As a matter of course, Fred entered Kira's home and naturally made his way to the kitchen.
"I never expected Fred to even know how to cook."
Watching Fred stir-fry the aromatic and visually appealing rice before them, even Lenore, who considered herself familiar with her student, was astonished. Even Kira's mother looked surprised.
This twelve-year-old boy was not only knowledgeable and physically capable but could also cook?
Most importantly, he was a Natural?
What had she been doing at twelve?
"I just happen to know how," Fred remained modest, while Kira and Athrun in the living room couldn't help but glance in Fred's direction.
"You're saying he's a Natural? And he kicked a grown man flying?" Athrun's sharply defined eyebrows rose high, his expression one of disbelief.
"You've asked that many times already..." Kira said helplessly.
"Because, how does he look like a Natural?" Athrun curled his lip.
And he was his mother's student—practically more all-around capable than him, a Second-Generation Coordinator.
"Didn't Athrun know him before?"
"My mother doesn't talk to me about work matters..." As he spoke, Athrun's gaze toward Fred subtly grew more suspicious.
A Natural, and one with an official background from the Atlantic Federation, was actually involved in space agriculture research.
No matter how he thought about it, it seemed to carry a whiff of conspiracy.
But his mother was so clever—if it were a conspiracy, she should know, right?
Besides, it was a fact that he had saved Kira...
"Athrun, do you think brother likes playing games?" Unaware of Athrun's complex feelings toward Fred, Kira asked again.
"...Does he look like he likes playing games?" Athrun rolled his eyes irritably.
A Natural, achieving what he had at such a young age, must have required immense effort.
"Seems not..." Watching Fred not far away, still discussing cabbage cultivation tips with Lenore, Kira lowered his head with a mix of loneliness and shame.
Comparing oneself to others was disheartening.
It was one thing for him, an ordinary Coordinator, to feel inferior next to Athrun, a Second-Generation Coordinator.
But even facing a Natural, he felt like a raw recruit.
Probably, from now on, besides Athrun, there would be another "neighbor's son" in his mother's stories.
Thinking of his bleak future, Kira slumped his shoulders.
He felt wronged but couldn't muster any anger.
After all, both of them were genuinely impressive.
There was no way he could measure up.
"By the way, why do you call him brother?" Seeing how transparent Kira was, Athrun changed the topic helplessly.
He hadn't heard Kira call him brother yet.
Although he was five months younger than Kira, Athrun instinctively categorized Kira as a younger brother who needed looking after.
"Because he saved me." Faced with Kira's naive expression, Athrun wore a look of resignation, as if he didn't want to talk to a fool.
This simpleton would probably remember someone saving him for a lifetime.
It was precisely because of this that Athrun grew even more wary of Fred, who had appeared so suddenly.
He couldn't tell if it was deliberately arranged, nor if Fred knew their identities and was using the opportunity to get close.
Though it might not be fair to think this way, it was better to remain cautious.
"Athrun, Kira, Auntie says it's time to eat."
Athrun, who had been immersed in his own thoughts with downcast eyes, was quickly startled by the voice from behind.
This person had approached without him noticing?
It wasn't that Athrun was overreacting.
Both his parents were outstanding Coordinators with comprehensive enhancements,
As their descendant, he possessed more advantages than ordinary first-generation Coordinators.
He knew his own potential, and even more so his capabilities.
Even though he was still young and hadn't reached the level of a typical Coordinator soldier, among his peers, both his hearing and reaction speed were top-tier.
Yet despite this, he only noticed Fred when he was already right behind him?
Twelve years old? Comparable to professional Coordinator soldiers?
"Okay~!"
Watching Kira's carefree expression, completely unaware of the implications, Athrun's lips twitched slightly.
This fool...
"Never mind."
Talking to Kira would be useless anyway. Better to ask Mom about it later.
...
The Yamato family's dining table was unusually lively today. Apart from the slightly wary Athrun, neither Lenore nor Kira's mother, Caridad Yamato, treated the young man as an outsider.
There were no rules about not speaking during meals in this household.
Everyone chatted freely about various topics while eating.
"Speaking of which, the Council Nations' restrictions on PLANT should have loosened recently, right?"
Caridad Yamato looked relaxed, clearly relieved as she spoke.
"Yes, but the laboratory progress remains the same as always."
Lenore shook her head upon hearing this, not sharing the same enthusiasm.
"Was the import application for the seventeenth batch of hybrid germplasm resources rejected?"
Fred asked curiously.
"Yes, they claimed there might be biological contamination risks."
This reason made no sense - it was just empty rhetoric, purely meant to obstruct their agricultural research.
"Even without the original samples, with our current technology, we can still reverse-engineer the gene sequence of that high-radiation resistant wheat."
It wasn't hard to understand why Earth would have such things - after the nuclear warfare of the Recombinant War, crops needed radiation-resistant genes.
In terms of genetic knowledge, this world was truly unparalleled.
Though Fred spoke lightly, his words left Lenore speechless, and even Athrun put down his cutlery.
While the Council Nations hadn't explicitly banned agricultural research, reverse-engineering such sensitive materials definitely fell into a gray area.
The precondition for their agricultural research center to operate openly was being under multiple layers of supervision, and even their research results were strictly limited to enhancing various resistances and yields for crops in L4 and other natural-inhabited colony satellite groups, as well as Earth crops.
If an ordinary Coordinator researcher had said this in private, it would have been quite normal.
But Lenore knew the other's identity all too well.
He was the direct relative of an Atlantic Federation official.
Initially, she had assumed Fred was just here for a visit.
Later, after Fred demonstrated his capabilities, she thought he might be a hidden agent sent to monitor them.
But gradually, she found herself infected by Fred's passion for academics and knowledge.
His current abilities were only considered average among researchers, but as he had previously stated, he was definitely among the top of his peers among students his age.
Moreover, he was continuously improving. Even she couldn't help but imagine that if Fred truly had no ulterior motives, PLANT might achieve food Freedom much sooner.
However, this topic had clearly crossed beyond academic boundaries now.
"That would take a lot of time, wouldn't it~"
Kira didn't quite understand, but he widened his eyes and looked at Fred with a hint of admiration.
"Yes, but there's always hope."
Fred didn't continue the conversation further.
It was best to know when to stop.
He had just gained a little trust - saying this much was enough.
He was well aware of his sensitive position.
But to convince Lenore to let him go to Julius, he needed her absolute trust anyway.
There was no way he could conceal his identity.
It was better to be open and honest about it. Even if Zala were to send spies, they wouldn't find anything suspicious.
After all, he was genuinely clean.
With seven years still ahead, he had plenty of time to slowly lay his groundwork and earn their trust.
He was twelve now. If everything went smoothly, he aimed to retire early before turning twenty-four.
In his previous life, this would have been unimaginable.
But in this world, it was actually possible.
Thinking this, Fred felt happy again.
"Alright now, don't just talk - have some food too."
Soon, Caridad Yamato said cheerfully, effectively steering the conversation away from the sensitive topic.