[System Notification]
Congratulations to the host for completing the first criminal case.
You have taken the most crucial first step toward becoming a legendary detective.
Initial case-solving rewards have been issued. Please check them.
[System Notification]
Congratulations to the host for solving a three-star case.
Case-solving rewards have been issued. Please continue working hard and strive to become a legendary detective.
After the police confiscated the large bag of gold coins, the system notifications appeared in Jiang Hang's mind.
Two rewards for one case.
The system was truly generous when it came to rewards.
Jiang Hang examined the prizes.
The reward for solving the three-star case included ten million yen, along with something called Basic Combat Training Qualification.
According to the description, this qualification allowed him to enter a special training room once. Through training there, he would be able to acquire basic hand-to-hand combat skills.
The system didn't simply download combat knowledge directly into his brain.
Instead, Jiang Hang had to learn it through training himself.
Of course, the former would have been far more convenient.
But then again, skills gained through personal training might feel more reliable when actually used.
Jiang Hang mentally complained about his stubborn system but didn't dwell on the issue.
What he was more curious about was how strong these so-called basic combat skills would be in reality.
Considering the power level in the world of Conan, Jiang Hang pessimistically concluded that even after completing the training, he probably still wouldn't be able to defeat Ran Mouri.
After all, she was someone capable of punching through reinforced concrete utility poles.
Jiang Hang also remembered something from one of the Conan movies.
In the future, an incredibly powerful character would appear—someone capable of kicking away a soccer ball launched by Conan with bare hands.
And in another movie, Conan's soccer ball had been strong enough to change the falling trajectory of a satellite.
Compared to monsters like that, Jiang Hang felt that even if he mastered the ultimate ancient martial arts technique known as the Invincible Flaming Wheel, he probably still wouldn't win.
Still, no matter what, he would finally have some ability to defend himself.
As for the initial case-solving reward, it included twenty million yen and unlocked a new branch ability for Eagle Vision.
[Eagle Vision — Revelation (Basic)]
When activated, this ability performs a full analysis of objects within a ten-meter radius, revealing hidden secrets in the surrounding environment to a certain degree.
Compared to the original Eagle Vision, which functioned purely as a detection ability, this new feature felt much more like something a detective would use.
In the future, Jiang Hang could activate Eagle Vision at a crime scene.
Even if it didn't instantly identify the murderer, it would at least gather every clue present at the scene.
"Finally… a skill that's actually useful," Jiang Hang muttered.
Compared to Meditation, which merely helped him sleep better, and Assassin Steps, which made his footsteps quieter, he finally possessed something resembling a genuine detective ability.
Overall, Jiang Hang had gained quite a lot from this case.
The only unfortunate thing was that Genta Kojima never got to eat the eel rice bowl he had been dreaming about.
Of course, that wasn't because Jiang Hang was unwilling to pay.
The case had brought him thirty million yen in total rewards. Treating the kids to dinner was trivial.
But when the children's guardians arrived after being notified by the police, things changed.
Genta's parents, upon learning that their son had been involved in a gang robbery case, repeatedly thanked Jiang Hang before immediately dragging Genta home.
It seemed the eel rice bowl would have to wait for another day.
Of course, their reaction was completely reasonable.
Still, thinking about how Genta would continue encountering even more dangerous cases in the future alongside the Junior Detective League, Jiang Hang silently offered condolences to those parents.
After all…
Once your kid becomes friends with Conan Edogawa, their life will inevitably become entangled with endless criminal cases.
After finishing the official statement for the police, Jiang Hang considered inviting Inspector Megure to celebrate with a grand meal.
Unfortunately, Megure still had a mountain of work to handle and would probably be working late into the night.
In the end, Jiang Hang was the only one left planning a big dinner.
I really should hire an assistant, Jiang Hang thought.
Eating expensive meals alone always felt a little strange.
With that thought in mind, he took out his phone.
Since he wasn't short on money, the intermediary agency he had hired worked with impressive efficiency.
They had already sent him a document earlier in the evening.
However, Jiang Hang had been busy coordinating with the police at the time and hadn't noticed it.
It was probably because his requirements were extremely simple.
When Jiang Hang had first contacted the agency, he had only listed two conditions:
No criminal record or problematic background.Good-looking.
As for abilities?
A receptionist assistant didn't really require many skills.
