Chapter 95: SEED – Desert Tiger IV
After taking a sip of coffee, Andrew Waltfeld continued speaking to Kira and Tolle.
"Perhaps this is the greatest root cause of this war."
Just then, Aisha entered the lounge, bringing along Cagalli Yula Athha, who had already changed.
Cagalli shrank timidly behind Aisha, unwilling to come out, but her fresh green evening dress had already betrayed her.
Aisha circled around behind Cagalli, refusing to let her hide, and gave her a firm push forward.
Wobbling in her high heels, Cagalli Yula Athha stumbled in, her face flushed with shyness, stealing glances now and then at Tolle Koenig.
Kira Yamato was once again dazed by the sight of the beautiful and radiant Cagalli.
Tolle Koenig, for his part, also thought that the shy side of Cagalli was surprisingly cute.
No wonder she almost managed to steal Kira away—if not for Flay Allster in the original story, Kira Yamato would probably have ended up taking the sibling route.
Kira Yamato muttered blankly, "You're a girl?"
Hearing that, Cagalli Yula Athha snapped back into her usual tomboyish self, roaring, "You jerk!"
Kira hurriedly tried to explain, "No, that's not what I meant, I just wanted to say that you're actually—"
Cagalli grew even more annoyed and shouted louder,
"What's the difference between that and what you just said!"
At this point, Tolle Koenig could no longer hold it in. He doubled over, laughing out loud.
(??益?) He had been professionally trained—no matter how funny, he would never laugh… unless it was simply impossible to resist.
Andrew Waltfeld and Aisha also burst into hearty laughter.
Flushed with embarrassment and anger, Cagalli pointed at Tolle Koenig and yelled,
"What's so funny? You're not allowed to laugh!"
Tolle's survival instincts kicked in immediately. He raised his hands and apologized.
"Sorry, Cagalli, I didn't mean to laugh at you. You look beautiful right now. Truly, you're stunning—I really do like it."
Cagalli blushed even more. Her hands crossed in front of her stomach, fingers nervously tapping against each other, her whole demeanor shy and flustered.
Seeing that expression, Tolle knew he'd stepped into trouble. His "survival training" drilled into him by his girlfriend had been triggered by mistake.
Wait… could this girl have fallen for him? Damn. No way. That's impossible, right?
She and Athrun Zala were supposed to be a pair. Sure, they didn't end up together in the end, but still—he was nothing but a complete outsider here!
But then again… didn't Athrun also rough her up? He even tied her up and played "bondage" with her on that island.
And then she liked him after that. Don't tell me she really has some kind of masochistic streak—or Stockholm syndrome? I'd better keep my distance. This is dangerous.
Andrew Waltfeld sat down, smiling as he addressed Cagalli Yula Athha.
"That dress suits you well—or rather, you seem quite used to wearing something like that."
Cagalli sat as well, sipping her coffee, and replied casually, "Mm."
Andrew spread his hands with a helpless smile. "If you stayed quiet, you'd be perfect."
Tolle silently gave Andrew a thumbs-up in his heart. Couldn't have put it better! Silent, she's a goddess; once she opens her mouth, she's a lunatic goddess.
Cagalli looked directly at Andrew and asked bluntly,
"Tell me about yourself. Are you really the Desert Tiger? And why make someone wear this dress? Is this one of your hobbies?"
"The dress was Aisha's choice. As for hobbies, what exactly do you mean?"
"I mean your cross-dressing strolls in town, and the way you burn villages after evacuating civilians."
Tolle was dumbfounded. You idiot!
She had just laid all his secrets bare. Good thing this was the Desert Tiger—if it were anyone else, they'd all be dead right now.
Andrew chuckled, joking lightly. "Sharp eyes, straight to the point—those are some piercing eyes you've got."
Cagalli slammed her palms heavily on the table, shouting in anger,
"Stop making fun of me!"
Andrew's expression suddenly turned serious. He looked straight at her and said solemnly,
"Do you also think that life is worse than death?" Then, turning his gaze to Kira Yamato and Tolle Koenig, he asked further,
"And you two gentlemen—what do you think?
As Mobile Suit pilots, how do you believe this war can ever end?"
Cagalli sprang up in shock. "How do you know about that?"
Tolle rubbed his forehead helplessly, nearly cursing out loud.
You just confirmed it yourself! The Desert Tiger was only speculating before, but you've gone and told him outright. You blockhead, Ca-'No Brain'-ga-'Unhappy'-lli, you big dumb girl!
Andrew couldn't help laughing again at Cagalli's foolishness.
"Being too straightforward can also be a problem." He stood and walked toward the side.
Kira pulled Cagalli along with him, moving closer to the wall.
Cagalli pressed tightly against Tolle from behind, clutching at his clothes.
Tolle grew even more exasperated. You're supposed to grab onto Kira, not me! Why my clothes?
Andrew spoke as he walked.
"War isn't like a sporting event with a set time limit or a finish line. So how is victory determined?
Where does it end? Not until the enemy is completely annihilated?"
Then, raising his gun toward the cautious Kira Yamato, he continued,
"You'd best give up. Even if you're a berserker, don't think that rampaging here will let you walk away unscathed."
Kira asked in confusion, "Berserker?"
Andrew explained,
"Everyone here is the same as you—all of them are Coordinators."
Cagalli turned to Kira in shock, whispering, "You… you're a Coordinator?"
Tolle shot her a glare, silently telling her to shut up. What are you screaming for? You're a Coordinator too!
"I've seen you fight twice. Your ground pressure management, the thermal convection parameters in the desert…
Even among Coordinators, your performance is exceptional.
I'm not stupid enough to believe a pilot like that is a Natural. And then there's your agile movements as well.
I don't know why you're fighting against your own kind, but as long as you're piloting an MS, you and I are enemies."
As soon as he finished, Andrew lowered his weapon and placed it back in the drawer, smiling as though it had all been a joke.
"Looks like one side really does have to be destroyed.
But today, you're my savior. This isn't a battlefield. You should all head back.
I enjoyed our talk today—though whether that's a good thing or not, I can't say."
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