Secrets Make Men More Attractive

Two days later, at the Fujino residence.

Sunlight streamed through the balcony's floor-to-ceiling windows into the clean and tidy bedroom.

The plasma TV was on, and surround sound filled the room.

"We will definitely catch the hacker who broke into the press conference and find and severely punish the criminals who kidnapped President Schindler!"

"That concludes our interview with Deputy Commissioner Toshio Morohoshi at the Metropolitan Police Department conference."

Fujino sat on the sofa, glanced at the mustachioed man speaking at a press conference on TV, then looked back at the newspaper in his hand:

[A century-old mystery has come to an end: Jack the Ripper turns out to be Thomas Schindler, the owner of the famous IT company Schindler Company]

Schindler Company's stock price plummeted, estimated to have lost $50 million in a single day, and may continue to fall.

[Shocking! Thomas Schindler was actually a descendant of Jack the Ripper!]

[The next-generation virtual reality game Cocoon has been hijacked by hackers! High School Detective Fujino was present, and thankfully no one was injured...]

[A ruthless and inhumane act: Thomas Schindler, president of a famous IT company, was found naked, revealing a secret he couldn't tell his kidnappers!]

The virtual sensory game market has been severely impacted. These games are extremely risky, with a high possibility of being hacked and resulting in player deaths...

According to experts, the hackers who breached 'Cocoon' are most likely foreign forces...

"The news media are as quick as ever."

Fujino glanced at the newspaper, placed it on the coffee table, and couldn't help but sigh.

The plan proceeded as he had anticipated. As is typical of the news media, within just one day, the news of Thomas Schindler's kidnapping and his identity Jack the Ripper spread like wildfire.

With the DNA evidence provided by Kashimura, Schindler was indeed a descendant of the Ripper, which was now irrefutably proven.

However, nothing about AI was mentioned, possibly due to Kashimura's involvement. The hijacking incident at the press conference was entirely attributed to hackers.

Some even suspect that the hacker has close ties with former Russian officials, given how popular Hiroki's remarks were at the time.

"After all, it's a big deal about the descendants of Jack the Ripper, so everyone seems to be very interested."

Fujino lowered his gaze to the computer on the coffee table, where Hiroki Sawada's image was displayed on the screen.

"How's Schindler doing?"

"Schindler is currently extremely busy and overwhelmed."

Hiroki Sawada lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment before continuing, "Because of the nude photos, the kidnapping, and the Cocoon incident, Schindler Company has suffered a severe blow. The Cocoon project, in which a large amount of capital was invested, has been terminated. Companies and enterprises that invested in Schindler Company are now besieging the Schindler Company, and the stock price is plummeting. In just two days, $100 million has already evaporated. However, it seems that Schindler Corporation will continue to shrink."

"But the most important thing is that Schindler was a descendant of the Ripper, and this fact caused a huge uproar in the United States."

"How ironic."

Fujino couldn't help but click his tongue, not at all surprised.

No matter what world you live in, the reputation of your ancestors still influences your descendants. Europe and America value bloodlines, while China values family.

Public opinion is terrifying. Commentators bear no risk at all, yet they can stand high above and condemn someone with their words.

More often than not, those people prefer to dwell on negative comments because people enjoy such malicious comments.

It is far easier to pull someone down from their pedestal than to push them up; all it takes is an ancestor they have never even met.

For example, the American oil tycoon Rockefeller was subjected to a barrage of criticism because his father was a scoundrel.

In modern times, he would have essentially given up on the capital market, because no one would trust him or invest in him given his actions.

To put it even more simply, it's about being isolated and bullied at school because "your father is a murderer, so you are the son of a murderer."

Fortunately, Fujino's identity in this world is that of the child of a bankrupt company. If he had been involved with a murderer or a scumbag family, he probably wouldn't even have been able to become a detective.

Some people might think that whatever their ancestors did shouldn't be attributed to their descendants.

But that's just how things are. Whatever mistakes the Senior makes, the younger Senior will always have to bear the consequences. The children of murderers cannot take the civil service exam, and the children of deadbeats cannot go to university.

He didn't have any opinion on this; it was simply a matter of stance.

Fujino snapped out of his thoughts and asked Hiroki Sawada, "So, do you hate Schindler?"

"..."

Hiroki Sawada paused for a moment before speaking, "It's not really hatred, really. Schindler adopted Hiroki after his mother died, providing him with a comfortable life and financial support... Schindler did make Hiroki feel warmth back then... But Hiroki Sawada is dead now, so there's really no need for that anymore."

"Is it the kind of hatred that comes from a mix of love and hate?"

Fujino leaned back on the sofa, recalling what Ran had said before.

If Hiroki hadn't discovered the other person's identity, Schindler might have actually nurtured Hiroki properly and become his adoptive father.

But there are no "what ifs," everything has already happened, and it's irreversible.

He put his hand behind his head, looked at Hiroki on the computer screen on the coffee table, and changed the subject, saying, "So how's it going with adapting to the new system?"

"I've adapted to the basic logic, but there are still some things that need further research to ensure compatibility. Basic network connectivity is already compatible."

Hiroki Sawada responded, then asked with some curiosity, "But what exactly is this notebook of yours? These things are completely out of place in this era..."

"There are some things it's better not to ask."

Fujino chuckled softly, "Secrets make men more attractive."

"Secrets make men more attractive...?"

Hiroki Sawada murmured something, and the corner of his mouth on the screen twitched involuntarily, giving him goosebumps.

"Haibara!"

Just then, a child's shouts suddenly came from downstairs.

Fujino recognized the voice immediately; it belonged to the little ones.

"Hiroki, take your time to get used to the system, and remember not to expose yourself."

Fujino gave the instructions, then stood up, pushed open the door, and went up to the third floor.

As soon as he came down, he saw Mitsuhiko, Genta, Ayumi, and Ai.

"You've come to play with Ai?"

Fujino glanced at the group and asked.

"Conan has been listless ever since he came back from the press conference, so Professor Agasa is taking us to watch a ball game."

"The Tokyo Tournament Finals are this afternoon!"

"We're here to invite Haibara to go watch the game together!"

After the children gave their explanations, Ayumi walked up to Fujino and asked, "Brother Fujino, would you like to come watch the game with us? I remember you said you really like watching games."

Did I say that?

"I mentioned that last time during the Emperor's Cup."

"Is that so..."

"Ahem, I do quite enjoy watching football."

Remembering that he had indeed said something like that before, Fujino coughed awkwardly, feeling like he'd been struck by a boomerang of history.

He turned to Ai Haibara and asked, "Ai you?"

"Yeah, I like watching football too."

Ai Haibara was also hit by the boomerang and nodded slightly.