Mikazuki, Akihiro, Mu, and Kira were gathered together. Erica Simmons, the Orb Union's Chief of M1 Development, was there as well, along with Cagalli and several others.
Looking through the glass at the M1 Astray outside, Erica spoke into her headset microphone.
"Begin the test, Asagi. Report immediately if anything feels off."
"Understood, Chief Simmons."
Outside, the M1 began its maneuvers. Beside Erica, Kira's fingers flew across the keyboard, making fine adjustments based on the machine's movements.
The test pilot was a young girl. Her skills were quite good; she executed a series of maneuvers with speed and fluidity. Of course, such fluidity was only possible with a superior Operating System.
Aside from Mikazuki and Akihiro, everyone else present gasped in amazement at the M1's performance.
"That's incredible!"
Kira continued his adjustments as he explained, "I've established new quantum sub-pathways within the M1's original OS. The nervous system reflex speed has been increased by forty percent. To better accommodate a Natural's nervous system, I also rewrote the ionic molecular structure..."
Erica was stunned by the OS Kira had written.
"To complete something like this in such a short amount of time... it's truly remarkable. So, does this mean our pilots can move like you and the Strike now?"
"Well..."
Mu saw Kira's hesitation and turned to look at Mikazuki, who was sitting casually nearby, snacking on dates.
"Kid, what do you think?"
Mikazuki looked up, sounding a bit lost. "Huh? What?"
Mu smiled helplessly and repeated the question. "Can the M1's movements reach the level that you and Kira operate at?"
Erica and the two test pilots nearby looked at Mikazuki with doubt. They didn't understand why Mu was asking this frail-looking boy. Cagalli was the only exception; she was one of the very few in Orb who knew exactly how powerful Mikazuki was.
Akihiro, standing beside Mikazuki, answered for him. "That's impossible."
Erica knew Akihiro as well; they had crossed paths a few times when she was reporting to Uzumi. "Akihiro... why do you say that?"
Akihiro looked at Mu and said, "If you're hoping to replicate Mikazuki's movements, you should give up that idea sooner rather than later. You already know this.
The greater a Mobile Suit moves, the greater the impact inside the cockpit. You've traveled with Mikazuki for so long and seen him fight so many times; do you really think a normal human body can withstand the shock of those maneuvers?"
Mu threw up his hands in resignation. "I suppose not..."
Akihiro turned his gaze back to the M1 outside. "That's the reality of it. Based on the distinctions between Naturals and Coordinators, the movements of that M1 are already among the best for a Natural pilot.
Even if there's room for improvement, there isn't much more space to grow. As for... Kira Yamato, I haven't seen him fight, so I don't know what his movements are like."
Akihiro glanced at Kira and then down at the indifferent Mikazuki. The others followed his gaze, Kira included. Erica suddenly realized that the boy sitting there seemed to be the backbone of the Archangel's crew. Everyone from the ship seemed to look to Mikazuki for his opinion, whether intentionally or not.
Mikazuki scratched his cheek and spoke calmly. "Kira? If we're talking about when he started, his skills were just average. But now he's very good—especially when he enters that state."
"That state?"
Kira was suddenly reminded of the term Andrew had once used: Berserker. It was a type of warrior from Norse mythology. Normally, their strength was no different from an ordinary soldier's, but in times of crisis, they could enter a state of mindless frenzy, unleashing ferocious, wolf-like power.
"So, how good is he, really?" Akihiro asked with his arms crossed.
Mikazuki thought for a moment and decided to be honest. "If Kira entered that state and I had to face him, it would take quite a bit of effort."
Akihiro looked at Mikazuki in shock, then back at Kira. "For real? I can't believe he'd make you say that."
"It's the truth."
"But... something about him seems off..."
Mikazuki didn't deny it. "Yeah, definitely."
The others watched them in confusion, unable to decipher the riddles they were speaking. Kira, however, understood exactly what they meant and lowered his eyes.
Cagalli, who had been silent, interjected with frustration. "Hey, what are you two talking about? What's wrong with Kira?"
Akihiro didn't answer Cagalli directly. Instead, he looked at Kira and spoke. "Kira Yamato, your eyes are filled with hesitation."
"Me... hesitating?"
Akihiro started to say more, but Mikazuki cut him off. "Forget it, Akihiro. Let's stop here. It's no fun if we spell it out, though I've already spoken to him about it."
"I see. Then let's go for a walk, Mikazuki."
"Sure."
Mikazuki hopped off his chair, stuffed his hands into his coat pockets, and left the observation room with Akihiro under the watchful eyes of everyone else.
As the doors closed, Erica stepped forward. "Major, that child wearing the same clothes as Akihiro... who exactly is he?"
Mu rubbed his forehead and gave a wry smile. "A miraculous boy. Sometimes I wonder if they're actually the mature adults here. The things they say don't sound like they're coming from kids at all. Even I couldn't figure out half of what they were discussing. Kids these days... are they all maturing this early...?"
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