"Cough."
Thinking this, Fred, who had quickly walked to the living room, cleared his throat.
"Brother Fred."
Seeing who had come down, Lacus showed no surprise. Her smile was somewhat different from usual—more teasing and a bit more genuine.
"Mm... Lacus."
Fred nodded and greeted her.
"What's wrong, brother?"
Lacus's smile turned mischievous.
It was clear she had already guessed that Fred had overheard her earlier words.
But instead of feeling embarrassed, she turned the question back on Fred, leaving him quite flustered.
"Nothing..."
How terrifying...
So when is Lacus leaving?
Regretting having agreed to let Lacus come over, Fred quickened his pace toward the kitchen.
The lively lunch soon ended, and the afternoon arrived.
The afternoon sunlight was just right—perfect for exercise.
"Where do you think the teacher went these past three days?"
As they walked toward the gymnasium for class, Nicol asked.
After all, it was quite rare. Their teacher, who seemed obsessed with work, fighting, research, and Mobile Suit piloting, had actually taken three days off.
Who knew how shocked and sad they were when they heard the news.
The reason for their sadness wasn't complicated. Fred was, after all, the physical education teacher for these kids.
It was only natural to feel sad when the PE teacher took time off.
"Who am I supposed to ask?"
Yzak, as proud as ever, rolled his eyes at Nicol.
Meanwhile, Athrun whispered,
"I heard there was some research in April City."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Yzak retorted irritably, looking a bit flushed.
Fred hadn't mentioned it before leaving, hadn't said anything while he was away, and now that he was back, Athrun brought it up. Wasn't this just teasing them?
"You never asked... And if I remember correctly, all you did these three days was challenge me to fights."
Athrun rolled his eyes.
Why should he have told him?
With this violent maniac, every time they met, it was either a fight or another fight. He wouldn't tell him even if he had something to say.
"You..."
Yzak, angered by Athrun's dismissive attitude, pointed a finger at him.
A thousand words condensed into one sentence.
"One-on-one later!"
"Fine!"
What did he say?
This guy was a violent maniac.
"Alright, alright, let's go in first. Don't keep the teacher waiting."
Nicol, as usual, wore a bitter smile as he tried to mediate between the two.
Yzak snorted lightly, while Athrun simply chuckled.
Soon, the automatic doors of the gymnasium slid open before the three of them.
Sunlight from the windows above streamed into the venue, casting a gentle golden veil over the otherwise ordinary gymnasium.
Inside, besides their familiar teacher and Flay, the three of them also caught sight of a girl with pink hair, as delicate as a doll.
Before Yzak and Nicol could even show their confusion on their faces, Athrun's eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed,
"La... Lacus!?"
From Athrun's tone, it was clear he was utterly astonished.
After all, anyone who saw the princess of the Clyne Faction, or rather the princess of PLANT, appearing in this place would have the same expression.
"Aslan, long time no see~"
Lacus smiled at the young man before her, then turned her gaze to the other two boys.
"And Jiuer and Amalfi, nice to meet you for the first time."
The girl's smile was lovely and charming, but the confusion in their eyes only deepened.
Who could make Aslan so shocked?
Just as this question surfaced in their minds, Fred, as if he could read minds, spoke up.
"This is the daughter of Chairman Siegel Clyne, Lacus Clyne."
Fred's tone took on a somewhat formal air as he spoke, his curious gaze fixed on the two before him.
He was genuinely curious about their reactions.
After all, in the original storyline, these characters had hardly any scenes of interaction, or perhaps no related plot at all.
Yzak definitely knew Lacus and was probably a fan, but as for Nicol, he died before having much chance to interact with her.
Under Fred's watchful eyes, Yzak and Nicol, in an unexpectedly synchronized manner, opened their mouths wide in shock.
The haughty expression on Yzak's face was completely overtaken by astonishment.
Nicol was even more stunned, his delicate eyes widening to their limits.
Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't have been so shocked—after all, they were all children of city representatives, each a "second-generation official" in their own right.
What truly shocked them was the location and timing of Lacus's appearance.
Lacus had actually appeared in their classroom. Was the princess of the Clyne Faction really going to "physically" mingle with them?
"Miss Lacus is here to observe."
Fred promptly explained.
If Lacus really intended to learn, he wasn't sure he dared to teach her.
Lacus wasn't his actual sister, so he couldn't exactly go all out.
Hearing that it was just observation, the other three breathed a collective sigh of relief.
After all, they didn't want to spar with such a delicate young girl.
As for Flay, that was Fred's responsibility as her brother. That sister-obsessed guy was terrified they might hurt Flay.
Though even if Fred did ask them to spar with Flay, it would be hard for them to do so.
Part of it was due to the difference in gender, but the main reason was Fred's overprotective nature as a sister-obsessed brother.
If they actually hurt Flay, they were afraid Fred would kill them.
This was the shared, unspoken thought among the three, despite their vastly different personalities.
"Is that so?"
Just as Fred finished speaking, Lacus responded.
"???"
The three boys, who had just relaxed, immediately tensed up again.
Even Fred, beneath his mask, was taken aback.
Fortunately, the mask hid his expression, making him appear the calmest of them all.
"Lacus, are you planning to learn? That doesn't seem appropriate, does it?"
Fred let out a bitter laugh, looking at the clearly mischievous girl before him.
"I can learn from Flay~ Flay already agreed~"
Lacus said with a cheerful smile.
She seemed completely unaware that her shocking statement had startled them.
Or perhaps, she was quite satisfied with their stunned reactions.
Upon hearing this, Fred's gaze immediately followed to his sister.
"Hmm~"
Seeing her brother and the three friends truly startled just as Lacus had said, Flay's smile grew even brighter.
"This is what I told Lacus..."
As Flay spoke, the smile on her face faded slightly.
Meanwhile, Lacus turned around, took Flay's small hand, and looked at her with encouragement in her eyes.
Though the meaning might be difficult to detect, Lacus's gaze indeed gave Flay strength at that moment.