Standing at the door, Siegfried knocked seriously to avoid seeing something he should not. Only after getting permission did he open it and step inside. Cagalli seemed to have just finished bathing, and droplets of water still slid down her short blond hair.
"Hurry and dry it, or you will catch a cold."
"I know that." She replied with annoyance, then looked at Siegfried's face and asked strangely, "Did something bad happen at dinner?"
"Huh? How can you tell? Is it written on my face?"
"Do not worry about how I know. Just say it, what happened this time?"
"What do you mean this time? What position do you have to think I am the one causing trouble?"
Just as Cagalli was about to swing at Siegfried again, the doorbell rang at the perfect moment. He pressed one hand on her head and opened the door, then froze when he saw the two people standing there.
"Well… Lacus wanted to eat with everyone. Flay and the others would not be suitable, so she wanted to come with Sai and Louise…"
Kira looked awkwardly at the two tangled together in a strange posture and felt he might have arrived at the wrong time.
"Kira, I already ate. Louise can go by herself later."
"Let go! Kira, I have not eaten yet. Come in and eat together."
After finally breaking free from Siegfried, Cagalli agreed without even seeing who was behind Kira. Looking at this simple girl, Siegfried could only shake his head and think that siblings really were easygoing.
Only after Kira entered did Cagalli notice that the girl following him was the PLANT girl who had been taken in earlier. Since Murrue and the others had not yet decided whether to inform the whole ship, Cagalli could not match the name Lacus to a face.
"Sorry to disturb you, but eating alone feels too lonely. I thought that if everyone ate together, we could understand each other better, and misunderstandings like earlier would not happen."
Her calm and open manner made Siegfried think that compared to the introverted Kira, Lacus was extremely outgoing. She had just been targeted with hostility in the cafeteria, yet her mood showed no sign of damage, and with reasonable words and a gentle tone, it was hard for him to refuse.
He hesitated for a second, then felt a punch land on his back from Cagalli. Seeing that Kira was holding two trays, he knew this gentle fool had even brought her portion. Surrounded on three sides, Siegfried had no choice but to step aside and watch as the future leader of Orb and the future PLANT leader met earlier than they should have because of him.
Some things, however, did not follow Siegfried's will, such as the Haro that had silently watched him and Cagalli earlier. Seeing the small pink one in Lacus's hands, its electronic eye flashed red and it bounced up as if injected with energy.
"Haro, Haro, idiot, trash."
"Haro, Haro, so scary."
The two Haro chased each other around the small room. Compared to the black Haro, the pink one really did look a bit silly, not just in its limited language system. Siegfried's Haro could spit out eight vicious words in five seconds, while the pink one repeated the same few phrases.
After several rounds, the pink one seemed unable to keep up and hopped back onto Lacus's head. Using the wall to rebound and build force, Siegfried's Haro charged straight at her.
Having already seen through its plan, Siegfried grabbed the troublesome thing, opened the door, and kicked it out. He shut the door the next second without any hesitation.
"Oh my, this Haro is quite special."
Surprised by how different it was from her own, Lacus looked curiously at its owner. "Its movement and language system are much richer than the one Athrun gave me. Do you like Haro too?"
"I do not like it, it annoys me." / "You said Athrun, do you mean Athrun-Zala?"
Two voices spoke at the same time, but Siegfried and Kira focused on different things. Knowing that the name had touched Kira deeply, Siegfried shrugged and let him speak first.
"Kira, you know Athrun? He is my fiancé."
"Fi-fiancé, that kind of meaning?"
Unable to watch Kira struggle any longer, Siegfried explained the existence of the forced marriage law. He did not notice that Lacus's gaze toward him had changed slightly.
"Sai knows PLANT systems very well. Just as you said, although Athrun and I are together because of the forced marriage law, he is a very gentle person. My Haro was also a gift from him."
With the conversation at this point, Kira could no longer hide his story with Athrun. Almost everyone on the Archangel knew there was such a person, but they only knew the two were old acquaintances, and everyone had their own guess about the details.
Among the four present, Siegfried already knew the answer and showed no reaction. Cagalli could only shout, "Why is it like this?" Only Lacus looked at Kira with an expression that was hard to define, somewhere between gentleness and care.
"That must be very hard for you."
Those simple words made it impossible for Kira to hold his emotions any longer. He bent over in pain, repeating meaningless words about why it had to be Athrun, and how he did not like violence at all.
Kira's restrained sobbing felt especially heavy in the small room. Even Siegfried, who always avoided trouble, felt it was too cruel, yet he did not know how to comfort him. No one could compromise here, Kira could not go to ZAFT, Athrun could not surrender to the Alliance, and only that person could.
As Siegfried unconsciously looked toward the only person who could comfort Kira, a clear and peaceful female voice sounded at the same time. Like a mother's hand, it gently passed over everyone's hearts. Not only did Kira feel relieved, but Cagalli also quieted down, and hearing Lacus sing in person for the first time left Siegfried stunned.
In earlier encounters, Siegfried had deliberately avoided this "troublesome woman," thinking she was just a fictional character. That attitude was how he had always treated everyone, but the song made it impossible for him to keep seeing the people around him as mere characters. The barrier that had covered his heart slowly faded under the layers of "Silent Night."
"If friends did not have to fight each other, that would be nice. Do you think so, Sai?"
As the song ended, Kira and Cagalli were still immersed in their emotions. Siegfried never expected that Lacus would direct her first question to him.
"You saw and experienced what happened in the cafeteria. You must understand how Natural and Coordinator view each other. If you have a way, then do it. If you do not, then all you can do is keep singing."