Ayanokouji's POV
Seething anger and a bloodlust grin were what etched the face of the titans I had slaughtered without a single deliberation for their human form, I had to know, the cause for this transformation.
If I could find the cause, then an antidote could be discovered or maybe, I can use the very cause to my advantage. The possibilities were there, but for now, all of them were benign.
Thinking so I heard a kick at the door as it banged open with a loud thud.
Levi wearing a napkin over his face spoke up, "It seems I won't have to kick you awake. Get to cleaning this very instant."
"But my room is already clean."
He scrunched his eyebrows in disbelief as he looked around to find a spotless room. He was quiet for a while and sighed deeply as he ordered, "So what? There are a whole lot of other rooms waiting for you to be cleaned. So get to work this instant."
I understood that while rationality was Levi's strong suit, somehow he was against using rationale with me. I was fine with this though, hence I simply got up and walked off to one of the adjacent rooms with a mop in my hand.
In the pursual of cleanliness, I had to plan a course of action to gather more data while Petra Rall was lurking in the vicinity as she suddenly walked in to find me moping as well.
She spoke in a distinct tone of pity,"Hey Kiyotaka, are you disappointed with how Captain Levi acted?..... Ah, I will call you Kiyotaka since he sets the norms around here."
Obedient comrades indeed.
"No, I have no qualms with the way things are going."
"I can't really tell with that face of yours so I will take you up on your word. But I think it's pretty obvious that he isn't the glorified hero everyone intended him to be. For starters, he is a lot shorter and more quite violent- very intimidating."
"Classifying what a hero should be like, is a pointless endeavour. I never kept any expectations other than the fact that he is capable. So I am not the least bit bothered or disappointed."
She smilingly said,"You have a different mindset Kiyotaka...."
"What I am curious is about, is why I am here. Considering I haven't done anything except follow my orders, why did I get recruited earlier?"
She put her chin on the mop handle as she spoke with a matter-of-fact tone,"Isn't it fairly obvious? You have saved countless lives that day, but you have also caused enormous amounts of property damage. Many, especially the higher-ups, didn't enjoy this one bit so they demanded to keep you under strict observation."
Oh, it makes quite a bit of sense, though this was a side effect of my actions, it worked out in my favour.
"I see, did Captain Levi, always follow orders this stringently?"
"Well, as far as I know, Commander Erwin brought him in when he was a famous underground thug...."
"What are you both yapping about?"
She immediately sprang into action as I kept moping the floor till it was spotless clean.
Captain Levi, it seems you have quite some dirt on you
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Eldo Jinn spoke breaking the silence, "After a short standby, we will be planning a outer wall mission with the new recruits. This will be quite risky."
Gunther Schultz commented with some amount of reasoning,"Maybe the pressure from the recent attack has led to this. Do we have a plan?"
Levi spoke while drinking tea in a very strange way, "Commander Erwin is bearing the grunt of the planning, with stress we can't even imagine. Titans have truly caused havoc."
Eldo then targeted me, "We thought that our sacrifices would bring hope, while we did get it...but it wasn't the way we had intended."
He looked at me questioningly, so did the rest.
I shrugged saying, "I did what I had to. I just got lucky with the plans."
Oluo Bozard spoke in a joking tone, "See, I was right. It's not like he did anything that bizarre. Such a waste to observe him, it was nothing but a mere fluke."
Levi's gaze penetrated me as he asked,"Luck you say...interesting. Quite a lucky coincidence that you single-handedly took down 5 titans without breaking a sweat. Not just that, you so very luckily gained the trust of Dot Pixis and very luckily directed a plan with just 20 soldiers and not a single casualty. I honestly don't know if it's you being humble or trying to get on my nerves...it's starting to piss me off. "
His voice carried a seething tone worthy of embers. It seems I irked him.
"I see,I suppose it was a good coincidence, as they say, coincidences-"
"-can be freaky"
It was simultaneously spoken by both Levi and squad leader,Hanji Zoe.
Albeit the former was in annoyance...
The latter was in a laugh as she spoke,"Hi Levi squad! Ayy, you are the new recruit....sooo, how did you do it?"
She slammed the table as she stood close to me in anticipation for....
"Did what exactly?"
"Escape the titan's mouth?"
As expected, I was on point. Everyone followed that same look as they waited in anticipation and confusion. Considering most weren't aware about the entire incident that ensued, it was to be expected.
"I was vomited out."
The look of disappointment filled the atmosphere as Levi glared at me yet again.
Unfazed, but deciding to say the truth, since they will need details about the titans, I started narrating.
"Upon seeing Eren almost getting devoured I simply tried saving him, which caused me to slip inside the titan's open mouth."
Hanji interrupted me by saying, "Since he never was chomped on by it, it makes sense why he is still not in itty bitty pieces."
Not needing a graphic visualisation I continued
"The inside of the titan was extremely hot and resembled a human body and its stomach had a liquid that I didn't have time to analyze. I had hooked my ODM to it's oesophagus and attacked it's nape from the inside to release myself. That was all of it, quite bland really."
Most were inarticulate for a while, as Levi sighed and left the room leaving us with the parting words
"You are an absolute idiot."
Then after a minute or so came the onslaught of responses
'How is that even possible'
'How did you stay so calm?'
'Were you scared?'
'What did it smell like?'
'How did you even think properly?'
'You are crazy!!'
"I was born this way, I simply found out a way to escape, it was the only thing left to do."
While the others asked a few more questions Hanji simply stared at me in utter wonder. As if she had found a gold mine.
After their end of questions, Hanji grabbed my hand and spoke out with utter joy and excitement
"WOULD YOU JOIN ME IN THE VENTURES OF SCIENCE?"
It seemed a harmless question but the others behind me were quite comically shaking their head in quite a bit of vigour.
"What kind of science are we talking about?"
"TITANS!!"
"Why me though? I hardly know anything about them."
"But you have been their food and I want to know so much more about it!!"
"I see, I am willing."
I needed more information,so accepting her deal wasn't a bad idea.
Thwack
Yet everyone face palmed simultaneously and just left the room in an instant.
She started talking....
The next morning, I realised....it seemed she was a bit too excited. But I had gathered enough information to carry out my plans.
This might get interesting....
After not letting me sleep a wink last night,She finally spoke her last words,
"Don't think for a second that I didn't realise what you were insinuating back then.....Titans are Humans, isn't that right Kiyotaka Ayanokouji."
Her voice turned morbid as it opened a pelothra of possibilites.
She continued still looking at me with both curiosity and suspicion
"You may have just blown my mind, and you are the only one to ever accomplish it.
You are anything but average, so why the facade?"