Chapter 3: Progress?

Three weeks have passed since Krista and Sasha had their outing at the mall, and they've had plenty of trips in between with Mikasa, Eren and Armin. The five of them bonded pretty well, and had grown to trust Krista enough to bring her over to their houses, though Krista had yet to return the favour. She'd learned that Mikasa was not Eren's sister by blood, but that she was taken under the Jaeger's name after her parents were murdered during a bank robbery. Eren's father was an actual family doctor, and Armin's grandfather was an amazing philosopher and historian, who owned and operated his own bookstore. Sasha really was from a family of hunters and farmers, and Krista had learned that they used to own a large ranch before moving due to debt.

Unfortunately, Armin had continued to trail around her, observing her and trying to piece her puzzle together. However, despite Krista's best efforts to keep up her façade, two weeks after he'd mouthed his knowledge of her secret, Armin had her all figured out.

He had cornered her at school during lunch, demanding answers to his thorough and specific questions. She had no way to deflect them, and resorted to the truth and her full, real name.

"Krista Historia Reiss is my real name. I'm only Krista Lenz here because I want a normal life, not another copy of my life back in Trost! Please, Armin, I'm begging you – don't tell anyone!"

"I'm sorry for scaring you like that, but I care for the safety of my friends and I didn't want anything bad to happen. I won't tell anyone, don't worry, but you had better tell them soon. It's not kind of you to keep this secret from people who trust you," he explained, frowning thoughtfully.

"I know, I know," she sighed, "it's just that I don't want their opinion of me to change!"

He smiled. "Don't worry, we care for you and we know you. We won't think any different of you because of who your parents are or what your background is."

"Thanks, Armin. That means a lot."

"No problem! Now, let's go eat!"

In between frustrating classes, bonding with her friends and dealing with her secret, Krista had also taken to waiting for Ymir every day after school outside. She would plant herself in front of the fence at the driveway and talk to Ymir, even when the girl simply brushed past her with a curse.

"Damn it."

"Hey! How was school?"

"Leave me alone."

"Was Professor Shadis' work hard? I know I had trouble with it."

"Go away."

"What about Hanji's stuff? Did you find that okay?"

"Stop bothering me."

"See you tomorrow!"

Then she'd smile and wave at Ymir, who would roll her eyes and walk away, hands in her pocket. It was the same routine for three weeks, but with different conversation topics. Ymir's hostility faded with every day, until she only offered generic responses and one-worded answers to Krista's questions.

"So how was school?"

"Meh."

"Did you have a nice lunch?"

"Yeah."

"What did you eat?"

"Nothing."

Today, Krista decided to wait for Ymir at the front of the school in the morning and talk to her. Her hair was tied back with a hair clip today. When she approached the brunette, she was quite surprised when Ymir totally ignored her, not even bothering with a sarcastic remark or greeting ("hey, it's the brat who won't leave me alone" or "oh look, what a surprise, shorty's waiting for me again").

Krista followed Ymir, walking beside her and staring up at her. Ymir didn't even acknowledge her, face impassive and eyes clouded over. Students left and right were doing double takes at seeing the school's meanest person walking with her complete opposite. Krista stayed close by Ymir's side, walking together to class. She tried to get the taller girl to talk but to no avail – Ymir remained silent.

Krista took it as a good sign, since Ymir had yet to insult her today, and smiled slightly. She stepped in front of Ymir and started to walk backwards, hands behind her back and face tilted upwards, grinning. Ymir raised an eyebrow but said nothing, continuing their trek to class. Krista tried to get Ymir's attention on her by waving and talking loudly, but Ymir continued to ignore her.

"Ymiiirr! Hellooo! Earth to Ymir!"

Ymir stopped moving, and Krista stopped as well, tilting her head to the side. The freckled girl turned to the side and opened the door, entering the classroom. Krista laughed and followed her in, all the way to Ymir's old desk in the back. When the brunette sat down, readying her supplies, Krista took this chance to sit in front of her and crossed her arms over the back of her chair, resting her chin on them. Ymir rolled her eyes when she noticed Krista but chose to lean her chin on her palm, staring past her.

"So how was your morning? Are you a morning person, Ymir?"

Ymir pressed the lower part of her face into her palm and Krista grinned, knowing Ymir was hiding a smile. However, Ymir didn't respond, and had taken to scribbling in her notebook instead. Krista leaned further to see what she was writing, and was shocked at the detailed notes and diagrams. Sasha wasn't kidding when she said Ymir was intelligent. The brunette looked up and frowned, shutting her notebook and laying her head down on her desk instead.

