Seeing Injustice

## Chapter 20: Seeing Injustice

The moment Miyano Shiho spoke, the atmosphere immediately turned a little chilly.

Kudo Shinichi's mouth twitched slightly:

I just painstakingly finished my deduction.

Aren't you even a little surprised?

Hmph, I actually ran into someone who doesn't follow the script.

This was truly a first, and the great detective Kudo couldn't help but feel a bit speechless.

Even Mouri Ran was so awkward she didn't know what to say, only managing to maintain a polite smile.

And after seeing this scene, Lin Xinyi felt even more strongly that this Miss Miyano's personality was abnormal.

Of course, there was nothing he could do about it, because he could never imagine what Miyano Shiho had been through.

After all, having never watched Conan, he still believed he was living in a modern world with a sound legal system.

And in the real world—an underground criminal organization?

And they dare to set up a base for developing illegal drugs in the heart of the capital?

And brazenly organize armed individuals to imprison returning overseas experts?

They must have a death wish!

Is it that the Chaoyang masses can't pick up a phone anymore, or did the SkyNet project's wires burn out?

This kind of situation would absolutely never happen in China. And even if Japan's public safety was different, it's still a developed country; how could they let criminals run rampant and do whatever they want?

So, based on the common sense of a modern person, Lin Xinyi simply couldn't imagine the hidden truth behind all of this.

He just purely felt that this Miss Miyano was very strange:

She's clearly in the prime of her youth with a boundless future, yet there's always a sense of world-weariness in her eyes, as if she's experienced countless darkness and pain.

Ugh, she probably read too much of Japan's prevalent decadent literature and became a bit depressed.

Thinking this, Lin Xinyi's gaze towards Miyano Shiho became even more helpless.

Miyano Shiho, however, clearly didn't care what others thought of her.

After a moment of awkward silence, she was the first to break it:

She unconsciously fiddled with the two coins in her hand as she spoke indifferently to Kudo Shinichi and Mouri Ran:

"Are you still going to use the vending machine?"

"If not, please move aside. I'm in a hurry."

"Uh..." Kudo Shinichi and Mouri Ran exchanged glances.

The atmosphere grew even more awkward.

Lin Xinyi, standing to the side, offered an apologetic smile:

Sorry, she's always been like this.

Kudo nodded, smiling slightly, indicating that he didn't mind:

I understand, I understand. I can see that.

Mouri Ran, meanwhile, mumbled, wanting to say something but stopping herself:

It must be really tough for Mr. Lin Xinyi to constantly look after this young lady who doesn't understand social etiquette.

I just hope he doesn't get too depressed and go jump in a river or something...

That would be truly pitiful.

In silence, the three completed a brief but complex exchange with their eyes.

Miyano Shiho seemed to sense their unspoken criticisms of her.

But she still didn't care.

Given her identity, actively distancing herself from these ordinary people was actually for their own good.

Over the years, Miyano Shiho had long grown accustomed to this life of completely cutting off social interaction and having no friends whatsoever.

Finally, like this, in a complex silence...

Kudo and Mouri Ran consciously turned back, inserting coins and pressing buttons on the vending machine.

And Lin Xinyi dutifully stayed by Miyano Shiho's side, waiting in line with her.

He was still at work, after all, and everything had to prioritize the emotional well-being of Miss Miyano.

The air became quiet once more.

If things had continued this way, Lin Xinyi would soon have waved goodbye to Kudo and Mouri Ran after they bought their drinks, then continued his work, protecting Miyano Shiho as she went to see her sister.

But at that moment, not entirely unexpectedly, Behind the short line of people waiting to buy drinks from the vending machine, two more passersby joined the queue.

They were two male high school students in black uniforms.

Both of them had cigarettes dangling from their mouths, something minors were legally prohibited from touching. It was clear at a glance they weren't well-behaved, rule-abiding students.

While waiting in line, they started chatting amongst themselves:

"Ishikawa, are we really going to be okay doing this?"

"What if that kid goes looking for the police again? Won't that make things really troublesome?"

One of the high school boys, who was relatively thin, asked this.

His voice wasn't quiet, and Lin Xinyi and the three others ahead of them in line heard every word clearly.

"Heh, what's there to be afraid of?"

"Aoki, you're still such a coward."

The boy called Ishikawa, who was more strongly built, grumbled:

"We just 'bumped' into him lightly; we didn't cripple or seriously injure him."

"What good will it do him to go to the police again?"

