Chapter 20: A "Not Date"
"Braun-San, you have recently been accepted to compete in an exhibition match against Okami Yushin, how do you feel about the opportunity?" The reporter asked.
Reiner finished up another match in a regional tournament. Ruby and Kana once again acted as cheer girls since they needed some way to stay relevant until they got an opportunity to perform. Until then, they continued to support Reiner's own career.
"It's a great opportunity. I'm looking forward to it and can't wait until I turn eighteen so I can compete professionally in Mixed Martial Arts." Reiner said, crossing his arms and having a serious face, though there was a hint of excitement.
Ruby, Kana, Ai, and Aqua listened in the background as Reiner was conducting his post-fight interview. Ruby was slightly upset that Reiner let himself get beat up again, but he convinced her that it was no big deal. Ruby just pouted when he said that.
"With you working with B-Komachi, there are some rumors of you and Hoshino Ruby dating, do you care to comment?" The reporter asked.
Ai's breath got caught in her throat. She never anticipated a question like this, but once again Ruby's career was in danger. Any kind of perceived relationship could have the potential to ruin her career if she could no longer maintain her innocent persona.
Ruby, Kana, and Aqua had similar thoughts. If there were any alleged ideas of romance between her and Reiner, it could cause issues for them. Especially since they're already trying to mitigate Eren and Ai's controversy in the meantime.
"I did try to ask Ruby on a date." Reiner said in a matter-of-fact tone.
He said what!? B-Komachi thought simultaneously.
This had the potential of ruining Ruby's career if there was even the slightest hint of romance. Why would Reiner say that?
"Really, did she agree?" The reporter asked.
"She got very flustered." Reiner shrugged. "She started to blush and hide her face, but she rejected me. She bowed a bunch and kept saying sorry, but she had no interest."
I never did that! Ruby thought to herself. Ruby was cool, collected, and completely in control of her emotions when she rejected him. Ruby was the very picture of womanly adult charm since she was now officially an adult.
So why is she hiding her face behind her hands?
"Really?" The reporter asked. "Were you heartbroken?"
"Not really." Reiner shrugged. "She's cute but she's not the only woman in the world." He chuckled.
Ruby actually felt herself get sad when he said that. Was she really so forgettable to him that he didn't even feel anything when she rejected him? Ruby did feel bad when she realized how she sounded, but she was too scared to give up her career to pursue a guy.
But did Reiner really feel nothing?
Ai glanced at her daughter, who was doing a terrible job at hiding her emotions. She could tell that Ruby was going through a range of emotions and she could tell that Ruby felt a bit upset that Reiner could just brush off her rejection.
It was a strange contradiction that Ai knew many women felt. Despite rejecting Reiner, she wants him to still be interested in her and to at least struggle to get over her rejection. Mainly because Ai could tell that Ruby really did find herself attracted to Reiner. But her trauma as a child in seeing Ai's career and the result of learning that Ai had a family still weighed heavily on her mind.
Ai had no doubt that Ruby at least would have tried to go on a date with Reiner if that caveat didn't exist.
After the interview concluded, Reiner and B-Komachi returned to the locker room. Reiner's bruised face, cut brow, and cut lip bothered him a bit, but he didn't really care since he was used to it.
Reiner sat down and wiped the sweat off of his face and neck.
"Good save." Ai said to Reiner.
"No problem." Reiner chuckled.
"Save?" Ruby asked naively. "What save? Also, you lied about that." Ruby put her hands on her hips and stared down at Reiner.
"About what?" Reiner asked.
"I didn't do any of that." Ruby said. "I- Et-" Ruby was cut off as Kana lightly karate chopped the back of her head.
"He knows Ruby." Kana said. "He lied so he could maintain your innocent persona."
"Exactly." Aqua said. "After all, being shy shows inexperience and innocence, while apologizing shows humility. All important aspects of being an idol."
