Yuko Ikezawa's Commission

The morning breeze blew gently, making the sheer curtains by the window sway.

Down on the street, cars bustled by, creating a vibrant scene of lively activity.

On the fourth-floor balcony, Fujino stood by the window frame, looking down at the scenery below.

After a moment, he stared intently at Saturday the 22nd on his phone screen, feeling a bit dazed.

Even though he already knew how strange the timeline in this world was.

Seeing it firsthand still made Fujino exclaim, "As expected of you, Conan World!"

After his exclamation, Fujino shook his slightly dizzy head, stretched out with a big yawn, and only after hearing a crack, did he slowly walk towards the bathroom.

After a series of splashing water sounds.

Fujino emerged from the bathroom, feeling refreshed.

However, when his gaze swept over the messy room, his brow furrowed again.

A typical bachelor's room.

But Fujino's pleasant morning mood was instantly extinguished.

"I should tidy up the room."

Fujino sighed.

He had plenty of time today to clean his hundred-square-meter bedroom. It was Saturday, so he didn't have school, and there were no compensatory days off.

Half a day passed in the blink of an eye.

As the sun began to set, Fujino sat lazily on the sofa, wiping sweat from his temples.

"A deep clean of the room is really tiring,"

Fujino glanced at his bedroom, which was comparable to a three-bedroom apartment in someone else's home, and couldn't help but sigh.

Just cleaning this one bedroom had taken all day.

Then there were the other rooms... Never mind, he'd just give up.

"Knock knock knock!"

Just then, a knock on the door suddenly sounded.

"Who would come to find me at this hour?"

Fujino was a little confused by the sound.

It was almost dark now. Besides acquaintances, it was unlikely anyone else would come, as clients usually came during the day.

With a hint of suspicion, Fujino opened the door and saw a woman, completely covered up, standing at the entrance.

The woman was wearing a red, form-fitting dress with a black coat draped over it. Her face was hidden by a black mask, and she looked rather suspicious.

"You are Detective Fujino, right?"

The woman didn't stand on ceremony. As soon as she spoke, she walked into Fujino's newly tidied room, looked around, sat on the sofa, and said to Fujino, "I have something I need your help with."

Is this how people ask for help?

Fujino's mouth twitched.

After confirming this wasn't some new kind of scam, but a client, Fujino breathed a sigh of relief and sat on the sofa opposite her.

"A friend introduced me,"

the woman said softly. "They said you have excellent confidentiality."

"Of course,"

Fujino nodded slightly at her question. "As a detective, I have a professional code of conduct to protect my clients' identities and the details of their cases."

In the detective world, Fujino was known as a workhorse. He took on jobs for lower prices than others and tackled cases that others wouldn't.

As a result, in just one year, Fujino had built a good reputation among his clientele.

His usual cases came through word-of-mouth referrals, and he didn't need to put up any signs or distribute flyers.

"That's good then."

As soon as the woman finished speaking, out of trust, she removed her mask, revealing her face.

"You're... Yuko Ikezawa?"

Fujino looked at the girl in front of him, surprised.

That's right, not a woman, but a girl.

Although Yuko Ikezawa looked mature, she was actually only twenty-two years old; her mature clothing just made her appear that way.

"What, are you a fan of mine?"

Seeing that Fujino recognized her, Yuko Ikezawa became interested and playfully asked, "Do you want me to give you an autographed poster, little brother?"

"No."

Fujino shook his head, refusing outright.

"Tsk."

Hearing this, Yuko Ikezawa clicked her tongue.

She's not even my fan?

Damn it, I thought he was kinda cute.

Putting her thoughts aside, she felt a bit regretful. She then pulled out a photograph from her pocket and handed it to Fujino. "I want you to investigate this person in the photo."

Fujino took the photo.

The girl in the photo was about twenty years old, wearing a pink trench coat and had long brown hair. She was very beautiful, exuding an aura of purity, a pure, beautiful young girl!

"This is..."

Fujino examined the girl in the photo, feeling a sense of familiarity. After a moment, he recalled, "Isn't this Yoko Okino?"

Confirming his investigation target, Fujino frowned. "So, Ms. Ikezawa, you want me to investigate Yoko Okino?"

"That's right."

Yuko Ikezawa nodded. "It would be best if you could find some scandals about her or something like that. That would be ideal."

"I understand."

Fujino's lips curved into a playful smile upon hearing this, and he deduced, "If I'm not mistaken, the reason Ms. Ikezawa is entrusting me with this is because you're holding a grudge against Yoko Okino for stealing your continuous drama, right?"

"Why ask so many questions?"

Yuko Ikezawa shot Fujino a glance and got straight to the point. "Five hundred thousand. Can you take this job?"

"It's a bit difficult."

Fujino scratched the back of his head. "After all, Yoko Okino is a popular idol, no matter what. Investigating her is really... Furthermore, if this were to be exposed, it wouldn't be much for you, Ms. Ikezawa, but I would be in a difficult position."

"What exactly do you mean?"

Yuko Ikezawa narrowed her eyes.

Is this guy threatening me?

After a moment of silence, Fujino spoke. "You need to pay more."

"Huh?"

Yuko Ikezawa exclaimed in surprise, a hint of annoyance in her eyes.

If you think the money is too little, just say so. Why act so mysterious?

I thought this guy was going to threaten me.

I didn't expect it was just about the money.

After a pause, she said directly, "My final offer, six hundred thousand yen. How about it?"

She also understood that ordinary detectives wouldn't take on this kind of job. Six hundred thousand was already the limit of what she could offer. If this still wasn't enough, she would have to give up.

"The boss is generous!"

Fujino put away the photo and quickly poured Yuko Ikezawa a cup of black tea. "Please enjoy, boss."

"..."

Yuko Ikezawa couldn't help but feel speechless.

Good heavens, this guy changes his tune faster than flipping a book.

Is it really reliable to entrust this guy with investigating Yoko Okino?

Suddenly, Yuko Ikezawa felt like she had boarded a pirate ship.

And so, Fujino accepted Yuko Ikezawa's request and received sixty thousand yen in cash.

Initially, Fujino wanted to refuse. After all, tailing a popular idol carried too much risk.

But Ms. Ikezawa was offering too much!

Six hundred thousand yen was no small sum. It was the same for Yuko Ikezawa as it was for Fujino.

Just as Fujino was about to put away the deposit, a knock sounded at the door again.

Fujino was somewhat perplexed.

Could there be more business?

Fujino put the deposit into the system, then sat up from the sofa and opened the door again. He saw a girl wearing a dark red hat and a pink trench coat standing at the door.

Fujino recognized the girl. It was Yoko Okino, the very person Yuko Ikezawa had asked him to investigate just now.

Good heavens, the target of the investigation has come to me!

But then again, doesn't this scene feel a little familiar?