Chapter 21 - Sato Kicks Down the Door
Sato Kicks Down the Door
21: Chapter 21: Sato Kicks Down the Door
"Really?" Fujino's gaze drifted pointedly towards Asai Narumi's chest, which seemed unnaturally full under the purple sweater.
A playful smirk tugged at his lips.
"Eek! Perv!" Asai Narumi shrieked, instinctively covering 'her' chest.
Fujino blinked. What the...?
A moment later, the shriek dissolved into amused chuckles, and the voice shifted, becoming distinctly male.
"Just kidding."
He sighed, running a hand through his disguised hair.
"So, you figured it out, huh? As expected of Detective Fujino.
You arrive on the island, and within a day, you've not only uncovered the truth of the case but also seen through my disguise... Truly impressive. More than I anticipated."
After a moment, genuine curiosity filled his voice.
"How did you figure out I was a man?"
Asai Seiji (let's call him by his real name now) was genuinely baffled.
He'd been living as the village doctor for two years. No one had suspected a thing.
In fact, some creeps had even tried to hit on 'her'...
"Detective's intuition," Fujino deadpanned.
Seiji's eyebrow twitched. He clearly didn't buy that for a second.
"Just kidding," Fujino chuckled. "It was the envelope you sent."
"That specific envelope, the one with the pink heart? It's the only kind sold on this entire island. It stood out."
"Ah, my mistake," Seiji nodded, accepting the explanation, but still looking slightly unconvinced.
"But just the envelope wouldn't be enough to confirm my identity, right? Plenty of people on the island could have bought that type."
"You're right. The envelope alone wasn't conclusive," Fujino conceded, leaning back against the wall casually.
"After arriving, I went to the local police box and inquired about the fire twelve years ago."
"From the old officer, I learned about Aso Keiji's only surviving legacy – the musical score."
"That score seemed... odd. So I tried deciphering it. And I actually managed to figure some things out.
It contained a hidden suicide note, left by Aso Keiji twelve years ago, detailing the drug ring's crimes... And at the very end of the note, there was a line: 'To my son, Asai Seiji.'"
Fujino pulled out his phone and showed Seiji the pictures of the score.
"Asai Narumi, Asai Seiji... 'Asai' must be the surname of the family who adopted you after the fire.
So, if I'm not mistaken, you are Aso Keiji's son – the one who survived because you were receiving treatment in Tokyo."
"I see," Seiji murmured, staring at the images on the phone screen, seemingly lost in thought.
"Thank you, Detective Fujino," he said after a long moment, wiping away a tear that had escaped. "If it weren't for you, I might never have known my father left this behind..."
"Think nothing of it. Your business is my business," Fujino waved dismissively.
"After all, you paid me a handsome 500,000 yen retainer."
"Actually..." Seiji began, but was cut off by Fujino's phone ringing loudly.
Fujino glanced at the caller ID: Inspector Megure.
"Fujino-kun! Where are you right now?!" Megure's urgent voice crackled through the phone as soon as Fujino answered.
"I'm in the Moonlight Island village clinic..." Fujino replied, his voice still hoarse.
Hearing the raspy voice, Megure paused. That doesn't sound like Fujino-kun...
Could the drug traffickers have tortured him?!
Oh no! Fujino-kun is in danger!
Panic surged through Megure.
He immediately barked into his radio:
"All units, move in NOW! The hostage is confirmed inside the village clinic!"
"Who's closest?! Sato, is that you?!"
"What?! You're initiating a breach?!"
"Be careful!"
"Fujino-kun! We're coming to rescue you! Hang in there!"
"Huh?" Fujino listened to the chaotic shouting on the other end, utterly bewildered.
Then, the words "breach" and "rescue" clicked. Oh, crap.
Suddenly, the clinic door burst open with explosive force.
A woman in a sharp police uniform, wielding a revolver, kicked the door down.
She immediately pointed her gun straight at Asai Seiji.
"You, the woman over there! Hands up! Don't move!" her voice sharp and commanding, eyes glinting like steel.
Seiji, having never experienced anything like this, instinctively threw his hands in the air, terrified.
"Sato Miwako?" Fujino stared at the dynamic entrance, recognizing the famous female detective.
"Fujino Douji?" Sato Miwako spotted Fujino lying in the hospital bed. Thin frame, dead-fish eyes, and that perpetually lazy posture... Yep, definitely the 'Fujino-kun' Inspector Megure described!
The police operation was massive – at least three departments involved, nearly a hundred officers, including heavily armed riot police.
Fujino later learned from Sato Miwako that the overwhelming response was because Inspector Megure had genuinely believed Fujino had been captured and tortured by the drug ring.
Realizing he'd inadvertently caused a major misunderstanding, Fujino felt a wave of exasperation. Things really escalated quickly...
"Fujino-kun! Weren't you captured by the drug traffickers?!" Inspector Megure exclaimed, rushing into the clinic and staring incredulously at Fujino, who was still hooked up to an IV drip.
The contrast between the fierce-looking detectives crowding the room and the seemingly frail young man in the bed was stark.
Fujino felt a chill run down his spine under the intense scrutiny. He quickly explained,
"No, no... After I found evidence on the criminal group last night, I ambushed one of the dealers at the transaction point, filmed everything, and apprehended him. He's currently knocked out and tied up in the village Civic Hall."
"You caught one of the dealers yourself?!" Megure stared at Fujino, finding it hard to believe.
Impossible! If it were Kudo-kun taking down two dealers single-handedly, maybe... but Fujino-kun? Thin, pale, hooked up to an IV...? Emm...
"Well, it wasn't exactly a fair fight," Fujino admitted sheepishly.
"I ambushed them from behind while they weren't paying attention and knocked them out."
"That's still incredibly brave!" Sato Miwako, the only female officer present, interjected admiringly.
Looking at Fujino's frail appearance, she couldn't help but feel a surge of protectiveness.
He says 'ambush,' she thought, and thankfully it worked.
But if it hadn't... if he'd failed... taking on two drug dealers alone... That required immense courage.