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

Soon after Jinpei Matsuda left the detective agency yesterday, Ran Maori came back. Upon learning that Eri Kisaki was fine in the afternoon, Conan Edogawa called her immediately.

Masayoshi Sakaguchi took over a case involving juveniles. Out of protection for the juveniles, most of the relevant news reports were not detailed. Instead of reading those vague reports, it is better to ask people in the industry directly.

Eri Kisaki was a little surprised when she received the call, but after hearing the purpose of Conan Edogawa's call, she told him all the information she knew.

One point in particular is eye-catching:

Before Masato Sakaguchi died, he was actually a lawyer who defended juvenile delinquents. He even had just finished a trial of a related case on the day his son committed suicide.

"Come to think of it, the case at that time is somewhat related to the current deceased." said Eri Kisaki.

Edogawa Conan quickly asked: "What's the relationship?"

"The prosecutor at the time, who was also Attorney Sakaguchi's opponent in the trial, was also named 'Maehara'. He was the father of the deceased."

There was a crisp sound of keyboard tapping from Hibiki Eri's side, and she continued in a calm tone:

"That prosecutor Maehara was a very strict person, known for his fairness and impartiality. His success rate in prosecutions was as high as 99.9%, and he only lost once over the years to Attorney Sakaguchi. He was well-known in the industry, but his son's suicide due to school bullying caused him to be controversial, and that was why he was transferred to Kansai."

Edogawa Conan quickly wrote down the information: "I see. Thank you, Aunt Eri!"

……

"Did you feel the same then as you do now?"

At Lawyer Sakaguchi's house, the room fell silent again because of an abrupt question from Edogawa Conan.

Kogoro Mouri originally wanted to teach the little detective a lesson and stop talking nonsense, and then apologize at the same time, but for some reason, he also fell strangely silent, and looked at Lawyer Sakaguchi together with Conan Edogawa.

The lawyer sat upright as he was watched by both detectives.

He sat upright, not at all relaxed as he would be at home. His gaze shifted from the teacup in front of him to Edogawa Conan, and it was hard to tell what emotion was on his usually kind face.

"……no the same."

After about ten seconds of silence, Lawyer Sakaguchi slowly spoke.

"Conan, you are still young now. When you grow up, you will find that reality is completely different from your original ideal."

Edogawa Conan looked at him.

"I was willing to defend those teenagers in the past because I also went astray for a period of time when I was a teenager. I cursed, skipped school, and fought. To be honest, I almost went to detention for fighting... It was a teacher at the time who worked hard to get me out."

"what?!"

Kogoro Mouri was stunned. He could not imagine that the elite lawyer in front of him had such a ridiculous experience.

Lawyer Sakaguchi ignored his shouting, as if lost in some memories. His eyes fell on a void point in the air, and he narrated his past in a low voice.

"That teacher was very young, only a few years older than me when I was in high school, and had just become a teacher. With the idea of ​​'educating everyone well', he was persistent in disciplining everyone in the class, including problem students like me."

"At first I thought he was annoying and didn't want to talk to him. I didn't open the door when he came to visit me at home. I also teased him in the classroom and laughed loudly with my classmates... But he never gave up."

"He helped me every time I got into trouble, and was willing to give me extra lessons when my grades were low. I was gradually moved by him, and I said goodbye to the bad side of my past and returned to school."

"From then on, I studied hard and successfully entered the law department of Beihua University. On the day I received the admission letter, I invited my teacher to a pub. He held a glass of wine and drank it himself until he was crying. He reminded me not to drink so as not to lose the chance of admission, and said that all my efforts at that time were worth it."

Attorney Sakaguchi smiled bitterly when he said this.

"Because of my own experience, I believe that those young people who have gone astray, as long as someone is willing to give them a hand, as long as someone is willing to give them another chance, they will be like me when I was young, willing to turn over a new leaf..."

"..."

Edogawa Conan lowered his eyes.

Amid the silence of the two listeners, Lawyer Sakaguchi, who had been relatively stable, gradually raised his voice uncontrollably, echoing in the empty room.

"But after I became a lawyer defending teenagers and came into contact with more and more juvenile offenders and their families, I realized that I was terribly wrong."

