Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Chapter 247 Shizuka Ikenami: Heizo Hattori is really terrible.
"Our opponent is Kyoto University, that's for sure."

Ikeba Shizuka gently shook her head, her fair fingers tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, a hint of regret in her voice.
"But Kyoto University wasn't a complete success; their ace, a guy named Hattori Heizo, didn't come."

At this point, she complained, unable to hide her disappointment.

"I don't know if that guy was just a coward or scared off. According to the team's arrangement, I was supposed to face him. I was looking forward to it all night."

Hattori Heizo?

Lin Xiuyi blinked. Could this competition be the first encounter between Hattori Heizo and Ikenami Shizuka?

But now, the former has been misled by himself into investigating the case...

"To give up on such an important match so easily, this kind of person is really terrible." Midori Orikasa curled her lips and complained with a look of disgust.

Ikeba Shizuka nodded in agreement.

Lin Xiuyi was just about to say a few words in defense of Hattori Heizo.

Just then, the members of the kendo club sitting by the window seemed to see something through the glass and crowded to the window to watch.

Midori Orikasa looked puzzled and curiously walked quickly to the door to check the situation.

A moment later, her face flushed with excitement, she turned around and shouted into the store, "Senior, Ms. Ikenami, that gentleman was just confessing his love!"

"Really?"

Ikeba Shizuka's previously calm eyes lit up instantly, and she immediately stood up and walked towards the door.

The other people in the izakaya, including Hayashi Hideichi and Kisaki Eri, also followed them out.

It turns out that Ms. Kazumi said she was in a bad mood and asked Mikio Morizono to accompany her for a walk.

The two did not go far, but stood not far from the entrance of the izakaya. Ms. Kazumi silently watched the sunset on the horizon, her expression complicated.

Morizono Mikio subconsciously touched the diamond ring he had carefully prepared in his pocket. His originally firm idea of ​​proposing suddenly became hesitant when he saw the dejected look on her face.

He opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't say the words he had prepared for so long. He just silently stayed by the girl's side, and the two of them stood there quietly, the atmosphere somewhat oppressive.

Just then, Shigematsu Akio, who was drunk, staggered out of the izakaya after being successfully provoked by Hayashi Shuichi and Kisaki Eri, and stumbled to the two of them.

"Akio, why did you drink so much?" Morizono Mikio asked in surprise.

Ms. Kazumi also turned her head and glanced at Akio Shigematsu indifferently. Then, she turned to Mikio Morizono and said, "Let's go for a walk somewhere else."

Just as Morizono Mikio was about to nod in agreement, Shigematsu Akio mustered his courage, his face flushed, and strode forward, blocking their path.

"Kazumi, I...I have something to tell you!"

Upon hearing his words, Morizono Mikio's expression instantly tensed up, and he subconsciously glanced at the girl beside him.

A barely perceptible hint of anticipation appeared on Miss Kazumi's face. She bit her lip slightly and asked softly, "...What do you want to say?"

“I…” Shigematsu Akio took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and as if using all his strength, shouted, “I love you, Kazumi!”

As soon as he said this, a bitter look appeared on Morizono Mikio's face. He sighed slightly, loosened the diamond ring in his pocket, and looked at the girl beside him.

Miss Kazumi's face displayed an extremely complex expression, a mixture of surprise, shock, and disbelief.

Her eyes widened in disbelief as she asked, "You... Mingnan, what did you just say?"

Having already confessed his feelings, Shigematsu Akio decided to go all in.

“He Mei, I know I’m not as good as Gan Xiong, and I can’t give you a better life, but someone just told me that it’s better to lose face now than to regret it for the rest of your life.”

"Actually, I've liked you for a long time, but because of you and Ganxiong... I haven't said it out loud. Laugh all you want, I..."

Before Shigematsu Akio could finish speaking, he was excitedly interrupted by Ms. Kazumi.

"Fool!"

The girl's eyes were red, glistening with tears. She bit her lip, glaring at the other person with a mixture of anger and glee.

Do you know how long I've waited for you to say those words?

"Ugh?"

Before Akio Shigematsu could react, Miss Kazumi burst into tears of joy and threw herself into his arms.

