249

**[Detective Job Mission: The Revived Death Message** 

**Objective:** Solve the murder case. 

**Rewards:** 1,000,000 yen, 100 detective reputation points. 

**Location:** Dorobiga Amusement Park]**

"A million yen? Kinda stingy…" Fujino muttered, glancing at the mission details. 

He slipped his phone out with his right hand, scooped up Ai Haibara with his left, and zipped across the ice on his skates, chasing after Conan toward the restroom. By the time Fujino and Ai caught up, a crowd of curious Mihua onlookers had already gathered outside the women's bathroom.

"Fujino-senpai!" Sonoko stammered, pointing shakily at a stall. "Look… inside…"

Fujino followed her gesture. 

The pristine bathroom was now a horror show—blood splattered across the wall opposite the entrance, speckled with tiny holes embedded with steel pellets. The crimson trail stretched to the corner where the woman who'd crashed into him earlier slumped, lifeless. Her wide, terrified eyes stared ahead, a massive gunshot wound gaping in her chest. 

In front of her, a shotgun lay abandoned, and beside it, a bloody "S" was scrawled on the floor.

"She's already dead?!" Conan blurted, staring at the hole in her chest. He spun around to shout, "Quick, call—" 

But he froze mid-sentence. Fujino, cool as ever, had Ai tucked under his left arm, gently covering her eyes, while his right hand held his phone, already on with Inspector Megure. "Yup, that's right—Dorobiga Amusement Park, ice rink restroom. A woman's been shot in the chest with a gun. The shotgun's right here at the scene."

"Gunshot case?!" 

On the other end, Megure was mid-dinner when the call came through. Hearing Fujino had stumbled into *another* murder, he nearly choked on his rice. After a couple coughs, he said, "Fujino, secure the scene—I'm on my way!"

Hanging up, he stood from the table with a weary sigh, glancing at his wife, Midori. "Guess dinner's off again tonight…"

Midori tilted her head. "Another murder?"

"Yup…" Megure nodded, heading to the door and grabbing his trench coat like it was routine. "Fujino ran into a case at Dorobiga Amusement Park. Gotta head over quick…"

*Ugh, overtime again…* Fujino's changed, man! A murder yesterday, and now *today* too? Sure, he'd dealt with cases before, but they were usually robberies or drug busts—nobody died, and he still racked up the credit. Now? Megure sighed. *It's all that Mouri guy's fault—corrupting my smart, kind Fujino!* 😤

…

Back at Dorobiga Amusement Park's crime scene: 

Conan: "…" 

He shot Fujino a sidelong glance. *Why does it feel like this guy was ready for this? Like he *knew* a murder was coming before we even got here.* 

Not dwelling on it, Conan moved to dive into the scene—only to get yanked back by the collar like a puppy on a leash. 

"Little Conan, don't mess with the crime scene," Fujino said, still holding Ai with his left arm while lifting Conan with his right. "Inspector Megure said he'll be here soon."

Setting Ai and Conan down, Fujino pulled shoe covers and gloves from his pocket.

"Gloves and shoe covers?" Conan's eyes glinted. He hadn't brought his today. "Got any spares…?"

"Nope," Fujino replied flatly.

"…" 

Conan pouted like a grumpy housewife, staring at Fujino. With no choice, he stood off to the side, scanning the scene for clues.

Ai glanced at the sulky Conan. "So, as a detective, you don't carry gloves or shoe covers when you go out?"

"Who expects a random outing to turn into a murder case?" Conan muttered. "Meanwhile, *that guy* pulls all sorts of stuff out of his pockets like it's nothing. What's he even carrying in there?"

*Compared to Fujino, you're miles behind…* Ai thought, arms crossed, her gaze drifting between Fujino and the crime scene.

Fujino, meanwhile, activated his Eagle Eye vision. Instantly, the case's details sharpened into focus.

"Chihiro?!" 

Chihiro's friends rushed over, gaping in shock.

"How could this happen…?" Raiko, the knit-cap woman, tried to step closer but got blocked by Fujino. He took the chance to ask their names and jobs.

The victim, Chihiro Itami, was—as Fujino suspected—a rich company president's daughter. The guy who'd helped her up earlier, Koji Misawa, was a bank clerk. Raiko Komatsu, the knit-cap woman, was a housewife. The long-haired Sano, full name Izumi Sano, was a "pink-collar" worker—basically an office lady. And the rugged guy, Kuniyoshi Oda, was a firefighter.

…

Fifteen minutes later, Inspector Megure arrived with Officer Takagi and a swarm of forensic techs, pushing through the gawking Mihua crowd to the scene.

Looking a bit worn out, Megure spotted the brightest star in the room—Fujino—and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Fujino, my man, maybe ease up on hanging with Mouri. Next time you've got a free day, hit up a shrine or temple. Grab a couple of protection charms on your way back."

