Rising to Fame

Late at night in Tokyo.

The city lights outside the window were bright, and the sounds of hustle and bustle could be faintly heard.

"Okay, Ms. Su Fang, see you tomorrow. Let's meet at my detective agency in 5-chome Beika Town."

After hanging up the phone, Fujino let out a long sigh of relief.

In that case, we can discuss the endorsement arrangement tomorrow.

Although we don't yet know what kind of person the other party is, judging from Yoko Okino's introduction, the other party should be a highly respected philanthropist.

Such philanthropists generally have a very high reputation in society.

"But speaking of which, why does this name seem a little familiar?"

Fujino put the phone away and murmured in confusion.

In this world, those who leave an impression on him are generally characters involved in the original storyline.

They are either murderers or victims.

But he couldn't remember it for the time being.

The Conan storyline is just too long, with over a thousand episodes in the TV series. It's impossible for him to remember every single one.

Aside from some classic cases and key plot points, without any crucial clues, he couldn't immediately recall which segment [Su Fang Hongzi] corresponded to...

My mind is a bit of a mess...

Fujino rubbed his forehead, feeling a slight headache.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to search online for more information about this Su Fang Hongzi.

It's not just about seeing if we can find any key clues to recall the plot.

Another reason was to test the waters and see what the guy who was about to appoint him as his spokesperson had in the reputation.

If it turns out his reputation isn't very good, he can simply use lack of time as an excuse to decline tomorrow.

"Su Fang Hongzi, the Red Society..."

Fujino leaned against the headboard, placed his laptop on his lap, and his fingers flew across the keyboard.

He quickly found information about Su Fang Hongzi.

Although search technology in this era is not very advanced, searching for celebrities is still relatively simple.

Judging from the search results, Su Fang Hongzi is indeed a big star, just as Yoko Okino said.

In her early years, she was known as the "Canary of the East" because of her bright voice, and she was a representative of an era in the Japan music scene.

However, just fifteen years ago, she suddenly retired from the music scene and founded a management company called "Red Society".

They dedicate themselves to helping children who have lost family members in traffic accidents through commercial benefit performances and various other means...

As for the scandals that Yuko Ikezawa mentioned, that's another matter.

Nearly twenty years ago, Su Fang Hongzi's female assistant accidentally hit and killed a woman while driving her car, and then committed suicide after fleeing the scene of the accident.

The "Red Society" was established shortly after the death of this female assistant, and therefore, the public and the news media often used this incident as a reason to criticize Su Fang Hongzi.

However, that information is still somewhat controversial, and even though it has been reported, there is no actual evidence to back it up.

Fujino looked around and felt that Su Fang Hongzi had a good reputation, so perhaps he could become her spokesperson.

It was early morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Overnight, snow began to fall heavily outside.

Everything in the city was draped in silver and rosy hues, like a bride on her wedding day.

Winter has passed and spring has come, autumn has come and summer has gone; the Conan World has already seen countless winters.

Fujino was already used to it.

He stood by the window of the detective agency, wearing the same old well-tailored suit he'd pulled from the system, gazing at the falling snowflakes outside. He took a sip of the hot tea in his cup, feeling a warm sensation.

"Knock knock!"

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Are they here?"

Fujino was not surprised to hear the voice.

He placed the teacup by the window, turned around, walked past the living room, and pushed open the door.

Before me stood an elderly woman with a frail face, gray hair, wearing a long black dress and a red shawl.

Behind her followed a middle-aged woman wearing a gray suit, with short black hair, glasses, and a somewhat older-looking appearance.

Fujino invited the two into the living room, where they sat down on the sofa and began to talk.

After some investigation, Fujino learned that the white-haired old woman was Su Fang Hongzi.

Following behind her was her assistant, Inada Kazuyo.

Their purpose in coming here this time was not for anything else, but to discuss matters related to endorsements at a charity gala...

Su Fang Hongzi sat on the opposite sofa, her words full of sincerity. "Our Red Society really hopes that Detective Fujino can be the spokesperson for this charity gala. After all, no one is more suitable than 'Light of Hope' to bring hope to those children who have lost their families."

"Light of Hope?"

Fujino frowned slightly upon hearing this.

He was a little confused about Sister Li, wondering why he had inexplicably gained another title.

Light of Hope... feels a bit melodramatic.

"The theme of our charity gala next week is 'Light of Hope'."

The female assistant chimed in, "Because the theme of this gala is 'The Light of Hope,' we believe that no one is more deserving of this title than the heroic Great Detective who just prevented a plane crash."

"That's why we really need Detective Fujino's endorsement."

Su Fang Hongzi didn't keep them in suspense and went straight to the point. "If Detective Fujino is willing to endorse this charity gala, our Red Society will pay you five million yen as your endorsement fee."

