Chapter 21 Suspect Cheng You
"Don't be so fierce~" A light, airy voice came from inside. As a core member of the long-established organization Sakura Blade Pavilion, Takeda Ryosuke possessed exceptional memory and discernment. He quickly recognized the voice—it belonged to Cheng You, the seemingly harmless exchange student. The other person locked the door behind him as he entered, revealing a menacing smile.
The gun was pointed at the other man's forehead, but Cheng's expression remained calm and resolute, without a trace of hesitation or tepidity. Takeda Ryosuke's heart sank, but his grip on the gun remained firm.
"Who are you?" he asked.
“I know you, a core member of the Sakura Blade Pavilion,” Cheng You reached out and grasped the gun the other man was pointing at him, saying with a smile, “I heard your organization… is… almost… finished.”
"!" Takeda Ryosuke's heart churned with turmoil, but his face remained calm and flawless—an acting skill that even Cheng You admired. [How could he know?! Was it really sent by that old man?! But his identity couldn't be exposed! Even if it were exposed, even if he died, he couldn't tarnish the organization's reputation!]
"What is Mr. Cheng You saying?" Takeda Ryosuke put away his pistol and spoke calmly.
“Mr. Takeda already has a gun, you know perfectly well what I’m talking about.” Cheng You walked into the room, looking out at the dim environment through the window. “Don’t misunderstand, Mr. Takeda, I’m here to discuss cooperation with you.”
[Cooperation? What kind of new scam is this?] Takeda Ryosuke scoffed inwardly, yet couldn't help feeling nervous; a few beads of sweat appeared on his palms, but he maintained a serious expression. "Who are you?"
“Let’s talk about cooperation first, and then I’ll tell you my identity.” He lay lazily on the sofa, crossed his legs, tilted his head with a slightly mocking look, and looked at Takeda Ryosuke with undisguised arrogance. “I want to be the BOSS of your organization.”
"What?!" Even with Takeda Ryosuke's strong mental fortitude, he was stunned the moment he heard this. So direct! What does this mean?
“I’ve learned that the boss of the Sakura Blade Pavilion organization died unexpectedly three years ago, and the organization began to fall into chaos, so it gradually declined. You should be considered neutral, only caring about the rise and fall of the organization and only loyal to it, but you are also afraid that if those useless people really become the boss, they will lead the organization to its demise. So you secretly take on missions while secretly eliminating them.”
Cheng smiled even more broadly: "And I have the ability to unify your organization and lead it to new heights."
"..." Takeda Ryosuke fell into deep thought. He looked at Cheng You seriously and asked, "Who exactly are you?" No outsider could possibly know this. How did this young student in front of him know all this?
Ryosuke Takeda felt surrounded by thorns, a constant reminder that anyone who knew the organization's secrets had to be killed. Yet, deep down, he also harbored a faint hope—a hope that someone would lead their organization to a new future.
"I said, let's talk about cooperation first." Cheng didn't seem overly concerned that Takeda Ryosuke always wanted to know about her identity, and casually changed the subject. "You don't need to take action; there are others who want Ishii Yasuo dead."
How did you know?
"My abilities," Cheng said with a smile.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a terrified scream came from the room next door—the voice of someone working there.
Hearing this voice, Takeda Ryosuke frowned. Cheng You smiled, stood up, and patted him on the shoulder. "Look, he's dead. You should seriously consider our cooperation." As he walked to the door, he suddenly turned back, revealing an innocent student's smile. "Let's go over our statements; after all, we'll need to provide alibis later."
The servant said that when she knocked on the door for a long time to deliver evening tea to Yasuo Ishii, there was no answer, so she opened the door with the spare key.
The nearest police precinct is several hours away, so the scene can only be investigated for the time being by Kogoro Mouri and two police officers without any tools.
Kogoro Mouri asked, "Ishii Yasuo didn't answer. Why didn't you wait? Why did you just use the spare key to open the door?"
