Detective Conan: Shadow Legion Office

105: Chapter 105 The Suzuki Couple’s Attempt to Steal a Chicken BackfiresThe night was like a heavy curtain, pressing down on the roof of the Suzuki Family study.

In the halo of the desk lamp, Suzuki Shiro’s face was darker than ink. He clenched his fist and slammed it onto the table, making the bone china teacup clatter.

”You didn’t see the look on Lin Long’s face!”

His voice was filled with fire, and the veins at his temples throbbed.

”General White was there, and several Cabinet Ministers were watching, yet he dared to say I ’crossed the line’ in public!”

”I am Sonoko’s father, his future father-in-law! Does he have no respect for his elders?”

Suzuki Tomoko held her teacup, her fingertips brushing against the warm porcelain. Her tone was as calm as deep water: ”Shiro-kun, have some tea first. Anger is bad for the liver.”

”How can I not be angry?”

Suzuki Shiro abruptly unclenched his fist, his knuckles turning white.

”To get the US Military to withdraw, I lowered my stance before him, even groveling in the dust. But he had the nerve to say ’don’t let it happen again,’ embarrassing me in front of outsiders! If it weren’t for Sonoko’s sake, I...”

”If it weren’t for Sonoko’s sake, you wouldn’t even be able to see Mr. Lin Long.”

Suzuki Tomoko interrupted him, pushing a cup of hot tea toward him.

”Do you really think General White withdrew because of you? It was because Mr. Lin Long spoke to the Ministry of Defense. And those Cabinet Ministers—which of them isn’t acting according to Mr. Lin Long’s whims now?”

She paused, her gaze sweeping over her husband’s tense profile.

”The Suzuki Family’s success today has never been due to your political maneuvering, but rather the power behind Mr. Lin Long.”

”He doesn’t need to rely on us. On the contrary, without him, forget the position of Prime Minister—we probably couldn’t even keep our seat among the Zaibatsu.”

Suzuki Shiro’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He wanted to say something, but it ultimately turned into a long sigh as he slumped into his chair.

He understood this, of course, but being publicly reprimanded by a junior was a hurdle he couldn’t get over.

”That US Military company remaining in the suburbs of Tokyo...”

His voice was muffled.

”Public protests are growing fiercer, and the Opposition Party is already brewing an impeachment case. If we don’t get them to leave, I’m afraid I won’t last the month as Prime Minister.”

Suzuki Tomoko’s hand holding the teacup paused, a glint of calculation flashing in her eyes like a star in the dark night. ”For this matter, we still have to go to Lin Long.”

”Go to him?”

Suzuki Shiro looked up sharply, his eyes full of resistance.

”I was just snubbed by him yesterday. If I go to beg him now, wouldn’t I just be asking for trouble?”

”If we go to beg, it would naturally be asking for trouble.”

Suzuki Tomoko set down her teacup, a faint smile playing on her lips. ”But it’s different if Sonoko goes.”

Suzuki Shiro was stunned.

”Send Sonoko? She just got engaged to Lin Long. Wouldn’t it be too much to ask her to lower herself and beg for favors now?”

”Too much?”

Suzuki Tomoko gave a soft sneer.

”Marrying into the Lin Family, she will face far more grievances than this in the future.”

”Right now, it’s just acting cute and saying a few soft words to help stabilize your position. It’s a very good deal.”

She looked toward the door, her tone certain. ”Mr. Lin Long’s feelings for Sonoko are real. As long as Sonoko speaks up, he won’t refuse.”

Suzuki Shiro fell silent.

He knew his wife was right, but as a father, making his daughter ’beg’ her fiancé felt like exploiting her feelings.

But at the thought of his crumbling Prime Minister position, his hesitation was quickly crushed by reality.

”Then... should I go talk to Sonoko?”

”I’ll go.”

Suzuki Tomoko stood up and smoothed the hem of her kimono. ”With that angry look on your face, you’ll only scare her.”

The lights were still on in Suzuki Sonoko’s room.

She was sitting at her dressing table, staring blankly into the mirror, her fingertips gently stroking the necklace around her neck—a token of love from Lin Long, a small sapphire that looked like the light in his eyes.

Hearing a knock, she turned around to see her mother walking in, wearing her usual gentle smile.

”Sonoko, not asleep yet?”

Suzuki Tomoko sat down beside her and picked up a comb to smooth her hair. ”I have something to tell you.”

Sonoko looked at her mother in the mirror, a faint premonition rising in her heart.

These past few days, her father had been unable to sleep due to the US Military presence, and her mother was always good at scheming. A late-night visit now was surely about that matter.

