Chapter 18: The Old Man Swinging a Stool

Late at night, Megure Juzo, who was fast asleep, was suddenly awakened by the ringing of the telephone.

Climbing out of bed, he glanced at Megure Midori, who was still sleeping soundly, then walked into the living room and picked up the phone. "Hello… who is this…"

"It's me, Fujino Tomoharu. I worked with you a few days ago, Inspector Megure."

On the other end of the line came Fujino's slightly muffled voice.

"Fujino?"

Still half-asleep, Megure Juzo muttered in confusion. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly said in surprise, "Brother Fujino? What are you calling me for at this hour? Don't tell me you've stumbled upon another murder case?"

Weird… Why did I say another?

Recalling what he had just said, Megure Juzo frowned slightly.

Fujino's calm voice continued from the other end of the line, "No murder cases this time, but I did happen to solve a murder from twelve years ago… and, by the way, discovered a drug trafficking ring."

Hearing that it wasn't another murder case, Megure Juzo finally let out a sigh of relief.

But a moment later, he fully processed what had been said—"What?! Did you just say you discovered a drug trafficking ring?!"

"That's right. I've already gathered all the evidence. That's why I called you."

"Where are you right now?! I'll bring a team over immediately!"

Megure Juzo's voice grew urgent as he questioned the other end of the call.

"Tsukikage Island… Hold on, Inspector Megure, I think the drug dealer's contact just arrived—gotta go!"

"Wait! Brother Fujino, don't act rashly!"

Before Megure Juzo could finish his sentence, all he heard was the busy tone of the call being abruptly cut off.

"Tch… Seriously, Brother Fujino… It's the weekend tomorrow, and you've just gone and found me more work…"

Megure Juzo's expression turned increasingly grave. He immediately dialed another number. "Commissioner Matsumoto! It's me, Megure Juzo!"

"The murder case from twelve years ago on Tsukikage Island has been solved… And more importantly, alert Division Four right away—Brother Fujino has uncovered a large-scale drug smuggling ring on Tsukikage Island, and I fear he may already have been captured by them…"

Meanwhile.

"Tch… Didn't expect this guy to take the bait the very same night… Looks like I need to finish this quickly."

Fujino let out a playful chuckle after hanging up, his gaze fixed on a man entering the community center not far ahead.

It was late at night, so Fujino couldn't see the man's face, but judging by his physique, he was certain—that man was none other than Hideo Kawashima.

Kawashima Hideo was already in his fifties, and Fujino figured he wouldn't be too difficult to deal with.

It was all part of the plan.

"Achoo—"

Suddenly, Fujino's nose tickled, and before the sneeze could escape, he quickly covered his mouth.

The sneeze was forcibly suppressed, and a sharp pain shot through his head.

"This body is weak… Just standing in the cold for a little while, and I'm already about to catch a cold."

Holding his aching head, Fujino muttered in frustration.

Then he opened his phone's camera app, clipped it to the pocket of his suit jacket on his chest, and took off the necklace hanging around his neck.

Gripping his wooden sword, he quietly followed after the man.

Inside the community center.

In the dimly lit piano room, Hideo Kawashima retrieved a bag of white powder from a secret compartment in the piano, his expression gleeful. "Didn't expect that guy to find a new cheap supplier. Looks like this batch will last us another few weeks."

At that moment, a dark figure silently crept up behind him.

Kawashima Hideo, with his full attention focused on the powder, failed to notice anything unusual.

The shadow raised the wooden sword high and brought it crashing down hard on the back of Kawashima's head.

"Bang!"

"Argh!

—

With a crisp, echoing thud, a miserable scream reverberated throughout the entire community center.

"Who's there?!"

Clutching his injury, Kawashima Hideo staggered a few steps forward before turning around viciously—only to see a young man in a black suit standing behind him, holding a wooden sword.

[Notice: Detective Mode has been activated. Countdown: 0-0-59]

"My name is Fujino. I'm a detective," Fujino said, raising the wooden sword slightly. "Mr. Kawashima, I imagine this batch of goods could fetch you a pretty penny, huh?"

"Damn it!"

Kawashima Hideo glared at Fujino, snarling, "So you did find out!"

But in the next moment, Kawashima's expression shifted into a sinister smirk as he made Fujino an offer: "As long as you help keep this secret for me, I'll give you a lot of money…"

"I charge quite a hefty fee, you know."

With a playful smile, Fujino replied, "How about five million yen?"

"Deal."

Kawashima answered without hesitation.

"And what about the murder?" Fujino didn't back down. Instead, he raised the stakes with mocking amusement. "Should I get another payment for that too? How about… fifty million?"

"Fifty million?! Why don't you just rob a bank!"

Kawashima cursed angrily, his face twisted, then froze in confusion as he asked, "Murder? What the hell are you talking about?"

"That's right—murder."

Fujino nodded solemnly. "Just yesterday, I received a commission from a man named Asou Keiji to come to this island and investigate the truth behind his death twelve years ago."

"After thorough investigation and meticulous reasoning, my preliminary conclusion is that the people who killed him… were the four who just so happened to discover the scene of the 'fire' all those years ago."

"Twelve years ago, it was you—together with Kuroiwa Tatsushi, Kameyama Isamu, and Nishimoto Ken—who murdered Asou Keiji, wasn't it?"

Fujino's gaze locked onto Kawashima's eyes as he spoke coldly, "It was all because he refused to help you transport drugs. You were afraid he'd expose everything, so you killed him!"

"As childhood friends… honestly, we didn't want to kill him and his whole family or burn them alive in that fire," Kawashima muttered, shaking his head. "But honestly, who does he have to blame but himself for being so stubborn? Talking about how he was saving up money for his child's medical bills and wanted out. Did he think we'd just let him walk away?"

"You're right, Detective. We killed him. So what?" Kawashima nodded, and a strange, satisfied smile crept across his face. "But you know… I admire you. Your deductive ability, your intelligence—top-notch. You're exactly the kind of person we need."

Spreading his arms wide, he extended an invitation to Fujino: "If you join us, we'll give you riches and luxury far beyond anything you could ever get as a detective!"

"Bullshit! Who would join up with a scumbag murderer and drug dealer like you?!"

With righteous indignation, Fujino shouted his refusal and immediately activated Detective Enhancement.

[Detective Enhancement activated for Host; Countdown: 0-1-59]

Honestly, if he hadn't been recording everything, Fujino might've considered blackmailing them for a big payout before handing them over to the cops… but no, not this time.

These drug dealers wouldn't hesitate to throw him into the sea to build artificial islands. Give him money? Yeah, right.

"Heh… heh heh heh…"

Lowering his head, Kawashima Hideo suddenly burst into crazed laughter. "Who would've thought… all these years of work, destroyed by one measly detective? Fine then… you can go to hell!"

As he spoke, Kawashima suddenly snatched up the stool in front of the piano and swung it straight at Fujino.

(End of this chapter)