Anticipating what Kira was about to say, Yang Hui hooked an arm around his neck and loudly exclaimed with a forced smile, "Long time no see, Kira! You never come visit me, and the first thing you mention is that troublemaker Cagalli? How heartless! You wouldn't believe how reckless she's been—pulling another disappearing act just to go play at the beach before casually strolling back.
Do you have any idea how much chaos she caused? We were all frantic, dropping everything to search for her, only to find out she was just off having fun! Can you believe the nerve!?"
Yang Hui deliberately cut Kira off. They weren't indoors—the area was crowded, and several reporters were lurking nearby. Kira had somehow gotten wind of something, but Cagalli had just been secretly escorted away. Whoever tipped him off was clearly suspicious, and the hidden journalists only confirmed Yang Hui's suspicions.
"Uh… Haha, yeah… that does sound like her."
Kira's smile twitched awkwardly. He knew exactly how mischievous Cagalli could be, and this kind of stunt wasn't out of character. Still… it didn't quite match the rumors he'd heard.
"By the way, where is Cagalli? Didn't she come out?" Kira asked.
"Sent home for a proper scolding, of course! You think we'd let her keep causing trouble?"
"Oh… I see." Kira hadn't expected to be too late—Cagalli was already gone. Something felt off, but he trusted Yang Hui, and the explanation made sense.
"So, how've you been lately?"
"Great. I really love my life now." The topic shift erased Kira's discomfort, replaced by a warm smile. "Oh, Flay's pregnant."
"Really? Congratulations!" Yang Hui meant it—both for Kira's growing family and for the new responsibility that would anchor him. A child would make Kira think twice before recklessly following others out of kindness.
"Thank you."
"Of course. How's Flay doing?"
"Very well. She's being taken care of by my mom and Aunt Zala. They're all happy."
"Good to hear. Make sure you spend time with her too. Here, take this card—get Flay some supplements."
"Oh, no, I have enough—"
"It's not for you. It's for the baby."
"Well… alright." Kira couldn't refuse after that and accepted the black card. "By the way, Yang Hui, Athrun mentioned you've created something incredible again? A Quasi-GN Drive?"
"Don't worry about that stuff now. Go home, be a good husband, and prepare for fatherhood—that's what matters most."
Kira no longer held a military position, and the Quasi-GN Drive was still classified. Strictly speaking, Athrun shouldn't have told him about it. But Yang Hui knew Kira wouldn't spread the information, so he let it slide instead of arresting either of them.
After all, Kira's current position was quite awkward. He was a citizen of Orb and one of its strongest combatants, yet he could also become Orb's enemy at any moment. So before Kira confirmed he would pilot the Freedom Gundam again to fight for Orb, Yang Hui tried his best to keep him away from military affairs.
On the other hand, this was also for Kira's own good. The more he got involved, the more likely he would overthink things. Right now, he just needed to focus on taking care of Flay and their unborn child, waiting peacefully for the baby to arrive.
"Alright, I understand. Then, Yang Hui, I'll take my leave first."
"Go ahead. If you run into any trouble, just call me—just like back in elementary school when you and Athrun got cornered by eight upperclassmen in the bathroom. One shout, and I was there!"
"That's not what happened! It was only four! And it wasn't the bathroom—it was the gym storage!"
"Doesn't that make it even more embarrassing?"
"Uh… I'd better go. I still need to buy some things before heading home."
After seeing Kira off, Yang Hui got into a car to meet up with the others. But the moment he stepped inside, the cheerful smile he had shown Kira vanished, replaced by a deep frown.
"It seems Kira isn't the problem, but… who was it that informed him?" To avoid raising Kira's suspicions, Yang Hui hadn't asked who told him about Cagalli's disappearance. And just to be safe, he had also tested Kira—no issues there.
He had already confirmed with the hidden sentries around the orphanage that neither Kira nor his family had been in contact with any suspicious individuals. Combined with this latest test, it should be safe to conclude that this Kira was the real one.
...
Arriving at the team's private meeting room, Yang Hui found Sumeragi and Creuset already waiting inside. A few minutes after he arrived, Wang Liu Mei hurried in as well.
"Is the situation that bad?" Creuset asked, noticing Yang Hui's grim expression.
"Very bad. Right now, I can't trust anyone except for the few of you here." Yang Hui spoke with sorrow. He hated this feeling. Many of the people around him were comrades who had survived life-and-death battles together. The only difference between them and Sumeragi's group was the Prometheus Fortress—and even that was just a matter of time.
But now… he had no choice but to suspect whether these comrades were imposters.
"The scouts brought Kisaka back. He showed no signs of trying to escape, and we did find clues at the scene. The dirt in the woods had clear drag marks—likely because they didn't have enough time to clean up properly, afraid Kisaka would notice. But there were no signs of a struggle. Cagalli must have been subdued instantly, without any chance to resist."
"Can we track where Cagalli was taken?"
"It'll take more time. The trail was cut off halfway, but she's definitely still within the country," Wang Liu Mei confirmed.
"I'll investigate personally. I'll give you all an answer." Creuset solemnly took responsibility for the task. This was his duty—he handled all of Orb's covert operations, including surveillance, tracking, intelligence, assassinations, as well as counter-infiltration and counter-assassination. Since Cagalli had disappeared under his watch, it was only right that he took charge.
"Good. There's one more thing I need you to handle." Yang Hui didn't offer comfort—this was Creuset's responsibility, whether it was a mistake or part of his job. It was only natural for him to take over.
As the Prometheus Fortress continued to expand, its regulations would inevitably become more formalized—even within the team itself. Mistakes had to be accounted for, and responsibilities had to be shouldered.
"One more thing—withdraw all personnel from the Scandinavian Kingdom and the second target area, except for essential staff. Conduct a thorough investigation of every level in Orb."
"Are you sure about this?" Sumeragi asked. The sheer workload aside, the implications were enormous. If they found something, it would be justified, but if they came up empty-handed, it would only breed resentment.
"Keep it as discreet as possible. But we can't afford not to investigate," Yang Hui sighed. Even with Kira, he couldn't place absolute trust in anyone, let alone the others.
"Colonel Ramius and Colonel Natarle Badgiruel—you handle them yourself. I wouldn't dare touch them," Creuset said. Murrue and Natarle were close to Yang Hui—his women, his taboos. Even if issues were uncovered, Creuset wouldn't dare take action against them.
"Sumeragi, I'll leave this matter to you. I need to head to Dawn Company to complete the Quasi-GN Drive. Creuset can't show his face there, so I'll take charge."
"Understood."
(End of Chapter)