The matter was finally cleared up. It had all been a misunderstanding.
Because Murrue Ramius had never used anything like a PSP game console before, she had misread the content.
When she received it, the game's story happened to be at the confession scene for the in-game "Murrue Ramius."
The player's confession involved words of praise that made the in-game Murrue's heart blossom with joy. He said she was so beautiful that she did not lose out even to that songstress, and that he did not mind her being older, because that maturity was precisely what made her beautiful.
After seeing that, Murrue naturally investigated further.
From Murrue's own perspective, Kain had barely interacted with her and had not spoken to her much. There was no way he would suddenly confess to her like that out of nowhere.
But since those words existed, they had to be conveying something.
After thinking further, Murrue came to the conclusion that he was threatening her into using herself as leverage.
The reason she interpreted it as a veiled threat was because the dialogue also mentioned that the player had helped deal with the Archangel's crisis. More importantly, he had discovered the in-game Murrue's secret, seeing her suddenly panic and throw an insulated bottle into the trash.
In reality, in the PSP game, the in-game Murrue had already been sufficiently pursued to develop feelings for the player. She had personally cooked meat soup and put it in an insulated bottle to give to him.
However, this was Murrue's first time cooking, and it did not turn out very well. She was too embarrassed to give it to him, especially since another female NPC had also made soup for the player. After tasting that soup, Murrue found that it completely outclassed hers.
Naturally, she was too embarrassed to bring hers out.
But the player, who knew the truth, did not mind and tried to pick it up. In the end, Murrue panicked, snatched it away first, and fled, saying she would give him something more delicious once she was ready.
So why had the real Murrue interpreted that scene as a threatening hint?
It was a coincidence.
Before discovering ZAFT's warship, while heading to the hangar to help input the password, she had secretly poured something from her own insulated cup away.
Because she had a troublesome constitution. Even though she had no children, her body inexplicably produced that kind of fluid.
To avoid discomfort, she extracted it, then secretly disposed of it.
And when she disposed of it, Mr. Kain happened to pass nearby.
Afterward, when she received the PSP game console and saw the contents inside, she understood it as an animation Mr. Kain had made to hint at her.
After all, he could not leave behind evidence or speak too bluntly. By using that kind of story, he must have assumed Murrue would understand what he was implying.
Therefore, the "crisis" resolved in the game's plot was, in her mind, a veiled threat: if she refused to provide that thing, he would use the safety of the crew to threaten Captain Ramius.
For the sake of the crew's lives, Murrue endured the humiliation and provided it, only for him to seem dissatisfied and want to take it directly.
And just as Murrue was about to let him do that, Lacus and Cagalli barged in.
"This... this is just a game console?"
"Yes, Captain Ramius."
Lacus confirmed it again, feeling somewhat helpless. Clearly, it had all been that kind of misunderstanding.
"Th-Then why would our information be used to create a game like this?"
It looked like nothing more than a misunderstanding, but Murrue could not understand that point. What did it mean to gather everyone's information and turn it into this sort of game?
"Captain Ramius, you know that some games are developed based on myths or historical events, don't you? For example, there's a fairly popular game right now that adapts the Third World War. It even includes people from that era, correct?"
As Murrue listened to the princess, she saw Cagalli's expression suddenly become extremely serious, as if this game contained some extraordinary secret.
Combining that with the information she already had, Murrue made her own inference.
There were fighters whose technology did not look as if it belonged to this era at all, as well as robots almost indistinguishable from real humans. An absurd thought appeared in her mind.
"Do you know why I also know so many secrets about the Earth Alliance and PLANT? Do you know why I know about those weapons of destruction? Because those are things that have already happened in the past."
"Things that have already happened? Wh-What does that mean?"
Cagalli's voice was filled with disbelief. She had also thought of the words Mr. Kain had said earlier, words that had sounded like a joke.
Murrue's pupils widened as well, because this was getting closer and closer to that absurd theory of hers.
"Cagalli, Captain Ramius, do you think the machines Mr. Kain brought here are technology this era could possess? And you should have noticed the abnormalities in the three women accompanying him as well, right?"
Lacus's tone remained very serious, and her expression was solemn.
"Those three aren't human, are they? They're robots?"
"Captain Ramius, your guess is correct."
At that point, Lacus looked at Mr. Kain, signaling for him to have 60 prove it.
"60, reveal your power core."
Kain gave 60 that order.
It seemed Lacus intended to arrange his identity using a similar explanation to the one given on Saeko Busujima's side.
"Understood, Commander!"
Then, in front of Cagalli and Murrue, the woman named 60 removed her clothing, and her chest suddenly opened, revealing the mechanical structure inside.
She really was a robot.
"So when you said earlier that you came from the future in a time machine, that... that was true?"
That also meant one thing. Cagalli had seen the data extracted from that PSP game console. The information in it about the Heliopolis colony breaking apart was something that originally would have happened.
It was because of Mr. Kain's arrival that this tragedy had been changed.
"You came from the future in a time machine?"
Murrue murmured in astonishment. It was almost the same as the absurd idea she had not dared believe.
If that was really the case, then the contents inside that game console were clearly events that, to him, had already happened in the past, only later adapted into a game.
Suddenly, Cagalli thought of something, and her expression changed.
"Lacus, the background CGs that played while you were singing. Don't tell me those were...!"
"Background CGs?"
Murrue also realized why Cagalli's voice had trembled.
Could it be that humanity in the future really encountered a third kind of threat, and Mr. Kain had returned to the past to stop the war between Naturals and Coordinators so humanity would not be powerless when facing it?
Was it because both sides had fought too fiercely, suffering too many casualties, that they lacked the strength to face that third kind of threat when the time came?
"I can't say any more for now. I only hope that you, Cagalli, and you, Captain Ramius, can keep Mr. Kain's secret. I also hope you can work with me to prevent the tragedy that would otherwise occur."
Lacus made her request again and bowed deeply.
For now, she would let them accept this much first. As for whether they should learn more of the truth later, that would depend on the situation.
"I understand. We'll definitely stop it!"
Cagalli could not help clenching her fists. Some of the tragic scenes she had seen in the PSP's contents were too horrific. If they truly would happen in the near future, then they absolutely had to be prevented.
"I understand."
At that moment, Murrue felt the weight on her shoulders grow even heavier.
However, Lacus Clyne must have been carrying an even greater burden. She had come into contact with Mr. Kain much earlier and had already begun working to change that tragedy.
"Then since it was a misunderstanding, Captain Ramius, please take this bottle back...!"
Cagalli was about to return the bottle she had just taken, the one containing that awkward substance, to the captain.
But when something occurred to her, her hand suddenly froze, and her words cut off.
She stared straight at the bottle, then shifted her gaze toward one person, her eyes becoming even sharper.
"What is it, Cagalli?"
Lacus asked in slight confusion. Cagalli's reaction seemed off.
"He drank what was inside the bottle."
Cagalli, who had tailed them earlier, had seen him drink it.
"Eh?"
Lacus froze as well and looked toward Mr. Kain. He remained perfectly calm, as if nothing had happened at all.
Murrue, however, went rigid in that instant. Her face flushed visibly and rapidly.
All because of her own misunderstanding, this mortifying incident had happened, and even her secret constitution had been exposed.
She felt like she wanted to die on the spot.
(End of Chapter)
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