Why would I join the army if I can’t drive a Gundam!

Chapter 164 contains a song
"The Federation thanks you for your efforts, Lieutenant Colonel Klinney!"

The chubby Federal Speaker gave a bright smile, personally pinned another medal of honor on Makarius's chest, and then shook Makarius's hand.

"With a talent like you, sir, in the Federation, how can we not be victorious!"

"Everything for the Federation!"

Makarius initially appeared as an incredibly excited and passionate young man, but once the camera shifted to another direction, he transformed into a lazy and unremarkable figure, hardly resembling a soldier at all.

This was unavoidable; the medal-awarding ceremony was long and tiring, especially since he had experienced it several times before. Once the novelty wore off, all that remained was frustration. However, it was different for unfortunate kids like Amuro who had never seen the world. At this moment, he was almost in tears amidst the praise from the Speaker and the accompanying military officials. He also received a Medal of Honor this time because it was recorded in the combat log that he was the one who killed Kalma. In addition to the medal, he was also promoted, even breaking the record for the youngest lieutenant in the Federation left by Markarius. Of course, this was nothing special, because someone else had taken the record for the youngest lieutenant colonel in the entire Federation. Of course, if this were in the Earth Sphere, he might not be number one; a certain nobleman who had already been killed would be number one.

The people who arrived at the medal awarding ceremony were not only from the Red Dragon Battalion, but also from other military units, totaling several thousand people. Of course, the actual number of people who had performed meritorious service in the entire army was more than that, but most soldiers did not receive high-level medals, which were issued by their unit commanders. Those who could come to Gabro to receive medals were all tough guys from their respective branches of the military. Macarius saw the anti-mobile soldier missile operator who had taken down five Zaku with his bare hands, and he also saw the air combat ace who had shot down more than fifty Zeon fighters in his Swordfish. There was even a speed demon who drove a Bloodhound armored vehicle to charge into the rear of the Zeon army and destroyed thirty-seven Zeon logistics vehicles in one go with his 20mm Vulcan cannon.

Compared to them, Makarius felt that his mere mobile suit destruction was nothing to boast about, after all, everyone here was a living legend.

Moreover, this only applies to those who survived to receive the medal. There was a tank commander in the 1st Armored Division of the Federation Army who, while driving his Type 61 tank, held his position alone for seventeen hours after his teammates were killed in action. He destroyed a total of thirteen Magella tanks and nine Marder tanks, and killed or wounded more than a hundred Zeon infantrymen. This achievement also qualified him for the Medal of Honor, but he and his tank had already become shining stars. Therefore, the people who came to receive the medal were his wife, who was seven months pregnant, and his elderly mother with white hair.

"Seventy-three people!"

"what?"

Nagase Hotaru asked, puzzled, after hearing what Makarius said.

"Since the Red Dragon Brigade was established, a total of seventy-three of us have died in battle or retired due to injuries!"

"The Federation army's losses since the start of the war are approximately four million!"

"Enough blood has already been lost!"

"Yes!"

Makarius's words also made Nagase Hotaru feel a pang of inexplicable heartache. She now understood why Makarius often insisted on launching a solo attack even when he could get cover from friendly forces. It was because he wanted to minimize the number of casualties for his battalion.

"Alright, today is a joyous occasion, it's a bit too much of a mood killer to talk about these things. Let's go get something to eat, we still have Marissa's concert tonight!"

"You're the one who created this heavy atmosphere, aren't you?"

"Really? I thought it was Amuro who did it!"

Amuro, who was secretly showing off his ice cream in the corner because no one was watching him, sneezed.

Although soldiers from both Zeon and the Federation fought each other ruthlessly on the battlefield, they shared an extremely high degree of consensus when it came to appreciating art. For example, the concert by the famous female singer Marissa, scheduled after the medal awarding ceremony, sold out within a day as soon as the news spread. There were even shameless scalpers reselling these tickets among the soldiers, forcing the military police to crack down on scalpers once again.

However, Makarius didn't need to worry about tickets. All the decorated officers and soldiers could enter for free and get the best seats. If they wanted, they could even go backstage before the concert to get an autograph from the other party.

As someone who prefers older women, Amuro naturally adores mature older sisters, so upon entering the room, he couldn't wait for Macarius to take him to get acquainted with her.

"You don't want Lieutenant Matilda anymore?"

"I...I'm getting married, aren't I, Lieutenant..."

Amuro rarely showed a shy expression. Macarius found it hard to imagine how this guy had become a cosmic stud, but since the other party had pleaded so earnestly, he could only nod in agreement.

"You've fallen for someone else; the lieutenant will be heartbroken!"

"It's okay, I'll just say it was you who taught me!"

"From now on, I won't ask them to handle any more transport tasks for our brigade!"

"No, no, no, big brother, I was wrong!"