"Ymir?" Krista tried, shaking the girl's shoulder. Silence answered her, and she sighed, getting up and walking back to her desk, sitting down. Some other students had arrived as well, and one of them, Krista believed her to be Mina Carolina, approached her with a worried expression.

"Hey, Krista, would you mind if I asked you what you were doing with Ymir?"

"No, not at all! I'm just trying to get to know her better, after all, we're friends!" Krista exclaimed loudly, glancing at Ymir, "right, Ymir?"

Ymir remained quiet, head down, and Krista grinned brightly. "See? She's just shy, that's all."

Mina appeared unconvinced, wringing her hands. "Just be careful, Krista. We don't want you to get hurt, we care about you, just like we care for everyone in our school as a family."

Krista frowned heavily and stood up, crossing her arms. "What about Ymir? She's in this school, too, yet none of you care for her like you do me, even though she's been here far longer than I have."

"You don't understand! Ymir's different! She's done horrible things to all of us; how could we possibly treat her like family?"

"No, I think it's you who doesn't understand! Not once have I heard anything that suggests Ymir is deserving of all the unkind treatment she's suffered. None of you have bothered to try and get to know Ymir; you all just shun her like it's okay and normal! Why?"

"Why don't you ask the person who's refused contact and cooperation from the entire student body for years?!"

"That's what I'm trying to do!"

Ymir lifted her head and stared at Krista, and when Krista turned to look, she was shocked at what she saw: gratitude, awe and amazement. However, it quickly disappeared and Ymir blanked her expression, turning to the window to stare. At this point, the entire classroom was silent, watching the two girls argue back and forth. They were equally surprised that Ymir hadn't jumped up and slammed their heads to the walls by now, and attributed that to Krista's strange immunity regarding Ymir's harsh attitude. She was softening without realizing it, but the student body was still too scared to confront her directly.

Krista had enough of Mina's meddling and marched back to the desk in front of Ymir, sitting on it and slumping her body over her desk. Secretly, Krista hoped Ymir would tap her shoulder and comfort her, and was strangely disappointed when nothing of the sort happened. Behind Krista, Ymir was having an inner struggle, torn between keeping her image of ruthlessness and peeling her cruel layers off. She decided on the former, sitting on her hands to prevent any contact with the kind blonde.

Mikasa and Sasha entered then, and displayed expressions of surprise at Krista's change in seating. They looked at each other and Sasha shrugged, walking to the desk beside Krista and sitting there. Mikasa sat in front of Krista and glanced briefly at Ymir, shaking her head and tucking her chin into her scarf. She tapped Krista's shoulder, who jumped with a hopeful expression that crashed with disappointment.

"Oh! Hi, Mikasa," she muttered sadly.

"Is something wrong?" Mikasa asked suspiciously, brow arching.

"No! Well, yes. I got into an argument with Mina," Krista admitted.

Sasha gasped. "Krista?! You? Why would you fight with Mina? I thought you got along fine!"

"It's not like that, I swear! We just have a difference in opinion on certain subjects," Krista explained, subtly glancing at Ymir to demonstrate. Mikasa understood and nodded, but Sasha was still confused.

"Huh?"

"Here, Sasha, have some bread," Mikasa offered, putting her hand out. Sasha glanced at it warily, eyeing Mikasa carefully. Slowly, she put her hand over Mikasa's and pried the bread from her fingers, putting the loaf into her mouth. Mikasa smiled from behind her scarf, the corners of eyes wrinkling, and turned to the front. Keith had just entered and placed his briefcase on his desk. He spotted Sasha eating and roared in rage, stomping over to her to pick her up by her collar.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, BRAUS, EATING IN MY CLASS AGAIN?!"

"Mikasa! You tricked me!"

"No, I didn't," Mikasa replied monotonously.

"Hey, guys, I won't be joining you for lunch today," Krista announced in second period, startling Mikasa and Sasha. Mikasa simply nodded, satisfied, but Sasha was too curious to simply let it be.

"Huh? Why's that?" Sasha asked, sticking her tongue out in concentration. It was another free period given to them by Hanji, this time in order to prepare for a unit test tomorrow.

"Well, I have an errand to take care of," Krista answered vaguely, eyes shifting back and forth.

"What kind of errand?" Sasha continued obliviously.

