Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

The whole host of questions that Ikenami Takeshi had prepared were instantly silenced by the sudden crying.

He looked at the man in front of him, who was crying so hard he was almost passing out, and for a moment he was at a loss for what to do.

After all, the person had just lost their son, so it was normal for them to be emotional. He couldn't force them to answer questions at that moment.

Ikenami Goji sighed helplessly and could only keep quiet for the time being, standing aside and watching Mito Shinzo weep bitterly.

Lin Xiuyi and Hattori Heizo, standing beside them, appeared remarkably calm.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of mockery in each other's eyes.

They stood there with their arms crossed, leisurely watching Mito Shinzo's performance, their faces devoid of any sympathy.

As time passed, Shinzo Mito's sobs gradually subsided.

He was probably exhausted from crying, and he stopped pounding on the edge of the bed, but he was still sobbing softly, his shoulders trembling.

She cried for so long, but no one came forward to comfort her.

This made his performance seem somewhat awkward.

Finally, Shinzo Mito stopped crying.

He turned his head, his eyes brimming with tears, and looked at Takeshi Ikenami in front of him. His swollen eyes were filled with regret and self-reproach.

“Officer…it’s all my fault…it’s all my fault for saying those harsh words to him last night…if I hadn’t said those things, he definitely wouldn’t have taken this route…”

As he spoke, he wiped away his tears with his hand, his remorseful expression softening anyone's heart.

“Severe words?” Takeshi Ikenami immediately seized on this key phrase and followed up with, “Mr. Mito, when and where did you say such harsh words to Mito Hayato? And what exactly did you say?”

This is precisely the key information that the police need to know.

If Mito Jun really committed suicide because his father said some harsh words to him, then those words were likely the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Mito Shinzo sobbed for a moment, then tried to calm himself down before slowly saying, "It happened last night, outside the police headquarters."

“He had just come out of the police station. I looked at him and remembered all the bastard things he had done. I was so angry that I told him that from now on, he was no longer my son, Mito Shinzo. I told him to go back and pack his things, leave the Mito family, and never come back.”

He choked up again as he said this: "I was so angry at the time that I said those things... I never imagined that he was so fragile..."

Takeshi Ikenami raised an eyebrow, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes: "Oh? You said these things back then? But our police officer was nearby at the time. According to him, the two of you stood there and talked for a while. Mito Hayato was very calm and didn't show any signs of agitation."

Shinzo Mito seemed to have anticipated the police's question, and he answered with a look of deep regret.
"That child...that child did such a rebellious thing, he should have been mentally prepared for the consequences long ago."

"He looked a little off when he heard what I said, but I was too angry to notice."

"Looking back now, he may have already been prepared to commit suicide back then..."

He became increasingly remorseful as he spoke, eventually covering his face with his hands, his shoulders trembling violently.
"If I had paid more attention and tried to persuade him more, maybe he wouldn't have died... It's all my fault... It's all my fault..."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but burst into tears again, his cries even more heart-wrenching than before. Looking at the man before him, sobbing uncontrollably, Ikenami Takeshi's brows furrowed even more deeply.

He wanted to ask Mito Shinzo where he had gone in the following hours, but seeing his heartbroken state, he couldn't bring himself to press him further.

Just when Ikenami Tsuyoshi was at a loss, Hattori Heizo, who was standing to the side, suddenly nudged Hayashi Shuichi's arm with his elbow.

Lin Xiuyi turned to look at him, only to see Hattori Heizo clear his throat and suddenly speak, directly interrupting Mito Shinzo's crying.

"Mr. Mito, excuse me for interrupting. I've heard you have a collection room with many rare antiques. Could you tell us about the Tokugawa family samurai sword in your collection?"

The Tokugawa family's samurai sword!

Shinzo Mito, who was still sobbing, stopped crying abruptly the moment he heard these words, as if he had been frozen in place.

The sadness and regret on his face vanished instantly.

A fierce glint suddenly flashed in those previously swollen eyes as they glared at Hattori Heizo, his voice hoarse as he demanded, "How did you know..."

He realized something was wrong halfway through his sentence. His reaction had been too extreme; it was practically an admission of guilt.

Shinzo Mito's face turned deathly pale instantly. He looked at the three sharp-eyed men in front of him, his heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong.

Almost instinctively, his eyes rolled back, his body jerked backward, and he fell heavily onto the hospital bed, "fainting" once again.

"Mr. Mito! Mr. Mito!" Upon seeing this, Takeshi Ikenami quickly stepped forward and called out twice.

However, Shinzo Mito, lying on the hospital bed, had his eyes tightly closed, his face pale, and remained motionless, as if he had truly fainted.

Seeing this scene, Ikenami Goji was completely certain that Mito Shinzo's unconsciousness and his previous heartbroken crying were all an act!
His momentary loss of composure when he heard the name of the samurai sword had already given him away.

Despite understanding the situation, Takeshi Ikenami was completely helpless.

You can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep, especially since Shinzo Mito was a prominent figure in Osaka with considerable connections in both the business and political worlds.

The police had no solid evidence, so they couldn't even bring him back to police headquarters without a proper reason, let alone forcibly wake him up for interrogation.

Ikenami Tsuyoshi was extremely frustrated. He couldn't help but turn his head and glare fiercely at Hattori Heizo.

The meaning in his eyes was clear: Why are you bringing up that samurai sword out of the blue?
That's it! They were so scared they pretended to faint, and now they can't even ask them any more questions!

Hattori Heizo, however, appeared completely unfazed; this was exactly the effect he wanted.

Shinzo Mito's reaction was enough to show that the samurai sword in his collection definitely held a secret, perhaps the one that was lost from the Osaka Museum ten years ago.

Lin Xiuyi looked at Mito Shinzo, who was "unconscious" on the hospital bed, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"Minister Ikenami, it seems Mr. Mito is too grief-stricken and has fainted again. In that case, we shouldn't disturb his rest any longer. Let's leave now and talk to him again when he wakes up." (End of Chapter)