Chapter 47: A Bucket of Salt


Ai sat next to Aqua while he was in a hospital bed... again.

She was sad, again her son was beaten and injured and forced to go to the hospital for trying to fight and protect the family. First, he was hurt by Ryosuke, then that Yakuza guy at the concert, then Kamiki, and now this.

When will he just be safe?

Ruby was in her lap, cuddling her after the terrible experience. Luckily, the doctors confirmed that there was no damage to Aqua outside of minor bruising. His injured arm was slightly damaged, but he showed remarkable healing, which was attributed to his young age since children healed quickly.

At least he would be ok. Still, she was going to get both of her children therapy. Especially after her son was forced to kill a man.

The image of the dead Yakuza guard didn't leave her mind. Her sweet and innocent baby boy was forced to kill someone. She hated herself for failing to protect him.

"What's wrong mama?" Aqua asked.

Ai leaned over and hugged him, careful not to hurt him. She felt tears coming but held them back for her childrens sake.

"I'm so sorry you and Ruby had to experience that." Ai said.

"It's ok mama." Aqua said.

"No, it isn't. I am supposed to protect you." She said.

"Mama, you were kidnapped by armed thugs. Very few people could do anything against that." Aqua reasoned.

"Besides, that's papa's job." Ruby chimed in. "Right?"

Ai wished that was the case. Eren would likely get life in prison, possibly even executed for his crimes. It could take years, but if they decided, they might execute him.

Yet he did all that to protect her and the children.

"Hoshino-San." A nurse called into the room.

"Yes?" Ai responded.

"You have visitors." The nurse said.

Suddenly, the room was filled with not only B-Komachi, but the Student Council as well.

"AI!" Meimei yelled as she ran over to embrace her friend.

"Meimei." Ai said as she hugged her back.

"Ai." Saitou said sadly.

"President." Ai said.

"Come on, I'm not your boss anymore." He walked over and hugged her as well, his voice soft and vulnerable. "Just call me Saitou-San." He said.

"Well, I've spent so long calling you President, so I don't think I could stop." She smiled, which made Saitou smile.

"How's the baby?" Miyako asked.

"Aqua is fine." Ai said.

"I mean the one in your womb." Miyako clarified. "I know you're still early, but it's dangerous after what happened."

"The doctors looked at him or her. The baby is fine for now. The pregnancy is so early that there was very little chance of an accident." Ai said.

"Thank goodness." Meimei sighed in relief.

The other girls of B-Komachi hugged Ai, Ruby, and Aqua as well, offering their sympathy and promising that they would help Ai and the kids.

"I'm glad you're ok Ai." Kaguya said as she approached.

"Yea, we were really worried." Fujiwara said.

"I'm fine now, we all are. Thanks to Eren." Ai said.

"The news is saying he failed in kidnapping you after a disagreement in the Yakuza." Meimei said. "Though, I know that's wrong."

"How do you know?" Ai asked.

"He threatened me into letting him use the studio as a base to operate out of while he rescued you." Saitou said. "He practically held us hostage."

"Even still, he did save Ai... spectacularly I might add." Meimei said.

"Seriously, are you guys seeing the CCTV footage. He's like freaking Spider-Man!" Nino yelled out.

"Yea." Fujiwara agreed. "He literally swung around and... well... most of the footage is censored. I'd like to believe he just knocked them out." She shuttered as she chose to live in her delusion.

Ai saw the aftermath. He did a lot more than that.

"I still can't say I like him." Saitou said. "But... for saving you, he at least has my respect."

"Not like it matters." Ishigami said. "Likely he'll get life in prison, if they don't decide to use the death penalty for this specific case."

"Ishigami, please keep your mouth shut." Kaguya sighed.

"Understood." He said, slightly scared of Kaguya.

"Although, about that." Kaguya began. "I am going to have one of my father's personal lawyers to help him. I don't think we could get him off, but with enough work, maybe we could get his sentence reduced to ten years."

