Chapter 159: Fujino: It's Magic

Two hours later, the money on the bowling machine ran out.

Sonoko played for two hours, but didn't hit any major strikes.

Ran, despite a few mistakes, managed to hit consecutive strikes in her last three games.

As for Fujino, he was on another level entirely.

Forget about strikes, he even managed to snap the pins in half!

And Conan… well, let's just say, without the height advantage of the two girls and Fujino, it felt like he would fly off the lane just by trying to throw the ball.

His size would make him more suited to being used *as* a bowling ball by Fujino.

"Ah! That was refreshing!" 

At the bowling alley entrance, Ran stretched and said, "Bowling on a non-holiday is actually quite nice."

"Glad the midterms are over. It's such a relief," Sonoko chimed in.

This time around, Sonoko felt like she had done pretty well on her midterms.

She was confident about getting a good grade.

Fujino, standing nearby, quietly nodded along.

While he didn't feel the relaxed atmosphere, he did appreciate the chance to get a better handle on how to control his strength while bowling. 

But what really comforted him was that Conan's curse seemed to have lifted—there was no murder case at the bowling alley.

Yep, everything's stable. It's just another uneventful day.

*Cough, cough, cough!*

Suddenly, a series of coughs echoed from beside them.

Fujino turned his head to see Conan coughing uncontrollably.

One after another, as if he had caught pneumonia.

"Conan, are you okay?" 

Ran bent down, concerned.

"I'm fine," Conan shook his head. "Maybe it's just a cold."

"Is that so?"

Ran glanced at her watch. "It's only 3 o'clock... well, let's head home."

To be fair, Conan was kind of a buzzkill.

So, the outing came to an abrupt end.

Just as they were about to head home, Ran suddenly remembered something.

She had forgotten to cash a check her father received from a client yesterday.

With that, they all followed Sonoko to a nearby bank, the Eastern Metropolitan Bank.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Sonoko! What brings you here today?"

The bank manager immediately recognized Sonoko Suzuki and warmly welcomed the group.

"Oh, I'm just here with my friends today," she replied.

"I see."

The manager took a glance at Fujino and the others, and since he didn't recognize them, he gave Sonoko a polite nod, "Please give my regards to your father."

'The daughter of the Suzuki conglomerate really is in a league of her own.'

For once, both Fujino and Conan shared the same opinion.

Fujino still remembered the last time he went to another Eastern Metropolitan Bank to handle his mobile POS device. The manager's attitude had been completely different.

This corrupt society really does worship money above all else.

Or maybe that's just human nature?

Why did he suddenly feel a strange connection to Ai?

At that moment, Conan started coughing again.

"Is the child alright?" 

A man in a brown suit approached them.

He took a lozenge from his pocket and handed it to Conan.

It came in a green package with a cartoon pear logo on it.

After giving Conan the lozenge, the man walked away.

"A bank, huh?" 

Fujino, sitting next to Ran and Sonoko, observed the unusually quiet bank. Something didn't feel right.

The place was too quiet.

Ever since entering the bank, he had felt a strange sense of danger in his gut.

Could it be that someone's about to rob this place?

No way, right? Could something this coincidental really happen?

*Bang!*

Just then, a loud noise erupted.

A man holding a gun burst through the bank's back door.

After knocking out a bank employee, he marched inside.

It was a robbery!

"Nobody move! Hands up!"

The robber pointed his gun at everyone inside the bank, shouting threats.

Oddly enough, the people inside seemed unusually calm.

One by one, they stood up and raised their hands above their heads.

Clearly, this wasn't their first time being hostages in a bank robbery.

'Of course, it had to be a bank robbery...'

Fujino stood up, looking annoyed.

He glanced at Conan, a hint of blame in his eyes.

He thought he'd have a peaceful day for once.

But now, just when he was about to go home, this happened.

The kid's bad luck really wasn't a joke.

"New detective mission detected. Please check."

Just then, a system notification interrupted Fujino's thoughts.

Before he could open the system interface, the robber made his next move.

Fujino looked up and saw the robber holding a gun in one hand, staring at the cash on the bank counter and complaining, "Damn, this world is so unfair! How can rich people be so rich?"

Then, he herded everyone in the bank to the side.

He ordered the man who had given Conan the lozenge earlier to help pack the cash.

