Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

The moment Yui Murakami fell straight down, the air in the classroom seemed to freeze for half a second.

Lin Xiuyi strode onto the podium and placed his finger on Murakami Yui's carotid artery. Although the pulse was weak, it was still relatively stable.

The female teacher's face was pale, and the stray hairs on her forehead were damp with cold sweat and stuck to her skin.

"Stop arguing, the teacher just fainted due to low blood sugar."

Lin Xiuyi slammed his hand on the lectern, silencing the noisy classroom.

"This class will be changed to self-study. I'll take the teacher to the infirmary now."

After saying that, he bent down and picked up Murakami Yui in his arms.

“Shuichi, I’ll go with you…” Yukiko stood up.

Lin Xiuyi looked down at Murakami Yui, who was frowning in his arms, and shook his head: "You should stay. Don't let the classroom get too messy and affect other classes."

His fingertips accidentally touched Murakami Yui's wrist and felt a patch of cold sweat, which didn't seem like a simple case of low blood sugar.

Yukiko pouted and had no choice but to sit back down, watching as Hayashi Shuichi carried Murakami Yui out of the classroom.

……

The door to the infirmary was ajar. When you pushed it open, a faint smell of disinfectant mixed with the scent of mint wafted out.

The white curtains billowed in the wind, the blood pressure monitor on the table was still showing yesterday's reading, and sure enough, Ms. Lin, who always liked to doze off, was nowhere to be seen again.

Just as Lin Xiuyi was about to place Murakami Yui on the bed at the back, the person in his arms suddenly made a "hmm" sound, her eyelashes fluttering as she opened her eyes.

Upon realizing she was being carried in a princess carry by a student, Murakami Yui's cheeks instantly flushed red, and she began to struggle.
"Put me down!"

The female teacher's voice was urgent and hoarse as she forcefully pushed Lin Xiuyi's chest with both hands.

"Don't move, the hospital bed hasn't arrived yet."

Lin Xiuyi tried to steady himself, but Murakami Yui struggled even more.

Left with no other choice, he quickened his pace and tossed the person onto the hospital bed before he could get rid of him!
"Ouch!"

The sound of the back of my head hitting the metal frame of the bed was exceptionally clear.

Murakami Yui winced in pain, her eyes instantly reddening, tears welling up but stubbornly refusing to fall.

"You asked for this."

Lin Xiuyi stood by the bed, watching her grimacing and clutching the back of her head, and suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
"If you had behaved well, you wouldn't have bumped into me like that."

Murakami Yui glared at him, embarrassed and annoyed. She rubbed the back of her head and sat up, her voice trembling with tears, yet she remained defiant.
"Hmph, being carried in a princess carry by a student, if word gets out, will I, as the homeroom teacher, ever be able to show my face again!"

Lin Xiu didn't reply, but turned around and rummaged through the medicine cabinet. She quickly found a paper cup and sugar cubes, and made a cup of sugar water.

"Drink some water."

Yui Murakami hesitated for a moment, but still accepted it.

The warm sugar water slid down her throat, and she drank several mouthfuls. Finally, a bit of color returned to her pale cheeks, and her breathing became more even.

"Alright, you can go back to the classroom now."

The female teacher placed the empty paper cup on the bedside table, her tone regaining some of its usual sternness.
"I'll just lie here for a while."

"Teacher, last night you..."

Lin Xiuyi had just opened his mouth when Murakami Yui abruptly interrupted him.

"Nothing happened last night!"

Her voice suddenly rose, then quickly fell back down, as if afraid of being overheard.
"Didn't I tell you to leave? Go back to the classroom now!"

Murakami Yui gripped the bedsheet tightly, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Her panicked appearance made it clear to anyone that she was hiding something.

Knowing that further questioning was pointless, Lin Xiuyi turned and left the infirmary. Instead of returning to the classroom, he headed towards the school parking lot.

Lin Xiuyi remembered that Murakami Yui drove a light blue Suzuki, and quickly found it in a corner of the parking lot.

He originally wanted to see if he could determine where Murakami Yui went last night from the tracks on the car.

But as soon as they saw the front of the car, they made an unexpected discovery.

There is a fresh crack on the right side of the front bumper of the car body. The most noticeable thing is that a small piece is missing in the middle. The plastic at the broken point is freshly white, obviously it was just damaged recently.

Lin Xiuyi squatted down, touching the broken part with her fingers.

Did Murakami hit someone while driving last night?
Lin Xiuyi recalled Murakami Yui's heavy dark circles and absent-minded appearance that morning, as well as her intense reaction when she heard the word "last night".

If she really hit someone and didn't dare to stop and check, then it makes sense that she couldn't sleep all night and was mentally disoriented.

Lin Xiu kept getting up, the sunlight making him squint.

We shouldn't call the police rashly; what if it was just a collision with the guardrail?

He decided to go to the Metropolitan Police Department after school in the afternoon and ask Inspector Samezaki to inquire with the Traffic Department about any hit-and-run reports from last night.

However, the plan could not keep up with the changes.

During lunch break, Lin Xiuyi was eating lunch when Takeshita Matsufumi's voice suddenly came from the classroom door.

"Lin Xiuyi, come out for a moment."

The old man's voice was not loud, but it was like a stone thrown into calm water.

The classroom fell silent instantly, and all eyes turned to Lin Xiuyi.

Kogoro Mouri almost dropped the fish ball from his mouth.

Eri Kisaki put down her chopsticks, her brows furrowing slightly.

Yukiko's face was also full of worry.

Only Akane Koizumi continued to eat her bento box without a care in the world.

"Is this old fogey planning to settle scores later?" Kogoro Mori muttered under his breath. "You got caught daydreaming in math class this morning, and now you're being punished by standing on the playground?"

Lin Xiuyi didn't say anything, but stuffed the rest of the dried plums into her mouth, the sweet and sour taste suppressing the strange feeling in her heart.

He put his lunchbox into his schoolbag and got up to leave the classroom, feeling countless curious and sympathetic glances behind him.

Following Takeshita Matsufumi through the corridor, the afternoon sun cast grid-like shadows on the floor through the windows.

The old man's steps were slower than in the morning, and his back seemed more hunched.

The two walked to the small playground in front of the teaching building, where several old camphor trees were planted and the sound of cicadas was deafening.

Takeshita Matsufumi stopped and looked at the horizontal bar and swing not far away, his eyes filled with complex emotions. The wind blew his gray hair, revealing his wrinkled forehead.

“Look at this camphor tree,” he suddenly said, his voice a little hoarse, “it was planted the year I first started working here, and it’s already this thick.”

Lin Xiuyi followed his gaze and saw faint markings on the tree trunk, height marks left by students from previous years: "Teacher, what do you want to see me about?"

Takeshita Matsufumi turned around, a rare smile appearing on his face: "Aren't you from the Metropolitan Police Department? I've come to turn myself in to you."

"what?"

Lin Xiu stood there stunned, wondering if she had misheard.

“Last night at the izakaya, I poisoned Ichikawa’s teacup.”

Takeshita Matsufumi's voice was clear and steady, as if he were stating something perfectly ordinary.

"He should be dead by now." (End of Chapter)