Sasha couldn't figure out what Shadis meant by asking why people eat sweet potatoes, and she began to panic slightly. Her answer shocked everyone present once again.
The most terrifying thing was the sudden silence.
Chen Si hummed to himself—well, in his head.
Sasha suddenly seemed to realize something. She quickly pulled out her sweet potato and broke it into "two halves." One half was five-sixths of it. The other half was one-sixth.
"I'll share half with you. Please, have some." Sasha reluctantly handed over the tiny piece.
So you just want my sweet potato? Fine, you can have it, she thought.
This series of actions completely stunned Instructor Shadis. His pupils trembled. He even felt like he was dreaming. Someone dared to treat him so casually—and a mere trainee at that!
"Ha… half…" Shadis said uncertainly, holding up the tiny piece.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Chen Si finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. Marco, who had been trying to get him to hold back, immediately stared at him with wide, blank eyes.
"How many laps now?" Chen Si jogged another circle and asked the others.
"199 laps," Armin answered, waving.
"That's incredible. Running this long and not even out of breath," Marco said admiringly.
"Yeah. Chen Si's always been strong, just like Mikasa. I'll be that strong someday too," Eren said.
"Hang in there, Eren," Marco encouraged.
"That sweet potato girl is still running!" Connie said in shock.
"Yeah, it's been five hours, hasn't it? But compared to how she looks now, maybe not getting dinner is even more tragic," Eren said sympathetically, glancing at Sasha.
"Trost District… I think that's a hunter village?" Connie muttered thoughtfully.
Hearing that he'd run 199 laps, Chen Si wasn't happy at all. Because of laughing too loudly at the end, he now had to run "until death," just like Sasha.
"Sasha, are you dead yet?" Chen Si asked, looking at her half-dead state.
"Huh?" Sasha wheezed in confusion.
"The instructor said run until we die. I'm definitely not dying, so I'll use your standard. When you die, I can rest," Chen Si said with perfectly twisted logic.
"Ah… I'm about done. I can't run anymore…" Sasha collapsed face-down, arched awkwardly, inching forward with tiny steps.
Night fell.
Sasha finally collapsed completely.
Chen Si pulled a chestnut from his pocket. "Huh?" It was one he hadn't finished last time. Perfect. Even if he was basically a perpetual-motion machine, he still needed to eat.
He lightly pinched it between his fingers, sending a small electric current through it. The chestnut heated instantly, releasing a fragrant aroma.
In the darkness, a pair of eyes suddenly lit up, shooting out two piercing beams of white light.
Just as Chen Si was about to eat—
A four-limbed creature lunged out of the darkness at terrifying speed—faster than an Ackerman. Chen Si didn't react in time.
He widened his eyes. What is that? A Titan? A four-limbed Titan?
While he was thinking, the chestnut had already been stuffed into the creature's mouth.
"Damn it. The Hunger Titan," Chen Si muttered, rubbing his forehead. He'd been careless.
"Heh. I've got more."
He pulled out another chestnut from his other pocket, zapped it warm, and tossed it into the air, waiting to catch it in his mouth.
Another blur shot past—faster than before.
What the hell? Does Sasha have Ackerman blood or something?!
Gone again.
The terrifying Hunger Titan buff…
"Chen Si, your chestnuts are so good! How are they still warm?" Sasha said, stuffing her mouth.
Chen Si turned both his pockets inside out.
Nothing left.
From the shadows,Krista/Historia stepped forward quietly, carrying bread and a water flask. She glanced at Sasha, who was chewing happily, then walked over to Chen Si with small steps.
"Eat this. I brought your dinner," she said, breaking a piece in half and handing it to him. The other half she planned to save for Sasha.
",Krista that's your own dinner. Mine got confiscated by that panda-eyed guy," Chen Si said gently.
Krista didn't understand the "panda eyes" comment, but she knew he meant the instructor.
"It's okay… I'm not hungry. If I'm not hungry and I eat, that's wasting food. You two should eat," she said with an angelic expression.
Chen Si stared at her blankly.
She's glowing… just like in the anime. A goddess.
"Krista, you're beautiful and kind. How could I let you go hungry?" he said with a smile.
"But you've been running for so long. You'll collapse if you don't eat," she replied softly, blushing deeply.
Chen Si rubbed his chin and glanced at Sasha. "I've got a way for all three of us to eat."
Sasha's eyes lit up.
Outside the kitchen.
Krista nervously twisted her clothes and glanced back at the hidden Chen Si and Sasha. They gave her an OK gesture.
She bit her lip and called through the window, "Excuse me… I forgot where the girls' dormitory is. Could you show me?"
The head cook looked out and, seeing her politeness (and cuteness), stepped outside.
"You're lost? Come on, I'll take you," he smiled.
After he left—
Two inhumanly fast shadows dashed into the kitchen.
Chen Si grabbed three loaves of bread and spotted a steaming chicken drumstick in a pot. He took it without hesitation.
Sasha had stuffed herself full of potatoes and sweet potatoes, cheeks bulging like a chipmunk, arms loaded with bread.
"Good grief, did you rob the entire kitchen?" Chen Si said, sweating.
Sasha mumbled through a full mouth and shook her head.
This was definitely going to get them punished.
Soon—
In the forest, a four-legged "creature" howled while being chased by chefs wielding forks and cleavers.
"Done," Chen Si said calmly.
"Will Sasha be okay?" Krista asked anxiously.
"She's a hunter's daughter. Pretending to be a wolf is right up her alley."
He held the drumstick up to Krista's lips.
She shook her head.
He pressed it gently against her mouth.
"Well, guess you have to eat now. Otherwise it'd be wasted."
She took a small, delicate bite.
Chen Si took a large bite from the same spot.
Meat like this had been rare since coming to this world. He'd once eaten sand-mixed black bread in refugee camps. Now even eating meat felt nostalgic.
Krista watched him eat from where she had bitten, without disgust.
"You… don't mind?" she asked quietly.
Chen Si paused. He remembered—Krista was sensitive and somewhat insecure.
He gently patted her head.
"You're kind and understanding. Anyone who'd dislike you must have rocks in their head. I'll never dislike you. I'll treasure you."
He meant it.
When he'd watched Attack on Titan, Krista had always felt like a true goddess. Her ending had been one of his biggest regrets.
Queen Historia's fate won't repeat itself, he thought.
"Treasure me…" she murmured softly, cheeks flushed.
From the trees, Sasha dropped down and ran back to camp, afraid the food would disappear.
Chen Si glanced around.
Wait… wasn't someone missing?
A figure stepped from the shadows.
Freckles?
No—
It was Mikasa.
"How is it you?" Chen Si asked in surprise.