"You're back?"
Upon returning to his residence, Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei were seated in the living room, sipping tea while waiting for him. Their faint smiles carried profound meanings.
"Yeah, I'm back."
Yang Hui, as if oblivious to the meaningful smiles of the two women, lazily slumped onto the sofa, closing his eyes with a look of resignation.
The final request—neither Murrue nor Natarle Badgiruel had given him an answer. Yet, the absence of an answer was perhaps the best answer.
"What's wrong? Didn't you take the two sisters out on a date today?" Wang Liu Mei sat beside Yang Hui, leaning lightly against him as she teased.
Yang Hui rolled his eyes, his expression gloomy. Every shop, restaurant, and stall they visited today had been under the surveillance of Wang Liu Mei's intelligence network. Even in the central park, aside from a few temporary stalls, the balloon sellers, magicians, and street musicians—all of them were her people!
Since she already knew how things would turn out, why bother mocking him now?
"You did your best, didn't you?" Sumeragi sat on his other side, offering comfort. "Besides, they didn't reject you outright, did they? And this isn't some anime you've watched—who can say for certain what the future holds?"
"I know, I just… Ugh, damn this Corrective Force! This feeling of helplessness is unbearable!" Yang Hui cursed.
"..."
Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei fell silent. Truthfully, they didn't fully believe in the existence of the World Correction Force either. But from Yang Hui's experiences and descriptions, they could vaguely sense its presence.
Moreover, the secrets behind the tasks issued by Prometheus Fortress—both Yang Hui and Graham's involvement—led them to speculate that every world contained some mysterious element. And it was this very element that Prometheus Fortress needed them to traverse worlds for, the true key to restoring the fortress itself.
"You'll intervene, won't you?" Sumeragi asked.
"If I don't… would I still be me?"
"Of course not." X2
Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei answered in unison, their eyes narrowing with sweet smiles. They weren't jealous—because they knew that if Yang Hui could go this far for Murrue and Natarle, he would do the same for them.
"Sumeragi, thank you for your hard work."
"It's what I should do."
If Natarle, following the original plot, accepted the transfer and left Archangel to become the captain of Dominion—turning against them—Yang Hui would still do everything in his power to save her.
But… this would inevitably disrupt Sumeragi's carefully laid plans, forcing her to revise them once more.
Sumeragi didn't mind in the slightest. Analyzing intelligence and formulating strategies was her greatest—and only—strength. In large-scale battlefield command, she couldn't match Kati. In building intelligence networks, financial schemes, or information gathering, she fell short of Wang Liu Mei. In combat prowess, she was no match for Yurin. Even as a ship captain, she couldn't compete with the newly arrived Murrue and Natarle.
So Sumeragi could only push her expertise to the limit, crafting flawless battle plans for Yang Hui—that was how she proved her worth, rather than being just a pretty face.
"By the way, there's also the live training for the MS units. The first batch… Hmm!"
Just as they began reporting on the initial real-machine training progress, Yang Hui sealed their lips with his own, tightening his embrace around them.
"Let me spend some quality time with you. I don't want to hear about work right now."
"Mmm."
...
A night of spring breeze and indulgence followed, with Yang Hui releasing all his accumulated fatigue and stress. The next morning, he arrived at Dawn Company full of energy.
"Well now? You're looking particularly radiant today," Lyle remarked upon seeing Yang Hui's refreshed appearance, unable to resist teasing.
"Naturally. Something you single dogs could never understand."
Lyle: (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
"Let's get to business. How's the situation?"
"Same as usual." Lyle shrugged, gesturing with his chin for Yang Hui to see for himself.
To put it simply...
The M1 Astrays in the training field were moving freely, but their motions were noticeably stiff and awkward. This was despite the trainees being the first batch selected for real-machine training—all elite performers in simulation exercises.
"This won't do. Sending them to battle like this would just be feeding them to the enemy," Yang Hui said with a disappointed shake of his head.
"Inevitable. Even simulation gods would struggle like this during their first real-machine session. The sheer weight and power feedback of an MS can't be replicated by your simulation programs."
Yang Hui remained silent. Confident but not arrogant, he knew he couldn't create something like Prometheus Fortress's training chambers—those full-simulation systems that could even replicate death. That technology broke physical laws, belonging to higher-dimensional existence.
"How long until they adapt?"
"For this group? Worst case, they'll adjust by tomorrow."
"Too slow."
"That's already the optimistic prediction. Don't set the bar too high."
"The problem is we don't have time." Yang Hui sighed, feeling mentally exhausted. "And these are our elites—just a handful at that. The majority perform even worse. If we take it step by step, how long until everyone adapts to real-machine operation? Never mind squad tactics, large-scale formations, marksmanship, close combat..."
"So what should we do?"
