[~1400 Words]
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The moment Takuya Fujiwara stepped out of the airport, he dropped his bags at home, splashed water on his face, changed into fresh clothes, and drove straight toward the Metropolitan Police Department.
Vacation was over. Time to get back to work.
The Pentagon incident had grounded flights for days and kept him overseas longer than planned, but now he was home.
If he ever wanted that promotion to Superintendent, then Superintendent General, and who knows, maybe even the top seat in the National Police Agency one day, Chief of Police.
And eventually—Prime Minister.
Of course, his real-life goal was simpler: to have as many kids as possible with as many beautiful women as possible.
Today's target? His official Girlfriend Sato Miwako.
Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters
Inside the First Investigation Division, the atmosphere was pure chaos.
Files towered on every desk, phones rang nonstop, and exhausted officers chugged coffee like it was oxygen.
With Takuya gone and Kudo Shinichi still in America for most of the trip, major homicide cases had piled up like snow in Hokkaido.
Normal detectives just didn't have the reasoning horsepower to crack them.
Inspector Megure had swallowed his pride the moment he heard Shinichi was back in Japan and practically begged the high-school detective for help.
Which explained why, at that very moment, Kudo Shinichi was standing in the middle of the bullpen, chest puffed out, basking in the attention like a peacock.
Megure sighed inwardly. He'd called Takuya first, of course, but Takuya had said, "One more day."
Desperate, Megure had turned to the kid. Now he was regretting it.
Shinichi, oblivious to the eye-rolls around him, flashed a smug grin. "Don't worry, Inspector. These cases are child's play for me."
Sato Miwako folded her arms and muttered under her breath. The other officers exchanged weary glances.
They all missed Takuya. At least when their own guy solved the case, the whole division got the credit.
Just as Shinichi opened his mouth to start barking orders, "Officer Sato, I need you to—"
A calm, familiar voice cut through the room like a Katana.
"Ahem. Everyone, I'm back."
The office froze.
Takuya Fujiwara leaned against the door frame, travel bag slung over one shoulder, a lazy half-smile on his face. He looked exactly like a war god strolling back onto the battlefield after a minor vacation.
The reaction was instantaneous.
Gasps.
Frozen expressions.
Shinichi's face collapsed in horror.
Sato Miwako involuntarily straightened, eyes widening with relief and something warmer.
Shinichi looked like a man whose soul had left his body.
"W-why are you back already!? Didn't you say you'd need another day?" Shinichi sputtered.
"Oh, I wrapped up early. So—what are you doing? Another case?"
Takuya answered smoothly, stepping fully into the room like a king returning to his palace.
Megure practically teleported across the room, relief written all over his face.
"Takuya-kun! Perfect timing! Kudo-san, thank you so much for coming. Since Inspector Fujiwara is back, you should head home. You're a student—school is important!"
Shinichi blinked. "…Eh?"
Megure was already steering him toward the elevator with the gentle but unstoppable force of a bulldozer.
A moment ago it was "Kudo-kun."
Now suddenly it was "Kudo-san."
And he was being escorted out like an inconvenience.
"Inspector Megure, wait! I came all the way here—let me handle the case!" Shinichi protested desperately.
Megure patted his shoulder sympathetically while dragging him toward the elevator.
"My boy, I understand. But Inspector Fujiwara is in charge now. You should go home and study."
The elevator doors closed on Shinichi's stunned expression.
Three minutes later, a very grumpy high-school detective stood on the sidewalk outside headquarters, glaring up at the building.
"They begged me to come… and then ditch me the second he shows up?!" Shinichi kicked at a pebble.
"Fine. I already skimmed the files. I'll solve them myself and rub it in Fujiwara's smug face."
He stalked off, muttering dark promises of reckoning showdowns under his breath.
Nearby officers pretended not to notice the teenager talking to himself like a supervillain.
Upstairs, the mood had flipped from funeral to festival.
Officers swarmed Takuya, slapping his back, offering coffee, and dumping case files on his desk like offerings to a returning king.
Sato Miwako beat them all.
She marched straight over, dropped the thickest folder in front of him, and tried (and failed) to hide her smile.
"Welcome home, Inspector. These are all yours."
The second the door closed and the two of them were alone, Takuya hooked an arm around her waist, yanked her into his lap, and shamelessly cupped her breast and squeezed it with zero hesitation.
"Wow, Miwako, your boobs got even bigger while I was gone! Are you been eating properly?"
Her face exploded crimson. "T-Takuya! This is the police office! What if someone sees!?"
"I'm just making sure our future child won't starve. Looks like you've been eating well. I'm pleased."
He gave an exaggerated nod, like a scientist confirming test results.
But her embarrassment melted into a shy glow.
He always knew how to make her feel cherished—even when teasing her mercilessly.
"Pervert. Stop teasing and read the files. We've got three murders that stumped everyone."
Takuya finally released her and skimmed through the files. Three murder cases had accumulated while he was gone.
"…I leave the country for half a month and Japan racks up three murders? What's wrong with this place?"
Miwako exhaled helplessly.
Miwako sighed. "Welcome to Tokyo. The Suzuki family is personally leaning on the brass about one of them, so… no pressure."
Takuya's eyes gleamed at the mention of the Suzuki name. Sonoko's family.
Interesting.
He slipped on the enhanced Sherlock Holmes deerstalker hat (hidden in his drawer for exactly these moments) and the answers flooded his mind like someone hit fast-forward on a mystery drama.
The system-enhanced intuition kicked in like a supercomputer.
In seconds, the fog lifted.
He knew the culprit.
He knew the motive.
He knew the method.
The three cases were solved in a flash.
He handed one folder back to Miwako.
"First two cases, easy. Third one's the Suzuki maid murder. The distant cousin didn't do it; the victim's fiancé did. Insurance payout plus secret lover on the side. All the evidence is in the appendix if you know where to look."
Miwako stared.
"Perks of the job." He grinned, then handed her two arrest plans. "Take a team for suspect A. "Miwako, take a team and arrest the murderer. This one goes to Inspector Megure—he deserves the credit."
Her eyes softened. He was giving Megure a career boost on purpose. God, she loved this man.
"Got it. And the Suzuki case?"
"I'll handle that one personally this afternoon." He leaned in, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Gotta go thank the family for their… patience. I'll visit the Suzuki family this afternoon. Might as well greet them personally."
Miwako rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile.
Translation: he wanted an excuse to drop by the Suzuki estate and see how receptive Sonoko might be to future baby-making plans.
And perhaps… make an impression.
Miwako departed with the search teams, pride filling her stride. Takuya leaned back in his chair, exhaustion from travel finally settling onto his shoulders.
Time for a short rest before meeting the Suzukis.
By noon, two murder suspects were in cuffs, Megure was beaming like he'd won the lottery, and reporters were already camping outside headquarters chanting Takuya's name.
Headlines burst across the city:
"God-Level Inspector Solves Three Cases within Hours of Return!"
"Fujiwara Takuya: Japan's True Genius Detective Returns!"
The police force celebrated.
The city celebrated.
And Takuya simply closed his eyes, smiling faintly.
Sato Miwako watched her boyfriend casually lean back in his chair, feet on the desk, accepting congratulations like it was just another Tuesday.
The God of War was home, and Division One was back on top.
Takuya caught her staring and winked.
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