It was midnight in the guest room.
Haibara Ai stared at Fujino in front of her, lost in a daze.
"??!!"
Snapping out of it, she quickly stood up, hopped lightly, and landed on the floor in her pajamas.
She looked just like a little cat caught sneaking a treat.
Her breathing grew rapid, her cheeks flushed, and a faint redness spread all the way to the tips of her ears.
A strange, indescribable feeling welled up inside her.
For now, she decided to call it embarrassment.
Fujino sat up in bed, unfazed. He stretched lazily, loosening up his joints.
Taking a deep breath, he put on a sleepy act and asked the overly reactive little girl, "Xiao Ai, did you hear that loud bang just now too?"
Haibara Ai thought for a moment, not daring to look back at Fujino. "I heard it too," she replied. "It sounded like an explosion."
"An explosion… Could it be something blew up in the mansion?" Fujino mused, pretending to speculate.
In his mind, he ran through what he should do next. Then, he hurriedly headed out of the guest room.
By now, Haibara Ai had calmed down a bit. Seeing Fujino rush out, she quickly followed after him.
On second thought, maybe what just happened wasn't such a big deal.
Fujino might've been asleep and not noticed anything.
And even if he had, it didn't really matter.
Yeah, with this body, it'd probably just be seen as a little girl being clingy, right?
Haibara Ai patted her rather flat chest, reassuring herself inwardly.
Sure, whether Fujino was into little girls was still up for debate, but he probably wouldn't think anything weird of it.
Even if he *was* into little girls…
Haibara Ai shivered at the odd turn her thoughts had taken.
She—Little Gray—might have a small body now, but deep down, she was still an eighteen-year-old girl!
Not a kid!
Definitely not!
---
As Fujino pushed open the door, he saw Honami standing in front of the collection room, its door blown wide open.
She was wearing a pink long-sleeved pajama set that hugged her figure. Her hand covered her mouth in shock, her expression one of disbelief.
*"Yep, explosions really are an art form,"* Fujino thought to himself, glancing at his handiwork with a quiet sense of pride.
Then, feigning confusion, he asked, "Miss Honami, what happened?"
Honami turned around. Seeing it was Fujino and not some masked monster, she let out a relieved breath. "The collection room door…" she said, her voice shaky.
Pausing for a moment, she continued, "The mask collection room door got blown open!"
Fujino: "…"
*So, you were probably planning to let Minaho finish that sentence, huh?* He'd always thought they split their lines for convenience.
But no, it seemed she could barely get a full sentence out on her own.
*Seriously, you two sisters are basically one person, aren't you?*
At that moment, the noise woke up a few others staying on the opposite side.
They followed Minaho up to the second-floor collection room, meeting up with the folks from the east wing.
"It's got to be the Shoburu masks pulling a prank!" Honami said, glancing at the shelves around them.
Minaho chimed in, "They're out playing again!"
"A prank?" Katagiri Masaki, who'd tagged along, looked at the sisters with a puzzled frown. "What do you mean by 'the Shoburu masks pulling a prank'?"
"The Shoburu masks love playing tricks," Honami explained.
"They sneak out at night to mess around," Minaho added.
"That's why we lock the collection room door every night before midnight."
"But this time, they broke the door."
"They're just too naughty!"
The sisters took turns speaking, a hint of complaint in their voices.
It didn't sound like they were dealing with something scary.
More like they were mildly annoyed, as if their pet cat or dog had knocked over a dish—nothing out of the ordinary.
"You're not joking, right…?" Matsudaira Mamoru muttered, exasperated, glancing at the shelves. "This is obviously a theft. We should call the police right now."
"No, it's real!" Honami insisted.
"Every morning lately, the masks have been tilted weirdly."
"Some even fall onto the floor."
The two spoke with serious tones, looking dead-set on their story.
"Uh…" Aikawa Fuyuya, who'd just stepped out of the bathroom, caught the scene and was at a loss for words.
