Gundam, Gravity Elegy

"It's 'Sister Shirley'!"

The woman gently poked his forehead with her two slender fingers:

"Seriously, do you really like that stuff in the military?"

"I just felt that I should start adapting in advance."

"Small in stature but big in mind."

Shirley pursed her lips, then reached out and tugged at his somewhat pale cheek:

"Okay, hurry up and get in the car. I'll take you back to your dorm to take a shower."

Chapter Three: Early Graduation

Shirley Page was already a lieutenant in the Earth Federation Forces at the age of 18.

Theoretically speaking, Gao Ren would never have crossed paths with such a person in his life.

But just as he joined the Earth Federation Army as a 'volunteer' at the age of 14, the woman in front of him who had once pulled him out of the sea naturally became his guardian.

In other words, it means... parents.

Although, Gao Ren had absolutely no real experience with this.

"Honestly, I was terrified when I received this news. I've only been away from Gabriel García Márquez for about a week. I just went to Belfast for a short trip, and you managed to cause such a huge mess for me."

Although the complaints that came out of his mouth seemed to have the temperament of a middle-aged or elderly woman, and the outline revealed by the double-glazed glass seemed to depict the appearance of a matriarch, he felt a little uncomfortable thinking about how she was not much older than him and her usual attitude.

"In the end, it's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? Then explain to me what—why were you the only one locked up three days ago when more than ten people were involved in the fight, with five seriously injured?"

'Splash'

Gao Ren turned on the tap, and the hot water he had adjusted cascaded down from the high showerhead, washing over his hair and body.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm born with superhuman strength and I can take down five people on the other side and send them to the hospital all by myself."

The showerhead in the dormitory wasn't particularly comfortable; the water droplets washing away the grime also created a scalding, stinging sensation—just like what that woman was saying:

"One against five? With your still-developing physique? What kind of people do you think the military academy is full of?"

"But the person was locked up and a report was written, and that's how the matter is defined."

"Qualitative analysis..."

The sounds mingled with the water's splash, the noises coming from the bathroom, left Shirley speechless:

"It doesn't sound like something a 14-year-old would say."

"It's wrong of you 'adults' to treat others like children."

Looking at the blurry outline, Shirley couldn't help but purse her lips:

"She's clearly not even as tall as me..."

"It's not determined by height. It's like that idiot in our class who looks tough and arrogant is actually just a nobody in our class."

"..."

Honestly, Shirley didn't expect him to respond to her sentiments at all; in fact, she was consciously keeping her voice down.

It can only be said that Gao Ren not only has keen senses, but his responses are also both laughable and exasperating:

"So, after all that arguing, can our sharp-tongued 'little adult' tell me the truth?"

She asked:

What happened at the school?

'crunch'

Suddenly, the sound of water stopped:

"Reinard and his cronies, those guys were a bit rude."

However, under normal circumstances, this should not be enough to escalate into a serious accident.

unless……

“Those guys asked me why I didn’t die in Sydney with my mother.”

Suddenly, Shirley felt as if her breath had stopped.

She instinctively tried to say something, but no sound came out in time. And from just behind the door, a voice echoed with unmistakable clarity:

"They say I'm a jinx, that I've not only killed people in Sydney, but that people on the front lines are still dying because of me."

It was as if there were no emotional fluctuations; the most simple and honest words were simply conveyed from the bathroom.

Even if the person involved seems indifferent to it, the listener can't help but defend themselves:

"No, that kind of talk is completely..."

"Bullshit."

'Click'

The bathroom door finally opened, and Shirley saw Gao Ren's calm smile:

"Of course I know that—"

Wearing a loose t-shirt, he walked to the refrigerator and opened a can of ice-cold Coke for himself.

"In fact, my current delicate situation is caused by the Federal Army's cultural troupe and internal propaganda department. Because I am a survivor in Sydney, they want to mold me into a morale-boosting figurehead. To this end, they will persuade me to join the army, allow me to enter the officer school without prior qualifications, and even let me join a temporary pilot training class."

After downing half a can of carbonated beverage in one go, Gao Ren couldn't help but exhale a breath of cooled air.

Then, he plopped down on the bed:

"It is precisely because I know this that I can probably... well, understand the root of some people's anger."

"Aren..."

"You should know, Sister Shirley, that my military rank is just a nominal one, given to me only for propaganda purposes. But now that the Federation Army is suffering defeat after defeat, it's natural that some people will harbor resentment towards me."

