The coffee shop murder case a few days ago netted 500,000 yen.
Today's TV station murder case added another 600,000 yen.
Despite the producer's death, the TV station still honored the agreed-upon 500,000 yen appearance fees for both idols, which Fujino happily pocketed.
More money meant more gacha pulls.
Especially since he'd just survived an assassination attempt – the danger felt very real.
"Injured today, so no superstitious rituals."
Fujino stared at the orb gacha interface, took a deep breath,
and initiated the pull.
One million eight hundred thousand yen. Twenty pulls!
[Congratulations Host! Rewards Acquired:
Strength Enhancement Card (100%) x2,
Reaction Speed Enhancement Card (100%) x3,
System Card Fuser (Purple),
Golden Item Random Draw Fragment x4,
Batman Anesthetic Batarang x5...]
"System Card Fuser?"
Scanning the pile of new items, Fujino's attention was caught by the sole Purple item.
He opened his inventory and checked the [System Card Fuser] details:
[System Card Fuser: Allows fusion and upgrading of multiple lower-tier enhancement cards using a certain amount of currency. Note: Fusion results in sublimation!]
"If the description is accurate, this should let me combine basic enhancement cards."
Fujino pondered for a moment, then materialized the Fuser from his inventory.
It took the shape of a dark black, rectangular inkstone, about fifty centimeters long and fifteen centimeters wide.
The lower half had five slots, while the upper part had only one slot.
Presumably for placing the enhancement cards.
The fuser wasn't large, but it was surprisingly heavy.
He almost dropped it the moment he took it out due to the unexpected weight.
"Five slots..."
Placing the fuser on the floor, Fujino examined the slots.
"Looks like it needs five cards?"
He retrieved five 100% Strength Enhancement Cards from his pocket dimension and placed them in the lower slots.
[Low-Grade Enhancement Cards detected in position.]
[Fuse five 100% Strength Enhancement Cards into one 200% Strength Enhancement Card?]
[Current Fusion Cost: 100,000 Yen]
"Fuse!"
[90,000 Yen consumed (Discount applied). Fusion initiated.]
As the system notification sounded,
the dark inkstone began to emit a warm glow.
After a moment, the five cards dissolved into streams of light, converging towards the single upper slot.
The light faded, leaving a single enhancement card sitting calmly in the slot.
[Congratulations Host! Acquired 200% Strength Enhancement Card (Duration: 10 minutes)]
"This fuser is a great item."
Fujino pocketed the newly fused card.
"I might be short on other things, but I've certainly pulled a lot of enhancement cards lately..."
A short while later, Fujino spent another 450,000 yen, fusing three 200% Reaction Speed Enhancement Cards and two more 200% Strength Enhancement Cards.
[Current Balance: 602,000 Yen]
Fujino glanced at his remaining balance, then turned his attention to two other items from the recent pull.
[Golden Item Fragment: Collect 20 to exchange for a random Golden item.]
"So I need twenty of these to get one random Golden item?"
Fujino looked at the fragment description and couldn't help but complain,
"As expected of this damn predatory gacha system."
Despite the complaint, Golden items were definitely worth saving fragments for.
Based on his experience so far, Golden items were incredibly powerful, almost game-breaking.
Like the Pocket Dimension, for example.
Even though expanding it cost money, its utility was undeniable.
Next, Fujino examined the Batarangs:
[Batman's Anesthetic Batarang: High-tech dart created by a certain Gotham billionaire. Instantly incapacitates an adult human. Slowly biodegrades after hitting the target. Note: Wear gloves when handling.]
The anesthetic Batarangs felt metallic.
They were coated in matte black, with sharp silver edges on the wings.
Between the wings were cute little bat ears.
Very fitting for a Batarang.
Fujino wouldn't be surprised if these were stolen directly from Bruce Wayne.
After all, only a certain Gotham billionaire would create something like anesthetic darts.
As for the 'biodegradable' part... that remained to be tested.
Honestly, Fujino was skeptical.
But if the system said so, it probably was true.
Traceless anesthetic... definitely better than a certain shinigami elementary schooler's tranquilizer watch.
"I'll find some unlucky souls to test these on later."
Just as Fujino put away the Batarangs, the system's voice sounded unexpectedly:
"Ding! Detected Host Detective Rank increased to Basic Four-Star. Detective Bounty Mission issued!"
"Another bounty mission?"
Fujino paused, surprised.
A Detective Bounty Mission... if he recalled correctly, this was only the second time it had triggered.
The last time, the random equipment pack reward gave him the Lifesaving Trench Coat.
He wondered what kind of mission and reward he'd get this time.
After a moment's thought, Fujino opened the system interface:
[Detective Profession Bounty Mission: Apprehend Monk Ten'ei]
Location: Mount Takao, outside Tokyo - Sanneiji Temple
Time Limit: 3 Days
Reward: 3,000,000 Yen Bounty, +200 Detective Reputation, Random Equipment Pack
"Monk Ten'ei?"
Fujino studied the mission details, stroking his chin.
"If I remember correctly, this should be the Mist Tengu Murder Case, right?"
Two years ago, a bizarre incident occurred at Sanneiji Temple.
A monk named Chunnen was found hanged in the temple's training hall, seemingly by a legendary creature, the Great Tengu.
Due to the suspicious circumstances and lack of evidence pointing to foul play, the police hastily concluded the case as a suicide.
However, the truth was that the temple's head priest, Monk Ten'ei, had murdered Monk Chunnen.
The motive? To prevent Chunnen from eloping with Ten'ei's granddaughter, Kikuno.
Monk Chunnen and Kikuno had fallen in love.
But reality stood firmly in their way.
Kikuno had been betrothed since childhood to the heir of another temple.
The young lovers planned to run away together one night to escape the arranged marriage...
But just before their planned elopement, Head Priest Ten'ei discovered their plan.
To prevent the arranged marriage alliance between the two temples from collapsing, Ten'ei ruthlessly murdered Monk Chunnen and staged the scene to look like a Tengu attack, even profiting from the ensuing superstition.
Devastated by her lover's death, Kikuno lost all hope.
She eventually married the heir from the other temple as arranged.
"Well, speak of the devil... or rather, the unlucky soul. Just needed a test subject, and one practically knocks on the door."
Fujino's lips curled into a slightly unsettling smile.