"This……"

For a moment, Shigematsu Akio was at a loss. He raised his hands slightly, seemingly unsure of where to put them, his face full of surprise and bewilderment.

"...I lost."

Morizono Mikio looked at the two embracing before him, his voice tinged with a hint of melancholy, yet also with a sense of relief.

"Actually, Kazumi has always liked you, but since you haven't shown any interest, I thought you only considered Kazumi a friend, which is why you pursued her..."

"I thought she liked you, that's why..."

Disbelief filled Shigematsu Akio's eyes. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but didn't know how to begin. In the end, he could only apologize.
"...I'm sorry, Gan Xiong."

"Alright, there's no need to apologize for something like this."

Morizono Mikio forced a smile, reached out and gently patted Ms. Kazumi and Ms. Shigematsu Akio on the shoulders, and said sincerely,

"No matter what, I hope the three of us will remain good friends in the future, and... I wish you both happiness."

"Th-thank you." Shigematsu Akio nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with gratitude.

The crowd watching the commotion outside the izakaya also applauded, both for the newly formed couple and for Morizono Mikio's carefree and generous nature.

Akio Shigematsu successfully confessed his feelings and, having much to say to Ms. Kazumi, left to whisper to each other.

Heartbroken, Morizono Mikio returned to the izakaya alone, drinking beer one glass after another under the concerned and somewhat worried gazes of his teammates.

Seeing this, the teacher in charge could only shake her head helplessly and didn't say anything to stop them. "Were we being a little too nosy just now?" Eri Kisaki looked at Mikio Morizono's dejected figure, feeling a pang of guilt. "Without us, I'm afraid..."

“Without us, it’s just that someone else is sad.” Lin Xiuyi shook his head. “Don’t worry too much. In the end, the decision is still made by the three of them.”

“Lin-san is right.” Chibo Jinghua nodded in agreement. “Don’t worry about Mori-senpai. With his personality, he’ll be fine soon.”

……

At the same time, in the suburbs of Mika.

Hattori Heizo leaned wearily against the car. He and Megure, along with a group of plainclothes police officers, had been conducting a thorough search of the area for a whole day.

However, no trace of the head of the teaching department was found.

"Could he have already realized we're looking for him?" Inspector Megure frowned slightly as he asked Hattori Heizo, "So he's gone into hiding?"

“That’s very likely,” Officer Sato said with a serious expression. “Or perhaps we’re too late, and Ruko Nagashima has already been murdered, and the killer has already escaped.”

At this point, the two looked at Hattori Heizo, waiting to hear his opinion.

Hattori Heizo didn't immediately offer his opinion. He rubbed his sore eyes wearily and said, "I'm a little tired. I'm going to the supermarket over there to buy some things. Do you need anything?"

"No need," both Officer Sato and Officer Megure shook their heads.

Hattori Heizo walked alone toward the street, where the largest and only supermarket in the vicinity was located. The shopping receipt he had found in the Kitamura apartment earlier came from this supermarket.

Watching Hattori Heizo's departing figure, Inspector Megure reached out and tugged at Inspector Sato beside him, whispering, "With Hattori here, I didn't feel comfortable suggesting it in front of him. How about we call Lin-kun and see what he thinks?"

“Alright.” Officer Sato nodded decisively without the slightest hesitation.

Inspector Megure found a public phone booth on the street and dialed the number of the izakaya (Japanese pub).

A moment later, he walked back with a solemn expression.

"So?" Officer Sato asked. "What did Lin-kun say?"

"Lin Jun said that although we were in plainclothes, we have definitely been exposed." Inspector Megure lowered his voice and said with a worried expression, "There are not many people in this suburb usually. If so many of us suddenly barge in, it will definitely attract the attention of those who have something to do with it."

"And what's his opinion?" Officer Sato pressed.

“He suggested we go to the supermarket and ask if anyone had recently bought large quantities of water and food. The other party is holding Miss Nagashima captive, so they certainly don’t want her to starve to death,” Inspector Megure said. “If we can get the address, we should search it immediately. If we can’t, we should leave for the time being and find a few inconspicuous officers to stay here and lie in ambush. Maybe we can lure out the dean of studies.”

