A Titan's Shadow

by OffBatter

Eren expected to die, as soon as Mikasa decapitated him and felt her lips on his he knew he was done for. Eren couldn't be grateful, he just wanted to end the madness that The Rumbling was. He doesn't care where he'd go. He slowly opens his eyes only to be welcomed by a bizarre-looking room with a bizarre-looking man (AOT X P4)

1. Moving Forward

Inside his titan, Eren could hear them—billions of muffled screams, pleas, and cries filled his mind. It didn't matter that he was high above, practically reaching the clouds; the cries somehow reached him, leaving his mind visualizing the horror from below.

Despite that, one thing was clear for him: keep moving forward.

But yet, he wondered why. He couldn't tell. His freedom felt like nothing but a thin illusion. At this point, he couldn't discern if his thoughts were his own anymore.

No, his thoughts were still his own, just that his head was in complete disarray, and a fuzzy image of his friends smiling came across his mind. That's right, for them.

Armin, Mikasa, Jean, hell even Captain Levi. Eren wants them to live long, for their children as well, and so on.

Suddenly, an explosion happened inside his titan's mouth, forming a hole between the teeth, and a figure breached inside. Eren didn't flinch; he already knew who it was. With whatever strength he had left, he opened his eyes and saw her—Mikasa, making her way towards him.

Eren hated seeing her like this, her face hurt him deeply, even though he no longer had a body.

So precious, so heartbroken.

With a clean cut of her blades, she beheaded her loved one, and Eren's head fell down.

Before the head hit the floor, Mikasa caught him with her caring hands and brought him closer to her face.

With utmost care, Mikasa brought the head closer, and she finally closed the gap with a kiss—the last thing Eren would ever feel.

Grisha was wrong. Five seconds. By that time, Eren was gone—be it heaven or hell, he didn't care.

A goodbye kiss, and farewell to a dream.

---

Eren had never imagined the afterlife to be like this. First, there was heaven—a realm of endless green grass and diverse flowers, where one could wander without any worries, hunger, or thirst. It seemed like a place of absolute contentment.

And then there was hell—the dreaded destination for the worst people. A place where they supposedly repented for their sins, enduring the pain of their flesh amidst towering flaming mountains and lakes of scorching fire. The air was allegedly filled with the stench of decay and burnt flesh.

Well, at least that's how those fanatics of the Church of the Walls described it. Eren didn't believe them from the beginning. But this, he could not see, smell, speak, or hear. Even worse, he couldn't feel anything. It was just him and his thoughts, thoughts that relentlessly circled back to the same question: Why did it have to end this way? Such questions were a constant reminder that he felt like a slave to fate, a destiny that seemed to have been written for him since the very beginning. Perhaps this was his own personal hell, a place of contemplation, haunted by the 'ifs' and the 'afters'.

Eren couldn't discern how much time had passed. Hours? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? But at some point, air entered his nostrils, his lungs inflated and deflated, and his heart began beating once again.

Yet, Eren couldn't shake the feeling that something was profoundly wrong.

Snapping his eyes open, he found himself engulfed by a pitch-black void, nothing he could see at a distance, nothing he could spot nearby him, absolutely nothing, it was unnerving.

Although, oddly enough, he could very well see his own body despite there not being a light source, almost like his body was producing it, he stood still pondering the meaning of any of this.

Until a sound, similar to that of a bell, rang next to him, fixing his gaze on the source of the sound, he saw a blue butterfly flying past him leaving a trail of sparkles. It felt so unnatural to even look at it.

Without any thought in mind and looking around for a moment, Eren felt obliged to follow after it, and so he did, he trailed behind like a child until something else happened, and it did.

The butterfly came to a halt, taking a step forward, Eren tried to reach it but before his fingertips could make any sort of contact, a soft blue light emanated from the insect, and then the light engulfed it leaving no traces of the butterfly behind, just a dark-blue door with golden markings decorating it.

Eren reached for the golden doorknob, and out of thin air he found himself sat in a chair in a totally different place, the walls were colored a dark blue, and the floor had a chees pattern to complement it, but the ceiling, there was none, only light came from where the ceiling was supposed to be, it looked endless and the light prevented from looking any further.

This room reminded him of a courtroom, there were two jury boxes colored with the same blue hue the room had, and at the end of the room, there was a curved judge's bench of the same color. All of it was towering over him, almost like being looked down upon.

Right in front of him, a round black table adorned with a deep blue cloth, decorated with an intricate black pattern, and an old-looking man sat facing Eren, his eyes completely shut. He wore a black suit with silky white gloves on his hands. Yet, Eren couldn't shake the feeling that there was something unnervingly strange about him, particularly his nose, which seemed unnaturally elongated. Eren might say he looked like an abnormal titan, or maybe not, abnormal ones, from what he had seen, looked more human than this guy, despite how tacky it sounded.

Turning his gaze, a woman was standing next to the old man with pale skin and ashen hair. She donned a jacket of the same blue hue as the room, stockings covering her legs, and elegant dark blue heels, although, he did notice she had a thick handbook resting on her lap. Her striking golden-yellow eyes exuded an aura of elegance, by all accounts Eren had to admit, she was beautiful.

Eren looked around his surroundings looking for an escape, he didn't like his odds, but he might as well take them, that's until the old man opened his bloodshot eyes, and spoke with a soothing tone. "Welcome, to the Velvet Room."

Eren wasn't a religious person, but from what he heard about the topic, none of them mentioned an afterlife like this. "Where Am I?" He asked with a slightly aggressive tone.

It seemed the aggressiveness didn't fly over the old man's head, he simply chuckled softly. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Igor and you're in the Velvet Room, this place only exists between dream and reality, mind and matter."

"...Is this hell?" The boy asked, he needed at least some sort of confirmation.

The old man, now named Igor chuckled. "Is that where you expected to end up?"

"...Yes," Eren said bluntly. "I'm supposed to be dead, aren't I?"

"You assume right, my dear guest. But someone bound you by contract, hence that's why you're here."

Eren gritted his teeth. "So you're saying I'm here against my own will?"

"I guess you could say that this person wanted to make up for the terrible fate that was imposed on you… Quite an awful fate you meet, Eren Yeager, and as for the contract, guess we'll arrange that some other time." Igor explained.

Eren's blood ran cold. "How much do you know?"

"From the very first moment you were born to your impending death, we know everything. But our job is not to judge you, in fact, our job is to guide you through this journey, and the person who put you under a contract wanted to give you, let's say… a second chance, although as for why they specifically bring you here, is beyond my knowledge."

Second chance, it just sounded plain wrong, despite not showing it. Eren was annoyed. "...You said, they brought me here 'specifically' What is that supposed to mean?"

Igor's grin grew slightly larger. "You see, you're in a different version of your world, one that is vastly different from the one you knew."

Eren stayed silent for a minute, processing what he was told. "...Then what the hell Am I supposed to do now?"

"Hmm… Shall we look into your future?" Igor waved his hand over the table, and a small stack of cards appeared in front of them, each one with a different design yet unfamiliar to Eren. "Do you believe in fortune telling?"

Eren felt a vein form on his forehead, he had always seen these guys in festivals, just saying random crap that compels the other person, that much he knew, most of them were scammers.

With a swift move, Igor flicked his hand making the cards shuffle themselves, with that, the cards spread in seven different places around the table. "Same cards, yet different results, it may not look like it, but it is similar to life itself. Now let's see what awaits you."

Flipping the one card in the air, Igor showed what looked like a tower being struck by lightning, repeating the same motion, now it was a moon, or well, a crescent moon with a face and a silhouette above it, honestly at this point, Eren's patience ran thinner and thinner. "The Tower in a downward position foretells a great catastrophe in the near future, and The Moon in the upward position, mystery, and uncertainty. Your future is truly intriguing."

Gone, Eren's patience was gone. "Will you talk sense already!?" He spat.

Unwavered by his outburst, Igor continues. "This year… will be a turning point in your life, a mystery that will draw you in, whether you like it or not, and if it goes unsolved, your future may be lost. So, our duty is to help you to prevent that from happening." Another hand sweep and the cards were gone. "Ah! I'm afraid I neglected to introduce my assistant to you. Her name is Margaret. She is a resident of this room as myself."

"My name is Margaret, pleasure to make your acquaintance." The woman finally introduced herself. "I'm here to accompany you through all your journey."

"My dear guest, I know you may have a lot of questions, but we shall attend to the details some other time, and, I do believe it is better for you to experience this world by yourself, however you want to approach the situation is up to you. You are free, until then I bid you farewell." Igor said waving his goodbyes, and so did his assistant.

"H-Hey wait!" Of course, Eren still had so many questions, but none of them would be answered any time soon apparently, as the whole room was lit up with a bright light, making him disorientated.

Snapping his eyes open and breathing heavily, he looked around, alone, with no one to be seen, yet the place he was standing was completely unfamiliar, he was in a building that he knew, sort of, he was in the open, almost like… Looking around for a while longer, he saw them. Train tracks, at least he recognizes that, meaning…

'Am I in a train station?' He remembers vaguely from his time in Marley. Still, this place is like nothing he had seen before.

Yet a single voice sounded in the distance. "Yasoinaba. Yasoinaba."

---

04/11

Eren didn't know what to think, he was alone, with nobody to be seen around him, It was dusk, he could tell that much, but one question floated in his head.

'What now…?'

He remained still for a bit, trying to think of something to do now until his train of thought was interrupted by the sound of something, music maybe.

Going over to the source a few steps ahead, he saw it…

'A mirror?' The boy thought incredulously, well For him it looked like it and it was attached to the wall and all, but the weirdest thing was that it wasn't reflecting his reflection.

Instead, it was a girl who looked relatively young wearing nothing but colorful underwear and a bra, to add to the rising uncomfortable feeling Eren was getting, she was being soaked in water, and from the looks of it, she was enjoying it, or well, that's what it looked like.

A second later, the image changed, now the girl was drinking something and sitting on what looked like a beach, and then she looked directly at Eren.

The boy thought she had noticed him, Eren was about to ask but the girl beat him to it. "I'm tired of diets! Enough with going to the gym! Good thing there's something even I can handle!" She giggles playfully.

Then another voice, this time of a man said. "Slim down this summer with the refreshing taste of Quelorie Magic!" A small container appeared next to the girl.

"Uh…What?" Eren said out loud, he had hoped that he would get some sort of information but it simply woke up more confusion within him.

Were this girl and that voice trying to sell him something? That was the most likely possibility, but just a drink? They mention something about diet and gyms, terms which were unfamiliar to him.

Even if he were to have money to buy it, he wouldn't. There is something else that ticked him off a little bit, and that was the girl, he doesn't know the whole story and that's a given, but why would a young girl in this skimpy attire be dancing around and promoting whatever that thing is?

His conclusion seemed rather logical, she was a harlot, and considering her age, it probably wasn't by choice. it seemed pitiful to see situations like this, but he was aware of it, he saw it firsthand.

Back when Shiganshina was invaded, many and many refugees had to make a living out of farming, including himself but sometimes it wasn't enough, he saw occasions where daughters or mothers would sell their bodies out to provide for their families, either willingly or forcefully, he was glad that he, Armin and Mikasa weren't forced, Armin was smart at managing their shared resources between the three.

A heavy sigh left his mouth. "I don't have any money, but I wanted to ask you…" Eren tried to reach out with his hand, but a voice called him out before it could make contact.

"Hey, um, excuse me? I-I'm sorry, but, um, could you please not touch the TV? I just cleaned it, and, um, I don't want to clean it again. It's a bit of a hassle." Eren retracted his hand, and when he looked to his right, he saw a young woman. She didn't seem too much older than him, maybe in her early twenties. She wore a blue jumpsuit, her hair tied in a thigh-tie bun, and her eyes, a soft cinnamon color. In her mouth, she nervously played with a wooden toothpick.

