Chapter 504 The Sorrow of Powerlessness
“Sugiyama, Sugiyama! Cheer up!”
“Teacher Sugiyama! What’s wrong with you!”
Minori Nakamura’s legs went weak, He fell to the ground, the bone-chilling temperature in his hands and his stiff and tight limbs said it all.
"It's useless..." Her face turned pale, "He is already dead."
"How could it be like this..." Yonehara Koko covered her mouth and looked down at his pale face. Her lips were trembling. She couldn't tell what kind of mood she was feeling. Her chest was rising and falling, and she was taking deep breaths.
"Why would Sugiyama..." Shimoda Kohei's fingertips touched Sugiyama's bone-chilling cold legs, and he suddenly lost strength and fell to his knees slumped, "Yes, did he freeze to death?"
"No."
A calm childish voice inserted into the conversation of several people. The confused Nakamura Minori raised his head and looked at the speaker.
Withstanding the wind and snow blowing in from outside the door, Conan approached the body, observed it, and recounted the conclusion he saw: "This must be homicide. Look here, his neck There are very obvious traces of rope on the body, and the body is completely stiff.”
"Although it feels cold to the touch, this is not the effect of being frozen." Toru Amuro, who also came up to me at some point, carefully pressed the body under Sugiyama's cloth a few times through his gloves, "This is rigor mortis. , at this level, although I don’t know the environment where the body was stored, I tend to think that he has been dead for more than 6 hours...right, little brother?"
At the end, Toru Amuro raised his head and looked. Conan, who suddenly fell silent and looked like his tongue had been taken away by a cat, narrowed his eyes and smiled meaningfully.
The elementary school student who lives in the detective's house upstairs is indeed not that simple. Whether it is his reaction speed or his calm mood in the face of such a terrifying scene, it is not the reaction that a child of his age should have.
Amuro Toru turned around and glanced at the members of the Young Detective Team who were clinging to Mao Lilan's legs.
Even if you follow a famous detective, the reason why you often see this kind of scene doesn't make sense.
"But, but, when I opened the door, his body was leaning against the bell..." Shimoda Kohei shuddered after realizing what he had seen. "That is to say, someone moved his body. Come over and press the doorbell?”
“But when the bell rang, we were all eating, all in the living room.” Sakai Takashi turned around and looked at everyone who followed him. Doesn't that mean that the murderer can't be us? "
"It should be the same person who attacked Karasawa and the others." Toru Amuro squatted down, holding his knees, looking down at the body being slowly killed. The melted snow water washed away the slightly faded back of the hand, "There are words written in lipstick just like when the two of them were attacked."
"Ko, is this katakana ko?" Conan, who was attracted by his words, could no longer care about his suspicious performance. He stretched his head to examine the mark, "'minako', what does this mean."
With these three syllables As soon as the words were spoken, the expressions of several teachers from Aido Elementary School changed dramatically. They looked at each other, as if they had lost the ability to speak at the same time, and a solemn and fearful emotion was conveyed in their eyes.
"Wow -" before the confused Conan could repeat the question, Shimoda Kohei let out a scream that could be described as horrific. He held his head and stood up straight, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying. His eyes He stared so wide that he seemed to be able to escape from the frame in the next second.
Everyone’s attention turned immediately.
It seems that the words on the back of the corpse's hand obviously gave him great stimulation, causing him to completely lose control of his emotions, which were already on the verge of collapse after witnessing the death of someone he knew.
"Shimoda? Are you okay?" Nakamura Minori shrank her shoulders and looked at him timidly. She hesitated and took a step closer to him, trying to see clearly his face that was covered by his hands.
“Don’t touch me!” Before her hand could touch him, Shimoda Kohei waved her hand away, took two steps back, and stared at Sugiyama’s body in horror without looking back. He turned around and ran upstairs.
As he ran, he kept letting out loud roars to vent his emotions.
"It has nothing to do with me! I don't have it, I don't have it! Don't come to me!"
"Shimoda, Shimoda!" Mihara Akiko looked at his back and shouted several times anxiously sentence, but the eyes behind the lenses were shining with sharp light.
You can’t go wrong, it’s this person.
She found the murderer who killed that child!
The fingers hanging by her side curled up twice nervously, and a pair of calm and tolerant sea-like blue eyes flashed before her eyes, as if they could see through what she was thinking, and she slowly controlled the surging emotions.
She can finally sleep well, can't she?
In the living room, Tangze, who was trying to dispel her anger, opened his eyes, looked at the firewood being gently licked by the flames, and sighed silently.
Since when he met them, Yonehara Koko had already taken the step of crossing the line and had already killed Sugiyama, there was not much he could do for her.
Since there is no way for a good person to escape from the fate of being trapped in the quagmire, it is better to let her stick to her choice and go on unswervingly.
I wish you good luck in martial arts.
"So, is this why you said that there is no need for us to appear on the stage?" Others were quietly attracted to the direction of the door. Hoshikawa Teru, who always had a weak sense of presence, took the opportunity to get close to Karasawa. , seeing him opening his eyes in a daze, asked in a low voice.