Amuro's face paled with fright, fearing that Makarius might actually do it.

He wanted to catch up with him, but Markarius had already started running, so he could only start walking to catch up.

When the military police guarding the entrance to the backstage area saw the two federal officers running over playfully, they were already preparing to take out their notebooks to write down each other's names and numbers. However, after seeing Macarius's face, they immediately put their notebooks away and opened the door for him before he even got close.

"Welcome to Gabro, sir! Have a great time!"

This action left the new recruits stunned. They never expected that the veteran, who was always strict with himself, would actually break his principles in front of them.

"Sergeant..."

"You want to ask why?"

Watching Makarius's departing figure, the military police sergeant took out a photograph from his pocket; it showed a little girl smiling happily.

“My wife and daughter were in Rum back then. They were very lucky; our people brought them out by transport ship!”

The recruit immediately realized what was going on, but then he saw the sergeant regain his serious demeanor and stop an officer who was walking unsteadily.

Please show me your identification!

The two people who arrived backstage were quickly stopped by a chubby middle-aged man.

"Hello, gentlemen. I'm Dale Meg, Marissa's agent. You two are here for autographed photos, right?"

"Just give him one; I'm just a passing Federation pilot!"

"No problem, but I haven't yet had the pleasure of asking your names!"

"Macarius Crinni!"

"Amroley!"

The chubby middle-aged man was taken aback at first, but then his smile became even brighter. When he saw that the two guys were so young and had military officer ranks, he thought they were some kind of second-generation officials. He didn't expect that the visitors' identities were so exaggerated.

"Please, please, please!"

The agent wished he could ride the two gentlemen himself. He jogged to the dressing room and then went into the next room.

"Another bored person has come?"

The speaker was a charming and alluring woman with a sweet and captivating voice. Every smile and gesture seemed to bring a sense of warmth and comfort. However, there was a hint of impatience in her expression.

"Don't say things like that carelessly. The person who came is no ordinary individual; he's the Federation's top ace pilot, nicknamed Red Dragon, even more famous than Char. If you build a good relationship with him..."

The agent's words came to an abrupt halt as the woman glared at him angrily. He had no idea what Xia had done to make her so fixated on him, and now that they were in the Federation's territory, she still acted like Xia was the best in the world.

"Grandma, just cooperate, okay? I know you're annoying, I promise, this is the last time!"

The agent, covered in sweat, hurriedly left the room and brought tea and snacks to the two people in the lounge.

"Marisa is getting ready, please wait a moment!"

"Mr. Manager, I heard you performed in Zeon before, is that right?"

"Yes Yes!"

"How's the atmosphere over there?"

"It was very lively, everyone was very happy!"

The agent broke out in a cold sweat again, after all, this topic was a bit too sensitive. Was it considered intelligence gathering for a Federation officer to inquire about the singer's activities within the Zeon camp?

"Don't be nervous, I'm just remarking that these lunatics can actually be human sometimes!" As soon as Makarius finished speaking, the door to the lounge was slammed shut, and then a tall, stunningly beautiful woman walked into the room.

I disagree with your opinion!

"Marisa!"

The agent knew things were about to go wrong.

"The Zeon army also has many elegant gentlemen!"

"for example?"

Makarius looked at the other person with a smile.

"For example, Mr. Char Aznable!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Amuro burst into laughter, unable to stand up straight, and even slammed his fist on the table.

"Xia, is he a charming gentleman?"

The agent was about to faint. It seemed that this woman hadn't listened to a word he said. This was the Federation Army's top ace. How could you talk about Char in front of him?

"Ms. Marisa, are you familiar with Char?"

Makarius, suppressing a laugh, then asked.

"I met him at the concert, and he even gave me a handkerchief!"

"It'll only happen once!"

"That's enough this time!"

"Haha, so this is what the red comet looks like to you? It's completely different here. If you can handle it, sit down and listen!"

Then, Makarius recounted his first encounter with Char, how he beat him up during an exercise while piloting his Type 61, and how he dealt a heavy blow to Char when Char launched an uprising!
Marissa then realized that she had done something stupid. Her Prince Charming was like a naive child in front of him, never winning a single time. He was either running away in disgrace or fleeing at three times the speed. And she had no room to refute him, because if what he said was not true, then nothing could be more true than this!

Even Char admitted when he met her that he had an invincible opponent in the Federation Army...

Seeing that the other person was on pins and needles, Makarius knew he couldn't embarrass him too much, so he changed the subject.

"However, the fact that Xia Ya left such a good impression on you shows that you are very important to him. After all, men like to be seen as handsome by women!"

"Maybe!"

"You don't need to worry about anything. I still like Char a lot. Of all the Zeon pilots I killed, only he was able to escape. In a way, I'm his nemesis!"