Eren didn't say anything. They stared at each other for a few seconds, although something piqued his interest, her features, she almost looked…

Before he could ask, he was interrupted "I get it, kid. She's pretty and all, but seriously, do you expect her to, like, pop out of the TV and give you a hug or something?" she said with a timid smile trying to make things less awkward.

Despite feeling a tad bit annoyed and confused, the boy asked his question. "Are you Hizurian?"

Now the woman raises an eyebrow. "Mmmh… Last time I checked I was Japanese."

Another term he wasn't familiar with, the situation seemed hopeless with each question he would ask. "Where am I?"

"...You seriously don't know?" The woman asked and the boy shook his head. "Kid, you're in Yasoinaba Station, are you lost? You seem like a clueless tourist… However, now that I take a closer look, you're not from here, are you? Let me guess, Swedish? No, Norwegian…? or Russian? Did I get it?"

So many terms and still none of them click, he might as well try his. "No, I'm from Paradis Island."

"Eh? Paradis…?" She scratched her cheek in confusion. "I may not have been a genius in geography, but I don't think I ever hear about this Paradis place. Where is it?"

"Around the coast of Marley." He stated.

"Uh.. never hear of it."

'Should have guessed so…' Eren grimaced. "...I see, where's the exit?"

"W-wait a second kid, I ain't just gonna let you leave, is someone picking you up? Like you know, a parent or a guardian?" She pointed out.

"I'm not a kid, I can take care of myself." Eren barked.

"Then what am I looking at?" She pointed to the TV that was turned off.

Now Eren could very well see his reflection, one that completely shocked him, it was true what she said, a kid, no older than seventeen, staring back at him, his short hair brown with his bang middle-parted. And his eyes reflected nothing but stupefaction.

That was him, wearing simple clothes, a dark green hoodie, brown sweatpants, and matching shoes.

He was… a teenager.

"What the fuck…?" He said out loud.

"Uuh, yeah, you're a teen…" The woman responded, seemingly taken aback

Eren swallowed slowly. "...Where's the exit?"

The woman simply looked at him skeptically. "Uh… Straight then turn right, but I really think you should stay with-" Then the boy quickly took off and ran away. "Hey, wait!" She calls out but to no avail. "Sayumi… now you screw it up it up good, I'll have a missing person on me if I let him go…" Sayumi murmured to herself, despite not being her responsibility she went after the boy.

---

Outside the station, everything felt surreal, like a dream, he would wake up from, taking slow breaths Eren sat down on the step in front of the entrance, trying to just… think of something.

Everything was different, he was different, now a teen, and now he was in a completely different place, far from what he knew, he doesn't know what to make of it.

The houses and buildings looked old but vastly different from the house he used to live in, even in Marley, buildings like this were nowhere to be seen, and the vehicles, something he had seen from afar, as well as something that was considered a privilege to have, this place was full of them, most of them were still, but Eren saw a few of them pass by from a distance.

Eren hung his low and gave a defeated sigh, he doesn't know what or should he think, at the end of the day Igor apparently wasn't lying, and it brought Eren's frustration to no end.

"Hey… you good?" A concerned voice asked, looking over his shoulder, Eren noticed it was the woman from before.

Honestly, Eren didn't know how to answer, so he opted to stay quiet. Despite the treatment she was getting from the boy, she pressed on. "Look… could you tell me at least you have someone to pick you up?"

Eren thought about it for a moment, maybe if he lied she would leave him alone. "Yes, I do…"

Of course, she wasn't buying it. "Is that so? Then I guess you won't mind if I wait with you." She said with a shy grin.

"I do actually," Eren said.

She shrugged. "I'm staying here anyways."

"Don't you work cleaning this place, shouldn't you be doing your job right now?"

"I don't even work here." She admitted. "I'm just covering for someone, and he's paying me anyways."

"You don't work here…?" Eren asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, I do odd jobs, you know, like multiple jobs and stuff. Oh! The name is Sayumi Kaneda." She only received silence in response. "You know when someone introduces themselves, usually you would introduce yourself as well."

Eren thought about it and if there was any harm to tell her his name, she was a stranger to him, but she didn't look like she would try to do anything from what he can inquire. "Just call me Eren…"

Sayumi smiled at his reply, feeling like she had made some progress. "Alright! So Eren, here's the plan. I still have one hour left on my shift, so I'll wait with you during that time. If no one comes to pick you up, I'll take you to the police station. Maybe they can help you there. Sounds good?"

It didn't sit well with him, not at all. Eren understood what Sayumi was trying to do, but going to the police didn't make sense to him. He hadn't committed any crime, as far as he knew. And even if the police wanted to help, where would he direct them? He was practically alone in this unfamiliar place. Would it even be worth it?

It was decided, that was out of the question, as soon as Sayumi got her eyes off him, he would leave, somewhere far, maybe try to find a job and do his best to survive. "Sure." Eren lied.

Sayumi seemed to believe it as she sat next to him. "Great, so how did you end up here? The last train left like half an hour ago" She asked.

"...Yeah, I came from that train…" Eren tried his best to come up with something convincing. "I just… hung around for a while longer."

"Just hung around…?" She said in an uncertain tone.

"Yes," Eren said bluntly.

"Kid, you sure are sketchy." Sayumi joked, only to be met by a scowl from the boy.

No response, honestly Eren grew tired of her and her comment, so he might as well stay silent and think of what his next move could be.

While Sayumi laid back a bit and look at the sky, she didn't look bothered or anything like that, she simply stopped asking talking and enjoy silence.

The sound of a honk broke the tranquility. Both of them turned their attention to a car that had come to a stop not far away. The car's door opened, and two individuals emerged. The first was a man who appeared to be quite mature. His stubbled beard and slightly graying black hair matched his eyes.

He wore a dark gray shirt with rolled-up sleeves, a red necktie, dress pants held by a brown belt, and polished dark brown shoes. A silver watch adorned his left wrist, and he casually slung a black jacket over his shoulder.

Accompanying the man was a little girl, who couldn't have been older than six, at least in Eren's estimation. Her brown hair was neatly tied into two short pigtails, each adorned with a pink ribbon. Her matching brown eyes held an innocent curiosity. She wore a pink dress with varying shades of red, layered over a white turtleneck. Her attire was completed with pink shoes and white socks.

Sayumi squinted her eyes. "Is that… Dojima-san?"

Dojima waved his hand. "Hey, there you are! Sorry if we took too long, we-" He stopped mid-sentence as he recognized the woman. "Sayumi?"

"H-Hey, Dojima-san! How long has it been?" She said nervously.

"Not long enough apparently… please tell me you haven't set another kitchen on fire," Dojima said sternly.

"No! Of course not! And what happened back then was totally on me, I cannot express how sorry I am…"

"Don't, you already apologized so many times… I can still hear your frantic voice ringing in my head."

"And I paid for the damages! I-I-!"

"I know, and thank you, at least you own up to your mistake. But next time, please stick to what you actually can do, and don't pull up something stupid."

Eren noticed how Sayumi winced a bit; she looked genuinely hurt. "Yes, yes! I promise, no mistakes from me from now on." She tried to play it off.

Dojima suddenly felt a small tug at the back of his shirt, looking over his shoulder, he spotted his daughter. "What is it Nanako?"

Nanako didn't say anything, she simply let out a humming sound and pointed at Eren who was standing idle looking at them.

"Oh sorry." Dojima apologized looking at Eren. "So, you're Eren, huh? I gotta say, you looked shorter in the photos." He said lightheartedly.

Eren looked confused and Sayumi cut in. "Do you know this kid?"

Scratching the back of his head, Dojima replied. "This is actually the first time I've seen him in person, I only saw photos of him."

"Do I know you…?" Eren asked frowning, clearly not trusting him.

"You don't, hmm… Let's see, My name is Ryotaro Dojima and I'll be looking after you."

"...Why?"

"Huh?" Dojima raises an eyebrow. "Thought you already knew, I'm doing someone a favor by taking care of you."

Eren couldn't help but feel that everything was suspiciously conventional, none of this was making any sense, but it was not like he could afford to stay on the streets, so he might as well play along. "Oh yeah, I remember now, my bad."

Dojima laughs it off. "Haha, well, welcome to Inaba!" Then he pulled the little girl that was at his side so Eren could see her better. "This is my daughter, Nanako." Nanako looked at Eren but she quickly looked away. "Nanako, this is Eren, and he's going to be living with us for a while, come on say hi." The father insisted.

Nanako took a single step forward and said. "...Io" Before hiding behind his father, Eren could barely tell what she had said.

Dojima chuckled. "Hey now, it's not like he'll bite you." Nanako in return slapped him on the back with a pout written on her face, this interaction made Eren feel somewhat amused and Sayumi giggled.

Sayimu sighed with relief. "I guess that's it, huh? Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to adopt a kid." She joked.

Dojima simply frowned. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Yeah, I know, being a guardian isn't the same as adopting, but how long will he stay?" She asked curiously.

The older man's eyes were empty for a second trying to remember how long Eren would stay around, but he couldn't, he was just told to. Told? By who? An odd feeling washed over Dojima like something was missing. "I… let's say… one year." He said trying to shrug off that weird feeling.

"Okay…" Sayumi said, feeling a bit weirded out by Dojima's behavior as well. "Well, I should get back now, keep an eye on him, that kid is a bit …sketchy. See ya around Dojima-san, you too Nanako-chan!" Sayumi waved goodbye, and so did the father and his daughter.

Dojima nudges the teen a bit. "Come on, bet you're hungry, I parked the car not too far away." He stated as he walked away being followed by his daughter and Eren who looked at him with wary eyes.

Eren's wariness was interrupted when he bumped into someone. "Oh sorry." He quickly apologized before walking away.

"Hey!" But the other person had other ideas, looking over his shoulder Eren saw her, and they locked eyes, her emerald eyes clearly showed signs of annoyance, and she had black brownish hair, and her skin was pale.

But her attire was something else, wearing a sleeveless white shirt, a short black necktie with a lot of pins on it, and a checkered skirt along with a black belt and a golden buckle that resembled a heart with wings. She had fingerless gloves as well they were black striped red and black long, dark gray heeled boots.

Eren couldn't help but think she was wearing too much. 'Do people really dress this way…?'

"Is 'sorry' all you have to say?" The girl said with arms crossed and accusatory eyes.

Eren didn't have any clue what she wanted. "Uh… Are you hurt?"

"No, I don't mean that when someone wants to apologize to someone else don't they give them something to show how sorry they are?" She said, but it sounded like she was genuinely asking Eren.

'Is this girl trying to scam me or something?' Eren thought. "Look, I don't have anything on me, so you're wasting your time."

The girl frowned looking unpleased. "Then about this?" She unfolded her arms, revealing something that shocked Eren to his very core. Between her fingers she held a necklace, the very same necklace his father gave him, hanging the key was there. "You dropped it when we bumped, So what does this open? Your house? I want-" Eren quickly snatched the necklace away. "Hey, you thief!"

"Shut up, it's not even yours in the first place." Eren glared at her, he felt his heartbeat go faster just having that key in his hand. Was it always in his pocket all this time? Why was it there?

A distant honk was heard and a voice called out. "Hey, what's wrong!?" It was Dojima urging Eren.

Eren sighed and looked at the girl. "Thank you for giving this back." And with that, he walked away.

The girl looked at him clearly irked as he was leaving. "Jerk…" She murmured.

---

Quite the long ride it was, despite never being inside a car Eren couldn't help but find it interesting, everything was quiet, Dojima was focused on the road, and Nanako was just humming to a song, although the necklace felt like it was weighing a lot resting on his hand.

'Why? Just why? Out of everything! Why it had to be this?'

Eren tilted his head to see what was on the other side of the car window, people, families, kids, any type of person was walking around continuing with their day, the boy felt a sting in his chest, but some sense of relief at the same time.

