Chapter 36: Sonoko’s Invitation

"Dad!"

Ran's voice carried a hint of frustration. "I've told you so many times not to drink so much, but you just won't listen!"

"Mind your own business!"

Mouri Kogorou slurred drunkenly, waving her off with the demeanor of a belligerent drunkard. "I'm talking with your Uncle Fujino here... Kids shouldn't interrupt..."

"I'm not dealing with you anymore!"

Ran huffed, annoyed, but she was long used to seeing her father like this.

She turned around and sighed. "My dad's behavior must be embarrassing to you, Senpai…"

Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a box of cold medicine, handing it to Fujino. "Take this back with you and remember to use it. You've always had a weak constitution—if you catch a cold, it'll be troublesome."

"Thanks…"

Fujino glanced at Ran and nodded.

———

After returning home, Fujino had been thinking about one thing—

His detective agency's reception room!

That visit to Mori's house just now had given him an idea:

Why not combine his living space with his office?

To be honest, he had thought about this before… but back then, he couldn't afford it.

But things were different now.

He was now a high school student with 3.2 million yen in savings!

In this era, 3.2 million yen wasn't a small sum.

It was roughly equivalent to a full year's salary for an average office worker.

More than enough to renovate a reception room!

But before that… he had something else to do—

———

The next day, in Teitan High School's faculty office.

"High schooler heroically defuses the bomb, saves entire train… Takes down a drug cartel on Moonshadow Island single-handedly… Just what exactly have you been doing these past few days I was away?!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka sat in her chair, holding a newspaper in one hand, a headache written across her face. "So… you asked me for time off… to go bust a drug ring?"

Fujino scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Something like that."

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?!"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Hiratsuka suddenly stood up, a dark shadow crossing her eyes.

Her sharp gaze locked onto Fujino's, her voice growing sharper. "Never mind where you learned to defuse bombs—don't you realize that if you'd made a single mistake in either of those situations, you'd be dead right now?"

"You troublemakers are going to give me an ulcer…"

Though she scolded him harshly, deep down, she could understand Fujino's mindset.

After all, he was an orphan, with no family ties, which explained why he behaved so recklessly when it came to dangerous situations.

But still—this wasn't the way to live. That fearless, nothing-to-lose look in his eyes only made her heart ache more.

With a soft sigh, she slowly raised her hand and gently placed it on Fujino's shoulder.

The stern expression from before faded slightly, replaced by unexpected tenderness as she spoke softly, "You know… in this world, it's not just family who care about you. Before you go risking your life on things like that, you should also think about the feelings of the people around you…"

Fujino was momentarily dazed by her words.

She's not scolding me… she's worried about me?

This violent beauty—with all her sharp wit and deep layers of calculation—was surprisingly gentle underneath.

Collecting himself, Fujino smiled faintly. "I understand Sensei. Next time I do something that dangerous… I'll think it through carefully first."

After muttering that to himself, he pulled out a box from his pocket and handed it to Hiratsuka.

She glanced at the elegant red-and-gold design on the box, along with two bold Chinese characters printed on the front: [中华].

Her expression stiffened slightly.

If her guess was right, this was premium tobacco—high-end—and imported from China.

This stuff must've cost quite a bit.

As that thought crossed her mind, her brows furrowed slightly.

Then, giving Fujino a sideways glance, she said meaningfully, "Are you trying to bribe me with fancy cigarettes?"

"Of course not."

Fujino quickly shook his head, explaining, "A friend happened to give them to me. I thought they looked nice, so I wanted to share a pack with you."

"Hmph… Fine, that's better."

Hiratsuka tucked away the expensive carton of Zhonghua cigarettes.

Afterward, she cleared her throat awkwardly and warned him, "But if you pull something like this again—asking me for time off to go risk your life—I won't approve it next time!"

"Got it…"

Hearing that, Fujino let out a sigh of relief.

Looks like I'll still be able to get time off from this violent beauty in the future.

And this carton of Zhonghua… it wasn't something easy to come by in this era. Plus, the one he gave her was a premium edition that wouldn't even be on the market for several years yet.

As for how he got it…

[One carton of Zhonghua cigarettes: Unlimited supply, the cigarettes will always remain full. Provides a calming effect when used. Quality: Blue]

Just yesterday, he'd foolishly tried another spin of that ridiculously overpriced lottery—originally 1 million yen, discounted to 900,000.

The result? He got nothing.

Aside from a few enhancement cards, that carton of Zhonghua was the only thing worth mentioning.

But on second thought, it wasn't too bad.

After all, it could be used to bribe a certain violent beauty—and it was impressive to pull out in front of others.

"Hey, hey! Senpai!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out nearby.

Turning around, Fujino saw Sonoko Suzuki waving at him, running over with a cheerful expression.

"Sonoko?"

Fujino blinked. "Where's Ran?"

"She went to karate club practice…"

Sonoko wrinkled her nose, then muttered, "But seriously, Senpai—why is it that the first thing you ask whenever you see me is where Ran is?"

"What, am I not good enough or something?"

As she spoke, she spun around in front of Fujino, causing the hem of her skirt to sway gracefully with the motion.

"That's not it… Sonoko, you're very pretty too."

Fujino gave Sonoko a serious look.

Truth be told, Sonoko was quite attractive—but her brash, tomboyish personality had scared off more than a few admirers.

Kind of reminded him of that famous "Zhou-jie" from his previous life.

Pretty, sure—but if you encouraged a buddy to pursue her, that buddy would probably cut ties with you on the spot.

After thinking for a moment, Fujino finally explained, "It's just that you two are always together, so seeing you alone feels… unfamiliar."

"Oh, that's all?"

Sonoko beamed, grinning from ear to ear.

He just called me pretty! I'm so happy!

Come to think of it, she couldn't remember the last time a guy had seriously complimented her appearance.

"By the way, Senpai… are you free this weekend?"

At her sudden question, Fujino hesitated for a moment. "Is something going on, Sonoko?"

A shy smile crept onto Sonoko's face. "Well… I was planning to invite Ran to my family's mountain villa for the weekend. If you're free… would you like to come too?"

"Villa?"

Fujino blinked. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd be happy to."

"Great! Then it's a promise!"

Sonoko's face lit up with joy.

"Make sure to call me that morning, okay? I'm worried I might oversleep and make us late."

"Got it!"

This weekend… I'm going to win over Fujino!

(End of Chapter)