Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Chapter 263 Kogoro Mouri: Did you two agree to go to a hotel together? Before leaving…

"Tch, so what if you go to jail? What's there to be afraid of?" The henchman's expression remained arrogant, but he quickly withdrew his hand that had been reaching out to Lin Xiuyi.

“Boss, we are guests now,” the scarred man tilted his head slightly, the diagonal scar on his face twisting slightly with his movement, making it look particularly ferocious. “This is not the way you treat guests, is it?”

“We’re out of seats and can’t serve you,” Lin Xiuyi said, meeting the scarred man’s gaze without backing down. “If you want to drink, go somewhere else!”

"So disrespectful, huh?" The scarred man sneered. "You don't actually think I'm still that lowly gang leader you used to know, do you?"

"Otherwise what?" Lin Xiuyi scoffed. "You think you can become a high-ranking police officer?"

The scarred man smiled reservedly, and his underlings quickly stepped forward, bowed slightly, and respectfully introduced his new identity: "Brother Takikawa is now the young leader of our group."

Takikawa kept his eyes fixed on Lin Xiuyi, wanting to see how shocked Lin would react after learning his identity.

Unexpectedly, Lin Xiuyi merely frowned slightly, showing no sign of panic: "...What is a Ruotou?"

“...He’s the second-in-command in the group!” Takikawa gritted his teeth in anger, his facial muscles twitching slightly.

"Second-in-command? Isn't that just being the deputy?" Lin Xiuyi's face showed a mocking expression. "Judging from your smug look just now, I thought you had become the boss of the Sumiyoshi-kai?"

"Kid, are you looking for death?" Takikawa asked, his face dark, enunciating each word clearly.

“Last night, Ito Ichiro was assassinated, and today you’ve been promoted to second-in-command,” Lin Xiuyi said meaningfully. “You didn’t send someone to kill Ito, did you?”

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Takikawa roared, his face grim and his muscles taut. His henchmen behind him also looked indignant.

“A normal person would think that way, right?” Lin Xiuyi laughed nonchalantly. “Why don’t you ask your underlings?”

Takikawa subconsciously turned his head, and the underling who was being stared at quickly replied with a forced laugh, "Big brother, don't listen to this kid's nonsense. Why would we doubt you?"

"Alright, if you're here to show off your status, you can leave now," Lin Xiuyi waved his hand impatiently. "The police are just too lazy to care about what's going on in your gang, not that they don't know how."

“If you continue to harass me here, I don’t mind investigating Ichiro Ito’s case.”

Takikawa glared at Lin Xiuyi with a gloomy face, wanting to turn hostile, but ultimately still mindful of the other party's status.

"Boy, just wait for me."

After uttering those words through gritted teeth, Takikawa, along with his underlings, strode out of the izakaya.

After they left, the once quiet store suddenly became noisy again.

The guests were all talking about the Sumiyoshi-kai and the commotion on the streets last night.

"Lin-kun, will everything be alright?" Ikeba Shizuka's face was full of worry.

“Don’t worry, it’s fine,” Lin Xiuyi shook his head. “Unless Sumiyoshi is really planning to go against the police, they won’t dare to touch me.”

"The person who came here just now was mainly because of what happened before..."

Lin Xiuyi briefly recounted the commotion at the Yolo nightclub.
"Back then, in order to get in, I made a joke about his identity, but I didn't expect this guy to remember it for so long."

“Those involved in organized crime are all scum,” Ikeba Shizuka kindly reminded him. “You still need to be careful that they don’t do anything underhanded.”

“Ms. Ikenami is right,” Kogoro Mori said worriedly as he approached. “They don’t dare to openly target the izakaya, but they can certainly sabotage it in secret. For example, they could threaten customers not to come to our shop, or have them throw paint and feces at the shop’s entrance at night.”

“In the past, some shops on the commercial street were forced to close down because they offended gangsters.”

"Didn't that store call the police?" Reiko tilted her head in confusion.

“When gangsters cause damage, the police usually ignore it unless they are caught on the spot,” Kogoro Mouri said helplessly. “Even if they are caught, splashing paint and excrement are not serious crimes. They are locked up for three to five days and then released. But such things have a great impact on businesses.”

My little cousin fell silent.

Eri Kisaki also came over: "Just to be on the safe side, let's inform Inspector Samezaki and the others."

