127: Chapter 127: Inch-Force Skull Cracker!

Night descended quietly. The moon hung high amidst the darkness, veiled occasionally by drifting clouds, lending a hazy quality to the scene.

At a street corner,

Fujino, clad in the Assassin's Robes, crouched behind a wall at a crossroads.

He peeked his head out, gazing down the dimly lit street not far away.

On the shadowed path, a man with a hairstyle identical to Mouri Kogoro's, a tuft of hair falling over his forehead, wearing a suit, and exuding a roguish air, walked slowly.

"Is this guy one of the targets for this mission, Shimoda Kohei?"

Observing the man on the street, Fujino murmured gravely.

At this moment, in his vision, a red light pulsed above the man's head.

No, 'red light' wasn't quite accurate.

'Red dot' was more appropriate.

This red dot was none other than the guidance icon provided by the system.

The last time he pursued a fugitive in Kyoto, he had followed a similar red dot to find Numabuchi Kiichiro.

Confirming the man was indeed the target, Fujino silently drew his bokken and stealthily approached.

"Those girls at the KTV earlier ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were really something!"

Shimoda Kohei chuckled to himself, reminiscing. "Speaking of which, I think I'm going to the ski resort this weekend. Wonder if I'll meet any young, pretty girls..."

At this moment, his entire focus was consumed by reliving recent sleazy encounters and fantasizing about picking up girls over the weekend.

He remained completely unaware of a white-robed black figure rapidly closing in from behind.

"Undetected. Good."

A slight smile touched Fujino's lips. The bokken in his hand rose slowly yet swiftly, without making a sound.

[Detective Enhancement (200% Physique) Activated!]

[Swordsman Persona (100% All Stats) Triggered!]

The bokken was raised high, then brought down with immense force directly onto the back of Shimoda Kohei's head.

Inch-Force Skull Cracker!

THWACK!

A loud thud echoed through the surroundings.

If anyone had been passing by, they would surely have assumed a car accident had occurred.

The sound was simply too startling.

Shimoda Kohei, struck unconscious by the bokken, didn't even utter a cry before collapsing onto the concrete pavement, the back of his head hitting the ground hard.

This blow carried the release of Fujino's pent-up negative emotions.

System enhancement, plus the Swordsman Persona skill, and the Assassin's Robes' passive effects...

The power behind that strike was immense.

If Fujino hadn't used the bokken today, but rather a large iron pipe...

This guy wouldn't have stood a chance.

His skull would have shattered, brain matter splattering like tofu pudding.

After completing this, Fujino silently sheathed the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bokken.

He then grabbed Shimoda Kohei by the trouser leg and dragged him like a dead dog towards the Batmobile parked nearby.

The Batmobile, in reality, was the Ford Taurus disguised using the Kamen Rider charm.

Its overall functionality and trunk space remained largely unchanged.

Only the exterior had significantly transformed.

Jet-black bodywork, sleek, sharp lines – in this era of wild imagination, it looked incredibly futuristic.

Tying up Shimoda Kohei with red rope, Fujino casually tossed him into the trunk.

Then, following the red dot's guidance, Fujino drove towards the next target's home.

Fujino parked the car near an empty lot.

Walking less than a few dozen meters, he located the home indicated by the red dot for the other target.

Standing before the gate, Fujino looked ahead.

It was a two-story private house.

The structure was primarily wooden, narrower at the top and wider at the base, with an orange-painted roof. The walls were also painted, appearing no different from other ordinary ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠houses.

Lights were still on inside; the target hadn't gone to bed early.

Looks like sneaking in for a 'put him into baby-like slumber' knockout isn't an option.

Fujino slipped into the yard, confirming there were no dogs or other guard animals. He then activated the system enhancement and climbed along the edge of the wall, infiltrating the second floor.

After searching inside, Fujino found the other target, Sugiyama Jurokuro, in the living room.

Sugiyama Jurokuro was currently sitting on the tatami floor, laughing heartily at a TV show.

Fujino gently pushed open the door, drew his bokken, and brought it down hard onto the back of Sugiyama's head.

Crack!

The hearty laughter ceased abruptly.

Sugiyama Jurokuro lay sprawled on the floor.

Fujino bent down to get a clear look at his face.

Holy crap, Maito Gai?

Observing Sugiyama Jurokuro's strangely familiar face, Fujino's lip twitched violently.

That ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bowl cut, that big nose, those thick eyebrows...

Not just similar, practically identical.

"Perhaps some sick joke by Gosho Aoyama?"

Fujino shook his head, took out some rope, tied him up, then slung the human sack over his shoulder and walked out brazenly through the front door.

Beika City, rooftop of an abandoned building.

"Almost time."

