After setting up the tent, Fujino stowed his wooden sword back in his travel backpack.
On the other side, Dr. Agasa and the three kids finished pitching their tent too, pulling out a big iron pot and two bags of ingredients.
"Fujino, Ai, and I will start the fire and cook. You kids go gather some firewood," Dr. Agasa said, checking the food and seasonings in the luggage. He took charge like a team leader.
"Don't wander too far," Fujino added, giving them a pointed reminder before they left.
"We won't!" Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta chimed in unison, dragging Conan off into the forest behind them.
Fujino watched their retreating figures, a little skeptical of their promise.
He'd seen firsthand how good these kids were at getting into trouble. Something about this felt off.
"Relax," Haihara Ai said, arms crossed, glancing up at him. She patted the detective badge in her pocket. "If anything happens, they'll signal us with the badges."
*Let's hope so…*
"By the way, Ai," Dr. Agasa piped up, eyeing Fujino and Haihara working seamlessly at the table, prepping ingredients. "I didn't know Fujino could cook. Do you two make meals together a lot?"
"He's really good at it," Haihara replied, grabbing a kitchen knife with her usual calm tone. "Even I pick up a few recipes from him sometimes."
There was a subtle hint of pride in her voice.
"Huh?" Dr. Agasa blinked, caught off guard. "He's *that* good?"
Sure, he knew Fujino, but his grasp of the guy was still pretty shallow. In his mind, famous detectives weren't supposed to be kitchen wizards. A cooking detective? That was rare.
"Just basic home cooking, nothing special," Fujino said with a sheepish grin, brushing it off. He glanced at the ingredients on the table—carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, onions. "Looks like we're making curry for this camping trip."
Curry was a solid choice—easy and practical for travel.
---
Meanwhile, in the forest…
The Detective Boys hummed little tunes as they gathered firewood, efficiently piling up a decent stash.
But these hyperactive kids weren't the type to stick to something mundane without stirring up trouble.
Sure enough, they soon stumbled across a cave with a stalactite entrance, marked by a sign that read "Danger: Do Not Enter." Next to it, a stone tablet bore an inscription: "The Path to the Dragon—Blissful Light Shall Shine Upon You."
"Treasure!"
With Conan's nudge, they quickly concluded the cave was risky but packed with loot.
Their excitement spiked—practically buzzing with it.
But as they geared up to head in, Ayumi hesitated. "Wait… Fujino-nii said not to go far. And the sign says it's dangerous."
"She's right," Conan nodded. "We should tell him first. We can all explore together later."
Sure, Fujino could be a bit of a jerk, but Conan trusted his skills. If trouble hit, that guy could probably handle it no sweat.
"Danger's just a scare for little kids! It's fine to peek inside!" Mitsuhiko shot back. "What if there's real treasure in there?"
"Yeah!" Genta piled on. "If we find treasure and Fujino takes the credit, that's our glory stolen!"
"It's just a quick look—no big deal…"
With that, the two marched into the cave.
Ayumi, though nervous, didn't want to be left behind and trailed after them.
"These little brats…"
Conan sighed, staring at the "Danger" sign. With a resigned breath, he followed them in.
---
Back at the campsite…
Dr. Agasa sat on a folding stool, watching Fujino and Haihara bustle around. He felt a bit sidelined, like some lonely retiree.
Fujino, in a black casual outfit, chopped an onion into chunks, plated it, and handed it to Haihara. "Carrots cut like this okay?"
"Yup," Haihara said, wearing a deep red off-shoulder sweater and khaki shorts. She took the plate and dumped it into the pot. "Next up, onions…"
She grabbed one to pass to Fujino but paused.
His nose was sharp—last time on the plane, a whiff of sulfur had him coughing like crazy. Cutting onions might wreck him.
After a second, she turned to Dr. Agasa, who was twiddling his thumbs. "Doctor, lend a hand."
"Oh? What can I do?" Dr. Agasa perked up, thrilled to be useful.
"Cut the onion," Haihara said, handing it over.
"Onion?"
Dr. Agasa took it, sliced twice, and instantly teared up, coughing from the sting.
"Doctor, how do you even cook at home?" Haihara asked, picking up the onion.
It was hacked open, but the root still clung together—like some weird floral carving.
Haihara: "…"
*Kind of a waste.*
Dr. Agasa: "…"
*What's with that look? Sorry this old bachelor can't cook!*
"Haihara! Can you hear me?!"
Conan's voice crackled through the detective badge in her pocket.
Fujino's eyes narrowed as he glanced at her. Something was off in Conan's tone.
*These kids… Don't tell me they're in trouble again.*
"I hear you," Haihara said, pulling out the badge, sensing the tension. "What's going on?"
"We're in a stalactite cave nearby," Conan said, his voice rushed. "We just saw a gang of armed robbers hiding a body. They spotted us, and now they're chasing us…"
"Conan! Blood!" Ayumi's shocked cry cut in. "There's so much blood on you!"
"Blood?"
Conan glanced down at the stains on his short-sleeved shirt, stunned for a second. Then he gritted his teeth. "Call the police quick—don't come here!"
"Ai, what's happening?" Dr. Agasa asked, fresh from washing his face, noticing her grim expression.
"They ran into bank robbers in the cave," Haihara said. "Edogawa's been shot."
