Sato Miwako wasn't surprised that Kazato Kyosuke was tailing her.
Once his identity was confirmed, she discreetly spoke into the small walkie-talkie pinned to her chest. "The suspect's right behind me. It's Kazato Kyosuke."
Not far off, in a car parked along the street, Inspector Megure Thirteen's walkie-talkie crackled with Sato's voice.
"Got it," he replied.
"Everyone, get ready. We'll arrest the suspect any moment now."
"Stay safe, Sato."
Megure Thirteen gave a quick rundown of the plan, then sighed with a hint of admiration. "Kazato Kyosuke took the bait, just like you said he would. Nice work, Fujino."
"…"
No response. Megure Thirteen blinked. "Fujino?"
He turned to look, but the spot next to him—where Fujino had been sitting—was empty.
Megure Thirteen: "…"
*Don't tell me that guy's gone off on his own again…*
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the scene.
Fujino hopped out of a nearby undercover car and, with a swift leap, landed on the roof of a house.
Standing atop the tiles, he scanned the street below.
Sure enough, there was Sato Miwako, strolling boldly ahead, and Kazato Kyosuke, sneaking along behind her.
"Fishing really is the way to go," Fujino muttered to himself, eyes narrowing with a smirk.
Yep, the whole point of Sato walking alone at night was to lure out a big fish like Kazato Kyosuke.
As for why she'd dolled herself up—complete with black stockings? Apparently, the logistics team had a theory: the better she looked, the more it'd stir up a criminal's urges.
Fujino didn't get it, but he was honestly kinda impressed.
*Those old pervs really don't care about stirring the pot, do they?*
Weren't they worried Sato might actually get caught and end up in some gruesome mess?
So why was Fujino tagging along?
Well, that story started this morning.
Earlier that day, Odagiri Toshiro—moving fast—had gotten the results of the investigation into Kazato Kyosuke.
Just as Fujino suspected, Kazato was indeed Narazawa's psychologist.
On top of that, he was also an old enemy of the deceased Niya Tamotsu—someone who'd once had his hand tendons sliced by the guy.
With all the clues lined up, Odagiri Toshiro quickly concluded that Kazato Kyosuke was the one who'd killed the two cops *and* Niya Tamotsu.
After that, he took his son in to turn himself in, regaining control over the case.
Oh, and he gave Fujino a quick call to fill him in.
Once Fujino got the heads-up, he dragged Tomonari Makoto and Hakuba Tan to the Metropolitan Police Department.
After some questioning, Tomonari was cleared of suspicion.
That left Kazato Kyosuke as the last man standing.
At Fujino's suggestion, Megure Thirteen cooked up another fishing expedition.
The plan? Have Sato Miwako reel the "fish" in.
That afternoon, with Shiratori's introduction, Sato posed as a grieving cop—down in the dumps over losing two colleagues—and became Kazato Kyosuke's newest patient.
During the session, she "accidentally" let slip that Tomonari Makoto had been pegged as the killer.
A little reassurance for Kazato.
Then, using the same trick, she dropped hints about having no security around her and a broken-down car.
And just like that, Kazato—who still thought he was in the clear—couldn't resist the opportunity.
Completely in the dark, he first lured Tomonari out, then set his sights on killing Sato Miwako to tie up loose ends…
Sure, his original goal had just been revenge.
But after that first kill, everything changed.
He started getting hooked on the thrill of it—only he didn't have a good excuse anymore…
Until Officer Narazawa mentioned reopening that case from a year ago.
*"If I take out this woman, it's all over,"* Kazato thought, creeping forward.
He raised his gun, aiming at Sato, his resolve hardening.
But just as he was about to pull the trigger, chaos erupted.
"Move in!"
A shout rang out from nearby.
Suddenly, several dark figures burst from the shadows.
Dressed in suits, burly and stern-faced, they were obviously cops.
Kazato Kyosuke: "…?"
Before his stunned brain could catch up, a black figure leapt down from a rooftop, charging straight at him.
Kazato Kyosuke: "What the—?!"
