It's late at night.
Fujino drives back to Gochome in Mihama Town and parks the car in the underground garage.
The lights are still on in the third-floor apartment where the two sisters live.
Pushing open the door, Fujino sees Miyano Akemi still sitting on the living room sofa, holding a drink and staring at the TV.
Hearing the faint sound of the door opening, Miyano Akemi stands up. When she sees it's Fujino, she lets out a relieved breath.
She's about to say hello, but Fujino stops her with a quick "shh" gesture.
Miyano Akemi glances at Haihara Ai in Fujino's arms, understands what he means, and nods.
Fujino slips off his shoes and carries Haihara Ai into the living room.
"Let me take her."
Miyano Akemi gently takes Haihara Ai from him, carries her to the bedroom, lays her on the bed, and tucks her in.
Back in the living room, Fujino has already put some buns in the fridge. He grabs a drink, sits on the sofa, and stretches lazily.
Miyano Akemi takes the seat next to him and asks curiously, "You're back so late today—did you run into another murder case?"
"Yeah, when I was with Ai at the Chinese restaurant earlier, we stumbled into a murder scene."
Fujino takes a sip of his drink. "It took a while to give my statement at the police station, so I'm late getting back."
Just then, the TV interrupts with a late-night news bulletin:
*"We've just received breaking news: an explosion rocked a warehouse in ****. Casualties are still unknown, and the fire department has launched an emergency response…"*
"There sure have been a lot of cases lately…"
Miyano Akemi glances back at the news on TV and lets out a small sigh.
"Yeah, they've definitely been piling up…"
Fujino watches the thick smoke rising from the exploded warehouse on the screen, a theory forming in his mind.
---
Meanwhile, not long ago, near the cluster of warehouses shown on TV:
*Boom!*
A massive explosion tears through the air.
Gin drags his lackey, Vodka, as they scramble away from the scene.
Vodka's been shot multiple times and looks like he's on his last legs.
"Damn it…"
Gin clutches his Beretta, his gaze dark as he stares at the fiery glow rising in the distance.
Just moments ago, he and his crew—along with a bunch of outer-circle grunts—had taken down a stronghold of that animal organization.
By all accounts, the mission to wipe out the base and dig into the enemy's intel should've been a clean success.
But then things went sideways.
According to a report from one of the guys outside, reinforcements from the animal organization showed up and took out all the outer-circle members in one fell swoop.
He and Vodka got trapped in the chaos.
Thanks to Vodka taking a few bullets to cover him, they managed to slip out.
As for the explosion? That was Gin's doing.
Once they escaped the warehouse, he detonated the bombs he'd planted earlier.
No one inside survived—not even their own captured grunts.
But compared to the risk of those grunts spilling the organization's secrets, Gin was more than happy to send them off early.
Outer-circle lives don't really count as lives.
They get all the perks from the organization day-to-day—when push comes to shove, it's time to pay with their lives.
That's the organization's blessing, after all.
"Haa…"
Gin's breathing grows rough as sharp pain shoots up his brainstem.
He glances at his arm—blood's pouring down his black coat from a wound on his upper arm.
Even with his lightning-fast reflexes, he still took a hit.
Frustrating.
That's the only thought in his head right now.
Ever since he took out *that woman*, the troublesome people just keep multiplying.
That guy, the woman in the fox mask, and now this animal organization provoking them—every mission leaves him utterly exhausted.
*Tap, tap, tap!*
Footsteps echo nearby.
Gin raises his gun and yanks Vodka behind the wall of a nearby warehouse.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
A few animal organization members in brown coats poke their heads out, only to get dropped one by one as Gin fires, each shot a clean headshot.
But when he gets to the last one, his gun clicks empty.
"Chianti, move—"
Gin's face darkens as he starts to bark an order, but three gunshots cut him off.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
In his line of sight, the last survivor drops, a bullet in each hand and one foot.
