Uncle Mouri pointed at the wall above the bathtub where a mirror hung. "Why would he use an electric razor in the *bathtub* of all places?"
Inspector Megure looked exasperated.
In Japan, it's pretty normal for a whole family to share the same bathwater. Shaving in the tub? That's just wild. And then accidentally electrocuting himself? Man, the ways people die these days are getting weirder… 😅
"It was his habit," Yoko Shinde said from the doorway. "Whenever we had guests, he'd do this. That's why we even swapped out the bathroom mirror for a fog-proof one during the last renovation."
"Okay, but still…" Megure scratched his head, still baffled. "Who makes guests wait around while they go take a bath? That's nuts."
"Maybe he was trying to flex some 'head of the house' vibes," Fujino whispered, leaning toward Megure. "He's a son-in-law who married into the family, you know. His first wife's dead, and this current one's his second marriage…"
"Ohhh!" Megure nodded knowingly, like it all clicked. *Gotcha.*
Nearby, Tomoaki Shinde frowned slightly, watching the two whisper, clearly confused.
"If you ask me, he brought this on himself!" San Shinde stepped into the bathroom, muttering darkly. "I bet it's Chiaki giving him a little payback from beyond the grave!"
"Chiaki?" Megure echoed, glancing at Fujino's earlier hint. "Who's that?"
"She was my birth mom," Tomoaki explained. "She passed away four years ago."
Yoko chimed in, "Chiaki used to nag him all the time, saying, 'Shaving with a plugged-in razor in the tub is way too dangerous!' But he never listened."
Kogoro Mouri snapped out of his daze, turning to Yoko. "Wait, so you, Miss Yoko…?"
"I'm his second wife. We got married two years ago," Yoko said, pausing to think. "Chiaki and I were in the same nursing school class, so I heard all her complaints about Yoshiki back in the day."
"Inspector, check this out!" Takagi's voice rang out from behind.
They turned to see Takagi standing in the tub, holding the razor. "If you're shaving in front of the mirror here, the spot where the razor's cord meets the extension cable sits *right* on the tub's edge."
"Yeah, that's super risky," Megure said, eyeing the plug. "One wrong move, and zap—electrocution city."
He rubbed his chin, then turned to the group. "So, where were you all when the power went out?"
"We were all in the kitchen," Yoko answered. "The only one who wasn't was my mother-in-law. She was heading back to her room—I saw her climbing the stairs in the hallway, opposite the bathroom."
"Got it." Megure nodded, piecing it together. "So, it looks like Mr. Shinde was shaving, accidentally yanked the extension cord into the water, and got himself electrocuted."
He glanced at Kogoro and Fujino. "Sound right to you, Fujino, Mouri?"
"Seems legit to me," Kogoro said after a moment, nodding.
Megure grinned, satisfied. "Yup, suicide by accident. Case closed!" 😎
(Sorry, rushed this one a bit today—tons of typos, but I'll fix 'em later!)
(End of chapter)
**Chapter 246 - The Assassin Profession [4k+2k Bonus Update, Please Subscribe!]**
"Wait, that's it? Case closed?!" Conan's brow furrowed. Something felt off.
The razor, the body's position—none of it added up. He glanced up at Fujino. *No way Fujino missed this… right?*
Nah, couldn't be. Shaking off his thoughts, Conan knew he couldn't let this slide. He peeked at Takagi, then suddenly yelled, "Ahh!"
Takagi, still in the tub, jumped in surprise. His foot slipped, and he started tumbling backward, headfirst toward the tub.
"Watch out, Officer Takagi!" Fujino reacted fast, grabbing him and pulling him upright.
"Thanks, Fujino!" Takagi steadied himself, grateful.
"No problem," Fujino said, waving it off. His eyes slid to Conan. *This kid… he's pushing it.*
"Conan!" Ran rushed in, scooping him up in a panic.
Uncle Mouri spun around, startled. "Ran, keep an eye on that little troublemaker!"
"Sorry!" Ran bowed quickly, dragging Conan off as she apologized.
"But—but wait!" Conan squirmed, his high-pitched voice protesting as Ran's iron grip hauled him away, his cries fading down the hall.
…
Fujino stayed quiet, and Conan got dragged off. For now, the case was filed as an accident.
It'd get solved eventually—money was still on the table, after all. But not yet. Fujino remembered this case tied into a bigger plot in the Conan universe. Cracking it now would mess up the timeline he knew, throwing everything he could predict out the window.
Later, Tomoaki noticed a burn on Hikaru Homoto's hand. Fujino, Ran, and Conan tagged along to the Shinde Hospital infirmary.
Inside, Tomoaki treated Hikaru's burn while Fujino patched up a mysterious scratch on San Shinde's foot. *Free 50 doctor points, sweet!*
**[Current Doctor Points: 160/1000]**
"Fujino, you're pretty good at this," Tomoaki said, watching Fujino's technique. "You've got the skills of a regular medic."
