Fujino's Masterful Kendo

Following the address provided by Ai Haibara, Fujino arrived at the building where the System Task was issued.

He brought the Ford Taurus to a stop.

Just as I opened the car door, I heard a surprised voice behind me. "Fujino- kun, what are you doing here?"

Fujino turned his head and saw Takagi Wataru was wearing a small hat and sunglasses, walking towards him.

A group of elementary school students followed behind him.

Sneaky and furtive.

It looks like that human trafficker.

"Takagi, what have you been doing all this time?"

Sato Miwako dragged the fugitive out of the car, somewhat annoyed, and cast a resentful glance at Takagi: "I've already escaped, and you're only just arriving at the crime scene."

"I just went with these children to find out about the situation from people who knew Miss Muranishi before her death, so we rushed here now."

Takagi scratched the back of his head awkwardly and explained.

Then, somewhat puzzled, he asked, "But speaking of which, Officer Sato, weren't you trapped in...?"

"It was Fujino- kun who happened to save me."

Sato Miwako explained the whole story.

Turning her head, she looked up at the crime scene upstairs. "Compared to those, let's find the real culprit in this case first."

After speaking with the building manager, the group entered the apartment where the crime scene was located.

This incident occurred in a room on the fifth floor of a mid-rise apartment building.

The nameplate at the entrance reads "West of the Village".

After entering the crime scene, the members of the Junior Detective League went to the bedroom and started ransacking it.

"Hello!"

Takagi Wataru with some exasperation, "You guys, don't mess up the crime scene."

Genta: "It's okay! Look, we're all wearing gloves."

Mitsuhiko: "We bought it on our way when Officer Takagi went to buy a hat."

Ayumi: "Conan made us do this!"

The children raised their hands and showed them to Takagi Wataru, Fujino, and the others.

"Takagi, you were clearly acting with these kids."

Sato Miwako behind Takagi and patted him on the shoulder. "Didn't you even notice that?"

"Well..."

Takagi Wataru blushed and said awkwardly, "Because I was so engrossed in choosing a hat just now... so..."

Fujino ignored the noise from the group.

He silently activated his Eagle Eye Vision and began to observe the scene of the murder.

The moment Eagle Eye Vision is activated, the whole world begins to turn into black and white.

The evidence in the room gradually began to appear in highlighted form.

Three types of footprints were found on the floor at the crime scene.

One female, and two males.

Clearly, the murderer is someone else.

"Fujino, do you need gloves?"

At that moment, Ai Haibara, who had already put on Ai Haibara, walked over slowly. She took out a slightly larger pair of white gloves from her pocket and handed them to Fujino: "When I was buying gloves just now, I also got you a pair."

"Yes, thank you, Ai."

Fujino responded, took the gloves, and put them on; they fit perfectly.

Although he had gloves in his Pocket Dimension, since Ai Haibara had already prepared them, he didn't need to go through the trouble of getting them.

"Officer Takagi, the furniture in the room hasn't been moved, has it?"

Wearing white gloves, Fujino glanced around the room and asked Takagi, who was standing next to him.

"No."

Takagi shook his head and replied, "The Forensic Science Division officers didn't move any of the furniture when they were collecting evidence."

"That's strange. If the furniture in this room hasn't been moved, then why are there signs that it has been moved..."

Fujino glanced at the furniture in the room that was shimmering with a faint light.

He walked to the bedside in the bedroom and reached out to lightly touch a rectangular area on the wall that was obviously white. "The strange thing is not just this. Logically speaking, there should have been posters or calendars hanging here before... Judging from the marks, they should have been removed recently."

"These are things that the Forensic Science Division have mentioned."

Takagi Wataru thought for a moment, "Perhaps the deceased wanted to change the layout of the room before he died?"

Conan glanced at Fujino.

I thought to myself, "As expected of you."

He also posed a probing question to Takagi, "Huh? That's not all! The whole room is white, so why are only the curtains and sheets gray?"

"It might just be a coincidence."

Takagi smiled and continued to explain.

Fujino: "..."

Well, the Japanese police are beyond saving.

