Aisha Tyler returned with Cagalli, but for a moment, Kira almost didn't recognize her!
Gone were the short sleeves, trousers, and combat boots. Instead, she wore a pale jade-green strapless dress adorned with white lace trim. Her previously messy, dry hair had been neatly styled into a small ponytail at the back, with green hair clips holding the strands at her temples. She looked every bit the noble, elegant young lady—beautiful and enchanting.
"Well, well? Who do we have here?" Andrew Waltfeld remarked admiringly. He had always thought Cagalli would suit a dress, and that she must have been a girl who often wore them.
"Ah!" Kira's gaze went blank, his mind completely empty.
Faced with Kira's stunned expression, Cagalli shyly hid behind Aisha Tyler, trying her best to conceal herself.
"Come now, don't be shy. Go on," Aisha said, stepping aside to reveal Cagalli's beauty to everyone and even giving her a little push from behind.
Stumbling a few steps forward, Cagalli stood before the group.
"A... girl?" Kira asked dumbly.
Hearing this, Cagalli's shyness instantly turned to anger. Though she preferred pants over dresses, she still cared about her gender, damn it! Especially in front of Kira...
"You idiot!" She took a step forward, arms spread, fists clenched, looking ready to charge and punch someone—completely ruining her elegant young lady image.
"No... I just meant, you really are a girl..."
"What difference does that make!?"
"Pfft—HAHAHA!"
Andrew Waltfeld and Yang Hui couldn't hold back their laughter, while Aisha Tyler doubled over in amusement.
"See, you're better off as a tomboy, Cagalli. Hahaha," Yang Hui teased.
"You jerk!"
"But that dress really suits you," Yang Hui added, instantly turning the bristling Cagalli back into a shy kitten. "Your sister-in-law has great taste!"
"Ara, thank you for the compliment, young man."
"Right? Aisha is one of a kind—the best woman in the world!" Naturally, Andrew was proud when his beloved was praised.
"She might not compare to my two fiancées, but sister-in-law is indeed amazing..." Yang Hui said, then shot Andrew a disdainful look. "...Too bad she's wasted on you."
"WHAT~~~!?"
"Hahaha, don't talk nonsense, young man," Aisha chided playfully, wrapping her arms around Andrew's neck from behind. "Andy is the best man there is."Hearing this, Andrew shot Yang Hui a triumphant, provocative look."
"Alright, I lose this round," Yang Hui conceded with a shrug. After all, when a couple stood united, they were unbeatable.
"Two against one—how cheap!" Cagalli grumbled.
"So little girl, are you going to help this guy out? Or perhaps... you two are that kind of relationship?" Andrew Waltfeld teased, though it was clearly a joke—hadn't he noticed Cagalli sitting right beside Kira this whole time? Moreover, he'd caught the way Yang Hui looked at Cagalli. There was a hint of concern hidden beneath, not like an ordinary friend, nor a lover—more like an older brother watching over his immature little sister.
"Eh? Is that true?" Kira exclaimed in shock.
"Absolutely not! Who—who would be in that kind of relationship with this playboy!?" Cagalli shouted.
"Playboy?" Both Andrew Waltfeld and Aisha Tyler paused, giving Yang Hui an astonished look. "Didn't take you for that type, kid. You hide it well."
"Two arranged marriages by my family, and both my fiancées are willing participants. How does that make me a playboy?" Yang Hui countered with an amused smirk.
"Oh my, isn't being unable to commit to just one the very definition of a playboy?"
"Exactly. Look at me—I'm this old and still devoted to only one person."
"Fine, I'll concede today. Next time, I'll bring my fiancées along. Three against two—won't lose to you again," Yang Hui said.
"Hahaha, now that's something to look forward to."
Beep beep beep—
At that moment, Andrew Waltfeld's PAD chimed. He picked it up, and both he and Aisha Tyler froze momentarily before quickly suppressing their shock.
Cagalli and Kira didn't catch their fleeting expressions, but Yang Hui noticed—though he said nothing.
"What exactly are you trying to do?" Unable to bear the silence, Cagalli demanded when Andrew Waltfeld and Aisha Tyler didn't speak.
"What do you mean?"
"Are you really the Desert Tiger? Why would you do that? Is it one of your usual hobbies?" Cagalli pressed.
"Usual hobbies?"
"Disguising yourself, wandering the streets, letting residents escape before burning down entire towns—isn't that right?"
Instead of answering directly, Andrew Waltfeld simply admired Cagalli's gaze.
"Good eyes. Very straightforward—truly fine eyes."
"Stop joking around!"
The previously lighthearted Andrew Waltfeld turned serious in an instant, confronting Cagalli: "Do you also believe people are better off dead?"
Cagalli couldn't answer. She then turned to Kira.
"And you? What do you think?"
"Huh?"
"How can this war be ended? As an MS pilot, what's your take?"
"How did you know—" Both Kira and Cagalli were startled. They had never revealed their identities, especially the fact that Kira was the Strike's pilot.
"Sigh..." Yang Hui rubbed his temples. Whether Andrew Waltfeld was merely probing or actually knew, Kira and Cagalli's reactions had already given him the answer.
