65: Chapter 65: So You're the Childhood Trauma, Huh?

"Damn rats!" The librarian, wielding the iron pipe, glared malevolently at the descending elevator car. On top of the elevator, clearly visible, lay the corpse of a man.

He glanced at the floor indicator panel.

"First floor, huh?" the librarian muttered, turning towards the stairwell.

"Escaping won't be that easy."

He sprinted down the stairs from the third floor to the first. Wiping sweat from his brow, he watched the elevator indicator nearing '1' and smirked.

"Finally caught up."

A moment later, ding!

Hearing the arrival chime, the librarian immediately stepped forward. Prying open the elevator doors manually, he simultaneously swung the iron pipe from behind his back, roaring into the empty car, "Prepare yourselves, you filthy little rats!"

His shout echoed unanswered. The descending elevator was empty.

"Gone?" The librarian stared into the vacant car, stunned. He quickly deduced, "Must have gotten off on another floor."

"Clever little rats!" he snarled, pressing the emergency stop button for the elevator. "No elevator now. No matter how clever you are, you're trapped like rats in a cage!"

"Tap... tap... tap..."

Footsteps sounded from behind him. Someone else besides those kids? The librarian frowned.

He turned around.

And came face-to-face with something long, black, thick, and sturdy.

A wooden sword!

"THWACK!"

"Argh!"

A sickening thud mingled with a sharp cry of pain.

Before the librarian could fully register what was happening, the bokken slammed squarely into his face. Blinding pain exploded through his head. Clutching his face, he stumbled backward into the elevator car, letting out agonized groans. The heavy iron pipe clattered uselessly to the floor.

When the initial wave of pain subsided, he looked up, his face contorted in a furious grimace.

Standing in the elevator doorway was a young man dressed in a black suit vest, holding a wooden sword. For some reason, the glasses the young man wore seemed to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flash with an eerie, cold white light.

The librarian's gaze flickered to the discarded iron pipe outside the elevator, then back to the bokken in the young man's hand.

Conclusion: Can't win!

He instinctively reached to close the elevator doors. But pressing the button did nothing.

Then he remembered – he had just hit the emergency stop!

Crap! Now I'm the one trapped!

As the librarian stared in horrified realization, Fujino raised the wooden sword again...

Huddled together on the second floor, the Detective Boys trembled at the terrifying noises.

Conan, however, ever the brave (or reckless) one, grabbed a nearby flowerpot and crept towards the source of the screams.

And then, he witnessed a scene that would be forever etched into his memory.

In the dimly lit elevator car, one man was brutally beating another man about the head with a stick-like object.

As he struck, the attacker muttered menacingly,

"So you're the childhood trauma, huh?" "Eyes glow red, do they?" "Like playing ghost, do you?" "Keep pretending, why don't you..."

Who is that?! He's going to kill him! Did the librarian manage to kill someone else?

Conan quickly assessed the situation. Activating the power dial on his sneakers, he aimed carefully and kicked the flowerpot he'd brought.

CRASH!

With a loud bang and a shower of sparks, the flowerpot flew towards the back of the figure administering the beating.

Hearing the sudden explosion behind him, Fujino, who had been delivering a few 'final' ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠taps, felt a prickle of danger. His enhanced reflexes kicked in, making him instinctively dodge sideways.

The flowerpot shattered against the elevator wall where he'd just been standing.

If that had hit me... I might have actually died, Fujino thought, staring at the pottery shards, swallowing hard. He knew exactly who was behind this sneak attack.

He spun around. Sure enough, there stood Conan, sneakers still smoking slightly, wearing his classic blue suit.

"Fujino?!" Peering through the dim light, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Conan finally recognized the attacker. Who else could it be?

Fujino stared back at Conan, his eye twitching slightly. This little brat... returning kindness with violence, huh? He gripped his bokken tighter.

Seeing the dangerous glint in Fujino's eyes, Conan felt a cold sweat break out on his back. Fujino looked like he was seriously considering using the bokken on him. Conan didn't know what to say. He just scratched the back of his head and stood there silently, trying to look innocent. (Playing dumb.jpg)

"Speaking of which, Fujino," Conan finally managed, breaking the awkward silence,

"what are you doing here?" The confusion in his voice was genuine.

"I heard screaming coming from inside, so I came to investigate..." Fujino replied smoothly. He stepped forward, grabbed Conan's head, and ruffled his hair vigorously (perhaps a bit too roughly). "Also, how many times do I have to tell you? Kids need to use polite language when addressing their elders!"

"Yes! Fujino... nii... chan," Conan mumbled reluctantly. He wanted to struggle, but one glance at the librarian, now foaming at the mouth on the elevator floor, convinced him to cooperate. He adopted an expression of utter resignation. I'm numb.

After sufficiently 'disciplining' Conan to avenge the flowerpot attack, Fujino finally asked,

"So, Conan-kun, why are you here so late...? And what's the deal with this psycho who attacks people on sight?"

"It's the librarian!" Conan pointed towards the unconscious man.

"He was dealing drugs in the library! And he killed someone who saw him!"

"Is that so?" Fujino feigned surprise.

"Yes!" Conan nodded proudly. He pointed upwards.

"The body of the person he killed is on top of the elevator car."

"If he killed someone over drugs," Fujino paused thoughtfully,

"then where are the drugs?"

"They're in the children's section," Conan explained.

"He hid them behind the bookshelves, inside hollowed-out books, so no one would find them."

"Ah, I see," Fujino smiled, nodding.

Half an hour later, Inspector Megure and his team finally arrived. The official excuse for the delay? Traffic. Yeah, right. Honestly, with response times like this, relying on the police in a dangerous situation felt pointless. Better to handle things yourself. By the time they arrived, the caller could easily be dead...

Following Fujino's 'testimony' (and Conan's information relayed through Fujino), the police found the victim's body on top of the elevator and subsequently discovered a massive stash of drugs hidden behind the bookshelves in the children's section.

Megure was ecstatic. An entire bookshelf filled with drugs! While perhaps not as large a haul as the Moonlight Island bust, it was still a major accomplishment!