Fujino stood at the edge of the rooftop, gazing out at the city's night view.

He pulled out his phone and checked the time: July 30th, Friday.

Putting his phone away, he turned around.

Behind him, two men lay on the cluttered concrete rooftop.

Red rope coiled around their bodies, the tying method... self-explanatory.

An unknowing observer might assume some kinky game was underway.

These two men were none other than the murderers of Mochizuki Minako: Shimoda Kohei and Sugiyama Jurokuro.

Averting his gaze, Fujino picked up a pre-prepared bucket and walked slowly towards them.

Reaching the two men, he splashed the bucket's icy contents onto them.

The bucket was filled to the brim with ice water.

Besides the water, large chunks of ice rested at the bottom.

Ice water and ice chunks drenched the two men.

Stimulated by the cold, the two culprits immediately jolted awake from their unconscious state.

Drowsiness vanished, replaced only by a sudden, bone-chilling cold and sharp pain coursing through their bodies.

Shivering, they tried to stand but felt a sharp, constricting pain all over.

Looking down, they saw they were clad only in white shirts and boxers.

Besides the minimal clothing,

their bodies were bound with red rope.

The rope was tied in a kikko-shibari (tortoise shell bondage) style, combined with various other strange knots.

These binding techniques weren't something original Fujino knew.

They were learned from the Rope Art Knowledge Book.

Yes, that's it.

The knots were similar in principle to mountaineering knots.

The more they struggled, the tighter the ropes became.

After just a few moments of struggling, the ropes began to constrict further, pressing against their white shirts, elbows, and thighs.

The ropes started digging into their skin.

Combined with the earlier dousing of cold water,

their skin was now red and tight.

Within moments, the coarse red rope had broken the skin where it constricted tightly.

The red rope embedded itself firmly into their flesh.

Blood slowly seeped from the embedded areas.

Feeling the pain, they came to their senses and immediately stopped struggling.

Looking up, they saw Fujino, wearing a black mask, a cruel smile playing on his lips as his eyes scanned them up and down.

Sugiyama Jurokuro stared at the perverted bondage style and the masked man before him.

Could it be...?

His chrysanthemum instantly clenched.

Unlike Sugiyama Jurokuro's panicked state, Shimoda Kohei remained remarkably calm.

Although his head still felt like it was exploding,

he quickly accepted the situation.

He had heard about the man in the black mask from the kids in his class.

It must be that Beika Batman.

But why was the Beika Batman targeting him?

Could his and Sugiyama's actions have been exposed?

That shouldn't be possible...

"Speak! Did you do it or not?"

Under their bewildered gazes, Fujino stepped forward.

He reached out, grabbed Sugiyama Jurokuro by the collar, lifted him up, and demanded.

Sugiyama Jurokuro shook his head frantically, terrified.

"Looks like I need to help you remember..."

Fujino frowned, then raised his hand and slapped him hard across the face.

Slap! Slap!

Two sharp sounds echoed.

Burning pain flared up. Two red handprints appeared on Sugiyama Jurokuro's face.

"Are you going to talk?"

Fujino lifted him slightly by the ropes, questioning again.

"Wuwuwu..."

He shook his head pitifully, letting out muffled cries.

"Seems the memory isn't quite back yet."

Fujino murmured, then lifted him up again and slammed him hard onto the concrete floor.

"Wuaah!"

A wretched cry escaped Sugiyama Jurokuro's lips.

Before he could recover, Fujino lifted him again. "Remember now?"

"Wuwuwu!"

He nodded vigorously, still making muffled sounds.

As if reminding Fujino that his mouth was taped shut and he couldn't speak.

"Almost forgot, your mouth is still taped..."

Fujino feigned realization.

Ripping the tape off his mouth, he asked again, "Remember now?"

"Remember what?"

Once the tape was off, Sugiyama Jurokuro took a deep breath and asked this question.

"I took the tape off, and you still won't talk?"

[Martial Arts Proficiency +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1]

...

"Speak!"

Fujino lifted Sugiyama Jurokuro, whose face was now swollen like a pig's head, and demanded sternly.

"Pfft... Bro, what am I supposed to say?"

Sugiyama Jurokuro spat out saliva mixed with blood and a tooth, looking utterly wronged.

"You haven't even asked me anything..."

"I didn't ask?"

"No..."

Sugiyama Jurokuro nodded.

"Didn't I ask?"

Fujino turned to Shimoda Kohei.

Shimoda Kohei, having witnessed the brutal scene, swallowed hard and nodded.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Saying this, Fujino slapped Sugiyama Jurokuro again, followed by another round of punches and kicks.

[Martial Arts Proficiency +1 +1 +1 +1 +1]