Chapter Text
The following days, the rooftop became a meeting place for Levi and Hange every lunch break. It's not like they don't talk to each other when in their classroom but since it's usually only the two of them on the rooftop, they can speak to each other with more freedom that way.
For whatever reason, their friends also stopped coming along with them to give Levi and Hange some privacy. Which actually made Hange confused, she appreciates the company of her friends after all.
On the other hand, Levi just seemed relieved and started speaking more often so Hange supposes that it isn't that bad their friends stopped coming along. Of course, she still looked forward to their arrival.
It was a normal day, Levi and Hange were both on the rooftop just like always and everything seemed regular if it wasn't for the silence surrounding the two of them. When Levi went to the rooftop, he already expected that Hange would be there and be her noisy energetic self.
Levi was right because the moment he pushed the door open, the brunette instantly came into his view. Hange was absorbed reading a textbook, pens scattered all over the place along with crumpled papers. She was so focused that she squints her eyes at whatever she's reading just to clarify the words on the piece of paper.
One thing was different though, instead of Hange greeting him with their loud voice, the only action she did was to wave at Levi and resume her reading. She must be very focused and interested if she didn't even let out a single word and move from her spot to welcome him.
Levi sat down beside her and used his phone to waste the time. The whole time, it was silent, the only sounds are Hange's occasional murmurs and the turning of the pages. While it might be silent, Levi still appreciates Hange's company.
And it's the same with Hange since she can't be silent around other people for she is known to be the eccentric one who talks all the time. Other people would be worried if she's silent so sometimes she feels obligated to talk to not worry them. Hange's glad to be hanging out with someone who doesn't get bothered with her unusual silence, Hange really can just be herself around Levi and she's glad for it.
"Hey shorty," Hange called out, breaking the silence between them as she closes the book. There are only a few minutes left before lunch break ends and Hange feels bad that she didn't initiate a conversation yet. Levi must be pretty bored already.
Without removing his gaze from his phone, Levi replied. "I have a name four eyes"
"I know that of course. But, don't you think it's unfair if you're the only one who has a nickname" Hange responded then paused for a bit before she continued. "We need to keep things equal so I'm calling you shorty"
Levi just rolled his eyes and practically accepted that he has a new nickname that the four eyes will certainly be calling him with. There's no use arguing with Hange bout such simple matters..and besides, the nickname, when Hange announced it, it just felt familiar so Levi couldn't really argue against that.
Just as Levi thought the conversation is over, Hange started another one and this time, the topic concerned why she was so absorbed in the book she's reading earlier.
Straight to the point, Hange asked Levi. "Are you free next week?"
"Depends." was the only answer Levi gave. It was a vague answer which made Hange pout for a second hen recovered as she said her intentions.
She put her hands on the pockets of her lab coat and then searched for something there. Once she found it, she gave it to Levi with a smile and informed him of the object Hange gave Levi. "This is the invitation, not anyone can come to this event after all"
Levi looked at the backside of the paper, what was written there is an invitation to a...quiz bee competition.
"You want me to come?" Levi asked, confused as to why Hange picked him as a guest when they just met a few days ago. "four eyes should be more cautious of the people she befriends" Levi thought to himself.
As if reading his mind, Hange smiled and said. "Oh don't worry, you're not the only one I invited. Of course, I invited my friends too, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't invite them to the competition. Also, that's only if you're free, I'm not forcing you or anything."
"Though, it would be great if you can come as a birthday present" Hange insisted, their eyes sparkling with so much hope, that even Levi struggled in denying her invitation.
Levi has no plans of turning down her invitation anyway. It was just a quiz bee and since he doesn't have anything to do that day, he might as well waste his time watching the quiz bee. So with that matter settled, his focus was on an entirely different thing.
"When is your birthday?"
Crap. He blurted it out without thinking, he didn't mean to say it out loud. He was curious about the exact date but he didn't want that person to know he was curious about their life. That person being Hange Zoe.
