After receiving the commission payment, Fujino drove to a convenience store.
He bought some daily necessities and then headed home.
**[Detecting that the host has completed a detective task: SPIDE]**
**[System task reward: 1 million yen and 100 detective reputation points have been issued]**
**[Detecting that the host has completed a commission]**
**[System bonus reward: 50 detective reputation points]**
**[Current detective level: Intermediate, 1 star (500 | 1000)]**
**[Current balance: 4.2 million yen]**
"Four million yen, huh?"
Fujino sat in the driver's seat, gazing at the system interface in front of him.
Four million yen might have seemed like a lot to the old him.
But now, as he's short on cash, it's really not that much.
Opening his own business requires 3 to 4 million yen.
His proficiency as a martial arts expert has maxed out, and breaking through requires another 3 million yen.
He hasn't participated in any beginner-level enhancement draws lately, and his stock of enhancement cards is probably running low.
Drawing new cards and using them for enhancements also costs money.
Right now, he has 4.2 million yen in his system account.
He has 500,000 yen in cash on hand for everyday expenses.
After all, he's supporting two girls at home. While it doesn't cost much day-to-day, it's always good to have some extra just in case.
As for where the 500,000 yen came from...
Don't ask. If you do, let's just say it's from "Mei-Ha Batman," delivering justice and redistributing wealth.
Those people don't need the money anymore now that they're behind bars.
"So many expenses piling up..."
...
After parking in the underground garage, Fujino stepped out, glanced up at his four-story building.
Calling it a "building" wasn't entirely accurate.
Compared to the Mouri family's three-story house, his four-story place was much larger.
Each floor had two rooms, each over 100 square meters. The whole building was painted in a sleek gray, giving it a modern feel.
The lights on the third floor were off, suggesting Akemi Miyano and Ai Haibara were already asleep.
Under the moonlight, Fujino could faintly see the large sign reading "Fujino Detective Agency" on the window of the second floor, facing the Mouri family across the street.
It gave off a bit of a competitive vibe.
However, since he crossed over to this world and started running his agency, Uncle Mouri hadn't shown any hostility toward him.
In fact, sometimes Mouri would even refer clients to him, cases like catching cheating spouses or finding lost pets.
Of course, Fujino always turned down those commissions.
Such jobs only paid a few tens of thousands of yen, and often required several days of work. The return on investment wasn't worth it.
He took his eyes off the sign and slowly walked upstairs.
Upon opening the door to his fourth-floor bedroom, he noticed two large bowls wrapped in plastic wrap on the table.
Beside them was a note: "You've worked hard!"
It seemed that Ai Haibara and Akemi Miyano had made dinner for him since he hadn't returned home yet.
Lifting the plastic wrap, he found stewed beef and rice inside.
Fujino picked up the chopsticks and ate heartily.
The flavor was a bit bland, which suggested Ai Haibara had been the chef.
He had been in this world for some time now. From scraping by with 1 million yen saved up over half a year, to now making 1 million from a single task, Fujino had certainly been through a lot.
His physical condition had improved from its formerly frail state, and his strength had also increased.
...
The road of a detective was getting broader and broader, and he had now become quite a famous detective.
The once-empty four-story building was gradually filling up, no longer leaving him as isolated as before.
Now, he had a pretend big sister to take care of household chores, and a little girl who could cook.
Even though it was a false sense of family...
It still felt like home.
...
After dinner, Fujino cleaned up the dishes and sat on the sofa. He opened the system interface and began drawing from the basic career pool.
He was running low on enhancement cards.
At this rate, they would run out soon.
He needed to draw more cards to replenish his stock.
Martial arts and starting a business weren't urgent matters.
But the enhancement cards were essential.
After all, they were the cheapest and most convenient way to quickly boost his strength.
89,000 yen. Draw!
**[Congratulations to the host for obtaining: 3x Basic Reflex Enhancement Cards, 1x Basic Perception Enhancement Card, 1x (Blue) Beverage Knowledge Book, 3x Basic Strength Enhancement Cards, 1x (Blue) Shennong Oral Liquid, 1x Advanced Strength Enhancement Card]**
"Two blue items, huh?"
Fujino tapped the screen and opened the system warehouse to inspect the details of the two blue items:
**[Beverage Knowledge Book: Contains recipes and techniques for making various drinks. With this book, you'll never need to buy drinks again!]**
**[Shennong Oral Liquid: A bitter-tasting herbal liquid made entirely from traditional Chinese medicine. It's a one-time-use item that can quickly heal the user's injuries. The healing speed depends on the severity of the injuries.]**
"A healing item and a book on drinks?"
They seemed useful enough.
He wasn't sure what purpose the beverage book might serve, but maybe it would come in handy when he opened his shop.
As for the Shennong Oral Liquid...
He didn't expect to get into a situation where he'd be severely injured, but it was better to be prepared.
Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
After closing the system interface, Fujino opened the Magician Enthusiast Chatroom, starting his nightly routine of chatting before bed.
Despite it being late, the small chatroom with only a few members was still lively.
As soon as he entered, Fujino saw people discussing him.
Of course, not by his online alias, but as the detective he actually was.
**[Phantom: Have you guys heard? Kaitou Kid was thwarted again by that detective named Fujino.]**
**[Ikasama Boy: Is that the high school detective? I've heard of him.]**
**[Silent Ventriloquist: My ten-year-old daughter is also a fan of his.]**
Fujino smiled slightly as he read the conversation about himself, feeling a bit proud.
But just as quickly, his smug mood was shattered by two trolls.
**[Escape King: Is he really that great? I've never heard of him.]**
**[Disappearing Panny: So, why is a high school student getting involved in these things instead of studying? I think he just doesn't have enough homework.]**
**[Disappearing Panny: Neon's police are hopeless. Now they need a high schooler to help them catch a thief (laughs).]**
**[Escape King: And even with the help of a high school detective, the thief still escaped. So, is the detective useless or is Kaitou Kid too strong? Either way, Neon's police force is doomed.]**
Fujino's face darkened as he stared at the computer screen.
Taking a deep breath, he rubbed his temples.
Internet trolls, huh?
(End of chapter)