Chapter 210: A Subordinate to His Parents
Clang!
Kamille suddenly stood up in the middle of dinner at the Fa household. The spoon in his hand fell onto the porcelain plate with a loud clatter.
"Kamille? What's wrong?"
Sitting beside him, Fa immediately put down her own plate and grabbed Kamille's hand.
"Are you okay?"
She gently tugged on his hand, trying to get him to sit down.
She had a bad feeling—like if she didn't calm Kamille down right here, something would go wrong. Just like that time in class, when she didn't stop him, and he ended up running off to the port and punching a Titan soldier.
"At the very least, can you just finish your meal?"
Unconsciously, there was a hint of pleading in Fa's tone, leaving her mother staring blankly at the scene.
Are young couples nowadays always this intense? Anyone who didn't know better would think they were watching a dramatic music video.
Kamille looked slightly confused under both their gazes.
Because he couldn't really explain why he had reacted like that.
If he had to describe it, it was as if he had seen a swan soaring through the cosmos before landing somewhere on this colony satellite.
Just a daydream—nothing he actually needed to act on.
That's what Kamille told himself, trying to yield to the warmth and pull from Fa and settle back down.
But before he could, his legs moved on their own, carrying him toward the door.
"Kamille!"
"Sorry, Fa. I'll explain everything later. I just have to check something!"
Amuro had also talked about this kind of feeling before.
Kamille couldn't help himself—he had to see it for himself.
Gently removing Fa's hand with his free one, Kamille set down his bowl and chopsticks and bolted out the front gate of the Fa family home.
Once he reached the street, he paused for a moment to get his bearings. He had assumed Fa would come running after him, but she didn't.
Of course—Fa shouldn't be following me into danger.
Danger? Why did I even think that?
He shook off the thought and mentally excused Fa from the situation before finally identifying the direction he needed to go.
Coincidentally, it was a different port district—not the one connected to the White Base, but the one linked to Gryps.
Kamille didn't intend to run all the way there. He jogged to a nearby public vehicle station, inserted his citizen card, and activated a shared vehicle.
At sixteen, Kamille was of age to drive these shared cars.
And being the kind of top student who could already handle small mobile suits, of course he had gotten his license at the earliest opportunity.
He revved the engine and sped toward the other port district—even though it was under Titan military control, he had no intention of turning back.
After passing through a buffer zone of forest, he saw the checkpoint up ahead.
He obediently stopped the vehicle at the signal of the stationed guard and waited for inspection.
"I'm here to see my mother—Hilda Bidan. I'm her son, Kamille Bidan."
"Do you have an appointment?"
Hearing that name, the guard's suspicion noticeably dropped.
After all, she was a standout in the research division—someone even the gate guards had heard of.
"Sorry, it was a sudden decision, so I don't."
Kamille put on a polite demeanor, even changing his tone from his usual one when addressing the guard.
"I see. Well then, please wait here. I need to make a report inside…"
"What's the big deal? It's just a kid. What could possibly happen? I'm heading in anyway—let me give him a ride."
Before the guard could continue his procedure, a gruff voice cut in.
Kamille turned to see a man in a black Titans uniform, with "MP" marked on his arm.
A military police officer—rare within the Titans.
He leaned casually on Kamille's car, one hand already gripping the front passenger handle.
Kamille was annoyed by how blatantly this man ignored his personal space, but realizing this could get him into the restricted zone without hassle, he suppressed his irritation.
"Well then, Lieutenant Matosh, don't blame me if anything happens afterward."
The gate guard—wearing the standard Federation uniform and clearly disinclined to argue with a Titan—just turned to signal his colleague to raise the barrier.
Bang!
Lieutenant Matosh slammed the car door shut as he got in, making Kamille flinch at the loud noise and instinctively glance over.
Noticing the boy's reaction, Matosh looked like he was about to bark at him, but then remembered both of Kamille's parents held respectable positions within the Titans. Instead, he forced a grin.
"Relax. Just drop me off at the command building. The research center's right behind the admin building, so we're heading the same way."
Kamille lowered his head slightly, letting his bangs cover his eyes. After muttering a timid-sounding "Okay," he started driving into the military zone.
He had no intention of making small talk, and Matosh clearly wasn't interested in chatting with a kid either, so the ride passed in silence—until Matosh's communicator went off.
"Yeah, it's me… I know, I'm already in the base, reporting it now… A valve was opened? Send someone to check it out."
Matosh didn't bother keeping his voice down, perhaps out of arrogance—he didn't consider it necessary to keep secrets from someone like Kamille.
And Kamille, just as Matosh expected, gave no visible reaction. He simply drove smoothly and efficiently, pulling up in front of the command building.
"Alright. Thanks. Tell your mom I said hi."
Matosh got out, adjusted his hat, gave Kamille a quick gesture, and slammed the door shut again before heading into the building.
"…"
Kamille watched Matosh's back until it disappeared inside, then finally looked away and started the car again.
What an infuriating man—never once acknowledging Kamille directly, treating him like he was nothing more than an accessory to his well-placed parents.
And yet, that man had just given Kamille a critical piece of information.
"A valve… So they didn't come in with a mobile suit?"
Looking toward the base's mobile suit hangar, Kamille's eyes flashed with concern.
Things didn't seem to be headed in a good direction.
Even so, he didn't ease up on the gas, continuing toward the research building.
He wasn't in a hurry to confront anyone yet. Without a clear goal, it was better to go somewhere familiar and gather his thoughts first.
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