Lacus had met Athrun a few times with her father—he was a good person.
But she always felt something was missing.
She would think it over some more; after all, there was no urgent need at the moment.
Stepping out of her father's room and gazing at the calm coastline in the distance, Lacus's thoughts settled back into tranquility.
Besides, she still had many things to do.
Singing, studying politics, being an idol.
This was also for the sake of world peace.
For that, putting marriage matters on hold for a while was nothing.
As Lacus pondered, several days passed quietly.
Time seemed to leave little trace in space, but recent events in PLANT had left a profound mark on human history.
However, it wasn't Fred's successful research on Laurasia—that was still in the confidential stage.
Instead, it was PLANT's Supreme Council passing a new marriage law.
It ignited the entire PLANT.
Just like now, on the television in front of Fred, chaos reigned.
"They're trying to strip us of our most basic rights in the name of science!!!"
On the TV screen, a young female Coordinator was shouting.
Behind her, many others were voicing similar protests.
"Why force the collection of our genes!"
"The security of citizens' genetic data has been trampled underfoot by the Supreme Council!"
"How is this any different from Blue Cosmos!"
Many others were also energetically waving banners with slogans in front of the cameras.
"Today, they tell you who to marry. Tomorrow, they can tell you whether you're fit for the battlefield, for education, or for work."
Fred looked at the slogans on the TV screen, feeling a strange sense of absurdity welling up inside him.
Although he had anticipated backlash, he hadn't expected it to be this intense.
Perhaps Blue Cosmos or the Atlantic Federation was fanning the flames.
But undoubtedly, this regulatory law had struck a nerve with many people.
Moreover, these slogans seemed to foreshadow the future Destiny Plan.
The problem was, Durandal was the one who ended up broken by this law.
Of course, he couldn't stop it.
As absurd as it seemed, this was national policy—far beyond his ability to prevent.
Not just him, even Lacus was powerless.
Otherwise, given her nature, she would have convinced her father to abandon it.
Besides, this wasn't just about the law—it was the Crab Captain who chose to leave in order to have a child.
From his understanding, even that law couldn't force people to marry or have children; it only provided semi-guidance.
After all, individuals like Tiger and even Durandal hadn't married.
In other words, the couple's marital life was unhappy, which led to their separation.
No matter how miraculous he was, he couldn't suddenly make the Crab Captain pregnant with Durandal's child.
Durandal was already an expert in genetics. If he couldn't solve the issue of having a child, it would be difficult for him to accomplish it either.
"Can't you just adopt one..."
"So love-struck, might as well go find Mom."
Watching the increasingly chaotic scene before him, Fred couldn't help but mutter a complaint in his heart.
"But... adoption?"
Thinking of the scene near the end of the plot where Crab Captain held Rey in his arms, Fred narrowed his eyes slightly.
He couldn't help Crab Captain have a child, but perhaps adoption really might be possible.
After all, there's no custom here about leaving descendants to burn offerings.
Of course, there's still some time before that point. For now, he should pay attention to recent adoption information and deal with Creuset first.
Coincidentally, the emergence of this bill should also distract Durandal.
His confidence in taking down Creuset grew a bit more, so from that perspective, it wasn't a bad thing.
As for Durandal, with little combat ability, as long as he didn't get swayed by the other's persuasive talk, dealing with him would be much easier than with Creuset.
"Brother, are you going to have a fiancée too?"
Flay's sudden words pulled Fred back from his thoughts.
"...No."
The young man paused, then spoke with some uncertainty.
After all, Lacus and Athrun are genetically compatible? How could that be.
If the relationship is strong enough, naturally these legal restrictions can be overcome.
But conversely, they might also use genetics as an excuse to tie him down here.
After all, he's just a Natural, and whether the other party is a First-Generation Coordinator or a Second-Generation Coordinator, there wouldn't be any fertility issues.
But ultimately, his body is his own to control.
And he has no interest in being a stud.
He'd rather spend that time reading more books and newspapers.
It's not that he's particularly aloof or self-admiring.
But only by clearing away all those dangers can he truly relax and enjoy life.
Otherwise, the more friends he has, the more attachments, and the more troublesome it becomes.
"I see."
Seeing Flay look somewhat disappointed, Fred poked his sister's forehead in exasperation.
"Do you want a sister-in-law that much?"
"Not really... it's just that you're always holed up at home, so you never meet any girls."
"I heard that after thirty, you become a Magician."
"...What have you been reading lately!"
Hearing this, Fred's mouth twitched as he complained.
"It's perfectly normal stuff!"
Flay hugged her tablet, looking at her brother with a guarded expression, as if to say you can't see it.
"Alright then."
Fred didn't press further.
After all, it's just his sister's entertainment.
Wasn't all his hard work also to make his sister happy?
So his sister doesn't need to try so hard either—she can just watch what she wants and play what she likes.
"I'm going back to work now."
Thinking this, Fred quickly stood up.
He still needed some time to catch up on MS research.
And according to what Lacus said, in about a week, he could start his own plan.
"Creuset..."
Fred murmured the name in his heart, then turned his gaze to the book before him.
He still needed to become stronger.
Although he already had power now, it was only the power of knowledge—his piloting skills for Mobile Armor and MS were still far behind.
Otherwise, even if Creuset weren't around, he'd just be cannon fodder on the main battlefield.
While he certainly wouldn't actively involve himself in the main battlefield, no one could predict what the future held.
What if he were passively dragged into combat?
He was currently standing right at the very center of the entire vortex.
Both soft power and hard power were crucial factors in protecting himself and his family.
With these thoughts, Fred took a deep breath and quickly suppressed the distracting notions in his mind.
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