The Place Where the Dream Began

"It's an old acquaintance..."

A look of reminiscence appeared in Fujino's eyes.

Speaking of Numabuchi Kiichiro, he's an old acquaintance of his.

When he first arrived in this world, before he had even adapted to it, he went straight to Kyoto, pinned that guy down under the moonlight, interrogated him, and then threw him into jail.

Although the police have changed to Kyoto police, Fujino is certain that Numabuchi Kiichiro will still go to Gunma to see the fireflies he remembers from his childhood.

If he has time, he'll have to go and talk to Mitsuhiko.

If this kid were to run into Numabuchi Kiichiro out of nowhere, that would be troublesome.

However, when Kyoto was mentioned, Fujino was reminded of a police headquarters in a certain place.

Not only did they receive no reward for defusing the bomb, but they also received numerous Letter of Appreciation, yet the official announcements didn't even mention it...

They belong to the most inhuman group within the Japan police force.

Fujino couldn't help but spit out his anger and then dragged the Kyoto police out of the wood again to give them a good dressing down.

"Um?"

Suddenly sensing something, Ai Haibara looked up.

Seeing the other person's disgusted expression, she tilted her head in confusion.

What has Fujino remembered again? Was it something about being tricked and not getting revenge?

"Nothing."

Fujino shook his head slightly, pulled himself out of his thoughts, and explained with his arms crossed, "I just suddenly remembered some inhuman bastards."

Ai Haibara: "???"

Well, it turns out that's true!

Why am I not surprised at all?

Noon at Beika Station entrance.

Sigh~

Mitsuhiko walked out of Beika Station with his head down. "I didn't keep up today either..."

"What didn't you catch up with?"

Just then, a familiar voice came from inside.

Mitsuhiko looked up and saw a man in a black suit with a trench coat standing in front of him amidst the bustling crowd at the station.

"Brother Fujino?!"

Mitsuhiko couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, recognizing the person in front of him.

"So, what didn't you catch up with?"

Fujino, with his hands in his pockets, slowly walked up to Mitsuhiko and asked, "You didn't do morning exercises this morning, did you?"

"This..."

Mitsuhiko was taken aback and stammered for a moment.

Is there anything I can't say?

Fujino rubbed his chin, pondering meaningfully, "Could it be that he went on a date with a girl... Hmm, at this age, it's not surprising at all that he's experiencing his first crush..."

No!

Mitsuhiko shook his head, looked at Fujino for a moment, and then said, "I'm just following the people who are protecting fireflies, and I want to find fireflies."

"Has it been found?"

"No..."

"Yes, that's normal."

Fujino glanced at the dejected Mitsuhiko and pondered for a moment, "After all, a kid like you would definitely be seen as someone who's just causing trouble. It would be a miracle if they let you come along... It's like an older brother going out with his girlfriend and not bringing his younger brother along."

"Um."

Mitsuhiko lowered his head, then suddenly remembered something and looked up again. "Brother Fujino, could you please keep this a secret for me?"

"Confidentiality is no problem at all."

Fujino gave the other a reassuring look, then guessed, "But you probably went to the fireflies because of what Ayumi and the others said last time, right?"

"That's right."

Mitsuhiko blushed slightly and nodded, then whispered, "I want to find fireflies to surprise them..."

"So it's better if you do this kind of thing yourself."

Fujino pondered for a moment, then shook his finger, adopting the demeanor of a mature man, and said in a deep voice, "After all, a real man's gift to a girl only shows sincerity if he finds or buys it himself."

After a pause, remembering the important matter of finding Mitsuhiko, she continued, "But since you're going to another city alone, if you encounter any danger, remember to call me."

"Yes, Mr. Master Teng!"

Mitsuhiko's gaze hardened considerably; he was just one salute away from becoming the summer special forces soldier, Ice Blade.

After explaining the important matters, Fujino didn't say anything more.

When you're first falling in love, you're willing to go to great lengths to get what the girl you like wants; it's certainly romantic...

However, it's also easy to become a simp.

Ai can be skipped; Ayumi likes Conan.

Why do I feel a strange sense of sympathy for Mitsuhiko?

A few days later, at Kyoto Station.

"We have arrived at Kyoto Station. Passengers, please take your luggage and disembark in an orderly manner."

Having just completed a request, Fujino felt he had some time, so he took the Shinkansen from Beika to Kyoto.

He plans to go to Ooka Momiji here to take on a commission, and if possible, he can also go on a trip while he's at it.

Normally, when he goes on a trip, he would bring Ai and the Shimo-Kasa Sisters Akemi.

However, considering what the young lady had said about the two people, he still chose to respect her wishes.

Despite having a good personal relationship, a commission is a commission.

You can't insert anything private...

It's a short walk from Kyoto Station onto the street.

"The place where dreams begin..."

Fujino, wearing a trench coat with his hands in his pockets, looked at the gift shop next door and couldn't help but remark, "I didn't expect they were still selling Batman masks here."

It was a shop that wasn't particularly fancy in its decor, and looked rather ordinary, but it was passable. It sold all sorts of gifts.

The small gift shop displays various local gifts and specialties. On the walls hang various masks, the most incongruous of which is the Batman Mask.

Bruce Teng bought his Batman Mask here, and it was from here that he gradually began to appear and roam the nights of Tokyo.

The main reason Fujino bought the mask was because it was the one he was most familiar with.

After all, in his previous life he had seen many ruthless people wearing this mask, smashing lighters, smashing pineapples and other ghost stories, so he had a certain sense of affinity for them.

As for the others... they are all Japan legends or monster masks, such as a lewd man with a pouting mouth, or a giant tengu with a nose that looks like a sausage.

Well, Fujino thinks that compared to those abstract masks, the Batman Mask is already pretty good.

"Thinking about it now, what if it wasn't Batman Mask here, but an Ultraman or Kamen Rider mask... what would have happened?"

Fujino looked around the familiar shop and couldn't help but guess, "Mihana Ultraman? Mihana Kamen Rider? Tsk..."

"However, although some things are random... looking back now, were some things probably already predetermined?"

Muttering to himself, Fujino stretched and, without thinking too much, glanced down at the unfamiliar surroundings.

Although he had visited Kyoto three times already, he was still not very familiar with the area.

Taking a taxi is just too expensive.

In this era without navigation services, after a moment's thought, he decisively took out his phone, snapped a picture of the nearby Kyoto Tower, and tagged the wealthy woman, Ooka Momiji: [Already in Kyoto. jpg]