Shinzou wo Sasageyo Ayanokouji

ℭ20: ℭ𝔬𝔫𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫

C20: Confrontation

Ayanokouji's POV

"Kiyotaka, can I sit here?" She sat down without waiting for my response. It was none other than Annie Leonhart. She started sipping her soup especially loud while playing with it using her spoon. The surroundings were barren, after all, everyone was planning out the situation ahead while I was here getting my fill. It seems Annie had the same plan. Her eyes were similar to mine, unbothered by the past or the present. Just eating silently in each other's company.

Oddly comforting...

"Any business?" I queried after she finished half of her soup. She stopped slurping and looked at me with the spoon in her mouth and tilted her head. She stared at me for a while and pulled out the spoon and spoke, "After scaring you and now using the most idiotic method possible, nothing really surprises you, does it?" I voiced my thoughts, "I honestly don't know, nor do I care." She looked to the side and said, "Of course, you don't. Do you know something? You were a strange one. Ever since I met you, you were a quiet guy and I chalked you up to another one of those worthless freaks. But upon seeing how you observe things, your calmness I changed my mind and put you on a really high pedestal but you disappointed me..."

I wonder why she is saying this now and I questioned, "What-" She pointed her spoon to her lips and gestured me to stay quiet which I did and she continued. This time, with her face on her chin looking straight at me, "You were average and completely normal. You bored me, I decided to stay away from you, yet fate had other plans. I hated fate the day we sat together to eat, can you imagine the whole canteen didn't have a single seat empty other than yours you loner bastard."

"That was rude." I spoke up in my defence and acted hurt.

"Don't dare to give me that look, fine do whatever. Anyways, as I was saying, that day I noticed something strange, the way you held your spoon. Your hand always held the spoon in a particular form, unlike the rest whose grips lightened from time to time, showing you must have been trained in staffs or knives. And your posture as well, it was too perfect for someone who is just 15 and had begun training only a day ago. Weird right? Gets weirder. You had this strange way of using the ODM, it was similar to what the professionals use. Even Mikasa didn't have perfect form. You tried copying the average ones, in the exams and at the camp. You were changing your form to match theirs at times."

"You were paying extra attention for someone as lazy as you." I decided to have a jab at her after she kept dictating her observations.

"Shut up dude, look in the mirror. And stop interrupting me If you don't want to get stabbed with this spoon. When I tried keeping a close eye on you, out of nowhere you started showing off. It was so coincidental......but again, coincidences can be freaky. Point is, you didn't have any will. I realised you were similar to me, both good at something yet we work towards smaller goals instead of those who achieve bigger things like justice and stuff while gaining satisfaction. If I wasn't wrong, that thought related me to you. Our lunches were a bit more bearable. Then came the day you saved Eren, it changed everything. I started respecting you, even with a lack of any goals, you saved a person completely opposite to you who worked themselves dry. It was astounding, I felt a tinge to be like..YOU. But then, after what happened with you being taken to the prison, our suppers became boring. And I hated it, you see I am selfish about things. I was selfish about suppers with you. Got any problems? "

I simply raised my finger to my lips in consideration of the previous warnings. It seems she enjoyed it and gave a slight smirk and continued, "Anyways, it shifted my whole focus to our goal. Well, my goal is to be honest, which of course I won't reveal to you. But I will say, now my selfishness centred around protecting my father. So, you saw me in Titan form. I was honestly surprised by how well you were able to fight me. You almost killed me. Bravo." She clanked her spoon to the bowl in appreciation or sarcasm.