"Don't be afraid. He's fine; he's just asleep."
Hayashi Shuichi reached out to check Professor Agasa's pulse. He then leaned down and found an almost transparent, slender needle lodged in the Professor's neck. The tip of the needle glinted faintly with a cold light under the sun.
Recalling what Professor Agasa hadn't finished saying earlier, this "flashlight" was likely the predecessor to the Stun-Gun Wristwatch.
"Is he really just asleep?" Reiko still looked incredulous.
Hayashi Shuichi nodded gently. He pinched the thin needle between his fingertips and examined it closely. The residual liquid on the tip refracted a strange sheen in the sunlight. "This needle was likely soaked in an anesthetic agent, which is why the Professor fell unconscious immediately after being hit."
"... Why on earth would the Professor invent something like this?" Reiko complained, her eyes red and her mouth pouting. "He scared me to death; I thought I had killed someone."
"Who knows?" Hayashi Shuichi shrugged, bending down to pick up the device that had fired the anesthetic needle.
The metal casing felt cool against his palm. The gadget was only about ten centimeters long—roughly the size of a small flashlight—but the craftsmanship was surprisingly exquisite.
Hayashi Shuichi carefully slid open the rear magazine. Inside, five glinting anesthetic needles were neatly arranged, their tips still coated with a trace of transparent liquid.
"Good stuff."
"... Big Brother, you don't actually want this, do you?"
Reiko frowned, standing before her brother with her hands on her hips, staring at him suspiciously.
"You aren't planning to use it to bully girls, are you?"
"Cough, cough cough!"
Hayashi Shuichi choked on his own saliva at his little cousin's words, nearly dropping the device in his hand.
"I just want to use it for self-defense! Even if I wanted to bully girls, would I need to use this?"
"Wait, no, since when did I want to bully girls?!"
Seeing her brother flustered and exasperated, Reiko let out a disdainful "Hmph," revealing two cute little canine teeth. "I didn't realize your true colors before. Big Brother is just a big pervert!"
"You little brat, I'll show you what a pervert is right now!"
Hayashi Shuichi feigned a lecherous and sleazy expression, lunging toward Reiko.
Giggling, the little girl scrambled around the apartment to dodge him.
Meanwhile.
After getting into Sharon's car, Yukiko hadn't said much.
It wasn't that she didn't want to speak, but rather that Sharon's face, cold as ice, made her afraid to open her mouth.
Yukiko fiddled uneasily with the ends of her hair, stealing glances at the speedometer from time to time. The needle was approaching the red zone, and the scenery outside the window was retreating rapidly in a blur.
The sports car sped along like this for over half an hour. Finally, unable to contain her curiosity, Yukiko asked cautiously, "How did Shuichi make you angry? Weren't you two before..."
"Isn't the way things are now a good thing for you?"
Sharon slammed on the brakes. The tires let out a screeching protest against the asphalt. She turned her head, her eyes sharp as knives.
"Just so happens there's one less love rival."
"What's the use of one less..." Yukiko muttered gloomily. "If I had known that bastard was such a philandering player, I never would have talked to him in the first place."
"You're right. That guy really is a bastard!" Sharon slammed her fist onto the steering wheel, causing the horn to let out a piercing honk.
The two looked at each other. The anger in Sharon's eyes met the grievance in Yukiko's, and for once, they found a rare point of agreement.
Professor Agasa's Apartment.
The siblings played around for a while, but Professor Agasa showed no signs of waking up.
"Big Brother, how much longer is he going to sleep?"
Reiko squatted beside Professor Agasa, poking his shoulder tentatively with her index finger. Seeing no reaction, she increased the force, eventually shaking him.
"Who knows," Hayashi Shuichi glanced at the wall clock; the minute hand had already completed more than half a circle. "If the dosage on the needle was high, he might even sleep for a whole day."
With nothing to do and feeling it would be rude to rummage through someone else's belongings, the siblings could only pick books from the shelf to read.
Reiko stood on her tiptoes and pulled out a heavy hardcover book.
"This is so weird, Big Brother," Reiko opened the book and pointed to the signature written in fountain pen on the title page. "Why are Professor Agasa's signatures all 'Professor Agasa' (Agasa Hakase)? Isn't that a bit exaggerated? Does he want everyone to know he's a doctor?"
"Professor Agasa doesn't seem like a vain person," Hayashi Shuichi was also somewhat puzzled.
"Because that is my real name," a hoarse voice suddenly spoke up from beside them.
Startled, the siblings turned their heads simultaneously to see Professor Agasa, who was lying on the floor, yawning as he slowly sat up.
