-Annual Ring Age-Seven Sounds

Summer is followed by a long rainy season. Unknowingly, the autumn rain washes away the scorching heat, summer clothes are replaced by autumn clothes, and the maple leaves are reddened by cold frost.

This is time.

Sitting in the classroom, Allen propped his chin up to watch the drizzle outside the window wash away the dust of this floating world.

Rain can wash away the filth on the outside, but it cannot cleanse the heart...

"Alan, what are you doing?"

"Ah?" Turning his head, he happened to see a boy with blond hair full of doubts on his face. "It's you, Armin."

"Strange, didn't you go to the cafeteria with Mikasa? You were very active in the past."

"It's nothing, I don't want to eat..."

The blond boy blinked and stared at him suspiciously.

"Anything on your mind?"

"No... I mean, I don't know." Allen lay on the table depressed. "I've been worrying about this for a long time..."

"Tell me." Sitting down in front of him, Armin looked very serious.

"Eh..." Allen seemed even more distressed. "I... I don't know how to describe it..."

"Is it difficult?"

"No...not..." He was a little evasive. "I said... Armin, do you like your father?"

"Well, of course."

"No... I'm not talking about that kind of liking, but..." Alan looked away unnaturally, and Alan seemed to turn red even at the base of his ears.

"What's that like?" the blond boy was confused.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but hesitated and closed it again.After repeating this several times, Allen sighed.

"Forget it, you won't understand even if you say it."

So he just stuck his whole body on the table, looking downcast.

"Ellen..."

Armin seemed worried. "Are you sick? It's been weird recently."

"Strange? Is there?"

"Didn't you realize that as long as your father is not around, you are very gloomy..." Armin said with certainty as if stating the facts. "It's like a different person."

When Levi isn't around?

Am I weird?

yes……

Actually...it has become like this...

"Hey! Almin!" He suddenly raised his head, startling the blond boy in front of him.

"Varied……"

"Please let me stay at your house for a few days! Okay!"

Very firm eyes.

"Huh?!" Armin fell back in surprise, almost knocking over the chair. "Why all of a sudden... are you serious?"

"kindness!"

He thought about it, the only way to solve the current situation is to avoid it temporarily, and it is only a moment to be able to hide for a while.

Maybe it's cowardly, but cowardice is also a process of growing up.

He wants to be strong, so strong that he no longer depends on Levi.

You could call him crazy.

Yes, crazy, crazy.

I don't know when, the surprise of meeting that man at the beginning has disappeared, replaced by confusion, impatience and loss of what to do.

He fears this change...

Subconsciously he knew he wanted more, but that was impossible.

However, after thinking about it for so long, he has settled on one thing.

He likes Levi.

No, to be precise, it's not like, it's love.

Just like Ludwig III who was bewitched, the boy named Allen was attracted by a black demon when he was ignorant of the unknown.

Gentle, strong, cruel.

Yes, that's not an angel, it's a demon...

***

"No! I won't allow it."

Sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, the man has a firm expression.

"Why? Almin's parents agreed..."

"They are them! I am me!" Rarely angry, Levi spoke with displeasure. "I'm worried about putting you in someone else's house."

"I'm already 11 years old! I know how to take care of myself." The boy also showed a rare look of refusing to admit defeat. "And Armin is not an outsider!"

"Is he not an outsider? Then I am an outsider, right?"

The man stood up abruptly from the sofa, his black eyes full of anger reflected the stubborn face of the young man.

"Levi, I'm not..."

"Enough! Stop before I get really mad!" Levi threatens viciously. "You don't have the right to talk back to me until you're an adult!"

"This is not fair!"

"This world is inherently unfair. Children should obey their parents! I really dote on you too much."

"Well..." Allen was speechless for a moment, and this sentence directly hit his sore spot.

It's because you dote on me too much...

Yes, it's all because you spoil me too much.

Why?Why are you so nice to me? !

Rescuing people from the edge of darkness, and protecting me like a hero, did you just want to push me into another bottomless pit? !

so cruel...

Why can you stare at me so indifferently.

Why can you play with my body without expression.

Why do you always treat me like a brat? !

Why?Why?Why? !

Obviously you are so important to me!What I mean to you is just an 'obedient child'?

woo-

"Levi! You don't know anything!"

Tears poured out of his eyes, and Alan covered his mouth and fled back to the room.

The spirit, like the mood, collapses.

But it was Levi who was beaten up at this time, he was stunned by Allen's crying just now, and all the accusations were swallowed back.

Made the kid cry.

made him cry again...

All of a sudden sober.

"Damn, what the hell am I doing." He patted his forehead, trying to calm down.

Yelling like an idiot.

What a stupid way of teaching...

Depressedly, he collapsed on the sofa, and the man covered his face with a pillow beside him.

For some reason, just now when he thought that Alan was going to leave him, he couldn't calm down, and immediately denied it as if his blood was rushing.

So, children will leave their parents one day, right?

As reluctant as he is, what will Allen do when he becomes an adult.He didn't want to be one of those parents on TV who send their kids to old age.

Well, maybe it's like what Han Ji said, I'm a little overprotective...

Depressed, confused, guilty.

Getting up, he paced to the door of the study.After hesitating again and again, he knocked on the door.

"Alan, are you okay?"

……

"I mean...sorry, I got a little excited..."

……

"Well, it doesn't matter if you don't forgive me."

……

There was no movement.

Sure enough, still angry.

"Then... go to bed early."

Turning around, the man was about to leave with a heavy heart, when the door behind him suddenly opened.

Before he could react, a pair of hands hugged his waist tightly from behind.

surprise.

"Ellen?"

"Levi, will you stay with me tonight..." The boy's voice was trembling, with a crying tone, which was particularly distressing. "I have something to tell you."

With heat coming from his back, Levi felt that familiar palpitation again.

Damn.

He is absolutely insane.