Chapter 2: That Day, Humanity Finally Recalled...
"But after all, if humanity wants to survive, they have to go beyond the walls, right?"
Perhaps influenced by Eren for many years, Armin also understood that seeking knowledge and exploration were their only way out.
"What nonsense! Just a bunch of troublemakers, wasting military funds, wasting food, wasting lives."
Along the road where the Survey Corps had left, some older children retorted discontentedly, clearly holding great resentment towards the corps, which symbolized the 'Wings of Freedom.'
"Those who would join such a corps are probably just fools daydreaming, haha."
With an inexplicable arrogance, several older children intentionally confronted Armin, looking at him simultaneously.
"All of those are necessary sacrifices! For the future of humanity!"
Perhaps thinking of his close friend Eren's dream, Armin's voice grew louder.
"Those who only survive in their comfort zones will never understand!"
"Sparrows cannot comprehend the ambitions of swans."
Nodding in agreement, Alex found Armin's words quite reasonable.
Creating a prison for oneself, sticking to the old ways—Alex knew well what kind of ending that would lead to.
【Dark Flame Master: Boss is quite cultured.】
"Damn it! You two, want to fight?"
Unable to argue back, several older children surrounded them discontentedly...
"..."
Standing silently in front of Armin, Alex, as the elder brother, had a somewhat gloomy expression.
"Hey! You guys!"
From a distance, a black-haired youth noticed the anomaly of his dear friend and rushed over immediately!
"Eren!"
"Ah, it's that kid Eren!"
"Wanna fight? Come on, let's go!"
"Wait...wait! Mikasa is also there!"
The excited trio, while shouting, noticed the dark expression on the youth's face, and their eyes widened in shock! They turned and ran!
【The Joker: The trio is gathering~ Fun times are about to begin~】
【Kafka Slave: It's smol Mikasa! Smol Mikasa-chan! host, go and patch her up! I'll give you a reward!】
"..."
As the two children approached, the trio that had been provoking earlier fled in panic, and their shadows were nowhere to be seen for quite a while.
"Are you okay, Armin, Alex?"
The boy, slightly out of breath, supported his knees and looked at his two friends with joy in his eyes.
"I'm fine."
"No problem..."
Glancing at this spirited black-haired youth, Alex tilted his head.
Eren—the protagonist of this world?
However... why does the chat seem to have a strong resentment towards this boy?
【Ganyu My Waifu: Okay, host, stop staring at that disgusting guy. Let everyone take a closer look at Mikasa!】
【The Joker: What's there to like about someone who killed his own father and mother? Let's go, let's make Mikasa-chan the star instead.】
【Women Magnet: Exactly! In the end, Mikasa will remarry, so instead of letting that guy have it cheap, why not let the host benefit!】
【Kafka Slave: Ditto...】
...It's starting again.
The chat in the live stream channel continued to float by, making Alex eyebrows twitch.
He simply didn't understand what these guys were saying... In the memories he inherited, Eren and Mikasa's relationship seemed close, how could their relationship break and benefit an outsider...
It would take an extremely abstract creator to come up with such an absurd plot.
"Eren, why do you seem a bit upset today?"
Armin, who was very adept at observing words and expressions, accurately captured the traces of dissatisfaction and worry on his dear friend's face, then asked with confusion.
"Hmph... my mother doesn't approve of me joining the Survey Corps, but I won't give up!"
As the gathered group began to stroll along the river, Eren once again expressed his lofty ambitions—
"What I want is freedom! To explore the world beyond the walls!"
"Did you have a conflict with your family?"
Ignoring the continuous prompts from the chat, Alex no longer paid attention to the two boys sharing their feelings. Instead, he took a few steps closer to the silent and reserved girl.
The black-haired girl, wrapped in a scarf, focused her gaze on the enthusiastic boy most of the time.
With a cute and soft face, which appeared slightly pale due to insufficient nutrition, Mikasa, dressed in a long dress (or perhaps a robe?), completely enveloped her body in the fabric, with only the upper half of her face and her long hair exposed.
"Mmm."
Nodding in response, Mikasa was also concerned about Eren's condition.
All she wanted was safety... or rather, him being okay was enough...
【Women Magnet: Quick! Host, go up there! Increase her favorability!】
【Ganyu My Waifu: This is a great chance to cultivate a loli! Host, what are you hesitating for?!】
'You guys should stop...'
With a dark line, Alex was almost driven crazy by the group of jokers in the live stream channel.
