Who is Playing the Love Development Game in Gundam

It wasn't long before Elina came to. She blinked her bright eyes open, her first sight a plain white ceiling, and the second, He Kui sitting by her bedside.

"You're awake."

". . . Did I pass out?"

"Yes."

"For how long?!"

Elina shot upright from the bed, instinctively grasping He Kui's hands.

"Just an hour."

He Kui couldn't help but notice that since she'd activated SEED mode, Elina's physical resilience seemed enhanced. Normally, the pressures she faced would have easily knocked out an unmodified human, and even trained personnel like Elina shouldn't have been able to withstand it. This experience seemed to suggest that SEED could indeed bolster a person's physical capacity, possibly through mental strength affecting genetic expression and, ultimately, physical resilience.

"Elina, have you ever been to space?"

"Yes, I was born up there!" Elina replied with a curious look. "How did you know?"

"Just a guess," He Kui cleared his throat and continued. "Can you try going back into that state?"

Elina scrunched her face in concentration, her skin turning a faint shade of pink.

"It's okay. Just don't mention this to anyone else."

"Why not?" Elina asked, confused.

"This ability could represent a new evolutionary path for humanity," He Kui explained plainly.

Elina still looked uncertain. "So why keep it a secret?"

"Because evolution isn't always seen as a good thing, and it can't be replicated. It's better left unsaid."

"Alright then. . . but I have a condition!"

She leaned into him with a playful grin. "Come meet my family. What do you say?"

"Why does Elina like me?" He Kui asked with a smile.

"Because you're kind and strong! I can feel it!" she replied earnestly, her eyes locked onto his.

He Kui chuckled, brushing her soft hair aside. "Thank you."

"Of course! I like you the most!" Elina hugged him tightly again.

Seeing her family might take some time, though. Manaus was still chaotic, with operations to fortify defenses, search for spies, and aid the wounded. After ensuring things were stable, He Kui turned his attention back to DSSD to check in on Serena's progress and perhaps strengthen their rapport.

But as soon as he connected, his screen filled with a misty scene and the gentle sound of running water.

". . ."

Switching to infrared mode, He Kui quickly realized that Serena had brought him into her bath. Before he could think of an excuse, the alarm on her nearby device went off.

"PERVERT!" Serena's voice echoed, her face lighting up in realization as she covered herself. However, her slender arms couldn't fully hide her graceful figure, shrouded in steam. The sight left He Kui momentarily flustered.

Without delay, she quickly wrapped herself in a towel and hurled a nearby rounded Haro robot at the camera, effectively cutting him off from the bathroom.

As she returned, now draped in a towel, Serena's silhouette was partly revealed. Her dark hair, damp and clinging to her face and neck, shone with drops of water as her bright eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Pervert!" she accused.

"I just logged in," He Kui replied with an amused sigh.

"Hmph, and what do you want?"

Subconsciously tightening the towel around her, she only seemed to emphasize her graceful curves.

"I wanted to see you, of course."

"To check the progress or to see me?"

"Obviously, to see Serena," He Kui replied, glancing at his HUD where her affection level was steadily climbing.

Unaware of He Kui's hidden motives, Serena uploaded her latest progress reports to his Haro. Not much was new — application remained a year or two away. With the pace of the current conflicts, the world could change drastically by then.

"Any findings from the solar observation?" he inquired.

"We did find something," she responded, displaying an image — a single black dot against the sun's surface.

"It's not a sunspot; it moves. Measurements suggest it's close to the sun, but we don't have the means to approach it."

"What about remote weaponry?"

"We don't have any capable of the range, nor full information on it. It looks like a cylindrical barrel."

She shook her head. "We're reluctant to report this to the council — if it's an inside job, that could lead to retaliation. Likely, we'll hire mercenaries to investigate."

He Kui nodded thoughtfully. A

weapon near the sun… it seemed like a new problem emerging just as the last one settled.

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