When Instructor Keith announced that they would have three days off starting tomorrow.
Everyone beamed with delight. Training was so grueling that a holiday was a rare chance for them to get some proper rest.
Everyone began packing what they would need for three days, ready to head home.
Having been away from home for so long, Eren dearly missed his mother, Carla.
On the first day of their holiday, Arthur, Mikasa, Eren, and Armin packed their bags early, hired a carriage, and returned home.
"Mom, I'm home!" Eren knocked excitedly on the door.
"Coming, coming!" Carla's voice rang out from inside. A moment later, she opened the door, still wearing her cooking apron.
Carla looked lively and well, clearly doing quite well for herself.
"You're back!" Carla looked at the four of them happily. Yesterday, she had learned from Eren's letter that they were coming home, and she had been delighted. After all, they had been away for half a year.
"Look at you. You've all lost so much weight," Carla said with concern as she looked at Eren, Arthur, and the other two.
"No, we've gotten stronger!" Eren said, raising his arm to flex his muscles.
"Yes, yes. Come inside. I've already made lunch." Carla smiled warmly.
They went inside, put down their bags, and sat down to eat. The delicious dishes on the table even included meat, making all four of them salivate. It had been ages since they had eaten a proper serving of meat.
"Don't just sit there. Eat while it's hot," Carla said.
"Okay." The four of them picked up their bowls and chopsticks and began eating.
"Arthur, Eren hasn't been causing trouble in the Training Corps these past six months, has he?" Carla asked as she served food to all four of them.
"Mom, why would you ask that?" Eren protested. Did he really look like someone who went around causing trouble?
"No. Eren takes his training very seriously. His grades are good, and he gets along well with everyone," Arthur said with a smile.
"That's good. He's finally grown up and matured." Carla smiled with relief.
"I've always been mature," Eren said, pouting unhappily.
"Of course. My son is so mature." Carla covered her mouth and laughed.
"Mikasa, have you settled into the Training Corps?" Carla turned her questions to Mikasa.
"Yes, it's been pretty good. Arthur takes good care of us there, and I've gotten to know lots of girls," Mikasa said after glancing at Arthur, who was busy eating.
"It looks like our Mikasa has become much more outgoing, too." Carla noticed the way Mikasa looked at Arthur.
Having been young herself, Carla knew that Mikasa's feelings for Arthur were something special. Although Mikasa insisted that Arthur was just family, her feelings for him seemed more like romantic love.
"And what about you, Armin?"
"I'm doing pretty well now. It was hard to adjust at first, but with help from Arthur, Eren, Arthur, and lots of friendly comrades, I've started getting used to it," Armin said.
"That's good." Carla paid particular attention to Armin. After all, his grandfather had given his life so that she could survive.
"Eren, have you met any girls you like in the Training Corps?" Carla suddenly asked, catching him off guard.
"Cough, cough!" Eren had not expected his mother to ask something like that and nearly spat out the food he had just put in his mouth.
"Mom, what are you talking about?!" Eren asked, embarrassed and annoyed.
"Oh? Aren't there lots of girls in the Training Corps? Haven't any of them caught your eye?" Carla asked in surprise.
"Of course not. That's not why I joined the Training Corps." Eren sounded exasperated.
Then he shifted the trouble onto someone else, pointing at Arthur.
"Mom, you'd be better off asking Arthur. He's always spending time with a girl named Christa."
"Pfft!" Arthur had been drinking water and spat it out before he could stop himself, never expecting Eren to say that. Fortunately, none of it landed on the food or anyone else.
Arthur had never imagined that Eren would say something like that.
"Crack!" The wooden spoon in Mikasa's hand snapped in two. She stared darkly at Eren, a faint murderous aura hanging around her.
"Arthur, are you dating someone?" Carla looked at Arthur in surprise, then glanced at Mikasa's dark expression.
"No, Aunt Carla. Don't listen to Eren's nonsense," Arthur hurriedly defended himself.
"Eren, you shouldn't make things up," Carla scolded him with a frown.
"Mom, you don't know what it's like. Arthur pays special attention to Christa in the Training Corps and helps her all the time. And Christa seems interested in him, too," Eren stubbornly continued, adding fuel to the fire.
"What?" Carla was even more surprised by Eren's words.
"Aunt Carla, don't listen to Eren's nonsense. We're just ordinary friends." Arthur had not expected Eren to misunderstand his relationship with Christa.
Seeing Arthur defend himself so vehemently, Carla realized that Eren must have misunderstood their relationship.
"Eren, when did Christa ever show an interest in Arthur?" Mikasa asked coldly.
"Uh..." Looking at Mikasa's gloomy expression, Eren knew he had put his foot in his mouth again. He had actually forgotten about her relationship with Arthur. Wasn't he asking to die by saying that? He stammered, unable to get a word out.
Sensing that the atmosphere had turned tense, Armin hurriedly spoke up.
"Mikasa, Christa told us over dinner the other day that Arthur was a really nice person. That must be why Eren took it the wrong way."
"Really?" Mikasa turned her gaze on Eren, looking as though she were passing judgment on a mere mortal.
"Yes, yes. I misunderstood." Eren hurriedly seized the chance to back down.
Only after hearing Eren's answer did Mikasa's expression ease considerably, and Carla gave her a new spoon.
"Eren, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want." Arthur shot Eren a fierce warning look, then glanced helplessly at Mikasa before returning to his meal.
"Got it." Eren nodded sheepishly.
Mikasa is so possessive of Arthur. Carla had not expected such a strong reaction from her.
The three-day holiday passed quickly. After reluctantly saying goodbye to Carla, the four returned to the Training Corps.
After three days of delicious meals, eating the Training Corps' food again felt like chewing wax.
But there was nothing they could do. The Training Corps' cooks were only so skilled, and they were lucky to have food at all.
Later, Arthur discussed the problem with Eren and the others, and they came up with a brilliant solution.
He went to Keith and asked for permission to bring Carla into the Training Corps as a cook.
Keith had not expected Arthur to come up with such an idea. He refused at first, but Arthur's relentless pestering eventually wore him down, and he agreed.
When Carla learned that she could join the Training Corps as a cook, she was more than happy to accept. It would let her see Eren and the others often and keep an eye on what all four of them were eating.
After Carla became a cook, the quality of the dining hall's food improved several times over. Unlike the previous staff, who were stingy with their portions, she gave everyone a full bowl.
This benefited every trainee, especially Sasha, who valued food as much as her own life. She was tempted to call Carla "Mom" at every meal just to get more food.