"Oh....."Hange trailed, a sly smile making its way on her face. She fixed her glasses and by doing that action, Levi can feel the smug aura radiating around her.
"I won't tell you my birthday unless you come to the competition" Hange asserted as she flashes a smile in Levi's direction.
Levi groaned internally and with his tone completely neutral, he complained. "You said you aren't going to force me."
The moment he let those words out was the moment he realized his mistake. What he said completely showed his fascination regarding the date of Hange's birthday, he just did the exact opposite of what he was trying to avoid earlier and Hange won't let him escape this one.
"It's not forcing you. I'm not forcing you to do anything. All I said is that I would tell you my birthday if you come to the competition. In the end, you still make the decision and you have the choice to not attend if you really don't want to. I don't see how I'm forcing you by doing this." Hange explained, her smile getting wider when she witnessed the dumbfounded look on his face.
What Hange just said was long and it all made sense. It is true that Hange isn't forcing Levi and it's still his choice to make whether he attends the quiz bee competition or not so he doesn't have any idea how to respond to the brunette who is waiting for an answer. Luckily, Levi was saved by the bell. the literal bell.
With its deafening sound, both Levi and Hange forgot about the conversation they are currently having and were reminded that they still have classes after this which resulted in them leaving the rooftop and going to their classroom together. Before Hange left the rooftop, she felt like she's missing something and stopped walking to recall what exactly was missing.
She was standing in the middle of the hallway when Levi called out to her.
"Oi, four-eyes" he shouted to get her attention, it successfully worked and Hange just remembered what she's missing, what she was forgetting.
What she is missing is called pressure. Earlier, Hange was alone on the rooftop, reviewing for the quiz bee. And, while she knows she can pull off the quiz bee competition, pressure from all the expectations was still present inside of her. But, when Levi entered the rooftop, his mere presence alone just rid of all the pressure Hange was feeling. Being around Levi truly is comforting for Hange and she feels like she doesn't have to watch herself around him.
Though they only met for a few days, Hange is truly glad to have met someone with such an effect on her.
The next day, there were no classes because it was a weekend and there's no need to attend classes. However, while there might be no classes, Hange resumed her studying and reviewing for the upcoming quiz bee competition she's taking part in. Or at least, her day was supposed to go like that if she wasn't missing anything important.
"Where" Hange peeked under the couch, under the bed, practically circled the entirety of her house just to search for that missing thing but still, she found nothing.
"Where the hell is??" Hange paused, lifting every object that comes her way in hopes of finding whatever she's missing.
A few minutes later, she allowed herself to rest for a little while on the couch and call Nanaba, irritated with how her own day turned out.
"Where the heck is my reviewer???" Hange groaned as she talks to Nanaba on her phone. Hange's initial reason for calling Nanaba is to ask her if she knew where Hange put the reviewer.
"How would I know? It's probably just there in your house. Did you check your room already?" Nanaba tried to calm down her friend who is close to having a crisis over a missing notebook.
When Hange did not give Nanaba a proper reply, Nanaba sighed. "Is that reviewer that important? you can just review online these days?"
"It is important. All my notes are there. It's easier for me to understand things when I write it down so everything is there." Hange whined, slowly losing hope of finding that notebook. Well, she supposes that she can always review online but it's not the same as reading and scribbling notes on that notebook. There's also another reason, she might have had put some personal notes in that notebook regarding the occurrences with the memory flashbacks.
Nanaba's reply was cut short by another call from Hange's phone. It was an unknown number calling her but since she has no reason to refuse, she just picked it up and answered it.
"oi four eyes, I found your shitty notebook"
Those were the only words that came from the phone call and after that, the beeping sound was heard by the other end, indicating that the phone call is over.
As soon as the phone call ended, Hange checked the contacts and saved them for the sake of sending a quick message. She had no problem recognizing the unknown number that was called earlier since the voice was distinguishable and recognizable.