Officer Sato pondered for a moment: "Let's do as he says. I'll go ask Inspector Samezaki for instructions now. You go to the supermarket and find Hattori."

In the supermarket, Hattori Heizo took some snacks and a few bottles of mineral water and was paying at the checkout counter.

As he watched the staff pack water into plastic bags, a thought struck him, and he quickly asked, "Has anyone recently purchased large quantities of water and food?"

"Yes, I have."

The supermarket employee, a young woman, looked up at Hattori Heizo, didn't suspect his question, and casually replied,
“Last night when I was on duty, someone bought several cases of water and instant noodles in one go. I don’t know why he bought so many. It’s not like it will save him much money.”

"Do you remember what that person looked like?" Hattori Heizo's heart was suddenly filled with hope, and he quickly asked.

The girl was startled by his eagerness, and a hint of hesitation appeared on her face. Just as she was struggling with whether or not to answer, Inspector Megure walked in.

Upon hearing the girl's answer, he immediately took out his police ID: "I'm a police officer. We're looking for a girl who has been detained. Please tell us everything you know."

"Yes." The girl nodded quickly when she saw the police officer's ID, and then, while recalling the situation, described the officer's general appearance.

Hattori Heizo and Inspector Megure exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes. The girl's description clearly matched that of Kitamura-sensei from Sakuragaoka.

Actually, they had already asked a similar question at the supermarket when they first arrived here.

However, the girl in front of him was not there at the time, and the young man on the early shift did not pay any attention to Kitamura, who came here to buy things in the morning. When questioned by the police, he knew nothing.

"Do you know where he lives?" Hattori Heizo asked excitedly, grabbing the girl's wrist.

"I...I don't know him," the girl quickly shook her head. "How would I know where he lives?"

"Alright, Hattori, buddy." Inspector Megure quickly pulled Hattori Heizo's hand away, a gentle smile on his face. "I'm sorry, my companion startled you. If you remember anything, please call the police to let us know. Thank you."

Inspector Megure's amiable attitude put the girl at ease. She hesitated for a moment, then said, "...There's been a rumor about a ghost story going around lately. I wonder if it would be of any use to you?"

"Tell me about the ghost stories," Inspector Megure said, somewhat disappointed but still encouraging.

“There was a two-story apartment building by the river nearby, which was burned to the ground in a fire just half a month ago. Two female tenants were burned to death inside,” the girl recalled. “Last Monday, someone passing by there at night heard loud knocking and the girl’s cries for help. He was startled and thought that the female tenants who had burned to death in the apartment had become vengeful ghosts, so he quickly ran away.”

"After that, rumors of the apartment ruins being haunted spread, and people living nearby dared not go near there easily anymore."

Hattori Heizo paused for a moment, then quickly asked for the address of the apartment ruins. He then grabbed Inspector Megure and rushed there without hesitation.

"Is the person really over there?" Inspector Megure asked uncertainly as he walked.

“She’s definitely there,” Hattori Heizo said confidently. “Nagashima Ruko disappeared last Monday. After Kitamura imprisoned her, he deliberately spread rumors of her being haunted to prevent anyone from getting close.”

"By the way," Inspector Megure hesitated for a moment, but still mentioned that he had called Hayashi Shuichi earlier to ask for his opinion, "What do you think of Hayashi-kun's method?"

"...I didn't think it through before."

Upon hearing this, Hattori Heizo knew that the other party must have felt he couldn't be relied upon, which was why he called Hayashi Hideaki. However, he didn't dwell on it, since he had indeed made a mistake earlier.

"Let's check the ruins first. If Ruko Nagashima is really there, then we'll follow Lin's method and lure her out."

……

Izakaya,
The members of the kendo club stayed with Mikio Morizono until 9 p.m. before saying goodbye and leaving.

As they left, the team leader's face turned completely green as he looked at his drunken teammates: "This is terrible! They've gotten so drunk, and there's a competition tomorrow morning!"

"Don't worry, teacher," Ikeba Shizuka reassured him. "Tomorrow's opponents are not very strong. As long as everyone makes it there, even if we're a little drunk, we'll definitely win."

(End of this chapter)