i am just a student? in Conan world

Fujino's eyes quickly scanned the man before him. 

His gaze stopped on the stainless steel kitchen knife. 

Sunlight streamed through a narrow window, causing the blade's tip to glint with a dazzling silver light. 

Fujino's hawk-like eyes caught the man's movements with the knife in vivid detail. His combat intuition triggered, allowing him to predict the man's next move. 

He raised his left hand swiftly, twisting it behind his back to grab the man's wrist holding the knife and exerting force. 

*Crack!* 

The man's wrist fractured audibly. 

Fujino didn't leave any room for a counterattack. 

His right hand shot up, his elbow slamming hard into the man's face. Without hesitation, he followed up with a knee strike to the man's chest. 

*Thud!* 

The man spat out saliva and stumbled backward from the knee blow, only to be grabbed and slammed violently to the ground by Fujino's shoulder throw. 

Normally, such a flurry of attacks would have rendered the man unconscious by now. 

But in a state of frenzied excitement, the man let out wild, animalistic screams: 

"Butterflies! I need butterflies! My butterflies… How can I live without them? I must deliver it to him!" 

Seemingly oblivious to pain, the man tried to struggle back to his feet. 

Fujino's right foot stomped heavily on the man's shoulder, his left hand pulling forcefully. 

*Snap!* 

The man's arm was dislocated with sheer force. 

Even so, the effects of the drugs he'd taken left him clutching the knife tightly. 

Fujino, seeing this, delivered a powerful kick to the man's chest. 

Finally, the man began losing consciousness, and the knife slipped from his grasp. 

"Addict." 

Fujino stood up, his gaze cold and unyielding. 

At first, he thought the killer was a vengeful enemy of the victim. The indiscriminate violence after breaking in, coupled with the messy wounds on the body, suggested a crime of revenge rather than robbery. 

However, he had overlooked one key point: 

The killer was an addict. He killed simply because he wanted to. 

--- 

Not long after, the backup called by Takagi arrived on the scene. 

The killer, barely clinging to life, was rushed to the hospital. 

He had multiple fractures in his jaw and ribs, a dislocated shoulder blade, and severe bruising on his back. 

A blood test later confirmed the presence of illegal drugs. 

Fortunately, Fujino's actions were deemed self-defense, and he faced no legal repercussions. 

Soon, the police identified both the victim and the killer. 

According to the investigation, the killer was the victim's boyfriend—a jobless drifter who spent his days drinking and abusing his family. 

The victim had moved out to escape the abuse, working hard to support her two children on her own. 

But even after moving, he would find her and demand money. 

The night before, he came again to extort her. This time, an argument escalated, and after taking drugs, the mentally deranged killer grabbed a kitchen knife and murdered her. 

--- 

Snowflakes drifted gently from the sky. The area around the crime scene was cordoned off, drawing a crowd of local residents. 

"Mom…" 

Little Yi stood outside the kitchen window, clutching her panda-shaped backpack. Her small hands were stained with bloody handprints, stark and vivid. 

Her clear eyes blinked as she gazed through the narrow window, innocent and confused. 

"…" 

Fujino stood silently at the alley's entrance. 

He watched the scene before him, saying nothing. 

"You've done a good job." 

A voice came from behind as Shizuka Hiratsuka walked up to him. 

She smiled faintly and offered words of comfort. "If you hadn't found her brother, she would've been left completely alone in this world." 

"But there's one thing you got wrong." 

Fujino shook his head and turned to face her. His expression remained calm. 

"The one who saved them wasn't me—it was their mother." 

"Alright, don't dwell on it too much. I know a great ramen place…" 

She lit a cigarette, patted Fujino on the shoulder, and said with a grin, "Even though you still owe me countless bowls of ramen, this time it's on me!" 

"This time, let me treat." 

"Huh?" 

Hiratsuka Shizuka paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "You said it yourself—no take-backs!" 

Fujino took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. "Of course not. After all, I owe you a lot of favors from before... It's about time I repaid them." 

Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, while thick clouds veiled the sunlight. 

Fujino's figure was shrouded in dim light—half in shadow, half illuminated. 

---

At the intersection of 4-Chome. 

The streets were blanketed in a layer of pristine snow. 

Three kids ran ahead, joyfully having a snowball fight, while Haibara Ai and Conan quietly walked behind them. 

Haibara Ai was lost in thought, recalling the nightmare she had last night. 

"This isn't the place where I should stay." 

Conan mimicked Haibara Ai's tone. "If you don't want to drag innocent people into this mess, you've got to leave quickly... Isn't that what you're thinking?" 

"..." 

Haibara Ai narrowed her eyes slightly and turned her head to look at Conan with a speechless expression. 

Even though that was indeed what she was thinking. 

"Don't worry. Nobody would believe something as outlandish as being shrunk by a drug. If you don't want to expose yourself, just keep playing the role of a kid." 

Conan juggled a soccer ball with his feet and added casually, "Besides, there's always Fujino. That guy's strong. Seems like he's got some connection with Kaito Kid too. If things get really bad, we could just tell him everything—he'd probably help us out." 

Haibara Ai suddenly spoke, "Absolutely not." 

"Huh?" 

Conan looked surprised. "Why not?" 

Haibara Ai replied coldly, "Just no." 

Conan took out a pack of sunflower seeds that Fujino had given him a while back and started cracking them. "Don't tell me... you've got feelings for him?" 

Haibara Ai gave him a cold glare in response: "..." 

Conan popped another sunflower seed into his mouth. "By the way, how old were you before you shrank?" 

Haibara Ai didn't answer. 

She simply narrowed her eyes, lost in thought as she continued walking. 

Until they reached an intersection. 

The kids ahead parted ways and headed home in different directions. 

A black crow flapped its wings, cutting through the snow-laden sky before landing on a telephone pole, leaving a few black feathers in the snow. 

Haibara Ai turned around, glanced back, and looked up—suddenly noticing a black vintage car. 

She stared at the black car in front of her. 

It felt as if the falling snow around her had stopped. 

Time seemed to freeze at that moment. 

Her breathing grew faster, and her entire body seemed paralyzed in place. 

"Hey, what are you looking at?" 

Conan noticed Haibara Ai's strange behavior and followed her gaze to the black car. He commented, "Oh, a Porsche 356A. That's a classic. Didn't think anyone would still be driving one of those." 

"This is..." 

Haibara Ai opened her mouth, forcing out a weak voice from her throat. "This is... Gin's car." 

(End of Chapter)