The buildings looked old, well most of them, houses, businesses, etc. No more rubble, none at all.

'Igor said this wasn't my world… But I don't know if you can't believe him, these people look Hizuran, maybe descendants?' He ponders.

"Uh, dad… I want to use a bathroom." Nanako shyly spoke.

Dojima looked at her from the rearview and sighed. "Guess it's a good thing we're near the shopping district, I needed to fill the car anyways."

No longer than three minutes, they made a stop in a place called 'Moel'. Eren guessed this was where they refueled the car, whatever that meant. "Hi, welcome to Moel!" Someone greeted them, a man or maybe a woman? Eren couldn't tell. The way this person greeted them made Eren assume they worked there.

Everyone stepped out of the vehicle, and Dojima spoke. "Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?" he asked his daughter, who gave him a tiny nod.

"It's in the back, to your left. You know which way is left? The side you don't hold your chopsticks in." The attendant pointed out.

Nanako pouted a little. "I know, I know… Geez." Then she left.

The attendant gave Eren a quick glare and smirked. Eren could sense that something was off. The attendant's smirk seemed almost sly, and it gave him an uneasy feeling.

"So, are y'all traveling?" the attendant asked.

"No, we just went to pick him up. He just moved here from another country," Dojima replied.

Before responding, the attendant spared another quick glance at the boy. "Oh? Is that so? Well, he looks like he's from a small town. I can tell from the look on his face."

Both Eren and Dojima gave the attendant weirded-out looks. "...Okay? Just fill up the car, regular is fine," Dojima said as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and put one in his mouth. "Good a time as any for a smoke…"

"Please do not smoke near the pump," the attendant said politely.

"I know, I know." Dojima started walking away as he lit his cigarette.

That left Eren with the attendant alone. The boy tried to back up slowly but he was quickly asked by the attendant. "So, are you in high school?"

Eren sighed internally. 'Damnit…'

Noticing the annoyance on Eren's face, the attendant relented a bit. "Sorry, sorry. I couldn't help myself, you're probably the first foreigner who put one foot in Inaba, so tell me, is this boring little town to your liking?"

Eren didn't know what to answer and he wanted this guy out of his sight, but how long had he been in Inaba, like half an hour? He had to come with something. "It's… peaceful."

The attendant chuckles. "I know reminds you of home, doesn't it?" That made Eren raise an eyebrow. "But with how peaceful this town is, sometimes there's hardly anything to do. Just wish things would get more lively here."

"It wasn't that different from where I came from…" Eren stated.

"Is that so? Well, one can only hope. Oh! By the way, if you want something to do when you're not busy, we're hiring!"

"I'd rather not, I don't know how things work here."

"Please, just give it some thought, we don't mind if you're a student." The attendant held up their hand for a handshake.

'If I say yes means you'll leave me be, then fine.' Eren thought and shook their hand. "No promises."

The attendant's smirk grew bigger, pleased Eren would say. "You won't regret it I promise! Anyways I'm going back to work."

'Regret what? I haven't agreed on anything…' Eren then saw Nanako coming, but not long after, he felt a terrible headache it even made his legs feel wobbly. "Ugh…" He rubbed his forehead.

"Are you okay?" The little girl asked Eren with worry.

"I… just feel exhausted…"

"You're probably tired from the trip," Dojima started walking towards the kids as he discarded his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it. "Come on, we should get you home to get you some rest."

Eren went inside the car, and after waiting a while, Dojima and Nanako joined him and everyone left the gas station. For a brief moment, he could have sworn he saw that girl who had the key on the streets.

"Here we are, is not much but it's home for us," Dojima stated patting Nanako's head, Eren stepped forward, and the kitchen and living room shared the same space. It was odd, this whole place looked messy and cramped, but weirdly cozy at the same time. It looked bigger from the outside. "Oh, do you mind?" Dojima said pointing at Eren's shoes.

Eren looked at him for a moment then looked down at his shoes soils in case he stepped on something. "Uh, is there something wrong?"

Chuckling lightly Dojima said. "No, not really, I know this is not a custom from where you come from, but here we take off our shoes when we are in-house." He explained. "We like to avoid getting the floor dirty."

And with that Eren abides by the custom. "So, uh, where am I going to sleep?"

Dojima pointed to the stairs. "Upstairs to the left, the boxes with your stuff should be there too"

'Box with my stuff?' Eren almost wanted to say but relented, and went straight upstairs.

When Eren opened the door to his room, he was greeted by the sight of five cardboard boxes, but the space in itself was pretty simple, a sofa, a small table, a window, a desk with a chair, a drawer, a shelving, and a futon. However, there was something that reassembled a small crate on top of the drawer, like those crates that carried supplies, but this one had a mirror where the boy could see his reflection, almost like…

'Is this one of those Teevee things?' Eren said to himself, he decided to take a closer look, and he noticed that it had a few labels on the downside, menu, volume, channel, and power. Eren didn't what they would do so he opted to not touch them.

But he had to admit, seeing this thing made him curious, for a fleeting moment, Eren had imagined Hange all over this thing and pressing those buttons to test the water. Quickly Eren shook his head diminishing those thoughts, they hurt.

Changing his attention to the cardboard boxes, he opened the closest one. Inside, he found a piece of paper with a message written on it:

~I hope they fit you.~

~M.

Discarding the paper aside, Eren looked inside the box. He found an assortment of clothes, all of which were different from what he used to wear or what anyone would wear in Paradis. Despite that, these clothes looked fancy—no, maybe stylish, or at least that's what Eren thought.

Shirts, pants, socks, jackets, and even underwear were inside those boxes. Eventually, he pulled something out at the bottom: a red scarf.

Whoever had put these boxes together, Eren couldn't shake the feeling that they were mocking him. But it was just a scarf, a piece of cloth, something that shouldn't hold any special meaning. So why did looking at it irk him so much?

Eren sighed, softly rubbing his temple. He shoved the scarf back into the box and closed it. Then he continued putting the clothes into the drawers, trying to push aside the unease that had settled in the pit of his stomach.

Some time had passed, and everything was in order, the clothes were inside the drawers and the boxes were empty, apart from a single one that had the red scarf inside, Eren simply set it aside.

The teen sat on the couch slouching a little, trying to assert his current situation.

He was in a different world, or at least that's what he was told, and from what he had seen that much was true, although there were doubts still present in his mind. Did Paradis or Marley exist at one point?

He remembered that woman, Sayumi, who said that none of those names rang a bell. Then again that's only one person, maybe someone else knows? No, maybe history records were a safer option here, Eren took that into consideration.

Then there were Dojima and Nanako, who had seemingly accepted him into their home without hesitation, despite Eren's own doubts and the things he had done in his past. Did they even know about his past? Eren wondered. It seemed unlikely, but the fact remained that they had welcomed a stranger into their household. Father and daughter were still a mystery to Eren.

And now, he has to solve a mystery, if not his future will be lost, Eren chuckled dryly. 'Bold of him to assume that I had a future here…' He didn't belong here, so what kind of future was waiting for him? What next? Was he supposed to wait for this mystery to just show up? It could be days, weeks, months, hell even years, in the meantime he didn't know what to do.

Placing his hand in his pocket he pulled out the necklace, looking at it, Eren felt as if the key was burning his hand, yet he couldn't take his eyes off it. He felt an unreasonable attachment to that key despite what represented.

With a careful glance, Eren noticed that the key hadn't changed one bit, he would know, after all, he had it with him for eight years, but why was it here? A memento maybe, he doubts it opens anything.

A soft knock was heard, Eren opened the door just to find a timid Nanako taking a step back. "Dinner's ready." She said.

"I'll be down there." The little girl then left, and Eren placed the necklace on top of the drawer and headed down.

Eren found it odd, but sort of soothing at the same time, a dinner just prepared for him. Although the customs of this place were odd to him, for now, he was sitting on the floor, well, not on the floor itself, but on a cushion. It was weird since they already had a table and chairs in the house.

Then again, this wasn't his home. The food was something else that caught his attention; his plate was filled with what looked like snacks more than anything. He didn't know if this would count as dinner. The snacks themselves were rolls made out of rice and… 'Wait, is that raw meat?' he thought, now a little hesitant to eat.

His hesitance didn't go unnoticed by Dojima. "It's called sushi, made of rice, seaweed, and fish." He explained.

"Shouldn't the fish be cooked?" Eren asked.

Dojima smirked and insisted. "Come on, don't knock it until you try it."

Eren stared at Dojima for a moment before sighing and started looking for utensils. "Uh… Where are-?"

"Here," Nanako said as she handed two thin sticks to Eren. "We use these; they are called chopsticks."

"You eat… with sticks?"

Nanako hummed affirmatively, and Dojima almost let out a chuckle.

Reluctantly, Eren grabbed them, but he still didn't know how to use them. He pierced one of the rolls with them, using them like a fork, but it didn't matter how he tried to lift them; they would always fall off, starting to frustrate him.

Nanako intervened. "That's not how you use them; look." The little girl then demonstrated the proper way to hold chopsticks and pick up a sushi roll to eat.

Eren looked attentively and tried to mimic what she was doing. Now he had a way to hold the chopsticks, and then he picked up a roll, but his hand was trembling a little. He was struggling, having one roll near his mouth. He slowly and cautiously tried to put it in his mouth, but just about when it was about to enter, the sushi roll fell, staining Eren's pants. "Goddammit…" He said.

Nanako giggled, and Dojima couldn't hold back his laughter. "Don't worry, you'll learn soon enough. Nanako, could you fetch him a fork and napkin?"

Nanako nodded wordlessly and did as she was asked. "Here!" The little girl said with a fork in hand.

"Thank you," Eren said gratefully.

Then Dojima's face turned serious, almost giving Eren a look of pity. "Hey, Eren, I know this may sound too sudden, but starting tomorrow you are going to school."

The teen suddenly stopped chewing on his sushi roll and gave Dojima an incredulous gaze. "...What?"

Dojima cleared his throat. "You'll be going to school… I'm sorry, but I can't have you in the house doing anything, and think about it this way, I'm pretty sure you'll be popular considering you're foreign" He ended that comment lightheartedly.

School, that was a word that Eren hadn't heard in years, he remembers that he was supposed to start going to one when he was a kid, until… that day. It's not like it mattered, he still went to one, the military school when he was training to become a scout.

They taught him the basics, how to write and read, sums, subtraction, multiplication, and division as well. Even basic human anatomy, since titan anatomy is similar to human, and history, but he had a strong feeling that the last one would be useless.

Despite that, the most prominent teaching he remembers was how to kill a titan. Everything they learned was aimed at that sole goal, to slay those things Eren once called monsters. That's why they taught him the very basics. Why learn more than what you need to?

They were soldiers meant to die in battle, not some noble who could afford a higher education.

Needless to say, Eren wasn't thrilled, he only hoped that at least some knowledge he had from his previous life would be somewhat useful here.

It was so mundane, yet so surreal at the same time.

Seeing Eren's troubled face, Dojima continued. "I know this must be hard for you, but if you have any trouble you can talk to me. Whether is about school or anything that is bothering you, you can even talk to me about your parents, that is if you are comfortable."

Eren glanced at Dojima and asked with caution in his voice. "What about my parents…?"

"What you went through, no kid should have experienced that. I'm sorry…" Dojima stated looking over his daughter who looked sad.

'Play along…' Eren reminded himself and murmured loud enough for Dojima to hear. "Thanks… it was really bad." He tried his best to sound as mournful as possible.

Even if Eren were to ask him what he knows about his parents, he'd probably end up with more questions than answers.

For a moment, a somber silence hung in the air until Dojima attempted to lighten the mood. "Ugh, way to kill the mood, huh? How about we continue eating?" He suggested, and everyone nodded in agreement.

