dognovel Chapter 42: Made a Certain Decision
Chapter 42: Made a Certain Decision
As the investigation deepened, Chen Shuo, Mao Lilan, and Kisaki Eri sat down to rest. Chen Shuo leaned back slightly in his chair, his gaze casually scanning the bustling crime scene, his heart unmoved. Although he had already spotted some clues, they hadn't piqued his interest.
"Brother Shuo, are you really not going to get involved?" Mao Lilan smiled and glanced at him with a hint of curiosity in her eyes. She knew that Chen Shuo had no interest in solving the case and that he would have been too lazy to intervene in such a situation. Besides, with Conan at the scene, she knew that her father and Conan would definitely be able to solve it.
"Hmph, let those so-called 'professionals' worry about it." Chen Shuo sneered, "Today is Maori Kogoro's chance to make a national appearance. I don't want to steal his limelight."
Hibiki Eiri smiled and shook her head, as if she was used to Chen Shuo's attitude. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and she said with a hint of ridicule: "You speak as if you can solve it immediately with just one move."
Chen Shuo shrugged lightly, a smile on his lips, but he didn't respond. His gaze stopped at Conan, who was running around in the arena, and a hint of a sneer flashed across his eyes. The kid was busy like a headless chicken, not restraining himself at all.
Mao Lilan naturally noticed Chen Shuo's expression, was slightly startled, and then revealed a helpless look. She knew what Chen Shuo was thinking, and was worried that Conan's unconcealed behavior would cause problems one day, but she did not show it. She just sighed softly and continued chatting with Chen Shuo and Kisaki Eri.
"He will eventually fall from grace." Chen Shuo said lightly, seemingly not caring about Conan's actions at all.
Mao Lilan pursed her lips and smiled, but didn't say anything more. She knew that Chen Shuo was talking about Conan's bold behavior, but she believed in Shinichi's ability and knew that Chen Shuo would not really stay out of it. Whenever it came to the critical moment, Chen Shuo would always help in his own way, but he just didn't like to stand in the forefront.
---
After a brief conversation, Chen Shuo, Mao Lilan, and Kisaki Eri were about to relax and rest when they noticed a growing commotion around them. There was a commotion, as if something big was about to happen. Chen Shuo's eyes flickered slightly, and he casually grabbed a staff member who was hurriedly passing by and asked calmly, "What happened?"
The staff member was so excited that he was almost incoherent: "Mr. Maori Kogoro has seen through the truth of the whole case! Now we are going to have a live broadcast of the detective's reasoning!"
Upon hearing this news, Mao Lilan and Kisaki Eri couldn't help but look at each other with a hint of curiosity and anticipation in their eyes. Chen Shuo smiled noncommittally and leaned back in his chair lazily.
"Look, it's this drama again." He said softly, with a hint of teasing in his tone.
The three of them simultaneously turned their gazes to the nearby television screen. On the screen, Maori Kogoro stood in the center of the crowd, his expression solemn, his head slightly lowered, in his signature deductive pose, as if he had already entered "master detective" mode.
"It's begun." Mao Lilan whispered with a bit of anticipation. Although she knew in her heart that it was actually Conan - or Kudo Shinichi - who was manipulating her father's voice, she was still nervous about the reasoning that was about to be revealed.
Maori Kogoro on the screen pondered for a moment, then spoke in a low voice: "The murderer of this case is undoubtedly - Matsuo Takashi!"
The scene erupted in uproar. Everyone stared at Matsuo Takashi in astonishment, their faces filled with shock. Matsuo Takashi, whose name had been called, froze in his expression, a flicker of panic in his eyes, before he forced himself to calm down and managed a forced smile.
"This is impossible! Did you make a mistake?" There was a hint of temptation in his tone, but his eyes could not hide the panic.
Chen Shuo looked at Matsuo Takashi's performance, a faint sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Really anxious. The murderer's reaction is obvious at a glance."
Hearing this, Kisaki Eri couldn't help but nod slightly, sighing inwardly. Kogoro's reasoning was indeed correct. Matsuo Takashi's behavior at this moment had already exposed himself.
