84: Chapter 84: The Dark-Skinned Brother

Before Sato Miwako could react,

Fujino snapped his arms down, deflecting her leg,

immediately following with a straight punch.

Sato Miwako blocked Fujino's punch with her forearm,

feeling a long-forgotten sting of pain.

Without thinking, she countered with a cross aimed straight at Fujino's face.

Fujino swayed, dodging the cross,

but Sato Miwako seamlessly transitioned into a sliding low sweep kick,

forcing them to switch positions,

then spun into a reverse roundhouse kick aimed at Fujino.

Fujino brought his arms up to defend again,

meeting the powerful kick once more.

But this time, the force behind it,

was clearly much greater than before.

"As expected of the Beika Battleaxe... This power, it's seriously intense."

Fujino thought inwardly, feeling the immense pressure.

Sato Miwako's strength was undeniable.

As a key figure among the main cast,

her combat prowess was consistently high.

In terms of power level,

she was definitely not weak in this world,

absolutely the B-rank Fujino estimated.

However, the current Fujino wasn't to be underestimated either.

If, in his Batman persona, he drew his bokken,

his power boost would reach 660%.

Considering A-rank started around 900%,

he wouldn't be far from B+.

As for Sato Miwako before him,

she was certainly persistent.

Although he could probably overpower her after a brief struggle,

the cost wouldn't be worth it.

After exchanging blows for a few moments,

Fujino seized an opportunity.

He retrieved an anesthetic Batarang from his pocket dimension,

concealing it in his sleeve.

Catching her off guard,

he darted forward and grazed her thigh, leaving a shallow cut.

After being cut, Sato Miwako

quickly retreated several steps.

Glancing down at the wound on her leg,

she frowned.

A moment later, a wave of drowsiness,

began to fog her mind...

"Anesthetic?!"

Sato Miwako looked with surprise at the Batarang in Fujino's hand,

gritting her teeth slightly,

and glanced worriedly towards Takagi Wataru.

Can't sleep now... If I pass out... Takagi will be in danger.

Before the Batarang, all are equal.

Although Sato Miwako fought with all her might against the drowsiness,

the sleepiness eventually overwhelmed her consciousness.

"Still relying on traditional martial arts in this day and age?"

Fujino gave the unconscious Sato Miwako a meaningful look.

Shaking his head,

he checked his updated Fighter proficiency points,

surprised.

"75 points already?!"

His Fighter proficiency had indeed jumped to 75.

Clearly, just that brief exchange with Sato Miwako had earned him 50 points.

"Seems fighting opponents of different strengths yields different proficiency gains?"

Fujino stroked his masked chin thoughtfully.

...

Fifteen minutes later,

Sato Miwako gradually regained consciousness,

but the weakness in her body,

still prevented her from standing.

As she opened her eyes,

she found herself leaning against a wall, unsure how she got there.

Thankfully, her clothes appeared undisturbed.

And Takagi Wataru,

was lying beside her,

apparently still alive.

This brought her immense relief.

She turned her head,

and saw,

the face behind the Batman mask.

It seemed the figure had been waiting nearby.

Lingering at the scene,

could it be he was worried they might be in danger?

"Who are you?!"

Sato Miwako asked weakly,

her voice frail.

After a pause,

Fujino stated flatly,

"Strictly speaking, others call me the Beika Batman."

Sato Miwako frowned slightly.

"Why do you resort to vigilantism against criminals?"

"Vigilantism?"

Fujino chuckled softly.

"I'm merely acting righteously."

"But that's illegal!"

"What do you think the law is?"

Fujino's tone became serious.

"The law is chains meant to bind criminals,"

"preventing ordinary people from succumbing to evil thoughts and committing crimes..."

"The law requires enforcers."

"When those enforcers fail to deliver a decisive blow against criminals,"

"then the law becomes a joke."

Sato Miwako frowned.

"Do you think you are the law?"

"I'm just a vigilante,"

"an executor of justice, you could say."

Fujino shook his head.

"Whether it's murderers,"

"or robbers,"

"my methods are simply meeting violence with violence."

"The true power of judgment,"

"always rests in the hands of you police."

"You should spend more time thinking about how to reduce the crime rate,"

"instead of harassing me."

"I dwell in the shadows of Beika."

"If Beika is no longer shrouded in darkness,"

"then naturally, I will no longer appear..."

Saying this, while the anesthetic effect hadn't completely worn off,

Fujino flicked the white half-cape attached to his left shoulder,

and vanished coolly from the scene.

Sato Miwako watched the figure disappear suddenly into the night,

her brow furrowed,

lost in thought.

Elsewhere, the departing Fujino felt a wave of apprehension.

Honestly, he hadn't expected the police to come after him so aggressively.

But thinking about it, it made sense.

Detectives challenging them was one thing;

they usually solved the cases in the end anyway.

But the appearance of the Beika Batman,

directly threatened their public trust.

It truly made them lose face.

"Looks like I need to be more careful when grinding proficiency points from now on?"

Walking through the night,

Fujino gazed up at the distant, grain-like stars,

and let out a sigh.

...

Knock, knock, knock!

Early the next morning,

there was a knock on Fujino's door.

Fujino dragged himself resentfully out of bed,

just about to open the door.

But after glancing at the bruises on his arm,

he quickly put on a white shirt.

Those bruises,

were from the confrontation with the Beika Battleaxe, Sato Miwako.

With the 50% self-healing boost,

although they were healing quickly,

faint marks still remained.

It would probably take a few more days for them to disappear completely.

Can't let anyone see them.

Then, he opened the door.

Standing there,

were Ran and Sonoko in their summer school uniforms.

They hadn't come for anything specific,

just to go with Fujino to Matsumoto Sayuri's wedding together.

After confirming the plans,

Sonoko looked at Fujino strangely and asked,

"Fujino-senpai, you don't happen to have any other... foreign brothers or something, do you?"

"Huh?"

Fujino heard the baffling question,

looking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠confused.

What foreign brother?

"Senpai, just come with us, you'll see!"

Following Sonoko and Ran,

Fujino went down to the Poirot Cafe across from his building.

Cafe Poirot,

although he hadn't been inside before,

being neighbors,

he had been nearby several times.

Of course, he wasn't familiar with it.

"That's the guy!"

Sonoko pointed inside Cafe Poirot.

Fujino followed her finger, looking through the window,

and saw a dark-skinned person inside.

The dark-skinned person inside keenly sensed the stares.

Turning their head,

they saw Fujino.

Their eyes met...

Fujino: "..."

Dark-skinned person: "..."