**Chapter 84: The Black-skinned Brother**
Before Miwako Sato could react, Fujino's arms shot forward and downward, knocking her leg away. He immediately followed up with a straight punch.
Miwako Sato blocked Fujino's straight punch with her forearm, feeling a long-lost sensation of pain. Without thinking, she countered with a straight punch aimed at Fujino's face.
Fujino dodged the punch with a quick sidestep, but Miwako Sato followed up with a low sweeping kick, forcibly changing their positions. She then spun around and delivered a back spin kick towards Fujino.
Fujino raised his arms to block again, meeting her whip leg head-on, but this time the force was noticeably greater than before.
"No wonder they call her the Maiko Valkyrie... this power is something else," Fujino thought to himself, feeling the immense pressure.
Miwako Sato's strength was undeniable. As a main character in the story, her combat ability was always top-notch.
In terms of strength, she was definitely not weak in this world, certainly matching the B rank Fujino had estimated.
However, Fujino was no pushover either. If he transformed into Batman and drew his wooden sword, his power would reach 660%.
Starting from around 900% for an A-rank, he wasn't too far from a B+.
As for Miwako Sato in front of him, she was indeed tenacious. Although he could suppress her in a prolonged fight, it wasn't worth the effort.
After a few exchanges, Fujino seized an opportunity and discreetly retrieved a tranquilizer dart from his inventory, hiding it in his sleeve.
Taking advantage of a moment of inattention, he swiftly slashed her thigh with the dart.
Miwako Sato backed away, inspecting the cut on her leg with a frown.
Moments later, a wave of drowsiness began to wash over her...
"Tranquilizer?!"
Miwako Sato glanced at the dart in Fujino's hand, biting her lip as she worriedly looked at Takagi.
She couldn't afford to fall asleep now... If she did, Takagi would be in danger.
Despite her efforts to resist, the sleepiness eventually overcame her consciousness.
"What era is this, still playing with traditional fighting styles?"
Fujino glanced at the unconscious Miwako Sato with a hint of meaning.
Shaking his head, he looked at his newly increased combat proficiency and was surprised, "Already at 75 points?!"
His combat proficiency had skyrocketed to 75.
Clearly, just the skirmish with Miwako Sato had earned him 50 points.
"It seems the proficiency gained varies with the strength of the opponent," Fujino pondered, rubbing his chin.
...
Fifteen minutes later, Miwako Sato slowly regained consciousness, but the weakness in her body prevented her from standing up.
She opened her eyes and found herself leaning against a wall. Thankfully, her clothes were untouched.
Takagi was lying beside her, seemingly alive.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
Turning her head, she saw the face wearing the Batman mask.
It seemed he had stayed nearby.
Staying on the scene... was he worried they might be in danger?
"Who are you?!"
Miwako Sato's voice was weak.
"Just a passing assassin…"
Fujino paused, then continued, "Strictly speaking, people call me the Maiko Batman."
Miwako Sato frowned. "Why do you resort to vigilantism against criminals?"
"Vigilantism?"
Fujino chuckled. "I'm merely acting righteously."
"But that's illegal!"
"What do you think the law is?"
Fujino's tone grew serious. "The law is a chain that binds criminals, preventing ordinary people from succumbing to their darker impulses. The law requires enforcers, and when those enforcers fail to deliver justice, the law becomes a joke."
"Do you think you are the law?"
"I'm just a vigilante, a practitioner of the law."
Fujino shook his head. "Whether it's murderers or robbers, I merely use violence against violence. The true right to judge always lies with the police."
"You should focus on reducing crime rates rather than bothering me. I dwell in the shadows of Maiko. If Maiko is no longer shrouded in darkness, I will naturally disappear…"
With that, before the tranquilizer fully wore off, Fujino flung his white half-cape over his shoulder and briskly left the scene.
Miwako Sato watched the figure vanish into the night, frowning and deep in thought.
On the other side, Fujino felt a sense of relief.
To be honest, he hadn't expected the police to come after him so aggressively.
But thinking about it, his alter ego had clearly challenged the authority of the police.
Detectives taunting them was one thing; they always ended up solving the case. But the appearance of Maiko Batman had completely threatened their credibility.
Their reputation had taken a severe hit.
"Looks like I'll have to be more careful when farming proficiency points in the future," Fujino sighed as he looked up at the starry night sky.
...
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Early in the morning, the door of Fujino's house was knocked on.
Fujino reluctantly got out of bed and was about to open the door.
But seeing the bruises on his arm, he put on a white shirt.
The bruises were from his confrontation with the Maiko Valkyrie, Miwako Sato.
Under a 50% self-healing boost, they were healing quickly, but the marks still lingered.
It would take a few more days to fully disappear.
He couldn't let anyone see them.
He opened the door to find Ran and Sonoko in their summer uniforms.
They had come to invite Fujino to join them in attending Sayuri Matsumoto's wedding.
After explaining the matter, Sonoko Suzuki asked Fujino with a peculiar expression, "Fujino-senpai, do you have any other foreign brothers?"
"Huh?"
Fujino was puzzled by the question.
What foreign brothers?
He had no idea.
"You'll understand if you come with me!"
Following Sonoko and Ran, Fujino arrived at the Poirot Café across the street from his house.
Poirot Café – he had been there a few times as a neighbor, though not frequently.
"There he is!"
Sonoko pointed inside the café.
Fujino looked in the direction she pointed and saw a dark-skinned man inside.
The man inside the café also sensed the gaze.
He turned and saw Fujino.
Their eyes met…
Fujino: "..."
Dark-skinned man: "..."
(End of this chapter)