"They cried and knelt on the ground begging for forgiveness, not because they really regretted what they did, but because they were afraid of being punished by their parents and afraid that their future would be ruined!"

"--They have never truly confessed to the victims! Not even once!" Lawyer Sakaguchi became more and more excited as he spoke. He clenched his hands on his knees into fists and slammed them heavily on the table.

The tabletop shook violently, and Kogoro Maori's cup fell over, spilling tea. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the violent heaving of Attorney Sakaguchi's chest.

Edogawa Conan looked at him quietly. After he saw that he yelled that sentence, his expression suddenly froze and became extremely stiff... But soon, his tense body completely relaxed, as if he had given up on himself, or as if he had finally let go of some heavy burden, and leaned back on the sofa.

"..."

He vaguely guessed something, quietly let go of the phone he was holding tightly, and asked softly: "Lawyer Sakaguchi, how is your teacher doing?"

“He resigned.”

Lawyer Sakaguchi's voice was a little tired.

"In the second year after I graduated from college, he was blinded in the right eye by a student who was impatient with his discipline. The student's family was very rich and forged a certificate of mental illness. He did not receive any compensation, so he resigned and moved to another place. I saw him participating in Zhengren's funeral, and then I learned about it."

“So you see, this is reality.”

Lawyer Sakaguchi seemed to have completely given up. He leaned weakly on the sofa and muttered:
"——Even if you have ideals at first, you may not be able to stick to them to the end. Even laws that claim to be equal for all and uphold justice often fail to achieve anything."

"Sometimes, it can even be used by some people as a weapon to stab the weak..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a quick ring rang outside the door.

Kogoro Mouri and Conan Edogawa looked at Lawyer Sakaguchi, who let out a long sigh, leaned hard on the armrest of the sofa, and stood up again.

"I will turn myself in, Mr. Mori." Lawyer Sakaguchi said calmly, "But please let me and the newcomer handle the case at hand first. I want to make that boy in Izu pay the price he deserves."

After saying that, he turned and left. Edogawa Conan frowned and immediately followed him.

Lawyer Sakaguchi walked to the door and opened it again.

Standing at the door were Jinpei Matsuda and Miwako Sato.

When Conan Edogawa, who followed them, saw that it was them, he was stunned for a moment.

The two police officers from the Investigation Division 1 did not look well rested, especially Matsuda Jinpei, who looked particularly unhappy. After the door opened, he saw Lawyer Sakaguchi at first sight, and then saw Edogawa Conan following behind him, and he was also slightly stunned.

However, before either party could say anything, a figure suddenly jumped out from behind the two police officers and rushed directly towards Lawyer Sakaguchi.

"You are the one who killed Xiao Gang?!"

He was a man about the same age as Sakaguchi Masayoshi, wearing a high-end suit. His face was pale at this moment, and the first sentence he shouted made Edogawa Conan instantly know his identity.

The man who was supposed to be living a life of luxury and representing the country in trying criminal suspects in court had none of his usual dignity. He grabbed lawyer Sakaguchi's collar like a wild beast, and his strength was so great that even the two policemen who came forward to separate them were unable to pull them apart.

There was chaos at the doorway, and Kogoro Mouri, who was inside, heard the noise getting louder outside and ran out to help.

Edogawa Conan, a child who looked only seven years old and could not play any role in mediating the fight, was unknowingly pushed outside by the adults.

He stood at the door and sighed quietly. After seeing the police car at the door, John in the cage, and the policeman dressed as a police dog trainer next to him, he realized that the police might solve the case at the same time as him this time.

"here……"

Another strange male voice suddenly came from behind.

Conan Edogawa thought that it was a nearby neighbor who heard the noise and came over to watch the fun. He looked up and wanted to explain and persuade them to leave, but he saw a young man in a suit holding two briefcases standing at the door.

He looked to be about 25 years old, standing there, looking at the chaos at the door of Attorney Sakaguchi's house. There was a line of clear bold words printed on the corner of the folder in his arms.

【Orange Law Firm】.

Conan Edogawa guessed that he was the new junior that Lawyer Sakaguchi was waiting for.

The unfortunate new lawyer didn't notice that a child was looking at him and just stared blankly at the scene in front of him.

"How come Japan's public security is as bad as she said..." he muttered in a low voice. (End of this chapter)