"By the way, Ms. Marissa, don't you want to see Char again and let him hear your singing?"

"I, of course I want to, but I don't even know where he is right now!"

"It's alright, I can pass on the message for you!"

Marissa was also a bit bewildered by Makarius. After all, how could someone describe meeting Char as something as simple as going out to buy groceries?
"But I haven't finished recording the song yet..."

"That's alright, I happen to have a song here, I think you can sing it for him!"

As he spoke, Makarius asked for paper and pen and began to write it down for the other person from memory.

"You belong to me, please don't say goodbye, I want to hold you in my arms no matter what..."

After reading the lyrics, both the manager and Marisa were somewhat taken aback, as they both felt the intense emotions contained within them.

"If you can, please sing this song!"

Then, the chubby manager rushed out of the room like lightning, preparing to arrange this song as the final, grand finale, while Marissa hurriedly signed a photo for Amuro and rushed off to record the song with red eyes.

"Boss, why did you write this song for Xia? Do you like him?"

Amuro asked, puzzled.

"Who said I wrote that? It was clearly written by that female singer. Didn't you see? Her heart is with Xia Ya."

"I see it, but I still don't understand!"

"It's okay, you'll understand later!"

Marcarius couldn't wait to see how the Space Ghost would handle Char's scandal. He could even play this song on repeat for Char while flying in space, which would surely make Char very happy!

Marissa's concert then came to a very successful close, especially the closing song "Beyond the Time," which was rushed out of the audience and brought tears to the eyes of countless Federation soldiers from the space colonies—something Marissa hadn't anticipated.

Afterwards, this song became a staple at the Gabro concert, and even after the performance, many Federation soldiers shouted Marissa's name, asking her to sing it again.

It was only then that Marisa realized how shallow her understanding of Char was; after all, only someone who truly understood him could write such sincere lyrics.

But that's okay, this song expresses her feelings, and that's enough!

What Markarius didn't expect was that before Char heard the song, another guy who was wavering between feelings and stances heard the radio version of the song first.

"Aina!"

As the sea breeze blew from the Black Sea, Lieutenant Shiro Amada, who had only been in the Caucasus region for a few months, suddenly awoke from his dream. Feeling a sense of loss, he raised his right hand, looked at the exquisite pocket watch he was clutching tightly in his hand, and then revealed a relieved smile.

"Thank goodness, it's not a dream!"

Since the demolition operation on Iphisho Island, Lieutenant Shiro Amada was selected to receive training at the officer academy due to his outstanding performance. He quickly passed the selection for mobile suit pilot and was subsequently assigned to the Kojima Battalion of the Earth Federation Forces Far East Mechanized Brigade. Later, he was transferred from the Far East to the Caucasus region to participate in the battle against the Zeon forces.

As a newly appointed squad commander, Shiro Amada performed exceptionally well. Whether leading the charge in battle or caring for his subordinates during lulls in combat, he integrated into Squad 08 in a very short time.

But when his teammates couldn't see him, Shirou Amada kept having the same dream, a beautiful Midsummer Night's Dream.

It was during his transfer to Earth that he encountered a space battle. In the battle, both his mobile suit and the Zeon mobile suit were damaged. In order to survive in space, he had to persuade the Zeon pilot to cooperate with him. It was at this time that he discovered that the Zeon pilot was actually a female pilot named Aina Saharin.

Although the time they spent together in space was short, the other person's image seemed to be embedded in Amada Shirou's heart, making it impossible for him to forget.

So every night after arriving on Earth, when he fell asleep, he would think of her existence. But at that moment, he felt pain in his heart. When Side 2 was massacred, he swore that he would not let any Zeon go. But after meeting Aina, he felt that he had fallen in love with her. This contradiction troubled him greatly.

Just then, when he woke up from his dream again, he went to get a drink of water as usual. At that moment, his two team members, Eretholmas and Michelle Nino Richie, were commenting on a new song on the radio.

Shiro Amada wasn't particularly interested in the song, but he stopped in his tracks after hearing the lyrics.

"You belong to me, please don't say goodbye, I want to hold you in my arms no matter what..."

Yes, we all belong to Earth!

Looking at the pocket watch in his hand, Amada Shirou sat down in a corner and listened to the song silently. At this moment, something seemed to be about to burst out of his heart. Now, he understood what he was thinking. His stance was indeed important, but that could not stop him from expressing his feelings!
Feeling the hard texture of the pocket watch, Shirou Amada vowed that the next time he met the other person, he would never hesitate again and would directly and decisively express his feelings!
While he was listening to the song quietly, his teammates noticed him. Although they were curious as to why their captain was interested in the song, Eretol, dressed like a rapper, turned up the volume for him.

"More than peace, more than freedom, more than justice, you are all I crave..."

(End of this chapter)