"Could you talk to your father?" Meimei asked.

"What would he do?" Kaguya asked. "Not only does he probably believe that Eren was the one who kidnapped me, but he would never risk his reputation to help a criminal. I mean, I'm sorry, but there's no way I can convince him to help." Kaguya said.

"What if you told him Eren saved you?" Ai asked.

"Even then, why would he help Eren?" Kaguya asked. "It's not like her particularly cares. He's almost never around anyway." Kaguya crossed her arms in annoyance.

"I see your point." Ai said sadly.

"We'll work on it; I promise I'll hire the best lawyer to defend Eren."

"It's all we can hope for." Ai said.


Eren watched as an old and almost sickly man walked into the room. He had long white hair that was slicked back but still dressed in a nice black suit. The man balanced himself on a cane and slowly made his way to where Eren was cuffed.

In his hand was a cup full of a hot kind of liquid. Eren could smell it, and it reminded him of that black liquid that Zeke used to drink. It smelled good, but Eren never tried it since he preferred tea over most other kinds of drinks.

The old man carefully sat down where that detective was, balancing himself and grunting as he sat down. Eren was confused why this old man decided to speak with him.

"Mr. Yeager, was it?" The man asked, his voice deep and gravely.

Eren nodded.

"The Akuma no Ko, I believe." The old man said.

There was a long silence between the two men, one that persisted for a while. Eren stayed quiet, letting the man set the initiative in their conversation.

Ironically, this treatment made Eren feel better. The other guy was far too kind, and it made Eren uncomfortable. This old man showed power and dominance, despite his frail appearance. He seemed like the kind of man who would cut a prisoner's fingers off, which filled Eren with a sense of morbid familiarity.

"Do you know who I am?" The man asked.

"Should I?" Eren asked.

He had a decent memory and knew for a fact he never saw this man before.

"Maybe if I introduce myself, you'll recognize me." The man said. "I believe in western culture, being your culture, family name is placed last. So, I will introduce myself as Gan'an Shinomiya."

"Shinomiya." Eren said, as in Kaguya?

"I believe you should be familiar with our family name." He said.

"Same last name as Kaguya." Eren recognized.

"Yes, she is a member of the Shinomiya name." He said. "So, tell me Eren, can you guess to what relationship Kaguya and myself share?"

It was a weird request, but Eren decided to play along. He thought for a moment, considering the man's old age and what he could possibly be. Probably the patriarch of the family, given his dominant presence and in control attitude.

"I'd guess you're her grandfather." Eren stated.

Shinomiya actually chuckled at that, a bit surprised that Eren knows nothing of the Shinomiya conglomerate.

"I suppose at my age, that would be a fair guess." He said.

"But your reaction says otherwise." Eren said.

"True." Shinomiya said. "I am her father."

Eren wasn't really surprised. Kaguya was the daughter of a noble, which meant that her father could either marry a young woman or take a young woman as his mistress. Such relationships were common with nobility within the walls and even among nobles beyond the walls.

"So, why are you here?" Eren asked.

The news reported that Eren kidnapped Kaguya, and no one except Miyuki, Hayasaka, and Kaguya knew the truth. No doubt her father would want revenge.

"Curiosity." Shinomiya said.

"That's it?" Eren asked.

"It pains me a great deal to say this, but I have been a terrible father to my children." He said. "A good father would not play favorites with his children; however, I am not a good father."

"Ok." Eren said, not sure where this was going.

"My little Kaguya is the most precious thing I have on this earth. I adored and loved her mother, even though she died giving my daughter life." Shinomiya said. "I love her more than my own three sons, which only shows the failure that I am as a father."

"Sorry to hear that." Eren said genuinely.

"Even as a father to her, I still was not the best. Her mother was a prostitute in the Gion red-light district. She was as cunning as she was beautiful. I'll admit, I fell in love with her mind as much as her beauty."

So, he loved a mistress, seems normal as far as Eren was concerned about nobles.

