Chapter 142 Absurdity and truth! Saotsu's reasoning (I)!
"…What are you talking about? Happy? How can I be happy? My child just died!"

The lady looked at him in surprise, wondering why he would say such a thing.

Saotsu drawled out, "Oh, really?"

This light tone obviously angered the woman, and she spoke in a sharp voice.

"Mr. Saotsu, I appreciate your contribution to our family... But if you are just saying this, please leave here immediately!"

Saotsu scoffed.

He didn't care about the woman's driving him away and calmly looked into Mrs. Fujimori's angry and aggrieved eyes.

There was silence in the courtyard for a moment.

……

But the two didn't know
The scream was transmitted to another place through a monitor stuck to the heel.

##
Among the people coming and going.

Conan and Hattori walked out of Osaka City University side by side.

Since they had searched Hinata Jito's house several times and found nothing, they could only turn their attention to another person - that is, Aoda Jin.

That's why they came here and wanted to search Cang Tian Jin's dormitory at school.

But, it still came back empty-handed.

Hattori scratched his head, feeling a little annoyed.

"Hey Kudo, does this Noah's Ark really exist? It can't be that the thing that floated up is just a gun, that thing is still sinking in the river, right?"

——When Conan went to Hinata Jito's house to dig the soil for the first time, because of Hattori's curious questioning, he told the other party the whole story.

——That’s why Hattori knew about the existence of Noah’s Ark.

Conan rubbed his head, which was becoming more and more aching due to lack of sleep these days.

"There are still a lot of police officers floating on the other side of the river, and we can't help much... Well, we can only spend some effort here."

He opened his mouth to say something.

But suddenly!
A scream came from the headphones hanging around his neck, making his whole body shiver.

"what happened?"

Hattori was attracted by his reaction.

Conan took off his headphones and complained: "It was Mrs. Fujimori... She just screamed and scared me."

Hattori thought of the listening device he had taped to his heel.

Somewhat surprised: "What? That little thing still has power?"

"Yes."

Conan put the headphones on his ears.

"In fact, it ran out of power two days ago, but I asked the doctor to install a solar power generation device on it... Maybe it got enough sunlight, so it started working again just now."

"I see... that old man is pretty amazing!"

Hattori raised his eyebrows and finally realized that Dr. Agasa was unusual.

Just when Kudo was about to tell the other person more about him, he suddenly noticed that the other person's expression changed!
"Hey! What's wrong with you?"

"Hattori..."

Conan frowned and handed him one of the earphones.

"Listen to this!"

##
"Ma'am, what do you think it is like to be a mother who has lost her child?"

Mrs. Fujimori opened her mouth, but immediately closed it when she realized that the other person was not a policeman.

Saotsu didn't care about her reaction and pointed at her eyes.

"Anxiety, worry, eagerness... You really expressed these necessary emotions very vividly. Anyone who saw you would think you are a very pitiful woman."

"But... it's just pitiful!"

Saotsu felt a little regretful.

"After all, you are not a professional actor, and you have never actually seen the mother involved in the kidnapping case. Therefore, your emotions are only superficial!"

He listed the other party's shortcomings one by one.

“There is no fear of losing! There is no unshakable determination! There is no madness of giving up everything!”

"You are always worried, anxious, and anxious... Now that I think about it, it's so fake."

He shrugged his shoulders and spoke calmly.

"Rather than saying you're missing your own child, it's more like you're stepping into the shoes of a mother who's lost her child and trying your best to imitate the emotions she should have."

"Ma'am, you're not actually worried about Ganta!"

"Right?"

In the chaotic courtyard, a series of questions were heard loudly.

But the woman did not panic.

She frowned plaintively, as if she were being unfairly accused.

"Just based on these subjective things, you can think that I don't care about my children..."

Tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, like an innocent woman being bullied.

The crystal tears hung on her eyelashes, setting off her pale and delicate face, adding an indescribable charm.

"Mr. Saotsu, what exactly do you want to do to me by slandering me like this?"

Saotsu was unmoved by her frail appearance and slowly stated his reasons.

"At first, I had some doubts, but I wasn't sure. After all, I can't list all your emotions like a fan chart and compare them one by one."

"But at the police station, Mr. Fujimori's words woke me up."

He held out a finger.

"He said at the time that Ganta hadn't eaten for a day and he was very worried."

Mrs. Fujimori was confused: "Is there a problem with this?"