"It's sorta personal..."

"Oh… Oh! I get it!" Sasha exclaimed, eyes lighting up. She turned to Krista with a smile before returning to her work. Krista giggled, twirling her pencil around. Suddenly, she remembered something.

"Hey Connie? Where're Jean, Reiner, Marco and Bertholdt?"

"They have a huge meeting with the music classes and board, to try and recruit new members for the band. They're leaving next year, so they need replacements as soon as possible."

"That makes sense."

The bell rang then, and Krista quickly gathered her things and dashed, waving to her friends. She had a mission, and it was to find Ymir. She went inside the cafeteria, but realised that the brunette would never eat here with other students. She tried everywhere: the roof, the school yard, the library – where could Ymir possibly be? Krista walked by the school gym and paused at the sound of a ball being bounced. She turned to the double doors, wondering. Could it be? One way to find out, she thought, pushing the doors open and entering the large gym. She immediately noticed Ymir shooting a ball from far away, scoring a swish effortlessly. The blonde clapped her hands, grinning, when she saw the proud smirk on Ymir's face.

Ymir turned to her, eyes wide, then scowled, jogging to pick up the basketball. She dribbled it a few times, observing Krista, then sighed. The tall girl returned to the three-point line and shot the ball from different angles, missing at times but mainly scoring. Krista, impressed, sat down on the bench and watched, elbows on her knees and chin in her palms. Soon enough, Ymir totally forgot about Krista's presence and began to laugh and smile whenever she missed or scored. She muttered loudly to herself about wrist positioning and body posture, sometimes sticking her tongue out and closing one eye to focus. Krista was overjoyed at this side of Ymir: this carefree, fun and totally different side than what she usually showed. It made the blonde feel proud and justified since she was right after all; it was all a mask Ymir put up to scare others away.

The longer Ymir played, the sweatier she became, to the point even her short hair was starting to bother her. She growled as a lock of hair stuck to her cheek, ruining her concentration and missing her shot. Krista noticed and pulled out her hair clip, allowing her blonde locks to flow freely. She fidgeted, wondering if the next move she made would allow her to get closer to Ymir. Nodding to herself, she strode to the tall girl with shy confidence, sticking the clip up and into Ymir's face.

"Here! I noticed that your hair was getting in your way, so you should just tie it back. It's okay, I don't need it and you look like you do."

Ymir stopped bouncing the ball and kept it under her arm, blankly staring at Krista. Just as Krista was about to lose her nerve, the sweaty girl reached her hand out and accepted the clip. "Thanks," she muttered, turning around. Krista blinked, then smiled, skipping back to the bench and sitting on it. She watched Ymir tie her hair back, feeling oddly content and satisfied. Sure, she was hungry, but this was totally worth it, especially with the way Ymir tried to hide her smile by playing even harder.

After school, Krista waited by the fence, as usual, and walked up to Ymir. She grinned when she saw her hair clip still in the brunette's hair. Ymir raised an eyebrow, but misunderstood, reaching her hands to the back of her neck to pull it out. Krista gasped, startling Ymir, and waved her hands around.

"No! I mean, no, it's totally fine! You can keep it, really."

Ymir nodded, then smirked, walking away from the blonde. Krista sighed but caught up to her, peeking up at her face. She was still smirking, but seemed deep in thought. She didn't notice the rushing boy until it was too late. He slammed into the brunette, blurting out apologies and even crying when he noticed who he bumped into. Ymir growled, straightening, and was about to step forward when Krista's hand shot out, gripping her wrist.

"It was just an accident! Relax!" Krista said desperately, tightening her hand.

Ymir clenched her teeth and glared at the boy, who stood up shakily and bowed. He thanked Krista profusely before running away.

"See? Isn't that better than getting into trouble for nothing?"

"Whatever," Ymir breathed, ripping her hand away from Krista's grasp. She slouched as she walked, hands shoved in her pockets. Krista smiled, and was about to turn away when Ymir stopped walking. She watched with confusion as Ymir turned around, an uncomfortable expression on her face.

"Bye." It was simple, short and curt, but it was a huge step forward. Krista waved fiercely and called out her farewells as well, grinning brightly.

She was still grinning, even on her way home, which earned strange looks from her mother. However, even her expression couldn't crush her bright mood. She felt like she was floating on air. Ymir said 'bye' to her! She actually initiated something instead of the other way around! Krista sighed in bliss as she fell back on her bed. Tomorrow, hopefully, she'd get Ymir to actually talk. She also needed to help adjust her attitude. There was no way people would come close to her if all she did was growl and punch at the slightest disturbance.

