Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

A petite figure flashed through Lin Xiuyi's mind instantly.

"Was it Reiko who called you?"

His tone was very certain, with a hint of helpless smile.
“No one but her would tell you the news so quickly, and even specifically emphasize that ‘Eri is going too.’”

"So what!"

Yukiko's tone became even more annoyed after her thoughts were exposed, and the sound of crumpled paper could be heard from the other end of the phone.
"You're going to the US for a summer camp, such a big thing, and you didn't tell me anything beforehand!"

"I thought that because of our relationship, you would share everything with me..."

I didn't even know about this before, so how can I tell you?
Lin Xiuyi looked helpless. He couldn't tell the truth now, because if Yukiko knew that it was Eri Kisaki who had signed him up on her own initiative.

Who knows how much of a fight those two girls will have!
After much thought, Lin Xiuyi realized that he had to take all the blame himself.

"……Feel sorry."

Lin Xiuyi laughed it off, trying to get away with it.
"I heard about this from Mr. Murakami before, and I filled out the application form just to give it a try."

"Murakami-sensei said at the time that the competition for this event was very fierce, and I always thought I would definitely not be selected, so I didn't take it too seriously."

He continued to fabricate reasons, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards Eri Kisaki, who was checking the accounts not far away.

"Who knew we'd be so lucky this time..."

Lin Xiuyi's voice grew softer and softer, as if she were sighing or blaming herself.

"Was it really just good luck?"

Yukiko snorted, her tone clearly skeptical.

The sound of her tapping her fingers on the table came from the other end of the phone, indicating that she was considering the credibility of what she had said.

Lin Xiuyi gave a dry laugh, unsure how to respond.

He could picture Yukiko's expression at that moment; her eyes, which always gleamed with cunning, were slightly narrowed, and her red lips were pressed into a straight line, clearly indicating that she didn't completely believe his story.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Yukiko's voice, tinged with resentment, came through.

"Fine, I'll believe you for now."

The girl's tone softened, but then quickly became assertive again.

"But once you're in America, you have to message me every day and share what's going on there. Don't let me lose track of you, okay?"

"Okay," Lin Xiuyi quickly agreed, secretly relieved. "I promise, I'll call you as soon as I get to America."

"That's more like it," Yukiko's tone finally softened, returning to its usual cheerfulness. "Alright, I need to go memorize the script now. You've wasted so much of my time again..."

"Wait a minute," Lin Xiuyi hurriedly called out to the girl who was about to hang up the phone, "After Eri and I went to America, the izakaya had to close temporarily. Rei doesn't have many friends here, so he wants to go visit Jingguang and Xiaocao. Mika can take the train by herself here, but when she gets to Takasaki..."

“That’s easy,” Yukiko said, patting her chest. “I’ll have Hiromi pick him up, so don’t worry.”

After agreeing on a specific time, Yukiko hurriedly hung up the phone. She was obviously very busy on her end, and the director's urging could be heard in the background.

Lin Xiuyi put down the receiver and turned around to see Fei Yingli standing not far away, holding a cup of freshly brewed barley tea.

"Did that sly fox say something about me again?" Her tone was wary, her eyes fixed on her childhood sweetheart.

Lin Xiu walked over, took the barley tea, and took a sip. The warmth slid down her throat into her stomach.

“I told Yukiko that I signed up for the summer camp myself, so even if she wants to scold someone, she can’t scold you…”

Hearing that Lin Xiu had taken all the blame upon herself, Fei Yingli felt a little embarrassed and quickly whispered a promise: "Just this once, it won't happen again." Just then, a light footstep came from the shop door, and Lingzi walked in, her eyes still red, but she had stopped crying.

She walked up to Lin Xiuyi and handed him a small rag doll.

It's a teddy bear that Lin Xiuyi gave her when she was little. The ears are a bit worn, but it's very clean.

"Onii-chan, take this to America."

The little girl's voice was still a bit hoarse, but it carried a hint of earnestness.

"When you see it, it's like seeing me; you have to hug it when you sleep at night!"

Lingzi paused, her little mouth pouting slightly.

"Also, you have to call me every day and tell me what you ate and did there, otherwise I'll still be angry!"

Lin Xiuyi took the doll, feeling a warm glow in her heart.

He crouched down and gently patted the little girl's head: "Okay, Onii-chan promises you, I'll call you every day and tell you all the interesting things I see in America."

"When I get back, I'll take you to eat your favorite strawberry cake, okay?"

Lingzi nodded vigorously and finally revealed a faint smile. Although her eyes were still red, she was much happier than before.

She held up her little finger: "Pinky promise!"

Seeing this, Midori Orikasa couldn't help but laugh: "Reiko is so sensible, she knows how to care for her senior."

"Onii-chan, do I need to pack my things?"

The little girl asked, her voice still slightly nasal.

"When you go to America, I want to go home and live there."

“No need to rush,” Lin Xiuyi said with a smile. “I’m not going to the United States until the beginning of next month, so there are still several days to go.”

"Oh right!" Reiko tilted her head in sudden realization. "Onii-chan is leaving next month. I thought you were leaving tomorrow."

The little girl stuck out her tongue shyly, and the gloom on her face finally dissipated.

"Senior, I wonder what it's like in America?" Midori Orikasa asked curiously.

“They’re all countries made up of people, so they’re basically all pretty much the same,” Lin Xiuyi said, carefully placing the teddy bear on the bar. “The only difference is that they look different from us and speak different languages.”

"Your English is very good, senpai?" Midori Orikasa asked with some concern. "Won't you be unable to communicate over there?"

"My spoken English should be alright," Lin Xiuyi scratched his head, looking at Fei Yingli with some uncertainty.

Having lived in Japan for over ten years, his English accent inevitably became distorted.

“Don’t worry,” Eri Kisaki pushed up her glasses and smiled confidently, “Don’t forget, I took an English tutoring class in middle school and practiced my spoken English with a British teacher.”

Studying abroad had always been her wish, so she naturally made preparations in all aspects long ago.

……

That evening, after seeing off the last customer, Lin Xiuyi carefully checked the doors and windows of the izakaya before returning to his home on the second floor.

He pushed open the bedroom door, preparing to change his clothes for bed, when he saw a large bulge on his bed; someone was already lying inside… (End of Chapter)