This Really Had Her in His Grip, Didn't It?

Fujino slightly raised her eyes, naturally knowing that the 'friend' she was referring to was herself.

In Japan, this kind of thing is actually nothing new.

The various affairs involving infidelity, mistresses, and wives are quite ridiculous, even resembling plots from some anime.

It can only be said that art originates from life.

As for the idea of sharing a husband, Fujino didn't understand, but was greatly shocked.

The values of Japan people are very chaotic. In fact, it is not uncommon for a man to have two or three wives in Japan. Fujino had heard of this.

Japan law does allow only one person to register for marriage, but that doesn't stop wealthy men from having multiple wives and concubines.

Besides the wealthy, there are also ruthless individuals with unique skills who marry four wives and rely on them to support their families.

Surprisingly, it worked, and life seems to be going quite well.

This approach is remarkably robust in terms of risk management and handling family order.

This is a form of ideology disguised as a clan system.

Realizing her thoughts were drifting off course, Fujino pulled herself together and sighed, "So it's because you couldn't afford it that you did this?"

"No."

Three-faced man shuddered and became extremely cautious. "I'm just telling you a story about my friend."

Fujino: "..."

So the "friends" meme is already so overused, isn't it?

In this era, it hasn't become commonplace.

But it feels quite weak.

Even Genta could say, "Your friend isn't yourself, is it?"

Do you think I'd believe that?

Fujino knew what she was thinking, and immediately stood up, sighing, "Since that's the case, then I won't say anything more. Miss Saegusa, I understand what you mean..."

"However, although it was done with the intention of protection, you actually only ended up harming him..."

"Sigh, why should I care so much? He's not my son anyway."

After speaking, Fujino didn't say anything more and turned to walk towards the door.

"Etc!"

Asuka Saegusa stood up and called to Fujino, who was about to leave.

To be honest, she didn't want to admit it, and she would never admit it even if you beat her to death.

But as a mother, she couldn't possibly not ask about matters concerning her own child.

"Hmm? What brings you here, Mrs. Saegusa?"

Fujino stopped and looked back, looking somewhat puzzled.

However, deep down, I wasn't surprised.

As the sage Confucius said, "While your parents are alive, do not travel far; if you must travel, have a fixed destination."

The man said, "You offended me this morning. As long as I find out where you live, I'll bring your parents back. They're in my hands, so you can't escape. Even if you do, I'll find a way to bring you back."

Similarly, for a mother, as long as she holds the child's manhood, it is equivalent to holding the mother's manhood.

Shouldn't we seize the opportunity?

Asuka Saegusa asked in a low voice, "What exactly do you mean by 'harmed him'?"

"Well!"

Fujino turned around and sighed, "Never mind, never mind, I won't say anything more."

"You..."

"Alright then, I'll tell you what happened."

Fujino thought for a moment, then crossed his arms and said, "You said before that because you come from a single-parent family, you've suffered a lot of exclusion from those around you. Do you think that's better than being from a single-parent family?"

Asuka Saegusa pinched the hem of her kimono skirt. "At least it's better than being with me. At least this way people won't say I was born of a mother but raised without a father..."

"Indeed, if they are orphans, even if you want to curse them, there's nothing to curse them for, since they don't even know who their parents are, and the Void Search can't lock onto them."

Fujino agreed, "But an orphan's situation is definitely no better than that of a child raised in a single-parent family."

Asuka Saegusa said firmly, "He's doing very well now."

"What do you mean by 'very well'? Living a life of plenty and becoming a star admired by millions?"

"This is indeed a good way out, but it is not a good way out either."

Fujino said in a deep voice, "Even though you took him to the church door, then sent him to an orphanage, and now he's a popular child star, have you ever thought about whether those people were truly sincere towards him?"

"But..."

"The so-called celebrities and fame are nothing more than a means of publicity by capital. Capital gives them these things for profit, and can easily take them back as well."

Fujino said seriously, "In the eyes of capitalists, there is no such thing as humanity or morality. All they care about is profit. Kinukawa's current reputation is only because he still has profit. In the end, he is just a commodity, just like the barbarians who kidnapped the Chinese people back then, treating them as playthings, like livestock such as pigs, horses, cattle, and sheep."

