Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Outside the Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters building.

Night had fallen, and Mito Hayato walked out of the heavy automatic glass door with slightly heavy steps.

The cool night breeze brushed against his face, clearing his mind somewhat from the long interrogation, but the oppressive feeling in his chest did not lessen at all.

Police have identified him as the prime suspect. Footprints on the balcony, cigarette butts in the corner, and his ambiguous relationship with Minamino Momoko—every clue points to him.

But just as he expected, without finding the tools to cut the railing and without direct evidence that he had done it, the police had no choice but to release him.

Mito Jun turned around, glanced at the brightly lit police station building behind him, and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Just then, his gaze settled on a black luxury car in the shadows of a parking lot not far away.

Beside the car door, a familiar figure leaned against it, a lit cigar between his fingers.

The face illuminated by the crimson flame in the darkness was that of his father, Shinzo Mito.

Mito Jun's heart sank; he hadn't expected his father to be waiting for him here.

He tried to pretend he hadn't seen it and turn away, but his feet seemed to be nailed to the spot.

Perhaps driven by an instinct to confront him, or perhaps wanting to know his father's current attitude, Mito Hayato finally took a deep breath, strode forward, and walked towards the other man.

Mito Shinzo didn't look up until Mito Hayato stopped two or three meters in front of him, at which point he slowly exhaled a thick white smoke ring.

The smoke twisted and rose under the light, blurring his gloomy face.

"Hmph," Mito Shinzo's icy gaze swept over Mito Hayato from head to toe. "Tell me, my good son. Was today's accident meant to kill this troublesome old man, or... kill that wretched woman you thought you could control?"

"Dad, I..."

Mito Hayato instinctively wanted to speak in his defense, but before he could finish, Mito Shinzo rudely interrupted him.
"Shut up! Don't give me that story about losing control of your emotions or acting impulsively!"

"You think I really knew nothing about the filth between you and that slut?"

Mito Hayato shuddered, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he stared at his father in disbelief.

He originally thought that his relationship with Momoko Minamino was their most core and secret weapon, the source of his father's rage, and also an emotional shield that he could use.

But what my father is saying now...

Shinzo Mito watched his face turn pale instantly, then let out another satisfied snort through his nose, casually flicking the cigar ash onto the ground.
"You went to great lengths to arrange for a woman who specializes in being a second wife and makes a living by squeezing old men's inheritance to be by my side... What are you planning? Do you think I've lived this long for nothing?"

Shinzo Mito took a step closer, the pungent smell of his cigar almost hitting Hayato Mito's face.

"What you want is the Mito family's fortune, isn't it? You think this old man has been taking up space for too long and is blocking your way, right?"

"You're afraid I'll marry a younger woman and have another child, who will then compete with you for her affections, right?"

"So, you found such a professional, hoping she'd drain me dry first, or... to be more direct?"

His words, like a cold scalpel, peeled back the layers of Mito Hayato's deepest, most hidden schemes, leaving him speechless. After a long pause, he asked in a trembling voice, "..."

"How...how do you know that Peach...is...?" "In today's society, do you think it's difficult to investigate someone's background?"

Mito Shinzo scoffed, his tone full of disdain for his son's naive ideas.
“I knew something was wrong the moment you first showed up at my charity gala with that woman who pretended to be innocent but whose eyes kept glancing at my wallet, pretending to ‘bump into’ her.”

"The next day, I had someone investigate her thoroughly."

"Minamino Momoko, whose real name is Minamino Kinuko, changed her name, dropped out of high school, and frequented clubs in Ginza, Tokyo, where she specifically targeted wealthy middle-aged and elderly men."

"She had two short marriages, and both husbands died unexpectedly within a year of their marriage. As the heir, she received billions of yen!"

With each sentence Mito Shinzo spoke, Mito Hayato's face paled a little more.

What he thought was a meticulously planned scheme was, in his father's eyes, a transparent and laughable performance from the very beginning.

"Then why are you still..."

After the initial shock came a deeper confusion and a hint of anger at being fooled; Mito Hayato couldn't help but raise her voice.
"Since you know she's this kind of person, why did you still marry her! Don't you hate being schemed against the most?"

"why?"

Mito Shinzo seemed to have heard an extremely interesting question, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.
"She married me because of the vast wealth of my Mito family. And I was willing to marry this ticking time bomb because of her value."

He paused deliberately, watching the changing expressions on his son's face, before uttering the answer clearly, word by word.
"Of course, it's for her inheritance and the huge insurance payout."

"Wha...what?"

Mito Hayato was completely stunned, his mind blank as if struck by a heavy hammer.

He had indeed heard Momoko Minamino boast about how Shinzo Mito had bought her a very expensive insurance policy.

At the time, Minamino Momoko was still immersed in the vanity of being deeply loved, while Mito Hayato only thought it was an old man's way of coaxing women.

He never thought... no, perhaps subconsciously he refused to think it might be a darker trap.

A moment later, a tremendous sense of absurdity and chill swept over Mito Hayato, and he murmured in disbelief,

“Peach…Peach did say that you bought her a huge insurance policy, but she said…she said it was proof that you loved her and cared about her…she always thought…”

Love? Hahahaha!

Mito Shinzo seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world, letting out a short, shrill, dry laugh, devoid of any warmth, filled only with endless mockery.
"I've lived for over fifty years and seen all sorts of deceit and treachery. The last thing I believe in is this bullshit love! Especially not this old man-young woman drama."

He twirled the ring on his left ring finger, his tone flat yet chillingly cold.
“I know my own limitations. What makes an old man like me, who has nothing but money, capable of attracting young, beautiful, and ambitious women?”

“She coveted my wealth, while I was after her accumulated estate and the insurance money she could get with her own life.”

Mito Shinzo licked his slightly chapped lips, a predatory glint in his eyes.

"My original plan was to play along with her, enjoy the pleasures of youthful flesh, and see what other tricks she and you could pull off. Once I got tired of it, or when the time was right..." (End of Chapter)