Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"That's right!"

Hattori Heizo picked up the conversation, excitedly saying,

“As long as the forgery is well-made and aged, museum staff cannot distinguish the real from the fake simply by observing it through the barrier without taking it down for a close inspection.”

"After all, they see them every day and are used to it, so they won't specifically question the authenticity of the exhibits."

"But the problem remains: even if it's a fake, it can't just disappear for no reason, can it?"

Yoshida Aoi still looked puzzled.

"Since the thief has already successfully replaced the real item with the fake, why bother making the fake disappear? Wouldn't it be safer to just wait two weeks until it's discovered to be fake?"

“Because that would make the thief more likely to be suspected,” Lin Xiuyi explained. “To make the appearance of the fake look exactly like the real thing, the thief would definitely have to take a lot of photos, measurements, and even observe the details up close beforehand.”

“There aren’t many visitors to this kind of history museum to begin with, and even fewer visitors are willing to linger in front of the same exhibit for a long time and take photos repeatedly. The museum staff will definitely remember that.”

“Once a katana is discovered to be a fake, the police will first investigate tourists who have engaged in such activities, and the thief will be easily exposed.”

"So, in order to avoid the truth that the katana was switched, the culprit deliberately destroyed the fake katana to create the illusion that the real katana was stolen after the museum closed."

Hattori Heizo continued to add,

"In this way, the police will focus their attention on the question of 'who could take the knife within ten minutes after the museum closes,' instead of suspecting that the katana had already been switched before the incident."

"How exactly did the fake disappear?" Kawada Yuko asked anxiously. "It couldn't have just vanished like magic, could it?"

“When the fake is on display, it is shaped like a samurai sword, but once it is taken down, it may not be.”

Hattori Heizo smiled and gestured with his hands.

"If the perpetrator used a highly malleable metal, such as lead, aluminum, or a similar alloy, to forge the blade and sheath of the counterfeit knife."

"Just take the removed fake to a secluded place and knead it into a ball."

"Or it could be broken into small pieces and thrown away as scrap metal. Who would have thought it was once a fake samurai sword?"

"That's right! Many metals have excellent ductility and low melting points, making them easy to shape into samurai swords."

Maeda Yoto suddenly realized,

"Moreover, even if the police see these ordinary scrap metals during a search, they won't specifically suspect them; they'll just treat them as garbage."

"In this way, the fake will completely disappear, and no one will ever suspect that it ever existed!"

"...This seems like it might actually work!"

Commander Konoe slapped his thigh, his face full of excitement.
"Could we really find the lost katana?"

"Of course,"

Hattori Heizo chuckled, folded the note, and stuffed it back into his pocket, reverting to his cheerful demeanor, thus cooling down the late-night mystery-solving session.

"These are all just speculations made by the two of us based on limited information, sitting... no, standing outside the museum."

"It sounds plausible, but is it actually feasible? Do the specific circumstances of the crime scene support this method? What about the feasibility of using counterfeit materials, etc..."

"To find out the truth, we should try to interview and verify with the staff who participated in the investigation back then, or the museum staff."

"Perhaps all of this is just wishful thinking!"

The tense nerves of the group relaxed slightly at this self-deprecating remark, and a sense of helpless ease filled the air. Indeed, this group of people had neither police authority nor official background; they had gathered here solely out of their love and dedication to deduction, attempting to solve a mystery that even the police found difficult.

The laughter subsided, the night deepened, and a chill crept into their clothes.

Hattori Heizo, one of the organizers of this small gathering, was the first to break free from his contemplation of the case.

He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back to reality.

"Alright, let's put the case discussion aside for now and go to the hotel we booked to settle down. Standing here in the cold wind isn't a good solution."

As he spoke, Hattori Heizo turned his gaze to Hayashi Hideaki, who was still deep in thought.

"Lin Jun, what about you guys? What are your plans for the future? Should we find a place to stay together and continue tomorrow?"

"us?"

Lin Xiuyi was taken aback by this sudden question.

He blinked, and it took him a good two or three seconds to pull his thoughts back from the complex maze of the case to the present reality.

Yes, the real reason he rode in Hattori Heizo's car was to get to Osaka as soon as possible to meet up with Eri Kisaki and Yukiko.

Moreover, before setting off, he specifically called Ikenami Shizuka, confidently assuring her that he would definitely arrive before 9 p.m.

Thinking of this, an ominous premonition instantly welled up in my heart.

Lin Xiuyi raised her wrist, her gaze eagerly falling on the hands of her watch.

The slender second hand was moving at a leisurely pace, while the hour hand had already mercilessly passed the number representing ten and was resolutely marching towards the position of "eleven"!

"Oh no!" Lin Xiuyi thought to himself.

Before I knew it, it was almost eleven o'clock!

They lingered outside the museum discussing things for far longer than he had anticipated.

Kogoro Mouri, who was standing next to him, clearly realized the same problem.

His face was contorted with grief, and he let out a desperate wail.
"Shuichi, we're really going to die this time..."

……

At this moment, the living room of Chi Bo's house was brightly lit, yet a strong sense of drowsiness permeated the air.

Eri Kisaki leaned back on the sofa, holding a law book in her hands, but her eyes kept drifting to the wall clock, and her lips were pursed into a straight line.

She put down her book, yawned, and said with a hint of suppressed dissatisfaction, "It's past eleven o'clock. Where did that bastard go? He said he'd be there at nine, but there's not a trace of him now."

Sitting next to her, Yukiko fiddled with her curly hair, a worried look on her face: "Could she have been in a car accident on the way? Or maybe she ran into some kind of trouble?"

“Impossible!” Liuli immediately raised her eyebrows in rebuttal.

"I jinxed it,"

Yukiko quickly patted her mouth, looking regretful.
"Even if Shuichi is unlucky, he wouldn't be this unlucky."

"Onii-chan...when are you coming back...?"

Reiko rubbed her sleepy eyes, muttered something softly, then leaned against Ikenami Shizuka's shoulder, her head nodding as she drifted back to sleep. (End of Chapter)