What are they thinking! She's just a ten-year-old kid! How crazy do you have to be to go after someone like her!
Although Alex is currently also ten years old, he is a mentally normal and reliable male!
The reason for approaching Mikasa at this time is purely because the audience in the live stream channel demanded it!
Furthermore, going any further is absolutely out of the question!
【Kafka Slave: Hehehe~ Lovely Mikasa-chan~ Mikasa was so beautiful later, just like a doll~ It's just that now she looks delicate and frail...】
【The Joker: Nonsense. In the world of Attack on Titan, even commoners can barely eat their fill, and meat and wine are almost exclusive to the nobility. If smol Mikasa were chubby, that would be strange. Hmph... ugly upper class.】
【Kafka Slave: Wait! But I remember the host's point system can exchange for food, right! Host! Hurry up and give Young Master Mikasa some chicken legs! I'll pay for it!】
【Thanks to 'Kafka Slave' for the 500 points reward!】
Huh? There's another reward again?
"Oh, oh, oh, that's settled!"
But coming back to the point, it seemed like the audience in the live stream didn't know the specific details of the points redemption...
Otherwise... with these five hundred points, it could amount to the quantity of one hundred chicken legs...
"System! Exchange for four chicken legs and four boiled eggs!"
【Deducting 24 points Remaining: 4920】
With the system sound, Alex felt his pockets bulge.
The chicken legs and boiled eggs, sealed in a transparent bag, still had a slightly warm temperature, and a tempting fragrance wafted through...
"Hmm? What smells so good?"
Eren, who was chatting with Armin, sniffed the air and keenly detected the unfamiliar aroma.
"Did someone already start preparing dinner?"
Equally curious, Armin looked around...
Mikasa, however, due to the advantage of distance, looked surprised at the source of the fragrance—
"Mikasa, come over here."
Rather than explaining things in front of the other two kids, taking advantage of the opportunity while his two friends were still distracted, Alex pulled the girl to a corner that was less likely to be observed.
"What's wrong, Alex?."
Looking at her friend who pulled her away strangely, Mikasa was a bit puzzled.
Unlike Eren and Armin, who still had family and a happy home, she and Alex had long become orphans.
Just that, one stayed with Eren's family, and the other was adopted by Armin's family.
Usually, the two more optimistic kids chatted together, while she and Alex silently guarded from behind.
But today...
"I'm giving you these. Distribute them to Armin and Eren later. Everyone gets one."
Taking out three portions of chicken legs and eggs, Alex nodded firmly under the girl's wide-open eyes.
【Kafka Slave: Hahaha, Mikasa's expression is so cute!】
【The Joker: Haha, Young Master Mikasa never showed this expression before! Interesting, interesting!】
"Wha... where did these come from!"
The previously ice-cold girl was now flustered. She anxiously stared at her companion, trying to get some explanation.
"This meat... it couldn't have come so easily!"
Even in the Survey Corps, the meat stored in the warehouse is recorded, each piece tracked, and none can go missing!
Not to mention in a civilian household, meat is almost a luxury item that's hard to come by every few months!
And now, Alex actually took out several chicken legs, this...
Did he secretly kill a few chickens?
"Don't worry, these are absolutely safe..."
"How could they be absolutely safe!"
Mikasa grabbed the boy's shoulders in front of her and was almost about to shout.
"If this is the result of stealing, at this level, it could already lead to severe punishment!"
If she and Eren also ate, they would definitely be implicated!
'...Mikasa doesn't believe it, what should I do?'
With a roll of his eyes, Alex was at a loss.
These things absolutely wouldn't have anyone tracking them, but Mikasa doesn't believe it!
【Ganyu My Waifu: Simple, stuff it in her mouth, be a bit forceful, she'll eventually accept it.】
【Women Magnet: The first time touching taboos is always a bit difficult. Once she gradually gets familiar and accustomed to you, she won't resist anymore after tasting the sweetness.】
【Kafka Slave: Hey! You guys! Don't make inappropriate comments about Mikasa!】
【The Joker: Hahaha, just a few chicken legs make smol Mikasa show this expression... hihihi, I can't take it! host, give smol Mikasa a bit more shock!】
【Thanks to 'The Joker' for the 1000 points reward】
And adding fuel to the fire!
Oh well, let's add more to the meal.
【Redeem four delicate cupcakes costs 40 points. Current remaining points: 5880】
"Not enough? If it's not enough, I have more here."
Ignoring the confusion and incomprehension on the girl's face, Alex took out a few pieces of cakes, each larger than the size of his palm...
