Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Chapter 241 I didn't expect you to be a simp too.

"Snap!" Eri Kisaki broke the chopsticks in her hand in two. "Kogoro, are you asking for a beating again?"

Kogoro Mouri chuckled awkwardly, his laughter filled with guilt. He quickly lowered his head, not daring to look at Eri Kisaki anymore, and just kept eating his rice.

Upon hearing Lin Xiuyi's agreement, Orisaka Midori stood up and bowed respectfully to him: "Master, then I will come every night from now on."

“You can come at 5:30,” Lin Xiuyi said with a smile. “We eat dinner at 6 o’clock sharp. Although you are here to learn how to cook, you are also considered an employee of the restaurant.”

“Okay,” Midori Orikasa quickly nodded.

Having finished discussing the girl's situation, Officer Sato and Officer Megure explained the purpose of their visit while eating.

"According to the forensic examination, the body found in the cement pillar last night was that of a young woman of about fifteen or sixteen years old. We also found a schoolbag on her body. Based on the ownership of the items, the deceased is most likely Nagashima Ruko, the missing student from Sakuragaoka Junior High School. The cause of death was asphyxiation caused by strangulation."

As he spoke, Inspector Megure handed over the autopsy report.

Lin Xiuyi took the book and carefully flipped through it page by page, while the blond-haired girl couldn't contain herself and asked impatiently, "Where's the murderer? Do you police have any leads?"

“We don’t have any leads yet,” Officer Sato shook his head helplessly, a hint of fatigue on his face. “Nagashima Ruko is a recluse, and very few people know her. In addition, the body is highly decomposed in the concrete pillar, and the face is completely unrecognizable. Even the exact time of death is difficult to determine.”

"Could it be Mr. Kitamura?" The blond-haired girl quickly relayed the rumors circulating at school.

“We will investigate and verify this further later,” Inspector Megure nodded solemnly.

"Besides the ligature marks on the neck, the body also suffered severe abdominal injuries?" Lin Xiuyi pointed to a page in the report, her brows furrowing slightly, a hint of doubt in her eyes.

“Yes, the forensic team found that the lower abdomen of the corpse had been stabbed with a sharp blade,” Inspector Megure explained. “In addition, due to decomposition, the internal organs were completely rotten…”

"...Could you please not say these things while we're eating?" Kogoro Mouri looked disgusted. "I can't even eat anymore."

"Kogoro-nii-san, you can't even eat this?" Reiko grinned mischievously, took the report from Hayashi Shuichi's hand, and showed Kogoro a few of the photos.

"Ugh..." Kogoro Mouri couldn't hold it in any longer. He covered his mouth and staggered to the bathroom to dry heave.

"Tch, a grown man, and you're not as brave as me..." The blond-haired girl curled her lip disdainfully, her face full of indifference. "It's just a picture of a corpse, I..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lingzi had already placed the report in front of her.

The blond-haired girl's face instantly turned as white as a sheet: "I...I wouldn't..."

She tried to appear fearless, but her legs involuntarily went weak. In the end, she resolutely got up and ran off in a flustered manner to keep Kogoro Mouri company.

"Haha..." Reiko laughed triumphantly, then looked at Orikasa Midori, "Midori-neechan, do you want to..."

"No! I think I'd better not." Midori Orikasa shook her head decisively.

"Stop messing around!" Lin Xiuyi glared at his sister, took the report, and handed it back to Inspector Megure.

"Does Mr. Lin have any suggestions for the next phase of the investigation?" Officer Sato asked Lin Xiuyi with a hint of anticipation in his voice.

“Let’s determine the time of death first,” Lin Xiuyi said after a moment of thought. “I have a feeling something is wrong.”

Inspector Megure raised an eyebrow: "Something's not right?"

"If the victim was strangled, why would the murderer damage her abdomen? Was it out of hatred, or to cover something up?" Lin Xiuyi pondered. "As far as I know, Nagashima Ruko had gone to an illegal clinic for an abortion before the incident, which could have been a way to identify her. But now, with her abdomen damaged and the body decomposing, the only thing that can identify her is the contents of her backpack."

At this point in time, DNA testing technology has not yet been developed. Once a body decomposes, destroying its physical characteristics, identifying the person becomes extremely difficult.

"Does Lin Jun mean that someone deliberately used another deceased person to impersonate Nagashima Ruko?" Inspector Sato said with a grave expression, "Is it possible that she is still alive?"

