Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"……That's it?"

Liuli buried her face in her boyfriend's chest, her shoulders trembling slightly, her voice muffled and filled with disbelief.
"I don't believe it... You must be trying to comfort me. If it were really that simple, why did you and Shuichi have such long faces just now, like the sky was about to fall?"

"You must have encountered something really big, but you didn't want me to worry, so you deliberately didn't tell me, right, Kogoro?"

As she spoke, she gently tiptoed and lightly touched Kogoro Mouri's lips with a fleeting kiss, like a dragonfly skimming the water.

An aura, a mixture of a young girl's sweet fragrance and faint tears, instantly enveloped Kogoro Mouri.

This sudden kiss, like an electric current, instantly shattered all his psychological defenses and rational thinking.

"You've always been like this since you were little, always thinking of others, always bearing everything on your own, afraid of causing trouble for others... I know all of this, Kogoro..."

Ruri pressed her advantage, her voice growing even gentler, filled with boundless affection and understanding, each word striking a chord deep within Kogoro Mouri's heart.

Kogoro Mouri, still a virgin and naive about love between men and women, had never experienced such a gentle and loving advance.

Under Liuli's series of combined and gentle attacks, he was completely defeated and routed.

All that remained in his mind were the thoughts of "I can't let Ruri worry anymore" and "I have to tell her the truth."

“I’m telling the truth! We really did just go to the Osaka Museum and discuss the case!”

Kogoro Mouri hugged his girlfriend tightly, eager to prove his "innocence," and spilled the whole truth.

"As for why we had such a serious face just now, it's because... it's because we arrived here too late and were worried about being scolded by you, so... so Shuichi suggested that we pretend to be very serious, as if something terrible had happened, to intimidate you and prevent you from asking any questions immediately..."

He said, "Wait until tomorrow, when you've calmed down a bit, then you can explain..."

He laid out his entire plan in one breath, and by the end, his tone even carried a hint of seeking praise, as if to say, "See how honest I am? I told you everything."

However, before Kogoro Mouri could finish speaking, he suddenly felt his clothes tighten in front of his chest!
Looking down, he saw that the chest area of ​​his T-shirt was being tightly gripped by Liuli's hand, and the fabric was being stretched out of shape.

Even if Kogoro Mouri is slow-witted and blinded by love, he finally realized what was happening at this point.

"Liuli...you...?" He stared in astonishment at his girlfriend who had suddenly raised her head in his arms.

At this moment, Liuli no longer bore any resemblance to the pitiful, weak, and helpless figure she had just been!
Her face was still wet with tears, but her beautiful eyes were now devoid of tears, replaced by a cold laugh that said, "Just as I expected."

"Kogoro, how dare you lie to me! What did you promise me? Have you forgotten so quickly!"

Kogoro Mouri was instantly stunned. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that he had no idea what to say.

He then realized that he had been fooled by Liuli's "acting" and had actually told the whole truth!
"Ruri, I...I didn't mean to, it was all Shuichi's fault, he made me do it!"

Kogoro Mouri quickly shifted the blame, attempting to salvage the situation.
"I didn't want to lie to you, but Xiuyi said you'd be angry if I told the truth, and I didn't want to see you unhappy, so I was persuaded by Xiuyi!" "Hmph, you dare to shirk responsibility!"

Ruri reached out and pinched Kogoro Mouri's arm, making him wince in pain.
"Even if Shuichi made you do it, you can't lie to me! Do you know how worried I was about you? I waited from 9 pm to past 11 pm, and I didn't even eat properly, and you still lied to me!"

"I was wrong, Ruri, I'll never do it again!" Kogoro Mouri quickly begged for forgiveness. "I'll treat you to the best takoyaki in Osaka tomorrow, and then I'll take you to ride the Ferris wheel, okay? Please forgive me this once."

……

In the restaurant, Lin Xiuyi had already guessed most of it: Kogoro Mouri was called out by Ruri to get information out of him and to find out the truth about the so-called "things" that happened tonight.

But with the spirit of "never admitting fault until the knife is at your throat" and a little bit of wishful thinking deep down.

What if Kogoro Mouri suddenly realizes his mistake and resists the honey trap?
Lin Xiuyi forcibly suppressed the panic in his heart, maintained the serious expression of "being preoccupied", and continued to talk with Ikenami Shizuka and Yukiko, Tomizawa Chikage and others beside him.

Just then, the light at the restaurant entrance dimmed, and Ruri and Kogoro Mouri returned.

However, the atmosphere between the two was completely different from when they left.

Liuli walked ahead, her beautiful face full of anger.

Kogoro Mouri, who was following behind her, was a completely different person.

He hung his head, his face full of caution and guilt.

When she met Lin Xiuyi's gaze, she was as if she had been burned, and quickly lowered her head, her eyes darting around, not daring to meet her friend's eyes at all.

His expression practically screamed "I confessed everything!"

Damn! This kid! Not only did he succumb to the honey trap and confess everything, but judging from his posture, he's definitely going to pin all the blame on me without hesitation!
Lin Xiuyi sighed heavily in his heart, a sense of helplessness of "just as I thought" and frustration of "being betrayed by my teammates" welling up in his heart.

But this feeling wasn't unfamiliar; it was even somewhat...familiar?
After all, the two brothers, who grew up together, had honed their skills to perfection through countless lessons from their elders in how to shift blame and cleverly pass the buck after getting into trouble.

What was unexpected was that Kogoro Mouri's "betrayal" was so swift and thorough in this "civil war."

In a flash, Lin Xiuyi's mind raced.

Seeing Ruri's furious expression, as if she was about to explode, Eri, standing beside her, put down her teacup, a cold smile playing on her lips, a smile that seemed to say, "Finally, this moment has come." She was clearly preparing to cooperate with Ruri, to expose the truth on the spot, and then hold a "criticism session" against him and Kogoro Mouri.

We can't sit still and wait for death!

Just as Ruri took a deep breath, seemingly about to unleash a furious rebuke, Eri's icy gaze locked onto him, poised to deliver a fatal blow.

Lin Xiuyi suddenly stood up from his chair! (End of Chapter)