Hange quickly typed "shorty" and set it as the contact name for the unknown number. There's no need for Hange to ask who he is, so far, only one person has called her with the "four-eyes" nickname.
Once she saved the contact, Hange typed a message to Levi. It read:
"How did you find my number?"
Seeing as that message might have been rude, Hange sent another message.
"thank you btw for informing me about the notebook"
Hange waited for a few seconds then there was a reply from Levi.
"I got it from your friends. Do you need the notebook today?"
When she saw Levi's message, she felt bad about what she's about to type. As much as possible, Hange didn't want to bother Levi especially if he's busy but...
"umm yeah, I kinda do need it today...if you're free can we meet up so I can get the notebook?"
Hange expected that she wouldn't get a reply or that her message would be left in read. Surprisingly, it only took a few seconds before there was another notification coming from the phone.
It was a reply from Levi, it read:
"I'm free. Where do we meet up"
Hange didn't even take a minute as she typed her reply.
"The cafe near the school are you alright with that?"
Levi didn't reply to that message, he just left it on seen and for some reason, that was enough for Hange to know that he's alright with meeting at the coffee shop to return her notebook.
When she arrived at the meeting place, Levi is already sitting at one of the tables as he does something with his phone. Hange approached him and sat in front of him.
"Thank you for waiting," Hange said, trying to catch her breath after all that running to go here.
Levi said nothing and just slide the notebook across the table. After that, he was about to stand up and take his leave but Hange held him by the wrists in an attempt to stop his departure. That action made him stare at his wrist and then at the brunette as he waits for an explanation.
Hange removed her hands from Levi's wrist and started. "You took the time to get here just to return my notebook. You're probably busy but you agreed to meet up anyway. I'd feel guilty if I don't get you anything in return."
With the words that are escaping Hange's mouth, Levi practically predicted what will come next and was even about to deny the offer I'd Hange didn't speak first.
Hange didn't give Levi a chance to say another word when she said. "I also ordered for the both of us already so...."
Since the situation turned out like this, he has no choice but to stay with the brunette. Besides, it would be rude if he leaves now when Hange already ordered for both of them.
Hange probably ordered in advance with the intention of leaving Levi no choice but to stay and not deny her offer.
While waiting, Hange initiated a conversation about the incident with the notebook today.
She shouldn't have been so straightforward about it but that's the kind of person Hange is so she ended up blurting out her question. "Did you see what was written on the notebook?"
"No," Levi answered quickly, not even wasting a second.
Seeing Hange's somehow doubtful look made him state his explanation. "Unlike you four-eyes, I actually know the meaning of privacy. It's also easy to distinguish your handwriting because it's shittier than the others."
"Well... that's true" Hange muttered as she sends a smile over to Levi, indicating that she believed him.
Another topic would've started a new conversation but it was interrupted by the arrival of their orders. Once the waiter left the food on their table, silence and the background noise from the cafe were the only sounds that the both of them were hearing.
Surprisingly, the silence wasn't uncomfortable for Hange so she just stayed quiet as she reviewed the contents of her notebook and ate her food. While reading, the thought crossed her mind that the action she's doing might be rude since she just started reading out of the blue, not paying attention to Levi who was sitting in front of her while looking at his tea.
It's already a bit late to ask for permission but Hange did it anyway. "Is it ok if I review here?"
Levi answered with a nod as he finally drinks his tea. From the corner of Hange's eyes, she noticed that Levi's eyes widened a bit the moment he tasted the beverage which lead Hange to ask.
"Did I pick the wrong choice? I just picked that from the menu because I assumed you're a tea person." Hange stated then went into another realization that she actually doesn't know if Levi's a tea person or not but, somewhere in her bizarre memories there was something telling her that Levi is indeed a tea person. And unconsciously, she believed it.
Levi replied, quite taken aback by Hange's statement. "I prefer drinking tea so you didn't make a wrong choice four-eyes."