"So, you do pay attention Aqua-Chan." Ai gives her son a wide smile.
"I do at least want Ruby to be moderately successful." He shrugged.
"Bleh." Ruby stuck her tongue at Aqua in a show of sibling teasing.
"Plus, Reiner also has to maintain his own persona, so he has to appear like the rejection meant little to him so he can come off as more manly." Ai said out loud, hoping to make Ruby feel better about her contradicting feelings.
"What are you talking abou-Ow." Reiner grunted as Ai lightly stepped her heeled foot on his bare foot to keep him quiet.
Ai didn't care if Reiner was honest about that, she wanted to keep the lie that he possibly was upset so as not to hurt Ruby. Ai smiled a bit as she saw Ruby's eyes light up a bit, glad that maybe there was a hope that Reiner was upset that she rejected him.
It's a strange contradiction. Ai knew that Ruby does want Reiner to like her, and part of showing that is him getting upset if she rejects him. If he could just completely move on without a thought, then that means she isn't desired. And Ai knows how it important it is for a young girl to be desired by a boy she likes, even if Ruby has a hard time coming to terms with those feelings.
Reiner was confused. There seemed like there was some kind of secret communication going on between Ruby and Ai, but he couldn't figure it out. He just shrugged and didn't care much.
"Anyway." Ruby said, walking up to Reiner. "You let yourself get hurt again." She glared.
"I'm fine Ruby." Reiner chuckled.
"You need to care about your health Reiner-San." Ruby said, upset that he was hurt again.
Reiner raised his eyebrow and simply shrugged.
"I'm serious, it's important that-"
There was the sound of steam filling the locker room and instantly Reiner's bruises and cuts healed. When the sound ceased; Reiner was fully healed with not even a scar to show the previous damage.
"I'll never get used to that." Kana said.
"Hmph." Ruby hmphed as she crossed her arms. "It's still important. Not that I care."
"Really Ruby?" Aqua said with a deadpanned expression at Ruby's tsundere act.
"Injuries never really bother me." He shrugged.
"What about brain damage from all the blows?" Ruby asked.
"I've had my entire head blown off before." Reiner chuckled morbidly.
"Entire..." Kana said as she overheard.
"As long as I have time to transfer my consciousness throughout my nervous system. I'm used to it." He shrugged, finding humor in that fact.
Ruby looked at Reiner in shock and even a hint of sympathy.
"Reiner, please don't say things like that." Ai said, feeling the same emotions.
Ai knew that Reiner died when he was nineteen, and to imagine a teenager or even a kid experiencing things like that was something that made Ai feel horrible. She pieced together that Reiner new Eren for a while, and it made sense to her that Reiner was a child soldier as well.
But of course, going through trauma like that fundamentally changed Reiners sense of humor, even if he didn't fully realize it. His sense of humor and what he considered normal was disturbing to them. Something Ai couldn't blame.
"Well, you shouldn't be used to it." Ruby crossed her arms. "No one should be used to getting hurt."
"Ruby, that's just how my world was." Reiner shrugged.
"Well, if that's the case I'll show you a better world." Ruby said, keeping her arms crossed.
"Huh?" Reiner asked.
"Yea, huh?" Aqua asked, imitating Reiner.
"You do know I've been here almost as long as you, right?" Reiner asked.
Ai raised her eyebrow at that, almost as long as her? Even factoring that Reiner was reborn from another world, Ruby and Reiner were exactly the same age.
"It doesn't matter, clearly you need to get rid of that morbid sense of humor." Ruby said. "So, I'll show you some fun things to do while you're here."
Why did Ai feel like she was looking in a mirror?
"Let me think... how about a cafe?" Reiner asked.
"Sure, that sounds good." Ruby nodded, with a small smile and the very slightest trace of a blush.
"Like when he asked you to the cafe last time." Ai said with a smirk, remembering the first time Reiner wanted to go to a cafe.
"Last time?" Ruby asked, not remembering.
