Erwin could feel a number of eyes observing him from across the podium of the city hall's jampacked auditorium. The recent murder had compelled the PPD and the mayor to call for a press conference in order to quell the growing fears among the citizenry. The media looked more antagonistic than usual but Erwin ignored their stares and tried to concentrate on the paper he held in his hand. It might seem like he was practicing his speech but it was actually a print of the recipe for beef curry that he wanted to cook for Hange this weekend. He badly missed her. They both had too much stuff going on that lately, they didn't have the time and opportunity to talk outside of work. He couldn't even fit his personal endeavors into his schedule which was why he took that little free time he had to read a recipe while waiting for the presscon to go on-air.

The media must have been wondering what was in the document he was poring over which of course was nothing but a blend of spices and beef chuck. Majority of the audience especially the new reporters were watching him closely. It was apparent that a few were not a fan of him judging by how frequent they side-eyed him while they talked to their fellow detractors. Some were busy writing down notes and did not give a f**k about him nor their colleagues. They were the ones he found most challenging because he couldn't read what they were thinking.

It wasn't the buzz from the waiting crowd that distracted Erwin though. The mayor's shenanigans were quite audible from behind him. Wald was speaking with his young secretary in a sleazy voice asking if she wanted some "eggs benedict" for lunch because he was craving for some "fresh oysters." Erwin was certain that the mayor's indiscretion would make it to the blind item column of tomorrow's tabloid. People just pretended not to take notice even Mike who was just an arm's length away from the city's top official.

His former partner was keeping quiet the entire time. This was a different persona that Mike had been putting on when he's out in public. He was known for being a man of few words who followed Erwin around like a body guard, and subdued escaping perps at his command. Mike was more amicable than Erwin in real life. He had more input in investigations than what most people would give him credit for. Upon the request of the captain, Mike had agreed to play this role a little longer. Higher ups didn't think it was a good idea for Levi to join presscons with Erwin when rumors about the Ripper's return started spreading around the city. Erwin fully supported this course of action. He was not yet confident that Levi could control his temper when confronted about his relation to the Ripper. The kid wasn't used to being in the limelight while Mike had years of practice pulling off a stoic sometimes intimidating facade in front of everyone. Judging by the way his eyes move around, Mike could have been memorizing every funny detail in the room which he would bring up later for a good laugh.

Finally, the director waved at Erwin from behind the main camera. They would go live in ten seconds so he immediately put on a serious face to set the tone. The teleprompter flashed the words from the short speech that was prepared for him, and he began to read.

"Good afternoon to our dear friends from the media and to the people of Paradis. The body of a 26 year old woman was found along one of the secluded jogging trails in the Titan Forest Park two days ago. The cause of death was asphyxia from a cut throat. There were no signs of robbery since none of the victim's valuables were taken. No murder weapon was recovered from the crime scene yet but we have expanded our search of the perimeter as of this morning. We are still waiting for the final autopsy results to come out. Once we have made progress with our investigation, we will provide an update to everyone. In behalf of the PPD, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the victim's family. To the citizens of Paradis, we are asking for your utmost patience and vigilance. Please report immediately to authorities if you have seen anything suspicious in your neighborhood. Stay safe and stay alert. I'll be accepting a few questions now."

Erwin took his eyes off the teleprompter and pointed at a young reporter from Paradis Bulletin whom he had never seen before. "You, sir."

"Can you tell us more about the victim?"

"We are withholding her identity for now upon the request of her family."

"Was she blonde though? Could this be related to the murders in Stohess and Trost?"

"Yes, she was blonde and we cannot establish the connection to the two other murders as of the moment. Next question please." Erwin pointed at a tabloid reporter from Paradis Daily.

"Detective Smith, is it true that the Ripper has come back to kill again?"

Erwin knew that question was bound to be raised. Some media personalities and true crime enthusiasts had been waiting for this moment to build a story about the return of Paradis City's public enemy number one.

"There is no evidence linking the murders to the Ripper yet. It is our duty as the police to warn our citizens if ever that is true. Go ahead, Jeff."

"How long would it take for the police to determine anything? Perhaps if the PPD would focus their efforts and resources into investigating the murders and not into unimportant events such as the Police Games, you could have identified the main suspect by now."

