An infinite journey starting from paradise

Given the pride and principles displayed by Kisaki Eri, she will inevitably be condemned by her own conscience and morality. This will lead to guilt: guilt towards Hayashi Naoto and guilt towards Mori Kogoro. When the former outweighs the latter, it will be the right time for Hayashi Naoto to start reaping the rewards.

As expected, when Lin Shangren hung up the phone, Kisaki Eri on the other end of the phone felt a sense of loss: she had mustered up great courage to make this call, but the result was nothing but emptiness.

Kisaki Eri has been avoiding contact with Hayashi Naoto.

At first, her escape felt like avoiding a "mistake." Yes, she had made a mistake, cheating on her husband. She'd gotten drunk, turned on her savior, and then irresponsibly fled. Having always been strong-willed, she didn't dare face this, this irreversible mistake.

Gradually, Kisaki Eri discovered that she was not avoiding her mistakes, but rather avoiding "danger", and this "danger" was Hayashi Naoto. While the moral issue of "infidelity" tortured her conscience, the body that Hayashi Naoto brought her that day also began to torture Kisaki Eri, and she found that she seemed to be a little addicted.

That young, strong, and energetic male body, the kisses and caresses that were sometimes gentle and sometimes violent, the thrusts that kept exploring the deepest part of her body where no one had ever reached, the whispers that were full of praise for her beautiful body, the wonder that was difficult to describe in words, the tenderness and fulfillment... These were all things that Kisaki Eri had experienced in the past ten years... no, they were things she had never experienced in her life.

The experience was intoxicating and ecstatic, but even after she left, the details of the experience gradually became clearer in her memory. Late at night, alone in her empty bed, the areas of Kiyori's body where Lin Shangren had kissed and caressed her began to itch and burn like a scab. Fingers and toys couldn't fill her emptiness, soothe her loneliness. She could only drift off to sleep by sniffing the clothes stained with Lin Shangren's scent, and her dreams would replay the enchanting scene of that day over and over again.

Every time she woke up in the morning and took off her soaked underwear, Kiyomi's mind was convinced that she must never see Hayashi Shangren again, otherwise she would definitely fall into it and do more things that violated her principles. But her body would become more eager because it could not be satisfied.

"He really doesn't want to see me..." Kisaki Eri put down the phone. She didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. The only thing she knew for sure was that she would have to endure another lonely night alone. And her "old enemy," prosecutor Kujo Reiko, whom she had defeated so many times in court, would get everything Kisaki Eri's body desired tonight...

……

That evening.

Tokyo, Ryusuitei.

Ryusuitei, a kaiseki restaurant whose name sounds a bit vulgar but is actually very high-class.

The word "Liushui" in the store's name is actually taken from "Liushang Qushui", which is an elegant game often played by ancient Chinese literati and scholars in which wine cups are passed around in a circular motion and drinking games are played.

The signature feature of Liushuiting is similar to Liushang Qushui, which is that delicious dishes are carried on bamboo boats and floated through artificial waterways to the private rooms to be served to the guests.

Elegant bamboo houses, flowing water, the gentle sounds of monks and Japanese music, admiring the exquisite and elegant Japanese gardens, with the gentle breeze caressing your face, and then seeing a small boat slowly approaching with delicious food, accompanied by a beautiful woman offering wine. Just imagining this scene makes me feel so elegant.

However, if you think about it carefully, the principle behind this thing seems to be no different from that of conveyor belt sushi and self-service conveyor belt hot pot.

Looking at the quiet and elegant restaurant in front of him, Lin Shangren thought so.

[Hey, hey, in such an elegant atmosphere, you actually have such thoughts. Aren't you a bit too unromantic and unromantic? ???]

"Some people get angry when they hear 'burning the zither and cooking the crane,' while others get curious about whether crane meat tastes good. I understand why the former get angry, but I'm just as curious as the latter about whether crane meat tastes good."

Lin Shangren walked into the Liushui Pavilion.