"They're incapable of caring about the health of livestock, or their physical and mental well-being. Do you think they'd take good care of Kinukawa if there were no profit involved?"

"When his fame fades, sooner or later the agency will treat him like trash and discard him again, just like you discarded him back then."

"Madam, you wouldn't want your child to be abandoned again, would you?"

Asuka Saegusa paused, a flicker of memory crossing her eyes. A clear tear slid down her cheek, landing on the tatami floor and splashing into a spray. "But I really don't know what to do..."

"Kinukawa has done quite well to get this far. Your choice wasn't wrong either. After all, if he had stayed with you, he wouldn't have achieved what he has today."

Fujino turned and walked toward the door, but paused before leaving. "If possible, you should meet with that child. Even if it can't be made public, at least let the child know that he still has a relative."

"I'm just a detective, that's all I have to say. You can decide for yourself. If it's inconvenient for you to speak, I will. As for how he chooses, I don't know."

"Then I'll leave it to you, Detective."

"Wahui-kun, please sign your autograph for me!"

"I want one too!"

"I was here first!"

The next morning, He Hui sat in the entrance hall of the hotel, holding a pen, signing autographs for the hotel staff who were gathered around him.

Kinukawa, that kid, is at least a popular child star.

Perhaps influenced by his mother, Sange, he seemed to have a very high reputation at this hotel.

Fujino glanced at Kinukawa, who was signing autographs, then turned around and scanned the people around him.

But they didn't find the person they wanted to see.

After thinking for a moment, he turned around and went back into the hotel.

"Hey, Sanzhi, come over and get one too!"

At this moment, Mitsu Kusano suddenly called out to the complex-looking Saegusa Asami outside the crowd, "If you miss this opportunity, you'll never have another one."

"I..."

Saegusa Asami hesitated for a moment. "I think I'll pass."

"What? Don't you usually like spending time with Hui-kun?"

Mitsu Kusano, supporting Saegusa Asami, came over. "Alright, don't be shy. You think we don't know that we've watched so many of Kazuki's movies?"

Kazuki Kinugawa glanced at Mitsu Kusano: "I'm not going to sign it for you."

Upon hearing this, Saegusa Asami paused for a moment, and her expression suddenly became much lower.

"But I won't give you the autograph; I still have something else to give you."

Kinukawa pulled an unopened postcard from his pocket and handed it to her. "If you don't mail it to me, I'll come looking for you again."

Saegusa Asami hesitated before taking the postcard, and before she could even process what was happening, Hisashi Kinukawa had already run out of the hotel.

"He's just as arrogant as you."

Fujino walked slowly from behind and glanced at the departing figure.

With a flick of his wrist, a business card flew out from his sleeve and was handed to Saegusa Asami: "I am Fujino, an ordinary detective and part-time shareholder of a beverage shop. If you are looking for a new job in Tokyo, you may consider working at our shop."

"Work to earn a living...?"

"I'm going to open a beverage branch soon."

Fujino explained casually, "If we were in Tokyo, you would be able to get closer to that kid, and you wouldn't need to be too afraid of the crowds and attention in the hotel. You should understand."

"I... I'll consider it."

"Then goodbye."

On the train back to Tokyo.

Akemi felt that something was off about Fujino's previous actions, so she asked Fujino from the back seat with a puzzled look, "Fujino, what's going on with Ms. Saegusa?"

"I just wanted to help you recruit some people, Sister Akemi."

"Um... you're not thinking of recruiting her and then slowly winning her over, are you?"

"Ahem!"

Before Fujino could speak, Kinukawa, who was sitting next to him in the back row, suddenly coughed and his face turned bright red.

In the morning, he had already heard Fujino say that Sange was his mother.

Although I was a little skeptical, according to Fujino, that person did indeed have a mole on his neck.

And it seems they even had a chat last night, so it must be his biological mother.

But after calming down and thinking about it again, I figured I should go chat with them tonight...

Does this detective want to be my father?!

"Um?"

Akemi asked in confusion, "Kazuki-kun, are you feeling unwell?"

"No... I'm just a little carsick."

Kinukawa waved his hand, saying nothing more, feeling a little awkward.

How can I feel comfortable hearing that my mom is going to be seduced?

"Alright, Sister Akemi."

