A short while later, at the end of the hallway, Camilla seemed to have finally made a decision.
She tightly gripped the permanent contract in her hand, took a deep breath, walked toward the instructor's office, and pushed open the door.
Meanwhile, inside the dormitory.
Annie sat alone on the edge of her bed, quietly staring at the roughly knitted green scarf in her hands.
In her blue eyes, which were usually devoid of any emotion, complex thoughts were now surging.
Past events surged up unexpectedly.
First, it was Christmas Eve last year.
Back then, Camilla's cheeks were frozen red. Holding this hand-knitted green scarf—which even had some loose threads and pilling at the edges—she had nervously and shyly stuffed it into Annie's arms, then turned and ran, leaving behind only a voice-cracking: "For you! Bye!"
Lowering her gaze slightly, that rough green gradually overlapped with another, much older memory.
She thought of Mina Carolina.
The gentle girl on the far left braiding Sasha's hair is her; that's a very dangerous hairstyle...
She was the first friend Annie had made after joining the Training Corps in that cruel and hopeless World.
Although Annie was aloof and cold at the time, deliberately keeping her distance from her fellow trainees to avoid developing feelings so she could complete her mission as a "Warrior," Mina was cheerful and full of kindness. During their time in the Training Corps, she hadn't distanced herself because of Annie's cold face.
Instead, she often took the initiative to talk to Annie and eat with her.
This caused Annie's long-numb heart to silently reserve a place for that girl with the twin tails.
Until... the first battle arrived.
Mina was attacked by a Titan during the battle and was helplessly eaten right in front of Annie. Annie was one of the culprits behind all of this; it could be said that she had indirectly caused the death of Mina, who had reached out to her...
Annie: I'm sorry.
That was a nightmare Annie could never let go of, a past event that had weighed on her mind for a very, very long time.
Now, in a different World, fate seemed to have placed a similar choice before her once again.
Annie stared at the scarf in silence, her expression blank.
In the eyes of Makima or other Villainesses, Camilla was just insignificant cannon fodder, just like Mina back then—hardly anyone remembered her or mourned for her. But for Annie...
Before she could untangle this mess of emotions, a knock at the door interrupted the dead silence of the room.
Annie jolted, stiffly stuffed the scarf into a drawer, and got up to open the door.
However, the person standing outside wasn't the boisterous Camilla, but Avril.
Avril stood outside, blinking in confusion. Her gaze fell on Annie's face, and she then pointed to the corner of Annie's eye, asking cautiously, "Annie-chan... why are you crying?"
Annie froze, instinctively rubbing the corner of her eye with the back of her hand. Feeling the slight moisture, she immediately turned her head away and talked nonsense with a straight face: "What are you talking about... the window was open just now, it was the wind. Come in."
Avril, who was never one for deep thinking, didn't press further. She walked in obediently and sat on Camilla's empty bed across from her.
Next to that bed, several packed bags had already been piled up; clearly, the owner was prepared to leave at any moment.
"Time really flies."
Avril looked at the luggage and couldn't help but sigh.
"In the blink of an eye, Camilla is heading to headquarters to report. I still remember the first day I met you guys in the cafeteria..."
Avril began to ramble on about a lot of memories, while Annie leaned against the desk, seemingly expressionless but actually distracted.
Her thoughts had long since drifted elsewhere.
Suddenly, Avril changed the subject:
"Eh? Wait, if Camilla moves out... does that mean I can move in and live with you?"
"That way, Annie-chan, you won't be afraid of being lone—"
Before she could finish, there was a muffled "thud" as the dormitory door was pushed open from the outside.
"I don't agree!"
Camilla stood at the door, her chest heaving as she panted heavily; she had clearly been eavesdropping outside for a while.
She rushed into the room in a few strides and retorted heatedly, "Who said I'm moving out? I..."
But before she could finish her sentence, Annie suddenly lunged forward, opened her arms, and hugged her tightly.
This time, Camilla was completely stunned. Her hands froze in mid-air, her nose filled with the cool, faint fragrance from Annie's hair, and her brain completely stopped thinking.
Avril, sitting on the bed, also widened her eyes in surprise. She covered her mouth with her hands and let out the gasp of an onlooker:
"Omo..."
In the quiet dormitory, for a moment, only their erratic breathing could be heard.
Then came Annie's voice, which usually had a cold, "do not approach" tone.
Now, it carried a rare hint of trembling and softness as she whispered against Camilla's ear:
"I... I'm a bit reluctant to let you go."
These few short words had the impact of a heavy hammer.
They struck Camilla squarely on the forehead, leaving her dazed and disoriented.
Indeed... if only Annie had had the courage to say those words to Mina back then.
Perhaps Mina wouldn't have been "bewitched" by that hothead Eren and overconfidently joined the Survey Corps to her death.
Camilla's voice began to float, carrying an unbelievable expectation and caution as she stammered back, "You... what did you say?"
Annie buried her burning cheeks in Camilla's shoulder, like an ostrich refusing to lift its head, and didn't respond again.
So cute.
This made Camilla anxious. She hurriedly hugged back the soft body in her arms and urged incoherently:
"Say it quickly!"
"I just told the instructor that I don't think my current level is enough for that advanced team's work. I hope the higher-ups will reconsider and let me stay at the Academy to develop further... I... I'm not leaving!"
"No... why aren't you talking? Can you... can you say that sentence again?"
A visible flush rose to the tips of Annie's ears. She remained in her head-buried position, refusing to speak another word.
Seeing the awkward yet clingy behavior of these two, Avril finally couldn't help it. She cheered happily, jumped off the bed, and rushed over like a koala, wrapping her arms around the hugging pair.
"That's wonderful!" Avril's eyes curved into crescents as she laughed. "Camilla doesn't have to leave!"
With Avril's interruption, Annie took the opportunity to slowly release her grip.
Although she was still trying to keep a straight face and maintain her "cool girl" persona, her beet-red earlobes had already completely betrayed her chaotic inner state.
Camilla's heart was pounding.
Having been so proactively hugged by Annie, her only rival at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy...
She, in turn, became so stiff she didn't know where to put her hands or feet.
Camilla could only raise her hand and scratch the back of her neck repeatedly, standing there with a silly grin. For some reason, the air suddenly grew quiet, and the two girls, who usually bickered constantly, seemed to have returned to the first day they met.
Neither had the nerve to be the first to speak.
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