My First Quest Is Complex As I Expected!
"Hypnosis?... With this, I can do that!… And in the first case, my goddess will be there… Nurufufufufu!"
Because of the merging, the remnant of Kogoro's perverted tendency made his brain run a hundred miles an hour, noting down various scenarios where he could use the cards.
The System, without missing a beat, responded:
[Perceiving the host's dog-like lust, generating quest!]
[Quest: First Blood. Farmer farms, and Detective solves cases. Please solve the first case you encounter perfectly! Reward: Marrow-Cleansing Pill (1x), Free Gift Draw (1x)]
'Baa-chan, Isn't this too easy? I already watched the series till the last episode many times over! Not only that, if it's just the culprit, I can name them when I hear their name.'
The System answered,
[Just like there are differences between you and the Kogoro Mouri from the show, there are also dissimilarities between this reality and the animation world. You need to use your deductive reasoning to solve every case, and not be biased. Giving the wrong answer will give the host serious repercussions!]
Hearing this, Kogoro was struck silent. Sure enough, there is no free lunch in this world. He almost drowned with worry, before he slapped his cheeks, waking himself up immediately.
'There's no use worrying about unknown variables. I'll deal with them when the time comes.'
After he finished taking shower, Kogoro walked out wrapped in a towel, feeling quite good despite everything. It's only a couple hours after midnight, but the city already showed some signs of life. The chill he felt was reduced to a slightly cool feeling on his skin.
Kogoro put on some casual clothes, before heading to the veranda, looking down on the street below.
His Mouri Detective Agency was located at lot number 39, block 5, Beika Town district, in Beika City. It was located in between the suburb and the city proper of Tokyo. It was an ordinary residential area, just a few blocks away from Kudo's new residence in block 2.
His luck was quite good, and he managed to snag two floors of this particular building. Other than the first floor of the building which was rented by the owner of the coffee shop Poirot, the second and third floors were his.
The Agency on the second floor was still easily accessible for the visitors while still quite separated from the hubbub of the street. Finally, the third floor was where Kogoro and his daughter lived. It's not exactly spacious, but it was warm and homely, because of his daughter's tender care.
Although it had been decades after the building was built, and he rarely did any renovation, the office and the living area's decoration and furniture were still in good condition despite their old age.
Kogoro went back into the office. He looked at the neatly arranged files of the cases he got. The most recent one, the only one he hadn't yet solved, was an affair investigation.
The client was a 38 years old woman called Hinata Hanaoka. She asked Kogoro to investigate her husband, Kenjin Hanaoka, because of his recent behavior.
Mr. Kenjin Hanaoka was a famous illustrator whose name skyrocketed in the last five years. Although Mr. Hanaoka hit a roadblock a year ago, he overcame it with great work after another this year. His face, printed numerous times in the media, was always with a satisfied smile.
His wife, on the other hand, didn't feel any positive feelings about his recent success. After a little bit of interview with her, Kogoro realized that the first wave of success that Mr. Hanaoka had was all thanks to the background of her family.
Hinata Hanaoka, born Hinata Yamashina, was one of the descendants of the Old Imperial Family's collateral branch Yamashina house. While they, along with the other branches, were no longer members of the Imperial Family, the Yamashina still had some influence in the upper-class society in Japan.
Being their son-in-law, Mr. Hanaoka received many opportunities to showcase his creations. His name was mentioned in articles and news from local and national TV. Naturally, the price of his paintings were also raised. Kenjin Hanaoka enjoyed a couple years of riches and glory with his beautiful wife.
However, with how eccentric most of the famous artists and art collectors were, one needed to depend on their talent if they wanted to stay in the circle.
Kenjin Hanaoka's artworks were inspired by his struggles stemming from his financial situation. And sure enough, with the abundance of money, came the drought of inspirations.
His then-new works were heavily criticized by the common people, and their exhibits invited ridicules containing many taglines, like dull, obsolete, and lacking in direction. He then gradually disappeared from the public.
Until, about a year ago, Mr. Hanaoka unexpectedly started creating new paintings with an even more surprising touch of his old brilliance. His last work, dubbed Sleeping Mary, was lauded as his best work.
Many thought that a year without people's attention, and staying with his wife was what inspired him, but Kogoro knew the truth! Along with the suspicion from Mrs. Hanaoka, he also had his memory of the murder case that is yet to happen.
The Sleeping Mary that he saw in the file he was holding didn't resemble the client that contacted him, but the soon-to-be-murdered young and upcoming illustrator!
Exhaling lightly, the System's warning about the difference between this world and the one he watched popped up in his mind. 'Not enough! I need more data than this.'
***
"… Really? Alright, I'll call you immediately when I sorted everything out, Hinata-san. Thank you!"
Kogoro ended the brief call he made to his client. The fact that Mrs. Hanaoka said she was alone didn't escape him. This, along with the previously reported habit of Kenjin Hanaoka strongly suggested that his dalliance with the ghost painter, Izumi Chouno, was actually happening.
Kogoro booted up his computer, while rubbing the crease on his forehead. 'But then, there's also the noise that sounds like the grunt of a man in that phone call. It can't be Mr. Hanaoka! If he heard her saying she was alone, he would be angry as hell!'
'If it's not him, then… Is she having an affair too? Man, how the hell should I solve this? If I told her the truth, and she was actually with another man, then comrade Hanaoka will be detained for fraud even though his wife is also cheating on him. But if I don't, and she also wasn't committing adultery, then in addition to keeping an innocent woman in the dark, I won't get the prize from Baa-chan!'
"Unless…"
When in doubt, never forget about Grandma!
"Baa-chan, does the quest have any restriction on whether I reported the truth or not?"
[Answering the host: No, as long as you submitted your deduction to the system, and doesn't mind your reputation with other detectives went down the drain when you are found out, you can do as you like!]
"That's more like it!"
Kogoro's problem was solved instantly.
'As expected of Baa-chan!'
Looking at the screen of the computer, Kogoro opened the connection to the internet, and downloaded the compilation of the artworks Hinata Hanaoka sent him. Although he had already seen some of them in magazines, the quality of the picture there was too low, so he directly asked Mrs. Hinata to send him the file her husband had in their home computer.
With the file opened, Kogoro analyzed the paintings with scrutiny, and sure enough! From one of Mr. Hanaoka's recent paintings, the sign on the bottom right contained a small butterfly below the underline! This was the small detail Ms. Chouno added to every painting that she made under Kenjin Hanaoka's name.
"Tsk. This comrade, you already have a refined beautiful wife, Hinata-san, why do you need the audacious young student too?" Kogoro muttered under his breath.
Feeling energized from the progress that he made, Kogoro hurriedly made another call to his client.
"Hello?... Yes, Hinata-san. I already solved the case… It's hard to explain over the phone, so can you meet me at my office?... Yes. It's more complicated than that, so I'll just explain it when you get here… Thirty minutes? Yes, please be careful on the road!"
Releasing his breath, Kogoro went to the small kitchen counter to boil some water.
'Baa-chan, I want to submit my deduction of this case now!'
[Ding!]
[Quest: First Blood has been completed! Obtaining reward: Marrow-Cleansing Pill (1x), Free Gift Draw (1x)]
Seeing the detail of the quest's rewards, Kogoro, ever the gambler, couldn't help but salivate at their description!
~To Be Continued~
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A/N: Man, it's getting harder and harder to write. If you are reading this, and you are wondering who the client is, it's the unnamed wife of the culprit from the chapter 125 of the manga.
You can also go to my patréon or ko-fi to read chapter four!
Once again, thank you!
segalengko69
