[Hathaway's Flash] Vol.02 Ch.07

Chapter.07
Gigi & Kenneth

　The next morning, Captain Kenneth Sleg kept his promise and arrived outside Gigi's cottage. "We missed our chance to take down Mafty. If we had caught up to Oenbelli yesterday, we could have wiped out their main machines," he admitted, appearing neither tired nor genuinely concerned.

　Gigi was quick to question his excuse for the delay.

　"So, the real reason you were late is that you were making repairs to the Penelope?" she asked skeptically.

　"Yes, that's right. But Lane Aim gained valuable combat experience, so he won't be at risk of being thrown into the sea again."

　He accepted Gigi's suitcase from the cottage maid and loaded it into his car, which was parked on the side of the road.

　He understood the stupidity of what he was doing.

　Carrying luggage for a girl like Gigi, who was barely 20 years old, during an operation to boot, was nothing short of idiocy.

　But still, standing before her, Kenneth, who was in his thirties, was convinced that this was the right thing to do.

　"In addition to everything else, there's the burden of escorting cabinet members," Gigi said, in a good mood after being able to wear her favorite outfit from her luggage.

　Sitting in the driver's seat was a middle-aged non-commissioned officer with a sour expression.

　"Well, that's true. But they're people important enough to be called cabinet members. So they'll order us to spread false information as a precaution, which only adds to our workload and makes it impossible for our unit to do its job," Kenneth said, unwittingly speaking more freely in front of the girl.

　One could only accept this as another part of the beauty of life, recognizing that being meticulous was not the only way to live.

　Although having a wife would have made such behavior unseemly, as of now, Kenneth had no such person. Of course, if anyone were in his life, it would be someone like Mace Flower, a hostess on the Haunzen flight, but that was a different form of enjoyment for Kenneth.

　When things with his unit settled down, and as soon as the Haunzen returned to Hong Kong, he called her apartment. Of course, getting ahold of such a phone number was a simple matter for someone in his position.

　When he got her answering machine, he learned she would be in Hong Kong for a while, so he left a message with his phone number. But, of course, something like that may also have been as silly and foolish as agreeing to courier Gigi's suitcase.

　If she thought the call was from some foolish man and forgot about it, it would be a bit humiliating, but it wouldn't matter much in the grand scheme of things. But, if Mace called back and said that she wanted to see him, then that in itself would be a win in Kenneth's book.

　Ever since the possibility of being involved in combat reared its head, those lecherous cravings that had lain dormant within Kenneth were suddenly laid bare.

　Given the nature of Kenneth's inappropriate urges, Mace, being too young, may have been of little assistance and potentially a burden to him. However, Gigi would have presented an even greater challenge.

　This girl was a veritable enigma with an otherworldly quality that couldn't be denied - a touch of superstition that added to her mystique.

　Just sitting next to Gigi gave Kenneth a feeling of joy, as if he always had her by his side.

　Though the thought of being intimate with her filled him with a primal desire, Kenneth knew it wasn't worth the risk of shoving the table aside and defiling her, for he feared that such an act might anger the fates and bring upon him a tide of misfortune.

　"Gigi ..."

　"What is it?"

　"You said something earlier that piqued my interest..."

　"What? You mean about escorting the cabinet members?"

　Hearing those words from her, Kenneth knew deep down inside that her intuition was truly amazing.

　That was all Kenneth had to say right now.

　He could have veered the conversation off in any number of directions, like "the cottage maid seems like a nice person," but Gigi was not like that.

　Though he hadn't intended to test her abilities, he couldn't help but feel a sense of nervous excitement as he probed her intellect.

　"Uh, yeah. Why did you feel that way? I wasn't trying to make a point about escorting the Cabinet members, you know?" he said, trying to keep his tone casual.

　"You are so difficult. You know that? When did you become so serious?"

　"Me, serious?" he asked before laughing, "Well, maybe I have. During my time in space, I was involved in the development of mobile suits. Although there were technicians responsible for managing the process, their role was limited to dealing with the finished product. However, since arriving here, I've come to realize that our allies aren't just cogs in a military machine but flawed individuals like everyone else. And our enemies are people too. It makes me nervous to think about interacting with other people in this way."

