Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"The attitude of the curator, Shinkawa, is a bit off."

Hattori Heizo didn't turn around, his eyes still fixed on Director Shinkawa's direction, his voice so low that only a few people around him could hear him.

"We suspect that the samurai sword in the Mito family's collection room is the same Tokugawa family treasure that was lost from the Osaka Museum."

"what?!"

Upon hearing this, Takeshi Ikenami almost cried out in disbelief.

He quickly covered his mouth, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
"How did you know? This is no small matter; you can't just say things like that!"

The case of the stolen samurai sword from the Osaka Museum has been shelved for ten years.

Despite investing significant manpower and resources, the police have yet to find any useful clues.

If the lost katana is indeed hidden in Shinzo Mito's collection room, then this case could become very serious.

"We're just guessing, but it's a very likely guess."

Lin Xiuyi slowly withdrew his gaze, turned to look at Ikenami Tsuyoshi, and explained with a firm tone,

"You've seen the Mito family's collection room. It's filled with all sorts of priceless antiques, calligraphy, paintings, porcelain, and Buddha statues—all precious items, displayed openly for people to admire."

"Only that samurai sword was locked in the innermost safe. Even Mrs. Akutagawa, who had been the housekeeper of the Mito family for more than 20 years, had never seen its true appearance."

Lin Xiuyi's eyes were sharp as knives.

"What does this mean? It means that the samurai sword is either extremely precious, far exceeding all the items in the collection room; or it was obtained illegally and cannot be brought to light."

"Considering the theft at the Osaka Museum, the latter is clearly more likely."

Takeshi Ikenami frowned even more as he carefully recalled Mrs. Akutagawa's words.

Indeed, as Mrs. Akutagawa said, Mito Shinzo treasured that samurai sword, even more than any of his other collections.

She also often heard Mito Shinzo talking to his katana outside the house.

At the time, he thought it was just a quirk of Shinzo Mito, but now that he thinks about it, it really does seem strange.

"Just now, Lin probed Director Shinkawa by asking him if he had seen that samurai sword. Director Shinkawa not only gave a questionable response, but also lied."

Hattori Heizo's expression was solemn.

"Lin deliberately said that a corner of the samurai sword was broken, and Director Shinkawa not only did not refute it, but also went along with the topic and marveled at the beauty of the imperfection of the antique."

"This means he's never even seen that katana!"

“Perhaps it’s just a coincidence?” Shizuka Ikenami couldn’t help but question. “Maybe one of the corners of the katana that Mito Shinsanzo got really broke.”

"He said that he and Mito Shinzo are longtime friends. It's not impossible that Mito Shinzo would show him his treasured samurai sword."

"Besides, why would he lie? What benefit would he gain from lying?"

"To get rid of us as soon as possible and prevent us from asking any more questions," Lin Xiuyi replied thoughtfully. "Yesterday afternoon at the museum, we told Ms. Yamazaki, a staff member, that if a thief wanted to steal a samurai sword and replace it with a fake without anyone noticing, he would need to take comprehensive photos and understand the samurai sword beforehand in order to accurately replicate it and make it indistinguishable from the real thing."

"To do this, no matter what identity the thief uses to enter the museum, they must obtain Director Shinkawa's permission."

"After all, that samurai sword is the museum's prized possession, and it is usually under strict guard. Not just anyone can get close to it."

"Furthermore, the fact that the perpetrator was able to carry out everything so flawlessly indicates that he was very familiar with the Osaka Museum's security system and the location of its collections." "The thief was either an internal staff member of the museum or someone who frequently entered and exited the museum and was very familiar with the staff."

Hattori Heizo picked up the conversation, his tone serious.

"As the museum's director, Director Shinkawa is naturally the one who knows the situation best. If he thinks about it carefully, he'll surely figure out who the thief who stole the samurai sword is."

"So, it's very likely that Shinzo Mito stole that katana from back then?"

Takeshi Ikenami realized what was happening.
"Director Shinkawa, are you either an accomplice, or were you also deceived by Shinzo Mito?"

“The latter is more likely.” Lin Xiuyi nodded. “He interrupted us so hastily and lied about seeing the samurai sword just now, just to prevent us from asking any more questions and to get rid of us as soon as possible so he could deal with the follow-up matters.”

Everyone fell silent, and the atmosphere in the corridor instantly became extremely heavy.

"If it really was Shinzo Mito who stole the samurai sword from the museum, why would Director Shinkawa come to visit him? Shouldn't he have called the police immediately?"

Maeda Yoto frowned.
"Judging from his behavior yesterday, he cherishes that lost katana like a treasure."

"We also want to see what he's up to."

After Lin Xiuyi finished speaking, he crouched down and tiptoed toward the ward, with Hattori Heizo following closely behind.

The two moved quickly but very quietly, trying their best not to make any noise.

Ikenami Tsuyoshi also realized what was happening. He gestured for the people behind him to be quiet, and then followed behind Hayashi Shuichi and Hattori Heizo, carefully sneaking over.

……

The ward was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a faint smell of disinfectant.

Shinzo Mito remained lying in the hospital bed, his eyes closed, appearing to be unconscious.

In fact, alarm bells had already been ringing in his mind.

When Lin Xiuyi and Hattori Heizo mentioned the samurai sword, he knew that he probably couldn't hide it anymore.

That knife was his biggest secret and his biggest weakness.

He pretended to faint in order to buy time and think of a solution.

Mito Shinzo knew that the police would not let the matter rest and would definitely come looking for him again.

Hearing the sound of the ward door being pushed open, Mito Shinzo's eyelids twitched, and he sneered inwardly.

He assumed it was Lin Xiuyi and his group who had come in, so he decided to continue pretending to be unconscious and pretend he knew nothing.

Unless he admits it, the police have no evidence and can't search his collection room.

Unexpectedly, the visitor stopped at the bedside.

Immediately afterwards, a cold voice broke the silence in the ward, instantly startling Mito Shinzo, who broke out in a cold sweat.

The voice, carrying a chilling undertone and a hint of suppressed anger, rang clearly in his ears, word by word:

"The samurai sword that went missing from the museum was stolen by you!"

Shinzo Mito's heart skipped a beat, and he almost lost control of his breathing. (End of Chapter)