79: Chapter 79: That Person

In the dim living room, the briefcase bomb sat silently on the coffee table in the center of the room.

The man in black who had been setting it up just moments ago was now nowhere to be seen.

"Where's the boss?"

"Dunno."

The remaining men in black returned to the living room.

Seeing the empty space, confusion spread across both their faces.

Did the boss already set the bomb and leave early?

That shouldn't be right. Even if he left, he should have told us...

Unless...

At that thought, both men swallowed hard.

Recalling their earlier conversation, they reached an unbelievable conclusion.

The boss intended to blow them up too.

Damn it!

Just as their minds raced, wondering what they could have done to warrant execution by the Organization,

a white figure suddenly materialized behind them.

The white figure held a black, stick-like object high, bringing it down swiftly towards the back of one man's head.

"Thump!"

"Argh!"

A sickening thud mingled with a sharp cry of pain as the 'black stick' made intimate contact with the back of the man's head.

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠man who was struck collapsed, unconscious.

Reminiscent of a certain Organization veteran dealing with a certain smug high school detective...

Karma's a bitch, isn't it?

"Who's there?!"

Hearing his companion's cry, the other man in black realized something was wrong.

He spun around.

And saw a bizarre figure.

It had appeared silently behind him, wearing a black mask, its eyes glinting coldly.

[Assassin's Resilience Effect Triggered: All Stats +100%]

Hearing the system notification chime,

Fujino didn't answer the man's question.

He lunged forward in a single bound. Before the man could react, Fujino kicked out.

Thump!

A dull impact sound ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠echoed.

The man stumbled backward from the force of the kick, staring at Fujino in shock.

Fujino gave him no chance to recover, immediately following up with a barrage of punches.

Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!

Four consecutive blows landed solidly on the man's abdomen.

"Ugh!"

Reeling from Fujino's relentless assault, the man spat out a mouthful of blood.

Ignoring the man's injuries, Fujino quickly closed the distance again, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him to the ground. He pinned him down, delivering two hard punches to the face.

After the two punches, Fujino demanded,

"Who sent you?"

The man in black remained silent, turning his head away defiantly, seemingly resigned to his fate.

Fujino frowned at the stubbornness.

He delivered two more hard punches to the man's face.

A short while later, the man, face bloodied, two teeth knocked out, finally broke and confessed.

The person who sent him this time was 'That Person'.

Yes, 'That Person'.

Initially, Fujino didn't believe him, thinking the man was still holding out.

Only after another round of 'persuasion' did Fujino understand.

The 'That Person' this man referred to was genuinely the one who gave them the orders.

Usually, codenamed members within the Organization wouldn't reveal their codenames to peripheral members.

If they didn't even share codenames, real names were out of the question.

So, typically, peripheral members like these referred to the 'executives' who issued missions simply as 'That Person'.

Their mission this time came directly from 'That Person'.

The objective: come here and 'dispose' of this house.

'Dispose' meant exactly what it sounded like: blow it up so thoroughly that not even dust remained.

Tasks like this were usually somewhat troublesome.

Therefore, after receiving the mission, he was given the briefcase bomb...

After asking a few more questions, seeing the man was beaten senseless and had no more information to offer,

Fujino pulled out a Batarang and jabbed it into the man's thigh.

Soon, the man went still.

Having tranquilized the second man, Fujino knelt and began searching him.

He found one hundred fifty thousand yen in cash in the man's pocket.

All in ten-thousand-yen bills, plus some loose change.

Between the three men, Fujino had now collected a total of five hundred thousand yen in cash.

"Even these small fry are loaded,"

Fujino remarked, putting the wallet into his pocket dimension.

But it made sense.

Peripheral members worked for money. According to the interrogated man, while the Organization provided some 'work', their main income came from completing missions.

When they got paid, they naturally indulged themselves.

Like mercenaries.

Fujino guessed this cash was likely leftover payment from their last dirty job, after spending lavishly.

Putting those thoughts aside, Fujino stood up and approached the coffee table where the briefcase bomb sat.

Opening the briefcase, he examined the bomb's internal structure. It looked disturbingly familiar.

If he remembered correctly, this bomb was very similar to the one he defused on the Shinkansen.

Not identical, perhaps.

But definitely built from the same mold.

If only the exterior was similar, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠might be a coincidence.

But if the internal structure and wiring logic were the same... that was no coincidence.

Unless some other organization happened to use the exact same bomb supplier as the Black Organization.

"Looks like the people who tried to kill me were indeed from the Organization."

Fujino stared at the bomb, stroking his chin.

Based on the available evidence, it was almost certain the Black Organization sent Miyamoto Nijisaburo to assassinate him.

And the reason Miyamoto agreed was most likely related to his daughter, Miyamoto Minako, whose medical records were falsified.

Considering the meticulously clean room, the final diary entry from a year and a half ago, and the Hello Kitty charm clutched in the driver's hand before death...

Fujino theorized that Miyamoto Minako was likely kidnapped by the Organization two years ago.

And Miyamoto Nijisaburo had been forced to work for them ever since.

As for why they kidnapped Minako? Most likely because she was a nineteen-year-old graduate student.

She probably possessed some special talent or knowledge the Organization wanted.

What field she studied, Fujino didn't know.

If this theory held true, then things became clearer.

Miyamoto Nijisaburo likely agreed to the suicide mission in exchange for some promise from the Organization.

Something like: 'Kill Fujino, and we'll release your daughter.'

This kind of manipulative tactic felt familiar.

If Fujino's deductions were correct...

Then Miyamoto Minako was probably already dead, or about to be executed.

The 'promise' was just a way to squeeze the last bit of usefulness out of Miyamoto Nijisaburo.

This ruthless efficiency... definitely fit the Black Organization's style.

After contemplating, Fujino retrieved a pair of nail clippers from his pocket dimension.

Using the experience gained from his previous defusal, he quickly disarmed the bomb and stored it safely in his pocket dimension.