Hange smiled at the fact that she was right. She should have continued reviewing and reading the notes from her notebook just like she was supposed to do. Her focus should only be on the things she's reviewing right now yet, she decided to multitask.
Asking questions about Levi to check if the weird memories in her head makes sense while still managing to review for the quiz bee competition - it shouldn't be that hard right?
With that thought in mind, she allowed herself to ask another question.
"Is black tea your favorite?" She questioned, wanting to test if the bizarre memories that suddenly popped into her mind are correct.
Just as she expected, there was only a nod that came from Levi as an answer. She didn't mind that kind of response so she resumed.
This time, the question is about a different topic but something she already asked before.
"What's your favorite color?" Hange asked, eagerly waiting for an answer from the shorty. For some reason, there was this unknown desire inside of her that wanted to know something as simple as Levi's favorite color.
Levi was hesitant in answering that question so Hange answered her own question instead in hopes that Levi will be encouraged to follow after her.
"My favorite color is actually...green" Hange revealed.
At that moment, she should've stopped herself from saying another word. But, she did the exact opposite and explained the reason why green is her favorite color.
"There's something about the color green that makes it calming. When I look at the color I feel at peace and there's just this....." Hange paused, realizing that it's probably strange for Levi to watch someone who talks about the color green so passionately.
She facepalmed in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. "Why am I talking to you about this"
Levi stared at the brunette for a while then finally decided to answer. It was only one word but it was enough for Hange to remove their face out of their hands.
"Purple." Levi blurted out, not saying anything else as he resumed drinking his tea.
Hange blinked a few times and then tilted her head, observing the objects Levi has with him. Almost all of them were purple, his phone case was purple, his handkerchief was purple and even the shirt he's wearing is purple. It must really be a favorite color of Levi's if almost everything he owns is tinted with purple.
Then again, Hange's similar to him in that way. Right now, she's wearing a green shirt, her notebook is green and even if it doesn't look like it because of the dirt, her phone case is also green colored.
Hange smiled at their similarity and deciding that she's satisfied with the information she attained from Levi, she went back to reviewing for the quiz bee competition.
They stayed for one more hour, enjoying the food Hange ordered for the both of them. When both of them were done, they left the cafe together and even walked home together until they reached the place where they have to split up.
"Thank you for today and for bringing this notebook to me," Hange said, a smile on her face to show that she's truly grateful.
There was no reply from Levi just like always so Hange just waved goodbye and started walking the opposite way since it's the way back home. But, before she can walk too far, she heard something.
"Good luck with the quiz bee four-eyes" Levi stated and then also started walking the opposite way to not meet Hange's eyes. Even with his back turned around, he can practically feel the smile on her face and that makes Levi quite glad somehow.
The feeling is the same for Hange. As she turned her back once again to walk the opposite way, she stared at her green notebook and realized that maybe it's not bad that her day turned out like this.
The day of the competition came and the victorious student of the quiz bee is none other than Hange Zoe. From start to finish, she already exceeded the rest of them and had a huge gap when it comes to scores. It seems that her reviewing paid off, she was able to answer each question faster compared to the other contestants. Not only that, all of her answers were correct and resulted in a perfect score.
Her performance amazed the audience and amongst the audience are her friends that she invited and of course, her new friend Levi.
While he was watching Hange from the audience, he was amazed by how Hange answered each question correctly. But, the one that really took his attention is how happy Hange is whenever she answers a question. He notices that whenever she gets an answer correct, she always smiles and mutters what seems to be a small "yay".
At that moment, Levi thought that happiness really fits Hange's personality. She's like the sun whenever she's happy.
The competition already ended and there was really no need for Hange to chat with her fellow competitors. But there she is, being congratulated by both her friends and rivals from earlier. Of course, Levi will congratulate her too later.
For now, he'll just leave Hange with her friends as he stays at the corner of the venue. Though, it turns out that there was no need to wait until Hange's free since it was Hange herself who approached him.
