Gundam: A Gundam Enthusiast's Journey with a Mecha Girl

"In countries that like 'Gekigane', there are no bad people."

Raven and Al, carrying a bag full of models and tools, went into a small restaurant on the street to rest. As soon as they sat down, Al's eyes lit up as he picked up the box of Super Alloy Steel.

"Okay, I know you really like Gekko. But when did you watch Gekko? I don't remember doing that."

"Raven, don't you have the complete BD version of Gekiss Steel on your personal computer?"

Raven was taken aback, then remembered that Al had full access to all his devices; accessing the data on his computer to look at something like Gekiss Iron Man would be a piece of cake...

Raven suddenly broke out in a cold sweat as he remembered something that could be fatal.

"Wait, you mean you go through the images and files stored on my computer when you have nothing to do?"

El nodded.

"So... you also opened that folder called 'The Path to the Philosopher' in the encrypted area of ​​drive D?"

"of course."

Raven immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

“But Raven, you don’t have to worry,” El whispered in Raven’s ear, narrowing her ruby-like eyes. “I’ll keep the contents a secret, like your XINGPI.”

Al deliberately enunciated each syllable clearly right next to Raven's ear, making Raven wish he could disappear into the floor. Fortunately, the waiter's voice rescued Raven from the embarrassment.

"Sir, your Kebap is ready. What kind of sauce would you like to add?"

"Thank you for the chili sauce."

"Wait a minute!"

The burly man who had been sitting at the table next to Raven suddenly stood up and spoke loudly in his booming voice.

"Kebap tastes best with yogurt sauce!"

Chapter 41 Bananadia Holiday (2)

"Kebap tastes best with yogurt sauce!"

Raven recognized Andrew Butterfield at a glance—the sunglasses-wearing man who had declared 'yogurt sauce is the best in the world'.

Raven followed the purchasing team to Bananadia, hoping to take El out for a stroll and perhaps even try his luck to meet the man known as the "Desert Tiger."

Although Raven had a general understanding of Andrew's personality, to truly understand someone, one ultimately needs to meet them in person.

Moreover, having finally made it to North Africa with the Archangel, it would feel like something was missing if I didn't have a cup of coffee brewed by Tiger.

Unexpectedly, the small street shop that Raven randomly chose was the very place where Andrew was staying.

"But I prefer the salty and spicy taste of chili sauce."

Raven wasn't just being argumentative; he genuinely preferred the taste of hot sauce.

"Hey buddy, you and this masked lady don't look like locals. If you are tourists, isn't it the essence of travel to occasionally give up your familiar tastes and try something new?"

Behind his sunglasses, Andrew scrutinized the young man before him with sharp eyes.

"What you say makes sense, so I'll choose that."

Raven picked up the sauce bottles for both hot sauce and yogurt sauce and squeezed them onto one half of the tortilla, filling it completely.

"This way you can enjoy two flavors at the same time."

Andrew was visibly taken aback, his eyebrows behind his sunglasses slightly raised as he looked at Raven thoughtfully.

Just then, at the street corner directly opposite the restaurant, a group of thugs began their operation.

"For a blue and clean universe!"

Accompanying this slogan was a hail of bullets.

Andrew was the first to react. He kicked over the table to use as cover, grabbed Raven by the back of his collar, and pressed down on Al's shoulder with his other hand, forcing the two of them behind the table.

The thugs were terrible marksmen; a burst of fire didn't even scratch Andrew, but a few bullets did hit civilians who couldn't escape in time.

Bullets whizzed past his ears, but Raven remained unfazed, calmly munching on the meat pie in his hand.

“Hey buddy,” Andrew said, pulling out his pistol and peering out from behind the table to observe the location of the thugs across from him. He glanced at Raven out of the corner of his eye, his tone a mix of admiration and exasperation, “You’re certainly impressive for remaining calm under pressure, but can’t you be a little more nervous in the face of a terrorist attack?”

Raven simply shrugged and looked at El beside him.

"It's up to you now."

