After the swift arrival of the Survey Corps and the coordinated actions of the Stationary Troops' engineers, Wall Rose once again became a barrier capable of protecting us from the Titans. For the first time in history, humanity had stopped the advance of these creatures and achieved its greatest triumph in the fight for survival.
847
A tense atmosphere filled the field as we stood in formation. Among the new recruits, only faint whispers could be heard. Suddenly, a rough, authoritative voice broke the silence.
"Hey, you..." A bald man with slightly dark skin pointed at me with a piercing stare.
Why me?
"Sir..." I responded in a tone that tried to sound firm, though my voice lacked any real emotion. I stepped forward and executed the military salute mechanically.
"Who the hell are you, and why are you so small?"
"Kiyotaka... Ackerman, from Shiganshina, sir," I replied without the slightest change in my expression. "I'm 11 years old, sir."
"Well, at least you'll probably survive longer. Titans prefer eating something bigger," he replied with a mocking smile before moving on to another recruit.
I'm not even the shortest here... And considering my growth in my previous life, I'll probably be one of the tallest by graduation.
The man continued his inspection, stopping in front of a blond-haired boy trembling like a leaf in the wind.
"YOU," he shouted, pointing at Armin. "WHO ARE YOU?"
"S-SIR!" Armin stepped forward, visibly nervous.
"SAY IT NOW!"
"I'm from Shiganshina. My name is Armin Arlert, sir."
"Really? What a ridiculous name! Did your parents give you that?"
"No, my grandfather gave me that name," Armin replied, closing his eyes tightly.
"And why are you here, Armin Arlert?"
"I'm here TO BE USEFUL IN HUMANITY'S VICTORY!" he shouted with more strength than anyone had expected, but the man grabbed his head mercilessly.
"That's wonderful," he said sarcastically, staring at him. "Then you'll at least serve as Titan bait."
The inspection continued. At every step, the man found new ways to intimidate and humiliate the recruits. When he reached Jean Kirschtein, the situation almost turned comical.
"WHY ARE YOU HERE?"
Jean hesitated for a moment before responding with a smug smile. "I joined the army... to live in the interior."
A hard headbutt from the instructor sent him to the ground.
"WHO SAID YOU COULD RELAX HERE?! DO YOU THINK YOU CAN SURVIVE IN THE MILITARY POLICE WITH THAT ATTITUDE?!"
Jean barely managed to get back on his feet as the man moved on to Marco, Connie, and finally... Sasha.
The girl with brown hair tied in a ponytail seemed completely oblivious to the chaos around her. While everyone else tried to maintain composure, she was eating a potato calmly, as if the world didn't exist.
"HEY, YOU," the man barked. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU HOLDING?"
"Cooked potato, sir," Sasha responded with the utmost seriousness. "It was at its perfect point, and it would've been a waste to let it get cold."
The ensuing silence was absolute.
"Well... isn't it obvious? People eat potatoes because they're delicious." I unconsciously murmured out loud.
A murmur of stifled laughter spread among the recruits, but before anyone could glance at me, I was already analyzing every movement and expression of the instructor.
Six hours. Six hours of running without rest under the scorching sun. Sasha and I could barely stand, stumbling as hunger and exhaustion gnawed at us.
I let myself fall to the ground beside her, feeling every fiber of my body burn from the effort. Sasha, drenched in sweat and on the verge of collapse, lifted her face with a smile that bordered on delirium.
"Kiyotaka... from today..." she muttered weakly, "I declare you my food friend."
A friend, huh? I thought about how strange that word was. Since I arrived in this world, no one had called me a friend. Mikasa doesn't count; she's my sister. Eren... well, that's complicated. Armin is more of an acquaintance than a real friend.
"...Alright," I responded in the kindest tone I could muster. "I'm glad you're my friend—"
Before I could finish, Sasha leaped forward like a rampaging Titan, searching for any scraps of food nearby.
She nearly gave the poor blond girl in front of us a heart attack, demonstrating incredible skill as she snatched something from the girl's arms.
"AH!!! KIYOTAKA, WE HAVE FOOD!!!"
I immediately got up from the ground and stood beside her, and she handed me half.