Gin grabs Vodka's gun and spins around to see a tan-skinned, blond-haired figure standing behind him, holding a gleaming silver P7M8.
"Bourbon…"
Gin recognizes him instantly—Bourbon, another member of the organization.
Not that he likes the guy.
In Gin's eyes, Bourbon's the type who'd betray them in a heartbeat.
He aims his gun at Bourbon, suspicion dripping from his voice. "What are you doing here?"
"BOSS sent me."
Amuro Toru lowers his pistol, his face blank.
He'd been working his regular job like a champ when a sudden call dragged him out here to play cleanup crew.
Overtime sucks, and now he's stuck pulling extra hours here.
No wonder he's in a foul mood.
"Get to it."
Gin waves a hand.
From a taller warehouse nearby, a figure springs into action.
She's got a slim frame, delicate limbs, a full chest, orange mushroom-cut hair, tattooed eyeliner framing her eyes, and a black leather outfit—looking every bit like a rebellious, edgy teen.
It's none other than Chianti, the sniper who rolls with Gin.
"Got it."
She steadies her rifle, pulls the trigger, and with a loud bang, her chest jiggles from the recoil.
A bullet screams through the air, nailing the guy Amuro shot square in the forehead, splattering a burst of crimson.
Seeing the guy's down for good, Gin turns to Amuro, gun still in hand. "Why didn't you finish him off?"
"BOSS wanted me to bring one back for questioning."
Amuro steps forward, checks the body, and shrugs with a hint of disappointment. "Well, he's dead now…"
"Hmph…"
Gin lowers his gun. "I'll grab someone else later. You can interrogate them yourself."
"Works for me."
A twisted grin flickers across Amuro's face, like he's pleased with how his task's shaping up.
---
Two days later.
Time finally settles back into a normal rhythm—yesterday was a holiday.
At a newsstand near Mihama Park, Fujino clutches a newspaper, scanning the latest headlines:
*"Bank Robbery Suspects Caught! Detective Fujino Plays Key Role."*
*"Three Thugs: One Dead, One Injured, One Sent to Aoyama Psychiatric Hospital."*
*"Lightning-Fast Case Crack! Detective Fujino Solves Another Mystery, Nabs Culprit Mid-Crime!"*
*"Massive Explosion Rocks **** Warehouse—Cause Still Unknown."*
*"Police Yet to Release Victim Count in Explosion Case—What's the Truth Behind It?"*
"Drive out the wolves, chase off the tigers, borrow a knife to kill… the Thirty-Six Stratagems really do come in handy."
Fujino skims the reports, his eyes lingering on the last headline.
That same night of the warehouse explosion, suspecting it might be tied to the Syndicate, he'd snuck in to investigate.
The bodies inside were blasted beyond recognition, but outside, there were still plenty of uncollected corpses scattered around.
Judging by their clothes, they were a mix of Syndicate and Zoo members.
Up until now, it'd all been guesswork.
But now Fujino's certain: the two groups definitely clashed.
He doesn't know how it'll end, but it's bound to cost the Syndicate something.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he glances at the date on the paper: *June 13th, Tuesday.*
Seeing the calendar's jumped to June doesn't faze him—stuff like this happens all the time.
That's just life in the Conan-verse.
He quickly recalls Japan's holiday schedule, confirms it's a school day, and wraps up his morning workout.
School's still a thing.
Plus, he's got some stuff to check on.
---
Teitan High School parking lot.
Fujino finds a spot and parks his car.
As he steps out, a cherry blossom petal drifts down and lands on his nose.
"The cherry trees are blooming again…"
He plucks the petal off, studies it, then glances at the trees lining the lot.
Dead wood blooming in two days, seasons flipping in an instant.
Living in the Conan-verse sure is tough on you.
*Vroom!*
A roaring engine shatters the peaceful morning.
He turns to see a red Aston Martin screech into the parking lot.
"Hey, Fujino!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka parks, hops out—her black vest and red tie straining against her frame—and heads his way with a wave.
