"Is he really that sharp?"
Although Freire spoke with certainty, Lacus was somewhat skeptical.
"Hopefully not."
Fred did not elaborate further, and seeing this, Lacus quickly followed up with another question.
"The mentor has already found information about several Coordinator orphans, but how can we make the adoption process seem natural?"
As for orphans, some Coordinators have always preferred living on Earth. There are cases where they didn't relocate and died under persecution.
With a mentor willing to act as a bridge, they just need to ask the child if they're willing to come up.
But Durandal's side is the real trouble.
They can't just go up to him and ask, "Do you want a child? Here's one for you."
Based on their analysis of Durandal's suspicious nature, he probably wouldn't accept it anyway.
"It's hard to achieve perfection when there are too many suspicious points. Let's just lay it out plainly."
"Hmm?"
Hearing Fred's words, Lacus perked up curiously.
"We'll commission him to research the fertility issues of Coordinators. Adopting a child ahead of the queue will be one of the rewards."
"That's true..."
Lacus fell into deep thought upon hearing this, then nodded in agreement.
Fred's reasoning made sense.
The more traces they left behind, the more Durandal's suspicions would grow, even if he couldn't find concrete evidence.
It would be better to reveal half the truth from the start—that way, it's easier for others to accept.
Moreover, if Durandal truly cared about having descendants as much as Fred said, then commissioning him to improve fertility rates from genetic and various other perspectives should be something he'd agree to.
"What if he doesn't agree?"
Lacus asked.
"Then forget it. I can't have children for him."
Fred shrugged.
Hearing this, Lacus covered her mouth and chuckled softly, but her expression soon turned serious again.
"Do you really think he'd destroy the world just because his girlfriend left?"
"That's probably not the only reason, but if we build a better world, he might abandon such thoughts."
"If all else fails, we can just send him to Mars."
"But before that, we still need to keep a close eye on him."
Fred's expression turned serious as he spoke.
"Alright."
Seeing Fred's serious demeanor, Lacus felt that he must be hiding something about Durandal from her—something her father likely knew as well.
After all, if Durandal were just an ordinary person, such strict surveillance wouldn't be necessary.
And her father wouldn't have agreed so readily, as if he and Fred shared some unspoken understanding.
But asking her father about it now was impossible.
As for Fred, keeping this information from her probably meant no ill intent.
Perhaps she would only be able to ask when the time was right, or when she and Fred had grown closer.
With these thoughts, Lacus withdrew her gaze and continued.
"I'll take my brother back."
"Alright."
The rest of the matters didn't require Fred's immediate attention, so he agreed.
He still needed to arrange for the prototype GINN that was about to be transported over.
On the way, the two chatted about this and that, and soon each returned home.
...
A few days passed quietly, and soon Fred arrived at the familiar small secret port next to the powered armor parking area in Sector One of Junius City.
As soon as he arrived, Fred saw familiar faces appear before him.
"Andrew, Aisha, what brings you here?"
Fred asked casually.
After all, he hadn't been idle during this time either, occasionally coming to this port to operate the powered armor. Over time, he had grown increasingly familiar with both of them.
"The new Mobile Suit has arrived. I was responsible for escorting it, and Aisha will also be in charge of security here in the future."
Andrew explained, then grinned broadly, floating forward and playfully punching Fred's shoulder.
"You kid, just a few weeks apart, and you managed to pull off such a big surprise for me."
"It wasn't specifically for you."
Fred chuckled in response.
"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that."
Andrew laughed again.
"I also came to get a feel for it."
As a high-ranking officer, it was only natural for Andrew to be interested in a machine that could potentially change the face of warfare.
"Go ahead."
Technically, this Mobile Suit was requested by Fred, and only he had the right to use it.
So Andrew did need to ask for permission.
And Fred had no objections, since Andrew would eventually have to pilot it anyway.
Besides, he wanted to see the performance data of an Elite Coordinator piloting this kind of MS.
For him, it was also a rare opportunity to observe.
It might prove useful in the future.
"Great!"
Hearing Fred's agreement, Andrew didn't hesitate and quickly made his way to the towering machine, his face filled with excitement.
"Would you like to take a ride too, Miss Aisha?"
Watching Andrew's eager movements, Fred turned to the woman beside him and asked.
"Hmm... if it's possible, but I'm in no hurry~"
Aisha shook her head gently, as gentle as ever.
"But Andrew seems to really like it. Thank you."
Although Aisha still didn't know that Fred was a Natural, she was already aware that he was an MS and Battleship researcher. Her feelings toward the young man had shifted from simply seeing him as a junior to genuine admiration.
"No problem."
Fred shrugged. Although her words made it sound like he was handing out toys, he didn't argue.
After all, it was perfectly normal for the two of them to show affection.
Just as Fred was silently complaining in his mind, the Mobile Suit before him took its first step.
Even in the zero-gravity area, the hangar floor seemed to tremble slightly with the GINN's movement.
From the very first step, Andrew's piloting grew increasingly proficient.
Watching as Andrew's skill level surpassed his own after just a short while, the young man couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
His own skill points were still far from matching those of a true Elite Coordinator.
But that was to be expected—his proficiency wasn't even halfway there.
To prepare for future battlefields, he would have to continue working hard.
Otherwise, with his current abilities, he'd be nothing more than cannon fodder on the battlefield.
He had to be able to pilot the Mobile Suits he researched himself.
He needed to focus on training.
In Fred's thoughts, Andrew ahead of the crowd was also executing a set of military boxing moves with vigorous force, appearing not at all like someone piloting for the first time.
"Too bad, if there were two units it would be perfect."
Looking at Fred on the ground who was focused on the data, Andrew remarked with a sigh while performing the movements skillfully.
He seemed quite like a martial arts enthusiast.
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