“It’s just a possibility,” Lin Xiuyi said calmly. “The wound on the body’s abdomen could also have been caused by the deceased fighting with the murderer. It’s always good to consider a few possibilities.”

“That’s true,” Officer Sato nodded in agreement. “I will send more people to investigate whether there are any other missing girls of similar age recently.”

“Oh, right,” Midori Orikasa remembered something, “before, my senior asked me to remind Ruko Nagashima that if she felt unwell after an abortion, she must go to a major hospital for a check-up and absolutely cannot tough it out.”

“I remember finding her on the shopping street that time. She was with other people, getting ready to go to a karaoke bar.”

"Singing?" Inspector Megure looked puzzled. "According to our investigation, Ruko Nagashima has almost no friends."

“I don’t know about that,” Midori Orikasa shook her head. “There were five people with her at the time, three men and two women. The two girls were wearing school uniforms, so they should be students from our school. The three men looked very mature, like people from outside the school.”

“What you’ve said is very useful for the investigation,” Officer Sato said confidently. “It seems that Ruko Nagashima is hiding quite a lot.”

……

After finishing their meal and exchanging information about the case, Inspector Sato and Inspector Megure took their leave.

Midori Orikasa asks the blonde girl to go back to the flower shop to help her mother, and tells her that she will stay at the izakaya to learn cooking.

After the blond-haired girl left, Lin Xiuyi found Fujimine Yukiko's work clothes and handed them to Orikasa Midori: "Try them on and see if they fit?"

Although Midori Orikasa is a year younger than Hayashi Shuichi and the others, she is very well-developed, only slightly less so than Yukiko.

Seeing that Yukiko's uniform fit her perfectly, Eri looked down at her own chest in frustration: "She's a year younger than me, how come she fits..."

"Huh, where's Pudding?" Midori Orikasa, now dressed in her work clothes, remembered her adopted puppy. "Where did it go?"

"I just saw Wangcai follow it outside," Kogoro Mori said listlessly.

"Won't Wangcai bully Pudding, will he?" Reiko asked worriedly as she rushed towards the door, with Midori Orikasa anxiously following behind.

The two girls walked out of the izakaya and saw Pudding lying quietly at the entrance, while Wangcai was sticking out its tongue obsequiously and wagging its tail like a rattle.

"What's going on?" Lingzi asked, her face full of surprise. "Wangcai is clearly much bigger than Pudding, why are you trying to please it..."

"The two of them used to have a bad relationship." Orisaka Midori also looked puzzled. "Why did they suddenly stop arguing?" "Wangcai, I didn't expect you to be such a simp?" Lin Xiuyi, who followed behind, kicked Wangcai in anger when he saw its embarrassing appearance.

"Woof woof..." Wangcai whimpered, tucked its tail between its legs and ran to the other side, continuing to look at Pudding with its tongue sticking out in a fawning manner.

Pudding, however, squinted her eyes, completely ignoring Wangcai's attempts to please her, and maintained an arrogant demeanor.

"You stupid dog, you're hopeless!" Lin Xiuyi snorted angrily.

"Onii-chan," Reiko's eyes lit up, and she seemed to understand, "Pudding is a female dog, so Wangcai is in love?"

"No way?" Midori Orikasa's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Weren't those two just about to fight?"

"Who knows what that stupid dog was thinking?" Lin Xiuyi shook his head helplessly, turned around and walked back to the izakaya.

"Go, Wangcai!" Lingzi squatted down and stroked the dog's head to encourage the silly dog. "Pudding is so cute, you must win it over!"

"Woof..." Wangcai barked excitedly, as if responding to the girl's encouragement.

Midori Orikasa watched them with amusement, and seeing that the two dogs had really stopped fighting, she returned to the shop with peace of mind.

Reiko glanced at Midori Orikasa's retreating figure, her eyes darting around, and quickly ran upstairs to the second floor, found the landline, and dialed the number Yukiko had left behind.

Two days ago, Reiko and Yukiko had a fight because Yukiko stayed in Hayashi Hideichi's bedroom at night.

But both girls knew who their "big enemy" was. Before leaving, Yukiko gave Reiko the crew's phone number so that she could keep her informed about the situation at the izakaya and with Eri.

The call was quickly answered by a member of the film crew. After learning that Reiko was looking for Yukiko, the crew went to call for her.