That's until a weird sound echoed through the room, a beeping sound coming from Dojima. "Ugh, what now?" He said clearly annoyed as he pulled out a small gizmo from his pocket and held it near his left ear. "Dojima speaking… is that so? Alright then, I'll be on my way." With that, he places his gizmo back where it came from.

Dojima sighed genuinely frustrated. "I didn't even finish my plate, sorry but I gotta take care of something. You two go on and eat without me." He explained and glanced at his daughter. "Nanako, help him with whatever he needs."

"...Okay," Nanako responded in a sad tone, noticing his daughter's sadness. Dojima pulled her into a goodbye hug, and of course, the little girl hugged him back. "When are you coming back?" She asked.

"I don't know how late I'll be." At that statement, Nanako's hug became tighter.

"Nanako I have to leave," Dojima said trying to pull her away gently, Nanako complied.

Dojima waved them goodbye and left, Nanako looked to the ground before sitting back. "Are you okay?" Eren asked her.

"Uh? Yeah." She said nonchalantly considering what just happened.

Her reaction almost made it look like Dojima was leaving her for good. "Where is he going to?" Eren asked.

"To work," Nanako replied simply.

"I meant, where does he work?" Eren inquired further.

"Oh, at the police station. He investigates stuff… like crime scenes. My dad is a detective."

Suddenly a voice from that tee-vee said. "City council secretary Taro Namatame has been under fire recently, for an alleged relationship with a female reporter. His wife enka ballad sensation, Misuzu Hiragi, revealed to the station that she'll likely pursue damages."

'Out of everything, this tee-vee could have shown me… they're showing me some goddam affair bullshit. Eren thought mildly annoyed.

The announcer continues. "In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of announcer Mayumi Yamano's televised appearances. Until allegations of an affair with are resolved, she'll remain hidden from the public eye and-" Suddenly the image cut off to another one.

"This is boring," Nanako said changing the channel. While Eren didn't understand what she did, he was grateful, was it really necessary to announce an affair? Eren didn't understand it, are these people nobility? Well, they were important enough to appear in the tee-vee, even so, who cares?

Now, a different voice came from the tee-vee, advertising a place called Junes. "Every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself and get in touch with our products! Every day's great at your Junes!" The voice sang at the end.

'A place called like the month…?' Eren said to himself.

"Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako sang as well as she waved her left forearm in harmony with the song. Any trace of sadness or boredom was gone from her face. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Oh right." After finishing his meal, Eren was off to bed.

---

Under the thickest fog, Eren was climbing… something, lumps? Maybe, yet he didn't know what or why, he just was doing it. Both arms and legs were at work, and the feeling of hope filled his heart.

Whatever he was stepping on, he didn't care, a single goal was in his mind, get to the very top and witness what was over there. What was on top must be worth it, right?

Eren doesn't know how long he has been at it, his mind questions that, but his heart doesn't falter.

For the briefest moment, he hears a grunt beneath his feet which he chooses to ignore. That feeling inside his heart becomes stronger, and he can feel himself smiling.

Eventually, those grunts became whales and cries, with each step, they became louder and clearer, and so did Eren's laugh and smile, his heart was pumping longing to reach the very top.

His hand grabbed onto something, something that locked its fingers with his. It grabbed him.

A voice echoed through the endless fog. "Mmmh… I almost pity you, 'almost'. But I do look forward to our meeting, you're quite special I can tell that. I feel flattered that someone like you is trying to reach me. Do tell me, what are you willing to put up upfront to reach the truth?"

Eren tried to move, but he couldn't, he was being grabbed, and something was pulling him down.

'They' were pulling him down…'

"Everything to save your family… cute, really cute. Keep telling yourself that, but we both know that yearning was born out of a little kid's selfishness. As the fog deepens, you will ask yourself. Does your life belong to you, or does it belong to other's sake? Until you have the answer, I bid you farewell.

No, the boy didn't want this to end, the bliss he once felt was being taken away, he fought but the more he did the harder he was pulled down, but like a stubborn child he still wanted to fight back without a care.

That's until a hand covered his face…

---

04/12

Eren awoke in his room, bathed in cold sweat, with a dry gasp escaping his lips. The faint morning light filtered through the window, casting a dim glow across the room. Still, he felt himself shiver, he rubbed a hand across his sweaty forehead, his pajama shirt doing little to comfort him.

A nightmare, he's damn sure. But when he tries to recall it, nothing comes to mind, not even fragments, absolutely nothing.

He was cold, he remembers that much.

A soft knock echoed from the door, followed by Nanako's timid voice. "Could you open... please?" Her voice was as tiny as he remembered yesterday.

Eren swiftly opened the door, causing Nanako to startle slightly, taking a step back. She held a bundle of clothes in her arms. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you... What is it?" Eren inquired.

"Umh… Here." Nanako gave him the bundle of clothes. "It's the uniform for the school, Dad picked it up for you." She explained. "Also, breakfast is ready."

"Oh, yeah, thanks, I'll be there in a minute," Eren said, Nanako nodded and headed downstairs.

Closing the door behind him Eren examined the uniform. It consisted of a white button-down shirt, a black fabric jacket with small yellow buttons, complete with pockets on the sides, and a small breast pocket adorned with an emblem. Just below the emblem, the words 'Yasogami High' were embroidered. The ensemble was finished with black fabric pants and brown shoes.

Discarding his pajamas, Eren put on the uniform. The white button-down shirt felt a bit tight, while the jacket was slightly loose, especially in the sleeves, so he opted to roll them up. Given that Dojima had picked it up for him, it wasn't surprising that the fit was a bit off. Nonetheless, the pants and shoes seemed fine.

Before opening the door, he paused, realizing that he hadn't put on his necklace. His gaze fell upon it with uncertainty. An odd feeling gnawed at him; he didn't want the key to be out of his sight. Despite his reservations, he reluctantly placed the necklace around his neck, a frown marring his expression. He wasn't entirely pleased with his 'decision'.

Eren descended the stairs and joined Nanako in the dining area. However, he noticed that she appeared worried, her gaze darting to the side before she spoke. "Hi, are you okay?"

He raised an eyebrow in response. "Yes? Why do you ask?"

Nanako fidgeted for a moment before answering, "Before I knocked, I heard you scream…"

"You...did?" Eren said, his surprise evident. Nanako nodded wordlessly, prompting him to explain, "Just a nightmare, that's all."

"Oh, I see," she replied.

Sensing that the atmosphere had become somewhat awkward, Eren decided to shift the conversation. He sat down across from Nanako and gestured to the breakfast dishes. "Did you cook those? They, uh… smell good," he complimented, trying to ease the tension.

It worked, Nanako flashed him a small smile. "I can toast bread...and cook sunny-side-up eggs in the morning." Eren had to admit, he was a tad bit surprised to know that Nanako made these alone. "Dad can't cook, so I buy dinner."

Eren took one bite of the toast and egg, it tasted good as it smelled. "So, your dad is not here yet?" He asked taking another bite.

"No, he says he's too busy." Eren noticed how Nanako's head bowed a little bit, seemingly sad.

"Then what about your mom?" Eren inquired, now that he thought about he didn't see her mom yesterday… unless.

"I don't have a mom, she died in an accident," Nanako said almost nonchalantly, and Eren's breakfast stopped in his throat, he had to swallow hard to make it pass.

'Should have guessed so…' Eren said to himself. "Sorry, I didn't know."

"It's fine, at least I have a dad." Her tone now sounded more cheerful at least, Nanako then started digging into her plate. "Oh! My school is on the way, so… let's go together."

"...Sure." Eren couldn't help but feel a small relief when Nanako looked more cheerful despite what she had told him about his mother passing.

He knows it's hard to move on from something like that.

---

Eren walked down the street, Nanako told him that his school was straight this way, and she was right.

Eren continued down the street, following Nanako's accurate directions. The path was bustling with more students in the same uniform, but despite the occasional curious glance in his direction, no one bothered to strike up a word to him.

As he walked, Eren couldn't help but think, 'Hopefully, it won't be like this when I actually reach the school.' A faint scowl crossed his face.

Suddenly, a shout from behind jolted him. "Whoaaa, watch out!" Eren swiftly turned to see a student on a bike heading directly towards him, or rather, the rider had lost control of the bike and it was careening his way.

Eren reacted quickly, stepping aside just in time to avoid a collision. The unfortunate rider, however, crashed into a nearby lamppost, letting out a pained groan.

Seemed like it hurt, Eren wince at the sight and walked away.

---

Eren was wrong, dead wrong.

As he reached the school gates, it was as though a spotlight had been cast upon him. All eyes turned in his direction, and the stares were far from discreet. To make matters worse, he couldn't help but overhear the hushed conversations taking place around him.

The girls, in particular, seemed to be the most vocal:

"Oh my, isn't he cute?"

"He's so dreamy!"

"Mmmhp, I don't see the appeal."

Standing out was something Eren loathed, and it seemed like that's exactly what was happening now.

Eren narrowed his eyes as he stepped into the building, determined to avoid the prying eyes outside. However, he was immediately confronted by another student, a girl who seemed almost as tall as him, if not taller. She donned the female uniform of the school, her honey-colored hair pulled back into a neat ponytail, with two loose strands framing her forehead. Her overall appearance exuded an air of sharpness and indifference, and she regarded him with a scrutinizing gaze and a faint frown.

"So, you're the new student. Eren Yeager, right?" She finally spoke, her voice holding an air of authority.

"Yes…?" The boy said plainly.

"My name is Keiko Fukunaga, I'm the captain of the kendo club and I was asked by the principal to give you a tour around the school." The girl finally introduced herself. Before Eren could say anything, Keiko turned around and gave him a gesture indicating to follow her. "I'd rather do this quick, so let's get going, I have to pass by the kendo club to pick up something before starting classes."

Eren couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her straightforwardness. "I assume you aren't showing me the school out of the goodness of your heart…?" he remarked dryly.

Keiko continued walking without missing a beat. "You assume right. I'm only doing this because the principal himself asked me to, and that means I can gain some points in my favor. First, we'll head to the gym," she stated as they strolled along the hallway. Keiko couldn't help but notice the curious gazes of their fellow students. "You're attracting quite a bit of attention, you know?"

Eren replied with a touch of sarcasm, "Is it that obvious? What's their deal, anyway?"

Keiko's voice carried a hint of amusement. "You really have to ask that?" She chuckled softly. "Well, I guess it makes sense you wouldn't know. You see, you're practically the first foreign student in this town. We've had transfer students from other cities, but coming from another country? That's a whole different story."

Eren still seemed puzzled. "I still don't get it," he admitted.

"You don't like it…?" Keiko, for once, looked over her shoulder, meeting Eren's gaze directly. "Why wouldn't you?"

Eren glanced at the floor and shrugged. "Me? I'm no one special."

Keiko's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't comment. Instead, she returned her gaze ahead. In a hushed tone, she muttered, "Hope you're not…" Her words trailed off, almost like she was talking to herself.

But Eren cached onto that. "What did you say?"

"I said, hope you're not in the 2-2 classroom," Keiko repeated, her tone slightly hesitant.

Eren furrowed his brow. "What about it?".

"If you were in class 2-2, you would have to deal with King Moron," Keiko explained.

"King… Moron?" Eren questioned, clearly puzzled.

Keiko couldn't help but smirk at Eren's uncertainty. She continued, "Kinshiro Mooroka, and to call him unpleasant would be a compliment. That guy is a complete ass."

"Is he that bad?" Eren inquired.

Keiko let out a tiny snort. "He'll give you a long ass sermon just because of the way you breathe. I had him last year, and I know better… consider this a heads-up in case he were to chew you out. Let him, he can't do anything unless, of course, you've actually done something. He's all bark and no bite."

"...Wouldn't he be kicked out for this kind of behavior?" Eren questioned.

