Unable to resist the temptation any longer, the girl gave a slight nod and, under everyone's gaze, took a bite.
Her movements maintained a basic elegance.
However, she soon forgot about such formalities. Her already bright eyes widened significantly after tasting the texture of the meat.
This stir-fried beef was not as thick and substantial as the steaks she had eaten before.
Instead, it combined chewiness with tenderness—the chewiness was just right, and the tenderness was wonderfully unique. It wasn't the soft, mushy texture of Eurasian stewed meat, but rather each strand of meat was plump and moist, soaked in sauce. With a single bite, rich and savory juices overflowed.
"How is it?"
In response to Heather's question, Lacus nodded quickly.
"It's delicious!"
The ladylike manners she usually upheld were quietly set aside in the face of such delicious food.
Hearing this, Heather nodded with great satisfaction.
She had always said her son was amazing, and now he had completely won over the little girl.
Moreover, judging by Lacus's reaction, it seemed she had never tasted this type of cuisine before.
Her son was truly impressive!
As for Fred, watching their exchange, the corner of his mouth twitched helplessly.
Heather seemed a bit too enthusiastic, in his opinion.
He could only hope it wouldn't lead to any strange consequences.
Aside from that, with Lacus joining them, their family meal didn't feel awkward or distant as it might with an outsider present. Instead, it became even livelier.
Perhaps this was one of Lacus's charms as well.
With a sigh in his heart, Fred soon returned to his studio after giving his parents a brief account of his three-day business trip to April City.
Looking around the room, even though only three days had passed, it felt like much longer.
Thinking back to the conversation with his family, a warm feeling welled up in Fred's heart.
Only now, alone and quiet, did he truly feel it.
He had returned safely and had also accomplished the small goal he had planned for so long.
From here on, he had even broader horizons to change the world and make his life more fulfilling.
With that thought, Fred took a deep breath, suppressing the rare sense of loneliness that had risen within him.
Although he wished he could spend more time with his family, the most important thing right now was to grow stronger.
With that in mind, Fred sat down and began organizing the gains from his trip.
First, his proficiency in operating Powered Armor had increased by 0.1.
It might seem insignificant, but in reality, it was quite substantial.
Perhaps because it was in a real battlefield, even though his operating time was shorter, the rate of improvement over these two days was faster than during his training sessions.
However, considering the various dangers he had faced, Fred had no intention of deliberately taking risks just to improve his Powered Armor skills.
This time, it was to permanently deal with the boss, and he had succeeded.
As for the slow rate of improvement, it wasn't that much slower anyway.
Compared to the risks of losing his life or encountering unexpected dangers, a slower pace was acceptable.
Laying low and growing stronger steadily was enough as long as he caught up before the battles began.
Now that Creuset had been dealt with, he wasn't in such a hurry anymore.
He had recently reminded Siegel to keep an eye on Durandal. Perhaps before he could find a foster son for Durandal, the other party might already have revealed their flaws.
As for other newly acquired skills, there weren't many.
During the journey, he had been reading books, along with the materials transmitted by Heinline. His knowledge of space aviation and MS had also increased somewhat.
However, the progress was similar to before.
It was enough not to fall behind.
As mentioned earlier, the main gain from this trip was still eliminating Creuset.
Thinking of this, Fred shifted his focus and suppressed the excitement in his heart.
This operation of his was not without lessons. First, although the contingency plans were sufficient, they did not account for the specific combat capabilities of Blue Cosmos.
Additionally, specific information about Ola had not been obtained.
If Ola had deep connections with Durandal, his actions this time might have exposed the presence of the Clyne Faction in the matter.
It was unclear whether Durandal would seek revenge.
Although that person appeared calm, it was certainly only on the surface.
In private, his madness was no less than that of Creuset and others.
After holding a small self-reflection session in his mind about this operation,
Fred's heart, which had been slightly elated by the smooth execution, settled down.
"There's still a long way to go. This move wasn't cautious enough."
"Now, it's time to get to work."
After briefly reviewing the experiences and lessons from this trip, Fred stretched and opened the screen in front of him.
A communication was also sent to Heinline, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
Fred didn't have to wait long before the other party's communication was connected.
"Director Freed!"
The surprised voice from the other end of the communication brought a knowing smile to Fred's face.
Judging by Heinline's attitude, he seemed to hold Fred in even greater respect.
Though it might sound a bit mercenary to say so, this was a good thing.
After all, Heinline was definitely his chosen key future adjutant.
"I've reviewed the data you sent me recently. It's excellent."
"You've worked hard during this time."
In fact, it was more than just "excellent." Heinline was engaged in cutting-edge research, and every time Fred saw his work, he could feel his knowledge expanding.
Many of Heinline's ideas and solutions provided him with more knowledge, not only aiding his research but also accelerating the growth of his skills.
He was truly a blessing.
"It's what I should do!"
Upon hearing Fred's words, Heinline visibly became excited, looking at Fred with fervent enthusiasm.
Fred, in turn, responded with a gentle smile.
"Then without further delay, let's officially begin the research tomorrow."
"Is that alright?"
"Absolutely no problem!"
Heinline nodded readily.
"I'll inform the others."
"Thank you for your trouble."
Fred nodded, his smile deepening.
It had to be said, the benefits of having a good adjutant were evident at times like this.
Without Heinline, he would have had to slowly build relationships with other researchers.
Some might even think he looked too young and start causing trouble.
Just like that VV from before.
Although Fred wasn't afraid of them, he feared the trouble and wasted time.
He would rather spend that time reading more books.
In this regard, Heinline's ability to help him organize people was one of the reasons Fred valued him.
The saved time could be fully used to read a bit more.
Next, he needed to quickly bring the GINN into action so he could improve his MS piloting proficiency faster—this was the key to the future.