Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Eri Kisaki took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her anger and regaining her usual composure, though her voice was still somewhat strained.
“Let’s go see Ms. Ikenami first. It’s already rude enough that so many of us have arrived so suddenly; we can’t afford to be late all at once. Besides…”

She paused, her tone tinged with humiliation and helplessness.

"I also have to explain to Miss Chibo why that bastard didn't show up on time."

The thought of having to explain to another pretty girl who might have designs on him made Eri Kisaki feel even more suffocated.

……

At the same time, inside Kyoto Station.

Lin Xiuyi stood in front of the ticket window, having just experienced a rapid transformation from a hero to a "stranded student".

"Are you sure there aren't any standing tickets available for any trains to Osaka today?"

Undeterred, Lin Xiuyi asked the ticket seller, whose face was already showing signs of impatience, again, her tone carrying a last glimmer of hope.

"Yes, sir, I've checked it several times already."

The staff member didn't even look up, repeating the same thing in a formulaic tone.

"All Shinkansen and local trains heading to Osaka today are fully booked, including unreserved seats. There are no tickets left."

"Do you need to buy tickets for other places? If not, please make way for other passengers in line..."

Lin Xiu turned around and saw that the line for buying tickets behind her was already very long, with many people staring at them with anxious and dissatisfied eyes.

"Sorry for disturbing you……"

He quickly apologized, reluctantly moved aside from the window, and retreated to a less crowded corner.

"How's it going? How's it going? Did you get the tickets?" Kogoro Mouri asked eagerly.

He was eager to get to Osaka to meet up with his girlfriend, explain things properly, and maybe they could get him some leniency.

Lin Xiu glanced at her friend, cleared her throat, and used a classic opening line.

"The current situation is that you have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

“Of course it’s good news!” Kogoro Mouri replied without hesitation. “What’s the good news? Can we leave for Osaka right away?”

"The good news is that we don't have to worry about being scolded by Eri and the others today," Lin Xiuyi replied seriously, suppressing a laugh.

"Great!"

Kogoro Mouri cheered excitedly and raised his hand to clap in celebration, but as soon as he raised his hand, he realized something was wrong and looked at his friend with a puzzled expression.

"Wait, how do you know they won't blame us today?"

Lin Xiuyi shrugged: "Because another piece of bad news is that all train tickets from Kyoto to Osaka are sold out today, whether it's the Shinkansen or the local trains, even standing tickets are gone."

"We can't go to Osaka today and won't see them, so naturally we don't need to worry about them blaming us."

"What?!" Kogoro Mouri's cheers abruptly stopped. He stared wide-eyed at Shuichi Hayashi in disbelief.

"What did you say? No tickets left? How can there be no tickets? It's not a holiday today, how can there be no tickets so early?"

As he spoke, he tried to pull Lin Xiuyi to the ticket window to ask again, clearly unwilling to believe the truth.

Lin Xiuyi grabbed him and said helplessly, "I've asked the ticket seller three times already. He said that Osaka is going to hold a big celebration for the 400th anniversary of the city's founding, and many people are rushing to watch it from all over the country. The tickets have already been sold out. Even if we ask again now, we will still get the same result."

Kogoro Mouri seemed to have all his strength drained away, slumping into a chair in the rest area, clutching his head and groaning in pain.
"Oh no, Ruri's definitely going to be angry. She hates it when people don't keep their promises. And Eri and the others are probably waiting for us too. What should we do now?"

Lin Xiuyi sat on the chair and looked up at the clock on the station wall. It was already past two in the afternoon. If they couldn't get to Osaka today, they would not only have to face the girls' anger, but also have to find a place to stay in Kyoto.

More importantly, Shizuka Ikenami is still waiting for them in Osaka, and it would be extremely impolite to leave them waiting in vain.

"Don't worry, let's think of another way."

Lin Xiuyi patted Mouri Kogoro on the shoulder, "There will always be a way to get to Osaka. If all else fails, we can see if we can get a ride, or ask a travel agency if they have any tour buses to Osaka."

The two stood up and began asking around for ways to get to Osaka.

However, as the impatient ticket seller said, the grand celebration of Osaka's 400th anniversary not only drained all railway transport capacity but also filled up other modes of transportation to Osaka.

"It's over, it's really all over..."

Kogoro Mouri, his face contorted in despair, slumped on the edge of a flowerbed in the station square, his hands clutching his hair in despair.
"Although we can buy tickets to go tomorrow, Liuli will definitely be even angrier if we waste this night!"

"Alright, stop howling here. Even if the sky falls, we still need to find a place to get through tonight."

Lin Xiuyi helped her friend up.
"Let's go, let's find a place to stay first. You don't want to be worried about whether Ruri will be too angry to sleep while you're out in the cold wind and counting stars in the streets of Kyoto, do you?"

Kogoro Mori thought about it and realized that sleeping on the streets would not only not solve the problem, but would also make things worse.

As a tourist city, Kyoto offers a wide range of accommodation options.

Lin Xiuyi and Mouri Kogoro hadn't gone far when they found a hot spring inn with a distinctly Japanese feel and warm-colored lanterns hanging at the entrance on a relatively quiet street.

The wooden porch and the meticulously manicured garden plants exude a tranquil atmosphere.

"This place will do, it looks pretty clean." Lin Xiu didn't care about being picky or the cost-effectiveness anymore; a place where she could take a hot bath and get a good night's sleep was paradise.

Upon entering the hotel, the receptionist was a middle-aged woman dressed in an elegant kimono, with a gentle demeanor.

Check-in went smoothly. After receiving the key, I found my room on the second floor and opened the traditional Japanese sliding door. The pleasant fragrance of tatami mats wafted out.

The room was small but clean and comfortable, and the view of the courtyard outside the window was faintly visible.

Looking out the window at the scenery, Kogoro Mouri stretched vigorously, as if trying to shake off all his troubles, and his usual carefree smile returned to his face.

"Forget it, there's no point in thinking about it so much. Let Liuli be angry for now, we'll coax her properly tomorrow! As for now..."

He rubbed his hands together and made a suggestion with great enthusiasm.
"Come on, Shuichi! Let's go soak in a hot spring! I heard that most of the hot springs in Kyoto inns are natural sulfur springs, which are especially good for the body! A soak will wash away bad luck and relieve fatigue!" (End of Chapter)