"Events such as the Police Games were planned at the very start of the year. In fact, the PPD has a whole calendar of them that weren't even disclosed to the public. These events were created with specific objectives in mind. The goal is to strengthen camaraderie among the members of the force, and sharpen the skills they need to serve the people of Paradis. So yes, they are a necessity. It was merely a coincidence that the recent murder happened after the Police Games. But rest assured, we are trying our best to -"

"Has the police looked into the angle that it could have been someone from their ranks again? A reliable source told me that a relative of the Ripper is working for the PPD."

"These bozos are clueless as f**k."

Duran tried to shoot an empty can of beer into the trash bin. It hit the television instead, just when the face of Paradis City's most famous detective flashed on the screen. He had been watching the press conference from an old gray couch that had seen better days.

"We can't expect them to do something right. Remember that f**ked up buy-bust operation a few years ago? They killed their own detectives in a friendly fire. What a bunch of idiots!" The man's derisive laughter filled the back room of the closed down gardening shop in Tradies Street which served as their hide out.

"I wouldn't complain if I were you, Duran." A blond woman reminded him as she typed away on her laptop from the store manager's desk. "We are thriving because of their incompetence. You should be thankful even."

"You know what, Caven. I just had an idea." Duran muted the televison when the camera panned to Erwin Smith's face again. He wasn't interested in all that Ripper talk. He just wanted to check if their recent activities got noticed by the police. Apparently, PPD was too busy with something else.

Caven furrowed her brow without taking her eyes off the laptop screen. "Whatever it is, I don't want to know. I have to finish planning our next job first before I'll listen to your absurdity."

Duran ignored her remark and continued anyway. "I think the police should hire guys like us. We've got intel, we've got the skills, and more importantly, we've got no history. Right, Boss?" He stretched out his neck from the couch to look at a raven-haired man putting on a cowboy hat.

"Nah. They're cheapskates. They won't pay as much. Besides, competition is stiff. They probably have their own guns-for-hire." The man pulled down the hat to hide his eyes but that did not prevent him from seeing the scattered beer cans and potato chip wrappers on the floor.

"Jeez Duran. Clean up your mess, you filthy animal. I don't want to see your s**t when I return."

"Don't you worry about it, Boss. You know I always do." Duran gave him a two-finger salute before un-muting the television to continue watching the PPD's presscon.

"Where are you headed, Boss?" Caven paused typing and looked up from her laptop. The leader of the group rarely left the place when the sun was out.

"Just gonna visit a sick friend."

Levi opened the two lunch boxes he brought with him and took out the contents one by one. He gave half of them to the scientist sitting across the table.

"Are we celebrating something, Levi?" Hange's mouth watered at the sight of food. "What's with the feast?"

"You coming out of your cave. You did not go home for the past five days."

"How on earth did you know that?"

"Because you stink."

Levi had forced out the truth from Moblit when he cornered him in the men's room yesterday. He demanded an explanation as to why he and Hange were not going home at the same time as them lately. When he was told out about the situation, the junior detective prepared a packed lunch for Hange and visited her lab that morning to deliver it. He found the scientist drooling on the long table so he carried her out like a sack of potatoes while she was dead asleep and brought her to the precinct's shower room. Levi shook her to wake her up so she could take a long overdue bath. It took a few minutes of prodding until she finally sat up from the bathroom floor with her eyes half closed. Still groggy, Hange started to strip naked in front of him. This prompted a flustered Levi to flee the shower area before the scientist could even realize that she wasn't dreaming everything.

"Well, I'm going to help myself then." Hange declared and began to stuff food into her mouth.

"Say, Levi… did you…" She hesitated when she noticed Nanaba and Nifa listening to their conversation.

Oh f**k.

She was about to ask him out loud if he was in the shower with her that morning. Good thing she stopped before she could embarrass herself and the junior detective not that they were hiding anything. He had been on her mind ever since the Police Games. She just couldn't forget how he smelled so nice when she was shielding him with her body. He was also bringing her food from time to time so that should mean something, right? Or maybe he was just taking care of her as a dear friend just like what Erwin would usually do for her.

Levi cleared his throat. "What?" He was waiting for her to continue talking.

"Did you… Did you cook this?"

"Obviously." He rolled his eyes.

"Delicious!" Hange said in between bites.

Gahhh.

