The rain came quietly.
Tiny droplets tapped against broken roof tiles and shattered windows, washing away the smoke that had hung over Trost since morning.
The ruined chapel sat at the end of a narrow street, half-collapsed from a Titan's careless step. Moss clung to the cracked stone walls, and colorful stained glass lay scattered across the floor like broken jewels. Through the missing roof, gray clouds drifted overhead.
Inside...
Alex knew.
He was completely busted.
...Yep.
She knows.
The jig is up.
Mission Failed.
His brain desperately searched for an escape.
Think.
Think like Gojo.
"Haha! It's just a magic trick!"
...No.
"I'm actually your long-lost cousin?"
Even worse.
"My hair changes color depending on humidity?"
...
Who would believe that?
His shoulders slumped.
"...Why can't I think of anything cool?"
He frowned.
Wait...
Am I actually panicking?
That never happened before.
Back in his old life, he could joke his way out of almost anything.
Now...
His thoughts felt strangely...
Childish.
Like a kid who had been caught sneaking cookies before dinner.
This stupid younger brain is sabotaging me...
I know exactly what to say!
...Then why won't my mouth cooperate?!
---
Historia quietly watched him.
She didn't speak.
She simply stared into his eyes.
Trying to understand.
Trying to figure out what kind of person Alex really was.
He joked.
He smiled.
He acted carefree.
Yet during the battle...
His eyes had been different.
Lonely.
Tired.
Almost...
Scared.
---
Neither of them spoke.
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Only the soft whistle of the evening breeze drifted through the ruined chapel.
Rainwater slipped through cracks in the ceiling.
Drip.
...
Drip.
...
Drip.
Alex finally sighed.
"...You're going to catch a cold."
Historia blinked.
"...What?"
"The rain."
He awkwardly pointed upward.
"...You'll get sick."
"..."
"...That's what you say after thirty seconds?"
"I panicked."
"...I noticed."
---
Alex rubbed his face.
This is awful.
I've never fumbled this hard before.
Then—
Movement.
At the far end of the street.
A familiar buzz-cut.
Walking with his usual relaxed posture.
Connie Springer.
Alex's Six Eyes immediately locked onto him.
...Oh no.
Not Captain Loudmouth.
If Connie saw Historia alone with him after everything...
By tomorrow the entire Cadet Corps would somehow believe they'd gotten married.
Absolutely not.
Without thinking—
Alex grabbed Historia by both shoulders.
"H-Huh—"
He gently pulled her behind the chapel wall.
His left hand carefully covered her mouth.
His right index finger rested against his lips.
"Shhh."
---
Historia's entire brain stopped functioning.
...Huh?
He was...
Close.
Really close.
Close enough that she could hear his breathing.
Close enough to notice tiny drops of rain caught in his black hair.
Her heartbeat accelerated.
W-Why is he so close...?
Her face grew warmer.
Is...
Is this what Ymir meant?
"Be careful around boys."
She never explained this part...
What is he doing?
Should I say something?
...I can't.
His hand was over her mouth.
So she simply stared.
Waiting.
Surely...
Surely there was a reasonable explanation.
---
Meanwhile...
Alex wasn't thinking about any of that.
His thoughts were much simpler.
Don't look over here...
Don't look over here...
Please keep walking...
Please be stupid for once...
Connie kept walking.
"..."
"..."
Straight toward them.
Alex felt his soul leave his body.
WHY TODAY?!
WHY IS EVERYONE DISCOVERING MY SECRETS TODAY?!
He briefly considered using Limitless.
Should I erase his memory?
...
No.
Too evil.
Besides... Historia already knows something.
Maybe I can still fool her.
He slowly looked toward Historia.
She was blushing so much her face looked pink.
...Why is she red?
Is she angry?
Girls are impossible.
He silently motioned again.
Please.
Don't make a sound.
Historia nodded ever so slightly.
---
Connie's footsteps grew louder.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Just one more step...
He would see them.
Alex inhaled.
Then whispered beside Historia's ear,
"...I'm sorry."
