Chapter 62: Detective Chef Extraordinaire

Shitada Kyoko frowned.

That guilty look… there's something fishy going on!

She remembered this guy's girlfriend had supposedly gone to the countryside a few days ago.

How could she be in his apartment now?

Could it be just like Detective Fujino said—was Mamoru kidnapped by this guy?!

"Didn't your girlfriend go on a countryside trip a few days ago?"

Kyoko stared at Uemura Naoki suspiciously and questioned him:

"How could she be back so soon?"

Caught off guard, Uemura Naoki was momentarily speechless.

After a moment, he finally replied,

"It's not her… it's another girl…"

"Well, if it's just some side chick, what's the harm in letting me in to take a look!"

Kyoko didn't believe a word of Naoki's excuse.

She lunged forward, trying to push open the door that was being held shut by the lock chain.

While struggling, she also shouted into the apartment:

"Mamoru! Are you in there?! If you can hear me, answer me now!"

"That's enough! Don't push it!"

Naoki pushed back hard against the door, yelling irritably.

Fujino: "…"

Watching the scene unfold, Fujino was momentarily speechless.

But after a moment, he shouted:

"Miss Kyoko, get out of the way!"

[Detective Enhancement Activated — Current Boost: 175%]

Hearing the voice behind her, Kyoko turned around—

Only to see Fujino standing in place, poised like he was charging up strength.

Realizing what he meant, she quickly stepped aside.

Then, with a loud "BANG!", the door burst open.

When Kyoko looked back again, she saw Fujino had already kicked the door down and was pinning Uemura Naoki to the floor.

Even Naoki's crutch wasn't spared—Fujino casually flung it aside.

This time, Fujino didn't use his full-strength enhancement.

In his opinion, a half-crippled guy with a cast on his leg and who needed a crutch didn't warrant full power. The detective boost alone was enough.

Besides, he vaguely remembered that although Naoki did kidnap Mamoru, he had no intention of actually harming him.

If he had gone all out and seriously injured the guy, that would've caused unnecessary trouble.

Even without full power, the scene before Kyoko was visually intense enough to stun her.

The expression on her face at that moment was just like the look Fujino had when he saw that infamous housewife from Beika Town kicks two grown men into the air with one blow.

"Go rescue the kid."

Fujino's voice snapped Kyoko out of her daze.

She immediately began searching the apartment for Mamoru.

Before long, she found him in one of the rooms, casually playing video games.

Just as Fujino had predicted—

Uemura Naoki had kidnapped Akagi Mamoru purely out of revenge for Hideo breaking his leg during a previous match.

But after hearing Hideo's heartfelt and emotional speech on TV, Naoki fell to his knees in front of the screen, looking up and sobbing uncontrollably.

A classic repentance scene.

When Hideo returned and learned everything that had happened, he didn't call the police.

Instead, he chose to forgive Uemura Naoki.

Maybe it was because they were good friends.

Or maybe… it was guilt from having broken Naoki's leg.

As for whether Hideo had broken his leg on purpose—

Well, that was something only Akagi Hideo himself could ever truly know.

Fujino was just a detective.

That kind of thing wasn't his business—and it wasn't part of the job he was hired to do.

Although it was all just a misunderstanding, the Akagi and Uemura families still pooled together ¥100,000 as a commission fee for Fujino.

Though not a huge sum, it was the best they could afford.

To Fujino, ¥100,000 wasn't much.

But for ordinary people, it was quite a bit of money.

[Congratulations to the host for completing Detective Career Mission: "Football Player Intimidation Incident"]

[System Reward: ¥250,000 issued. 100 Reputation Points awarded]

[Remaining Reputation to Next Detective Level: 400 Points]

[Current Balance: ¥2,150,000]

Late at night.

Just after lying down in bed, a familiar system notification chimed in Fujino's ear.

"¥2,150,000… I can draw twice now?"

Hearing the voice, he opened the system interface and looked at the balance, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.

But a few moments later, he shook his head and sighed,

"Even though I could draw twice, I should still keep some money around for emergencies…"

"Let's go for a 10-draw this time."

He got up from bed, walked out to the balcony, and glanced toward the Mori residence across the street—it looked like nobody was home.

Then, he lit three incense sticks facing a certain ancient country and began his professional ball draw.

¥900,000 — Draw!

[Congratulations, host received: Home-Style Recipe Book (Blue), 100% Strength Enhancement Cards x2, 100% Reflex Enhancement Cards x3, Driving Skill Enhancement Cards x2, Military Ration Packs x2]

Not even one purple-tier item this time?

Did the metaphysical energy fail?

Fujino pushed aside the thought and opened the system inventory.

With a light tap of his finger, he began inspecting the detailed descriptions:

[Home-Style Recipe Book: Contains the essence of several traditional Chinese home-cooking recipes.]

[Driving Skill Enhancement Card: Boosts the host's driving skills for ten minutes.]

"So this recipe book is part of the same category as the knife skills or ropework from before?"

Skipping over the less useful or previously acquired items,

Fujino focused on the detailed description of the recipe book, stroking his chin in thought.

He had been planning to ask Ran for some cooking lessons…

But unexpectedly, he had drawn a home-style recipe book.

A trace of regret suddenly flickered through his mind.

Shaking it off, he briefly flipped through the book and, after about five minutes, learned a dish called Golden Fried Rice.

Then, he went into the kitchen and began cooking for the first time in his life.

Thanks to the "Rurouni Kenshin" effect of his Swordsman Skill, even though it was his first time using a kitchen knife, he didn't cut himself.

Which surprised even him…

Who knew that kitchen knives counted as swords or bladed weapons?

Thirty minutes later, a freshly made Golden Fried Rice was ready.

At that moment, a system prompt appeared above the dish:

[Master Chef Enhancement: Premium Golden Fried Rice — Boosts host's Strength by 10% (Duration: 12 hours)]

The Master Chef effect had activated.

"10% Strength boost… even if it's temporary, it stacks with other buffs."

Fujino muttered to himself, then brought the spoon to his mouth and took a bite of the fried rice.

As soon as the rice entered his mouth, he felt like his brain was hit by a flash of brilliant light.

The next second, an illusory scene unfolded before his eyes.

From within a thick fog, a massive dragon came surging through the sky, swooping past right in front of him.

That same grand BGM he had heard before started playing once more.

As the mist slowly cleared…

He saw in the distance a group of girls dressed in blue-green qipaos dancing gracefully amid a bamboo forest.

Looking more closely… those girls… the horns on their heads…

They looked like Ran?!

"…The hell? Is this some kind of 'Ran hallucination'?"

Suddenly snapping back to his senses, Fujino looked down at his Golden Fried Rice, his expression turning oddly blank.

He thought the BGM and golden aura were already over-the-top enough.

But apparently, it could get even more ridiculous.

Now he was having hallucinations?!

Still, come to think of it… what was that weird vision about?

A group of Rans in qipaos dancing elegantly in the woods?

Is this supposed to be "Detective Chef Extraordinaire"?!

(End of Chapter)