66: Chapter 66: Conan: That's Not Rational!

"Hahaha! Fujino-kun, you've done another great service!" Inspector Megure beamed, approaching Fujino after wrapping things up at the library.

He clapped him heartily on the shoulder. Just as he'd expected, a case reported by Fujino was never small! A murder case!

He'd been worrying about this very disappearance just that afternoon, and tonight, Fujino called and solved it.

Plus, they confiscated over ten kilograms of drugs!

"Um, Inspector Megure," Fujino interjected, cutting through the praise,

"will there be a reward or bounty for this case too?" Accolades and newspaper mentions were nice, but cash was king.

He figured, while maybe not as big as the reward for the international robbers (that was 500k), this should at least fetch 100k or 200k, right? Even that would be decent.

"Well, about that..." Megure hesitated.

The reward for the bank robbery case came through quickly because the department had been under pressure to solve it, and the higher-ups approved it fast.

This time, however... He finally managed,

"I'll definitely submit your contribution for commendation, Fujino-kun."

Fujino's expression flickered momentarily, but he quickly recovered with a polite smile.

"That's good to hear." He knew rewards for assisting the police often involved bureaucratic red tape.

In Japan, that probably meant at least a day or two of processing.

"Don't forget! We found the body!"

"Yeah, yeah! Big Brother Fujino just subdued the criminal!"

"Even if Big Brother Fujino solved the case, we deserve credit too!"

The Detective Boys, sensing they were being overlooked, started clamoring for recognition. It's natural for kids to seek praise. Hearing Megure only commend Fujino set them off.

"Sigh..." Megure looked at the small children, exasperated. Why are these kids always so obsessed with getting credit? If it weren't for Fujino, they might all have been 'whacked moles' by now.

Then again, if they hadn't screamed, Fujino wouldn't have been drawn to the scene... He sighed again, then knelt down, ruffling Ayumi's hair (she seemed the most reasonable).

"Of course, your contributions won't be forgotten either!"

"See!"

"The Detective Boys..."

The kids beamed, puffing out their chests proudly.

"Inspector Megure, what should we do with the suspect?" An officer approached, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠asking for instructions.

"Should we take him to the hospital first, or straight to the station for interrogation once he wakes up?" As the highest-ranking officer present, Megure had the final say.

"I think we can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠take him directly to the station," Sato Miwako suggested, having just finished securing the scene. "Fujino-kun's kendo skills are superb. Although the suspect is unconscious, he doesn't have a single injury... Just take him back and splash some water on him; he'll wake up." ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Sato had full confidence in Fujino's 'non-lethal' takedown method now. Why? Because that's exactly what happened with the Italian robber.

Megure nodded, accepting her assessment. "Alright then! Take him back to the station for questioning!"

Hearing this, Conan frowned deeply. The image of the brutal beating flashed through his mind, sending a shiver down his spine despite himself. No injuries after that? Are you kidding me? The guy was foaming at the mouth! How could he be unharmed?!

That's not Rational!

Of course, these thoughts remained inside Conan's little head. If Fujino had heard them, he probably would have picked Conan up and delivered a swift size-40 boot to his rear end, tossing him down the stairs for good measure. Seriously? Kicking explosive flowerpots like some kind of 'Railgun' is Rational, but my precise non-injurious beatdown isn't?

"Fujino... nii-chan," Conan asked tentatively, changing the subject,

"you know kendo too? Where did you learn?"

"Where I learned?" Fujino turned, regarding Conan thoughtfully.

"Have you ever heard of the Konoha Kendo Dojo? I learned swordsmanship there from Suwa Yuji."

He couldn't exactly say 'from the system'. Recalling kendo masters he knew, Suwa Yuji was the most convenient name to drop.

"You mean your kendo teacher is Suwa Yuji?" Sato Miwako's surprised voice came from nearby.

Fujino turned to see her looking at him with astonishment. Uh oh. Don't tell me she knows Suwa Yuji?

Fujino frowned slightly. "Officer Sato, you know him?"

"Not personally," Sato shook her head. "I've just heard his name mentioned. Heard he was promoted to 8th Dan Kendo just a few days ago. If he's your teacher, Fujino-kun, then it all makes sense."

'Makes sense how he can beat someone unconscious without leaving a scratch,' Sato added silently.

"I knew he was planning to test for promotion, but I didn't realize it happened so quickly," Fujino scratched the back of his head, feigning mild surprise, though inwardly his mind was racing. He made 8th Dan already? That put Suwa Yuji among the absolute elite of Japanese kendo. Barring any unfortunate encounters with certain shinigami elementary schoolers, he had a good chance of eventually reaching the honorary 9th or 10th Dan ranks. Definitely someone worth keeping in contact with. Fujino made a mental note to visit the 'Konoha' Kendo Dojo soon. Although, that name 'Konoha'... feels kinda weird... Hope their secret techniques don't include anything like a 'Thousand Years of Death'.

It was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠late by the time Fujino finished giving his statement at the police station and got home. He parked the Taurus in the garage and trudged upstairs. Opening his bedroom door, he collapsed face-first onto the bed.

"Ugh, stuck in traffic," he mumbled into the mattress, rolling over. "I wasn't even driving a Mazda... how did I still get stuck...? Maybe I should get a motorcycle. I have the license for it, anyway."

Traffic jams were common in early '90s Tokyo. No congestion charges, no odd/even plate restrictions – dump trucks and big rigs shared the city roads freely. It was chaos. A motorcycle seemed increasingly practical. In emergencies, you could even weave onto the sidewalks... Not exactly ethical, but a certain other black-clad character did it all the time.

[Congratulations Host! Detective Profession Task: Library Murder Case Complete!]

[System Reward: 500,000 Yen Bounty, +100 Reputation Awarded.]

[Reputation needed for next Detective Rank Up: 300]

[Current Balance: 1,652,000 Yen]

The system notification chimed just as Fujino was drifting off.

He sat up, checking his balance. A rare sense of comfort washed over him. After all this time in this crazy world, only cold, hard cash provided any real sense of security.