The night sky over Tokyo sparkled with countless stars, a serene contrast to the bustling city below.
Fujino drove back to Fifth Avenue. After dropping off Ran and the others at their homes, he parked his car in the underground garage and headed upstairs to his room.
"A hundred pounds of weight… still feels a little too light," he murmured.
Fujino removed his weighted training gear with a sigh.
Even though 100 pounds was equivalent to the weight of an average adult and matched the training intensity of elite Navy SEAL units, it still didn't seem challenging enough for Fujino.
"If I could manage 200 pounds, that would be about right," he thought.
As he pondered, a series of system notifications suddenly chimed in his ears:
**[System has detected that the host has completed Detective Profession Task: (Car Explosion Case) Target One.]**
**[Rewards: ¥500,000, 50 Detective Reputation points, and 1 All-Profession Point have been granted!]**
**[Current Balance: ¥8.36 million]**
**[Current Detective Reputation: 600/1500]**
"Still not enough for a ten-draw…" Fujino glanced at the system balance, stood up, stretched his shoulders, and let out a big yawn. Then he flopped onto the sofa in a relaxed posture.
After resting for a moment, he got up, grabbed a bottle of green tea from the fridge, and strolled leisurely to the window. Gazing outside, he muttered, "If my guess is correct, that Sakiwara Megumi is probably Target Two…"
In fact, he'd suspected this ever since the system task had been released.
But without evidence, he chose to turn a blind eye.
Speaking up about it wouldn't achieve anything.
"Some truths are better left in the dark than exposed to the light…"
After taking in some fresh air, Fujino drew the curtains and locked the door before returning to the sofa.
He opened his personal inventory and focused on the six handguns currently in his possession. With a thought, they appeared, laid out neatly on the coffee table in front of him.
Fujino owned six handguns: an M37, a Beretta 92F, two M1911A1s, a Glock G17, and a Type 54.
Four of these guns shared a unique characteristic—they had all served in the U.S. military. The marks of combat were still evident on their surfaces.
For the syndicate, obtaining these firearms made sense.
After all, the organization could even get their hands on Black Hawk helicopters.
But for the local gangs…
That was a bit more perplexing.
Still, it wasn't entirely implausible.
With so many U.S. military bases in the area, it wasn't surprising for gangs to have access to American-made weapons.
"Arms smuggling, huh?"
Fujino muttered as he studied the six guns. Shaking his head, he reached for the Type 54 handgun and began to toy with it.
Arms smuggling wasn't his concern.
After all, this place wasn't his real homeland…
As he examined the Type 54 in his hands, Fujino couldn't help but chuckle.
The Type 54 was one of his favorite handguns—affordable, durable, and with a low failure rate. In his previous life, he'd had the privilege of using one and found it to be an excellent weapon.
The most striking feature was the five-pointed star on the black bakelite grips, earning it the nickname "Black Star."
Five-pointed stars were rare to see here.
A familiar feeling washed over him.
Pulling back the slide, a crisp "click" echoed through the room.
Fujino felt his boyish excitement bubbling up.
"Knock, knock!"
Just then, there was a knock at the bedroom door.
"Coming!"
Fujino quickly stashed the handgun away, responded, and opened the door.
Standing there was a petite young woman wearing a gray dress and a white apron.
"Fujino, dinner is ready," Haibara Ai said, looking up at him. Her normally calm tone carried a hint of warmth.
---
"This is outrageous… trying to kill your wife for insurance money? That's just despicable!"
At the dinner table, Akemi Miyano voiced her indignation after hearing Fujino recount the details of the case.
"But all's well that ends well, thanks to our great detective, right?" Haibara Ai remarked, turning her gaze to Fujino. "Otherwise, she would've been in the dark for the rest of her life."
"Absolutely."
Akemi nodded in agreement, her eyes also landing on Fujino. "We're really lucky to have you, Fujino."
"Cough, great detective or not… let's just eat," Fujino said, feeling slightly embarrassed. He quietly picked up a piece of Kung Pao Chicken and changed the subject. "By the way, Ai, when did you learn to cook Chinese food?"
"Recently. I noticed you prefer Chinese cuisine, so I took some time to learn a bit."
Haibara's eyes sparkled with a hint of anticipation as she asked, "So, how does it taste?"
"Taste, huh?"
