After checking the reward, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the "skill points" for the side quest had increased.
He had previously thought that he would receive a fixed amount one year, but he didn't expect the reward to increase this time. However, he didn't know what the judging criteria were.
But Senichi had some speculations about this, such as the difficulty level of the cases.
Compared to the difficulty of the previous side case, the difficulty of this case was greater.
Although this case was not a meticulously planned crime, it was still a case composed of numerous coincidences. Sometimes, such cases were even more "seamless."
One wrong move, and he might fall into a "trap" and mistakenly arrest Mrs. Matsushita, who believed herself to be the culprit.
After all, there needed to be evidence, and if the suspect confessed to the murder, it was possible that the other party could easily use Mrs. Matsushita as a scapegoat.
But well, the chances were still fifty-fifty. If they could hire a skilled lawyer like Eri Kisaki, they might be able to easily present the evidence and help prove Mrs. Matsushita's innocence.
Thinking about the plan afterward, Senichi decisively invested all his skill points into the "disguise" skill.
At this moment, Senichi's panel changed again:
==========================================
Name: Karazawa Senichi
Sex: Male
Age: 22 years old
Occupation: Criminal Police/Detective
Talent: Super Sense of Smell
Fate point: 500
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Skill:
[Detective Job Skills]: Detective Science (C-rank) ↑ [6/20], Microexpressions (1 year), Forensic Science (1 year), Trace Identification (1 year), Profiling (1 year)
[Phantom Thief Job Skills]: Magic Tricks (1 year), Disguise (C-rank) ↑ [6/20]
[Language Skills]: Chinese Language (Max), Japanese Language (Max), English (C-rank)
[Art Skills]: Painting (A-rank), Music (1 year), Chess (2 years)
[Combat Skills]: Kendo (C-rank) [7/20], Firearms (3 years), Unarmed Combat (4 years)
[Knowledge Skills]: Mathematics (1 year), Physics (1 year), Biology (1 year)
[Other Fields]: Car Driving (B-rank) [13/20], Law (A-rank), Cooking (C-rank) [7/20], Swimming (1 year)
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Equipment: Reasoning Training Card, Multifunctional Smartwatch (rope), Peace And Safety Card (3 days), Emergency Compressed Biscuits (Mango flavor), Lie-Detecting Needle (3 times)
==========================================
##Translator's Note: * in the attribute panel means that it is a new skill or item.
↑ means level increase. ##
Apart from the disguise skill, which immediately reached the C-rank with the reward, his main occupation skill, Detective Science, also reached the C-rank.
This was not thanks to Senichi's skill points but rather an automatic increase after the conclusion of this case.
After all, people are constantly learning, and with more cases solved, experience naturally accumulates. While self-improvement through leveling up was not particularly surprising, it was still a joyous occasion.
In addition, with the disguise skill reaching the C-rank, it became much easier to make disguises.
However, other preparations were also needed...
Senichi speculated various possibilities in his mind, hoping to ensure the success of his future plans.
Having finished his morning routine early, Senichi lay down on his bed, accelerating his digestion of the acquired knowledge and eventually entering the realm of dreams.
The next day, Senichi and Takagi met again. After handing over Sannitori Shuji to the inspection department and completing the final paperwork, they considered everything officially finished.
"I wonder how Mrs. Matsushita is doing."
Senichi felt deep sympathy for the lady's ordeal. She nearly became a murderer despite not committing the crime herself, and she even believed she had killed someone.
"Oh, no need to worry about that. I asked about it before," Takagi replied with a smile. "Yesterday, Mrs. Matsushita turned herself in. The final decision from above is not to prosecute her."
"Really? That's great news," Senichi smiled at Takagi's words. "After all, she has such a young daughter."
"Yeah," Takagi said, seemingly remembering something. "By the way, Senichi-san, it seems like you forgot to return the hat to May-chan yesterday, right?"
"Oh, right," Senichi slapped his forehead. "Let's go and visit her one last time."
...
There's no need to dwell on the matter of returning the hat. It ended happily with gratitude.
After that, in order to ensure that his first date wouldn't encounter any unexpected incidents or disappointing events that could ruin it, Senichi decisively used an item on that Friday: Peace And Safety Card (3 days).
There was no other way. He didn't want the date to start smoothly, be romantic in the middle, and then turn into a thriller because of a case that suddenly happened towards the end, just like a "Conan."
Not to mention it was his first date, and encountering a case would be extremely unlucky.
Items were meant to be used, and keeping them in hand wouldn't bring any value. Besides, the item shop would occasionally refresh its inventory, and it was one of the most frequently available items, apart from the useless snacks.
The lowest duration was three days, while the longest was a week. It cost one hundred points per day, which made Senichi curse the system for being a greedy merchant.
Wasn't this basically confirming that he possessed the "Die-Where-You-Go" Death God constitution...
After using the item, Senichi smoothly made it through Friday and arrived at the Saturday he had arranged with Suzuki Ayako.
Although there were morning showings at the cinema, they were mostly discounted for children, so the two of them agreed to meet at noon, have a meal first, and then go to the movies.
"Sorry for the wait."
Arriving at the meeting point, Ayako ran over to Senichi. "I'm sorry, there was traffic on the way."
Today, Ayako was wearing a white turtleneck sweater with simple black trousers. Although it was a simple outfit, it looked fresh and elegant on her, causing Senichi's eyes to light up.
"No problem, I just arrived too," Senichi smiled and said, "Is there something you want to eat?"
"Senichi-kun, you decide," Ayako seemed a little hesitant because they were alone together. She blushed slightly and said, "I'm fine with anything."
"Well, then let's go for Italian cuisine."
Senichi had already done some research on what to eat, so he quickly pulled out the plan he had prepared earlier and didn't dwell on it too much.
Seafood pasta, Italian-style cabbage, Roman-style fried chicken...
A variety of delicious dishes completely satisfied their appetites, and as they enjoyed their meal, Ayako gradually relaxed. The two of them got along harmoniously.
After finishing their meal, they took a short rest in the restaurant before taking a leisurely walk to aid digestion. They chatted and made their way to their destination—the Beika City Government Building.
Although the name of the building sounded strange, it was actually a comprehensive shopping mall that included a supermarket and clothing stores, in addition to the cinema.
After buying some drinks, they entered the cinema while chatting and started their first movie date.