"Next, more evidence should surface, right?" Kisaki Eri said with a smile, with a hint of appreciation in her eyes.
Chen Shuo shrugged lightly: "Let's wait and see."
---
As the case unfolds, Conan plays two roles, using the anesthetized Kogoro Mouri to decipher the truth behind the "sleeping Kogoro." He then integrates his own observations and reflections, occasionally acting as an assistant, to piece together the truth bit by bit. Each detail is gripping, the case complex yet logical, and the final revelation is breathtaking. The cause of Suwa Michihiko's death, Matsuo Takashi's motives, and the seemingly chaotic pattern of bullet holes are all peeled back layer by layer, revealing the intricate plot behind the incident.
Chen Shuo, sitting nearby, couldn't help but be surprised, his lips curling slightly. "I have to say, this technique is quite interesting," he said softly, a hint of undisguised admiration in his tone. "It's really inspiring for my career."
He spoke with such naturalness, as if discussing a trivial matter. Ran Maoli, sitting next to him, had grown accustomed to his cold, blunt manner. She had once been shocked and frightened by Chen Shuo's identity as a killer, but gradually, she came to accept it. After all, she knew Chen Shuo's world wasn't one of conventional black and white. He had his own rules and boundaries. While his methods differed from those of ordinary people, she still believed that his heart wasn't completely consumed by darkness.
"Brother Shuo, you really are..." Mao Lilan shook her head slightly, a helpless smile on her face, but a complex emotion welled up in her heart. She didn't want to directly refute his "side job", but she still said with a wry smile, "Don't always think about these dangerous things. You are the owner of a coffee shop, not a professional killer."
She spoke lightly, almost jokingly, but her eyes revealed deep concern. She knew Chen Shuo wasn't joking, and her fear of his identity as a killer left her feeling completely uneasy. Although Chen Shuo never volunteered the details of his "job," she knew deep down that there were some things in this world she couldn't get involved in, and his "side job" was one of them.
"Don't worry, I'm just saying it casually." Chen Shuo smiled, seemingly unconcerned. He shrugged lightly, a hint of indifference in his tone. "Besides, someone like Matsuo, who goes to great lengths to come up with complicated killing methods, is far too inefficient. It's not my style."
Mao Lilan felt a slight sense of relief upon hearing this, but she still glanced at Chen Shuo with concern. She knew his "side job" was dangerous, but she also understood Chen Shuo's natural sensitivity to danger, always finding a way out before it struck. This calmness and confidence sometimes reassured her, but at other times, it also made her feel distant.
"But this case is indeed very interesting." Chen Shuo's eyes were still fixed on the TV screen, watching Conan's reasoning process intently, with a hint of subtle appreciation in his tone. "Matsuo thought he had done it perfectly, but in the end, he was caught."
Ran Maoli listened quietly, her heart cleaving in agreement. Shinichi's reasoning was as meticulous and rigorous as ever, and after layers of deduction, Matsuo Takashi's guilt was finally irrefutable. She looked at Conan busy at the crime scene, and a faint sense of emotion rose in her heart.
"Shinichi, you're still as amazing as ever," Ran Maori said silently in her heart, a relieved smile on her lips. She knew in her heart that Conan was a smaller version of Kudo Shinichi. Although he couldn't meet her in his true identity, his presence always brought her a sense of security. Even though Chen Shuo was now by her side, giving her a new emotional sustenance, Shinichi was still an important presence in her life.
Meanwhile, Chen Shuo seemed to see through her thoughts, his gaze sweeping calmly over Mouri Ran. He knew she was in deep love with Kudo Shinichi, the imp who always followed them around as Conan, making it hard to ignore. Chen Shuo didn't care. He knew Mouri Ran had her own emotional world, and he had his own dark side. The fact that they had come this far was a tacit understanding and compromise between them.
The case was ultimately brought to a perfect conclusion thanks to Conan's deductions. As Matsuo Takashi was taken away by the police, the feigned pain on his face had long since vanished, replaced by a silence that was powerless to refute. The tragedy of this host was an inescapable fate.