”Mom, go ahead.” Her tone was calm, devoid of emotion.

Suzuki Tomoko’s hand holding the comb paused, then she continued combing as if nothing were wrong.

”You know your father has been under a lot of pressure lately. That US Military company still hasn’t withdrawn, the Opposition Party is causing trouble every day, and even some in the Cabinet are starting to waver...”

She sighed, her voice softening. ”As for Mr. Lin Long, only he can persuade General White. Sonoko, could you... mention it to him?”

Sonoko looked at her own face in the mirror, the light casting a small shadow in her pupils. She had guessed it long ago, but she still felt a tightness in her chest.

”Mom,”

She turned around and looked directly into her mother’s eyes.

”You want me to beg him?”

Suzuki Tomoko felt a bit uncomfortable under her daughter’s blunt gaze and looked away.

”How can you call it begging? You’re engaged. He wouldn’t refuse to help with such a small thing, would he? Just act a little spoiled and mention it to him.”

”What if I’m not willing?”

Sonoko’s voice was very soft, yet carried an unquestionable firmness. ”My relationship with Mr. Lin Long isn’t meant to pave the way for the Suzuki Family.”

Suzuki Tomoko’s face darkened, then she adopted a persuasive tone again.

”Sonoko, I know you feel wronged.”

”But if your father’s position isn’t stable, our Suzuki Family will be swallowed up by other Zaibatsu. When you marry into the Lin Family without a family to support you, you won’t be able to stand tall.”

”Just this once, consider it a favor to me, okay?”

She took Sonoko’s hand, patting it gently, with a pleading look in her eyes.

Sonoko looked at the new white hairs at her mother’s temples and thought of her father’s haggard appearance lately. The resistance in her heart slowly loosened.

She was a daughter of the Suzuki Family, destined from birth to share the family’s burdens. She knew this better than anyone.

”Mom,”

She was silent for a long time before finally speaking softly. ”This is the first time, and it will be the last.”

Suzuki Tomoko’s eyes lit up, and she nodded quickly. ”Of course! I promise you, I will never put you in a difficult position again.”

Sonoko said nothing more, simply turning back to the mirror.

The girl in the mirror had calm eyes, but they hid a trace of exhaustion she hadn’t even noticed herself.

She picked up the sapphire necklace and squeezed the cold stone hard with her fingertips—Lin Long, I’m sorry. Once again, I’m letting you see through the calculation behind this.

Early the next morning, Sonoko changed into an off-white dress and took a handmade bento box to Lin Long’s residence.

The Lin Family manor was as large as a park. As the servant led her through the garden, she saw Lin Long practicing martial arts on the lawn. His white training uniform fluttered in the wind, his movements sharp and carrying a natural air of dominance.

Hearing footsteps, Lin Long stopped. Beads of sweat on his forehead slid down his jawline and into the hollow of his collarbone.

He casually took a towel from a servant to wipe himself. When he looked at Sonoko, the sharpness in his eyes instantly melted away.

”Why are you here so early?”

He stepped forward and naturally took the bento box from her hand, his fingertips accidentally brushing against the back of her hand, carrying the coolness of the morning dew.

”I thought you’d sleep until noon.”

Sonoko looked up at him. Sunlight filtered through the leaves onto his face. In the interplay of light and shadow, she suddenly found it hard to speak.

But at the thought of her father’s anxious face, she bit her lip, reached out to hug his waist, and buried her face in his sweat-dampened shirt.

”Mr. Lin Long...”

Her voice was muffled, with a hint of deliberate playfulness. ”There’s something I want to ask for your help with.”

Lin Long looked down, resting his chin on the top of her head, the fragrance of her hair swirling around his nose.

He had already learned of Mr. and Mrs. Suzuki’s plan from Shadow. Seeing her actually come to ’beg’ him now, he felt a bit amused yet also a bit pained for her.

”Mm, go ahead.” He stroked her back, his voice becoming extremely gentle.

”It’s... that US Military company in the suburbs of Tokyo,”

Sonoko’s voice carried a hint of grievance.

”My father has been so pressured by this lately he can hardly sleep. The Opposition Party picks fights every day. Could you... help one more time?”

She looked up, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at him like a small animal begging for food, but Lin Long could clearly see the reluctance deep in her eyes.

He couldn’t help but pinch her cheek, his playfulness turning into tenderness.

”Just that?”

He raised an eyebrow, teasing her on purpose. ”Who was it yesterday that said, ’My fiancé shouldn’t get involved in these annoying matters’?”