"Bread..." I said, almost with a hint of joy.
"There was nothing else, so I brought this..." the girl said from behind us. "No, no, I didn't say anything... but here, take it before anyone sees."
...
I was about to thank her normally, but Sasha grabbed her by the shoulders.
"ARE YOU GOD?!!!"
"Eh..."
"IT'S YOU!!!!"
But a brown-haired girl interrupted her.
"Both of you, shut up!!" she said, stepping in front of us. "Hey...!!"
"HUAAA!!" the poor blond girl yelped in fear.
"GOOOOOOODDD!!!!" Sasha screamed one last time before devouring her bread.
"What are you doing??" the brown-haired girl asked, clearly puzzled.
"Um... these two spent all day running..." said the poor blond girl.
"Aren't these the potato kids??"
Potato kids? We've only been here a day...
"Yeah, it's them..." the blond confirmed.
Really...
"And you, what are you doing?" the brown-haired girl asked the blond again.
"Me???"
"Since I saw you hiding bread from dinner, I got mad... This is like when you hide from your parents that you're raising a pet and secretly feed it... So, were you trying to do something nice?"
Subtly and effortlessly, I picked Sasha up in my arms and walked away. I had no interest in that conversation and was sure they would appreciate some privacy.
As I reached the door, Mikasa greeted me with a slightly... amused look.
"This is the first time I've seen you make a mistake. It was fun," she said with a small smile. "So, how did it go?"
I sighed and passed Sasha into Mikasa's arms.
"For me, it's not much of a problem, but it seems she doesn't have the capacity to run for six hours straight... But she's quite interesting."
She chuckled softly and whispered, "I see. I thought the same. I saved you some bread; I left it with your things."
"Thanks, Nee-san."
--------
"FIRST OF ALL, WE WILL TEST YOUR APTITUDES! YOU WILL ONLY TIE ROPES AROUND YOUR WAISTS AND HANG! USE THE FULL BODY HARNESS TO CONTROL YOUR BALANCE! THOSE WHO CAN'T STAY STABLE WON'T EVEN BE USEFUL AS TITAN BAIT AND WILL BE SENT TO FARMING DUTIES!"
The instructor's voice thundered through the air, loaded with the intent to intimidate the recruits. The threat of being relegated to farming fields sparked murmurs among the trainees.
The idea of spending my days peacefully tilling soil under the sun almost seemed tempting. But even if I tried to fail on purpose, I knew my body simply wouldn't allow it. Too conditioned. Too trained.
With a calculated move, I tied the rope around my waist and let my weight hang in the air. I automatically adjusted my center of gravity, slightly shifting my hips and tightening the right muscles to balance myself.
This is easy. Way too easy.
Next to me, Mikasa did the same, her expression unbothered, as if she were hanging from a tree to pass the time. Her calm eyes stared straight ahead, showing not even a hint of effort. Not surprising.
The rest of the recruits, however, didn't have it so simple. Many struggled to stabilize themselves; some swung uncontrollably like pendulums, their faces painted with desperation. The rope burned their skin, and their legs trembled as they tried to correct their balance.
A stern-looking officer approached to give further explanations.
"This is just the first step of the initial training, but from here we can already observe your aptitudes for the 3D maneuvering equipment," he said gravely, scanning each of us intently.
His gaze passed over Mikasa and me, lingering briefly.
"Hmm... Look at those two. They're completely stable, like this is some kind of game for them."
The officer clicked his tongue and crossed his arms.
"What should we do? It seems like they already understand everything... That's exactly the aptitude I was talking about."
His gaze then swept over others who also managed to stay steady, though with more effort: Connie, Sasha, and Jean stood out among the group.
"Hmm... This generation seems to have a lot of young people with potential."
"Uh... what about him?" asked a soldier, pointing worriedly at Eren, who was on the verge of collapse, his body swinging dangerously from side to side until he ended up upside down.
The officer looked at him with disdain.
"It's all about aptitude, right? If there are those who can do something out of the ordinary..."
His eyes swept across the group once more, stopping at some sweaty and defeated faces.
"Then there will also be those who simply can't."