The unscrupulous detective in Conan

Chapter 1457 Cosplaying as Ginseng or Sea Cucumber?

Fujino smiled slightly: "So do you think I'm just pretending to be fierce, or do you think I would actually do it?"

Vermouth still had a smile on her face: "I wouldn't dare to make any guesses."

"You've really gone too far." Fujino felt that this old lady had become a little too bold and had no sense of proportion.

Then, deciding to give you a warning, he added, "If the day really comes when I have to take action against you, I won't tell you in advance."

As she spoke, she glanced at Vermouth and said, "After all, I can usually kill anyone who makes me take action."

"So, in order to escape the fate of dying young, they have no choice but to work their hardest..." Vermouth remarked with feigned sarcasm.

Fujino's words made her sense the seriousness behind them.

She knew from the beginning that what the other person said was true.

It's just...

She enjoys teasing people and dancing wildly in minefields.

That's pretty exciting.

However, considering that she couldn't die yet, Vermouth changed the subject, saying, "Speaking of which, regarding this case, did you already know something, or did you just...?"

“Both,” Fujino explained calmly. “I’ve already read the information you gave me before, and I have a pretty good understanding of it. I’ve been thinking about the case for the past two days, and the progress we’ve made today is thanks to the map.”

"After all, you didn't give me a map before."

Belmode: "..."

Who would have thought that the key clue in the case was related to the map?
Is this something a human could conceive of?
Vermouth was speechless for a moment, feeling that she still knew nothing about detective work.

She still felt that she was better suited to some practical actions.

Things like brainpower... or rather, abstract logic, are better left to people with sharper minds.

She thought about it for a moment, then asked, "So, what should we do next?"

"What do you mean?"

Faced with Fujino's doubts, Vermouth was even more puzzled: "Didn't you make any arrangements? Or did you have something in reserve, something to keep us waiting to find the murderer?"

"Of course not," Fujino said matter-of-factly. "We don't know anything about the situation right now, so all we can do is wait."

"That's how you solve a case; you can't rush things."

"..."

Vermouth remained silent, feeling that she had some complaints in her heart but didn't know whether she should say them.

She now feels like she's the one who's more anxious than the emperor.

Thinking about it, since the other person was the professional, she didn't say anything more.

Fujino then began to plan the next move: "That's the situation for now. You'll stay undercover at the Metropolitan Police Department and remember any information you get."

"As for anything else, that's all for now."

Under Vermouth's suspicious gaze, Fujino added, "I know what I'm doing."

"I'll do whatever you say." Vermouth said helplessly.

…………

Fujino already had some ideas about this case.

Actually, if you think about it, it's very simple.

However, if we rush to push things forward before they've progressed to a certain point, it could easily arouse suspicion from others.

This is what cheating looks like.

Although it's open, it's still a small operation that needs to be kept secret from a few people.

Otherwise, it would lose its appeal if it became too outrageous.

Moreover, showing off requires building up the right emotions; only by showing off when everyone is in a state of panic can one maximize the emotional impact.

The more pretentious you are, the more admiration you will naturally receive.

Fujino thought of the simplest formula for harvesting emotions; although it was a bit cliché, it was indeed very effective.

With that thought in mind, Fujino drove straight home.

I just got home and bumped into Conan in Snow King Ice City.

It shouldn't be called a chance encounter; it was more like being staked out.

After hearing that Fujino received a call from the Metropolitan Police Department yesterday and went out early this morning, Conan knew that something must have happened.

The thought of a case happening and him knowing nothing about it made him feel incredibly frustrated.

So, I came here today to stake out the spot.

Even if I don't manage to find anything useful, it doesn't matter. If I do find something useful, I must get some information out of it!

"Hey, Fujino-nii, you must have gone to the Metropolitan Police Department this morning, right?"

"Has something happened?"

"Just tell me..."

Unfortunately, Fujino was tight-lipped, and no useful clues were extracted from him. All that was gotten was Fujino's comment: "You kid, you don't try to build a good relationship with me normally, but when it comes to a case, you want to cram at the last minute. Where do you get such good luck?"