Sonoko’s face instantly turned red, and she gave him a light punch.

”That was... it’s an emergency!” She tugged on his sleeve and shook it slightly.

”Mr. Lin Long~ please help me~”

Lin Long watched her rare display of acting cute and finally couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

He knew the awkwardness in her heart and was well aware of Mr. and Mrs. Suzuki’s schemes, but he cared more about the look in her eyes right now—clearly unwilling, yet still coming to beg him for the sake of her family. This sense of responsibility far exceeded that of other girls her age.

”Alright.”

He flicked her nose, his tone doting. ”However, I have one condition.”

Sonoko’s eyes lit up. ”Tell me! As long as I can do it!”

”From now on, regarding matters of the Suzuki Family,”

Lin Long’s gaze suddenly became serious. ”If you don’t want to get involved, you don’t have to.”

He paused, adding emphasis. ”With me here, no one can force you to do something you’re unwilling to do.”

Sonoko’s heart trembled violently, as if struck by something, feeling both sour and soft.

She opened her mouth to say something, but ultimately just nodded vigorously and buried her face back in his chest.

It turned out he knew everything. He knew her reluctance, her difficulty, and even how to support her.

Two days later, General White indeed withdrew that company from the suburbs of Tokyo.

But to Suzuki Shiro’s surprise, the day before the withdrawal, White actually visited the Prime Ministers Official Residence with several officers, all smiles.

”Prime Minister Suzuki, thank you so much for your generosity!”

General White shook Suzuki Shiro’s hand, a bright smile on his face.

”The military supplies you donated were truly a godsend. The soldiers are all talking about your kindness!”

Suzuki Shiro was bewildered. ”Military supplies? What supplies?”

General White blinked, his tone suggestive.

”The ’sincerity’ Mr. Lin Long mentioned. The supplies you had your butler deliver to the base—”

”Two hundred thousand cases of high-spec compressed biscuits, one hundred thousand cases of military canned goods, and fifty of the latest communication devices. They were quite valuable.”

Suzuki Shiro’s face instantly turned ashen.

He hadn’t donated anything. It was clearly because the butler had said yesterday that ’Mr. Lin Long asked to prepare some sincerity for General White.’ He thought it would be some cigarettes, alcohol, or local specialties, but he never expected it to be these substantial military supplies! This expense was enough for an ordinary family to live on for a lifetime.

General White continued enthusiastically, ”Mr. Lin Long was right; you really are supportive of our US Military! If you ever need help in the future, just ask!”

Suzuki Shiro practically gritted his teeth as he saw White and his group off.

The moment the door closed, he slammed his fist into the wall, his knuckles turning white.

”Lin Long!”

He cursed under his breath, yet he couldn’t lash out—the other party had indeed solved a major problem for him, and this ’donation’ was nominally voluntary on the Suzuki Family’s part, leaving him with no grounds for complaint.

In the study, Suzuki Tomoko looked at the figures on the bill, her expression also extremely ugly.

She never expected Lin Long to pull such a move—helping the Suzuki Family openly while secretly making them suffer a silent loss.

”This kid...”

Suzuki Tomoko’s fingers trembled slightly as she held the bill.

”He’s warning us not to take him for a fool.”

Suzuki Shiro sat dejectedly in his chair, his chest tight with pain.

He finally understood completely that this young man, who seemed to obey Sonoko’s every whim, was not someone the Suzuki Family could manipulate.

He calculated every step clearly; he would help you, but he would also make you pay a price, leaving you unable to find fault yet unable to swallow the insult.

Meanwhile, in the Lin Family garden, Lin Long was holding a bunch of translucent grapes to Sonoko’s lips.

”Try some, just picked from the greenhouse.”

Sonoko bit into one, and the sweet juice of the grape burst on her tongue. Looking at the smile in Lin Long’s eyes, she suddenly remembered what he had said yesterday and couldn’t help but ask:

”General White’s visit to my house—was that your doing?”

Lin Long raised an eyebrow, neither admitting nor denying it, and simply fed her another grape.

”Otherwise? I couldn’t let your father think that asking me for favors comes at zero cost.”

He flicked her cheek, his tone carrying a deeper meaning.

”Some people just don’t know their boundaries until they feel a little pain.”

Sonoko looked at the light in his eyes and suddenly felt that having a fiancé who could both protect her and hold his ground wasn’t so bad after all.

At least in the future, she wouldn’t have to do things against her heart anymore.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the grapevines, casting small spots of light on their intertwined hands, as warm as a dream from which one would never wake.