"I came to thank you for helping us repel the Earth Alliance Forces' attack in the recent battle."
Looking at Felix, Cagalli spoke with sincere gratitude in her eyes.
Upon hearing this, Felix waved his hand dismissively and explained.
"No need for thanks. My mission is to prevent Freedom from falling into the hands of the Earth Alliance. To be honest, if Freedom weren't here, I wouldn't bother with your Orb affairs."
"Even so, you still helped us."
Cagalli continued to express her gratitude despite his words. Seeing this, Felix didn't say anything more and calmly accepted her thanks.
He then turned his gaze to Athrun and advised him.
"Don't disappoint the Chairman's expectations of you."
With that, Felix turned and grabbed the lift cable again.
Just as he was about to activate the cable to return to the cockpit, a voice called out from the distance.
"Please wait!"
'Damn! Who is it this time?'
Felix felt a surge of impatience at being asked to wait once more.
Releasing the cable, he looked over along with Athrun and the other two.
They saw a man in an Orb military uniform jogging toward them.
Looking at the soldier, Cagalli asked curiously.
"Is something the matter?"
"Miss Cagalli, hello!"
The soldier saluted Cagalli in greeting.
Lowering his arm, his eyes fell on Felix.
"Lord Griffith, Representative Athha requests that you come see him once more."
Then, the soldier looked at Athrun, Cagalli, and Kira, addressing all three of them.
"Mr. Yamato, Mr. Zala, Miss Cagalli, Representative Athha would like you to come as well."
"Understood."
Though puzzled, Cagalli hid her confusion and replied to the soldier. She shifted her gaze from him to Athrun, Kira, and Felix.
"Let's go together."
Kira noticed Cagalli's look and responded with a smile.
Athrun nodded in agreement with Kira.
Then all three turned their eyes to Felix.
Seeing their gazes, Felix gave a slight smile.
"Let's go together!"
'What does that stubborn mule Uzumi want now?'
Muttering to himself, Felix strode after Cagalli and the others toward the National Defense Headquarters where Uzumi was.
National Defense Headquarters
In Uzumi's room
Pushing the door open, Felix saw that Uzumi wasn't alone; the group from the Archangel and Dearka were also there.
When Dearka spotted Felix, he turned to face him, standing at attention and saluting.
"Captain Griffith, hello!"
"Hmm."
Felix nodded slightly, returning the salute with a raised hand.
Lowering his arm, Felix fixed his eyes on Uzumi. Sensing his gaze, Uzumi smiled faintly at him.
"Mr. Griffith, please wait here for a moment. I have some matters to discuss with Cagalli and the others."
"No problem."
With a slight nod, Felix readily agreed to the request. He walked over and sat down on the sofa, glancing at a soldier in the room.
"If possible, prepare a coffee for me with sugar and milk."
"Of course, please wait a moment."
The soldier nodded in acknowledgment and turned to prepare the coffee for Felix.
As time passed, Felix listened to the pessimistic and resolute tone in Uzumi's words, thinking to himself.
'He really is a stubborn mule!'
'The Earth Alliance has already adopted a 'with us or against us' policy. What's the point of holding out like this? Wouldn't it be better to ally with us?'
"Cagalli!"
Just as Felix was lost in thought, Uzumi's call for Cagalli snapped him back to reality. He set his coffee cup on the table and quietly observed Uzumi.
'Is he about to say it?'
"Dad?"
Hearing her father's call, Cagalli looked at him with a hint of confusion in her eyes, murmuring his name. Seeing the doubt in his daughter's gaze, Uzumi wore a gentle, affectionate smile. He reached out and stroked her hair, then pulled a photograph from his pocket.
The photo inadvertently came into Kira's view.
Upon seeing the contents of the photo, Kira's expression changed, and he immediately questioned Uzumi.
"Representative Athha, why do you have this photo?"
Hearing Kira's voice, Athrun, Cagalli, and Kira's girlfriend Flay all turned to look at him with puzzled expressions, calling out his name.
"Kira?"
Noticing Kira's bewildered expression, Uzumi placed the photo in Cagalli's hand. With a faint smile, he spoke softly.
"Because you and Cagalli are relatives!"
"Dad, what are you saying?"
Cagalli's eyes widened, the photo slipping from her hand and falling to the floor as she exclaimed in shock.
Aside from Cagalli, the shock on everyone else's faces in the room was equally evident. Dearka moved closer to Miriallia in the crowd and whispered to her.