A moment later, Yukiko answered the phone: "Reiko, what's wrong? Did that bespectacled girl cause trouble again?"

“It has nothing to do with Eri-neechan.” Reiko said in a deliberately anxious voice, “Onii-chan found an apprentice to learn cooking from him.”

"What's the big deal?" Yukiko said nonchalantly. "Having an extra helper will make the business better."

"But that apprentice is a woman, and a stunning beauty at that!" Reiko exclaimed loudly in an exaggerated voice. "Onii-chan really likes her, and, and..."

"What?!" Yukiko's voice already betrayed a hint of displeasure.

"Onii-chan even gave your work uniform to that female apprentice," Reiko said with a smug grin, adding fuel to the fire, "Her figure is actually better than yours, Yukiko-neechan! Your work uniform was even a little tight around her chest, and Onii-chan was completely stunned..."

"Is he looking for an apprentice? He's clearly looking for a mistress!" Yukiko slammed her hand on the table in anger. "You keep an eye on things. I can't leave for now, but I'll be back this weekend. I want to see where he met this beauty!"

Huh? Do I have to wait until the weekend?

Reiko put down the phone with some disappointment. If Yukiko couldn't be relied on, then she could only rely on Eri!

Thinking of this, she hurriedly ran downstairs, entered the izakaya, and came to the cashier. Reiko's face was full of sweet smiles: "Eri-neechan!"

Eri Kisaki gave her a cold glance: "Don't even think about it, I won't kick Midori Orikasa out."

"Huh? What did you say, Eri-neechan?" Reiko feigned ignorance, her face full of innocence. "I haven't said anything yet."

Eri Kisaki snorted disdainfully, a mocking smile playing on her lips: "Stop pretending to be innocent. You can only fool your good brother with that act. I've watched you grow up, do you think I don't know what you're thinking?"

Damn it, I really can't get along with this woman...

Reiko secretly clenched her fist, but forced a smile onto her face: "Eri-neechan, don't you usually dislike girls getting close to Onii-chan? Why are you being so generous today?"

“Given Shuichi’s kind-hearted nature, even if I object, he will most likely agree in the end,” Eri Kisaki said with a hint of helplessness. “Why should I be the bad guy for no reason?”

At this point, the girl gave a cold laugh.
"Besides, I hate that curly-haired fox more than Midori Orikasa. Midori is taking her place. I shouldn't be the one who's worried now."

"I see," Reiko chuckled dryly, then turned and walked away in disappointment. Eri-neechan really wasn't as easy to fool as Yukiko-neechan!

……

Midori Orikasa is quite talented in cooking. After all, she had been cooking at home for several years on her own, and she also practiced kendo, so her hands are quite steady.

Lin Xiuyi started by teaching her how to chop vegetables: "When chopping vegetables, curl your fingertips inward, like a cat's paw, and then use your knuckles to hold the back of the knife. This will prevent you from cutting your fingers. You need to keep your hand steady when you cut, so that you can cut..."

He spoke while gesturing.

Following Hayashi Hideichi's instructions, Orikasa Midori carefully curled up her left hand fingers, then reached for the kitchen knife, preparing to cut the green radish.

Seeing that she was a little nervous, Lin Xiu was afraid that she would cut her hand, so she stepped behind the girl and reached out to help her correct her posture.

Midori Orikasa is tall, much taller than Yukiko, and almost as tall as Hayashi Shuichi.

Lin Xiuyi stood behind her, with her high ponytail bouncing in front of her, and if she lowered her head slightly, she could see the girl's fair neck.

His gaze drifted uncontrollably, and his heartbeat quickened slightly.

Midori Orikasa never expected that she would have such close contact with Hideaki Hayashi when she first started learning to cut vegetables.

Although the two only touched each other's palms, the breathing behind her made her clearly feel that Lin Xiuyi was standing right behind her, very close.

Thinking of this, two blushes appeared on Midori Orikasa's face.

"When chopping vegetables, do it like this..." Lin Xiuyi guided the girl's hand to chop the radish. In order to better control the knife, he subconsciously took another half step forward, and the two of them were almost touching.

Having never had such close contact with a member of the opposite sex before, Midori Orikasa was completely flustered. Her attention was entirely focused on Hideaki Hayashi, and she had no mind to listen to his explanation...

(End of this chapter)