"What?!" Dr. Agasa gaped.
"New detective job task detected. Please check it!"
A system prompt chimed in Fujino's ear.
A light screen popped up:
[Detective Bounty Task: Arrest Bank Robbers
Objective: Capture three bank robbers
Rewards: 1 million yen, 300 detective reputation points, 1 all-profession point
Time Limit: 2 hours]
Three robbers, Conan shot, and Teitan High's school festival…
Fujino pieced it together fast—a classic Detective Boys' death-wish case.
*No wonder I had a bad feeling earlier…*
He sighed, accepted the task mentally, and pulled out his phone to call Inspector Megure.
---
Tokyo Metropolitan Police HQ
"What, Fujino?!"
Inspector Megure shot up from his chair, shouting. "You're saying they ran into three armed robbers?!"
"Yeah," Fujino said calmly. "Conan and the kids found them in a stalactite cave. They've got guns and were disposing of a body."
"Three, huh?" Megure steadied himself. "That matches the bank robbery from this morning. We're already after them. Fujino, don't do anything rash—wait for us."
"No time. They've seen the kids, and Conan's shot. If we wait for you, it'll be too late."
"Fujino—"
The line cut off before Megure could finish.
"Always making me worry…" Megure muttered with a sigh.
Fujino was a good guy, but he got reckless at critical moments.
Then again, running into bank robbers or drug cartels wasn't exactly rare for him. Life-or-death stakes were split-second calls.
If Fujino was going all-in, Megure couldn't just sit there.
He stood, waved a hand, and barked, "Everyone free of cases—gear up and move out!"
---
Back at the campsite…
Fujino hung up, turned, and headed for his car parked nearby.
He popped the trunk's hidden compartment and pulled out a black bulletproof vest from what looked like empty space.
Haihara caught his move and hesitated. "You're not seriously going to save them, are you?"
"The police will take too long. I can't wait," Fujino said, fastening the vest's straps.
Truth was, if the cops got there first, he'd lose the bounty.
Haihara looked up, worry creasing her face. "But there's three of them—with guns. You're just one guy…"
"I've got this," Fujino said, turning to reassure her. He knew what she was fretting over and patted her head. "Conan's hit. If we wait for the police, that kid's toast."
"Be careful…" Haihara's eyes flickered, her fists clenching. "I'll wait for you."
"Got it."
Fujino gave her a nod, tightened his vest, and headed into the forest depths.
---
Forest Trail
Fujino followed the kids' path, moving steadily along the narrow trail.
His mind started piecing together the case details.
He remembered this one: Conan and the gang went treasure-hunting in a nearby stalactite cave.
With their resident grim reaper in tow, they naturally got a chaos buff.
Right after entering, they stumbled onto bank robbers disposing of a corpse.
The robbers, desperate to keep their faces hidden, decided to silence them. Conan took a stray bullet while fleeing.
Following the trail, wooden sword in hand, Fujino reached the cave's entrance deep in the woods.
It was pitch-black inside, flanked by a stone tablet and a "Do Not Enter" warning sign.
"The Path to the Dragon—Blissful Light Shall Shine Upon You… Yeah, I still don't get these cryptic riddles," Fujino muttered, scanning the area and reciting the tablet's words.
He tugged his cap lower, glancing at his vest.
Three guys with guns—standard vests might not cut it.
But he wasn't worried. Under his casual gear, he had a bulletproof suit layered up too.
Stepping into the cave, Fujino narrowed his eyes, activating Eagle Eye to scan for life signs and scope the surroundings.
The world shifted to high-contrast black-and-white—night vision on steroids. Super handy.
Guided by Eagle Eye, he darted through the cave's winding maze, his assassin skills keeping his steps near-silent, ghost-like.
Seven life signs pinged—four small, three large. The kids and the robbers.
Soon, he zeroed in on his first target: a lone mushroom-haired guy.
"Damn it, where'd those brats run off to?"
Mushroom held a gun in his left hand, a flashlight in his right, sweeping the area—oblivious to the shadow behind him.
As he turned to regroup with his crew, Fujino struck.
Drawing on his assassin know-how, he clamped his left hand over the guy's mouth, right arm choking his neck.
Smooth as water.
With a muffled grunt, Mushroom struggled for air, then went limp, eyes rolling back as he passed out—like a baby drifting off.
Fujino checked he was down, eased him to the ground silently, and pulled rope from his inventory to tie him up.
He snagged the guy's gun and moved on to the next two.
---
At a fork in the cave…
"That's weird," a buzz-cut guy in a leopard-print shirt and white suit muttered, hands in his pockets. "We've searched everywhere—where are those little punks?"
"The tunnels here are a mess. Kids are small—they could be anywhere," a long-haired guy said, shining his flashlight ahead. "Maybe they're trembling behind some rock."
"Speaking of which, where's that other guy?" Buzz-cut glanced back. "Lost or what?"
"Forget him," Long-hair said, heading down the tunnel. "Priority's finding those kids and finishing them off, or we're screwed."
"Yeah…" Buzz-cut followed, smirking coldly. "If he's dead, even better. We'd split his share fifty-fifty."
Fujino, crouched behind a rock, watched them enter the tunnel.
He rose quietly and tailed them, silent as a shadow.
(Chapter End)