"What's going on here?"
"How would I know?"
Glancing at Dearka, Miriallia replied with a blank expression. Unable to get an answer, Dearka stopped asking and turned his gaze forward.
He saw Kira step forward to pick up the photo from the floor. After looking at it, Kira handed the photo to Cagalli.
Cagalli didn't take the photo Kira offered. Instead, she continued to stare at her father, waiting anxiously and somewhat helplessly for him to speak.
Seeing his daughter's distressed and fearful expression, Uzumi placed a hand on Cagalli's shoulder, his demeanor still gentle and loving.
"Cagalli, you will always be my daughter. Our relationship will never change."
"This can't be true!!"
Not hearing the answer she wanted, Cagalli took a step back, her eyes filled with evasion and retreat. She shouted at her father and everyone present.
After her outburst, she ignored everyone in the room, turned around, and ran outside.
"Cagalli!"
Athrun and Kira watched Cagalli's retreating figure and called out to her simultaneously.
Their actions were surprisingly synchronized as they both chased after her.
Seeing Kira run out, Flay quickly followed suit, leaving the room as well.
"Representative Athha, is everything you said true?"
Watching the four depart, Murrue collected the shock in her eyes and turned to Uzumi with a questioning tone.
Uzumi looked at Murrue calmly and nodded, then began recounting a little-known story from over a decade ago.
As he spoke of these past events, Uzumi turned his gaze to Felix and said,
"Back then, I learned from the Yamato couple that there was another child born a few months before Kira and Cagalli. I presume that child is you?"
"Yes, it's me."
Felix met Uzumi's gaze calmly and admitted it readily. He picked up the coffee on the table and took another sip before addressing Uzumi again.
"My situation is different from theirs. I was adopted by someone else before they were even born."
Continuing to look at Uzumi, Felix abruptly changed the subject.
"Representative Athha, you didn't come here just to tell me this, did you?"
"No!"
Uzumi shook his head in response.
Hearing his answer, Felix grew curious about what Uzumi would say next. Just as his curiosity peaked, he saw Uzumi suddenly turn to face him, bowing deeply with an extremely solemn expression.
'What is this about?'
Felix muttered to himself, about to say something when Uzumi's voice rang out.
"Mr. Griffith, as a father, I beg you—please help Cagalli when she faces difficulties in the future."
"Help her?"
Upon hearing such a request, Felix chuckled. His gaze still fixed on Uzumi, he shifted his sitting position slightly on the sofa and said with a smile,
"How can I, a PLANT citizen, help her?"
"I know my plea is somewhat excessive, but I sincerely hope that, considering she is your sister, you will assist her when she encounters hardships in the future."
Straightening up, Uzumi's eyes carried a look of genuine sincerity as he continued to plead earnestly.
Hearing Uzumi mention the sisterly connection, Felix smiled faintly.
'Emotional blackmail?'
"We'll see when the time comes!"
Looking at Uzumi, Felix responded somewhat dismissively. Upon hearing this, Uzumi said nothing more. He turned his gaze to Murrue and the others, his face apologetic as he said,
"Sorry for delaying your rest."
"No problem! Not at all!"
Mu laughed it off, saying it was fine.
After speaking, Mu turned his attention to Felix, his smile carrying a hint of relaxed teasing as he remarked,
"I never expected you, Kira, and Cagalli to share such a background!"
"Your family affairs are even more complicated than ours."
Seeing the smile on Mu's face, Felix chuckled and retorted without backing down. Upon hearing this, Mu fell silent instantly, not uttering another word.
Murrue watched Mu's silent demeanor, curious about the matters of Mu's family.
But seeing that Mu wasn't inclined to speak, she could only keep her curiosity to herself, waiting for the day Mu would be willing to share.
Meanwhile,
Outside the National Defense Headquarters...
After running out, Cagalli sat on a pile of rubble after running for a while, hugging her knees with her head bowed, tears streaming from her eyes.
While she was silently crying like this, Kira and Athrun also arrived not far from Cagalli.
"Kira, let her have some time alone to calm down!"
Looking at Cagalli, Athrun said to his good friend Kira beside him. Hearing this, Kira nodded and agreed verbally.
"Yeah."
"Is Cagalli alright?"
Flay, who had stopped beside Kira, looked at Cagalli's state with a worried expression as she asked Kira.
While asking, when Flay noticed the clothing Athrun was wearing, her eyes revealed an extremely complicated expression.
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