Jimmy returned to New York but didn't go to the office immediately. Hughes had given him a few days to adjust, as he had been teaching at the academy for several months and now needed some time to transition back.

After work, Nia went straight to Jimmy's place. Compared to before, their time apart seemed to have had no negative impact on their relationship—in fact, it seemed to have improved.

Jimmy, too lazy to cook, simply took Nia out for dinner and a movie, making the most of their time. At the FBI academy where the instruction was very strict, one couldn't simply wander off campus, and there wasn't much entertainment nearby. So aside from the occasional trip back to New York, he usually spent his downtime at the academy. Now that he was with Nia, they certainly couldn't just stay home and watch TV.

Indeed, there were many ways to while away the evening, such as watching a basketball game or a musical. Any one of these activities could pass a few hours but when Jimmy was alone, he rarely went out because it was too boring by himself.

The timing for watching a movie wasn't great. Jimmy glanced at the cinema's movie list, frowning. He didn't like the sound of the names—it seemed most were art films.

Looking at the posters hanging next to Jimmy, Nia said, "I get it; it's the bunch of art films released prior to the Oscars, probably aiming for the awards."

Jimmy, "You pick then, I'm not familiar with these."

Nia wasn't a movie buff either. She casually chose a film called "Ghost Lover" that was about to start, bought the tickets, and went into the theater with Jimmy. After getting popcorn and cola, they went straight into the cinema hall to wait for the movie to begin.

Perhaps because there weren't any particularly good films recently, the theater was half empty. Jimmy and Nia sat in the middle, munching on popcorn while watching the film and chatting in low voices. Despite the dull film, they didn't fall into the embarrassment of falling asleep halfway through.

After the movie ended, Jimmy took Nia home before going back to rest at his own place.

When it was time for work, Jimmy arrived at the FBI office early in the morning and coincidentally bumped into Ruiz, who was also early.

Ruiz, "Jimmy, what are you doing here? I thought you were transferred to another department."

Jimmy, surprised, looked at Ruiz, "I just temporarily took a teaching position at the academy, why would I change departments?"

Ruiz shook his head, "It seems some rumors have spread too widely. You disappeared without a trace, and someone else took over your group's casework. Many people thought you might have been transferred elsewhere."

Jimmy was somewhat speechless. He couldn't disclose his previous assignment with the Anti-Terrorism Bureau and had spent a month recuperating from an injury before going to the academy. Four months in total certainly could have given others the wrong impression that he had left the Manhattan office.

Jimmy, "Well, I was just serving as an instructor. Now that the students have graduated, I have come back. Don't worry, once they see me in the office, the rumors will disappear."

Ruiz nodded, "Sure, I'm going to the office. See you."

Jimmy nodded and turned towards his office. Halfway there, something still felt off. Why hadn't Hughes dispelled the rumors? Others might not know, but surely Hughes did? Also, Mahong knew Jimmy had gone to the academy after his recovery, yet he hadn't vouched for him either.

Pausing in the hallway, Jimmy decided to head to Hughes's office first. He waited for Hughes in a nearby meeting room.

Hughes arrived for work on time and Jimmy emerged from the meeting room to follow him into his office.

Jimmy, "Hey, good morning, Hughes."

Hughes, "Jimmy, what's up?"

Jimmy, "Nothing much, just came by to say hi before starting work. I'm still with the Homicide Unit, right?"

Hughes, "Yes, you can go. You haven't been moved to another department."

Jimmy nodded, "Alright then, I'll be on my way. Goodbye, Hughes."

Jimmy turned and left Hughes's office. It seemed everything was fine with Hughes; he hadn't changed Jimmy's department, nor had he delayed his return to the office. Apart from not dispelling the rumor about the department change, everything was as it had been before.

When Jimmy returned to the office, Mahong and Philicia were already there. In the months Jimmy was away, it seemed no permanent members had been added. Was this Hughes's arrangement?

Jimmy, "Hey, good morning, Mahong, Philicia."

Philicia, "Good morning, Jimmy. How was life at the academy?"

Jimmy replied with a smile, "Not bad, I was just a firearms instructor so it wasn't too busy."

Turning to Mahong, "Mahong, any new cases? I haven't touched a case in months and I'm starting to itch for one."

Mahong nodded, "The recent cases are almost taken care of. You should rest a bit first, Philicia will handle the follow-up reports."

Jimmy nodded, looking at his desk and chair, which were covered in dust after not being used for so long. Looking around and finding no towels, he used wet tissues to wipe off the dust and dry tissues to absorb the moisture, then turned on the computer to start going through the records.

The case log showed that in the past few months, seven or eight cases assigned to Mahong and Philicia had been resolved. Their efficiency was impressive.

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