Even though he was still wearing his signature black coat, even though he had flaunted his handsome face in front of the entire Japanese people just a few days ago, and even though the police had made him a police representative as famous as a top-tier celebrity thanks to their extensive publicity, the guests and staff at Liushui Pavilion still didn't recognize Lin Shangren.

The reason was simple: his face had changed. From that instantly recognizable handsome face, he had become an ordinary, ordinary face.

This was the effect of the Phantom Thief Mask, one of the two items he obtained after capturing Kidd: once worn, the user could change their appearance at will. Combined with Lin Shangren's changing gloves, he could instantly change his appearance.

It’s a pity that neither of these two pieces of equipment can adjust the body shape and posture, so Lin Shangren can only perfectly disguise himself as an adult male with a similar body shape to himself. At present, he cannot perfectly disguise himself as a woman or a child.

It was not until he reached the door of the private room booked by Kujo Reiko that Lin Shangren wiped his cheek with his hand and restored his appearance.

When I walked into the private room, I saw Kujo Reiko kneeling in front of a low table, looking sideways at the slowly flowing water outside the room.

Meeting in such a splendid Japanese-style place, Hayashi Naoto expected Kujo Reiko to be dressed in a formal kimono or yukata, waiting for him like a traditional Yamato Nadeshiko, a lady from a noble family. Instead, she was still in her work uniform: a light blue suit, a white shirt, a black skirt, and flesh-colored stockings. While this outfit was uniquely charming, it felt a little out of place with the surroundings.

"Besides, isn't she a little too unkempt?"

Lin Shangren put his shoes into the shoe cabinet at the door. Inside was a pair of black short high heels, and a faint smell of sweat could be smelled.

Hearing the voice, Kujo Reiko finally came to her senses and turned around to greet Lin Shangren: "Ah, Mr. Lin, you're here. Sorry, I was a little distracted just now."

"I should be the one to apologize. I came a little late. I made Prosecutor Kujo wait for so long."

Lin Shangren hung his coat on the coat rack and walked to the opposite side of Kujo Reiko. When he got closer, he found that there were faint traces of sweat on Kujo Reiko's body. She seemed to be very hot. The buttons on her chest were unbuttoned very low, and the burgundy lace of her bra was very eye-catching against the contrast of her skin.

"He rushed here?" Lin Shangren thought to himself, "That's probably it. Could it be that he suddenly remembered he had an appointment today and rushed over in the middle of work?"

Thinking of this, Lin Shangren shifted his gaze slightly and asked Kujo Reiko, "Prosecutor Kujo looks tired. Did you have a lot of work today?"

Kujo Reiko sighed and said, "Ah...yes. I was about to take a leave, but several cases were reassigned...ah, sorry, I shouldn't have complained about these things to Mr. Lin."

It can't be helped, because this world's Beika Town is a mysterious place with so many crimes that it puts Gotham City to shame. All sorts of strange murders happen every day, and while there are detectives who can help the police solve the cases, these cases are ultimately reported to the public prosecution office, where prosecutors like Nanajo Reika are responsible for handling them.

The prosecutor's job is much more complex than the detective's: after all, a detective only needs to identify the murderer based on reasoning, while the prosecutor has a lot to consider, such as confirming the validity of evidence, confirming the criminal's guilt according to the law, and bringing charges against the criminal. This is not irony.

Originally, Kujo Reiko had planned to dress up nicely before meeting Lin Shangren, hoping to make a good impression. After all, she had behaved rather poorly during their first meeting—she had become incontinent due to fear and nervousness, and then she had left the police station early out of shame, without being able to thank Lin Shangren.

Kujo Reiko had wanted to use today's opportunity to express her gratitude to Lin Shangren for saving her life. However, she was so busy with two cases that had been sent back for reexamination that she lost track of time. When she came to her senses, she realized she was going to be late, so she hurried here.

"It's okay." After saying that, Lin Shangren knelt down and sat opposite Kujo Reiko. Since he rarely sat upright like this, he acted a little unnatural.

