39: Chapter 39: Detective's Intuition

"Suddenly feels like things have been pretty quiet lately..."

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Inspector Megure Juzo leaned back in his office chair, gazing thoughtfully out the window.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the number of murder cases seemed to have dropped significantly recently. Beika Town almost felt... peaceful. Fewer murders were definitely a good thing, but the sudden lull left him feeling strangely restless.

Ring ring!

The sharp sound of his desk phone interrupted his reverie.

He picked it up. Before he could even say hello, Fujino's voice came through the line.

"Inspector Megure?"

"Fujino-kun?"

Megure asked, surprised. Is it another murder case already?

He voiced his thought aloud:

"You're calling me... did you run into a murder?"

"International robbery gang?"

Megure frowned.

"You don't mean... the Italian group that stole those maple leaf gold coins and fled to Japan?"

"Yeah, probably those 'Eyetalian' robbers,"

Fujino confirmed. He glanced towards three men lurking in a nearby alleyway.

"One Japanese guy, two foreigners... that sounds like them, right?"

"Yes! That's them!"

Megure shot up from his chair.

"Fujino-kun, where are you right now?!"

"Outside the XXX Bank near Tokyo Tower."

"Don't make a move, Fujino-kun! We're on our way..."

Megure hung up, a determined glint in his eyes.

Impressive, Fujino-kun! Finding an internationally wanted gang so easily... Another big bust incoming!

This time, Fujino didn't try to handle things alone. He'd called for backup: Inspector Megure.

While confident in his swordsmanship, especially with stacked buffs – enough to probably take down three strong guys – the robbers likely had guns. Fujino might be reckless, but he wasn't stupid. Charging gun-wielding criminals with a wooden stick was suicide. He'd be turned into Swiss cheese before he got close.

Soon, Megure arrived, along with a dozen or so elite officers from Division 3.

They were all in plain clothes, discreetly positioning themselves inside a nearby TV broadcast van to avoid alerting the suspects.

Only Sato Miwako remained with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Fujino, observing the robbers' movements from a nearby café.

"Those guys are the Italian robbers? They don't look like much,"

Sato Miwako murmured, sipping her coffee while subtly watching the three large ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠men across the street.

The trio, dressed in ill-fitting white suits, were awkwardly tailing a group of elementary school kids. They looked more like clumsy kidnappers than sophisticated international thieves.

But Sato had seen their photos; these were definitely the wanted men.

"Why didn't you just ambush them and take them down yourself this time?"

She turned to Fujino with a teasing smile.

"I thought you were the 'brave' type, Fujino-kun."

Fujino gave her a deadpan look. Sato was undercover too, wearing a crop top and jeans, looking like any other trendy young woman, not a police officer. The pinnacle of plainclothes work, perhaps...

He sighed.

"I'm brave, not suicidal. I know when to engage and when not to... Besides, they have guns. I'm not keen on becoming target practice."

"Didn't realize you had such a clear head on your shoulders,"

Sato chuckled lightly.

"Seriously though, Fujino-kun, how did you find them? We've been hunting them for days with barely any leads."

Fujino stretched lazily, taking a sip of his own coffee.

"Would you believe me if I said... detective's intuition?"

"Intuition... It might sound unreliable, but sometimes it really works..."

Sato mused, then smiled knowingly.

"But I doubt intuition alone would make you this cautious."

Fujino scratched the back of his head.

"Alright, fine. It was actually because of the treasure map those kids had."

"Treasure map?"

Sato looked surprised.

"Yeah, a treasure map... About an hour ago, those kids approached me, asking for help deciphering the symbols on it."

Fujino paused.

"I didn't get a great look, and I don't remember all the details, but I'm certain the symbols were Italian code."

"Combining that with the morning news about the recently arrested robber, Cabanne, I figured the map must show where he hid the stolen maple leaf gold coins."

"But why would Cabanne draw a map to the gold like that?"

Sato frowned.

"Weren't they all part of the same gang?"

Fujino placed his coffee cup down.

"If I'm not mistaken, the reason you police caught Cabanne in the first place... was because of an anonymous tip, right?"

"I don't know the specifics, but yes, there was a tip-off,"

"How did you know that, Fujino-kun...?"

"A year ago, Cabanne ordered his men to steal the gold coins. But after the job, he double-crossed them and disappeared with all the loot."

Fujino laid out his theory.

"Recently, his former associates found out where he was hiding. They searched his place and found that treasure map... To be safe, instead of killing him, they reported him to the police, getting him arrested... Their plan was to decipher the map later and retrieve the gold for themselves."

"I see,"

Sato nodded, the pieces clicking into place.

Then, another question arose.

"But even if the map fell into those kids' hands... why are the robbers just following them? Wouldn't they just take the map back by force?"

"Normally, yes,"

Fujino smirked.

"Unless... even they don't know how to decipher the map?"

"Are you saying... they're hoping the kids will lead them to the gold?"

"Exactly!"