After leaving the town hall, Gale arrived at his family's Trading Company headquarters.
As soon as he walked in, he saw the inheritor of the Jaw Titan lounging on the sofa, reading a magazine.
A half-eaten bucket of fried chicken sat on the table while Ymir sipped the newly invented soda and stuffed French fries into her mouth.
"Hey, aren't you going to watch your figure? You'll never get married at this rate," Gale said to the increasingly chubby Ymir. "Now that the Curse of the Titans has finally been broken, aren't you going to plan your future now that you'll live long enough to become a grandmother?"
"I don't need a man," Ymir replied, clumsily catching the falling fries with a flick of her wrist. "I only want to marry French fries, fried chicken, and this thing you created called soda. Since you'll be living on the ranch, will you leave a room for me?"
Gale shrugged. "Whatever. You can come over whenever you get bored here. They're already preparing your shop, and it should open next week. Come with me, I'll give you the property deed."
Hearing that, Ymir sat up, pinched the little bit of fat on her stomach, then casually stretched her arms before following Gale upstairs to his office.
Gale took a property certificate out of a drawer. It bore Ymir's name and photograph, with the government's official seal stamped at the bottom.
Sitting with her legs crossed, Ymir took the certificate and examined it page by page.
"How much is the loan? I'll write you a promissory note," Ymir said confidently.
"There's no need." Gale shook his head. "We've known each other for eight years. Just accept this as a gift between friends. From now on, neither I nor the government will order you to do anything. You're free."
"I've made you do many dangerous jobs over the years, and at first I even threatened you into joining us. I hope you can forgive me. I did it to save both of us."
Ymir did not beat around the bush. She carefully folded the certificate and slipped it into her inner pocket. "Then I'll accept it as your apology."
"I wish your shop great success," Gale said, offering his blessing.
Afterward, he withdrew some money from the Chamber of Commerce.
As the founder of the Chamber, he was actually a hidden millionaire, with considerable wealth in his personal accounts.
Thanks to his connections, the Chamber had long since become a semi-governmental organization and a highly profitable one.
Most of its profits were allocated to military and national projects.
He had never cared about the amount of money in his account. At his own request, only one percent of the profits, after military expenditures and taxes had been deducted, was deposited into his account each year.
Even though it was only one percent, it was still a considerable amount for an individual.
In short, he had no need to worry about money.
After withdrawing the money, he headed to a private residence in the capital and knocked on the door.
The one who answered was Artur Blouse, the former ace sniper.
His right hand was now crippled. During the operation in Marley, he had served as the gunner inside the Jaw Titan's armor, but after Mikasa boarded the airship, there had been no one capable of loading the cannon inside the armor.
During the naval battle, he had no choice but to go out onto the deck to fire.
His right hand had been struck by a stray bullet during the firefight, and after that, he was never able to shoot again. He retired from the military and became a marksmanship instructor in the Training Corps.
Gale entered the house. Artur Blouse's home was well maintained. Although his salary was high, he had not bought an excessively luxurious villa. Quite a few people were gathered inside. Eren, Mikasa, Historia, and Armin were sitting on the sofa chatting with a little girl.
Zeke and Dina were in the kitchen, exchanging cooking tips with Sasha's mother, who was Artur's youngest daughter, Sasha Blouse.
"Try this! My mom's smoked meat is amazing!" Sasha excitedly pushed the plate of meat toward them.
She had no idea who the people gathered there that day really were. She only knew they were friends of her father who would be staying at their house for a while.
That evening, everyone had dinner at Artur's house.
Gale and Eren went up to the rooftop, enjoying the evening breeze.
"I'm glad to see Sasha doing well," Eren said after inheriting all the memories of a future that had never existed.
"So, what are you and Mikasa planning to do?" Gale's hair swayed in the evening breeze as he looked at the streetlights and the pedestrians below. "Stay in the capital?"
"We're planning to return to Shiganshina," Eren replied, his expression slightly different from before. "Armin wants to stay in the Technical Department and work with Captain Hange, so it'll just be the two of us."
"We'll probably live in a secluded area with few people around, build a new house there, and once we've settled on the location, we'll write to everyone we know. If you and Historia want to visit us, just ask Captain Hange or the others."
"An isolated life?" Gale looked up at the twinkling stars in the night sky. "You must be exhausted."
"I am... but not as much as you. Besides..." Eren said with a strange expression as he leaned close to Gale's ear.
Gale paused for a moment after hearing that, his expression becoming complicated. "Really?"
"The doctor said it's still too early to be certain." Eren scratched the back of his head nervously. "But... there's definitely a possibility, and Mikasa said she wants a child."
"Then you really do need to get some proper rest." Gale nodded seriously. "Have you thought of a name yet?"
"Not yet." Eren shook his head and sighed. "I still feel like that's something too far away for me."
"Don't worry about it too much." Gale smiled gently. "I think you'll do just fine."
Hearing that, Eren looked at Gale with a strange expression.
"Gale, why are you giving advice to me, the married one, when you're still single?"
"Don't worry about the details." Gale burst into laughter.
"Stop dragging your feet." Eren patted Gale on the shoulder. "Whether you accept or reject her, you should give Historia an answer. Though I think that even if you really reject her, she'll still keep following you. And if you end up with another woman, she'll probably give you that resentful look every day along your usual route."
Gale looked up at the deep, star-filled sky. "Actually, I've talked to her a lot in private."
"Is it really that hard to tell whether you like someone or not?"
"That's not it." Gale gestured for Eren to look beneath the eaves.
The Founder Ymir was standing there, gazing through the window at the lively living room, yet no one inside noticed her.
"At the very least, we should let our ancestor rest in peace by fulfilling her wish. Otherwise, wouldn't it be awkward to have her watching while you're dating someone?"
"Still, no matter what happens, I'll definitely give her a proper answer this week." Gale walked downstairs. "I've heard that traveling is the best way to test whether two people are compatible. We'll see if we are or not. Actually, I think we'll get along very well."
From the rooftop, Eren watched Gale carrying a tray as he brought stools outside with Historia.
"I'm going to live on a ranch with Historia."