Public and Private Matters Kept Separate

"Conan? Wake up!"

Ran gently shook Conan. "Could it be that he's caught a cold?"

"There shouldn't be any."

Fujino stepped forward and said, "It looks like he's just tired and has fallen asleep. After all, this is an arcade, and kids get dizzy when they hear this kind of noise."

"Is that so... I did have that feeling when I was a child."

Ran nodded in agreement, then stepped forward and picked Conan up on her back. She then asked Fujino, "By the way, Fujino- Senior, do you have any leads on this case?"

"Yes, I already know who the murderer is."

Arcade

"Inspector, we've searched the entire place..."

Takagi reported to Megure, "But there are no needle-like objects here at all."

"If that's the case, then the murder weapon is probably still on the murderer."

Megure twitched his chin, his eyes sharpening. "Gentlemen, could you please cooperate with the police in conducting a body search?"

"An investigation is fine, but investigating me seems rather unreasonable."

Zhi Shui's lips curled into a smile. "After all, I was fighting that guy at the time. How could I possibly have had the chance to poison him? Besides, he wasn't even dead yet..."

"You weren't dead back then? How can you be so sure?"

Fujino walked slowly, followed by Ran carrying Conan on her back.

"He was playing a game with me at the time, how could he possibly die?"

Zhi Shui glanced around and said, "Many people here can testify for me."

"Is that so?"

Fujino glanced at him. "How can you prove that it was you fighting him back then, and not him?"

"Um?"

Zhi Shui was taken aback upon hearing this.

Everyone present was also confused.

Juzo Megure scratched his head. "Fujino- kun, what do you mean?"

What do you mean by saying that it was him who was fighting against him at the time, and not him?

That's exactly what I mean.

Fujino looked at the Game machine next to him. "Actually, you weren't using your own character at the time, but the opponent's character. That is, you switched roles, so you could attack the opponent unilaterally... This game doesn't have a life bar, and you can't determine which character is which. I think you must have chosen the opponent's usual character, while you were using the opponent's usual character."

After a pause, Fujino turned to Shimizu: "This game is a motion-sensing game. Every time you are attacked, it will be reflected in your body. As long as you keep attacking, your opponent's body will also sway slightly. By using this, you can create the illusion that your opponent is still alive..."

"So that's how it is..."

Juzo Megure frowned and looked at Shimizu: "If what you say is true, then I'm afraid Vito was already poisoned before the match even started. So the culprit..."

"That's right, the murderer who killed Vito was Mr. Shimizu."

Fujino exhaled and reasoned in a deep voice, "Before the battle, use the excuse of discussing strategy to kill him with a poisoned needle. When he is unable to move due to the poison, start a game, choose your character, and then return to your seat to start the duel as the opponent's character, and beat up the helpless opponent... As for the end of the game, since the roles of the two sides have been switched, he did not continue to pursue, but chose to end the game in a draw. After all, if one side wins, the results screen will definitely be different, but the results screen for a draw is the same."

"So that's how it is."

Jiang Shou pondered, "No wonder I felt something was off about today's match. So that's why one side didn't fight back at all and was just getting beaten up... Normally, even in a one-sided match, one side should have been hit. And Vito Oto's personality, if it were a decisive match, he would definitely have gone up and finished off his opponent."

Juzo Megure voice, "Mr. Shimizu, could you please come back with us to investigate?"

"Hey, hey, hey, isn't this just too illogical?"

Shimizu frowned, looking at Fujino with a grim expression, and said, "Where's the murder weapon? If it's really as you say, then logically the murder weapon should still be at the scene... I'm happy to oblige with a body search..."

"According to your plan, the murder weapon is no longer on you, so even if you are searched, there won't be anything exposed."

Fujino turned and said, "Mr. Dejima, please take a look at the soles of your shoes."

"The sole?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Dao lifted his foot and was immediately stunned. "What exactly is this thing?"

"That must be the murder weapon."

Fujino glanced at the sole of his shoe. "Hiding a poisoned needle in the cigarette butt of a cigarette in a cigarette box, stabbing the other person to death under the pretext of discussing strategy, and then using chewing gum to throw the poisoned needle on the ground. If no one notices, then the murder weapon will be taken away... I must say, that's really bold."

"So that's how it is..."

Juzo Megure stepped forward and yanked off the shoes that had been worn by the person leaving the island.

Fujino: "..."

Why are you pulling on someone's shoe...?

Looking for evidence doesn't mean you have to take off someone's shoes like that...

"Inspector Megure, you'd better be careful. After all, I can't be sure if there are any residual toxins on it..."

"Oh!"

Juzo Megure carefully peeled the chewing gum and poison needle off. "If we can find Shimizu's DNA and fingerprints in this, then it'll be incriminating evidence..."

"Snort..."

Shimizu snorted coldly, and was about to say something when Fujino interrupted him, "But I think he has already thought of this. These things must have been found in the trash cans of other places. Even if you investigate, you won't find any evidence against him."

Zhishui: "..."

Can you let me make an excuse?

"This is an unconventional approach, using contrast to dispel suspicion..."

Fujino turned to Izushima again. "However, there is other evidence, such as the coins... Mr. Dejima, could you please open the coin box of that machine? I remember you collected coins before. Normally, there should only be two coins in there. One is the one I put in before, and the other is the one Shimizu put in after Mr. Vito was poisoned... I noticed that he wasn't wearing gloves at the time. If an investigation is conducted, there should be his fingerprints on them..."

"I'll go right now!"

Just as he was about to open the coin box after leaving the island, Zhishui suddenly stopped him. "That's enough!"

"There are indeed my fingerprints on it..."

Zhi Shui lowered his head. "I gripped that coin tightly before putting it in. I originally intended this game to be the last game..."