With a determined nod, Krista fell asleep, lips pulled upward into a smile.

In the morning, she was all sunshine and rainbows. She bid her mother farewell and skipped to the front entrance. This time, surprisingly enough, Ymir was waiting for her. She raised her hand in greeting. "Hi," she said simply.

"Hi!" Krista returned happily.

Ymir rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, coughing. She quickly turned around and walked forward, but Krista could have sworn she saw a tiny blush. She followed the tall girl, shoulder to forearm, and greeted students who waved at her. When Ymir remained silent, brooding, Krista puffed her cheeks.

"Why don't you greet the other students back?" she asked angrily.

"Because they're waving at you, not me," Ymir replied.

Krista was startled by Ymir's answer, but recovered quickly with a smile. "So? Just say hi with me, it'll be okay!"

"No."

"C'mon! Please?"

"I said no, you little brat."

"I'm not a brat!"

"Yes, you are! You keep shoving your nose where it doesn't belong, which makes you a brat!"

Krista covered her hurt expression with a pout. "Aw, that wasn't very nice. It's thanks to my nose that we're friends, though, right?"

Ymir rolled her eyes at Krista's response and chuckled. "Whatever."

They entered class together, students gaping behind them. Had they seen what they just thought they'd seen? Ymir, school bully and jerk, talking, laughing, with the nicest girl in school, Krista?! Impossible – there was no way!

"Ymir! You have the worst sense of humour, ever!"

Ymir was crouched low to Krista's level, bending her knees, in order to maintain straight eye contact. She did it on purpose, to piss Krista off, and it worked, because the blonde was huffing and red with anger.

"What? I just wanted to see how the weather was down here. It's pretty nice, actually," Ymir commented, smirking.

Krista's face burned from embarrassment at the joke on her height and the indirect compliment. She grit her teeth, grabbing Ymir's face then slamming her forehead against the brunette's.

"Ow! What the hell! Why'd you do that?!" Ymir shouted, eyes closed and hands rubbing her forehead.

Krista crossed her arms. "That's what you get for being a jerk!"

"Oh, sure, you can hurt me, but I can't raise my fists to a guy!"

"What was that?!"

"Nothing."

Satisfied, Krista sat in front of Ymir's usual seat. Ymir raised her eyebrows but sighed, leaning back. "What, you're not gonna sit with your posse? I feel so privileged."

"They're not my 'posse', and I'm just trying to be nice!"

Ymir didn't respond, blowing air through her teeth and laying her head down. She was frowning, upset, but Krista didn't understand why. Ymir was so complex in the way that one expression could hold many layers of feelings. A blank face could suggest deep thought, disinterest, boredom or reluctance. She could smirk and it would mean she was amused, planning something devious or thinking about something dirty. Just thinking about Ymir's possible thoughts made the blonde blush.

She turned in her seat and waved at Sasha and Mikasa, who shook their heads and sat in their old spots. Jean and Reiner walked in then, Jean's eyes widening in disbelief and Reiner's in overwhelming anger. He marched straight up to Krista's desk and slammed his palms down. His face was red, pupils constricting and mouth twisted into a snarl.

"Krista?! What are you doing with this monster?" he growled, glaring at Ymir. Ymir stood and cracked her knuckles, her face twitching. Krista jumped up and pushed Ymir back, making it so that she was in between the two.

"Ymir, no! You can't go around beating up people who make you mad! Just back off, I'll handle this," Krista said, trying to convince the taller girl.

Ymir was once again torn between two options: ignore Krista, punch Reiner's ugly face and risk losing an important friendship, or listen to her, let her take care of the situation and keep the bond. Ymir, reluctantly, shoved her fists into her pockets and turned away, frowning.

"No way!"

"Did you see that?"

"Ymir didn't kill Reiner?"

"Who cares about that? Krista managed to calm her down!"

"I'm telling ya, she's an angel sent to us to take care of the devil."

The students whispered loudly, huddled together in various groups in different parts of the class. Ymir scoffed and rolled her eyes, but said nothing.

Krista smiled and faced the tall blonde in front of her. "Hey, Reiner, I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about my friend that way."

"Friend?"

She nodded. "Yep! Ymir and I are friends!"

