A Bold Idea

Yoko Okino's room was quite simple, with pink walls and wooden strip flooring, and not much furniture.

Perhaps it was just a temporary residence.

As soon as he entered the room, Fujino felt a stuffy heat.

Looking up, he saw that the central air conditioner in the room was blowing hot air.

"If I remember correctly, this should be an important breakthrough in this case."

Fujino surveyed the central air conditioner, murmured, and then turned his gaze to the body on the floor in the center of the room.

The body lay straight on the ground, with a fruit knife stuck in its back.

Looking at the somewhat stiff corpse, Fujino felt an indescribable stirring within him.

Suddenly, he felt dizzy and nauseous.

Taking a deep breath, Fujino sighed after the physical discomfort subsided, "As expected, I'm still not quite used to it."

To be honest, in his two lives, this was the first time Fujino had seen such a fresh corpse.

Although he was a high school detective, the cases he usually handled were finding lost cats and dogs, or people having affairs.

He had never handled a murder case like this.

However, Fujino's adaptability was strong, and after a moment, the discomfort vanished.

As the strangeness faded, Fujino glanced behind him.

Seeing no one else in the room, he walked over to the sofa in the corner.

Then he leaned down and felt around underneath.

Soon, he touched something hard.

When he took it out, it was an earring.

Examining the golden earring in his hand, Fujino frowned.

If he remembered correctly, this should be Yuko Ikezawa's earring.

He had originally thought that since Yuko Ikezawa had hired him, she wouldn't come here to investigate... but reality was not as beautiful as imagined.

After hiring him, Yuko Ikezawa had still come here to investigate, which led to the bloody idol case.

That silly woman, did she not trust him?

Fujino pocketed the earring, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

However, with things having progressed to this extent, the original trouble had been resolved naturally.

After pondering for a moment, a bold idea sprouted in Fujino's mind.

Perhaps, he might even make a fortune this time.

Five minutes later, accompanied by the sound of police sirens, the police arrived at the crime scene.

Leading them was a fatty named Juzo Megure.

"So, you're saying that when you returned home, you found this man murdered?"

Juzo Megure looked at Yoko Okino and asked as usual.

"That's right."

Yoko Okino lowered her head, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Right after I returned from Detective Fujino's place, I opened the door and found him dead in the room..."

"Detective Fujino..."

Upon hearing this, Juzo Megure turned to Fujino. "Are you the detective Yoko Okino found the crime scene with?"

"Mhm."

Fujino nodded and introduced himself, "My name is Fujino, and I'm a detective."

"You're not a high school detective, are you?"

Juzo Megure looked at Fujino's somewhat youthful but seemingly older face and asked in confusion.

"That's right... I'm still a high school student..."

Fujino nodded and continued, "I'm from the same school as that guy Kudo Shinichi."

"I see, it's Brother Fujino."

Juzo Megure looked at Fujino, recalling a familiar figure in his mind.

Come to think of it, Brother Kudo hadn't shown up for a long time, had he?

The recent efficiency in solving cases had made him very anxious.

He wondered if this kid was like Brother Kudo.

After thinking for a moment, Juzo Megure asked Fujino again, "If I remember correctly, you were the one who called the police, Brother Fujino. Did you find anything unusual at the scene?"

"As for clues..."

Fujino stroked his chin. "Perhaps the room temperature was just a bit too high."

"Room temperature too high..."

Juzo Megure wiped a bead of sweat from his temple. "I've felt it since a while ago. The temperature in this room is indeed a bit hot."

As he spoke, he turned to Yoko Okino and asked, "Miss Okino, has the air conditioning in this room always been set this high since the beginning?"

"No!"

Yoko Okino blinked in surprise at his question. "I remember the power was cut off when I left this morning."

"That's strange..."

Taking a deep breath, Juzo Megure turned to the forensic technician who was investigating the cause of death. "How is it? Have you determined the cause of death?"

"We've determined it."

Beside the body, the forensic technician in a blue uniform looked up and said, "The cause of death was a fatal stab wound from a fruit knife to the back. The time of death is difficult to determine due to the high room temperature."

Nodding, Juzo Megure eyed Yoko Okino suspiciously. "Miss Okino, if I'm not mistaken, the knife the killer used should also be yours..."

"Officer! Are you suspecting Yoko?!"

At this moment, the agent appeared flustered and asked Juzo Megure in surprise.

"Based on the current evidence, Yoko Okino has a strong motive for murder..."

As he spoke, Juzo Megure frowned and asked the shifty-eyed agent with displeasure, "But who are you, anyway? Why are you so concerned about whether we suspect Yoko Okino?"

"I... I'm Yoko's agent, Eiichi Yamagishi."

"So you're Yoko Okino's agent. No wonder..."

Juzo Megure murmured. Then he asked, "Speaking of which, do either of you two know the victim?"

The two of them carefully examined the victim, and then their faces showed expressions of great shock.

But for some reason, that astonishment was hidden away moments later.

"I... I want to get a closer look."

The agent noticed a strand of long hair in the victim's hand and moved closer to the body.

Suddenly, his foot slipped, and he almost fell onto the body.

But just as he was about to fall, Fujino grabbed him from behind.

Pulling the agent up, Fujino smiled slightly. "Mr. Agent, slipping near the body could interfere with the investigation!"

"Or is it that you deliberately got close to the body to disrupt the police investigation with some ulterior motive?"

As he spoke, Fujino's smile widened, and he squinted with a sly grin, like a cunning fox.

"How... how could that be!"

The agent panicked and quickly explained, "I just slipped!"

"Did you really just slip?"

Fujino's narrowed eyes deepened, and the smile on his lips turned even colder. "Why do I feel like you knew the victim..."