the original Kira, he would surely have fallen for this woman's superb acting and agreed immediately.
Unfortunately, she was facing Lu Tianming... someone who already knew her true nature.
Lu Tianming looked down expressionlessly at Flay trying so hard to act both pure and seductive, feeling completely unmoved internally.
Even the thought that she might have rehearsed this countless times in her room while feeling disgusted made him barely contain his laughter.
"It's fine, no need to apologize. I never cared about it anyway."
Suppressing his amusement, Lu Tianming mercilessly pushed away the posturing Flay, then walked off without looking back as he delivered this line. His tone was as calm as water, completely unwavering... even carrying a hint of disdain.
While one shouldn't let bad women off easy... unsolicited favors always make one suspicious of their motives.
In the original work, Flay was confident that by offering herself, she could easily manipulate the soft-hearted Kira, which was why she chose to throw herself at him.
Currently, Lu Tianming didn't believe she could still harbor the same intentions. Therefore, when Flay pressed close to him, he felt nothing but vigilance and only wanted to quickly break free and leave.
Having mustered all her energy and brewed her emotions for a long time, Flay was left utterly stunned, frozen in place like a statue, as Lu Tianming pushed her away without a second thought and turned to leave.
...How could he be so decisive? Without even a hint of hesitation?
Flay truly hadn't expected this... She thought that no matter how resolute a man was, he would at least pause and hesitate a little when a woman suddenly approached him with flattery.
What did this mean... Was he not interested in the opposite sex?
But that couldn't be right either. Based on her memories—Lu Tianming had been quite warm toward Lacus, and even when interacting with Captain Murrue and Deputy Captain Badgiruel, his enthusiasm wasn't lacking.
Why did it come to this when it was her turn?
Could it be... that in Lu Tianming's eyes, she didn't even qualify as a basic member of the opposite sex?!