The Monthly Gift Incident

The next morning, on the fourth floor of the Fujino home.

In the dim room, Fujino stood in the room where he had been on his first day after crossing over, studying the chain of evidence strung across the wall with red thread, lost in thought.

Come to think of it, the original Fujino Doji's parents had both been famous entrepreneurs in Japan.

The Fujino Company they operated had even ranked among the upper echelons of Japan's zaibatsu...

Fujino Doji had been a wealthy second-generation heir at such a young age.

But disaster had suddenly struck a year ago.

A year earlier, the couple had been caught up in a robbery on their way home after seeing an opera.

Though it had been publicly claimed that the robbers had accidentally killed them, Fujino knew that they had not died by accident, but in a premeditated murder!

After the couple was murdered, the vast Fujino Zaibatsu had declined all the way until it was carved up by several other zaibatsu... leaving behind considerable foreign debt as well.

Back then, Fujino, still a high school student, had no choice but to renounce his inheritance of the Fujino Zaibatsu to avoid the debts, keeping only a Ford car and a four-story building.

From then on, Fujino Doji could no longer live the carefree life of a rich heir.

He could only become a detective and barely scrape by on meager commission fees.

Until he died from a cold, he had been investigating the truth behind his parents' murder a year ago.

But after a whole year, he had uncovered nothing. The frustration and his frail health had also been major factors in his death from that cold.

"Parents who were murdered after seeing an opera in Beika City?"

Fujino narrowed his eyes, studying the photograph of the young couple on the dim room's wall as he pondered.

Based on the memories from his past life and this world's memories, the couple must have been caught up in some conspiracy, which was why they had been murdered...

He believed this matter was undoubtedly inseparably connected to this world's greatest villain, a certain Black Organization.

The fact that the murderer had still not been caught, and that the case remained so baffling, was the best proof.

"Though I can't be sure whether it was the Alcohol Company... it definitely has something to do with the Alcohol Company..."

Fujino rested his chin on his hand and muttered, frowning slightly.

A moment later, he sighed. "But with my current strength, dealing with the Black Organization is really going to be difficult..."

Although the Alcohol Company was full of double agents, its level of danger still made Fujino's heart tremble.

After all, one of the Alcohol Company's model workers had the guts to fire upon landmark buildings from a Black Hawk helicopter. What could he, an ordinary and somewhat skinny high school student, possibly use to fight them?

Even if he were going to fight, he would at least need to be able to dodge bullets.

"So making money is still the key?"

Fujino muttered.

Money was still what he lacked most urgently... Besides getting him out of his current predicament, it could also strengthen him.

Otherwise, with just a Wooden Sword, a few Enhancement Cards, and one Enhancement Skill... he probably would not even know who had put a hole through his head by then.

"Excuse me, is Detective Fujino home?"

At that moment, a man's shout suddenly came from outside the door.

"Detective Fujino?"

Fujino froze upon hearing it.

People who called him detective were usually clients... Could another commission have come to his door?

Weren't there a little too many commissions lately... Had the incident on Moonlight Island yesterday made him famous?

At that thought, a pleased smile rose on Fujino's face.

He was off today anyway, so there was no harm in taking a commission and earning some extra money.

With that in mind, he opened the door and saw a mountain-like pile of gifts stacked before him.

Then, the small mountain of presents collapsed with a crash and fell straight toward him.

Fujino had let his guard down and failed to dodge, getting buried beneath the gifts.

His entire body was submerged in a sea of gift boxes...

"I am terribly sorry, Detective Fujino!"

At that moment, a square-faced man in a brown suit hurriedly apologized and reached out to pull Fujino up.

Fujino's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the scars covering the man's fingers.

A surgeon?

Looks like he could get a good payoff from this...

"No need. I can get up myself!"

Fujino coughed and waved his hand.

After slowly getting to his feet, he gave the man a dead-eyed stare and asked, "So, sir, what commission brings you to me on a weekend?"

"I do indeed have a commission I would like to trouble Detective Fujino with..."

The man gathered up the gift boxes scattered all over the floor, then sat on the sofa and explained why he had come.

The man's name was Ogawa. From his description, the trouble he had encountered was that he had been receiving money and toys every month for the past two years...

Rather than trouble, though, it was more like anxiety.

After all, the amount of money had kept increasing, and it had now accumulated to twenty-five million yen.

The toys were not much of an issue. It was understandable that they might be for his five-year-old son.

But the money kept him worried all day, making him suspect that the sender had some ulterior motive.

"Mr. Ogawa, I have a general understanding of your situation now."

After listening to the man's request, Fujino cleared his throat and said, "So you came to hire me because you want to find the person sending you these things?"

"That's right."

Ogawa nodded. "If possible, I would also like to find out why he has been sending me these things."

"Hmm. Could they have been sent by one of your former patients?"

"How did you know I was a doctor?"

Ogawa asked in surprise.

"It was merely my deduction."

Fujino propped his chin up with both hands, putting on the air of a Great Detective. "After all, your index fingertips are covered in scratches, which fits the profile of a surgeon, and you smell of disinfectant."

"That's right..."

Ogawa had not expected the detective before him to notice such minor details...

He really was an impressive detective.

He nodded before continuing, "I rushed here right after finishing an emergency operation. I didn't expect Detective Fujino to notice even that."

"This is merely a detective's basic skill."

Fujino shamelessly bragged without so much as a blush.

Then he asked meaningfully, "Since you're a surgeon, could they have been sent by a former patient? Perhaps to thank you for 'saving' their life?"

"I've asked the patients I treated before... They weren't the ones who sent them."

Ogawa shook his head.

"Other than that, do you have any other clues?"

Seeing Ogawa shake his head, Fujino continued questioning him.

"As for clues..."

As he spoke, Ogawa seemed to recall something. He pulled a letter from his inner pocket and handed it to Fujino. "Oh, there is also this letter that arrived today. I don't know whether it counts as a clue."

Fujino accepted the letter and examined it.

Seeing the words, "The twenty-five million yen has been fully paid. Now it is your turn to experience it," his brow furrowed slightly.

"Detective Fujino, have you found some clue?"

Seeing the change in Fujino's expression, Ogawa hurriedly asked.

"If I'm not mistaken, the person sending the money is actually targeting your son."