Chapter 251: Preparing the Speech
Kamille looked up and saw Quattro Bajeena.
"Colonel Char."
There was no change in Kamille's expression, but he deliberately emphasized the name Char.
It was clear he was still dissatisfied with Char's earlier deception.
But back then, Char really did only have the identity of Quattro Bajeena.
"'Relieve her loneliness'? What do you mean by that?"
Despite his displeasure over the deception, Kamille didn't have a negative opinion of Char because of it.
If anything, he found Char even more intriguing—because he was Amuro's fated rival.
Seeing that Char was holding a food tray and clearly about to leave, Kamille quickly shoved a few more bites into his mouth and hurried after him.
"Kamille!"
Beltorchika clearly wasn't pleased.
Kamille had been accepted into AEUG thanks to his part in rescuing her, as well as his previous assistance in helping Char escape.
Even so, he still had to prove himself. For now, he was technically under a probationary review, and Beltorchika was assigned as his supervisor.
"What's the harm? He's leaving with Colonel Char. Do me a favor, Beltorchika~"
Reccoa Londe, one of AEUG's key advisors, smiled as she spoke to Beltorchika.
In the end, Beltorchika could only sigh and helplessly watch Kamille disappear from the cafeteria before turning to follow Reccoa.
"Can you answer me? About Haman coming to me to 'relieve her loneliness.'"
Meanwhile, Kamille and Char had entered the elevator.
"It's because we're all Newtypes."
Char still wore his trademark sunglasses.
As the leader of an organization, Char could no longer act like a rebellious child and constantly hide behind a mask.
But wearing sunglasses in private still helped him relax.
And Haman constantly seeking Kamille out for training? That was her version of wearing sunglasses.
"On this ship, the only Newtypes are you, me, and Haman."
"By 'Newtypes,' do you mean what the Federation defines them as? Or what Zeon Deikun meant?"
Kamille had always been one to split hairs.
Even though he hadn't met the kid many times, Char had already figured that much out about him.
"Why can't it be the kind of Newtype AEUG believes in?"
Char chuckled, as if mocking Kamille's overly serious nature.
"Whose definition it is doesn't matter. What matters is that Haman's the kind of girl who feels lost and sorrowful without someone to affirm her."
"A girl?"
"Yes, a girl. She's just a child who lost her father and is forcing herself to stay strong."
Recalling the day Haman had broken down sobbing in his arms, Char sighed with quiet emotion.
"…I suppose I lost my father too."
"That's exactly why I'd like you to spend more time with Haman."
Char absentmindedly reached out and patted Kamille's head.
Kamille had been looking down, but the moment Char touched him, he visibly jolted, almost as if shocked—his hair practically puffed up in response.
The elevator stopped at the hangar level. Before Kamille could react, Char gave him a gentle push.
"So we should spend time together… just because we're Newtypes?"
Floating in the air, Kamille muttered with simmering frustration.
"No. It's because both of you are still lost children. And it's kids like you that are most likely to die on the battlefield."
Char smiled, locking eyes with Kamille until the elevator doors finally closed between them.
As the doors cut off their line of sight, Char finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
"Lalah… I'm going to change the world—to shape one that can truly accept Newtypes, where all of humanity is evolving toward becoming Newtypes."
He only dared to make declarations like that when he was alone, speaking to the beloved woman who was no longer by his side.
Char, too, had lost both his father and mother.
Beep—
"Colonel, we've reached Side 5. The local government has sent a covert route. They say it can bypass Jamitov's surveillance and get us to the original location."
The elevator's intercom suddenly chimed, relaying the latest intelligence update to Char.
After acknowledging it, Char silently looked down at the tray in his hands. In the end, he handed it off to a nearby guard, gesturing that he could eat it during his shift.
"The preparations for the speech should be complete by now, right?"
"Yes, sir. The local government has been very cooperative."
As expected.
Char took off his sunglasses, hesitating for a moment, wondering whether he should comb his hair into a more formal style.
——
"Just as we predicted, Dakar has now entered a state of full lockdown. The Capital Defense Corps has taken over."
Inside the cockpit of the White Chaser, Wood relayed what the scouts had discovered at the front lines.
"The forces at the Dakar base have provided us with a direct route into Dakar's airspace. But they can't guarantee the Capital Defense Corps or the Titans won't notice us."
From the video feed, the mobile suits deployed by the Capital Defense Corps were clearly Titan-modified GM-Q types.
Given that, it was safe to assume the Capital Defense Corps was already under Titan control.
After all, both were under the direct command of Parliament. Once the Titans gained enough power, absorbing these sibling forces was only a matter of time.
"So there's no avoiding a fight."
While the other MS pilots were inside their machines making final preparations, Bright Noah still stood on the bridge.
Unlike usual, he wasn't wearing his Federation uniform. This time, Bright was dressed in his long-unused formal dress uniform, adorned with his military decorations.
Among them, the medal he had earned during the One Year War—uniquely his—was pinned in the most prominent position.
It made Bright unconsciously fidget with his sleeves and tug at his collar.
And just then, as he adjusted his uniform, Bright realized the entire crew's attention was fixed on him.
Clearly, they were all waiting for his decision.
"Captain Otto, can you buy me half an hour?"
"Even half an hour is…"
Hearing his name—and feeling the weight of the bridge's full attention—Otto awkwardly adjusted his cap.
But after a brief sigh, he looked up again.
"I'll do everything I can."
"That's all I need to hear."
Bright nodded and stood, heading toward the hangar.
There, already dressed in full formal uniform, Jamitov had been waiting for some time.
The two of them would ride together inside the NT-X unit, with Amuro piloting them straight into the parliament building at maximum speed.
"We're on the right path… aren't we, Bright?"
Now wearing his flight suit, Amuro held his helmet under his arm and looked solemnly at Bright.
"That's something you'll have to find the answer to yourself, Amuro."
"Then that means we're on the right path."
With that, Amuro donned his helmet.