Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Lin Xiuyi entered her room and found that it still retained many traces of the previous owner's life.
There were several basketball magazines on the desk, a Lakers poster on the wall, and even a small baseball jersey hanging in the closet.

Eri Kisaki also noticed these details. Pointing to a group photo hanging on the wall, she asked curiously, "Mr. Brian, are these your son and daughter in this photo?"

The photo shows a young couple; the boy is wearing a college graduation gown, and the girl is holding a small dog, standing between the Brians, with bright smiles.

Eri thought it was just a normal, everyday question, but before she knew it, the smiles on Brian and his wife's faces vanished instantly, replaced by deep sorrow.

Mrs. Brian's eyes even reddened slightly. She reached out and gently stroked the photograph, her voice choked with emotion: "Yes, this is our son Noah and daughter Lily...they..."

Mr. Brian gently patted his wife's shoulder, sighed, and said in a heavy tone, "Noah was shot on his way home from work two years ago, right after graduating from university... Lily was robbed last year; that bastard robber not only stole her money but also shot her..."

The atmosphere in the room instantly became heavy.

Lin Xiuyi and Fei Yingli were stunned. They never expected that a casual question would touch the deepest pain in the hearts of the elderly couple.

Eri Kisaki looked even more ashamed and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Mr. Brian, Madam, I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright, child, it's not your fault."

Mrs. Brian wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and forced a smile.
“It’s all in the past… but seeing how young you are reminds me of our children.”

Mr. Brian nodded and, forcing himself to stay awake, said, "You should rest now. We won't disturb you any longer. If you get hungry or thirsty, just come downstairs and find us."

After saying that, the elderly couple turned and left, leaving Lin Xiuyi and Fei Yingli standing in the room, their feelings complicated.

"How could Mr. Brian's family be so unlucky..."

Eri Kisaki leaned against the doorframe, her face full of sympathy, "They were such nice people..."

The thought of the sorrowful expressions on Brian and his wife's faces when they talked about their child made the girl feel as if a heavy stone was lodged in her heart.

Lin Xiuyi stood by the window in the corridor, looking at the oak tree in the courtyard that looked slightly desolate in the night, and gently shook her head.
"This is more of a problem of the social environment than of the individual's character."

"The rate of private gun ownership in the United States is too high. The proliferation of guns leads to frequent robberies and shootings, and many innocent people are caught up in them..."

Having experienced too many complex cases in his past life, he already understood the complexity of this social problem, which could not be explained simply by "good people being rewarded".

"...Shuichi, Mr. Brian said his daughter was robbed and murdered, and the killer still hasn't been caught..."

Eri looked at Hideaki, hesitant to speak, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Lin Xiuyi saw through her thoughts at a glance and couldn't help but reach out and flick the girl's forehead.
"You don't want me to help you find the murderer, do you? I'm just an ordinary high school student, not a god."

“This case happened a year ago. Robberies are usually committed randomly, the scene has long been destroyed, and there are definitely very few clues left. How could we possibly catch the murderer so easily?”

"Besides, this is America. We're just here for summer camp. Getting involved in local criminal cases will only cause trouble."

“I know… I just feel so sorry for them.”

Eri rubbed her forehead, which had been flicked, her voice filled with disappointment. She understood that Hideaki was right, but she couldn't help feeling sorry for Brian and his wife.

“I know you’re soft-hearted, but you absolutely mustn’t bring this up again in front of them these next couple of days,” Lin Xiuyi warned in a low voice. “Otherwise, it’ll easily remind them of their painful memories, and their hard-won composure will be disrupted again. All we can do is cooperate with them during this time and not cause them any trouble.”

“I understand,” Eri nodded heavily, suppressing her sympathy and regret. “I will be careful.”

Perhaps due to the fatigue of the journey, or perhaps due to their complicated feelings, the two slept exceptionally soundly for more than ten hours.

When they woke up, it was already pitch black outside the window, and the alarm clock in the room showed that it was already past ten o'clock at night.

Lin Xiuyi rubbed his sleepy eyes and went to knock on Fei Yingli's door next door.

After washing up, the two tiptoed downstairs, assuming that Brian and his wife were already asleep, but to their surprise, the living room light was still on.

The elderly couple were sitting on the sofa, yawning against the cushions, with a boring late-night program playing on the television in front of them, clearly waiting for them.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting so long."

Lin Xiuyi quickly pulled Fei Yingli aside to apologize, feeling guilty. They had slept all afternoon, but the two elderly people had stayed up so late.

"It's alright, children. You've had a long day, you should get some rest."

Mrs. Brian waved her hand with a smile.
"Now that you're awake, hurry up and go to the restaurant to get something to eat. I've saved some dinner for you."

When Lin Xiuyi and Fei Yingli entered the restaurant, they found similar food on the table to what they had eaten at noon: sandwiches, salad, and a cup of hot milk, which was obviously reserved for them by Mrs. Brian.

Although the dishes were simple, the two were starving and found them especially delicious, quickly finishing them off.

"Oh, by the way, your teacher came by earlier, but I didn't wake you because you were still fast asleep,"

Mr. Brian walked into the restaurant with several notices and placed them on the table.
"She asked me to give this to you, saying it's part of the summer camp arrangements."

Lin Xiuyi picked up the notice and saw that it was the itinerary for the next few days: the first day was a visit to UCLA, the second day was an exchange activity with American high school students at the summer camp, and the third day was a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood...

The itinerary was packed with activities, including both learning and exchange, as well as leisure and entertainment.

Eri Kisaki also came over and looked at the schedule with him, her eyes gradually revealing an expectant look.

The Brians smiled at each other as they watched the two of them huddled together, heads close, looking at the schedule. They had clearly noticed the special relationship between the two little ones.

……

The next day, Lin Xiuyi and Fei Yingli got up early and were having breakfast with the Brians. The air was filled with the aroma of toast and coffee.

Mrs. Brian's homemade blueberry muffins sat in the center of the table, their golden surfaces still steaming... (End of Chapter)