Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

“He’s Haruko Iguchi’s boyfriend,” Inspector Megure said in a low voice, with a hint of sympathy in his voice. “I think his name is Saito Hayato.”

Officer Matsumoto, on the other side, angrily approached: "Did you pry open the outer barrier?"

"Yes, it's me!"

Saito Hayato suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with angry tears.

The high school student showed no fear when facing the officers from the First Investigation Division.

His school uniform was wrinkled and his hair was messy, clearly indicating that he hadn't taken care of himself for the past few days.

"Haruko has been missing for more than three days. I've come here to pray for her!"

The boy's voice choked with emotion.
"If you police officers had found her, I wouldn't be here!"

As he spoke, he wiped his face forcefully, but couldn't stop the tears that kept flowing.

His words immediately made Officer Matsumoto swallow back the words of reprimand he was about to utter.

“Don’t worry,” Officer Matsumoto’s expression softened, “we will definitely find her.”

Saito Hayato snorted, clearly not believing the policeman's words, and turned to leave.

Lin Xiuyi stopped him: "Did you put the lavender on the ground?"

“Yes,” Saito Hayato nodded, then squatted down with a sad expression and gently touched the purple flowers. “Haruko really likes lavender, and she often wears a lavender sachet.”

His fingers trembled slightly.

"She often said that the scent of lavender could make people feel at ease..."

"I see," Lin Xiuyi nodded while looking Saito Hayato up and down.

His gaze clearly made the other party uncomfortable. Saito Hayato frowned and then walked past Hayashi and the others.

In the dim light, his silhouette appeared exceptionally lonely.

"Is there something wrong with him?" Eri Kisaki tugged at Shuichi Hayashi's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Have you been watching him the whole time?"

Lin Xiuyi shook his head, looking thoughtfully at Saito Hayato's departing figure: "I just didn't expect that Iguchi Haruko's boyfriend would be so handsome, although he's not quite as good-looking as me."

"Shameless!" Eri Kisaki rolled her eyes at her childhood friend, amused.

After circling the abandoned construction site, just as Inspector Matsumoto and Inspector Megure had said, there were indeed no clues.

The group had no choice but to take a car back to the izakaya. As they were about to arrive, Officer Matsumoto, who was driving, glanced at Hayashi Hideichi, who was deep in thought with his eyes closed, through the rearview mirror. He tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel, clearly hesitating about something.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Miss Fei, actually we..."

"Officer Matsumoto!" Lin Xiuyi suddenly opened his eyes, his voice carrying a warning.

“Lin-kun, I know you don’t want Miss Fei to take any risks,” Officer Matsumoto said earnestly, staring at the road ahead, “but there are two other girls waiting for our rescue on the other side. As long as we make the right arrangements, Miss Fei will be fine.”

Lin Xiuyi remained silent with a dark expression, and the atmosphere inside the car immediately became heavy.

Eri looked at the three of them with a puzzled expression: "What exactly are you talking about?"

“…It’s like this,” Inspector Megure quickly turned around to explain, “Ms. Kisaki, we’re considering arranging for a woman to act as bait on the train…”

He explained the search division's plan in detail.

"We will arrange for plainclothes officers to follow you the whole time, so even if you do encounter kidnappers, you will definitely not be in danger."

“This…” Eri Kisaki adjusted her glasses, thinking about the possible fate of the two missing girls. She was about to nod in agreement when she suddenly felt a tight grip on her hand. It was Hideaki Hayashi beside her who had grabbed her hand.

The girl felt a warmth in her heart, and swallowed back the words that were about to come out: "I'll think about it when I get back."

“...Alright then,” Officer Matsumoto sighed in disappointment, “but please make a decision as soon as possible to lure out the kidnappers. That way, the two missing girls will be safer.”

……

Izakaya.

Eri followed Hayashi into the house and saw that he still had a dark face. She couldn't help but chuckle and poked his arm: "It's just a train ride. The kidnappers might not actually be lured out."

She deliberately spoke in a relaxed tone, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

"What if you really encounter kidnappers?" Lin Xiuyi frowned. "This is very dangerous."

“I still have you,” Eri Kisaki hugged her childhood friend’s arm, looked up at him with sparkling eyes and a face full of trust, “You will definitely protect me.”

Just as Lin Xiuyi was about to speak, she suddenly felt her other arm being hugged as well.

Turning his head, he saw that his younger sister, Lingzi, had run over at some point and was hanging on his arm like a little koala.

"Onii-chan, has the culprit been caught?" Reiko looked up, her big eyes full of curiosity.

“It’s not that easy,” Lin Xiuyi shook his head, his expression softening considerably.

He laboriously shuffled to the bar with his two "accessories" and sat down, causing Eri Kisaki to chuckle softly.

Midori Orikasa quickly took out a cup and poured two glasses of iced oolong tea.

"Thank you," Lin Xiuyi said, picking up the tea and drinking it all in one gulp. The cool tea slid down his throat, calming his anger somewhat.

Behind the kitchen counter, Yukiko was making tamagoyaki while glancing jealously at the three people sticking together in front of her: "What was that stinky fox talking about just now? I heard 'kidnappers' and 'danger'?"

Now that things had come to this, there was no way to hide it anymore. Lin Xiuyi looked around and, seeing that no guests were watching, quietly told Officer Matsumoto and Officer Megure about their plan.

"Will this really lure out the kidnappers?" Yukiko asked curiously.

"Who knows?"

Lin Xiuyi shook her head, her fingers lightly tapping the bar counter.

"However, the two girls lived far apart, and the only thing they had in common was that they had both taken the same tram."

"The perpetrator probably usually looks for targets on the train. If he's already... tired of playing with Haruko Iguchi and Mizuo Oi,"

He paused here, a shadow crossing his eyes.
"There is indeed a considerable possibility that he will commit the crime again."

“In that case, why don’t I go with Eri?” Yukiko’s eyes lit up. “Maybe we can actually catch the culprit.”

"Don't be silly! This is dangerous!"

Lin Xiu slammed her hand on the table in frustration, the loud noise startling several of the guests who were drinking.
"We have no leads right now. What if the kidnappers aren't an individual, but a gang? What if the police lose track of them? What will you two do then?"

This was the first time Yukiko had seen Hayashi Shuichi so angry. Although she felt a little wronged, the worry in his eyes warmed her heart.

Eri Kisaki and Hideaki Hayashi have been childhood sweethearts for many years, and she knows his temperament all too well.

She sat quietly to the side, her fingers gently tracing the rim of her teacup, without saying a word. (End of Chapter)