i am just a student? in Conan world

"And since she loves cacti so much, there's no way she'd move a plant that hates the cold out to the balcony in this chilly season."

Haibara Ai walked over to the balcony, quietly leaning against the window. Her gaze landed on a cactus in a pot. "The spines on this cactus are pretty beat up—some are even snapped off. There's still some blood on it too. Looks like whoever moved this was in a rush and ended up pricking their hand."

She glanced lightly at Fujino and asked, "Am I right or what?"

"Yep, spot on," Fujino replied with a nod, though a little confusion flickered in his mind.

*Wait a sec,* he thought. *It's July, isn't it? Cold? Huh… it does feel kinda chilly, though…*

Snapping out of it, Fujino picked up where Haibara left off. "Anyway, if we just check Mr. Tōda's room next, the truth should come out pretty quick."

"That's it? The truth's already out?" Takagi scratched his head, looking totally lost. 😅

---

Later, the group made their way to Tōda's room.

The moment they stepped inside, everything clicked.

His room was laid out exactly like Nishimura's—same apartment, same setup. The furniture was placed almost identically too, and even the curtains and bedsheets were the same shade of gray.

Fujino turned to Tōda, who was currently handcuffed by Satou Miwako, and said in a low, serious tone, "Mr. Tōda, do you remember who brought you back to this room that day?"

"It was Kitagawa!" Tōda thought for a second before answering. "Yeah, no doubt about it. That guy Kitagawa. We went drinking together, and he's the one who dropped me off."

Fujino shifted his attention to Takagi. "So, who was the first witness to find Miss Muranishi dead in her room?"

"That'd be Mr. Kitagawa too…" Takagi's eyes widened as it hit him. "Wait, does that mean Kitagawa's the killer?!"

He paused, frowning. "But hold on—why are Mr. Tōda's fingerprints the only ones on the VCR cord used as the murder weapon?"

"Hey, hey!" Conan piped up, seizing his moment to shine after being sidelined for too long. "Didn't the izakaya owner mention before that Mr. Tōda's super good with VCRs? I bet he left his prints on it when he helped Kitagawa set it up!"

Takagi turned to Tōda. "Mr. Tōda, did you ever help Kitagawa install a VCR?"

"A VCR?" Tōda mulled it over for a moment. "Yeah, I did help that guy set one up a while back."

"Ohhh, I get it now!" Takagi's face lit up. "So the cord Kitagawa used was the one you installed for him, right?"

"No time to waste!" Satou Miwako cut in. "Let's head to Kitagawa's place ASAP. If we nab him tonight, Mr. Tōda might still make his flight tomorrow."

---

9:30 PM.

Fujino was behind the wheel, driving Satou Miwako, Tōda, and Haibara Ai. Takagi took a taxi with the rest of the Detective Boys tagging along.

They pulled up to Kitagawa's place.

Fujino stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Who the heck's banging on my door this late?!" The guy who answered sounded ticked off. He had a watermelon-shaped haircut and a little mustache—kinda reminded Fujino of Might Guy. Weird vibe. 😆

"Mr. Kitagawa," Fujino said, staring him down with a wooden sword slung over his back, "you're the one who killed Miss Muranishi, aren't you?"

"What kinda joke is this?!" Kitagawa froze, then scanned the group behind Fujino. His eyes landed on Tōda, and he flinched before snapping, "You little punk, watch your mouth, or I'll sue you for slander!"

"You can try that from prison, you murderer." Fujino cut him off and launched into detective mode. "Here's how it went down: You swapped out the pillowcases and sheets for gray ones and rearranged the furniture so a drunk Mr. Tōda would mistake Miss Muranishi's room for his own. The cactus and calendar at the crime scene? You hid those to keep him from noticing anything off. Then you killed Miss Muranishi, got Tōda wasted, dragged him back here, and told him to lock the door. In his drunken haze, he didn't suspect a thing. The next day, you 'discovered' her body. The murder weapon? Your VCR cord—the one Mr. Tōda installed for you, conveniently covered in his fingerprints. Naturally, Tōda became the prime suspect."

Before Kitagawa could even respond, Fujino pressed on. "The truth's crystal clear now. The cord's serial number will match yours. The blood on the cactus can be DNA-tested. And those gray sheets? A quick check at nearby stores will probably tie them to your purchase history."

"What the—?!" Kitagawa stammered, then slammed the door shut with a *bang*.

"Running, huh?" Fujino's brow furrowed. He stepped up and kicked the door open with a loud *thud*. 💥

"Huh?!" Kitagawa spun around, wide-eyed, as Fujino stormed in. Panicking, he grabbed a golf club from the side.

"...Seriously?" Fujino blinked.

*Why's it that when Conan does his deduction, the bad guy just confesses, but when I do it, I get a fight?* he thought. Still, if Kitagawa was swinging a club, that meant Fujino could fight back, right? Oh, this was getting exciting! 😏

He yanked his wooden sword from behind him and swung it straight at Kitagawa's face.

"Ahh!" A flurry of whacks followed—each hit perfectly placed to hurt like heck but not knock him out.