Al didn't answer. Instead, he seized the opportunity, leaped to the empty table next to him, grabbed the table with one hand to use as a shield, and picked up a chair with the other, hurling it at the thug.

A chair spun and flew in, knocking down several thugs. Then, Al caught several bullets with a table and charged across the street under the fire of the remaining thugs.

She first hurled the table, forcing the thugs to hastily lower their guns and cover their heads. Then, she swiftly closed in on the enemy, punching the nearest unfortunate man in the stomach, causing him to curl up on the ground, clutching his stomach and convulsing. She then spun around and delivered a spinning kick, sending another man flying through the air like a kite with a broken string, crashing through a street window and landing inside a shop, his fate unknown.

These thugs had never seen such a surreal scene before. The fervor they had been stirred up by the slogans vanished instantly. They immediately dropped their guns and turned to run away, but the ZAFT plainclothes agents, who were already in position, were not about to let them escape so easily. Another round of gunfire rang out, and several bloody holes appeared in the bodies of the thugs who turned to run away. They were shot dead on the spot by the ZAFT agents.

"What an ugly farce."

Andrew stood up from behind the bunker, first looking at the girl with surprise at her superhuman skills, then reaching out to help Raven up as he swallowed the last bite of his burrito.

“My name is Andrew Butterfield, the Desert Tiger of ZAFT.” Andrew took off his sunglasses, sizing up the fearless black-haired youth. “What’s your name, buddy?”

"Raven."

The black-haired youth gave a brief answer, then realized it was too simplistic, and after a moment's thought, added something else.

"Recently, the newspapers over there seem to be calling me 'Skyfire Raven,' I don't know if you're familiar with that name."

-----------------

Raven and Al were invited into Andrew's car and taken to his mansion.

El remained tense throughout. Being recognized by the enemy leader on the street and surrounded by ZAFT soldiers, even El couldn't see any possibility of safely escaping with Raven.

ZAFT is an army composed entirely of Coordinators, and Coordinators who have received professional military training are not as easy to deal with as those thugs just now.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine."

Compared to the nervous El, Raven looked relaxed and even had time to comfort El.

Although the Desert Tiger is a difficult enemy to deal with, the fact that he didn't kill the civilians of Tarsier that day, and the prosperous state of Banadia, shows that Andrew is a man with a strong sense of principles.

"You're Andy's friends?"

Upon arriving at the mansion, Raven was greeted by a woman with long blue hair, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit that seemed completely out of place with her gentle demeanor.

“That’s right, Elsa. They’re a very interesting pair, especially the lady in the mask. If it weren’t for her, we might have run into a lot more trouble today.”

Aisha's gaze fell on El, whose robes were now riddled with bullet holes and dust, and were in a terrible state.

“Then please come with me, miss. I’ll help you find some clothes; you can’t keep wearing this tattered robe.”

"No, ma'am, I don't need it..."

El reluctantly took a step back, her voice behind the mask somewhat stiff. Taking off her clothes meant revealing the inhuman parts of her body.

Although El doesn't usually say it, he actually cares a lot about this matter.

Moreover, her going with Elsa meant that Raven would be left to face Andrew alone.

This is different from MS battles. Although Raven trains regularly, he is no match for a professional Coordinator soldier like Andrew.

Raven noticed El's worry, so he lowered his head and leaned close to El's mask, whispering something.

"Just treat this as a novel experience."

Elsa took El's hand and led her away into the depths of the corridor.

"Now that the two beautiful ladies have left, it's time for us men to take over, wouldn't you say, Mr. Raven?"

Andrew opened the door to the meeting room and spoke to Raven.

Chapter 42 Bananadia Holiday (3)

The door to the reception room closed behind him, and the moment Raven entered the room, his gaze was drawn to something placed in the corner of the reception room.

"Is this a replica of 'Evidence 1'?"

Raven took the coffee Andrew handed him.

"How is it? It looks a lot like the original, doesn't it?"

Andrew's voice came from behind Raven.