"It seems the effect of the anesthetic needle lasts a little over an hour," Hayashi Shuichi checked the time.
"Professor, you're finally awake!" Reiko shouted in surprise, then recalled her earlier question. She asked in astonishment, "Professor Agasa, is your real name actually 'Hiroshi' (written as Professor)?"
"That's right," Professor Agasa nodded.
"Professor Agasa, Professor..."
Reiko tilted her head, eyeing Professor Agasa suspiciously from head to toe. Her gaze lingered for a long time on his slightly messy lab coat and fluffy hair.
"Professor, you aren't actually not a doctor, are you?"
"I really am a Doctor!"
Professor Agasa hurriedly pulled a crumpled business card from his pocket. The gold-embossed text glittered under the light: "University of Tokyo, Doctor of Engineering, Agasa Hiroshi." The characters were clearly visible.
"Why give you that name?" Reiko muttered softly. "If you hadn't managed to become a doctor, wouldn't it have been embarrassing for your whole life?"
At this point, the little cousin imagined that scenario and couldn't help but let out a "Pfft" of laughter.
Professor Agasa scratched his head. "My parents probably hoped I would become a knowledgeable person, so they gave me this name."
"By the way, Professor," Hayashi Shuichi held up the anesthetic needle launcher. "This..."
"That is a very dangerous item," Professor Agasa touched his neck with lingering fear, where a small red dot remained. "I didn't expect that after making it, the first person to be shot by it would be myself."
"Professor, why did you invent this?" Reiko stood with her hands behind her back, asking warily. "You aren't planning to do something illegal, are you?"
"How is that possible!" Professor Agasa laughed dryly. "I originally invented this tranquilizer gun to deal with stray dogs."
"Stray dogs?" Reiko blinked in confusion. "Are there stray dogs around here?"
"Yes, but they usually come out at night," Professor Agasa scratched his hair in distress, sending a few strands floating down. "I've been chased and bitten by them several times, so I thought of making a tranquilizer gun to deal with them. I didn't expect to be able to move so soon, so I won't be needing this anymore."
"Professor, can I have this?" Hayashi Shuichi asked.
"Sure," Professor Agasa nodded, handing the device back to him. "But you can't use it to do illegal things."
"Don't worry, Professor. Big Brother is a consultant for the First Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Department," Reiko puffed out her small chest, her face written with admiration for her brother. "How could he possibly do bad things?"
"I saw news about Hayashi-kun in the newspaper before," Professor Agasa began to explain how to use the tranquilizer gun. "Although this tranquilizer gun looks like a flashlight, it actually can be used for illumination just like one. Just press here..."
As he spoke, he pressed a button on the back. The front of the tranquilizer gun immediately emitted a bright beam, cutting a clear pillar of light through the dim room.
"How about it? Pretty cool, right?" Professor Agasa shook the tranquilizer gun smugly.
The siblings looked speechless. Reiko sighed, her small face full of helplessness. "Professor, please stop telling bad jokes, okay?"
Professor Agasa laughed awkwardly, and his speech speed noticeably increased. "This tranquilizer gun actually has a safety."
He turned a small ring in the middle of the device, and the metal part made a slight click.
"Normally, just twist it half a turn like this. Even if you accidentally press the launch button, the needle won't fire."
"Then what happened just now?" Reiko asked, confused. "I didn't twist the safety."
"I probably forgot to put the safety on after my last experiment," Professor Agasa scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "There are a total of six anesthetic needles in the magazine. Within ten meters, as long as it hits the skin, the needle will take effect."
"Within five meters, even if the target is wearing clothes, the needle can penetrate them."
"If you run out of needles, you can come to me, and I'll help you reload."
"Thanks a lot," Hayashi Shuichi took the tranquilizer gun and put it into his coat pocket.
He was still a minor. Even with his connections at the Metropolitan Police Department, he couldn't get a handgun or a carry permit. Having this was better than nothing.
And given the effect of the anesthetic needle, it might play a huge role at some point.
Professor Agasa had already hired a moving truck.
Hayashi Shuichi and Reiko helped him move the items from the apartment onto the truck one by one, then followed him to his new home.
The car drove into a quiet street lined with neat cherry blossom trees. Although it wasn't blooming season, the dense foliage rustled in the breeze, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
"What a big house," Reiko jumped out of the car, looking up at the two-story sci-fi style building before her, eyes wide and round.
Professor Agasa's house had exterior walls made of silver-gray metal. The huge floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the clouds in the sky, looking like architecture from a future world.