"Just picked up some medical know-how here and there," Fujino replied, tying off the bandage and standing. "Compared to a Tokyo U med school star like you, I'm nowhere close."
"Haha…" Tomoaki laughed awkwardly. *Why does that feel like a backhanded compliment?*
"Anyway, wounds are patched up, so I'm gonna step out," Fujino said, heading for the infirmary door. "Got some lingering questions about this case to dig into."
Tomoaki blinked at Fujino's retreating figure. "Wait, I thought this was ruled an accident?"
"Don't overthink it," Fujino called back, pushing the door open. "Just a little poking around, that's all."
"Poking around?" Tomoaki's brow creased. He quietly got up and followed.
…
"Mrs. Yoko, could we chat somewhere private?" Fujino asked casually as they walked down the Shinde family hallway.
"Somewhere… private?" Yoko froze, her somber expression shifting to confusion, then a flicker of something else. "Detective Fujino, what are you getting at? I mean, sure, I'm a widow now, but still…"
"Widow? Huh?" Fujino gave her an odd look before lowering his voice. "I'm saying, Miss Yoko, you're the one who killed Mr. Yoshiki, aren't you?"
"What?!" Yoko's pupils trembled. She took a deep breath, forcing a smile. "Detective, what kind of joke is that? The police already said it was an—"
"Accident?" Fujino cut in, leaning close to whisper. "Faking an alibi with the kitchen phone's wireless connection, rigging a timer to short the power… You wouldn't want everyone finding out you're the killer, right, ma'am?"
"…"
Yoko stiffened, stunned into silence. After a long pause, she sighed. "Fine. Let's talk somewhere private."
At that moment, a small figure peeked out from behind a door, watching them.
"Fujino??" Conan muttered, puzzled.
He'd come looking for evidence, but instead, he'd stumbled onto *this*. *Something's fishy with these two…* 🤔
Conan furrowed his brow, sensing something fishy was going on. He whipped out a listening device and charged forward.
"Whoa!"
He crashed right into Niide Yoko, sneakily planting the bug on her skirt.
"Sorry about that!" he chirped in his cute little voice before bolting off.
Fujino quietly glanced at the listening device Conan left behind. 😏
…
Upstairs at the Niide house, in a guest room.
Outside, Niide Tomoaki had followed and was eavesdropping by the door.
Conan, after heading upstairs and spotting Tomoaki, paused mid-step and slipped back to the stairwell corner.
"…"
Niide Yoko kept her head down, her expression a tangled mess. She looked up at Fujino's face, puzzled. "Did you… know it was me from the start?"
"Yup," Fujino nodded, his voice steady. "I started suspecting you when the power went out and your voice disappeared from outside."
"You noticed that even in the dark? Impressive… You really are a detective," she said, almost in awe.
"Just happened to catch it, that's all," Fujino chuckled lightly. He thought for a sec, then kept piecing it together. "You went out of your way to set up alibis for everyone, and you made sure Ms. Homoto didn't get shocked when she checked things out. It's gotta be about Niide Yoshiki… My guess? Cheating, right?"
"You're right—it *was* about cheating. But that alone wouldn't have pushed me to kill him. The real reason… it's Chiaki."
Yoko's mind drifted back. "About four years ago, the night Chiaki crashed her car drunk, she called me. She asked me to look after Tomoaki and make sure he didn't turn out like his dad."
"I didn't get it at the time. But after I married into this family and found her diary while cleaning, it clicked. Niide Yoshiki—that jerk—was a total creep who couldn't keep his hands off any woman he saw!"
"Chiaki was so sharp and bright… but he drove her to drink, and in the end, he's the reason she died."
Yoko sighed, lowering her head. "Not that I've got much room to judge. When he proposed to me back then, I didn't even hesitate to say yes."
She looked up, narrowing her eyes at Fujino. "So, Detective Fujino, why'd you go through all this trouble to get me alone? If you wanted to expose me, you'd have done it back there."
"I've got a bit of a selfish motive," he admitted.
"Knew it," Yoko said with a weak laugh, bracing herself. "Alright, what do you want?"
"I want you to turn yourself in."
"Turn myself in?" She blinked, caught off guard.
"Yeah, turn yourself in."
Fujino took a deep breath, then laid it out calmly. "At this point, you've got two options. One: you confess. Two: Uncle Mouri calls you out in front of everyone."
"Honestly, I'd rather you pick the first one."
He met her gaze, his tone serious. "Sure, you set up the murder device, but Ms. Homoto's the one who actually triggered it. We haven't known her long, but I can tell she's naive. She likes Tomoaki so much she'd burn herself just to stay here and not get kicked out. If she finds out about this, it'll mess her up bad."
"All that over a teacup…" Yoko chuckled softly. "She'd get caught the second someone counted them anyway."
"She's a sweet, clumsy kid," Yoko added. "Crazy about Tomoaki but too shy to say it, putting up with Yoshiki's nagging every day…"
"I'll turn myself in. It's weird to say as a murderer, but I don't want everyone hating me."