In such a gleeful manner, she waved at him and exclaimed. "So you came after all"
"Do you really want to know my birthday so bad" Hange teased, walking closer to his spot.
Levi raised an eyebrow, confused at what she meant. He was full of unspoken questions and Hange gave an end to the questions by answering.
"Didn't I told you that if you attend the competition as part of the audience, I'd also tell you my birthday?" Hange explained.
Now that Levi thinks about it, Hange did say that in one of their rooftop lunches together. Although, the reason why Levi attended the competition is not because of that reason.
He simply didn't have anything to do and decided to tag along with Isabel and Farlan since they were attending the quiz bee competition as guests anyway. He was stuck in his thoughts when suddenly, Hange reminded him of reality by stating certain information that got his attention.
"Today," Hange announced while she looks at Levi, expecting some reaction from him.
It wasn't much but Hange noticed the slight widening of his eyes for a second before it returned to its normal state. That action was amusing to Hange and she wanted to know more about his possible reactions as she continued her announcement earlier. "Today's my birthday"
Despite Levi not looking like it at all, Hange knows he's confused and speechless, not knowing what to say with the information he has just gotten. Well, Hange can't blame Levi, she took him by surprise after all.
To save him from any more confusion, Hange added. "Don't worry about it, the celebration will be two days from now and of course you're invited!!"
She would have said more details about the celebration but people were calling her for the photoshoot and she needed to attend to them as soon as possible. Though against her will, she said goodbye to Levi and started walking to the crowd that was waiting for her.
Hange is certain that the crowd created a lot of noise and there was no way for her to hear whatever she heard earlier. But she did hear it clearly and even remembered the exact words.
It was a whisper and amongst the noise and chaos, she shouldn't have heard it. Yet she did.
"Happy birthday shitty glasses"
Those were the words that she remembered and when she heard them, Hange couldn't stop the smile that formed in her face that when she was asked to smile for the camera, her smile looked radiant than ever paired with the shining gold medal she earned.
Unknown to her, Levi was watching her smile in front of the camera. And for Levi, seeing that smile was enough for him to get convinced and attend the celebration Hange just invited him to.
Besides, it's not like he has anything to do anyway. He might as well attend.
When the day of Hange's birthday celebration came, Levi went to her house completely prepared. On his hand was his gift for Hange, it wasn't anything special, it's just something he bought yesterday that anyone can use. Honestly, if he was informed of Hange's birthday then he might have bought a better gift like a cake or something.
Although, what he has right now as a gift isn't so bad he supposes.
He rang on the doorbell of the house, hoping that this is the correct house and not some random stranger's house. It took a while for somebody to answer so he thought of leaving and turned around to do just that.
But then, the sound of an opening door stopped his tracks and made him look back to what and who opened the door.
It was none other than the birthday celebrant and when Levi looked at the person in front of him, he couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth.
"You look shitty" Levi blurted out, his face neutral.
Hange just rolled her eyes and moved to the right side of the door to let Levi enter. "Why how very observant of you, yes I am aware of how I look thank you very much."
Levi entered the house, inspected it, and then went to observe the brunette. He noticed that she really wasn't in a good state, there were bags under her eyes and her hair is messier than the usual hair she wears.
Once again, he couldn't stop himself from blurting out. "Are you sick or something?"
Hange widened her eyes then averted Levi's gaze as she lets out a nervous chuckle. "Uhhhhhhhhhh"
Hange had no time to answer since Nanaba suddenly interrupted her with a shout. "Hangeee, you shouldn't be standing up for the love of-"
Nanaba blinked before acknowledging the presence of the short man. She completely forgot that Levi was also invited to the birthday celebration. "Oh, Levi's here. Sorry about that as you can see, Hange isn't in the very best condition"
Levi raised his eyebrow at Hange, clearly seeing what a mess Hange's state is.
