As expected, the moment Yang Hui spoke these words, Lacus Clyne's innocent, unworldly demeanor instantly vanished. The vacant look in her eyes was immediately replaced by a glimmer of sharp intelligence.
This was the real Lacus Clyne. As Siegel Clyne's daughter, how could she possibly be some naive, clueless girl?
Still, Lacus's acting skills were truly impressive. If Yang Hui hadn't already known her true nature, he would have been just as thoroughly fooled as Murrue and the others.
"How was my performance just now?"
"Brilliant." Though it gave him a headache, Yang Hui gave the most accurate evaluation possible.
"But I really am grateful to them. If not for their intervention, I might have been in real danger."
"Unlikely. If we hadn't shown up, you would have been found by the rescue GINN and continued preparing for the memorial service. So, Lacus… we've known each other for years now. Can we drop the act? For Sumeragi and Liumei's sake?"
"Hehehe~" "As expected, I can't fool you, Yang Hui. Compared to you, Athrun is far too easy."
"Praising one while putting down another won't make me happy—though I will admit Athrun can be adorably dense at times."
"True. By the way, why are you on an Earth Alliance warship?"
"You could call it a transaction."
"I see. That makes sense."
"For now, just stay quietly in your room. Don't wander around. I'll find an opportunity to have Kira send you back."
"That would be wonderful, Yang Hui. But… that MS pilot who picked me up…"
"Kira? What about him?"
"So his name is Kira… It's nothing major. I just sensed a deep sadness in him."
"His situation is… complicated."
"Could you tell me about it? It's not like we have anything better to do right now. Consider it passing the time."
"...You… What scheme are you plotting now?"
"Do you really dislike me that much?" Lacus pouted at him with a wounded expression. Damn, she really was a professional actress—those tears came on command!
But Yang Hui, well aware of how devious Lacus could be, wasn't falling for it. "Let me tell you something… Even if you actually started crying, I still wouldn't believe you."
The moment he said that, the mistiness in Lacus's eyes instantly cleared, replaced by clear displeasure.
"You're truly insufferable. I really don't understand what Sumeragi and Liumei see in you."
"What did I do now?"
"Isn't it obvious? You're allowed to see through others, but no one is allowed to see through you."
"Heh." "If I were that easy to read, I wouldn't have survived this long."
"..." The conversation suddenly turned heavy, and Lacus didn't want the mood to linger. "I really am a bit hungry. Is there anything to eat?"
"...Wait here. I'll get you something." Yang Hui turned to leave but paused at the door to sternly remind Lacus not to leave the room.
In the original timeline, Lacus had repeatedly slipped out of her room no matter how many times it was locked. Back when Yang Hui had watched the anime, he'd wondered—was it really just plot convenience that the locks kept failing?
Now that he was in this world and had interacted with Lacus more, Yang Hui could only laugh.
What a load of crap about faulty locks! Who would have guessed that the seemingly harmless little Haro actually contained a high-level, user-friendly hacking program?
Breaking into a database to steal confidential files or intelligence was definitely impossible, but cracking a simple door lock? Piece of cake!
With Lacus's acting skills, no one would suspect she'd hacked the lock anyway!
So locking the door was pointless—sincerely asking for cooperation would be more effective.
As they arrived at the cafeteria, Flay's argumentative voice could be heard even before entering.
"I refuse to deliver food to that Coordinator girl! It's terrifying..."
"Flay!"
Miriallia's sharp reminder made Flay notice Kira's presence. She quickly backtracked, "Of course, Kira is different—I know that! But she's from ZAFT, right? Coordinators aren't just smart, they're physically strong too. What if I'm in danger? Right?"
"But... I don't think she'd suddenly attack you." Even Katz, who was usually the least firm in his stance, didn't support Flay's reasoning.
"How can you be sure? You can't tell a Coordinator's abilities just by looking at them! What if she's really strong?"
"...Flay, are you... a member of Blue Cosmos?" Miriallia asked cautiously, keeping an eye on Kira's expression the whole time.
"Of course not!" Flay wasn't a member of Blue Cosmos, so she denied it vehemently—but that didn't mean she disagreed with their ideology. "But... they're not wrong, are they? Modifying genes when there's no illness... That's defying nature. They're mistakes..."
"Flay!"
Flay snapped out of it and looked up—sure enough, Kira's face had darkened, and he had taken a step back from her.
"Kira! No, I didn't mean you—"
Flay hurriedly tried to explain, but it was useless. Kira spun around, ready to bolt. His identity as a Coordinator had already earned him plenty of disdain on this ship, and Flay's words had finally ignited the anger and pain he'd been suppressing.
