The Bloodstained Idol Murder Case

Tokyo, in a high-rise apartment building in a bustling commercial district.

Ran stood by a window in the hallway on the twenty-fifth floor, looking down at Tokyo's glittering neon lights. She could not help but remark, "The view here really is wonderful."

Then she turned to Fujino with a smile. "Don't you think so, Senior Fujino?"

"Yeah."

Fujino answered, his thoughts swirling.

The view truly was nice. From here, he could look out over nearly half of Japan.

Tokyo's neon lights glittered deep into the night, while the lights of traffic flowed endlessly through the streets.

It certainly had its own distinct charm.

Still, this view was worth quite a bit, too.

As far as Fujino knew, an apartment on the twenty-fifth floor in the city center like this started at 100 million yen. It was the very definition of housing for Japan's elite class.

For a view like this, ordinary people would probably struggle their entire lives without ever getting the chance to enjoy it.

Come to think of it, Ran's home was not bad either. That little building her family owned started at fifty million yen.

In fact, Ran counted as a rich woman too.

"Ah!"

Just then, Yoko Okino, who had just opened the door behind them, suddenly let out a scream.

Along with that scream, a system notification echoed in Fujino's ear. "A new Detective Profession Mission has been detected. Please check it!"

Then, a glowing panel appeared before Fujino.

Detective Profession Mission: Bloodstained Idol Case.

Mission Objective: Solve the Bloodstained Idol Murder Case.

Mission Time Limit Countdown: Three hours.

System Task Reward: Bounty of 500,000 yen.

So this case had happened after all?

Fujino stood where he was, narrowing his eyes slightly as he let out a sigh.

He hurried over to Yoko Okino's side and looked into the room.

Sure enough, a murder had just taken place here.

A fat man had died in Yoko Okino's home.

The body lay on the floor of the dimly lit room. A fruit knife had been stabbed into his back, and a massive amount of blood had spilled from the wound, staining the surrounding carpet red and seeping into the gaps in the floorboards.

Looking at the man's corpse, Fujino quietly lamented, This place isn't worth much anymore.

Beika Town had a particular quirk: houses where someone had died usually became worthless, while houses where no one had died only grew more outrageously expensive.

He just did not know whether Yoko Okino rented this place or had bought it.

If she rented it, the owner would probably feel like killing himself.

As everyone else stared at the man's corpse in horror, Fujino alone still had the mood to joke about Beika Town's housing prices.

"Ran, go call the police!"

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Fujino instinctively called out to Ran, his designated police-calling helper.

But after thinking it over, he stopped her again. "Forget it, Ran."

"What is it, Senior Fujino?"

Ran, who had already been about to run off and call the police, stopped and turned around to ask Fujino in confusion.

"I actually brought a mobile phone with me..."

As he spoke, Fujino awkwardly scratched the back of his head and pulled out his phone.

"A mobile phone?"

Ran curiously examined Fujino's phone, but did not find anything particularly strange about it. She merely asked, "Is it a newly released model?"

"Yeah, though it apparently hasn't been released yet. One of my clients gave it to me to test out."

Fujino explained as he prepared to make the emergency call, letting Ran, the full-time police-calling helper, take a break for once.

However, the manager beside them could no longer sit still.

"Wait, Detective Fujino! If possible, please investigate this matter in secret!"

The manager first glanced at the horrified Yoko Okino, then hurriedly grabbed Fujino's hand and explained, "If this gets out, it will damage Yoko's image!"

"Huh?"

Fujino frowned at the words, looking at the manager as though he were an idiot. "So you're asking me to investigate this secretly?"

"That's right!"

The manager hurriedly nodded. "If possible, that would be best."

"Then we'd better have a proper talk about the commission fee."

Fujino chuckled and said teasingly, "How much are you planning to pay? One million, ten million, or 100 million yen?"

"Ah?"

The manager froze. "Wouldn't ten million be a little too much?"

"I swear, you're really a fucking idiot!"

Fujino grabbed the manager by the collar, his pitch-black eyes fixed tightly on the man's pupils as he shouted, "Do you really think an idol's reputation is more important than a human life?!"

"That's not it..."

Eiichi Yamagishi hurriedly waved his hands, frightened by Fujino's expression.

"Detective Fujino!"

Yoko Okino, having recovered somewhat, spoke up. "Please call the police."

"Since Miss Yoko has said so, if you don't have any objections, get out of my way and stop interfering with my investigation!"

Fujino shoved Eiichi Yamagishi aside.

What the hell was this?

A manager with less awareness than the idol he managed.

Fujino had no idea what this manager even did for a living. They should fire him already.

Fujino grumbled inwardly, then turned around and called the police.

After explaining the situation, he took a pair of white gloves from his pocket, put them on, and entered the crime scene.

But just then, a figure like a big black rat suddenly darted past him and rushed straight toward the corpse.

It was none other than Conan!

Fujino frowned when he saw Conan scurrying around like a big black rat.

He quickly stepped forward and lifted him up by the collar. "Conan, the crime scene isn't somewhere a child like you can just wander into."

"Hahaha..."

Conan scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. "I was just curious about the crime scene..."

"So you were curious, huh~"

Fujino smiled, his narrowed eyes carrying a meaningful look.

Then he called out to Ran outside the room, "Ran, keep an eye on this curious little Conan... Honestly, what kind of child runs around next to a corpse?"

"Yes, Senior Fujino!"

Ran immediately dragged Conan out of the room.

In the hallway, she scolded Conan in the tone of an elder. "Conan! Didn't we agree before that you wouldn't disturb Senior Fujino while he was working?"

"You really are such a naughty child!"

"I'm sorry, Ran!"

At that moment, Conan looked timid and obedient, exactly like a child being lectured by an elder after doing something wrong.

Seeing this, Fujino felt much better.

He turned around, shut the door, and entered the crime scene.

Meanwhile, Conan cast a resentful look at Fujino.

He looked exactly like a sulky little wife.

At the same time, he could not help grumbling inwardly, That guy is awful. He actually used Ran to deal with me!

"Conan, did you hear me or not?!"

Seeing Conan absentminded while being scolded, Ran suddenly shouted, rolled up her sleeves, and raised her small fist.

Conan stiffened at her words. Looking at Ran's rolled-up sleeves, he answered sheepishly, "I heard you... Ran."