Fujino sighed and, following the guidance of Eagle Eye Vision, arrived at the wardrobe. She opened it and found white curtains, sheets, and a calendar inside.

Conan kept his eyes fixed on Fujino.

After Fujino opened the cabinet, he immediately discovered those things.

Stepping forward, he said, "I knew it! It's a white sheet, and a calendar from the Tokyo Soul Team..."

As he spoke, he tried to snatch the calendar from Fujino's hand.

Conan gently tugged.

Fujino refused.

In the end, Conan let go.

Is there anything strange about that?

Takagi walked over and glanced at the white sheets and calendar. "Maybe she just wanted to change her style."

No, it won't.

Fujino flipped open the calendar. "This month's schedule is packed full. Put it away, and put it in the closet. Don't you think that's a bit unreasonable?"

"That's right."

Ayumi chimed in, "And the tavern owner said that Miss Muranishi's favorite color is white! And her favorite team is Tokyo Soul Team."

Did the tavern owner mention it?

Takagi Wataru paused for a moment, then quickly flipped through his police handbook notes. "She didn't mention this during our interrogation..."

"When questioned by the police, people usually tend to say only the important things because they are afraid of being scolded for saying something trivial."

Conan explained, "I think the proprietress must feel the same way. After all, the case only happened a few days ago, so she must be feeling a bit scared."

Ayumi nodded. "Besides Ms. Nishimura liking white, we also found out other things..."

Genta chimed in, "For example, cacti are her favorite!"

Mitsuhiko chimed in, "And Mr. Higashida, who's handcuffed over there, is actually quite skilled at installing and operating video recorders, and he doesn't like taking baths, etc."

Ayumi added, "Also, every time he gets drunk, he can't get up the next morning and is often late."

Just as the Junior Detective League members were vying to show off, Fujino had already squatted down and pulled a matchbox from next to the wardrobe.

Open the matchbox; inside are some matches and a stack of folded paper.

Fujino unfolded the paper.

It was a marriage application form, already stamped, and signed by the deceased, Mami Muranishi.

Fujino stood up and showed it to everyone: it already had the official seal and the woman's signature; only the man's signature was missing, and the marriage application would be valid...

"Marriage application form?"

Takagi Wataru forward, examining the application form in Fujino's hand, his brows furrowing slightly. "But when we were investigating just now, we didn't hear anything about her having a boyfriend."

"The marriage application was submitted a few days ago, so I think Ms. Nishimura probably has a boyfriend and wants to surprise him..."

Haibara said calmly, "It's probably a secret relationship, isn't it?"

Sato Miwako chin together, looking thoughtful. "Indeed, there are some couples who don't want others to know and deliberately hide their relationship."

"A secret relationship... But that's not the point, is it?"

Takagi couldn't help but remark, "When Ms. Nishimura's body was discovered, the suspect, Mr. Higashida, was lying on the bed at the crime scene as if he were in his own home. The door lock and chain were locked, and there were his fingerprints on them. Even the murder weapon used to strangle the victim— the VCR signal cable —had the same fingerprints..."

"Takagi, haven't you grasped the crux of the matter yet?"

Sato Miwako turned her gaze to Takagi, her brows furrowed slightly, her expression serious. "The suspicious points just now all confirm that there was a third person at the scene of the crime besides Mr. Higashida."

Takagi was stunned. "A third party?!"

"The calendar is full of dates, and the marriage application that was previously scattered next to the wardrobe should not be something that Ms. Nishimura would have put away or accidentally lost."

Fujino said, "In other words, besides Ms. Nishimura and Mr. Higashida, there must have been a third person who visited this room and moved the furniture."

"Moreover, she, who loves cacti, would not move such a cold-sensitive plant to the balcony during such a cold season."

Ai Haibara walked to the balcony and silently leaned against the window, turning her gaze to a potted cactus. "Many of the cactus's thorns are broken, and there are still some bloodstains. It seems that the person who moved this cactus was in a hurry and accidentally pricked their own hand."

As she spoke, she gently asked Fujino, "Am I right?"

"Yes, that's right."

Fujino answered, but he was somewhat puzzled.