As long as you look at the problem from the perspective of this group of people, it is not difficult to vaguely guess the general process.
Even he could see that this incident was probably another case where the deceased had done something wrong and the murderer used the most extreme method to seek justice.
"Well." Without moving much, Tang Ze remained in his sleeping position and said softly, "If you can't stop the tragedy from the beginning, then it's better to be a quiet audience and not to spoil the fun."
No matter what other people's opinions are, here in Karasawa, he always feels that the Phantom Thieves should be a solution, an external force that can push everything towards everyone's happiness when justice cannot be served and everything is at a deadlock.
As for murderers with similar motives as Yonehara Koko, Karasawa feels that they have found their own outlet for difficult grievances. If they cannot be given a better plan at the beginning, then it is better not to stop them. .
"But in this case, in other people's understanding, you will become an accomplice." Asai Naomi pulled the sunglasses on her face and looked at Karasawa with penetrating black eyes.
"Am I an accomplice? Aren't you the most qualified to speak?" Tangze smiled, "'Moon Shadow Island...'"
After he said that Chuuni Before calling him, Asai Narimi reached out and directly covered his mouth.
"Keep pretending to be dead and say less!"
————
"Here, coffee."
"Ah, Mr. Mihara, thank you. "Having the warm tea cup pressed against her face, Suzuki Sonoko, who was sitting blankly, came back to her senses, thanked her, and took the cup from her hand.
"We have already called the police, don't worry." Holding his share, Mihara Koko sat down next to her and smiled gently, "It's just a special situation. Because of the heavy snowfall and road closures, the police are afraid I have to wait until tomorrow morning to come here. If you hold on, you will get better soon.”
Suzuki Sonoko looked at her gentle smile, smelled the aroma of coffee in her hand, and glanced at the sofa where Karasawa was still lying, and couldn't help but feel a sore nose.
"Where's Mr. Shimoda, are you still refusing to come down?" Hanging her head, Suzuki Sonoko carefully picked up the cup and took a sip of the fragrant coffee. Her neat short hair fell down from her cheeks with her movements. , blocking her expression.
“Yes, he even refused to open the door. Even if we told him that it would be safer to come down and stay together, he still refused to come out, saying, 'You all go away, leave me alone' and so on. We also There is no other way." Yonehara Koko shrugged, looking very helpless.
"Is this really okay? Just let him stay up there alone." Nakamura Minori, who was helping her carry a tray to deliver coffee to everyone, heard their conversation and patted her forehead with a headache. "The murderer might still be around."
"He is too hysterical. It would be best to leave him alone for a while." Ryuichi Sakai was dissatisfied after trying for a long time and only received a series of chokes. The ground snorted.
"You'd better pay more attention to that man." Suntons, who also got a drink, interrupted abruptly, "Based on my intuition from many years of running news, if something continues to happen, it could only be him."
"Stop talking nonsense." Sakai Ryuichi waved his hand and scolded impatiently, "The windows on the second floor were closed properly, and their door was also locked tightly. Where did the murderer attack him. I think you are going crazy for wanting news!"
"Really?" Sentonshi looked at him with a gloomy look and smiled, "Although the more people die, the more sensational it is to me. The more favorable the report, but I also have basic human nature and don’t want new victims to appear... After all, if you could cooperate with my investigation three years ago and find out the truth about the death of that student, where would it be? With so many problems today?”
“You, you madman, I’m too lazy to talk to you!” Upon hearing the word “three years ago”, Sakai Ryuichi’s face turned pale and he snorted. Just stand up and go.
"Sakai!" Minori Nakamura shouted, and hurriedly got up and chased in his direction, "Don't act alone!" "I am not afraid of slanted shadows, and I am not afraid of any murderer. ! ”
"Sakai!"
Sentoshi watched them leave and laughed twice: "Haha, it seems that I am not lovable again. Forget it, I should be reminded anyway Everything has been explained clearly."
After saying this, he slowly walked towards the fireplace with the teacup in his hand.
"This person is really..." Yonehara Koko shook his head and stood up, ready to continue distributing the remaining cups on the tray on the table.
At this moment, Sonoko Suzuki, who had been silent, suddenly raised her hand and grabbed her thin wrist tightly with such force that Koko Yonehara shook.
"Sonoko, what's wrong?" After a pause, she looked at the former student with concern, "Are you still scared?"
Sugiyama's shocking death scene was obviously exciting. Many people had arrived, and the few elementary school students were all huddled together. The little girl among them was sniffling all the time, which made people feel unbearable.
"Teacher..." Not daring to look directly at Yonehara Koko's expression, Suzuki Sonoko tried hard to tighten her fingers and whispered in a pleading voice, "Do you have to go?"
A little surprised, Yonehara Koko looked at Suzuki Sonoko who was staring at her feet and refusing to speak, and didn't know how to reply for a moment.
Suzuki Sonoko raised her head and looked at Mihara Koko with eyes filled with tears.
Yonehara Koko, who was still slightly panicked, met such a pair of eyes, and her expression softened again.
Although I don’t know why these children are so keen now, each one seems to have become a detective, and can detect something wrong with her so quickly... But they all respect others. child.
