Fujino glanced at the unconscious Silver Fox, paying her no further mind.
The force of his kick would likely keep her asleep for a while.
As for kicking her to death...
Fujino figured that villains in the Conan world probably weren't that fragile.
If even Silver Fox could be killed by his kick, Ran would likely have a dozen lives on her conscience by now.
After all, punching through a utility pole – isn't that terrifying?
People in the Conan world couldn't be understood with common sense.
Averting his gaze, Fujino kicked the handgun dropped by Silver Fox aside, turning his attention to the man nearby holding Ayumi and another child hostage.
He raised the bokken in his hand. Boosted by the Comfort-Step Seniors' Shoes and enhancements, he charged towards the man at incredible speed.
"Don't come over here..."
Watching Fujino rapidly approach, the man backed away repeatedly.
He released the other child, using both hands to restrain Ayumi.
But before he could retreat more than a few steps, Fujino's figure had already arrived silently.
The bokken, gripped tightly, swung out.
With a whistling sound, it grazed past the short hair on Ayumi's head and struck the man square in the face.
"Duang!"
A crisp sound echoed.
The man's vision went black.
Then, he fell backward, landing on the back of his head, losing consciousness.
His grip on Ayumi loosened, and she tumbled onto his body.
Thump...
Although the little loli Ayumi wasn't heavy, the impact likely caused him some internal injury.
Fujino's figure had already moved behind the man.
He glanced back at the man whose eyes had rolled back, mentally evaluating: This head's quality isn't bad.
He then turned his gaze towards the old man less than two meters away, who had one arm broken, was completely powerless, and had white stubble.
The old man held Mitsuhiko hostage with his casted arm, while his other usable hand gripped the back of Genta's collar.
Genta, held by the collar, "struggled desperately" – looking like he was just playing around.
Fujino: "..."
Mitsuhiko was understandable, but what was up with Genta?
Unable to break free just because his collar was grabbed?
Was this Genta guy secretly working with them undercover?
Taking a deep breath, Fujino suppressed the urge to complain internally, raised his bokken towards the old man with the broken arm, and said gravely,
"Old man, I'll give you two choices: let go of those two kids, or I break your other arm, and then you let go of those two kids."
The old man stared at the bokken gripped in Fujino's hand and swallowed hard.
Visually, this young man's combat strength was not to be underestimated.
Not only had he taken down his boss Silver Fox and the other accomplice in less than ten seconds just now,
but there was also the sheer presence he exuded when bursting in through the window...
Was this kid sure he wasn't FBI?
"I surrender!"
Making a swift decision, the old man released Mitsuhiko and Genta, raising his hands.
He wasn't stupid; the situation was already one-sided.
Further resistance would likely result in a beating like the other two.
"Hands on your head!"
Fujino advanced slowly, bokken in hand.
The surrendered old man didn't dare hesitate, quickly raising his left hand, afraid Fujino would strike him too.
Silver Fox and the other accomplice were still young; a kick or a whack with a stick wasn't a big deal.
But he was old. A kick might seriously injure him.
"Get down, hands on your head!"
Fujino shouted again.
The old man heard him and squatted down, looking at his raised left hand.
Then he turned his head and looked at his casted, fractured right arm.
"..."
Finally, he could only look helplessly at Fujino.
It wasn't that he wouldn't raise it; he physically couldn't!
But Fujino wasn't buying it.
He gripped the bokken tightly and swept a roundhouse kick towards the squatting old man.
He said hands on head, meaning both hands.
This old man not having both hands on his head clearly meant he wasn't being honest!
"Ah!"
The old man fell in the direction of Fujino's kick.
Broken!
His previously healthy left arm, under the force of that roundhouse kick, broke too!
The old man, kicked flying, didn't lose consciousness.
The sharp pain from his arm made him howl in agony.
Mixed with his cries were curses directed at Fujino, this young man, for sneak-attacking an old man like him.
Fujino ignored the old man's curses, raised the bokken, and brought it down hard on the old man's head.
"Duang!"
This sound was somewhat duller.
Completely incomparable to the crisp sound from the other man's head.
Clearly not a good head.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have disobeyed his command to raise both hands.
Thinking this, Fujino sighed softly: Indeed, people's heads cannot be generalized.
"Fujino?!"
Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind.
Fujino turned to see Conan, who had just entered, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt.
Conan surveyed the chaotic scene.
Then his gaze shifted to the side, where Fujino stood over an unconscious old man, holding a bokken. Conan's face filled with utter confusion.
He glanced at the broken window nearby, a bold guess forming in his mind.
Could this guy have come in through that window?
But speaking of which, why was this guy here?
"Fujino-niichan, thank you so much for saving Ayumi."
Ayumi, having recovered, came up to Fujino and thanked him.
"It's okay... You should thank Ai-chan. Thanks to her telling me about this, and since I happened to be nearby, otherwise things would have been troublesome today."
Saying this, Fujino patted Ayumi's head.
For such a grateful loli, Fujino naturally wouldn't show an unpleasant expression.
"Ai-chan?"
Ayumi, seemingly accustomed to such affectionate gestures from elders, asked, "Fujino-niichan, you know Ai-chan?"
"She's temporarily staying at my place now."
"I see."
Ayumi nodded. "Mhm, Fujino-niichan, you're really gentle!"
"Gentle... am I?"
Ai Haibara looked at the two, her expression pausing.
Both Fujino and Fujino Akemi were indeed gentle people, a gentleness mixed with a certain strength.
Speaking of which, her sister was also a gentle person, but her gentleness was too gentle, so much so that in the end...
Unlike her sister's slightly yielding good temper, the people in Fujino's household seemed much more martially inclined.
Two different kinds of gentleness: one silently shouldering everything to protect her, the other eliminating those who bullied her...
Ever since her sister died, she had no one else to rely on in this world.
The night she escaped the organization, she had recalled her sister in dreams more than once...
But it was just a dream. Once awake, she had to face the cruel reality.
Luckily, she was fortunate... to have met the Fujino household.
She had seen her sister's shadow in Fujino Akemi more than once.
That gentle feeling allowed her to temporarily forget the harshness of reality.
This was just a self-deceiving dream; she knew that.
But she still hoped this dream could last, even for a short while...