"Move training to the surface. The underground facilities are too limited. We'll utilize all the surrounding uninhabited islands."
"...Is it time already?"
"Not yet, but we have no choice."
"Understood."
"Where are Setsuna and Tieria?"
"With Barry and Kira. We're taking shifts—someone needs to supervise here."
"Fine. How's Barry's data?"
"He's a monster."
Yang Hui's lips twitched as he reviewed the data Lyle pulled up.
Barry Ho truly lived up to Lyle's assessment—an absolute monster. By all metrics, Barry remained a C+ pilot using only a C-grade Mobile Suit (the Green Frame), yet he could already trade blows with Setsuna. His bizarre martial arts techniques gave Setsuna constant headaches.
While Setsuna was adapting to Barry's fighting style, Barry was equally studying Setsuna. Compared to Setsuna's straightforward approach, Barry's combat methods were unpredictably fluid, blending various martial arts with MS maneuvers to effectively constrain Setsuna.
Though Barry lost every match, each battle left Setsuna thoroughly unsettled.
Compared to Barry Ho, who was equally skilled in close combat, Lyle had a slight advantage. Although Lyle transitioned from shooting, he was proficient in close, mid, and long-range combat, making his tactics far more flexible.
As for Tieria… he relied on Gundam Virtue's superior defensive capabilities to hold off Barry Ho, then seized the opportunity to unleash a devastating attack.
"What about Kira?"
"Also a monster."
Seeing Kira's data again, Yang Hui wasn't as shocked as Barry Ho because he understood Kira better. The title of [Ultimate Coordinator] was no joke—just look at his growth rate in the original timeline. From struggling against Miguel's GINN at the start, to enduring brutal battles and taking down multiple elites, Kira went from being overwhelmed by the Duel, Buster, Blitz, and Aegis to single-handedly suppressing all four of them.
In other words, he went from a complete novice to an ace capable of overpowering four elite pilots in less than two months!
Due to Yang Hui's intervention, Kira had experienced fewer battles compared to the original timeline, so his current strength was slightly weaker. However, this gap was gradually closing under the continuous guidance of Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria.
Yang Hui could confidently say that by the time the Archangel was repaired and Kira left Orb, his skills would surpass his original self.
"By the way, there are two more matters that require your decision."
"What is it?" Yang Hui was taken aback by Lyle's pained expression.
"Those two friends you made on that ship—they also want to learn how to pilot an MS."
"Tolle and Sai?"
"Right."
After the Archangel entered Dawn Company and Kira helped refine the OS, the M1 Astray was no longer a secret to the ship's crew—especially since Yang Hui had secured them more flexible access.
Upon reuniting with their families and returning to Dawn Company, Tolle and Sai discovered the M1 Astray and remembered Yang Hui's promise to them. However, Yang Hui had been too busy since returning to Orb and hadn't met with them, so they approached Lyle instead.
"Let them play around in the simulation area."
"Fine."
"And the other matter?"
"There's another person who wants to learn MS piloting—and she's been pestering us to teach her."
"...Don't tell me it's her?"
"It is her..."
"Where is she now?"
"The simulation training area."
"...Let's go take a look."
Lyle nodded, gave a few instructions to the adjutant and assistants, then headed to the simulation training area with Yang Hui. The moment they entered, they heard the proud laughter of a certain brat.
"Hahaha! I won again! Another round!"
"Miss Cagalli, could you please spare us?"
"We haven't even finished our basic training yet."
"If the instructors find out we skipped drills to play with you, we'll be in deep trouble."
"How is this playing!? This is training too! Besides, what's the point of those boring basic drills? It's way more fun to just fight!"
After the impassioned speech, everyone exchanged glances. Only Cagalli would dare say such things—they wouldn't even dare think it, much less voice it. And... when they spotted two familiar yet terrifying figures silently standing behind Cagalli, they all retreated to their cockpits at speeds that left afterimages.
Cagalli's declaration was met with utter silence, which displeased her. Seeing everyone flee so quickly left her baffled.
"Hey! What are you all doing? I wasn't finished yet!"
"Go on, I'm listening."
"Eep!"
The bone-chillingly familiar voice sent a shiver down Cagalli's spine. She stiffly turned around to face a gentle yet icy smile.
"Speak. Keep going. I'll be your audience."
"I... I just remembered something I have to do—"
"Get in!"
"Yes, sir!"
At Yang Hui's cold command, Cagalli didn't hesitate for a second before leaping into the nearby cockpit.
Watching this, Yang Hui's smirk faded, his expression turning indifferent as he settled into the empty seat beside her.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Lyle clicked his tongue, silently mourning for Cagalli. If Yang Hui was personally stepping in, he could already imagine the sheer scale of the psychological trauma she was about to endure.
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