"Still no word from Setsuna? I guess the surveillance is too tight for her to find an opening."
"If only we had some way of knowing what was happening over there..."
"I wonder if Yui is okay? I hope nothing's happened to her..."
At noon the following day, Yugo wore a grim expression as he spoke with Fee and Anhel, who had come to visit him in his room. He let out a groan and crossed his arms. Anhel’s face was equally clouded with unease as she spoke.
"I know Raiha and the others are being moved to a safe house prepared by the Yamato government. I can track their location by following the transmitter I slipped into the communication device, but... well, knowing where they are doesn't really help us."
They could track the enemy's movements if they wanted to, but there wasn't much they could do with that information. They couldn't exactly go around picking a fight with an entire nation. It was common sense, really.
Still, Yugo wanted to at least know if Yui, who had been taken as a hostage, was safe. He felt that if they could confirm she was all right, it would put Ryuga's mind at ease, even if only a little. But as he thought about it, a sharp pang of pain shot through his body, and his face contorted.
"Ugh...!"
"Are you all right, Yugo? Maybe you really should have gone to the hospital."
"I'm fine, it's nothing. You know I didn't get any serious injuries, right, Ann?"
"That might be true, but I'm still worried. When I think about what might have happened to you, Big Brother..."
Fee and Anhel were both deeply concerned for Yugo. During yesterday's incident, he had not only taken repeated attacks from the Magic Armor Beasts but had also thrown himself onto a bomb to protect the civilians. While Anhel knew he had avoided major wounds, it didn't make Fee feel any better after witnessing him dive into such danger.
Anhel let out a weary sigh. Her diagnostic instincts as an engineer told her that Blaster’s defense shouldn’t have been enough to let him walk away from that explosion almost unscathed. As a technician, a friend, and a maiden in love, she finally told him what was on her mind.
"Don't scare us like that," she said. "Between me, Fee, and the others... we're constantly on edge because we know you never know when to stop."
"Yeah, my bad. I'll be careful."
"That’s a promise, okay? No more recklessness. If you break it, I’m going to make some very strange modifications to Blaster."
Yugo nodded as she gave him her firm warning. Just then, the door opened and Melt and Marcos entered the room.
"Yugo, I found out! Raiha and the others are being moved right now, escorted by a group of students Professor Lamy hand-picked!"
"With Professor Lamy? What’s the situation exactly?"
"Yamato is likely trying to keep things as quiet as possible," Marcos explained, stepping into the room. "Mobilizing the Security Force would risk leaking whatever secrets they’re hiding. It’s safer for them to bypass official channels and ask the Academy Side for help instead."
As soon as they arrived, Melt and Marcos relayed everything they had gathered. Then, Melt turned toward Ryuga.
"Ryuga, your sister has your katana. Apparently, she gave the Yamato officials quite a hard time, insisting, 'I'm looking after my brother's Ryuo-ga!'"
"Your sister seems to be a stronger girl than we thought," Marcos added. "There is no need for concern."
"Heh, is that so? If Yui’s the one holding onto it, I can rest easy."
A faint smile played across Ryuga’s lips upon hearing that his sister seemed to be doing well. Yugo was genuinely happy to see his partner look relieved, but a sudden question occurred to him.
"Wait, how did you guys get all this detail? Who told you?"
"Ah... yeah. Well, Claire told us, but..."
Melt's reply was hesitant as she exchanged a look with Marcos. Seeing Yugo’s puzzled expression, Marcos stepped in to finish.
"We heard what we just told you from Claire. However, the one who instructed her to convey this to us... was Zenon."
"Zenon? I see, so it was him..."
"Ryuga, do you know Zenon?"
"Yeah. He helped me out back during the Insect Museum Incident. He was the one who pointed me toward where Yui and the others were being held when I couldn't find them."
Yugo was surprised that Zenon had sent the message through Claire, but he was even more shocked to learn that Ryuga already knew the man. As Yugo’s eyes widened at the revelation that Zenon had saved Ryuga before, Melt spoke up, looking slightly pleased.
"I'm sure Zenon is grateful to you too, Yugo. He just won't show it openly!"
"I see... Maybe that's it."
Perhaps Zenon took the debt of gratitude he owed from the incident with Isaac very seriously. While Yugo hoped Melt was right, the communication device in his pocket suddenly began to vibrate.
"Oh! Speak of the devil! Hello? Setsuna?"
Rejoicing that a call had finally come through, Yugo answered on behalf of the group. He waited for a response from the other end, but as he listened to the strange noises coming through the receiver, his expression turned suspicious.