As the situation gradually calmed down, Mao Lilan leaned back in her chair and breathed a sigh of relief. She turned back to look at Chen Shuo, and found that he was still observing his surroundings calmly, with a hint of calm sharpness in his eyes. She knew in her heart that no matter how relaxed he seemed on the surface, Chen Shuo was still the killer who saw everything, but he chose to stay away from these open and secret struggles and quietly guard her by his side.
Perhaps, this is the tacit understanding between them.
---
With the case concluded, Maori Kogoro, the key figure in the nationwide live broadcast of the case, immediately became the target of reporters' eagerness to interview him. His signature smile, so proud of himself, was plastered on his face as he faced the camera, his face radiating the glory of a "famous detective."
"Hahaha! This is the accumulation of many years of experience. There's nothing I can do about it, it's just natural talent!" Kogoro Mouri laughed with his head raised, and the flash lights flashed one after another, as if his moment of glory should be the focus of everyone's attention.
Meanwhile, Kisaki Eri, standing by, rarely offered a sarcastic remark. After all, this was a national broadcast, and she had to give her husband some respect. Her lips curled slightly, appearing somewhat helpless, yet revealing a hint of admiration. Despite her frequent verbal attacks on Kogoro Mori, perhaps somewhere deep down, she'd already developed a habit of recognizing his achievements.
"He is unusually reliable today." Kisaki Eri thought to herself, the smile on her lips deepening.
The couple's interaction lightened the tense atmosphere. The police and media, who had been discussing the matter intensely, relaxed a bit after seeing their playful interactions. The atmosphere seemed much more relaxed than before.
Meanwhile, standing nearby, Ran Maori looked at her parents, her heart filled with happiness. She had always sensed the subtle bond between her parents. Although they argued with each other, their genuine concern for each other never faded. At this moment, perhaps because of her parents' interaction, or perhaps because of the long struggle, Maori Ran seemed to have made a resolution.
"Mom, let's talk." Mao Lilan suddenly grabbed Kisaki Eri and said softly.
Kisaki Eri was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. The two walked aside and whispered something to each other, as if discussing something important. Maori Kogoro, Conan, and Chen Shuo didn't pay any attention and continued to work on their own, not thinking much about the content of their conversation.
After chatting for a while, Mao Lilan and Kisaki Eri returned to the group, their expressions revealing some subtle changes. Although the two did not say anything, it seemed that from that moment on, the tacit understanding between mother and daughter reached a new level.
Soon, the group concluded their interview and small talk and set off on their journey home. Along the way, Maori Kogoro, still basking in the glory of having solved the case, recounted the heroic deeds of the "God of Reasoning," while Conan shrugged helplessly, clearly accustomed to such scenes.
Chen Shuo, who was walking at the end of the team, had a calm expression on his face. He had long been accustomed to Maori Kogoro's self-absorbed state, and this daily routine made him very happy. "I'm really relieved about this case. I should have a good rest when I get home."
Finally, they returned home. The Maori family went into the detective agency, while Chen Shuo smiled slightly, said goodbye to them, and prepared to return to his "Meditation Cafe".
"Let's stop here today. It's late enough." Chen Shuo said to the Mao Li family with a smile, his tone relaxed.
"Good night." Fei Yingli also said goodbye to Chen Shuo with a smile, which surprised him a little.
"Good night..." Chen Shuo agreed casually, a little confused, and then realized: "Are you planning to stay at the detective agency today?"
To everyone's surprise, today, Kisaki Eri actually nodded her head in confirmation, deciding to stay at the Mori Detective Agency. Mori Kogoro had obviously not expected this, and after a moment's pause, he actually felt a little embarrassed.
"Eh? Yingli is staying here... today?" He asked cautiously, feeling a little nervous.
Kisaki Eiri smiled faintly, her eyes still holding her usual sharpness, but her tone was surprisingly gentle, "Why, you're not welcome?"
Maori Kogoro quickly waved his hands, "Of course you're welcome! Of course you're welcome!"
That night, the lights of the detective agency gleamed brightly in the warm night. The Mori family seemed to have returned to their long-lost warmth, though this warmth still carried its own unique charm.