"I wish, but from what I know, a few students came forward to complain about him, but the principal kinda shrugged off the accusations… he genuinely believes that King Moron is not as bad as students say, and I guess the fact that the principal used to be his teacher years ago does help," Keiko replied with a hint of frustration. "Oh, talking about the principal, we'll pass by his office, he wants to meet you in person and he'll give you a rundown on how things work around here. I'm sure things are different from where you come from, right?"

"From where I come from…?" Eren paused, slightly puzzled.

"Uh? Don't you come from Germany?" Keiko asked, seeking clarification.

"...Yes…" Eren tried to say as naturally as possible.

"Okay?" Keiko shrugged, seemingly accepting his response, or perhaps not caring to press further. "Anyways, come on, we're close to the gym," she said, pointing ahead.

"Lead on," Eren replied, following her.

---

"Mmmh, for some reason I feel compelled to apologize…" Keiko said crossing her arms.

"Then why don't you?" Eren asked.

"Just because I jinxed it doesn't mean I have any kind of fault, if you want something to blame, blame your luck."

"Fair," Eren said flatly.

Both stared flatly at the door in front of them, labeled '2-2', Kinshiro Morooka's classroom. Once they were finished with the tour, they headed to the principal's office. Just as Keiko said, the principal gave him a rundown and assigned him his classroom for the rest of the year.

Keiko sighed. "Just remember what I told you, you should be fine… mostly." She then proceeded to knock on the door. A few seconds passed, and the door slid open abruptly.

Behind the door frame, a man was standing with a clear scowl on his face. Eren could tell just by looking at him that this was King Moron, and his face, along with his odd haircut, irked Eren.

"Ah! Speaking of the devil, you finally arrived, why are you late? First day and you're already coming with a girl, you think you're hot shit, huh? you sick pervert. I thought I taught you better than to let yourself get taken advantage of by some sicko, Fukunaga," he badmouthed.

There was silence for a moment. Eren and Keiko exchanged a side-eye, clearly unimpressed by King Moron's rant.

Keiko softly cleared her voice. "I assure you that we did nothing wrong. The principal simply asked me to show our new student around the school."

The homeroom teacher did not believe her. "How the hell am I supposed to know you're not lying!?"

"You don't, but you can ask the principal himself if you want," Keiko retorted.

A vein formed in King Moron's forehead. "Tsk… you're lucky I don't feel like wasting my time. And just because you're going to graduate this year doesn't mean you can be a smart ass, Fukunaga. And you!" He pointed at Eren. "Get in and introduce yourself! Make it fast, don't make us waste more time than you already did."

Keiko bowed and left without a word.

As Eren stepped into the classroom, every single eye fell upon him, some looked at him with curiosity, some others with animosity, and a few, mostly boys, with jealousy.

"Dude, was that Fukunaga-Senpai? Did they-?"

"Definitely not, man. Do you really think they hit it off on his first day?"

A few murmurs were heard.

"Everyone shut your traps!" King Moron shouted, prompting everyone to stay quiet. "Alright, so here he is! The new student everyone has been drooling about, so the girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him." He warned, and for the faintest moment, Eren could have sworn he heard someone whining. "Now, go on kid, tell'em your name."

While reluctant Eren introduced himself. "My name is Eren Yeager, nice to meet you all." Although he says it with indifference, then King Moron turned to the chalkboard and started writing on it.

'Eren Hendrick Yeager' For everybody to see.

Eren did not know how to feel, 'Hendrick' was his middle name, a name he hadn't heard or even used in a long time, it was odd seeing it again. He might as well not have one.

King Moron continued his rant. "So, this guy here comes all the way from Germany and ends up getting himself kicked out, landing in this backwater place. I'd bet my left eye he thought he was some hotshot, but now he's a real loser at the bottom of the barrel." He spat the words, jabbing a finger in Eren's direction. "Do I make myself clear?"

Eren remained unfazed. He knew King Moron was trying to provoke him. "Crystal clear…"

'More like crystal clear in a shit-stained glass,' Eren thought to himself. "Can I sit already?"

"Yeah yeah, just don't try anything funny with the girls." King Moron waved his hand dismissively, allowing Eren to take a seat.

Eren surveyed the desks, uncertain about where to sit. His gaze fell on a student who, ironically, stood out the most. She had light brown hair in a distinctive bowl shape, and what set her apart even more was her green jacket with yellow stripes, a striking contrast to the other girls' black uniforms.

As Eren walked past her, she greeted him with a friendly smile and a small wave, clearly signaling that she wanted him to sit next to her. After a brief moment of consideration, Eren decided to take her up on the offer and settled into the seat next to her.

Yet, that strange feeling lingered, and he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

The girl whispered to Eren as he settled into the seat. "He's the worst, isn't he?"

Eren nodded, his tone dry. "No kidding..."

A bead of sweat rolled down the girl's forehead. "...Yeah, I mean, it's not that bad, right? We'll just have to hang in there for a whole year... hehe."

Eren raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"Eh? What do you mean, that's it?"

"...Guess I've been through worse."

Their small chat did not go any further as King Moron noticed them. He barked, "Zip it, you two!" Simultaneously, the sound of a bell ringing echoed through the entire classroom.

---

At the end of the class finally escaped the torture of listening to King Moron's rants. Keiko wasn't speaking out of spite; it was an undeniable fact. Kinshiro Morooka was a pain for anyone unlucky enough to be in his classroom.

"That's all for today. Regular classes will begin tomorrow," King Moron announced just as the school bell rang.

Eren let out a sigh of relief and ran a hand through his hair, cursing his luck. 'At least Shadis had a legitimate reason to chew his students out...' He couldn't help but draw a comparison. In his early training days, every recruit had been scared of Shadis due to his harsh demeanor. However, it was clear that Shadis' intentions were to toughen them up for the brutal realities of becoming soldiers.

King Moron, on the other hand, was the polar opposite—senseless rants with no apparent purpose, apart from making his students miserable.

Suddenly, a voice seemingly out of nowhere caught Eren's and everyone else's attention. "Attention, all teachers. Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice."

King Moron clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Alright, you heard the announcer," he barked, clearly irritated. "Don't move your arses unless you're told otherwise!" He pointed angrily at everyone and stormed out of the classroom.

Eren looked down at his lap, just contemplating, it was odd… really odd to just be here with a sense of normalcy with life, he was a soldier, fighting in battle, and meeting briefings was the norm. It was a lost feeling, he couldn't help it, but a sad smile was drawn on his face.

"Attention all students." The announcer's voice resounded all through the classroom once again. "There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home."

Eren overheard a group of students getting excited about something.

"Something actually happened!?"

"Incident!?"

"Come on, let's take a look!"

They started gathering in front of a window, hoping to catch something interesting.

Eren rolled his eyes. If the police were involved, it shouldn't be taken lightly. He was about to leave when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He looked back. "Hey, Eren!" It was the girl who had sat next to him earlier, offering a friendly wave and a confident smile. Next to her stood another girl, equally distinctive in her uniform with a red cardigan sweater, neat black hair tied back with a red hairband, and black leggings.

"Yes? Do you need something?" Eren inquired.

"Uh? No, no… I just wanted to ask if you're going home by yourself." She said slightly nervous.

"Well, yes, why do you ask?" Eren replied, his tone still somewhat distant.

'Man, it is really hard to talk to this guy…' The girl thought. "Well… why don't you come with us? Oh, I'm Chie Satonaka by the way, you know? I sat next to you." Chie introduced herself with an enthusiastic grin and pointed at the other girl next to her. "And this is Yukiko Amagi."

"Oh, It's nice to meet you," Yukiko added with a polite nod.

"So, what do you say?" Chie asked, fully expecting him to agree.

"Sorry, but no thank you," Eren responded without hesitation.

Chie felt disappointed. "Aww, why?"

"Why would I?" Eren replied bluntly. He didn't mean to sound rude, but he didn't want to associate with anyone at the moment.

Yukiko, being more reserved, understood Eren's wish to be alone. "Oh, in that case, sorry to bother-" Before she could finish her sentence, Chie stepped in.

"There's no reason to be so jerk about it, you know," Chie scolded.

"Excuse me?" Eren said slightly taken aback.

"We just wanted to ask a few things and show you around town, that's all," Chie said.

"I-" Eren stopped mid-sentence, and pondered, maybe he could get more insight about this town, these two practically lived here more than he did. "...Alright then, you convince me, let's go."

"I-wait, what?" Chie said, surprised by his sudden change of answer.

"I said I'll go with you," Eren reiterated.

Chie didn't know what to say for a moment. She looked at Yukiko, and her friend shrugged nervously. Chie wouldn't complain. After all, she had asked him to go out with them, and he was finally agreeing. "T-That's good! Now that we've got that solved, how about we leave?" She pointed at the door, and everyone silently agreed.

Their walk was interrupted when a student suddenly approached Chie. Eren couldn't help but feel like he had seen this person somewhere before. The student spoke quickly and nervously, saying, "Hey there, Chie! Thanks for coming to the movie, it was amazing! The special effects and choreography were perfect. See you tomorrow when you've calmed down!" He handed Chie what appeared to be a rather flat case to Eren.

Before the student could make a quick getaway, Chie's fast reflexes came into play. She skillfully placed one of her legs in front of the student, causing him to trip and stumble. "Oww" He groaned in pain.

Chie opened the case and couldn't believe her eyes. "You! My disc is cracked! How could you? I was planning on watching it again tonight!" Her exasperation was evident in her voice.

The student quickly tried to defend himself. "Chie, I swear, it was an accident. I'll pay you back when my next paycheck comes in."

Chie, still annoyed, responded with a scowl. "Hmmph! You better!"

"Aren't you overreacting?" Eren asked bluntly, not sure what the entire fuss was about.

Chie, still irritated, declared, "This jerk broke my stuff!"

Eren asked, "I get that, but does that thing really mean that much to you?"

"Of course it does! Whenever I was feeling down this 'thing' would cheer me up, from its choreography to the amazing message it has! For me, Trial of the Dragon is not just some movie… for me, it means a lot," Chie explained passionately. She then stormed out of the classroom.

Eren stood still for a moment, contemplating her words. He still didn't quite understand why people got so worked up over these things, and he probably never would.

"Eren-kun?" Yukiko's voice brought him back to reality. She looked at him with curiosity. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I- wait… 'Eren-kun'? That's not my name," Eren corrected her.

Yukiko realized her mistake. "Oh! You're right. Well, since you come from a different country, you wouldn't know. I'm sorry. I could explain it to you while we're walking," she offered.

"Thanks," Eren replied.

"Also, don't worry about Chie. She isn't the type to hold a grudge, and I know she can get a bit passionate about some things, so please bear with her," Yukiko assured him.

Eren nodded silently, and the two of them walked away, leaving the fallen student on the floor.

"Yes, I'm fine! Thanks for asking!" he called out to their retreating figures.

---

As the teens approached the main school gate, they were suddenly blocked by someone stepping in front of them. Eren tried his best not to frown; it hadn't been five minutes since someone else had stopped them from walking any further. It was mildly annoying.

Eren examined the boy in front of them. He looked strange, even ominous, with pale skin and greasy black hair. His eyes, in particular, stood out; they looked dead, almost like his own.

"Hey, you're Yuki, right?" the boy finally spoke. "Y-You wanna hang out somewhere?"

Yukiko froze in confusion.

Chie raised an eyebrow.

Eren, well, he didn't do anything in particular. To him, this seemed like a normal way of asking someone out.

However, they weren't safe from prying eyes, as soon as the boy asked her out, some students stopped walking to watch the scene unfold from afar.

Yet, the ominous-looking boy didn't seem to care. "So... are ya coming or not?"

"I-I'm not going..." Yukiko stammered in response.

"Wuh, why!?" The boy exclaimed.

"Because I-" But she couldn't finish her sentence as the boy took a step closer to her.

"I am fun! Wait till you see my videogame collection, come on we gotta go right now, let's ditch these losers!" The boy reached out to grab Yukiko's hand, but before he could, Chie slapped his hand away.

