Gundam, Gravity Elegy

But when he came to his senses, his ears were already filled with rousing pop music.

Looking around, he saw that his dormitory room was already filled with some creatures that looked like humans:

Some were playing drinking games, others were arm in arm singing, creating a scene of wailing and howling. This chaotic scene made Gao Ren turn his gaze away.

"So, you actually still have classes in the afternoon, right?"

"That's right."

"So, basically everyone from our class is here, right?"

"That's right."

"So, no one's gone to class yet, right?"

"Yeah, if you look closely you'll see that Jia Dao and Matt, those two proper soldiers, are here too."

Looking at the smug 'culprit', Gao Ren couldn't help but cover his face:

"What? Can't I just leave school normally?"

"Page by page, that way you'll be no different from a regular student."

At this point, Io couldn't help but hug the woman in his arms tighter:

"Our graduation means heading to the front lines of a battlefield, doing work where we risk our lives, and we might die any day now. That's why we need to enjoy life as much as possible in the limited time we have."

Gazing at the jazz bartender's wild declaration, Gao Ren's gaze involuntarily drifted downwards, landing on the woman curled up in Io's arms:

"So you have no objection to this kind of thing, Miss Claudia? If I remember correctly, you're from the sergeant's platoon, right?"

Claudia Perl, also a survivor of Side 4, was granted the right to attend the officer's school directly after Side 4 was destroyed due to her family's financial situation. At the same time, she appears to be the jazzman's girlfriend.

But there is a subtle problem here:

"I...I have no objection."

But after glancing up at the man beside her who was engrossed in his performance, the woman couldn't help but lower her head.

"Our Moorish community has no specific classes scheduled for this afternoon."

The Moor Compatriots – This is the Moor government's own defense organization, similar in nature to the predecessor of the Principality of Zeon's army. It belongs to the Earth Federation Space Force's combat order but also has a certain degree of autonomy.

Of course, now that the organization has not been abolished, even if the colony has been completely destroyed and has to be transferred to Gabro, there are still courses available.

However, that's not the point right now. What's important is that, as one of them, this woman's expression was actually quite complex.

"If you feel uncomfortable, you can actually say so."

"No, Io's view is not wrong."

But your expression doesn't say that!

Looking at the woman who was clearly saying things against her will, Gao Ren felt speechless.

"Jack, what do you think?"

"I have no objection."

Where's Matt?

"If the goal is to relieve stress, then proper relaxation is necessary."

“Naft…”

"Yahoo!"

Before it could even open its mouth, a creature that appeared to be exhibiting atavistic behavior was already backflipping in the very center.

Watching this scene, Gao Ren simply shifted his gaze to a certain man in the corner.

Unlike others, he always seemed to be very quiet.

"Kajima, you..."

"..."

"It's alright, you can go ahead with your work."

Looking at the other person's gaze, which seemed to be telling a story, and that mouth that probably could never be opened except for eating, Gao Ren finally just picked up a glass of drink on the table and gulped it down.

But before he could swallow, the fiery taste made his face turn red:

"Wait, whose wine is this?!"

"Ah, that's mine."

Amid the slight chaos, Gao Ren only saw a girl who looked rather small raise her hand.

Although she is petite in both appearance and figure, her face unconsciously exudes a gentle, almost maternal quality.

"Miss Shiko..."

She clasped her hands together:

Sorry~

Author's message

…………

The storylines of the Undead Fourth Squad, Yong-ge, and Matt (Lost Chronicles) all mention temporary special training for officers, and unlike the on-site training, they all mention that it was held in Gabro.

Although Silver Spears appears relatively unfamiliar in the storyline, considering the Federation's consistent preference for conserving resources, there's no reason to train these first batch of converted students separately.

Chapter Six: A Lifestyle of Going with the Flow

So what exactly are parties and gatherings?

Gao Ren was unable to reach a clear conclusion on this matter until the very end.

There seemed to be no specific goal or any complicated preparations. He simply packed his bags and found that Io had called over all his close friends with one phone call.

Despite having almost no concept of visiting other people's rooms in the dorm, they naturally treated this not-so-large double room as a space for parties.

Then, amidst a burst of laughter whose details I can no longer recall, a mess was left behind... No, wait!

Suddenly, a strong chill emanating from the depths of his heart forced Gao Ren to open his eyes.