"I don't believe you. Ymir would never – not since Berik."

"What?"

"Piss off, Reiner!" Ymir shouted all of a sudden, standing behind Krista and gripping her shoulders.

"Huh?" Krista looked up, noting the fearful look on Ymir's face. She looked at Reiner's shocked expression, which quickly melted into pain. Reiner shook his head and stalked off, sitting beside Jean and bowing his head low.

Ymir released Krista's shoulders and sat down at her desk. Krista sat down as well, but her thoughts were elsewhere. What did Reiner mean when he said 'Ymir would never'? Who was Berik? And why did Ymir react so negatively to what Reiner said? Krista sighed, turning to face Keith for roll call. The more she unravelled of Ymir's personality and past, the more complex it became, questions springing up from answers.

At lunch, Krista had excused herself once more to hang around Ymir. Sasha and Mikasa understood, though the latter still maintained her warnings. However, Reiner had been angry and had punched the oak tree before stomping off, Bertholdt chasing after him. Eren and Armin were neutral, while Jean and Marco tried to convince her otherwise. Connie was ignoring the whole ordeal.

"Listen, she's bad news! You saw what happened in first: she would've gone crazy if you weren't in the way!" Jean said.

"Yeah, this time, Jean's right! Krista, Ymir will only end up hurting you if you stay with her. You're better off without her," Marco added, ignoring Jean's look of fury.

Krista shook her head defiantly. "No way am I giving up! I've been slowly tearing her walls down for almost a month, and she's actually talking to me now! Guys, she's not at all what she seems. Sure, she has an attitude problem and a short fuse, but she really is a nice person! You just need to look deep inside!"

"Deep, deep, deep inside," Jean muttered, rolling his eyes. Marco slapped the back of his head, but turned to Krista with a small smile.

"I guess there's no way to convince you this is a bad idea, huh? Well, I suppose I could tell you what she did to me all those years ago."

"Marco, no, you don't have to."

"But I do! You're trying so hard to open Ymir's shell! The least I can do is help you with a story of her past."

"If you want to."

"Here goes. This happened right after Berik died."

"Berik? Who's Berik?"

"Oh, right! You don't know him! Well, Berik was an old friend of Reiner and Bertholdt, but he died in a car accident on the first year of junior high. Anyway, it was after Berik's funeral, and everyone was gathered outside. Ymir was there too, but she was leaning on the outside of the funeral home, just gazing into nothing. She looked pretty beat up and sad, so I tried to approach her and comfort her. She turned to me with an empty look, and it scared me, because I'd never seen anything like it before. She looked so lost and broken.

"I put a hand on her shoulder, but she moved away and glared at me. At that point, I thought she was angry with me for touching her, but really, she was angry at everyone who tried to comfort her. She swore at me and told me to never talk to her again, that she'd rather die than make friends, and that we were all using her to express our grief. She walked away, and that was the last time I ever spoke to Ymir."

Krista digested this information, once again noting that Ymir avoided cooperation with others. "Was she like this before Berik's death?"

Marco hesitated. "Yes and no. Yes, she was a mean and rude person, but no, she never was a total loner. Others will tell you she is, just to build a bad reputation for her, but I remember clearly that she and Berik got along just fine, and sometimes she and Reiner would talk."

Krista's eyes bulged. "She and Reiner?!"

Marco laughed. "Yep! Don't believe me, huh? Well, it's true! Jean can even vouch for – hey, where'd he go?"

The two turned to see Eren and Jean butting heads, yelling swear words and rude names. They were at it again, and Mikasa was distracted by Sasha, thus giving the title of peacemaker to Armin, who wasn't doing a very good job.

"I'll go break them up," Marco sighed, "good luck with Ymir, Krista. You're the only one who could possibly help her."

"Thanks, and good luck to you too!"

Krista waved at her friends and turned, walking to where she'd told Ymir to meet her. They were outside the school, and Ymir was leaning on the fence, looking up and lost in her thoughts. She was slouching, as usual, and her hands were in her pockets. Her hair was still in the hair clip that Krista had given her, and it made a warm, tingly sensation bubble up in the blonde's stomach.

"Hey, Ymir!"

Ymir turned to her, smiling slightly. "Hey."

Krista sucked in a breath sharply, but shook her head, walking to meet the brunette. "So, where do we go for lunch?"

Ymir laughed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I was hoping you'd have an idea..." she trailed off, chuckling.

"Let's just walk around and see what we can find, okay?"

