The moment they stepped out of the courtroom, Mikasa rushed straight into Chen Si's arms.
Outside the court—
Many of the 104th trainees were anxiously waiting, along with members of Levi Squad and Hange Squad.
"The door's opening! What are they carrying? Don't tell me those are their bodies!" Connie cried out in panic.
"What did you say?!" Jean froze in shock.
"No way… that can't be…" Armin said nervously.
"Look! Chen Si is still alive! And Eren—he just moved! He's alive too!" Sasha shouted excitedly after taking a closer look.
Eren was limping too slowly, so the Military Police simply carried him.
"Hey! I'm back," Chen Si waved at everyone with a grin.
The 104th rushed forward instinctively but were stopped by the Military Police—the handover wasn't finished yet.
"Chen Si! See you in the Survey Corps!" Sasha waved eagerly.
"I'm coming too! Wait for us!" Connie shouted, waving both arms.
Nearby, Erwin glanced at Chen Si and gave a subtle nod.
"Alright! Jean, see you later!" Chen Si called out.
"Like hell I will… I'm—" Jean stopped mid-sentence. He had been working toward joining the Military Police… but suddenly, he thought of Marco.
"Jean, come with us!"
"Yeah, come on!"
Sasha and Connie excitedly surrounded him, eyes sparkling as they pulled him in.
"Hey! Don't pressure me, you idiots!" Jean snapped, completely torn.
After a symbolic handover ceremony, Chen Si and Eren were taken to the Survey Corps headquarters.
Mikasa glanced at the nobles and officials exiting the court, her eyes filled with cold hatred.
"Brother… I want to kill them."
"Sorry for making you worry, Mikasa," Chen Si said softly, stroking her long hair. He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead.
"Brother…" Mikasa trembled slightly. The killing intent in her eyes faded as she buried her face in his chest.
"When can we go back home… when we don't have to keep fighting like this anymore…" Mikasa murmured, her gaze dim as memories of their peaceful past surfaced.
Chen Si felt a heaviness in his chest.
Mikasa might be incredibly strong—but that didn't mean she longed for battle. At her age, she should have been living an ordinary girl's life.
"That day will come," he said gently, patting her head. "When it does, we'll go catch fish by the river again."
"Mm." Mikasa closed her eyes, savoring the brief warmth.
She then pulled away, took out a handkerchief, and began cleaning Eren's wounds.
"Ah—! That hurts!" Eren winced.
The more she looked, the angrier she became. Her hatred toward Levi intensified as she shot him a sharp glare.
"Looks like you've earned yourself some resentment," Hange said, clearly amused.
"Serves you right," Winyaad added casually while applying lipstick.
"If it brings out her fighting spirit, that's a good thing," Levi replied indifferently.
"Hm? What's that? Some kind of hidden weapon you made?" Levi asked, eyeing the lipstick in Winyaad's hand.
"Huh?" Hange immediately snatched it.
"Hey, Hange—! Ah! You got it on my face!" Winyaad panicked, hurriedly pulling out a small mirror—only to see a bright smear of lipstick across her face.
"Tch, just a cosmetic," Hange said after examining it briefly, losing interest.
"Hange, you're a woman too. Want to try it?" Winyaad said with a sly smile.
"Huh? I can use it too?!" Hange's eyes lit up.
"Of course."
With a mischievous grin, Winyaad grabbed the lipstick and started drawing all over Hange's face.
Before long, a flamboyantly decorated Hange was born.
"Ahhh! Chis! What did you do?!" Hange yelped after looking into a mirror, frantically trying to wipe it off—only to smear it even more.
"Miss Chis! What is that? Can I try it too?" Petra asked shyly.
"Sure," Winyaad replied, carefully applying lipstick to Petra.
Looking at her, Winyaad's gaze softened slightly. She was reminded of a girl from her past—loud, carefree, always calling her "big sister." She had liked her a lot.
"Go show it to that dead-fish-eyed captain," Winyaad whispered into Petra's ear.
Petra blushed faintly, stealing a glance at Levi before nodding.
"Captain Levi… do I look… nice?" Petra asked softly, cheeks flushed, eyes lowered, hands clutching the hem of her clothes.
Levi looked at the group of women before him, a rare sense of calm settling in his heart.
Furlan… Isabel…
If they were here, they would've been laughing along too…
He tilted his head toward Petra, momentarily stunned by her words.
"Big brother! Do I look good?"
"Hey! Look at me!"
"Furlan, you don't get it! Big brother said I look good!"
Fragments of Isabel's voice echoed in his mind.
Petra waited… but Levi didn't respond.
Her heart sank slightly.
…Is it not good? I knew it… compared to Miss Chis, I'm still—
"Looks good," Levi suddenly said.
"Hah! As long as Captain likes it!" Petra beamed brightly.
Levi blinked, slightly taken aback.
Winyaad watched the scene with quiet satisfaction.
She didn't mind giving Petra a little push.
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