i am just a student? in Conan world

The corpse had been charred by the explosion's flames, releasing a stench so foul that it made Fujino feel a wave of discomfort.

This was his first encounter with such a uniquely grotesque spectacle—truly a local "specialty" of Beika City.

"Fujino, my boy, what's the situation?" 

Mouri Kogoro asked gravely.

Fujino turned his head, giving Mouri Kogoro a calm, knowing glance.

Mouri immediately understood the unspoken message. 

He then turned toward the human alarm system, Ran, who was standing by Ai. "Ran, call the police right away!"

"Konomi!" 

Suddenly, Ai, who was being supported by Ran, cried out and collapsed into her arms.

"Kogoro-san, take Ai to the hospital first," Fujino instructed, pulling out his phone. "Leave this to me."

"I'll leave it in your hands, Fujino." 

Mouri nodded firmly before he, Ran, and Conan got into their Ford Taurus and sped off toward the hospital.

---

Meanwhile, at a local bank in Beika, Inspector Megure Juzo's phone suddenly rang. 

He glanced at the caller ID: **"Fujino-kun."**

Megure sighed. "...Not another murder, right?"

He prayed silently for peace. Taking a deep breath, he answered the call, "Fujino-kun, you already picked up the bulletproof vest... What is it this time?"

Fujino's voice was calm. "I accompanied Kogoro-san to visit a female student, but just as we reached her house, a car exploded."

"Were there casualties?" 

"One dead."

Megure froze for a moment, then came to a realization.

Of course. If Fujino was involved, it had to be something like this. 

---

After hanging up, Fujino activated his eagle-eye vision and began examining the crime scene.

Through his enhanced vision, he saw three distinct sets of footprints around the parking garage: two sets of small, feminine prints and one set of large, masculine ones.

He focused on the larger prints pacing near the car and recalled the sunglasses-wearing man who had blocked his way earlier. 

Turning, Fujino's gaze shifted to the car, now a scorched skeleton of its former self. He studied the gaping hole blown into the chassis beneath the driver's seat. 

"Was the explosive placed on the underside of the car?" Fujino muttered, inhaling the acrid stench. "If it had been inside, anyone with functioning eyes would have noticed."

As he pondered, a system notification rang in his ears: 

**"New Detective Career Mission detected. Please check your tasks."**

"It's here," Fujino murmured, unfazed by the sudden system prompt. With a thought, he opened the mission interface: 

---

### **Detective Career Mission: Car Explosion Case**

**Mission Objectives:** 

1. Solve the car explosion case. 

2. Identify the true culprit behind the car explosion. 

**Mission Rewards:** 

- Objective 1: ¥500,000, 100 Detective Reputation Points, 1 All-Career Skill Point. 

- Objective 2: ¥500,000. 

---

"Two objectives?" 

Fujino raised an eyebrow at the system screen. His expression turned thoughtful. 

"So it's a dual-case scenario," he murmured. 

The system's mission design often provided subtle insights into the nature of a case. This time, the distinction between two objectives suggested overlapping yet separate layers: the murderer and the bombing. 

Looking up, Fujino's gaze landed on a row of faint, feminine footprints on the garage's ceiling window. 

Staring at the prints, Fujino's thoughts became clearer as he pieced together the system's clues.

---

Soon, the police arrived to begin their investigation.

"The deceased is Konomi Tanaka, 32 years old. Cause of death: bomb explosion," Sato Miwako reported, notebook in hand. "The exact type of bomb is still unclear, but it was triggered by the rotation of the car's tires."

"Sato-san, I have a lead on the suspect," Fujino began, recalling the man he had encountered earlier. "As I arrived, I saw a red car with the license plate **Shinjuku·230·?·13-1**. The driver was a man wearing sunglasses."

"Shinjuku 230?" Sato repeated, her brows furrowing as she thought. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Was the man square-jawed?"

"That's right." Fujino nodded, curious. "Do you know him?"

"He's connected to another case I'm handling," Sato explained. "His name is Hiroshi Takahashi, 33 years old. He works at a chemical factory."

