Chapter 60: Hidden History
Yuka stood up from the training pod and noticed Fred beside her, his face gloomy and his fists clenched. "Fighting is prohibited in school," she kindly reminded him. "Or else, you’ll be expelled."
Fred’s expression darkened further. He huffed loudly and walked towards Alex.
Startled, Alex instinctively took a defensive stance. Fred’s outstretched hand halted mid-air. He scoffed coldly and tossed a space button to Alex.
Alex, in a rush, caught it, hearing Fred say, "This is what you wanted. Remember your promise and never return to the palace again."
Alex gripped the space button tightly, his lips pressed together as he nodded, "I will."
After Fred left, Ayoi and Yuka approached Alex and left the classroom with him. Under their curious gazes, Alex spoke softly, "This belonged to my mother, an old-style mecha... She was also a soldier of the Alliance Army."
"Wow, that’s impressive," Yuka and Ayoi exclaimed.
The Alliance prohibits private ownership of mechas, so Alex couldn’t easily show it to them. He pocketed the space button and suggested to Yuka and Ayoi, "Remember Mr. Kuba said we could modify the training mechas ourselves? Toru is coming back from the autumn camp; we could ask for his help."
"Can he modify mechas?" Ayoi asked doubtfully. "But he’s in the same grade as us."
Modifying mechas wasn’t something everyone can do. It required frequent interaction with mechas, knowing each part, and understanding their operational modes.
Ayoi’s skepticism was understandable. Most people in logistic specialization didn’t acquire the mecha maintenance and modification certificate even after graduation.