"I often wondered if she ever loved me. I believe Kaguya inherited her mother's cunning more than anything from me. I often wondered if she simply used me to leave the red-light district, but I then conclude that it doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?" Eren asked.

"Does it matter if the people we love, love us back?" He asked cryptically. "After all, if young Hoshino-San hated and despised you, would you do anything less than protect her as you have?"

"I guess I would still protect her." Eren agreed.

"After she died, I swore to give my daughter everything her mother did not have in her life. I always feared that my daughter would find her way to a red-light district, as unlikely as that scenario would be. Looking back, I may have sheltered her too much. I even bribed her school from avoiding teaching about sex in her general health education." He explained.

Eren guessed that explained Kaguya's lack of knowledge about the subject.

"Until of course, that Shirogane boy ruined that." There was a slight annoyance to his voice.

"I guess you don't like him." Eren observed.

"Can any boy live up to a father's expectations when it comes to his daughter?" Shinomiya asked.

"I wouldn't know." Eren said.

"You'll learn, in time." He said, though Eren doubted it since he'll be executed soon. "Though, my opinion had changed when he rescued my daughter." Shinomiya said.

That confused Eren. He made sure Miyuki wasn't at all tied back to that operation. No one should know who saved Kaguya, especially after Kaguya lied. Did she tell her father?

"You're surprised?" Shinomiya asked. "As cunning as my daughter is, I doubt any child can really lie to their parents. Despite how flawless her lie was, I knew it was a lie. I know my daughter very well, though even now she still believes that she deceived me."

"So, how'd you know it was Miyuki?" Eren asked.

"Your plan to rescue my daughter was, to be completely honest, terrible." Eren glared at the insult.

"You knew it was me?" Eren asked.

"A single police officer decides to infiltrate a Yakuza base without calling for back up, and fights in a very unusual style, a style matching footage of the Akuma no Ko, and you expect people to believe it wasn't you?" Shinomiya asked.

Was it really that odd? Even Yoshida mentioned that. It's not unusual for Military Police to go into an area alone or with whoever was around. It's not like they can easily call for help.

Though considering everyone has moveable phones, Eren figured it would make sense for them to call for help.

"However, after that, my daughter began to visit a very unusual group of people. Though she's a fan of B-Komachi, it did still strike me as odd that she would visit the lead idol. And even stranger, hear my guards say there was a westerner that visited as well. It's not hard to put two and two together Eren." Shinomiya explained.

"So, you knew who I was even back then." Eren said.

"Despite how intelligent I am, coincidences are still possible. So, I asked the head of the Police Department to tap your phone, just to make sure. The police knew who you were from then on." He said.

"So why not arrest me then?" Eren asked.

"The police wanted to. I dare say that you should be grateful that I annually donate a large sum of money to the police, otherwise they would have." Shinomiya said. "I only had them listen in, which was cute when we saw how you and Ai texted each other." He laughed.

Eren actually blushed a bit, feeling like his privacy was just violated, which it was.

"Not to mention, you had help from a Russian arms dealer the government has been tracking for two decades. Sadly, his phone was far too encrypted, with a triple defense of VPNs, a PUK, and a false sim card. Impossible to find, even with hacking your phone."

Eren smiled, it seems Sergei managed to escape the police.

"However, you piqued my curiosity." Shinomiya said.

"Oh?" Eren asked.

"I at first believed that you rescued my daughter as a bargaining chip. A way to be granted a boon from me and either use it to secure your freedom or to make money. So, I waited for the inevitable call. I even assumed that's why you spoke with my daughter after the rescue. Only to discover that no such call came." Shinomiya said.

"I didn't really care." Eren shrugged.

"Which was odd to me." Shinomiya said. "So, I watched and waited. Wondering just what kind of man you are. A man who could take on an entire Yakuza gang without any issues."

"And?" Eren asked.

"I'm not a man that's blind to the desperation of a man who has nothing. I am quiet liberal in my beliefs when it comes to those who commit crimes out of desperation. However, your crimes are too numerous and great for me to try and help you simply because you were desperate." He said.

