After two days, the Survey Corps completed their rest and reorganization. After tonight, when dawn rises, it will be the moment of the Survey Corps' triumphant return.
Eren sat alone atop the city wall, gazing at the moon glowing with a clear, gentle light in the sky. His expression was somewhat dazed as he held the diary his father had left behind. It was also the first time Eren had learned that his father had borne so many secrets.
"Marley, Paradis Island, and… Zeke?" Eren silently recited these names.
Then, the jet sound of Vertical Maneuvering Equipment rang out. Yago walked to Eren's side, plopped down beside him, and casually asked,
"What are you thinking about?"
"Yago, I'm thinking… do you know something you're hiding from me? That day, why didn't you let me deal with that Smiling Titan? Was it because you knew who she was?" Eren stared at Yago as he spoke.
Yago didn't answer, seeming to think about something. After a while, Yago asked quietly,
"Eren, do you trust me?"
Eren froze for a moment, but he didn't hesitate and answered decisively,
"I do. Of course I do. I've always trusted you."
Yago smiled with satisfaction, patted Eren on the shoulder, and said,
"Since you trust me, don't ask so many questions. Leave everything to me. Also, Eren, it's just the two of us here now. Let me ask you something—will you tell me the truth?"
Yago suddenly leaned closer to Eren, asking in a mysterious tone.
Eren felt a bit puzzled, but still said,
"Okay. What do you want to ask?"
"What exactly do you feel for Mikasa? Do you like her?" Yago raised an eyebrow and said mischievously.
Eren was startled at the question. A hint of awkwardness appeared on his face as he answered hesitantly,
"You… no… Yago, don't say nonsense. I—I just see Mikasa as family…"
Hearing this strange answer, Yago frowned and—smack!—slapped Eren on the head without any courtesy.
"What are you doing?!"
Yago grabbed Eren by the collar in exasperation and said,
"Damn it! It's just the two of us—what's there to be afraid of? Eren, is it really that hard to admit your feelings for Mikasa? Family? What is family? Sisters and brothers are family too. If you don't say it now, do you want Mikasa to end up liking someone else?"
Eren's eyes widened as if he were imagining Mikasa falling in love with someone else in the future.
"No… no, I don't want that. Mikasa, she…"
"Then do you like Mikasa or not?!"
Faced with Yago's relentless questioning, Eren finally broke down and shouted,
"I like her! I really like Mikasa!"
After shouting that out, Eren slumped like a deflated balloon. Yago let go of him as well, and the two fell into silence.
Yago: "Getting you to speak your true feelings really isn't easy."
Eren covered his face and said irritably,
"Yago, I hope you won't tell anyone else about this. Right now, I—I don't want to face it yet. There are too many things ahead of me. At least… at least I'm not ready yet. And besides, I don't even know if Mikasa would agree. Let's wait a bit longer…"
Yago turned his head and said with a pointed tone,
"Wait a bit longer—will Mikasa wait for you?"
...
Behind the wall, atop a crane, tears slightly dampened the red scarf. Two hands pressed the red scarf tightly against her face, desperately trying to hide the tears falling down.
"Eren, I will always wait for you."
...
Click! Jean curiously pulled back the bolt of a rifle. Looking at the complex internal structure of the action, he couldn't help but marvel and exclaimed,
"It really looks amazing. This firearm seems like it can fire multiple times in a row."
Connie picked up a shiny golden bullet and said,
"Yeah, and their bullets don't even seem to use black powder!"
The captured Marleyan soldiers' firearms were neatly laid out in the logistics unit—more than eighty brand-new rifles, boxes upon boxes of gleaming bullets, grenades, several iron tubes that looked strange to the Survey Corps, and those two somewhat bulky machine guns.
Out of caution, Erwin ordered all these unfamiliar weapons to be sealed and stored, and specifically assigned Hange's squad to guard them.
"Wait! Your Majesty! Just looking is fine—don't touch them! They're very dangerous!" Moblit hurriedly stopped Historia, who was about to dismantle a rifle.
Historia awkwardly put the gun down. Clearly, the young queen was also full of curiosity.
The logistics unit, which also served as the place where Marleyan prisoners were held, was where more than forty captured Marleyan officers and soldiers were being strictly guarded.
Because Koris was a Marleyan officer, he was confined alone in a single cage.
Just as Koris was lowering his head in silence, some movement nearby caught his attention.
A young girl with her hair tied in a ponytail had two flatbreads stuffed in her mouth and was holding a large potato in each hand, mumbling as she passed by.
What drew Koris's attention was the object strapped to the girl's back—the shape wrapped in long cloth. Wasn't that the sniper rifle Koris had abandoned?
"Hey, that soldier there. Please wait a moment."
Sasha looked confused. She turned her head and looked around before finally noticing the man in the cage. The innocent Sasha put away the potatoes in her hands, took the flatbreads out of her mouth, leaned toward the cage, and asked,
"Uncle, were you calling me?"
The Survey Corps soldier in charge of guarding glanced a few more times at Sasha and Koris. After confirming that Sasha was standing at a safe distance, he didn't interfere further, only occasionally looking over there.
"Um, where did you find that sniper rifle?" Koris pointed at the rifle on Sasha's back.
Sasha: "Huh? This? I picked it up. Oh right, I was supposed to hand this over to Squad Leader Hange. I got so busy looking for food that I forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me, Uncle!" Remembering this, Sasha immediately prepared to leave.
But she still asked one more question: "Uncle, what is a sniper rifle anyway?"
Looking at the innocent girl, Koris was reminded of his younger sister back home, who had the same pure gaze. So Koris explained,
"A sniper rifle is a rifle specially used for precise long-range shooting. Simply put, it's a rifle that lets someone hit the target every single time."
"Hit every single time?" Hearing that, Sasha's interest was instantly sparked.
"My family has been hunters for generations! I'm an amazing, never-miss archer. Even my father praises me as the best sharpshooter in the village!"
Koris was stunned—he hadn't expected this little girl to have such skill.
Time flowed on, never stopping, yet the path of fate turned toward an unknown direction.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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