But after just two steps, he crashed right into Yang Hui.
"Ah, sorry."
Kira apologized and tried to leave again, but Yang Hui grabbed his arm.
"Hey, if I weren't in good shape, that collision might've knocked me out. What's the rush?"
"Yang Hui..."
"Tsk. Coordinators and Naturals—aren't they both just humans?"
"Huh?"
"Yang Hui..."
Yang Hui's words left Kira, Miriallia, and Katz in stunned silence. Only Flay stubbornly turned her head away.
"You know about Evidence01, right?" Yang Hui asked as he walked over to the food counter.
"That alien fossil?" Katz exclaimed.
"Exactly. Even though it's a fossil, it proves humanity isn't alone in the universe. So tell me—in the eyes of a creature with a hundred-meter-long body that can traverse space unaided, do you think there's any difference between Naturals and Coordinators?"
"Well..."
"So whether you're a Coordinator or a Natural, there's only one label that matters: human. It's no different from skin color."
"But... Coordinators are just different! Smarter, better reflexes, better physical abilities... How could they be the same?" Flay argued, but to Yang Hui, it just seemed like the tantrum of a spoiled rich girl. And...
"Isn't this just simple jealousy?"
"I'm not!? This isn't jealousy!"
"Haha, if this isn't jealousy, then what is it?" Yang Hui turned his head slightly, giving Flay a casual smile. "Flay, as the young lady of the Allster family and daughter of the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for the Atlantic Federation, do you know how many people envy and resent you?"
"H-how... how could that be? I don't..."
"It has nothing to do with you personally. Just by virtue of your birth, you're already someone many would envy or resent—whether Naturals or Coordinators."
"N-no... that can't be, how could I..." Flay grew flustered, quickly grabbing Miriallia's hand as if seeking validation. "We're friends, right? You don't resent me, do you? Miriallia!"
Hearing this, Miriallia's expression became complicated, but she still spoke the truth in her heart: "I have envied you before, Flay."
"How could..." Receiving an answer she didn't want, Flay released Miriallia's hand and stumbled back in shock.
"So you see, Flay, you've been sheltered too well by your parents. You have no idea what the real world is like. Many things you take for granted might seem like impossible dreams to others. You're still just a canary that's never left its cage."
"How... how could I..." Losing all composure, Flay glared angrily at Yang Hui and shouted, "Then what about you? Aren't you the same? The young master of the Yang family in Orb! What right do you have to lecture me!?"
"..." At this, Yang Hui picked up two trays of food, preparing to leave. But just before he did, he glanced sideways at Flay, his icy gaze nearly freezing her soul. "Would you like to try it? The darkness I've experienced?"
"!"
Not just Flay, but even Kira, Miriallia, and Katz were stunned by the chilling aura Yang Hui suddenly radiated—like the coldest depths of the underworld, devoid of any warmth.
But the frost vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced once more by Yang Hui's usual warm smile.
"Kira, come with me."
"Me? Is... is something wrong?"
"Taking you to make a friend. You don't have many Coordinator friends, do you?" Yang Hui explained, then feigned a hurt expression. "Though your reaction right now is breaking my heart."
"Uh... sorry."
"Come on, follow me. Lacus is PLANT's most famous idol, you know. If you can get an autographed photo, you'll be set for life."
"I wouldn't do that!"
The lighthearted joke dispelled the awkward tension. Without even realizing it, Kira's earlier fear and wariness had completely melted away, and he followed Yang Hui toward Lacus's room.
The three left behind stood in silence, heads bowed.
"I... am I really..."
"Flay..."
"Don't touch me!" Flay slapped away Miriallia's outstretched hand, retreating to the corner.
"Flay..."
"Aren't you envious of my status? Don't you covet my life? Then stop pretending to be so close by calling me 'friend'!"
"..."
These words wounded Miriallia. Shaking her head, she stood up to leave. To be honest, her relationship with Flay wasn't that familiar—she only considered her a friend because she was Sai's girlfriend.
Envy? Certainly. But jealousy? Not really.
"Flay... we've never been jealous of you," Katz, who was about to leave with the others, unexpectedly explained to Flay instead. "It's normal to envy friends. I envy Tolle and Sai too—they both have girlfriends. But we're still good friends."
With those words, they left, leaving Flay alone. Her mind had lost the capacity for thought as she curled up in the corner, sitting on the floor with her knees hugged to her chest, burying her face between them as she wept.