"Then why are we having this conversation?" Eren asked.

"As I said, I love my daughter more than anything. Even if I am terrible at showing it. For that reason, and that reason alone, I will give you a second chance." He said.

"How would you?" Eren asked. "It's pretty clear who I am."

"Is it?" Shinomiya asked. "There's only two pieces of evidence that ties Eren Yeager and the Akuma no Ko. Your thumb print on the gun recovered at the concert, and the testimony of a talent agency manager." He said.

"Thumb print?" Eren asked, though Shinomiya ignored him.

"However, it seems that through a recent inspection from... what's the western equivalent, councilman Fujiwara," Eren recognized that name. "Some old thumb prints in the registry were deleted due to corrupted files. So, we don't have anything matching your thumb print."

"Ok." Eren said, still not sure what a thumb print meant in this context.

"As for the testimony, most law enforcement officials don't charge people based on a single witness account. Witnesses have often been discredited if there isn't more evidence to cooberate their accounts. So, the police cannot charge you." He said.

"Really?" Eren asked.

"You were just an unfortunate case of mistaken identity when you were strolling around a ship that was attacked due to a Yakuza disagreement, and even helped to save Hoshino-San and her children when she escaped. It can be an issue for foreigners." He explained.

"Seems farfetched." Eren said.

"Make no mistake, everyone will know this is a cover up. The public will know that you are the Akuma no Ko and will still treat you accordingly, either out of fear or hatred." Shinomiya explained.

"I really don't care if people see me as a devil again." Eren shrugged, though Shinomiya was confused, he dropped the question he had.

"There's a lot I could do." He said. "I can bribe the news to not report on it. I can request to social media platforms to bury any mentions of you, so the story doesn't trend. But that won't hide the truth. People will know who you are and will know that we swept this under the rug."

"Is that bad?" Eren asked.

"No doubt, they will come up with conspiracies. Maybe you're a secret government weapon. Maybe, you're an undercover agent. The media will come up with any outlandish story to make money. However, outside of your reputation being ruined, nothing bad will happen. Which would make a relationship with you and Ai very interesting."

"Again, I don't care about what people think of me." Eren said.

"I suppose not." Shinomiya said.

"So that's it. You're just going to let me go?" Eren asked.

"You're freedom for my daughter's life. It's a fair deal I would say." Shinomiya said. "Many people don't fully understand the power and influence I have in Japan. Many politicians owe their seats due to me funding their campaign. Many agencies depend on my generous contributions when the government gets stingy with funding. I could make people disappear or make people whoever I want them to be. For my daughter's safety, I chose to make you innocent."

Eren chuckled darkly to himself. It seems nobles aren't so different in this world.

"However, there is the issue of your status in Japan." Shinomiya said.

"What issue?" Eren asked.

"Eren Yeager, although not charged as the Akuma no Ko, is still an illegal immigrant within Japan. An illegal that either needs to be deported or needs to claim sanctuary status. Given your desperation to join the Yakuza, I'd wager that you are unable to find work." Shinomiya said.

"It would be a smart wager." Eren said.

"Seeing as how I already risked my reputation to sweep this all under the rug, I'll need compensation from you if you want to find work in Japan." He said.

"You're forcing me to work for you?" Eren glared.

"Forcing... no. In fact, to show you that I am not, I will hire one of my best lawyers to not only ensure you gain sanctuary status, but also to help you one day become a Japanese citizen." He said.

"So, what do you want?" Eren asked.

"Because everyone knows you're the Akuma no Ko, you'd never be able to find legitimate work. As further help, I can help you find employment, while also having your skills benefit Japan as a whole." He said.

"So, what did you have in mind?" Eren asked.

"A dear friend of mine is the director of Naicho, the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office. Your skills would be a great asset for us." He said.

"You'd ask someone who has no formal education and is functionally illiterate in your language?" Eren asked.

