"Rayan, you were amazing," Krista said admiringly as they sat together in the dining hall that evening.
She glanced cautiously at Annie, who was sitting in the distance, then leaned in and whispered, "I did not expect you to beat Annie. She is really strong."
"Well, he is a man after all," Ymir said, resting her chin on her hand and giving Rayan a teasing look. "Right?"
"If I say no, are you going to check?"
"Huh? I do not want to. What if I go blind?"
"Whether eyes that small go blind or not does not make much difference."
"Even eyes that small are still bigger than what you want me to check."
The two of them bickered back and forth. Krista, though naive, was not completely clueless. She quickly understood the hidden meaning behind their words, and her small face flushed bright red.
"Hey," she whispered, scolding them softly. "Stop talking about that."
"Oh dear," Ymir laughed as she turned to look at her, reaching out to touch Krista's burning cheek. "Krista is shy."
"Ymir!"
"Sorry, sorry," Ymir said, pressing her hands together in a mock apology, then leaned in close to Krista's ear and whispered, "Do not worry. If I ever check someone's body, it will only be yours."
"..."
Krista covered her cheeks, overwhelmed by the teasing.
Rayan said calmly, "Krista, ignore her. Eat quickly before the food gets cold."
"Sigh, someone only knows how to care about Krista, but not the other poor person at the table," Ymir muttered as she took a bite of bread.
"I think that person is doing perfectly fine without anyone's concern," Rayan replied without looking up.
As they chatted, a few male soldiers at other tables kept glancing over. Their looks toward Krista were filled with admiration. Their gazes toward Ymir were more wary. As for Rayan, they stared at him with open jealousy.
Clearly, over the past three years, Krista had successfully shown her gentle and considerate side, becoming the little angel of the 104th Squad.
And how could a little angel sit at the same table with another man during meals?
Protest. Serious protest.
That was what everyone thought silently in their hearts.
But no one dared to say a word to Rayan.
It was not because of anything complicated. Over the past three years, his strength had steadily become more and more frightening.
Even though he was not among the few most dazzling elites, he was still solidly in the first tier.
Most importantly, his terrifying combat experience, especially his reputation for fighting wolves, gave his usually gentle face an underlying aura of lethality.
He was not someone you could afford to mess with lightly.
Besides, it was not even Rayan who originally tried to monopolize Krista.
At first, he ate alone.
But after the Snow Mountain training exercise, the three of them naturally started eating together.
Krista, wanting to care for him at all times, made sure to sit with him during every meal.
And Ymir simply followed Krista.
Even after two months, when Rayan finally removed his bandages — the wound had actually healed after a week, but he had to fake it longer — Krista still stuck to him out of habit.
And Ymir continued to stick to Krista.
Three years passed just like that.
Rayan and Ymir argued almost every day.
Their exchanges spanned sarcasm, mockery, personal attacks, cold shoulder treatment, and even light physical scuffles.
In the beginning, Krista tried her best to mediate, but eventually she gave up.
Now she simply watched quietly, occasionally squeezing in a word or two.
She could endure sarcasm and jokes.
But today's "dirty jokes" were really too much for her to handle.
In that regard, she was no match for either Rayan or Ymir — a former otaku and a self-proclaimed "old woman."
"Marco!"
Jean's loud voice suddenly rang out from another table.
The three of them looked over and saw Jean slap Marco on the back of the head.
"Stop pretending! Be honest! You want to join the Military Police because you want a safe and comfortable life in the interior, right?"
"No, I..." Marco tried to refute, but Eren interrupted loudly.
"The interior is comfortable?" Eren said coldly. "Five years ago, this was also the interior."
Krista looked worried as the tension across the hall rose.
"What are they talking about?" she asked quietly.
"Nothing serious. Just the usual," Rayan said, taking another bite of bread. "It is about choosing between the Military Police, Survey Corps, or Garrison Regiment after graduation."
"Oh?" Ymir looked at him with curiosity. "What about you, shorty? What are you planning to choose?"
"I know my limits," Rayan said calmly. "I will not be in the top ten overall, so I probably will not even have the right to choose."
"No, no, no," Ymir chuckled. "Even if you are not aiming for the Military Police, you still have the Garrison Regiment and Survey Corps. You do have a choice."
Rayan looked at her, then shifted his gaze to Krista, clearly trying to change the subject.
"What about you? You are just going to follow Krista's choice, right?"
"Of course," Ymir said without hesitation. "Of course I will stick with my little cutie. Otherwise, if she is not by my side, what if she runs into someone with bad intentions like you?"
"..."
"Ymir!" Krista pinched her arm in embarrassment. "Rayan is not like that!"
"Little cutie, you are still too young. All men are the same," Ymir said solemnly.
"Let us put aside your stereotyping of half the human race for now," Rayan said with a sigh. "Answer me this: if Krista gets into the top ten and you do not, and she chooses the Military Police, how will you follow her?"
Ymir's expression froze.
"Only the top ten graduates get recommended to the Military Police.
If you are not in the top ten, you have to spend a few years in the Garrison Regiment first.
Only after gaining experience, seniority, or special merit can you even apply to join the Military Police.
Think about it. That is several years."
"...I want to strangle you."
"Hold on, I am a man," Rayan said with a helpless smile. "In your noble eyes, Lady Ymir, all men are the same. Strong and full of ill intentions."
"Pfft!"
Krista could not help but giggle.
The next second, she saw Ymir gritting her teeth in anger and quickly comforted her.
"Ymir, do not be mad. Really, I want to be with you too. Whichever regiment you choose, I will go with you. I do not mind."
"Krista..."
Ymir suddenly pulled her into a tight hug.
"You truly are my little angel."
"You scum!"
"Shut up! This is reality!"
A furious shout suddenly echoed across the hall, interrupting their conversation.
They looked over and saw Eren and Jean grabbing each other's collars, both on the verge of a full-blown brawl.
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Try Other Fics I Have
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