"Of course that's no problem." Saotsu shook his head.

He stretched out his hand and pointed at her: "It's you who has the problem, ma'am!"

"Don't you think that, compared to Mr. Fujimori, your concern for the child is too perfunctory?"

"You always say save the children, save the children, but other than that, have you expressed any specific concern?"

"You don't worry about whether he has enough to eat, whether he is cold, or whether he is injured."

"Compared to these empty words, Mr. Fujimori's simple words have more real feelings."

"Not to mention that during the day, you said you had an agreement with the kidnappers... but you knew the kidnappers would release Wanta, and you still acted like that. Don't you think it's a bit contrived?"

He chuckled.

"It was after hearing these words that I began to doubt your performance."

"And then noticed your emotional flaws."

The lady frowned and defended herself.

"Everyone's concerns are different. I am the type who, when I get nervous, has a lot of things in my mind that I can't say."

"You can't doubt my intentions just because of this, right?"

Saotsu nodded.

"You're right. This alone is certainly not enough."

"But how do you explain Cang Tianjin's death?"

"Cang Tian Jin?" The lady was stunned: "Didn't I say that I lost control of my emotions at that time..."

"lost control."

Saotsu snorted, chewing on his words, and waved his hand to interrupt her.

"Don't you think Cang Tian Jin is stupid? He actually said that the hostage was dead when he asked you for money."

"Yes...yeah, that's stupid..."

The woman repeated it subconsciously, but her intermittent voice seemed very unnatural.

She quickly noticed this and took a deep breath to suppress her gaffe.

She said forcefully, "That's enough! I don't want to hear this! I'm going to call my husband right now and have him kick you out!"

Saotsu looked at him quietly as he took out his cell phone, the corners of his mouth curved upwards, but it still seemed to be a straight line.

"Ma'am, your husband is really good to you. He's been busy these days, and I'm so moved watching him."

The woman's heart skipped a beat.

"I am also very grateful to my husband...but what does this have to do with you?!"

"It doesn't matter."

Saotsu grinned.

He lowered his head and looked deeply at the small grave mound at his feet.

"I'm just curious."

"If this man knew the real cause of his child's death...what kind of expression would he have?"

The lady's eyes suddenly widened and her calm expression finally got out of control.

For the first time she panicked.

"You...what do you mean?"

Saot bent down and grabbed a handful of loose soil from the grave. Then he opened his palm and watched it being blown away by the wind.

"Last night, while Mr. Fujimori was running around for you, I dug up this grave."

"Dig...dig it out...you, you dare..."

"Ha, don't make that expression."

Saotsu shrugged.

"I'm just confused and curious about where all this is coming from."

He waved at the incredulous woman and gave a satisfied smile.

"Sure enough, digging out the secrets that others have tried so hard to hide is the most satisfying thing!"

Madame's hands clenched.

But the call to Mr. Fujimori was never made. She gritted her teeth and stiffened her neck.

"I do not know what you're talking about."

"Then I'll make it clearer."

Saotsu licked the side of the canine with his tongue.

He put his right hand behind his back, and when he took it out again, there was an extra glass jar inside.

A small lung that had been cut open was soaked in colorless liquid, and the dark red flesh and blood tissue kept attacking the woman's mind.

Mrs. Fujimori's throat rolled, she covered her mouth, and took two steps back in horror.

But Saotsu held it in his hands under the sun.

"That kid...oh, his name is Maruta, right?"

"This is the lung I dug out of his body."

Mrs. Fujimori's eyes widened in horror and she began to tremble uncontrollably!
At this moment she finally realized that Saotsu Chisei was definitely not a normal detective!

She looked at the boyish face, and a tingling feeling of fear kept spreading throughout her body.

Saotsu held the can forward.

Under the sunlight, the lines on the surface of the dark red organ are so clear.

"Although it's not easy without the help of appropriate instruments, if you look carefully, you should be able to find it."

"This is a lung that has congestion, edema, and even ruptured."

Mrs. Fujimori was stunned for a long time.

Her sight was glued to her internal organs, and she couldn't even close her eyes!

Saotsu continued, "At that time, Ganta's face was covered with dirty blood, and I couldn't see clearly in the dark. But after he was dug out, he was cleaned very well by Mr. Fujimori."

He snorted and laughed: "The face is swollen and blue, the corpse spots are dark purple, and there are punctate hemorrhages on the facial skin and under the conjunctiva of the eyes. In addition, there are various characteristics of his internal organs..."

