The scene returned once more to Arthur and Christa inside the wooden cabin.
Under Arthur's relentless efforts, Christa's core temperature slowly rebounded, and her originally pale cheeks gradually regained their rosy color.
"Mmh..." Christa let out a soft murmur and slowly regained consciousness. Looking around in a daze, she realized she was inside a wooden cabin, and suddenly discovered that she was stripped down to nothing but her underwear.
Moments later, she discovered to her shock that she was being held in the arms of someone who was also bare-chested, her skin pressed tightly against his.
"Ah!" Christa shrieked with a blushing face. She looked up to see who it was, only to find that it was actually Arthur.
At that moment, however, Arthur's eyes were tightly closed, and he seemed to be sleeping.
"Arthur, you've saved me once again." Christa looked at the sleeping Arthur, gently reached out, and affectionately stroked his face.
Arthur was dead to the world and did not wake up, clearly exhausted.
"Is this Arthur's body temperature? So warm." Christa gently pressed her head close to Arthur's chest, then listened carefully to the steady pounding of his heart.
After listening like this for a moment, Christa looked up at Arthur's lips, wondering what to think.
A flash of hesitation and inner conflict crossed her eyes, but as if having made up her mind, Christa stretched out her neck, closed her eyes, pursed her lips, and gently kissed Arthur's lips.
"Is this what kissing is like?" Christa felt the truly unique sensation and felt somewhat shy.
However, perhaps Christa's movement had been a bit too big, because this time Arthur woke up. Sensing that Arthur was waking up, Christa blushed furiously and quickly shrank back.
Arthur slowly opened his eyes and looked tiredly at the Christa in his arms, pleasantly surprised to find that Christa was looking at him too.
"Christa, you're awake!"
"Mmh." Christa smiled brightly at Arthur and nodded gently.
Looking at the two of them stripped bare, Arthur felt a bit embarrassed. It was the first time he had ever seen a girl's body, and although it was due to an emergency, the implications were bound to be very bad.
"Christa, I'm sorry. In order to get your body temperature back up, I..."
Arthur found it a bit awkward to say the words "took off your clothes."
Christa lowered her gaze as well, deeply shy, but she still shook her head and said with great maturity, "I know you did it to save me, thank you, Arthur..."
Arthur nodded gently.
Arthur picked up their clothes, which were mostly dried through. After all, a lone man and woman sharing a room while stripped to the skin didn't look very good.
Considerately turning around while Christa got dressed, Arthur refrained from peeking.
Christa shyly changed into her clothes, and then Arthur put his own back on.
The two sat by the fireplace warming themselves. Neither spoke, and the atmosphere was extremely awkward.
The flames reflected on Christa's cheeks, making her blush even more vivid.
Arthur felt equally shy. After all, he and Christa now shared a physical intimacy-even though it was solely out of necessity to save a life, things like this were ultimately very unfair to a girl.
He didn't know if this world had any rules stating that physical intimacy meant one had to get married.
Just as the atmosphere turned awkwardly silent, Arthur suddenly asked Christa a question.
"Christa, can you tell me why you didn't call for me when you couldn't hold on any longer?"
"Ah?" Christa hadn't expected Arthur to ask her that so abruptly, and she stammered, unable to speak.
"Is it worth risking your own life to save someone who has nothing to do with you?" Arthur questioned once again.
"W-Worth it." Christa lowered her head like a child who had done something wrong, speaking with very little conviction.
"Christa, can you promise me? Don't live for others anymore. Just live well for yourself. No one has the right to order you to do this or that."
Arthur had realized it long ago: Christa's kind nature wasn't genuine; it felt more like she was atoning for something, willing to do whatever anyone asked of her. One or two good deeds might seem like nothing, but when they piled up, it looked deliberate.
Christa looked at Arthur in surprise. She hadn't expected her disguise to be seen through by him, and she froze at his words, lost for a long time.
"If I hadn't come back to find you, would you really have just died a miserable death in this freezing snow?" Arthur grabbed Christa's shoulders, asking with some agitation.
"..." Christa gazed into Arthur's eyes. She saw fear in them-it was the first time she had ever seen such an emotion in the boy who had been labeled a genius.
"Christa, you are a beautiful and lovely girl. I cherish you, and everyone else cherishes you too. If you die, many people will be sad, including me. Do you understand?" Arthur gently stroked Christa's hair, guiding her step by step like a mother.
Hearing Arthur's words, Christa felt deeply moved. She felt as though a flame had been reignited in her previously desolate heart, illuminating and warming her inner self.
It was the second time she had ever felt the sensation of being cared for-the first time was with Ymir, and the second was right here with Arthur.
She vividly remembered Arthur throwing caution to the wind and trying his absolute hardest to save her life.
A tear slipped from Christa's eye.
"Christa, so can you promise me? Live your life uprightly, proudly, with your head held high." Arthur pulled Christa into his arms and spoke in a tone bordering on a plea.
"Mmh, I promise you, Arthur." Christa nodded gently.
Christa raised her head to lock gazes with Arthur in a deep look. The two were so close that they could feel each other's breath.
"Christa..." Arthur looked at the stunning Christa, his heart stirring.
"Don't speak. Kiss me." Christa proactively leaned her head forward and pressed her lips against Arthur's.
"Mmh..." Arthur never expected that one day he would be forced into a kiss by a girl. He gently wrapped his arms around Christa's body and began to passionately kiss her back.
After a long while, the two parted, somewhat out of breath, drawing out glistening, delicate threads between their lips amidst the heat of the moment.
Looking at Christa's alluring, watery eyes, Arthur gently stroked her smooth, fair cheeks.
With passions running high, the two began to strip off the clothes they had just put on.
Baring themselves to each other once again, Christa gently brushed her fingers across Arthur's firm, muscular chest, causing him to shiver involuntarily.
Since there was no bed, Arthur spread their clothes out on the ground to form a makeshift pallet.
Covering her face, Christa lay down on the bedding, striking a pose as if waiting to be plucked-the sight was utterly breathtaking.
Arthur gently leaned down, and the two kissed passionately once more. A moment later, they intertwined.
With him in her and her in him, they wrapped around each other, and the cabin filled with the colors of spring.
Arthur's low growls and Christa's sweet moans played out inside the cabin like a symphony.
The blizzard raged all through the night, finally subsiding as dawn approached.
Mikasa, Ymir, and the rest, who had spent the entire night worrying about Arthur and Christa, tossed and turned unable to sleep, barely enduring until morning in a daze. The moment the blizzard stopped, they prepared to go out together to search for Arthur, Christa, and Daz.
Along the way, however, they ran into Arthur, who was carrying Christa on his back as he returned.
Seeing that the two were safe and sound, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Mikasa, in particular, impulsively threw herself straight into Arthur's arms, leaving Christa off to the side feeling quite sour, though she grew somewhat relieved upon recalling their relationship.
When Ymir saw that Christa was completely unharmed, she also set her worries aside and began asking what had happened. Christa stammered out an explanation, leaving out what had transpired between her and Arthur and keeping it hidden.
As for the issue of her being unable to walk because of that, it was brushed aside under the cover of a sprained ankle.
Later, Keith also inquired about Daz. Upon learning that Daz hadn't made it, aside from Ymir and Arthur, the others felt a brief sadness that didn't last long; after all, before the training began, Keith had repeatedly emphasized that those who were physically weak didn't have to participate.
It was Daz's own insistence on participating that had led to this tragedy.
Because the blizzard was so severe, Daz's body couldn't even be found, completely and utterly buried without a trace by the heavy snow.