Shigematsu Akio looked at Morizono Kikuhito, but ultimately decided to speak up. "Years ago, the Madam came here to find me, but the Master mistakenly thought she liked him and proposed to her."
"And then?" Morizono Kikuhito pressed. "My mother agreed, didn't she?"
"Yes, she was moved by the Master's passion, so she married into the family," Shigematsu Akio sighed. "Perhaps the Master sensed something about what happened back then..."
"There's nothing going on between you and my mother, right?" Morizono Kikuhito finally voiced the suspicion buried in his heart.
Shigematsu Akio realized what Morizono Kikuhito was implying and became instantly anxious and indignant. "Young Master Kikuhito, do you still not trust the Madam? We accepted our fate back then and never entangled ourselves with each other again. This time, it's only because Miss Kaede and Sakuraba are so similar to us back then, but for them, it's not too late. I... I didn't want to see such a regret happen again."
Morizono Kikuhito breathed a sigh of relief. As long as there was nothing going on, it was fine. He sat back on the sofa. "I can cancel the wedding, but you shouldn't have threatened me. You should have just told me directly."
Shigematsu Akio bowed deeply. "I am terribly sorry, Young Master Kikuhito!"
"Give me the evidence you have," Morizono Kikuhito said. "I'll explain everything to Kaede and Sakuraba later tonight. Of course, if you're worried, you can wait until after the wedding is cancelled to give it to me..."
"No, there's no need. I'll go get it right now!"
Seeing that Morizono Kikuhito was willing to cancel the wedding first, Shigematsu Akio felt the weight of that trust. His guilt deepened, and he immediately left the room to retrieve the items.
Ten minutes later, in the same room, with the same three people.
After verifying that he had the originals, Morizono Kikuhito destroyed them. "Have you thought about how serious the consequences will be if the wedding is cancelled tomorrow?"
Shigematsu Akio looked at Morizono Kikuhito hesitantly. Is the Young Master going to go back on his word?
"Don't worry, I won't break my promise. I'm not short on women who like me, and I certainly don't want to spend my future guarding against my wife having an affair," Morizono Kikuhito said, sitting back on the sofa. "But cancelling the wedding requires a passable excuse. For instance, Uncle Shinnosuke is usually very busy. To attend tomorrow's wedding, he must have postponed important matters. That shows his regard for the Morizono family. Other guests might not all be like that, but some certainly are."
"This..." Cold sweat instantly broke out on Shigematsu Akio's forehead.
He had been so focused on getting Morizono Kikuhito to cancel the wedding that he hadn't considered the consequences of doing so abruptly. Now that it was decided, the reality hit him.
If the Morizono family cancelled the wedding on the eve of the event without a suitable reason, it would undoubtedly invite a lot of dissatisfaction.
"Since the cancellation is because of them, they should bear the responsibility," Morizono Kikuhito laid his cards on the table. "Tomorrow, or tonight after the guests leave, Kaede will suddenly fall ill—serious enough that the wedding cannot proceed. We'll cancel the wedding first, drag it out for a while to let the matter fade from memory, and then separate quietly. You and I will go talk to them later."
Shigematsu Akio nodded hurriedly. "Thank you, Young Master. I think they will agree!"
Seeing that the two had reached a consensus, Chi Feichi didn't plan to stay. "Since the matter is resolved, I'll head down first. I'll keep what happened today a secret."
Watching Chi Feichi leave the room, Shigematsu Akio hesitated for a moment before asking, "Young Master Kikuhito, all of this... was Young Master Feichi's idea, wasn't it?"
"All of this?" Morizono Kikuhito laughed. "Which part do you mean?"
Shigematsu Akio frowned, trying to recall. He couldn't pinpoint exactly which parts, but he felt that he had completely lost sovereignty over the conversation today, as if everything had been clearly orchestrated from the start.
He knew his own Young Master well; he couldn't have given him this feeling...
Morizono Kikuhito didn't pursue the question and switched topics. "After this is handled, you are responsible for plugging the leaks in the company. Find out who leaked the information. Fire those who need firing, warn those who need warning. Take this opportunity to clean house!"
Shigematsu Akio was somewhat surprised. "Young Master Kikuhito, you still plan to keep me in the company?"
"Is that strange?" Morizono Kikuhito countered.
Shigematsu Akio's expression softened, and he smiled bitterly. "Perhaps because Young Master Feichi was here just now, I subconsciously thought of Mr. Shinnosuke. If it were Mr. Shinnosuke, I'm afraid I would have had to leave immediately. But even if you are willing to trust me, how can I have the face to stay in the company..."
"Staying isn't a big deal," Morizono Kikuhito said seriously. "After all, the company won't be doing those things anymore."
"Young Master Kikuhito?" Shigematsu Akio was surprised and confused.
Previously, Morizono Kikuhito had been eager to make a name for himself and prove his worth, insisting on bribing high officials. Why the sudden change of heart?
"My dad told me a long time ago that Uncle Shinnosuke is a very scary person..." Morizono Kikuhito didn't continue. He stood up and walked out of the room. "Find someone to clean this up."
Although he didn't know exactly what happened years ago, his feelings now were probably very similar to his father's back then.
He now felt that Chi Feichi was a terrifying person.
When he offered to let the evidence go first before taking it back, it wasn't out of trust at all. It was because Chi Feichi had given him leverage.