"This is because Mr. Ishii is getting old, and sometimes he gets tired very early and falls asleep without realizing it. He said that if he falls asleep, I should wake him up for evening tea." He gripped the hem of his shirt tightly with his hand.
"Why must we have evening tea?" Conan asked.
"Hmm... Mr. Ishii is taking care of his health; he heard that from China. Right, Mr. Cheng You?" The servant said, then suddenly turned to Cheng You.
"Yes, but if you're drinking it at night, black tea is better, as it can help fight oxidation and aging." Cheng You nodded with a smile, knowing that Ishii Yasuo really valued his life.
Matsuda Jinpei carefully took notes, nodding as he analyzed: "The current suspects include this maid, the butler, this reporter Ogawa Noriya, the scientist Takeda Ryosuke, and the Chinese man Cheng You..."
Cheng You's lips twitched. He had come with Kogoro Mouri, so why was he being suspected?
Conan couldn't help but twitch. Although he believed that Cheng You wouldn't be so short-sighted as to choose to kill an old man here, the police would inevitably suspect someone who looked strange and had no alibi.
"I...I have an alibi!" Cheng said, raising his eager hand.
"explain."
“I’m with Mr. Takeda tonight,” Cheng You said.
"You know Takeda Ryosuke?" Conan's eye twitched. He really has a wide circle of friends.
"I don't know him. Mr. Takeda lost his watch, and I picked it up to return it to him. I discovered that we both have an interest in desserts~" Cheng You patted Takeda Ryosuke on the shoulder and said with a smile.
"Yes, I didn't expect Mr. Cheng to run a dessert shop. I'll definitely visit when I have time," said Takeda Ryosuke, following their pre-arranged script.
"Oh? A dessert shop?" Speaking of which, Matsuda Jinpei suddenly remembered something and exclaimed in surprise, "I was wondering why you looked so familiar. Turns out you're the owner of the dessert shop across from the Mouri Detective Agency!"
"Yes, yes." He remembered, he remembered! Cheng You thought excitedly to himself, "I'm such a good person, don't doubt me!"
“I see. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that you and Takeda Ryosuke are accomplices, and we cannot clear your name for the time being.” Matsuda Jinpei said calmly, and then asked for the alibis of the others, but they all said that they were resting in their own rooms, which did not constitute a valid alibi.
"Alright, let's go search for evidence," Kenji Hagiwara said with a smile.
Conan had already taken the opportunity to sneak away and ran ahead to the crime scene. There was already a figure there, a small figure, but the back view revealed a deeper meaning.
"Matsukawa Yuichi?"
As if he had expected him to come, Yuichi calmly turned his head and said, "Edogawa Conan."
"What are you doing here?" Conan asked, his mind racing as he looked at the calmness in the other person's eyes.
"Um, I'm helping the police find evidence so that Brother Cheng You won't be suspected." Youyi touched her face and pouted. She looked like a little kid, with no trace of maturity in her eyes, only innocence and naivety.
Conan even doubted that he had just seen it wrong. For a moment, he didn't seem like a primary school student at all. His doubts were only for a moment, and he was soon drawn back to the case at the scene.
He patted Yuichi on the shoulder and comforted her, "Don't worry, as long as there's evidence, we won't doubt that your Cheng has a brother. However, you and Cheng are not related by blood, and you've only known each other for a short time, so why do you like him so much?"
“Hmm…” Youyi was silent for a moment, then raised her innocent eyes and said with a smile, “No, I’ve known Brother Cheng You for a long time. He’s a very nice person. I like Brother Cheng You the most.”
"Is that so? But don't you think he's... dangerous?" Conan asked hesitantly.
"No. No matter how many sides Cheng You has, he always stays true to himself." Youyi said with a smile, then tugged at Conan's sleeve. "You look like a detective, even your name sounds like one. Can you help Cheng You?"
"I'll do my best," Conan said with a laugh.
