January 27, CE71, approximately 13:30 Standard Time
Flay, drowsy from her nap, was awakened by the loud shouts of her "roommate."
"Damn it! Take this! Hit already! Yes, finally cleared it!"
"Kira, you're too loud!"
Facing Flay's morning grumpiness, Cagalli, who had just emerged from the simulator in high spirits, looked as if she had been through a major battle. Covered in sweat, she scratched her short golden hair like a boy and cheerfully apologized to Flay.
"Sorry, sorry, my bad, Flay. I finally took down that perverted boss at the end who summons twelve Magic Ball Lords with a wave of his hand. I got too excited without realizing it. Wow, I'm sweating so much. I need to take a shower. You're not using it now, right, Flay?"
"Go ahead."
After receiving Flay's permission, Cagalli eagerly began undressing to take a shower. Watching her roommate reveal her surprisingly well-endowed figure, Flay couldn't help but "remind" her.
"Please undress in the bathroom and put your clothes properly in the laundry basket!"
Seeing her roommate awkwardly chuckle and slip into the bathroom wearing only her underwear, followed by the sound of running water from the shower, Flay couldn't help but recall the tumultuous experiences of the past few days.
It had only been two or three days, so why did it feel even more memorable than the nearly year-long life since the war began?
That morning, she had been leisurely shopping with her girlfriends and was teased about her relationship with Sai. Looking back now, the unfamiliar woman in sunglasses who asked them to make way left a stronger impression—she was probably one of those who later participated in the battle, right?
And then there was Kira, the admirer specifically mentioned by Lord Luther. Upon careful recollection, he seemed to be a friend of Miri's boyfriend, who was a senior in the club. Had she once commented that he was cute when they met?
The events that followed were now a blur.
She remembered feeling dizzy as she followed everyone to take shelter, eventually entering a shelter full of strangers amidst the chaotic crowd. After an anxious wait—she couldn't recall how long—they were ejected from Heliopolis in a dizzying red light.
Then, just as everyone in the life pod panicked over what seemed like a malfunction, they were rescued. Exiting the life pod, they found themselves on a warship called the Gwamel.
Although there were strange mobile suits around, since they were rescued by a non-humanoid mobile armor, she tentatively used her father's name to try and get the unfamiliar soldiers to send her to him. However, her father's name, which had always worked before, seemed to have lost its effect this time.
Finally, when Lord Luther, the person in charge, arrived, he playfully frightened her, making her think she had encountered space pirates.
Fortunately, not long after, they saw the "Celestial Being Formation Declaration," and her roommate Cagalli helped explain it.
Although she didn't understand the concepts of "ideals" or "the future" that Flay spoke of, she had come to realize that Celestial Being wasn't a group of bad people.
Moreover, life aboard the Gwamel was quite comfortable, with no shortage of food or clothing, and the living quarters were fully equipped. In fact, over the past few days, she felt she might have gained a little weight from eating too much and moving too little!
Now that she had accepted the fact that Heliopolis was completely destroyed, she consoled herself by thinking of this as a vacation trip. The environment here was even better than the business-class cabin she had taken to Heliopolis, so there really wasn't anything to complain about.
Not only did she and Cagalli seem to receive special treatment—staying in a two-person room meant for officers instead of the four- or even eight-person rooms for civilians—but even the Celestial Being soldiers she occasionally encountered in the living areas were very polite to her. They even felt more reliable than the Earth Alliance soldiers who had escorted her before.
Her roommate Cagalli was also a good person, though a rather strange one.
When she was "escorted" by Celestial Being soldiers to this room, she had mistaken Cagalli—who was already in the room but still wearing a hat and men's clothing—for a boy, which led to quite an embarrassing misunderstanding.
But that was all Cagalli's fault!
Judging by her table manners during meals and her habits in daily life, she was clearly someone who had received elite education, just like herself. Yet, Cagalli deliberately acted rough and tried to present herself as more boyish, which was why she had been mistaken for a boy!
Even in terms of interests, Cagalli showed no enthusiasm for topics like perfume, clothing, or cosmetics. Instead, she was very interested in the game simulator placed in what was originally an officer's quarters, spending all her free time repeatedly challenging it. What was so fun about all that fighting and killing?
Still, thanks to Cagalli's analysis and explanations, she had gradually calmed down from her initial panic. According to the "hints" from Lord Luther that Cagalli had helped decipher, she would be able to see her father in another week.
When that time came, she would definitely have a good talk with her father about this mysterious roommate who, in some ways, reminded her of him.
All in all, she was quite satisfied with life aboard the Gwamel. If she had to name a complaint, her only concern was regarding cosmetics.
Although she had tentatively requested some from the management and quickly received complimentary supplies, all the brands were unfamiliar to her, and they were produced in a place called Zimu City, which she had never heard of.
Fortunately, they worked quite well. It was a shame, though, that Cagalli had refused her request to try out different makeup looks—what a pity, since Cagalli had such a good foundation.
Just as Flay was sitting on the bed with her knees hugged to her chest, mentally critiquing her roommate Cagalli, Cagalli emerged from the shower, wearing only her underwear and drying herself with a towel.
"Ah, that feels much better. Flay, after clearing the highest difficulty in the game, the simulator gave a prompt saying, 'Please consult the staff to unlock more content.' I'm planning to go ask someone about it. Do you want to come with me?"
"No, I'm planning to take a bath and then visit the clothing store in the living area. For some reason, it seems I have quite a lot of points to spend. And please put some clothes on before coming out!"
Although it had only been two or three days, this kind of conversation was no longer happening for the first time.
Unfazed by Flay's refusal and 'complaints,' Cagalli casually changed into the free-issue, rankless military casual wear of the Principality of Zeon, waved her hand, and left the room.
"Honestly, not ladylike at all."
Flay grumbled like this, picked out a set of 'spoils' she had newly chosen that morning, and walked toward the bathroom.
After tossing both her own and Cagalli's discarded clothes into the washing machine with automatic drying and ironing functions, then giving herself a quick rinse, Flay hugged her knees and sank into the not-so-small bathtub.
As the warm water envelop
ed her body, Flay's thoughts, along with her skin, began to relax.
"I wonder how Sai and the others are doing over there."