Chapter 377 - 378: Lacus: I Don’t Want to Hold Athrun Back

Chapter 377: Chapter 378: Lacus: I Don’t Want to Hold Athrun Back

"I see. So Athrun has to leave again."

The two of them slowly walked into the garden and sat down in a gazebo.

Just as they were about to speak, the air around them filled with cries of "Haro! Haro!" and the Haros’ noisy chatter.

Lacus had no choice but to make another "shh" gesture.

"I’m sorry. I wasn’t able to attend the memorial service."

February 14 marked the first anniversary of Bloody Valentine.

To mourn their compatriots who had died at Junius Seven, memorial ceremonies had been held across the nation.

As the daughter of the PLANT Supreme Council Chairman and one of the representatives leading the commemoration, Lacus had invited Athrun to attend the ceremony as well.

At the time, Lacus had only just returned, while Athrun and the others were lying in wait along the Archangel’s route to the Moon.

Unfortunately, not only had they come up empty-handed, Athrun had also missed the ceremony here.

Lacus gently shook her head.

"It’s all right. I already prayed for your mother in your place. Besides, it isn’t as though Athrun did nothing—without Athrun, Inori’s ’Requiem’ wouldn’t have made it here either."

The song Inori had brought had such a strange name that everyone simply nicknamed it "Requiem."

...That was honestly a little cursed.

Still, there was no denying that the song had caught on remarkably well.

As far as Athrun knew, some people on the Council were even asking whether they could recruit this songstress.

Not only could she sing, apparently she could pilot an MS too.

A battlefield Valkyrie made for excellent propaganda material.

"Thank you." Athrun thanked her while looking at Lacus.

The conflict in Athrun’s heart only grew stronger.

The tragedy at Junius Seven had taken his mother’s life.

Yet his mother’s death had not led him to pray for the dead; instead, he had gone onto the battlefield and caused even more deaths.

Earlier, Athrun had also regretted ZAFT’s deployment of Neutron Jammers.

But when he examined his own actions, Athrun realized that he was no less an executioner himself.

"It’s a shame we can’t linger in such a wonderful moment a little longer." A trace of sadness showed in Lacus’s eyes.

Athrun, however, was deeply conflicted.

Every time he came to see Lacus, she was always so happy that he felt he did not deserve to be treated that way.

But Athrun was awkward with words and reserved.

When talking with Lacus, he could never truly relax or chat with her naturally. That was only to be expected.

He still felt far more at ease when he was with Kira.

A sea breeze drifted past, and sunlight glittered across the water. A small blue bird flew over and landed on the tea table.

Lacus crumbled some pastries and fed it.

The little bird kept nuzzling against Lacus.

Athrun, meanwhile, thought of Birdy, the bird that was always with Kira.

Did she... still have it with her?

"It seems more people have been joining the military lately. Several of my friends have volunteered as well."

Lacus sighed, her eyes full of sorrow.

In the past, Athrun would certainly have felt sorry for her.

But now, he instead felt a sense of distance.

Athrun turned his head and looked toward the sea as well.

Nearly all of ZAFT’s soldiers were volunteers.

After seeing the devastation at Junius Seven, the Coordinators believed defending their own lives was something they could not shirk from. As a result, morale in the military was high, and its soldiers were generally excellent personnel.

"But... what about the territories ZAFT has occupied...? Africa isn’t Earth Alliance territory either..."

Athrun murmured.

"Athrun?"

Lacus looked at Athrun.

Athrun looked back at Lacus.

In that instant, Athrun suddenly felt as though a thick barrier stood between them.

Lacus let out a long breath.

Her gaze changed as well.

Even her tone of voice shifted slightly.

"...What Athrun wants is someone who truly understands him, isn’t it?"

"Eh?"

The sudden change in Lacus’s manner startled Athrun.

"Because I’m only a na?ve songstress who knows nothing about the world, I can’t understand Athrun—is that it?" Lacus asked.

Athrun remained silent.

"Athrun."

"Mm."

"I think... the two of us probably won’t work out."

"What?!"

When Lacus said those words, Athrun was not the only one who froze in shock.

Even the viewers outside the Stage scene were stunned.

And it was not just the viewers from one world. The viewers from both worlds were shocked at the same time.

[What? Lacus is dumping Athrun?]

[What the hell? This got spicy fast.]

[LMAO. He’s on a date with Lacus, but his head is full of Kira.]

[Cagalli: What about me?]

[I considered Athrun dumping Lacus, but I never expected Lacus to be the one dumping Athrun.]

The people in the GBN world had never watched the original SEED, so naturally they did not know what was supposed to happen.

The other world did have SEED, which made the reaction there even more explosive.

[1][This is completely backwards!]

[1][I knew something felt off. So many things in this new version of SEED are happening the exact opposite way around.]

[1][If the poor bastard of Dusk could survive that many extra Chapters, what’s so strange about Lacus dumping Athrun now?]

[1][So they’re doing this just to make it different from the original, huh?]

"Why?" Athrun asked.

"Because Athrun has the eyes of a warrior," Lacus said. "The eyes of a true warrior."

The two faced each other, their expressions grave.

"For someone like me, who has always lived in an ivory tower, I can’t become a source of support for Athrun, can I? The more time you spend with someone as ignorant of the world as I am, the more painful it will be for you."

Lacus spoke quietly.

She completely understood what was going on in Athrun’s heart.

"I... a warrior... I’m a warrior. I always have been..." Athrun murmured.

"No. Athrun’s eyes are different from those soldiers’. Everyone is resolute, yes, but theirs is a kind of feverish emotion they can barely control."

Lacus wanted to move closer to Athrun.

But she stopped herself.

"But Athrun’s eyes carry a firm resolve that comes after understanding everything," Lacus said.

"I... No. I don’t understand anything." Athrun denied it.

"No, Athrun. You do understand. You’re only pretending that you don’t."

Lacus placed a hand over her heart.

"Ever since Athrun came here, I’ve been able to tell that there is a great gulf between us."

Lacus truly could tell.

Because she was not exactly a Coordinator either.

She was a harmonizer.

Although she had not shown it, Lacus was in fact still wearing the MUV Protective Suit Inori had given her, because that suit could expand Lacus’s mind.

That function was currently unlocked.

So from the moment Athrun arrived, Lacus had been able to almost directly feel the confusion, pain, and resolve in his heart.

Even if Athrun himself had not realized it, Lacus already had.

Athrun’s determination.

Lacus looked firmly at Athrun. "So, I don’t want to become a fetter on Athrun."

Yes—the old, literal sense of "fetter": something that holds someone back.