Lelouch quickly made his way back to his home withiudent Gover Building of the Ashford academy after having received a message from his little sister.

  It was a vague message, which told him to e home for a bit to meet a guest he’d reize.

  His mind immediately went to Yuuji, Tatsuya, Satoru, or Karen who knew of his true identity, his retionship with Nunnally, and was close enough with her that she’d allow them in their home.

  However, Yuuji and Karen, he knew, were going around the festival with C.C. While Tatsuya and Satoru never informed him that they’d be ing to his home…

  If it’s not them… then who could it be?

  The ay for the safety of his sister and wonder of who could be ing to his home without him knowing made him speed up to the point of speed walking.

  He was supposed to meet up with Shirley soon, but this took prece, aold her he’ll be a bit te.

  Upon arriving at his home, he quickly entered and heard giggles ing from his living room. He reized one of the voices to be Nunnally’s, and the other one… familiar.

  He turhe er towards the living room, and froze when he saw the guest that Nunnally referred to.

  “Euphemia…?”

  The two girls stopped and turowards the sound of the voice upon hearing Leloubsp;

  “Ah, brother! You’re back!”

  “Nunnally…”

  He looked at his little sister in shock before turning towards Euphemia, who had stood up and directed a soft, gentle smile towards him.

  “Hehe~ Isn’t this a pleasant surprise, brother~? I didn’t expeeet Euphie-nee here~”

  “Yes… This is a bit ued…”

  His mind was rag. Now that he thought of it a bit more clearly, he could’ve easily guessed that the person Nunnally referred to was Euphemia.

  He khat she would be here. He had seen her e to Ashford Academy in the anime. Even her clothes, sungsses, and hat were exactly the ones she wore in the anime.

  An apologetic smile appeared on Euphemia's face as she slightly lowered her head.

  “I apologize for ing here so suddenly. But… When I saw Nunnally in the festival, I just had to meet her. Otherwise, with everything that has been… and will be going on, I don’t think I’d get another ce like this again.

  To talk with her… and you.”

  “...”

  Euphemia had a warm, affeate look that she directed towards Nunnally when she referred to her. But wheurowards Lelouch, he saw a look of serioushat didn’t fit her gentle, i look.

  “I see… Alright.”

  Lelouodded back with a small smile. Then, he moved towards Nunnally, k down beside her, and took her hands into his.

  “Nunnally, I speak with Euphie alone for a bit? Meanwhile, you and Sayoko reheat the tea i…?”

  “Brother…”

  A look of surprise appeared on her face when she heard the graveness in his tone and nature of his request, and she iently held his hands tighter.

  “It’s fine… I just have something to talk about in private with Euphie, okay? It will be just for a bit…”

  The hold she had on his hand only became tighter as he tio reassure her. But finally, she let go of him and nodded.

  “I uand… Then, I’ll be i with Sayoko.”

  “Mm. Thank you for uanding, Nunnally.”

  Lelouch raised back up to his feet, called Sayoko, and had her apany Nunnally to the kit after getting the teapot with them, leaving Leloud Euphemia alone i.

  He let out a sigh, and turowards his half sister, the third princess of the Holy Empire of Britannia, a smile still present in his fabsp;

  “It’s been a while… Euphie.”

  “Lelouch…”

  Lelouodded aured towards the chair with his hand.

  “How about we take a seat first?”

  Lelouch dragged a chair towards where Nunnally was while Euphemia sat back down on the chair she sat in while with Nunnally.

  A few moments past in silence as Euphemia, in her sudden reunion with the banished half brother she hadn’t seen for years, failed to find a way to start the versation she had been wanting to share with him.

  Until finally… with the fear of not being able to get another ce again for this, she began.

  “Lelouch… You must’ve seen the annou I’ve made… What do you think of it?”

  Euphie twiddled her fingers and forced herself to look Lelou the eyes.

  Her decision to establish the Special Administrative Zone of Japan… She k was an idealistic, troversial, and perhaps naive decision that she had made in hopes of ending the war in this nd and giving both her homend and the nd she now currently stand on a favorable end in this flibsp;

  It was only thanks to the support of her elder sister, elia, and her elder brother, Seizel, that she could make it a reality. But even then, she khere would still be many obstacles ahead of her if she wao make the special zone as she envisio.

  Lelouch kept his eyes at her with a soft, ral expression, not shying away from her direct gaze.

  If it was him in the past… He would’ve taken some drastic measures against the Euphemia and her pn to establish the special zone. After all, her pn, if realized, would render every single reason why the Bights fought mute.

  The Bights fought against Britannians to defend the Japanese and their i against aggressions that Britannia started. And sometimes, they would also strike first in order to cripple, or dey Britannia’s pns to suppress them.

  But… by creating this special zone and winning the hearts of Japanese, even if not pletely, she had uionally made the Bights an unwanted obstacle between the Japanese people and the peace they sought for so long.

  With “peace” given to them on a silver ptter, a rebellion group, whose mere existence caused chaos within the nd, would be an unwanted hindrance.