Kujo Reiko noticed this and asked, "Mr. Lin seems to be not used to sitting here?"

"Indeed. I've lived abroad before and rarely sit like this. I rarely eat in places like this either. It's quite novel."

"So this is ah."

In fact, Kujo Reiko herself also found the Ryusui-tei restaurant quite novel. After all, it was her first time there. Her boss, upon hearing that she was going on a "date" with the recently popular handsome inspector, had forced two special Ryusui-tei invitation tickets on her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have asked Lin Shangren to meet here.

The elegant atmosphere here made Kujo Reiko feel a little uneasy. Perhaps it was because she was very different from the traditional Japanese Yamato Nadeshiko.

"These tea sets are quite interesting. How do we use them? Do we pour them out directly, or are there other steps?" Lin Shangren picked up the tea sets on the table curiously.

"Well... I'm not sure..." Kujo Reiko smiled awkwardly. They really shouldn't have met here. She knew nothing about tea ceremony. She was more familiar with instant coffee than tea leaves.

"Well...anything should be fine, since it's for drinking anyway." Lin Shangren poured himself a glass and drank it all in one gulp.

“It doesn’t seem to have any special taste.”

As he spoke, Lin Shangren no longer sat upright, but "slumped" on the tatami mat in a very casual and relaxed manner.

Seeing Lin Shangren acting so casually, Jiujo Reiko no longer held herself up, and her straight back slumped. Only then did she notice that her buttons were not fastened properly.

"Woo!" Kujo Reiko's pretty face blushed and she quickly turned around to button her clothes.

The two of them fell into an awkward silence.

Until a small boat passed through the waterway outside the room.

"This is how the food is delivered. Interesting. So, how do you place an order, and how does the boat determine which room to dock at? Hmm... there should be a mechanical joystick on the bottom of the boat controlling it." Lin Shangren analyzed the principle of delivering food by bamboo boat.

"There's a control panel over here. You can press the buttons on it to order food. I just ordered sashimi and sake," Kujo Reiko continued. For some reason, she felt a strong sense of déjà vu about the current situation... Yes, wasn't this similar to the awkward conversations she'd had with the men her mother had arranged for her to have blind dates?

"Hurry up and change the subject… say thank you? Or start talking about Kidd's case? If I talk about the case, will he think I'm boring, a workaholic who only cares about work? Ah, what am I thinking? Why am I really starting to think like I did on a blind date?"

Reiko Kujo shook her head in frustration. She felt like she had messed up everything.

Lin Shangren obviously had no idea of ​​the chaotic thoughts of the beautiful prosecutor in front of him. He was thinking about how to use this Liushang Qushui delivery method to kill someone.

"This method of delivering food is perfect for poisoning. The food is not protected on board, so no matter what ingredients the upstream people put in, the downstream people have no way of confirming it.

Come to think of it, there was indeed a murder at Liushuiting. But that happened more than 170 episodes into Detective Conan. Nothing's going to go wrong today, right? Oh, our food's here.

A small bamboo boat was docked steadily outside the private room. Lin Shangren stood up and brought a plate of sashimi and a small cup of sake to the small table.

"It's worthy of being Japanese food, there's only this little bit." Lin Shangren thought.

Reiko Kujo also had the same idea.

"Looks like I'll have to have an extra meal when I get home tonight," Kujo Reiko thought. "I really shouldn't have made the appointment here."

"Hey, it's puffer fish?" Lin Shangren picked up a piece of fish meat that was as transparent as water-soaked toilet paper and examined it carefully.

Fugu sashimi is a classic Japanese dish. Although only 0.5 mg of pufferfish toxin is fatal, the Japanese still crave fugu for its delicious flavor. There are even some "fugu sages" who have ventured into eating fugu roe and liver. As for their fate, some survived, while others were fatally wounded.

"Does Mr. Lin have any dietary restrictions?" asked Reiko Kujo.

