Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

As soon as Tomizawa Chikage finished speaking, the entire living room fell into a deathly silence.

The previous arguments about the Osaka trip and the confrontation between Yukiko and Eri Kisaki all seemed so insignificant in the face of this heavy fact, as if they had never happened.

The air seemed to freeze, and everyone felt a heavy weight on their hearts, deeply saddened by the plight of the victims who were injured in the fire but were not receiving fair treatment.

Lin Xiuyi looked at Tomizawa Chikage's face, which was slightly flushed with excitement and a strong sense of justice, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table as he fell into deep thought.

Although Tomizawa Chikage's thoughts were somewhat impulsive, they were rooted in a pure sense of chivalry.

However, the path of "stealing" is ultimately a dead end. If one fails, not only will one fail to help the victim, but one will also fall into an abyss of no return.

"Onii-chan." Reiko gently tugged at Hayashi Shuichi's sleeve. "Let's help Chikage-neechan. Those victims are so pitiful. That girl, who's about your age, has to work so many jobs to take care of her parents. It's so hard for her."

Lin Xiuyi snapped out of her daze and glanced at everyone.

Midori Orikasa tightened her grip on the notebook slightly, her eyes filled with sympathy.

Kogoro Mouri abandoned his usual playful demeanor and became serious.

Ruri sighed softly, clearly moved by Tomizawa Chikage's words.

Yukiko, who is always sentimental, was already moved to tears.

Eri Kisaki hesitated to speak. Although she seemed normal, Lin Xiuyi, who had grown up with her since childhood, noticed something was off about the girl.

Having aspired to become a top lawyer since childhood, she has always firmly believed that the law can bring fairness and justice.

But as Tomizawa Chikage just said, the other party had long been colluding with the court, and the victim's lawsuit was directly dismissed, so this path was simply blocked.

This kind of impact on faith must have made Eri Kisaki feel very bad.

……

Lin Xiu looked at Tomizawa Chikage again. The girl's eyes remained firm, filled with a mixture of expectation and trepidation, as if she were waiting for his final decision.

The scales in her heart had already tipped, and Lin Xiu nodded, slowly organizing her thoughts as she spoke.
“Your idea is good, and your starting point is to help the victims. This intention deserves recognition.”

“But stealing is too risky, and if you get caught, you won’t be able to help the victims, and you’ll get yourself into trouble.”

“We can think of other ways, such as first collecting information about the boss, finding clues about his asset transfer, and then exposing him through legal channels. With the help of the media and the public, we can force him to take responsibility and give the victims an explanation.”

"Really?" Tomizawa Chikage's eyes lit up instantly.

“There’s no harm in giving it a try,” Lin Xiuyi said with a reassuring smile. “If this method doesn’t work, we can think of other solutions. Even if we end up following your plan, we must first understand the other party’s situation and make sure everything goes smoothly.”

"Great!"

Tomizawa Chikage jumped up excitedly, her previous anxiety about leaving and her worry about the victims instantly vanishing.

She excitedly grabbed Lin Xiuyi's arm, her voice leaping with joy: "Then let's set off tomorrow! The sooner we get to Osaka, the sooner we can start the investigation and help the victims!"

"Alright, let's set off tomorrow."

Lin Xiu nodded, and this time she didn't tease her intentionally, but said seriously,
"Everyone, go back and pack your luggage and anything you need today. We'll meet at the station early tomorrow morning and take the first train to Osaka." Everyone nodded in agreement, and the atmosphere in the living room became lively again.

……

After everyone agreed on the meeting time and itinerary for the next day, they got up and left the izakaya to go home and pack their luggage.

Lin Xiuyi picked up the landline phone on the izakaya counter, just about to dial the number left by Osaka Ikenami Shizuka, when he suddenly noticed that Kisaki Eri and Yukiko were still sitting there, showing no intention of leaving.

"Why haven't you two gone back to pack your luggage yet?" Lin Xiuyi asked casually. "We're leaving early tomorrow morning, and if we don't pack now, we might have to stay up all night."

At this moment, only the three of them remained in the izakaya.

Even Lingzi, who is usually the most attached to Lin Xiuyi, skipped back to her room on the second floor and started excitedly packing her luggage, muttering about what snacks and toys she wanted to bring.

“It’s only a three- to five-day trip, and I don’t have much stuff. I can pack it when I get back tonight.” Eri looked up at Yukiko across from her, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible rivalry.

"me too!"

Yukiko immediately snorted and glared back defiantly, as if to say, "If you don't leave, I won't leave either."
"I haven't even opened the luggage I brought home from the film set yet. I can just tidy it up a bit when I get back. There's no rush at all."

Seeing the tension escalating between the two, Lin Xiuyi shook his head helplessly, wisely turned away, and stopped getting involved in their "secret war." Instead, he dialed the phone number left by Chi Bojinghua.

The moment the call connected, a lively girl's voice came through.

"Hello, who are you looking for?"

"Hello, I am Hayashi Hideichi from Tokyo. I'd like to speak with Ms. Ikenami Shizuka. Could you please pass on my message?" Hayashi Hideichi said politely.

"Okay, please wait a moment, I'll go find Miss Jinghua now."

After the maid finished speaking, a series of hurried footsteps came through the phone, followed by silence, with only the slight static of the electricity remaining.

Shizuka Ikenami is indeed a wealthy young lady!

Lin Xiuyi sighed inwardly, recalling when he met her at the Tokyo Kendo Tournament. Her elegant and composed demeanor, so different from that of an ordinary female student, and the good upbringing that she inadvertently revealed in her words and actions, were not surprising.

A moment later, a slight noise came from the other end of the phone, followed by Ikeba Shizuka's voice, tinged with surprise.
"Lin-kun? Is that you? Have you decided to come to Osaka for a visit?"

"for me……"

Just as Lin Xiuyi was about to answer, he suddenly felt a tightness on both sides of his body, as if he were being squeezed by something.

He subconsciously looked around and saw that Eri had moved to his left at some point, while Yukiko was leaning against his right.

The two girls stood on tiptoe, their heads very close together, staring nervously at the phone receiver in his hand, afraid of missing a single word on the phone.

After a long silence from Ikeba Shizuka on the other end of the phone, her voice tinged with doubt.

"Lin Jun? What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?" (End of Chapter)