"What… should I get…? Water."
There was nothing in the Officer's Room.
Inori was tired.
When she woke up, she might want something to eat or some water to drink.
Really, though, the main reason was that Kira herself could not sit still.
She was restless now.
If she did not find something to do, Kira had no idea what she was supposed to do with herself.
Leaving the Officer's Room, Kira wandered toward the Mess Hall in a daze.
But before she reached the Mess Hall, as she passed through the residential area, Kira heard a heart-rending wail coming from the far end of the corridor.
The sound coming from the Infirmary made Kira stop in her tracks.
"No… No—! Dad… Dad—!"
It was Flay.
Besides Flay, she could also hear Sai's voice.
In a sense, Sai had already been dumped by Flay, but he was still dutifully taking care of her.
[Sigh, poor ex-husband bro]
[They weren't married. He was just her boyfriend]
[Still feel bad for him though]
[Flay really has nothing left this time. If even ex-husband bro ignores her, then she really won't have anyone at all]
[Everyone around her feels like a stranger, and she has red hair… I get it, she's Bocchi-chan!]
[Grass (a type of exclamation), you can turn this into Bocchi the Rock too?]
[Stop sympathizing. She brought it all on herself]
[+1, serves her right]
[I think Flay is actually pretty realistic]
[Lmao, would you want a girlfriend like that?]
[I choose Inori]
[Grass (a type of exclamation)]
The miserable cries continued.
Kira seemed almost drawn toward them, unconsciously moving closer.
A fallen drink bottle was lodged in the doorway, causing the automatic door to open and close over and over again.
There were three people inside the Infirmary: the hysterical Flay, along with Sai and Miriallia, who were trying to calm her down.
Every time the automatic door opened, Kira caught sight of Flay tossing her head wildly and screaming through her tears.
"Liar… It's a lie! This isn't real—!"
When Kira reached the doorway, the door finally stopped opening and closing.
Miriallia looked toward the entrance.
"Kira…"
Miriallia had never expected Kira to come here.
She hurried to the door.
Flay lay on the bed in agony, her clothes disheveled and her hair a mess, looking completely different from her usual self.
The promise had gone unfulfilled.
Kira had failed to keep it.
Miriallia had wanted to block Flay's line of sight.
But it was already too late.
Flay had seen Kira.
"Flay…"
Kira wanted to say something.
But the crying Flay glared viciously at Kira.
"You lied to me!"
Her grief-stricken glare was so intense that Kira froze in place.
Kira felt her entire body stiffen.
She could not move.
It felt as if a piece of her heart had been hollowed out.
"Didn't you say everything would be fine? You said you were going too, so nothing would happen…! Why… why didn't you protect Dad?! Why didn't you take those guys out?!"
Flay had already fainted before Inori wiped out the ZAFT forces.
"Flay, Kira did everything she could too." Sai tried to calm her down.
But Sai's words only added fuel to the fire.
To Flay, Sai was taking Kira's side too.
No one knew where the strength came from.
Flay climbed off the hospital bed and walked toward Kira. "Because you're a Coordinator too, you never fought seriously, did you?!"
"Because you wanted revenge on me, right?!"
Flay's words stabbed deep into Kira's heart.
Flay grabbed Kira's wrist. Her slender fingers clenched tightly with unbelievable strength.
"If you wanted revenge, you could've just taken it out on me! Why did you have to go after my dad?!"
"Give Dad back to me…"
Flay dropped to her knees in front of Kira.
Sai ran over, trying to restrain Flay.
He wrapped his arms around her.
Flay kept struggling as she shouted, "Don't touch me! You like Kira, don't you?! Why do you still have to humiliate me like this?!"
This time, even Sai froze.
He no longer knew how to face Flay.
He believed he should take responsibility for Flay, but… from Flay's perspective, was that not another kind of hurt in itself?
"Kira… let Flay be alone for a while." Miriallia knew the situation had become far too awful.
Miriallia had already felt something was wrong earlier, when Flay injured herself while showering.
Only after talking with Sai later did Miriallia learn what had actually happened.
For now, it would be better if these two did not see each other.
"Give my dad back… Give him back… Give him back—!"
"I…"
Kira slowly shook her head, dazed. She staggered backward, then turned and fled through the door.
She was very strong, easily breaking free of Flay even though Flay had used all her strength.
—Because I'm a Coordinator.
Flay… has nothing left.
I'm the one who took everything away from Flay.
Sai, Miriallia…
They were originally Flay's friends too.
And those ZAFT soldiers, those Coordinators, those people who were truly my own compatriots, had died because of me as well.
But…
But…
Flay…
Sai…
All of them were still staying somewhere safe.
They did not have to do anything. They only had to wait for me to bring them news of victory.
To the Archangel, I was nothing more than a tool.
"When it comes down to it… why do I have to protect all of this?"
When it comes down to it… what even is a friend?
I've had enough.
I've had enough.
If I could just leave this place, would everything here finally be over?
But another voice rose inside Kira's heart.
—Wasn't it exactly like Flay said?
—Did I really never want revenge on Flay?
She was the onee-sama I admired so much, but after she learned that I was a Coordinator, she looked at me that way.
When she cried out in pain, did I… really not feel even a little pleasure because of it?
I'm the one who failed to protect everything…
It was because I wasn't strong enough that Inori had no choice but to kill.
But if I had been able to display that kind of power from the very beginning, would none of this have happened…?
Weren't those people killed because of me?
Inori can't be held responsible. That means the people she killed are blood on my hands—the blood of my own compatriots.
And if I had shown overwhelming strength from the very start, Flay's father would not have died either.
"Am I… still not strong enough?"
(Kira meow!)
[Grass (a type of exclamation), I thought she was about to turn evil]
[Her ability to rebuild herself mentally is seriously strong]
[She really… I'm crying. Kira is such a good kid]
[Even after all this, she still thinks it's her fault]
[The freaking pressure is maxed out]
Kira rushed onto the empty Observation Deck and slammed headfirst into the glass.
Kira clutched her chest.
(Girl-version Kira)
(Petting Kira)
(Meow meow meow~)
"So it really was my fault…" Kira murmured.
"No, it isn't!"