Who is Playing the Love Development Game in Gundam

He Kui guided the newly arrived Cagalli to a quiet lounge.

In the privacy of the empty room, He Kui politely pulled out a chair for her.

"Th-thank you," she muttered, averting her gaze from his courteous demeanor. Despite wanting him to sit down first, Cagalli, still unsettled by her own unspoken questions, refrained from her usual brashness.

"So, Director He," she began, placing her Round Hound unit on the pristine white table in front of her as casually as she could. "Do you, by any chance, remember this little robot?"

She tried to keep her expression neutral, but her intention was clear — she wanted him to acknowledge that he'd made it.

"Yes, I made it," he replied, smiling.

"You…" Cagalli's mouth hung open, caught off guard by his open admission.

"Do you think I'd allow a stranger to come close and simply leave without some form of assurance?" he said calmly. He hadn't outright acknowledged that he knew her true identity; explaining how he might know her could only raise her suspicion.

"So, miss, may I ask who you are?"

"I…" Cagalli's mind raced. If she revealed she was from Orb, it would be difficult to explain her presence in PLANT territory, potentially sparking a diplomatic incident. But pretending to be from PLANT was also out of the question.

"I'm… a DSSD employee," she replied.

DSSD's neutral stance meant it kept its employee list confidential. Even He Kui couldn't verify it easily. For anyone else, her explanation might have sounded plausible.

But to He Kui, who'd accompanied Cagalli from Heliopolis to Earth and knew her better than most, it was far from believable. Nonetheless, it was clear Cagalli had thought her response through, showing more caution than the headstrong girl he remembered.

"Understood. But if you're with DSSD, how did you end up in May City? Looks like I'll need to file a complaint with the director…"

"No, wait!" Cagalli shot up, panic flashing in her eyes. "I… I snuck onto the DSSD family transport to visit PLANT. I, uh… admire you, Director He."

Her face flushed bright red as she stammered out the excuse. He Kui wasn't about to let her off so easily, though.

"If you're a DSSD employee, why would someone try to assassinate you?"

"That… that was a terrorist attack! It wasn't aimed at me! I was saved by my colleagues; I have no idea how I ended up in that situation." Cagalli's impromptu answer was full of holes, but it was logical enough to let slide — for now.

"I see. Well, if you admire me so much, why not come work for my company?"

"What???" Cagalli was utterly stunned, her mouth dropping open in disbelief.

"You're pretty capable, Miss DSSD Employee. Why not join us? It's not like we're that busy; the job's mostly at an asteroid base anyway. Oh, and where are you from?"

"Earth. I'm a Natural!" she practically shouted.

"Oh, that's perfect. We're just thinking of adding diversity to the team, so bringing on a Natural would complete that goal nicely."

With He Kui's cheerful invitation, her expression shifted rapidly from shock to barely contained frustration. How could any PLANT company in their right mind be talking about "diversity" in the middle of a war? This man had to be living a decade in the past!

For a moment, she wondered if he'd figured out her true identity and was simply toying with her. But his tone seemed sincere, and his gaze held no hint of pretense.

Could he actually mean it? she wondered, half tempted by the strange opportunity. After all, this was a rare chance to get a glimpse into PLANT's inner workings.

"Um… I'd have to talk to my family about it first."

"Of course, and here, this is for you." He Kui pulled a Round Hound unit from his case with a smile.

Since she already carried two of his Hounds, he refrained from gifting her another, wary that Erica might notice the connection. Instead, he offered her an upgraded Round Hound with enhanced surveillance capabilities.

"Oh, I…" She hesitated, glancing down at the Round Hound in her hands. Part of her wanted to hand it back, to reject what felt like charity, but given her supposed persona, refusing didn't feel right.

"Take it as a token of appreciation for a fan," he assured her.

"Fine…" Begrudgingly, she accepted, grumbling internally. Right, and does every fan in May City get one of these, too? Still, she kept the Round Hound.

> [You gifted Cagalli Yula Athha a Round Hound. Physique +60]

[Cagalli Yula Athha Favorability: 0]

[Bonus: 0]

[Physique: B-Level (1675/10000)]

"Physique, huh…" He Kui murmured, tightening his grip. He could feel a slight boost in strength, though it wasn't particularly useful since he rarely engaged in melee combat.

Still, it was better than nothing, and maybe he'd even be able to withstand Shihe's occasional pranks. Of course, if he could coax her into visiting his base, that would be ideal. But Erica, along with her tracker, Kisaka, would never allow it.

He Kui didn't mind much. The skill was useful enough to evade assassination attempts, though it wasn't his highest priority at the moment.

"Well, here's my contact info. I'll await your response." He added with a smile, "By the way, I never got your name."

"I'm… Becky," she said, deciding to use an alias for security.

"Got it, Miss Becky. I look forward to hearing from you."

"Yeah, sure…" she replied, keeping her thoughts to herself. Like she'd ever call him.

"Then I'll be taking my leave."

"You're leaving?"

"Yes, I've got work waiting for me."

"Take care," she said unconvincingly, watching him depart. Once he was out of sight, Kisaka appeared by her side.

"Are you alright, Miss Cagalli?"

"I'm fine." She let out a small sigh, then straightened up. "You all mentioned that if

ZAFT left, we'd follow, right?"

"Yes, that's the plan."

"Then we'd better prepare to set off."

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