Truth was, he was the one behind it all.
He hadn't done it for no reason, though.
It was all for tonight's murder case.
But these twin maids were way too observant.
Every time he rehearsed, they'd notice something had been moved.
"Cursed masks that move every night, huh…" muttered fortune-teller Nagara Haruka, unfazed. She smoothly pulled a tarot card from her sleeve and started divining.
But when her eyes landed on the card, she froze.
Unconvinced, she drew again.
Her brows furrowed tight.
There, on the tarot deck, was a stark black Death card.
*Bang!*
Another loud explosion echoed through the air.
It was Fujino, triggering the gum bomb he'd set up on the other side.
"Over there!" Fujino shouted, playing his part like a seasoned actor, pointing toward the blast.
"That's Teacher Suou's bedroom!" the twin sisters cried in unison, panic in their voices. "The Shoburu masks went after Teacher Suou!"
"What?!" Everyone gasped.
Nagara Haruka's earlier words had already planted a seed of unease.
Coupled with the creepy legends and bizarre rules, the mansion suddenly felt downright chilling!
---
By the time they reached Suou Akako's bedroom, the door had been blown open.
Peering through the wrecked entrance, they saw a figure standing by the window, which had a gaping hole blasted through it.
In the dim light filtering through the hole, they made out the figure.
It was someone in a white robe, facing away from them.
On the bed nearby, masks were scattered around.
Suou Akako lay among them, blood staining the white masks red. Her face was twisted in agony, a massive hole in her chest.
"Who's there?!" Fujino yelled at the white-robed figure.
The figure didn't answer. It turned slowly, glancing at them, revealing a white mask under the hood of the robe.
After a brief stare-down, the figure tossed out a card with a bat symbol on it, then leapt out the window.
*[Leap of Faith activated]*
A pile of straw suddenly appeared below Suou Akako's window.
The robed figure landed on it, stood up, and gracefully brushed off the straw clinging to them.
*"Leap of Faith really is a handy skill,"* they thought to themselves before darting off into the nearby forest.
The speed was unreal—hardly human.
"Ahh!!"
"It's a curse!"
"The masks' curse!"
Honami and Minaho clung to each other, collapsing to the floor, letting out a piercing scream. "The teacher was killed by the cursed masks!"
"Damn it!" Fujino growled, putting on an angry act. He stepped forward, checked Suou Akako's pulse briefly, then shouted to the others, "Call the police, quick!"
Then he jumped out the window too.
His figure dropped fast into the darkness.
At the last second, his Soul Wing skill kicked in, and he landed on the straw pile.
By the time everyone rushed to the gaping window and looked out, both figures had vanished into the dark forest beside the snowy white ground.
Aikawa Fuyuya: "…"
*So, I just got upstaged?*
His feelings were a mixed bag.
Suou Akako's death was a good thing, sure.
But watching months of planning go down the drain?
Why did he suddenly feel a weird sense of disappointment, like a failed Mihua mastermind?
Haibara Ai: "?"
She stared at the hole, lost in thought.
If she wasn't mistaken, that white-robed figure had been Fujino…
The style and design were unmistakable.
But Fujino had been right beside her the whole time.
How'd he pull it off?
An accomplice?
No way—Fujino didn't have any accomplices.
Haibara Ai lowered her gaze, mind spinning. Her CPU was practically overheating, but she still couldn't figure it out.
---
In the pitch-black forest, fine snow clung to the bare, dark branches.
Fujino chased the white-robed figure deep into the woods.
When they reached a secluded spot, both stopped at the same time.
The white-robed figure paused, pulled off the mask, and revealed Fujino's own face.
Soul Clone stepped forward, and Fujino clapped him on the shoulder.
They exchanged a look, like old comrades in arms.
Then they swapped clothes.
While they were at it, Fujino switched Soul Clone's appearance back to "Fujino Akemi."
"Achoo!" Soul Clone sneezed, now in the assassin's robe.
