Gundam, Gravity Elegy

That's what he said, but the man just grinned.

He didn't speak, but a powerful drumbeat echoed through the room:

"Music! Music—Free Jazz!"

"Tsk, did you modify the underlying commands of my Hello while I was away?"

"No, I wouldn't touch other people's things casually. I only discovered that it can play music because I was bored and wanted to tease it."

He casually sat down on another bed and patted the mechanical ball's head.

"This mechanical pet is amazing! It's a shame we didn't have anything this convenient when I was a kid!"

Io Fleming, a member of Side 4, was more of an alien than an Earthling.

To be honest, Gao Ren felt that he and this guy were never on the same page. The jazz music that the other guy liked only played annoying drumbeats to his ears. The age gap meant that the two of them had no overlap in their interests.

However, this does not mean they have no common topics:

"Ouch, Ah Ren, do you have any tissues?"

Of course, that's not what I'm referring to.

Io's rhinitis is essentially a result of his maladaptation to the environment. As a resident of a space colony, coupled with his privileged childhood, this man has always lived in an area with an exceptionally high-quality air circulation system.

But things were different when they came to Earth:

"To be honest, I still feel like I haven't adapted to the environment in Gabro yet. The air underground in the rainforest makes my nose itchy."

"That's why you need this sometimes."

After handing over the tissue, Gao Ren casually turned on the air purifier in the corner:

"You should at least learn to turn this thing on in advance to improve the air quality."

"Indeed, but I always forget, so I guess I'll have to trouble you again."

Looking at Io's carefree and undisciplined demeanor, Gao Ren shrugged helplessly.

In the past, as a roommate, he would have helped with such a small thing.

But now...

"I'm afraid that won't work."

"Ok?"

As he lay on his bed, the jazz man's eyes swept over him.

Meeting his questioning gaze, Gao Ren calmly spoke:

"I've graduated. The specific transfer order should be sent to the school soon."

"That means—"

Suddenly, Iona's body, which had been lying flat, bounced up like a spring.

At the same time, the loose rhythm of jazz seems to finally reach its soaring notes:

"Are you going to the battlefield?!"

"Ah."

"Tsk—"

After receiving a clear answer, an instinctive displeasure first appeared on his face.

But soon...

"That's great, I want to get to the battlefield as soon as possible."

He sighed at this.

This was by no means flattery or sarcasm; with just a glance, Gao Ren could see pure envy on Io's face.

Just like how he clearly had his own way out, but chose to join the Earth Federation Army, this guy is essentially a battle maniac, with a void in his eyes that always yearns to be filled by battle.

"I really want to experience real combat, instead of just staying here playing simulated battles on training machines."

"However, there is no second chance on a real battlefield."

"Wouldn't that be even more exciting?"

He grinned:

This is, after all, an abnormal world where one can become a hero simply by killing. Whether it's using others as stepping stones or falling as a star, it's all just a matter of a moment... Or perhaps you actually want me to play the role of a caring older brother and comfort you?"

"Let's skip it."

Looking at the other person's incredibly strange smile, Gao Ren couldn't help but shudder.

Just imagining such a thing in his mind sent chills down his spine.

“That’s right, that’s it—although you are indeed young, so young that the oldest guys in our ‘class’ could treat you like a son, we are essentially the same kind of people—just unlucky souls twisted by this world. Melancholy and sentimentality are not suitable for us.”

At this point, he suddenly pulled out a phone and started tapping away. The screen was filled with a constant stream of clicking sounds, which Gao Ren could hear clearly.

"what are you doing?"

"Send a message to the others."

Io casually picked up a tissue to wipe away the snot running from his nose and laughed:

"Given that this may be our last goodbye, don't you think it would be perfect to have a 'graduation party'?"

Chapter 5: Project RX, Operation V, and the Party

Mobile Suit

As a new type of weapon that emerged when all known and efficient long-range guidance methods had failed and when traditional beyond-visual-range strikes and the doctrine of giant ships and cannons collapsed, the Earth Federation could not possibly have started researching it only after allowing the Principality of Zeon to declare war completely.

About three years ago, or even earlier, the Earth Federation had already begun to put the development of mobile suits on the agenda. As part of military modernization, the project itself was not taken seriously. Not only politicians, but even the military itself opposed the development of this new weapon, which was considered to have no future.

However, the sudden declaration of war and the defeat on the main battlefield shattered the pride of the Federation Army. After the Battle of Loum, the Federation Army, having been badly hurt, finally decided to put the project that had been shelved on the agenda in full:

The RX project stands for Reset and Experimental.