"You're the killer, right?" Fujino tapped Kitagawa's head with the sword, quietly turning on the intermittent recording feature in his vision-enhancing glasses.

"It's me… I killed Nishimura," Kitagawa whimpered, curling up on the floor, clutching his head. —*Recording.*

*Thwack!* "Why'd you do it?"

"I didn't wanna marry her, but she kept pushing me to!" —*Recording.*

*Thwack!* "And why frame Mr. Tōda?"

"He's my rival at work, and he's the only one who gets blackout drunk, so I figured I'd pin it on him…" —*Recording.*

Takagi freaked out at the sight and rushed over. "Fujino-kun, chill out, man!"

"Relax, Takagi," Satou Miwako said calmly, strolling over with Tōda still in cuffs. "He won't get hurt."

"Won't get hurt?!" Takagi gawked at Fujino swinging the sword like a pro and swallowed hard. *He's not gonna die, right?*

---

Four or five minutes later, a squad of cops showed up after Satou called them using Fujino's phone. 🚔

"He really didn't get a scratch?" Takagi muttered, stunned, as Kitagawa climbed into the police car looking like he'd just survived a horror movie.

"Told ya," Satou said, her cuffs now off Tōda. She walked over confidently. "Fujino's sword skills are next-level. All those hits, and not a single mark on that guy."

Takagi just stood there, speechless. He'd heard the rumors, but seeing it? Mind-blowing.

"Takagi!" A shout came from behind.

He turned to see a group of burly, furious cops in uniform storming toward him. "Inspector Megure… everyone…" he mumbled.

Fujino glanced at Takagi getting pinned down by the beefy officers. *Eh, they're coworkers. They won't go too hard on him.*

"Arghhh!" A scream echoed from the parking lot.

Fujino quietly rolled up the car window, started the engine, and drove off with the kids—and the two fake kids—in tow. *Yeah, better not let the little ones see this mess. Not even the fake ones.*

*Hope he's okay, though.*

---

After dropping the Detective Boys off at Dr. Agasa's place, Fujino and Haibara Ai headed home.

Late night · Fujino's bedroom.

Fujino grabbed a bottle of green tea from the fridge as usual and took a sip. Then he opened his system interface.

The moment it loaded, a glowing screen popped up:

**[Detective Job Mission: (True Culprit? Wrongly Accused?) Completed]** 

**[Rewards: 500,000 yen, 200 Detective Reputation Points Issued]** 

**[Current Balance: 10.46 million yen]** 

**[Current Detective Reputation: 860/1500]**

"Ten million yen, huh…" Fujino closed the interface and flopped onto his bed.

He wasn't planning to touch that money just yet.

Right now, my strength is good enough for the moment, so there's no real need to level up. 

If we're talking about the lottery, it's 8.9 million yen per draw. 

This 10 million yen could drop straight down to less than 2 million yen in no time. 

Saving up more money is never a bad idea, right? Better safe than sorry! 😅 

*(End of chapter)* 

**Chapter 241: Winery? Zoo? Let's Fight!** 

Two days later—Saturday. 

Teitan Elementary School Festival. 

On the gym stage, Ayumi knelt on the ground, looking heartbroken. She cried out to Genta, who had a knife stuck in his chest in front of her, "Daddy!" 

"Man, that's really sad, huh?" 

Standing off to the side, Haibara Ai spoke flatly, her face cool and calm. She was dressed in a white t-shirt, a black blazer, and a hip-hugging skirt. 

"It's a tragedy… all because of a misunderstanding between father and daughter!" 

Mitsuhiko pointed at Genta, stumbling over his words—clearly a little stage-shy. 

"…" 

Conan just stood there, his face drooping like he'd given up on life. 

Seriously, making a 17-year-old high schooler act in this childish play… ugh. 

But hold up—how the heck was Haibara pulling off such a natural performance?! 😳 

… 

After the show ended, Ran showed up backstage with a bag of drinks. 

"You guys were amazing out there!" 

She handed out drinks from the bag to the kids who'd just finished performing, smiling brightly. 

"Really, Ran-neechan?" 

Ayumi took a peach-flavored drink and looked up at Ran with those innocent little-girl eyes. 

"Yep, totally!" 

Ran nodded like the sweet big sister next door. Then she turned to Fujino, who'd come along with her, and asked, "What did you think of their performance, Fujino-senpai?" 

Fujino, who'd been chilling off to the side, froze for a sec. 

Wait, why's she asking *me*? 

This time, the Detective Boys had put on a police-themed play called *New Police Story*. 

Haibara played a female cop—probably modeled after Sato Miwako. 

Conan and Mitsuhiko were the officer and his assistant, likely based on Takagi and Megure Juuzo. 

Genta was the victim, a company president, while Ayumi played the killer—his daughter. 

A daughter murdering her dad over something ridiculous? 

Classic Mihama drama, huh? 😂 

Fujino sorted his thoughts and gave a diplomatic answer, "The acting was pretty solid. For elementary kids, that's some decent deductive reasoning too." 

"Hehe!" 