"I'll tell him in a bit," Lin Xiuyi said with a smile, looking at the worried crowd. "Don't worry too much, this guy won't be arrogant for long."

"How do you know?" Kogoro Mouri frowned. "I heard from someone that the young leader is like a prince in the yakuza. After the leader dies, the young leader takes over. He's doing very well."

Ito Ichiro was killed by Takikawa; Tomizawa Chikage witnessed it firsthand.

Takikawa's rise from a minor leader to the group's second-in-command was clearly related to this.

While pondering, Lin Xiuyi explained, "He rose too quickly, especially right after Ito Ichiro died."

“There are organizations within the gangs. If this guy were smart, he wouldn’t have let himself rise so quickly.”

"Does that mean Ito Ichiro's death is related to him?" Midori Orikasa asked curiously.

“Even if it’s unrelated, someone will make it seem relevant,” Lin Xiuyi said meaningfully. “This guy is too stupid. Does he really think that getting promoted now is a good thing?”

……

At the same time, Takikawa, who had just left the izakaya, was also yelling at his underlings.

The three henchmen lowered their heads, their bodies trembling slightly, not daring to utter a sound.

After being reprimanded by him, one of them tentatively asked, "Big brother, how about we set the shop on fire tonight?"

"Let's not go too far, after all, the other party is a police officer," another henchman suggested. "Let's just throw feces. If we do it two or three times, no customer will dare to go to that shop, and it will have to close down."

After discussing for a long time, the two finally looked at the silent Takikawa and asked, "Big brother, what do you think?"

"what?"

Takikawa paused, not answering his two underlings' questions, but instead asking, "Aren't there quite a few people down there who suspect that Boss Ito's death is related to me?"

"Big brother, what are you saying? How come..." one of the henchmen chuckled awkwardly, but before he could finish speaking, Takikawa grabbed him by the collar.

"I want the truth, so speak now!"

Takikawa's eyes revealed a strong killing intent. His underling was lifted into the air, his feet off the ground, struggling desperately.

Seeing that he was serious, the younger brother could only put on a bitter face and say in a tearful voice, "Today, we did hear a lot of brothers say that... but the three of us never doubted our boss!"

"……hateful!"

Takikawa abandoned his underlings, then, with a livid face, punched the wall next to him.

He wasn't that smart, but he wasn't stupid either.

Having been in the underworld for over twenty years, he immediately understood the meaning behind Lin Xiuyi's words. Damn it! Was the team leader trying to push him out to clear his own name?

Takikawa's face was dark, and various images kept flashing through his mind, making him feel extremely confused.

It was indeed Ito Ichiro who killed him last night. His reasons for doing so, besides the fact that he hadn't been promoted in over twenty years, were also because he was acting on orders from his superior.

Now that the old group leader is dead, the former young leader has become the group leader, and the other party has also promoted Takikawa to the position of young leader as agreed.

Takikawa hadn't realized the problem yet; he was too excited to wait and even went to Hayashi Hideichi, who had once mocked him, to show off his identity.

Only now did he realize that he wasn't riding high at all; he was sitting on a powder keg.

Betraying the boss and assassinating the team leader are serious crimes for gangsters.

If someone were to convict him, even if he surrendered to the police and escaped to prison, he would still be hunted down by gang members.

"Big brother?"

Seeing that Takikawa remained motionless, the three underlings could only look at each other in bewilderment.

"Go, go home first."

Takikawa gritted his teeth. Just to be on the safe side, he thought it would be better to leave Beika first and avoid the limelight.

"Are we still going to make a move at the izakaya?" one of the henchmen asked.

"Let's ignore him for now," Takikawa snorted. "Let that kid be smug for a couple more days. Once I've sorted out my business, I'll deal with him later."

……

Meanwhile, Lin Xiuyi was also saying goodbye to the Osaka University students at the entrance of the izakaya.

Although they were called a group, it was actually mainly just Shizuka Ikenami. The other team members, including the teacher in charge, were all drunk and staggering, being helped to a taxi by Kogoro Mouri.

"It's a pity that even though we were about to leave, I still didn't hear Lin Jun call out 'One-san',"

Ikeba Shizuka covered her mouth and chuckled, a hint of regret in her eyes. She took out a slip of paper from her pocket, on which an address and phone number were already written.
"Lin-kun, you must come to Osaka!"

"I'll definitely go if I have time," Lin Xiuyi nodded with a smile, carefully taking the note and putting it away.