"He asked you to the cafe for a date when you first met." Kana said, reminding Ruby.
Suddenly, Ruby's eyes widened as she realized exactly how she sounded when she said what she did. She realized that it sounded like she asked Reiner out on a date, but that wasn't true at all. She wasn't asking him out, just making him have a better experience here than his old world.
"T-that's not at all what I meant!" Ruby blushed as she pointed at Reiner. "This is not a date; it is a friendly cafe meetup between friends!" Ruby yelled at Reiner.
Reiner smirked at how cute Ruby looked. The way she looked so flustered and denied what she said was hilarious to him.
"Of course it's not a date Kana." Reiner said to Kana with a chuckle. "After all, she's way to amazing to ever date."
"Exactly." Ruby smiled and crossed her arms again.
Ai wondered if Ruby realized that Reiner was teasing her... probably not. Her daughter was so dense sometimes.
Regardless, it's best if Ai didn't mention Ruby's "Not date" to Eren, since Ai knew that Eren would get really upset if Ruby was allowed to be alone with Reiner. She trusted Reiner enough to be alone with her daughter, especially since Reiner was protecting them.
"You'll need a disguise Ruby-Chan." Ai said. "Wouldn't want the media to get the wrong idea."
Ruby actually looked excited at that, weirdly enough.
"You mean... I finally get to be like you and will have to wear a disguise from now on!?" Ruby asked in excitement.
Ai raised her eyebrow. Ai remembered that was one of the things she hated about being an idol, always having to wear a disguise. Weirdly, Ruby looked excited about it. Ai remembered that Ruby was always her biggest fan as a kid, she probably associates the idea of hiding your identity as being proportional to your success as an idol.
"Sure." Ai chuckled. "Let's let Braun-San get changed and you can go right after this." Ai smiled.
"Not as a date though." Ruby felt the need to remind Reiner.
"Of course." Reiner chuckled at her embarrassment.
"So... why are we bringing your brother?" Miyuki asked as he glanced at the bearded man in the backseat through the mirror.
"Because we'll need additional help, plus Zeke wants to volunteer to find a way to end the Titan threat permanently... that doesn't involve the user dying." Eren said as he drove to the Shinomiya R&D Department.
"I get that, but still... he's the one that can turn into a giant monkey, right?" Miyuki asked.
"Yes." Eren said.
"Does... eto... he need like special shampoo against flees or something?" Miyuki asked awkwardly.
"You do know that I'm... right here... right?" Zeke asked from the backseat.
"Ignore Miyuki." Eren said to Zeke.
The ride began awkward, and it seems it was going to remain that way. Miyuki had so many questions that was just odd to even Eren. Why was his hair blonde when his Titan had dark colored hair? Why was it a giant monkey when it could take any animal form? Why did he look older than his actual mid-thirties age?
Eren sighed as he pulled up to the building. He got out and made his way to the front entrance with Miyuki and Zeke, intending to get to the bottom of why his enemies had access to a modern variation of ODM gear.
For all intense and purposes, there should be no way that they could have access to it. Eren knew that Gan'an would never work with criminals so openly. True, the Shinomiya Conglomerate did a lot of things that weren't entirely legal, but Gan'an always knew to keep his head down and not do anything too illegal.
"Papa!" A yell was heard when they entered.
A blonde haired blurred raced past Eren and slammed into Miyuki.
"Papa!" Another blur, this one dark colored slammed into Miyuki.
"Ohiyo girls, what are you doing here?" Miyuki asked the two girls.
"Mama is visiting ojisan and brought us." The black haired girl said.
"Miyuki!" Miyuki looked up to see his wife and the rest of his kids waving at them.
"Kagy-Chan!" Miyuki ran over to hug his wife and the rest of his family.
"I wasn't expecting to see you here." Kaguya giggled as she held her two youngest to her chest with the help of a double scarf.