She hesitated before adding, "A few days ago, his wife was stabbed in the abdomen while walking home from the convenience store at night. She died from blood loss."

"At the time, our investigation into the 'Night Stalker' killer revealed that Takahashi had taken out a large life insurance policy on his wife before her death. On top of that, he has significant outstanding debts."

"If that's true, then his wife's murder might have been his doing," Fujino concluded, his expression darkening. 

Fujino lowered his head in thought. "Using his deceased wife to scam a high insurance payout, perhaps?"

"That's what we thought at the time as well," Miwako Satou agreed with Fujino's theory but paused for a moment before shaking her head. "Unfortunately, at the time of the incident, he had a solid alibi. We couldn't determine that he was the murderer."

Hearing this, Fujino fell into deep contemplation.

If he worked at a chemical company, obtaining the materials to make a chemical bomb wouldn't have been difficult.

The person I just saw must have been him, but why would he come today to kill Kae...?

As he thought, a bold hypothesis surfaced in his mind.

Raising his head, he spoke in a serious tone to Miwako Satou. "Wife-swapping."

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Fujino felt an odd look directed at him.

Looking up, he saw Miwako Satou staring at him with a strange expression.

Fujino: "..."

"I mean, swapping wives to commit murder."

Taking a deep breath, Fujino explained, "It's where two people agree to murder each other's wives to collect large insurance payouts."

Miwako Satou let out a sigh of relief. "Ah, I see. I thought for a moment you meant..."

"Meant what?" Fujino asked, confused.

"Nothing," Miwako coughed lightly and straightened her expression. "In any case, based on your reasoning, we can investigate this case from the angle of wife-swapping murders."

"Yes..." Fujino muttered, nodding in agreement.

"Ring! Ring!"

Suddenly, the sound of a phone ringing interrupted Fujino's train of thought.

Taking out his phone, the screen displayed Kogoro Mouri's contact.

Answering the call, Fujino heard the familiar voice on the other end. "Hey, Fujino! Kae has woken up. How's the investigation on your end?"

"We've made some progress," Fujino replied, glancing at Miwako Satou. "We'll head to the hospital shortly. Let Miss Kae know to prepare herself."

...

Later, Miwako Satou and Fujino stopped by the police station to gather some materials before heading directly to Beika Central Hospital.

When Fujino opened the hospital room door, his eyes immediately landed on Kae, lying in bed.

Her brown hair flowed loosely around her shoulders, a bandage wrapped around her head. Her mature face bore visible signs of fatigue and wear, her vacant eyes staring out the window.

Fujino gazed at Kae, narrowing his eyes slightly, his thoughts unreadable.

Miwako Satou began her routine questioning.

From the inquiry, they learned that Kae's full name was Sakiwara Kae. The victim who died in the explosion today was her younger sister, Tanaka Hiromi.

The explosion occurred at her family home, where her sister had been living temporarily. Kae herself lived in Nishitama City, while her unemployed sister had been staying at their parents' house.

Miwako Satou carefully recorded all the details.

After a pause, she asked again, "The car that exploded—was it your sister's car?"

"No..." Kae shook her head. "That car was mine."

"Your car?" Miwako Satou blinked in surprise.

"Yes, it was my car. I just drove it from Nishitama City this morning," Kae explained. "My sister's car was in the shop for repairs, so I parked mine in her garage. Since I'm not good at reversing, she..."

Her voice broke slightly, trembling with emotion. "She said she'd help me back it out..."

Miwako Satou nodded slightly, her mind deep in thought.

If that's the case, then it's just as Fujino said...

Wife-swapping... murder.

Pulling herself back to the moment, she asked again, "So, when exactly did you leave your house in Nishitama City?" 

---

"It was around 11 o'clock this morning." 

"When did you arrive at your parents' house?" 

"About 30 minutes later, at 11:30..." 

"The explosion happened at noon today." 

Uncle Mouri suddenly interjected, "So, the killer planted the bomb during those 30 minutes." 

"That makes sense." 

