The shining Shoko Toyokawa

As soon as Jinna finished speaking, the steel battleship exploded.

"Ugh!"

The pilot screamed, and the MS signal completely disappeared.

With that MS as a 'shield', and the Rikdias's armor being stronger, it was incredibly capable of moving.

"Get away from Maya-san!"

Seeing this, Jinna's heart was relieved a little, and she flew towards the direction of Momoka's body.

"Catch me, Niina! The cockpit is malfunctioning and I can't escape."

"Ms. MMK!"

Momoka's communication brought Nina back to her senses after she suddenly 'heard' about death.

She quickly manipulated the Gundam to adjust its posture and slow down.

The next moment, Taoxiang, holding an emergency flashlight, left the cockpit.

In the pitch-black universe, only the light of the flashlight and the flames of the explosion behind it kept flickering.

The girl manipulated the robotic arm to catch Taoxiang, and immediately turned back to look for the red MS.

At this moment, the Magellan class, which had been experiencing small explosions continuously, exploded with a loud bang.

Exploding in the universe will hardly transmit lethal force in the form of shock waves.

But you have to be careful of the fragments produced by the explosion. Without atmospheric deceleration, they can spread tens of thousands of meters and have the same lethality.

"No…"

"no!"

The girl glanced around several times, but found nothing.

Her eyes instantly turned red.

"Maya-san?! Are you still alive?!"

Of course, no one responded.

"Maya... San..."

Tears blurred the girl's vision.

She thought of the starry sky they watched last night.

Thinking of her gentle and fatal voice when she asked me to return to the Agama for supplies,

At this moment, she understood why Maya wanted to fight alone.

It turns out... losing a friend is such a painful thing...

"Nina...don't cry, I'm still here."

"!!!"

Renai subconsciously looked in the direction of the 'sound'.

The red machine was right below the Gundam. As the Gundam slowed down to save people, it actually flew ahead of the Gundam.

The girl, who thought she was behind, didn't pay attention to the front and naturally didn't notice her.

As for the reason for not using radio communication, Likdias was in a terrible state after being affected by the explosion, so his communication equipment must have been damaged.

'Maya-san!'

Renai wanted to say something to her, but it felt like she had hit a wall and couldn't communicate at all.

"Maya-san, you're like this again..."

The girl shook her head and shed the tears that were floating like pearls in her helmet onto her face and the lining. In her joy, her fists hardened again.

When the Gundam returned to the ship first, the main gun of the Agama once again emitted "brilliance", and the beam slid straight through the dark universe, as if welcoming their return.

The wreckage of Caius's fleet explosion might cause obstruction, so after entering the range, the Argama began to clear the passage with its main guns.

Under the illumination of the beam, the embarrassed Likdias also landed.

After entering the warehouse, Rencai opened the cockpit and wanted to float over and have a "cordial" exchange with Maya.

But when I saw the two people being sent away by medical staff, I couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"Could Maya-san also be injured?"

Chapter 22: Look, I'll fix you! (Please don't fight alone anymore)

"Maya-san, Maya-san!"

When Renai opened the cockpit of the Ricodias with the help of the ground staff, the blonde girl in the red cockpit uniform looked up at her and forced a smile.

"Nina, it looks like the hatch is malfunctioning too."

The girl first came forward to carefully observe Maya's driving suit and face. After confirming that the driving suit was intact and there was no blood, she breathed a sigh of relief.

But what immediately surged into my heart was anger!

"Why did you lie to me? Why did you ask me to come back for supplies?!"

To be honest, even if she had joined everyone in the fight from the beginning, Nina wasn't sure she could have gotten a better result than she did now.

Maybe even if she drives a Gundam, she will be no different from other people and will be killed on the way to charge.

When the shield was destroyed, she thought she was going to be killed.

In the end, she was able to sink that Magellan-class ship, half due to luck and the other half due to everyone's courage.

The girl knew that Maya was worried about her, but even if she had ten thousand reasons, she would not forgive Maya for abandoning her.

"Because you're not a Federation soldier, Rencai, you have no obligation to do these things with us."

Maya didn't even try to avoid the girl's question. "You still have a family, don't you? What would happen to your family if those bastards in Caius knew you sank their warship?"

"You're such a talker!"

This time, Rencai was not fooled by her "truths".

