I Became the Villain of Attack on Titan

The scorching afternoon sun beat down.

The 104th trainees had gathered in the training yard, each wielding a practice sword as they engaged in hand-to-hand combat training.

Since I had always enjoyed combat sports, I took the training seriously.

My usual sparring partners were Reiner and Eren.

Reiner had impressive physical strength and natural athletic ability.

His fighting style was mostly wrestling-based, relying on his raw power.

However, he seemed to have a hidden fear of punches, making him somewhat lacking in striking matches.

Eren, on the other hand, didn't have exceptional athletic ability.

But his sheer determination helped him push past his physical limits.

His strengths lay in his fearlessness against punches and his aggressive, close-range combat.

However, he lacked natural talent and physical power.

Of course, he tried to make up for the gap with sheer willpower...

But some things just couldn't be overcome without talent.

"...Like this, for example."

I tilted my head slightly, dodging Eren's punch.

— Whoosh!

His fist sliced through empty air.

Not willing to stop at just one attack, Eren immediately threw another punch.

I effortlessly moved my head left, right, and at times, ducked all the way down to my waist to evade his strikes.

Soon enough, I completely dropped my guard, dodging every one of his attacks without even raising my hands.

Eren clenched his teeth and kept swinging, but the only result was exhausting himself.

"Huff... huff..."

Breathing heavily, he finally asked,

"What the hell... how are you dodging everything?"

"Phew. Just instinct."

I steadied my breath, still unfazed.

Dodging all of Eren's attacks wasn't something I had planned. It was purely a matter of instinct.

Avoiding blows without raising my guard and relying only on upper-body movement—

Some of it might have been due to training, but honestly, it mostly came down to talent.

After all, even in my previous world, only a handful of fighters could do this no-guard style properly.

'If I went back to my old world in this body, I probably could've made it as a top athlete.'

Even compared to the professionals I used to watch, my current talent didn't fall short at all.

I had a build similar to Reiner's—large and powerful—with explosive agility and sharp reflexes.

Most importantly, I had an animalistic instinct, something even pro athletes rarely possessed.

'I mean, I mastered all the techniques Annie taught me in just a few weeks.'

Even Annie, who was training me at the time, was left speechless.

Sure, it was her first time teaching someone, but even with that in mind, my learning speed was absurdly fast.

"Argh! So what the hell is that instinct you keep talking about?!"

Eren, frustrated, kicked the ground.

Even after hearing my explanation, he still couldn't grasp how to do it himself.

"I swear, it's not about techniques! No matter what, I just can't move like you."

Grumbling, Eren flopped onto the ground in frustration.

I smirked and sat down beside him.

After that ODM gear training session, Eren and I had grown much closer.

Maybe it was during that time that he started trusting me. We hung out more often, and sometimes, along with Armin, we'd talk about the world beyond the walls.

"You'll get there if you keep practicing."

I patted him on the back encouragingly before glancing around the training field.

Most of the trainees were just going through the motions, waiting for time to pass.

Of course, there were a few serious ones—Armin and Marco, for example, were the studious types who gave it their all.

Then there were people like Sasha and Connie, who trained hard but in their own weird ways.

'Connie… I had taught him Drunken Fist as a joke, but I never expected him to take it so seriously.'

But if someone asked me who the most hardworking person here was—

That was Eren, without a doubt.

After spending time with him, I realized his nature was just relentless.

No matter what, he never gave up.

'Now that I think about it… Back when he saved Mikasa, he didn't even hesitate to kill.'

I stared at Eren, sitting there absentmindedly.

This guy… he was different from the start.

I mean, what kind of ten-year-old stabs three grown men to death?

Even trained soldiers would hesitate, but Eren did it without flinching.

Guts.

Sheer, ruthless determination.

That was Eren's greatest weapon.

'And that's why, in the future, he actually went through with something as horrifying as the Rumbling.'

Right now, we could laugh and joke around together.

But in the future… who knew what would happen?

Not just with Eren—any of the trainees could end up as something else entirely.

'Since I chose this path… I can't trust anyone.'

Would things have been different if I had chosen another way?

Useless thoughts like that crept in for a moment.

But once I had sworn loyalty to the Warrior Unit, there was no turning back.

I couldn't allow myself to get attached to the others.

Of course, for the sake of the mission, I had to win their trust.

I had to act like I was truly their friend.

Because no matter what happened down the line—

The darkest place was always right under the lamp.

And the sharpest betrayals came from the people you trusted the most.

Even if I ended up becoming their enemy one day, our close bonds could still become a valuable variable.

'It's not like I want to do this…'

But I had to be prepared for anything.

And in the end, earning their trust would work to my advantage.

"Hey, uh… Shiniro."

Just as I was lost in thought, Eren grabbed my shoulder.

"Armin and I have been wondering about this for a while…"

"Hm? Wondering about what?"

Eren hesitated for a moment before finally asking—

"Do you think you could beat Mikasa in a fight?"

"…What?"

I turned to him, completely dumbfounded.