73: Chapter 73: Under the Shadow

A three-way intersection.

As the dump truck bore down on him, the roar of its engine filled Fujino's ears.

"Are you kidding me?!"

Fujino cursed under his breath, then crushed the Driving Skill Enhancement Card.

[Driving Skill Enhancement Activated. Remaining Time: 599 seconds]

The system notification chimed.

The next moment, a strange sensation spread through him.

Fujino felt his understanding of motorcycle handling reach a completely new level.

Suddenly, the bike beneath him felt less like a machine,

and more like a third leg!

Glancing back at the rapidly approaching truck, Fujino took a deep breath and slammed on the rear brake.

Instantly, the motorcycle shuddered violently, the locked rear wheel fishtailing wildly on the snow-covered road.

Fujino timed the skid perfectly, releasing the brake at just the right moment.

The bike, which had been whipping back and forth, slid sideways in a seemingly impossible ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠maneuver.

"CRASH!"

A deafening impact echoed through the night.

Fujino leaped off the motorcycle just before the collision, rolling several times across the snowy ground before finally coming to a stop.

The abandoned motorcycle continued its sideways skid until it slammed into a roadside utility pole, stopping abruptly.

A moment later, Fujino struggled to his feet, shaking off the snow.

He ripped off his shattered helmet visor, tossing it aside, revealing the Angler King's Fishing Hat underneath. He then looked up at the dump truck not far away.

It had crashed head-on into a concrete wall.

The driver's cab was completely crushed from the high-speed impact.

Fujino took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

Then, sharp, searing pain flared up from multiple points on his body.

Looking down, he saw blood dripping from his fingers, originating from a gash on his elbow.

"Adrenaline wearing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠off already?"

Fujino frowned, then retrieved the previously acquired [Otaku Happy Water (Cola)] from his pocket dimension.

He downed the entire bottle in several large gulps. The intense pain instantly subsided.

[Otaku Happy Water: Enhances Host's recovery rate, provides pain relief and alertness boost.]

"Who the hell was that?"

Although the pain was suppressed, Fujino's heart was still pounding, his breathing deep and heavy.

He took out a Chunghwa cigarette, lit it, and took a calming drag. Then, drawing the Okamoto Momoka 0.01 pendant (now a bokken) from his neck, he cautiously approached the mangled wreck of the dump truck.

Peering through the shattered windshield into the twisted driver's cab, he saw the driver's face.

It was a gaunt, middle-aged man, his face now a bloody mess.

"Dead already?"

Fujino stared at the crushed corpse, his expression turning cold.

After a moment, he pulled out his phone and called Inspector Megure.

Not far away, a vintage Porsche 356A drove slowly past.

"Boss, the plan failed."

Vodka, dressed in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a black suit and hat, lowered his gaze from the crash scene and turned to the man in the passenger seat.

"Should we go finish him off ourselves?"

"Not necessary."

The man known as Gin, with silver hair reaching his waist, also clad entirely in black including a fedora, glanced sideways at Vodka.

"This failed operation already cost us a disposable pawn willing to die for the organization. Taking further pointless action risks exposing us."

"Exposing the organization over a discarded pawn is not worth the price."

"But, if we just let him go like this, how will we answer to that person?"

Vodka frowned, hesitant.

"Answer?"

Gin let out a cold chuckle, turning his gaze out the window.

"Remember this, Vodka. We don't need that person. It's that person who is useless enough to need us... Without us, that person is nothing."

Vodka nodded slowly, seeming to understand Gin's meaning.

After a moment's thought, he asked again,

"Speaking of which, Boss, if Miyano Akemi really succeeds in stealing those ten billion yen, we won't have a reason to eliminate her."

"Does the organization need a reason to eliminate an un-codenamed peripheral member?"

Gin scoffed, his eyes turning icy.

"From the day that woman brought Rye Whiskey into the organization, her fate was sealed."

"Rats who betray the organization deserve to die. Even if she is her sister."

Late night, Fujino's apartment.

The harsh light of the overhead bulb leaked through the gaps in the curtains. The room was eerily quiet, the ticking of the clock abnormally loud.

Fujino, having finally returned from the accident scene, went straight to the bathroom.

"That dump truck driver was definitely trying to kill me..."

He stripped off his clothes, staring at the numerous scrapes and bruises covering his body in the mirror, his eyes growing cold.

If it weren't for activating the Detective Enhancement beforehand, and the Lifesaving Trench Coat absorbing the worst of the impact...

That 'accident' would have resulted in far more than minor injuries.

But who would want him dead?

Pushing the thought aside, Fujino sighed, focusing on the gash on his elbow.

"It'll be trouble if gravel gets stuck in the wound."

He carefully cleaned the wound with water.

Pausing, Fujino then poured hydrogen peroxide from the bottle beside the sink directly onto the gash.

"Hiss..."

He clenched his jaw against the sharp, stinging pain, tears almost welling up.

After a moment, the intense pain subsided.

He applied iodine to the wound and carefully bandaged it.

[Congratulations Host! Live Broadcast Murder Case Complete! +200 Detective Reputation awarded.]

[System Bounty Reward has been distributed.]

[Detective Rank Increased: Basic Four-Star!]

[Congratulations Host! New Class Skill Acquired: Detective Intuition!]

[Current Available Detective Skill Points: 1]

Just as Fujino finished bandaging himself and sat down heavily on the sofa, a series of system notifications chimed in his ear.

"Rank up, as expected?"

Fujino roused himself slightly, opening the system interface:

[Primary Class: Detective (Rank: Basic, 4-Star | 0/700 Reputation to next Rank)]

Skills:

Professional Focus (Passive)

Zone of Concentration (Basic: 60s)

Detective Enhancement (Boost: Adv. 1-Star, +200% | Duration: Basic 1-Star, 120s)

Detective Aura (Basic: -10% Opponent Combat Effectiveness)

Detective Intuition (Basic): +25% Passive Reasoning Ability. Active Trigger: +100% Reasoning Ability (Duration: 60s).

[Current Balance: 2,852,000 Yen]

"So this new skill just boosts reasoning ability?"

Fujino murmured, surprised, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Reasoning ability... definitely a logical skill for a detective."

Putting the thought aside, he used the newly acquired skill point to upgrade the duration of his Detective Enhancement:

[Detective Enhancement Skill Upgraded: Duration]

"Doubled the duration?"

Fujino noted the enhancement now lasted four minutes. He nodded in satisfaction.

Then, his gaze shifted towards the Profession Orb shop interface.