Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Chapter 255 Ikeba Shizuka: Do men really like being stepped on by women?

Seeing her gasp in pain as she bent over, Lin Xiuyi quickly stepped forward and took the safflower oil from her: "Never mind, I'll do it."

"Huh?" Ikeba Shizuka was taken aback and quickly tried to stop her, her movements so hurried that she almost knocked over something nearby. "Let's just forget it. I can go back by myself later..."

"Applying the medicine sooner will help it heal faster," Lin Xiuyi reminded him. "If you wait until you go back, your foot injury might get worse. Do you still want to play in the game tomorrow?"

“…Of course I wanted to,” Chibo Jinghua said softly, her voice as light as a mosquito’s hum. Her head lowered unconsciously, and a few strands of hair fell down, covering her flushed cheeks.

“That’s it,” Lin Xiuyi said, squatting down and carefully taking off the girl’s shoes.

Just as she was about to take off her socks, Ikeba Shizuka's face turned bright red. She reached out her hand shyly, her voice trembling slightly as she tried to stop her, and she stammered, "I...I only sprained my ankle..."

"You should take them off, otherwise the safflower oil will get on your socks," Lin Xiuyi said, and before the girl could respond, she quickly took off her left sock.

Chibo Jinghua's feet were slender and delicate, with arches forming a lonely curve. The skin on the instep was as white as jade, with a faint luster. Her ten toes were slightly curled inward, and the tips were painted with bright pink nail polish.

"Your feet..." Lin Xiuyi hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

"what happened?"

Ikeba Shizuka was visibly nervous, her hands unconsciously gripping the hem of her clothes.

Although she usually practices kendo barefoot, this was the first time in her life that a boy had held her foot so closely.

This unprecedented experience made her heart pound like a deer.

"It looks great," Lin Xiuyi said with a slight smile. "You were so resistant just now, I thought you had smelly feet and was worried..."

"You're the one with smelly feet!"

Upon hearing this, Ikeba Shizuka instantly turned red with anger. Without thinking, she raised her left foot and kicked Lin Xiuyi.

Lin Xiuyi never expected her to kick him like that. Completely unprepared, she was kicked so hard that she fell to the ground.

Shizuka Ikemura hadn't expected to hit him either, and quickly apologized, "I-I'm sorry, are you alright?"

"If I were a masochist, I would have fallen in love with you after that kick you just gave me," Lin Xiuyi waved his hand dismissively and continued picking up the safflower oil.

"What is a masochist?" Ikeba Shizuka blinked, her face full of innocence untouched by the garbage knowledge of the internet.

“Some people have unusual fetishes; they like to be bullied, especially by having pretty girls step on their faces,” Lin Xiuyi explained patiently as she gently poured safflower oil onto the girl’s ankles, then stretched out her right hand and began to rub them quickly and rhythmically.

At first, Ikeba Shizuka felt some pain and her brows furrowed slightly, but as Lin Xiuyi rubbed her, the injured area gradually warmed up, and a warm current spread from her ankle throughout her body, making her feel so comfortable that she unconsciously groaned.

Seeing Lin Xiuyi look up at her, Chi Bojinghua immediately felt embarrassed and hurriedly changed the subject: "Do men really like being stepped on by women?"

"...Let me make it clear first, I'm not that kind of person," Lin Xiuyi said with a smile. "Besides, what they like isn't being stepped on by women, but being stepped on by beautiful women. If someone who isn't good-looking dares to do that, they'll definitely get beaten up."

"Tch, men only care about looks," Ikeba Shizuka scoffed disdainfully.

"Aren't women the same?" Lin Xiuyi said with a laugh. "In this situation today, if a crooked-eyed, crooked-mouthed man were massaging your feet, would you be willing?"

"No way!" Chibo Shizuka blurted out unconsciously before realizing what she had said. She then looked at Lin Xiuyi defiantly, "Who praises themselves for being handsome?"

"Am I not handsome?" Lin Xiuyi touched his face seriously, his expression as if he were discussing some important issue. "I don't even dare to put a mirror in my bedroom, for fear that I will be so captivated by my own reflection that I won't sleep at all and will only know how to look in the mirror."

Upon hearing this, Ikeba Shizuka burst out laughing, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons: "...Shameless! How can you praise yourself like that?"

"I'm just telling the truth..." Lin Xiuyi's words were cut short as if a pause button had been pressed.

