"Well then, to our victory... Cheers!"
I raised my glass of oolong tea, leading the toast. With that cue, everyone gathered around the table followed suit, clinking their glasses together before draining them. I should note, however, that I was the only one in the adult group not drinking alcohol.
We were currently at my house—or more accurately, our house—within the White Star. The occasion was a victory celebration following our clash with the Allied Forces. Our side had suffered minimal losses, limited only to the unmanned Megillot units. Other vessels, including the Sea Lion, had sustained some light to moderate damage, but not a single ship had been lost. In short, we had achieved a total victory with zero casualties against an Allied force that, on paper, should have held an overwhelming advantage.
Murrue, overjoyed by the results, had insisted on holding a celebration, which led to this grand banquet at my place.
The guest list was a lively mix. There were the four of us who lived here: myself, Lemon, Cornelia, and Murrue. From Orb, we had Cagalli and Athrun. From the Archangel, Kira, Mu, and Dearka joined us, along with the student trio—Sai, Tolle, and Miriallia. That made twelve in total. I had invited Echidna as well, but she declined, mentioning she had some business to attend to.
To be honest, outside of Shadow Mirror personnel, these eight guests were the very first people from the SEED world to set foot inside the White Star. They had been visibly tense at first when told they were being transferred into a dimensional rift, but once they arrived, they relaxed quickly. Despite the scale of the facility, the interior didn't look much different from the colonies they were used to.
Since it was a victory party, the table was overflowing with a feast. We had a spread of dishes bought in Orb supplemented by homemade cooking from the women.
The highlight, surprisingly, was the sushi. Seeing a proper sushi stall while out shopping had stunned me, but Kira explained that Orb had a high population of Japanese immigrants, which heavily influenced their food culture. I vaguely recalled that bit of SEED lore, but I wasn't about to let the setting details distract me. This was my first chance to have real sushi since being reincarnated as Axel, and I wasn't going to miss it.
Back in Orb, the streets were in a festive frenzy because the footage of our victory over the Allied Forces was playing on every screen. I have to give credit where it's due: Sai and the other students did the heavy lifting when it came to gathering all these ingredients and prepared dishes amidst the chaos of the city-wide party.
"Yeah, this is the stuff," I muttered.
I started picking out my favorites from the sushi tray—fatty tuna, eel, minced tuna with green onion, sea urchin, salmon roe, and whelk. Each bite was a nostalgic trip to my past life.
"Axel, are you truly alright eating raw fish?"
Cornelia watched me with a look of genuine trepidation. Right—in the world of Code Geass, Japan had been reduced to "Area 11," a colony. Its food culture likely hadn't spread, or if it had, it certainly wouldn't have reached the palate of a high-ranking Imperial Princess. Still, you'd think Britannia would at least have marinated dishes or something.
"Yeah, it's fine. Here, try a piece."
I figured raw fish might be too big a leap for her first time, so I picked up a piece of simmered conger eel with my chopsticks and held it out. To my surprise, Cornelia simply opened her mouth and waited.
...Wait, is this happening? The legendary "Say Ahh"?
Feeling the expectant gazes of everyone nearby—mostly Sai and the younger crowd—I carefully guided the eel into Cornelia's mouth.
"Mmm... Yes, that is quite delicious."
"Oh, good for you. Now, it's my turn."
Lemon practically shoved Cornelia aside to take her place, opening her mouth with an expectant look. Glancing behind her, I saw Murrue already lining up for her turn as well.
"..."
The rest of the room was watching with varying degrees of amusement and anticipation. I realized there was no escape. I was being forced to participate in a "game" that felt more like a public execution by embarrassment.
"Excuse me, do you have a moment?"
The "feeding frenzy" had finally wound down, but sensing a second round was imminent, I had retreated to a quiet corner. I turned to find Athrun and Cagalli standing there.
"Sure. But please tell me you're not here to make me do that again."
"Haha! Seeing the usually stoic Axel looking so flustered was more than enough for me," Cagalli teased, a mischievous smirk on her face.
I gave her a mock glare before turning my attention to Athrun.
"You're Axel Almar, right? Kira told me you were the one piloting the Blitz."
"Yeah, I was using the Blitz for a while."
For the record, the Blitz was no longer with the Archangel or Orb. It was currently serving as a toy—er, "research material"—for the technical team here at the White Star. Though, truth be told, the only thing worth looking at was the Phase Shift armor. Its "Mirage Colloid" was basically a downgraded version of the ASRS system.
"Well, Kira and Cagalli told me something..."
Athrun hesitated, trailing off, but I knew exactly what was on his mind.
"If you're asking about the Gamma-Ray Laser Cannon, it's the truth."
"No... Then my father really..."
"Haven't you sensed it yourself? That your father is changing into something else?"
"..."
"I don't know what path you'll choose from here, Athrun. You could stay with ZAFT as a member of FAITH, or you could fight alongside Kira and us to stop your father. Just make sure you don't live with any regrets."
Athrun fell into a dark silence. It seemed he had already suspected Patrick Zala's descent into obsession.
"Hey, don't you think that's a bit much? Have some heart," Cagalli snapped, stepping in as usual. I just shrugged and bit into a piece of fried chicken with a wry smile.
"As for you, Cagalli, this trip to space isn't just someone else's problem. You're the representative of Orb now."
"...Kisaka told me there's a reason I have to act as Captain. Are you behind that too?"
"Let's just say I know why you need to be there. But that's not for me to explain. Uzumi will tell you when the time is right."