"I am very sure!"

"This child died of mechanical asphyxiation!"

##
"what?!"

Squatting on the road, Conan and Hattori looked at each other with heads against each other, their eyes filled with deep surprise.

That child didn't die from a gunshot?!

They listened intently to the conversation in their headphones, reconstructing and reasoning about the situation in their minds.

but……

Hattori suddenly asked: "Kudo, should we call the police?"

He was certainly not talking about Mrs. Fujimori.

Since there are suspicious things about Maruta's body, the police naturally need to intervene.

Hattori's subtext is - should we arrest Saotome Chisei?
Although he had done some not-so-legal things to solve the case... but digging up the corpse for dissection and research was still too cruel!

Conan understood what he meant, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

"Let's tell Officer Yamashita privately first... If there is really something hidden in this case, it should be considered as meritorious service for redeeming one's crime."

##
"Ma'am, did you kill Maruta?"

Saotsu stared into the woman's dazed eyes.

But before the lady could reply, he nodded thoughtfully: "So that's it, it's not you."

The corners of his lips curled up, just like the joy he felt after solving a difficult problem.

"So, do you want to hear a story from me?"

Mrs. Fujimori licked her lips and said in a dry voice: "...story?"

"Yeah, story."

Saotsu rubbed his fingers together, making a crisp sound.

"In my opinion, reasoning is just like storytelling."

"Cause, process, result..."

He laughed for no apparent reason.

“Everything that happens in the world is a story written for other people to read.”

Saot looked up at the unreal sky in the dazzling sunlight.

"so."

“I prefer to describe them as good or bad rather than right or wrong.”

“And the truth is the best of the different stories.”

His eyes were as warm as water.

"Ma'am, would you like to hear the story I wrote?"

Mrs. Fujimori suddenly felt a strong sense of palpitations.

She wanted to shake her head, but Saotsu spoke softly.

"The protagonist of the story is a very beautiful woman."

"She is sexy, wealthy, has milky white skin, and lives in a castle."

"She has a wonderful family."

"My husband loves her very much and my son is very cute."

"All women feel that she is the template of their dreams."

"but."

"If you ask her if she is happy?"

"But she can't give you an accurate answer."

Saotsu looked at the pale-faced woman.

"why?"

"Because..."

"She is not a princess with good moral character, but a slave driven by desire."

"A husband who is busy with his career can't fill her empty heart at all."

"then."

"Like countless clichéd plots..."

"She cheated on me!"

Mrs. Fujimori covered her ears, her hair was loose, and she screamed sharply: "Shut up!!"

"What's wrong? Isn't that right?"

Saotsu lifted his chin.

"If a woman in her 30s has a secret relationship with a man in his 20s that no one else knows about... I can only think that they are lovers."

Mrs. Fujimori stared at him angrily with red eyes.

"What evidence do you have?!"

"Ha, ma'am, you are joking. It's just a story."

Saotsu spread his hands helplessly, as if he was looking at an unreasonable child.

Facing the woman's hideous face, he continued.

“But every great story has a turning point.”

"One day, when they were naked and cuddling each other..."

"The woman's young son suddenly burst in and saw this strange scene."

"He was still young, only three years old, and had no idea what his mother was doing."

"But children's words are without restraint."

"Who can guarantee that a child will never let something slip in front of his father?"

“Men can’t accept that.”

"He is just a student. He has no way of competing with the master of the castle in strength."

"What's more, he simply couldn't give up the money he got from having an affair with a woman."

"So, in the heat of the moment, or after careful consideration."

"The man then smothered the child with a pillow."

Saot looked at Mrs. Fujimori who was breathing heavily and gave a mocking smile.

"What about the woman?"

"What is she doing again?"

"Ah~!"

“It turns out she’s been watching the whole time.”

"why……"

"Why didn't she come to save her son?"

"Just because you didn't react?"

"Do not."

"She just can't bear to give up this wealth."

"What good ending can a slave who is kept in a castle have after being driven out?"

"so!"

"She just sat there and watched the man kill his own flesh and blood."

Under the bright sunshine, the atmosphere in the courtyard was vaguely cold and gloomy.

It seemed as if the only thing left between heaven and earth was that expressive performance.

"But killing is easy."

"Then?"

"Faced with this little corpse lying on the ground, how can the man and the woman clear themselves of suspicion?"

(End of this chapter)