The next day.
Waking up feeling refreshed, Lillian found his mood unusually good.
Annie had taught him some combat techniques very seriously the day before. Although half a day was far from enough to fully master them, he had still made clear progress. As long as he kept at it, once his physical strength and technique truly merged, his overall combat ability would definitely improve by a large margin.
Washing up, eating breakfast, reviewing documents, assigning tasks—before he knew it, the entire morning had passed.
After lunch, Eren finally arrived—still as part of the familiar trio.
"Lillian!"
At the entrance to headquarters, Eren called out to him. He then glanced at the building and couldn't help feeling a bit shaken.
"It actually got blown up this badly…"
"Yeah," Armin added. "It's really great that you're okay, Lillian."
"Thanks, Armin."
As for Mikasa, she remained silent.
In truth, during their three years in the training corps, Lillian hadn't spoken much with her either. There was no reason to force familiarity now.
The two simply exchanged a glance and gave each other a slight nod as a greeting.
"Is it just the three of you? Where are Krista and the others?" Lillian asked.
He found it a little strange. Logically speaking, the ones who should have been sent for an operation targeting him ought to have been Krista and Ymir. Erwin should have known they were the closest to him.
Had they refused?
As for Eren's trio, Lillian's relationship with them could only be described as average. Eren was grateful to him for what happened in the past, but gratitude wasn't the same as friendship.
And after graduation, Lillian had joined the Military Police. Naturally, he had gradually drifted away from the former members of the 104th… though it hadn't even been two months yet, so it wasn't all that extreme.
"They… they're behind us," Eren said awkwardly. Lying clearly wasn't his strong suit.
"They haven't arrived yet," Armin smoothly took over. "You know, girls—probably taking extra time to get ready."
"That makes sense."
Lillian nodded, having thought it through.
The rest of the 104th could stay away, but Eren absolutely had to come. Erwin probably figured that if Lillian really did turn into a Titan, having Eren present would at least allow some form of restraint.
That made Eren showing up alone suspicious—so Armin and Mikasa had to come along as well.
That said, because the most recent expedition beyond the walls had gone extremely well, there was no order like in the original timeline calling Erwin and Eren back to the capital. And since there had been no battle with the Female Titan, Levi hadn't injured his leg while saving Mikasa.
Under these circumstances, as the strongest combatant, Levi would definitely be involved. He was probably already lying in ambush somewhere in the city.
What a pain.
Lillian thought that if Levi truly intended to kill him, survival would be difficult. Unless he picked a direction and ran flat out, relying on speed alone to escape. Still, things probably wouldn't escalate that far. Strictly speaking, the Scouts didn't really have a reason to kill him.
"Hey, Lillian, aren't you going to show us around the city?" Eren asked. "We've never been to the Stohess District before!"
"Sure," Lillian nodded. "Wait here a moment—I'll change into some casual clothes."
"Okay, hurry up!"
As the three watched Lillian head back inside headquarters, Mikasa immediately turned to Eren.
"Eren, don't be nervous."
"Huh? How could I not be nervous…"
"Try to talk less later," Armin said. "Lillian's very smart. If he senses that something's off, the plan might fail."
"I know… but why are you two so sure?" Eren said dejectedly. "That Lillian is a Titan or something—I still can't believe it."
"After this operation, we'll know," Mikasa said. "If he isn't, then his suspicions will be cleared."
"But then how are we supposed to face him afterward?!"
"..."
Armin felt miserable too, but he still said firmly, "Yes. If he isn't, then what we're doing now really does hurt our relationship. But for humanity as a whole, we have to do this. Eren, we already agreed—this isn't the time to be selfish."
"Who's being selfish?! I know it's for humanity!" Eren paused, then muttered softly, "But Krista refused outright, didn't she? She… believes in Lillian more than any of us."
"..."
"Alright, Eren," Mikasa said. "Don't think about it too much. When things happen later, just remember to act convincingly."
"…Got it."
Inside headquarters.
Lillian had changed into civilian clothes. When he stepped outside, Annie was already waiting.
"You're heading out?"
"Yeah."
"Remember to leave marks."
Lillian pulled a small handful of beans from his pocket. "Don't worry."
He started walking out. Just as he reached the door, he heard a quiet "Be careful." But when he turned around, Annie was already gone.
"..."
---
On the street.
The four of them walked together. The three asked Lillian to take them somewhere fun, and he deliberately avoided retracing his steps so the markers wouldn't lose their meaning, simply continuing forward.
"Wow… no wonder this is inside Wall Sina," Eren exclaimed. "The buildings are all so beautiful!"
"This church is enormous…"
"Living here must be so nice."
"This tastes amazing!"
The three of them enjoyed themselves freely, looking as if they had no ulterior motives at all, and Lillian stayed with them the entire time.
After about half an hour, however, the three of them finally began to guide Lillian in a specific direction on their own initiative.
