3: Chapter 3: A Real Job? Never!

One million yen. All in!

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Damn it!

Fujino stared at the pile of virtual junk cluttering his system inventory. His eye twitched.

One million yen... and all I got was the Student profession? Seriously?

Taking a deep breath, trying to keep his blood pressure from skyrocketing, he opened the updated Profession panel:

[New Sub-Class Added:]

Student (Rank: Basic)

(100 Proficiency needed for next Rank Up)

[New Class Skills:]

Student Discount (Basic): Enjoy a 5% discount on all system functions!

[Current Funds: 53,100 Yen]

Well now. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The Student skill wasn't half bad.

A 5% discount. That meant his next ten-pull on the Profession Orbs would only cost 950,000 yen instead of a cool million!

Okay, maybe not a huge saving upfront.

But over time, it would definitely add up.

Plus, the profession itself could be leveled. Imagine how insane that discount could get at higher ranks...

So, while the draw seemed like mostly useless clutter, that upgradeable Student skill alone? Yeah, he'd pretty much hit the jackpot.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the classroom, a pair of intense eyes were fixed on him.

Sonoko was practically drooling, her expression utterly lovestruck.

"Hey, hey, Ran," she whispered, poking her friend in the back.

"Who's the hottie by the window? New transfer student?"

"Sonoko, class is still in session!"

Ran hissed back quietly, turning slightly.

"You mean Fujino-san? Don't you remember? He's the one who got held back and joined our class this year."

"Huh? No way! How come I've never seen him before?" Sonoko blinked, genuinely confused.

"Fujino-san's working as a full-time detective now, so he's barely ever here,"

Ran explained patiently.

"And the few times he did show up, you called in sick."

"Another high school detective?!"

Sonoko groaned, ruffling her brown hair in exasperation.

"Don't tell me he's some deduction freak like that Shinichi Kudo."

"No, it's not like that," Ran shook her head quickly. "Fujino-san's parents died in an accident about a year ago. He became a full-time detective after that. It sounds like he's taking cases just to make ends meet."

"Seriously?! He's only doing it because he has to?!" Sonoko gasped, clasping her hands together, eyes wide with newfound sympathy and regret.

"Aw man, if I'd known... I wouldn't have skipped so much just to hang out! Ugh, I can't believe I missed noticing such a cutie until now..."

"Oh, brother..." Ran rolled her eyes, utterly exasperated with her boy-crazy best friend.

"But hey, Ran," Sonoko's expression suddenly turned mischievous, the gossip-monger emerging. She leaned closer.

"How come you know so much about him? You're usually not interested in this stuff. And didn't you say you went to his house? No way! Don't tell me you've dumped Shinichi for him!"

Ran's face instantly flushed crimson.

"Sonoko, what are you talking about?! Dumped who?! Fujino-san just lives across the street! The teacher asked me to check on him, that's all! And Shinichi and I are just childhood friends!"

"Ooh, look who's blushing!" Sonoko giggled, thoroughly enjoying Ran's reaction.

"And notice how I didn't even mention Kudo's name when I asked if you'd moved on~"

"Anyway! It's not what you think!" Ran sputtered, practically vibrating with embarrassment. Honestly, only Sonoko could push her buttons like this.

"Ahem! Quiet down back there!" the middle-aged teacher called out sharply from the front.

Sonoko and Ran immediately snapped to attention, sitting ramrod straight.

Fujino, meanwhile, ignored the classroom drama entirely, continuing to explore his newfound cheat system.

After school, driving home in the Taurus, Fujino felt utterly drained. Just one day back in the academic grind had exhausted him, body and soul.

But hey, at least it wasn't a total waste.

His Student profession had already reached 50 Proficiency just from sitting through classes.

Guess different professions level up in different ways, huh?

Then he glanced at his remaining funds – less than 50,000 yen. The headache returned.

One million gone in a flash, and now he was even broker than before. This barely covered anything.

Damn pay-to-win system!

He sighed heavily. "Looks like making money is priority number one again."

As things stood, he had three options:

Get a part-time job. (Ugh, no. Never. I'd rather starve.)

Take on detective commissions. (Hit or miss, depends on what comes my way.)

Solve actual crimes.

"Looks like solving cases is the only real path forward," Fujino mused, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

With his Detective class abilities, even if the police didn't offer a reward, the system would give him a bounty for cracking a case.

Problem is, finding cases isn't easy.

He wasn't exactly Conan Edogawa, tripping over murders on his way to the corner store.

"New Detective Profession Task detected. Please check for details!"

The system prompt made Fujino slam on the brakes.

He quickly pulled up the system interface. A new task glowed on the list:

[Detective Profession Task: Haunted House Murder]

Objective: Solve the Haunted House Murder Case from five years ago.

Time Limit:1 Hour

"Haunted House Murder? 500,000 Yen?!"

Fujino glanced out the side window. His eyes landed on a dilapidated, distinctly creepy Western-style mansion just off the road.

Overgrown weeds choked the rusty fence. A weathered nameplate reading 'Yamada' hung crookedly on the gate post. Fujino remembered this place.

If memory served, this was the scene of the infamous Haunted House Murder from five years back. And the mother and son who killed Mr. Yamada? They were supposedly still hiding somewhere inside. In the basement, wasn't it?

Fujino frowned, thinking for a moment. Then, he made his decision and accepted the task.

He parked the Taurus discreetly down the street and circled back to the creepy mansion on foot. Following the fragmented memories, he found a hidden entrance along one side of the overgrown garden wall.

It was a small opening, crudely boarded up, barely large enough for one person to squeeze through.

"Feels like crawling through a doggy door," Fujino grumbled, pushing the loose board aside and slipping inside.

He emerged into the neglected garden. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Pushing open the creaking front door of the mansion, he was greeted by the sight of four grotesque demon statues in the entryway.

The fading sunset cast long, eerie shadows, making them look even more menacing.

"Probably just meant to scare off trespassers," Fujino muttered, heading deeper into the house.

He navigated a dark, dusty hallway. At the very end, a conspicuously clean rug caught his eye.

If I remember right, this should be it. The secret entrance to the basement.

Taking a deep breath, Fujino gripped the Temporary Stat Boost Card tightly in his hand. Then, he reached down and yanked the rug aside, revealing the heavy stone slab covering the basement entrance.