Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Kuroba Toichi, who was standing next to him, ignored him and continued to focus on his work.

Lin Xiuyi smiled slightly and deliberately spoke in a low voice, only audible to the two of them.
"By the way, I know someone who looks exactly like you. You two are practically identical. Could it be... that you're related by blood?"

The moment he finished speaking, inside the opposite fence, Kuroba Toichi's normally rhythmic and rapid massaging movements paused almost imperceptibly for a second.

Although extremely brief, Lin Xiuyi keenly captured that moment of stillness in the closed and focused environment.

A surge of surprise welled up in Lin Xiuyi's heart, and an even bolder guess surfaced in his mind.
"Your reaction just now...did I guess right? Kudo Yusaku...that famous mystery novelist, are you really related by blood? Are you brothers? Long-lost twins?"

This time, Kuroba Touichi on the other side fell completely silent, offering no further response. Even the rhythm of his movements returned to its previous steady and efficient pace, as if the brief pause just now was merely Lin Xiuyi's illusion.

However, his subconscious reaction earlier had already made it clear to Lin Xiuyi that the other party most likely did indeed have some close connection with Kudo Yusaku.

Just as Lin Xiu was idly counting down the time and guessing what was happening outside, a slight humming sound of machinery suddenly came from the bottom of the fence where he was. Then, the entire fence began to move slowly.

Lin Xiuyi had to adjust her pace to follow the movement of the fence.

At the same time, the huge black curtain at the back of the theater stage began to slowly close inward, eventually completely obscuring the two movable barriers on the stage and blocking the view of all the audience members below.

The obscuring didn't last long; a moment later, the closed black curtain was suddenly pulled back up!
At the same time, the fence that was originally blocking Lin Xiuyi's side also instantly rose and retracted as if it had received a signal.

As the light returned to his field of vision, Lin Xiuyi had not yet fully adjusted from the brief period of isolation and figured out the situation when he heard the audience, who had been whispering, suddenly fall silent and then erupt into a deafening roar of exclamations and cheers, like a landslide and a tsunami!
Lin Xiuyi was somewhat bewildered by the sudden sound. He subconsciously looked to the side, wanting to see what had become of Hei Yu Daoyi.

However, this glance startled him, and his pupils contracted slightly.

Standing beside him, less than a meter away, was someone who looked exactly like him—"Lin Xiuyi," in terms of appearance, height, hairstyle, and clothing!
The same white suit, the same top hat, the same slightly bewildered and surprised expression!

"You?" Lin Xiuyi blurted out almost instinctively.

Unexpectedly, the "self" beside him also showed an almost identical expression of surprise at the same time, even perfectly replicating the arch of his eyebrows and the hint of astonishment in his eyes, and at the same time uttered the same word: "You?"

This eerie synchronization made Lin Xiuyi's heart skip a beat.

He subconsciously raised his hand and touched his chin, and the "Lin Xiuyi" opposite him did the exact same thing.

Lin Xiuyi tried to move one step to the left, and the other person also moved one step to the left at the same time.

He frowned, and the other person frowned too.

Over the next few minutes, no matter what short words Lin Xiuyi tried to say, what subtle movements he made, or even what slightly strange little expressions he deliberately made,
The "self" on the other side will make the exact same reaction and expression within a fraction of a second, like a mirror with perfect synchronization.

This scene once again pushed the atmosphere in the theater to an unprecedented climax. The cheers, screams, and incredulous discussions of the audience merged into a huge wave of sound, one after another, making people's eardrums tingle.

This kind of imitation, which goes beyond mere "likeness" and reaches the level of "complete replication," brings a revolutionary shock.

"Wow, amazing! We have two older brothers now!" Reiko clapped her hands excitedly, her face flushed with excitement, her eyes darting back and forth between her two older brothers on stage, filled with wonder.

"This...is this really magic?" Yukiko's mouth was slightly agape, her face filled with shock. "How is it possible to disguise oneself so quickly and perfectly in such a short time? And...even Shuichi's expressions and mannerisms are imitated so perfectly? This is more than just appearance!"

“No matter how well it’s imitated, a fake is always a fake,” Eri Kisaki said with a sneer. Although her tone remained calm, her gaze was fixed on “Hayashi Hideaki” on the right side of the stage, almost without wavering, as if she had already identified her target.

"Oh?" Tomizawa Chikage turned to look at her curiously. "What, have you already recognized which one is the real Shuichi?"

She carefully examined the two, but found that there were almost no flaws in their appearance or movements.

Eri Kisaki gave a smug hum: "Even with my eyes closed, I can tell which one is the real Shuichi."

"I can't see the difference at all," Kogoro Mouri scratched his head in confusion, his eyes almost crossing. "That magician's Shuichi was so similar, they were exactly the same! How can I tell them apart?"

Liuli, standing next to her, nodded in agreement, indicating that she shared the same sentiment.

Just then, a clear voice suddenly rang out from above the stage.

"Next, please invite this audience member to come up on stage and tell us which one is their real friend."

This line must have been a pre-recorded message prepared by Kuroba Toichi before the performance began, because both "Lin Xiuyi" on stage kept their mouths tightly shut and showed no sign of speaking.

Upon hearing the magician's invitation, Reiko, who had been eagerly anticipating the moment, was the first to cheer and rush onto the stage.

Yukiko, Eri Kisaki, Chikage Tomizawa, Kogoro Mouri, Ruri, and others went up one after another.

Even Shizuka Ikemura, with a hint of curiosity and amusement, slowly walked onto the stage.

Meanwhile, the members of the Kyoto University Mystery Club whom Lin Xiuyi had only recently met—Hattori Heizo, Kawada Haeko, Yoshida Aoi, Ono Kayoko, and others—also found it interesting and went up on stage to join in the fun.

Suddenly, a dozen or so people stood on the stage, surrounding the two identical "Lin Xiuyi," creating an atmosphere that was both tense and comical.

"Onii-chan?"

Lingzi ran up to the two of them, tilting her little face up and looking left and right, her brows furrowed tightly.
"It's so similar..." (End of Chapter)