*Thud!*
With a loud crash, Fujino tackled him to the ground.
"It's you?!"
Kazato finally registered who it was, staring in shock.
The rooftop-jumping powerhouse pinning him down was none other than Fujino—the detective he'd met before.
*Damn it…*
He'd thought the guy was Batman or something.
Fujino didn't bother responding.
Taking advantage of Kazato's confusion, he stomped on the man's right hand, then grabbed his left wrist with his own left hand.
With the gun-wielding arm locked down, Fujino raised his right fist, charged it up for a split second, and brought it down hard.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
Three muffled blows landed squarely on Kazato's wrist.
The sheer force shattered the bones.
"Argh!"
The searing pain of his wrist being crushed shot straight to Kazato's brain, forcing out a howl.
The gun slipped from his grip, clattering to the ground with a sharp *clink*.
All of this went down in less than ten seconds.
"Fujino!"
Sato Miwako snapped out of it.
She rushed over, kicked the gun aside, and pulled out her handcuffs to restrain him.
With the help of several burly officers, Kazato—still struggling—stood no chance.
The operation was a success, and word went up the chain.
Soon enough, Megure Thirteen arrived with Odagiri Toshiro in tow.
"Fujino, you're way too reckless…" Megure Thirteen said, exasperated. "Jumping off a roof like that—why didn't you give us a heads-up?"
Fujino crouched down, picked up the gun, flicked the safety on, and stood with a sheepish grin. "I was just worried he'd shoot Officer Sato."
"Hm?"
Sato, walking over, paused at that, her mind drifting.
Now that she thought about it, this felt kinda familiar…
With a playful smirk, she teased, "Oh, so Fujino-kun was worried about me, huh?"
"Well, he *did* have a gun…" Fujino chuckled dryly.
But honestly? That wasn't the real reason.
The system had tasked him with catching Kazato Kyosuke. To be safe, he had to be the one to take him down.
If someone else got credit, and the system didn't count it, he'd be screwed.
"You were a bit reckless this time," Odagiri Toshiro said, nodding at Megure's point. "But your instincts and actions were solid. Risky, sure, but you stopped the guy faster than anyone else could've."
The more he saw of Fujino, the more Odagiri liked him.
*This guy not being a cop is a crime against nature.*
And it seemed like he had a soft spot for Sato Miwako…
Maybe another fishing op was in order?
But nah, he dismissed the thought.
Fujino was a rare talent—someone who could even revive Japan's police force, in his eyes.
Background-wise, if they set up another "fishing" scheme, Sato would be the one coming out ahead—maybe even climbing the ranks.
But pimping out a fallen colleague's daughter like that? Nah, not cool.
"Argh!"
"You bastard, trying to take out Officer Sato?!"
"No forgiveness for you!"
A pained yelp and a commotion broke out nearby.
The group turned, puzzled, and saw the officers from the operation piling onto the already-subdued Kazato Kyosuke, delivering what could only be described as a "loving" arrest.
It was a brutal scene—basically a beatdown.
Well, maybe just a straight-up beatdown.
Sato Miwako was pretty popular at the precinct.
A lot of the guys in this operation were likely future members of her fan club.
Plus, this jerk had killed two of their fellow officers…
No surprise they'd be pissed at the guy who tried to off Sato.
The fact they hadn't just shot him thirty times in the back and called it "suicide" was a miracle.
"Stop it!" Fujino couldn't watch anymore and yelled at them. Then he shared some wisdom: "Don't hit his stomach—go for the waist. Keep it light. It won't cause serious damage, but it'll hurt way more than a hard punch."
To prove it, he stepped up and kicked Kazato in the side.
Sure enough, Kazato yelped, sweat beading on his forehead from that special kind of pain every guy understands.
"The waist, huh?"
One officer paused, eyeing Fujino.
"That's a thing?"
Another caught on quick and gave it a try.
The rest followed suit, marveling at the technique.
"Argh—!"
With Fujino's hands-on lesson, the officers mastering the "loving" arrest nailed it in no time.