Four neatly cut slices of chocolate cake, as if they were just sliced from a giant chocolate cake, emitted the rich aroma of dark and luscious chocolate and sweet enticing cream, causing Mikasa, who was already shocked, to enter a state of system failure.
"Why... are there still cakes..."
Although she was a commoner, Mikasa had heard of it.
The royal family and nobles would use fresh milk, eggs, sugar, and various extremely precious ingredients to make a mysterious dessert called 'cake.'
If ordinary civilians occasionally had hopes of eating some meat, this absolutely luxurious dessert was something only nobles could enjoy—a symbol of extreme extravagance!
Now, with her small brain, she couldn't understand why Alex could get so much food that she had never dared to think about!
"Take it and eat. Even if there's a problem, just blame it on me later."
Seeing Mikasa's shocked expression, Alex's only relief was that he chose Mikasa.
Even this usually calm girl was shocked like this. If he had found Armin or Eren to share the food...
"No! This is too precious! I absolutely can't eat it!"
【The Joker: So verbose... Boss, just stuff it into her mouth directly!】
【Ganyu My Waifu: Exactly! Stop dilly-dallying, host! Just force it on her!】
'...'
Indeed, no matter how you put it, this stubborn girl wouldn't listen.
No longer trying to convince her, Alex directly cut off a small piece with a fork and handed the cake to Mikasa's lips.
The fair cream stuck to the girl's tender lips, and a sweet fragrance spread on her almost bloodless lip petals...
"I... can't eat..."
Faced with the never-experienced sweetness in front of her, the girl tightly closed her eyes, trembling as she tried to refuse.
The thing in front of her was like a forbidden fruit, absolutely prohibited for them!
No matter how agitated Mikasa's instincts were at the moment, this stubborn and strong-willed girl would never succumb to her desires and touch things that didn't belong to her.
But the next moment, a bewitching voice pierced her ears, completely breaking the girl's defense.
"Ah, it's about to fall... what a waste."
Perhaps because the girl resisted too strongly, the cake on the fork slipped away amidst the commotion...
"No!"
How could such a rare thing be wasted!
Her eyes widened suddenly—Mikasa, at an astonishing speed, lowered her head! In an instant, she swallowed that small piece of cake that had fallen in mid-air!
"!"
【Ganyu My Waifu: Such a fast reaction!】
【Kafka Slave: Yay! Mikasa-chan ate it!】
【The Joker: Didn't expect smol Mikasa to panic like this... makes sense, after all, she's just a ten-year-old girl. Kukuku】
"Gulp..."
The never-before-experienced softness and sweetness erupted in her mouth—almost instantly, Mikasa subconsciously swallowed that deliciousness as if she were a greedy young beast.
Haha, there was indeed no such chaotic situation as this Mikasa's in the inherited memories.
The girl, who was hard to please with food, looked expressionless at the smiling Alex. However, influenced by the smile on his face, she turned her head like a startled rabbit, and her cheeks were tinged with a layer of rosy pink like a shy rose...
"Eat the rest too, don't mind."
"..."
Silently taking the cake from Alex, Mikasa, no longer resisting, followed her instincts and quickly and firmly ate all her pastries and meat.
"Take these to Eren and Armin."
Seeing Mikasa's shy avoidance of eye contact, Alex, who found it particularly amusing, spoke with a smile:
"It's not good to eat alone."
"...If we have to take responsibility for this... let the two of us handle it."
After a moment of silence, Mikasa raised her head. Her gaze and expression returned to the steel-like coldness and determination:
"Alex, you wouldn't want Armin to be treated as a thief and arrested... If Eren is involved too... let's just consider this as a mistake made by the two of us."
Absolutely cannot let Eren get hurt...
"If I take responsibility alone... of course, let's go with what you said."
Seeing that Mikasa was about to say something more, Alex quickly reached out to agree.
He couldn't go against Mikasa—this girl was no more accommodating than Eren, according to the memories.
Both equally stubborn...
"...Okay, if that's the case."
Taking two steps forward, Mikasa's hand reached towards Eren and Armin's portions...
But at that very moment.
A thunderous roar—
Echoed across the land with a deafening blast!
Author's Note:
I know from the guidebook that Mikasa remains single until her old age, but there's also an alternate ending where Mikasa gets married and has a child. Here, Women Magnet is only aware of the alternate ending, and other viewers have no intention of correcting it. Don't ask about the main character; he's truly a genuine normie.