"We're still minors, after all. Are we really going to jail for something so minor?"

Japanese law has always been relatively lenient towards juvenile offenders under 20.

As long as no one is crippled or killed in a school bullying incident, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department won't bother with it.

Ishikawa took a deep drag from his cigarette, then cursed hatefully through the acrid smoke:

"That punk just f*ing deserves a beating!"

"Last time, we just asked him for some pocket money, and he, not knowing what was good for him, ran off to the police."

"And what happened? It blew up, the police informed the principal, and it caused the school to want to expel us because of it!"

"Since we're already going to be expelled, what's there to be afraid of?"

"We definitely have to teach him a good lesson!"

"But..."

The thin high schooler named Aoki hesitated:

"The principal said we'd only avoid expulsion if we got a letter of understanding from that kid."

"If we beat him like this, how could he possibly forgive us?"

"Heh, do you think he'd forgive us if we didn't beat him?"

Ishikawa rolled his eyes disdainfully and sneered:

"He probably just wants to use this opportunity to get us kicked out of school."

"That kind of scumbag just needs to be straightened out. Only if we beat him until he's scared will he possibly behave himself."

"That makes sense..."

Aoki nodded, as if suddenly understanding:

"Then it seems we went too easy on him today."

"It's fine."

Ishikawa laughed heartily:

"Life's long. We'll block him on the street every day from now on."

"Hmph! We absolutely have to make him understand the cost of going against us."

"..."

The conversation between the two high school passersby temporarily came to an end.

Lin Xinyi and the three others ahead of them in line had heard every single word without missing a beat.

It was clear that Ishikawa and Aoki, these two high school students, had just bullied a classmate.

They showed no shame for their bullying behavior, even smoking and savoring the moment, laughing triumphantly.

Such an ugly display was truly sickening.

It was simply...

"Scum."

Mouri Ran unconsciously clenched her fists.

The cracking sound of knuckles popping echoed clearly from her seemingly delicate and powerless fists.

The sound was as crisp as a string of firecrackers, sounding very forceful. Her righteous anger was burning uncontrollably.

And at this very moment, the two high school students at the very back of the line had absolutely no idea what kind of terrifying presence they had angered.

"Cough, cough… Calm down, calm down."

Kudo Shinichi quickly held back his childhood friend's fist.

Although Mouri Ran was gentle and rarely resorted to violence, let alone got into fights, Kudo knew very well that if his childhood friend truly got stimulated enough to act heroically, the average school bully wouldn't stand a chance.

So, Kudo quietly tried to soothe Ran, while also looking at Lin Xinyi behind him as if asking for help.

That helpless look seemed to be asking him to say a few words too—after all, Lin Xinyi was someone who had attempted suicide; people would be considerate of him and his words would carry weight.

But Kudo's request had no effect.

Not only did Lin Xinyi not help him calm Ran down, he instead said with a serious expression:

"It should be fine, right?"

"I remember Miss Mouri Ran practices Karate; she shouldn't miss."

He had already learned that morning that Mouri Ran was going to the riverside for morning practice to prepare for the Tokyo Karate Tournament. Someone who could participate in that level of fighting competition must be quite skilled. And if things went really wrong, he was there to back her up; dealing with two school bullies would be more than enough.

Speaking of which, Lin Xinyi's current body was surprisingly robust. In fact, compared comprehensively, it was even stronger than the body he had honed through martial arts training since childhood in his previous life.

How should he put it?

Is this truly what you get for an 890,000-yen Security Director?

"Don't worry, Kudo."

"If Miss Mouri Ran gets into trouble, I'll definitely help out."

After a moment's thought, Lin Xinyi said with confidence.

"Whoa, whoa…"

Kudo's expression grew even more helpless:

"That's not what I'm worried about…"

"You don't have to worry about legal matters either."

The one who spoke was Miyano Shiho, who had been silent all this time. The fact that this young lady, who always presented herself as aloof, would so actively involve herself in other people's affairs somewhat surprised Lin Xinyi:

"Isn't Miss Mouri Ran also a minor, wearing a high school uniform?"

"Just like those two guys said…"

"Minors, after all. Injuring two people isn't a big deal."

Miyano Shiho uttered some very terrifying words without any change in her expression.

"…"

Kudo Shinichi became even more helpless:

You two just don't understand. If Ran got carried away and didn't hold back, the consequences wouldn't be as simple as just injuring someone.

People would shatter.

On that note, the telephone poles in Beika Town had a lot to say.