Chapter 147: Ai-chan's Layered Schemes [3k Words]

"Hmm."

Ai Haibara nodded indifferently.

"Is this really okay?"

Akemi Miyano was stunned for a moment when she heard this.

To be honest, she quite liked this child; she always felt a sense of having a younger sister.

But given her current situation...

After all, she was now living under someone else's roof. Helping to look after a child required the consent of the head of the household, Fujino.

Thinking of this, she frowned and looked at Fujino, as if seeking his opinion.

Fujino and Akemi Miyano exchanged a glance, understanding her feelings.

He thoughtfully looked at Ai Haibara, seeing the faint smile on her usually cold face, and felt a bit helpless.

Well, it was exactly as he had guessed.

Behind all this acting was Ai-chan's layered schemes!

If he wasn't mistaken, her demeanor yesterday was likely to evoke his sympathy and demonstrate her value.

Moreover, she must have said something to Akemi Miyano when they got home and stayed in her room...

No wonder Akemi Miyano was so determined today.

For Fujino, taking in Ai Haibara wasn't an issue. An extra mouth to feed wouldn't bring any additional burden, and most importantly...

Thinking of this, Fujino took a deep breath and said to Professor Agasa, "I don't mind helping to take care of this child, but since I have school during the day, it would mainly be Akemi-nee who would be looking after her."

"But my current income is unstable... I'm responsible for supporting the whole family."

After a pause, Fujino continued, "If we take in another child... it's fine for the adults to endure some hardship, but we can't let the child suffer."

"That's right, we can't let the child suffer," Professor Agasa forced a bitter smile.

Well, he had agreed too quickly and almost forgot about this part.

"Two million yen, will that be enough?"

Though he couldn't match the Kudo couple's generosity of giving out tens of millions, he could still afford two million yen.

Just selling a few more of his quirky inventions to his bartender friend would cover it.

"Two million?"

Fujino stroked his chin and nodded, "It seems like you really are trying your best, Professor Agasa. In that case, let the child stay with us. I can see that Akemi-nee likes her a lot."

Two million yen may not seem like much. Fujino often spent money lavishly through the system, leading to a skewed perception of money's value.

But in reality, a typical salary in Japan was only around 200,000 to 300,000 yen a month, with some low-income groups earning less than 200,000 yen.

Two million yen was quite a lot, comparable to a year's savings for an adult.

Faced with the temptation of one or two million yen in child support, Fujino agreed.

After all, who wouldn't like a cute little girl who was usually cold but would act sweet and adorable at critical moments?

And so, the Fujino family grew by one.

Fujino received two million yen in child support.

Ai Haibara gained a warm home.

Akemi Miyano got a little sister...

Only Professor Agasa felt the pain of parting.

As for Ai Haibara's schooling problem, Fujino didn't need to worry. Although he didn't know how it worked, Professor Agasa would surely handle it.

After dropping Ai Haibara and Akemi Miyano home, Fujino drove to the mall for some shopping.

Even though Ai Haibara hadn't requested it, Fujino still bought a few everyday outfits in her size and some school supplies from a nearby stationery store.

Normally, Ai Haibara should be able to start school in a day or two, and it would be awkward if she wasn't prepared with books and stationery.

"Why do I feel like a father?"

Coming out of the stationery store with bags in hand, Fujino felt a bit strange.

Shaking off the odd feeling, he started thinking about what else he needed to prepare.

He realized he had everything he needed and was about to leave the mall when he noticed a mobile phone shop.

Suddenly, he remembered something and walked in.

In his previous life, a phone was like a second organ.

Even though the internet wasn't as widespread yet and phones hadn't fully transitioned to full screens, they were still essential communication tools.

In Japan, unlike in China, it was common for elementary school students to carry phones.

Plus, Akemi Miyano didn't have a phone either, so it was time to get her one.

Fujino bought two flip phones, one in Hatsune Miku blue and the other in crimson, for Akemi Miyano and Ai Haibara.

