Chapter 39: The Detective’s Instinct

"Lately... things have been oddly peaceful…"

In Tokyo, at the Metropolitan Police Department, Inspector Megure sat leisurely in the office chair of Division Three, gazing out the window, a hint of melancholy flickering in his eyes.

For reasons he couldn't quite explain, he felt that the number of murder cases had dropped significantly in recent days. Even Beika Town seemed to have regained its usual peace.

Of course, fewer murders were undoubtedly a good thing, yet this sudden leisure made him feel oddly unsettled.

Ring ring ring!

A sudden burst of ringing from the telephone snapped him out of his thoughts.

As soon as he picked up before he could say a word, a familiar voice came from the other end: "Inspector Megure?"

"Fujino?"

Inspector Megure raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Could it be… another murder case?

With that in mind, he asked in confusion, "You're calling me... because there's been another murder?"

"No murder case... but I did discover an international robbery gang."

"An international robbery gang?"

Megure frowned. "Don't tell me—it's that Italian gang that stole the Maple Leaf Coins and fled to Japan?"

"Yeah, I think that's the one… that Italian robbery group or whatever."

As Fujino spoke, his gaze shifted toward the three men hiding in the corner. He described them: "One Japanese guy, two foreigners—should be them, right?"

"That's them! Them!"

Megure abruptly stood up from his chair. "Fujino, where are you now?!"

"Right outside XXX Bank, near Tokyo Tower."

"Don't make any rash moves—we'll be there immediately!"

After hanging up, a sharp gleam flashed through Megure's eyes.

That Fujino was something.

He managed to locate an internationally wanted gang so easily…

Time for another achievement!

This time, however, Fujino hadn't charged in recklessly. Instead, he'd called for backup—Inspector Megure.

Sure, he was confident in his swordsmanship. With his buffs active, he could probably knock down three burly men with ease.

But the problem was—they had guns.

He might be reckless, but he wasn't stupid.

What was he supposed to do, charge at gunmen with a wooden sword and hope for the best? Before he could even get close, he'd be riddled with holes.

...

Before long, Megure arrived at the scene. With him were over a dozen of the elite officers from Division Three.

Since they were undercover, those officers stayed hidden in a nearby TV station's broadcasting van, avoiding suspicion from the criminals.

Only Miwako Sato remained behind to assist Fujino in monitoring their movements.

"Those guys are the Italian robbery gang we've been after? They don't look like it…"

Sato sat at the outdoor seating of a café, glancing sideways toward the suspicious men not far away, muttering to herself.

Three burly men in white suits were sneaking along behind a group of elementary school students.

They looked more like human traffickers than international thieves.

But Sato had reviewed the photos before coming here. Those three were indeed the wanted members of the international robbery group.

"How come you didn't go up and ambush them this time?"

Turning her head, Sato gave Fujino a teasing smile. "If I remember correctly, you're usually pretty brave."

Fujino gave her a speechless look.

Right now, Miwako Sato was dressed in a cropped T-shirt, denim jeans wrapped tightly around her legs, giving her the appearance of a carefree, somewhat flirty young woman—she didn't look like a police officer at all.

This must be the pinnacle of undercover work…

Setting aside those thoughts, Fujino couldn't help but complain, "I'm brave, sure—but I'm not stupid. I can tell when to fight and when to wait… Besides, they've got guns. I'm not in the mood to be turned into Swiss cheese."

"Didn't expect you to be that rational."

Sato covered her mouth and chuckled. "But seriously, how exactly did you find them? You know we've had them on the wanted list for days, but we haven't turned up a single useful lead."

Fujino stretched lazily and took a sip of coffee. "Would you believe me if I said… detective's intuition?"

"Intuition, huh... Sounds unreliable, but I guess it works..."

Sato blinked, then chuckled softly. "Still... just relying on intuition wouldn't have made you this careful, right?"

Fujino scratched the back of his head. "Actually… it's because of that treasure map the kids were holding."

"Treasure map?"

Sato raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Yep—a treasure map. Just a little while ago, those kids came up to me asking if I could help them solve a code on the map."

After pausing for a moment, Fujino continued, "I didn't get a good look, and I didn't memorize all the details—but I am sure the code on that map was in Italian."

"Considering the news this morning, I'm guessing that map is a diagram of where Cabane hid the Maple Leaf Coins."

"But why would Cabane draw something like that on a crudely drawn map?"

Sato rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Aren't they all from the same gang?"

Fujino set his coffee down and looked at her. "If I'm not wrong, you guys found Cabane because of an anonymous tip-off, right?"

"I don't know all the details, but yeah, we did get an anonymous report," Sato nodded in surprise. "But… how did you know that?"

"Simple. A year ago, Cabane ordered his men to steal the Maple Leaf Coins. But once the job was done, he took all the loot for himself and ran."

Fujino paused, then continued his deduction: "Recently, his former crew must've tracked him down and found that treasure map in his place. Rather than risk killing him, they turned him into the police, making sure he'd be locked up first... all so they could focus on deciphering that map and take the treasure for themselves."

"So that's how it is…"

Sato nodded, the pieces finally falling into place.

But then she frowned slightly, puzzled. "Still, even if those kids got their hands on the treasure map… why would those guys bother following them? Wouldn't it make more sense to just snatch the map and be done with it?"

"Ordinarily, yeah."

Fujino smirked. "But what if those guys don't know how to crack the code either?"

"You mean… they're hoping those elementary school kids can help them find the location of the Maple Leaf Coins?"

"Bingo."

(End of Chapter)