Her mind just went blank. She sounded stupid. She shifted to another topic to save herself from humiliation.

"Wow, Moblit!" The scientist ogled at her assistant's bento-style lunchbox. "Did you cook all of that?"

"No. My roommate lost a bet so she's in charge of preparing my meal for a week." Yelena sucked at cleaning much like his boss but she was a very good cook.

"Ah is that how you designate house work between yourselves?" Nifa timidly asked. She was still trying to dig into the real score between Moblit and his roommate.

"Not really. She rarely does housework. She likes betting though so I used that to make her do a chore." After enduring consecutive days of overtime, a home cooked meal felt like a reward to him.

The crime lab was swamped with requests from other precincts since 139 had decided to offer its services to the whole of Paradis. It was the only other Forensics lab in the city aside from the older one in HQ. Moblit and Hange had been attempting to reduce the backlog from both the police force and private detective agencies that was delegated to them by Mitras. Overwhelmed by the amount of work, they had extended their operating hours as much as they could. Moblit would leave ahead of his boss past midnight only to find her already starting work at the lab early the next day. He soon realized that she never really went home because she began to reek. To make matters worse, Moblit found himself at the receiving end of Levi's glares since he was spending more time with her now that Detective Smith was also busy with the blonde murders investigation. When Levi had confronted him about it yesterday, he took his concern to him since he couldn't stand the stench whenever he's near his boss anymore. The junior detective kept his word and Moblit could now enjoy his lunch without the stink. It could have been perfect if it weren't too noisy. The pantry was full of precinct personnel that time because of the presscon.

"Shush you guys, it's starting." Nanaba pointed at the television. The camera showed the entire line up of attendees before focusing on Erwin. Everything was going well until…

"Has the police looked into the angle that it could have been someone from their ranks again? A reliable source told me that a relative of the Ripper is working for the PPD."

Levi remained calm amidst the murmurs that filled the pantry. He was notorious for his difficult attitude and not for his affiliation with a serial killer. Only HQ and a selected few knew about his true relationship with the Ripper. Yet there weren't many Ackermans in Paradis so he was certain that his colleagues at the precinct would make the connection eventually. Levi didn't wish to be around by the time people realize that so when his phone began to ring, he took this as an opportunity to escape the room.

"I'll check on him." Hange told her friends and followed the junior detective outside.

"Levi, are you alright?" She had found him holding on to his car keys. He looked worried.

"Sorry, I have to go to the hospital. There's an emergency."

"Can I come with you?"

Erwin immediately recognized that voice. It did not take long for him to find her in the audience. She was seated right in the middle of the second row — her beautiful wavy hair and red A-line dress with a plunging neckline made her stand out in the crowd. She had a smirking face that was hard to miss. Marie rested her chin on her hand making the two rings she wore on her finger more visible to him.

"Mrs. Dok, I understand your concern but the PPD is an institution that does not discriminate. We welcome anyone who wants to serve the people of Paradis but we do acknowledge our misgivings in the past. We have augmented the training and hiring process with more stringent psychological tests in order to weed out potential deviants. I have to disagree with what you are trying to imply. It doesn't make anyone a killer just because he is related to one by blood. If it would make you sleep more soundly at night, I could personally attest to that man's strong moral principles. You have nothing to worry about. That will be all for now. Thank you for attending this presscon. Have a good day!"

Erwin wanted to confront Marie once the cameras went off but Mike pulled him towards the back exit before unsatisfied reporters could bombard him with follow-up questions off-air.

"That was intense." Mike whistled. "But I liked the way you handled it, buddy. It was nice of you to stand up for the kid."

"I'm his mentor. I know him better than the rest of the city."

Mike checked if the coast was clear prior to opening the door of an exit leading to a vacant lot at the back of city hall that was reserved for VIPs. Mike's car was the only one parked there.

"To be honest, I thought Marie would be less brutal given your past."

"Our past is the very reason why she's brutal."

"Perhaps if you weren't a no-show to her wedding, she might have honored whatever friendship that was left after your breakup."

"There wasn't any friendship in the first place. It was purely attraction. Did you really attend her wedding?" Erwin raised one bushy eyebrow at him before he entered the car.

"It's nothing personal, bud. I went there for the free-flowing booze."

"Was she happy?"

"Very."

"Good." Erwin buckled up on the passenger's seat.

