Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Immediately afterward, under the surprised, puzzled, and even somewhat bewildered gazes of everyone, Lin Xiu bowed solemnly and formally towards the girls, performing a bow that was nearly ninety degrees.

"terribly sorry!"

His voice was clear and loud, filled with sincerity.
"Tonight, I got so engrossed in investigating that old case at the museum with Hattori and the others that we ran into a lot of time, which is why I'm here so late. I'm sorry to have worried everyone..."

His sudden apology caught Ruri and Eri, who were already prepared to retaliate, off guard.

The anger that Liuli had been building up for so long seemed to have hit a cotton ball.

She froze on the spot, opened her mouth, and for a moment didn't know how to respond.

Liuli subconsciously turned her head to look at her best friend beside her, her eyes filled with questioning and a hint of confusion.

This is different from the script!

Eri Kisaki quickly regained her composure: "Oh? Is 'being late' the only thing you want to apologize for?"

Avoiding the important issues is definitely not a good idea...

Lin Xiuyi straightened up helplessly and continued, following his hastily devised strategy of "confessing and taking the initiative,"

"Of course not. Also... our preoccupation and the way we seemed to be in huge trouble just now were all an act."

He readily admitted to the deception, his tone sincere, with just the right amount of remorse.
“I admit, this was my idea. But I did it because I knew I was late and would definitely upset you, and I didn’t want to see you unhappy…”

His words were half-truths; he admitted to deception but disguised his motives as "being afraid you'd be angry" and "not wanting you to be unhappy," attempting to appeal to the girls' softer side.

"Humph!"

Upon hearing this, Yukiko's earlier hurt and worry about being deceived instantly turned into anger. She stomped her foot hard, her beautiful face filled with indignation.
"You think you can just watch us worry if you don't want to see us angry?!"

"Do you know how anxious we were waiting? How many terrible things we imagined?! We worried you'd get into a car accident, we worried you'd run into bad people! And what did we find out? You were just putting on an act to fool us!"

"Onii-chan, that's too much!"

Reiko puffed out her cheeks, looking like an angry little pufferfish.
"I was waiting for you so long I almost fell asleep, I was so worried and scared, and you still lied to me!"

“Senior…you really did something wrong this time.” Midori Orikasa shook her head, expressing her disagreement.

"He brought this on himself," Tomizawa Chikage said, arms crossed, pursing her lips, and delivered her final conclusion, "He's doomed!"

Seeing that the girls' criticisms were all focused on Lin Xiuyi, Mouri Kogoro, who thought he had redeemed himself, suddenly felt much less pressure and even had a slight illusion that "I am also a victim".

He quickly seized the opportunity to further distance himself from the situation.
"Exactly! I originally agreed to this plan... oh no, I originally disagreed!"

He made a slip of the tongue, and quickly corrected himself.

"It's Shuichi! It's Shuichi who insisted on doing it! I said it wasn't right, lying was wrong, but he insisted that this way we could get away with it..."

"Humph!"

Ruri was already furious, and hearing her boyfriend's irresponsible and irresponsible words only fueled her anger. In a fit of rage, she shoved Kogoro Mouri next to Hideaki Hayashi, forcing him to stand with the "mastermind."
"Don't think that just because you say that you're not in cahoots! You two are birds of a feather! Neither of you can escape!"

Kogoro Mouri stumbled from the push and stood awkwardly next to Shuichi Hayashi, looking at his friend's speechless gaze that seemed to say, "Just as I thought," "You traitor," and "I'll settle this with you when we get back."

He could only manage a dry laugh, trying to ease the awkwardness: "I didn't expect Liuli's acting to be so good, her emotions so on point, I... I accidentally let it slip..."

The next ten minutes or so were a long "mental baptism" for both Hayashi Hideichi and Mouri Kogoro.

The two grown men were forced to stand side-by-side in the center of the restaurant like elementary school students, enduring a barrage of criticism from Eri, Yukiko, and Ruri, with Reiko and Chikage Tomizawa as secondary figures, and Midori Orikasa occasionally adding insult to injury.

The girls chatted amongst themselves, discussing everything from the "egregious nature of deception" to the "selfishness that causes worry to others."
The discussion extends from the "collapse of trust" to the "basic principle of honesty and trustworthiness in being a person"...

The sharpness of his words, the clarity of his logic, and the firmness of his attitude left Lin Xiuyi speechless, while Mouri Kogoro was sweating profusely from the scolding, nodding repeatedly in agreement, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Ikeba Shizuka stood a little distance away, watching all of this with a smile.

She didn't intervene or try to mediate, but only spoke gently after she realized it was getting late and the girls had vented their anger.
"Everyone, it's getting late. I think we should call it a day for tonight. Everyone should go back to your rooms and rest."

"Don't forget, we're going to the Osaka Castle Founding Ceremony tomorrow. It's a really exciting event, and it would be a real shame if we missed it."

"Yeah!" Yukiko subconsciously touched her smooth cheek. "If I sleep too late, my skin will get worse, and I'll easily get pimples! No, no, I can't miss my beauty sleep!"

The other girls, after a night of waiting, worry, anger, and criticism, were also exhausted and sleepy.

Upon hearing what Shizuka Ikenami and Yukiko said, they all nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I'm so sleepy..."

"I have to get up early tomorrow..."

"Let's rest first..."

Seeing that Ikeba Shizuka and the other girls had reached a consensus and were preparing to leave the restaurant and go back to their rooms, but seemed to have no intention of arranging accommodation for the two of them, and didn't even look at them again, Lin Xiuyi secretly felt that something was wrong.

He quickly mustered his courage and, before the crowd had completely dispersed, raised his voice and asked,
"Um... Miss Ikenami, may I ask... where are Kogoro and my room?"

"Your rooms?"

Upon hearing this, Ikeba Shizuka stopped and turned her head in confusion, her face displaying a perfectly appropriate expression, as if she were truly deep in thought.

Then she pointed to the restaurant, her tone flat and indifferent.
Isn't this the place?

"This……"

Lin Xiuyi looked around. The large restaurant only had hardwood chairs and a long dining table; there wasn't even a sofa, let alone a bed.

"This is a restaurant..."

Kogoro Mouri also became anxious: "Miss Ikenami, are there not enough rooms? It's okay! How about... you girls squeeze in together, just make room for me and Shuichi! We're not picky!" (End of Chapter)