Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Ikenami Goji sighed helplessly; that was all he could do.

He glared fiercely at Mito Shinzo on the hospital bed before turning around and, with Hayashi Hideaki and Hattori Heizo in tow, walked out of the ward in a huff.

As soon as the three of them stepped out of the ward, they saw an unexpected person standing in the corridor outside the ward.

The man was dressed in a well-tailored suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he was leaning on an elegant cane.

It was Shinkawa, the director of the Osaka Museum.

Director Shinkawa clearly saw them too, paused slightly, then resumed his normal pace and continued walking closer with his cane.

The cane tapped on the carpet, making a dull "thump, thump" sound that was particularly clear in the quiet corridor.

“Director Shinkawa,” Takeshi Ikenami recognized the cultural figure and asked with some surprise, “What brings you to the hospital?”

Director Shinkawa smiled and said in a very kind tone, "Shinsan and I have been old friends for many years. Yesterday I heard that such a big thing happened to his family, and that he even fainted and was hospitalized because of excessive grief. I was really worried about him, so I came to see him."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the door of the ward, his eyes filled with worry: "By the way, how is Shinzo now? Has he woken up?"

Upon hearing this, Hattori Heizo immediately stepped forward and took over the conversation, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm: "Director Shinkawa and Mr. Mito have such a good relationship, you must know that he likes to collect antiques, right?"

"We just discovered a collection room full of antiques at the Mito family's house. The collection inside was truly an eye-opener."

Director Shinkawa's smile remained unchanged as he nodded: "Shinsan is indeed an expert in antique collecting."

"He has a discerning eye, and many of his collections are the envy of even our museum."

Lin Xiuyi looked at Director Xin Chuan's nonchalant demeanor, but a thought stirred in his heart.

He stepped forward, his gaze sharp as he looked at Director Shinkawa, his tone slightly probing as he inquired.
"Director, we learned from Mrs. Akutagawa, the housekeeper of the Mito family, that Mr. Mito also has an ancient samurai sword hidden in his collection room."

"I've heard that sword is a prized possession of the Tokugawa family. I wonder if Director Shinkawa has ever seen that samurai sword?"

As soon as Lin Xiuyi finished speaking, the atmosphere in the corridor instantly became subtle.

The smile on Director Shinkawa's face froze slightly, and his grip on his cane tightened unconsciously.

Although the change was fleeting and things quickly returned to normal, it was still noticed by Hayashi Hideichi and Hattori Heizo.

“I’ve seen that samurai sword before, and it is indeed very fine.” Upon hearing this, Director Shinkawa’s smile remained gentle. He nodded, his tone as calm as if he were discussing an ordinary antique, without the slightest hint of anything unusual.

Lin Xiuyi continued the conversation, her face bearing just the right amount of regret.

He frowned slightly, stroked his chin, and said with a regretful tone, "Speaking of which, that sword is indeed a rare treasure. It's just a bit of a pity that such an ancient samurai sword has a corner of its blade chipped off. If it weren't for this flaw, it would surely be even more stunning."

The moment those words were spoken, the air in the corridor seemed to freeze for a moment.

Director Shinkawa's fingers tightened slightly around his cane. Although the smile on his face remained, a fleeting, almost imperceptible panic flashed in his eyes, so quick that it was almost an illusion.

But he quickly composed himself, nodded slightly, and said with a touch of emotion, "You can't say that. If it hadn't been damaged, it probably wouldn't have survived to this day. Antiques always bear the marks of time; whether they're damaged or not, they represent that ancient history." His words were impeccable, filled with reverence and appreciation for the antiquities.

However, Lin Xiuyi and Hattori Heizo, who were standing to the side, exchanged a glance without leaving a trace the moment they heard these words.

A knowing glint flashed in both of their eyes, and their gazes conveyed the words "Just as I thought."

Ikenami Takeshi was completely bewildered by their back-and-forth conversation.

He frowned, turned to look at Lin Xiuyi and Hattori Heizo, his face full of confusion: "What samurai sword? That's what you were asking about in the hospital room just now?"

He was so flustered by Mito Shinzo's feigned unconsciousness that he didn't hear Hattori Heizo's last words clearly, and now he was completely confused.

“It’s nothing,” Lin Xiuyi shook his head gently, his gaze still fixed on Director Shinkawa’s face, trying to find a flaw in his expression. “Let’s go.”

"Huh?" Kawada Yuko paused, somewhat taken aback. "But I still want to ask Director Shinkawa..."

"Let's go." Yoshida Aoi quickly reached out and gently tugged at Kawada Haeko's arm, giving her a wink.

Although she was timid, she could tell that both Lin Xiuyi and Hattori Heizo looked very serious, clearly having discovered something amiss. At this moment, she shouldn't ask any more questions.

Kawada Yuko was pulled along by Yoshida Aoi, so she had to swallow back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

After a brief farewell to Director Shinkawa, the group walked down the corridor toward the elevator.

Director Shinkawa stood there, watching their backs as their smiles faded, his eyes becoming deep and unfathomable.

He leaned on his cane and gently tapped the ground, making a "tap-tap" sound that was particularly clear in the quiet corridor.

As soon as they turned the corner of the corridor, Lin Xiuyi and Hattori Heizo stopped at the same time.

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

"Why aren't you leaving again?"

Kawada Yuko couldn't help but speak up. She had been bothered by not being able to get any information about the katana, and now she was even more confused.
"I was just about to ask Director Shinkawa about his katana, but you were in such a hurry to leave. Why did you suddenly stop now?"

Before she could finish speaking, Yoshida Aoi covered her mouth.

Yoshida Aoi pointed in the direction of Hayashi Shuichi and Hattori Heizo, indicating that Kawada Hako should look carefully.

Following the direction Yoshida Aoi pointed, Kawada Yuko saw that Hayashi Shuichi and Hattori Heizo were carefully leaning against the wall, their bodies slightly forward, their eyes fixed on the movements of Director Shinkawa not far away through the gap at the corner of the corridor.

The two moved very quietly, even their breathing was extremely slow, for fear of disturbing each other.

Ikenami Takeshi also sensed something was wrong. He lowered his voice, leaned close to Hayashi Hideichi, and asked in a low voice, with surprise and doubt, "What exactly is going on? Have you discovered something?"

He knew that neither Lin Xiuyi nor Hattori Heizo were people who spoke without reason; their sudden stop and wary posture must have a reason. (End of Chapter)