"Not really." Lin Shangren put the puffer fish meat into his mouth. With his resistance to poison, there would be no problem even if he ate the puffer fish raw.

"It's slightly sweet, nothing special, just so-so overall." Lin Shangren commented in his mind.

"It's delicious." (Good reading)

"Yeah." (awkward)

Just as the atmosphere was about to become awkward again, a shrill scream broke the silence of Liushui Pavilion.

"Help! My husband has been poisoned!!!"

"What the hell?! Have I become a Death God too?"

Without time to think, Lin Shangren rushed out, followed closely by Jiujo Lingxiang. Just as Inspector Lin and Prosecutor Jiujo rushed into the private room, they found that someone had already arrived and started first aid.

A pretty "young woman" was kneeling beside the unconscious man, performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him, while a young man next to her was anxiously making a phone call.

"Brother Takagi? And...brother Asai. You guys..."

"Ah, Inspector Lin, you are here too!" Takagi Shigeru seemed to have seen a savior.

Hayashi Naoto didn't have time to consider why Takagi Wataru and Asai Makoto were there; he set his sights on the unconscious man. Muscle spasms, dilated pupils, and paralysis of the respiratory muscles are typical symptoms of tetrodotoxin poisoning. The correct treatment in this situation is to induce vomiting. If the victim faints, CPR or artificial respiration should be performed quickly to maintain the basic function of the heart and lungs paralyzed by tetrodotoxin. Subsequent treatment can include glucocorticoids, naloxone, scopolamine, and other medications.

However, since Lin Shangren is here, it’s just a matter of a few drops of blood.

"Brother Asai, please move aside. I have a special medicine that can neutralize tetrodotoxin."

"Ah?" Asai's honest professional knowledge told him that the academic community currently has no specific medicine for tetrodotoxin, but the person who spoke was Lin Shangren, who helped him avenge his blood feud, so he consciously made way for Lin Shangren.

"You kid, you're lucky." Lin Shangren thought as he poured the blood in the test tube into the man's mouth.

Soon the poisoned person regained consciousness. He covered his mouth and crawled to the edge of the room, vomiting wildly into the waterway of Liushang Qushui.

Looking at this overly appetizing scene, Lin Shangren turned his head, and then he saw several familiar faces at the door of the room: Mao Li Ran, Suzuki Sonoko and Edogawa Conan.

"In a small room, they actually have doctors, police, prosecutors, detectives, and even the Grim Reaper. If this wasn't an attempted murder, it would be a shame to have such a high staffing level."

Lin Shangren opened the system panel and found that the number of murders prevented had increased by one.

Author's Note: Today's chapter will be just one, introducing Suzuki Sonoko. Next chapter will feature a deeper discussion with Kujo Reiko. As for Ran and Kisaki Eri's mother-daughter donburi, we'll have to wait until the Cat's Eye Café appears before we can continue this storyline.

Chapter 153: The Blood of the Beautiful Prosecutor

"Since this was an attempted homicide, we can rule out the possibility that the restaurant didn't handle the pufferfish properly. So there are two possibilities. One is that someone else in the room, the victim's wife, poisoned him."

Lin Shangren looked at the fat woman with a panicked face. Although she looked very frightened, she did not try to comfort her husband who was vomiting.

"The second possibility is that someone upstream of the canal randomly poisoned the water. Although Japan had random killings involving poisoned cola and tainted milk powder a few years ago, this case is clearly not a random killing."

The room where the crime occurred was just downstream of the private room where Hayashi Naoto and Kujo Reiko were, and the puffer fish sashimi and fish roe sushi on the table were exactly the same dishes carried on the small bamboo boat that Hayashi Naoto saw less than five minutes ago.

"Less than five minutes. Haha, oral administration of tetrodotoxin wouldn't cause convulsions and suspended animation so quickly, even if he swallowed the livers and ovaries of several pufferfish. So it's likely that the poison was injected. The answer is obvious then."

