At a café in Beika, Shinichi listened to Ran and Sonoko explain what had happened.When he realized they had actually been kidnapped and then voluntarily handed their kidnapper a fortune, he almost fell out of his chair.
"You mean he tied you up… then let you go… and then you gave him one hundred million yen because you felt sorry for him?!"He buried his face in his hands. "Unbelievable! Two geniuses! You've been conned!"
Sonoko crossed her arms. "I wasn't tricked. I wanted to help him!"Ran sighed. "Shinichi, can't you think of something good for once? I really believe Ren Kuroda wants to change.""Yes," Sonoko added, "otherwise, why would he release us?"
Shinichi shook his head in disbelief. "Exactly so you'd trust him enough to hand over money! You're both too naive. This is probably an elaborate scam. We should call the police before it's too late."
But Sonoko refused. "Tomorrow. I'll see him at school tomorrow."
Shinichi could only mutter, "Fine, it's your decision," thinking she would only learn after losing the money.
That evening, Ren Kuroda checked the mysterious Bandit System again.
Current Mission: "Accumulate 100 million yen in stolen funds."Progress: 0.
Ren frowned. So even that doesn't count?Apparently the system didn't consider Sonoko's donation "stolen." Still, he felt sure the next step of his strange new life would take care of that problem soon enough.
Following the memories that weren't entirely his own, Ren arrived at a small, unremarkable finance office called Niu‑Niu Loans. Nothing about it looked dangerous, yet he knew it was a front for illegal lending.
Inside, he announced he had come to settle his debts. The clerk—an intimidating, muscle‑bound man—led him upstairs to the president's office after checking him for weapons.
The president, a thin middle‑aged man, smiled through cigar smoke. "Ren‑kun! You brought the money so quickly. I knew you had potential."
Ren ignored the mockery and placed a thick stack of cash on the desk. "That's twenty million yen. Count it."
The man's smile turned cold. "That was the balance two days ago. Interest rises fast, you know. Plus, I'm taking a 'risk' accepting money of… questionable origin. Let's call it forty million total."
Ren glared. "Why not just rob me outright?"The man's smirk answered for him. "Exactly. Now hand it over and leave."
Realizing any "rules" these people claimed to follow were meaningless, Ren handed over the money only long enough to reclaim his promissory note. The moment he had it back, he turned and walked out.
Downstairs, the guard eyed him suspiciously as he adjusted the strange half‑mask the System had provided.
"Why the mask?" the guard asked.
Ren only smiled. "You'll understand in a moment."
Later, police sirens echoed across Beika's narrow streets. A pair of emergency calls reported a disturbance at the same loan office. By the time officers forced the door, the place was in ruins: documents scattered, the safe emptied, and the two men who had terrorized debtors for years taken into custody after a violent struggle.
When the report hit the news that night, Shinichi commented to Ran, "A fire, a raid, and two arrests at Niu‑Niu Finance. Guess someone finally stood up to them."
Across town, Ren closed the glowing System window on his phone.
Mission Complete: 100 million yen stolen.Reward: Gene Enhancement Fluid.
He sighed. At least the debt's gone… but what kind of path am I walking now?