After wrapping up his work in May City, He Kui returned to the asteroid base.
"Alright, I'm off now~~" Setona cheerfully waved goodbye, holding the gift He Kui had given her as she boarded her shuttle at the asteroid's spacious port.
"Safe travels."
The shuttle Setona boarded belonged to the Junk Guild, so he wasn't too worried about any threats.
"Next time, make sure to pick me up on time, okay?"
"I promise."
He Kui chuckled at her enthusiasm.
"Oh, and…" Setona leaned close and whispered, "If you ever get tired of being here, you're always welcome to visit my home on Mars~ There are lots of fun things there!"
"Mars, huh?"
At the moment, He Kui didn't have plans for Mars. As far as he was concerned, the red planet didn't have much appeal, and he could hardly imagine much "fun" there. Yet, he found Setona's sincere invitation endearing.
Under her hopeful gaze, he nodded. "If I get the chance, I'll come visit."
Formally bidding her goodbye, He Kui made his way to the radar room.
When he logged in, it was afternoon. He opened the cockpit door, and there, standing in the glow of the setting sun, was Elena, excited as she saw him.
"A!"
"Elena, done with training already?"
"No training today~" she grinned. "I just finished my simulation, and they chose me as the pilot for the Raider Assault!"
He Kui responded with a neutral tone. "...Is that so?"
"A, aren't you happy for me?"
"Not at all," He Kui said, shaking his head. This was her country, and he couldn't expect her to stay safe in the rear. He understood that much, at least.
"Wait a bit longer for me—the others should be at the Gundam hangar by now, right?" He Kui asked.
"Yeah, they're all gathered there," Elena said, imitating the gruff tones of the older engineers. "Ahem, as they put it—'All essential parts have been reassembled according to Master Fairy's guidance, only the main control unit needs the Master's personal touch.'"
"Well imitated, but spare me next time," He Kui replied, wincing a bit at her impression.
Elena playfully stuck her tongue out at him.
Under Elena's lead, He Kui soon reached the assembly site. The team of engineers had already been waiting.
"Master, can we watch?" one of the engineers asked, clearly excited yet slightly embarrassed.
"Sure," He Kui replied without hesitation. There wasn't much point in secrecy—several cameras in the room were already capturing his work.
With permission granted, the engineers eagerly observed He Kui's work, occasionally gasping in amazement. Meanwhile, Elena's initial fascination turned to drowsiness, and before long, she was dozing off.
Half a day passed quickly.
As evening set in, the cool sea breeze wafted through, and He Kui finished assembling two main control units for the Raider models. The two fist-sized devices, packed with intricate circuits and tubing, resembled mechanical hearts. He Kui had upgraded them, boosting reaction time by 15%, though the improvement would be beyond Elena's skill to utilize fully.
"So this is the central control component?" one of the engineers asked, awestruck.
"Yes," He Kui replied, handing the unit over for closer inspection. "Let's get these installed and start the assembly process."
The final steps were straightforward. With the main control units in place, the machines were ready for initial tests.
"Huh? Is it dinnertime already?" Elena yawned as she woke, blinking sleepily at the bustling activity around her.
"Just about," He Kui chuckled, patting her on the head. The gesture of familiarity had the nearby engineers wide-eyed, and they exchanged glances that hinted at hope—perhaps Elena had a real chance with him after all?
"Really, Elena, you're a grown woman," one of them teased.
"Mind your own business!" Elena huffed, holding the spot He Kui had just patted, blushing slightly.
The group bantered as they moved toward the two completed units. The sleek blue chassis and powerful build of the Raiders were equipped with many custom components, all except the external armor on the cockpit. The TP armor, which He Kui had previously damaged with a single shot, could not be replaced.
"We're unable to manufacture new TP armor, so be careful out there. Avoid physical attacks to the cockpit if possible," one of the engineers warned, directing the advice mainly toward Elena, as He Kui's skill was already well-known.
"I know, I know~" she replied cheerfully, more excited than worried.
"But Master, is the upgraded system truly functional?" asked another engineer, skeptical but hopeful as he looked toward the young genius.
"No issues whatsoever," He Kui assured him.
"So, A's been cooped up in that cockpit tinkering with the system?" Elena asked with a grin.
"Something like that…" he replied. In truth, the work was done in his asteroid base. The Raider's smart transformation system was essentially an improved version of his automated targeting system for Haro, requiring only minor adjustments.
"By the way, can you handle piloting a plane, Elena?" He Kui asked.
"Oh, I used to fly scouts!" Elena proudly puffed her chest.
"Good. In that case, it should be easy for you to get accustomed to this setup."
"All right, A! Let's go test these babies!"
Elena's enthusiasm was contagious as she jumped into her Raider, a far cry from her sleepy self moments ago.
Seeing her raring
to go, He Kui let out a laugh as he climbed into the cockpit himself.
"Keep up with me, Elena!"