Chapter 05: First Contact
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The duel between Suletta and Elan had just ended. And as I stared at the sight before me, I couldn't help but smile.
The Scene
I was happy—really happy.
Happy for Suletta, for still being her awkward yet cheerful self even after everything that happened.
Happy for Elan 4, because someone finally wished him a happy birthday—not out of duty, but out of genuine kindness.
Am I jealous? …Maybe a little.
But this moment belongs to them, not me. So, I let it be. I let it sink deep into my memory, etching it there as one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever witnessed.
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The live stream ended, the screen fading to black, and I exhaled. Time to get back to work.
"Did you see that, Barara?" I asked, glancing at the tablet propped on my desk. "Suletta can be forceful when she wants to, huh?"
"You wouldn't be calling me at this hour unless you needed something," Barara's voice came through, teasing but calm. Her pink hair and sleepy expression flashed on the screen.
"Peil Technologies is planning to get rid of him," I said, my tone dropping cold. "I can't let Suletta's effort go to waste."
And truthfully… I don't want Elan 4 to die.
We've only spoken twice since I transferred here, but in those short moments, I could tell—he wasn't a bad person. Just… trapped. Like a doll forced to smile for the wrong master.
This isn't the anime anymore. Things are different. And I… I can't just stand by and watch him die. Not yet.
It's selfish, I know. I've made plenty of people's lives miserable because of the choices I've made as the owner of Venus Globe. I've justified it as "business," but deep down, I know what it really was—self-preservation.
People can be selfish. They can push others down while wishing only the best for those they care about.
Haah… I know I'm just making excuses for myself. Pretending that saving Elan 4 is somehow righteous.
But still—if I can, I'll save him. Even if it makes me a hypocrite.
"How good are you with the Quantum System?" I ask, leaning back in my chair.
On the other side of the screen, Barara smirks—the kind of smirk that says 'you're underestimating me again, aren't you?'
"Just watch," she says.
Her eyes suddenly turn golden—radiant, shimmering, unnatural.
"Barara?"
"Yes, Cadell?"
"…How the hell did you become an Innovator?"
"I don't know," she shrugs casually, like it's no big deal. "I was already like this when I arrived here."
"Huh." I rest my chin on my hand, genuinely impressed. "Guess I'm lucky to have an Innovator pilot by my side."
Barara grins, clearly proud of herself. "You are."
"Anyway, back to the point." I wave my hand, dragging us back on track. "Peil Technologies is planning to terminate Elan 4 tomorrow—around ten in the morning." My voice drops low, steady. "I want you to save him."
Her expression sobers instantly.
"Since you're an Innovator now, you should be able to handle Quantum Teleportation. You won't have any problem traveling, right?"
"I haven't used it for long-range jumps before," she admits, tapping her chin. "But I can try."
"With Qan[T, it should be possible... maybe?" I trail off. I mean, Setsuna did teleport all the way to the ELS homeworld in the movie… so maybe she can too.
Barara chuckles softly. "Do you at least know where Elan 4 will be?"
"They'll probably keep him in one of Peil's internal labs near the school," I answer.
"Probably?" Her brow twitches.
"I don't know, okay?" I sigh, running my fingers through my hair in frustration. "The only thing I do know is that I want to save him."
For a moment, Barara says nothing. Just stares at me through the screen—steady, unreadable. A full minute passes. Maybe two. Then her expression softens.
"Consider it done." she says simply.
"T–That's it?" I blink at her. "I just gave you a mission without solid intel!"
But instead of getting annoyed, she only smiles. A quiet, gentle smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes—but feels warmer than I remember.
"This is the first time you've asked me to do something out of pure selfishness," she says gently. "As your companion, isn't it my duty to help with that?"
I open my mouth to reply, but she cuts me off, her voice softening even more.
"You should just keep being a child true to your age, Cadell. Leave the grown-ups' work to me."
And with that, she hangs up without saying goodbye.
The tablet screen goes dark, leaving my reflection staring back at me. I can't help but chuckle quietly. "She really knows how to make an exit, huh…"
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The next morning, I sit in my room, waiting for Barara to report back. My tablet rests on the table, silent for now, while I sip my coffee and skim through Venus Globe's latest partnership deals. The bitterness of the drink helps keep me grounded—probably the only calm thing in my life right now.
The door suddenly swings open with a loud bang before I can even finish reading.
"You! Get up!" Miorine bursts in, her voice sharp as ever. Before I can react, she grabs my wrist and starts dragging me out of the room.
"Whoa—hey! Where are we going?" I ask, half amused, half alarmed by her sudden intrusion.
