A very familiar swimming pool
"Isn't this a bit too luxurious?" March 7th stared at the pool, lost in thought. "Why is there even a swimming pool on a battleship?"
"Relax."
"I'm starting to doubt if your idea of relaxation is actually normal..."
Could it be...
March 7th looked at Aidan with eyes full of suspicion.
"Don't look at me like that. Do I look like the kind of person who would make my subordinates fight in swimsuits?"
"You said it yourself, hey!" March 7th retorted. "So why on earth would you make your subordinates fight in swimsuits anyway?!"
"If there's a new skin, why not use it?"
Aidan spoke with perfect confidence.
"New skin?"
March 7th's eyes widened, looking at him in disbelief.
"See, you're clearly an amateur." Aidan waved his hand like a seasoned veteran. "Swimsuits have so many benefits—they're lightweight and flexible, they reduce drag, and at critical moments, they can even confuse the enemy and distract them."
"Are you even talking about a serious battle?!"
"Of course it's serious. Rule number one of the Hyperion: Battles can be lost, but style must never be compromised."
"What kind of twisted logic is that?!" March 7th huffed, hands on her hips. "Don't the Valkyries have any objections?"
"What Valkyries?"
Aidan scratched his head.
"Eh?"
It was March 7th's turn to be dumbfounded.
"What do you mean? Didn't you say your subordinates are Valkyries?"
"My subordinates aren't just Valkyries."
Aidan looked at March 7th with a speechless expression.
"Then what else is there?"
March 7th blinked, completely unaware that she had been led off-topic.
Aidan didn't answer.
He simply raised his hand and pointed toward the hatch on the other side of the Energy Center.
"Want to see?"
"...I actually do want to see."
"Follow me."
March 7th, Dan Heng, and Himeko followed behind Aidan, intending to broaden their horizons.
If it wasn't that kind of thing... then what kind was it?
Aidan led them to the Observation Room above the Armory, from which they could see Arahato and Sky Thunder.
"Ai-chan, put on the swimsuit."
"Roger."
Putting on a swimsuit? For Ai-chan?
But the one who put on the swimsuit wasn't Ai-chan.
It was Sky Thunder.
March 7th's worldview suffered a massive shock at that moment. A giant, cool, and powerful white mecha, wearing a white swimsuit, stood quietly in the Armory. That image was deeply seared into her mind.
"Gua! My eyes! My eyes! I'm going blind!"
March 7th clutched her eyes and rolled around on the floor.
Himeko and Dan Heng's mouths kept twitching, and Himeko finally burst into laughter.
"My eyes! My eyes! Aidan, you pervert! You big pervert!"
"How am I a pervert?" Aidan spread his hands innocently. "You said you wanted to see, I showed you, so why are you calling me pervert?"
"Is that what I meant when I said I wanted to see?!"
"Then what did you mean?"
"You made a mecha wear a swimsuit!"
"Sky Thunder is my subordinate." Aidan said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "What's wrong with it wearing a swimsuit? Isn't a swimsuit a new skin?"
"Is that a skin?! That's a swimsuit!"
"Why doesn't a swimsuit count as a skin? A swimsuit is a type of clothing."
"But it's wearing a women's swimsuit!!!"
"How can you be so sure Thunder isn't female?"
Aidan looked at March 7th with an expression that said, 'Are you actually discriminating against mecha gender?'
"Ha?"
"This thing has a gender? It's made of iron! How does a hunk of iron have a gender!"
"Why can't a hunk of iron have a gender? Ai-chan is just a stream of data, yet isn't she still a beautiful girl?" Aidan retorted confidently, patting the railing. "Besides, look at this streamlined armor, these elegant wings, these powerful long legs—where does it not look like a girl?"
They were indeed very long legs...
Dozens of meters of long legs, to be precise.
"What sane person would stare at dozens of meters of steel plates! And where did the fabric for that swimsuit even come from? It can stretch that big?!"
"It's a specialized nanomaterial, of course." Aidan adjusted the Navy Hat on his head, his voice full of pride. "It's not only waterproof and dustproof, but it can also withstand high-intensity energy impacts."
"What exactly are you so proud of..."
Aidan activated Thunder unmanned mode.
"See, she can even act bashful."
"..."
March 7th's mouth hung open as she watched that fierce, giant humanoid weapon strike a bashful, lady-like pose.
"Pffft—"
Himeko couldn't hold it in any longer and laughed heartily.
Dan Heng turned his head away, his shoulders shaking.
"Bashful? You call this bashful?" March 7th pointed at the giant mecha posing like a lady, her voice cracking. "This is bashful?!"
"Well, what else?" Aidan tilted his head at her. "Have you ever seen any other mecha make a move like that?"
March 7th opened her mouth, but found herself speechless.
"See." Aidan pointed at the mecha. "That's being shy."
"The point is— the point is—"
March 7th's face turned red, realizing she couldn't even articulate what the point was anymore.
A mecha wearing a swimsuit was indeed ridiculous, but Aidan's matter-of-fact explanation made it seem like there was no problem at all. A swimsuit was indeed a type of clothing, and a mecha could indeed have a gender identity. These arguments were skewed, but they weren't entirely without logic.
"It's actually quite interesting." Himeko wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes. "At least I never imagined I'd see a sight like this."
"Sister Himeko, how can you also—"
"Little March, don't you think?" Himeko looked at her with a smile. "Looking at it from another perspective, whether it's this ship or this mecha, they are all Aidan's creations. The fact that he's willing to show them to us like this means he really trusts us."
March 7th was stunned for a moment.
"So, you mean..."
"I mean," Himeko walked over and patted her shoulder, "just treat it as a bit of fun, don't take it too seriously."
"Sister Himeko, you're being way too open-minded about this!"
Dan Heng finally steadied his shoulders and turned to Aidan. "Do you plan to keep this mecha dressed like this?"
"Of course not." Aidan shook his head. "I was just demonstrating a feature. Ai-chan, change Thunder back to its standard coating."
"Roger that~" Ai-chan chirped cheerfully.
White light flashed several times in the Armory, and the swimsuit quickly vanished. Thunder returned to being the cool white mecha it was before. The wing-shaped armor on its back and shoulders unfolded, and its powerful lines gleamed with a cold luster under the lights.
"Phew—"
March 7th let out a long breath, finally relaxing.
"This is what a mecha should look like..."
"So you think the way it looked just now wasn't good?"
"Of course it wasn't!"
"Then your aesthetic taste still has room for improvement." Aidan shook his head regretfully.
"My aesthetic taste does not need any improvement!"