**Chapter 169: Are You Suffering from Chuunibyou?**

'What's with this guy?!' 

Spider glanced at his trembling hands, the pain surging through him. He suddenly felt like his hands weren't under his control anymore.

He didn't think a wooden sword could hurt him this much.

But clearly, that hit had left him dazed.

Fujino didn't give him a chance to recover, raising his wooden sword and charging forward again.

Seeing this, Spider didn't dare underestimate him anymore.

Getting hit once by the wooden sword left him like this—what if he got hit again?

Out of nowhere, he pulled out a golden thread and dodged to the side in an unnatural way, narrowly avoiding the next strike.

After dodging, he threw a steel needle at Fujino.

*"Clang!"*

Fujino swung his sword, deflecting the needle.

---

Meanwhile, Kaito Kuroba pulled out his playing card gun, severing the wire holding up Hakuba and shooting down the hot air balloon floating above the museum.

"So, this is how Spider managed to string me up?"

Hakuba clumsily got to his feet on the rooftop, staring blankly at the two fighting figures in the distance, moving at incredible speed.

"You're still a bit behind," teased Kaitou Kid with a hint of pride in his voice. "Fujino realized this before even I did when you were just getting strung up."

"Tsk…"

Hakuba clicked his tongue, glancing at Fujino, who was still engaged in battle. A wave of disappointment washed over him.

He had been chasing Spider for so long, but he had never pushed him to the point of using steel needles like Fujino just had…

Thinking about this, Hakuba turned to Kaitou Kid and asked, "Is this the kind of opponent you've been facing all along?"

"Alright, alright, don't get in the way," replied Kaitou Kid, pushing Hakuba aside and tossing a smoke bomb. "I've got to help him out. After all, I owe him a favor."

---

Faced with Fujino's relentless attacks, Spider threw another steel needle, then used his thread to dodge to the side, creating a massive golden web in front of him.

This time, Fujino didn't face the needle head-on.

Instead, he dodged the needle, kicked off with his right foot, and launched himself toward Spider at high speed.

Swinging his wooden sword with such force, the air around him seemed to churn, and the golden web in front of him shattered as the sword sliced through it.

This was a variation of the *Kuzu-Ryu-Sen* technique from the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, which Fujino had suddenly thought of after advancing in his swordsmanship.

It worked wonders in chaotic situations or against multiple opponents.

"You dared to provoke Kaitou Kid and my troublesome rival with such crude methods... You've got some guts!" 

Kaito Kuroba, dressed in his signature white cape, appeared mid-air above the staircase, pointing his card gun at Spider. "Who are you, and why are you attacking us?"

Spider glanced at Fujino, then at Kaitou Kid, frowning.

Kaitou Kid was manageable, but the kid with the wooden sword was proving to be a major hassle.

Clearly, the situation wasn't in his favor.

"That guy's a professional assassin!" 

Hakuba shouted from below the staircase, "I've been chasing him since Europe!"

"An assassin?"

Kaito Kuroba was taken aback by this revelation.

Even Fujino felt that things were becoming more complicated.

He had only been chasing Kaitou Kid and now found himself facing an assassin…

"Kaitou Kid is upstairs! Move it, everyone!"

At that moment, noise erupted from the exhibition hall nearby.

Spider glanced down at Kaitou Kid's feet, realizing that he was standing on tempered glass and not under any illusion, and a mischievous grin spread across his face. "What started out as a fun job has become quite dull... Look forward to the next stage! Farewell, Kaitou Kid!"

With that, Spider crossed his hands in front of his three-eyed mask.

In a flash of blinding light and a sharp noise, Spider suddenly appeared above the staircase, and then, along with the web that appeared behind him, twisted and vanished as if swallowed by a black hole.

---

"Chuunibyou, huh?" 

Fujino stared at the suddenly disappearing Spider, speechless.

He realized that Spider, Kaitou Kid, and even Hakuba...

All seemed to be in the late stages of *Chuunibyou*...

"Kaitou Kid!" 

At that moment, Inspector Nakamori Ginzo burst onto the rooftop with a squad of police officers.

Seeing that the situation had taken a turn for the worse, Kaito Kuroba quickly threw down a smoke bomb and vanished.

"Don't forget, you still owe me a favor," Fujino called out to the spot where Kaito had disappeared.

"Got it!"

A voice echoed from an unknown direction.

Clearly, he hadn't gone far.

Magic tricks and illusions—what a nuisance.

---

In the stairwell.

"So, what's the deal with Spider?" 

Fujino and Hakuba walked down the stairs side by side.

"He's a professional assassin who specializes in using illusions to kill his targets."

"Illusion killing?"

Fujino looked at Hakuba, puzzled.

"That's right, illusions," Hakuba nodded. "Although calling it 'illusions' isn't entirely accurate. His illusions are probably a mix of magic and hypnosis... He's very tricky, and if you're not careful, he can lead you into a subconscious nightmare created by his hypnotic suggestions."

"I returned to Japan because I got word that he had infiltrated here."

Hakuba paused and then asked, "By the way, why does Kaitou Kid owe you a favor?"

"We both got caught in the illusion, but I was the first to break through it. I used my wooden sword to knock him awake," Fujino said, hefting the wooden sword still in his hand. "That's why he owes me."

"Got it. Spider's illusions really are terrifying. I almost fell off a cliff the first time I faced him."

Hakuba nodded in agreement.

"But if he's a global assassin…" Fujino paused, turning to Hakuba. "Is he going to come after me for revenge?"

"He probably won't."

Hakuba shook his head. "Based on what I know, Spider only targets those he's been hired to kill. Although he'll kill anyone who gets in his way, he doesn't seek revenge afterward."

Hakuba looked at Fujino meaningfully. "Especially against someone as troublesome as you."

"Really?"

Even if Spider did come after him for revenge, Fujino didn't care.

Honestly, he had no family in this world to worry about.

Miyano Akemi wouldn't die, and Shiho had both Miyano and him to protect her.

Plus, Conan was always around at school or other times.

He was safe.

And besides, he had already figured out how to counter Spider's hypnosis.

If his guess was correct, Spider's technique relied on suggestions through light and sound, combined with some hallucinogens, to force his targets into their worst subconscious fears…

Once out of the illusion, Spider was nothing more than a third-rate magician, not even on par with the fish-fearing Kaito Kuroba.

If that guy dared to come after him, Fujino would just don his assassin's robe and take him down with a hidden blade.

(End of Chapter)