'Welllll...I'll explain later. For now, just go serve yourself with the food." Hange stated, taking Levi by the hand and leading him to the living room of her house.
Levi spotted familiar faces in the living room. He figured that Hange probably invited them too since Farlan and Isabel are also here.
Hange pointed at the long table and said to Levi. "You can leave the gift there. The food is in the kitchen so go eat if you want to. If you need me, I'll be sitting at the couch."
Levi did as she said. After leaving his gift along with the other gifts, he went straight to the kitchen and got some food. While in the kitchen. he noticed that no adults nor Hange's parents weren't around. It was weird considering that it's Hange's birthday celebration yet they were nowhere to be seen.
Levi shrugged the thought off his mind and returned to the living room with his plate at hand. Just like what Hange said, Levi found her on the couch. However, she was not sitting on the couch.
Instead, she was laying down on the couch, her arm covering her eyes as she let out a groan.
"WHYYY DO I HAVE SUCH BAD TIMING" Hange complained, her arm still covering her eyes.
Levi sat down on a spare couch as he watches the conversation between Nanaba and Hange. He expected that Nanaba would give some sort of reassurance to the sick brunette but instead, what she got was a lecture.
"You know, this wouldn't have happened if you didn't overwork yourself yesterday. You barely slept and you haven't even eaten dinner. No wonder you ended up sick today. What's more, is that the things you were overworking with aren't even due today or next week!" Nanaba told her friend, her arms crossed as she sent Hange a disapproving look.
While Hange knows that Nanaba is just showing concern about her wellbeing, She isn't really in the mood right now for such lectures. Not when her headaches cause her to feel so dizzy that she can barely comprehend what the hell is happening around her surroundings. She starts to think that it was a bad idea to overwork. Well, she honestly didn't mean to overwork, Hange just lost track of time.
"ughhh" she groaned and then opened one eye to check what was happening. She saw Levi peacefully eating his food and without any warning, Hange broke that peace when she requested something.
It's probably because she was sick that she doesn't know what she's doing when she started talking about certain food.
"Porridge, Rice porridge, Levi cook me rice porridgeeeeeee" Hange whined, obviously joking.
At that request, everyone was confused since Hange haven't tasted rice porridge yet, and to make things even more confusing, Levi agreed.
No one expected Levi to agree to Hange's silly and out-of-the-blue request. Not even Hange themselves expected this kind of outcome.
For 10 minutes, Levi stayed in the kitchen and cooked rice porridge for the birthday celebrant's request. He's pretty good at cooking so it's no problem for him to prepare rice porridge. It also helped that the refrigerator at Hange's house has enough ingredients for rice porridge.
After ten minutes, he finished cooking it and put it in one bowl. He started walking back to the living room where Hange and the others are staying. Only then, did Levi realize that he only made rice porridge for Hange and Hange alone.
He placed the bowl of porridge on the table for Hange to eat. Though it's a bit of a struggle, Hange sat upright and looked at Levi, saying her gratitude.
"You really didn't have to go make me rice porridge... I was only kidding but still, thanks" Hange thanked him and moved the spoon closer to her mouth in order to taste the porridge.
Before she can eat it, Levi interrupted. "Don't expect anything about the taste."
Hange didn't reply to what Levi said and focused on the food in front of her. Her eyes widened the moment she tasted the porridge Levi cooked for her.
She wasn't surprised that it tasted delicious. Somehow, thanks to the weird memories that enter Hange's mind every now and then, she already formulated the image that he's a clean freak and is good at cooking even though he hasn't said a word about it to Hange.
At first, Hange just shrugged those memories off since there's no proof that Levi is like that. However, now that she tasted the porridge he prepared and saw how much he minds cleanliness.....Maybe those weird memories are right after all.
While eating the porridge, Hange seem to enter another daze and almost dropped the spoon she was holding.
Inside Hange's mind, she saw a certain scenario where someone was cooking something and brewing some tea. At this point, Hange wasn't surprised at the person she's watching in his memories right now. Ever since she met Levi, all of the memories so far are about a certain man that looks oddly similar to Levi.