"Sounds good. Let's go."

The two girls walked off, unaware of two sets of eyes watching their every move.

At the end of the day, Krista and Ymir were standing outside next to the fence. People whispered around them, as usual, but they ignored them in favour of light conversation. Though Krista mainly talked, with Ymir offering an occasional response or sarcastic remark.

Krista was pleasantly surprised that Ymir had stayed with her after school, and rather than take it for granted, she spilled whatever was on her mind to draw out the conversation. She didn't think about her mother, her father and the other students around them or any other disapproving witness. She just wanted to get to know Ymir better.

"I think Annie likes Eren."

"Oh really?"

"Uh huh! She really hates Mikasa because she's so overprotective of her brother."

"Are you sure she just doesn't hate Mikasa?"

"Oh, but, Armin said it was because Mikasa had something she wanted, and when I turned to Armin he nodded and moved his head a little to Eren!"

"Well, whaddya know? Looks like the lone wolf can't stand to be lonely any longer."

"You know her personally?"

"No."

"Ymir, you're not telling me everything."

"There's nothing to tell. Hey, that lady's been staring at me for the last ten minutes. What the hell's her problem?"

Krista turned around and cursed under her breath; Ymir raised an eyebrow. Her mother just had to come now, when she was trying to pull more out of Ymir? Mrs. Reiss was waiting in her car, the front facing Krista, and frowning. Her hands were tightly gripping the steering wheel and Krista could only imagine the thoughts going through her brain. She faced Ymir and sighed, smiling sadly.

"Sorry, that's my mom. I have to go. See you tomorrow?"

Ymir nodded. "Yeah," she paused. "Nice car."

Krista gasped quietly but turned around to hide her eyes. Of course! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Of course Ymir would notice the car's extravagance. She told everyone else that her parents had invested for a long time in their dream car, but she knew Ymir wouldn't buy it. She walked stiffly to the car, opening the door and waving at Ymir before climbing in. Her mother said nothing, lips pulled down disapprovingly and Krista knew she was in for a lecture.

"Who was that girl?" Mrs. Reiss demanded, pulling out of the driveway.

"She's a friend," Krista answered weakly, hugging her book bag to her chest.

"A friend? Historia, did you see her uniform? Her blouse was unbuttoned, her collar out, her sleeves rolled up, her waistband rolled down. I'm surprised her hair isn't a mess! She's a delinquent, isn't she?"

"Mother! She's not as bad as she seems: she has one of the best averages in the school!"

"Grades are nothing compared to behaviour! And you did not deny my delinquent claim. Historia, are you disobeying me?"

"N-no."

"If I see you with that girl again you will be punished severely. I cannot, and will not, allow my husband's daughter to be walking around with that filth!"

"She's not filth!"

"Don't you dare talk back to your mother that way."

Mrs. Reiss parked the car in the Reiss mansion driveway. Krista angrily opened the door and stepped out, tears streaming.

"Sometimes you don't feel like my mother!" Krista shouted, running into the house. She ignored the maids' worried calls and marched up to her room, throwing her book bag to the floor and locking her door. She collapsed on her bed, clutching the sheets tightly in her fists.

"She's not filth," she whispered, sniffing, "and you will never stop me."

The next day, Ymir waited for Krista again, her mind swirling with thoughts. How could Krista's parents afford an expensive car? Did she come from a rich family? Why hasn't she ever mentioned it before? Was she hiding something? And what was up with her mother? Ymir noticed Krista approaching her but made no motion to greet her. There were students watching her cautiously, stepping around her to enter the school building.

"Hey," Krista greeted quietly.

Ymir saw that Krista was frowning, her eyes cast down. She fidgeted, not used to a sad Krista. What should she do? Comfort her? Yell at her? What would be easier?

"What's gotten you in the shitter?" Ymir bluntly asked.

Krista jumped, and turned her eyes up to Ymir. Blue, blue eyes. Ymir swallowed nervously when Krista's smile became genuine.

"Aww, you care! How nice!" she cooed.

"I don't care, it's just annoying to see you look like a kicked puppy."

"Am I annoying, Ymir?"

"Very annoying."

Krista pouted. "You're so mean! Would it kill you to be nice?"

"Yes."

"Fine, be like that. Let's just go inside before the bell rings."

"Whatever."

Whatever Krista was hiding, Ymir would find out. She'd find it out and see what the alleged goddess of Rose Academy was hiding.