"To Suletta," she replies sharply. Her grip tightens as we head toward the door. "Peil Technology's lab was attacked by some mysterious mobile suit just a while ago."
Wait. She already knows?
That's… fast. Almost too fast.
Her hand's strength loosens as we reach the corridor. I take the chance to gently pull my wrist free, only to catch her hand again. Her fingers twitch in surprise, but she doesn't pull away. If anything, she just keeps walking faster. The tips of her ears, though… yeah, they're a little red. Cute.
"I know," I say quietly as we walk side by side through the hallway. My tablet buzzes softly in my pocket, the familiar vibration I've been waiting for. Perfect timing.
Leaning close, I whisper beside her ear, "It was my doing."
"Wha—?!" Her voice rises in disbelief, but before she can blurt it out, I pull her into the nearest empty classroom.
The door shuts behind us with a soft click.
I press one hand against the wall beside her head, still holding her hand in place with mine. Our fingers are tangled together, her palm warm against mine. Her eyes dart up at me—angry, confused, and maybe a little flustered.
"What are you doing?!" she hisses.
"Shh…" I murmur, keeping our hands where they are. With my free hand, I pull out my tablet and tap the screen.
Barara's face pops up immediately. She takes one look at us—me pinning Miorine to the wall, our hands joined—and smirks like a fox who's just found new gossip material.
"Well, well," she purrs. "Young Master, am I interrupting something?"
I give her a flat look. "You can let her hear, Barara."
She instantly drops the teasing grin, her expression shifting to something serious, green eyes narrowing slightly.
"Mission was a success and the target's secured," Barara says, voice calm and clipped over the tablet. "You were right, Young Master. They were going to dispose of him."
Then her tone drops a fraction. "But there was a hiccup along the way."
I feel the blood leave my face a little. "What happened?" I ask, eyes narrowing.
Miorine's grip on my hand tightens—not painfully, but hard enough that I feel it in my bones. She looks at me, confused and sharp. "What are you two talking about?" she snaps.
"I sent Barara to rescue Elan," I answer, trying to keep my voice steady. "Peil was getting rid of him because he's no longer useful." I can feel my frustration like heat behind my ribs—part anger, part guilt. They treat people like spare parts.
"Can we see him?" I ask, turning the tablet so Barara can show us.
"Of course, Young Master." The camera shifts, and the feed fills with sterile light and the quiet beep of machines. Elan 4 lies motionless—pale under the sheet, a respirator hiss punctuating the air, monitors looping soft, flat lines. Tubes feed him medicine and saline. His face is thinner than in the duel feed, and a bandage wraps his temple. The whole image tastes like metal in my mouth.
"Code name: Enhanced Person Number Four. Real name: unknown. A stand-in for the future CEO of Peil Technology—Elan Ceres," Barara narrates, calm as ever.
My throat tightens. "Place him in the highest-security facility you can find. Give him the best treatment you can—no corners, no excuses. Do whatever it takes." I try to sound like an order, not a plea, but the word whatever tastes desperate in my mouth.
Barara's eyes flash gold for a second—an unreadable flicker of something like sympathy—then she nods. "Understood. I'll handle it."
Then Barara hangs up, and the classroom suddenly feels too quiet. The hum of the tablet fades, leaving only the sound of my own breathing.
My hand is still linked with Miorine's — fingers locked tight, maybe tighter than necessary. Her skin feels warm against mine, and for a moment, I forget to move. Then, awkwardly, I lead her to a nearby desk, and we both sit down. The silence stretches.
"Sorry for not telling you sooner," I finally say, the words coming out softer than I intended. "It's just… Suletta's been waiting for this day. She looked so happy, and I didn't want to mess that up."
Miorine turns to me, her blue eyes sharp enough to cut through steel. "Why change now?" Her grip on my hand tightens. "You could've just played dumb and let me drag you to her. Why tell me?"
Her tone's cold, but I can hear something under it — not anger, exactly. Maybe confusion.
I give a weak laugh and scratch the back of my neck. "Honestly? I don't know. It'd be a lie if I said I trust you completely," I admit. "It just happened. A stupid, spur-of-the-moment thing."
I pull my hand back, and the air between us feels weirdly empty.
She folds her arms and sighs, leaning back slightly. "Whether you planned it or not, I'm already in this mess with you now," she mutters.
"I'll make sure Elan—our Elan—is safe and sound," I say. The words come out quieter than before, like a promise I'm forcing myself to keep.
"I don't care about him," Miorine shoots back, sharp as ever. But the edge dulls halfway through her sentence. "But… you're right. Suletta would be heartbroken if she found out." She exhales, shoulders relaxing a little. "Just this once, I'll keep it from her."