"Just work, but what about you, shouldn't you be resting?" Miyuki asked.
"This early in the pregnancy?" Kaguya raised an eyebrow. She wasn't even developing a baby bump yet. "This'll just be another pregnancy, after all I've had I could probably run a marathon when I'm close to term." She giggled.
"Really, because the last one you were yelling about how we'll never have another one." Miyuki chuckled as he bobbed the nose of his youngest as Kaguya held him, causing the child to start to whine.
"Miyuki-Chan, be gentler." Kaguya pouted.
"Sorry." Miyuki said. "So, what are you all doing here?" He asked.
"Just visiting papa." Kaguya said.
Since the issue with Eren was concluded, Gan'an made an honest effort to patch things with his daughter and try to have an actual father/daughter relationship. It took time, but now Kaguya felt genuinely like her papa cared and loved her. Something that was largely missing from her childhood.
Especially after he almost lost her when she was kidnapped.
"Ojisan!" The kids yelled as the ones who could walk ran away from the family and over to the old and frail man who struggled to walk on his cain.
"How are my precious little ones doing?" He asked as he was swamped by the kids.
An assistant near him helped him to kneel down so he could be with his grandchildren.
Eren noticed that Gan'an had become extremely sickly in the past few years. He struggled to walk and was largely retired from the Conglomerate, instead having the patriarch be his son, Oko.
"Dear Imouto-Chan, good to see you." Speak of the devil.
Despite being a term of endearment towards one's little sister, Oko always used it in a way that was condescending to Kaguya since he never really cared much for his family. While not the first choice to lead the Shinomiya Conglomerate, he was the eldest and the most experienced.
One odd thing about him is that instead of wearing more formal attire, Oko instead chose to wear traditional Japanese robes, which matched with his bald head and whispy facial hair, made him look older than he was.
"Oko, play nice." Gan'an said, adopting a serious attitude when his eldest son arrived.
"Of course, dear otosan." He said.
It was no secret to Eren that Gan'an never really liked his eldest son. He was vindictive, selfish, and arrogant. Gan'an had told Eren before that if Kaguya didn't decide to renounce her status as an heir to pursue family, Gan'an would have made her the head of the Conglomerate.
"And Eren Yeager, good to see the old criminal again." He said, walking up to Eren.
"Oko." Eren shrugged.
"Hehe, my little brother still making friends I see." Zeke chuckled, sensing the hostility between Oko and Eren.
"And you are?" He asked Zeke.
"Enough Oko, go back to your office." Gan'an said. "I have some things I need to discus with Eren."
"If it has to do with an investigation of the Shinomiya Conglomerate, I believe I should be a part of it." He countered.
"I guess that means I have to go." Kaguya said, feeling uncomfortable around her eldest half-brother.
"Only because it's business Kagy-Chan." Gan'an said, adopting a nicer attitude to his daughter.
"Oh yea, Ai invited us to the beach. I was wondering if you could come." Kaguya said.
"Well..." Gan'an thought.
"The warm air would be good for you Shinomiya-Sama." Gan'an's assistant mentioned.
"As long as my grandkids will be there." Gan'an said.
"Of course, papa." Kaguya smiled.
"Yea ojiisan, I can't wait to show you how much better I am at swimming." One of the boys said.
"I don't mean to cut this short, but we do need to do our investigation." Eren said.
"Right." Gan'an said. "You take care Kagy-Chan." He said as he smiled at his daughter.
"You too papa. And have a good day at work." Kaguya said as she turned to her husband.
"Yea papa, have a good day." One of Miyuki's many kids said happily.
The family left, leaving Eren, Miyuki, Zeke, Oko, and Gan'an alone in the main hall.
"This sea trip is getting too many people." Eren commented, imagining just how many people are going to show up to Ai's little trip.
"I'm still invited, right?" Zeke asked, referencing Eren's conversation earlier.
"Yes Zeke, my wife figured it'd be a good idea." Eren said.