If Shigematsu Akio went back on his word later, the anonymous report letter Kikuhito had prepared would be sent out tonight, reporting his own company for illegal activities in a specific area, providing some ambiguous evidence. Once the rumors spread, he would cooperate with the investigation as quickly as possible to clear his name.
After that, he would create trouble from other angles a couple of times to create the illusion that someone was maliciously targeting him.
When Shigematsu Akio tried to threaten him with the evidence, he could completely ignore it. By slightly altering some details in the company records, he could make people suspect that it was just another piece of ambiguous, fabricated evidence.
With the public in a state of skepticism, he could use that buffer time to divert public attention with other matters, handle the issue after it faded, or clear himself by finding a higher-up to take the fall. He could then have that scapegoat bite back at the person he wanted, creating the illusion that he was the victim of persecution. Or perhaps...
Chi Feichi had proposed far too many methods of operation. At worst, the company would suffer some losses, but neither he nor the company would be completely finished.
In short—
That little threat was nothing. The real solution was making sure the leverage the opponent held had no threatening power!
And Shigematsu Akio's choice determined his attitude toward him.
If Shigematsu Akio hadn't trusted him and hadn't handed over the evidence first, he wouldn't have let Shigematsu keep his job.
Chi Feichi was right about one thing: once trust collapses, no matter how you try to repair it, it's hard to restore it to its original state.
Actually, he was still wary of Shigematsu Akio. It was just that Shigematsu could help him more by staying in the company. As long as the company stopped engaging in illegal activities, he wouldn't have any leverage for anyone to grab, and Kikuhito could observe and confirm his loyalty slowly.
Before, he would do whatever it took to climb up. Now, he felt those methods weren't really methods at all; it was better to be grounded.
Okay, fine, he was just scared.
Thinking about his father's evaluation of Uncle Shinnosuke, and then looking at Chi Feichi, he suddenly felt that everyone at the top was a bunch of black-bellied schemers with dark hearts.
If he couldn't outplay them, what could he do?
He might as well learn from his father: manage things carefully and be content with 'good enough,' lest he get schemed against and lose everything...
Half an hour later, dinner was served in the first-floor dining room.
Morizono Mikio listened to Shigematsu Akio explain the guests' identities and was immediately intrigued by Mouri Kogoro. "Oh, so you are that famous great detective!"
Mouri Kogoro beamed with joy, trying his best to look serious and dignified. "Hello, I am Mouri Kogoro. Pleased to meet you!"
"It is my honor to dine with someone like you," Morizono Mikio smiled.
"Not at all, you are too kind!" Mouri Kogoro replied politely.
Servants brought food and drinks to the table.
Morizono Kikuhito didn't hide in his room; he arrived early at the dining room and sat next to Katagiri Kaede. Both of them looked somewhat uncomfortable.
Beside them, Morizono Yurie held Rebecca, and Chi Feichi held Feichi. They sat next to each other, both pets wrapped in layers of gauze.
Across the table, Conan first noticed the strange atmosphere between Morizono Kikuhito and Katagiri Kaede. Confused, he looked at the others. When he saw Feichi, whose body was half-draped onto the dining table, he almost laughed out loud and hurriedly lowered his head to stifle it.
It was his first time seeing a snake wrapped up like that. It looked truly miserable!
Feichi was bored out of his mind. Seeing Conan with his head down and face twitching, he stared for a while before exclaiming in surprise, "Master, look! That kid Conan is acting weird! Is he about to transform? Will he suddenly turn into Kudo Shinichi?"
Chi Feichi had remained silent but was still paying attention to the situation at the table. He whispered, "He's laughing at you."
Feichi instantly propped himself up, stopped flickering his tongue, and stared straight at Conan.
The kitten, Rebecca, noticed Feichi's movement and stood up from Morizono Yurie's lap, curiously tapping Feichi's body with a paw, claws sheathed.
"Don't start!" Feichi flicked Rebecca's paw away with his tail.
Rebecca's eyes lit up. Seeming to remember last night's events, she thought Feichi wanted to play again and pounced.
"I didn't expect Feichi to know Mr. Mouri beforehand, and to know Shizuka's son as well. It's quite a surprise!" Morizono Mikio had just heard about this from Morizono Yurie and was expressing his sentiments when he heard Rebecca's sharp screech.
"Meow!" Rebecca pounced fiercely toward the table in front of Chi Feichi.
Feichi instinctively lashed out with his tail, then shifted position, quickly sliding under the table.
Rebecca, having been smacked, regained her balance, used Chi Feichi's leg as a springboard to jump off the table, and chased after him excitedly. "Meow!"
The commotion instantly attracted the attention of Mouri Kogoro and the others, but all they saw was a cat shadow darting under the table.
"Ah!"
Mouri Ran and Toyama Kazuha were startled.
Chaos erupted under the table. The sound of table legs being struck rang out constantly, shifting from left to right, accompanied by Rebecca's ferocious growls.
After a moment of stunned silence, Morizono Yurie said helplessly, "They're at it again..."
"Oi, oi, shouldn't we stop them?" Hattori Heiji hurriedly lifted his feet a little higher, suddenly feeling envious of Conan's short legs, which were safe from accidental injury.
"Don't worry, they'll settle down after a while." Morizono Mikio looked calm. Compared to last night, without the crows involved, this was practically a minor skirmish.