She turned her head away in slight annoyance, only to first see a man with long black hair like her own, standing a full head taller than her.
"Is that you... Lianye?"
After a brief moment of surprise came an uncontrollable surge of joy.
He had returned. Although he had appeared just as he had two years ago, as elusive and unpredictable as ever, Mikasa would not even have noticed his presence if Lianye had not spoken first.
What Mikasa had never doubted was that Lianye would one day reappear after their parting two years ago, because he would never die at the hands of Titans like other frail humans.
As the saying went, "When fellow countrymen meet, their eyes fill with tears." For Eastern bloodlines that were nearly extinct in this world, that sense of mutual kinship was even stronger.
"It's me, Mikasa."
Lianye answered affirmatively, a faint smile on his face.
Glancing at Eren and Armin standing ahead of them in line, Lianye nodded to himself. "Looks like you're joining the Training Corps too—just as I expected."
Originally, he had thought that after saving Carla Yeager, Eren would no longer harbor such intense hatred for Titans and thus would not join the Training Corps because of it. But the inertia of the plot was immensely powerful. Something else must have happened, leading Eren and the others to appear at the recruitment site for the 104th Training Corps after all.
"So you're joining too?"
Mikasa tilted her head. Though she did not know why Lianye, who had already been able to hunt alone without ODM Gear two years ago, needed to join the Training Corps as a recruit, she knew he must have his own reasons.
"That's right. From now on, we'll be comrades. Please take care of me."
Lianye smiled.
"Comrades..."
Mikasa savored the word, a faint smile appearing on her face. The sense of reassurance it brought made even Mikasa, who had never cared about others, feel that it was not bad.
—Though it might not be the best way to put it, compared to Eren and Armin, who had lost their parents, she, who had always been alone, had found companions once again.
"Lianye!"
Eren, who had noticed the commotion behind them, saw Lianye as well—the Easterner he had met only once, yet who had left an extremely deep impression on him.
Armin was somewhat surprised. He had heard Eren and Mikasa mention the name "Lianye" before, but this was his first time actually meeting someone of Mikasa's kind.
A fiercer and more complicated fire burned in Eren's eyes as he looked at Lianye than it had two years ago.
Two years ago, he had merely admired Lianye somewhat for being able to hunt Titans. Now, however, he stared at him with a determination that refused to waver.
Although Lianye knew that it came from Eren's desire to gain the power to kill Titans, that blazing gaze still gave him a slight chill.
Hey, hey, hey, this was the world of Attack on Titan, so gay stuff was absolutely forbidden.
A new week had begun. I ask all readers for your strong support—please be sure to send some flowers. This was crucial for getting onto the new book rankings.
End of Chapter
Chapter 20: Speaking Nonsense with a Straight Face
The process for joining the Training Corps was not complicated. Even the identity information required was nothing more than a verbal statement.
Most people who chose to join the Training Corps and become soldiers who fought Titans either harbored deep hatred for Titans after the fall of Shiganshina District, or were refugees with nowhere else to turn.
Before you continue