Conan was speechless.

So how can you let personal emotions get involved in a case like this?

Fujino is such a stingy guy!
Conan grumbled inwardly, but of course he wouldn't let it go.

He would never back down from a case; there was no case he couldn't investigate.

So he decided to install a bugging device on Fujino to secretly listen to the case.

Then Fujino caught him red-handed.

Fujino looked at the chewing gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe, his eyebrow twitching: "Conan, you little brat, you've planted a bug on my head, haven't you?"

"Well..."

Conan didn't try to explain the origin of the bugging device; Fujino knew that he had one.

Professor Agasa even provided him with some things.

The current issue is explaining why the listening devices were installed.

However, there seems to be no need to explain things like this.

Fujino, his face dark, took out gloves and put them on, then removed the bugging device and slapped it directly onto Conan's face: "So, installing a bugging device is one thing, but why use such a low-level method?"

"Putting bubble gum on the sole of your shoe—putting aside the possibility of it being pulled off, just the fact that if it's discovered and you try to remove the bubble gum from the sole, you'll immediately find the listening device inside, okay?"

"Also, you better stay away from listening devices in the future."

"It might just get you killed, kid."

Conan, of course, just nodded and bowed and mumbled something, not taking any of it to heart.

Obviously, for Conan, who frequently uses bugging devices, not using bugging devices is like not smoking.

Once you become addicted, it's not easy to quit.

At that moment, all he could think about was: "How can I plant a bug on him without being detected?"

"If we don't install listening devices, how can we obtain information about this case?"

"We must find a way to get that old man Fujino to talk today!"

After thinking about it for a while, Conan still couldn't come up with a solution.

Even as a former high school detective, he felt powerless against Fujino, a monster like him. After all, Fujino was also a high school detective.

Moreover, his abilities seem to be slightly stronger than his.

…………

This morning, Fujino went out.

Sonoko Suzuki came looking for her and found Momiji Ooka there as well.

Since Fujino wasn't home, the two of them decided to go shopping together.

Sonoko Suzuki thought about the precious photo she kept hidden in her drawer and felt genuinely grateful: "Kumiyo, you really know how to handle things! We really owe you a lot for what happened last time!"

"It's nothing, just a small matter."

Ooka Momiji naturally knew what Konoko was talking about, but she felt utterly helpless about it.

She felt the child was quite cute, and she seemed quite content with that.

If things really get to her point...

This kid is probably going to explode on the spot, isn't he?
As Koyo was thinking, Sonoko spoke again: "But Koyo, don't you mind?"

"What do you care about?"

"It's...it's about your senior."

"There's nothing to worry about."

Facing the stammering Sonoko Suzuki, Momiji Ooka remained relaxed and composed, displaying the demeanor of a mature adult, her face glowing with health: "Things like this don't really matter. You and I aren't strangers, so why would I be jealous?"

"Waaah, Red Leaf."

Sonoko Suzuki was very touched by this. Although she had tried her best to treat the other person as an outsider, she still harbored some resentment deep down.

Judging from their posture, it seems they are exactly as they said.

She suddenly felt that she still hadn't done enough and wasn't as mature as the other person.

Ooka Momiji smiled slightly, but of course, she didn't have anything to say.

Of course, she didn't care about such a small thing.

After all, Fujino and she had already done much worse things.

How could I possibly be jealous over such a trivial matter?
The two of them strolled around the street for a while, and then they saw a shop on the side of the street.

That was a karaoke bar, which is very common in Japan these days.

Sonoko wasn't surprised, but Ooka Momiji was slightly puzzled, which made Sonoko even more confused:

What's wrong with karaoke?

"It's nothing, probably just one of those places where you sing and have parties, right?"

"Yes, that's how it is, but what you said should be..."

Looking at Momiji, whose tone was slightly off, Sonoko asked curiously, "Haven't you ever been to a karaoke bar before?"

"Well, I haven't," said Ooka Momiji truthfully.