"So… what do you want for lunch? Eggs benedict or fresh oysters?" Mike grinned at him from behind the wheel.

"I know that you've been dying to bring that up."

"You know me too well, buddy. Steak at Utgard's Palace then?"

Erwin thought for a while then remembered the printed recipe in his wallet.

"There's a new restaurant that opened across Utgard's. The captain said that the beef curry there is exquisite. I want to try it out for reference."

Kenny slipped into the room as soon as the nurse finished doing her round. He barely recognized the man he found lying on the hospital bed. His sick friend appeared even more fragile than the last time he visited. Every breath sounded like a struggle. Every beep from the machine sounded like a countdown until his death. Kenny hated seeing him like this. He turned around to leave but a raspy voice began to speak.

"I thought you were the grim reaper."

Kenny snorted. He was wearing an all-black attire even though it's not his funeral yet. His friend had every right to make fun of him. Kenny removed his cowboy hat so that he could see his face.

"You're already dying and you still have the energy to make a lame joke. How are you, Uri?"

"I'm just waiting for my death. How about you? I watched the PPD's presscon earlier. You're famous again."

"Yeah, how troublesome."

Uri raised his trembling hand which Kenny held.

"You have to be careful of my brother. When Rod realizes that you're a liability more than an asset now, he will not think twice to feed you to the dogs. He's only keeping you since I'm still here."

"Then all the more reason why we need to keep your sorry a** alive."

Uri gave him a weak smile. "I wish we could but I've reached my limit. There's nothing that science can do for me now. I tried to distance myself from the affairs of my family but in the end, I just couldn't. You, on the other hand, always have the option. I should have let you go that day. Instead, I gave you a bad advice and you got something far even worse than death."

"You know I couldn't just leave."

"You can, now. You just chose not to. Leave Paradis before authorities start to pursue you. You've done enough for him. Would you grant a dying man his wish?" Uri looked at him in the eye as he waited for his answer.

It took a full minute of silence before Kenny nodded.

Hange and Levi found Dr. Yeager tending to a sleeping Grandpa Arlert in a hospital room. He was the one who called the junior detective earlier since he found his number in the old man's emergency phone contacts.

"Thank you for coming." The doctor greeted them. "Levi, I haven't seen you in a while since…" He paused trying to recall their last encounter.

Furlan's funeral. Levi thought.

The doctor had spent way more time building his career than paying attention to his family. He probably thought that Zeke was still friends with him and Furlan.

"Sorry, I had a senior moment there. So... regarding Armin's grandfather... The mailman found him lying unconscious on the lawn. I have to be honest with you. He's not getting any better. We did a CT scan to confirm the tumor's growth in his brain. Results will come out after 24 hours but we have to expect for the worst."

Levi was taken aback. It was his first time hearing about the old man's condition. Grandpa Arlert never complained about anything so he had no idea. He felt bad for being clueless.

"He had been seeing me for the past few months. I guess he hasn't told anyone." Dr. Yeager surmised from the look of shock on the junior detective's face.

Levi didn't get a chance to further inquire about the old man's health because the door swung open and a tearful Armin entered the room. He rushed to his grandfather's bedside crying hysterically.

"Grandpa! Please don't leave me, Grandpa!"

Hange approached the boy to comfort him. "He's going to be alright." She whispered to him as she stroke his blond hair.

"I asked Zeke to fetch him from school just in case..." The doctor's voice trailed off. He went to the sobbing kid and gently placed his hand over his shoulder.

"He's stable now. I'll come back to check on him from time to time. You can call me if you need anything." Dr. Yeager gave Grandpa Arlert's phone to Armin then he beckoned Levi to leave the room with him.

"It's best to continue our conversation outside…"

"Thirsty?"

Levi glanced up at Hange who was holding two bottles of iced tea that she bought from the nearby vending machine.

"Thanks…" He accepted the drink but did not open it.

Levi seemed to be in deep thought so the scientist did not wait for him to offer her a seat. She sat down on the bench beside him within a comfortable distance and stared straight ahead at the empty hospital wall while she gulped down her drink.

"How is the kid?" Levi asked without looking at her.

"Shaken. But he has calmed down when his grandfather woke up. They are talking right now with the doctor." She wiped a drop from her lips with the back of her hand before turning to him.

"Is his grandpa going to…?"

