Conan: The Man Behind the Romance

Chapter 23: Great Changes in the Mori Family

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Xiaolan returned to the classroom with a tired look on her face.

Suzuki Sonoko was the first to greet her, holding her hand, her eyes full of worry.

"Xiaolan, what happened? Can I help?"

Xiaolan had a complicated look in her eyes as she pulled Yuanzi to the rooftop. Today the sky was overcast and dim, and even the wind was a little chilly.

"My father...is involved in a murder case."

"What?! Uncle Maori?!"

Suzuki Sonoko looked incredulous, "How could he? Is there some misunderstanding here?"

Xiaolan shook her head gently. "Dad got into a fight with someone in the Ginza underground street the night before yesterday. Many people saw it. It was Officer Megure who detained him. Yesterday at noon, one of the injured died in the hospital because he was not rescued in time."

"This……"

A situation that she had never expected suddenly appeared before her eyes. Suzuki Sonoko really didn't know what to say, and in the end she could only mutter with a lack of confidence.

"Such a long time interval may not be due to Uncle Maori. The hospital is also responsible."

"The hospital admitted that they had misread the CT scan results, which led to the accident, and was willing to pay compensation."

Suzuki Sonoko felt relieved upon hearing this, but she was also a little confused.
"Then the problem is solved, isn't it? Xiaolan, what are you worried about? If you feel guilty, why not make more humanitarian compensation to the family of the deceased?

Really, what Uncle Maori did was really too much. It would be better for him to reflect on himself in the detention center for a while...

wrong,

Could it be that the deceased's family members are asking for too much from you?"

Xiaolan sighed, "The closest relative of the deceased in the legal sense is a cousin. After the police contacted her, she did not ask for compensation at all, but just asked the police not to bother her again in the future."

Suzuki Sonoko became even more confused.

Although it is very sad that no one cares about the dead, it is good news for the Mori family.

"So, Xiaolan is worried about Uncle Maori? In this case, he can be released on bail, right?"

“The deceased had been living with a woman before his death. When my mother went to process bail for my father, she happened to come to the Metropolitan Police Department to ask for compensation and saw them.

She didn’t get a penny from the hospital, and the man she identified as the murderer, my father, was about to be released. She felt aggrieved and started to make a scene. She threatened to report the police to the media, saying they were in cahoots with her.

The garden was silent.

From that person's perspective, this kind of thing seems to be unacceptable.

Xiaolan continued, "And that person is the person involved in the case that Shinichi has been investigating recently. She originally believed that there was a transfer of interests between the police and the insurance company, and wanted my mother to help her with the lawsuit.

My mother didn't agree before, and the man also hired other lawyers, which was nothing.

But in the middle of the argument yesterday, the man recognized my mom by someone else calling her by her name and connected the two events.”

"And then she made more trouble?"

"No, she left without saying anything at the time."

Xiaolan said in a complicated tone, "She wrote a suicide note last night and handed it to the newspaper. She said that the police were too dark and that her boyfriend was killed by the police to silence him. She felt that she would follow in their footsteps, so she decided to commit suicide first."

Yuanzi was speechless again.

From the perspective of the person involved, she saw the collusion between power and money, and she was a powerless woman...

What a despairing reality.

"What about the letter?"

“Before she even opened the newspaper, she was intercepted by the police who were following her, and she was taken back to the Metropolitan Police Department.”

"..."

Well, even more desperate.

"So what's the situation now? Has Uncle Maori been released on bail?"

"No."

Xiaolan's eyes were dim. "Even if no one else knew about what happened yesterday, it still had a very bad impact on the Metropolitan Police Department. They decided not to allow bail until these two matters are properly handled."

"Oh, so that's it..." Sonoko scratched her head in distress. Even with her carefree personality, she really had nothing to say now. She could only stand on the rooftop with Xiaolan and enjoy the breeze.

It’s all Uncle Maori’s fault. It’s ok that he looks unreliable and causes Xiaolan to worry, but now he actually goes to Ginza to fight with others.

Really, he is totally unqualified as a father.

Before she knew it, the bell for the first class in the afternoon rang, and Yuanzi felt a sense of relief. Then she blamed herself and said sorry to Xiaolan in her heart.

She really wanted to help her best friend, but she really couldn't do anything about this kind of thing.

"In short, those two things were just accidents and coincidences, right? They will be resolved smoothly later." Sonoko said with a smile as she pulled Xiaolan downstairs.

Xiaolan paused slightly, but before Sonoko noticed, she returned to normal and smiled softly.

"Well, it will be solved."

"After this, Xiaolan, you must educate Uncle Maori well, so that he won't cause any trouble again."

"Don't worry, Yuanzi, I will definitely punish him severely."

In a blink of an eye, it was time to go home from school again. Yingsheng had just stretched himself when he felt a burning gaze.

He turned his head and saw Xiaolan waving at him with a karate uniform in her hands, her eyes full of fighting spirit.

Tsk, is this what you deserve?

"Senior, if you want to vent your frustration, go find a telephone pole. My small body can't handle it."

"Come on, there's chocolate."

"Hehe, are you coaxing a child?"

"Just tell me whether you want it or not."

"..."

Yingsheng had no choice but to stand up and pick up the full set of equipment.

"Remember to hold back a little."

"Never."

The two of them left the classroom side by side. Looking at their backs as they talked as if no one was around, the classmates looked at each other in surprise.

Is there something wrong with this situation?
Where is Kudo?
Come out and rescue us!

"Kacha!"

The clear sound of a pencil breaking echoed throughout the quiet classroom. Everyone looked towards the source of the sound. Suzuki Sonoko, with a gloomy face, stood up and left without saying a word.

Now everyone's gossiping spirit became even stronger, and they were discussing what was going on with these three people.

Only Kenta Nakamichi calmly put on his backpack and went out to sell lottery tickets.

Kudo, keep up the good work.

In assisting the police in solving cases.

On the other side, after leaving everyone's sight, Yingsheng, who was chatting and laughing with Xiaolan, immediately shut up, quickened his pace, and turned towards the back gate of the school.

Xiaolan froze, looking at Yingsheng's back, her eyes trembling slightly, but she didn't say anything after all.

She wanted to chase after him and apologize, but her legs seemed to be nailed to the ground and she couldn't move at all.

"Xiaolan, Shuiyue Yingsheng is a scumbag, don't be fooled by him!"

Behind, Suzuki Sonoko was chasing after them aggressively.

Xiaolan turned her head stiffly, glanced at her best friend, then turned to look at Yingsheng's back. He did not slow down his steps at all, nor did he look back.

"Is he gone? Humph, he still has some self-awareness."

Sonoko walked to Xiaolan, glanced at Yingsheng's back, and wanted to pull Xiaolan away.

But there was no pull.

Yuanzi pursed her lips and made up her mind, "Xiaolan, I didn't want to tell you this."

(End of this chapter)