What caught Hange off guard is not the man in her memories but rather, it's what her role is inside the memory because normally, Hange is just a mere spectator as she watches the events unfurl inside of her mind. That is not the case right now since she is in the actual scene, not bound by anything which means she is free to do any action and even speak.
Confused about what to do, she observed her surroundings first and sure enough, the familiar man is actually in front of her. His face was a bit blurred though, almost as if she wasn't wearing her glasses.
Hange widened her eyes, realizing something. Her hand moved up her face, feeling her eyes to check if she's wearing the pair of glasses she always has on her face. Just as she thought, the glasses weren't on her face which explains the blurry eyesight.
"Hange"
Someone called and by instinct, Hange moved her head to look at the source of the voice. It was the same man from before and since Hange doesn't have her glasses on, she had to blink several times in hopes of her sight improving even just a little bit. To her avail, it did not work and probably just looked strange.
"Tch, here's your damn shitty glasses," The man said, extending his hand to Hange in order to give her the glasses.
Hange took it from him and mutter a short thanks. After that, it was filled with silence. Surprisingly though, the silence wasn't awkward at all which is strange considering Hange's situation itself is weird and awkward, it doesn't make sense that she feels so natural and comfortable around this man who she doesn't even know but obviously knows her.
There was a table in front of Hange and near that table was a chair where the man sat while holding his teacup weirdly. He then initiated a conversation, breaking the comfortable silence. "Your assistant told me you haven't been eating." @
Unsure of what to say, Hange only gave a nod as she watched the man in front of her move a bowl in her direction. Hange looked down at what was served to her... At the very least, it looks edible.
No. "Just edible" is not the correct description for the food in front of Hange right now. Rather, it looked appetizing and Hange couldn't wait to taste it.
Hange might not fully recognize the person who gave her the food but based on how he appears, the look of concern in his eyes, Hange concluded that he can be trusted. She's way too at ease with him.
It has the same feeling as whenever Hange is with Levi where the comfort of each other's appearance is enough.
She picked up the spoon from the bowl, suddenly feeling nostalgic because she already did this action earlier when Levi cooked her porridge. Speaking of Levi, the man in front of Hange right now and the Levi she knows are oddly similar just like always.
That's not such a strange detail to Hange anymore since the man she sees is always similar to Levi he was just a little bit older. But to add to more similarities, both Levi and the man use the same nickname for Hange, and not only that, they both cook porridge too.
At first, Hange thought it was just a coincidence but with all these similarities continuously showing itself every single time she discovers these bizarre memories.
Hange's starting to think that it might not be a coincidence. Maybe, just maybe, the man in front of her right now and the Levi she knows is actually just the same person.
The same person but just reincarnated.
What if her memories are actually a glimpse of her past life. That would explain why it often mirrors the reality she's in. It's because they already met before and Hange's memories are just showing her how the past Hange used to treat her friends.
It all seems possible. However, without any proof, Hange won't acknowledge that kind of conclusion just yet since there's always a chance that she has gone insane and full delusional. She needs to know something first before arriving at a conclusion.
And that something she needs to know is served right in front of her - the bowl of porridge. She must know if it tastes exactly the same as the one Levi gave her earlier.
If it does taste exactly the same, then Hange found her answer and she would finally accept the fact Hange has been avoiding all her life. The fact that they have already met in a past life and believe in such things as reincarnation.
Hange looked down at the food in front of her, picked the spoon, and moved it closer to her mouth. As the spoon moves closer, she instantly recognized the aroma of the porridge. It was very familiar.
Taking a deep breath would have looked like she's overexaggerating her actions so she just put it in her mouth as fast as she could - which was a mistake since she forgot to let the porridge cool down and now the scorching hot porridge in her throat caused a cough or two from Hange.