The man named Tangze, although his expression method was a little different, in terms of the result, after he broke through his plan and attack, he chose to remain silent and showed his love for himself with actions. sympathy and support.
As for Suzuki Sonoko, she was not sure where she had exposed her flaw, but she seemed to have discovered her own problem, but she just chose to dissuade her without any strong intention.
They are all very good children.
"I'm sorry, Sonoko-san." She slowly but firmly pulled out her wrist and reached out to stroke the top of her hair, "Have a good rest, and you will feel better when the snow stops."< br>
Feeling Yonehara Koko's hand break away from her fingertips, Suzuki Sonoko almost cried.
But in the end, she just retracted her hand silently, staring at the coffee on her knees in a daze.
"I just want to tell you that you, you are gentle, kind, and respectful of students. You are the object of admiration and love by all the girls in the class." Suzuki Sonoko said slowly, holding the warm porcelain cup tightly. , "You are my most admired teacher, forever."
"...Thank you. I'm just a useless ordinary person who can't even gain the trust of students and can't do anything." Mihara Koko smiled bitterly, put down his hand covering her head, and turned around. Walked towards the second floor.
"Mr. Yonehara..."
————
"Have you finished reading, Shinichi?" Wrapping his coat tightly, Dr. Agasa squinted. Looking at the thick snow under the stairs, Conan asked tremblingly, "If you don't go back, you're going to catch a cold."
"You'll be fine soon!" Conan looked at the missing piece of snow on the railing. , standing on tiptoes and looking at the ravine on the door rail, a vague idea came to mind.
Compared to an outside murderer, he still prefers that the murderer must be someone in the villa.
Moreover, judging from the person who attacked, the code left behind, and the reaction of the group of people, it is very likely that this is related to the "death of the child" mentioned by the reporter three years ago. relation.
Hey, it happened that Dr. Ali and his naughty children also participated in this trip. Otherwise, he felt that the news about the death of a child three years ago, his father’s newspaper clippings and the case There must be something to be found in the collection.
"Shinichi, are you okay? If you don't go back, Xiaolan will come to urge you." Another strong cold wind blew his eyes so hard that he could hardly open them. Dr. Ali urged again. .
"Well, let's go back..." Conan sighed regretfully, and after coming to some conclusions, Conan shook his head, grabbed his collar and followed Dr. A Li back to the villa in small steps.
How to figure it out? What happened three years ago...
While his thoughts were still wandering, a string of cell phone ringtones brought his attention back.
"Is someone's cell phone ringing?" After touching his pocket to confirm that it was not his cell phone, Conan asked Dr. Ali next to him.
"Uh, it seems, it's coming from the second floor..."
The two people looked in the direction of the stairs.
"Ahhhh-" A long and sharp female voice sounded at this moment.
"Oops, second floor..." Conan gritted his teeth and rushed upstairs.
"Shimo, Shimoda-sensei..." The coffee cup fell to the ground, and the hot liquid spilled on the floor, soaking the corners of her skirt, but Nakamura Minori could no longer care about these trivial matters and just trembled. Pointing to the open door in front of him, "Shimoda, he...!"
Conan quickly ran to her side and looked forward in the direction she pointed.
Shimoda Kohei, who slipped to the ground in a weird posture, looked straight in the direction of the door without making a sound.
Between his neck, there were two strangulation marks that were exactly the same as those on Sugiyama's body, clearly indicating the circumstances of his death.
The murderer who killed Mr. Sugiyama finally succeeded.
On the first floor, some of the people who heard the voice stood up quickly and approached the second floor, while others sat still, as if they were unaware of what was happening. , also indifferent.
Suzuki Sonoko belongs to the latter.
With this scream, she hung her head feebly, and her suppressed tears fell one by one into the cold coffee in her hand.
It still happened, even if you were aware of it, even if you felt the problem, the sad thing still happened.
Why, why didn’t she have such a firm way to convince Teacher Yonehara?
When she saw Teacher Yonehara's smile, she couldn't even say a pale "This is wrong."
That smile was so sad and determined, and her eyes were so bright, like a crazy flame, burning weakly but resolutely.
So she backed down.
Everything is my own guess, and even if I tell Xiaolan and others... Teacher Sugiyama is dead, this is an unshakable fact.
It's irreversible, it's too late, there's nothing she can do.
If it was that reasoning madman, if it was Akechi-kun, would they, the famous detectives, be like me, helpless about everything that had happened, or would they reach out their hands firmly and hold her unwaveringly? ?
Why am I so weak and powerless in the face of drastic changes...
"Tang Zejun..."
So, when Karasawa was sure that everything was settled, he opened his eyes, pretended to have just woken up, and slowly sat up holding on to the back of the sofa. The first thing he saw was Suzuki Sonoko sitting by the fireplace with tears streaming down his face. .
"Karazawa-kun, have you noticed it too?" She looked at the fire in the fireplace and said in a low voice, "Teacher Yonehara's state is not right, and you have also noticed...that's why you Will you deliberately send me away?"
(End of this chapter)