Armin curled up alone beneath the shadow of the inner wall.
In one trembling hand, he clutched his grandfather's fishing rod, the one the old man cherished most.
In the other, his grandfather's tattered hat.
His small shoulders shook violently as he buried his head into his knees.
He was just a child…
a child who had lost the last family he had left.
Eren, Mikasa, and Evan stood silently nearby.
None of them dared speak.
Some grief cannot be touched by words.
Some heartbreak must be allowed to bleed out quietly.
And the only thing friends can do… is stay by your side.
After a long stretch of quiet sobbing, Evan finally shuffled closer.
He hesitated, fumbled in his pocket…
…and pulled out a small, wrinkled cigarette.
He stared at it.
Hesitated again.
Then awkwardly held it out in front of Armin.
"If you're really sad…
maybe… uh… wanna… smoke one…?"
"... S-smoke... wh what…?"
Armin froze mid-cry.
His brain almost short-circuited.
You're offering a cigarette… to a grieving eleven-year-old??
"Mikasa's" eyebrow twitched sharply.
"Evan.
You stole cigarettes again?"
Before he could answer she snatched the cigarette and crushed it instantly.
"This is not what an eleven-year-old is supposed to do!"
Evan panicked, diving to protect the flattened cigarette like it was a rare treasure.
"Hey hey! Do you know how hard I worked to steal
cough I MEAN, to find that!? Don't waste it!"
"No picking it up."
Mikasa lifted him by the collar like an annoyed mother cat.
"When we get home, I'm telling Carla. You'll get scolded properly."
"H-hey! Let me go!
Let me down!!!"
Evan struggled, but Mikasa's strength was… absurd.
Ridiculously so.
What the hell did this girl eat for a year?!
His stats had risen to 20, twice the strength of a normal adult
yet he was being held like a sack of flour.
It was humiliating.
"Mikasa," Armin whispered weakly.
Everyone turned.
"I… I think Evan just… tried to comfort me.
Even if it didn't work very well…"
Mikasa blinked, then released Evan instantly.
THUD.
"Ah ! My butt!"
Evan rubbed his backside and quickly stuffed the cigarette back into his pocket.
Risking his life stealing it from a soldier
No way he'd throw it away.
Eren suddenly stepped forward and knelt in front of Armin.
His eyes were burning.
"All of this it's the Titans' fault.
Armin… next year,
I'm joining the cadet corps.
With Evan."
Armin lifted his tear-stained face.
"The cadet corps…?"
Eren nodded heavily.
"I want the strength to fight Titans."
Armin lowered his head for a moment…
Then clenched his fists.
"Then I'm going too."
"Armin?" Mikasa blinked, startled.
"I have to."
His voice trembled, but his gaze did not.
Evan patted his shoulder gently.
It was a brave choice
especially for someone as physically weak as Armin.
The grief had carved something new, something sharp inside him.
"Then… I'm going as well."
Mikasa's soft voice floated out behind them.
Eren turned wide-eyed.
"You you too? But Mikasa, you always said the most important thing is survival!"
"Yes."
She paused, eyes lingering first on Eren…
then Evan.
Then, with a quiet, resolute breath:
"That's why…
I'm going.
To make sure neither of you die."
Silence.
Three pairs of young eyes lowered, heavy with thoughts beyond their age.
Evan finally stepped up.
"Joining the cadet corps doesn't always mean dying," he said, trying to sound reassuring.
"There are three branches. Only the Survey Corps fights Titans.
The other two are safe and the pay is good."
Eren looked up.
"Then… Evan, will you go?"
He continued calmly:
"Last year, you insisted on fighting in the operation to retake Wall Maria.
Isn't it because you don't want to live like livestock trapped behind walls?"
"Well…" Evan scratched his cheek. "That's… kind of a long story."
"I understand, Evan."
Armin suddenly spoke.
He looked at Evan with a soft, almost admiring glow.
"You said before you kept moving from place to place.
I think… it's because you're chasing freedom.
A freedom as vast as the sea… right?"
Mikasa's eyes flickered slightly too.
The three friends looked at him with a mix of curiosity, respect… and belief.
Evan suddenly felt a little embarrassed.