Dinner Time.
The day's training had ended, and the kids gathered in small groups, chatting away.
The boys were passionately debating Sam and Mikasa's ODM skills.
Meanwhile, the girls were deep in conversation about romance.
"Really? He treats you that well?"
"I swear! Franz is just so sweet."
A girl named Hannah was gushing about a boy she had recently gotten close to—Franz.
He was always kind to her, and she couldn't help but feel drawn to him.
"If Franz is that good to you… I approve."
"Hannah, I think you could do better, but as long as you're happy, I approve too."
The girls nodded, acting as if they were judges deciding Franz's fate.
As their conversation circled around, it naturally shifted to other boys in their squad.
"Honestly, we have quite a few decent guys in our corps."
A girl named Mina, with her distinct twin braids, made the comment.
"Hmm… maybe?"
"Eh? I don't really see it."
Some girls nodded in agreement, while others shook their heads in disagreement.
Seeing the mixed reactions, Mina decided to spice things up.
"Alright, how about this—I'll call out names, and you all give your honest opinions."
The girls giggled, excited by the idea.
Good, they were into it.
Now… who should go first?
Mina rested her chin on her hand, thinking.
"Hmm, let's start with… Bertolt. What do you all think?"
Bertolt—decently looking, super tall.
He also had a reputation for being kind.
A safe choice for a first pick.
As expected, the girls' reactions were generally positive.
"Bertolt is nice, right?"
"He's tall, kind… yeah, I think he's a good pick."
"Yeah, I agree. He seems like the type to stay loyal to one girl."
As the girls nodded in agreement, acknowledging Bertolt's appeal, an unexpected comment slipped into the conversation.
"But… isn't he into Annie?"
"Eh? Seriously?"
"I mean… maybe not? But I always got that vibe."
The girls debated the topic for a bit but eventually concluded with a shrug.
"We don't know for sure yet."
Mina tilted her head, also unsure, before moving on.
"Alright then, what about Armin?"
At the mention of Armin, the girls' expressions turned uncertain.
"He's smart and kind, but..."
"Mmm… a great friend? But as a boyfriend… I'm not sure."
"Ugh, I don't like boring guys. He's not my type."
The general consensus? Armin was a great friend—but not boyfriend material.
Mina, who was close to Armin, felt a little guilty but decided to move on.
"Next up… Reiner! What do you all think?"
The reaction was immediate—and polarizing.
"Ugh, not my type. He looks too intense, like… way too rugged."
"I like him! He's manly and dependable. He looked really cool using the ODM gear last time."
"I don't know why, but he gives me the vibe of someone who'd be way too possessive… kinda scary."
Mina nodded, not surprised by the mixed opinions.
To be honest, she also thought Reiner would make a great friend, but… if he ever liked her, she'd probably be a little scared too.
He did kind of look like a bandit, after all…
"Alright, alright, but now I'm really curious—what about Eren?"
At Mina's question, the girls immediately lowered their voices.
They quickly glanced around, making sure Mikasa wasn't nearby.
Only after confirming her absence did they begin whispering.
"Okay, since Mikasa isn't here… honestly? He's kinda immature."
"Yeah, he still acts like a kid."
"I still don't get why Mikasa likes him."
The girls hushed their voices as they spoke, as if discussing some forbidden topic.
Mina agreed with the others and continued to list the next names.
Connie? Too much of an idiot—dating him would be embarrassing.
Jean? Looks like a horse, and his personality seemed bad.
Marco? Just like Armin, good as a friend, but nothing more.
With every new name ending in rejection, Mina started to feel a little nervous.
Wasn't there any decent guy? She racked her brain and finally remembered someone.
"Ah! There's one more! But… I can't remember his name right now..."
She clutched her head in mock frustration, and the girls urged her to give some kind of hint.
"You know, the guy who's always playful, kinda sharp-looking… gives off a bit of a bad boy vibe—oh, and he's really handsome. Like, strikingly good-looking."
Before she could even finish, the girls responded in unison.
"Sam?"
Mina blinked, startled by their unexpected teamwork.
"Yeah! What do you all think about Sam?"
"Sam, huh… He does look kinda like a delinquent, but he seems fun to be around."
"I feel like he'd be the type to tease a lot, but secretly be really sweet to his girlfriend."
"Not sure about his personality, but honestly, he looked really cool using the omni-directional gear last time..."
The conversation started with doubt, but as they spoke, the mood shifted toward something more positive.
If anything, the reactions to Sam were even better than those for Bertholdt.
Mina glanced around and noticed Krista, who had been completely silent the entire time.
Even now, as the girls excitedly debated Sam's charm, Krista hadn't said a single word.
"Krista, what's up? You haven't said anything."
"Oh? Ah… I just haven't really thought about that kind of thing."
Hmm. That did make sense.
Krista never seemed particularly close with any of the boys, nor did she seem interested in them.
Despite how many guys clearly had a thing for her, she just wasn't paying attention.
Poor guys… their unrequited crushes were doomed from the start.
"Wait, hold on—"
Mina suddenly remembered—Krista had gotten closer to a certain guy recently.
Her eyes narrowed slyly as she turned to look at Krista.
"Wait a minute, Kriiiistaa~"
"Huh? W-What?"
Krista flinched at Mina's suspicious tone.
"Haven't you been getting kinda close with Sam lately?"
"Wha…?"
As soon as Mina said it, the other girls jumped in.
"Oh, yeah! You were messing around with books together the other day!"
"And didn't Sam help you out with your omni-directional gear training?"
"Wait, when did you two get so close?!"
Krista was at a loss for words.
Even if she denied it, the atmosphere made it very clear that no one would believe her.
"No way… is something going on between you two?"
"The quiet ones are always the sneakiest… hmmm~"
Her friends' relentless teasing made Krista's face heat up.
"I-It's not like that! I've barely even talked to Sam!"
"Ooooh~ really? But you two looked pretty close during training the other day."
"That—That was just him acting on his own!"
If they had actually heard their conversation, they wouldn't be saying this.
But unfortunately, all the other girls saw was Sam casually helping Krista from afar.
"Okay, okay, we believe you~" Mina grinned. "Then, what do you think about Sam ?"
"He's—He's the worst!"
"…The worst?"
"Yes! He's always teasing me, being rude, and—ugh! He never listens to me! He just says whatever he wants and then leaves before I can even respond!"
Krista huffed in frustration.
The girls, momentarily stunned by her outburst, went quiet.
Then their eyes gleamed.
And suddenly, the teasing got way worse.
Krista, completely exhausted from trying to explain herself, finally gave up and buried her face in her hands.
No matter how much she denied it, no one believed her.
So honestly? She didn't even want to explain anymore.
Turning her head toward the window, Krista grumbled under her breath.
"…Sam is so annoying. I really don't like him."
With a sigh, she stared out the window.
But then—
Beyond the faint reflection of her own face in the glass…
She saw another familiar face.
Outside the window, pointing at himself with a questioning look—
Was Sam.
"You don't like me?"
Their eyes met for a split second.
And in that instant—
Krista screamed and fell out of her chair.