Ikenami Shizuka looked in the direction he was looking in confusion, and saw the two police officers who had left earlier, Yoshioka and Kitano, handcuffing Morizono Mikio as they walked this way.

Morizono Mikio hung his head, his hair was a little messy, and behind him were his two friends, Orikasa Midori, and the members of the Osaka Kendo Club.

"What's going on?" Lin Xiuyi quickly walked to the entrance of the foreign quarters and asked.

“That kid went too far,” Officer Kitano explained. “If we hadn’t arrived in time, that thug who stole the goods would have been killed by him with a bamboo sword.”

“Even if that person is a robber, someone who almost killed someone should be arrested and handed over to the court for trial,” Officer Yoshioka said seriously, glancing at Lin Xiuyi with his eyes intentionally or unintentionally.

It was clearly implying that even if he knew this person, things had gotten a bit out of hand, so it was best not to get involved.

Lin Xiuyi had no intention of interfering; his relationship with Morizono Mikio wasn't close enough for him to make excuses for him.

"But there's a kendo tournament tomorrow," the teacher leading the Osaka University team said anxiously, stamping his feet. "That's the finals! We're missing one person..."

"I'm sorry," Morizono Mikio apologized in a low voice, bowing his head even lower.

Perhaps because he had vented his emotions, he was in much better shape than before. At least he wasn't as gloomy, and his eyes had a clearer look.

“Um, teacher…” Ikeba Shizuka hopped to the door on one foot, her movements a little clumsy, “I twisted my ankle when I was chasing the robbers…”

"what?"

The teacher in charge rolled her eyes and almost fainted.

"This year is the best year for our Osaka University Kendo Club! Tomorrow is the final, and it's one thing for Morizono to have problems, but you, the ace, also..."

"I'm sorry..." Ikeba Shizuka smiled apologetically, "I only injured my left foot, I should still be able to play tomorrow."

“Even if he can play, his skills will definitely be diminished,” Midori Orikasa couldn’t help but say.

Her words immediately made the atmosphere even more somber.

"Officer, is bail not possible?" Morizono Mikio looked up, asking expectantly, "I'll pay whatever it takes!"

“This isn’t about the money,” Officer Yoshioka shook his head. “The thug you beat up and sent to the hospital is still in critical condition. If he dies, you can forget about bail. Besides, it will take time to investigate whether you meet the bail conditions, and it definitely won’t be possible before tomorrow.”

"Isn't this the end?" a member of the kendo club cried out in despair.

"Lin-san, let's take him in first. The First Investigation Division will be sending more people later," Yoshioka nodded to Lin Xiuyi, then he and Kitano escorted Morizono Mikio into the intercom.

"Standing here at the entrance of the koban isn't a solution," the teacher in charge sighed. "Let's go to the izakaya and discuss what to do tomorrow."

Everyone nodded listlessly. Shigematsu Akio and Kazumi exchanged a glance, a hint of guilt flashing in their eyes. Then the former took the initiative to say, "Kazumi and I will stay here with Mikio. In the end, it's all because of us..." "It has nothing to do with you," Ikenami Shizuka immediately interrupted, "It was Morizono-senpai who hit him, not you."

“But…” Miss Kazumi looked guilty, lowered her head, and nervously twisted her hands together.

"It's just a breakup. It's just that Mori-senpai didn't adjust his mindset properly," Ikenami Shizuka comforted him gently with a smile. "It would be unreasonable to blame you all for this."

The other members of the kendo club nodded in agreement and chimed in.

Akio Shigematsu and Ms. Kazumi did not speak again, but simply bowed slightly to everyone.

Seeing that Ikenami Shizuka was having difficulty moving, Orikasa Midori was about to ask if she needed to be carried.

Unexpectedly, Lin Xiuyi had already bent down, and Ikeba Shizuka, as if used to it, naturally lay down on him.

This scene immediately widened Orikasa Midori's eyes, her face filled with surprise and disbelief.

Only then did Ikeba Shizuka realize something was wrong, and she quickly blushed and tried to get off Lin Xiuyi's back.

"Alright, stop moving. It's just a little bit of carrying you," Lin Xiuyi said irritably. "I even carried Xiao Lü a few days ago."

"Huh?" Now it was Ikeba Shizuka's turn to be surprised. "You two are...?"

“No,” Midori quickly shook her head. “I went down a hill while riding my bike that time, and because I twisted my ankle, my senior carried me up the hill.”