The moment Lillian noticed their route, everything became clear.
So it really is just like what they did to Annie in the original timeline…
They're planning to lure me into the underground passage.
As he thought this, the group arrived at the entrance to a passageway. Seeing the pitch-black staircase stretching downward, all three of them put on looks of surprise, as if they were seeing it for the first time.
Watching their acting, Lillian couldn't help thinking that none of them were particularly convincing.
Eren, in particular, moved awkwardly with every step; Mikasa kept a completely expressionless face and was actually the best of the three; Armin did better than Eren, but still overacted a bit.
And then—suddenly, something unexpected happened.
A pedestrian walking toward them was abruptly knocked to the ground by a raggedly dressed man behind him. The man snatched the pedestrian's handbag, glanced briefly at the group, and then sprinted straight into the underground passage!
"A robber!"
All three shouted at once and immediately chased after him. But after running only a few steps, they suddenly realized something was wrong—
Lillian was still standing where he was, completely unmoving.
---
Behind them, not far from the operation site.
Krista and Ymir were waiting there, and several meters ahead of them stood three men with their hands behind their backs.
"Ymir, what are we doing here?" Krista asked. "Didn't they say we weren't allowed to take part in the operation? Then why bring us all the way to the Stohess District?"
"Idiot," Ymir said, glancing at the men ahead and smirking. "They said we're on standby—but if you ask me, it's probably because they think we might be useful at a critical moment."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. Even if we don't want to admit it, among the 104th, we really are the closest to Lillian. That's exactly why the commander swapped us out for Eren's group. But he's probably also worried that if something goes wrong, our 'friendship' might come in handy."
She shrugged. "For example, if Lillian turns into some invincible Titan that no one can stop, maybe we'd be able to talk him down? That's probably what the commander's thinking. He's cautious enough to prepare for every possible scenario."
Ymir shook her head. "Of course, it's probably pointless. Once that short guy makes up his mind, nobody can change it. But the operation's probably already underway, right? They might've already caught him by now."
"..."
Krista's expression shifted several times before she finally spoke.
"Ymir… I want to tell you something about myself. Would you listen?"
Ymir froze for a moment. Seeing the seriousness on Krista's face, she nodded.
"Yeah."
"I…"
Krista hesitated, clearly unsure how to begin. After a pause, she continued.
"I grew up on a farm. Ever since I can remember, I was doing farm work. My grandparents never spoke to me except to teach me chores. I noticed other children around the farm—kids my age—playing freely together. But I was afraid of them, because whenever they saw me, they would throw stones at me…"
"..."
"My mother was beautiful. She liked reading books, so once I learned to read, I read often too. One day, I read in a book that if a child suddenly jumps into their mother's arms for a hug, the mother would be happy."
Krista raised a hand and rubbed her eyes.
"I wanted to make her happy, because she always looked sad. So one day, while she was reading, I suddenly jumped into her arms…"
Her voice trembled. "But her first reaction was to slap me away. Even so, I was still happy—because it was the first interaction we'd ever had. Then she said, 'If only I had the courage to kill you…' That was the first thing my mother ever said to me."
Ymir's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she held back.
"After that, my mother left the farm. My grandparents continued to keep their distance from me, just as before. That was when I realized… I was alone. Only the animals were my friends."
Krista lowered her gaze, her voice choking.
"Being born human… was that really a good thing? My grandparents hated me. My mother hated me. Nobody liked me… But then I met all of you. And now, I'm going to lose Lillian too. I betrayed him."
Tears welled in her eyes.
"If I hadn't said that the candy was given to me by Lillian… would things have turned out differently?"
Ymir looked at her. She desperately wanted to pull her into a hug—but there was something more important to do right now.
She stood up and walked toward the three men in front.
"Recruit, what are you doing?" one of them frowned. "Without the commander's orders, you're not allowed to act."
"Yeah… that figures—"
Thud!
Ymir suddenly drove her knee into the man's body, then swung both fists at the other two soldiers. They never expected a recruit to attack veteran soldiers. Caught completely off guard, they were struck before they could react—one collapsed immediately, and the other was knocked down by a follow-up kick.
"Ymir, are you insane?!" the man shouted.
Ymir ignored him. She turned to Krista, smiling.
"Krista—go do what you want to do."
"Ymir… thank you!"
Krista froze for a split second, then spun around and ran with all her strength, her small body pushing itself to the limit.
Sometimes, if you just hold on a little longer, you get to see a completely different view.
Lillian's words during their snow-mountain training echoed in her mind. She ran harder than ever before, determination shining across her face.
Even if you're a Titan…
She burst into the operation zone. Hidden soldiers gasped in shock, but it was already too late to stop her.
Even if you really are a Titan…
Krista rounded the corner and saw Lillian standing at the entrance to the underground passage. Her eyes burned hot as she screamed with all the strength she had left:
"LILLIAN—RUN!!!"