Conan: I'm really not the mastermind behind the scenes

At night, it really started to rain. The rain lasted all night, and the next morning the rain finally stopped, but the sky did not clear up and was still gray.

Edogawa Conan's mind was full of John, and he didn't sleep well all night. He only took one day off, and after yawning, brushing his teeth and washing his face, he had to go to school.

He planned to visit Lawyer Sakaguchi's house after school.

……

"Uncle Maori!"

At the doorstep of Sakaguchi's house, Conan Edogawa, who was carrying his schoolbag, spotted Kogoro Mouri standing at the door and about to press the doorbell, and he ran towards him.

Maori Kogoro turned around when he heard the voice and was stunned when he saw the person running in front of him: "Why are you here?"

"I just got out of school. I was really worried about yesterday's case, so I wanted to come and see Lawyer Sakaguchi." Edogawa Conan answered truthfully, "Uncle, you are here for the case as well, right? Then let's go in quickly."

Maori Kogoro glanced at his anxious face and reluctantly said, "Okay. But let's make a deal. I will lead the questioning after we go in, and you are not allowed to interrupt."

"it is good!"

Conan Edogawa agreed without even thinking about it.

Kogoro Mouri pressed the doorbell and waited for a few seconds. Then, Lawyer Sakaguchi's voice came from the pager next to him.

"You're here. I'll open the door for you."

Maori Kogoro was startled when he heard the familiar tone, then realized that the other party might have recognized the wrong person, and quickly said: "Lawyer Sakaguchi, it's me, I am Maori Kogoro who met you yesterday. Do you have time now?"

There was silence for a second, then he said, "It's Mr. Maori. Please wait a moment."

……

Lawyer Sakaguchi quickly came out to greet the two and led them all the way to the living room.

"Please take a seat. What would you two like to drink?"

"Ordinary tea is fine." said Kogoro Mori.

"I want to drink juice."

Conan Edogawa spoke in a childish tone, and after watching Lawyer Sakaguchi go to get the tea for the reception, he looked around the room in front of him calmly.

This is the crime scene.

The scene was very clean, the traces on the ground and the blood on the wall had been cleaned up. If I hadn't known in advance, I would never have thought that a case had just happened here yesterday.

Putting this background aside, the whole living room looks good, with a large area and complete furniture. Opposite the sofa is a solid wood storage cabinet, on which are placed several photo frames and a landline phone. Next to it is a large clock with a pendulum hanging below and swinging slowly, showing the time is 3:54 pm.

"Here, Conan-kun, the juice you asked for."

Lawyer Sakaguchi came back with tea and juice. He bent down and placed the glass of orange juice on the coffee table in front of Edogawa Conan and smiled at him.

"Thank you."

Edogawa Conan picked up the cup obediently.

Kogoro Mouri also shifted his gaze from the photo frames and looked at Lawyer Sakaguchi who was sitting on the sofa opposite him.

Perhaps because he knew that the man opposite was a lawyer as eloquent as his wife, he seemed a little reserved, and the first question he asked was completely unrelated to the purpose of his visit:

"Mr. Sakaguchi, do you live alone?"

"Yes." Lawyer Sakaguchi nodded. "My wife died of illness eight years ago, and Masato passed away a year later. Since then, I have been living here alone, with only John to accompany me."

Conan Edogawa took a sip of the juice, and when he saw him mention John, he pointed to a place and said, "Is that John's bed?"

He was referring to the dog kennel under the stairs. This kennel was not enclosed. It was like a small lazy sofa with a thick cushion underneath.

Lawyer Sakaguchi looked in the direction he pointed:
"Yes. John was adopted by my wife when she was alive. He was still a puppy at that time. She didn't like him sleeping in my son's room for fear of disturbing his rest. But she also didn't want him to sleep in the courtyard outside, so she built a nest for him in this small corner of the living room." "I don't like dogs, but Zhengren likes him very much. He often holds him and takes him out for a walk. John also likes him very much. He runs to the second floor early every day and lies at the door of his room so that he can see him the first time he gets up and goes out, and say good morning to him."