"Heh, glad to hear it." Zeke smiled lightly.
"So, why don't you two tell us why Naicho is investigating the Shinomiya Conglomerate?" Oko asked angrily. "I don't think I need to remind you of the generous contributions we give annually to the agency."
"Oko, enough." Gan'an said.
There was an angry standoff between the son and father. Eren knew how rough their relationship was, especially after Oko took over.
"They're here to investigate project 2536." Gan'an said.
"Well, let's show the criminal the gear we have." Oko said, shooting a glare at Eren.
"You first." Eren said, letting Oko lead the way.
After passing a few security checkpoints, they made their way into a secure location where the Shinomiya Conglomerate were developing new technology for both commercial and even Government use.
Given the Shinomiya's less than honest dealings, much of the technology was either borrowed from independent inventors or things that the business managed to claim the copyright through predatory means. Often times screwing over the actual inventors.
"Here it is." Oko said, showing them one area with a few pieces of modernized ODM gear stored.
Now that Eren got a closer look, it was clear that these were basically exact replicas of his original ODM gear from a decade ago. The materials were more updated with the main difference being the blades just being modified Katana's instead of the regular swords.
"These were originally just exact reproductions we used for testing." Gan'an said as he leaned heavily on his cane.
"Why?" Eren asked.
"They were prototypes to see how they worked. In reality, they never actually performed in the way your old pair did. We could never find a gas mixture to produce the results you displayed. So, we simply put the idea in storage." Gan'an explained.
"I don't doubt it, you'd need Ice Burst Stone to actually get them to work." Zeke said, looking over the replicas.
"Ice Burst Stone?" Oko asked.
"Classified." Eren said.
"Does it have anything to do with those monsters fighting at that school?" Gan'an asked.
"In a way." Eren said. "Why Katana's by the way?" Eren asked.
"Simple, the original blades were made out of an unusual metal but was clearly inferior." Oko stated.
"Inferior?" Eren asked.
"The metal was far too hard and brittle. Even minor bending would cause it to snap. It was a very poor-quality sword." Oko said arrogantly.
"They're designed to be brittle." Eren said with narrowed eyes. "Could you imagine what would happen if your blade got stuck in flesh while you're moving at speed? You'd rip your arm out of its socket. Better to have the sword break than lose an arm."
"Oh well, it's a useless design anyway." Oko shrugged.
"Have any gone missing in the past few years?" Miyuki asked.
"Missing?" Oko asked. "No, not at all." He said confidently.
"Son, I know I'm contradicting my own teaching, but for now, be honest." Gan'an said.
Oko made a tch sound and glared slightly at his otosan.
"We had a few get stolen a few years ago, maybe five years." Oko said. "We really didn't care since it was a scrapped program and only had limited uses in the commercial market. So we changed the manifest." He shrugged.
Oko felt confident in being honest since he knew that there would be no action taken by Naicho against him. The Conglomerate was far too powerful for anything less than an official Diet action to do anything.
"How did that happen?" Eren asked.
"One of our trucks delivering some models to Hokkaido got ambushed." Oko said.
"Any descriptions on who?" Eren asked.
"Probably some Yakuza thugs." Oko shrugged.
"Was there by any chance a blonde girl spotted, maybe ten at the time." Eren asked.
"No, why would there be?" Oko asked.
"Just wondering." Eren said.
Eren began to think about his plan. He wondered if he could use these ODM models to fight the Yakuza and the Marleyans. However, there was no way he could train a group of people to use the ODM in any kind of way in a quick amount of time. Even to get the basics it would take months and they'd be no match against people who have trained for at least a few years.
Eren knew that Armin would gladly help. Especially with Eren's life and family at risk. But still, Eren was hesitant to ask his old friend to give up a peaceful life to return to a war that should be over.
