Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

While Lin Xiuyi was receiving gifts from his friends at home, on the other side of the city, Ichikawa sat in his spacious but oppressive office with a gloomy face.

He had already received news that the group of thugs sent by the Muddy Slaughter Association to cause trouble in the shopping district had not only been severely beaten by the Sumiyoshi Association, but had also been taken to the Jiaoban by the residents.

"You bunch of useless trash!"

Ichikawa slammed his fist heavily on the table, the solid wood surface making a dull thud.

"No wonder you can only hide in the shadows and yell; you can't even do such a small thing right!"

His voice became hoarse and shrill with anger.
"Damn Sumiyoshi-kai, damn Kiryu Yuji, you bastards..."

Just as Ichikawa was burning with anger, the office door was gently pushed open.

A beautiful female secretary walked in.

She cautiously approached Ichikawa, bent down slightly, and whispered, "Manager, the chairman wants you to go to his side."

Upon hearing this, Ichikawa frowned even more deeply, a look of frustration and helplessness appearing on his face.

He clenched his fists in frustration, muttering, "...Okay."

Ichikawa knew without a doubt that if the chairman called him at this time, he was definitely going to get a scolding.

However, even though he was extremely unwilling, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and quicken his pace to run over.

……

"Hey, this was my mistake."

"Please rest assured, I will complete the acquisition of the shopping street land as soon as possible."

"No, no need, I can handle this myself!"

"If I can't do it, I...I will resign voluntarily."

……

After making several assurances, Ichikawa finally prevented his position and job from being taken over by others.

When he returned to his office, seething with anger, and was about to vent his frustration on his female secretary, he received an unexpected piece of news from her.

"What did you say? An old man named Takeshita Matsufumi asked me to meet him tomorrow night?"

Ichikawa's already gloomy face became even more unpleasant.

His fingers tapped irregularly on the desk, the "tap tap tap" sound particularly jarring in the quiet office.

The female secretary's words were like a thorn piercing Ichikawa's nerves, making him feel a surge of irritation.

Takeshita Matsufumi wants to see him?
The image of Takeshita Matsufumi's serious and dignified face flashed through Ichikawa's mind, and a sense of unease welled up in his heart.

"Manager?" The female secretary shifted uncomfortably, sensing that Ichikawa's mood was off. "You're hurting me."

It turned out that Ichikawa, distracted, had unconsciously tightened his grip on his female secretary's arm.

Ichikawa then realized his lapse in composure. He released his grip, forcing a smile.
"Sorry, lost my mind."

The female secretary put her arm around Ichikawa's neck and sat directly on his lap: "Manager, that old man said he and you are old acquaintances, and you will definitely agree to meet him."

As she spoke, she gently stroked Ichikawa's chest, trying to soothe him.

"I'd never agree to that!"

Annoyed, Ichikawa pinched his secretary's plump thigh. His grip was a bit too strong, causing the secretary to let out a soft gasp.

"If I were to go see that old man, I'd most likely get a scolding. Back in my school days, what I hated most was his lecturing..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence. "Oh, right, that old man seems to still live in the shopping district. He went to the meeting there the other day..."

Seeing that Ichikawa was only staring blankly and ignoring her, the female secretary giggled and rubbed her buttocks together.
"Manager, what are you thinking about..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ichikawa shoved her to the ground with a look of disgust on his face.

"I was thinking about something, who told you to move around like that!" Ichikawa glared at him impatiently.

The female secretary cursed inwardly, but dared not utter a word of rebuttal on her face.

She hurriedly got up from the ground, lowered her head, and stood quietly to the side.

Ichikawa, however, had already figured it out. A smug smile appeared on his lips.

Takeshita Matsufumi is a long-time resident of the shopping district, and because of his status as a teacher, many of the residents of the shopping district were once his students. Even those who weren't were disciplined by Takeshita Matsufumi when they were young.

In the shopping district, Takeshita Matsufumi has a high reputation. If he can take the lead in signing a demolition agreement with the Shimadzu Group, even if he cannot dismantle the resistance of the shopping district residents, he can still deal them a heavy blow and damage their morale.

But is that stubborn old man really that easy to persuade?

Thinking of this, Ichikawa couldn't help but touch his left cheek, where Takeshita Matsufumi had slapped him before.

The burning pain seemed to still linger on his face, making him feel even more awe and resentment towards Takeshita Matsufumi.

Fine, no matter what, even if I get slapped again when we meet tomorrow, I'll still give it a try!
Ichikawa gritted his teeth, a resolute glint in his eyes.

He refused to believe that anyone wouldn't be tempted if the price was set high enough!
In Ichikawa's view, there is nothing in this world that money cannot solve.

“That old man…” Ichikawa looked at his secretary, “did he say where we’d meet?”

"The meeting place is the Mori Izakaya at 5-chome 39," the female secretary hurriedly flipped through the previous records, "and the time is 8 pm tomorrow night."

“Hmm,” Ichikawa nodded, then pulled the somewhat timid female secretary into his arms.

His movements were somewhat rough, and the female secretary couldn't help but let out a soft gasp.

However, a satisfied smile appeared on Ichikawa's face.

"I've thought things through. Now it's our turn!"

"What is it?" The female secretary pretended not to understand.

"I just got a lot of scolding from the chairman, which has made me very aggressive now,"

Ichikawa reached out and forcefully pressed the female secretary's head down.
"Quick, help me release this pent-up fire!"

.........

Three minutes later, Ichikawa stood up with satisfaction, walked to the window, and looked down at the Tokyo night view.

Twelve years ago, on that rainy night, just like now, the rain was drizzling down incessantly.

The neon lights blurred in the rain, like bloodstains diluted with water. The bloodstains on the windshield blurred in the same way.

That vibrant red was like a nightmare, forever etched in Ichikawa's heart.

A hint of pain and regret flashed in Ichikawa's eyes, and his body trembled slightly involuntarily.

Beside the desk next to her, the female secretary was tidying up her messy clothes.

Out of Ichikawa's sight, the female secretary curled her lip in disdain as she wiped the filth from the corner of her mouth.

"Reply to Takeshita Matsufumi for me, just say..." Ichikawa's voice paused, "...I'll be there on time tomorrow night at eight..." (End of Chapter)