“…That’s good,” Ikeba Shizuka muttered softly. Her voice was so quiet that Lin Xiuyi didn’t notice, but Orikasa Midori did, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

Since they were both girls, it wasn't hard for her to guess what Ikeba Shizuka was thinking when she said that.

I was the one who met you first, so even if...

As soon as he thought of this, Midori Orikasa quickly shook her head.

Ikeba Shizuka doesn't know about Hayashi Hideichi's situation, but doesn't she know it too?

At the izakaya alone, Hayashi Shuichi was already entangled with Eri Kisaki, Yukiko Fujimine, and his cousin.

Who knows how many girls at school have ambiguous relationships with him!

The boyfriend I want to find in the future must be devoted to me!
A womanizer like that senior is absolutely unacceptable!
……

Izakaya.

Compared to the usual laughter and lively atmosphere, today the kendo club, although still winning the match, was like wilted eggplants, with no mood for jokes or laughter.

The teacher in charge and the remaining team members either looked worried or sighed, creating a suffocatingly oppressive atmosphere.

Sitting at the bar, Ikebashi Shizuka was also staring blankly ahead, unconsciously toying with a wine glass in her hand.

"Even if we lose this year, we'll still have a chance next year, right?" Lin Xiuyi asked, puzzled.

“Next year I’ll be a junior, and my studies will start to increase. I should probably quit the kendo club then,” Shizuka Ikenami shook her head.

"Isn't Mr. Morizono your senior? Why is he still in the kendo club?" Midori Orikasa asked curiously.

“Senior Morizono is a graduate student,” Shizuka Ikenami explained. “Everyone’s situation is different. Even if I stay in the kendo club next year, the team members will no longer be the same as they are now.”

"Maybe I just don't have the luck to win a championship?"

The girl laughed self-deprecatingly, her laughter tinged with helplessness.
"When I was in junior high school, I participated in a kendo competition. I thought I would definitely win the championship, but in the final, I met a very strong junior girl and lost to her. I only got the runner-up."

"Back then, I was so pathetic that I almost cried over it. I never participated in kendo competitions again until I went to university and joined the kendo club."

"We lost in the preliminaries last year, and we thought everything would go smoothly this year, but it turned out like this."

"Hey, Little Green, give me two more beers, I'm not in a good mood today..."

Midori Orikasa looked at Hideaki Hayashi with some hesitation.

"Drinking won't improve my mood, nor will it change tomorrow's match," Lin Xiuyi frowned.

“At least when I’m drunk, I won’t have to worry about these things anymore,” Shizuka Ikebab replied with a bitter face.

“It’s such a shame to lose the match like this,” Midori Orikasa said, looking at Hideaki Hayashi. “Senior, aren’t you an advisor to the First Investigation Division? Could you…”

“If that thug is dead, even if I were the superintendent of the First Investigation Division, let alone just being an advisor, I wouldn’t be able to get Morizono Mikio out,” Lin Xiuyi said, then thought carefully. “How about this, I’ll call and ask about the situation first.”

As he spoke, he walked towards the telephone.

Ikenami Shizuka, standing over here, tugged at Orikasa Midori in confusion: "What advisor? Isn't he just a high school student?"

"Sister Jinghua, didn't you pay attention to Mihua's news before you came here?"

Orikasa Midori enthusiastically began to explain to Ikenami Shizuka Hayashi Shuichi's great achievements in Beika.

"...Because he helped the police solve several major cases in succession, the First Investigation Division needed the help of his seniors, so the position of consultant was specially arranged for him."

"He's that amazing?" Ikeba Shizuka listened intently, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

Just then, Lin Xiuyi finished her phone call and came back.

"How is it, senior?" Midori Orikasa hurriedly asked.

Shizuka Ikemura also looked at him expectantly.

“Although that thug is not in mortal danger, he probably can’t escape the charge of intentional injury,” Lin Xiuyi said slowly. “Tomorrow, Inspector Megure will bring him out to identify the scene. Letting him participate in a competition for about ten minutes in between is not out of the question.”

"Really?"

Shizuka Ikebab's eyes widened in surprise, and her face, which had been dulled by her foot injury and the difficulties of the competition, instantly lit up.

“Hmm,” Lin Xiu nodded and then reminded him, “This matter needs to be kept low-key. Once it gets out and your opponents tomorrow find out, they will definitely use it against you. If the Kendo Tournament bans him from participating again, I really won’t be able to do anything about it.”

(End of this chapter)