He considered getting a new one for himself but didn't find any that caught his eye.

The phone he got from the system when he first crossed over, a SELACAO, was already sufficient.

This phone didn't exist in this world and seemed to be summoned from an old anime called "Eden of the East."

Although it couldn't randomly swipe bank cards or control US military warships to launch missiles at Tokyo, it was enhanced by the system to have the durability of a rugged phone, unlimited storage capacity, and even unlimited battery life...

It was quite extraordinary.

After paying and bagging his purchases, Fujino drove back home.

He parked his Ford Taurus in the underground garage and went up to the fourth floor where his bedroom was.

Opening the door, he saw two familiar figures.

Akemi Miyano was tidying up the room while Ai Haibara was helping her.

The scene was quite warm.

The sisters seemed to get along well, even overly familiar.

They had only known each other for a few days but were already interacting like real sisters...

Which they were, in fact.

"You're back, Fujino-kun."

Akemi Miyano greeted him when she noticed him returning.

Ai Haibara also turned her head and nodded indifferently.

"Hmm."

Fujino nodded back, used to such courtesies by now.

As for why Akemi Miyano always called him Fujino-kun...

Akemi Miyano seemed to have noticed his subtle reaction when called by his first name, so she temporarily used Fujino instead.

He placed the bags on the sofa and hung his jacket on the coat rack before saying to Ai Haibara, "Ai-chan, I bought you some more everyday clothes. Try them on and see if they fit..."

"More clothes?"

"The ones I have are already enough..."

Ai Haibara's tone was flat, but there seemed to be a hint of resentment.

She walked up, opened the bags, took out the new clothes, and went to the bathroom to change.

When she came out, she was wearing a red turtleneck sleeveless top and white shorts.

A classic outfit.

It was something Fujino happened to find.

"Very cute."

Akemi Miyano said with a smile.

Fujino nodded in agreement.

A blush appeared on Ai Haibara's calm face.

"By the way, Akemi-nee, I haven't given you your item yet."

Fujino took out two boxes from the sofa, "There's one for you too, Ai-chan."

"A phone?"

Akemi Miyano opened the box and examined the phone inside.

"That's right."

Fujino nodded, "With a mobile phone, it will be easier to stay in touch, and you can notify each other in case of emergencies. I've already arranged the SIM cards."

In this era, phones were simple to operate. After receiving them, the two quickly got used to the interface, inserted the SIM cards, and saved each other's numbers.

"Where is Ai-chan going to sleep tonight?" Akemi Miyano asked.

The four-story building currently had only Fujino's bedroom on the fourth floor, which was more like an apartment, and Akemi Miyano's room on the third floor.

It wouldn't be appropriate for Ai Haibara to sleep on the sofa.

"I remember your room has a second bedroom, Akemi-nee. I'll furnish it when I get a chance, but for now, Ai-chan can stay with you..."

And so, Ai Haibara's living arrangements were settled.

There wasn't much preparation needed.

Apart from the phone, Fujino hadn't spent more than fifty thousand yen.

Nothing needed preparation; he got two million yen and a cute little girl for free. It was a sweet deal.

Two days passed quickly.

During these two days, Fujino received a commission, completed it swiftly, and earned 500,000 yen and 50 detective points.

Now his savings had reached 5.2 million yen.

With the 50 detective points, he was just 50 points away from leveling up his detective rank.

It seemed like he could level up with one more commission or task.

Ai Haibara's school admission was also going smoothly.

With Professor Agasa's help, she enrolled as a transfer student.

For Professor Agasa, who had experience with this, enrollment wasn't a difficult task.

It had to be said, Professor Agasa was indeed capable.

However, since the past two days were holidays, Ai Haibara hadn't yet experienced her first class since shrinking.

Then, early in the morning, Fujino received a call saying Inspector Megure Juzo had been injured by a steel arrow during his morning exercise.

(Chapter ends)