Reiner of course was completely out of the fight, which Eren preferred. He wasn't too sure on Reiner's loyalty. He believed that Reiner wanted to stay out of the fight, but Eren knew the bonds soldiers develop over a long conflict. Last thing Eren wanted was for Reiner to have a change of heart during a fight because of his old loyalties.
"Oko, I need to speak with them alone." Gan'an said to his son.
"Whatever you say." Oko said as he left.
Gan'an double checked to make sure his son was out of earshot. When he was, Gan'an turned to Eren.
"The Director told me everything. If I had known their plans, I would have put more effort at the time into catching those responsible." Gan'an said to Eren.
"It's fine Gan'an." Eren said.
"However, what was this about your older brother?" Gan'an asked.
"Well, Eren wants me to help to see if there's a way for me to cure the Titan curse." Zeke said to Gan'an.
"What's your qualifications?" Gan'an asked. "Unlike the others, you didn't restart your life."
It was a fair question. Gan'an was concerned that Zeke was from an age that was not as advanced. Despite his career so far, there was still a concern that Zeke wasn't used to modern technology.
"I was a head researcher in Marley." Zeke said. "One benefit of the Beast Titan is near perfect recollection of previous holders, meaning that we are typically used as researchers instead of fighters, minus my unique use of the Beast."
"If I give you unlimited resources, could you cure it?" Gan'an asked.
"All I can promise is that I will try." Zeke said. "However, a personal lab would be helpful."
"No issues." Gan'an nodded.
"Gan'an, one thought I had." Eren said. "What are the odds that Oko intentionally gave those ODM models to the Yakuza?" Eren asked.
"Wait, what are you implying Senpai?" Miyuki asked.
Gan'an hummed to himself and brought his hand to his chin. He really seemed to consider Eren's accusations.
"I'd say it's likely, though I doubt he knew the reasons for it." Gan'an said. "I don't know if we can confirm though, Naicho won't open an investigation on the new head of the Conglomerate."
"I have ways of finding out." Eren said, thinking of adding Oko to Sergie's list of people to be spied on.
"So my brother in law is probably corrupt?" Miyuki asked in concern.
Gan'an stared at Miyuki, giving him an almost dumbfound look.
"How you wormed your way in my daughter's heart will always be a mystery to me." Gan'an said.
"Hey, Kagy-Chan admires me for my intelligence." Miyuki said incredulously.
"Book smarts, no people skills whatsoever." Gan'an commented.
"I'm just surprised you took the information about my origin as well as you did." Eren said, changing the conversation.
Gan'an chuckled.
"I may not have expected the other world part, but I know a thing or two about weird and unique things in this world." Gan'an said cryptically.
"What does that mean?" Eren asked.
"Nothing at all." Gan'an waved off.
"Isn't this so amazing!" Ruby said as she wore her ballcap and glasses in the cafe.
"You are strangely excited about this." Reiner chuckled.
"Of course, now I have to hide my identity just like my mama used to." Ruby gave a wide grin behind her disguise. "That means I'll be a real idol one day."
"Exciting." Reiner said in a jokingly sarcastic tone.
"You just don't understand." Ruby pouted as she took a sip of her green tea.
"I've lived my old life disguised as someone else." Reiner said sadly.
"Hey, no bad memories." Ruby said. "This is a fun day. You can leave your old life behind." Ruby gave Reiner a gentle smile.
"Yea, I guess I can." Reiner smiled.
Ruby saw Reiner visibly relax. Like a weight was lifted off of his shoulder.
"So, why did you choose to be a fighter exactly?" Ruby asked.
Reiner thought to himself a moment, trying to remind himself of his decision a few years ago.
"I guess it all I could think to do." Reiner shrugged. "I was never good in school."
"Really?" Ruby asked.
"I didn't take it seriously at first... I thought I would die soon because of-"
"Hey, no bad memories." Ruby glared at Reiner through her glasses.
"Right." Reiner chuckled. "I guess by the time I took school seriously, I was too far behind. I barely make decent enough grades now. Plus, I never was the smartest."
