Chen Si scanned the ranks. Most faces were unfamiliar, but there were plenty he recognized.
Standing in the same row as Armin were Thomas and Mina—right, part of the first group of new recruits to die in Trost. He vaguely remembered them.
He also spotted Connie, Jean, Sasha, and Marco. And there—Krista was impossible to miss, standing slightly ahead on his right.
As expected of someone with royal blood, she was stunningly beautiful. Petite—barely over 150 centimeters tall. Her features looked almost perfectly sculpted, as if crafted from a model: blonde hair, blue eyes, delicate yet soft facial lines. Only early long-haired Mikasa could rival her beauty. Compared to Krista's gentleness, Mikasa carried a touch more sharpness and resolve.
"So cute…" Chen Si muttered unconsciously.
"Right? I didn't expect someone that pretty in the training corps," Marco whispered beside him.
Chen Si glanced at Marco. So that's the kind of guy you are, huh? But to be fair, it wasn't Marco's fault—Krista's looks were simply impossible to ignore.
"That instructor looks like a real hard case. We'd better be careful. By the way, I'm Marco Bott," Marco said with a friendly smile.
It was hard not to respond to such sincerity. "You can tell. Chen Si," he replied with a nod.
"You two over there! What are you whispering about? Shut your mouths!"
Keith Shadis glared in their direction.
Marco stiffened instantly, standing at rigid attention as if nothing had happened. Chen Si, having gone through military training before, didn't find Shadis' demeanor strange and kept quiet as well.
"You! Step forward! Who are you?"
Shadis strode toward Armin.
"From Shiganshina District! Armin Arlert!" Armin shouted, stepping forward.
"Is that so? Sounds like a fool's name. Your parents pick it?"
"My grandfather did, sir!"
"Arlert! Why are you here?"
Shadis leaned in so close that his spit could practically fly into Armin's mouth.
"To contribute to humanity's victory!" Armin answered, eyes squeezed shut, too afraid to meet the instructor's hollow, dark-rimmed stare.
"Wonderful! Then you can serve as Titan bait! Third row—about face!"
Shadis grabbed Armin's head and physically turned him around. Sweat poured down Armin's face.
Thomas beside him was sweating just as badly, bracing himself.
"You! Who are you?"
"Sir! From Trost District! Thomas Wagner!"
"Too quiet!"
"FROM TROST DISTRICT! THOMAS WAGNER!"
"Can't hear you! Go to the stables and learn how to moo like cattle! Come back when you've mastered it!"
Chen Si was stunned. The original story must have softened this—Shadis' insults were absolutely brutal.
"Next!"
"From Karanes District! Mina Carolina!" Mina answered, trembling.
Two assistant instructors circled the field, watching recruits get berated.
"Brings back memories," one murmured.
"Not you—you're worse than livestock!" Shadis barked again, leaning into his favorite spitting distance.
"YES! I'M WORSE THAN LIVESTOCK!" Mina cried.
"Next!"
"What's the point of all this intimidation?" the younger assistant instructor asked.
"It's a ritual," the older one replied calmly. "To deny their former selves and rebuild them into soldiers fit for battle. It's necessary."
"You! Who are you?" Shadis roared at Jean.
"From Trost District! Jean Kirstein!"
"Why are you here?"
"To join the Military Police and live in the interior!" Jean answered honestly—whether from boldness or nerves.
"Oh? You want to go to the interior?"
"Yes!"
BAM!
Before Jean finished speaking, Shadis headbutted him to the ground.
Jean clutched his head, groaning.
"Who told you to sit down? That's all it takes to knock you down? And you want to join the Military Police?!"
Chen Si watched sweat mix with Shadis' flying spit and muttered, "Like a waterfall plunging three thousand feet—suspected to be the Milky Way falling from the Ninth Heaven."
"That sounds beautiful," Marco whispered. "What's it describing?"
"Oh. The instructor's spit."
Marco nearly fainted.
He saw Shadis approaching, face dark with fury. Other recruits might grumble internally, but this guy was openly mocking him!
"You! What were you muttering? Repeat it!"
Shadis stormed up, nearly nose-to-nose with Chen Si.
He paused briefly—Carla's boy? He vaguely remembered her mentioning Chen Si was well-behaved. So much for that.
"Yes, sir!" Chen Si shouted clearly. "While observing your crystal-clear, magnificently arcing spit during your speech, I was struck with inspiration and composed a poem titled 'The Bald Instructor's Flying Spit': 'Like a waterfall plunging three thousand feet—suspected to be the Milky Way falling from the Ninth Heaven!'"
The recruits stared in disbelief.
Eren looked impressed. Mikasa and Armin looked horrified. Krista blinked curiously. Even Annie glanced over.
"The poem sounds deep," Connie muttered. "But the title's kinda crude. Even I get it."
Jean sighed. "Is this guy stupid from studying too much? And that buzz-cut idiot doesn't look bright either. I have to work with these people for three years?"
"HA! Very good!" Shadis barked. "Run one hundred laps around the field! You don't drink water until you finish!"
"Yes, sir."
Chen Si shrugged and jogged off.
"Next! Who are you?"
"From Jinae Town in southern Wall Rose! Marco Bott!"
"Why are you here?"
"To join the Military Police and dedicate myself to His Majesty!"
"Is that so? Admirable ambition." Shadis leaned in again. "But the king doesn't want your body!"
(Well… unless he's into men.) Chen Si thought while running.
"You! Who are you?"
"Connie Springer! From Ragako Village, southern Wall Rose!" Connie saluted—incorrectly—fist to the right side of his chest.
"Wrong side! That salute means you're ready to dedicate your heart to the nation! Is your heart on the right?!"
Shadis hoisted Connie up, shaking him violently.
Then—
Crunch.
A loud bite echoed across the field.
Thomas and Krista stared in shock at a red-haired girl calmly chewing a roasted sweet potato.
Sasha Braus.
Recruits nearby looked horrified or pitying.
Chen Si nearly tripped mid-lap. This was the iconic moment.
Sasha truly embodied "food is justice."
Eren stared blankly. Even he hadn't expected someone bolder than himself. Armin looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"You," Shadis said unusually calmly. "What are you doing?"
Sasha glanced around, then took another big bite.
"I'm talking to you! Who are you?!"
"From Dauper Village in southern Wall Rose! Sasha Braus!" she saluted—still holding the sweet potato in front of her heart.
Chen Si finally burst out laughing.
"Chen Si, don't!" Marco hissed.
Shadis' killing intent filled the air.
"Sasha Braus," Shadis growled, voice trembling with rage. "What is that in your right hand?"
"A steamed sweet potato! There were some freshly cooked in the kitchen, and before I knew it…"
"You stole it? Why—why are you eating a sweet potato right now?"
"It won't taste good once it gets cold," Sasha answered earnestly. "So I judged it best to eat it immediately."
"No," Shadis said darkly. "I'm asking why you're eating a sweet potato at all."