The morning had arrived. Today was the day of the lecture, and Sana had a lot to prepare. First, she needed to get ready and have breakfast.
Forty minutes later...
A loud noise downstairs caught her attention. Was there some kind of argument or commotion happening?
Sana frowned, curious about what was going on. It didn't seem like something ordinary.
"I should go check," she muttered to herself.
She hurried down the stairs, only to find some other Scouts who didn't belong to her team. They were all gathered near the entrance, causing a small stir.
"Yes, is there a problem?" she asked, stepping forward.
One of her teammates quickly responded, "Captain, they're just barging in without any permission. They're saying that they've come to attend the lecture as well."
Sana raised an eyebrow, considering the situation. "Is there really a problem with that? The more people who learn, the better, right? I was actually planning on asking if anyone else wanted to join the class. I'd be glad to teach them."
One of the Scouts stepped forward. "Captain Sana, we're from Hange-san's squad. Sorry for the trouble."
"No, no trouble at all," Sana replied with a smile, reassured by their eagerness. "I don't mind. By the way, where's Hange-san?"
"She's already seated inside, at the center of the first bench," one of her squad members said, though his black eye made it clear that things hadn't been entirely calm.
"Great, then. Go ahead and find your seats. I'll be in soon."
Sana turned and quickly headed upstairs to gather her books. While she didn't want to rely solely on them, she thought it might be a good idea to hand one to Hange-san. In Sana's opinion, Hange was the fastest learner, and she would absorb the material more quickly than anyone else.
She grabbed the books and made her way to the lecture room. She wasn't surprised to find that there was a lecture space in every squad's barracks. As she entered, she was greeted by a sea of expectant faces, all sitting in complete silence.
Hange-san, as usual, was positively glowing with excitement. Sana couldn't help but smile as she saw her. The sparkle in her eyes was infectious. "Hange-san is too cute. She always brings a smile to my face," Sana thought.
"Okay, everyone," Sana said, her voice warm yet commanding, "Today, I'm going to teach you something interesting. I want to start with this topic because if we succeed in mastering it, we'll be able to achieve anything. It will make everything else much easier. But remember—everything I teach you here is confidential. Do not share any of this information."
Curiosity sparkled in everyone's eyes as they looked at her, eager to dive into the lesson.
Sana turned to the board and wrote, ELECTRICITY, her chalk squeaking against the surface. She then faced her students.
"Electric charges, electrons, electric current. Is anyone familiar with these terms?" she asked.
A voice from the group spoke up. "The flow of charges produces electricity. I know this line, but I don't really understand what it means. I read it in your book."
"Well," Sana began, "we're going to study this in detail today. I'll explain everything you need to know."
She started with static electricity, understanding that even this seemingly small topic would take up a lot of time. But she knew it was necessary. Once they understood this, everything else would fall into place.
The lecture went on for hours, and by the time it was afternoon, they had covered the basics—charges, the motion and acceleration of particles, electric fields, and more. It was a lot of information, but Sana was confident they were absorbing it well.
At last, it was time for a break. "Alright, that's enough for today," Sana said, sensing that the class needed to rest. "Make sure you understand everything we've covered. We can't move forward if you don't get it. Go through what we've learned today and review it. Tomorrow, we'll continue with the next part. I have somewhere to go, so I need to trust you to keep things in order here."
She then turned to Hange-san, handing her a stack of books. "Hange-san, I want you to take these books and go over them. Please keep it confidential for now. We're going to accelerate the speed of our inventions soon, and I want you to start working on a weapon that can pierce through something as hard as a wall. You'll need to use explosives for that. I'll help you with it when the time comes."
Hange's eyes lit up with excitement. "That sounds interesting. I'll go through these books today and then we can start working on the weapon tomorrow evening."
With that, the class dismissed, and everyone headed back to their barracks. Sana, feeling the weight of the day, decided to take some time for herself. She had a few errands to run, but there was one thing she had been looking forward to—visiting her family.
Sana knocked on the door, and it swung open to reveal Farlan, his face lighting up as soon as he saw her. His team was gathered around the table, and they were, as expected, well-behaved. They were Levi's team, after all.
There were also some new members among them, people Sana didn't recognize. She wondered what they thought of her showing up at this moment. Did they think she had too much free time? Was she not taking her work seriously?
Sana hesitated for a moment before stepping inside. It wasn't as though she was there to play or catch up. This was not a game. People's lives were on the line. Yet, there was a part of her that yearned to be with them, to feel connected.
"Sanahhh… You came to visit us! I missed you," Isabel said, her smile as bright as ever, offering a warmth that was impossible to ignore.
"Please, sit," Levi said, motioning toward an empty chair.
Sana couldn't deny the tug in her heart. Why did she feel this way? What was it about Levi that had her craving to see him? "Oh, I… I just wanted to ask if our teams could do joint training," she said, her words almost stumbling out. Was that really why she was here?
Levi, ever the stoic one, looked over at his team before answering. "We'll do it. We don't have anything to do anyway."
"Great," Sana replied, trying to regain some composure. "We'll start practicing every evening, beginning tomorrow."
"Is there any issue in the morning?" Farlan asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Actually, yes," Sana replied. "We have lectures in the morning. Hange-san's squad attends them too. If you'd like, your squad can join as well."
Levi gave a half-hearted shrug. "Yeah, we'll come. We don't have anything to do either."
"Alright, it's settled then." Sana clapped her hands together, sealing the plan.
"Let's be together like this," Isabel said with a bright smile.
Sana was offered tea, but she politely declined. She had other things to do. "I need to head back to the barracks," she said, her mind already focused on her responsibilities.
The weight of everything was heavy on her shoulders, but she knew she had to stay focused. They needed to be prepared for whatever lay ahead. She wasn't going to give up, no matter what happened.