Fujino thought for a moment, unintentionally slipping into critique mode. "The flavor could be stronger. It's not just the taste—the method feels a little off too."
Haibara lowered her head. "I see…"
Noticing her slight disappointment, Fujino quickly added, "Actually, Ai, your cooking skills are great. It's just that the recipe itself isn't very authentic. Tomorrow, I'll cook dinner, and you can watch me to pick up some tips."
"That's right! Ai's got real talent for cooking," Akemi chimed in with a laugh. "Unlike me—I can't even cook without turning the kitchen into a disaster zone!"
"Mm-hmm."
Haibara nodded, a faint smile playing on her lips.
---
Haibara Ai nodded slightly, a faint smile curling at the corners of her lips.
...
In the blink of an eye, a few days passed.
During these days, his life had been relatively fulfilling.
Every morning, he would put on a 100-pound weighted vest for his morning exercises, then take Haibara Ai to school. After school, he would head to the Konoha Kendo Dojo for training. In the evenings, he taught Haibara Ai how to cook, followed by going out to rob the rich to help the poor, occasionally racing to gain experience.
Unfortunately, there hadn't been any murder cases to investigate.
However, he did take on a private investigation case to catch someone cheating.
He earned 600,000 yen and 60 detective reputation points from it.
His balance rose to 8.96 million yen, with a reputation of 660 points.
---
**Evening, Fujino Household Kitchen**
"When choosing meat for sweet and sour pork, it's best to use the front or hind leg cuts. Add a moderate amount of salt, pepper, cooking wine, and just one drop of sesame oil… Then coat it with potato starch."
Wearing a white apron, Fujino busied himself with his work while explaining each step to Haibara Ai.
Thanks to his knowledge of homemade dishes, his instructions were smooth and confident.
"Why add just one drop of sesame oil?"
Haibara Ai stood nearby, her voice soft as she asked the question.
She held a small notebook in her hand, watching attentively. She carefully noted down every step Fujino took.
"That single drop of sesame oil may seem insignificant, but it's quite important," Fujino patiently explained. "The sesame oil enhances the aroma and removes any unpleasant odors. While it's not strictly necessary, skipping it would significantly affect the flavor."
"Got it."
Haibara Ai nodded and jotted it down in her notebook.
**"Ring-ring!"**
At that moment, a phone suddenly rang in Fujino's pocket.
Looking down at his hands, which were covered in potato starch, he sighed and turned to Haibara Ai.
"Ai, could you check who's calling? It's in my left pocket."
"In your left pocket?"
Haibara Ai stepped closer, stood on tiptoe, and reached into the pocket of Fujino's apron. Pulling out the phone, she glanced at it. "It's an unknown number."
She pressed the answer button and held the phone up to Fujino's ear while standing on tiptoe.
Fujino crouched slightly to make it easier for her. On the other end of the line, a familiar voice—Ran's—came through, sounding anxious.
"Fujino-senpai! Sonoko has been kidnapped by a stranger!"
"Sonoko was kidnapped?"
Fujino's brows furrowed at the news. He tried to calm her down. "Ran, don't panic. Tell me exactly what happened."
"Here's the situation," Ran explained, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "Earlier today, Sonoko and I went shopping. On the bus, we saw an elderly man, but the next moment, he was gone… and there was suddenly a floppy disk in my bag.
"We went to the bus stop just now to investigate and learned that the old man had been abducted by a man wearing sunglasses. Then, Sonoko was taken by the same man.
"I wanted to call my dad, but he's drunk and not making any sense right now."
"I see," Fujino replied thoughtfully. After a moment's pause, he asked, "Where are you now?"
"At the main office of the Heian Bus Company."
"I'll head over right away."
Hanging up, Fujino walked over to the sink and began washing the potato starch off his hands. While doing so, he turned to Haibara Ai and said, "Ai, I have to head out for a while. That's all for today."
"Heading out so late at night…" Haibara Ai observed his hurried demeanor and curiously asked, "Did something happen?"
"Yes, it's urgent," Fujino replied while drying his hands. "Sonoko has been kidnapped, and I need to go."
"Sonoko…" Haibara Ai thought for a moment. "Is she that girl with the rather prominent forehead?"
"Uh…" Fujino paused briefly, then nodded. "Yes, that's her."
...
Fujino quickly changed into a bulletproof suit, grabbed his wooden sword, and retrieved his motorcycle from the underground garage.