After a moment's thought, she made up her mind with a sigh. "And if Tomoaki ends up with her someday, I don't want her carrying any scars because of me."
"If you confess, you might get some leniency," Fujino suggested. "As for the method, I've got an idea. You could say you knocked him out first, then put him in the tub with a timed device to electrocute him. During the blackout, you destroyed the timer…"
…
Outside in the hallway—
Conan listened through the bug, quietly bowing his head.
Fujino, that guy…
He'd figured out the truth way before him.
So *that's* why he acted like that earlier?
No wonder.
With what he'd just overheard, the pieces that didn't fit before suddenly made sense.
But a wave of defeat crept up in his chest.
"Next time, I'll beat you for sure!" Conan clenched his fists, turning frustration into determination. 💪
…
Niide Yoko slipped away with the police.
Fujino was about to drive the Mouri family home.
Before getting in the car, Ran said she had something to talk to Tomoaki about.
Conan and Mouri Kogoro frowned and tagged along.
Fujino, after closing his system interface, strolled over too.
"Dr. Niide, if it's okay, could I borrow your sweater for a bit?" Ran asked Tomoaki, a little shy. "I've been learning to knit with my mom lately, and the pattern on yours is so cool. I'd love to try copying it…"
Conan, hiding behind the door, let out a relieved breath.
So Ran's late-night "training" was just her going to her mom's to learn knitting…
That's why she kept staring at that pretty boy.
It was all about the sweater.
But then a new worry hit him.
Who's she knitting for?!
Wait—could it be?!
Conan's eyes shot up, landing on Fujino among the trio peeking.
Fujino felt the stare.
This kid's totally suspecting him…
A sly grin tugged at Fujino's lips.
Conan froze, his blood pressure spiking. He barely resisted the urge to shoot Fujino with a tranquilizer dart, letting out a small sigh instead. 😤
…
Late night, Fujino's place.
Fujino had just gotten home and stepped into his room when a system alert chimed:
*[Detective Job Mission: "Dead Angle in the Dark" completed]*
*[Rewards: 1.5 million yen, 300 detective reputation points issued]*
*[Current balance: 12.46 million yen]*
*[Current reputation: 1210/1500]*
Fujino glanced at his balance.
He was sitting pretty now.
Ten million yen? That's a decent chunk of cash for him.
"Time for a long-overdue mid-tier ten-pull…"
After a moment's thought, he opened the job gacha interface and kicked off a mid-tier ten-pull without hesitation.
*[Spent 8.9 million yen for the host]*
*[Current balance: 3.56 million yen]*
*[Rewards: All-Job Points x2, Random Job Upgrade Cards x2, Gold Job Card (Assassin), Makeup Knowledge Book (Blue), Divination Stick (Purple), Client Charm (Purple), Batman's Anesthetic Dart Box (Purple), Master Ball x1 (Purple)]*
"A new job?" Fujino stared at the system's haul, surprised. "And it's gold?"
He pulled up the job interface to check out the new skills:
*[New Sub-Job: Assassin (Beginner: 0/100)]*
*Job Skills:*
- *Good & Evil Judgment (System issues assassin tasks—rewards based on target)*
- *Basic Assassin Knowledge (Foundational assassin know-how)*
- *Leap of Faith: Passive (Triggers when falling from heights, auto-spawns haystack to reduce fall damage; 10-min cooldown)*
- *Modern Assassin: Beginner (20% boost to all stats with cold weapons; 20% boost with firearms)*
- *Swift Assassination: Beginner (Mark enemies with weapon damage; 200% move speed when closing in)*
"An actual assassin job…" Fujino muttered, eyeing the skills with a mix of amusement and disbelief.
Leap of Faith? Seriously?
He suddenly felt like he was drifting closer to some secret brotherhood vibe.
Still, jokes aside, this assassin gig wasn't half bad.
He didn't mind taking out a few scumbags anymore.
And if he could score rewards for offing people who deserved it? Even better.
"Looks like I've got another way to rake in cash," he murmured, then checked out the rest of his loot in the system inventory:
- *[Makeup Knowledge Book: Grants makeup skills upon use]*
- *[Divination Stick: Predicts tomorrow's or today's fortune with hints]*
- *[Client Charm: (Detects host's main job as Detective) Attracts high-value clients with big commissions]*
- *[Batman's Anesthetic Dart Box: Full box, 20 darts inside]*
- *[Master Ball: From a Pokémon world—captures any creature, no size limit, one target max]*
"Master Ball… Client Charm… Divination Stick… What even is this stuff?" Fujino twitched, rubbing his temples.
The system's rewards were getting weirder by the day.
A client-pulling charm? Really?
He just hoped it was legit and not some sketchy scam.
Shaking it off, he started sorting his haul.
Four purple items, one blue knowledge book.
Plus two all-job points and two random job upgrade cards.
He had three all-job points now but wasn't planning to use them yet.
His skills were decent enough for now—better to save them for a rainy day.