Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Tomizawa Chikage and Orikasa Midori, who were sitting there trying to stay awake, were also looking sleepy.

Looking at the girls' exhausted appearance, especially Reiko who was fast asleep with her head on her shoulder, Ikeba Shizuka couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.

She gently adjusted her posture to make Reiko more comfortable, and then spoke softly, making a suggestion.
"Why don't you go back to your rooms and rest first? I can wait here by myself. I'll let you know as soon as Lin Jun arrives..."

"No."

Eri Kisaki was the first to sit up straight. She rubbed her throbbing temples, and although her tone betrayed her exhaustion, it was unusually firm.
"Let's wait together. I won't be able to sleep until I see that guy appear in front of me unharmed."

“Exactly!” Yukiko immediately agreed.

She slammed her hand on the coffee table, startling Tomizawa Chikage so much that she nearly slipped off the sofa.

Yukiko quickly smiled apologetically at her, then clenched her fist, trying to dispel her heavy sleepiness and inner worry with anger.

"When Shuichi arrives, I'm going to teach him a lesson!"

Ikeba Shizuka shook her head helplessly and got up to go to the kitchen, instructing the chef to prepare some more hot drinks and snacks, so that everyone could at least keep warm and get through the rest of the waiting time.

Afterwards, as soon as she returned to the living room, she saw the maid hurrying in.
"Miss, there are two young guests outside who want to see you. They say they are Mr. Hayashi Hideichi and Mr. Mori Kogoro."

"coming!"

Eri Kisaki instantly sprang up from the sofa, her drowsiness vanishing, and rushed towards the door with Yukiko.

Chikage Tomizawa and Midori Orikasa also perked up, with the latter quickly reaching out to nudge Reiko, who was still fast asleep.
"Reiko, wake up, the senior has arrived."

"Hmm..." Reiko opened her eyes groggily.

Upon learning that Lin Xiuyi had arrived, the little girl instantly snapped to attention, jumped up, grabbed Orisaki Midori's hand, and ran toward the door.

Ikeba Shizuka smiled and shook her head, then slowly followed.

The group arrived at the main gate, and a maid stepped forward to open the heavy wooden door. The light from the streetlights outside poured in, illuminating the two figures standing at the doorway, namely Hayashi Shuichi and Mori Kogoro.

However, the appearance of the two made everyone's hearts sink.

Lin Xiuyi's face was devoid of any smile; his brows were tightly furrowed, and his eyes held a hint of weariness and gravity.

Standing next to him, Kogoro Mouri was even more exaggerated, with his hands in his pockets, his head slightly lowered, his lips pressed into a straight line, and even his usually somewhat frivolous eyes had become serious.

The two girls' expressions of being on high alert made them swallow back the words they were about to say, and even Tomizawa Chikage put away her teasing smile.

"Onii-chan!"

Reiko didn't care about seriousness at all. She broke free from Orisaka Midori's hand and rushed over, hugging Hayashi Hideichi's waist and burying her face in his shirt.

"Why are you so late? I was so worried I fell asleep waiting for you."

Lin Xiuyi's tense body instantly relaxed. He gently patted his sister's head, his tone full of apology.

"I'm sorry, something happened on the way, I'm sorry to have worried you."

His palms were cool with the night air, making Reiko shiver involuntarily.

Lin Xiuyi quickly took off her coat and wrapped it around her younger sister.

"Kogoro!"

Ruri quickly walked over, her gaze carefully scrutinizing Kogoro Mori from head to toe, not even missing his fingers. Only after confirming he showed no signs of injury did she breathe a sigh of relief.
"Are you alright? Did you encounter any danger? You look so pale." "I'm sorry, Liuli, I made you worry."

Kogoro Mouri maintained a stern expression, though his voice carried a barely perceptible hint of panic.

He gently patted Liuli's hand: "It's nothing serious, just a little tired."

"It's good that you arrived safely."

Liuli gently took his arm, her eyes full of concern, and asked no more questions.

"Lin-kun, it's been a long time." Chi Bo Jinghua stepped forward. "You must be tired from your journey. Please come in."

"Miss Chibo, I'm sorry we're late." Lin Xiuyi bowed slightly. "Something came up on the way, which delayed us and made everyone wait so long. I'm really sorry."

When he said "something happened," he deliberately paused and sighed softly.

He looked as if he had encountered an insurmountable problem, which was causing him great distress.

Eri and Yukiko exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

They initially thought Lin Xiuyi was late because he was engrossed in investigating the case and forgot the time, but judging from his expression, things seemed to be more complicated than they appeared.

Yukiko opened her mouth, wanting to ask what had happened, but seeing Lin Xiuyi's solemn expression, she swallowed her words.

If something bad really happened, wouldn't asking him now only make things more difficult for him?

"Hey, what happened?"

Tomizawa Chikage didn't have so many concerns. She crossed her arms, leaned against the doorframe, and raised an eyebrow, asking...
"We waited from 9 pm to past 11 pm, a full two and a half hours. You have to give us an explanation!"

"It's nothing, I just encountered a theft."

Lin Xiuyi frowned and shook her head, her tone tinged with impatience, as if she didn't want to bring up the matter again.
"I don't want to talk about this right now. I'm a bit confused. Can we talk about it tomorrow?"

He emphasized the words "feeling a bit confused" and even pretended to rub his temples, looking completely exhausted.

Seeing his expression, Midori Orikasa quickly tugged at Chie Tomizawa's sleeve, signaling her to stop asking questions.

"Coming here so late, Lin-kun and Mori-kun probably haven't had dinner yet, right?"

Ikeba Shizuka aptly smoothed things over, smiling as she stepped aside to let the two in.
"I've kept the food warm in the kitchen. It's all Osaka specialties. Please come in and have a taste, to fill your stomach."

Under the warm welcome of Shizuka Ikenami, Hideichi Hayashi and Kogoro Mori followed the group into the Ikenami family mansion.

Although they already knew that Shizuka Ikenami was a famous young lady from a prominent family in Osaka, seeing this castle-like mansion still made Hideichi Hayashi and Kogoro Mori secretly gasp in amazement.

Several girls followed behind, whispering about what had happened to the two.

"Do you think the theft they encountered was serious?"

Ruri held Eri's hand and asked softly,

"Kogoro looks so pale, I'm really worried."

"It must be serious," Midori Orikasa nodded. "Even when you encounter a case, you wouldn't be this serious, senpai." (End of Chapter)