Yishi

Ming gazed into the distance, swallowed the liquor in his mouth, and spoke calmly.

"I feel like the Titans have changed somehow..."

That left Bai Yu puzzled.

"Changed? How?"

But Ming only shook his head gently.

"I don't know."

Although there was nothing to back up those words, Bai Yu had no intention of dismissing them.

Ming's instincts were sharp. Many times, he had sensed something before the Titans even appeared, giving Bai Yu and Xiate time to prepare.

But sharp as his instincts were, Ming had no way of knowing exactly what had changed about the Titans.

"Yeah, let's be a little more careful on the expedition beyond the walls."

"Yeah."

Ming nodded gently. Bai Yu stretched hard, then lay down and looked up at the sky.

"What do you think would happen if there were still humans outside the walls?"

Ming raised his bottle and took a small sip. He was silent for a moment before speaking.

"I don't know. What would you want to do, Bai Yu?"

Bai Yu turned his head slightly. The unmistakable trust in Ming's eyes stirred something unfamiliar in his heart, and he smiled as he raised the blade handle in his hand.

"If they're our enemies, let's kill them all."

The words left Bai Yu's mouth without a trace of emotion. Though he said them with a smile, that only made them more chilling.

Bai Yu's gaze was gentle and uncomplicated.

Ming nodded lightly without answering. Or rather, there was no need for an answer.

Sometimes, Bai Yu wondered whether Ming would refuse even if he asked him to do something that meant certain death.

He really was such a simple, innocent person.

Perhaps that was exactly why Bai Yu liked Ming.

Suddenly, Bai Yu sat up, tackled Ming to the ground, and vigorously kneaded his face with his hands. It felt nice, and Ming offered no resistance, only making sure his liquor didn't spill.

Looking at the utterly adorable Ming, Bai Yu felt a little regretful.

"If only you were a girl."

Only then did he climb off Ming and help him up.

"Come on, let's go find Xiate. We've got an expedition beyond the walls tomorrow. This trip will take us farther out, straight to the breach in the wall at Shiganshina District. Once the route's confirmed, we'll have to start making preparations. We might even have to clear out a wave of Titans in Shiganshina District."

Wait... since we're heading straight to Shiganshina District this time, why not find a way to get those books of Doctor Jaeger's?

I'll also have to find a way to deal with Annie and the others when the time comes... Bai Yu had no strange notions about them. Some things had been decided by which side they stood on from the very beginning...

"Yeah."

Ming nodded gently, tucked the bottle into his jacket, picked up the blade handles hanging from the scabbards of his Omni-Directional Mobility Gear, and followed Bai Yu down from the wall.

But Ming was in no hurry to head back. Since Xiate was training, Bai Yu went on his own this time.

He arrived in a town not far from the Survey Corps headquarters, though it seemed the headquarters would be relocated in a few days.

He stopped in front of a house, a faintly conflicted look on his face, and knocked softly on the door.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Only after he had been knocking for quite a while did a woman's voice come from inside, accompanied by some other noises.

"Is that... Bai Yu?"

Bai Yu fell silent briefly before answering.

"Yeah, it's me, Sister Yishi."

The person living here was Yishi. After Bai Yu had rescued her back then, she had developed a mental illness he couldn't quite identify, one that interfered with her daily life.

He didn't know what to do either. He had taken her to a doctor, but it hadn't helped. The doctor could do nothing, and Bai Yu had no books on treating mental illness.

With no other options, all he could do was visit her often. After all, once his grandfather had passed away, Sister Yishi had taken very good care of him and Xiate, coming to see the two of them many times.

He couldn't simply leave her alone, so he often came to visit her privately.

As though she had heard Bai Yu's voice, hurried footsteps sounded inside. The door opened, revealing Yishi behind it, lingering fear still filling her eyes. It was an aftereffect of what had happened.

But when she saw Bai Yu, it was as though a flash of cold light cut through her mind. She gradually calmed down and managed a strained smile.

"Bai Yu, don't you usually come tomorrow?"

Bai Yu shrugged as he walked inside.

"Yeah, but we're going on an expedition beyond the walls tomorrow. We'll probably be gone for a day or two, so I had to come a little early."

As he spoke, he opened a cupboard with practiced ease. There was a medicine bottle inside, but it was empty. Bai Yu then made a circuit of the room as though inspecting it.

Yishi remained by the door, her head lowered slightly, not daring to look up at him.

Seeing her expression, Bai Yu understood. He let out a soft, conflicted sigh. This time, he took a chair, set it on the bare table, and climbed onto it. Reaching up and feeling around along the ceiling, he retrieved a bottle of some unknown medicine.

Panic flickered in Yishi's eyes. She bit down hard on her lower lip and stared at the floor.

Bai Yu looked at the medicine bottle in his hand, his grip tightening involuntarily. But he said nothing and simply set it on the table.

He turned and walked toward Yishi. Looking at this older sister who stood taller than him, his lips moved slightly. Just as he was about to speak, she suddenly threw her arms tightly around him, catching him off guard.

A moment later, sobs burst from Yishi's mouth. She sank to her knees and buried her face in Bai Yu's chest, large tears streaming down and soaking the front of his clothes.

"Bai Yu, I... I'm really, really scared..."

Her words came in broken fragments. She wanted to say more, but her mind was consumed by the grotesque, smiling Titan face she saw every moment of every day.

Her body trembled uncontrollably.

Bai Yu could only pat her back gently, at a loss for words.

He knew she would suffer terribly without her medicine, trapped in fear she couldn't escape, but...

Yishi had said she felt safe when Bai Yu was there, but he couldn't stay by her side all the time. She knew that, so she had only ever told him that his presence made her feel safe, never daring to ask for anything else. She merely hoped she could see him now and then.

This was an illness...