You Know What I Mean, Right?

Half his body in the grave, graying hair, frail build.

That had been Fujino's impression of librarian Ochiai...

But the bizarre figure before him, clad in medieval armor and casually wielding an iron sword weighing a couple of pounds, completely overturned his worldview.

The hell, that was an old man?

His combat strength had to be at least B-rank, right?

Fujino stared at the suit of armor in the darkness and could not help swallowing.

The opponent's combat ability visibly reached B-rank. Under normal circumstances, fighting him would definitely be extremely difficult.

But then again, armor could be both an advantage and a weakness!

Though sturdy, it sacrificed flexibility.

And under the effects of the Vision Enhancement Glasses, he had spotted a few clues regarding that iron sword.

The iron sword had not been drawn from its scabbard, so its center of gravity made it awkward to swing.

A sword still in its scabbard was about as effective as a fire poker when it struck someone... perhaps even less effective than one.

With the Sword Flying Heaven Style, he could take him down in a swift battle!

Countless images flashed through Fujino's eyes. After taking a deep breath to calm himself, he used the Enhancement Card at his waist and charged out with his Wooden Sword.

"Kata!"

The Swordsman Soldier skill activated, accompanied by a crisp metallic clang.

The Wooden Sword collided head-on with the helmet of the medieval armor, and the indestructible wooden blade left a dent in the back of the iron helmet.

With C-rank strength behind the strike, the medieval knight staggered several steps backward from the immense force before turning around and staring blankly at Fujino.

Without giving the knight librarian any time to react, Fujino planted his left foot forward, kicked off with his right, and shot ahead like an arrow.

Holding his Wooden Sword in an offensive-and-defensive stance, he forcefully slapped the hilt with his right hand and thrust straight into the armored knight's chest.

"Bang!"

A crisp sound rang out.

The iron armor was actually pierced with a small hole by the Wooden Sword, and sparks even flew the instant it made contact with the armor.

Though Okamoto Peach Blossom 0.01 was a wooden sword, it was harder than steel.

Previously, he had only used it to strike people, so its hardness had never been apparent.

But against armor this time, the Peach Wood Sword's toughness was on full display!

Driven by inertia, the armored knight hurriedly retreated several steps to keep from falling over.

He finally came to his senses, raised his head, and drew the iron sword from its scabbard like a true knight.

Except the thing in his hand was the scabbard.

The heavy iron sword, meanwhile, fell to the ground with a metallic clatter.

Waving the scabbard, Knight Ochiai charged at Fujino with heavy steps.

"Called it..."

Fujino watched the movements of the armored Knight Ochiai and curled his lips into a smile.

The reason librarian Ochiai had practiced with the scabbard on earlier was surely because he did not want to accidentally damage the exhibits around him.

The fact that he had now tossed the sword aside was the best proof.

Of course, seeing that Fujino was using a Wooden Sword, he might also have been reluctant to hurt him.

Fujino faced the charging Knight Ochiai with an unusually calm expression. In his eyes, his opponent's movements turned into a series of afterimages.

He first lowered his body, brought the Wooden Sword close to the left side of his waist, then swiftly steadied it with his left hand.

His right foot took a large step forward, his left foot immediately followed, and when he was still two meters from the armored Ochiai, his right foot took another great stride as he pulled the Wooden Sword toward Ochiai's helmet with all his strength.

"Heavenly Soaring Dragon Flash!"

A heavy crash rang out. The iron helmet spun twice through the air before smashing directly onto the exhibition hall floor with a loud bang.

Librarian Ochiai's wrinkled face and graying hair were revealed after the helmet was knocked away.

"Who exactly are you..."

"My name is Fujino. I'm a detective."

Fujino spun the Wooden Sword in his hand and held it against his neck. "You should be librarian Ochiai, right?"

"If I'm not mistaken, the reason you put on this knight's armor and practiced here every night was to kill Mr. Manaka, who was about to acquire this Museum, wasn't it?"

"How did you know?!"

At those words, librarian Ochiai showed a startled expression. The scabbard in his hand dropped to the floor with a crisp clatter.

"All I can say is that you made too much noise..."

Seeing that the threat had been neutralized, Fujino removed the Wooden Sword from his neck.

He then kicked the scabbard away and continued, "This morning, I saw rumors about the Medieval Art Museum in the newspaper. Out of curiosity, I investigated the Museum a little, and based on what I found, I guessed that someone had been pretending to be the armor moving around at night...

"Then, when I saw your face beneath that helmet just now, every clue fell into place."

"I never thought you had deduced my practice to this extent..."

Librarian Ochiai slumped weakly onto the floor and sighed. "That's right. I was going to kill Manaka... Even if my hands were stained with blood, I couldn't let that man turn the Museum into a restaurant!"

"Without Manaka, there'll be a second Manaka."

Fujino stared into Ochiai's clouded eyes and said gravely, "Even if you can kill one Manaka, can you kill the next one?"

"But... I have no other way..."

Librarian Ochiai's aged face was filled with desolation.

"That's true. No one would be willing to maintain a Museum with no visitors... and even if they were, it would only be for this plot of land..."

Fujino nodded and murmured.

Then, as though remembering something, he asked Ochiai, "By the way, when that man took over the Museum, didn't you sign some agreement requiring the Museum to remain in operation after the acquisition?"

"I think there was..."

Ochiai's eyes suddenly widened, but a moment later they dimmed again. "But the acquisition has already begun... Even if I file a lawsuit now, the chances of winning aren't high."

"Do you have money?"

Fujino suddenly asked.

"Money?"

Librarian Ochiai looked surprised.

"I know a lawyer who has never lost a case. I'm not very close to her, but I might be able to introduce you..."

After thinking for a moment, Fujino continued, "She might be able to point you in the right direction... though her fees may be a little high."

"A high price is fine!"

Librarian Ochiai seemed to have grasped a thread of hope. "Though the retirement savings I've accumulated aren't enough to keep the Museum running, they're enough to hire a lawyer!"

"If that's the case, this will be easy."

Fujino nodded. "Tomorrow, I'll come here with two girls... One of them is a pretty girl with slightly tousled hair. Her mother is that lawyer... You know what I mean, right?"

"I do, I do!"

Librarian Ochiai nodded vigorously, and the look in his eyes as he gazed at Fujino carried a hint of unspoken meaning.