"Why can't I be strong as you guys?" Armin sighed as he kicked away a pebble. Mikasa shifted her tattered red scarf as she looked up at the orange sky.
"You shouldn't evaluate your worth based on physical or emotional strength," Mikasa answered. A strand of her long black hair whipped against her face. She quickly flicked it away as if it were a fly.
"Then what should I base my worth on?" Armin asked. Mikasa stopped in her tracks. That was weird, Armin thought. Mikasa never gets caught off-guard, not even in conversations.
"Armin, look at me," Mikasa sternly said.
Armin raised his head and looked straight into Mikasa's gentle brown eyes. Even though she was known for being a tough fighter and rough-on-the-edges, she still possessed kindness and compassion, much of which is always seen through her gentle, doe eyes.
How could a tough girl have such gentle eyes? What does Eren possibly see in her…?
Mikasa placed her hands on Armin's shoulders and frowned. "You are a valuable asset to the team. Even though you are physically weak, you had the guts to continue living-"
Armin mustered up his courage to speak what was on his mind. "Living under your shadow," he defiantly said as he shook Mikasa's hands off his shoulder.
Mikasa gasped at Armin's sudden outburst. "Armin…what's gotten into you? Don't tell me you're jealous of your two best friends"
Armin backed away. "Best friends? How can you consider me a friend when all I've done is become a burden to you?"
Mikasa took one step forward. She looked really concerned. "Armin, who told you that you were a burden to us?"
Armin glared at her and clenched his fists. "Isn't it obvious?" he muttered.
"Hey guys! Sorry I was late! Commander Yeti and I got caught up in a nice and long chat and-" Eren beamed as he appeared behind Mikasa.
"Well, Mikasa and I were just having a nice and long chat before you came. But since you're here, I'll leave you two together. After all, you guys don't need me anyway," Armin gritted his teeth as he ran away from the stupefied Eren and Mikasa.
"What just happened?" Eren asked, clueless as he made no effort to chase Armin.
Eren looked at Mikasa's glum face and realized that Armin took out his frustrations on her. Eren frowned. No one made his adopted sister feel like that. He was going to confront Armin and ask him what the hell he did to Mikasa.
"Hey Arlert! Get back here!" Eren yelled as he followed suit.
"Eren, stop! Armin needs time to-"
Eren was already two miles away to hear her plea. Mikasa sighed as she walked towards Wall City Tavern, one of Wall Rose's lower scale dating places. She couldn't be late for her date with Chase, a recruit who threw away his prestigious life in Wall Sina just to pursue a life of sacrifice in the Survey Corps.