A month had passed since Mikasa's birthday.
Ever since Arthur had personally given Mikasa the bracelet and scarf, she had worn them every day, never letting them leave her side.
That day, Mikasa and Yumiko were watering the vegetables in the garden in their yard.
Meanwhile, Arthur was helping Kane chop firewood for cooking and heating.
Arthur swung his axe, splitting the logs on the stump into pieces, then tossing them onto the already sizable pile of firewood behind him.
"Hey, hey, Arthur, slow down! You're chopping so fast I can barely keep up." Kane watched Arthur work so hard, then looked at the towering pile behind him and compared it to his own. The comparison was enough to drive him mad.
He had no idea what this boy was made of. His strength seemed inexhaustible.
"Arthur's even better at chopping wood than Dad." Although Mikasa was helping her mother tend the vegetables, she was distracted, constantly looking in Arthur's direction.
"Why does my little Mikasa keep watching Arthur? It's not as if he's going anywhere." Yumiko had noticed her daughter's unusual behavior. As her mother, she naturally knew how attached Mikasa was to Arthur.
"I'm not! I was just looking around!" Realizing her mother had caught her sneaking glances at Arthur, Mikasa hurriedly turned away and protested in embarrassment.
"Hehehe." Seeing the bright blush on Mikasa's face, Yumiko covered her mouth and laughed.
Her mother's laughter made Mikasa's little face turn so red it looked as though it might drip blood.
"All right, Arthur, you can stop chopping. We've got enough firewood." Kane's mouth twitched as he looked at the towering pile. This much would last them several months.
"Got it!" Hearing that the job was done, Arthur put down his axe, picked up a water jug, and took a sip before wiping away sweat that wasn't there.
The two of them then moved the firewood into the storeroom.
"Honey, the firewood's all ready. It should last us a few months." Kane walked over to Yumiko and took the basket of fresh vegetables from her hands.
Arthur, meanwhile, went over to Mikasa and began helping her trim the dead leaves from the vegetable plants.
"Yes, I saw. Arthur did most of it, you know." Yumiko looked at Arthur, who had set aside his work and was chatting with Mikasa.
"He sure did. That boy's incredibly strong. I wasn't nearly that capable at his age." Kane nodded. Truthfully, he felt rather outdone.
"But that's a good thing, too... With Arthur being so capable, he'll be able to take good care of Mikasa..." Yumiko touched her chest, then looked at the inseparable pair with a complicated expression.
"..." Kane looked at Yumiko in silence, his eyes tinged with sorrow.
He knew what Yumiko meant. After she had experienced discomfort in her heart one day, he had asked Doctor Grisha to examine her.
The examination had revealed that Yumiko had an extremely rare heart condition, one that could very well threaten her life and might flare up at any time.
There was no medicine that could cure it, either. It could only be kept in check through rest.
When he first heard the news, he couldn't believe it. He had repeatedly asked Doctor Grisha whether he had made a mistake in his diagnosis, only to be told no each time.
Learning that Yumiko had a life-threatening chronic illness had made Kane feel as though his whole world was collapsing.
He simply couldn't accept it. Their family had been living so happily together, only for something like this to happen.
He hadn't told the two children. He feared they were too young to bear it, especially Mikasa, who would surely be hurt by the news.
And so, at Yumiko's request, they had kept it secret.
"Come now! Doctor Grisha said that as long as I get plenty of rest, there's very little chance of it getting worse." Sensing her husband's sorrow, Yumiko reached out to stroke his face and gently reassured him.
"Mm." Kane nodded, forcing a smile.
"Oh, right. Today's the day Doctor Grisha is coming to examine you."
Kane suddenly slapped his forehead, remembering that he had arranged for Grisha to examine Yumiko today and check for any signs that her condition had worsened.
"And judging by the time, Doctor Grisha should be here any moment."
"Whoa!"
As though his words had summoned it, a carriage arrived at the gate following a call of "Whoa!"
"Doctor Grisha, you're here!"
Seeing that the visitor was indeed Doctor Grisha, Kane and Yumiko smiled and greeted him.
Hearing that Doctor Grisha had arrived, Arthur looked up and discovered that this time, Grisha had brought a boy with him.
As Arthur watched them, the boy sitting beside Grisha was also curiously looking Arthur and the others over.
"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman!" Grisha climbed down from the carriage with the boy's hand in his and politely greeted them.
"Good morning. This must be your son?" Kane asked, looking at the boy, who seemed shy around strangers and had hidden behind Grisha.
"Yes, this is my son, Eren Yeager. Eren, say hello to Uncle and Auntie Ackerman." Grisha nodded, then prompted the child behind him.
"Hello, Uncle and Auntie..."
Perhaps because this was his first time meeting them, Eren still sounded a little nervous.
"It's nice to meet you, Eren!" Kane and Yumiko said warmly as they looked at the adorable child.
"Good morning, Doctor Grisha!" Just then, Arthur came over holding Mikasa's hand, and they greeted Grisha together.
Arthur had a very good impression of Doctor Grisha.
Uncle Kane had told him that Grisha was not only highly skilled but also a doctor of great integrity. He treated the poor for free and had saved many people on the brink of death during the Great Plague.
"Ah, Arthur and Mikasa. Here! I brought these sweets for you." Grisha nodded, then took a small bag of sweets from his pocket and handed it to Arthur.
"Thank you, Doctor Grisha!" With Kane's permission, Arthur accepted the sweets, then placed them in Mikasa's hands. He wasn't particularly fond of sweet things.
"This is my son, Eren. I hope you can become good friends." Grisha pointed to Eren with a smile.
"Nice to meet you, Eren. My name's Arthur Ackerman, and I'm ten. This is Mikasa Ackerman, and she's eight." Arthur introduced himself and Mikasa, then held out his hand to Eren in a friendly gesture.
"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Eren Yeager, and I'm eight." After introducing himself, Eren politely reached out and shook Arthur's hand.
"Eren, play outside with Arthur and Mikasa for a while. Dad needs to examine your Auntie Ackerman," Grisha told his son.
Eren readily agreed with an obedient nod.
Then Grisha took his briefcase of examination tools from the carriage and followed the Ackermans into the house.