  And this would not be limited tur Japanese civilians. Many of its members were Japanese who sought to fight for their peace, putting their lives on the line in the name of pead freedom.

  However… no one wants to risk their lives… No one wao live otlefield, where one siep in the wrong dire could mean life or death.

  They would rather bee a part of the special zone instead, where they could, at the very least, live a life away from the battlefield, where bullets tear through the air and blood seeps deep into the ground.

  It was the obvious choice… And Lelouew this would eventually happen. Because in the anime, many members of the Bights did sign up to bee a part of the Special Zone.

  Even if there was a ce that the Britannian could still be trolling it from the shadows, the special zone offered them a life away from war, away from flict. And for those who had experienced and suffered through such things… it was only obvious that they’d choose the special zone.

  The Lelou the anime saw this happen iy, and in a fit of madness, he asked Euphie to shoot him with a fake on when he was given a eet her at the opening ceremony of the Special Administrative Zone of Japan.

  He would “die” before the eyes of the Japanese, be deemed as a deceived martyr, and rise once again, elevated and seen as divine.

  Then, he’d be able to rally the Japao his cause, show them that the Britannians couldn’t be trusted, and tear away their trol over Japan using the strength of its angry people.

  In hindsight… It was a rather foolish decision. He couldn’t help but shake his head at the decision that “Lelouch” made.

  He had now gained a new perspective… Now that he had bee a part of the group chat, and saw the end of his path if he never ged, his eyes were finally opened.

  All the hatred he had towards the emperor of Britannia. His wish to turn this world upside dowroy it, and create it anew for his little sister, even if it would cost him his life… All of these things that seemed all ing and made him blind to what was truly precious now seemed… smaller.

  Of course, he still wished to stop the emperor from pleting the Thought Elevator and erasing mankind’s will.

  Of course he still wished to see those who killed his mother punished.

  Of course he still wished to create a world where his sister could be happy.

  But… he now has the means and allies to aplish them in a different way. A way in which he does not o cause sado those he cared for by sacrifig himself in the process. A way to still be by his little sister’s side and live happily with those he cared for…

  And the special zone Euphie inteo create… might be the first step towards that future.

  Seeing his silence, Euphie became a bit more nervous before tinuing.

  “Lelouch, I wao create this zone… partly because I know you and Nunnally were here. I was hoping that this would let the two of you live in peace… I uand that this might not be the best method, but… I ’t stand seeing even more unnecessary bloodshed and this war to tinue any longer-”

  A soft, helpless, gentle smile that Euphemia had almost never seen ing from Lelouch appeared on his tenand froze her in pbsp;

  “It certainly is a naive and idealistic approach ting peato Japan, and it seems you’re at least aware of it yourself. Yet, you still choose to do it anyway. I see you haven’t ged at all, Euphie. You’re still the foolish, naive, and i girl who’d make rash decisions with the purest of iion…”

  Hearing the series of “insults” her half brother threw at her casually, Euphie pouted her cute little pink lips and “gred” at him.

  “... I know I’m not as smart as you, Lelouch. I’ve never won against you in games nor in studies. But that’s still a bit too much…!”

  A small ugh escaped his lips before he waved his hand.

  “I haven’t finished. I was about to say that even though you’ve always been rash in your foolish decision, you ended up still winning it all in the end, just like how you ended up winning the hearts of the Japanese.”

  He looked at her with warmth, so much more warmth that Euphie had… ever seen from him.

  Something… Something had ged in Lelouo, perhaps instead of ging, he had returo how he really was before Marianne, his te mother, passed away.

  “It’s still a long road ahead, Euphie. Yes, many Japanese look up to Suzaku and see him as a ray of hope. And because you took him as your knight and showed your siy, you’ve won the hearts of many Japanese. But, there are still many who doubt you. Moreover…”

  Lelouced towards the window, and tinued.

  “There are some Britannians that’d wish to use your special zone as a way to trol the Japahrough the shadows, turning it into a puppet state. I know this to be true, because that is how Britannia simply is.

  And if that happehe creation of your special zone would bee the catalyst that turhe Japanese people directly into sves of Britannia-”

  “I won’t let that happen!”

  Epuhie’s sudden shout caused him to turn his gaze back towards her. And there he saw her, eyes widened in horror and her body trembling in anger and fear from the sheer notion of his words.

  “If you react that way to just the thought of it… Then I feel assured.”

  He let out a smile and nodded.

  “But you need more than that determination, Euphie… You he power to prevent it as well.”

  “Power…”

  Euphemia iently ched her fists when Lelouch mentiohe word “power”.

  Unlike her elder sister and elder brother, Euphemia… owerless, both itlefield and in politics.

  She only has her position as the third princess of Britannia, ay title, and Suzaku. But, it still wouldn’t be enough for her to protect the zone she created from her own empire.

  Euphie fell into a deep thought… When suddenly, Lelouch’s words snapped her out of her daze and caused her eyes to widen in shock.

  “The Bights… I believe it’s time for you to know about this… So “we” help you protect your ideals.”

  VergsX