　"Hmm, I see. So it's tough when you get into a leadership position."

　"Yes, exactly. Exactly that."

　Kenneth mimicked Gigi's nodding and breathing patterns to show his agreement, but no one could give him a definitive answer.

　"I don't know. It's a woman's intuition... think of it that way."

　"That's what I'm curious about. Where does that intuition come from?"

　"Well, I'd like to know that myself. Male reasoning can often be unilateral in nature, making it difficult for women to fully comprehend."

　"Really? So this thing that men have ... you want to know where it comes from?"

　"Yeah."

　Gigi's response caught Kenneth off guard, leaving him staring at her profile. He wondered if her skillful way with words came from her experience as a mistress.

　Seeing Gigi's blue eyes from the side, they appeared to be reflecting nothing, while the spectacle of greenery rushing by in the distance looked as if it could swallow up her profile.

　"I'm at a loss for words. It's difficult to articulate something that is ingrained within me."

　"Indeed, precisely. When I say my heart aches with loneliness, I can't fathom the reasoning behind it."

　Gigi glanced mischievously at Kenneth and said, "Hey, can you tell me Hathaway Noa's address?"

　"Of course. Are you planning on paying him a visit?"

　Kenneth had already promised to do so, and he pulled out a note he had prepared earlier from his pocket.

　"Huh. Is the location accessible by land from here?"

　"Are you kidding? From here and onward towards the south, it's a string of islands until you reach Australia. There are no connecting land masses to be found. That's why it's messing with my intuition." Kenneth replied.

　"So, if it's in Australia, it's okay?"

　"Even if there were a landmass connecting to it, Australia has been a continent that's been difficult for people to carve out a living since the old century, right? It's different from a space colony."

　"That's true. The closed environment of the space colonies might have narrowed human intellect, but the same thing would have happened on Earth. I feel that gravity is a really heavy burden on me. So the fact that humanity thought that venturing out into space was a necessity is something that I feel is a good thing."

　Gigi had casually shifted the focus of their conversation, unaware of the change herself. Kenneth realized that she wanted to discuss this, as she had likely been left alone for some time.

　"That's true. Humankind's cerebral cortex has significantly heightened since their time on Earth. With a bit more training in space, perhaps all of humanity could have evolved into Newtypes."

　"Yeah... Newtypes... evolved humans... they really exist?"

　"They do. Some people don't just keep the enlightenment they've attained to themselves but have the power to share it with those around them..."

　"So that's what the Newtypes are! I guess you're a man of religion, aren't you, Captain?"

　"Come on. I would never allow myself to be confined by the dogma of religion. It's not about religion. It's like something that humans have always possessed. I'm not sure how to phrase it, it's like this capacity or nature that they have."

　"Ah, I see. That's truly remarkable, Captain. But, may I ask if you possess such profound thinking abilities, why do you resort to violence?"

　"Violence?"

　The word made Kenneth uneasy, stirring something deep within him.

　"I suppose if I had to phrase it differently, I could also say that you have this instantaneous power."

　"I appreciate your kind words. But, perhaps it's frustration that plagues us miserable humans, trapped by our physical bodies and emotions, unable to free ourselves from worldly desires and concerns... after all, we are Oldtypes. That's why we're so restless and impatient," Kenneth replied.

　"So that includes Mafty?"

　"Most likely, yes."

　Kenneth pondered the equation that equated Mafty with Hathaway. He shook his head and dismissed the thought with a smile.

　As the car passed through the base's gate, the security guards saluted them before they proceeded to the apron. From there, Gigi boarded the Big Carrier transport plane, which belonged to the Circe unit, and headed for Hong Kong.

　Her fellow passengers consisted of a few bureaucrats who were probably flying to Hong Kong to make preliminary arrangements for the cabinet meeting, but there were none that Gigi could recognize.

　And so, with a cold countenance, she adopted the guise of any other nondescript military personnel. But, aboard the transport, Gigi could help but overhear their conversations.

　And then, she caught wind of the name of a city: Adelaide.