Just then, the bald instructor locked his eyes at me, watching me gazing at a girl in daylight without any concern for the world. His face twitched; in the serious atmosphere he is creating, there's still someone who had time to look for beauty.
He came forward, blocking my view. "You, boy, what's your name!" he asked. Although he is standing just above my head, he still asked by shouting.
"I am Eren Yeager," I answered. There's no need to say much from the start; he knows where these people in this row have come from. He just looked into my eyes and tried to intimidate me, but without blinking, I just kept looking forward. He snorted and resumed his steps.
Like in the original story, he didn't ask any questions to the other recruits from my side; maybe he noticed me gazing at Krista.
Mikasa and Armin had also joined the recruitment camp. I looked at the Female Titan, the Armored Titan, and the Colossal Titan. In the skins of sheep—three wolves hiding among the real sheep. But it's not time for me to act. With no power of my own and no connection, even if I exposed them now, I can't make them stay here forever.
Next came the iconic scene of Sasha eating the potato that she stole, and on top of that, she had the audacity to bribe the instructor with the smaller piece. Like before, she got the punishment to run until sunset. I just watched her run from then to now; the sun is about to set.
I went in to the cafeteria, and after grabbing some porridge and bread, I went out. Although it's not enough for two people to eat, I know there's someone else who is also coming to show some kindness. In the original story, Krista had come with a piece of bread to help Sasha, followed by Ymir who carried Sasha to rest. This would be the perfect time for me to act and create an acquaintance with Krista. And knowing her softhearted nature, she may become friends with me.
When I reached the outskirts, the sun was set, and darkness spread across the empty grounds as far as one can see.
Sasha, walking like a half-dead person, was dragging her body along on willpower alone. Her stomach is empty, and the energy that the potato provided wasn't even enough for a long walk, let alone running until sunset. Her legs had lost their sensation. Just as her legs tripped from the exhaustion, she started to fall forward.
I placed the bread and porridge on the ground and, dashing forward, caught her before she could fall. I gave her some water. She opened her eyes, but no words had come from her lips. She is thirteen years old—one year older then me—but she weighs even less than when I was ten.
I placed the food and water beside her, but unlike in the anime, she doesn't pounce on the food like a hungry wolf. Well, it's understandable; it's even harder for professional athletes to run for hours without food and a break, let alone a girl in her early teens.
"Have some food, you are running from the morning," I said to Sasha at my side. I tried to act as friendly and approachable as I can, not wanting to intimidate her.
But sometimes I forgets that I am just a 12-year-old boy; my actions portray an entirely different image in Sasha's mind. When she looked at the face of the black-haired and green-eyed boy up close for a moment, she was dashed by the beauty of those green eyes, and the reflection of the burning torch at the wood cabin made them even more captivating. It was really rare, or almost mythical, for Sasha to find a person sharing their food and added with those beautiful captivating eyes she felt dazed.
Although she looks like an airhead and does things people consider foolish, her intelligence is not inferior to anyone. By looking at the cold porridge and bread, she had guessed the gist of the food and efforts behind it.
"It's yours?" Sasha asked with caution.
"Yes." I didn't intend to hide it from the start; doing kindness for nothing sounds good, but it's not a practical thing for a current pauper like me.
Sasha went silent.
"Eat it before it starts spoiling." Well, that's the only thing I can say here; the porridge and bread were cold from the start, and the only thing left was that they start spoiling, so I said it half-jokingly. From the start, I was here to use her to create a contact with Trista, but after knowing her a little, I think it's fare to be a little nice to her and it's not bad a bad experience to talk to a nice person, and saying some sweet words doesn't take much effort.
"Did you eat?" she asked, to which I just shook my head.
"Then why did you bring the food for me?" Sasha asked.
What's this? In the anime, you took the bread Krista had given without a single question, and here you are suspecting my kindness? She only gave you a single piece of bread, but I also brought my share of porridge for you! I shouted in my head, getting irritated by the back-to-back questioning from Sasha. But I didn't let that irritation show on my face. With the same calm face, I answered.
"You are running since morning without eating anything; on the other hand, I am not that tired. You need this food more than me. Well, if you don't want it, I can take it back."
"No, don't. I want it, I want it."
She said and took the bread in her hands. As she wanted to swallow it whole at once, she shoved it into her mouth, but soon she started to choke. I patted her back and gave her water.
"Eat slowly. Bread doesn't have legs; it won't run off if you eat it slowly. If you ask me, you should eat half now and eat the other half later. It's not good to eat a full meal when the stomach has been empty for a long time."
She divided the bread into two equal parts and gave one to me, then she ate half of her part.
"You should also eat some," Sasha asked, and also passed the half porridge towards me. It was even rare for her to share her food with others willingly; it didn't matter that the food belonged to that person from the start.
continue—