Everyday lessons

"Annie! Get up! What good is lying there? Get up!"

"Father, I can't do it. I really can't..."

"Annie! You have to come back alive. You have to survive. Even if the whole world turns against you, I'll still be by your side!"

"Annie? Wow, how are you so good at that? Could you teach me? I want to learn too!"

"Here, Annie, this is the newest dessert. Try it! What? The money? Don't worry about that. I earned it myself. Haven't you always wanted to try it? Go on." The boy acted as though nothing had happened, but he couldn't hide the gruesome wounds and needle marks on his arms.

"Huh? Norman? That kid from the experiments? He's dead. Died weeks ago. Just an Eldian orphan..."

Annie opened her eyes, clutching her blanket tightly. She dressed in silence, then sat blankly on the edge of her bed, rubbing the two rings on her fingers. Both had been gifts from the people who had once mattered most to her.

"Annie, you're up? Come on, we have training today." Hannah hurriedly finished dressing and urged Annie along.

"These straps are so complicated," Hannah complained. The Omni-Directional Mobility Gear required this harness system to function properly, but sorting out all those straps was no easy task for a recruit.

"Annie, could you help me?" Annie had already finished putting hers on, while Hannah was still struggling with the complicated buckles. "Sure." Without saying anything more, Annie went over to help her straighten them out.

Over in the boys' dormitory, Yago lay comfortably on his bed, his harness already in place. Watching everyone else fumble around in a sweaty panic, he couldn't have felt more at ease.

"Damn it! Why is this stuff such a pain?" Connie was losing his mind. There were buckles everywhere, and they were driving him crazy.

Eren was getting anxious too. No matter what he tried, he couldn't get it on, but he was stubborn-the more he struggled, the more determined he became. Eventually, Armin finished, then Jean, then Mark, Reiner, Bertholdt... In the end, even Connie had finished, while Eren was still locked in battle with his buckles.

Finally, Armin couldn't stand watching anymore and helped Eren sort them out.

The Training Corps' schedule was simple: theory in the morning, practical training in the afternoon. Because Yago had taken his time over breakfast, the classroom was almost full by the time he arrived for the theory lesson. After searching for a while, he finally spotted an empty seat in the back row.

He walked over, sat down, and yawned. Only when he glanced beside him did he realize his desk mate was Annie. "Morning, Annie." Annie glanced at him without a word.

That morning's lesson was history. An elderly instructor stood at the front, telling them how the First King had led his people in a battle of strength and wits against the Titans.

Listening to this history lesson, which sounded far more like a story, Yago grew drowsy. He wasn't the only one; most of the others were the same.

Forcing himself to stay alert, Yago looked at Annie. Was she actually studying her textbook so intently?

So this is the terrifying power of a top student. Yago was impressed. After a while, though, something seemed off. Why hadn't this top student moved at all while staring at her textbook? Besides, the instructor had already covered the page Annie was reading.

Yago leaned closer to the desk and cautiously glanced at Annie. Her blue eyes were beautiful, but a closer look revealed that they were unfocused. In plain terms, she was zoning out and daydreaming.

False alarm. Turns out we're all bronze-tier players, Yago thought.

A little while later, Yago's eyes shifted in boredom, and a scene from his memories came to mind. A mischievous smile crossed his face.

He picked up a pencil and slowly brought it toward the daydreaming Annie. Then he suddenly poked her arm lightly with the eraser end and whispered quickly, "The instructor's coming!"

Annie had been completely lost in thought, utterly unprepared. Startled by Yago, even someone as composed as her let out a shriek. "Ah!" At the same time, a spike sprang out of one of the rings on her right hand.

A cold sweat broke out on Yago. I might have taken that a little too far. Is she really that easy to scare? That reaction was way too strong, wasn't it?

Her scream made the entire class turn toward them. Reiner and Bertholdt had the strangest looks of all. They had never seen Annie lose her composure like this.

The instructor frowned. "Recruit, do you have a question?"

"N-no. I'm sorry." In a rare display, Annie's face reddened slightly.

"If you have a question, just raise your hand." The instructor motioned for everyone to settle down, then resumed his lesson.

Annie sat down and realized what had just happened. She turned an icy gaze toward Yago on her right. He shuddered, slowly turned his head, and met her eyes. Those ice-blue eyes held endless coldness and... a terrifying murderous intent. Yes, murderous intent.

Yago swallowed with difficulty and ventured cautiously, "Um, Annie, I can explain. I just saw you spacing out and wanted to remind you we were in cla-mmph!!!"

Yago clenched his teeth hard, his face flushing and his hands balling into fists as searing pain shot through his foot.

Under the desk, Annie had planted one foot firmly on top of his.

"I'm sorry! I was wrong, Miss Annie! Spare me!" Yago begged under his breath. She's so strong.

After a while, Annie finally lifted her foot. Yago caught his breath and offered her a heartfelt apology, but she wouldn't even acknowledge him.

Seeing that his apology had gotten him nowhere, Yago sighed. Why did I suddenly have to go and be such a little shit?

Yago picked up his pencil, opened his notebook to a blank page, and began sketching, glancing at Annie now and then. Annie continued staring at her textbook in silence.

Quite some time passed, and class was almost over when a sheet of paper suddenly appeared in front of Annie. Yago had slipped it over. She glanced at him and found him wearing a pitiful expression, pleading for forgiveness. It left her feeling rather strange, and she unfolded the paper.

Annie's eyes narrowed. A pencil sketch filled the page, so lifelike in every detail, from the strands of hair to the expression in the eyes. Most importantly, the person in the drawing was Annie herself-a profile drawn from Yago's view of her. It really was beautiful. Perhaps even Annie had never realized she looked as lovely as she did in the picture.

Annie turned it over. There was another drawing on the back, this one of a chibi figure. Despite the stylized proportions, she could tell at a glance that it was Yago. The little figure was bowing with exaggerated sincerity, and above it were the words, "May the beautiful Miss Annie forgive the foolish Yago!"

The exaggerated pose made Annie let out a small laugh despite herself. Yago stared, entranced. Annie really is so beautiful when she smiles.

What are you doing? Why are your thoughts so creepy? Annie's still a kid! Yago furiously berated himself inwardly, even as his body betrayed him and he kept sneaking looks at her.

"This is really well drawn. Could you teach me?" Annie asked. Of course Yago agreed. Teaching a pretty girl to draw was a pleasure in itself, wasn't it? If Eren or Armin had asked him to teach them, Yago was certain he wouldn't have given them the time of day.

While Yago wasn't looking, Annie carefully folded the drawing and put it away.

They were so alike. Perhaps they really were the same person-just as mischievous, just as amusing. But why had he forgotten her? Annie didn't know the answer.

(I'll be writing a little more about the Training Corps portion. After all, their training lasted three years, but the anime covered it in just two or three episodes, leaving a lot unexplained. I've also looked into quite a bit of reference material, so I can share some of it with everyone.)