Although she wasn't a girl from a secluded family in ancient times, Ooka Momiji was still considered a conservative girl.

Getting manicures and earrings might seem a bit frivolous during your student days, but in Japan, it's considered a normal part of fashion.

Moreover, she gets her nails done mainly to protect her fingertips.

Sonoko was a little stunned when she heard this.

But thinking about it, it's not surprising that she's the conservative type of girl.

However, her appearance made her subconsciously project her image onto the character.

After all, Ooka Momiji is blonde with manicured nails and earrings, so she could easily be associated with those trendy, rebellious girls.

Just thinking about how their blonde hair is natural...

Then there's nothing wrong with it.

Sonoko Suzuki felt that this wouldn't work, so she said, "In that case, let's go back and invite Fujino-senpai to go have some fun together!"

"Going to that place?"

After thinking it over, Ooka Momiji decided to go with someone she knew and agreed since she felt there wouldn't be any problems.

After returning to Snow King Ice City, the two saw Conan and Fujino.

Sonoko immediately brought it up with Fujino: "Hey, senpai, I was planning to go to karaoke with Momiji, why don't you come too!"

"Karaoke?" Fujino asked, puzzled.

Sonoko nodded and replied, "It seems like Koyo hasn't been here yet, so I was thinking of taking her over to see her..."

Originally, she had something she wanted to say, but considering that the other person was also a well-bred young lady like herself, and wanted to broaden her horizons, she ultimately didn't say it.

Fujino replied without much thought, "I'm free this afternoon, so I can come along."

"That's great!" Sonoko chuckled, then glanced at Conan beside her. "Hey, kid, go tell Ran we're going to karaoke together..."

"Of course, you're not included if we go together."

"Why should I?!" Conan immediately protested.

Sonoko curled her lip, her face full of disdain, and put her hands on her hips: "With your singing voice, you'd probably scare Koyo to death the moment you opened your mouth."

“Hongye, you don’t know, when other people sing, at most their eardrums feel uncomfortable, but when this guy sings, he feels uncomfortable inside. He gets goosebumps all over his body, and his heart feels like it’s being squeezed.”

Conan: "..."

Is it wrong to sing badly?
That’s right!

Damn it, don't just start discriminating like that!
Conan inwardly grumbled a bit, but still obediently went back to the Mouri Detective Agency, found Ran, and brought her over.

Xiaolan didn't have much of an opinion about going to karaoke, since she often went with Yuanzi.

Finally, the four of them, along with Conan, headed to the karaoke bar.

Conan was still brought along.

We drove to the karaoke bar, and since it was afternoon, there was no traffic.

On the way, Fujino glanced at the rearview mirror and noticed that a car was following behind him.

At the same time, Iori Muya also called: "Since this morning, I have noticed that the guy following you has been tailing Ms. Momiji and Ms. Suzuki. I suspect that he has something on his mind about you two, but it seems that he has no intention of making a move yet."

"Besides, there was another person following behind him, and that person seemed to be staring at the guy."

"I understand. Leave this to me. You just keep an eye on things."

Fujino hung up the phone, glanced at the rearview mirror, and thought the whole thing was quite interesting.

One person followed him, and another person followed the guy who followed him. Iori Muga followed the guy who followed him.

The purpose is currently unknown.

However, the other party was only one person, so the problem wasn't too big.

The most important thing to consider now is not the other party's motives for stalking or anything else, but how to deal with it.

Is it to plant the other person in the ground to cosplay as a ginseng, hang them on a tree to cosplay as a ginseng fruit, throw them into the sea to cosplay as a sea cucumber, or soak them in alcohol and cut them into dried radish...?

This is indeed a difficult question to decide.

Fujino was conflicted. He felt no pity or even a moment's hesitation towards the guy who was stalking Ooka Momiji and Suzuki Sonoko.

If someone like this really wanted to harm the two of them, even just making him cosplay as a ginseng-like animal for a second would make Fujino feel like she deserved to die.

(End of this chapter)