"It's six or seven times the size of our house! Professor, I didn't expect you to be so rich."
"Usually I don't have much money," Professor Agasa rubbed his hands together shyly. "This time, I sold one of my invention patents to the Suzuki Foundation, which made a big profit. But after buying this house, I've basically spent most of it."
Unlike his sister, Hayashi Shuichi, standing at the door of Professor Agasa's house, focused more on the house next door.
It was a typical European-style mansion. The red brick outer walls were covered in ivy, and the small garden in front was planted with flowers of various colors.
That should be the Kudo residence from the original timeline.
However, according to Professor Agasa, at this point in time, the house was still for sale and hadn't been sold yet.
"Is Hayashi-kun interested in that house?" Professor Agasa noticed his gaze. "I met the owner of that house before. If Hayashi-kun wants to buy it, I can help you contact them."
"Professor, how much is that western-style house?" Reiko liked the look of the mansion more and more.
Compared to the western-style house next door, Professor Agasa's house looked more like a research institute.
"Probably around a billion yen or so," Professor Agasa thought for a moment. "It's slightly more expensive than my house."
"A billion?" Reiko's eyes widened instantly. Images of banknotes seemed to dance in her pupils. She exaggeratedly clutched her chest, staggering back a few steps, nearly tripping over her own feet. "So much money..."
The future Kudo Yusaku really is rich, Hayashi Shuichi couldn't help but lament inwardly.
Even if he climbed to the high ranks of the Metropolitan Police Department in the future, relying only on his salary and avoiding grey income, he probably wouldn't be able to afford this house in his lifetime.
Since they helped Professor Agasa move, the Professor insisted on treating the siblings to lunch as thanks.
After eating, it was already past three o'clock. Hayashi Shuichi glanced at his watch and hurriedly pulled Reiko, who was still licking an ice cream cone. "Sorry, Professor, we have to hurry back. We have something to do in a bit."
The two rushed back to the izakaya. Kisaki Eri, Mouri Kogoro, and Orikasa Midori were already waiting.
"You're too slow, Senior," Orikasa Midori stood at the door with her hands on her hips. "The match is about to start."
"Sorry," Hayashi Shuichi apologized. He asked Kisaki Eri and the others to take Reiko to the gymnasium first, while he hurriedly contacted Inspector Megure.
Before long, a police car stopped at the entrance of the izakaya.
In addition to Inspector Megure who was driving, two police officers sat in the back seat, with Morisono Mikio sandwiched between them.
Morisono Mikio's mental state was surprisingly decent, at least better than it had been in the previous few days.
"Hurry up and go, the match is starting soon," Hayashi Shuichi urged.
"Don't worry, we'll definitely make it," Inspector Megure started the police car and drove toward the gymnasium.
At the rear entrance of the gymnasium, Ikenami Shizuka and the team leader from Osaka University had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing the police car stop, they hurried forward to meet it.
"You only have twenty minutes," Hayashi Shuichi glanced at the rearview mirror. "Regarding the police, I vouch for you..."
"Please rest assured, Hayashi-san," Morisono Mikio promised. "After the match, I will return immediately."
Hayashi Shuichi wasn't actually afraid of him running away. The Morisono family was wealthy; he might be able to run, but his family couldn't.
And the crime Morisono Mikio committed wasn't a felony; there was no need to add a charge of being a fugitive to it.
Hayashi Shuichi got out of the car with Morisono Mikio. The latter rushed into the gymnasium to change clothes, while Ikenami Shizuka bowed slightly to Hayashi Shuichi. "Hayashi-kun, thank you so much for this."
"If you really want to thank me, bring back a championship," Hayashi Shuichi smiled.
"Definitely!" Ikenami Shizuka nodded confidently.
It wasn't appropriate for Inspector Megure and the others to go inside, so they waited outside in the police car.
Hayashi Shuichi circled to the main entrance alone and entered the gymnasium.
Just as he was about to look for Kisaki Eri and the others, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Hattori Heizo.
The two found a corner seat to sit down. Hattori Heizo asked in confusion, "Why did I just see you and a member of the Osaka team get out of a police car?"
"Something happened after the match yesterday," Hayashi Shuichi briefly explained the situation.
"Nearly beating a mugger to death... this Morisono Mikio really has a young master's temper," Hattori Heizo shook his head. "Too impulsive."
"He just got his heart broken; a big reaction is normal," Hayashi Shuichi shrugged indifferently. "As long as nobody died, it's fine."
(End of Chapter)
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