Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Chapter 374 The Devoted Kogoro Mouri
“Idiot,” Lin Xiuyi sighed, leaned closer to his good friend, and whispered, “Listen carefully, when you see Liuli later, this is what you say…”

"Master, don't speak so softly!" Furuya Rei peeked out, trying to eavesdrop.

“Let’s talk about it when you’re older,” Lin Xiuyi glared at his apprentice, then looked at his friend and asked, “Got it?”

"I remember," Kogoro Mori shuddered, scratching the back of his head as he stammered, "but it's too cheesy. Do you think Ruri would really like it if she heard that?"

"I'll go try it right now!"

Kogoro Mouri took a deep breath, as if he had made a great decision, clenched his fists, and quickly chased after Ruri.

"Let's go back to the bus." Lin Xiu called to his apprentice, casually ruffling Furuya Rei's fluffy hair, which made the boy grumble and dodge away in dissatisfaction.

When Lin Xiuyi and Furuya Rei returned on the bus, everyone except Mouri Kogoro and Ruri was already seated in their respective seats.

The bus will be returning in less than ten minutes.

As soon as Lin Xiuyi sat down, Fei Yingli asked impatiently, "Where are Kogoro and Rurito?"

"You didn't come back before you found anyone, did you?" Yukiko peeked out from the other side, her beautiful eyes filled with suspicion.

"Onii-chan, that's irresponsible of you!" Reiko crossed her arms, puffed out her cheeks, and glared at her brother.

Tomizawa Chikage, Orikasa Midori, and Koizumi Akane all turned their gazes toward them, a silent questioning filling the air.

Before Lin Xiuyi could explain, Furuya Rei jumped up first: "Of course my master and I have found Kogoro-nii and Ruri-neechan! And..."

He lowered his voice mysteriously.

"Master even taught Kogoro-nii-san his secrets to winning over girls, so they'll be fine!"

"Secrets to winning over girls?" Eri Kisaki's brows furrowed instantly.

"Are you good at chasing girls?" Yukiko chuckled softly, her red lips slightly pouting.

Reiko glanced at the two of them, then at the silent Chikage Tomizawa, Midori Orikasa, and Akane Koizumi beside her, and said sourly, "If Onii-chan wasn't good at it, you wouldn't be here."

"Okay, it seems that's true?" Yukiko paused for a moment, then smiled awkwardly, a faint blush appearing on her fair cheeks.

"What exactly happened?" Eri Kisaki asked impatiently, tapping her fingertips on the armrest of her seat.

“Don’t listen to this kid’s nonsense,” Lin Xiuyi sighed helplessly and flicked Furuya Rei’s forehead. “I’m just telling Kogoro a few words to coax Ruri, I don’t know if it will work.”

Just before the bus was about to start, Kogoro Mouri and Ruri finally ran back, panting.

The moment the car door closed, the two exchanged a smile, their faces beaming with undisguised joy. Kogoro Mouri walked ahead, head held high and a smug grin on his face.

Liuli nestled against his arm like a little bird, her fair cheeks flushed with a faint blush. She would shyly lower her head from time to time, but couldn't help stealing glances at her boyfriend beside her.

"Master, what exactly did you teach Kogoro-nii?"

Rei Furuya approached like a curious puppy, his purplish-gray eyes gleaming with a thirst for knowledge.
"I'm not going to learn kung fu from you anymore, how about I learn how to pick up girls instead?"

"Get lost!" Lin Xiuyi said, laughing and crying at the same time, and punched the kid on the head.

The other passengers on the bus also cast curious glances, especially the girls, whose eyes were full of inquiry.

Lin Xiuyi himself remained silent.

Those words were too cheesy. If it weren't for Kogoro Mouri and Ruri, he might not have been able to say them, let alone now that there were strangers from the Tokyo University tennis club sitting in the car.

Kogoro Mouri plopped down next to Shuichi Hayashi, excitedly shaking his good friend's hand: "Shuichi, thanks to you!"

"You said all those things... to Liuli?" Lin Xiuyi asked in a low voice, while subtly withdrawing his hand that was being gripped so tightly it hurt.

"Yes!" Kogoro Mouri nodded vigorously. "Ruri was so moved after hearing that that, I reckon she would have said yes even if I had proposed to her back then."

As he spoke, he unconsciously touched the love lock hanging around his neck.

“Brother Kogoro,” Rei Furuya said curiously, leaning closer and pointing to the brass lock around Mori’s neck, “Why are you wearing a love lock around your neck?”

"Hmph," Kogoro Mouri puffed out his chest smugly, the metal chain gleaming in the sunlight. "With the love lock hanging here, it'll never be able to be opened again, right? If those administrators that Shuichi mentioned will take back the love locks, then they'll be useless."

As he spoke, he shook his head defiantly, the chains clanging crisply.

"What's the point of just hanging it? It has to be locked," Yukiko pouted. "If you wear it around your neck, you'll have to unlock it every night before you go to sleep, won't you?"

"Hmph," Kogoro Mouri proudly raised his chin, "Who said I was going to open it?"

"I bet you can't open it," Eri Kisaki glanced at Hideaki Hayashi, already guessing the bad idea her childhood friend had come up with.

She turned to her friend sitting next to her: "Liuli, do you have the key to the love lock?"

Ruri shook her head, a sweet blush appearing on her face: "I was originally planning to leave the key, but Kogoro said..."

The girl's voice grew softer and softer, until it was almost a whisper.

"The lock hanging around his neck represents the bond between us, a bond he will never open for any other girl in this lifetime, so..."

At this point, Liuli raised her head, her bright eyes filled with emotion: "He threw the key to the love lock into the sea."

"What?!"

A gasp erupted in the carriage, and even the members of the Tokyo University tennis team sitting in the back looked over in surprise, with several girls even covering their mouths.

"Kogoro," Lin Xiuyi's jaw almost dropped to the ground, "You...you lost the key?"

“Yeah,” Kogoro Mouri nodded matter-of-factly. “Although Shuichi said that Ruri could keep the key, I think that since we’ve decided to be with Ruri, it doesn’t matter whether the key exists or not. We might as well just throw it away.”

"You really are something else." Lin Xiuyi rubbed his temples, his expression a mixture of helplessness and admiration.

The love lock isn't too big or too small; it's just about right to wear it around your neck as a decorative necklace.

The problem is that the chain is just the right length to get stuck around Kogoro Mouri's neck. Without the key, unless a large tool is used, it will never be able to be opened again!
(End of this chapter)