Chapter 9: The Bloodstained Idol Murder Case

Tokyo Metropolis – in a high-rise apartment within a bustling commercial district.

Ran stood by the window of the hallway on the 25th floor, overlooking the neon-lit cityscape of Tokyo. She couldn't help but sigh in admiration, "The view here is something."

Turning around, she smiled softly at Fujino and asked, "Isn't that right, Fujino-senpai?"

"Yeah,"

Fujino replied briefly, his mind wandering.

The view was impressive. From here, you could practically overlook half of Tokyo's neon cityscape.

The neon lights flickering across nighttime Tokyo, the endless stream of cars flowing along the roads—

It was a truly unique sight.

But… that view came with a price.

From what Fujino knew, a 25th-floor apartment like this in the city center started at around 100 million yen. This was a true, bona fide residence for the elite of Tokyo.

A view like this—most ordinary people would probably never get to see it in their lifetimes, no matter how hard they worked.

To be fair, Ran's family wasn't doing too badly either. The small building she lived in was worth at least 50 million yen to start.

Strictly speaking, Ran was a bit of a rich girl herself.

"Ah!"

At that moment, a scream suddenly echoed from behind—the voice of Chouno Yoko, who had just opened the door to her apartment.

Right after that scream, a familiar system notification rang in Fujino's ears: "New Detective Career Mission detected. Please check immediately!"

A translucent interface promptly appeared in front of him:

[Detective Career Mission: Bloody Idol Case]

Mission Objective: Solve the Bloody Idol Murder Case

Time Limit: 3 hours

Mission Reward: 500,000 yen

So… the case still happened after all.

Standing there, Fujino narrowed his eyes slightly and let out a faint sigh.

He quickly rushed over to Chouno Yoko's side and looked into the apartment.

As expected—a murder had just taken place.

A fat man lay dead inside Chouno Yoko's home.

His corpse was sprawled across the dimly lit floor, a fruit knife embedded deep in his back, with a massive amount of blood gushing from the wound. The scarlet liquid had soaked the surrounding carpet and seeped into the cracks of the wooden floor.

Looking at the corpse, Fujino couldn't help but think to himself—Welp… this apartment's value just tanked.

There was something peculiar about houses in Beika Town—properties where people had died usually plummeted in value, while homes with no deaths saw their prices skyrocket to absurd levels.

He just wasn't sure if this place was rented or owned by Chouno Yoko.

If it was rented… the landlord was probably contemplating jumping off the roof by now.

While everyone else was staring at the corpse in shock and horror, Fujino was the only one with the mental space to joke about Beika Town's real estate market.

"Ran, call the police!"

Snapping back to reality, Fujino instinctively ordered Ran, his usual go-to "report-the-crime" assistant.

But on second thought, he stopped her. "Wait… never mind, Ran."

"Huh? What's wrong, Fujino-senpai?"

Ran halted mid-step, turning back with confusion written all over her face.

"Actually… I do have a mobile phone on me…"

As he spoke, Fujino scratched the back of his head awkwardly and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Mobile phone?"

Ran curiously glanced at Fujino's device but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. She just asked, "Is that the newest model on the market?"

"Yeah… but I don't think it's officially released yet. One of my clients gave it to me for trial use."

Fujino explained briefly. Just as he was about to dial the emergency number and give Ran a break from her usual police-calling duties—

The manager couldn't hold back anymore.

"Wait, Detective Fujino! If possible… could you please handle this matter discreetly?!"

The manager glanced nervously at the horrified Chouno Yoko, then quickly grabbed Fujino's hand and pleaded, "If this incident gets out to the public, it'll destroy Yoko's reputation!"

"Huh?!"

Fujino frowned slightly upon hearing that, looking at the manager as if he were an idiot. "So, what you're saying is—you want me to secretly investigate this matter?"

"Exactly!"

The manager nodded repeatedly. "If possible, that would be the best."

"In that case, we'll need to properly discuss the commission fee."

Fujino chuckled, his tone playful. "How much are you offering? One million? Ten million? Or… one hundred million?"

"Huh?"

The manager froze for a moment. "Ten million… isn't that a bit too much?"

"Are you stupid or what?!"

Fujino suddenly grabbed the manager by the collar, his pitch-black pupils staring sharply into his eyes as he barked, "Do you honestly think an idol's reputation is more important than a human life?!"

"It's not like that…"

Yamagishi Eiichi frantically waved his hands, clearly frightened by Fujino's fierce demeanor.

"Detective Fujino!"

At that moment, Yoko Okino, who had finally recovered from the shock, spoke up: "Please call the police!"

"Since Miss Yoko has spoken unless you've got any objections, get the hell out of my way. Don't interfere with my investigation!"

With that, Fujino shoved Yamagishi Eiichi aside.

Seriously, what the hell.

This guy's just a manager, yet he's got less backbone than the idol herself.

How did this guy even become a manager? He should've been fired long ago.

Fujino silently complained in his heart. He turned around and dialed the police.

After explaining the situation, he pulled out a pair of white gloves from his pocket and put them on before stepping into the crime scene.

But just as he was about to start, a dark shadow suddenly darted past him like a giant black rat, rushing straight toward the corpse.

It wasn't anyone else—it was Conan!

Seeing Conan dart past like a big black rat, Fujino immediately frowned.

He quickly strode forward, grabbed Conan by the back of his collar, and lifted him. "Little Conan, crime scenes aren't places for kids like you to just wander into."

"Hahaha…"

Conan scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly. "I was just curious about the crime scene…"

"So it's curiosity, huh~"

Fujino chuckled softly, his narrowed eyes filled with meaning.

Then, he called out toward the door where Ran was standing. "Ran, keep an eye on this curious little rascal for me… Seriously, what kind of kid runs around near a corpse?"

"Yes, Fujino-senpai!"

Ran immediately grabbed Conan and dragged him out of the room.

In the hallway, she scolded him with the tone of an elder disciplining a child: "Conan! Didn't we agree earlier that you wouldn't get in Detective Fujino's way while he's working?"

"You're such a naughty kid!"

"I'm sorry, Ran-nee-san…"

At that moment, Conan looked completely pitiful, exactly like a child who'd been caught doing something wrong by his elders.

Seeing that, Fujino's mood improved quite a bit.

He turned around, closed the door behind him, and reentered the crime scene.

Meanwhile, Conan stood outside, glaring resentfully at Fujino.

He looked exactly like a grievance-stricken little wife.

At the same time, he couldn't help but complain internally: Damn it, this guy's using Ran to control me!

"Conan, did you hear me?!"

Ran noticed Conan's distracted look even while being scolded and shouted sternly, rolling up her sleeves and raising her small fist.

Conan's body stiffened at her words. Seeing Ran's rolled-up sleeves, he let out a weak laugh. "…I heard you, Ran-nee-san…"

(End of this chapte