Fujino was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.

She asked for five million yen right off the bat... This old lady is really generous, she's practically on par with the Suzuki family.

Are all philanthropists this rich?

Fujino was a little confused... but thinking about it, it made sense.

He has now risen to fame.

In a previous high-altitude murder case, a certain Japan Airlines, in an attempt to cover up its co-pilot's drug trafficking scandal, used public relations tactics to shift all the attention of the incident to the Great Detective who saved the lives of everyone on board.

As that Great Detective, he has now become a household name.

Even though these days have passed, his story is still being broadcast on television...

In other words, the small amount of money spent hiring him actually outweighs the benefits gained.

After pondering for a moment, Fujino readily agreed to the endorsement, "Since Miss Su Fang is so sincere, then I will accept this endorsement commission..."

"However, I don't have any endorsement contracts here. I can't provide a contract for this commission at the moment, but I will definitely participate in the charity gala. If there is any work that requires my cooperation, you can contact me by phone."

"Thank you so much."

Upon hearing this, Su Fang Hongzi stood up and bowed to Fujino: "As for the deposit, I will have my assistant transfer it to your card tomorrow..."

"No need for tomorrow."

Fujino interrupted Su Fang Hongzi with a smile, "We support mobile payment here."

Does it support mobile payments?

Su Fang Hongzi was taken aback upon seeing this, then waved her hand and said, "He Dai."

"Yes."

The female assistant responded and deftly took out a bank card from the bag slung across her chest.

Bite!

1 million yen has been credited to your account!

Current system balance: 6.68 million yen

After paying the deposit, Su Fang Hongzi suddenly asked Fujino, "By the way, Detective Fujino, are you free the day after tomorrow?"

"The day after tomorrow..."

Fujino was taken aback by what he heard.

Ask him if he has time to do anything?

An elderly woman in her sixties...

He doesn't have such strong tastes.

Fujino thought for a moment, then asked instead of replying, "Is there any other related preparation?"

"It's like this..."

Su Fang Hongzi explained, "Many of the children sponsored by our Red Society are fans of Detective Fujino. If you have time the day after tomorrow, you can take some time to visit the orphanage. Those children should be very happy."

The female assistant next to her continued, "We will also arrange for Nihon TV Station to film the event and report on it."

"I see."

Upon hearing this, Fujino suddenly realized, "I should be available the day after tomorrow. Just let me know when that happens."

On the car leaving the detective agency.

Inada Kazuyo, looking somewhat worried, asked the driver, "Teacher, is a five million yen commission really okay? Isn't that a bit too much...?"

"It doesn't matter."

A meaningful glint flashed in Su Fang Hongzi's eyes. "I'm confident I can keep the remaining four million yen in three days."

Inada Kazuyo still had doubts. "But..."

"There's no 'but' about it. I can tell that although this kind of person seems snobbish on the surface, they are actually very gentle."

Su Fang Hongzi leaned back in her chair, looking confident and assured, "Besides, even if the five million really goes down the drain, the donations we can get will be much more than that... We can also achieve a win-win situation by taking advantage of this opportunity."

The snow stopped at noon.

After seeing off the two clients, Fujino had nothing to do for the time being, so he temporarily took over Akemi Miyano's work and had her take Ai Haibara shopping.

Soon, Fujino received new orders.

They are a young couple.

After confirming the order, Fujino quickly mixed the drinks and handed them to the young couple. "Snow King Couple's Secret Set, please take it."

"OK..."

The couple took the plastic bag containing the drinks, paused, and asked with some curiosity, "Excuse me, Fujino, are you Detective Fujino?"

"You know me?"

Fujino looked up and glanced at the two of them with surprise.

"We're both big fans of your detective work!"

The two seemed quite excited, and the boy said, "I just saw the news on TV yesterday that you saved a plane."

"Excuse me, could you please sign our cups?"

The girl seemed a little embarrassed when she spoke.

"So you're a detective enthusiast..."

Upon hearing this, Fujino suddenly realized what was going on. He then took out a black drawing pen from his pocket, skillfully signed his name on the cup, and handed it to the two of them. "This should be fine, right?"

"Uh-huh!"

The two nodded in satisfaction, and as they left, they excitedly said, "It's such a rare treat to be able to drink beverages made by the Great Detective..."

"It's really a memorable memory."

"My current level of fame is a bit ridiculously high..."

Fujino watched the two leaving the shop and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Before I knew it, more and more people were asking him for his autograph.

What should I do if I feel unwell?

But then Fujino started thinking again, feeling that he had discovered a new market.

If they were to release a limited-edition beverage cup in collaboration with the Great Detective Fujino from the Snow King Ice City series, with a different flavor and a few signatures, the price of that drink would probably skyrocket by several hundred yen...