Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Tomizawa Chikage's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, her heart filled with anxiety.

Many of the victims waiting for help have reached a dead end and simply cannot afford to wait that long.

Before the court pronounces its verdict and the assets are settled, some victims may be forced to commit suicide by jumping off buildings because they have no money for medical treatment or living expenses.

What worries her even more is that even if the Mito family's property is auctioned off, the court may not necessarily use the money to compensate the victims of the fire.

After all, ten years have passed, and much of the evidence may have been lost. It is not an easy task to prove that Shinzo Mito was at fault and should bear the responsibility for compensation.

Thinking about this, Tomizawa Chikage's mood grew even heavier.

In the end, I still had to rely on my old skills...

"Sister Qianying, what's wrong?"

Orikasa Midori noticed her unusual behavior, walked over, and gently patted the girl's shoulder.

"Are you feeling unwell? Or is something on your mind?"

"N-nothing..." Tomizawa Chikage quickly shook her head, "I was probably just bored from being in the collection room for too long. It's nothing serious."

Seeing that she was unwilling to say more, Midori Orikasa did not ask any further questions.

"Let's go outside first. The air will be better. After the case is over, you'll have some time. We can also spend a few days in Osaka and relax."

……

For Hayashi Hideichi and Hattori Heizo, the Mito family case was finally over.

The remaining cleanup work was entirely within the purview of the police, and these external support personnel could finally relieve themselves of their burden.

It was already noon, and the sun was blazing, but the festive atmosphere on the streets had not diminished at all; on the contrary, the crowds had reached a new peak.

The desire to play, which had been suppressed due to the case, was rekindled, and the group agreed to return to the festival site to enjoy this rare moment of leisure.

The group from the Kyoto University Mystery Club walked at the front.

With a beaming smile, Kawada Yuko suggested, "To celebrate the great success of this event, let's go for a drink!"

Everyone else cheered, and even the timid Yoshiko Ono nodded in agreement.

Their main purpose for this trip to Osaka was to find the Tokugawa samurai sword that was stolen from the Osaka Museum.

Now that the knife has been recovered and the event mission has been successfully completed, it is indeed something to celebrate.

A group of young people walked towards the nearest izakaya, laughing and joking.

The situation is different for Lin Xiuyi.

Apart from Shizuka Ikemami, who is an adult, the rest are minors and naturally cannot go drinking with her.

So the two said goodbye at the street corner and then went their separate ways.

As soon as Lin Xiuyi and the others stepped into the main street of the festival, the noisy crowds, cheerful shamisen and taiko drum music, along with the aroma of various delicacies, wafted towards them.

The aroma of grilled octopus, the rich sweet and salty okonomiyaki sauce, the oily fragrance of fried skewers, the refreshing sweetness of shaved ice... all these flavors mingle in the steaming air, creating a vibrant and fragrant picture of a summer festival.

Red lanterns and colorful flags hanging on both sides of the street swayed gently in the breeze, and the vendors' energetic shouts and tourists' laughter blended into a vibrant sea of ​​activity.

"Wow! So much delicious food!" Reiko's eyes lit up. She broke free from Hayashi Hideichi's hand, grabbed Yukiko's hand, and ran towards the food stall.

"Yukiko-neechan, I want to eat that taiyaki! And candied apples too!"

Yukiko, who is also a glutton, was infected by Reiko's happiness and began to pick out snacks with great interest.

On the other side, Kogoro Mouri furtively tugged at Ruri's hand.

While everyone else's attention was drawn to the dazzling array of stalls, the two exchanged a glance and quietly slipped out of the main group to enjoy their own private time.

Eri's gaze was drawn to a jewelry stall.

The stall was filled with all kinds of exquisite Japanese-style hairpins, including simple plain wooden hairpins and gorgeous styles inlaid with imitation coral and pearls.

Eri picked up a deep purple hairpin adorned with silver tassels and examined it closely, seemingly considering whether it suited her temperament.

Seeing this, Ikeba Shizuka smiled and stepped forward to help her choose.

Not far away, Tomizawa Chikage was pulled by Orikasa Midori to a goldfish scooping stall.

"Sister Qianying, come and try it! They say catching a red goldfish brings good luck!"

Midori Orikasa enthusiastically handed her a paper net.

Tomizawa Chikage took the net and squatted by the pool, but her eyes were somewhat unfocused and her movements seemed absent-minded.

The paper net broke apart quickly because of the wrong angle before it even touched the goldfish.

I tried several times, and it was the same every time.

Left with no other choice, Midori Orikasa had to do it herself and quickly scooped up the largest goldfish from the pond.

Lin Xiuyi didn't rush to join the fun; he simply put his hands in his pockets and slowly followed behind the girls.

Just as he walked up to a stall selling masks and stopped to examine the exquisitely crafted fox masks, a gentle voice came from behind him: "Lin, I really didn't expect to meet you here."

Lin Xiuyi turned around and saw a middle-aged woman dressed in an elegant kimono standing behind him. Her hair was neatly styled and she had a faint smile on her face. She was Chima Kazuyo, known as the "Armchair Detective".

She held a round fan in her hand, gently fanning herself. Her demeanor was incongruous with the noisy celebration around her, yet strangely harmonious.

“Detective Senkan, what a coincidence.” Lin Xiuyi smiled, his tone tinged with surprise. “I thought you should be in Kyoto right now.”

He remembered that when they met by chance on the Shinkansen train, Chima Kazuyo had mentioned to him that she had received a commission to go to Kyoto to investigate some things.

Upon hearing this, Chizuru shook her head slightly, the smile on her face fading slightly.
"The matter is still under investigation, and we cannot disclose the details at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience."

Her tone remained gentle, yet carried an undeniable distance, clearly indicating that she did not want to dwell on the topic any further.

Lin Xiuyi naturally understood her meaning. Detectives usually have their own professional ethics and never easily reveal details about unfinished cases.

He didn't press further, but instead smoothly changed the subject: "In that case, did the Thousand Detectives come to the celebration to relax?"

"That's it."

Chima Kazuyo nodded, her gaze following his as he casually swept over the noisy crowd around them.
"After dealing with a lot of complicated cases all day long, I sometimes need a lively atmosphere like this to relax my mind and let my tense nerves unwind."

She paused, as if remembering something, then suddenly changed the subject, asking casually,
"By the way, I just arrived in Osaka this morning and overheard people at the hotel chatting. They said there seemed to be some kind of accident at the fireworks display during the Osaka Festival the night before last? Someone jumped off a building?" (End of Chapter)