Levi nodded.

"Poor kid…" Hange crushed the empty bottle in her hand. "How long does he have?"

"Six months to a year."

"That's too soon… Was the family already informed?"

Levi shook his head. "There's no one else. Their closest relatives are all living abroad. The family of Armin's mother didn't want anything to do with her after she eloped with her husband to Paradis."

"Who will look after him now? He's still a kid. Somebody should take care of him. Ahh! I could take him in while grandpa is at the hospital."

"Erhmich is quite far from Shiganshina, Four Eyes and you're working too much. I should take care of him. He is Mikasa's friend."

Levi stood up from his seat. "I have to prepare his accommodation before I fetch Mikasa from school. I'll drop you off to the precinct first."

Hange noticed that his hand was slightly trembling. "Levi, is something wrong?"

"I just hate hospitals. That's all. I stayed in a hospital for a bit after my mother died."

Ahh yes. She remembered seeing his childhood photo in Erwin's house. Levi looked traumatized there and he could have been relieving the trauma at that instant. Hange rose from the bench and took his hand. She gave it a squeeze as a gesture of reassurance, something she learned from Erwin when she was a child.

"Well, let's go do your errands and get out of here. I already texted Moblit that I'll offset this with our overtime last night."

"Hange?"

Levi groaned upon hearing a familiar voice in the hallway. His neighbor's smile likewise disappeared when he spotted a crop of dark hair next to the scientist.

"Midget."

Hange immediately let go of Levi's hand to wave at the approaching man.

"Hello Zeke."

"I was instructed to fetch Armin from school when his grandfather was rushed here." Zeke felt the need to explain himself even though nobody had asked him hoping that Hange would also share the reason why she was at the hospital with the midget. However, the scientist did not say anything after she greeted him.

"I was just about to leave when I spotted you from a distance. I've been meaning to speak with you since the Police Games. Perhaps you can give me your mobile phone number again? I know you had it written down after paintball but—"

The door of Grandpa Arlert's room was pushed open and out came Dr. Yeager who was surprised to find his firstborn son still there.

"Oh my." Zeke avoided his father's gaze by looking down at his watch. "I totally forgot that I have a meeting with the captain in 30 minutes. Let's continue this conversation next time. See you around, Hange."

Zeke smiled and waved goodbye at the scientist, glared at Levi, and completely ignored his father before heading off into the direction he came from.

Dr. Yeager also bid them farewell since he had another patient to attend to.

"I guess Zeke doesn't like hospitals, too huh?" Hange watched the blond man disappear into the hallway.

"Only the ones where his father is in."

"Amm Levi…"

Hange mustered the courage to finally ask the question she'd been dying to ask since morning. "Were you in the shower with me earlier?"

F**k.

She must have remembered. Now she's going to think that he's a total douchebag trying to take advantage of her.

"No." He avoided her eyes and mumbled. "…but do you want me to?"

"Sorry, didn't catch that."

"I said no." He gave her a side glance and in a teasing voice he asked, "Why, Four Eyes? Have I been in your thoughts lately?"

Hange lowered her head and mumbled. "Yeah…"

"What?"

"Nothing. I must be imagining things." Hange laughed nervously. "There's a cafeteria here in the hospital, right? I'll get some snacks before we go. Wait for me here, okay?" She started to walk away from him to hide her embarrassment but Levi grabbed her hand.

Hange looked back at the junior detective surprised. She initially thought that he was mad at her for even uttering such nonsense because his brow was furrowed but then she noticed the blush creeping into his cheeks as their fingers intertwined.

"I'll come with you… in case you get lost."

The back room of the shop was spotless by the time Kenny arrived home. Duran had kept his word. He was a messy person in real life but they could always rely on him to "clean things up" afterwards — be it actual trash, dead bodies, or records. It was his responsibility to do that in the first place. In fact, each one of them had a specific role in the group. Caven, "The Controller" was in charge of making all the necessary preparations to do the job usually with the aid of someone she calls, "The Watcher", a hacker she met on the Dark Web. Kenny, "The Executor" was tasked to carry out the kill in a discrete and efficient manner. Most of the time, he only needed one bullet to take down his target. Duran as "The Janitor" was responsible for ensuring that they won't leave any incriminating evidences behind. They were operating independently for years until a client hired them to collaborate on a single job. Since then, they had been working together as a well-organized, highly-effective, and extremely deadly team of mercenaries.