Ayumi popped open her drink and took a sip, beaming. "Actually, Conan wrote the script!" 

"Huh?" 

Ran looked at Conan, surprised. "I didn't know you had a knack for writing scripts, Conan!" 

"It's not a big deal," Conan said, scratching his head awkwardly as he took an oolong tea from Ran. "It's all thanks to everyone's acting." 

"Yeah, you all did great!" 

Ran nodded in agreement and turned to Haibara. "Especially you, Ai-chan—you were so into it! Super cute too!" 

"Right? Haibara's acting was amazing!" 

Ayumi chimed in, holding her peach drink. "She's totally gonna be a famous actress someday!" 

"A famous actress?!" 

Mitsuhiko glanced at Haibara and blushed, picturing her as a star. 

'She's *always* acting, isn't she…?' 

Conan, meanwhile, rolled his dead-fish eyes and grumbled to himself. 

"Cute, huh?" 

Haibara tilted her head slightly, sneaking a glance at Fujino. 

"Yep." 

Fujino nodded, eyeing her little suit outfit. "That look suits you—mature yet adorable." 

"…" 

A faint blush crept onto Haibara's pale cheeks, barely noticeable. 

She stole a quick look at Fujino's black suit, then down at her own smaller version. 

Mature yet adorable, huh? 

… 

Noon rolled around, and the Teitan Elementary festival wrapped up. 

On their way out of the school: 

"By the way, Ran," Fujino said, turning to her with a curious look. "When I swung by to pick you up this morning, how come I didn't see Uncle Mouri?" 

"Oh, Dad was supposed to come with us," Ran replied. "But he had a doctor's appointment today, so he headed to the hospital first thing this morning." 

Fujino raised an eyebrow. "Uncle Mouri's not feeling well?" 

"Yeah," Ran sighed. "He's been feeling really tired lately." 

Fujino frowned, thinking it over. 

Considering how often Uncle Mouri hits up the izakaya… 

Why does this sound kinda familiar? 

Wait, is he just… worn out? 😬 

… 

At the school gate: 

Fujino slid into the driver's seat of his Ford Taurus and leaned out the window toward Haibara. "Ai-chan, you're not heading back with me?" 

"You go on home," Haibara said, back in her usual casual clothes. "I'm going to Dr. Agasa's place with the others today." 

"Oh, got it…" 

Fujino gave her a quick heads-up. "Be careful on the way, come back early, and call me if anything comes up." 

"Mm." 

Haibara nodded calmly. "You too—drive safe." 

Watching Haibara walk off with the Detective Boys, Fujino's eyes narrowed slightly. 

If he had to guess, she was probably heading to Dr. Agasa's to work on the APTX-4869 antidote, right? 

He hadn't set her up with a computer yet. Sure, he had a laptop way ahead of this era's tech, but it was packed with too many secrets to let her use it. 

So for now, antidote research meant trips to Dr. Agasa's. 

Looks like it's time to grab a couple of era-appropriate PCs… 

… 

Noon. 

Outside a computer store in a shopping district near Mihama Town. 

"Man, computers in this era are pricey, huh?" 

Fujino sat in his car, glancing at the three bulky PCs in the back seat, and let out a long sigh. 

These three big old CRT machines cost him about 300,000 yen. 

Even with a discount, it was still over 200,000 yen. 

That's like a top-tier salaryman's paycheck in this day and age! 

But for Fujino, it wasn't a huge deal. 

A quick "rob-the-rich-to-help-the-poor" gig, and he'd make it back. 😏 

"The Metropolitan Police Department announced earlier that Kaitou Kid has personally canceled the heist notice he sent out before. Could this cancellation be a sign that Kaitou Kid's about to retire?" 

A loud voice suddenly echoed from outside the car. 

Fujino looked out and spotted the source—a giant screen atop a nearby building. 

The screen was airing a report about a blonde beauty: 

"The owner of the ruby and leader of the Miracle Magic Troupe, Judy Hopper, shared her thoughts. She said, 'It's such a shame we won't get to see Kaitou Kid's magic this time.'" 

"Judy Hopper, huh?" 

Fujino instantly recognized the woman on the screen. 

Just a few days ago, he'd seen her in the paper—she was the owner of the Crimson Tear. 

But something bugged him. 

Normally, once Kuroba Kaito set his sights on a target, he'd stop at nothing to nab it. So why would he cancel his own notice now…? 

"Was that notice from a few days ago a fake or something?" 

Shrugging it off, Fujino decided not to meddle and started the car to head home. 

But just as he fired up the engine, a system alert chimed in his ear: 

"New detective career mission detected—please check it out!" 

"Detective career mission?" 

Fujino blinked, glancing around. 

No murder cases popping up nearby… 

Curious, he flicked his fingers and pulled up the system's task interface: 

**[Detective Career Mission: Everyday Thief]** 

**Objective: Catch the thief** 

**Rewards: 300,000 yen, 50 detective reputation points]** 

"Just a basic thief-catching gig?" 

Fujino groaned, rolling his eyes. 

A simple thief mission with a 300,000-yen reward? 

---