“The original PLANT document is as big as an entire wall. Every time I look up at it, my neck gets sore.”

As he spoke, he raised the hand that wasn't holding the coffee and gestured in the air, drawing a long arc.

"George Glenn discovered fossils of alien life on Jupiter. If I ever have the chance, I'd love to go to PLANT and see them in person."

Raven's tone carried an undisguised longing; few boys wouldn't be curious about that vast universe, and Raven was no exception.

"I didn't expect you to be interested in this kind of fossil. What, are you tired of being an MS pilot?"

Andrew turned his head, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said in a half-joking tone.

Raven's reaction surprised him; such words didn't sound like something a pure warrior would say.

"I'm just like George Glenn, longing for that starry sky."

Raven turned his head and looked directly into Andrei's eyes.

"Andrew, don't you have even the slightest curiosity about that starry sky?"

Andrew was silent for a few seconds, but finally, he chuckled, took a sip of his coffee, and said.

"This is wartime. As a soldier, all I need to think about is how to defeat the enemy."

"But wars always end. Even soldiers have things they enjoy doing besides fighting, right?"

Raven spoke in a nonchalant tone, while Andrew raised an eyebrow.

Sure enough, this young man was not the pure warrior he was portrayed to be; he should have been in the classroom or laboratory rather than on the battlefield.

"Then tell me, how will this war end?"

Andrew spoke slowly and deliberately, clearly showing he was genuinely interested in Raven.

"War is different from a game. There is no time limit or score, so how do you determine the winner and how do you bring it to a close? Does it have to end when the enemy is wiped out completely?"

"It's very simple: war is not an end in itself, but a means. To truly end war, we must resolve the contradictions that led to it."

Raven spoke slowly and deliberately.

"You don't think you can resolve the conflict between the Coordinator and the Natural Person on your own, do you?"

Andrew's tone was laced with sarcasm. Raven's argument sounded like that of a student just entering society—young, passionate, but naive.

Raven shook his head.

“Coordinators and Naturals? No, Andrew.” He raised his eyes and looked directly into the other’s gaze. “The conflict between Coordinators and Naturals has simply been deliberately intensified.”

Raven took a sip of coffee to moisten his throat and continued.

"What truly needs to be addressed are those corrupt individuals lurking in the shadows of the world, greedily extracting wealth from human society. If they are not eliminated, this war will only repeat itself countless times. Therefore, it is essential to organize a force capable of confronting them."

Looking into Raven's eyes, Andrew noticed that while there was the enthusiasm and innocence typical of young people, Raven's tone was extremely calm.

"Even if what you say is true, how will you organize the power you need? You can't rely on just words."

Raven smiled.

"Naturally, it's all thanks to my connections, my reputation, and my intellect. I'm the designer of the G Project mecha, a war hero of the Allied Forces, and a friend of Commodore Halbarton, commander of the Eighth Fleet."

"So, you're now trying to persuade me, a ZAFT soldier?"

"Regardless of our current stance, I believe that peace-loving people will always come together. I believe that our connection will not be limited to the battlefield."

Looking at Raven, Andrew suddenly thought of Kruse for some reason.

That gloomy guy who always wears a mask probably hates people like Raven the most.

Andrew suddenly thought of it.

A silence fell over the meeting room as the two men silently sipped their coffee.

The silence was broken by the sound of the doorknob being turned.

Aisha led El, who had changed his clothes, into the room.

El's long robe had vanished, replaced by a gothic Lolita dress. Layers of delicate lace adorned the dark purple skirt, adding a touch of mystery to El's serene demeanor. Her legs were encased in white pantyhose, and her arms were tightly covered by long silk gloves. A small shawl draped over her shoulders, concealing her shoulders and neck. A black headband adorned her head, contrasting sharply with her long silver hair. However, she still wore the mask that revealed only a pair of ruby-red eyes.

"What do you think, gentlemen? This outfit took El and me a long time to put together. Isn't it cute? It's just a pity that I'm past the age where I can wear this out in public."