That hits harder than I expect. I smile faintly, then reach out and rest a hand on her shoulder before pulling her into a half-hug.
She tenses instantly, like a cat being picked up, but she doesn't pull away. "Don't make this a habit," she huffs, cheeks faintly pink as she looks off to the side.
I chuckle under my breath, feeling her lean ever so slightly against me. "No promises, Mio-Mio," I whisper.
For someone who acts like she's made of ice, she's surprisingly warm. I guess… today, I've gotten a little closer to the girl named Miorine.
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Days slip by before I even realize it, most of them spent hanging out with Suletta and Miorine. Lately, though, Suletta's been spacing out more than usual. I think I know why — the whole "Elan" situation probably still lingers in her head — but I decide not to bring it up. If she wants to talk, she will.
And now… it's party day.
The Incubation Party.
Honestly, I wasn't planning to attend. Not my kind of thing. But Barara insisted that I show up as a "representative of Venus Globe." So here I am — trapped in a room full of fake smiles and overpriced perfume. Wearing a dark-blue suit that matches my hair, I feel like a lost sheep surrounded by wolves in designer tuxedos.
My [Hateboner for Fake Smiles] drawback is flaring up bad. This kind of crowd makes my skin crawl. Everyone here's pretending — pretending to be kind, to be polite, to care. It's exhausting. But Barara did save Elan 4, so… I owe her.
To survive, I brought my own secret weapon — a flask filled with coffee colada. Trust me, it pairs way too well with champagne.
As I scan the hall, my eyes instantly catch a familiar mop of scarlet hair. Suletta's easy to spot anywhere. And next to her—oh, look. Mio-Mio's there too. They're talking with… Shaddiq, huh? Figures.
"Nice evening we're having here, Letta, Mio-Mio!" I call out cheerfully, slipping right into the group and wrapping an arm around Miorine's shoulders. With my free hand, I give Suletta a lazy two-finger salute.
"Cadell?!" Suletta squeaks, eyes wide in surprise. Cute.
Miorine tenses for a second but relaxes as soon as she realizes it's just me.
I snag a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, take a sip, and immediately pass it to my other hand — the one resting on Miorine's shoulder. Then I uncap my trusty flask. "Let's fix this," I mutter to myself and pour a splash of coffee colada into the champagne.
I hold the glass toward Miorine. "Wanna try some, Mio-Mio?"
"Maybe a little," she says, sounding reluctant but curious. Guess she's still thinking about that canned coffee we shared.
I tilt the glass toward her lips, just enough for her to take a sip. She swallows, then makes a face that's somewhere between thoughtful and unimpressed. "It's… passable," she says flatly.
I gasp dramatically. "Only passable?" I clutch my chest like she stabbed me. Then I turn to Suletta. "How about you, Letta? Wanna try some?"
"Mom said I can't drink alcohol, so…" she trails off, cheeks puffing slightly.
"Boo! I say! Boo!" I cup my hand over my mouth and make a mock booing sound, earning a small laugh from her. "Anyway, I didn't think you were the type to show up at one of these rich-people parties, Letta. What changed?"
Then I glance at the guy they were talking to earlier and give him a polite nod. "Oh, and nice to see you again, Mister Shaddiq Zenelli."
Before Shaddiq can even open his mouth, Miorine cuts in, "Suletta here can't stop talking about wanting to meet Elan." Her voice is casual, but I can feel her tense under my arm.
Suletta immediately starts flailing her hands and blurting out nonsense, trying to cover it up. Shaddiq, though, just watches her with a faint, almost wistful look. "Miorine… you've changed," he murmurs.
I decide to give them space. Let the three of them have their talk. I take a step back, swirling the champagne in my glass.
Then—
A flash of light hits my vision. Not literally — it's that weird sense again, the one that tells me when someone's watching. I turn my head… and there she is.
Suletta's mother.
Lady Prospera Mercury herself, standing across the hall, her mask hiding half her face but not her gaze. Her eyes are locked right on me.
Without thinking, I start walking toward her. My heartbeat steadies with each step. If Suletta's my girlfriend — or, well, kind of, maybe, someday — that makes this woman my potential future mother-in-law. Gotta make a good first impression, right?
When I reach her, I offer my hand with a polite smile.
"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," I say. "My name is Cadell Cromwell. I'm a classmate of your daughter's."
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Author's Note;
I was originally going to have Cadell tease her relentlessly and hug her every time she got close. But I realized that's not really in character for him, and frankly, Miorine would never allow it. That's why this scene with Miorine happened instead.
Get ready for next chapter: The strongest gaslighter in history (Lady Prospera) vs. the strongest gaslighter of today (Cadell)!