"You're an investment, an investment worth making." He said. "Education is easy, I can get you a free ride at a four-year university. Where you'll learn not only written English and Japanese, but the Japanese language and a criminal studies degree. In exchange, I request a minimum of six years of service to Naicho."

"What do I get out of six years of service?" Eren asked.

"Naicho members are paid very well. You won't be rich mind you, but you would be able to support... say... a wife and three kids comfortably. Hypothetically speaking. If you complete twenty years of service, you can receive a pension for the rest of your life." He said.

It sounded like a very good deal all around. Earn his freedom, get paid decently, and support Ai if they stay together.

"Four years of school and six years of service. So, ten total?" Eren asked.

"You get federal holidays off and at least thirty vacation days a year. A very good deal for someone who loves to travel. Especially since their work often takes them to foreign countries." He said.

"Fine." Eren said.

He supposed it wouldn't be too different from the Scouts.

"One last thing." Shinomiya said. "That repelling gear you had, I had some questions."

"Like what?" Eren asked.

"The blades are unlike anything I've seen. Initial investigation on them shows that the blades are made of an unknown metal, while the gas in the tanks is made of a material that's not known on the periodic table. Did your nation invent this?" He asked

"Yes." Eren nodded.

"What country is that?" Shinomiya asked.

"As I've said, I'm from another world. So, the nation of Eldia." Eren repeated.

There was a moment of silence as Shinomiya looked at Eren, trying to sense a deception in his voice. Shinomiya concluded that Eren was an amazing liar since he could say that with no trace of deception.

Eren though, he knew it was futile to try and convince anyone where he truly came from.

"I see." Shinomiya said. "I don't blame you for wanting to maintain the secrets of your country, and I won't pry. Though, I do believe this technology could be used well in the civilian sector. I may open up a branch to produce it, though it would need modifications since it seems difficult to control."

"Go ahead." Eren shrugged.

"Excellent." Shinomiya said. "I'll see myself out and secure your release. Young Hoshino-San and even B-Komachi will be waiting at my mansion. Even my daughter and her friends wanted to pay a visit. I'll have a driver take you. Please enjoy the reunion."

As Shinomiya walked out, Eren was partially in shock. He was free. Not only that, but he'd actually have stable employment. All because he rescued Kaguya.

Not only that, but he could also have a life with Ai. He could actually raise this child with her and have a family he was deprived of for so long. Since his mother died, Eren didn't feel like he had a family. There was Mikasa, but she was different.

Eren could build his life and would still get to explore the world.

He still felt guilty, since the Devil of Paradis would continue to live a happy life, despite everything he has done.

But Eren looked forward to the possibility of rebuilding his life.


The Next Day

Eren got out of the car after resting overnight in prison. From what Shinomiya told him, Ai was informed of the situation and that Eren would be a free man.

It was such a strange situation for him to be in. For the first time in a long time, maybe since before the walls fell, Eren felt at peace. The Titans were gone, the war was over, and even now, he has the potential of future employment and a chance to have a family.

He never realized he'd ever be in this situation. Maybe it was selfish of him to want it, after all, he was still a devil. He deserved death.

But he always kept moving forward, no matter what. Even if he didn't deserve this, he'd act on his selfish impulse and live a happy life.

Eren reached into his pocket to ensure that he still had the piece of paper that he wrote. It was a single sentence in Eldian that he intended to read when he saw Ai.

"To live a long and happy life." Eren said to himself.

The future that was robbed from him, ever since he learned of the Curse of Ymir.

Eren walked through the doors into the large mansion. Well, more of a palace really. It reminded him a lot of the castle in the interior, the one that Historia resided in. It was beautiful on the ins-

Eren fell back as a purple blur crashed into him at full speed. He wondered why his reflexes didn't respond, but he instantly knew what hit him. Eren fell onto his rear, maintaining a sitting posture as Ai's weight practically crashed into him.

"Eren!" Meimei called out from behind where Ai came from.

"Meimei." Eren nodded.