“Even if I’m not a soldier, not your… comrade, what about Colonel Natasha and Lieutenant Momoka?!

"Aren't they your comrades too?!"

"Why don't you discuss it with them?!"

"Why aren't you waiting for everyone?!"

"The battlefield is changing rapidly..." Maya turned her head away, not looking at the girl. "I thought I had a chance, so I misjudged the situation."

It would have been fine if she hadn't tried to quibble, but once she did, Rencai got even angrier. "You're lying again, treating me like a child again!"

Rencai grabbed Maya's collar and shook her back and forth.

"Tell me the real reason! How would I know if you don't tell me?!"

"What's the point of you knowing!" Maya, who was already in a heavy mood, exploded, "Please don't make me worry anymore, okay!

If you died and I survived, how would I explain this to your family?!

For the sake of world peace, love and hope, I sent your daughter to the battlefield. She fought bravely and killed many enemies. She died a worthy and glorious death.

If I say this, will your family be able to accept it and not be sad?

Won't you ask me for a daughter?

You keep asking me why, why, so I'll just tell you straight away!"

Maya ripped off her helmet, revealing messy blonde hair and a face filled with sadness.

"Because you're all too weak! If I stay with you, I'll definitely be the only one left in the end, just like before!"

"Too...too weak?"

Renai could hardly believe her ears.

"You! How dare you say that!"

She unbuckled Maya and pulled her out of the cockpit. She used the force of the aircraft to throw Maya against the wall of the hangar and took off her helmet.

"You can only tell if you're weak by trying it. Guys like you, watch me correct you!"

"Stop it! What's the point of doing something like this?!"

"How can it be meaningless to beat up a self-righteous adult? Captain Maya, grit your teeth! Even a 'child's' fist hurts!"

After saying that, Rencai leaped up and rushed towards Maya who had just adjusted her posture and was standing on the wall.

"Rencai..."

Maya quickly used the wall to avoid it.

But Jinna also used the force, and her speed was even faster than the confused girl.

"Just give me enough!"

Realizing that dodging like this was not an option, Maya tapped the ceiling of the hangar with her toes and flew towards Nina at breakneck speed. At the moment the girl swung her fist, she grabbed her wrist.

"I've already said it..."

Maya flew backwards before she could finish her words.

She grabbed Renai's hand, but she didn't expect her to be so wild that she even used her feet.

With nowhere to gain leverage in the air, the two men flew backwards at the same time, one flying to the floor and the other flying to the ceiling.

Feeling the pain in her stomach, Maya was a little bit unbelievable.

She really didn't expect that the girl would really hit her.

Rencai attacked again, and it was obviously meaningless to talk about stopping.

"Nina, if you don't stop, I'm going to resort to adult violence!"

Maya clenched her fists.

…………

……

"So, this is why you fought with a little kid and lost?"

Looking at Maya, whose face was red in several places and some were blue and purple, Taoxiang was a little amused.

"This is probably what youth is all about..." Maya argued... Ugh, she explained: "I didn't fight with her, just like people don't fight with cats.

Yes, these scratches are like being scratched by a wild cat."

"How gentle, Captain Maya," Momoka, who was fixed on the bed, stretched out her hand to Maya, "Nina came to see me just now, and there was no wound on her face. Captain, you are not an adult who can hit a child.

Sometimes, I really wish you wouldn't be so gentle, Captain.

Because the more gentle a person is, the more easily they are hurt."

"Momoka..." Maya held her hand, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"Captain, you already asked Colonel Natasha to find someone to take care of Niina's family when we boarded the Argama.

Why didn't you tell Rencai about these things?"

"...I was afraid that if Nina didn't have any scruples, she would end up getting sucked deeper and deeper...but now it's turned out like this..."

Maya's voice was low. "That child is truly talented as a pilot. In the end... his soul might be devoured by the battlefield."

"Is that so..." Taoxiang looked at her and whispered, "But I don't think that will happen, because you, Captain, are by her side, so her soul will not be devoured by the battlefield."

"Momoka..." Maya was at her wit's end, facing the girl who had always trusted her too much.

She stayed in the ward for a while, and when she was about to leave, Taoxiang called her.

"Feel sorry…"

What was she apologizing for?

Perhaps it was an apology for involving Maya again,

Or maybe, she apologized because she was 'too weak' and could not let Maya rely on her.

Maya herself couldn't figure it out.