Andrew's brow furrowed deeply. "Young man... do you actually enjoy fighting?"
Mikazuki looked up, meeting Andrew's gaze. "I don't hate it. Someone once told me I enjoy battle. He didn't seem wrong, though I ended up killing him in the end."
"Enjoying battle... that's quite the statement," Andrew said as he raised his pistol, aiming it at Mikazuki and then at Kira and Cagalli behind him.
Cagalli couldn't help but cry out, "Mikazuki, watch out!"
"It's fine." Mikazuki let out an indifferent yawn, acting as if he weren't in the middle of a life-or-death crisis.
Andrew narrowed his eyes at Mikazuki's calm demeanor and chuckled. "You truly are composed, young man. I really don't understand why a youth who still looks so green fights so recklessly while piloting the Wolf."
"Wolf?"
"Oh, my apologies. That probably isn't the name of your machine. 'Wolf' is just the codename the ZAFT military gave it, since we have absolutely no intelligence on that unit." Andrew gave a helpless shrug. It was the truth.
"Oh, the name? It's Barbatos."
Mikazuki gave the name Barbatos directly, causing the three people in the room to nearly collapse in shock. Cagalli even forgot she was being held at gunpoint. Stunned and furious, she shouted, "Hey! How can you just reveal classified information to the enemy like that!?"
Andrew, still holding the gun, looked stuck between laughter and tears. "She's right, young man. Even if you're big-hearted, there should be a limit. This counts as a secret, doesn't it?"
"What secret? It's just a name," Mikazuki said, looking at Cagalli and Andrew with dead-fish eyes, wondering if they were both out of their minds. "Even if you know the name, can you get any other information on Barbatos?"
Mikazuki figured a name alone wouldn't tell them about things like Nano-Laminate Armor, the Ahab Reactor, or the Alaya-Vijnana System. Besides, in this world, even if they searched military databases for the name "Barbatos," the result would be nothing. Barbatos wasn't a product of this world.
"Haha, you really are interesting, young man. But more than your machine, I'm curious why you said it was fine earlier. Were you certain I wouldn't fire?" Andrew asked. "If that's what you thought, you're mistaken. The adult world is very complicated."
Mikazuki shook his head. "I wasn't thinking that. Rather, in the moment before you pulled the trigger, you would have been the one to fall first."
"Oh? So much confidence? You think you're faster than me?"
"Yes."
Mikazuki's emotions remained as still as water. Andrew forced a smile. "I want to ask you one question."
"What is it?"
"Are you... a Coordinator?"
"No, I'm just an ordinary human."
Andrew's face darkened. "Don't joke with me. Can an ordinary human make a Mobile Suit move and react like that? I saw your first battle with my own eyes. That kind of explosive speed... even a Coordinator's body wouldn't be able to withstand it.
I've run the calculations on a computer; the pressure produced in that cockpit would be enough to crush a man's blood vessels until they burst. No, it would be more accurate to say your body has already surpassed a Coordinator. Who on earth are you?"
Mikazuki hopped off the sofa, revealing the Tekkadan emblem on his back. "Tekkadan Leader, Mikazuki Augus."
"Tekkadan..." Andrew searched his mind for all the various factions and powers he knew, but he had no impression of anything called Tekkadan. However, he didn't think Mikazuki was lying. He smiled and raised the muzzle of his pistol. "Fine. That's enough for now. Mikazuki, is it? That's a good name."
Andrew's actions left Kira and Cagalli confused again.
Mikazuki gave a slight nod of agreement. "Yeah. I think my name is pretty good too."
"Haha, you really are an interesting boy." Andrew put the gun back into the drawer and pressed a button on a machine. A moment later, the living room doors opened and Aisha reappeared.
"Are you finished chatting, Andy?"
"Yeah. Aisha, arrange a car to send them back."
"Alright." Aisha left.
Cagalli hurriedly asked, "Wait, what is the meaning of this?"
Andrew spread his hands and laughed. "Exactly what it looks like. I was just teasing you all. You can leave now. However... the next time we meet will be on the battlefield, young man."
Andrew directed that last sentence toward Mikazuki.
Mikazuki replied, "Yeah. Though you'll be the one getting killed."
Andrew gave a bitter smile. This kid was a bit too blunt. "Hey, hey, where does all this confidence come from?"
"It's just a fact."
With that, Mikazuki followed Cagalli and Kira as they led the way out. Just as he stepped out of the living room, Andrew spoke one last time.
"One last question. How did you recognize me?"
"Are you stupid? I've seen your photo, of course."
Andrew continued to smile bitterly and waved his hand. "No, I didn't mean that. I was in civilian clothes then, and I was wearing sunglasses. Even that little girl didn't recognize me. How did you see through it?"
"The second time you appeared on the battlefield, you were piloting that dog-like machine and fighting Kira, weren't you?" Mikazuki said. "I've remembered the presence you gave off ever since."
With those words, Mikazuki departed.
Andrew froze for a moment. A drop of cold sweat appeared unconsciously on his forehead, and he could no longer maintain his smile.
"Presence... Is it a beast-like intuition? How terrifying..."
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