"Not at all?" Ruby asked.
"Even my own fans call me strong as an ox and as smart as one." Reiner chuckled.
"You don't seem too embarrassed about that." Ruby said.
"It's true." Reiner shrugged. "I never really went to a school until this life, and even then, I was lazy. So, I am not a very bright person. All I have is my strength and my previous experience as a warrior."
"So, all you can do is fight." Ruby said.
"As a sport, it's actually pretty fun. At least I don't get my arm ripped off anymo-" Reiner stopped as he saw Ruby grimace. "I mean, never mind." Reiner said.
"I understand what you mean." Ruby said.
Ruby looked down at her tea, which was almost done. One thing that was on her mind was bothering her and she wanted to say it.
"Reiner, I really appreciate you protecting us." Ruby said quietly.
"Huh?" Reiner asked.
"I said, I really appreciate you protecting us. It means a lot." Ruby said, a bit louder.
"It's not really a big deal." Reiner said.
"It is." Ruby said. "When my mama was still an idol, we always had to hide our identity and protect ourselves. She didn't make enough money for any kind of private security, even President Saitou couldn't make enough money. I knew at the time that there were stalkers, but it never occurred to me how dangerous they were."
"I see." Reiner said as he listened.
"Then a stalker attacked us and held my niisan by knifepoint. He said he wanted to hurt my mama." Ruby said, unable to say the word kill in this conversation. "If papa wasn't there... I don't know what would have happened."
"You mean Eren?" Reiner asked.
Ruby nodded.
"Then a Yakuza guy attacked mama on stage and my niisan got stabbed. He then attacked us at our studio. Then me and mama were kidnapped by Yakuza thugs. I was so scared, but papa would always be there to protect us." Ruby said, remembering what happened that day.
"Eren always was the kind of person to protect the people he cared about." Reiner said.
"Still." Ruby said. "It's just that, knowing you're protecting us really means a lot. Because we didn't really have anyone to protect us until papa came along. Mama spent eight years as an idol with no one to protect her. I'm glad papa saved us. And I'm glad to have you protecting us too."
Even through her sunglasses and hat, Reiner could still see the subtle and grateful smile Ruby gave him. It was sweet and cute. An innocent and gentle smile that showed how truly grateful she was.
Even then...
"I don't know if I'm all that great Ruby." Reiner said sadly. "After the things I've done-"
"You were a soldier Reiner." Ruby said. "I googled a lot about soldiers in the past few days. I know that soldiers can experience tough things and make tough decisions. I mean, I know I can never understand it, but I still know you're a good person."
Reiner smiled a bit, finding Ruby's innocence cute and refreshing. It was something that he never saw in his world. Especially during his time as both a Marleyan and a Soldier of Humanity. He didn't fully believe Ruby, still unable to forgive himself for what he did.
"Hey, no bad thoughts." Ruby said cutely.
"Huh?" Reiner asked.
"I see it on your face." Ruby said. "Trust me, I'm an excellent judge of character." Ruby smirked.
"I don't doubt that." Reiner lied but chuckled again. "We should get you home before Eren gets upset." Reiner said.
"Yea, papa can get overprotective sometimes." Ruby said.
"I thought that was a good thing." Reiner said with a chuckle.
"Well, I'm a full-grown woman and a famous idol... at least I will be. So, I need to gain some independence." Ruby said.
Ruby and Reiner left the cafe and into the street. It was getting late and although there was still sunlight, the streetlamps were already beginning to turn on. Luckily, it wasn't so crowded so it was easy to navigate without bumping into people.
"You know, you should take your sunglasses off since it's getting too dark." Reiner said.
"Eh?" Ruby asked. "But I need to keep my disguise and besides, it makes me feel good to be like how mama was." Ruby said innocently.
"Yea but wearing sunglasses when it's dark out would just look suspicious." Reiner said.