While still coughing from the heat of the porridge, her hand moved by instinct as she searched for anything that might rid of the hot sensation in her throat. However, the coughing still hasn't stopped and now it's even affecting her eyesight. Everything that surrounds Hange is getting blurred out and slowly fading away from her view each time she lets out a cough.
Included in the blurry surroundings was the silhouette of a man rushing over to Hange's direction, concerned about Hange's state because her coughing won't stop.
But, surprisingly, when Hange felt a hand tap her back, the coughing miraculously stopped and it was like it never happened at all. Soon, her vision started to adjust and became more clear too.
Hange waited for her vision to become fully normal and clear so that she can thank the man properly. However, when her vision finally adjusted, she found herself not in the same place anymore. The man who was with Hange earlier is no longer beside her.
Instead, the man from the place in her memories earlier was replaced by someone she knew, and that someone was Levi who is oddly in the same pose as the mysterious man from the place in her dreams.
Hange looked at him for a few more seconds then she noticed that despite how neutral Levi's expression appears, he was actually worried about Hange. She can even see some guilt in his eyes for some reason which she attempted to remove by speaking.
"Thank you" Hange blurted out.
The moment those words were spoken, Levi realized the situation they were in and suddenly removed his hands from Hange's back and moved away to avert the knowing looks of Hange's friends directed at him.
At the awkward action Levi did, Hange couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face. She thought it was impossible to smile more but she thought wrong.
"I should have told you that the porridge was hot...sorry" Levi muttered, his gaze still not meeting Hange's.
It seems that he truly was feeling guilty because Hange wasn't informed that the porridge he prepared was hot and almost burned her tongue.
As a way to possibly rid Levi of his unnecessary guilt, Hange raised two of her fingers and formed a peace sign while an assuring smile is on her face. "Don't worry, it's kind of my fault for suddenly eating the porridge without even checking if I can handle the temperature or not"
"And besides, the porridge tasted exactly like the man fro-" Hange added but then suddenly paused when she witnessed the confused expressions on her friend's faces. Since her friends aren't aware of the sudden bizarre memories that enter her mind, she probably shouldn't have said anything so she chuckled, hoping that no one questions what she just said.
Luckily, Hange got what she wanted and no one questioned her. Instead, Nanaba told Hange to go sleep because she did develop a fever after overworking herself.
She wanted to say that she was alright and can continue just fine but that would be lying since she still feels a little bit dizzy. Maybe she really does need to sleep for a little while so that the dizziness that Hange is experiencing will finally be gone once she wakes up.
She laid her head on the pillow and finally felt comfortable. The people around her spoke in hushed voices so that Hange can fall asleep - their hushed voices just set the comfortable mood for Hange and became easier for her to fall asleep.
But before she falls asleep, she has one thought in her mind about her memories.
A conclusion is already made, she will no longer deny it - her memories are actually memories from a past life.
And in that past life, there is a story no one knows. A story that even Hange doesn't know. But that's exactly what makes her determined and eager to find out what happens in that story no one knows.
Hange was always a curious person, if there's something Hange doesn't know, they just find it out. And this thing with reincarnation and past life - these are things Hange isn't familiar with so naturally, it makes her curious.
And Hange Zoe's curiosity knows no limits. Therefore, she has set a goal already. She wants to know what are the reasons for these past life memories and why are they happening.
No. She needs to know the reason behind this. And, she needs to know the story that no one knows. Everything has a reason and surely, even if this isn't all scientific - there's a reason for this too.
She will know the reason for this and understand the story no one knows.
But for now, Hange's dizziness is torturing her and she needs to rest. So before surrendering to her sleepiness, she informed people that she was about to doze off by saying.
"See you later guys" Hange yawned, closing their eyes since Hange thought no one would reply. However, once again she thought wrong because someone replied to what Hange said.
"See you later, Hange"
And at that moment, when those words were said, Hange wasn't sure if she fell asleep and entered a dream......or if she's once again back in her memories.