Fujino glanced around, scanning left and right to see if anyone was nearby.
Getting caught in the act would be pretty embarrassing…
But then he thought it over and stopped his pointless worrying.
Even if someone saw him, it didn't really matter.
He was disguised as Tōru Amuro right now, after all.
Yup, what did Tōru Amuro have to do with *him*, Fujino?
With that settled, Fujino crouched down and started rummaging through Kyōsuke Kazato's stuff without a care.
As a pro at looting, it didn't take him long to find something hard.
He pulled it out—an M1910.
The silver-white gun glinted faintly in the dim light. From its weathered look, you could tell it'd been through a lot before ending up in this psychologist's hands.
"Nice gun. Mine now."
Fujino gave it a quick once-over and pocketed it fast.
Being a bit of a collector, he wasn't about to pass up a chance to snag a handgun.
His whole reason for searching Kazato was to grab this thing.
But confiscating the murder weapon wasn't enough for him.
He crouched back down and unbuttoned Kazato's shirt.
*He's already knocked out cold—wouldn't it be a waste not to grab a little extra?*
With that thought, Fujino swept over Kazato's body again.
In total, he scored a wallet, a fancy watch, and a mobile phone.
Only when there was nothing left to take did he call it quits.
The wallet had 200,000 yen inside. He wasn't sure about the watch's value, but one thing was clear—these were all tools of evil.
They *had* to be confiscated!
Satisfied, Fujino nodded and walked off.
---
A few minutes later, the soap's effects started wearing off.
"Where… am I?"
Kyōsuke Kazato rubbed the back of his head, wincing from a dull ache.
He vaguely remembered a dark-skinned guy with blonde hair handing him a bar of soap…
It smelled nice, and then he just… passed out?
In his dream, there were all sorts of cute girls in short skirts…
"How'd I fall asleep?"
Kazato shook his head and climbed to his feet.
Then he looked down.
His pants were pulled down, and his clothes were a mess.
"…"
Kazato froze, his brain spinning. For a second, it felt like his innocence had vanished.
But then it clicked.
His innocence was fine.
His *gun*, though? Gone!
And that wasn't all—his wallet, watch, and phone were missing too!
"What the—?!"
It hit him like a truck.
He'd been conned by a knockout trick!
That soap must've had some kind of hallucinogen in it to knock him out…
But in this situation, he couldn't exactly call the cops.
Not when one of the missing items was a freaking handgun.
If they traced it back to him, he'd be toast…
"Damn it!"
Fury surged through him. "That damn dark-skinned bastard!"
---
Meanwhile…
"Achoo!"
Fujino sneezed as he stepped out of the hotel bathroom.
He rubbed his nose and checked the time on his phone. "That guy's probably awake by now, right?"
For now, Fujino wasn't planning to nab Kyōsuke Kazato outright.
To him, Kazato wasn't much of a threat.
With the system's tracking, he could grab him anytime he wanted.
Instead of an instant arrest, Fujino preferred a slow-burn approach—reaping the guy like a leek, one layer at a time.
Kazato was a gun-happy little punk.
Take away his tools, and his murder plans were basically kaput.
As for committing a crime barehanded?
With Kazato's scrawny build and injured wrist, forget taking on Miwa Sato—even Ran could probably knock him out with one combo.
"Ara, Fujino-kun?"
"Lawyer Fei?"
Fujino turned at the voice and spotted Eri Kisaki.
She was rocking a purple suit dress that hugged her curves just right, the long skirt stopping above her ankles to reveal gray stockings over her calves. Her brown hair was tied up in a neat bun, and frameless glasses added an extra layer of mature charm.
Sure, she was in her thirties and had a kid, but her figure and looks? You'd swear she was still in her twenties.
Eri walked over. "You here for Sara's wedding celebration too?"
Fujino nodded. "Yup. You too, Lawyer Fei?"
"Yeah," she replied. "Sara's a junior lawyer in our circle. As her senior, I had to show up for her celebration…"
"Makes sense."
Eri Kisaki was the undefeated queen of the legal world.
The Shiratori family had some clout too, and with their daughter Sara tying the knot—and stepping into law, no less—Eri was here to support her.
Plus, it seemed like the two got along pretty well normally.
Chatting, they took the elevator up to the fifteenth floor, where the wedding celebration was being held.
Stepping out, they entered an elegant reception hall. Red floors, gold walls—kinda gaudy, but the luxury was undeniable.
At the front was a long table with two signs hanging on either side: **[Shiratori Family]** and **[Seigetsu Family]**, marking the guests from each side.
From a distance, they spotted Ran, Sonoko, Brother Mouri, and the little grim reaper crew.
Ran wore a light yellow dress with a short pink jacket, giving off a lively, innocent vibe.
Sonoko had on a deep red mini dress with a pink sleeved top and a sheer hem—top-notch materials, clearly expensive.
The two of them were chatting with Miyano Akemi, while Conan was pestering Haibara Ai about something. Haibara, unimpressed, kept shaking her head.
Meanwhile, Uncle Mouri was signing the guestbook.
"Your handwriting's as awful as ever," Eri said with a smirk, walking up to tease her estranged husband.
"Mom!"
Ran turned, surprised to see Eri, then noticed Fujino behind her. "And Fujino-senpai too!"
"Me and Fujino are one thing…"
Kogoro Mouri looked up, exasperated. "But how'd *you* get invited?"
Eri explained her connection to Sara again, then picked up a brush and signed her name on the guestbook in elegant calligraphy.
"Auntie, your handwriting's gorgeous!"
