The speaker might not have meant anything by it, but the listener certainly did.
Mikasa, who had come carrying bread, happened to hear what Chen Si said. She looked at him, then at Krista beside him. Something stirred faintly in her chest.
She frowned slightly, then quickly smoothed her expression. Tightening her grip on the bread, she handed it to Chen Si, brushing the long hair from in front of her eyes behind her ear.
For boys, that simple motion could be lethal—
of course, only if the girl was beautiful.
"Oh, Mikasa," Chen Si said, taking the bread. He handed her an apple in return.
"Fruit after meals is good for you," he said.
Then he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "If that's not enough, I've got more."
He winked.
Mikasa's cheeks flushed red. She took a bite of the apple and temporarily forgot what she had overheard.
What she didn't know was that Chen Si's mind was in turmoil.
The plot is changing.
He frowned deeply. What was going on? He had come to change the story—but until now, he had mostly followed the original flow, since there was nothing urgent to alter.
Except Carla.
But Carla's fate shouldn't have anything to do with Ymir.
He replayed it in his mind. Before saying goodbye, Carla had scolded Eren for quite a while. Then she gathered the four of them together, gave countless reminders and warnings, and finally agreed to let them go—telling Chen Si and Mikasa to keep Eren's temper in check.
There had been no deviation there.
Unless—
This was a parallel world. Similar to canon, but not identical.
If so, the core rules should remain the same. Just like in different fictional universes, humans still wouldn't suddenly start eating filth.
Then the biggest variable to watch out for was—
Marcel Galliard.
The Marleyan Warrior who was originally meant to be eaten by Ymir, inheriting the Jaw Titan.
If Marcel survived, that would change everything.
On the way back to the dining hall, Mikasa noticed Chen Si seemed distracted.
She hesitated before finally speaking.
"Brother… why were you so surprised when I came earlier?"
Chen Si startled slightly at her serious expression.
"I just didn't expect you to skip eating and come over. Aunt Carla used to say we couldn't leave the table unless we finished our food," he replied smoothly.
Mikasa nodded slowly.
"I didn't want you to go hungry. I want to take care of you. For you… some principles can come second."
Chen Si paused, understanding dawning.
He gently patted her head. "Thank you, Mikasa."
"Don't thank me," she said firmly.
He smiled faintly, and they returned to the dining hall together.
"Hey, you're Chen Si, right?"
Reiner and Bertholdt approached.
"I'm Reiner Braun. This is Bertholdt Hoover."
"Nice to meet you," Chen Si replied calmly.
They sat down together.
"You ran over two hundred laps, didn't you? You didn't even look tired. That's impressive," Reiner said, both curious and cautious.
"How could I not be tired?" Chen Si replied lightly. "Sometimes a man's pride is more important than anything. I can't embarrass my Mikasa in front of others."
Reiner glanced at Mikasa's faint blush.
He also noticed Bertholdt sneaking glances at Annie.
Right… ordinary people don't have Titan-level stamina, Reiner thought. I must be overthinking.
"Chen… you're from Shiganshina, right? Did you see the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan?" Reiner probed carefully.
Chen Si paused.
Then he let his expression shift—pain, resentment, helplessness.
"I caught only a glimpse of those two Titans. But what they left behind… mountains of corpses. Severed limbs. The streets were filled with people being devoured. Pregnant women ripped open. Children torn apart."
His voice was low and heavy.
He had already processed those memories long ago. Now he was performing—for Reiner and Bertholdt.
If he could deepen Reiner's internal fracture just a little more, all the better.
Under the table, Mikasa quietly grasped his hand, unaware of his intent.
He gave her a reassuring look.
Soon after, he stood and left, leaving Bertholdt pale and Reiner visibly shaken.
Their hearts were filled with unease.
The bell rang.
Chen Si spotted Eren and Jean squaring off, only to be interrupted before things escalated.
So the general storyline hadn't changed much.
Maybe the only difference was that one additional intelligent Titan had come to Paradis.
If that was the case, it was manageable.
He relaxed slightly.
Jean, still flustered from earlier, suddenly found Mikasa passing by.
He froze.
"Um… that… since it's uncommon… your black hair is very beautiful…"
"Thank you," Mikasa replied flatly.
Jean's face remained red long after she left.
"What did Jean say to you?" Chen Si asked.
"He said my hair looks nice."
"Well, of course. My Mikasa's hair is definitely beautiful."
He lifted a strand, ran his fingers through it, and leaned closer to inhale lightly.
"And it smells good."
Mikasa's entire face turned red, but her earlier discomfort vanished completely.
Behind them, Jean stood frozen in place, dark lines practically shading his face in despair.
Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Connie from behind.
"Hey! What did you just wipe on me?!" Connie yelled.
Jean, shrouded in gloom, muttered:
"Shattered love."
Nearby, Eren frowned.
"If Mikasa keeps her hair that long, won't it get caught in the ODM gear?"
"You don't get it," Chen Si retorted. "Girls hate cutting their long hair. And I think it looks great."
"If Brother likes it, I'll keep it," Mikasa said quietly.
"In battle, you can't afford carelessness!" Eren insisted.
Chen Si smiled.
"It mostly depends on skill with the ODM gear. Mikasa's balance is excellent. If needed, she can just tie it up."
Then he added, "If you grew your hair long, Eren, then I'd worry."
Mikasa covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
"What? Fine! I'll grow it out and show you!" Eren declared stubbornly.
Chen Si froze for a moment.
Long-haired Eren… yeah… that version is strong.
Strong enough not to need ODM gear.
Strong enough… to lose his head.
Chen Si had a feeling that one day, he might not need to rely entirely on ODM gear either.
Within Wall Sina
In a brightly lit, heavily guarded mansion—
"So your name is Sawano Kawa? Unusual name. Are you certain you can handle this?" asked a bald, richly dressed middle-aged nobleman.
"Of course, Baron Polino. Soon, every business on this street will belong to you," Sawano Kawa replied confidently.
He and Pieck had infiltrated Wall Sina.
Officially, he was gathering intelligence.
In truth, he intended to enjoy himself.
With no internet or modern entertainment, his preferred pastime was women. Pieck refused him repeatedly, citing mission priorities and even suggesting he apply formally through Zeke.
Zeke and Pieck shared deep camaraderie and were trusted by Magath. Sawano Kawa knew pushing further would only bring punishment.
So he sought other targets.
After eliminating a gang and tracing its noble backer, he had secured this foothold.
He hadn't intended to kill the gang leader—
But Pieck acted efficiently.
A clean punch.
A snapped neck.
The body disposed of in the sewage.
Erased completely.