47: Chapter 47: Pocket Dimension Upgrade

"Two million?"

Sitting in his parked Ford Taurus, Fujino stared at the updated system balance: [2,202,000 Yen].

He murmured aloud,

"Looks like that newspaper really shelled out."

"Wait... would a newspaper really pay two million upfront just for intel?"

Fujino pondered for a moment, then a knowing smile spread across his face.

"Seems more likely their parent company stepped in, hmm?"

The transaction had gone smoothly. Money exchanged for information. A win-win. The newspaper got its scoop, and Fujino got paid. Whether the newspaper's parent company could actually bring down Ikeda Chikako... Fujino wasn't worried. As the former young master of the Fujino Corporation, a beneficiary (and later victim) of corporate power plays, he knew exactly how brutal those battles could be. Revealing a genuine scandal was one thing; if necessary, capital could manufacture evidence. Slap on a label, repeat it often enough, and public perception becomes reality. In this era, media controlled the narrative, and capital controlled the media.

As for 'Beika's Batman'... the name held no deeper meaning. It was purely inspired by a Kyoto newspaper headline he'd seen:

[Numabuchi Kiichiro Arrested! Who is the Mysterious Batman?].

He'd just randomly adopted the moniker. Of course, he wasn't the lighter-biting Batman; he was the Dark Knight, walking the shadows... wearing a cheap plastic mask.

Dawn. The first pale light filtered through the window.

Outside, a blanket of white covered everything. Snowflakes drifted down like cottonwood fluff.

Fujino stood at the window, gazing out calmly. Condensation fogged the glass. Through the haze, he watched the white flakes dance.

As the sky brightened, the snow-covered ground shimmered. Fujino looked up, the view momentarily masking the lingering weariness in his eyes.

"The timeline in the Conan-verse... it's truly bizarre,"

Yesterday felt like early autumn; today, it was snowing.

Not scientific. Very Conan-logical. Makes perfect sense.

He shook his head, already accustomed to the temporal absurdity.

October 7th, the second Monday of the month, was Health and Sports Day, a national holiday in Japan. As a student, he had the day off.

After washing up, Fujino headed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the kitchen to make breakfast.

"Breakfast," of course, meant another self-heating rice meal.

This time, however, there was no golden light, no dramatic BGM. Just a normal, steaming container of instant rice.

But his Chef proficiency still increased.

He checked the system:

[Chef: Basic (95 Proficiency needed for next Rank Up)]

[Super Chef (Basic): 5% chance for prepared food to receive a random enhancement]

Just like other professions gained proficiency through relevant actions, cooking increased Chef proficiency. Based on his observations over the past few days, the amount gained likely depended on the complexity of the dish. Self-heating rice gave one point; instant noodles gave two. He hadn't tried anything more complex yet. Why? Simple: Fujino, the perpetual bachelor, didn't know how to cook anything else.

"Guess I'll have to ask Ran for some cooking lessons someday,"

Fujino mused. Among the people he knew, Ran was a decent cook. Not restaurant quality, but definitely tasty home cooking. Preparing actual meals would surely yield more proficiency than instant junk.

Of course, I could get a part-time job at a restaurant...

No. Fujino, the former Young Master, drew the line there. Work part-time? Never! Not in this lifetime!

Shaking off the thought, Fujino turned his attention to his Pocket Dimension:

[Small Pocket Dimension: Stores items. Current Size: 0.5x0.5x0.5m. Note: Upgradable. Next upgrade cost: 1,500,000 Yen.]

The Pocket Dimension, Gold rarity, was currently his highest-quality system item. Unlike Purple gear, it could be upgraded. Right now, it was a 50cm cube, about the size of a cardboard box. It felt... small. Especially ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as the amount of stuff he needed to carry around increased.

"Time for an upgrade, maybe?"

Fujino sighed, looking at the steep upgrade cost.

"But 1.5 million... isn't that a bit much?"

That was almost enough for two ten-pulls.

Then again, for an item that defied reality, 1.5 million wasn't that outrageous, especially compared to real estate prices. It was convenient.

He confirmed the upgrade, spending 1,350,000 yen (after his 10% discount).

[1,350,000 Yen deducted. Pocket Dimension upgraded.]

[Small Pocket Dimension: Stores items. Current Size: 1x1x1m. Note: Upgradable. Next upgrade cost: 2,500,000 Yen.]

[Current Balance: 852,000 Yen]

"A one-meter cube?"

Fujino checked the upgraded space, surprised.

"That's... eight times the original volume?"

Suddenly, the hefty price tag didn't sting quite so much.

Okay, maybe the system isn't completely evil. At least the upgrades scaled geometrically, not just linearly. If it had only gone up to 60cm, that would have been insulting.

"Ring ring!"

Just as he finished upgrading the space, his phone rang.

He pulled it out and answered. A middle-aged man's voice came through.

"Hello, is this Mr. Fujino?"

"Speaking. Who's calling?"

Mr. Fujino? Not Detective Fujino? Guess this isn't a client.

"This is the installation team from Beika Furniture City."

"The furniture you ordered has been loaded onto the truck."

"When would be a convenient time for us to come install it?"

"How about right now? I have the day off today."

"Excellent. We'll be right over."

Even on a national holiday, the furniture delivery guys were working. For many blue-collar workers in Japan, holidays ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were prime opportunities to earn overtime pay. It was hard work, but the extra income was often necessary.