Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

The little girl tiptoed in, quickly walked to Lin Xiuyi's "bed," looked at her brother's awkward posture with his hand as a pillow with heartache, and handed him the soft teddy bear she was holding like a treasure, whispering:
"Onii-chan, use this as a pillow! It's so soft!"

Lingzi paused for a moment, then immediately began to complain, her little mouth pouting high.

"Eri-neechan and Yukiko-neechan said they'd punish you, forbidding anyone from giving you anything and forbidding them from pitying you! I'm not going to listen to them!"

"Onii-chan, see? I'm the best, aren't I? I care about you the most!"

Looking at his younger sister's smug little expression and the really soft-looking teddy bear in her arms, Lin Xiuyi felt a warmth in his heart, and a genuine smile, filled with relief and affection, appeared on his face for the first time that night.

He reached out and took the teddy bear, then raised his other hand to gently stroke Reiko's soft cheek.
"Yes, my Reiko is the best."

Seeing this, Kogoro Mouri, who was standing nearby, was filled with envy.

He quickly sat up from his "bed," his face contorted with a fawning smile.
"Lingzi is the best, of course! She's so kind and cute! Um... Lingzi, look... my pillow..."

He stared at Reiko with longing eyes, his hint couldn't have been clearer.

"Oh? Kogoro-nii, you're here too?"

Lingzi seemed to have just noticed that there was a living person next to her, and her little face showed just the right amount of surprise.

She was clutching the fluffy teddy bear tightly in her arms, showing no intention of handing it to Kogoro Mouri.

"I'm sorry, Kogoro-nii-san,"

The little girl blinked, her tone tinged with a hint of regret at being unable to help.

"Although there were other dolls in the bedroom that Sister Chibo arranged for me, I only brought this one out..."

As she spoke, she subconsciously pushed the teddy bear further toward Lin Xiuyi, as if emphasizing the ownership of this unique "resource".

"Then go get another one," Kogoro Mori urged hastily. "I really can't sleep tonight without a pillow."

"This……"

Reiko hesitated when she saw Kogoro Mouri's pitiful appearance.

Just as she was pursing her lips, contemplating whether she should make another trip, risking being discovered by the other older girls, to get a doll for Kogoro Mouri as well,

"Tap...tap..."

Suddenly, a clear and approaching sound of footsteps came from the corridor outside the restaurant.

Upon hearing this, Lingzi immediately became anxious!

Like a startled little rabbit, she hopped around in place while hugging her teddy bear, her face filled with panic.
"Oh no! It must be Eri-neechan or Yukiko-neechan! If they see me here, they'll definitely laugh at me!"

The little girl was so anxious that she paced around in circles, her big eyes looking everywhere for a place to hide.

Seeing his younger sister so anxious she was about to jump up and down, Lin Xiuyi, who had been calmly leaning against the chairs that were close together, calmly scanned the dining room and finally settled on the mahogany dining table next to him, which was covered with a floor-length tablecloth.

The long dining table gleamed with a dark luster under the light, and a heavy, off-white jacquard tablecloth draped down from all sides of the table, almost completely covering the space underneath, creating a natural and secluded hiding place.

Unless you deliberately bend down and lift the tablecloth, you can't see what's under the table at all.

Lin Xiuyi quickly raised her finger and pointed to the dining table.

Reiko, prompted by her brother, didn't hesitate. She quickly lifted a corner of the drooping tablecloth, grabbed her teddy bear, and nimbly slipped inside. She had barely hidden herself, and the ripples from the tablecloth hadn't even completely subsided, when the restaurant door was carefully pushed open from the outside.

A tall figure flashed in; it was Midori Orikasa.

She was holding a neatly folded, rather thick wool blanket in her arms.

"Little Green?"

Lin Xiuyi was genuinely surprised this time.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at the girl who had returned.

According to his prediction, the first one to secretly return to offer warmth and comfort is more likely to be Eri Kisaki, who has a sharp tongue but a soft heart, or Yukiko, who seems carefree but is actually very affectionate.

Midori Orikasa seemed surprised that Hideichi Hayashi was still awake.

She paused for a moment, a fleeting, almost imperceptible look of embarrassment crossing her face.

The girl avoided Lin Xiuyi's probing gaze and somewhat awkwardly pushed the blanket in her arms forward.
"Senior, Osaka is close to the sea, and it gets windy at night, and it can get a bit chilly inside. You should cover yourself with this blanket before you sleep, so you don't catch a cold."

After saying that, she quickly added, in an attempt to cover up her misunderstanding,
"I didn't mean anything by it! It's just... it's just that you taught me cooking, so you're practically my master! It's only natural for a disciple to care about your health!"

Her voice grew softer as she spoke, and her cheeks seemed to flush slightly, but fortunately the restaurant lights weren't too bright, so it wasn't very noticeable.

Lin Xiuyi found it somewhat amusing to look at her awkward way of trying to find a high-sounding reason when she clearly meant well, but a sense of warmth also rose in her heart.

He understood Midori Orikasa's personality, knew she was sensitive about her appearance, and didn't want her to continue feeling embarrassed, so he readily reached out and took the soft blanket.
"Thank you, Little Green."

"Um……"

Midori Orikasa nodded slightly in response.

"that……"

A pitiful voice, filled with deep grievance, suddenly rang out, shattering the slightly warm atmosphere.

Kogoro Mouri glanced at Midori Orikasa, then at the warm-looking blanket in Shuichi Hayashi's arms, and felt like a poor, forgotten creature.
"Little Green...do you...do you have my blanket?"

He pointed to himself, his face clearly saying, "I'm cold too," and "I need care too."

Upon hearing this, Midori Orikasa seemed to finally notice Kogoro Mouri's presence.

She turned her head, her face showing the same expression of realization and apology as Reiko had just displayed.

"...Oh, I'm sorry, I...I only brought one. How about I go back and get you another one now?"

After saying that, she turned to leave, but unexpectedly, at that moment,
“Da…da…da…”

Footsteps could be heard again in the corridor outside the restaurant!
"not good!"

The composure on Midori Orikasa's face vanished instantly, replaced by the same panic as Reiko's earlier.

"I... I promised Eri-senpai and Yukiko-senpai that I absolutely wouldn't come to deliver anything to you! If they find out I'm disobeying their promise..."

She could almost see Eri Kisaki's cold gaze and Yukiko's mischievous interrogation, which, for someone who valued "loyalty" and face so highly, was practically public torture! (End of Chapter)