103: Chapter 103: APTX4869 Research Data

"So, when do we begin the investigation?"

After discussing the finer details of the commission, Takayama Minami asked Fujino curiously.

"No need to rush."

Fujino rose slowly from the sofa.

"The investigation itself is not something Takayama-san needs to worry about."

As he spoke, his narrowed eyes seemed to flash with a deep, inscrutable light.

"Within two weeks, I will discreetly identify the sasaeng fan responsible and... resolve the situation."

"Resolve..."

Takayama Minami swallowed nervously.

"Six hundred thousand yen... surely it doesn't involve that, does it?"

"What are you thinking?"

Fujino chuckled softly.

"When I say resolve, I simply mean preventing them from continuing their inappropriate actions through legal means. If necessary, I will report them to the police under my own name, ensuring absolutely no involvement falls back on the client."

"Oh, good."

Takayama Minami let out a visible sigh of relief.

She had genuinely worried that for six hundred thousand yen, this detective might resort to violence.

Simultaneously, Okino Yoko also breathed easier.

Apparently, she shared the same initial concern.

Late into the night.

After further discussion with Takayama Minami regarding the commission details and collecting the sixty thousand yen retainer, Fujino left the concert backstage area.

On his way home, he donned the Assassin's Robes, transforming into the Beika Batman to deliver some righteous punishment to the city's criminals.

Having fulfilled his nightly patrol duties, he returned home.

Night, Fujino residence.

"Already reached twenty-five percent growth?"

Upon arriving home, Fujino immediately went to the bathroom. Standing before the tub, he observed Miyano Akemi within the clear water, murmuring to himself.

The Soul Lotus containing Miyano Akemi's soul had now reached 25% growth. What was once a palm-sized seed had developed into a child-sized form, similar in stature to Conan.

The sprout atop its head had grown into a proper stem.

These stems grew from the Soul Lotus's head, floating above the water's surface.

At the tip of the main stem, the lotus bud looked ready to bloom.

The child-like Soul Lotus's facial features were now distinctly human, its limbs fully formed, and its body beginning to show basic anatomical details.

Observing the increasingly developed Soul Lotus, Fujino couldn't help but feel a strange sense of wonder.

As he predicted, the Soul Lotus grew progressively.

That at one hundred percent, it would likely return to her normal adult form in her twenties.

"It seems it won't be long before the Soul Lotus is ready for use."

Fujino murmured, then quickly showered using the adjacent shower stall before returning to his bedroom and drifting off to sleep.

The next day, November 23rd, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Fujino, riding the Batcycle disguised using the Kamen Rider charm, followed the ethereal white wolf along the highways of Shizuoka Prefecture.

Sharp, cold wind whipped past him, but thanks to the excellent windproofing of the Assassin's Robes, none of it penetrated his clothing.

His destination this time was the home of Professor Hirota Masami of Nanyo University in Shizuoka Prefecture.

The reason for this journey, hundreds of kilometers away... was the APTX4869 research data.

This was something he had only remembered this morning.

If his memory served, some time ago, Miyano Akemi had given Miyano Shiho several floppy disks containing photos from trips taken years prior.

After viewing the disks, Miyano Shiho mailed them back to Miyano Akemi. Miyano Akemi, in turn, returned them to her university professor, Hirota Masami.

Of course, the photos themselves weren't important.

What was important was that mixed among the returned disks was one containing APTX4869 drug research data, accidentally included by Miyano Shiho!

That disk held not only research data but also information about coded personnel within the Black Organization and some of its financial backers.

Although protected by the "Night ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Baron" virus, designed to self-destruct if accessed on a non-Organization computer,

having the disk was better than nothing. Perhaps, someday, a way to decrypt it could be found...

"Is this Hirota Masami's house?"

Following the white wolf's guidance, Fujino arrived before a two-story private residence.

Checking the nameplate [Hirota] confirmed the address.

Activating Detective Enhancement, he gripped the surrounding wall, vaulted over it, and landed silently in the Hirota family's yard.

Sneaking into the house, guided by his enhanced senses, he quickly searched the premises. In what appeared to be a study, he found numerous floppy disks near the computer.

"These should be it, right?"

Fujino examined the blue floppy disks in his hand, his eyes narrowing slightly. He then inserted them into the computer one by one, testing them.

Most contained ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠travel photos and excursion details.

Only one disk was encrypted. Attempting to bypass the password resulted in nonsensical files appearing.

"Looks like this is the one."

Fujino ejected the specific disk, examined it closely, then stored all the disks safely within his system's pocket dimension.

With the disk secured, the primary objective of his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Shizuoka trip was accomplished.

Before leaving the Hirota residence, Fujino made sure to rummage around, staging a break-in and theft, before departing cleanly with over five hundred thousand yen in cash.

Just as Fujino was about to head back to Tokyo on his motorcycle, passing through a snowy mountain region, a system task notification suddenly pinged in his mind:

"New profession task detected. Please check."

[Doctor Profession Task: Rescue Stranded Man]

Objective: Rescue a man stranded in an avalanche.

Reward: 500,000 Yen, +50 Doctor Proficiency Points.

"Avalanche?"

Fujino frowned, looking at the new task displayed on the system interface.

Scanning the surroundings, he quickly spotted a nearby snow-covered mountain.

"Where's the avalanche? Is this stupid system glitching?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a loud rumbling sound echoed from the nearby mountain.

"There really is an avalanche?"

Fujino watched as the mountaintop visibly collapsed, his mouth twitching slightly.

After a moment's thought, he turned his motorcycle around and sped towards the direction of the avalanche.

The money isn't important. The main thing is that he, Fujino, is a good person. When encountering such life-or-death situations, one must step up and lend a hand.

Yes, absolutely not for the money or the free proficiency points.

The mountain path post-avalanche was a blanket of white. Fujino, clad in the Assassin's Robes, walked across the snow, almost blending seamlessly with the environment.

Following the system's guidance, he soon arrived at a forest area buried under thick snow.

"Is this the spot?"

Fujino stopped beside a large tree, half-buried in snow. Seeing the red indicator dot pulsing beneath his feet, he took out his wooden practice sword and began digging.

Soon, Fujino unearthed the target of this Doctor task.

It was a man wearing a navy blue quilted jacket. Blood streamed from his left eye, and his left leg was twisted at an unnatural angle from impacting the tree.

Fujino pulled him out of the snowdrift and dragged him aside.

"Wonder if there's anything to identify him."

Curious, Fujino unzipped the man's jacket. A police ID fell out from an inner pocket.

"Police?"

Fujino picked up the ID. Flipping it open, he looked at the name and picture, slightly surprised.

"Yamato Kansuke?"