"Me first!" Ai yelled as she tightened her hug.

"Sorry." Eren chuckled. "Ai." He said in the same tone.

"Baka." Ai said with a small chuckle of her own.

Eren stood up as Ai got off of him. She stood next to him, letting her hands fall and rest in his hands. She smiled warmly as she looked up at him.

Amazingly, when they got to the mansion, Kaguya's father was there to deliver the news. It was a huge shock to Kaguya, who believed that her father would never do something that could damage his reputation like this just because Eren saved her.

Ai looked sadly at the old man as he realized he was too absent from his daughter's life. He swore to her that he would be a better father, a promise that ended up making Kaguya cry.

"Welcome to my mansion Eren." Kaguya curtsied.

"Yea, good to see you again." Fujiwara said cheerfully. "I never realized you saved Kaguya, so thanks for that."

"You don't need to thank me." Eren said.

"And saving Ai." Saitou said. "I may have been rude to you, though I do feel I was justified, but thank you for saving her Eren. I am sorry for how I treated you."

"Like you said, it was justified." Eren shrugged.

"Just promise me you'll avoid a future in crime if you stay with Ai." He asked.

"If?" Eren asked.

"Just promise me." Saitou said.

Eren didn't fully understand their relationship, but he did know that Saitou was basically a father to Ai. He understood that Saitou would be concerned for her.

"I don't plan on it." Eren said.

"Don't be bad papa." Ruby said in her broken English. "If papa bad, papa punished."

"I won't." Eren said with a slight twitch of his eyebrow. He really didn't plan to go back into crime.

"Yea pa- Eren." Aqua said, intentionally trying to sound like his English was broken as well.

Eren chuckled at that. Aqua tried to call him papa, but now that they knew each other's secrets, Eren and Aqua doubted that they could pretend to be a father and son. Especially since Aqua was older than Eren.

So, they decided to avoid that kind of relationship and just remain respectful to each other. Aqua did begin to look to Eren as a kind of mentor, but it's too weird to see him as a father.

What Eren lacked in his age, he made up for in life experience.

"Oh, Meimei." Ai said, remembering something. "Bring the thing."

"Thing?" Eren asked.

"Yea, the thing." Ai said.

Meimei ran over to one of the rooms for a moment, and carried out a small bucket that looked a little heavy for her. She struggled to bring it in but handed it to Eren. Eren took it and raised his eyebrow as he looked inside.

"A bucket of salt?" Eren asked.

"Yes." Ai nodded. "Now, you can propose to me."

.

.

.

"What?" Eren asked.

"Seriously?" Meimei asked. "You proposed before, so just do it again."

"Why the bucket of salt?" Eren asked.

"Because you said it's in your custom." Ai said. "So, I wanted to try your way of proposing."

"My custom?" Eren asked, still confused.

"Yea, you said in your culture, you propose with a bucket of salt." Meimei said, confused why they were explaining this to Eren.

"... That was a joke." Eren said in a deadpanned expression.

"... Seriously?" Ai asked.

"I was making a joke about buying expensive things for a marriage." Eren said. "Did you all really think we proposed with a bucket of salt?" He asked.

The entire group, both the B-Komachi group and the Student Council were silent. They all really thought that Eren's home proposed with a bucket of salt.

"Hehehe..." Eren started to laugh. "Hehe, hahahahaha!" Eren actually broke out in laughter.

This wasn't his usual laughter, which he did when he was emotionally unstable. This was a genuine laugh. A laughter that told of good times and happy memories.

When was the last time he actually laughed like this? Did he ever?

"Ok, please stop laughing, it's creepy coming from you." Meimei said.

"Yea, I never heard him laugh." Miyako said. "Not a normal laugh anyway."

Ai though, smiled at Eren. It was a genuine laugh. An actual expression of happiness that was always so rare coming from Eren. He did express happiness, but it was either subtle or rare. She hoped she could make him laugh more often and make him happy.

