"He is Kira Yamato." Compared to his shock, Hilde only paused briefly, and when she noticed the three across from them looking over, she pulled Siegfried forward and kept walking.
After being dragged a few steps, Siegfried calmed down. Knowing where he was and actually meeting someone at the peak of combat power in this world were very different things, and for a moment he even wanted to turn back and greet the strongest Coordinator. That kind of lifeline was like a top tier draw, something you should befriend while it was still in the pool.
But looking at Hilde's back, he shook his head and threw those thoughts away. If possible, he wanted to go home with her, and without any tragic past, he had little interest in staying in this remembered world.
"You promised me, we will go home." Perhaps sensing the change in his breathing, Hilde's cool voice carried an unexpected softness.
Without making a deliberate vow, Siegfried quickened his pace and moved ahead until they returned to their familiar way of walking, him in front and her behind. He then picked up his unfinished plan, talking about underground facilities, stealing parts, and using the chaos to escape with a transport vehicle.
"Boom!"
As Siegfried repeated his grand idea for the second time, a violent explosion shook all of Dawn Society. Caught off guard, he could only pull Hilde into his arms and hold her tight, only looking around once the dust settled.
Cracks spread across the ceiling as stones kept falling, and Siegfried slammed his fists against his legs. It was his first time experiencing an explosion, and his body reacted on its own, trembling despite himself. The cool touch on his face, however, helped him steady himself.
"Do not be afraid. I am here. You will not be hurt."
"Don't joke, that's my line." His young voice tried to sound brave, but once he held that cool hand, Siegfried was fully calm again. "It's started, Hilde. We are going to the underground factory."
Their days of frequent visits were not wasted, and Hilde had marked out the sensitive areas of Dawn Society that were normally inaccessible, including elevators that were always guarded. Now, in the chaos, they could openly slip into places they could never reach before, and what they wanted had to be there.
Once focused, they no longer looked like a fragile girl and an immature boy. They dodged falling debris, watched for cracks and obstacles, and never slowed down as gates slid past them one after another, Siegfried certain they were closing in on their goal.
"There should still be shelters in the factory." Turning a corner, Siegfried was surprised to see two all too familiar figures suddenly in front of them.
"Who are you?" Even while pulling Cagalli along, Kira's breathing was steady, and he still had time to ask.
"We're students from Orb Industrial University. We got separated from others during the explosion." Siegfried answered smoothly, then glanced at the girl beside Kira, the one who did not quite look like a girl yet.
"I saw you earlier. Follow us, we're going to the factory shelter." Impressed despite himself, Siegfried noted that Kira remembered them from a brief pass. With a free guide, the two nodded and ran after him toward the distant sound of gunfire.
While running, Kira had no attention to spare for these temporary companions, but because Cagalli was being dragged along, she had the chance to observe the strange pair beside her. Ordinary people would struggle to stay calm in such a situation, yet these two showed no panic at all, and if not for needing Kira's lead, they could have left her behind. In just a few minutes, she was sure they were not ordinary students.
Passing the final door, the four reached the factory railing at last. Amid the harsh gunfire, unlike Kira and Cagalli's disbelief, Siegfried stared down at the two steel giants held in restraints, flames reflecting off his ruby red hair as a feverish look appeared on his face for the first time.
"Strike Gundam and Aegis Gundam. That's really something."
The scene in front of them clearly was not a place for any kind of souvenir photo. After a brief glance at the two Gundam that had not yet activated their PS armor, Hilde pointed first toward a gap on the left.
"The thing is over there."
Following the direction of Hilde's finger, Siegfried no longer cared that the future leader of Orb was right beside him. The two of them dodged stray rounds from below while moving quickly toward the opening, and only then did even Kira realize that these two were clearly not ordinary fleeing civilians.
At the moment, Kira was still focused on finding a shelter and getting Cagalli somewhere safe. Even if he sensed something was off, it was not something he could deal with right now. On the other hand, Cagalli was clearly on a different wavelength, and since she had come to Dawn Society with a purpose, the moment she saw where the two were heading, she shook off Kira's hand and chased after them.
No matter what the people behind them were thinking, Siegfried and Hilde did not slow down at all. Perhaps due to damage from an earlier blast, they stopped at a spot where there should have been a staircase.
After judging the height, Hilde took a few steps back and sprinted forward, and at the moment she jumped, Siegfried smoothly lifted a hand to give support. The white-haired girl used a clean second jump to vault upward. Siegfried followed without pause, retreating, sprinting, and jumping in one motion, and before his momentum ran out, Hilde reached down and pulled him up, and the two arrived on the second level.
The Cagalli who followed behind stared at the nearly three-meter height difference in shock. When she noticed Kira catching up beside her, the woman who always acted before thinking copied their move, stepped back, and started running.
"Careful!" With no time to react, Kira became a human stepping stone, and based on instinctive calculation, he knew Cagalli could not reach the platform on her own. He pushed again while bracing her, finally tossing her high enough for her to grab the railing of the second level.
"Don't follow anymore, go find shelter!" Without turning back like Hilde had, Cagalli threw those words at Kira and ran after the others. Faced with that height, no matter how good his physical condition was, Kira could not jump it without help, and could only turn back in frustration to look for shelter.
With Hilde leading with clear intent, the two rushed through several security doors and finally arrived at a place that did not exist anywhere in Siegfried's memories.