Kira followed Lu Tianming's gaze and spotted Cagalli pretending to be a passerby nearby. He looked confused:
"I don't know... She was probably there before I started working. Mr. Lu, you were programming the OS inside the Strike Suit at the time, right?"
"She came quite early then."
Lu Tianming sighed. No wonder Xia Chuan said he felt chilled by someone's stare - he had thought the guy was just being oversensitive, but now it seemed he'd been enduring it for quite some time.
Lu Tianming nodded, then patted Kira's shoulder to indicate it was fine to take a break, before walking toward Cagalli.
At that moment, Cagalli was gently patting her chest, deliberately turning her back to pretend she was taking a stroll. She still believed her disguise was perfect and she hadn't been discovered.
Ever since being saved by the Strike Suit - or rather, by its pilot operating the Strike Suit - her feelings toward the machine had become complicated.
Disgust toward the Strike Suit as a weapon of war overlapped with gratitude for it saving her and the other resistance members. These conflicting emotions left her momentarily unable to articulate her feelings.
Were MS good or bad? Previously, she had viewed MS as nothing but life-taking weapons, ominous objects that brought war to peaceful regions.
But having just been saved, she now felt... this power could sometimes become a shield to protect others.
The conflict in her beliefs left her momentarily confused, so she decided to take action and seek answers.
After careful consideration, Cagalli thought that perhaps the Strike Suit's pilot could be the key to solving her dilemma.
Having experienced many battles alongside the Strike Suit, he must understand it, MS, and war more deeply and comprehensively than she did. As long as she learned enough about him... perhaps the questions in her heart would be answered.
As for how to learn? She didn't dare to talk to him directly... so she could only observe, emphasizing learning through investigation. She was treating Lu Tianming like bamboo to study.
After calming herself, Cagalli turned her head to continue her observation... only to discover that the so-called 'observation subject' had already walked right up to her.
"Y-you... what do you want?"
Startled by Lu Tianming's sudden approach, Cagalli instinctively stepped back.
"I should be asking you, sister. How long have you been staring at our Strike Suit? You've almost scared it."
Lu Tianming shrugged and sighed. Seeing Cagalli pretending nothing had happened, he decided to get straight to the point.
Exposed, Cagalli's face quickly flushed red, and she stumbled over her words:
"Wh-who's looking at that hunk of junk! Besides, how could an MS be scared... it doesn't have any feelings."
Cagalli stubbornly denied it with tsundere pride... plus she genuinely didn't believe the Strike Suit could feel fear, thinking Lu Tianming was just teasing her.
If anything, it would be strange if she heard the Strike Suit was scared and didn't think it was a joke.
As if to verify her thoughts, she subconsciously glanced toward the Strike Suit again... seeing it standing in the restraint rack as usual, completely lifeless, which bolstered her confidence.
"Who says it has no feelings? All things have spirit, and MS have their own Machine Spirit too. After being stared at... unblinkingly for so long by you, it would be weird if it wasn't scared."
Lu Tianming crossed his arms and spoke seriously.
Hearing this, Cagalli rolled her eyes. Was she staring at the Strike Suit? She was staring at you! If she wasn't afraid you might slip away unnoticed, why would she stare at that immobile hunk of metal for so long?
Of course, she couldn't say this out loud... otherwise she'd seem like a stalker.
Cagalli let out a light hum, pretending to doubt Lu Tianming's words, and changed the subject:
"Hmph... if you say the Strike Suit has life, then prove it to me."
"I can't just show you for free... How about a bet? If I call the Strike Suit and it moves, what then?"
Lu Tianming meaningfully wagged his finger and smiled.
"If it really moves, I'll do whatever you ask during our cooperation!"
Provoked by this, Cagalli's competitive spirit was stirred, and she immediately agreed.
While speaking, she glanced at the Strike Suit. The MS was probably powered off, so she figured this guy couldn't remotely operate it.
In that case, why not bet! Could he really make the Strike Suit respond by calling it?
"Deal?"
"Deal!"
Seeing Cagalli firmly agree, Lu Tianming nodded, turned, walked to the foot of the Strike Suit, raised his head, took a deep breath, and loudly shouted:
"Stop sleeping! The instructor is taking attendance for the 8 AM class!"
At that moment, Xia Chuan, who was powered off and slacking off, felt some DNA engraved in his soul triggered. He instantly powered on, turning his head in panic to look toward the sound.
However, after turning his head and seeing Lu Tianming's mischievous grin on the ground, he froze momentarily, taking a while to process.
Damn, I'm a Gundam now. What 8 AM attendance?
That inherently evil Lu Tianming... actually tricked me with a scheme!
But currently stuck in the restraint rack and unable to move... after thinking for a while, Xia Chuan couldn't come up with any action that was both subtle and retaliatory, so he powered off again with a frustrated expression.
I'll remember this debt... wait till next time he gets in the cockpit and see how I use the seat to torment him!
Seeing Xia Chuan had taken the bait as expected, Lu Tianming felt pleased... indeed, idly teasing a good friend was the most stress-relieving thing.
After enjoying the moment, he remembered Cagalli's matter, cleared his throat, suppressed his smile, turned back, and shrugged:
"See? I didn't lie to you."
"...Are you sure you didn't use some special voice command?"
While doubting, Cagalli tried shouting the same phrase herself. However, her voice wasn't as likely to trigger Xia Chuan's reflex as Lu Tianming's... not to mention Xia Chuan had just been tricked and was now on guard, so naturally there was no response.
Seeing that her shout really didn't work, Cagalli was momentarily stunned... what was the principle behind this?
"See, I didn't lie to you."
Lu Tianming spread his hands and smiled, patting the nearly dazed Cagalli's shoulder.
"But speaking of which... if you really have questions about the Strike Suit, you can just come ask me directly. Why sneak around like a thief..."
Cagalli's face slightly reddened as she softly muttered "oh"... If you had said so earlier, who would have sneaked around knowing you could just answer questions?
But come to think of it, did she just impulsively make some strange bet earlier?
Cagalli was truly belated in her realization... when she made the demand, she never thought she would lose, so naturally she made the condition quite broad.
Now that she had actually lost, she didn't know how to handle the situation for the moment. "Do whatever you ask"... when she said it, it didn't seem like anything, but now she realized it was indeed somewhat dangerous.
She looked up at Lu Tianming's face, seeing he still had that smiling expression, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
But the more he was like this, the more uneasy Cagalli felt... Was he brewing some bad intentions?
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