"After Masato passed away, I wanted to give it away, but when I saw it still guarding in front of my son's room, I gave up and kept it until now. I didn't expect..."

He shook his head weakly, looking as if he couldn't bear to continue.

Kogoro Mouri listened quietly. He had been reminded not to interrupt before coming in, so he did not interrupt Conan Edogawa's questions.

He waited until Attorney Sakaguchi finished speaking before asking, "Do you have any other guests coming to visit today?"

His eyes fell on the dining table not far away. The Sakaguchi family had an open kitchen, so the kitchen, dining room and living room were actually in one room. At this time, there were some documents piled on the table.

The smile on Lawyer Sakaguchi's face faded a little.

After a while, he sighed softly: "I have an appointment with my colleague - the new guy who went on a business trip with me yesterday - to meet this afternoon. Although the work was interrupted this time, I am still in charge of that case. I want to teach him how to handle this kind of case."

Maori Kogoro wanted to ask for the specific time so as to control the speed of the next questions, but after hearing what he said, he asked: "What is the case? Is it difficult?"

"It's a bit tricky. I wonder if Mr. Maori is concerned about the case in Izu. Not long ago, a minor lured a strange child into the sea and pushed him into the water several times in an attempt to drown him."

The air suddenly became quiet, as if it had frozen.

Edogawa Conan silently tightened his fingers around the glass without saying anything.

"..." Maori Kogoro frowned, "How is the child?"

Seeing his serious expression, Attorney Sakaguchi smiled and said, "Don't be nervous. Izu Beach is a well-known tourist attraction with many tourists nearby. He was quickly stopped by the people around him. The child just choked on some water and is fine."

His tone was very relaxed, but the other two people present couldn't relax at all.

Speaking of the case, Attorney Sakaguchi seemed to be completely immersed in his own world. He didn't pay attention to their silence and continued:

"The child was fine in the end, so the family court may not think that the teenager needs criminal punishment, and he does not need to go to juvenile detention center. I can only try my best to get more civil compensation for the family."

"The boy's family is average, his father is disabled, and he relies on his mother's odd jobs at a yakitori shop. Such a family will definitely not be able to afford the compensation. In the end, they will be included in the bad credit record blacklist because they are unable to repay. Their future studies, work, life, and even their entire life will be affected."

"A bit cruel, isn't it? But this is the price he should pay, and it's the most insignificant one at that."

He said to them with a smile.

While he was speaking, the clock behind him moved towards the hour, making a dull "ding-ding" sound as the pendulum slid.

The whole room was plunged into a strange atmosphere.

Conan Edogawa looked at Lawyer Sakaguchi with a kind smile on his face, and silently placed the glass on the table.

If he was only 90% suspicious before coming here, now he is 100% sure that the murderer who trained John to knock down Maehara Tsuyoshi is the Sakaguchi Masayoshi in front of him.

Being a lawyer requires calmness, sharpness, clear logic, and excellent adaptability. Only in this way can one win the case for his client. However, Lawyer Sakaguchi completely gave up these qualities in that second just now.

——The anger that belonged to an avenger, which could not be concealed even with a perfect smile, completely exposed him.

The murderer was identified, and the sound of the clock in the house made him gradually understand what method was used... But Conan Edogawa did not feel any joy of solving the case. Only an indescribable sadness and powerlessness filled his chest.

"Uncle Sakaguchi."

He raised his head and looked across at Lawyer Sakaguchi.

The window in the living room was open, and a cold wind blew in. In the air, something like dust seemed to pass by.

"I heard that when you first entered the legal profession, you were actually a lawyer defending teenagers who had made mistakes." Edogawa Conan looked at him.

"Were you feeling the same then as you are now?" (End of this chapter)