As the Federation planned to accelerate the development of MS, the plans for tactics and various support items built around MS were also given the green light and integrated into a massive budget project—Operation V.

It has everything from warships and fighter jets to all kinds of equipment, and of course, another indispensable thing is the pilot.

In order to quickly master the mobile suits that will be deployed on a large scale in the future, pilot training is being expedited in various battlefields. At the Federation Forces headquarters—the underground base Gabroe Officer School—it has directly connected with the RX Project and specially opened a pilot training course.

Thus, the massive and cumbersome machine of the Earth Federation, now fully fueled, began to run again.

However, occasionally one or two tiny gears would emit a faint, mournful groan.

"Sigh, I have to lecture those people again."

Walking down the corridor, the man couldn't help but feel dejected.

His name is William Camp. He is a participant and test pilot in the RX Project, and now serves as an instructor in the MS Special Class and a lieutenant in the Earth Federation Forces.

In the midst of war, most of those remaining in military academies are civilian personnel. Under these circumstances, the two stars on their shoulders should put considerable pressure on the students and those aspiring non-commissioned officers, thereby establishing their authority.

However, the problem lies in the fact that the composition of the special pilot class is somewhat unique.

The few guys who could be counted on two hands came from all over the country, and the vast majority of them were elites who had been recommended.

There were elites who had graduated from military academies, and outstanding individuals who fought on the front lines and earned merits, thus gaining opportunities for promotion. In terms of rank and status, these two were no lower than him.

Putting all that aside, the class also includes, but is not limited to, 'manic young people stuffed in by some mysterious faction' and 'the son of a deceased government leader'.

With all these different identities coming at him, Mr. William felt like he was living in a dream.

And then there's the recently famous 'Son of Sydney'.

Yes, the son of Sydney!

"Gao Ren..."

William felt a toothache just thinking about that 14-year-old child.

Previously at Side7, the fact that three young men dared to drive directly into a military restricted area, and that Director Lei's son seemed to know some information, was enough to shock him.

Now, back on Earth, we see another kid leading a group of people in a brawl at the military academy.

Are kids these days so precocious?

And he's really scary.

Regardless of the progress of others, that child absorbed everything like a sponge. As a participant and test pilot in the RX project, Mr. William's foundation was completely exhausted in just one month, and he could even motivate his classmates to make progress together.

So what else can we teach those guys?

Tactical assessment?

Basic skills?

At least it wasn't a real combat exercise.

Thinking of this, Lieutenant William couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief:

"After all, MS only has this much stuff, and they are the elite of the elite."

The lieutenant couldn't help but comfort himself with this thought.

Although there may be some nepotism involved, those who graduate from the Gabro Military Academy are bound to achieve remarkable success as long as they can withstand the trials of the battlefield.

"So, elites, today's lesson will be..."

'Clang'

'Splash'

Just as Mr. William pushed open the classroom door, the subtle chill from beneath Gabrielle made his neck go cold.

"Uh……"

He wanted to say something, but the empty classroom, deserted and with only one person left, left him feeling lost.

Is that correct?

Shouldn't it be class time now?

With this thought in mind, he turned his gaze to the only man still present:

"Lieutenant Barninger."

"Yes, Instructor."

Looking at that face that was clearly older than his own, William couldn't help but blink his eyes, which were inexplicably starting to hurt.

"...What about the other trainees?"

"Oh, they went to a party."

"Go where?"

"reunion."

Without any hesitation, Lieutenant South Barninger, a former fighter pilot, spoke earnestly.

"Because our youngest member, Lieutenant Gao Ren, is leaving tomorrow, we thought we'd throw him a farewell party."

Then, he walked out of the classroom:

"I apologize for being so rude, but I also have to attend the party. My apology and reflection regarding this absence will be submitted to your desk tomorrow."

So why did I come to this place to be an instructor in the first place?

…………

"If you ask me, Kemp will definitely have a dark look on his face."

“He always acts like he’s something special, practically looking down on people. It’s good to leave him out there and let him cool off.”

"Tch, you look cool when you say that, but you look pathetic when you're writing your self-criticism, Lieutenant Philip."

"Tch, it's just an inspection, this kind of thing... wait, I have a good idea, Lieutenant Ruth, how about we have a contest, and the loser has to write the other's self-criticism and letter of reflection?"

"Okay, Albert, are you going?"

So what should a party or gathering actually be like?

Gao Ren had never had any specific impression of this.