Chapter 37: Infiltrating the Cadet Corps, First Meeting with Mikasa

A Survey Corps soldier led Haruto away.

Meanwhile, Hange was still tied up. She watched Haruto's departing figure with a gaze filled with longing.

A human who could transform into a Titan!

A living, breathing research subject!

Oh, how she wanted to study him!

But she was firmly restrained, able only to let out muffled whimpers. The soldiers holding her down were on the verge of tears.

"Hange, please follow the Commander's orders! Titans are dangerous!"

Meanwhile, Levi looked at Erwin with a grim expression.

"Hey, Erwin, you don't actually believe everything he said, do you?"

Erwin shook his head.

"All unverified information must be treated with caution. But so far, he is undoubtedly on our side."

"From here on, it's our job to investigate the truth. That has always been the Survey Corps' duty."

Levi scoffed and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. After a moment of thought, Erwin suddenly asked,

"Levi, how strong is he?"

Levi hesitated, then answered in a low voice:

"Very strong! I doubt even I could suppress him. He doesn't seem human at all."

Levi was a confident warrior who trusted his own abilities. But because of that, after just a brief exchange, he understood—Haruto completely outclassed him.

Erwin nodded.

"If even the strongest soldier of the Survey Corps can't restrain him, we can only remain vigilant."

He glanced in the direction Haruto had left.

"He's joining the 104th Cadet Corps. There must be other Titans among them."

But soon, Erwin withdrew his gaze.

"There are more pressing matters to handle first. Levi, let's move."

----------------------

That night, Annie stepped out of her barracks.

She walked to a secluded corner of the Cadet Corps. Two figures were already there.

Reiner and Bertholdt.

Seeing Annie arrive, both wore solemn expressions.

"Annie, you've been missing for three days. Where exactly did you go? Did anyone notice?"

Reiner asked urgently.

Annie shook her head.

"No one found out. I was kidnapped by human traffickers and couldn't use my Titan power. Escaping was quite troublesome."

Hearing this, both Reiner and Bertolt were stunned. They had thought Annie was just making up an excuse to deceive the other trainees.

But it turned out to be true.

For a moment, Reiner felt a pang of guilt.

"Sorry, I was too anxious."

After thinking for a moment, Reiner added, "Once we graduate from the Trainee Corps, we should launch another attack. We need to lure out the Founding Titan, reclaim the Coordinate, and then we can finally go home."

Annie's expression was unreadable in the darkness.

"Go home..."

She murmured softly.

Her fingers gripped the small bottle of medicine in her pocket. Neither Reiner nor Bertolt noticed Annie's unusual demeanor.

After their secret meeting, they each returned to their dormitories.

At dawn, just as the sun began to rise, the assembly whistle sounded. The 104th Trainee Corps quickly gathered in the open training grounds.

They moved swiftly and efficiently.

After months of rigorous training, these young boys and girls had started to resemble proper soldiers.

Standing at the front, the bald instructor observed their formation and nodded in satisfaction.

However, the trainees were curious about the person standing behind Keith.

It was a black-haired, black-eyed boy.

Such features were extremely rare on the island.

"Brats, today, you'll have a new comrade joining you. Takamine Haruto, introduce yourself!"

The black-haired, black-eyed boy stepped forward.

"Takamine Haruto, from the Shiganshina District."

The trainees all looked at Haruto in confusion.

Shiganshina District!?

That was the area that had fallen to the Titans years ago!

Among the trainees, four people widened their eyes in shock. Annie didn't understand why Haruto was here.

The other three were the main trio.

Eren and his friend Armin instinctively glanced at Mikasa.

A black-haired, black-eyed individual with an Eastern appearance—until now, Mikasa was the only person they had ever seen with such features.

And on top of that, he was from Shiganshina District, just like them.

Keith scanned the reactions of the trainees before finally focusing on Haruto.

He also didn't understand why the Survey Corps had suddenly placed someone into the Trainee Corps.

It wasn't standard procedure.

After all, the 104th trainees had already undergone extensive foundational training.

They were even practicing with the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment.

However, since Erwin himself had made the request, Keith had agreed.

Instinctively, Keith asked,

"Haruto, why did you join the Trainee Corps?"

This was a question every new recruit had to answer.

Haruto response was:

"I'm here to save humanity."

This answer left everyone speechless. A few boys even chuckled.

Keith's bald head seemed to darken with irritation. Was this guy completely unrealistic?

"Fall in!"

In the end, Keith refrained from making sarcastic remarks. After all, this guy was personally assigned by Erwin.

Keith had a great deal of trust in Erwin. After all, Keith was the former commander of the Survey Corps.

Haruto took his place among the trainees.

"The first task of the day: physical training. Twenty laps around the training field, begin!"

At Keith's command, the day's training began.

As they ran, many of the trainees glanced at Haruto, whether intentionally or not. This new recruit who had suddenly appeared was drawing attention in every possible way. Black hair, black eyes, breaking the rules of the Trainee Corps, and—on top of all that—exceptionally handsome.

Some of the girls stole quick glances at him before swiftly looking away. Because of Haruto's presence, everyone was somewhat distracted during their running laps.

Meanwhile, Haruto maintained a steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow, staying in the middle of the group.

For him, this level of exercise wasn't even equivalent to a casual stroll.

Annie stared intently at Haruto, wanting to approach and ask him questions. But, due to the presence of others; especially Reiner and Bertolt, she had to hold back.

The morning training quickly passed.

During mealtime, Haruto sat alone in the corner, nibbling on dry rations as a mere formality.

He activated his cellular control and shut off his taste receptors.

Disgusting.

Might as well just go through the motions.

At that moment, three people approached him. Looking up, Haruto saw Eren, Armin, and Mikasa.

Eren casually took a seat across from him.

"Hey there, I'm Eren Yeager. This is Armin, and this is Mikasa. We're also from the Shiganshina District..."