Fujino looked at Shimizu: "It's probably because of your sister, right?"

"That's right, for my sister who's about to go blind in the hospital..."

Zhishui sighed, "I had planned to say goodbye to the arcade and that guy after this and this incident."

"About to go blind?"

Takagi asked, somewhat puzzled, "Could it be that this has something to do with Mr. Vito?"

"Of course it's related to him."

Shimizu's voice rose a few decibels. "To help that guy pay off the huge gambling debts he incurred from horse racing, she has been working like crazy for the past month, barely eating anything to save money... In the end, this guy even joined some Sumiyoshi-kai, and my silly sister is the same... She actually followed him even when faced with this kind of situation."

"That drug trafficking and violent criminal organization?"

Upon hearing this, Juzo Megure twitched his chin.

Last time, Beika Batman killed an executive of this organization.

Although it was not within his jurisdiction.

But he was very impressed with the organization.

Then, he looked at Zhishui with some confusion. "Then why are you still getting entangled with this guy?"

"Because he said that if I could beat him just once, he would leave my sister."

Shimizu sighed, then looked at the Game machine beside him and said, "I tried my best to improve my strength to defeat it, but unfortunately I still couldn't defeat it in the end. But to be honest, I really regret it. If I could have defeated it, I probably wouldn't have killed it..."

"You're so naive, I had to say..."

Fujino looked silently at Shimizu and asked, "Do you think he'll obediently leave after you beat him?"

Shimizu was taken aback by what he heard and looked at Fujino with some confusion.

"I don't think even if I beat him, he won't leave easily."

Fujino took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes slightly. "To be honest, I don't know why anyone would like this kind of person. But for these thugs who have no morals whatsoever, their promises are nothing but empty promises. If it were you, would you easily let go of a tool who is devoted to you and desperately tries to pay off his debts?"

Zhishui lowered his head upon hearing this. "I'm afraid even if I win, someone like him won't easily leave my sister..."

"Right, in the end we still have to kill him."

Fujino walked up slowly and patted Shimizu on the shoulder. "You did the right thing this time. At least your sister's eyes haven't been damaged yet, so you have no reason to regret it."

"Yes..."

Zhi Shui looked up. "At least she can get rid of that despicable guy..."

"But in court, you still have to put on a show."

Fujino leaned close to his ear. "After all, showing some sincerity, hiring a good lawyer, and turning yourself in might get you a reduced sentence... After all, he's just a small-time thug who joined a violent gang..."

"Um?"

Zhi Shui was taken aback upon hearing this, then smiled helplessly, "I didn't expect that the detective who caught me would actually try to help me get a reduced sentence..."

Fujino replied calmly, "It's simply a matter of separating public and private matters."

He wasn't an absolute Demon of Light, but the case had occurred right before his eyes, and he couldn't ignore it.

In terms of his identity, he is a detective, plus System Task.

However, out of personal considerations, he could still understand the other party.

These kinds of emotional matters are the hardest to get involved in.

He didn't quite understand why, whether in that world or this one, scumbags always had good girls devoted to them.

That kind of scum, I really don't know what he was thinking...

Ultimately, however, matters of the heart are inherently unsolvable.

Fujino has a memory of this part of the story.

He felt there was no need to stop the other party.

Because, to some extent, Zhishui was carrying out a just cause.

Of course, he could also stop the other party and then bring them to justice himself...

It's just unnecessary.

He wasn't particularly familiar with the other party, nor did they have any conflict of interest.

If we're talking about stirring up his so-called 'sense of justice,' this case didn't actually evoke much of a feeling in him.

Given Shisui's situation, the best solution would be to physically eliminate Vito...

In such matters, it's best to respect other people's fate and let them do it themselves.

Late at night, inside a high-rise apartment building.

"Yes, quite a few things have indeed happened."

Jodie, wearing a short red nightgown, sat on the sofa, holding the phone between her shoulder and arm, and trimming her fingernails. "You're right, Japan is definitely not boring. I just encountered a murder case... and there are a lot of interesting people."

"A murder case?"

Shuichi Akai on the other end of the phone was slightly taken aback.

"Yes, it happened in an arcade, and it was solved by a High School Detective from our school."

Jodie recalled Fujino for a moment, then pondered, "He was an incredibly terrifying guy. Not only was he incredibly observant, but he also mastered many different fighting techniques. In terms of combat ability, he was definitely not lacking... He even discovered many of my disguises..."

Shuichi Akai focused on the key point. "You've been exposed?"

"Of course not."

Jodie explained, "He didn't take those things to heart. After all, I'm from America, and I managed to explain everything away."

"The detectives in Japan are indeed quite good..."

Shuichi Akai moment, "How's the investigation going with that matter?"

"I've already got information on the movements of one of them..."

Jodie trimmed her fingernails and admired her long, slender fingers. "That woman not only changed her appearance, but also went to school as if nothing had happened... Is this what they call having a childlike heart?"

"It might just be a disguise..."

Shuichi Akai: "Has the target's codename been decided?"

"The target's code name?"

Jodie picked up an apple from the table. "Let's call her Rotten Apple for now, it's the most suitable name for her."

Two days later, it was another weekend.

Fujino drove Ai Haibara to Professor Agasa's house.

The reason is simple: Agasa, the grandfather of these children, is taking them out to play again, supposedly to pick matsutake Matsutake Mushroom in the mountains.

Even Fujino was pulled over by Ai Haibara and the Junior Detective League.

However, he did have some recollection of the story about picking Matsutake Mushroom.

If he remembered correctly, it should be the storyline about Jubei the Great Black Bear...

Hmm, Fujino was a little curious, wondering if, with his own strength, after activating Detective Enhancement and stacking one or two Enhancement Cards, he could go toe-to-toe with the Black Bear.