SOURCE: Attack on Titan: Short Stories 2
Late Night Stories Vol. 13 Erwin Smith "A Human Story"
Soldiers gathered around a table bearing a mountain of documents. Their respective ranks--Captain, Squad Leader--were embroidered on the breast of each of their uniforms.
"…All of this year-end work is miserable every time we have to do it."
"That's why we all get together and take care of it like this, so that no one shirks their responsibility."
Squad Leaders who led the Survey Corps filled the room, together with their aides. There were busy putting together activity reports, expense reports, and other types of documents to be submitted at the end of the year to the upper ranks of the organization, as well as to the government officials who stood above them.
"No matter how we do it, it's making me sleepy… Right?"
While Mike had been coolly and silently going through his documents, he put a hand to his head and sighed, a rarity for him. His aide did the same before beginning to talk.
"There's no helping that. Expeditions generally take place in the afternoons, so we're not night owls. We should just keep talking like this to stave off any drowsiness."
"That's a good idea," Erwin agreed with mussed hair, facing the most documents of all as the Survey Corps's Commander.
"Oh, Captain Levi is trying to expense tea again."
"Tch… Are Survey Corpsmen just pawns to you? Don't we have the rights to do something human every once in a while?"
Erwin forced a laugh as he took the application for one of what could be called Levi's few luxuries and put his stamp on it.
"Levi's right… I'll allow this. Your research microscope too, Hange."
"Speaking of which, do you have any hobbies like that, Erwin? Like favorite foods, or maybe sewing?"
Erwin seemed to think as he answered the question posed to him, his hands moving all the while.
"Well, I focus on resting during my days off… It's a hard question."
"It's pointless to expect a human answer out of this guy. Don't you know that, Four-Eyes?"
"Erwin's human, too. At least he looks that way to me. So he might just be forgetting! What about when you were in the Training Corps?"
The words "Training Corps" suddenly made Erwin reminisce. He thought of the days of his youth, before the Walls were destroyed, when he was still striving to become a Survey Corpsman…
"Yes… Because there was still so much life in the streets back then. There was a pub the Training Corps went to often."
"That's surprising. You seemed to me like someone who didn't drink much unless he was forced to meet with supporters," Hange's aide cut in. Erwin agreed with a tinge of happiness in his eyes.
"Yes, because we were kids. I couldn't drink much, anyway. But we had fun causing a ruckus in the pub, because we felt more like adults just by doing that…"
"So you were at an age where you wanted to act older than you were. I get it, I used to intentionally read difficult textbooks when I was a kid!"
"But once I actually became an adult, I wasn't in a position where I could do that anymore. Ironic, isn't it…?"
"Yeah. All of that acting older never ended up being anything more than just that--acting."
Everyone let out a sympathetic sigh as they wrote numbers and signed their documents.
A gruff voice tore through the momentary silence.
"Hey, Erwin. When did you start holding back and not doing the things you wanted to do? You're able to think up that many strategies for the Corps, and yet you can't figure out a way to do what you want on your days off?"
"Oh! That's true! You make a good point, Levi. All right, if that's the case, then let's go to the pub after this! Mike, Moblit, you'll be coming too, right?"
"…B-But do you think the pub will still be open by the time we're finished?"
Though it was already nighttime, Hange's eyes gleamed as they tried to turn Levi's words into actions. They had no sign of stopping to think of their aide's concerns.
"We'll get it done, for Erwin's sake!"
"Sheesh… Fine, I'll try to do as much as I can."
The way that his comrades tried to take care of him reminded him of his Training Corps days from long, long ago. As Erwin shrugged, he also found himself smiling.
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