Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

It is common knowledge that Mrs. Mori's health is indeed not very good.

Although Kogoro Mouri is usually carefree, he is always very meticulous in this regard.

"Go to sleep."

Lin Xiuyi yawned again, got up, took a blanket from the cupboard, and tossed it to him.

"I'm going to Liuli's place tomorrow morning. I'll set an alarm for 8 a.m.

"Um……"

Kogoro Mori mumbled a response, then immediately began to snore softly.

Lin Xiu looked at his tired face, shook her head, and turned back to her bedroom.

……

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

Lin Xiuyi woke up Kogoro Mouri, who was still curled up on the sofa.

After a quick wash, the two went out to meet up with Yukiko, Eri Kisaki, and Midori Orikasa.

The five of them took the tram again to Ruri's house.

It was almost 10 o'clock when we arrived.

The sunlight was perfect, shining on the quiet street and bathing everything in a warm golden glow.

But this warmth could not dispel the gloom in everyone's heart.

Liuli opened the door and appeared before everyone.

Her complexion was terrible, so pale that she was almost bloodless.

Two large dark circles were hanging under his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept well at all last night.

Her hair was just tied up casually, with a few strands falling loosely on the sides of her face, making her look extremely haggard.

"Liuli..."

Eri Kisaki cried out in distress and stepped forward to take her hand.

Those hands were ice cold, without any warmth at all.

"Come in." Liuli forced a smile and stepped aside.

Everyone went inside and sat down in the living room.

Liuli poured tea for everyone, and held a cup for herself, but didn't drink it. She just held it in her hands as if to warm it.

"So, what's the Arai family up to?" Lin Xiuyi asked, breaking the brief silence.

Liuli raised her head, glanced at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

She pursed her lips, her voice slightly hoarse: "Last night, after Kogoro left, several more policemen came to the Arai residence."

Her gaze drifted out the window and landed on the quiet mansion not far away.

"I saw Mrs. Arai being taken away."

Liuli's voice went even lower, so low it was almost inaudible.

"Two policewomen supported her on either side and put her into a police car. She was wearing a gray coat, her hair was down, and she looked very unwell."

"When she passed by my house, she seemed to glance this way... I don't know if she saw me, but I..."

The girl couldn't continue speaking; she gripped the teacup tightly with both hands until her knuckles turned white.

"What if she's innocent? Then I..." Liuli's voice trembled with tears, "Wouldn't I become the one who harmed her?"

“She’s always been so kind to me, bringing me snacks and fruit, and even teaching me how to bake cakes. She’s such a good person, I don’t believe she would kill someone…” “Okay, don’t worry.”

Kogoro Mouri quickly sat down next to her, put his arm around her shoulder, and patted her hard.

"You're just telling the police what you saw, that's what you should do!"

"Besides, what a coincidence! Mrs. Arai was just brought back in a van, and then Mr. Arai was hit by a van. What a coincidence!"

He got more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice grew louder: "If you ask me, even if Mrs. Arai wasn't the mastermind, she's definitely involved!"

"Didn't you see how she was yesterday? Her eyes were red, and she kept calling Mr. Arai 'that bastard.' Is that how a normal married couple should behave? She must have hated him to death a long time ago!"

"Kogoro!" Eri glared at him, signaling him to stop talking.

Liuli was already suffering enough, and he was just adding fuel to the fire.

Kogoro Mouri then realized he had said too much and awkwardly shut his mouth, only to hug Ruri's shoulders even tighter.

Lin Xiuyi didn't say anything, but just quietly drank his tea.

His gaze also fell on the mansion outside the window, but his mind was preoccupied with other matters.

If Mrs. Arai is indeed the murderer, what was her motive?
Is it simply because of marital discord?
Or is there a deeper reason?

Who was that van driver?
Was he her accomplice, or just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire?

And most importantly, was Mr. Arai's accident really murder?
Or was it just a regular hit-and-run accident that happened to occur at such a sensitive time?
Too many questions, too many possibilities.

It is indeed too early to draw conclusions now.

"Ruri." He put down his teacup and looked at the girl with a face full of guilt. "Did you notice what Mrs. Arai's expression was like when she was taken away?"

Liuli paused for a moment, then recalled, "The expression... I didn't see it clearly. She had her head down, and her hair covered her face."

"But when she walked, her legs seemed a little weak, and the two policewomen had to support her."

Lin Xiu nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

Your legs going weak means you're scared. Being scared is normal; anyone would be scared if the police took them away.

But is that fear due to the fear of being innocently wronged, or the panic of having one's crimes exposed?
That remains to be seen.

"Let's wait for the police investigation results," Lin Xiuyi said finally. "There's no use thinking about it now. The police will find out the truth."

Seeing that Ruri might overthink things if she stayed home alone, Eri suggested that Ruri go to an izakaya (Japanese pub) to clear her head and come back in the evening.

"Anyway, the store needs help. You can go and help out. It's better than being stuck at home all by yourself."

Eri held Ruri's hand, her voice full of concern.

She knew that her best friend was sensitive and prone to self-blame, and if she were left alone, she didn't know what terrible things she would think of to torment herself.

Liuli hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.

She really didn't want to be alone in that empty house, and didn't want to look up and see that eerily quiet mansion across the street.

So, the group took Ruri back to the izakaya.

The atmosphere on the tram was somewhat somber. Everyone tacitly avoided mentioning the Arai family, only chatting idly about trivial matters.

Ruri leaned on Kogoro Mouri's shoulder, her eyes closed, it was hard to tell whether she was asleep or just dozing off.

Returning to the familiar Beika Town, back to that bustling commercial street, seeing the familiar shops and pedestrians coming and going, everyone felt a sense of relief.

It seems that as long as I return here, those dark things will be shut out.

However, before they could fully relax, a police car silently pulled up in front of the izakaya.

The black and white vehicle stood out conspicuously in the afternoon sun. Although the police lights weren't flashing, the prominent "Metropolitan Police Department" sign was enough to draw the attention of passersby. (End of Chapter)