Seeing the woman's hesitant expression, Gao Ren simply smiled:

"'Why is his rank higher than mine?' 'Why did he get into officer school without having to pay a price?'—those people didn't dare complain about their superiors, didn't dare blame the decision-makers, they only dared to resent me. Looking back now, I feel sorry for those guys..."

However, before he could completely shut his mouth or finish speaking, that seemingly delicate hand had already touched his forehead.

When the rough touch of the thick calluses brought Gao Ren back to reality, he was met with the woman's helpless gaze.

"Although you can analyze these things thoroughly now, you still acted on emotion in the end."

"There was no other way, was there? By the time I came to my senses, my fist had already been thrown."

After gently rubbing his temples, Gao Ren's expression gradually became subtle:

"I don't know how to describe that state. I would say I was very clear about what I was doing, but I just couldn't control my body. My mind was completely blank."

"So, you have to bear the consequences of causing this riot."

Upon hearing this, Gao Ren paused.

He casually placed the red can of Coke on the bedside table and smiled.

"Have they arrived?"

You guessed it?

"After all, the attitude of the military police when they released me was a bit off. As the instigator of the riot, my three-day confinement was too short, not to mention that the military police even put Leonard, who should have been in the hospital, into the confinement room."

At this point, Gao Ren paused.

He didn't say everything, but the answer was practically laid bare:

"Shouldn't I have worse options than being 'confined' and 'punished'?"

"To be precise, it's us."

"Ok?"

"Gao Ren, a student of the Earth Federation Military Academy's Special Training Program for MS Pilots, step forward!"

"To!"

Gao Ren stood up. Although his clothes were still a bit loose, his steady military posture still made Shirley lose her composure.

She instinctively wanted to smile, but the contradiction of reality made her expression serious.

"Due to outstanding academic performance, you are hereby granted early graduation and transferred to the Group Experimental Arms Froce (GFOR), and shall report to the Gabro factory immediately tomorrow."

Author's message

…………

G4 refers to the unit Christina was in in 0080.

The original G4 project and G4 unit settings are inconsistent; this is to ensure consistency.

Chapter Four: The Jazz

Graduation and registration.

In a typical school setting, these two words might symbolize leaving the sheltered environment and entering society; if viewed more positively, they could also signify a job sufficient to make a living.

But military academies during wartime are completely different. Once you leave school, you inevitably join the military. And given the current state of the Earth Federation, this means only one thing:

"Frontline! Frontline!"

Just as Gao Ren couldn't help but close his eyes and ponder, the mechanical voice echoing in his ears made him scratch his head.

Of course, even if his thoughts were disturbed, he couldn't be angry with anyone. Not to mention that his 'sister' had already left early due to work, the one speaking now wasn't even a 'person'.

"Battlefield! Battlefield!"

When he opened his eyes, he saw a black sphere automatically detach from the special charging socket in the corner and roll all the way to him.

The Hello, a family-friendly companion pet robot, is actually a children's toy that was launched and popularized by Sun Toys at the end of last year.

Not only can it facilitate simple daily conversations, but it also has a small computer for children to use, with a camera function, making it a companion that can grow up with children—at least that's what the advertisements claim.

Gao Ren can still remember the excitement he felt when he first saw the advertisement for it, and he even begged his mother for a long time for it.

But when Gao Ren actually got his hands on it, he regretted it, because this thing was definitely a case of false advertising.

Its level of intelligence is about the same as that of a robot vacuum cleaner, and its so-called simple dialogue is nothing more than randomly combining words selected from an input word bank.

If there's anything truly special about it, it's probably just that it has some slightly unique souvenirs.

After all, it was the only thing that 'survived' from Sydney, and his only connection to the past.

"Aren! Aren!"

"Danger! Danger!"

"So whenever I want to show you some respect, you have to speak up."

Listening to those monotonous electronic sounds, Gao Ren couldn't help but gently push it away:

"That sounds like you're cursing me."

"what--"

Amidst that monotonous 'scream,' the small, black ball rolled all the way to the doorway.

immediately……

'Drip drip'

Of course, it couldn't be the ball that could make the sound. In fact, just as the black ball was about to touch the door, the sound of unlocking was heard:

'Click'

Then, the door opened, and a man swaggered in.

His blond hair stood straight up like a hedgehog, giving him a free-spirited and unruly look.

"Oh, running around everywhere again, little guy, let's play some jazz music."

"So, what kind of instructions are you giving to other people's Haros, Io?"