"Hands off, pal!" Chie warned as she and Eren stepped between him and Yukiko.

Eren kept a cautious eye on him in case he tried anything.

"The hell do you want!? Piss off!" the boy barked.

"Didn't you hear her? She said she's not going, so how about you piss off!" Chie retorted.

The boy clenched his teeth, glancing between Yukiko and the obstacles in his path. Ultimately, he gave up. "Fine!" he said before turning and running away.

"What did he want from me…?" Yukiko asked herself.

"Well, it looked like he was asking you out from the beginning," Chie added.

"It certainly seemed that way," Eren said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Do you know him?"

Yukiko shook her head. "I don't even know who he is, I don't think I've ever seen him in school."

"Now that you mention it, I don't think he's from this school; his uniform was different," Chie added. "What kind of weirdo would come from a different school to ask someone out and then try to force them?"

"The obsessive type?" Eren commented.

Yukiko let out a small sigh of relief. "Well, at least that's over. Thank you both for helping out."

Eren simply shrugged, on the other side Chie gave her a thumbs up. "Don't worry, when I'm around no one will ask you out!"

Yukiko's face dropped. "You almost made it sound like you won't let anyone ask me out…"

An audible sigh came from Eren. "Can we leave now?" he said discreetly, pointing at the students who had their prying eyes on them.

Chie scratched the back of her head nervously. "Yeah, you're right. Everyone's staring." Her tone was awkward.

The trio left the school grounds.

---

"So… they're called 'romaji', right?" Eren asked as the teens were walking down a street.

Yukiko nodded in confirmation. "Yes, we mostly use it to refer to someone we just recently met. In some cases, we use it to refer to someone we respect, like elders or bosses," she explained.

"Which were they again?" Eren asked one more time.

"San, Kun, Chan, Sama, Sensei, Senpai, Shachou, Sishou, and Dono. Although that last one is a bit outdated," Yukiko explained.

"Will I have to call you, Yukiko-chan?" Eren asked reluctantly.

Yukiko shook her head repeatedly. "No, no, uh… well unless you wanted to. Since you're foreign, you don't need to use them."

"That's good to know," Eren said. "Then I won't use them."

A cheeky smile played across Chie's face. "Careful, Eren, people might get the wrong idea."

Both Eren and Yukiko turned their eyes to the tomboy, and Yukiko didn't appreciate that teasing smile on Chie's face.

Eren looked puzzled. "Huh… what idea?"

"What Yukiko forgot to tell you is that when someone calls someone else by their first name, it usually means they're close," Chie explained with a teasing tone.

"Close? How?" Eren asked, still not entirely sure what she meant.

"Oh, you know, best friends… or a couple, tell me something, you think Yukiko is cute?" Chie said with a sly grin.

"Ch-Chie! Stop!" Yukiko stammered, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"Hahahaha! Sorry, but this is the first time we've talked to a foreigner, so I must ask what they think of the prettiest girl in Inaba!" Chie said with a mischievous grin.

Eren sighed, not wanting to answer. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, please. I'd like to hear an outside perspective. Most boys in school are scared to ask her out, and that's why she doesn't have a boyfriend. Weird, isn't it?" Chie said, her laughter still evident.

"That's not true, I-I just d-don't need a boyfriend, that's all!" Yukiko covered her mouth, realizing what she had just blurted out. "Geez… Chie!"

Chie continued to laugh, while Eren remained unfazed by the conversation.

Noticing Eren's seeming lack of attention, Chie nudged him lightly. "So, is she cute?" she asked.

Eren's frown deepened. "Yes, she is, happy?" he replied, finally giving her an answer.

"Oh, no hesitation, I like that," Chie said triumphantly.

Yukiko, on the other hand, couldn't meet Eren's gaze, still clearly embarrassed.

Eren sighed deeply, realizing that the conversation had taken an awkward turn. He decided to change the subject and asked, "Say... what can you tell me about Inaba?"

Chie pondered for a moment, looking around before answering, "Well... this is kind of awkward to say, but, there's not much here, hehe..." She said, scratching her left cheek. "I'm pretty sure you've heard that before."

Eren nodded, acknowledging her response.

Chie then counted off on her fingers. "We do have two rice fields and a farm not too far away. Most of Inaba depends on local businesses. Oh, and there's Mountain Yasogami. Our dyed clothes and poetry might be famous, I think."

Eren's interest was piqued when Chie mentioned the farms. "There are farms?" he asked, thinking that since he had some experience in agriculture, he might be able to find work there.

"Yep, but there's nothing interesting about them," Chie remarked about the farms. Then, she suddenly remembered something and snapped her fingers. "Oh! That's right, there's the Amagi Inn. Yukiko's family runs it, and it's the pride of Inaba!"

Yukiko, who had been calmer after the earlier embarrassment, gave Chie a mild glare. "I think you're exaggerating, it's just an old inn."

"An… inn?" Eren looked puzzled. "What's that?"

"You don't know what it is?" Yukiko asked. Eren shook his head. "Well, uh, inns are like hotels in some ways, except that inns are more meant for a more leisurely crowd," Yukiko explained.

"So, they're like smaller hotels?" Eren clarified.

Chie and Yukiko exchanged a glance and then nodded.

"Yeah, that's a simple way to put it."

"In simple terms, yes."

"Is that so?" A full minute of silence had passed until Eren thought about what brought him here. He couldn't help but ask, "Has anything unusual happened around here lately?"

Chie looked a tad confused by his question, although Yukiko stiffened a bit but quickly relaxed.

"Not that I know of. What about you, Yukiko?" Chie said.

"No, nothing at all," Yukiko replied, looking down at her feet.

"Hey, what's with that question, you almost sound like a detective," Chie said teasingly.

Eren shrugged. "Just curious, I guess."

"Curious, huh? Well, I gotta say I'm feeling curious too. I think it's our turn to ask you questions." Chie said. "It's only fair, you know?"

Eren's frown became more prominent. "Alright, go ahead and ask."

"We know that you come from Germany, right?" Chie said.

'So I have been told apparently…' Eren almost wanted to say. "Yes, pretty much."

"Well, then why?" Chie inquired.

Eren was cautious with his response, not wanting to disclose too much. "What do you mean why?" he asked.

"What I mean is, what brought you here, don't get me wrong this town is nice 'n all, but why here?" Chie asked.

Eren shook his head. "I didn't have any other choice honestly," he admitted, trying to keep his answer as vague as possible.

Yukiko joined in, curious. "Other choice? What do you mean?"

"I'm… staying with my guardian and his daughter," Eren reluctantly explained.

"Oh, so your parents sent you away huh? Are they on a business trip or something? Yeah, parents can suck sometimes." Chie said lightheartedly.

Eren fell silent, appearing distant, and Yukiko began to piece together a troubling suspicion. She couldn't just let it go. "Eren… um, are your parents okay?" she asked, concern in her voice.

Eren sighed heavily, avoiding their gaze. "They're dead…" he finally stated, hoping that this revelation would put an end to their questions, even though he didn't want to share this information.

Chie's eyes widened in shock, and she mentally berated herself. Yukiko, too, was taken aback and quickly apologized. "Eren… I'm so sorry, we didn't know," she said sincerely.

Chie, on the other hand, slapped her own forehead in frustration. "Yeah, me too. I shouldn't have-"

"Doesn't matter… they're dead, there's nothing anyone can do." Eren shrugged nonchalantly.

"So, that's why you're staying with your guardian?" Yukiko asked gently. "You don't have any other relatives at home?"

Eren shook his head somberly. "None at all…"

Chie couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy. She thought to herself, 'That maybe explains why you look so...empty?' Eren's eyes appeared tired and devoid of any shine.

The teens continued their walk in silence. Nobody was in the mood to talk after that exchange. Eren was glad for the respite, while Chie didn't like the silence and Yukiko didn't seem to mind. Both girls knew that they wouldn't pry too much into Eren's life.

Eventually, they came across something that caught their full attention. Chie was the first to notice. "Hey, what's that?" she pointed at a small crowd of people near a nearby street.

Approaching the scene, they overheard a housewife nearby. "A-a body… hanging from an antenna?" she said, her voice filled with terror.

"How could that happen? I want to see it," another housewife said.

"Too late, the police and fire department already took it down."

"But why here? Out of all places? A dead body just here…"

"Mom, I'm hungryyyy…" whined a child, tugging on his mother's skirt to get her attention.

"A dead body!?" Chie exclaimed out loud feeling her anxiety rising.

"You kids aren't supposed to be here!" Turning their heads to see who it was, the girls didn't know him, but Eren did.

"Dojima," Eren said recognizing the detective immediately. "We were just passing, we didn't know about whatever happened here." He stated.

With a deep sigh, Dojima rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Damn, that principal. We told him not to let any students pass through here…"

"Psshh, Eren, you know this guy?" Chie asked him surreptitiously, although Dojima still heard her.

"My name is Ryotaro Dojima. I'm… well, Eren's guardian. I do hope you two are getting along with him." Finishing introducing himself, Dojima's face shifted to a sterner one. "Now, I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but you three need to head straight home."

Suddenly, someone dashed right in front of them. A scrawny-looking man went to the side of the road and threw up. "Nnnnhhhhgg!"

In turn, Dojima looked genuinely pissed off. "Adachi! Do you want me to kick your ass back to the central office!?"

Adachi struggled for a bit before he answered. "N-No, sir!"

"Then stop acting like a rookie and get yourself cleaned up; you look like a mess!"

"Right away, boss!"

Dojima then turned his gaze to the teens. "You already heard me, go home now." He took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one up, and placed it in his mouth. Turning back, he went straight to the crime scene followed by Adachi.

"Was this what that announcement was about...?" Chie said, her voice tinged with concern.

"Hanging from an antenna...? Does that mean...?" Yukiko gulped, clearly disturbed by the thought.

Eren cleared his throat, regaining their attention. "Ahem... In that case, we should probably head home. There's no telling what's out here."

Yukiko nodded in agreement. "You're right."

Chie let out a disappointed sigh. "Yeah, I guess we'll show you Junes some other time." Without warning, she clapped her hands once. "Alright then, we're taking off! Starting tomorrow, we do our best, isn't that right, Neighbor?" she added, holding up her fist for a fist bump.

Eren was taken aback by the girl's optimism, unsure how to react, he didn't know why she held up her fist like that, so like any other person would, he took her fist and shook it. "Uh..sure? Goodbye." he turned around taking his leave, but he knew at the back of his mind he looked like a dumbass.

Once Eren was out of view Yukiko couldn't hold it anymore. "Snrk…Hahahahaha!"

"That was… odd," Chie said looking down at her hand.

---

-Dojima Residence. Evening.

It was mostly quiet in the room, with the TV providing some background noise as the announcer talked. Nanako paid close attention to the television, while Eren stared down at his cup, lost in thought.

Nanako shifted her gaze to her lap, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I wonder if Dad's not coming again tonight," she said with a downcast face.

Eren observed Nanako's distress, feeling an unusual sense of protectiveness toward the little girl, even though they had only known each other for a short time.

Before Eren could say anything to comfort her, the TV announcer's voice drew their attention. "Our top story this evening concerns a bizarre case in a quiet suburb. Around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samegawa River in Inaba."

The TV screen displayed a picture of a woman, a face that Eren vaguely remembered. "The deceased has been identified as Ms. Mayumi Yamano, a 27-year-old reporter at the local television station."

This revelation piqued Eren's interest. He remembered the woman as someone involved in an affair, and it seemed highly unusual that she was murdered just a day later. Could it be some sort of revenge? But against whom?

"The initial results of the Inaba Police Department's investigation have revealed…" The announcer continued.

"Ah! The Inaba Police Department, that's where Dad works!" Nanako exclaimed with worry in her voice, she then went completely quiet.