As with any organized group in the underground, they had a rule not to pry into each other's history. Their first names (Kenny being just "Boss") were the only identifying information they could share with the rest. They already knew each other's faces so one could hunt down the other in case everything goes to s**t with the exception of "The Watcher" whom they had not yet seen in person. It would be troublesome if Kenny's face would start popping up on television and newspapers again.

He hoped that Caven and Duran would remain oblivious to the growing public interest about the Ripper. They were grown a** adults who had a life outside of the group so he had no reason to be concerned when he didn't find them at home. It wasn't unusual for them to leave and come back a few days later. There's a big chance that his companions might not even recognize him by his mug shot. After all, his unkempt look showed more resemblance to a homeless man than to the clean-shaven young police detective with a gelled back hair and a promising career before it was ruined. Exhausted from his excursion that day, he plopped down on the couch and turned on the television to check if there were any mentions of him in the news. However, the headline for that evening was not about him.

"Breaking news. Renowned criminal lawyer, Atty. Uri Reiss has passed away. Reiss had been battling with colon cancer for years before dying from complications early this evening. He is survived by his brother and business tycoon, Rod Reiss."

Kenny sank back into the couch and pulled down the cowboy hat over his eyes — wishing that his two companions won't come home tonight.

Fifteen years ago…

Uri examined himself in the mirror as he gently loosened his tie knot. The warm yellow light emanating from the floor lamp in his living room made the dark circles under his eyes more pronounced. It seemed that his job had caused him to age faster not that anyone would mind. He had no partner - there's no one else waiting for him at home. Building a family of his own had become much less of a priority over the demands of his work. It was probably an ideal setup since he had made enemies throughout his entire career. Yet nobody dared to touch him because he's a Reiss after all. His brother, Rod would never allow that despite his firm request to him to get off his a**. Uri wanted to follow a path away from the influence of his family. He had dedicated his life to protecting the accused often clashing with the members of the police force particularly with the fiery detective from Precinct 55. In spite of their negative views over how they practice their profession, he and Detective Ackerman shared a mutual respect with each other. That's why Uri was still in denial after hearing that his work enemy turned secret friend was the headline of tonight's news.

Yes, sometimes Kenny would explode into anger when provoked but it never crossed Uri's mind that he was capable of commiting murder particularly against someone close to him. Kenny had put a tremendous amount of effort to reconnect with his sister after being apart for more than a decade. He had always acted with tenderness towards her and the son she raised by herself. He rarely showed that side to other people, not even to him. He was especially fond of his young nephew who would often tell him that he wanted to be a detective just like him. Kenny seemed to genuinely care for his family so Uri was shocked to hear that he killed his sister and those other women. What's even more shocking to him was Kenny's reflection suddenly showing up in the mirror as if his current thoughts and his strong desire to get answers had conjured him to appear in the glass.

"What are you doing here?" Uri instinctively took a step back.

"I need your help." Kenny said in a low tone.

Uri wasn't sure if that came with a threat but he remained unfazed. He continued pulling out his tie while examining his friend's reflection in the mirror. What he saw was an exhausted disheveled fugitive not the proud brilliant detective he knew.

"Well, you come to the right place. I'll have my secretary book you for a consultation-"

"I don't need you to represent me." Kenny stepped forward in an almost intimidating manner but Uri did not flinch.

"Well what do you need, Kenny?"

"1.5 million."

Uri chuckled. "You don't need that amount of money to escape Paradis. I can help prove you're innocent that is if you really are." He looked at him straight in the eye. He was hoping that his friend could give him the assurance that he didn't do anything he was accused of.

"You know my track record. I have won cases for innocent people whom the folks at your precinct tend to lock up."

Kenny scoffed at his offer. "And if you fail, I get the death sentence. I'm basically f**ked. There's no going back after what happened. The money is not for me. It's for the kid. My sh**ty grandfather will only accept him if I provide financial support."

Uri took a deep sigh then shook his head. "I'm sorry... I can't help you with that. I don't have access to the Reiss fortune. Only my brother has that privilege. You can talk to him. But I have to warn you. Rod will ask for something from you that you could never ever gain back."

"And what is that?"

"Your freedom."