"I can't, I'm an idol now so I have to constantly be vigilant." Ruby said and crouched slightly, looking around as if she was a spy.
"You're ridiculous." Reiner chuckled.
When they reached a street crosswalk, Ruby stopped since there was a large puddle pooling up on the side of the road. She wasn't going to be able to walk across it without getting her feet soaked. Especially since these were her nicer shoes, and she didn't want to ruin them.
Reiner noticed this, realizing that Ruby wasn't too keen on walking through a large puddle on the street. He did notice that many people in this world were much more averse to things like getting wet or anything uncomfortable. While people in his world did generally try to stay comfortable, their tolerance was much higher.
"Maybe we should- KYAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Ruby screamed.
Reiner picked Ruby up bridal style before she could react and walked across the street. His shoes getting soaked and seeping into his socks as he casually strolled through the puddle. After his time in both the Marleyan and Eldian armies, Reiner was used to walking through deep water. This puddle didn't even bother him.
What did bother him, was Ruby's shrieking scream as he carried her across the street. If nothing else, her biggest advantage as an idol would be those lungs of hers as she continued to scream the whole way across the street.
Reiner gently set Ruby back down on her feet when he crossed the street, only at this point her screaming finally ended.
"You done?" Reiner asked Ruby with a small chuckle.
"Am I d-" Ruby began to say. "You scared me." Ruby said as she lightly started hitting his chest.
"Sorry, I was trying to be polite." Reiner laughed, barely feeling the impact.
"Still, next time ask permission to pick me up so I can properly reject you." Ruby said as she turned away, hiding her blush.
Reiner wasn't kidding before when he said he was strong. Granted, Ruby was short and thin, so she barely had any weight to her. But still, she felt like a loaf of bread in his arms, almost no weight whatsoever. It made Reiner seem so incredibly strong.
It also felt kind of nice when he- No! Get rid of those dumb thoughts. Ruby is an idol, and as such she cannot ever consider dating any men or else she'll end up like her okaasan.
Images of her okaasan's episode of solitude and depression flashed into Ruby's mind. The way she retreated into herself when they stayed in Kaguya's manor, the way she stopped taking care of herself, and even the way she snapped at Ruby. Her okaasan was a complete mess, all of it because she had a family.
As long as Ruby maintained herself to be the perfect idol, she could avoid that-
"Et-" Ruby said as something hit her head lightly.
"Hey." Reiner lightly hit Ruby of the head. "What did you say, no bad memories?" Reiner said.
Reiner noticed that something flashed across Ruby's mind, something bad with the way she stared into the distance and her face grimaced. It was a look Reiner was familiar with for people who went through a bad experience.
"Bleh." Ruby stuck her tongue at Reiner but kept her smile at his little reversal.
Reiner smiled and continued to escort her home so she could be safe from any potential threats.
So, let me just say I really appreciate all your guy's feedback. It really helps in my direction lol.
Funny thing, I was actually worried about having too much family moments since obviously there was a focus on the bigger threats. I was always worried people wouldn't like that the general normal life of Eren's family would continue despite the threat, but I'm glad that's a really big aspect that people enjoy. So, I will actually include more of those moments when appropriate. Obviously, there is a more centralized focus on the threat that will only continue to develop, but that doesn't mean there won't be lighter moments in between.
I am also glad that I have gotten positive feedback on Mikasa and Kawachi and that people do like seeing them. OCs always concern me in stories since if done poorly, they can take away from the aspects of the story. I'm glad that of my 3 main OCs, Mikasa, Kawachi, and even Sergei from the last book is so well received.
I'm also glad people are confused about Annie. Hopefully I can continue to keep characters consistent with their original actions on the shows. It's confusing now, but I do hope her implementation meets expectations and makes sense. Just have to wait lol.
Thank you all again for your criticisms, feedback, and continued support. I will strive to continue to meet expectations.
As always, hope you guys enjoy.