"No wonder they call him the 'no-injury beatdown' Detective Fujino!"
"So professional!"
They kept whaling on Kazato's waist while praising Fujino's skills.
"Teacher Fujino! What about the butt?"
"You can hit the butt, but I wouldn't. Feels kinda weird… Good question, though—don't ask again."
"What about the arms?"
"Try twisting the arm back to dislocate it. Get him to a doctor quick, and it's fine. Stops him from moving and maxes out both pain and fear."
"Ohhh~"
The cops acted like they'd discovered a new continent.
A continent that was honestly kinda ridiculous.
Sato Miwako: "…"
*This guy's still got that sneaky mean streak, huh.*
Megure Thirteen: "…"
*They're one thing, but you're out here giving a masterclass, Fujino?*
Odagiri Toshiro: "…"
*Eh, I'll turn a blind eye.* He got why the officers were so worked up.
After all, this mess had dragged him and his son into it too.
In a weird way, he kinda enjoyed watching this.
*It's just a little roughhousing. We'll say he resisted arrest.*
He was the top dog here.
Who'd argue?
Fujino let out a dry laugh and turned to Megure Thirteen. "Inspector Megure, I'll leave these guys to you. Don't go too hard—if he ends up hospitalized, it's just a win for him."
"Don't worry," Odagiri Toshiro nodded. "We'll get this creep to court ASAP."
"Good…"
Fujino exhaled, glancing back.
In Japan, killing three or more people could land you on death row.
Given the chaos Kazato caused, with the precinct pushing and public outrage backing it, he'd probably get the death penalty.
But in Japan…
With officials who'd rather dodge responsibility—and even dump sewage into the sea—execution might not come quick.
Even if he got the death penalty, it'd likely sit for a while.
In a way, that'd be letting him off easy.
Death sentences here don't come with a heads-up.
You wait, never knowing when the order'll get signed—and then bam, they haul you out and it's over.
For someone sentenced to death, every day's a nerve-wracking guessing game.
*"You've got a new message—check it out!"*
As Fujino watched the officers "bond" with Kazato, a system chime rang in his ear, and a transparent interface popped up:
**[Detective Job Task Detected: Bounty Target (True Culprit of the Police Serial Murder Case) Completed!]**
**[System Rewards: 4 Million Yen · 600 Detective Reputation Points · 1 All-Job Point Issued!]**
**[Current Balance: 12.08 Million Yen]**
**[Current Reputation: 50-1500]**
**[Congratulations, Host! Detective Level Upgraded!]**
**[Current Detective Level: Mid-Tier Four Stars]**
**[Current Available Detective Job Points: 1]**
*Level up, huh…*
Fujino squinted at the system screen.
One more level to Mid-Tier Five Stars, and he'd hit High-Tier.
A question lingered in his mind.
What'd happen after maxing out High-Tier? Would his detective job *evolve*?
If it did—if it transformed the whole gig—how much stronger would he get?
Mulling it over, he dumped the spare point into Detective Enhancement.
**[Detective Enhancement: Mid-Tier Four Stars (Temporary 350% Body Boost)]**
This time, the boost jumped by 50%.
Not bad—Fujino was pretty pleased.
That extra 50%, even if temporary, gave his combat skills a solid bump in a pinch.
Snapping out of it, he glanced at his 12.08 million yen with a satisfied nod.
That kind of cash could cover a mid-tier system lottery pull.
But he wasn't about to spend it.
No real pressure right now—lottery draws could wait.
When he could earn, he figured he should save.
In Japan, money and power talk.
The system's wild buffs were a cheat code, no doubt.
But the real hack? Its economy.
Even if a job paid nothing, the system tossed him a bonus—500,000 yen minimum, up to a million, two, or even three.
He could cash it out, spend it…
And Japan's officials couldn't trace a dime. It was real money—legit as anything.
That's where the system got nuts. It could manipulate economics, conjure cash from thin air, and make him rich.
As long as he didn't sink a single yen back into the damn thing.
(End of Chapter)