"Don't let your hobbies distract you from your duties."
Heather looked speechlessly at George.
"Ahem, it's just some appropriate relaxation."
Facing his family's gazes, George waved his hands, a little embarrassed.
"Hmph~"
Heather tapped George on the head in annoyance.
"You're washing the dishes today."
"Don't we have an automatic dishwasher?"
"This is an opportunity for you to work."
"...Fine."
Seeing Heather's raised eyebrows, George, not daring to resist, let his mouth droop.
The brother and sister in front of them witnessed this and couldn't help but cover their mouths in unison, snickering.
Several days had passed. Life in Junius was no different from his time in Copernicus.
Not yet officially employed, his main job was to look over the plant research data brought from Copernicus, and in his spare time, he alternated between studying engines and robotics.
When he sat for too long, he would go to the adjoining gymnasium to spar with Alec or Yzak.
All in all, his time was spent very fulfillingly.
It gave him the illusion that he had already retired.
Of course, this was just an illusion.
On the news, PLANT's channels continued to report on attacks by Blue Cosmos, while the Atlantic Federation's channels broadcasted incidents of Coordinators causing trouble on Earth.
In truth, both were happening, but each side deliberately ignored the existence of the other's incidents.
These things shouldn't have been happening in the first place.
Blue Cosmos, no matter how much they looked down on Coordinators, should at least know to control the media.
If they couldn't even control PLANT's media, it would be a miracle if they could control PLANT itself.
His feelings towards both sides were actually the same.
His actions were solely for the sake of his own retirement.
It was just that staying with Blue Cosmos was clearly more dangerous; after all, the moderate faction over there didn't have as much power as Clyne.
Over there, he would only be controlled.
Even if he could eventually break free, who knew how long that would take.
It was better to take a gamble on the Clyne Faction and a not-yet-radicalized Patrick.
Of course, it seemed his gamble had paid off for now.
"How long are you going to keep spacing out?"
A voice interrupted Fred's thoughts.
The boy came back to his senses and looked at Yzak in front of him.
He was a little different from three days ago.
This Yzak no longer had that bad temper that flared up at the slightest provocation.
Of course, it wasn't that Fred's guidance had any effect. He wasn't some master educator, capable of reforming Yzak so quickly.
It was simply that Yzak had come to respect him in fighting, and his bad temper had been consciously reined in.
If one had to describe it, it was similar to the future Yzak's feelings towards Creuset.
Of course, it wasn't that exaggerated, just the beginning of it.
With that thought, Fred withdrew his gaze from the distance and focused back on the boy before him.
"Are you sure you want to do this here? You'll have to take another shower in a bit."
Fred looked at his own yard and said helplessly.
"It's fine, I was going to shower anyway!"
"Besides, it's your turn to shower today!" Yzak said with raised eyebrows.
"Then come on."
Fred shrugged.
His Golden Finger hadn't been of much use after just a few days; his fighting skill was still stuck at 89.
But he estimated it would level up in a few more months.
He certainly couldn't stop training.
After all, Lenore and Athrun would be arriving today.
Once they arrived, he would have to officially start working.
"Alright!"
As the thought crossed his mind and his voice fell, Yzak charged toward Fred.
However, this time, before Fred could make a move, a figure suddenly shot out from next door.
"Who are you! Why are you attacking my brother!"
As Athrun questioned loudly, his hand had already slapped away Yzak's attack.
"?"
Fred's mouth twitched slightly as he watched Athrun suddenly appear, having jumped the wall to intervene.
Did Athrun and Yzak connect this quickly?
Of course not.
After all, according to the original plot, Athrun wouldn't even be here.
He'd still be enjoying an innocent childhood with Kira.
But there was nothing wrong with them meeting early.
Putting aside his prickly personality, Yzak was actually a very good friend.
At least, the sincere kind of friend.
Besides, he could still correct Yzak's difficult personality.
As Fred pondered, he lost any intention of stopping the two.
"Hah? Who do you think you are!?"
Yzak shouted in dissatisfaction.
Facing an opponent who wasn't Fred, the boy's bad temper seeped out again.
"Hmph."
Athrun didn't answer the obviously provocative question. He stepped forward and threw a punch at Yzak's abdomen.
The Ultimate Warrior indeed.
Even though he had only taught him a move or two, Athrun was already using them with masterful proficiency.
He quickly forced Yzak into a position where he could only dodge.
Of course, Yzak wasn't one to run. After quickly realizing he couldn't find an opportunity to counterattack, Yzak abandoned the useless effort.
With two thuds, thump, thump, Athrun's left and right fists squarely hit Yzak's torso.
But in return, Yzak's right fist also landed on Athrun.
Their punches didn't look heavy, but that was by adult standards. In reality, for nine-year-old children, a fight with this level of force had definitely surpassed a typical scuffle.
The sound of their fists hitting each other's bodies was a muffled thud that went straight to the flesh, sounding brutal to the ear.
Of course, Fred didn't stop them.
If there were any real danger to their lives, he would intervene.
Besides, the two were holding back. Neither of their fists struck the other's vital points, and they even avoided critical areas like the liver.
It had to be said, the two were indeed Second-Generation Coordinators born from Elites.
Even at only nine years old, their combat awareness was already comparable to that of professionally trained adults.
And Athrun, who had been hit, despite always priding himself on his calmness, now became ruthless. The two boys' fists rained down on each other.
They grappled and rolled onto the lawn together, like two small children throwing a tantrum.
There was no form left to it. Other than not hitting vital spots, their fight had devolved into a children's brawl.
"Alright."
Seeing that the two had fallen into a meaningless slugfest, Fred spoke up at the right time.
"Die!"
"Hmph!"
The only response he got was the sound of fists landing on bodies, mixed with Yzak's curses and Athrun's cold snort.
"..."
Watching the scene speechlessly, Fred took two steps at a time, walked between them, grabbed each by the collar, and directly lifted the two of them up like a pair of water monkeys that had just crawled out of the mud.