"Yes, yes, yes."
Kira, who had originally intended to explain, nodded rapidly. Even as the Ultimate Coordinator, his mind was now racing.
Without knowing the situation outside, speaking up in defense of Coordinators now might...
What if Coordinators really were attacking from outside? Then...
If his identity were exposed someday, his words today could become fatal evidence!
"Yes, yes, yes." Human nature loves repetition. After hearing two people suggest evacuation, Katz scrambled up from the floor, clearly eager to reach the shelter.
Thus, everyone reached a consensus. Regardless of what was happening outside—after all, earthquakes don't occur on satellites—heading to the shelter was undoubtedly the best choice.
A group of teenagers swarmed out. When they pushed open the lab door and entered the stairwell, they saw crowds of people also fleeing toward the shelter.
"What's going on? Does everyone know what happened?" asked Sai, the most awkward member of the group, whose personal abilities and background were quite remarkable.
"ZAFT has attacked! The satellite's defense forces have reportedly engaged!" someone in the fleeing crowd angrily replied.
"Hmph, those damned ZAFT forces have supposedly taken the spaceport. How dare they? This is a neutral nation's satellite!" another person added while hurriedly descending the stairs.
"How could this be?" Cagalli's vision swam with stars as dizziness overwhelmed her. Kira, who was hiding his Coordinator identity, felt the same.
Now it was confirmed.
Facing everyone's unanimous accusations against Coordinators, Cagalli was filled with regret, while Kira panicked.
The girl regretted not believing Wang Hu's warning yesterday. If she had, given her status, she could have alerted the colonial officials on the satellite. Would things be less dire now?
The boy, however, recalled the anti-Coordinator wave that had swept the Gravity Well years ago. Because of it, he had been separated from his childhood best friend, who had left for PLANT. That was why Kira had come to Orb, a nation that claimed not to discriminate against Coordinators.
But...
Kira was consumed with worry. If his identity were exposed because of ZAFT's attack, how would those around him treat him?
"Where are you going?!"
Just as Kira was lost in his thoughts, a loud shout snapped him back to reality. Wang Hu, who had suddenly appeared in their lab today, was chasing his smaller companion toward the academy's factory.
"There's no shelter that way!"
Kind-hearted Kira assumed the smaller guy was running blindly out of fear. Familiar with the academy's layout, he quickly followed to warn them.
"Kira!"
Their friends watched as Kira ran after the two newcomers.
Sai, Tolle, and even Miriallia all wore expressions of helplessness.
"What should we do?" Miriallia asked the group.
"Let's go look for them. They shouldn't be in immediate danger."
After some thought, despite Katz's ashen face, Sai still felt they couldn't just leave those three unattended.
Meanwhile, Wang Hu had already caught up with the still-unyielding Cagalli, grabbing hold of the girl who was behaving just as she had in the original timeline.
"What madness has gotten into you!"
Holding Cagalli in his arms, Wang Hu prevented her from doing anything reckless again.
"Let me go, you scum, you disgrace!"
"I want to see it with my own eyes—to see the Gundam!"
"And what if you do see it? What can you possibly change?"
Wang Hu was at his wit's end. Cagalli at this point in time was truly a handful.
"Let me go!"
But this little wildcat of a girl wouldn't listen to whatever Wang Hu had to say.
Stubborn as a mule, she resisted every step of the way.
The girl struggled fiercely in Wang Hu's embrace, all the while cursing him.
Just then, another violent tremor shook the area, and as luck would have it, Kira arrived on the scene.
The brown-haired boy took in Cagalli's state and her curses, noticing her short golden hair and face now uncovered by her lost hat.
Perhaps it was youthful infatuation, or maybe some unseen blood connection.
Seizing the moment while Wang Hu was preoccupied with protecting Cagalli, Kira, as if bewitched, rushed forward and grabbed the girl's hand.
Then he gave a strong tug...
But she didn't budge...
This was awkward. Kira looked at his hand gripping the girl's, then up at Wang Hu's amused expression.
"Um..." he stammered, scrambling for a reasonable explanation.
"Didn't expect someone who looks so slender to be so strong. Do you work out regularly?"
Wang Hu remarked offhandedly.
"Y-yeah," Kira laughed awkwardly, though inwardly he was astonished.
He knew his own physical capabilities. Despite his bookish appearance, he had full confidence in the strength his Coordinator genes afforded him.
Yet his sudden attempt had been like an ant trying to shake a tree!
Was this man really just a Natural?
Or...
Considering another possibility, Kira's eyes lit up.
"Thump." Paying no mind to whatever Kira was thinking, Wang Hu gave Cagalli a solid knock on the head.
"Ow!" The girl cried out—first from Kira's painful tug, then from Wang Hu's hammer-like strike.
After this physical therapy session, she finally regained some rationality.
Or perhaps she'd simply decided discretion was the better part of valor.
The stubborn mule could finally listen to reason now.
"Go take shelter."
Looking down at the teary-eyed Cagalli, Wang Hu spoke calmly.
"Mhm." Came a mosquito-like reply as Cagalli nodded with her head lowered.
"So impressive..." Kira watched dumbfounded. Was this how you handled girls?
"You come too." Having settled Cagalli, Wang Hu turned to Kira.
"Eh? Me?" The stunned boy pointed at himself questioningly.
"Who else? I am the Great Wall. As long as the Wall stands, ordinary civilians like you should focus on staying alive."
"Though this isn't the land I'm sworn to protect, innocent people are still innocent people."
Seizing the opportunity, Wang Hu subtly raised their favorability toward him.
"Yes, Brother Wang Hu."
For some reason, Kira felt his nose sting with emotion, deeply moved by Wang Hu's words.
The Great Wall? That nation!
Following behind Wang Hu, Kira gazed at the back of the man leading the way.
If he had gone to that nation back then... would he have avoided encountering such things?
He thought to himself.
"Boom." The tremors came again—likely GINN from ZAFT had breached the Colony Satellite and was already attacking the factory.
As the attacks drew nearer, the ceiling above the trio loosened, and rubble mixed with dust came crashing down.
"Brother Wang Hu!"
Seeing the collapsing ceiling above, Kira braced himself for a bloody head injury.
But after he and Cagalli covered their heads, all that fell on them was a layer of dust.
After a moment, Kira and Cagalli looked up to see Wang Hu single-handedly holding up the massive ceiling slab.
"What are you staring at? Run!"
Wang Hu barked. "Head to the nearest shelter, now!"
"But... Brother Wang Hu?" Kira wanted to step forward and help.
"Kira, a man must do what a man must. Protect Cagalli."
With a stern glare, Wang Hu laid it on thick.
"Understood, Brother Wang Hu!"
(End of Chapter)