"Inori-san!"
Lacus's eyes immediately lit up when she saw Inori.
[She caught them cheating]
[The legend of Kira's fastest heartbreak]
[Inori: I knew you two were up to no good]
[Don't try to play mind games with an AI]
"Inori, what brings you here?" Kira looked a little flustered. But when Lacus threw herself at Inori, Kira felt a faint, inexplicable sense of loss.
"I got kicked out."
Right. Just moments ago, Inori had still been over there "camping the fountain."
It had been pretty entertaining to leave Flay frozen in place like that.
Inori had originally intended to see when Flay would finally leave.
In the end, Miriallia, one of the onlookers enjoying the drama nearby, couldn't bear to watch anymore and came over to ask whether Inori could step away for a while.
"Huh?" Inori's answer was so cryptic that Kira couldn't make sense of it.
Inori merely blinked. "Also, Kira, in a bad mood. I came to check."
That clipped phrasing and manner of speech gave people an impression of both emotionlessness and natural airheadedness.
Beyond that, there was also an inhuman sense of otherness.
It was all part of the "character" Inori deliberately projected.
"Oh." Kira nodded. This time, she understood.
"But it seems I came at a bad time."
"N-no…" Kira had no idea how to explain.
[Inori: Looks like I came at a bad time]
[Kira: No, you came at exactly the right time]
[And the three lived happily ever after]
[I feel like Kira's in the most danger. The other two are both Songstresses, so they'll have plenty in common. Kira's the only outsider here. Hard to say how this ends]
[It'd be a waste if these two didn't do manzai. One plays the funny man, the other the straight man]
[What?]
[It's basically crosstalk]
[Now that you mention it, they really could]
[A beautiful girl delivering jokes with a perfectly serious, emotionless face… Ahh, this old man's girlish heart!]
The audience outside the scene burst into laughter, while Kira inside it was already completely overwhelmed.
Seeing Kira so flustered, Lacus laughed as well.
"Kira only truly lets herself relax when she's with Inori-san. I'm a little envious."
Normally, Kira always seemed gloomy and tightly wound.
Only in front of Inori would she lower her guard.
"I, um—"
Kira stammered.
"Kira, likes Lacus?"
Inori tilted her head.
Stirring the pot!
Still stirring the pot!
Inori seemed determined to watch the world burn.
"Kira, likes Flay? Or likes Lacus?"
[A lethal either-or question]
[Why not take both?]
[Kira: Inori, I chuse you!]
[chuse → choose]
[It's an old meme, so technically there's nothing wrong with it lol]
[Either answer is a dead end]
Kira froze in embarrassment.
Unfortunately, the image on the Stage shifted away at that exact moment.
A romantic-comedy development followed immediately by a chapter break—the Stage really knew how to play the audience.
Lacus smoothed things over. "Um, why don't we eat first? My stomach is completely empty."
"Ah. Mm." Kira hurriedly nodded.
"Mm. Kira's portion."
Inori also brought over the tray she had been holding behind her.
If they all ate together, at least things wouldn't be awkward for the moment.
Meanwhile, Inori continued watching the "live broadcast" through a small window.
The camera had now moved to the Archangel's trio of "reliable adults."
"Good grief—the supply problem was only just resolved, and now this Pink Princess has brought us so much more trouble…"
Back on the bridge, Mu was getting a headache.
"There's simply no end to the trouble, Captain."
Murrue sighed.
Mu's detached attitude was exasperating. By now, however, Murrue had already grown used to his style.
He usually looked utterly casual, yet became remarkably dependable whenever something happened.
Many crucial decisions had been made on the basis of Mu's judgment.
—Perhaps even that careless attitude was an act, meant to help Murrue and everyone else ease their frayed nerves.
"Are we really supposed to take her all the way to Lunar Headquarters?" Murrue rubbed her temples.
Her head genuinely hurt.
"Do we have any other scheduled port of call?" Mu shrugged.
"But…" Murrue lowered her hand. "If we take her to Lunar Headquarters, then she…"
"She'll receive one grand welcome!" Mu said sarcastically.
Even if Lacus herself wasn't a member of ZAFT, she was still the daughter of PLANT's highest leader. Without question, she would be used as a diplomatic trump card.
"But… if possible, I don't want them to treat her that way. She's a civilian, and still just a child…"
Murrue spoke hesitantly.
Behind her, however, Natarle's voice rang out. "Not just the princess of PLANT—even that Songstress from Orb will probably be detained there. That Songstress has influence across the entire world. If she were to stand with the Earth Alliance…"
"Lacus aside, Inori-san is from a neutral nation, isn't she?" Murrue said nervously.
"Do you think she'll still be allowed to leave after modifying the Archangel? Not to mention that the 'Black Monolith' is with her." Natarle's words were harsh, but they were also true.
"And even if she hadn't come into contact with those secrets, do you think the Alliance would simply let an influential Songstress walk away after she fell into their hands?"
"That…"
Murrue was left speechless.
Mu answered in her place. "If they can't have her, they'll destroy her, right? Though if Inori-san really wanted to escape, I doubt we could stop her."
"And those children…" Murrue fell silent again.
"Why don't we just delete all the recordings aboard the ship? The black box, every log, all of it. Then, right before we arrive, we let everyone quietly slip away."
Mu offered a terrible idea.
"Are you trying to get court-martialed?!" Natarle was utterly speechless.
Murrue understood what Natarle meant. She had no answer and could only respond with silence.
Murrue knew that, in the eyes of a born soldier like Natarle Badgiruel, her own views were probably far too naive.
She truly wasn't suited to be a captain.
"However."
Natarle suddenly spoke.
"Everything aboard this ship has already been retrofitted with automated systems. If a few minor malfunctions were to occur… then that would simply be unavoidable. The Archangel may be a cutting-edge warship, but it was attacked before, its crew are all novices, and we are severely understaffed. It would be stranger if nothing went wrong. I am willing to accept responsibility for damage to the Archangel together with Captain Ramius."
"Natarle…"
What a sudden reversal.
"There's no point talking about that now." Mu cut through the pair's strange, tragic atmosphere. "There's another possibility too: maybe we'll be completely outmatched when we face ZAFT, and we'll end up surrendering with our hands raised. Then perhaps Princess Lacus-sama will be the one who steps forward and keeps us safe."
"Mu…" Murrue looked exasperated.
Still, his joking nonsense really did restore the atmosphere on the bridge.
"Speaking of which… what are we going to do about that girl Cagalli?" Murrue suddenly remembered another very important matter.