He remembered that it was July today...

Are you cold?

It seems a bit cold...

Fujino, having recovered from his daze, picked up where Ai Haibara: "Next, all we need to do is go to Mr. Higashida's room, and the truth should come out."

"So the truth is out now?"

Takagi was a little confused.

Afterwards, the group went to Dongtian's room.

As soon as I entered the room, everything became clear.

His room and Nishimura's room were in the same apartment, so their layouts were the same.

Furthermore, the furniture placement in both rooms was quite similar, and the curtains and bed sheets were also gray.

Fujino turned to look at Higashida, who was handcuffed by Sato Miwako, and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Higashida, do you remember who brought you back to this room that day?"

"It's Kitagawa!"

Higashida thought for a moment and said, "That's right, it was Kitagawa. He was the one who brought me back when I went drinking with him that day."

Upon hearing this, Fujino turned to Takagi and asked, "So, who was the first eyewitness to discover that Miss Muranishi was dead in her room?"

"Also Mr. Kitagawa..."

Upon hearing this, Takagi suddenly understood. "So, the murderer is Mr. Kitagawa?"

But after a pause, he asked in confusion, "But why is it that the video camera signal cable, which is the murder weapon, only has Mr. Higashida's fingerprints on it..."

"Hey! The proprietress of the izakaya must have heard that Mr. Higashida is very skilled with video cameras, right?"

At this moment, Conan, who had been silenced the whole time, saw that the time was ripe and he could steal the spotlight again, so he immediately spoke up and answered, "I think it might be left behind when Mr. Higashida was helping Mr. Kitagawa install the video recorder!"

Takagi asked Higashida, "Mr. Higashida, have you ever helped Mr. Kitagawa install a video recorder?"

"A video recorder?"

After thinking for a moment, Dongtian said, "I did help that guy put on an act before."

"I see!"

Takagi suddenly realized, "So, the video recorder cable that Kitagawa used is the same one that Mr. Higashida installed for him?"

"Let's hurry over to Kitagawa's house!"

Sato Miwako said, "If we can catch Kitagawa tonight, Mr. Higashida should be able to catch his flight tomorrow."

9:30 PM.

Fujino carried Sato Miwako, as well as Ai Haibara.

Takagi took a taxi with the rest of the Junior Detective League.

The group rushed to the door of Kitagawa's house.

Fujino stepped forward and knocked on the Kitagawa family's door.

"It's so late! What's wrong?"

The person who opened the door sounded very annoyed; he had a watermelon-shaped haircut and a small mustache.

Somewhat like Matt Damon...

Strangely similar.

"Mr. Kitagawa, you are the murderer who killed Miss Muranishi, aren't you?"

Fujino, carrying Wooden Sword, stared intently at Kitagawa and spoke in a cold tone.

"Are you kidding me?"

Kitagawa was stunned by what he heard. He glanced at Sato Miwako behind Fujino, then his gaze lingered on Higashida. He looked surprised for a moment, then said angrily, "You brat, don't talk nonsense. I'll sue you for defamation..."

"Then we'll talk about you after you're locked up in jail, the real culprit who killed Ms. Nishimura."

Fujino interrupted Kitagawa, switching to Detective Time, and then deduced. "You first changed the pillowcases and duvet covers to gray, and moved the furniture so that the drunken Mr. Higashida would mistake Miss Muranishi's room for his own."

As for the cactus and calendar at the crime scene, they were put away to prevent him from noticing anything amiss...

After doing all that, you murdered Miss Nishimura, got Higashida drunk, brought him here, and told him to lock the door.

In his drunken state, Higashida naturally wouldn't notice anything amiss. The next day, you went there and discovered Miss Muranishi's death. The murder weapon was the data cable for your home's video recorder, which Mr. Higashida had installed. Naturally, it had his fingerprints on it. Therefore, Mr. Higashida would naturally become the 'murderer.'

Before Kitagawa could retort, Fujino continued, "Now the truth is clear. Murder weapons usually have serial numbers on their signal cables; comparing them will confirm if it's yours. The blood on the cactus should be able to be used for DNA testing, and the gray bed sheet from the crime scene should have your purchase record at nearby shopping malls..."