"Hahahaha..." Andrew Waltfeld laughed as he stood up. "...Being too honest isn't always good, you know."
Seeing Andrew Waltfeld step aside, Kira and Cagalli grew uneasy, backing up against the wall.
"Yang Hui!"
"What are you so nervous about?" Yang Hui remained unmoved, still sipping his coffee. His calm tone left both Kira and Cagalli stunned.
"But he's the enemy!"
"Correct." Yang Hui nodded in agreement with Cagalli's statement.
"Then you—"
"An enemy? So what?"
"My, my, young man. Shouldn't you be panicking right now? Like that Coordinator boy and the straightforward young lady over there."
Click
A bullet was chambered, the gun barrel now aimed at Yang Hui's head.
"Yang Hui!"
"It's fine." His soothing words were like a spring breeze, calming the agitation and worry in Kira and Cagalli's hearts.
At this moment, Yang Hui appeared as if attending a pleasant tea party—serenely enjoying his coffee without the slightest waver or panic, even with a gun pointed at his head.
"Hey now, kid, at least give me some reaction here. You're making this awkward for me." The one holding the gun, Andrew Waltfeld, grew visibly unsettled by Yang Hui's complete lack of response.
"How am I supposed to react when there's not a shred of killing intent?" Yang Hui turned his head and asked Andrew Waltfeld with exasperation.
"Ah... fair point. As expected of someone of your stature—can't judge by appearances at all." Andrew's tone carried a hint of grievance. Yang Hui simply refused to follow the script—shouldn't this be a tense standoff by all rights?
"Different experiences are valuable assets."
"Hahaha, amusing." Chuckling, Andrew holstered his gun but still pressed Yang Hui, "So then, what's your take on this answer?"
Yang Hui knew Andrew was asking about his perspective on war.
"That depends on whether you're asking about battle or war."
"Oh? What about battle? And war...?"
"In battle, there are many methods. Killing your opponent is the simplest solution, but also the worst. Personally, I prefer beating them into submission—once if possible, twice if necessary. The best outcome is making them submit and revere you at the same time."
"Hmm? Hahaha... now that's an unexpected answer, kid."
"Just personal preference."
"And war? How do you think war ends?"
"When humanity goes extinct."
"What?"
"Yang Hui! You—"
This response left not only Kira and Cagalli dumbfounded, but even Andrew Waltfeld and Aisha Tyler hadn't anticipated such an answer from Yang Hui.
"Just look at history." Having finished his coffee, Yang Hui stood up—as casually as if in his own home—poured himself another cup, then returned to his seat. "From the moment humanity came into existence, we've been at war. War against nature to survive, war against beasts for food and survival, war against each other for power, status, beauty, wealth—countless reasons. War has never ceased. Has humanity ever stopped waging war?"
"This..." Andrew Waltfeld, Aisha Tyler, and even Kira were left speechless. Anyone who knew history understood that humanity's development was one grand, unbroken chronicle of war—an endless cycle of conflict.
"But... but wasn't there peace before that tragedy occurred?" Cagalli retorted.
"Peace? Heh, Cagalli, so in your eyes, only armed conflicts where people kill each other count as war."
"Isn't that the case?"
"What about economic warfare, political warfare, diplomatic warfare? Don't those count?"
"This..."
"Killing with knives or guns isn't what's truly frightening. What's truly terrifying is being able to kill without using weapons at all."
"..."
"Then... is there no way to achieve peace?" Kira asked.
"Didn't I say it already? When humanity goes extinct, there naturally won't be any more wars."
"That... that's impossible..."
"There is another way."
"Hmm?" All four turned expectantly toward Yang Hui, eager to hear his solution, as his previous words had already driven them to despair regarding the contradiction between war and peace.
"Transfer internal conflicts to external ones." As he spoke, Yang Hui raised his gaze, looking past everyone to rest on the small stone slab of [Evidence01].
"You mean... aliens?"
"Exactly. Whether Naturals or Coordinators, in the eyes of other species, we're all just one race—humans—with no distinction. When an external species attacks humanity and poses an existential threat, survival instinct will naturally unite us against a common enemy."
"...A fascinating perspective, yet one that's hard to refute." Andrew Waltfeld nodded in deep agreement.
"Right? But what's laughable is..." Yang Hui paused, placing his coffee cup on the table before standing up and turning his head slightly, smirking at everyone, "...even with evidence of extraterrestrial life right before our eyes, with the boundless cake of the universe laid out in front of us, humanity is still fighting over scraps of land."
With that, he walked toward the door.
"Cagalli, Kira, let's go."
"Huh? Oh." The two were still in a daze, Yang Hui's words having delivered a massive shock to their worldview.
"Leaving already, kid?"
"We've imposed long enough. Any longer and our families will worry. The coffee was good—thanks for your hospitality."
"Heh, that's the happiest thing I've heard all day."
"Just stating facts."
"Kid."
"Something else?"
"I won't go easy on you."
"..."
Hearing this, Yang Hui grinned—domineering, confident, and utterly unshakable.
"I don't lose to the same person twice."
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