Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"Oh right, Shuichi!"

Kogoro Mouri suddenly stopped sweeping, quickly approached the dining table, rubbed his hands together, and wore a somewhat ingratiating smile.
"Before you went to America, didn't I specifically ask you to bring me a few copies of the latest Playboy magazine? Where are they? You didn't forget them on the plane, did you?"

"Where would I find the time to buy it..." Lin Xiuyi replied indistinctly, her mouth full of noodles.

This trip to the United States was full of unexpected events, from hijacking to school shootings, and dealing with the Black Organization. He didn't even have time to catch his breath and had long forgotten about the things Kogoro Mouri had told him.

But halfway through his sentence, he suddenly stopped abruptly, his chopsticks nearly falling onto the table with a "clatter," and he forgot to chew the noodles in his mouth.

"W-What's wrong? Are you choking?"

Kogoro Mouri was startled by his sudden reaction and quickly handed him a glass of water.

"Eat slowly, no one will take it from you. If you really can't eat it, I'll make you another bucket."

"Oh no..." Lin Xiuyi slapped his forehead in frustration, no longer in the mood to eat noodles.

He suddenly remembered a crucial question.

After getting off the plane today, he went directly with Inspector Megure to investigate the case, and all his luggage was loaded onto the Teitan High School bus.

Judging from Kogoro Mouri's completely clueless expression, Yui Murakami obviously didn't deliver the luggage to the izakaya.

It's highly likely that Eri took his suitcase home!

Normally, Lin Xiuyi would not care about this situation at all, and would even think that Fei Yingli was thoughtful.

But this time was different. At the very bottom of his suitcase, he carefully folded up the black trench coat that Vermouth had left behind!
The trench coat was left in his room by Vermouth during her nighttime visit.

Lin Xiuyi wanted to find an opportunity to return it to her, but then felt that it was an excuse to stay in touch with Vermouth, so he quietly put it away.

But now, this trench coat has become a potential bomb.

If Eri Kisaki finds out, he will have no way of explaining why there is a trench coat in his suitcase that is clearly that of an adult woman.

"Shuichi, are you alright?"

Kogoro Mouri waved his hand in front of Shuichi Hayashi's eyes.
"You look terrible."

Lin Xiuyi barely suppressed her anxiety and shook her head: "It's nothing, I just remembered some things."

He tried to keep his voice calm, but his inner panic betrayed him.

Kogoro Mouri looked at him suspiciously, clearly not quite believing the explanation, but he didn't press further.
"Then my Playboy."

“I’ll bring it for you next time,” Lin Xiuyi interrupted him, her mind no longer on the magazine. “I have more important things to deal with right now.”

Lin Xiuyi knew Eri Kisaki's personality all too well; she was meticulous and sensitive. If she opened her suitcase and saw this high-end trench coat that clearly belonged to a woman, she would definitely overthink it.

At best, she'll be interrogated; at worst, it could lead to a misunderstanding. Given Eri's competitive nature, who knows how long the cold war will last.

Thinking about this, Lin Xiuyi felt a headache coming on, and even the hunger in her stomach was replaced by anxiety.

He scratched his head in frustration, his mind racing as he considered what to do.

You said you were buying it for a friend?
Eri knows all his friends; there's no way to hide it from her.

They said they found it?
That's a really weak reason. Who would pick up someone else's trench coat and put it in their suitcase with such seriousness?
Why don't we strike first and go to Fei's house now to retrieve our luggage?

But then I thought, Eri Kisaki might already have opened her suitcase, so going there now would only put me in a more passive position.

Just as Lin Xiuyi was at her wits' end, wishing she could turn back time, a piercing police siren suddenly sounded outside, growing louder as it approached, finally stopping in front of the izakaya.

Immediately afterward, the izakaya door was flung open, and Inspector Megure rushed in, panting, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement. "Hayashi-kun!"

Inspector Megure strode to the table and spoke rapidly.

"As you instructed, we checked all the mahjong parlors that were open all night near Dr. Sato and Associate Professor Yamada's homes, and finally found the one they frequented!"

"Officer Matsumoto has already gone there. He asked me to come and pick you up so we can go to the scene together and maybe find some clues about the killer!"

"Great!"

Lin Xiuyi suddenly stood up, temporarily putting the trouble of the trench coat behind her.

He was about to leave when, just as he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at his good friend who was still cleaning up the trash.

"Kogoro, you're coming with me too."

"Me?" Kogoro Mouri pointed to his own nose in surprise.

"Didn't you always want to be a policeman, dreaming of solving cases and catching murderers?"

Lin Xiuyi interrupted him impatiently.
"Go to the scene and learn how to investigate a case. It's better than you staying in the shop playing mahjong! You might even be able to help."

When Kogoro Mouri heard "learn to investigate cases," his eyes lit up instantly.

He admired police officers since he was a child and always dreamed of wearing a police uniform and solving cases.

Having the opportunity to get up close to the crime scene and learn from Officer Hideaki Hayashi and Officer Matsumoto is like a windfall.

He immediately threw down the broom and nodded hastily, "Go! I'll go!"

Kogoro Mouri quickly locked the shop door and followed Hideichi Hayashi and Inspector Megure into the police car.

……

Inside the apartment, Eri had eaten and drunk her fill and even took a hot bath to wash away the fatigue of her journey.

Her parents were busy as usual and still hadn't returned home at this time.

She was all alone in the spacious apartment, so quiet that she could hear the clock ticking.

Eri Kisaki yawned, wiping her wet hair with a towel, and was about to go back to her room to sleep when her eyes suddenly fell on the suitcase placed by the door.

Yui Murakami originally wanted to help Hideichi Hayashi deliver his suitcase to the izakaya, but Eri Kisaki was worried that Kogoro Mouri wouldn't be home, so she offered to leave the suitcase at her house and deliver it to Hideichi Hayashi later.

Looking at the black suitcase now, Eri suddenly remembered that it should contain a lot of clothes that Lin Xiuyi had changed out of.

Rather than letting him take it home and wash it himself tomorrow, I might as well wash it for him now.

Shouldn't this be considered a virtuous wife and loving mother?

The girl seemed to have thought of something, and a faint blush suddenly rose on her cheeks. She covered her mouth and laughed shyly.

After making up her mind, Eri Kisaki walked to her suitcase, squatted down, and prepared to open it.

However, the suitcase had a combination lock, and she tried several of Lin Xiuyi's commonly used combinations.

He tried to celebrate his birthday, his own birthday, and Lingzi's birthday, but none of them worked.

"What exactly did Shuichi use as his password?"

Eri muttered, her face full of resentment. She was Hayashi Shuichi's childhood friend; if she couldn't even guess his password, what difference was there between her and Yukiko?! (End of Chapter)