Chapter 371 - 372: I’m Already Gundam-Shaped…

Chapter 371: Chapter 372: I’m Already Gundam-Shaped...

"A-a concert?!"

Murrue and the others nearly went blank when they heard that.

What was going on?

"A-a concert?"

"Oh, you didn’t know? Inori-san is a huge star here in PLANT, second only to Lacus-san." Andrew looked completely serious. "Honestly, I like Inori-san’s MVs more. They’re bold and creative! Compared to her, Lacus-san is way too conservative!"

"Uh..."

Murrue could not tell whether he genuinely meant it or was just spouting nonsense.

"For business matters, please negotiate with my manager." Inori pulled Kira over at once.

"Hello, Waldfeld-san."

Kira hurried over as well.

"By the way, do you girls always dress like this? That’s a little too lethal for adults." Kira had pulled on a T-shirt, but since it was only a T-shirt, the lower half still made it obvious that she was wearing the same skintight suit underneath.

Did joining Inori’s staff require wearing a bodysuit too?

"That’s... a personal habit," Kira said.

"Eh? So you actually like dressing like that?" Cagalli was shocked.

"Yeah." Kira found Cagalli’s surprise rather baffling. "Besides, it makes me feel safe."

Along with belts, Kira also happened to like skintight suits.

The spacesuit Lacus wore in the movie was itself a skintight combat suit every bit as form-fitting as the MUV Protective Suit.

And as for who had designed that combat suit...

Kira was just about to continue when Murrue cut them off with a cough.

"Ahem. Now then, esteemed Waldfeld-san, we need to discuss the transfer of these refugees from neutral third-party nations. Since you came in person, we can go over the details more thoroughly."

Seriously, letting a grown man discuss skintight suits with a group of young girls?

Was that harassment? Or harassment? Or harassment?

Andrew noticed Murrue’s contemptuous stare. "Hey, hey, I really am just a fan."

"Inori, are you seriously planning to hold a concert here?" Cagalli asked.

"Song should never be shackled by anything," Inori said. "And this is a perfect chance to change the Gold Frame’s paint job."

"Eh?"

"The Red Frame is better suited to a performance."

It was time to show off some real skill!

Once treatment of the injured began, the Archangel also started informing the other refugees about the situation.

The Archangel truly was dangerous, but plenty of people did not trust ZAFT either.

The injured and their families, however, had no real choice. Some of the critically wounded and infected could only accept treatment and leave the Archangel.

"Flay enlisted?!"

Sai was shocked when Miriallia told him what had happened to Flay.

Although Flay had now become his "ex-girlfriend," Sai still could not simply stop worrying about her.

Not in the romantic sense, of course.

"The Archangel is already in this state, but is it really okay to leave with those ZAFT people? They were the ones who destroyed Heliopolis before..." Kuzzey wanted to leave, but asking him to leave together with ZAFT was still difficult to accept.

"Some people really did choose to stay," Tolle said as he walked over. "Captain Murrue told everyone that the Archangel might sink and all that, but they lost their homes to a ZAFT attack in the first place, and Kira was the one who saved them, so..."

[A bunch of idiots.]

[I think it makes sense. You can’t place your own safety in the enemy’s goodwill.]

[Right. Even if the Desert Tiger is on the decent side, an extremist like Yzak might still pull something.]

[Yeah. Someone who can casually blow up an escape pod might just blow up a refugee ship too.]

[Come to think of it, Flay’s real enemy should be Yzak.]

[I think you could ship those two.]

[Love-hate relationship, huh?]

[Grass (a type of exclamation), can you people stop inventing such cursed ships?]

[But from the official profiles, don’t Yzak and the others already have fiancées?]

[They’re genetically matched couples, right?]

[Coordinators having assigned marriages is seriously inhuman.]

[But Athrun and Lacus look more like a political marriage, don’t they?]

[Feels like as long as you don’t plan on having kids, you should be free to date whoever you want?]

"Kira?"

Tolle and the others were still talking when they suddenly saw Kira approaching.

"Kira, what... are you planning to do?" Miriallia asked.

"Me? I’ll escort the Archangel for now," Kira said.

"Oh, if Kira’s here, then we can relax." Kuzzey smiled.

"But if Kira is a Coordinator, she could just leave too, right?"

Miriallia felt a little sorry for Kira. She had been piloting a Gundam all this time while fighting against her own people.

"Mm, it’s fine. I still have things to do. ZAFT invited Inori to hold a concert, so I have some matters to handle."

There was actually nothing she needed to handle, but Kira did not want to discuss this right now.

"Oh..."

Everyone opened a path for her.

It was only after Kira had left that Kuzzey belatedly processed what she had said.

"Wait, a concert?!"

"Eh?!" ×n.

Everyone screamed together.

Meanwhile, Kira had already returned to her room. She was staying in an officer’s cabin with its own bathroom, making it one of the more comfortable places aboard the Archangel.

At some point, Inori had already lain down on the bed. Her eyes were closed, as though she had fallen asleep.

"Kira, is this really okay?"

Inori’s voice came from the bed.

"Mm."

Kira nodded.

"Gundam... Gundam is power. Without Gundam, I always feel like there’s something missing inside me." Kira hugged herself. "It’s like... if I’m not wearing this pilot suit, I don’t feel safe..."

It was not merely that she liked it.

Being wrapped inside the pilot suit made Kira feel secure and complete.

Kira lay down as well.

"I’m already... Gundam-shaped."

"Huh, that’s strange. I clearly hate those killing machines..."

"So why... why is it like this..."

Kira’s voice came in broken fragments.

The confusion in it was painful to hear.

But Inori had already turned over and gently hugged Kira from behind.

"Gundam is not the power to kill. It can also be the power to protect, the power to pioneer, the power to make wishes come true."

"Kira. Gundam can become a bridge connecting one person to another. It is an extension of humanity, not merely a weapon."

"Kira, you did well."

Inori’s words gave Kira a small measure of comfort.

That warm embrace warmed Kira from behind.

The pain in Kira’s eyes finally seemed to ease a little.

"The power to make wishes come true..."

"Mm. The power to make wishes come true... the power to guide humanity..."