𝙵𝙰𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙵𝙾𝚁 𝙼𝚈 𝙻𝙰𝚆𝚈𝙴𝚁

Chapter 22

"Here we are."

Eren looked around the room, his gaze immediately falling on the one corner filled with toys, a small desk, and an equally small plastic chair. His eyes lit up at the sight. But he hesitated in stepping toward them.

"Go on," M/n encouraged. "It's alright. S/n doesn't mind sharing."

With that nudge, Eren walked toward the corner, not knowing what to do first. Eventually, he settled on setting his snacks down on the table. On the other side of the room, M/n hung up his blazer and sat down in his chair.

He motioned toward the TV. "It's alright if you want to turn it on. There's plenty of cartoons to watch."

It took a lot of encouragement on M/n's part, but Eren eventually got comfortable watching cartoons and eating his snacks happily. With Eren settled, M/n turned to his computer, wanting to gather more information about the orphanage.

At first glance, it seemed rather ordinary. However, the trouble began when he looked through the various reviews left about the organization.

"Horrible conditions for a child"

"Dusty... Is no one maintaining a sense of cleanliness in that building?"

"If anyone can, please adopt a child"

"The only reason this organization is still up is because they keep evading inspection"

"Can't bring them under... Employees are very watchful of any cameras that enter"

"I feel for the children... They're kept under unacceptable conditions"

"Hmm..." M/n hummed to himself, taking a mental note of the reviews he'd read.

Delving further, he learned that most of the children had fallen ill because of the same gross conditions. Those who did manage to sneak a picture reported being threatened to delete the picture and were then kicked out immediately.

It seemed there was more trouble than he'd previously believed. If even the reviews were this negative, he couldn't imagine how badly the children were treated. Something had to be done. If no one else could take action, then he'd use any resources he had at his disposal.

M/n grabbed his phone and got up from his desk. "Eren."

The boy looked toward him, giving him his full attention. "I'm stepping out for a few minutes. Is that alright?"

"Umm..."

"Don't worry," M/n said with a small smile. "I'm sticking close. Just down the hall."

"Oh... Alright," Eren responded with a nod.

"I'll be back in a few minutes. So, you can keep watching cartoons. No one else will come in, so don't be nervous."

With that reassurance, Eren relaxed and nodded again. M/n nodded in return and closed the door behind him. He looked down at his phone and pulled up the contact. As he waited for the person on the other line to pick up, he started heading toward an empty meeting room.

"Smith speaking."

"It's M/n," he replied.

Sol, one of the floor secretaries, was about to call out to him as he passed by but took notice of his serious demeanor. She stopped herself and continued watching as he disappeared into the now-empty meeting room.

"Erwin," the (h/c)-ette said, closing the door behind him. "Listen. I've got a problem that I need some help with."

"What is it?"