Lin Shangren was about to identify the murderer when he saw the victim's wife approaching him, seemingly to rub his back. However, Lin Shangren saw a tiny poison needle between her fingers.

"That's great! We caught them in the act!"

"stop!"

Lin Shangren raised his hand and threw a coin, hitting the woman's wrist. Unexpectedly, she was quick-witted and threw the poison needle into the ditch.

"What are you doing?!" The woman was about to bite Lin Shangren with her teeth bared, but the next second she saw Lin Shangren's righteous big kick.

I'm too lazy to reason with you, so I'll just teach you physics directly.

After knocking the "harmful" killer unconscious with a kick, Lin Shangren turned to Gao Mushi and ordered, "Brother Gao Mu, call for help. Poisoning, attempted murder, and assaulting police officers, these responsibilities should be handed over to the brothers of the third department. By the way... call for two ambulances."

“Ah… um…”

The incident happened so quickly that most people present didn't react to what was happening. However, Takagi Wataru still played the role of a crime scene expert and contacted Inspector Megure by phone.

Jiujo Reiko walked forward and asked doubtfully, "Mr. Lin, this woman?"

"She is the murderer. She poisoned her husband and just now she wanted to bite me. I guess she wanted to defraud insurance or her husband's inheritance. In short, she wanted to get gold coins." As he said this, Lin Shangren roughly repeated his reasoning process.

"Besides, I saw with my own eyes that she was about to use a poison needle to finish off the victim. Even though she threw the needle away, there should be some tetrodotoxin residue on her finger, and she should have something on her body to store the needle. At the very least, the police could fish it out in the canal."

"Another instantaneous deduction?!"

The most shocked person at the scene was the Elementary School Student of Death himself. While being surprised at Lin Shangren's powerful reasoning and observation abilities, Conan was even more surprised that the murderer dared to commit another crime in public.

"The husband retched in pain, and his wife came forward to comfort him. The whole process was reasonable and logical. But such a scene was filled with such deep malice."

Conan didn't know yet that everything he witnessed today would allow him to save a great man someday. At this moment, he only knew one thing clearly: he couldn't continue to eat the kaiseki cuisine today.

"I finally managed to get Xiaolan and the others to take me with them, but now I'm faced with something like this again."

On the one hand, Conan felt sorry for the delicious food that he had not even touched a few times, and on the other hand, he felt sorry for not being able to hear Xiaolan and Sonoko's current attitude towards him, or towards Kudo Shinichi.

Sonoko invited Xiaolan to have a big meal here to comfort Xiaolan and her own wounded heart, and at the same time to criticize the bastard Kudo Shinichi/Kaito Kid from a distance.

Yes, since Kuroba Kaito is currently under strict control and no one is allowed to visit him, and it is not convenient for Conan to talk to Xiaolan as Kudo Shinichi, and coupled with the media's exaggeration, Suzuki Sonoko even began to believe that Kudo Shinichi is the fake news of Kaito Kid.

Originally a fervent fan of Kaito Kid, Sonoko instantly turned against him and began to slam him back, apparently becoming the biggest hater:

What Sonoko couldn't accept the most wasn't the fact that Kid's victim was that egomaniacal, narcissistic Kudo Shinichi. It was the fact that he was living a dual identity, flirting with his childhood sweetheart, Ran, while also flirting with Koeda. If it weren't for the situation, she'd have used her family's power to send her, Ran, and the other girls tricked by that scumbag Kid to prison, and then tear that beast's face apart with her own hands.

Compared to Sonoko, Xiaolan was much more rational. She didn't believe the exaggerated reports on TV. After all, she and Kudo Shinichi were childhood sweethearts, and she knew very well whether that guy had time to live a double life.

Compared to Kid's problem, Xiaolan is more worried about why Shinichi didn't answer her calls, why he didn't show up in person to clarify such a big thing, and the strange attitudes of Uncle Yusaku and Aunt Yukiko. Could it be that Shinichi got into some tricky trouble and was unable to show up?