"Ordinary guy?"
"Nothing but a skulking rat," Gin sneered, sizing up the newcomer with disdain.
The figure was clad in black, his face concealed, clearly too cowardly to show his true identity.
"If you're gonna talk like that, next time I see that Porsche 356A, I won't be so polite," Tsuneo said, stepping slowly in front of Akemi Miyano.
Gin's pupils contracted, his gaze turning colder. "It's you!"
Vodka stood there, dumbfounded, clueless about when his boss had crossed paths with this oddball.
"Not me," Tsuneo denied instantly.
"Doesn't matter who you are. If you're standing in front of her, you're dead!" Gin, never one for honor, pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang!
A wisp of gunsmoke curled through the air, but the bullet missed its mark.
Before Gin could react, the black-clad figure charged forward.
Tsuneo lunged, elbows flaring out, forcing apart the arms and gun barrels instinctively raised toward him. His muscles tensed, and with a fierce Baji Fist strike, he drove his elbows toward their chests.
Regrettably, only Vodka took the full hit.
Gin sidestepped just in time, the blow grazing his right arm.
Tsuneo's eyes narrowed. In a flash, he shifted tactics, his left hand flipping upward in a devastating Skyward Palm, striking Vodka's jaw with ruthless speed.
From the start, his target had been to take out this square-headed lackey first.
Bang!
Another gunshot rang out.
Gin, retreating two steps, found an angle and fired again.
Tsuneo, ever-watchful of Gin's gun, didn't bother finishing off the unconscious Vodka. He rolled, dodging the bullet.
"Baji Fist…" Gin muttered, massaging his grazed right arm. The smirk on his face finally faded.
Perhaps he'd killed too many to recall, but he couldn't place when he'd crossed paths with a fighter this skilled.
"A gun that can't hit its target might as well be tossed," Tsuneo taunted, closing the distance step by step with a grin.
Seeing the rat in his eyes dancing so boldly, Gin reached into his coat and drew a second pistol…
The silver-haired man, now dual-wielding deadly weapons, flashed a chilling, bloodthirsty smile. Tsuneo froze.
"Damn it!"
Gunshots erupted in rapid succession.
Gin treated the warehouse like a shooting range, with Tsuneo as the moving target, firing both guns with gleeful abandon.
"You bastard, get over here!" Tsuneo scrambled, cursing as Gin swiftly reloaded both magazines.
As if answering his call, the roar of an engine grew louder, rapidly approaching the warehouse.
A motorcycle burst through the entrance.
But whether due to excessive speed or some other reason, it lost control. The helmeted, heavily obscured rider leapt off, rolling to a stop.
"Just you?" Tsuneo asked, startled.
The helmeted figure glanced at the unconscious Vodka, said nothing, and raised a gloved hand, giving Tsuneo a thumbs-up.
Then, pointing to an abandoned office building outside, they mimed a shooting gesture with two fingers.
"Sniper?" Tsuneo asked.
The mysterious figure nodded, signaling Tsuneo to hold off.
Barely thirty seconds later, distant police sirens wailed, growing closer.
Gin sauntered to the warehouse door, eyeing the helmeted intruder who'd disrupted the fight.
"Akemi Miyano, and you two rats—your lives are on my list for now."
"Vodka, you dead? Time to go!"
Gin lit a cigarette, unfazed, wondering if he should just shoot his useless lackey and be done with it.
"Ugh…"
At the critical moment, Vodka groaned, sitting up woozily.
"Boss!"
"Let's move." Gin's gaze, deep and menacing, swept over the two in the warehouse before he strolled out, hands in pockets, with a staggering Vodka in tow.
"Didn't get to test his skills," Tsuneo muttered, shaking his head as Gin walked away unscathed.
Didn't expect a lefty like Gin to handle a gun so steadily with his right hand.
"Miss Miyano, it's safe now! Come out!" Tsuneo called toward the warehouse corner.
The helmeted figure immediately turned.
From behind the obstacles Tsuneo had set up, Akemi Miyano hurried out.
"Ts… You're too reckless," she said, catching herself before saying his name in front of the stranger.
"You did well, not rushing out to make things messier. You're still my client," Tsuneo said, chuckling as he patted her shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"
Akemi's tears broke free, and she sobbed uncontrollably.
Whether for her sister, trapped in a quagmire, or for Tsuneo, facing a hail of bullets, she felt utterly useless.
Her one small pistol, dismissed for her terrible aim, had been tossed into a river by the "repairman."
The mysterious figure stared at Akemi, silent for a long moment, then let out a heavy sigh. "Let's go. The police are coming," they said, their first words.
"Not your people?!" Tsuneo asked, tilting his head.
Before the stranger could answer, a voice rang out from the warehouse entrance.
"They're mine!"
Three heads turned.
In the sunset's glow, a small figure clutching a skateboard stood in the doorway.
…
Dr. Agasa's house.
"When did you plant a tracker on me?" Tsuneo asked, holding Conan by the collar, a tiny yellow button pinched between his fingers.
"When you were eyeing my watch," Conan said, his face deadpan.
He'd known Tsuneo was up to no good, so he'd played it safe with that move.
"For calling the cops, I'll let it slide this time. But next time, I'll spank you in front of Ran," Tsuneo growled.
"Mr. Tsuneo, who was that person today?" Akemi asked, bringing coffee, curiosity in her voice about the helmeted stranger.
"Who knows?" Tsuneo shook his head with a smile, tossing his bulletproof vest to Dr. Agasa and dragging a reluctant Conan, still eager to chat with Akemi, out of the house.
…
"Is it really okay for her to stay here?" Conan asked, a hint of worry in his voice.
"Call Yukiko. She can teach her some basic disguise tricks. Should be fine," Tsuneo said through a yawn.
He hadn't planned to deal with his client's long-term arrangements.
It was Dr. Agasa's kind heart that had offered the poor "big sister" a place to stay.
Speaking of which, there might be some drama brewing in a few days…
"But why are you doing all this?" Conan pressed, unconvinced Tsuneo was just in it for the million yen.
"I do what I want. Anyone who tries to stop me gets torn apart—even Gin's no exception. Got it, detective?" Tsuneo said, rapping Conan's head.
"Heh…"
Conan shot him a skeptical side-eye.
If he hadn't seen the bullet marks on that vest, he might've bought it…
(End of Chapter)
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