"This is going to be really fast."
"...What?"
---
The world disappeared.
There was no flash.
No explosion.
No sound.
Space simply folded.
---
Connie rounded the corner.
"...Huh?"
He scratched his head.
"I swear I saw somebody..."
He looked around.
Nobody.
"...Must be seeing things."
He shrugged and walked away.
---
Elsewhere—
Inside the Cadet Barracks.
The boys' dormitory.
Alex's room.
The familiar wooden room was small but surprisingly tidy.
A single bed rested against the wall beneath a square window where rain gently tapped against the glass.
A bookshelf leaned crookedly in one corner, overflowing with notebooks and loose pages covered in strange sketches and impossible calculations.
A kettle sat beside an untouched cup of tea.
His ODM harness hung neatly from a wooden peg.
The room smelled faintly of old books and cedar wood.
Historia stumbled forward.
"...W-What..."
She grabbed the edge of Alex's bed before falling.
Her vision spun.
"W-Where are we?"
Alex scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"...My room."
"..."
"..."
"...WHAT?!"
---
Before she could ask another question—
Alex gently placed both hands on her shoulders.
"Sit."
She blinked.
"...Okay?"
She sat on the edge of the bed.
Alex took a deep breath.
Then...
He spoke faster than a machine gun.
"So-you-saw-me-do-impossible-things-and-I-can't-let-that-spread-because-there-are-very-dangerous-people-looking-for-me-and-if-they-find-me-they'll-hurt-me-and-possibly-anyone-close-to-me-so-please-don't-tell-anyone."
Silence.
Historia stared.
"..."
"...Could..."
"...Could you repeat that?"
"...No."
---
Alex sighed.
"...Okay."
This time...
He explained properly.
He told her that the strange powers she had witnessed were real.
That only a handful of people knew.
That dangerous individuals were searching for someone with abilities like his.
He never mentioned reincarnation.
Never mentioned another world.
Never mentioned Six Eyes.
Or the true extent of his abilities.
Only enough to explain why secrecy mattered.
"...I just..."
He looked away.
"...Don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me."
That part...
Wasn't entirely a lie.
This body's memories still lingered.
He remembered being kidnapped as a child.
The fear.
The helplessness.
Even if they weren't his memories...
They still hurt.
---
Then...
Alex looked back at Historia.
His expression softened.
He clasped his hands together.
Lowered his head slightly.
Then unleashed the most devastating weapon known to mankind.
Puppy eyes.
"...Please?"
Historia stared.
...He's definitely exaggerating.
He's hiding something.
Actually...
He's hiding a lot.
But...
He also wasn't lying completely.
She could see genuine fear hidden beneath the jokes.
After a long silence...
"...Fine."
"I won't tell anyone."
Alex froze.
"...Really?"
She nodded.
"...Really."
His face immediately lit up.
"YES!"
Without thinking—
He threw his arms around her.
"Thank you!"
Historia stiffened.
"...!"
Her face instantly turned bright red.
"W-Wait—!"
She hurriedly pushed him away.
Alex stumbled backward.
"...Oh."
"...Right."
He scratched the back of his head.
"...Sorry."
"I got excited."
Historia looked everywhere except at him.
"...It's fine..."
"...Just..."
"...Warn me next time."
Alex awkwardly raised one hand.
"...Truce?"
She looked at it.
After hesitating...
She reached out.
Their handshake lasted exactly two awkward seconds.
"..."
"..."
"...Well this isn't weird at all," Alex muttered.
Historia almost laughed.
---
Just as she stood—
Voices echoed from outside.
Several cadets were walking down the hallway.
"...Did you leave your boots outside?"
"...Someone's in there."
Historia immediately panicked.
"W-What do we do?!"
Alex simply smiled.
The smug grin returned.
"There you go."
"My turn."
He folded his arms confidently.
"Do you even remember who you're talking to?"
Historia looked at him uncertainly.
"..."
Alex extended one hand toward her with a grin worthy of Gojo.
"Trust me."
She hesitated...
Slowly reaching for his hand...