When that seemingly unchanging light comes into view, the surrounding environment remains familiar.

The simple double room had two large beds neatly arranged, with a television outside that could receive the news, while his black Haro was quietly charging in the corner.

It was as if the party had never happened:

"It's so clean."

"That's for sure. We cleaned up properly when we left last night."

The sound came from the bathroom, and then you could see that signature golden spiky hair peeking out:

"To be honest, I was planning to clean it up the next day, but Claudia gave me a good scolding."

"That's not normal. If you act like a procrastinator in front of your girlfriend, who else will get scolded if not you?"

However, as he spoke of this, the woman's face involuntarily appeared in Gao Ren's mind again.

It is common for children of the powerful and wealthy to join the military in the Universal Century, especially for residents of space colonies. Because of the vulnerability of the colonies, the influence of the military is directly related to their lives and safety.

However, Claudia's situation cannot be fitted into that conventional formula.

"Speaking of which, why did Miss Per want to join the army?"

"...It's very simple, because at that time, for the colonies, and for us, the only way to travel around without relying on family influence was to join the army."

Upon hearing this, Gao Ren was taken aback.

This was actually quite different from what he had guessed, but there wasn't anything seriously wrong with it.

"Before the war broke out, I was thinking of going to Jupiter, while Claudia wanted to come to Earth, so we studied the simplest courses and did the easiest jobs at school, graduated as fleet service members, and then hoped to travel around."

Of course, this wish was not fulfilled.

Then war broke out:

According to statistics from the Earth Federation, from the Principality of Zeon's declaration of war to its attack on various pro-Federation sides, the initial 'One Week War' alone has resulted in over three billion casualties among space dwellers.

Countless lives and grievances drift through the universe, brewing deep-seated hatreds that are difficult to resolve.

And that's precisely why...

"You've now arrived at the MS pilot training course, and Miss Per is here as a Moore soldier to attend the officer training course."

“Yes, it sounds ironic, doesn’t it? In reality, Claudia and I both tried to escape the influence of our families, but in the end, we still had to rely on them, on the ‘family fortune’ left by my damn old man, to gain the qualifications and strength to go to the battlefield.”

Io made no attempt to avoid the topic.

In fact, according to proper combat order, they shouldn't be in such a place, but since they are here, it's naturally because of their family background.

To be honest, Gao Ren didn't intend to comment on this, after all, he himself had gotten in through connections.

but……

“Miss Perl is not suited to be an officer… no, she is not even suited to be a soldier.”

"But she actually has good grades."

"It has nothing to do with grades; it's a matter of mindset."

Meeting Iona's somewhat surprised gaze, Gao Ren sighed:

“Before, I could tell that she seemed to be under a lot of pressure, but she forced herself to go with the flow and pretend to be strong, so…”

"puff"

Just as Gao Ren was about to explain the reasons in a serious manner, the jazzy man laughed out loud without giving him any face.

However, he quickly waved his hand:

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to mock you, but you know what? Claudia actually said something similar."

"resemblance?"

"Well, actually it's not just her, even our 'classmates' have mentioned this, but they were referring to—you."

"I?"

"Yes."

At that moment, Io's gaze sharpened:

“Compared to us, you are too young. In addition, given your experiences, even Lieutenant Baninger and the gossipy Monsha felt that a ‘kid’ like you should not be sent to the battlefield.”

"But actually I think I've adapted pretty well."

"But is this really adaptation?"

Unbeknownst to Gao Ren, he saw that Io had already placed his hand on his shoulder:

"It has nothing to do with age or so-called adaptability. In fact, I knew the first time I saw you that you are more like us than those professional soldiers."

His words seemed to carry a hint of fanaticism:

"They see the battlefield as their mission, but we see it as our home. We have been robbed of everything by this damned war, and we can find no other solace in it. We are just a bunch of unlucky guys struggling in emptiness."

The predatory look in his eyes made Gao Ren feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

He didn't know how to describe that complex feeling. Perhaps it was the sense of danger he sensed from Io, or perhaps it was the pain of having a wound that hadn't healed yet been ripped open.

However, he also felt that he could completely transcend that simple intuition.

Therefore, he could very easily draw the conclusion:

"This state is not right."

"Yes, that's not right, but what's the way to correct it?"

His attitude was less of mockery and more of a sign of self-abandonment.

but……

The answer is—no.

There was no response, no solution.