Chapter 4: Eren: katsura understand the truth of freedom

The Yeager family's house in the Shiganshina District felt peaceful despite the recent chaos. Carla patiently applied ointment to Eren's cheek, which was still red. Eren bit his lip, holding back the pain, while Armin sat next to him, holding his own cheek, bruised from an accidental punch by Katsura. Mikasa stood by the window, her eyes alert, though she seemed calm as usual.

"You got into a fight again, Eren," Carla said with concern, her voice gentle but firm. "How many times do I have to tell you not to get into trouble?"

Eren looked up with fiery eyes. "I didn't start the fight, Mom! That weird guy came out of nowhere and hit me. He's crazy!"

Carla sighed deeply. "Whoever he is, you still need to be more careful. You know those drunk soldiers are out there, and now you're hurt."

Grisha Yeager, sitting in the corner of the room, listened quietly without saying much. His face was serious, as usual. But when he heard Eren mention the "weird guy" who beat the drunk soldiers, he paid closer attention.

"What's his name?" Grisha asked calmly but curiously.

"Katsura Kotaro," Eren replied, annoyed. "He beat all of us, even the drunk soldiers. It's like he knows more about being a soldier than they do."

Armin nodded, adding, "He's fast, and... even though he acts strange, he runs really well."

Grisha paused, thinking about the name. There was something about courage and freedom that always intrigued him, especially after everything he had seen outside the walls. But he couldn't show too much interest in front of his family.

"You're still young," he said softly, looking at Eren. "Sometimes, people who seem brave might just be causing trouble. But there's always a reason behind someone's actions, especially in this world."

Eren, still upset, seemed to think for a moment. He felt that there was something different about Katsura, though he couldn't quite explain it. There was a sense that the strange man lived with a kind of freedom that Eren deeply wanted—even if his way of showing it seemed silly and dangerous.

Armin, ever curious, started to speak. "It's like... he's not afraid of anything. Even when he ran away from us and the soldiers, he seemed calm, like he knew everything would be fine."

Carla could only shake her head. "I don't care who he is; what's important is that you all stay away from people like that. This world is dangerous enough without you getting involved with strange people."

Eren, with his unquenchable spirit, even in pain, felt like there was something he could learn from that strange guy. Freedom, courage—both were present in Katsura's actions, even if his behavior seemed odd.

Meanwhile, Grisha bowed his head, reminded of his own mission and the heavy burden he carried from outside the walls. Freedom was something he understood far deeper than anyone in the room, but he couldn't share that truth—not yet. For now, he could only watch from a distance, keeping his secret safe.

Carla, on the other hand, could only hope that these children wouldn't get into more trouble. But in the small corner of Eren's heart, his meeting with Katsura had opened something—a desire deeper than just defeating the Titans. He longed for freedom, though how to achieve it still seemed unclear.

That night passed quietly, though it was filled with unease. As the sky over Shiganshina grew darker, the ideas of freedom and defiance brought by Katsura Kotaro slowly crept into their minds.