Miwa Sato lowered her head in thought for a moment before asking, "Do you remember anything about a red car or a man wearing sunglasses?" 

"A red car?" 

At this moment, Kei Sakihara suddenly spoke up, "Right after the explosion, a red car suddenly reversed toward me. Luckily, I dodged in time, or I would have been hit." 

"Was it this man?" 

Miwa Sato's eyes lit up as she pulled out a photograph and showed it to Kei Sakihara. 

"That's him!" 

Kei Sakihara crossed her arms, visibly terrified. 

"He was the one who blocked our path earlier!" 

Mouri Kogoro glanced at the photo with a puzzled expression. "But who is he exactly?" 

"This guy is the husband of a victim from another case," Miwa Sato replied. She paused and glanced at Kei Sakihara but chose not to elaborate further. 

She then called the others outside and explained the situation. 

... 

"What?!" 

Mouri Kogoro's voice rose. "Kei was actually—" 

"Dad!" 

Ran quickly covered Mouri Kogoro's mouth and whispered, "Don't let Miss Kei hear this..." 

"That guy is really despicable!" 

Mouri Kogoro gritted his teeth, his fists clenching tightly in anger. 

"Excuse me, may I ask which room my wife, Kei Sakihara, is in? How is she doing?" 

A man's voice interrupted. 

Everyone turned to see a man in a gray suit with a plain and honest appearance walking toward them. 

Everyone: "..." 

The person they were just talking about showed up, huh? 

"Are you Mr. Sakihara?" Miwa Sato asked, her face darkening. 

"Yes, that's me. May I ask—" 

Sensing the heavy atmosphere, the man clearly realized something was off. 

Before he could finish, Miwa Sato stepped forward. "Mr. Sakihara, you're under suspicion of murder. Please come with us for questioning." 

"Murder?!" 

The man froze for a moment, his expression gradually turning grim. 

Before anyone could react, he turned and ran. 

Miwa Sato was about to give chase, but someone else was faster. 

It was Uncle Mouri! 

Uncle Mouri grabbed the man's collar and performed a perfect over-the-shoulder throw. 

He then began delivering a flurry of punches to the man's face. 

... 

Two hours later, Hiroshige Takahashi and Kazuo Sakihara were both arrested and interrogated by the police. 

The seasoned interrogation officers quickly got them to confess their crimes. 

The two admitted to committing a wife-swapping murder. 

As for their motives... 

Hiroshige Takahashi owed a huge debt. 

Kazuo Sakihara was having an affair with his sister-in-law. 

Six months earlier, Kei Sakihara had inherited her parents' fortune as the eldest daughter. Kazuo Sakihara, wanting to help his sister-in-law open a boutique and be with her openly, devised a plan to kill his wife, collect insurance money, and claim the inheritance. 

The two conspired to carry out the wife-swapping murder. 

"Fujino, you were right." 

Miwa Sato slapped a stack of documents onto the desk. "Just a few weeks ago, Kei Sakihara was insured for a large sum of money. The policyholder was her husband, Kazuo Sakihara." 

"In that case, it's clear. Kazuo Sakihara and Hiroshige Takahashi planned the wife-swapping murder," Fujino said, sipping his tea. 

Miwa Sato continued, "Kazuo Sakihara must be the perpetrator of the earlier case I was investigating. And this time, Hiroshige Takahashi planted the bomb to kill Kei Sakihara." 

"Hiroshige Takahashi wanted to kill Kei, but he didn't expect Kanami to be driving the car," Mouri Kogoro said grimly. "If that's the case, Kanami died in the explosion by accident..." 

"That seems to be the case," Fujino nodded, taking another sip of tea without saying much. 

"These people are so cruel," Ran said sadly, lowering her head. "Miss Kei is so pitiful..." 

"Is this really that simple?" 

Conan frowned, unsatisfied with the conclusion. Something felt off to him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. 

He looked up at Fujino, who appeared unfazed. Frustrated, Conan felt a headache coming on. 

Ah... My brain is about to explode! 

(End of Chapter)