Who is Playing the Love Development Game in Gundam

It looked as if Lacus had come alone, but He Kui could already sense several bodyguard-like figures through the vibrations of his wrist device, not to mention several of his Owl drones stationed around the area.

If he had only sent ordinary drones, he would not have been able to locate all of them, but he had cautiously deployed his advanced models ahead of time. As high-tech surveillance devices, their counter-detection capabilities exceeded even Lacus's.

"Miss Lacus, shouldn't you be trying to blend in a little?"

As a national idol and the recognized 'Princess,' Lacus was likely a key target for Blue Cosmos. And if she were to die, PLANT would surely wage an unrelenting battle against Earth—a terrorist organization's exact intent.

"Oh, it's simple~"

Lacus pulled out an oversized pair of sunglasses and a stylish beret, carefully placing them on her pink hair.

The disguise was enough to make her look like Lacus without drawing too much attention. After her rise to fame, plenty of girls had started dying their hair pink in admiration, so pink hair was far from rare on the streets now.

"Well? How do I look?" Lacus asked with a playful, triumphant smile.

"Very nice."

With that, He Kui and Lacus left the VIP lounge together. Lica and Iron Wall, stationed outside, witnessed the surprising scene.

Seeing the pair, Iron Wall's normally stoic face lit up with astonishment as he looked over at Lica.

"Am I seeing things?"

"...No."

If she hadn't been wearing her glasses, Lica would have been tempted to rub her eyes. He Kui with Lacus? Was she dreaming?

Then again, thinking it over, this move wasn't entirely unreasonable. Given He Kui's current status and influence, the Clyne faction might indeed send Lacus herself as a gesture of goodwill if they wanted to win him over.

But...Iron Wall was from the Zala faction, after all, and Lacus was still technically engaged to Athrun Zala.

Sure enough, as he watched them walk away, Iron Wall's brow furrowed in concentration.

"Um…"

Lica was about to say something to keep Iron Wall from doing anything impulsive, but he interrupted her.

"No wonder he's our Director He! Is he planning to win over Lacus for the Zala faction?"

"…"

Is he aware that Lacus is our commander's fiancée? Lica thought to herself. But, figuring it was better to stay out of it, she kept her mouth shut.

Besides, the two of them weren't even holding hands; it didn't look much like a date.

Actually, Lica's worries were unfounded. Everyone knew that Athrun's engagement to Lacus was a political arrangement. If they'd been close, that would be one thing, but Athrun was notorious for being unaffected by the many girls around him, and their engagement had long been tenuous.

And with the ongoing factional disputes, marriage wouldn't solve anything. Even Zala couldn't fully control his faction, and the same went for Clyne. Their marriage wouldn't magically unite the two groups.

As the two debated in the background, He Kui and Lacus exited through the central elevator and got into a rather unassuming car.

"How about we head to the Botanical Garden District?" He Kui, as the host, suggested.

"Sounds great~"

Lacus seemed agreeable, willing to go wherever he suggested. But being easygoing in trivial matters didn't mean she was the same in everything.

"How's your research been lately, He Kui?"

"Pretty smooth."

"That's good to hear. Your work could shape PLANT's future direction."

Lacus's words weren't flattery; they reflected reality.

"And how's your faction's proposal coming along?"

"Oh, my father and Councilor Kanaba are handling that together. I'm just a civilian."

"..."

Why were they probing each other during a casual outing?

Resigned, He Kui looked out the window as the car arrived in the shopping district.

It was a weekday morning, so the shopping plaza was fairly empty, with just a few people milling around. Another dozen people, dressed as civilians or blending in as store staff, discreetly took up positions. In this crowd, He Kui and Lacus weren't particularly noticeable.

"There may be new developments in the Atlantic Federation soon."

As they strolled through the wide corridor, Lacus spoke in a hushed tone, only audible to the two of them.

Hearing this, He Kui's instinct was to focus intently on her words.

The Clyne faction's intelligence network was likely more extensive than Matthias's. The group's ability to infiltrate was rooted in the appeal of peace; whenever people grew tired of war, they had an opening to operate.

Thus, their network of informants was likely extensive.

Of course, most of these agents, as He Kui guessed, were probably only informants, sharing information due to shared ideals rather than extremism. Unlike Blue Cosmos, they weren't fanatics.

"What developments?"

"Do you know about those three mobile suits?"

"Which three?"

"Forbidden, Calamity, and Raider."

Her calm words reached his ears.

"Yes, I'm aware."

The Defense Council had even asked him to analyze the weaknesses of these three suits.

"Then you must know that each of those suits is as powerful as our new models."

"And their pilots are on par with, if not more skilled and reckless than, elite Red Coats."

Lacus explained softly.

"Do you know their location?"

He Kui knew of their existence, but not their whereabouts.

"The last sighting was in Alaska, but recently…they've vanished."

He Kui's expression turned serious, contrasting with the relaxed ambiance around them.

"Why tell me this?"

"Because Aegis has been sighted in both South America and Orb. If that's the case, they might encounter these suits sooner or later. Just a heads-up for your…friends."

Beneath Lacus's smile was an implied understanding.

At first, Pallas's operations had been sparse, shrouding it in mystery. But as the group's movements became more visible, leaving more clues, Lacus could increasingly discern the true objectives of "Pallas."

"Sorry, I don't have their contact information."

"Maybe so. Then, Director He, just consider it a case of me worrying over nothing."

Her smile was as beautiful as ever, but He Kui could only return a helpless smile, choosing not to respond.

"Oh! That store has such nice clothes~ Shall we take a look?"

As if the serious discussion hadn't happened, Lacus reverted to her playful, lively self.

"Sure."

Whether it was about the war or Lacus herself, He Kui realized he still had a long road ah

ead of him. For now, though, he needed to focus on Orb. If the Atlantic Federation managed to return to space, everyone could be in danger.