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Beika Town, a certain detention center.
"Guys as handsome as me are usually the protagonist. Squatting in a cell really isn't my style."
"This has to be jealousy. That four-eyed little toad is definitely jealous."
"I've been framed! Is there no justice left in this world?"
"..."
Steven pressed his face to the tiny window in the cell door, ranting miserably, on the verge of tears.
Two hours earlier, he'd taken advantage of the Valentine's Day vibe on campus to ask his goddess out for drinks. The plan was simple: drinks first, hotel after, finally ending his long-term relationship with his right hand.
Then, just as things were heating up, a blinding flash of light hit him, and he went temporarily blind.
When his vision came back, he was standing at a murder scene, being pointed out by a glasses-wearing little brat as the culprit of a sexual assault and murder.
By the time Steven snapped out of his confusion, he was already in police custody, waiting for trial.
That was also when he remembered who that kid was.
In the Detective Conan universe, the walking Grim Reaper of elementary schoolers, the infamous Edogawa Conan.
"Hey, what's with all the wailing? It's not that big a deal."
"Yeah, lights out already. Get to sleep."
"With a pretty boy like you, once you get into prison, sleeping won't be easy at all."
"..."
The other inmates in the same holding cell were getting annoyed and started chiming in.
But when Steven saw the meaningful smiles on their faces, his butt clenched instinctively.
There were plenty of perverts in this country. Prison was even worse.
And the crime he was framed for was a special kind. If he really got sent in, he'd probably be singing Jay Chou's Chrysanthemum Terrace every single day.
"No! I refuse!"
A chill ran up Steven's scalp, and he blurted it out loud.
"Relax. Let me educate you a bit. Sure, we have the death penalty here, but it's not handed out easily. You've only got one murder charge. That's not enough."
"Look at us. Serial robber-murderer, major bombing suspect, arsonist who burned down an apartment building. Which one of us has fewer bodies than you?"
"What are you scared of? Sleep easy."
One of the inmates sat up casually on his bunk and calmly listed everyone's crimes.
Beika Town, the grand stage. If your luck is tough enough, come on in.
Talents everywhere, living up to the reputation.
If the detention center was already packed with elites, then prison itself had to be full of geniuses.
"Who says I'm scared…"
Steven wasn't afraid of death. What he couldn't swallow was the injustice.
Besides, according to the infamous prison hierarchy, once his charge was confirmed, his life inside would be worse than hell.
No matter how strong his bloodline was, this was still someone else's turf. Two fists couldn't beat an entire prison full of vicious criminals.
Bang!
A sudden loud crash cut him off.
"It's lights out! What are you still making noise for?"
The duty officer barked sharply, smashing his baton against the door again as a warning.
Steven immediately shut up.
Annoying cellmates was one thing. Pissing off the night officer could get him dragged out for some "special training."
"Damn heavens, what a sick joke. If you're going to send me to another world, couldn't you at least give me a god-tier start?"
"I have to escape. No matter what."
Lost in thought, Steven lay on his bunk, tossing and turning.
Before transmigrating, he'd watched plenty of anime and knew the unspoken rules.
In the Conan universe, once Conan points at you and says you're the killer, there is no overturning the case.
Even if he hadn't committed the crime, the police already believed all the "evidence" Conan provided. Crying innocence now? Even an idiot wouldn't believe it.
But inside a detention center, with no tools and no help, escaping was easier said than done…
"Wait. Something's not right."
Just as despair set in, Steven suddenly realized something he'd been ignoring.
Before all this, he'd never studied Japanese. When watching anime, he focused on advanced body movements and automatically ignored the dialogue.
Yet now, he could communicate with everyone here without any trouble.
Could it be…
In his free time, Steven used anime and web novels to kill boredom.
And lately, all the popular transmigration novels had one thing in common: the protagonist always got some absurdly powerful cheat.
Could suddenly understanding Japanese be part of his cheat?
Just as he was thinking that, a crisp notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Host has detected the presence of the system. Awakening and binding system…]
Holy crap, it's real!
"You useless piece of trash. If I hadn't noticed you, were you seriously planning to watch your host die?"
Steven cursed out loud, but deep down he was thrilled.
With a cheat like this, breaking out of detention might actually be easy.
[Ding! Binding complete. Congratulations, host. You have obtained the Five-Star Good Citizen System. Confirm acceptance to open the data panel.]
…Huh?
Steven froze.
He was about to go to prison, and the system wanted him to be a five-star good citizen?
There had to be limits to screwing with someone. This was getting ridiculous.
Clinging to his last shred of hope, Steven opened the data panel.
[Five-Star Good Citizen System]
[Host: Steven]
[Achievements: None]
[Skills: None]
[Inventory: Completely empty]
[Shop: Locked]
[PS: Good luck doesn't favor idiots. Figure out how to save yourself.]
Totally screwed.
Staring at the brutally simple panel, Steven didn't know how to feel.
Not only did he have nothing, it even came with a line of mockery. That was just insulting.
[Ding! System has just awakened and experienced delay. Starter pack compensation issued. Please check.]
Wow, impressive. You might as well rename yourself the Troll System.
Anyone with a weak heart would get sent straight to the hospital by this emotional roller coaster.
"This isn't another trap, is it?"
Taking a deep breath, Steven accepted and opened the starter pack.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained: Size-Changing at Will skill, Explosion Fruit ability, and the Eighteen Moves of A-Wei (Low-Tier Version).]
[Ding! All skills, techniques, and abilities have been automatically learned. Host may use them freely.]
"What the hell is this? Nothing but useless junk!"
"Size-Changing at Will? If I didn't read carefully, I'd think it was 'crapping anywhere at will.'"
"And this Eighteen Moves of A-Wei. A low-tier version? Does it even use qi anymore? If it's those combo techniques from certain Japanese 'teachers,' it's even more useless."
"The Explosion Fruit is okay, I guess, but it's not invincible, is it?"
"Whatever. Better than nothing."
As Steven muttered to himself, the system panel displayed detailed explanations of Size-Changing at Will, the Explosion Fruit, and the low-tier Eighteen Moves of A-Wei.
"Hmm. Maybe it's not completely useless after all."
The law of true fragrance never fails.
By the time he finished reading everything, Steven already had a full escape plan.
"That four-eyed little toad. That so-called Grim Reaper kid."
"Piss off. Framing me for sexual assault and murder. Just wait. Once I'm out, I'll steal Mouri Ran from you, cuck your old man, and become your new little godfather."
All the pressure drained away in an instant. Steven felt refreshed all over. He closed his eyes, deciding to get a good night's sleep and recover his strength first.
"....."