"Thank you, Conan Edogawa." Yuichi said with a smile, waved and left. The moment he turned his head, the innocence in his eyes disappeared, and a more serious look appeared in his eyes.
The wounds didn't look like they were inflicted by Japanese thugs... He had also seen the bounty missions of the Gray Fox Assassins' Dark Network through his own means, and knew a little about the matter. Thinking about Cheng You's alibi and Takeda Ryosuke's sudden reunion, Yuichi suddenly guessed that Cheng You's purpose was here.
Yu Yi smiled and thought to herself: Brother Cheng You is so smart~ He has a lot of information, is capable, gentle and intelligent. That's how he can walk with me.
He deliberately took a longer route, not the same route as the police detectives. When he returned downstairs, only a few suspects were left, forced to remain under guard, while Ran Mouri sat watching them.
Walking over to Cheng You, Youyi snuggled up to him.
"Where did you just run off to?" Cheng Youxin knew that Youyi had gone to the crime scene, but he didn't say it outright. There were many people at the scene, so he still showed his gentle older brother persona and cared about Youyi.
"I went to the restroom, Cheng You-gege." Yu Yi said, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Takeda Ryosuke, a member of a certain organization sitting opposite her, and secretly sizing him up.
The calluses on his fingertips were well-hidden, suggesting he possessed some ability, was honest, and very loyal. He was indeed someone who could be used effectively. Having confirmed this, Yuuichi confidently withdrew his gaze. Cheng You's judgment of character was excellent. Yuuichi was quite satisfied with Takeda Ryosuke before him, and his wariness towards him lessened somewhat.
"Your nasal voice seems to have gotten worse." Cheng You frowned, reached out to feel his forehead temperature, and muttered in a low voice, "You don't have a fever, but why is your face so red?" His tone was a little worried; if he had a fever, he didn't know when they would be able to leave this place.
"Hmm, I do feel a little dizzy..." Yuichi said weakly.
“Like this…” Cheng You pressed his forehead against You Yi’s forehead to check his temperature. He could indeed feel that You Yi’s head was burning hot. He turned to the maid and asked, “Miss, do you know where the thermometer is here? Can I borrow it for a moment?”
"Of course." The maid nodded in agreement, turned and went in another direction, and quickly returned with the thermometer.
Cheng patiently placed the thermometer on Youyi's forehead, beeped, and it showed 37.8 degrees Celsius.
"Low-grade fever." Generally speaking, the headache associated with a low-grade fever is the most unbearable. "Tsk." Cheng You poured Youyi a glass of hot water. "Do you want to go upstairs and take a nap?"
Ran borrowed some painkillers from the maid and fed them to Yuichi first, asking worriedly, "Are you alright? Go and rest for a while?"
"No... I want to be with Brother Cheng You." Youyi hugged Cheng You tightly around the waist, refusing to let go no matter what.
Cheng looked at Xiaolan helplessly, "Ah, I'm so sorry, children are all a little afraid of being alone in unfamiliar environments."
"I see... I hope little brother Yuichi gets better soon." Xiaolan smiled gently.
"Hmm..." When You looked at Xiao Lan, a hint of tenderness appeared in her eyes, and she felt a little relieved. She thought that this young lady was like Cheng You, very much like an angel, but still different.
Conan was once again chased downstairs by Uncle Mori. He walked downstairs speechlessly and saw Cheng You lying on the sofa, and Youyi lying on the sofa, holding Cheng You's clothes tightly in his hand and sleeping peacefully.
"What's wrong, Ran-neechan?" Conan asked softly, seeing Ran's worried expression.
"Yi has a fever, and I don't know when this case will be over."
On the other side, Cheng You, who was thinking of closing his eyes to rest, felt his phone vibrate after receiving an email. He glanced at it and saw that it was an email from an unknown number, but Cheng You was certain that it was a message sent to him by Takeda Ryosuke.
Cheng You curled the corners of his mouth, revealing a smug smile.
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