"It'll be alright," Eren said in a soft voice trying to sound as comfortable as possible.

Eren listened to the TV announcer as the grim details of the case unfolded. "...I know. That's his job, so this stuff happens," Nanako said, trying to reassure herself.

"The body was found hanging from a large television antenna atop a local resident's roof. Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was in such a state. With the cause of death also uncertain, police continue to investigate whether the death is an accident or a homicide. A thick fog common to the area has slowed their progress, and plans to fully canvass the area are delayed until tomorrow," the announcer continued.

"They found her on a roof? That's scary…" A small quiver was noticeable in Nanako's voice. Until…

"At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! Every day's great at your Junes!" The voice from the previous announcer had changed to a more cheerful one.

"Ah! It's Junes!" Like yesterday, it was as if a switch had been embedded in Nanako; any traces of fear were gone. "Every day's great at your Junes!" she sang along with the TV and looked at Eren expectantly.

Eren already knew where this was going, but he simply couldn't say no. He took a deep breath. "Your Junes!" he tried to sing as close to the melody as he could, but he still sounded out of tune.

Nanako giggled. "Hahaha, you need more practice!"

Eren didn't deny it; a small snort left his mouth. "You're right, I do."

Eventually, it got late, and both he and Nanako went off to bed to end the night, although Eren had one thought that made him even wonder in his futon. 'I suppose this town isn't as peaceful as some say…'

---

-04/12

Yosuke's day wasn't off to a great start. If crashing his bicycle wasn't enough, he now found himself quite literally stuck inside a garbage bin, his arms wedged in as well, preventing him from freeing himself.

With embarrassment and his dignity in tatters, he swallowed his pride and called out for help. "Someone please…" His voice echoed from inside the bin.

Suddenly, he felt a firm grip on his legs, and a voice from outside said, "Stay still."

With a swift and decisive pull, Yosuke was freed. He wasted no time in thanking his savior. "Oh man, you saved me! Thank you…" Upon getting a better look, Yosuke recognized his rescuer. "Oh! You're that new student!"

"I have a name," Eren replied.

"Yeah, I know, you're Aron Jager, right?" Yosuke said confidently.

Eren, slightly annoyed, corrected him, "It's Eren Yeager."

Yosuke's confident expression dropped, replaced by an apologetic one. "R-Right, my bad! My name is Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet ya."

"I remember you from yesterday," Eren said, recollecting the incidents. "You crashed as well, and you managed to upset that Chie girl… somehow."

"Seriously? You remember me because of that?" Yosuke responded with reluctance.

Eren shrugged. "What else is there to remember?"

"Eeeh, I guess you're right. We haven't even talked until now," Yosuke remarked.

"Whatever… are you okay?" Eren asked.

"Oh yeah, I'm totally fine!" Yosuke responded. Eren seemed satisfied and silently turned to walk away. However, Yosuke had one more thing to say. "Hey, Eren," he called out.

Stopping in his tracks, Eren looked back at him. "What is it?"

"Say, have you seen the news?" Yosuke asked.

Eren arched his eyebrow. "Yes, why?"

"Oh, well, I just wanted to know what you think of it. They found her body hanging on an antenna, pretty freaky, wasn't it? Do you think it's some kind of warning?" Yosuke inquired.

Eren simply looked at him oddly, but after a brief pause, he decided to answer. "Hell if I know, but I'm inclined towards the revenge theory."

"How so?" Yosuke asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Whoever did this had some planning behind it. How else would you explain where the body ended up?" Eren said assertively.

Yosuke rubbed his chin, pondering. "Mmmh, I didn't think about it that way. I suppose you could be right. Whoever did it had some dedication, as wrong as that may sound…" He then took a quick peek at his watch. "Oh crap! We're gonna be late. Do you want a ride? You can sit behind-"

Eren quickly interrupted him. "I'd rather walk," he said as he started walking away.

"Uuuh… okay! See ya at school!" Yosuke waved his hand.

---

-Yasogami Highschool.

"Alright! That's all for today. I hope to see your sorry asses tomorrow and be here on time. I already waste my precious time as it is." King Moron announced before leaving the classroom for good.

Eren could have sworn everyone in the classroom sighed in unison. Not that he blamed them. Even during his lectures, King Moron managed to slip in a snarky comment about... something. It looked like he couldn't physically stop himself from ranting.

It's not like Eren learned much of anything. Apparently, they were studying philosophy. Eren thought it was amusing in some way, and he probably would have found it interesting if King Moron wasn't the one teaching them.

Eren felt a light tap on his shoulder. "Hey, Eren." Looking back, he saw Yosuke waving at him. "So, are you getting used to this place?" he asked.

"No, not yet…" Eren answered honestly. 'I probably never will…'

"Bah, give it time, you just got here," Yosuke said in a nonchalant manner. "I get there's not as much to do like some other places, but this town has a certain charm to it. It's grilled steak, man! Nothing special, but let me tell you, it's really good. And I know a place where I can get it cheap. Wanna come to have a bite with me?"

Eren was about to decline when someone else popped in. "That sounds good. It should make up for my 'Trial of the Dragon', don't you think, Yosuke?" It was Chie.

Yosuke groaned. "I swear, every time I talk about something food-related, you come out of nowhere."

Completely ignoring Yosuke's remark, Chie looked over to Yukiko, who was preparing her bag. "What do you say, Yukiko? Don't you think he should treat us too?"

Before Yukiko could respond, a beeping sound came out of her bag, and Yukiko pulled out a similar device to the one Eren had seen Dojima use the first night he spent in his house. "Hello? Yukiko here…"

Yukiko's face shifted to a bummed-out expression. "There isn't anyone left…? No, no, I understand… I'll be there as soon as possible." She then put the device back in her bag.

"Is everything alright?" Chie asked, hoping it wasn't anything serious.

"Yeah, something happened at the inn. One of our attendees couldn't make it today; she called in sick... And someone needs to take her place," Yukiko explained. "Well, I should be on my way. Bye, everyone." With that, she left, waving her hand.

"Oh well, we should get going too," Chie said.

"We? What do you mean 'we'!?" Yosuke complained. "Man, do I have to treat two people now?"

"No, you'll be treating one, because I'm not going." Eren finally spoke.

"Aww, come on dude, don't be like that, do you have anything better to do?" Yosuke insisted.

Well, that much was true, Eren didn't have anything to do practically unless waiting for that mystery to reveal itself counted, he was reluctant, mostly, but a small part of him told him to just…go.

It happened with Chie when he sat with her, a faint and fleeing feeling like something else compelling him to spark… something. Was he being himself?

That thought alone made him feel unnerved, and he placed his hand on top of his forehead.

Something feels wrong, really wrong…

"Yo! Earth to Eren!" Chie called out. "Hey, are okay?"

"Yes… yes, I'm fine." Eren tried his best to sound convincing. Yet, that feeling was still present, he wanted to take his mind off that, luckily for him, the perfect opportunity was in front of him. "I… think I'll go."

Chie smiled, and so did Yosuke, although his smile wasn't as wide as Chie's, knowing he'd now have to treat two people.

---

-Junes, After School

Eren couldn't deny it; Junes was quite fascinating. It felt like a marketplace, but more organized. For now, all the businesses were gathered in one large place, making it less chaotic than traditional markets. Memories of accompanying his mother to buy groceries for the house came flooding back. Sometimes, if Carla was in a good mood, she would buy him a piece of chocolate.

Whenever she did, young Eren would light up with the brightest smile, and Carla would respond with the warmest hug.

The kind only a mother could provide...

Eren couldn't explain it. There was pain, that was certain, but there was also an odd warmth in his chest, however fleeting. A soft, almost melancholic laugh escaped his lips.

Chie, sitting across from Eren, noticed his laugh but misinterpreted it as a happy one. She leaned in curiously. "What's so funny?"

Eren's expression darkened as he reminisced. "Just... remembering the place I used to live..."

Chie's curiosity got the better of her. "Oh, right. We all know you used to live in Germany, but you never mentioned which city or town."

Eren hesitated for a moment before deciding to share a bit more. "You're right. I didn't..."

Chie's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "But you will now, won't you?"

Eren sighed and decided to reveal a bit. "Does Paradis ring a bell?"

Chie, intrigued, leaned in closer. "Paradis? Never heard of it. Sounds exotic, though."

Eren shrugged, finding a hint of amusement in her comment. "You could say that… but, we didn't have anything like this place," he admitted.

Chie raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Junes is just a mall, it's nothing special. Are you telling me that where you come from, they didn't have malls or supermarkets?"

"We did have markets, but not this supermarket thing you're saying," Eren stated.

Chie seemed incredulous. "Come on, I don't believe you! How is that even possible?"

Eren sighed softly. "It was an isolated place." A brief silence settled between them until Yosuke arrived with their food.

"Hey guys, sorry for the delay." Yosuke apologized as he took a seat between the two.

Now, as Yosuke began to distribute the food, Chie's previously bewildered mood shifted to irritation. "What!? These ain't no steak, these are takoyaki!" she exclaimed.

Yosuke remained unfazed by Chie's irritation. "Well, since you decided to hop on the freeloader train, I had to make an adjustment in my budget," he explained.

"But did we have to come to your place?" Chie retorted.

Eren, curious, chimed in, "Your place? Do you live here or something?"

Yosuke quickly shook his head. "What? No. Oh, right, you probably don't know this. I moved here from another city around six months ago. This place just opened, and my dad got assigned to manage it, so that's why our entire family moved here," he explained. He then held up his cup. "This is to welcome you to town," he said with a smirk. "Satonaka, yours is on me too."

"Yeah, I know," Chie replied, stating the obvious.

Eren looked down at his cup, feeling a bit thirsty after waiting for Yosuke. He took a sip and immediately noticed an odd sensation on his tongue as if something was prickling it. It didn't hurt, but it was certainly unusual. The sensation continued when he swallowed.

Although the taste was something else, it tasted almost like lemons, if Eren could compare it to something, it would be a beer, but way less distasteful, he never liked alcohol.

This raised a momentary concern in his mind, making him wonder if it was some kind of poison. However, seeing how Yosuke and Chie drank it with no apparent ill effects, he decided to discard that possibility for now. He cleared his throat and asked, "What is this?"

Both Yosuke and Chie stared at him. "What do you mean?" Yosuke was the first to respond.

Eren clarified, "I mean, what type of drink is this?"

"Oh, you don't like it? Sorry, I thought you would like Sprite. My bad," Yosuke replied apologetically.

Chie chimed in, offering, "Hey, I'll give you my Coke for your Sprite if you want."

Eren sighed inwardly at their misunderstanding. "No, that's not what I meant. I was asking what kind of drink it was. This is certainly not water."

Yosuke looked puzzled as to why Eren would ask such an obvious question. "It's... soda," he replied.

Chie, however, seemed to piece together something from Eren's previous comments. "Oh man, when you said you used to live in an isolated place, you really meant it," she said, slightly shocked. 'Either that or you're playing dumb.'

Yosuke couldn't help but chuckle, but a glare from Eren quickly silenced him. Eren, on the other hand, wished he hadn't told Chie anything.

Eren sighed inwardly and turned his attention to the small plate before him. It was quite a curiosity. The plate held eight small balls, each appearing to be fried and topped with various dressings and sauces. Every ball was speared with a tiny toothpick, probably intended to facilitate eating without getting one's fingers messy.

Despite his initial hesitance, curiosity got the better of him. Eren gingerly picked up one of the takoyaki balls and took a bite. As he chewed, he noticed that the texture was soft and somewhat squishy. The flavors resembled that of meat, and he could detect hints of ginger. While he was tempted to inquire about what it was made of, he decided against it, not wanting to appear ignorant.

Eren couldn't deny one thing; the takoyaki tasted incredibly good.

