It didn't take long for Zeke to heal Carla's leg. His titan powers glowed faintly, knitting the broken bone together in a way that looked both miraculous and unsettling. Carla winced, then sighed in relief as the pain subsided.
"Next, you just need to rest," said Zeke, straightening up like a professional even though everyone knew he was mostly winging it. "With a month of proper rest, the bone will grow back strong. But during this time, it's best not to use this leg as much as possible."
"Um!" Carla nodded seriously, though the exhaustion in her eyes betrayed how much she hated lying still when her family had already been through so much.
"I'll go to the woodshed and find a suitable piece of wood to make a crutch for Auntie," Zeke said, puffing out his chest like a hero on a mission. "That way she doesn't have to rely on Eren and Mikasa for support all the time—"
Before he could finish, little Eren waddled over, clutching a crooked stick bigger than himself. He proudly shoved it into Zeke's hands.
Zeke: "…"
What a terrible execution.
"Okay, I'll… be your mother's crutch now," Zeke muttered awkwardly, smiling in defeat.
"So awesome! Brother Zeke really knows everything!" Little Eren said, his eyes shining with admiration.
"I'll do it right now!" Zeke announced dramatically. He touched his boots out of habit, searching for tools, but felt nothing. His expression darkened. He turned to Annie and Bertolt like a commander preparing for war.
"Who has a knife?"
"Don't get so worked up—it's just a crutch," Bertolt sighed. He pulled a knife from his boot and tossed it over with casual precision. As he watched his captain crouch down, knife in hand, preparing to whittle wood like it was the key to mankind's survival, Bertolt's heart twisted.
Can this really save the future world?
"You don't understand my brother's world~" Zeke hummed, utterly immersed. Even shaving splinters off a stick made him feel alive, as if this too was part of some grand destiny.
Bertolt stared.
The more he looked at Zeke's disappointing, overly-enthusiastic performance, the more he began to doubt himself.
Can following such a man really save humanity? Captain… have you forgotten the world is going to be destroyed in the future? How can you still be in the mood to play house here?!
As he silently despaired, a child's voice piped up at the doorway.
"Sorry to bother you! Eren, Mikasa!"
The door swung open. A blur of gold darted past, sunlight catching in it like a spark.
Bertolt: "?"
The child rushed toward Eren and Mikasa, grabbing their hands with excitement. "Great! I finally found you! Aunt Carula is here too, that's great! Everyone is okay!"
"Armin!" Eren's face lit up with joy. "You're safe? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, and Grandpa is fine too!" Armin beamed, cheeks flushed from running.
But across the room, Bertolt was having a crisis. His mouth dropped open, finger trembling as he pointed. "Ah——! Golden Mushroom Head!!"
"Huh?" Armin froze, staring up at the towering boy with confusion.
"Golden… golden mushroom head…" Bertolt stammered, excitement bubbling uncontrollably. Then he squinted closer. Something didn't add up. "Wait—you're… a girl?"
Armin's face went scarlet. His little fists balled up, his voice squeaked with outrage. "What are you talking about?! Of course I'm a boy!"
"Boy!!" Bertolt's heart, which had just steadied, flipped upside down again. His panic returned tenfold.
"Ah…" Annie dragged a hand down her face, despair dripping from every syllable. "May the world be destroyed."
One teammate obsessed with his little brother, another raving about golden mushroom heads. How could they possibly be entrusted with saving the future?
"You guys take your time chatting,"
Annie muttered, standing abruptly. "I'll go get some fresh air. This house is too cramped." She staggered toward the door, shoulders heavy with unspoken gloom.
Armin's gaze followed her unconsciously. Long golden hair framed her pale face, and her deep blue eyes were as clear as the ocean.
But beneath that beauty lingered shadows, a melancholy no child could understand. For a brief moment, Armin's breath caught—
Then suddenly the world darkened. A tall figure loomed over him like a thundercloud.
Armin ?!!
"Why would Annie like these little bean sprouts?" Bertolt growled under his breath, staring daggers at the trembling boy. His disdain grew heavier by the second.
This fragile physique that trembles so easily—how could Annie like this?
He's so skinny—what could Annie possibly admire?
He's younger than them—what attraction was there?
He even looks like a girl—what does Annie see in him?!
There were millions of men in the world. How could the Annie of the future fall for such a weak, girly, pitiful creature?!
"Bertolt!" Eren snapped, yanking Armin behind him protectively. The boy's small frame shook with silent tears. "What are you doing? Don't act like those bullies in town who always pick on him!"
Even Mikasa's ever-present killing aura sharpened.
Just a few degrees lower and Bertolt might've been cut in half.
"What?!" Bertolt blinked. "You're being bullied?!" He crouched down, face contorting. "Did you fight back? Tell me you fought back!"
Armin stuttered, eyes brimming. "V-violence is wrong… They only bully me because they're afraid to admit that I'm right… I… I don't fight back…"
"So you were beaten up after all?!" Bertolt clutched his head, unable to comprehend this. His disbelief twisted into outright refusal.
Tears spilled down Armin's cheeks, his voice trembling.
Bertolt stared harder, his world collapsing. How? How could Annie—Annie, the girl who crushes opponents with her bare fists—ever fall in love with a mushroom-headed crybaby like this?
"Is he threatening Armin or… caring about him?" Eren whispered to Mikasa.
Mikasa narrowed her eyes. "…I don't know."
Finally, unable to bear it anymore, Bertolt slammed a hand against the wall, cornering Armin with terrifying seriousness.
"Annie—" he declared, his voice low and fierce, "you are mine!"
Armin blinked, utterly lost. "Who… who's Annie?"
"You'd better never know who Annie is!" Bertolt barked instantly.
Armin's tears stopped mid-fall. He sniffled, confused.
"This should be our first meeting, right? Why are you saying all these weird things to me?"
"Don't worry about it!" Bertolt snapped. "Just stay away from that girl from now on!"
"Y-yeah!" Armin nodded rapidly, too frightened to do anything else.
Across the room, Carla watched the bizarre exchange with gentle amusement. "They get along really well," she said, smiling softly. "It's good to see them so energetic, even after everything that's happened. Children really are resilient."
If only she knew the chaos storm raging in Bertolt's head.
...
"Those who crave the unknown… those who refuse to live behind walls…"
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