Victory Means Validation

"I came to this fight with everything I have riding on the results!!"

- Annie to Survey Club members

Victory Means Validation (勝てば正義) is the 2nd chapter of the 2nd volume and the 10th chapter overall of the Attack on Titan: Junior High manga, written and illustrated by.

Overview
A three round match of rock paper scissors is decided, with Eren vs. Annie being the deciding vote on whether the Survey Club stays active. When Eren is about to win, he again asks Annie why she holds a grudge against him; he learns that it is due to them sharing the same favorite food and Annie was unable to say it after Eren did on the first day of school. Annie then lets go of her desire to dissolve the club and soon becomes friends with Eren.

Summary
Everyone pulls straws and the three matches are decided. The first has Sasha vs. Marlowe. After Sasha tries bribing Marlowe with candy, they start and Sasha is able to come out victorious. Jean and Hitch go up next, with Hitch winning and tying it with one win apiece. Due to how Hitch won, Jean argues with the result but Armin says it follows with the rules and still counts as a win. The final round pits Eren against Annie; before they start, Eren honestly asks Annie why she seems to hate him so much. Still refusing to admit the reason, Annie insists they begin.

They begin and get a draw. Trying again, another draw occurs; this goes on for thirty minutes until Hange declares sudden death. Annie remarks that Eren is harder to beat than she imagined. Eren replies that he is fighting for his friends, his honor and to learn why Annie has a grudge against him. Going once more, Annie's hand slips away due to the sweat and sees Eren about to win but nothing happens. The others and Annie herself ask Eren what he is doing, but he merely responds that by showing mercy, he hopes that Annie will change and reveal the source of her grudge. Otherwise, they can just keep going.

Surprised by this, Annie accuses Eren of kissing up to her but the latter asks if her secret is really worth dragging this out by not willing to tell him. Annie looks down and said that was never her intention, confusing Eren. She then blurts out that Eren mentioned during the welcoming ceremony that he liked cheeseburgers as his favorite food; since it is her favorite but Eren said it first, Annie could not say it also in fear of being shamed and that it is Eren's fault. He apologizes and moves to finish the game, but Annie admits she probably over-reacted to the whole thing and admits defeat. The next day during lunch, Annie comes over to Eren, Armin and Mikasa and asks if she can join them. Sitting down next to Eren, Annie notices that Eren dropped his cheeseburger and offers hers to him. Eren thanks her, and they become friends, causing Mikasa to become jealous.