Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"Hey!"

Lin Xiuyi, annoyed, lifted his foot and gently kicked his "good brother" in the hot water, interrupting his daydream.

"Wake up! This is a public area. Be careful not to let your mind wander and get carried away. If you end up standing at attention and saluting, you'll be the one who embarrasses yourself!"

Kogoro Mouri was kicked and nearly choked on his water. He scrambled to his feet, glared at Hideaki Lin with displeasure, then glanced around furtively before pursing his lips.

"What's there to be afraid of! Look, there's not a soul in this men's bath except for the two of us! What's there to worry about!"

Lin Xiuyi shook his head helplessly, pointed to the bamboo-woven wall next to him that served as a partition and wasn't completely soundproof, and said, half-jokingly and half-remindingly,
"Don't you know that walls have ears? The men's and women's baths are separated by just a thin wall. Maybe... right now, some curious girl is peeking at us from over there."

He meant it as a joke, hoping to get Kogoro Mouri to tone it down.

Unexpectedly, these words seemed to ignite a certain nerve of excitement in Kogoro Mouri!

"Really? Are there girls peeping at us from over there?"

Kogoro Mouri's eyes lit up instantly. Instead of backing down, he looked extremely interested, as if he had discovered a new continent.

He slid silently to the bamboo wall like a nimble eel, his movements so agile that they were completely at odds with his previous languid demeanor.

Kogoro Mouri pressed his entire cheek and ear tightly against the slightly damp, cool bamboo strips, holding his breath and concentrating as he tried to eavesdrop on the sounds coming from the other side.

A moment later, he turned around abruptly, his face flushed with the excitement of discovering a treasure, and waved frantically at his friend, while urgently whispering,
"Shuichi! Shuichi! Come quick! There's some noise over there! There are girls soaking in the hot spring! And judging from the sounds, there seems to be more than one!"

"This is a hot spring inn. Isn't it normal for female guests to soak in the hot spring?" Lin Xiuyi remained soaking in the same spot, not even bothering to lift his eyelids.

"No! The key point is... they seem to be discussing... discussing the size of certain areas and skin textures and stuff!"

Kogoro Mouri's smile grew increasingly lewd as he continued to eavesdrop, gesturing with his hand across his chest, clearly making wild connections based on the snippets of conversation he overheard.
"Hmm... this voice says 'You're so white,' and that voice says 'Your shape is even better'... Hehehe..."

Lin Xiu rolled her eyes speechlessly, deciding to ignore this hormone-fueled guy and continue enjoying her rest with her eyes closed.

However, Kogoro Mouri, with his "great" spirit of "sharing happiness" and "good things must be shared with good friends," saw that Hideichi Hayashi was unmoved. He simply reached out and grabbed Hideichi's arm without saying a word, forcefully pulling him up from his comfortable seat and dragging him to the bamboo wall.

"Listen to this!" Kogoro Mori urged in a low voice, "It's really interesting!"

Lin Xiuyi was both annoyed and amused by his persistence, so she could only sigh helplessly and gently press her ear against the bamboo wall, just like him.

Sure enough, through the bamboo strips and the rising steam, the faint chatter and laughter of several young girls across the way could be heard. Although every word was indistinct, the general context and direction of their conversation were still clear.
"Xiao Kui, your skin is amazing!" a cheerful female voice exclaimed with envy. "It's so fair and smooth, do you use some special skincare products?"

"There's nothing special about it, I just apply body lotion every day."

Another gentle voice answered.

"Yuko, your skin tone is great too. It's a healthy tan from exercising, much better than Hattori's dark complexion. I've seen a lot of boys at school secretly looking at you."

“Exactly,” the woman echoed, a hint of teasing in her voice, “That Hattori guy, he’s out in the sun all day, he’s as black as coal, only Yoshiko thinks he’s good-looking.” “I’m not!” a slightly shy voice quickly protested, “Hattori’s just a little dark-skinned, he’s a very reliable person…”

"Oh, so you're already protecting him?" A cheerful female voice laughed. "Kaiji, stop pretending. We all know you like Hattori. By the way, why are you always leaning to the side? Come and soak in the water with us, it's very soothing."

"I...I don't need it, I'm fine here."

The girl named Kayoko declined, but soon a tugging sound and splashing water were heard, indicating that she had been pulled over by her companion.

Immediately afterwards, a cheerful female voice rang out, tinged with surprise.

"Young Master Jia, your back...this is..."

"I'm sorry..." The girl named Kayoko's voice immediately lowered, trembling slightly with embarrassment, "Did I scare you..."

"Um... how did that happen..." another girl asked cautiously.

But Yoshiko did not answer and fell silent.

The other two girls seemed to have sensed something and considerately didn't pursue the topic any further.

After a brief pause, they quickly changed the subject and began discussing other topics that girls often talk about, such as body shape and skincare products.

Just as the eavesdropping continued, the sound of wooden clogs tapping on the ground suddenly came from the entrance of the men's bath.

Lin Xiuyi quickly pulled Kogoro Mouri, who was still listening intently, and the two quickly returned to a corner by the pool, pretending to close their eyes and rest.

The two young men who came in were a slightly chubby man with a round face and glasses, who looked somewhat honest and simple.

The other one was tall and thin, with short hair, and looked very energetic.

The two talked as they took off their yukatas, not immediately noticing that Hayashi Hideichi and Mori Kogoro were already soaking in the corner.

As soon as the slightly chubby young man entered the water, his face showed the same excited and sly expression as Kogoro Mouri just now. His eyes involuntarily glanced at the bamboo wall, and his feet began to move restlessly towards it.

"Hey, you're not trying to eavesdrop, are you?" the tall, thin young man warned helplessly. "If they find out, knowing Yu Zi's temper, you'll definitely get a terrible scolding! I don't want to get scolded along with you."

"Let's be careful, as long as we don't get noticed, right?"

The chubby young man chuckled, unconcerned, and instead lowered his voice to tempt him.

"Besides, aren't you curious about what those girls talk about when they're soaking in the hot spring? Maybe... they're talking about people they like! Like... one of us?"

As he spoke, he walked to the bamboo wall and pressed his ear against it. (End of Chapter)