Cadets

Chapter 6. Cadets

It was a clear day, and the intense sunlight was pouring down from the sky.

Numerous boys and girls, clad in trainee uniforms, were lined up.

"From now on, the 104th Cadet Corps enlistment ceremony will begin!" a man shouted loudly. "I am your instructor, Keith Shadis!"

Instructor Keith Shadis had a very strong presence.

He was completely bald, with sharp eyes and an expressionless face.

His mere presence was enough to instill fear in the trainees.

"Your days here will be nothing short of hell! Right now, you are nothing more than fodder for the Titans! My mission is to train you for three years so you can fight the Titans! If you want to survive, be prepared!"

Shadis's words sent shivers down the trainees' spines.

Their faces were filled with tension and fear.

"Now, step forward one by one and state your name!" Shadis commanded.

"I am Jean Kirschtein! I want to join the Military Police Brigade!"

Shadis frowned and shouted, "What? A coward like you wants to join the Military Police? Dream on!"

"I am Marco Bott! I want to pledge my loyalty to the king!"

Shadis snorted sarcastically. "Pledge your loyalty? Do you even have the right to say that?"

There was even a cadet that couldn't give a proper salute.

Shadis approached him and shouted in his face, "A person who can't even salute properly wants to become a soldier?"

And of course there was a cadet holding a potato in her hand.

"I am Sasha Blouse!"

Shadis looked at her and shouted, "What? What's that in your hand? A potato? You think you can eat a potato during the ceremony?"

"Do you want half, sir?"

Shadis let out a deep sigh and said, "With recruits like these, how are we supposed to fight the Titans..."

The trainees were more tense due to Shadis's strictness, but at the same time, they couldn't take their eyes off him.

They sensed that their arduous training had just begun.

* * *

Shiniro was sitting at the table, eating his dinner alongside Reiner and Bertolt.

The training had begun, and the atmosphere in the mess hall was thick with tension and chatter.

As he glanced around, he noticed a commotion at one side of the room.

Many trainees were gathered, and in the center of the group, he saw him.

Eren Yeager, the main character of Attack on Titan.

The one who was currently holding the Founding Titan.

Shiniro looked at him.

Shiniro had all the chances to take the Founding Titan.

However, he couldn't.

If he suddenly ate Eren and got the Founding Titan without having any reason to believe that eren was the founding, it would raise suspicions.

Not only among the Warriors but also among the higher-ups in the military.

So, he had to wait at least until Eren turned into a Titan to eat him or kidnap him.

Everything had to have a reason to it.

"Did you see the Colossal Titan?" someone asked.

"I heard it was so big it just stepped over the wall!"

"No, it wasn't that big," replied Eren.

"What about the Armored Titan?"

"It looked like a normal Titan."

"Wait, then did you see any normal Titans?"

Eren suddenly dropped his spoon, and the entire room went silent, everyone noticing his reaction.

He looked visibly shaken, almost traumatized.

"Oh... sorry..."

"No, they were nothing," Eren said, his voice steadying.

"As long as we master the use of ODM gear, killing them should be easy. That's why I'm going to join the Scouts to kill them all..!"

Suddenly, someone interrupted him.

"Join the Scouts? I didn't know we had a suicidal maniac here."

Shiniro turned to see who had spoken.

It was Jean, one of the side characters from Attack on Titan.

And the following scene was obvious.

Just as in the anime, Eren and Jean grabbed each other's collars and began to fight, their tempers flaring.

Shiniro sighed and stood up.

Reiner looked at him and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Just need some fresh air," Shiniro replied, his voice calm despite the chaos around him.

Before, Shiniro had scanned the cafeteria, and noticed that one person was missing.

One of the most important characters of Attack on Titan: a small girl with blonde hair.

He had a pretty good idea of where she might be.

He made his way out of the mess hall, the sounds of Eren and Jean's brawl fading behind him.

The cool evening air hit his face as he stepped outside, and he took a deep breath.

He knew there was someone he needed to find, someone who often sought solace away from the crowd.

Heading towards the training grounds, Shiniro's mind raced with thoughts about the girl.

Historia Reiss.

The girl with royal blood.

* * *

Christa approached the girl lying on the ground.

The girl was Sasha, the one who had been told to run until sundown after eating a potato during the entrance ceremony.

Christa had brought her some bread and water, thinking she must be hungry.

"Sasha!"

Christa called out to her, but before she could finish her sentence, the girl suddenly sprang up, eyes wide, and dashed towards Christa.

By the time she passed Christa, she already had the bread in her mouth.

"You must be hungry after running all day, so I thought I'll bring you food." Christa said gently, smiling.

"Are you an angel?" Sasha mumbled with the bread still in her mouth.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind. "Whats going on here?"

Startled, Christa turned around.

A boy with black hair and red eyes was smiling at her.

His presence was intense, but his expression was playful.

"Shiniro, right?" she asked, recalling his name.

"Yeah," Shiniro replied, widening his smile. "What are you doing here?"

Christa explained the situation, how she thought Sasha would be hungry and brought her food.

Shiniro listened to her explanation with surprised eyes.

"You're really kind, like someone out of a fairy tale," Shiniro said in a slightly teasing tone, but there was a hint of genuine admiration in his words.

Christa's heart grew heavy for a moment.

Did he know the fairy tale about christa?

Shiniro's gaze softened slightly as he looked at her. "Being too kind can be dangerous. People might try to take advantage of you."

Christa was surprised but could sense some truth in his words.

She noticed Shiniro's eyes shift to Sasha, who had now fallen asleep on the ground.

Without a word, Shiniro bent down and gently picked her up.

"I guess I gotta carry her..." he said.

"You're kind too," Christa whispered.

"No," Shiniro replied with a grin. "I'm expecting something in return."

He looked at Christa. "You guys use the same dorm, right? Show me the way."

Christa nodded and began leading Shiniro and the sleeping Sasha towards their dorm.

"Sasha is really something," Shiniro remarked. "I've never seen someone so passionate about food."

Christa couldn't help but laugh. "She always loves eating. It's what makes her happy."

Shiniro nodded in agreement. "Still, she's lucky to have met someone as kind as you."

Christa smiled but pondered the meaning behind Shiniro's words.

"You're kind too. You're taking care of Sasha like this."

"It's nothing," Shiniro shrugged. "I'll wake her up when we get to the dorm and make her pay for the bread."

Christa burst into laughter.

Shiniro looked at her and laughed silently.

The warmth and sincerity in his laughter reassured Christa.

They arrived at the dorm, and Shiniro carefully laid Sasha on a bed.

"Take care of her. She overused her body." Shiniro whispered, gently brushing her forehead.

Christa watched the scene, feeling her wariness towards Shiniro slowly dissipate.

His unexpected kindness and understanding touched her.

"Well, I'll get going. I guess I'll see you tomorrow.

Christa nodded and said, "See you tomorrow. "

And as Shiniro left the dorm, she found herself getting curious about who he was.

"Shiniro..." Christa thought. "I wonder what kind of person he his..."