As long as they could serve tea and greet clients politely—and weren't the type who would insult visitors and chase them away—that was enough.
Back home, Jiang Hang opened the email attachment on his computer.
The agency had certainly done their job thoroughly.
The document contained nearly one hundred resumes.
Perhaps Jiang Hang's salary offer had been too attractive.
For a position that required almost no technical skills, applicants ranged from graduates of prestigious universities to young women who had come to Tokyo straight after high school.
Practically every type of applicant imaginable was present.
Jiang Hang slowly browsed through the resumes.
Suddenly, one caught his attention.
"Someone actually wants to work part-time here?"
He read the description.
The applicant had graduated from a voice acting academy and hoped to debut as a professional voice actress.
Before officially entering the industry, she wanted to experience different professions to broaden her life experience.
"And she even wrote that directly on her resume," Jiang Hang said with interest.
"Shizuka Sakaki… this name feels a little familiar."
Still, it wasn't exactly an unusual name.
Looking at the photo of the gentle-looking girl attached to the resume, Jiang Hang didn't think much about it.
He simply found the idea of an aspiring voice actress interesting, so he kept her resume.
Of course, this decision had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she was a pretty voice actress candidate.
Absolutely nothing.
Continuing his review, Jiang Hang set aside many flashy resumes.
Eventually, another interesting one appeared.
"'I want to become someone special.'"
"Is writing something like that on a resume just asking to be mocked?"
He checked the details.
"Yuno Kisaragi. University graduate…"
Aside from that unusual statement and her appearance, the rest of her resume looked fairly ordinary.
"Still… I'll keep this one for now."
Out of nearly one hundred applicants, Jiang Hang selected only five or six.
He sent their information back to the agency and requested interviews within the next couple of days.
As expected, the agency responded extremely quickly.
Perhaps because Jiang Hang was considered a VIP client, they replied almost immediately—even though it was already nine in the evening.
The interviews could take place tomorrow afternoon at their office.
Since he had an interview the next day, Jiang Hang decided not to go out for exploration tonight.
After taking a relaxing shower, he lay down on his bed and started watching anime from this world.
Although this was another world, most aspects of society were quite similar.
However, the anime industry was noticeably different.
Some famous works from Jiang Hang's previous world didn't exist here, while many new and excellent series had appeared instead.
The show Jiang Hang was currently watching was an original work from this world.
It focused on the anime industry, telling the story of a group of passionate people struggling to create animation.
It felt somewhat similar to the series Shirobako from Jiang Hang's original world, though the plot was completely different.
As he watched comfortably on his bed, Jiang Hang suddenly felt something was… wrong.
He sat up abruptly.
Then he reopened his computer and searched through the resumes he had reviewed earlier.
Finally, he found the one belonging to Shizuka Sakaki.
Looking at the photo and information on the resume, Jiang Hang poured himself a glass of water.
Then he sat silently in front of the computer.
Several seconds passed.
Finally, Jiang Hang cursed aloud.
"What the hell?"
"You're from a passionate youth anime about the animation industry—what are you doing appearing in Conan's world?!"
"Aren't you worried that someone will suddenly get murdered in your animation studio?!"
"Hey, stupid system! Get out here and explain what's going on!"
"Wasn't this supposed to be a detective system? Don't tell me you're about to rename yourself again and become some kind of Legendary Animation Production System!"
There was a moment of silence.
Eventually, the system replied.
[System Notification]
Please maintain respect toward the system and refrain from vulgar language.
The system has already scanned this world. The detective profession is indeed the closest to the world's core.
Please trust the system's analysis.
However, due to an error during dimensional travel, the host has arrived in a blank world not registered by the Space-Time Administration.
Minor deviations are therefore normal.
(In other words, how would I know so much about your anime stuff? Being able to detect Detective Conan was already difficult enough. Don't ask me about anything else!)
"So basically," Jiang Hang said slowly, "the main storyline of this world is still Conan, but shows like this animation industry series are side stories?"
"Wait—what other random worlds are mixed into this place?"
"System, you'd better explain everything clearly so I can mentally prepare myself!"
The system paused again before replying.
[System Notification]
Please explore the world on your own.
This system is merely an auxiliary tool that provides support on your path to becoming a legendary detec—detective.
Aside from that, the system will not interfere with the host's life or choices.
(In short: your anime worlds are way too complicated. I don't understand them either. Do whatever you want—just don't ask me.)