Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"Old man, what era are we living in? Still spouting this nonsense about cause and effect!"

Ichikawa suddenly stood up, the chair legs scraping against the floor with a screeching sound.

He stared down at his former teacher, veins bulging on his forehead, his right index finger twitching involuntarily, as if trying to expose the profound truths the old man had once taught him.

"In this world, only the wicked get rich and powerful! Good people? Hmph, they'll always be the ones getting bullied!"

After saying that, he saw that Takeshita Matsufumi's hands were trembling and his face was flushed red, as if he might slap him again at any moment.

Ichikawa snorted coldly, too lazy to linger any longer, and strode out of the izakaya.

"Pah! Stubborn old fool!"

Just before getting into the car, Ichikawa glared angrily at the izakaya sign, then started the car while cursing.

He was completely unaware that a light blue women's sedan was silently following behind him in the shadows of the street corner.

The two cars, one after the other, disappeared into the night.

……

Inside the izakaya, Takeshita Matsufumi watched Ichikawa's departing figure and slowly loosened his clenched fist.

Several deep, bloody marks were left on his palms from his fingernails, but he seemed oblivious. He simply picked up his teacup, looked out the window, and silently said something.

"Naoko, Daddy has avenged you."

Seeing that the Shimadzu Group people had been driven away by Takeshita Matsufumi's scolding, Kogoro Mori was overjoyed. Even the stubborn old man he had previously disliked suddenly became much more pleasing to the eye.

He strode over to the other table, deftly clearing away the tableware Ichikawa had used, and said in a low voice:
"Teacher, that kind of bastard really deserves to be taught a lesson."

Kogoro Mouri's voice was filled with undisguised schadenfreude, and his eyes and brows were brimming with laughter.

With that, Kogoro Mouri picked up Ichikawa's teacup.

It was an ordinary white porcelain cup, with some tea stains still remaining on the cup wall.

Upon seeing this, Takeshita Matsufumi's cloudy pupils suddenly contracted.

Without a second thought, he swung his hand and knocked the cup out of Kogoro Mouri's hand.

"Crack!"

The teacup traced an arc in the air before crashing heavily to the ground, shattering into several pieces in an instant.

Fragments flew everywhere, some even sliding to the feet of guests at the next table, eliciting gasps of surprise.

Kogoro Mouri stood frozen in place, still holding the cup, his mouth slightly open, his face full of confusion and bewilderment.

What did I say wrong?

What's wrong with this old man?

Although he usually likes to lecture people, he doesn't usually act like this, going crazy all the time.
Takeshita Matsufumi looked at the shards on the ground, took a deep breath, and his chest heaved violently.

After a moment, the old man finally regained his composure.
"Check, I'll pay for Ichikawa's meal and the broken teacup."

Takeshita Matsufumi's voice was hoarse and tired, as if he had used up all his strength.

"Including the teacup, that's the total."

Kogoro Mouri mechanically quoted the price, but his eyes kept secretly sizing up the old man.

With trembling hands, Takeshita Matsufumi took a few banknotes from his old wallet and placed them on the table.

Then, he slowly stood up and walked unsteadily toward the door, his back hunched over so badly that he seemed to have aged more than ten years in an instant.

Just before leaving, the old man suddenly turned around, his gaze passing over the noisy restaurant and landing on Lin Xiuyi, who was busy at the kitchen counter.

At the same time, Lin Xiuyi had been watching this side because of the noise from the broken cup.

Their eyes met in mid-air, and Takeshita Matsufumi's lips curled up slightly, revealing a rare smile.

Then, the old man turned around, pushed open the door, and his thin figure disappeared into the night.

Lin Xiuyi vaguely saw a hint of relief on the old man's wrinkled face.

No way.
This discovery made Lin Xiuyi's heart tighten, and an ominous premonition surged through his spine like an electric current. He turned his head sharply and looked at the shards of a teacup in the corner.

Kogoro Mouri had already started cleaning them up with a broom and dustpan.

"Wait a moment!"

Lin Xiuyi quickly walked out of the kitchen counter.

Kogoro Mouri stood there, looking puzzled, his broom hanging in mid-air: "What's wrong?"

Lin Xiuyi did not answer immediately, but squatted down and carefully examined the shards of the teacup.

"Go ahead and do your work, I'll clean up here."

"you?"

Kogoro Mouri was even more confused. He scratched his head and stood still.
"Shuichi, this thing isn't worth much, is it? Did we ask for too little money?"

Lin Xiuyi ignored her friend's question and instead found a clean plastic bag. She carefully used tongs to pick up each piece of teacup and put it inside.

"Why are you keeping these fragments? Do you expect to fix it?"

Kogoro Mouri leaned closer, watching his friend's movements with curiosity.

"Whether it will work or not, I don't know," Lin Xiuyi said in a low voice, almost inaudible. "I hope... it won't work."

After saying that, he carefully sealed the plastic bag and put it into his backpack.

The next morning, Lin Xiuyi and his two friends went to Teitan High School as usual.

As they crossed the riverbank, they found a large group of people gathered there, whispering and discussing something.

In the morning light, the red and blue lights of the police car were particularly glaring.

"Something seems to have happened!"

Kogoro Mouri, being very curious, immediately grabbed Hayashi Shuichi's arm and squeezed into the crowd.

Eri sighed and could only follow.

The three arrived at the riverbank and saw several uniformed police officers busy below the embankment. Surrounded by them was a body submerged face down in the river.

The deceased's suit was wrinkled from being soaked in water, one hand rested limply on a rock on the shore, and his skin had an unnatural bluish-white hue.

"Another person has died," Kogoro Mouri said calmly, his initial fear upon seeing the corpse long gone.

He even stood on tiptoe, trying to see more clearly.

"That person," Eri Kisaki squinted and examined the corpse carefully before suddenly lowering her voice and saying, "looks like Ichikawa, the one who was talking to Takeshita-sensei last night?"

“...That’s him,” Lin Xiuyi’s voice was unusually calm, but his hands, hanging at his sides, unconsciously clenched into fists.

"That guy was so arrogant last night, how come he's dead so suddenly?" Kogoro Mouri sighed, then nudged his friend with his elbow. "Shouldn't you, the great detective, step in? Even though this guy was annoying, it's still good that he's dead."

"Let's go to school. If we delay any longer, we might be late," Lin Xiuyi interrupted her friend.

Before Kogoro could react, he had already picked up his schoolbag, turned around and left the embankment, striding towards Teitan.

"Eri, don't you think Shuichi's acting a little strange?"

Kogoro Mouri watched his friend's retreating figure, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
“Normally, if he encountered a case like this, he would have jumped down to check the situation long ago. Why didn’t he react at all today?”

"Perhaps it's because this person simply slipped and fell into the water,"

Eri Kisaki frowned slightly and glared impatiently at Kogoro Mouri.

"Stop worrying about these things and hurry up and catch up! If you're really late, I'll never forgive you!"

Kogoro Mori nodded hurriedly and jogged after Hideaki Hayashi.

Eri Kisaki walked at the very back, her gaze never leaving Hideaki Hayashi's back.

If even Kogoro Mouri, a close friend, could sense that something was wrong with Shuichi Hayashi, how could she, as his lover, not notice?

The girl adjusted her glasses with a complicated expression and quickened her pace to catch up... (End of Chapter)