Fujino: "…" 

*Okay, Megure's seen through me.* But he's got it wrong—the real death magnet isn't Mouri. It's that pint-sized grim reaper over there with the glasses and tranquilizer watch! And charms? You sure a shrine wouldn't just explode the second that kid steps in?

When Fujino didn't reply, Megure sighed and dug a charm out of his pocket. "Here, I had a buddy in Mie Prefecture snag this from Ise Grand Shrine—straight from Sub-Priest Fujiwara. Take it, Fujino."

"Uh… does it work?" Fujino asked, inspecting it. 

*Whoa, Megure's gone full mystic now?*

"…" 

Megure paused, glanced at the corpse, and shrugged. "Maybe not, but it's good for peace of mind."

"Nah, I'm good," Fujino said, handing it back. As a die-hard materialist, he didn't buy into ghosts or gods. Plus, he *wanted* more murder cases—more cash, baby! Luck? No need for spirits—just toss his Lucky Coin and call it a day.

"This scene's brutal, though…" 

"Inspector!" Takagi called, picking up the shotgun with gloved hands. "From the scene and the wound, this shotgun's gotta be the murder weapon."

"Looks that way," Megure said, eyeing it. "Let's check the registration number—find out who it's licensed to."

"It's mine…" Izumi Sano, the long-haired woman, spoke up, puzzled. "I use it for clay target practice, but it's supposed to be locked in an electronic case with everyone else's guns…"

"Everyone else's guns?!" Megure's brow furrowed, zeroing in on the key detail. He turned to Izumi and the others, stern. "Mind explaining why you all have so many firearms?"

(End of chapter)

**Chapter 249 - Forced to Work, Ai-chan Sighs [4k+2k Bonus Update! Please Subscribe!]** 

"They're buddies from clay shooting," Fujino said, scanning the scene without turning. "I heard earlier—they came here to practice."

"Oh, really?" Megure rubbed his chin, then asked the group, "So who locked the case today?"

"I did," Raiko Komatsu sniffled. "But we're all old shooting pals. The electronic lock's code is the same for everyone—9017, a pun on 'shooting friends.'"

"So the killer's one of you four!" Megure deduced. "We just test your hands for gunshot residue, and bam—case solved."

"Not quite," Fujino cut in, glancing at the scene before pulling back. "They were all shooting earlier today. Test them now, and you'll probably find residue on everyone."

"Plus, we're required to keep our shotgun cases discreet," Kuniyoshi Oda added. "Izumi uses a leather case, and her gun's disassembled. No average person could put it together."

"Got it! So the killer's *still* one of you four!" Megure exclaimed, then turned to Takagi. "Takagi, check around the scene—see if anyone spotted a suspicious figure."

Fujino narrowed his eyes, flicking them toward Kuniyoshi. *How does this guy know Izumi's gun is disassembled in her case…?*

*Well, they're shooting buddies, after all. Maybe he just happened to notice something…*

Shaking off the thought, Fujino refocused on the case clues.

His Detective Eagle-Eye Vision had flagged a few things: an "S" mark near the body, a phone in the victim's pocket, a scattered shotgun at the scene, and a dent in the floor beside the corpse.

Itadan Chihiro had been shot point-blank in the chest with a shotgun, her heart shattered—dead on the spot.

Obviously, the mark by the body was left by the killer *after* her death.

What, were they expecting a shotgun victim to get up and do a couple of shoulder slams before keeling over? 😅

The phone in her pocket was likely some kind of dying message from Chihiro.

The shotgun, being the murder weapon, naturally got tagged as evidence by Eagle-Eye.

As for the dent in the floor, Fujino figured it was from a skate blade. No blood on the scratch meant it was made *after* the murder.

Eagle-Eye Vision picked up both real and fake clues—it didn't just hand him the truth on a platter. It was more like a cheat sheet for an open-book test, saving him time and making sure he didn't miss anything big.

But the test was still his to ace—sorting evidence and cracking the case was all on him.

"Um…" Sonoko piped up hesitantly from behind the group, still shaken from earlier. "I actually saw the killer leaving the bathroom."

"What?!" Officer Megure spun around, shocked. Ran jumped in, "For real, Sonoko?"

"Yeah," Sonoko nodded, gathering her thoughts. "There was a 'cleaning in progress' sign on the bathroom door, and no one answered when I knocked, so I waited outside…"

She paused, then continued, "Then I heard a firework go off. I stepped over to the window to peek, and when I turned back, I saw this creepy guy in a black hooded coat coming out of the bathroom…"

*One* sound?

Fujino frowned slightly.

He remembered *three* fireworks…

"Then what?" Takagi pressed, antsy. "Did you see their face?"

"Nope," Sonoko shook her head. "They had the hood up and a scarf covering their face—I couldn't see anything."

"Got it," Megure reasoned aloud. "Using the firework noise to mask the gunshot, then slipping away in a coat… Even if someone spotted them, no one could ID them. Sounds like a premeditated crime to me."