"Are you kidding me!"

Kitagawa was rendered speechless by Fujino's reasoning and slammed his front door shut.

"Trying to escape?"

Fujino frowned slightly upon seeing this, stepped forward, and kicked open the door with a "bang".

"Ah?"

Kitagawa turned around at the sound and saw Fujino rushing in, leaving him completely bewildered.

He instinctively grabbed a golf club from the side.

"?"

Fujino was taken aback.

That said, why does Conan immediately repent and admit his mistakes when he's doing deduction?

He gets beaten up after he finishes his reasoning...

But now that he's got an iron rod, he can use his hands, right?

Thinking about it more carefully made me even more excited.

Fujino pulled out Wooden Sword from behind his back and smashed it towards his face.

"Ah!"

He was brutally beaten with Wooden Sword.

Each cut was precise, causing the victim pain without knocking them unconscious...

"You're the murderer, aren't you?"

Fujino tapped Kitagawa on the head with his Wooden Sword and silently activated the intermittent recording function of his Vision Enhancement Glasses.

"It was me...it was me who killed Nishimura." —Recording.

Kitagawa covered his head and curled up helplessly on the ground.

"Bang!"

Why did you kill her?

"Because I don't want to marry her, but she keeps pressuring me to marry her!" — Recording.

"Bang!"

"Then why did you frame Mr. Higashida?"

"He's my business rival, and he's the only one who gets drunk and out of control, so I thought I'd frame him..." — Recording.

Seeing this, Takagi panicked and quickly stepped forward to dissuade him. "Fujino- kun, don't get agitated!"

"Don't worry, Takagi."

Sato Miwako was handcuffing Higashida, walked over with a relieved look on her face. "He won't get hurt."

"Won't you get hurt?"

Takagi turned to look at Fujino, who was wielding the Wooden Sword with great power, and swallowed hard.

Am I going to get beaten to death?

Four or five minutes later, a large team of police officers arrived at the scene immediately after receiving an alarm call from Sato Miwako using Fujino's cell phone.

"You really don't have a single injury?"

Takagi watched in disbelief as Kitagawa, looking like he'd just recovered from his drug addiction, boarded the police car surrounded by burly policemen.

"I told you so."

Sato Miwako's handcuffs were also unlocked. She walked over slowly and said confidently, "Fujino's swordsmanship is superb. Even after so many blows, he didn't leave a single scratch on that guy."

Takagi was speechless for a moment.

I had heard about this before.

But seeing you today...

It was still quite shocking.

"Takagi!"

Just then, a roar came from behind.

Takagi Wataru turned around and saw his burly colleagues, dressed in various police uniforms and looking furious, approaching him. "Inspector Megure... everyone..."

Fujino glanced at Takagi Wataru, who was pinned down by the burly man.

Well, they're colleagues after all.

They probably won't go too far.

"Ah--"

Just then, a scream came from outside the parking space window.

Fujino silently closed the car window, started the engine, and drove away from the scene with several children and two fake children in tow.

Children shouldn't watch such terrifying scenes.

Yeah, you can't watch fake kids either.

I hope he's still alive.

After dropping the Junior Detective League off at Professor Agasa's house, Fujino took Ai Haibara back home.

Late at night, Fujino's bedroom.

As always, Fujino took a bottle of Green Tea from the refrigerator and took a sip.

The system interface then opened.

As soon as the system interface was opened, a system light screen appeared before my eyes:

[Detective Profession Mission quest: (True Culprit? Wrongful Conviction?) has been completed]

[System Task reward: 500,000 yen and 200 Detective Reputation points have been issued]

Current balance: 10.46 million yen

[Current Detective Reputation: 860 | 1500]

"Ten million yen..."

Fujino closed the system interface and went straight to bed.

He doesn't plan to touch the ten million yen for the time being.

Our current strength is sufficient for now, and there's no need to upgrade.

If you enter the lottery, it costs 8.9 million yen per round.

That 10 million yen will then drop to less than 2 million yen.

It's always good to save more money; it's better to be prepared.