"So, after everything you said about wanting to take a relationship slow, you want to get married now?" Eren said as his laughter died down, though his smile stayed.

"Well, I'm pregnant with your baby now, so I think we should regardless." Ai said logically. "Besides, with my reputation destroyed, finding another boyfriend would be hard. So, I suppose I'll settle for you." She crossed her arms, though her voice betrayed her joking tone.

"Settle for me?" Eren asked with a small smirk.

"Yes." Ai nodded.

"I don't know." Eren said. "I just realized I do love idols now, and since you are no longer an idol, I guess I don't want to be with you anymore."

Ai was shocked that Eren actually played along, but she smiled as he did. He seemed so much calmer and happier now.

"Ba-"

"Baka." Eren cut Ai off, causing her to pout.

"Ok, you two are cute. But can you just propose so we can get videos." Miyako said in annoyance as she held up her phone.

"Sure." Eren said. "I'll even use the bucket." He said.

Eren walked up to Ai and held the bucket out to her.

"Ai-"

"You need to be on one knee." Meimei said.

"Why?" Eren said.

"It's romantic." Meimei said.

"I thought we were following my customs." Eren said.

"Well, apparently you have no customs, so we need to improvise." Meimei said.

What is with this country and ceremonies?

Eren got down to one knee and held up the bucket of salt to Ai, who had her hand over her mouth, trying desperately not to laugh.

Eren was actually starting to feel embarrassed.

"Ai, I want you to marry me." Eren said.

"You have to ask her, not tell her." Meimei said.

Eren was going to throw this bucket of salt at her.

"Will you marry me." He said.

"Yes!" Ai said as she hugged Eren, causing him to lose his hold on the bucket and spill it on the floor next to them.

Ai held Eren tightly, glad that everything ended up working out. Her reputation was still destroyed, and her career was gone, but who cares. She had a family that she loved and had a new member on the way.

She realized that her fans love was truly fake, while Eren and her children truly did love her. That's the only love she needed.

"I love you Eren." Ai said.

"Yea, Ruby loves papa!" Ruby ran up to Eren and hugged him too.

"I'll just stay over- whoa!" Aqua yelled out as Ai reached for him and forced him into the hug.

Aqua relented and hugged the group.

As the new family hugged each other, Eren used this time to take out a piece of paper that he had in his pocket, which had a single phrase written in Eldian. He looked at it and sounded it out.

"Skee, Dye, Yo." He sounded out.

Ai giggled at his use of the language. Though, the actual phrase he said is typically used in a less romantic way, more of a way to say you intend to date someone instead of actually loving them. More of a phrase a boy would use when he wanted to confess to his crush. But she smiled at his attempt. It was cute.

"Ai Shiteru Yo." Ai said, using the proper phrasing.

"Huh?" Eren asked.

"Nothing." Ai smiled.

For the first time in so long, Eren felt at peace.


One more chapter to go, the epilogue.

I'm not going to lie; this chapter scares me lol. I really hope I made it believable in how Eren can be cleared of his charges. This is the main reason I introduced Love is War. I don't do cameos for the sake of them, they need to have a purpose in the story. Given the context of the power of the Shinomiya conglomerate, I'd say it could work lol.

Like with Yoshida and Sergei, Gan'an was able to piece everything together by himself. Most readers don't question Eren's tactics to save Kaguya, but if you have a military or law enforcement background, you'd easily be able to pick up on how odd it was. Something that Eren, who is from a world without radios or phones, wouldn't recognize. At least, this is the intent.

I hope I accurately conveyed Gan'an's reasoning and the power he has to be able to do such a thing. I'd say it falls in line with what he could do in Love is War.

However, just because Eren avoided jail, doesn't mean he completely escapes the court of public opinion, which will probably have more ramifications in the sequel.

It's a farfetched scenario, but in line with an anime I think.

Please let me know if it made sense or was satisfying. I've been building to this moment for literal months. Hopefully it met expectations.

As always, hope you guys enjoy and I'll release the last chapter soon.