He turned to Chihiro's crew. "Given the situation, the killer's likely one of you. We'll need your cooperation with our investigation—starting with who suggested coming here."

"Wait a sec!" Sano Izumi cut in, panicked. "We all decided to come practice shooting here a few days ago!"

"Yeah," Komatsu Raiko backed her up. "It's close to the range—we used to come here all the time after shooting."

Takagi stepped in with a smile, smoothing things over. "We can't pin the killer yet—let's save that for the interrogation."

"No need for all that hassle," Fujino said, stepping forward into the crime scene. "I might be able to ID the killer without it."

"Huh?" Megure blinked, turning to him. "Fujino, you onto something?"

Conan, who'd been mulling things over silently, perked up and glanced at Fujino too.

"I've got a few clues…" Fujino crouched by Chihiro's body, eyeing her coat pocket. "She was almost dead—why would she still shove her hand in her pocket?"

With everyone watching, he reached in and pulled out a phone.

"A cell phone?" Takagi and Megure leaned closer.

Conan's brow furrowed as he eyed the phone in Fujino's hand.

"But there's nothing on the screen…" Megure noted, guessing, "Maybe she tried to call for help during a struggle but got killed before she could?"

"Then why not just hit redial and see who her last call was to?" Conan suggested, strolling over with his hands in his pockets, voice low.

"Huh?" The group turned to him.

Fujino glanced down at Conan, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Ahaha!" Conan froze, then flashed a goofy grin at Fujino. "I'm right, aren't I, Fujino-nii-chan?"

"…"

Fujino shot him a look, then ignored him and pressed the redial button.

The screen lit up with: *[KIX########]*.

"KIX?" Takagi read aloud. "And eight hashtags in the call log."

"Looks like the dying message Itadan left behind," Megure said, turning to Fujino with hopeful eyes. "Fujino, any idea what it means?"

"Nope," Fujino sighed, staring at the code. "I know 'KID'—that's Kaitou Kid's alias—but 'KIX'? No clue."

He could handle deductions fine.

But codes? 

Those needed not just logic but wild abstract thinking and a massive pool of random knowledge.

Sadly, Fujino's stash of quirky trivia wasn't exactly overflowing.

Conan stood nearby, equally stumped.

It felt familiar, like he'd seen it somewhere, but he couldn't place it.

"KIX, huh?" Haihara Ai murmured.

She glanced at Fujino, then around, finally landing on a clueless Conan.

Seeing no one else got it, she sighed softly.

Time to clock in again.

"Except for Oda, the names—Itadan, Komatsu, Misawa, Sano—all tie to places with airports," she said flatly. "KIX is the English code for Kansai International Airport, in Izumisano, Osaka."

Then she tilted her head up, putting on a little-girl smile. "Right, Fujino?"

"Huh?" Conan blinked, staring at her in shock.

That move—why'd it feel so familiar?

Oh, crap—he'd been replaced!

"Yup, Ai's spot on," Fujino nodded, stepping over to pat her head. "Great job!"

"…" Haihara tensed up.

Okay, no outburst like last time.

But it still felt… weird. Hard to pin down.

Fujino finished ruffling her hair and stood up, satisfied.

Haihara's deduction skills and knowledge were clutch.

She'd cracked that Ninnataro code last time too.

And just like that, a new use for Haihara unlocked: *Forced-Code-Breaking Sidekick!* 😏

"As Ai said, aside from Oda, their names link to airport locations. KIX—Kansai International Airport—is in Izumisano," Fujino said, locking eyes with Sano Izumi. "So, Itadan's dying message points to you, Ms. Sano Izumi."

Everyone froze, turning to Sano.

"Wait, hold on—why me just based on a code?!" Sano stiffened as all eyes landed on her. "I was right there with you and that girl—when would I have had time to do it?"

She looked to Ran for backup. "Right?"

"Uh…" Ran thought back. "When the first firework went up, they were all back already. It was maybe ten seconds tops before the second one."

"Exactly!" Sano whined. "Chihiro died during the fireworks—I didn't have time, and neither did the others. Plus, why's a high schooler even working this case?"

"Because Fujino-senpai's a detective," Ran explained.

"A high school detective?" Sano gawked.

"Yup, haven't you heard?" Sonoko piped up, fear forgotten, brimming with excitement. "The 'Detective of Darkness'—high school sleuth Fujino Doji!"

"Huh?" Sano's brain short-circuited.

"That's me," Fujino cut in, steering things back. "True, the killer used your gun and left that mark on the wall. And yeah, getting shot in the heart should've killed Itadan instantly, which could suggest a frame job. But that doesn't mean you've got an airtight alibi."

He turned to Sonoko. "Sonoko, how many firework bangs did you hear?"

"The bangs?" Sonoko pondered. "Just one, I think."

"One?" Fujino rubbed his chin, replaying the fireworks in his head, then double-checked. "You sure it was one?"

"Positive!" Sonoko nodded firmly. "And I wasn't the only one waiting by the bathroom—others probably heard it too."