"Yes!"
Felix responded crisply as he took the items from the secretary's hand. Holding them securely in one hand, he raised his other hand in a salute to the department head.
After completing these actions, Felix turned and walked out of the office.
Exiting the office,
Felix looked up at the sky overhead, his eyes shimmering with complex emotions that were difficult to decipher. After a moment, he strode toward the elevator.
Taking the elevator to the spaceport, he boarded a shuttle bound for District Seven of Junius City.
Junius City District Seven Spaceport
After disembarking from the shuttle, Felix carried his belongings and took the elevator into the satellite's interior.
He then boarded a bus heading in the direction of his home.
In front of the house
Standing before the door, Felix took a moment to compose himself. Taking a deep breath, he entered the passcode and opened the door.
"Darling, is that you?"
His mother's voice called out from inside.
Hearing his mother's voice, Felix smiled and called out toward the kitchen.
"Mom, I'm home."
Following his words, Felix heard a clattering sound from the kitchen. His mother emerged quickly, her eyes slightly reddened as she looked at him.
She hurried to the entryway, her eyes carefully examining Felix before she opened her arms and embraced him tightly.
"You're back! You're finally back!"
Wendy's voice murmured with relief and deep concern as she held her son. Felix returned the embrace with one arm, a gentle smile on his face as he responded.
"I'm home, Mom!"
A few seconds later,
Wendy released her son, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. Her gaze filled with maternal affection as she spoke to Felix.
"Felix, you rest at home first. I'll go buy some groceries."
"Mom, there's no need to go through all that trouble. Whatever we have to eat is fine." Seeing his mother's enthusiastic response, Felix replied gently.
Wendy remained insistent!
Seeing this, Felix didn't say anything more and let his mother go out to buy groceries.
Evening
At the dining table
"Eat more, you've gotten so thin."
Wendy kept serving food to Felix from her seat. Feeling overwhelmed by his mother's attention, Felix struggled to keep up.
Chris watched his son's predicament with an amused smile, quietly eating his meal with chopsticks. He asked no questions about the war.
He feared that any careless inquiry might touch upon his son's painful memories and reopen old wounds.
After the meal,
Felix helped his mother clear the table. Then the family gathered on the living room sofa to watch television, enjoying a peaceful and stable reunion.
...
Late at night
Felix suddenly jolted awake from his sleep, sitting up abruptly in bed. His hands gripped the blanket tightly, sweat beading on his forehead as he breathed heavily. His eyes revealed expressions of resentment and regret.
After several seconds of heavy breathing, he managed to calm his emotions. Felix turned to look out the window, then glanced at the clock on the bedside table.
After learning the current time, Felix got out of bed, pushed open the door, and walked toward the dining room.
After pouring a glass of water, he saw his father standing at the entrance to the dining room.
"Dad, aren't you asleep yet?"
He asked his father in a calm voice.
Hearing this, Chris didn't reply but walked up to his son. Seeing the concealed resentment and regret in his son's eyes, Chris opened his arms and embraced Felix.
The warmth of his father's embrace instantly transferred to Felix, causing him to shudder. Then, his father's calm yet powerful comforting voice sounded in Felix's ear.
"My child! Tears are an outlet for emotions and a remedy for healing pain. If you want to cry, then cry. My shoulder will always be here for you. So don't keep all the pain bottled up inside—let it out with your tears!"
These calm words reached Felix's ears, and he, who had been holding everything back, could no longer restrain himself. His eyes reddened in an instant.
The glass in his hand fell to the floor, and as the water spilled, the crisp sound of the shattering glass echoed. At that moment, tears poured from Felix's eyes like a floodgate opening. He tightly wrapped his arms around his father, buried his head in his shoulder, and wept loudly.
The sound of crying echoed through the quiet house.
Hearing his son's heart-wrenching sobs, Chris's eyes also reddened. He couldn't imagine how much pain, resentment, and regret his son had endured.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I tried my best! I really tried my best! Forgive me!"
Felix kept repeating these tearful, apologetic cries.
Hearing this, Chris shuddered. He understood his son's grief, regret, and resentment. Holding his son tightly, he gently patted his back and comforted him in a soft voice.
"Felix, you did your best! You've already done your best. They will understand you. You don't have to blame yourself like this."
Meanwhile,
Outside the master bedroom,
Wendy listened to her son's loud crying and his repeated apologies. Leaning against the wall, she slowly slid to the floor, her eyes reddened, filled with heartache for her son. Tears fell at that moment.
Her son was only sixteen years old, yet he had experienced such a tragic event. He was still so young—why did he have to endure such sorrow?
"My child! If you want to cry, then cry! Let it all out!"
Wendy murmured softly as she sat on the floor.
In the dining room, Felix's emotional release continued. Tears of sorrow streamed endlessly from his eyes. Chris held his son, lending him his shoulder, his own eyes red as he quietly listened to his son's outpouring.
He whispered gently,
"Let it out! Let it all out!"
The next day,
Griffith's household returned to peace. No one mentioned the events of the previous night, and the calm made it seem as though yesterday had never happened.
A few days later,
February 18, C.E. 70
After receiving an invitation, Felix bid farewell to his parents. Dressed in a black suit with a white flower pinned to his chest, he boarded a shuttle and arrived at Aprilius City.
Arriving at the state funeral held for the victims of the "Bloody Valentine," Felix saw many familiar faces.
Among Patrick, Athrun, Siegel, Lacus, and others, the one who most caught Felix's attention was the woman standing beside Patrick.
"It seems that while saving my parents, I indirectly saved Athrun's mother as well," he murmured softly.
Felix then stopped paying attention to these individuals and stood calmly among the crowd, waiting for the state funeral to begin.
After a short while, accompanied by mournful music and ceremonial cannon fire, the state funeral officially commenced. As Chairman Siegel began his speech, everyone present bowed their heads in silent tribute.
When the moment of silence ended and the state funeral concluded, Felix, still standing in the crowd, listened to Chairman Siegel deliver the "Declaration of Independence" from the podium, along with a statement vowing to resist the Earth Alliance to the very end.