The Iron Fist Saint… same old style.
"Morning."
Fujino gives a simple nod, and they start walking toward the school together.
"By the way, didn't you catch three bank robbers the other day?"
Hiratsuka slows her pace, her tone softening with concern. "I heard one of them died."
"Worried I'm feeling guilty about it?"
Fujino guesses her intent right away.
After all, in this side of his life, he hasn't killed anyone yet.
He thinks for a sec, then says, "Yeah, one did die—but it was because his own buddy shot him in the dark, mistaking him for someone else."
"Oh, I see…"
Hiratsuka lets out a relieved breath, then brushes off the heavy topic. "Anyway, we've got a new English teacher starting in our class today."
"A new teacher?"
Fujino's brow creases slightly.
A faint memory from his past life flickers in his mind.
"Yep, an English teacher."
Hiratsuka grins. "And she's a real stunner—a foreigner, too~"
"Is that so?"
Fujino keeps his expression neutral.
But inside, he's already got a hunch.
---
Class 2-B.
Fujino sits by the window, chin in hand, gazing at the scenery outside.
A breeze slips through, fluttering the curtains and carrying in a few cherry blossoms.
He can faintly feel eyes on him.
The admiring stares of lovesick teenage girls in the class.
"Ahem!"
"It's morning assembly time! Everyone, back to your seats!"
Hiratsuka strides in, clears her throat, and shuts down the chatter with a tiger-like roar.
"We've got a new English teacher starting today…"
As she speaks, a woman slides the classroom door open and steps inside.
She's wearing a green sweater under a white blazer, a navy hip-hugging skirt, black stockings from thigh to calf, and her curly blonde hair falls softly, framed by slightly retro glasses. Her droopy eyes give off a harmless, innocent vibe.
"Hi, everyone! I'm Judy Saintmillion. Starting today, I'll be your English teacher. My Japanese isn't great, so I'll be counting on you all to help me out!"
With that, Judy gives a polite bow.
"Whoa!"
"She's got an amazing figure!"
"Wow, a foreign babe!"
The hormonal boys in the class lose it, jumping up in excitement.
The room erupts into a noisy mess.
Like a trip to the monkey house.
"…"
Hiratsuka's temple veins bulge.
She scans the students, reins in her temper, and forces a smile at Judy.
Can't leave a bad impression on the new teacher's first day.
With that in mind, she keeps her cool and says "kindly" to the rowdy bunch, "Those of you who just made a scene, see me in the office after class."
"Nooo!!!"
Meanwhile, Fujino's eyes settle on the slightly goofy-looking Judy, sizing her up.
In his memory, this woman—Judy Saintmillion—isn't who she says she is.
Judy, full name Judy Starling, is an FBI agent from the American Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In Fujino's mind, his first brush with the FBI was probably those *FBI Warning* screens at the start of imported movies…
Anyway, the FBI's a federal investigative agency in the States—law enforcement, not espionage. They're supposed to stick to domestic cases.
Yet here they are, casually poking around in another country's affairs illegally. Is it because Japan's cops are that useless, or are they just that good?
Talk about bald eagle dominance in action.
Not that Fujino cares much—it's Japan getting trespassed on, not his problem.
On the other side, Judy senses someone watching her.
At first, she assumes it's just another thirsty stare like the others, but after a moment, a chill creeps up her spine.
Her eyes shift and lock onto Fujino by the window.
Their gazes meet.
Judy: *Stare…*
Fujino: *Stare…*
To Fujino, Judy comes off as ditzy and unreliable, all light and breezy.
But those pale blue eyes gleam with a sharp, eagle-like edge, betraying her true nature.
Judy, meanwhile, feels a jolt.
Fujino's stare hits her like an icy stab.
His pitch-black pupils seem to swallow her up, like an endless void shrouded in mist—a colossal, unknowable presence lurking behind them.
For a moment, the pressure's so intense she can hardly breathe.
*(End of Chapter)*