Sonoko leaned in, admiring Eri's brushwork.
Conan, meanwhile, shot a dead-fish stare, thinking, *Why are you two signing separately like that…?*
Like Chinese wedding guestbooks, the signer was usually the head of the household.
But there were some subtle differences here.
For one, no need to chip in cash yet, and you didn't have to write down a gift amount on the guestbook.
As the head of the Fujino family, it naturally fell to Fujino to sign.
Once Eri finished, he took the brush and dashed off his name with a flourish.
Smooth as silk.
"Fujino-senpai's handwriting is awesome too…"
Sonoko peeked over, marveling. "It might even be nicer than Auntie's!"
"Yeah…"
Eri nodded, glancing at Fujino's signature with surprise. "Have you studied calligraphy, Fujino-kun?"
Haibara tiptoed over for a look, curious.
Sure enough, among the guestbook entries, only Eri's writing came close to Fujino's.
Calligraphy wasn't huge in Japan, though even elementary kids got some basic lessons. Still, true masters were rare.
"Just dabbled a bit," Fujino said, setting the brush down with a light chuckle.
Japanese used plenty of kanji, and most names were written with them—pretty much all of them, actually.
They stuck to traditional characters, sure, but traditional and simplified weren't that far apart. Most names looked the same either way.
"Both famous detectives, yet the gap's pretty huge, huh?"
Eri turned to Kogoro with a jab. "Right, *Detective*?"
"Hmph, mind your own business," Kogoro grumbled, his face darkening. He grabbed Fujino and started dragging him toward the hall. "Let's go, Fujino, my man!"
That "my man" came out extra heavy.
"Right, *Detective*?"
Haibara turned to Conan with a sly dig. "If you had even a quarter of his cool-headedness, maybe I'd trust you with the drug."
Conan: "…"
Why does everything turn into a chance to roast me?
---
After signing in, they entered the venue.
The hall was already buzzing with guests. Since it was a formal event, everyone was dressed to the nines.
The crowd was a mixed bag, but some stood out—like the cops.
It was a police family event, after all. Tons of officers were milling around, looking tough and chatting away—easy to spot.
"Inspector Megure's here too…"
Kogoro zeroed in on the chubby figure in the crowd right away.
"You can spot a cop from a mile away," Eri said, scanning the room with a smirk. "All of them with that grim look—it's turning a nice celebration into something so dreary."
Haibara glanced around and nodded, agreeing with Eri's take.
"Fujino."
A familiar voice called out.
Fujino turned and saw a young guy in a dark blue suit step up beside him.
"Hakuba! Didn't expect to see you here," Fujino teased. "I figured you didn't care much for this social stuff."
"You're the same as ever…"
Hakuba Tan sighed, a bit exasperated.
He liked Fujino, though.
They'd been through some life-or-death stuff together. Sure, their styles clashed sometimes, but he saw Fujino as a good friend.
Snapping out of it, he explained, "I'm just interested in that case, that's all. And since I heard you're investigating it too, my dad sent me over…"
Fujino cut in. "So you're here for me, huh?"
Hakuba: "…"
Well, yeah, but why'd that sound so weird?
"If I've got this right, your dad probably wants you to get some experience," Fujino said, patting Hakuba's shoulder with a wise tone. "I might be a *little* better than you, sure, but young folks shouldn't get too hung up on competing. Solving cases isn't about one-upping each other—it's about getting to the truth."
Hakuba: "…"
He let out a long sigh.
Fujino wasn't wrong, but why'd it feel so frustrating?
Should've stayed home—why did his dad keep tossing him into the deep end?
"Fujino-senpai, who's this?"
Ran tilted her head, eyeing Hakuba curiously. "He looks kinda familiar…"
"That's Hakuba Tan!"
Sonoko jumped in, excited. "The high school detective who came back from England! Didn't expect you to know him, Fujino-senpai!"
"Yeah, we met last time catching Kid the Phantom Thief," Fujino said.
Kogoro, though, couldn't sit still. He leaned over and whispered, "Fujino, my man, this case you're on… It's not the one from a couple days ago, is it?"
Fujino thought for a sec and nodded.
Kogoro groaned inwardly, feeling like Megure was playing favorites.
A case like that shouldn't involve detectives, normally.
He got it, sure…
But now Fujino was in on it too?
And some other kid was investigating as well?
He couldn't even ask about it—what the heck was this?
Kogoro sighed. "What kind of case is this, anyway? I called Megure, and he wouldn't tell me squat."
"Let's just say it's beyond what a regular detective can handle," Fujino said, glancing at him. "Brother Mouri, you're better off not digging into this one."
Kogoro still didn't get it. He peeked at Hakuba and muttered, "Fine, you're one thing, Fujino, but what's up with this Hakuba kid?"
"Uh…"
Fujino paused. "He's the police superintendent's son."
Kogoro: "…"
Oh, well, never mind then.
Kogoro straightened up and changed the subject. "Ahem, looks like Chief Odagiri's over there. I'll go say hi."
"That's the 'Sleeping Kogoro,' right?"
Hakuba, tired of Sonoko pestering him, sidled up to Fujino and glanced at Kogoro. "I thought the rumors about you two being tight were just talk. Guess it's true."
Fujino nodded. "Yup, he lives right across from me."
"There's one thing I'm curious about, though…"
Hakuba rubbed his chin. "They say he falls asleep every time he solves a case. Is that for real? And if he's asleep, how's he even solving anything?"
Fujino: "…"
Watson, you've spotted the blind spot!
(End of Chapter)