Fujino found this move a bit strange.

Normally, wouldn't the robber order one of the women to pack the money?

Judging by size and composure, the female bank employees seemed more suited for the task.

Plus, after the robbery, he could even take the woman as a hostage.

And if it got more extreme, well... let's not even go there.

"Ran, Fujino-senpai... what should we do now?"

Although Sonoko had encountered one or two robberies before, she clearly wasn't used to being a hostage. 

She whispered to Fujino and Ran for advice.

"Don't worry... as long as we don't move, we should be fine," Ran, who seemed pretty experienced in bank robberies, responded softly.

Fujino, on the other hand, stood silently by. 

He opened the system interface and checked the new mission that had just appeared:

**[Detective Job Mission: Bank Robbery]**

- **Mission Objective:** Solve the bank robbery, arrest the robber, and identify his accomplices.

- **Mission Reward:** 1 million yen, 100 detective reputation points.

- **Time Limit:** 3 hours.

The bank robbery... it must be referring to this incident.

But what's there to solve in this situation...?

Thinking this over, Fujino started observing the robber's actions.

From his posture and movements, the robber seemed to be a man in his late twenties or early thirties.

He was wearing a blue jacket, looking much like a food delivery driver.

The gun in his hand also appeared a bit crude, likely not a real, high-quality firearm.

*Cough, cough!*

Suddenly, the robber coughed twice.

Then, he reached into his pocket, took something out, glanced at it, and casually tossed it aside.

After that, he pulled a chair over and sat down, reaching into the jacket draped over the chair as if searching for something.

At that moment, the bank employee who had been knocked out started to regain consciousness.

With hopeful or anxious looks from the crowd, the employee picked up a wooden stick nearby and carefully approached the robber.

Just as the employee raised the wooden stick, a sudden phone ringing broke the silence.

Alerted, the robber quickly turned around, pointing his gun at the employee.

*Bang!*

A gunshot rang out, and the bank employee fell to the ground.

This is the perfect chance…

Seeing the situation, Fujino's resolve kicked in. He immediately activated his detective enhancements:

**[Detective Enhancement Activated: Host's physical abilities increased by 225%. Time remaining: 8 minutes.]**

Then, Fujino used the power-up cards:

**[Strength Enhancement Card Used: Host's strength increased by 100%.]**

**[Perception Enhancement Card Used: Host's perception increased by 100%.]**

**[Reaction Enhancement Card Used: Host's reaction speed increased by 100%.]**

One after another, system notifications rang in his ears.

Hearing them, Fujino didn't hesitate. He grabbed the wooden knife hanging around his neck and rushed forward at lightning speed.

The wooden knife necklace suddenly grew larger in his hand.

Thanks to his enhanced speed and strength, Fujino reached the robber before he could even turn around.

*Thud!*

Fujino's wooden knife came down hard on the robber's helmet.

With a loud bang, the top of the helmet cracked open.

The wooden knife, breaking through the helmet's defense, slammed into the robber's head.

A dull, heavy sound echoed, as if confirming that this wasn't the brightest of minds.

The gun dropped, and the man fell unconscious from the blow.

"A wooden knife?!"

Conan, who had been watching, was momentarily stunned.

He had seen Fujino use that wooden knife before when taking down criminals.

But how did that wooden knife suddenly appear in Fujino's hand this time?!

Where could you even hide a knife that big?

Could it be…?

Could it be magic?

Soon, the police arrived at the scene.

Luckily, the bank employee had only been shot in the side, so his life wasn't in danger.

As for the robber, a doctor examined him and found no serious injuries. He was taken away for further investigation.

Of course, the formal interrogation would have to wait until he regained consciousness.

"You guys always seem to be at the scene of the crime... well, at least no one was hurt, and that's a relief," Inspector Megure sighed as he looked at the familiar faces.

Then, he patted Fujino on the shoulder and remarked, "But this time, it's all thanks to you, Fujino. If you hadn't acted quickly, who knows what else that guy might've done."

"Senpai, you were really cool back there!" Sonoko chirped, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

"By the way, Fujino, where did that wooden knife come from?"

After pondering it for a while and still not understanding how Fujino had produced the wooden knife, Conan finally asked.

Fujino: "It's magic."

(End of chapter)