Who is Playing the Love Development Game in Gundam

"So this is the Strike. It's my first time encountering one."

Lowe excitedly circled the two mobile suits several times.

"But it's a pity that the metal fatigue is so high. You've really pushed this machine to its limits."

"And that machine gun mount is almost torn off. What exactly did you do?"

Lowe's tone was highly professional.

"We forced a combination."

"You're talking about the Duel mode? But even that shouldn't lead to this extent of damage."

"No, we combined our two mobile suits!"

Elena's innocent, wide eyes stared at Lowe.

"…Combined two mobile suits?"

Lowe pondered for a moment before quickly realizing what they meant by "combination."

"You actually forced two mobile suits to merge?"

"Yes, which is why the structure exceeded its original design limits."

"I see."

Lowe examined the suits closely, clearly intrigued. If it weren't for the timing, he'd probably have asked them to demonstrate.

But as a seasoned technician, Lowe could already visualize the transformation process of their suits in his mind.

"Impressive that you managed to hold out this long."

"Must've taken a lot of research."

Lowe's voice was full of admiration.

"It was Aegis who thought of it on the spot!"

Elena beamed with pride.

"…What?"

"I said it was Aegis who came up with it on the fly!"

"It didn't break apart? How did you handle the system issues?"

Lowe's face grew serious, clearly impressed and shocked.

"Improvised adjustments."

In control of Aegis, He Kui gave a resigned glance at Elena, who didn't pick up on his cue to stay low-key.

"How is that even possible…?"

Lowe murmured, his probing gaze focused on He Kui.

"Not even a Coordinator could pull that off."

Unless assisted by advanced AI, he doubted he could manage it himself.

"Guess it's just a gift."

"How difficult will repairs be? Do you have enough materials here?"

"…Repairing this is going to be tricky, especially since the other suit's arms and rear thruster are completely gone."

"We could use parts from the Dagger, but we don't have TP armor, and we lack materials for the flight module."

Although He Kui was supposed to handle repairs, Lowe, hearing about He Kui's feats, was even more enthusiastic than He Kui himself.

With this level of skill, maybe the Atlantic Federation really did set a trap to capture him.

If so, Lowe's usual luck must've brought him to witness this.

And perhaps this Aegis would even help him fix the flaws in his own Katana model.

Hearing this, He Kui frowned slightly. Yulan Port was only a small port, so it wasn't realistic to expect replacement parts for the Strike.

It was also the lack of a major radar system that allowed him to dock unnoticed.

But repairing the mobile suit to withstand atmospheric reentry posed a big challenge, as the Dagger's frame likely wouldn't hold up.

Though he had some stock of PS armor and anti-beam coatings salvaged from a Dagger he'd destroyed, transporting them here would be a hassle.

"…Then, I'll abandon this mobile suit."

"What?"

Both Lowe and Elena stared at him in shock.

Especially Lowe, who couldn't understand He Kui's willingness to abandon his MS so casually. To him, every MS had a soul, an essence that shouldn't be discarded lightly.

"I want to merge its parts with Elena's Strike to create a dual-seater configuration."

As He Kui spoke, a virtual screen displayed both suits with their structures starting to transform.

Though he couldn't fully predict the integration process in one go, Lowe's initial frown quickly turned into an excited grin as he studied the screen.

"This is incredible!"

"Isn't it?"

He Kui had expected Lowe's reaction.

"Even if the combined suit's speed increases, structural integrity might still be an issue."

"We can add a limiter."

"Perfect!"

Lowe's excitement was palpable.

Elena happily hugged He Kui.

"So I can go into battle with A?"

"Yes, that's right."

It was clear Elena would insist on fighting no matter what, so He Kui figured it was best to design an emergency escape system for her. His fighting style as Aegis wasn't exactly suitable for her, and his mobile suit's defense was still a concern.

"Ah, Aegis's unconventional ideas always remind me of someone."

Lowe's nostalgic interruption broke their brief moment.

"Who?" Elena asked, curious.

"Director He Kui. He's a friend of mine!"

Lowe proudly declared.

"…"

"That guy again? Aegis isn't like him!"

Unlike Lowe, Elena reacted strongly, clearly annoyed by the mention of He Kui's name.

She hadn't forgotten how a ZAFT youth once tried to introduce Aegis to He Kui.

"You know He Kui?"

Lowe didn't mind her attitude, only sounding curious.

"No, and I don't want to know him either!"

Seeing Elena's indignant expression, Lowe suddenly recalled the rumors surrounding He Kui.

He was rumored to be a lustful demon, someone who wouldn't even spare married women.

Could he have set his sights on the South American Union?

Looking closer, he realized Elena was indeed quite beautiful.

Her mixed heritage had given her the best features of both worlds—striking and radiant with bright, expressive eyes.

"He Kui, terrifying indeed…"

After parting with the two, Lowe found himself mumbling.

"Lowe! What's wrong?"

Shuri's repeated calls brought Lowe back to his senses.

"Nothing."

"Then let's go! We still have to report to the port chief!"

"Alright."

If she were He Kui's girlfriend, Lowe figured he should at least watch out for her. After all, how could he face his friend if he didn't?

With this in mind, Lowe's resolve grew even stronger.

Meanwhile, entirely unaware of Lowe's misinterpretation of their relationship, He Kui settled Elena in and was soon summoned back to the radar room by an urgent message from Juell.