Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"The Mito father and son stood and chatted for a while after the festival,"

The officers carefully recalled the scene they had witnessed outside police headquarters the previous night.
"Mito Shinzo then drove away. Mito Hayato stood there for a while, head down, seemingly lost in thought. After about ten minutes, he also hailed a taxi and left."

After hearing the police officer's report, Takeshi Ikenami's expression became even stranger.
"They talked for seven or eight minutes? These two...reconciled a little too quickly? Last night at the hotel entrance, Mito Shinzo almost strangled his son with his own hands. The hatred in his eyes didn't seem fake."

"It's impossible to be calm so quickly after being cheated on by my son."

Lin Xiuyi rubbed his chin, his brows furrowed.
"Mito Shinzo's sudden change of attitude must be suspicious..."

"Let's go and ask the Mito family's butler and servants."

Takeshi Ikenami raised his hand and patted Hideaki Hayashi on the shoulder.

“They’ve lived with the Mito family for so many years and know the father and son’s temperaments best. They might know some secrets that we haven’t found out.”

As they talked, the two walked outside.

As soon as I stepped out of the room, I saw Ikeba Shizuka leaning against the window in the far part of the corridor.

A cool morning breeze blew in through the window, making her look a little better than before, but she was still somewhat pale.

Upon seeing Lin Xiuyi and the other person emerge, the girl immediately hurried over, her eyes filled with concern and inquiry.
"So, did Mito Hayato really commit suicide?"

"It's still uncertain; there are too many suspicious points at the scene."

Lin Xiuyi shook her head, her gaze falling on her still somewhat pale cheeks, and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Are you feeling better? I saw you running out with your mouth covered, and I thought you were going to throw up."

"I feel better now."

Ikenami Shizuka's ears turned slightly red, and she glanced back in the direction of Mito Hayato's bedroom with lingering fear, her voice trembling slightly.
"I never imagined that Mito Hayato's death would be so gruesome... His neck was a bloody mess, it was terrifying to look at. It's the first time I've ever seen such a bloody scene."

"Compared to truly horrific cases, his is just average."

Lin Xiuyi deliberately put on a stern face and said in a serious tone,

“I was involved in investigating a case where the deceased was found in an abandoned warehouse in the suburbs, and it wasn’t reported until more than three months after his death.”

"When the body was found, it was already so decomposed that it was covered in maggots and the facial features were unrecognizable."

"There was also a dismemberment case where the murderer dismembered the victim, packed the pieces into six suitcases, and dumped them at different train stations..."

"Hey!"

Before he could finish speaking, Ikeba Shizuka's face had turned from pale to ashen.

She instinctively covered her mouth with her hand, suppressing the discomfort in her stomach, and angrily raised her foot, giving Lin Xiuyi a light kick to the shin.
"Are you doing this on purpose? You know I can't stand this, yet you deliberately say these things to disgust me!"

Seeing Ikeba Shizuka's sullen expression, Lin Xiuyi couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.

He actually wanted to distract her so that she wouldn't keep thinking about that horrific corpse and feel upset.

"cough!"

Ikenami Takeshi, unable to bear it any longer, coughed heavily and gave a stern look. His gaze swept over his usually composed but now somewhat childish niece, and Lin Xiuyi, who was making an inappropriate joke at the crime scene. "Mind your manners! This is a crime scene, not a place for you to fool around! It's time to get down to business. Go see the Mito family's servants!"

“Yes…” Ikeba Shizuka immediately shrank back like a student caught by a teacher.

Lin Xiuyi blushed, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

He quickly composed himself and followed Takeshi Ikebab into the room next door.

Ikeba Shizuka hesitated at the door for a moment, then cautiously peeked into the room.

Seeing that there were only a few people sitting on the sofa inside, and no bloody scene, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed them inside.

The Mito family's large villa estate naturally requires a considerable amount of manpower for daily maintenance.

There were six or seven people inside and out, including cooks, cleaning maids, gardeners, drivers, and personal attendants.

However, only three people are involved in the case: Mrs. Akutagawa, the villa's housekeeper; the driver; and the gardener.

When Lin Xiuyi and Ikenami Gangji walked in, Mrs. Akutagawa and the other two were sitting on the sofa, their expressions not very good.

The scene of breaking down the door in the morning and seeing Mito Hayato's body was a huge shock to them.

Especially Lady Akutagawa, whose eyes were red, clearly had been crying.

The housekeeper of the Mito family looked to be in her fifties, with her hair neatly combed and wearing a well-fitting dark suit.

Although time has left its mark on her face, judging from her delicate facial features, she must have been a rare beauty in her youth.

She served as the housekeeper of the Mito family for over twenty years. She was efficient and capable, and had a high reputation among the servants.

"Mrs. Akutagawa, I apologize for disturbing you," said Takeshi Ikenami politely. "We have some questions we would like to ask you, and we hope you can answer them truthfully."

Lady Akutagawa slowly raised her head, her gaze landing somewhat sluggishly on Takeshi Ikenami, then sweeping over Hayashi Shuichi and Ikenami Shizuka behind him, before finally nodding, her voice tinged with a weary hoarseness.

"Officer, I will answer truthfully as long as I know the answer. Young Master Falcon died such a tragic death, and we hope to find out the truth as soon as possible."

"That's good." Takeshi Ikenami pulled up a chair and sat down, getting straight to the point. "Please describe in detail the entire process of discovering Mito Hayato's body this morning. The more detailed the better, don't omit any details."

Upon hearing this, Lady Akutagawa immediately frowned, and a hint of impatience appeared on her face.

She pursed her lips, her tone tinged with helplessness: "Officer, your people have asked this question several times already. The three of us have already explained it very clearly."

Ikenami Takeshi wasn't displeased by her attitude; instead, he softened his tone and looked at her sincerely.
“Madam, please understand our work. We understand that you have served the Mito family for over twenty years, making you the most senior employee here, and you can even be considered part of the family.”

"Mito Hayato, come to think of it, he's the child you watched grow up from childhood, right?"

“His death is shrouded in mystery. We have made numerous inquiries not because we distrust you, but because we hope to uncover more overlooked details from your account.”

"This way we can find the real culprit sooner and bring justice to Mito Hayato. I hope you understand." (End of Chapter)