TEXT Vol. 05 Jeanâs Textbook
Heâd gotten rid of as many of his belongings as possible when he joined the Survey Corps. There was no point in bringing anything like his jumbled collection of notes, and anything he did need he could buy or be issued. There was one item, however, that he kept in his bags because heâd need them to review the basics when understanding an operation.
ââŚMy textbooks, huh. I guess I did leave them here.â
It had been some time since Jean last returned to his quarters. When he opened his bags in the personal space heâd been assigned, something moved him to pull the books out.
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Around the time the old regime had been overthrown and Jean had met up with the main unit of the armyâŚ
Jean had been acting separately from the rest of the Survey Corps as a member of the ânew Team Levi,â keeping him away from the main unit for some time. His bags had been haphazardly tidied up, just like those belonging to the rest of his squad. Now that much had been settled and he had returned, he needed to prepare next for the new operation to retake Wall Maria. When he unfastened his bag, he found a number of textbooks heâd used during his time in the Training Corps.
âI canât believe I kept these âŚâ
Even though heâd joined the Survey Corps and found himself in an ever-changing situation, he couldnât allow himself to be negligent when it came to reviewing his fundamentals⌠And so heâd brought these books upon someoneâs recommendation.
âA Guide to Marching Drills⌠What does this say about nighttime movement on horseback, again?â
One of these volumes seemed to be exactly the reference material he needed for the upcoming operation, and he casually began flipping through its pages.
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[Seems like this appears on exams a lot.]
ââŚWhatâs this?â
The first handwritten words to jump out at him were not his own. These were marks left behind during a group study session for a written exam in his Training Corps days. Jean remembered sitting in the center of everyone, having placed his own textbook in the middle of the desk for them all to see and at times write in as they discussed this and that.
Jean couldnât remember who the rushed cursive belonged to at first, but his memories of that day gradually began to return to him.
(Armin? No⌠If it was the person right next to me⌠I guess itâd be Marco.)
The words were written right-side-up on one side of the book. Theyâd been penned by someone reaching in from the side.
He shook his head at the memory of his close and now departed friend as he turned the page to find other writings.
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âWhatâs this one sayâŚ?â
Jean couldnât read the upside-down letters at first. He turned the book around, then gasped.
[Horses can move in other unpredictable ways. Be careful]
[â>Finger whistling, page 54]
The thick and powerful words of caution belonged to Reiner.
The thin and weak words that pinpointed Jeanâs weaknesses and noted where he needed to read belonged to Bertolt.
Back then⌠they were comrades he learned alongside. In fact, it had been Reiner who suggested that he hold onto his textbooks. He had said that while Jean was talented, he had a tendency to rely on the fact. Thatâs why he needed to hold onto books that would let him go back to basics.
ââŚHe really could see whatâs most important.â
The contents of this textbook would have to be solidly in the minds of the two who were now on the âother side.â They would also know how the Corps would move by horseback according to it, too.
In other words⌠such was the opponent that now awaited them.
âThe last ones I wanted to have to face went and became our enemies.â
âŚSo this is what they meant when they said the world is a cruel place.
Jean quietly closed the book and placed it deep within his bags, as if to seal away the memories of the time he spent with the two.
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SOURCE: Attack on Titan: Short Stories 3
TRANSLATION: Ko Ransom