"Axel! What are you doing over here all by yourself? Come back to the party!"
Lemon burst in, shattering the heavy atmosphere, and began dragging me back toward the center of the room.
"Well, for today at least, let's forget the complicated stuff and just make some noise. It is a victory party, after all," I called back to Athrun and Cagalli.
As expected, I was hauled back to where Lemon, Cornelia, and Murrue were waiting. Mu and Dearka shot me some teasing looks, but I wanted to tell them that being in this position came with its own unique set of hardships.
"So, let me get this straight," Mu said, leaning in. "You live in this house... with the Captain? And these other three?"
"Pretty much."
"Great!" Dearka shouted, looking at me with newfound respect. Wait, was he always this kind of character?
"No, seriously, Axel-san. You're amazing. I respect that," Tolle added.
Before Tolle could finish his praise, Miriallia was already standing behind him, staring him down with cold, narrowed eyes. Kira and Sai watched the scene, looking half-pitying and half-amused.
"By the way, I see you two have patched things up. You were looking pretty awkward for a while there."
I didn't mention Flay. I didn't have to.
"Yeah. Once Kira came back, the two of us sat down and talked a lot... right?" Sai asked.
"Yeah," Kira nodded. He looked more like the friend I'd met back at Heliopolis—relaxed and genuine.
"Axel, here."
"Oh... thanks."
Ignoring the boys, Murrue held out a piece of roast beef for me. She was surprisingly skilled with chopsticks, but was this her way of getting back at me for earlier? Still, as her boyfriend, turning her down would be poor form. I sighed and let her feed me the beef.
I could hear Miriallia squealing in the background, but I decided to ignore it. If I acknowledged it, I lost.
Then Lemon and Cornelia joined in, competing to see who could get me to eat more. Just as I was being "domesticated" by the three of them, it happened.
Miriallia had been playfully slapping Tolle on the back while laughing. The force caught him off guard; he lost his balance and bumped the table. A glass teetered on the edge, slipping toward the floor—
"Whoops!"
On instinct, I activated my Psychokinesis. The glass froze in mid-air and floated gently back onto the table.
The room went silent.
Sai, Tolle, Miriallia, and Dearka stared at the glass like they'd seen a ghost. Even Athrun, who had been talking to Cagalli further away, went still. Those who already knew about my abilities—like the Archangel seniors—just sighed or gave me "you blew it" looks.
Right. I forgot. While they knew I was an "outsider" from another world, I hadn't told the kids about the mental powers yet.
"Wait... what? Did that just...?"
"I didn't imagine that, did I?"
"No... I saw it too."
Tolle, Miriallia, Sai, and Dearka spoke in hushed, stunned tones. Over by Cagalli, Athrun's jaw was practically on the floor. Eventually, the shock wore off and turned into intense, burning curiosity directed squarely at me.
"Alright, alright. I'll explain, so stop staring at me like you're trying to burn holes in my head. First off, you all know I'm from a different world than the C.E. timeline, right?"
They all nodded. I figured the Archangel crew knew from Uzumi's announcement, but I wondered if Dearka and Athrun had gone digging on their own. Not that it was hard to find out after Uzumi made it public.
"In the world where I was born, people are sometimes born with these kinds of mental powers—basically, psychics or espers."
I used my power again, lifting three glasses off the table and making them dance in a slow circle in the air.
"While having this specific strength is rare, I'm not the only one. I know of at least ten others back home."
"Can you do telepathy and stuff too?" Dearka asked, leaning in.
I shook my head. "No. As far as I know, I only have Psychokinesis. However, there's a theory from a researcher back in my world that if a psychic reaches the absolute limit of their potential, they become something called a 'Psychodriver'—someone who can master all forms of mental power."
At least, that was how it worked according to my knowledge of the Super Robot Wars series.
"But I'm not that powerful."
"Aw, man. I was hoping you could do the X-ray vision thing. That would be so useful," Dearka joked.
"You're the worst," Miriallia muttered coldly. The three women around me also gave Dearka a look that could freeze fire.
"My powers are actually quite practical," I offered.
"In what way?" Kira asked.
"You remember my unit? The Soulgain?"
"Yeah. It had an aura similar to the Freedom, so it stood out."
"It uses the T-LINK System. Think of it as a control interface that uses mental energy. Not to brag, but my reaction speed is significantly higher than your average Coordinator's. Even the Blitz you tuned for me felt sluggish. Currently, only a machine with a T-LINK System can actually keep up with my inputs."
As I was about to go into more technical detail, Lemon hugged me from behind.
"Axel, this is a victory party! Let's stop with the boring talk and just have fun."
"...Fair point."
She was right. We were heading back into space in two days. Once we were up there, the conflict with the Alliance and ZAFT would only get bloodier. It was better to recharge our batteries while we could.
And so, the celebration continued late into the night, filled with laughter, drinks, and a well-earned sense of peace.
Pilot Profile: Axel Almar
Level: 37
PP: 205
Stats: * Melee: 258 | Ranged: 278 | Skill: 268
Defense: 268 | Evasion: 298 | Accuracy: 318
SP: 454
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to enhance unit performance)
Growth Type: Universal/Special
Terrain Ratings: Air: S | Land: S | Sea: S | Space: S
Spirit Commands: * Accel (4) | Effort (8) | Focus (16) | Direct Hit (30) | Rouse (32) | Love (48)
Skills: * EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9, SP Regen, Concentration)
Psychokinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9
In-fight Lv.9
Will Limit Break
Geass (Grey)
[???] x5
Total Kills: 294
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