"Soul Clone's constitution really isn't as strong as mine… Or maybe my real body's just way beyond normal now," Fujino mused, glancing at the snow around them while slipping on his suit jacket. "Then again, it *is* pretty cold out here."
Muttering to himself, he sent Soul Clone running off again.
As for himself, he rolled in the snow, then started walking back toward the mansion.
The plan was complete.
Yep, this time he'd played the little villain.
But this case wouldn't be cracked so easily.
The best murder plan? Disguise yourself, kill fast, and get out.
Lingering at the scene after the deed? That's for total idiots.
*[Assassin Class Mission (Hypocritical Philanthropist) Completed Detected]*
*[System Rewards: 1,000,000 yen, 100 Assassin Class Proficiency Points Issued]*
*[Congratulations, Host's Assassin Class Level Upgraded to: Intermediate]*
*[Current Available Points: 1]*
*[Current Balance: 13,680,000 yen]*
On his way back, a series of system notifications chimed in Fujino's ears.
"Assassin level's hit intermediate…" Fujino glanced at the system prompt, not surprised. He opened the interface and assigned the new point.
*[Modern Assassin: Intermediate (Increases all attributes by 40% when using cold weapons; increases all attributes by 40% when using firearms)]*
The assassin class skills were still pretty limited.
There was Modern Assassin, boosting all weapon attributes, and Swift Assassination, which sped him up when chasing targets.
After some thought, Fujino bumped up Modern Assassin.
Compared to speed, boosting all attributes with weapons felt more practical.
---
Late that night, not long after Fujino returned to the mansion, Inspector Megure Juzo arrived with his team from Tokyo.
"The victim is Suou Akako, president of the Red Society agency… The suspect used a small bomb to blow open the collection room in the middle of the villa, then moved the masks, killed the victim with a sharp weapon, and used another bomb to blast the window…"
At the crime scene, a forensic officer briefed Megure Juzo.
Megure stood by the bed, studying the body. A strange feeling gnawed at him.
He never thought Suou Akako—once called the "Canary of the East," someone he'd actually admired—would end up dead like this…
Lost in thought, he glanced at the gaping hole in the window, then at Fujino, letting out a quiet sigh.
Lately, little brother Fujino had been stumbling into murder cases way too often.
He remembered one just a few days ago.
And now here he was, caught up in another.
*So, Fujino's definitely tangled up in some weird stuff, right?*
With that in mind, he walked over to Fujino and asked helplessly, "Little brother Fujino, I heard you were the first to chase after the suspect when you found the body. How'd it go? Any leads?"
"Nope, nothing," Fujino said, putting on a regretful look. After a pause, he added, "The guy's a tough one. Wore a white robe. We had a big showdown in the forest, but he still got away."
"A white robe?" Megure's mind clicked.
*Could it be that Mihua Batman?*
Snapping out of it, he glanced at the snow on Fujino's clothes.
Suddenly, he felt a pang of sympathy for this brave kid.
Patting Fujino's shoulder, he said earnestly, "Little brother Fujino, next time you run into a bad guy, don't charge in first. The suspect had a sharp weapon."
"Got it," Fujino nodded. "Next time, for sure."
Megure: "…"
*Next time, you'll charge in again, huh?*
"But it's not like he left nothing behind," Fujino said, pulling out the card he'd kept and handing it to Megure. "Before he left, he dropped this."
"A card?" Megure took it, reading it aloud:
*["Tonight, I shall unmask hypocrisy.*
*Suou Akako's crimes: Twenty years ago, she killed Mrs. Katagiri in a hit-and-run and framed her assistant, then murdered her. For fifteen years, she's been embezzling orphanage donations…*
*—Thus, Mihua Batman steps in."]*
As he read, Megure's face darkened.
Sure, Mihua Batman was a top target for them.
But judging by the list of crimes left behind, every single one checked out.
If it was written, she'd done it.
If it wasn't, she'd probably done that too.
*(Chapter End)*