TEXT Vol. 04 Connie’s Operation Proposal
Sometimes during training, one has no choice but to use their head. At times, this means having to write many words. In logical order, at that…
Blades: Enough to attack Titans
The instructor thrust Connie’s strategy to proposal back at him after little more than a glance. Dejected, he took the page.
“…How do you even begin to teach an idiot like this?”
“Forget about what he should be writing. I don’t even think he knows how to count supplies…”
Connie’s corpsmates had a good laugh at the document Connie wrote having summoned up all his brainpower. This wasn’t funny to him.
“I can pass the practical exams fine! Making it to the top of the class might even be realistic if it wasn’t for these tests where you have to write stuff…”
“Guess that means we don’t have a good reason to bother teaching you. The fewer competitors we have, the better.”
The other recruits may have been his corpsmates, but they were also his rivals, all competing for top marks. Connie’s desperate plea had backfired.
“C’mon! You can’t abandon me like this!
His fellow recruits laughed and ignored him as they returned to the barracks.
Two people happened to pass by Connie as he studied alone in the cafeteria. It was Reiner and Marco, who had just been helping the instructor with something. Two recruits with not only high practical marks, but top grades in the classroom too.
“Connie… You’re still studying?”
“It feels like they’re gonna send me back to my village if I keep getting these bad grades… I have to…”
Becoming a soldier was an important goal for Connie, someone who’d always been looked down upon as stupid. No matter how much trouble he had with something, he needed to get it done. His mother would surely be happy, if he finished with top marks this way. After Connie explained his situation to them, Reiner patted him on the shoulder.
“You understand what materials are required. All you need is to take your time with the numbers and be specific as you put them down. It’s fine if you write it in your own words.”
“You should also be more careful about your handwriting. Write it in a legible way, one that gets across just how much you need the materials.”
“Marco, Reiner… You guys are really kind.”
The two gave him words of encouragement, and Connie began again on his rejected document having processed their advice in his own way.
Bread: Three days worth for five people
Blades: Half a horse cart’s worth
Gas: Half a horse cart’s worth]
Through his corpsmates had insulted his document, it was ultimately accepted. Not only that, the instructor put it up in a place for everyone to see and learn from.
“What you need in a chaotic situation isn’t beautiful prose, it’s to write in a way that gives any reader an easy and accurate understanding of the current conditions. The words used by Recruit Springer in his requisition may be crude, but they show a proper understanding of the minimum needed by the squads that will be carrying out the operation they’ve been given. One could say that this sets an example of sorts, given that a soldier’s duty is to always be on the front lines.”
Frankly speaking, Connie only understood the part when the instructor said his work “sets an example.” Still, his corpsmates seemed to view him in a new light now. He decided he’d be as diligent as possible in his coursework, all in the hope that he’d get to experience this feeling again.
SOURCE: Attack on Titan: Short Stories 3
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