Mieko Shibasaki's Commission

After school, Fujino's home.

[Detective Career Mission: The Bandage Man Incident

Mission Objective: Solve or prevent this murder case

Mission Countdown: Within twenty-four hours of the victim's death

Mission Rewards: 500,000 Yen bounty, 50 Detective Reputation points]

"The Bandage Man murder case?"

Fujino stood before the balcony, examining the new system task on the interface. A glint flickered in his deep eyes.

This case, if Fujino recalled correctly, should be related to Suzuki Ayako.

Suzuki Ayako had started a film club during her university years.

After all the club members graduated, they agreed to meet up every two years.

This time, the reunion was scheduled to take place at the Suzuki family's forest villa.

As for why a murder case occurred...

It was all because of Ikeda Chikako, a popular writer who was also in the club back then.

Ikeda Chikako had plagiarized the ideas of a girl named Atsuko and won the Best Newcomer Award that year with "Azure Kingdom," written based on the plagiarized concept.

Unlike Ikeda Chikako's future as a renowned female author, Atsuko, whose ideas were stolen, was unable to appeal and, in her despair, hanged herself.

Takahashi Ryoichi, who had a secret crush on Atsuko, sought revenge for her. A few days later, during the reunion at the Suzuki family's forest villa, he brutally dismembered Ikeda Chikako using clever methods...

"Knock, knock, knock!"

At that moment, a sudden knock on the door interrupted Fujino's thoughts.

"Could it be another client?"

Fujino paused, startled by the sound.

There were too many requests on the weekend.

More than he could handle on a typical weekday...

Putting his thoughts aside, Fujino slowly stood up.

He walked past his hundred-square-meter bedroom to the door and opened it.

The first thing he saw was a girl with a streak of red hair at the front of her bangs.

Fujino was taken aback as he looked at the girl before him.

"Are you Detective Fujino?"

The girl spoke first.

Fujino, out of politeness, put on a professional fake smile and asked, "I am. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Hello, Detective Fujino. I was introduced by an acquaintance..."

The girl first greeted him politely, then explained how she found out about him. After that, she hesitantly asked, "I was wondering if you take on cases where you investigate who the client's crush likes?"

"A case like this..."

Fujino hesitated, his mind racing.

Being a detective wasn't about fighting; it was about understanding people.

Every client belonged to a certain circle, and once you gained a client's trust, everyone in their circle became a potential customer.

The reason the girl found Fujino was most likely not because of his fame, but because she heard about him from a friend in her circle.

Honestly, Fujino really didn't want to take on these kinds of overly sentimental romance cases.

But since she was introduced by an acquaintance and was very polite, he decided to hear her out first.

After all, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

What if this young lady was a rich heiress?

After entering the house, the girl first took off the baseball cap she was wearing, revealing the streak of non-mainstream red hair at the front. She then stated her purpose.

The girl's name was Mieko Shibasaki. She was only two years older than Fujino. After graduating from high school, she joined a band and was now a guitarist in a popular rock band...

As a guitarist, she had always harbored a secret crush on the lead singer of her rock band: Tatsuya Kimura.

Just a while ago, unable to contain her restless heart, she finally confessed her feelings to Tatsuya Kimura.

But the result was obvious; she was directly rejected.

When rejecting her, he had also said: he already had a girl he liked and would wait for her until she returned.

Mieko, heartbroken, wanted to know what she lacked compared to that girl.

That's why she specifically sought out Fujino to investigate who Tatsuya Kimura liked.

"So, Ms. Mieko Shibasaki, you want me to investigate who the girl Tatsuya Kimura likes is?"

"That's right."

Mieko Shibasaki nodded as Fujino explained, "If possible, I'd prefer Detective Fujino to conduct a secret investigation without being discovered."

"I recall Tatsuya Kimura being a very popular idol, right?"

"Investigating an idol of that caliber will incur a significantly higher fee than usual, around five hundred thousand Yen."

"I'll pay the five hundred thousand Yen."

Upon hearing Fujino's price of five hundred thousand Yen, Mieko Shibasaki immediately agreed without the slightest hesitation.

"That would be wonderful..."

Fujino was quite pleased with Mieko's straightforwardness.

She's not a rich woman, but this girl is a high-quality client.

Fujino nodded and poured her a cup of black tea, "I've accepted your request. I guarantee I will investigate in secret, without anyone discovering it."

"When should I pay the retainer?" Mieko asked, accepting the tea. "If it's possible, I can pay the full retainer now."

"No rush, no rush."

"As for the retainer, typically, one-tenth is paid as a deposit when the request is made, with the remaining balance paid upon completion."

Fujino chuckled, finding Mieko more and more agreeable the more he looked at her.

"I see."

Mieko nodded, then took out her credit card. "Can I pay the deposit by card?"

Fujino: "..."

This is the second time, isn't it?

Do people not carry cash anymore?

"Ahem."

Fujino cleared his throat. "It's alright if you don't have cash. We can settle it all at once then. I believe Miss Mieko is a trustworthy person."

"Oh."

Mieko nodded. "In that case, thank you for your trust."

Fujino watched her put her bank card away and sighed.

Then, he spoke to Mieko again, "However, there's something I must remind you of beforehand."

"What is it?"

"Based on my extensive investigative experience, love investigations like this usually don't end well."

As Mieko looked at him in surprise, Fujino continued with a serious expression, "Once you find out who he likes, Miss Mieko, are you sure you can accept the reality?"

Hearing this, Mieko Shibasaki couldn't help but zone out for a moment.

That's right...

She hadn't considered what she would do after finding out who Tatsuya liked.

Perhaps she would try to change...

But what if that person was someone she couldn't replace? What would she do then?

Lost in thought, she clasped her hands tightly around the jeans on her lap, her expression gradually turning somber, finally settling into a hint of melancholy.

"Thank you for the reminder, Detective Fujino."

She thanked Fujino, her resolve firming. "As long as I can find out who Tatsuya likes... I will be content."

"In that case, I accept this request."