Fujino was speechless for a moment. "That Miss Saegusa is Kinukawa's mother. Don't overthink it. I only invited her so that this kid would have a chance to meet her."

"And listen to what you just said, is that even human language?"

"What strategy guide? If I follow this strategy, doesn't that mean I'll become Old Man Kinukawa?"

Fujino said earnestly, "While mature girls are nice, I'm not some Cao Thief."

"???"

Akemi was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and Ai Haibara, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was also slightly taken aback. Both of them showed their beady eyes.

Both of them were somewhat surprised that Fujino had managed to find Kinukawa's mother so quietly...

Upon closer reflection, there are indeed clues to follow, but it feels like something has been overlooked.

How exactly did you find it?

Unlike the two with their beady eyes, Kazuki Kinugawa in the back row fell into deep thought upon hearing this, even showing a hint of regret.

He had heard about what happened yesterday, and his resentment towards his birth mother had lessened considerably. Compared to his birth mother who abandoned him, he resented his 'father' who had abandoned his mother even more.

Although one mom is enough, he still feels that it would be much better if he had a dad.

Thinking about it carefully, having this detective as your father doesn't seem so bad, does it?

Of course, Fujino had no idea what this young client was thinking.

If he knew, he would definitely be heartbroken and express his grief:

"I treated you as my client, and you actually want to be my son?!"

Around noon, the group arrived in Tokyo.

Since he didn't have a credit card, Kinukawa said he would send the commission money via parcel mail.

Fujino didn't care much about that and agreed immediately.

Well, after all, he's a child star. He's given up his entire net worth, so it must be tens of millions, or even millions, right?

He didn't think too much about it. Having just finished a request, he happily went to the Konoha Kendo Hall to find Suwa Yuji.

After all, he's now someone who can go toe-to-toe with Kyogoku Makoto.

She also mastered the outrageous and pretentious skill of "Cherry Blossom Blizzard".

Shouldn't we go up there and give that old bastard a piece of our mind, accusing him of betraying his master and ancestors, and show off a lot?

Park the black motorcycle in front of the Konoha Kendo Hall.

Fujino entered the kendo dojo and found that there were already quite a few students learning kendo inside.

The clanging of Wooden Sword against each other inside the dojo brought a lively atmosphere to what was once a quiet place.

"Greetings, Senior Brother!"

Upon seeing Fujino, some students from the kendo dojo stopped their training and ran over to bow.

Within a kendo dojo, certain rules still hold significant importance.

Especially for a direct disciple like Fujino.

He is the second-in-command of the kendo dojo, compared to his master.

"Very good, very energetic!"

Fujino nodded and dismissed everyone, then looked for Aoyama Motoko: "Junior sister, where is Master Suwa?"

"Senior brother."

Aoyama Motoko had just been training and was still covered in a light sweat, greeted him politely, "Master is training in the back garden of the kendo dojo. I'll take you there."

"Good."

Following Aoyama Motoko, Fujino arrived at the back garden.

The backyard of the kendo dojo is quite spacious, a grassy area, a standard back garden, with several large trees, some straw mats, and kendo practice equipment.

At that moment, Suwa Yuji was on the grass, holding an iron sword and constantly wielding his own school of swordsmanship.

"Fujino is here."

Suwa Yuji around and said, "Motoko, quickly go and pour me a cup of tea."

"Oh!"

After Suwa, Fujino revealed his purpose. "The reason I came here is actually to show Master Suwa a new sword technique that I have just mastered."

Suwa Yuji: "A newly mastered sword technique?"

"That's right."

Fujino stood up and pulled out Wooden Sword from behind him. "This move is called Cherry Blossom Blizzard. It's not an ordinary sword technique. I'd like to spar with you, Master Suwa."

"Alright, it's been a while since we've sparred. Let me see how you've improved."

The two men, without saying a word, went to the grassy area in the backyard and stood a distance apart. Suwa Yuji, carrying a specially made Wooden Sword, looked at Fujino with a fierce and imposing aura, exuding an aura of someone who had been through countless battles. "Let me see your newly learned swordsmanship."

"Good!"

Fujino responded, gripping the Wooden Sword tightly. He then lowered his body, holding the Wooden Sword upright in front of him, his left hand supporting the tip of the blade.

"Secret Technique: Cherry Blossom Blizzard!"