"Stay safe," Haibara Ai called from the window as Fujino rode out of the building.
"Got it."
Fujino waved back, then put on his helmet and revved the engine.
The taillight of the motorcycle turned into a streak of red, vanishing into the dark streets of Go-chome.
---
**"A new bodyguard mission has been detected. Please check the details!"**
"A bodyguard mission?"
While riding his motorcycle, Fujino glanced at the system's task interface:
**Bodyguard Mission: Rescue Sonoko Suzuki**
**Mission Objective:** Rescue Sonoko Suzuki from the kidnappers.
**Mission Rewards:** 1 million yen, 100 bodyguard career points.
**Mission Time Limit:** ???
--- "Is there no location marker?"
Fujino narrowed his eyes as he stared at the task details on the system interface. "Looks like I'll have to check in with Ran first before making any decisions…"
He remembered this case clearly.
It involved an old man who had stolen a falsified accounting ledger from a company. The ledger contained records of bribes intended for high-ranking officials and stakeholders in Japan. The old man planned to expose it.
To keep the matter under wraps, the company sent operatives who specialized in handling shady affairs to abduct the old man.
However, before the old man was captured, he had handed the disk containing the incriminating files to Ran.
Because of that, Ran had also become a target for those people.
In their search for the disk's owner, Ran and Sonoko, accompanied by police dog Conan, followed a trail that led them to a bus stop.
Unfortunately, that was where Sonoko was kidnapped.
For now, Sonoko wasn't in immediate danger.
But if too much time passed, things could take a turn for the worse.
He couldn't let Sonoko become one of Beika's infamous "specialties."
While she was carefree and a bit impulsive, she was genuinely a good person—one of the few friends he had in this world.
"Looks like I'll have to pick up the pace."
Fujino took a deep breath, activated his hawk-like focus, and twisted the throttle to its limit.
A roaring sound exploded.
The pitch-black motorcycle shot out like a sharp blade.
Its red taillight traced a streak of neon red across the midnight streets.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the streets of Tokyo, inside a "panda" patrol car from the Traffic Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department:
A female officer in a traffic uniform yawned as she sat in the passenger seat.
Turning to her partner, Miyamoto Yumi, who had long black hair, a handsome face, and was also dressed in a traffic uniform, she asked, "Yumi, are we still going after those two street racers tonight?"
"Of course we are."
Yumi's eyes were firm with determination. "Tonight, I'll definitely catch that guy."
"Let's just give it up."
The other officer waved dismissively. "We couldn't corner him yesterday, and even if we did, it'd probably end up like before—he'd leave us in the dust the moment we caught sight of his car."
Yumi didn't reply. She simply turned her gaze out the window, a trace of thought flickering in her eyes.
As a law-abiding young man, Fujino naturally wouldn't be caught racing his Ford Taurus against street racers.
Instead, a mysterious figure driving an AE86 and riding a 125cc motorcycle had emerged in Tokyo's street racing scene.
Known as "Tokyo's Fastest Fujiwara," the nickname "Fujiwara" originated from a fleeting glimpse of a "Fujiwara Tofu Shop" logo on the back of the car.
As for "Deathline 125," the nickname came from the mysterious figure's 125cc motorcycle, which left only a long red taillight streak in its wake every time.
Since most motorcycle racers were delinquents, the nickname for the bike leaned towards being a bit dramatic.
In reality, Fujino hadn't caused any fatalities.
The Traffic Division of the police speculated that these two personas were actually the same individual.
The reasoning? They always appeared at the same time, both drove at breakneck speeds far beyond normal limits, and their activity schedules were nearly identical.
"Vroom—"
While Miyamoto Yumi was lost in thought, the shadow of a black motorcycle sped past her line of sight in an instant.
The engine's roar reverberated around them, gradually fading into the distance.
"?"
Yumi snapped back to attention, staring in the direction where the motorcycle had disappeared, leaving only a long streak of red light.
"Was that…?"
The officer in the passenger seat looked utterly confused.
The dark shadow had been nothing more than a blur, leaving a single red taillight streak behind.
"It's him!"
Yumi quickly regained her composure, slammed her foot on the gas pedal, and hit the siren. Grabbing the loudspeaker, she shouted, "Pull over, Deathline 125!"
(End of Chapter)