Amidst the astonished expressions of the others, Lacus was momentarily stunned. Her beautiful eyes fixed intently on Felix while her inner world was swept by a storm.
Within this storm, countless thoughts, ideas, and memories intertwined—colliding, merging, and repelling one another—leaving Lacus' heart in complete disarray.
'Do I like him?'
In this turbulent state, Lacus' self-questioning voice cut through the storm like a sharp sword, untangling the chaos within her heart.
As everything fell into place, memories played out in her mind like slides. Page after page, her emotions gradually unified.
When the final page finished playing, the answer surged forth from within.
'I think I really do like him a little!'
Murmuring inwardly, Lacus lifted her gaze to Felix, her expression calm as she replied openly.
"Mhm!"
Her composed response drew another round of exclamations from Murrue and the others.
"Whaat!! (•'╻'•۶)۶"
Amidst their surprise, Lacus, with a hint of nervousness, turned the question back to Felix.
"Do you like me?"
The counter-question caught Felix off guard, leaving him momentarily at a loss. He hadn't really considered whether he liked her or not.
Seeing Felix's silence, the light in Lacus' eyes dimmed slightly. Noticing the change in her expression, Felix stopped overthinking the matter and answered directly.
"I haven't really thought about whether I like you or not, but sometimes I feel that you hold a special place in my heart.
As for what exactly makes you special, I'm not entirely sure. It might take time to figure that out."
"Oh." Lacus responded softly, her tone tinged with hope as she smiled. "I hope this 'special' place in your heart isn't just as an ally or a partner."
After speaking, she waved to Felix.
"See you next time!"
"See you next time!"
Felix replied with a gentle smile and a nod.
...
"Captain, you're really something to envy!"Sitting in the CGUE cockpit, Heine spoke over the comms, his tone a mix of blessings, envy, and a bit of teasing."
Inside the Genesis Gundam cockpit
Hearing Heine's words, Felix responded calmly yet seriously.
"Let's not talk about this anymore!"
"Yes, Captain."
Sensing Felix's seriousness, Heine immediately dropped the subject and replied over the comms.
After responding, he closed the communication.
Piloting the CGUE, he followed the Genesis Gundam as it moved out of the Mendel Satellite.
Meanwhile, inside the Genesis Gundam cockpit
Seated in the pilot's chair, Felix drove the Genesis Gundam while lost in thought.
Unconsciously deep in contemplation, he piloted the Genesis Gundam out of the Mendel Satellite and back into the central hangar of the Athena.
Exiting the cockpit, Felix walked out of the hangar without a word.
"Heine, what's going on with the Captain?"
Seeing the Captain walk away preoccupied, Taiber turned to Heine with the question. Hearing this, Heine looked at Taiber, holding his helmet as he leaned in to whisper near Taiber's ear.
"Inside Mendel Satellite, for some reason, the Captain directly asked Miss Clyne if she liked him. It turns out Miss Clyne does like the Captain and even confessed to him.
And then the Captain ended up like this."
"I see!" Taiber understood, a sincere smile spreading across his face as he gazed in the direction Felix had left. "The fact that he didn't outright refuse means the Captain must like her too. It's just that Miss Clyne's words caught him off guard, that's all."
"Hmm." Nodding, Heine looked in the direction Felix had gone and agreed. "I think the same as you."
With that, Heine patted Taiber on the shoulder.
"Taiber, I'm counting on you to take care of my MS and the Captain's MS."
"Don't worry about it."
Nodding, Taiber confidently assured him.
...
Inside the Athena
In Felix's room
Back in his room, Felix sat in a chair, leaning against the backrest as he looked up at the ceiling, relaxing and thinking things through.
As he pondered continuously, Felix sorted through his emotions. In this process, he set aside the emotional influences from his past life and considered Lacus's question with the feelings of this life.
Lost in thought, Felix unconsciously reached into his pocket and pulled out the amulet Lacus had given him.
Holding it above his head, he stared at the amulet in his hand and murmured softly.
"Isn't this about romantic feelings between a man and a woman too?"
After murmuring, Felix clenched the amulet in his hand, closed his eyes, and quietly reflected on his meetings with Lacus and their interactions.
Meanwhile
On the Eternal
"Our songstress seems a bit down?"
Aisha noticed Lacus sitting in the captain's chair looking somewhat depressed and anxious, so she quietly asked her lover beside her.
Andrew, hearing his lover's question, explained what had happened inside Mendel Satellite to her.
Listening to Andrew's account, Aisha understood where Lacus's melancholy stemmed from. Glancing at her lover, Aisha then floated over to Lacus's side.
Sensing Aisha's approach, Lacus turned to look at her and greeted her half-heartedly.
"Sister Aisha!"
"Are you worried that Felix doesn't like you?"
Aisha nodded slightly, then asked Lacus in a gentle, understanding tone like an older sister. Having her anxieties and worries laid bare like this, Lacus didn't hold back and nodded directly to Aisha.
Seeing Lacus nod, Aisha gently patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Felix will like you."
"Really?"
Hearing this, Lacus asked, her voice tinged with anxiety.
Aisha nodded earnestly.
"As the old saying goes, when a woman chases a man, it's like separating a layer of gauze. With you expressing your feelings so openly, I'm sure Felix, that innocent boy, will be moved.
You just need to wait quietly."
"But the things Felix does don't seem at all like someone simple?"
"Though his actions prove he isn't a simple person, he's certainly naive when it comes to matters of the heart. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been unable to give you a proper answer when you confessed."
Hearing the lingering concern in Lacus's voice, Aisha continued comforting her.
"What you need to do now is face Felix with your usual composure and wait for him to give you an answer," Aisha went on reassuringly.
"There's no need to overthink anything else."
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