"Then I'll wait for you in Osaka,"

As Ichiba Shizuka finished speaking, she suddenly stood on tiptoe, leaned close to Lin Xiuyi's ear, and whispered something.

"When it's just the two of us, I'll definitely make you call me Onassand."

After saying that, she blushed and smiled slightly before getting into the taxi.

Is this a hint that we're going on a date? Lin Xiuyi wondered inexplicably.

"Damn it, why do I have to do all this work?"

Kogoro Mouri grumbled as he walked into the izakaya with Shuichi Hayashi, patting his clothes in disgust as he went.

"A drunk person reeks of alcohol."

“Besides you and me, everyone else in the shop is a girl,” Lin Xiuyi said with a smile, handing Maoli a towel. “I’m the chef, so I have to cook for the other customers. This job is left to you.”

"Hey, what did Ms. Ikenami say to you just now?" Kogoro Mouri suddenly leaned over and winked lewdly at his friend. "Did she invite you to a hotel tonight? Before she left?"

"cough!"

Lin Xiuyi quickly coughed to interrupt, knowing that Eri and Reiko were nearby; if they heard, would she be able to sleep tonight?

"Don't talk nonsense. Ms. Ikenami just left her phone number and address in Osaka, and told me not to forget to contact her when I go to Osaka in the future."

"Onii-chan, I just saw that Ms. Ikenami slipped you a little note!" Reiko put her hands on her hips, her eyes wide. "What did it say?"

"Where's the note?" Eri Kisaki stretched out her hand, her eyes flashing with a dangerous light.

Lin Xiuyi reluctantly took out the slip of paper and handed it over: "It really only has a phone number and address on it. Now you can believe me, right?"

The two girls, one big and one small, carefully checked the note to make sure there were no secret codes, before reluctantly returning it to Lin Xiuyi.

“If you ever go to Osaka, you have to take me with you,” Eri Kisaki sneered. “Don’t even think about going there alone and spending time alone with that vixen.”

"I'm not left behind!" Reiko quickly raised her hand. "Onii-chan, you can't leave me behind no matter where you go!"

……

It was late at night, past midnight.

Lingzi was fast asleep in her bedroom, and Lin Xiuyi, after taking a shower, was also preparing to go to bed.

Unexpectedly, the doorbell rang at that moment.

Lin Xiuyi was slightly taken aback. Who could it be at this hour?
Could it be Takikawa and his men? Are gangsters being this polite now?

With a sense of doubt, Lin Xiuyi walked to the door and opened the peephole. Standing outside was Inspector Samezaki, and Teraoka Katsutoshi, the officer from the Fourth Investigation Division whom he had seen before at the Yolo nightclub.

Both were dressed casually and had serious expressions.

Worried that their voices would wake Lingzi, Lin Xiuyi opened the door but didn't let the two officers in. Instead, she quietly closed the door and stood in the hallway, asking in a low voice, "Is there something you need so late?"

After the two officers explained their purpose, Lin Xiuyi frowned slightly: "You want me to investigate Ito Ichiro's death? Did they call the police?"

“No, this was a private invitation,” Officer Teraoka said in a low voice. “Mr. Lin went there not as an advisor to the First Investigation Division, but as a detective to help the Sumiyoshi Association find out the truth.”

“Is that so? Then I refuse,” Lin Xiuyi shook his head without hesitation. “I don’t want to get involved in gangster matters.”

“Mr. Lin, the person who asked you for help this time is Daisuke Yamada, Ito Ichiro’s sworn brother. He is also the head of the Ito Group,” Officer Teraoka said with a hint of urgency. “He and Ito Ichiro are considered moderates in the yakuza. The Beika yakuza were relatively well-behaved before, all thanks to their restraint.”

"After Ito Ichiro's death last night, the original head, Kiryu Yuji, succeeded him and became the leader of the Ito-gumi," Inspector Samezaki added worriedly. "This guy is young and acts without restraint. If he really stays in power, the Beika yakuza will definitely descend into chaos."

“Even if you say that, it’s not within my job scope,” Lin Xiuyi remained unmoved.

“I told you long ago that this kid wouldn’t be so easy to persuade,” Inspector Samezaki said, as if he had expected it.

“Ten million yen,” Officer Teraoka said in a deep voice, “If you find out the truth about Ichiro Ito’s attack, Daisuke Yamada is willing to pay ten million yen as a reward…”

(End of this chapter)