Eren continued to indulge in the takoyaki, devouring the second, third, and fourth pieces in quick succession. Chie couldn't help but find it amusing, given that Eren had become the quickest fan of the snack. Yosuke was equally surprised but pleasantly so, as he hadn't expected Eren to enjoy the local cuisine this much. It was evident that Eren had developed a liking for the dish.

"Soooo, are you enjoying your food?" Chie asked with a teasing glare.

Eren stopped in the middle of putting another takoyaki in his mouth. "It's… fine…" he responded a little embarrassed.

Chie chuckled. "Just be sure not to choke." she joked as she ate a takoyaki of her own. "Mmmh… it's not bad, but you wanna know something, Eren? The takoyaki they sell in the shopping district is way better! We should go there one day. From what I know, they… haven't… closed…" Chie stopped abruptly, like realizing she said something wrong.

Yosuke frowned. "Hey now, you can't blame it all on Junes, can you?" He paused, taking a sip of his cup. "I mean, it's not our fault that people prefer us over the shopping district and that we make people happy as well. Just look around!"

"I have to admit, Junes' prices are way better than the shopping district… sometimes," Chie said, emphasizing that last bit.

Eren felt like the whole "making people happy" thing was a stretch, but it certainly worked with children, apparently. Looking around, he spotted some kids running around, just having pure, unbridled fun.

'Like kids are supposed to...'

Their smiles were genuine, no worries. Yet, most importantly...

'No fear...'

Why would they have any? Eren pondered this question. His gaze then shifted to a woman sitting nearby; her belly was swollen with the promise of new life.

A man approached her with a tray of food in his hand, and she received him with a warm smile and a kiss. The man placed his hand on her belly, tears welling up in his eyes. The woman simply kissed him on the cheek and whispered something to him.

Whatever she said, it made him cry tears of joy. The soon-to-be family embraced each other tightly.

The sight of this heartwarming moment twisted Eren's stomach. He couldn't bring himself to feel happiness for them, as a lingering voice spoke in the back of his head.

'I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry...'

Eren felt a painful squeeze in his chest.

'When I learned that humanity had survived beyond the walls...'

The smell of death filled his nostrils.

'I was so... disappointed...'

A knot formed in his throat, threatening to burst out. Despite not showing any expression, Eren was filled with horror.

He had unconsciously tightened his grip, crushing the cup in his hand. Liquid spilled out, drenching his pants and sleeve, but it was enough to snap him out of his nightmarish thoughts.

"Shit…" Eren muttered under his breath.

"What happened?" Yosuke inquired.

"I spilled my drink," Eren replied.

"And they call me clumsy," Yosuke quipped, searching around the table for napkins. He then realized something. "Oh... I forgot to grab napkins."

"How could you forget that? That's the first thing you should get when buying food," Chie chimed in. "Man, you're clueless sometimes."

"I just forgot, alright? And I didn't notice you mentioning it either; you just realized we didn't have any until now," Yosuke defended himself. "I'd even argue you're more clueless than me."

Tensions rose between Chie and Yosuke, and a possible argument was about to be born. Eren was about to stand up and fetch napkins himself when a girl's voice interrupted the escalating situation. "Here."

Looking over his shoulder, Eren saw a hand offering a handful of napkins. It belonged to a girl with wavy, long, light brown hair and a white apron. Her brown eyes met Eren's, and he accepted the napkins with a nod of thanks and proceeded to dry himself as best as he could.

"Sa-Saki-Senpai!" Yosuke stammered, hastily rising from his seat.

Chie couldn't help but flash a cheeky, closed-mouth smile at Yosuke's reaction. "Hello Saki-Senpai," she greeted with a wave.

"Senpai, what are you doing here?" Yosuke inquired.

Saki giggled, her wavy brown hair swaying gently. "What do you mean? I work here, Hana-chan."

Yosuke joined in her laughter but still felt a little embarrassed for asking such an obvious question. "Yeah, yeah, you're right."

"I'm on my break, and I just happened to see your friend's little accident. Also, I thought I could say hi to the new student," Saki explained with a friendly smile directed at Eren. "My name is Saki Konichi, by the way."

Chie chimed in, "Oh, and her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district."

Eren couldn't help but wonder. "But… how come you work here?" He noticed a subtle twitch at the corner of her lip.

Saki replied, "Oh, you know since I'll be graduating this year, it's good to have some extra money. I do occasionally help in the store." Her tone held a touch of bitterness.

Chie was quick to add, "That would explain why you look so tired…"

Saki sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

"Hey Senpai, did something happen?" Yosuke asked, looking at Saki with concern.

Saki responded with a casual shake of her head. "Nope, it's nothing at all, like Chie said, I'm just tired."

Yosuke attempted to offer his support. "Hey, if you need anyone to talk, I'll-" He was cut off by Saki's giggle.

"Hehehe, believe me, it's nothing. But if I need to talk to someone, you'll be the first to know," Saki replied with a slightly sarcastic tone, which seemed to go over Chie's and Yosuke's heads.

However, Eren picked up on it but didn't press further.

Saki then shifted her gaze to Eren. "It's nice of you to hang out with Hana-chan. You usually wouldn't see him hanging out with other guys, you know?"

Yosuke tried to defend himself. "Hey, I do hang out with Ichijo and Daisuke-"

It seemed like Saki didn't pay much attention to his comment. "He doesn't have that many friends. Maybe it's because he's noisy sometimes. When that happens, you gotta tell him to hush when he starts to annoy you."

Eren arched an eyebrow. "Ah… I'll keep that in mind."

Yosuke was taken aback. "Hey!"

Saki snorted. "We're just joking, Hana-chan. Anyway, my break is almost over, I should get back… Laters!"

Yosuke tried to call her out, but his words apparently fell on deaf ears as Saki left without looking back. "Hahaha, she says I'm noisy, but she's even noisier than me. She pretty much treats me like her little brother," he said lightheartedly.

"Oh? I bet you want her to treat you differently!" Chie looked at Yosuke with a tease.

"Uh? What do you mean?"

Chie then cleared her throat and started speaking in a dramatic manner. "The daughter of a local family-run liquor store and the scion of the invading chain...Hoho, the flame of forbidden love!"

Yosuke felt a tinge of pink cover her cheeks, but before he could deny anything, Chie continued. "But wait, the arrival of a newcomer might shake things up a bit! The daughter's heart tore between two pieces, one belonging to the scion and the other to a mysterious newcomer, this sparks a rivalry to see who gets the heart whole!"

Eren, looking a bit annoyed, interjected, "Chie, what on earth are you talking about?"

Yosuke, now quite flustered, finally responded. "Come on, Chie, don't make stuff up!"

Chie laughed. "I don't know man, it looked like Saki was more interested in Eren…"

Yosuke, still flustered, tried to defend his position. "Yeah, but that still doesn't mean anything." He then glanced at Eren, seeking affirmation. "Right?"

Eren shrugged casually. "She's all yours." He then proceeded to enjoy another takoyaki ball.

Without any evidence, Yosuke felt somewhat relieved.

"Oh, really... Well, I know just the thing that might give us an answer to that!" Chie exclaimed. "There's a rumor, supposedly, if you look at a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night and stare at your own image, another person will appear on the screen... And they say that person's your soulmate." Chie finished explaining.

Of course, Eren and Yosuke exchanged skeptical glances. "An urban legend, really?" Yosuke said bluntly. "Man, how can you believe that? I thought you were actually going to say something useful."

"Ah!? So you don't believe it?"

"Why would I? Like you said, it's just a rumor."

"A rumor we can test tonight," Chie said smugly. "It's gonna rain tonight, and we'll see."

"We? Wait, you didn't even try it yourself!?"

Chie simply looked to the side at Yosuke's accusation. "Hehe… but come on! Try it out, what could you lose?"

Yosuke sighed. He sometimes forgets how gullible Chie can get. Part of him was skeptical, while the other was curious. She was right, what could he lose?

Eren, on the other hand, did not care, as he finished the last piece of takoyaki.

'I want more…'

---

Dojima Residence. Evening.

It was dark, and Eren sat on his room's couch, staring at the turned-off TV. The sound of rain falling outside accompanied his solitude, creating a strangely comforting atmosphere.

It was still too early for the clock to hit midnight, so he decided to try and figure out how the TV worked. He had observed Nanako using that weird device with several buttons before; apparently, it was called a remote, and each TV had one.

Taking the TV remote from his room, he began experimenting, pushing every single button to see what would happen.

Eventually, something did happen. Eren managed to turn the TV on. On the screen, he saw an image of five people, each of them wearing some sort of suit that covered their entire body, except for their faces, hands, and feet. They were standing on what looked like a staircase, but each of them was struggling to stand up as the staircase seemed to be covered in some sort of goo.

"Gross…" Eren muttered to himself as he watched those people fighting one another in order to get to the top. He then glanced back at the remote, thankfully recalling what button Nanako pressed every time she wanted to watch something else, and he did the same.

Eren continued to cycle through the channels, hoping to find something of more interest.

Now it was someone trying to sell a set of kitchen knives.

He pushed the button again.

Now someone was outside in the streets, apparently interviewing random people.

Again.

This time it was a group of people reacting to something, no, more like overreacting.

One more time.

A woman, mature at that, wearing a skimpy outfit… Eren already knew where this was going, so he instinctively pushed the button once more.

Eren was about to give up and go to sleep, not even caring about testing the rumor. But just when he was about to push the power button…

"Portals into the heart of the earth, they burn…" The announcer said as the image shifted to a natural wonder of the world.

'Rivers of fire…' Eren remembered how he used to call them.

"Bottomless cauldrons, filled with an ancient wrath, bubbling and boiling thousands of miles beneath the surface, and just waiting to burst through." The announcer went on, and Eren simply got glued to the TV like a little kid.

"Finally something worth watching…" Eren unconsciously slouched closer to the TV, and let himself get immersed.

"With the heat of the heart of the earth, volcanos had helped form the planet, making it the rich, dynamic landscape we see today." With that the image started fading out.

How long had it been? He didn't know. Even though it was late at night, he didn't feel tired at all. Restless might be a better word, but he also felt stimulated.

He had learned a lot, more than any book could teach him, more than what Armin would tell him…

A sad chuckle left his lips, and for a moment, he wished Armin would be here, just to see how curious the world was without any fear, as free as anyone could be to explore.

Eren's head started hurting, he wanted to sleep.

Turning off the TV and placing the remote aside, he stood up to lie on his futon, he couldn't take a step because suddenly the TV turned on on its own, and Eren had perplexity written on his face.

Eren looked at the clock in his room, it marked midnight, and the TV only showed static and white noise, but then the image shifted to a slim figure, with long hair, it was a girl, Eren could tell that much.

Despite that, the image was too distorted to make out any noticeable features, the girl was just shifting around, and making gestures, like begging for help.

'Odd way to show your soulmate.'

"I...am thou…"

A voice resounded in Eren's head making him grab his head with one hand and take a step back.

"Thou art I…"

Eren fell to his knees, he felt how those words bounced around his skull, it hurt.

"Thou art the one who shall move forward…"

He took a glance at the TV, something was calling out to him, and he felt obligated to respond.

Getting on his feet, Eren took a step forward and touched the screen of the TV, and once he did, it started pulling his hand in.

"What the fuck!?" Eren exclaimed breaking out of his little trance, with all his strength he managed to pull it out, but in his effort, he stumbled back and hit the back of his head with the small table. "Ack!"

A soft knock was heard from his room's door. "Are you okay?" It was little Nanako.

"Uh, yes! I just tripped that's all, sorry for waking you up."

"Uh, well, goodnight." A few little footsteps were heard, they were getting farther, and Nanako was gone.

Eren panted a bit, pulling out tired him out more than he initially thought, taking one last cautious glance at the TV, Eren could only see his reflection staring back.

Despite the TV looking like it was turned off, Eren could have sworn his reflection smiled at him.

Eren shook his head and ended the night.