Witnessing this scene, Lacus, who had been practicing basic stances with Flay, also came to a halt.
It wasn't because she was being infatuated or anything of the sort—rather, her little mentor Flay had stopped as well, making it impossible for her to continue practicing alone. Moreover, she was deeply curious about Fred's abilities.
Although she had already watched the entire operation on Mendel, she hadn't seen Fred take action—or rather, she hadn't seen the real Fred in action.
This was understandable, given how excessively cautious he was. Apart from sparring, he likely wouldn't put himself in harm's way, let alone reach a point where hand-to-hand combat was necessary to resolve a conflict. If it ever came to that, it would probably mean all his schemes had been exposed, leaving him with no other options.
Thus, it seemed unlikely she would ever witness Fred engaging in a life-or-death struggle with his bare hands. And truthfully, she didn't particularly wish to see it either.
In Lacus's beautiful eyes, Fred had already met Yzak's fierce onslaught head-on. With precise slaps against Yzak's fists, he effortlessly blocked the relentless, storm-like barrage of attacks, his movements graceful yet brimming with masculine vigor.
"Is Brother always this relaxed?" Lacus asked curiously beside Flay.
Although she had seen it in videos before, witnessing Fred's combat with her own eyes still left Lacus quite astonished.
As time passed, the Yzak from the Jiuer family had made tremendous progress—far greater than what she had observed in the previous video footage. Yet, the Fred facing him was even more terrifying.
As a Natural, his progress was no slower than Yzak's. Even after all this time, he still firmly suppressed Yzak.
It was important to remember that Yzak was a Coordinator—and an Elite Coordinator in his formative years. As an Elite Coordinator, his potential was typically fully unleashed during this period. At this stage, Yzak's strength improved day by day.
While Fred's rate of progress might not surpass Yzak's, the fact that he consistently maintained an edge over him proved that Fred's strength had always remained superior.
Indeed, Fred was all-around capable.
Soon, watching the panting Yzak who couldn't even touch his opponent and the composed Fred, Lacus was reminded of the first meal she had here. Her snow-white neck involuntarily showed a slight swallowing motion.
It had to be said—even his cooking was absurdly delicious. If someone told her he was an Ultimate Coordinator, she'd believe it.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to find a way to coax Fred into cooking more often.
With this thought, Lacus's gaze shifted to Flay beside her. Hmm, she felt her little friend likely shared the same sentiment.
As Lacus entertained these thoughts, the battle between the two ahead concluded with Yzak gradually exhausting his strength. Although Yzak progressed quickly, he was still an eleven-year-old child, and his stamina couldn't match Fred's.
"Not bad, you haven't fallen behind," Fred said with a satisfied nod, looking at Yzak, who remained upright despite his heavy breathing.
"How could I?" Yzak muttered under his breath before adding, "I will definitely defeat you!"
Perhaps three days had passed, and the favorability had reset, so Yzak spoke to him without the previous stiffness and caution.
"Mm, welcome."
Fred didn't say much either; the other party was now quite polite.
Not to boast, but he likely deserved some credit for that.
Just as Fred finished speaking, Nicol behind him leaped up and lunged toward Fred.
...
Finally, after another exhausting round, he had once again knocked down the few people in front of him.
[Combat +0.05]
[Combat (Proficient) 12.47/100]
Looking at the progress before him, Fred's smile grew a bit brighter.
As Athrun and the others gradually grew stronger, his own progress was also speeding up.
Now that Alec was no match for him, and Andrew was often absent, he needed to train the others as quickly as possible while continuing to spar and improve himself.
For now, he was quite satisfied with the progress of the three—truly worthy of Elite Coordinators.
"Everyone worked hard."
Fred, refreshed after a shower, looked at the many kids who had also just showered. Compared to his usual teacher mode, his smile held a bit more warmth.
The others, however, looked at the young man with speechless expressions.
Though they had all showered, none were as energetic as he was.
While Fred was older than them, most of his strength didn't come from the age gap.
At least from what they had seen of Fred's abilities, even if they reached the same age, they might not necessarily be able to defeat him.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be so convinced.
"Today's lesson ends here."
As soon as Fred finished speaking, Athrun picked up where he left off.
"Brother, let's go to your place to welcome you back."
Athrun said.
Nicol then looked at Fred with an expectant expression.
As for Yzak, as always playing the tsundere, he turned his head away, giving Fred only the back of his white-haired head.
"Alright."
Fred was taken aback for a moment but quickly agreed.
These things were harmless enough.
"Will you be cooking, brother?"
Lacus chimed in at the right moment, but her words instantly left Fred speechless.
"Is that not allowed?"
Lacus blinked, while Flay, like a soldier receiving an order, grabbed Fred's hand and began to whine.
"Brother~"
"...Fine."
His own sister—had she been completely fooled by Lacus?
But Lacus wasn't the type of villain who exploited others, so the thought merely crossed his mind as a passing complaint before vanishing.
Watching this scene, the three on the side twitched their lips slightly and exchanged glances.
Their eyes held a hint of existential doubt.
They had wanted to defeat Fred before, but perhaps they were going about it the wrong way.
As everyone knew, Fred was a siscon, so wouldn't it be enough to win over Flay?
However, the three quickly and tacitly dismissed that dangerous thought.
Joking aside, they didn't have Lacus's high charm stats, and they were guys.
They'd probably be stopped by Fred before they even got close to Flay.
And so, the group of them made their way noisily to Fred's home.
Fred had gone to cook, while Athrun and the others were in the living room, watching TV with Flay and Lacus in a clearly divided atmosphere, making the scene somewhat awkward.
"By the way, where are you staying now, Miss Lacus?"
Athrun broke the silence in the living room like a gentleman and asked.
However, being only ten years old, his words, though mature, carried a touch of adorable forced seriousness.
"Right here~"
Lacus tilted her head and replied cutely.