Fujino: "..."
Watching Mouri Kogoro's serious but nonsensical demeanor, Fujino couldn't help but feel a bit speechless.
He glanced at Ran and then at Conan.
At that moment, Conan was deep in thought, seemingly still unable to figure out who the eleventh target was.
'It's one thing for Mouri Kogoro not to notice, but Conan hasn't figured it out either?'
Looks like I have to step in again.
Taking a deep breath, Fujino addressed everyone in the room: "I have a candidate for the number eleven."
"Who is it?"
"Professor Agasa."
Turning to Mouri Kogoro, Fujino asked, "Mouri-san, Professor Agasa is an acquaintance of yours, isn't he?"
"Yes, that's right."
Mouri nodded, still puzzled: "But what does Professor Agasa have to do with eleven?"
Conan, having been prompted by Fujino, suddenly had an epiphany.
He got it!
Only after Fujino mentioned it did he realize that Professor Agasa's name, when split, can be seen as 'eleven'!
Damn it.
Whether it was deducing that the culprit was a familiar person, ruling out the suspect Murakami, or identifying Professor Agasa as the next target—he was beaten to the punch by Fujino.
How did Fujino figure this out?
With this thought, Conan decided to speak up first: "Ah! If you split the character '士' in Agasa, it makes eleven!"
"Professor Agasa?"
Inspector Shiratori frowned, confused: "Isn't 'Professor' just a title?"
"Actually, Professor Agasa's given name is 'Professor'."
Conan explained: "His full name is Agasa Hiroshi."
"I see."
Shiratori wrote down Professor Agasa's name in the police handbook and nodded: "Indeed, if you split the character, it makes eleven."
After some discussion, it was determined that Professor Agasa would be the next unlucky target.
...
The police sent plainclothes officers and Conan to Professor Agasa's house for protection.
Mouri Kogoro also decided to go with them.
Ran stayed at Tohto University Hospital to take care of Eri Kisaki.
At Fujino's apartment complex.
Fujino parked his motorcycle.
As he was about to open the garage door to put the motorcycle away, he heard the screeching of a motorcycle's brakes behind him.
In an instant, the sharp sound made every cell in his body tremble.
A chill ran through him, freezing his mind.
Turning his head, he saw a man dressed in a red motorcycle suit, wearing a red helmet, and riding a black motorcycle, pointing a crossbow at him.
"Not good!"
Fujino quickly activated all the enhancements he could use.
[Detective enhancement activated, increasing host's physical abilities by 200%]
[Advanced sensory enhancement activated, increasing host's sensory abilities by 200%]
[Advanced reaction enhancement activated, increasing host's reaction abilities by 200%]
As the system notifications echoed in his ears, the man pulled the trigger on the crossbow.
With a sharp sound, the steel arrow shot towards him at an indescribable speed.
Though the speed was the same as before, it appeared clear in his enhanced vision.
Fujino turned and dodged, the arrow just grazing him.
"I can see it clearly..."
Instinctively, Fujino reached out and grabbed the arrow as it passed by.
Realizing he had caught the arrow, he noted that the crossbow and steel arrows used by the attacker were mismatched, reducing the arrow's speed and penetrating power.
"What?!"
The man on the motorcycle was stunned, seeing Fujino catch the arrow he shot.
Is he even human?!
Missing the shot, the man quickly retracted the crossbow, revved his motorcycle, and sped away.
At the same time, a system notification echoed in Fujino's ear: "A new detective mission has been detected, please check it."
[Detective Mission: The Eleventh Target
Mission Description: The host has become the eleventh target in the series of attacks. Who is the culprit?
Mission Objective: Capture the man who just attacked you.
Mission Location: Displayed on the HUD
Mission Reward: 1 million yen, 100 detective reputation points, 1x profession point]
Fujino studied the system interface, looked at the arrow in his hand, and frowned.
So, the eleventh target isn't Professor Agasa, but me?
But what does eleven have to do with me?
It seems the culprit is just making up excuses to hide his true motive for killing.
Closing the system interface, Fujino stored the arrow in his inventory, got on his motorcycle, and gave chase.
He had initially planned to investigate the attacker's identity and launch a surprise attack at his home tonight.
But now, the attacker came straight to him...
And it seemed he specifically targeted him.
This makes things simpler.
However, that last attack was truly dangerous. If he hadn't reacted quickly and activated his enhancements in time, the steel arrow would have killed him.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Fujino revved his motorcycle's engine, its roar filling the air.
The roar caught the attention of the man on the dirt bike, who also accelerated, weaving through traffic.
[Driving skill enhancement activated]
Without hesitation, Fujino activated his professional driving skills and the driving enhancement card, chasing after the man.
...
After forty minutes of pursuit, the dirt bike's fuel tank ran empty, forcing the man to stop at a port.
"Stay back!"
The man dismounted, flustered, pointing his crossbow at Fujino.
"Do you think your toy still works on me?"
Fujino approached slowly, holding his wooden sword.
Glancing at the cooldown time for his detective enhancement, seeing it had passed, he pointed the wooden sword at the man: "I suggest you stop resisting. It will hurt."
With that, he activated his sensory and reaction enhancement cards and the detective enhancement.
"Die!"
The man pulled the crossbow trigger again.
With his previous experience, Fujino didn't dodge this time.
Slash!
Taking a deep breath, Fujino swung the wooden sword, creating an afterimage, and the steel arrow shattered on impact.
Although he wasn't fully enhanced, his current strength combined with the detective enhancement was formidable.
Furthermore, his swordsmanship had greatly improved through his training at the Konoha Sword Dojo.
The Okamoto Zero Zero One, though a wooden sword, had a blade edge and was extremely durable, making it highly effective against inanimate objects.
"Is that all?"
Fujino smirked, stepping towards the man with the wooden sword.
"Don't come any closer!"
The man, panicking, loaded another arrow and fired at Fujino.
Fujino continued his slow approach, effortlessly breaking the arrow with his sword.
Realizing the crossbow was ineffective, the man tossed it aside and charged at Fujino, intending to fight hand-to-hand.
He was quickly met with a strike from Fujino's wooden sword, knocking him a meter away.
"Cough, cough!"
Clutching his stomach, the man spat out saliva, his head helmet's edge catching it as it dripped.
As the man writhed in pain, Fujino stepped on his stomach, pinning him down, and with a flick of his wooden sword, sent the helmet flying into the sea.
Revealed was a pale, twisted face with a few tufts of hair on his forehead.
"What's your name?"
Fujino grabbed the man's collar and coldly asked.
"Huh?"
The man was bewildered, not understanding why Fujino asked for his name.
"I asked for your name!"
Fujino struck his arm with the wooden sword.
"Ah..."
After a scream, the man weakly replied: "Zemiki Kohei..."
"Zemiki Kohei, huh?"
Fujino nodded, then struck Zemiki's head with the wooden sword, knocking him out.
Confirming the man was unconscious, Fujino pulled out his phone and called Inspector Megure.
"Fujino, what's the matter?"
Receiving the call, Inspector Megure sounded puzzled.
"I've caught the person who attacked you."
"What?"
Inspector Megure exclaimed: "Fujino, you mean you caught the attacker?"
"Yes, the guy tried to ambush me with a crossbow. I managed to dodge and capture him..."
Fujino glanced at Zemiki Kohei: "His name is Zemiki Kohei, probably a bartender."
"Where are you now, Fujino? I'll send someone right away."
Inspector Megure asked urgently, surprised that Fujino had caught the culprit so quickly.
"But why did he attack Fujino...?"
"At Kyoto XXXX port."
(End of Chapter)