One hundred and eighty-five days.
Eren quietly updated the calendar hidden beneath his bed.
The numbers were shrinking faster than he wanted.
Soon...
Preparing would no longer be enough.
Action would decide everything.
The smell of fresh bread drifted through the Yeager house.
Carla was humming as she kneaded dough.
Grisha sat nearby, sorting through several medical bags.
"Eren."
Grisha looked up.
"I’m visiting an elderly couple near the southern farms."
"Would you like to come?"
Eren nodded immediately.
"Of course."
Helping Grisha had become part of his routine.
Every trip taught him something new.
Sometimes medicine.
Sometimes people.
Both were equally valuable.
The southern farms stretched far beyond the district.
Golden fields swayed gently beneath the spring breeze.
Several farmers greeted Grisha warmly.
"Doctor Yeager!"
"Good timing!"
"My wife’s back has been bothering her again."
Grisha laughed.
"One patient at a time."
While Grisha treated the villagers, Eren quietly helped carry supplies.
An old farmer watched him for a while before smiling.
"You’re a hardworking boy."
"My father taught me."
The old man nodded approvingly.
"You’ll make someone very happy one day."
Eren smiled politely.
He didn’t understand what the old man meant.
But someone nearby did.
A few meters away...
Mikasa had been helping Carla deliver bread to the same farms.
She happened to hear the conversation.
Her ears turned slightly red.
Carla noticed immediately.
A knowing smile appeared on her face.
Later that afternoon...
The work was finally finished.
The adults chatted beneath a large oak tree while the children wandered toward a nearby flower field.
Armin knelt beside a patch of colorful wildflowers.
"I’ve never seen these before."
"They only bloom in spring."
An elderly woman smiled as she approached.
"My husband planted them many years ago."
"They’re beautiful."
"They remind us that even after a harsh winter..."
"...life always returns."
Eren quietly looked across the field.
Flowers.
Simple.
Fragile.
Yet they continued blooming year after year.
Despite storms.
Despite cold.
Despite everything.
He wished people could do the same.
"Eren."
Mikasa walked toward him.
She held a tiny white flower between her fingers.
"For you."
He blinked.
"For me?"
She nodded.
"I thought..."
"...you’d like it."
He carefully accepted it.
The flower was small.
Barely larger than a coin.
Yet she had chosen the prettiest one in the field.
"Thank you."
Without thinking...
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small wooden Wings of Freedom charm he always carried.
The string had come loose.
"I was planning to repair this."
Mikasa smiled softly.
"I can fix it."
"You can?"
"I’ve been practicing sewing."
She took the charm from his hand with remarkable care.
"I’ll return it tomorrow."
"I trust you."
Her fingers paused for just a second.
"...You always do."
"Because you’ve never given me a reason not to."
A warm silence settled between them.
That evening...
After everyone returned home, Eren climbed onto the roof of the Yeager house.
It had become his favorite place to think.
The town looked peaceful beneath the setting sun.
Children played in the streets.
Smoke rose from countless chimneys.
Someone was playing a violin in the distance.
It was beautiful.
"You really like rooftops."
Eren smiled without turning around.
"I wondered how long it’d take you."
Mikasa climbed onto the roof and sat beside him.
She held out her hand.
"I finished."
Resting on her palm was the wooden Wings of Freedom charm.
The broken string had been replaced with a carefully braided red thread.
Strong.
Neat.
Beautiful.
"You made this?"
She nodded.
"I thought..."
"...red suited you."
Eren gently took the charm.
His fingers brushed against hers.
Neither pulled away immediately.
"It’s perfect."
She looked relieved.
"I’m glad."
He carefully tied the charm around his wrist.
"There."
"Now I won’t lose it."
Mikasa watched him for a moment.
Then quietly touched the red scarf around her own neck.
"...We match."
Eren blinked.
Then laughed softly.
"I guess we do."
For some reason...
That made both of them smile.
Below the roof...
Carla stepped outside to hang freshly washed clothes.
She glanced upward.
Then froze.
There sat Eren and Mikasa.
Talking quietly beneath the orange evening sky.
Neither noticed her.
Carla smiled so brightly that Hannes, who happened to be passing by, became curious.
"What are you looking at?"
She pointed upward.
Hannes followed her gaze.
"...Oh."
A grin spread across his face.
"Young love?"
Carla laughed.
"I didn’t say that."
"You didn’t have to."
The two adults quietly walked away, pretending they had seen nothing.
As darkness fell...
Mikasa finally stood.
"I should go inside."
"Yeah."
She took two steps.
Then suddenly stopped.
Without looking back, she asked,
"Eren..."
"...Will we always be together?"
The question lingered in the cool night air.
Eren slowly stood.
He looked toward the distant walls.
Toward the future.
Toward the tragedy only he remembered.
Then he turned back to her.
"As long as I can keep moving forward..."
"...I’ll always come back to you."
Mikasa didn’t fully understand why those words sounded so heavy.
But she believed them.
Completely.
She smiled.
A smile meant only for him.
"...I’ll be waiting."
She disappeared into the house.
Eren remained on the rooftop for several more minutes.
The wind gently rustled the trees below.
He looked down at the charm tied around his wrist.
Then at the red scarf around Mikasa’s neck through the bedroom window.
Small promises.
Small gifts.
Small moments.
They seemed insignificant.
Yet they were becoming the memories he treasured most.
Far beyond Wall Maria...
A lone Survey Corps flare lit up the night sky.
Green.
Then silence.
Another expedition had returned.
Eren closed his eyes.
Soon...
It would be his turn to fight beyond the walls.
But until that day came...
He would protect the peaceful life that still remained.