Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"Please rest assured," Officer Furukawa solemnly promised, "we will fully respect every volunteer."

Ms. Yamada nodded slightly, but the doubt in her eyes did not completely disappear.

She turned and whispered a few words to her assistant, who then quickly left the lounge to gather the four volunteers who were on duty that morning.

The ten minutes of waiting felt like they were stretched out forever.

Officer Furukawa stood by the window, watching the visitors in the atrium of the exhibition hall.

Hattori Heizo and Hayashi Hideichi exchanged opinions in hushed tones, while Ono Kayoko quietly observed every detail of the room: the photos of volunteer activities on the wall, the green plants in the corner, and the exhibition brochures scattered on the table.

Kawada Haeko, Yoshida Aoi, Maeda Yoto, and Konoe Taishi stood to the side.

About ten minutes later, the four volunteers arrived one after another at the private meeting room next to the rest room.

The first to arrive was Ms. Sato, a retired elementary school teacher with a refined demeanor and thin-rimmed glasses.

Next up was Ms. Nakamura, who looked like a middle-aged office worker, holding an unfinished portable coffee.

Next up was Ms. Suzuki, an art student with a neat ponytail and a look of curiosity and nervousness in her eyes.

Finally, there was Mr. Takahashi, who was a bit older, walked with a steady gait, and wore a silver badge for exhibition volunteers on his chest.

The four sat side by side on the sofa in the center of the reception room, their expressions revealing confusion and a vague unease.

Ms. Yamada stood at the door, looking at them with concern.

Officer Furukawa opened his notebook and began questioning.

In the corner of the room behind him, Lin Xiuyi and Hattori Heizo listened silently.

Officer Furukawa first explained to the four men that the purpose of the questioning was not to suspect them, but to try to reconstruct the situation at the Terracotta Warriors exhibition area that morning through their memories and find any possible clues.

"First, could you all please recall your work this morning?" Officer Furukawa asked calmly. "Did you all start your shifts together?"

According to the four people, they arrived at the Terracotta Warriors exhibition area together when the museum opened at 7:00 a.m.

"So, regarding that notice letter," Officer Furukawa continued, "according to the records, it was discovered around 7:10. Were all four of you near the exhibition area at that time?"

The four nodded in confirmation.

"Did you see the notice together?" Officer Furukawa asked.

“No,” the three women shook their heads almost simultaneously.

Mr. Takahashi explained, "The notice was placed at the foot of the terracotta warrior on the other side. Specifically, it was behind the right side of the general's terracotta warrior, near the edge of the display stand."

“We didn’t see it when we first arrived. It wasn’t until we were about to split up that Ms. Suzuki discovered the notice that was placed in the quarantine area and then called us back.”

"Is that so?" Officer Furukawa looked at Ms. Suzuki.

“Yes,” Ms. Suzuki quickly nodded.

Still a college student with little social experience, she appeared overly nervous when questioned by the police.

"I... I didn't know at first that it was a notice from the Phantom Thief Lady; I just thought it was a piece of scrap paper."

"I was wondering why the staff who cleaned the exhibition hall last night hadn't cleaned it up, so I lifted the barrier and went in to pick it up. That's when I discovered the problem, and I quickly called the others to stop me."

Officer Furukawa took careful notes, then asked, "Do you remember that everyone else was around at the time? What were they doing?" "Yes, they were," Ms. Suzuki nodded, puzzled. "Nobody had gone far. Ms. Sato and Ms. Nakamura were tidying up the volunteer vests, Mr. Takahashi was looking at the exhibit labels, seemingly checking some information, and I was about to get the directional signs... Everyone was within ten meters of each other."

Ms. Nakamura, standing to the side, had already understood what Officer Furukawa meant.

Her face suddenly darkened, and her tone became sharp: "Hey, you're not trying to say that we threw that notice in there, are you? Just because we found it, does that make us suspicious?"

She stood up, the coffee cup sloshing gently on the coffee table.

"Just because the three of us are women, you suspect us of being the Phantom Thief Lady? What kind of logic is that? Is that sexism?"

"What? How could I possibly be the Phantom Thief Lady!"

Ms. Sato also became anxious; she unusually raised her voice, and her eyes behind her glasses widened.
"I'm a teacher, a respectable educator. How could I possibly do something illegal or disorderly!"

"I have been volunteering at the exhibition hall since I retired because I have a genuine love for cultural relics and history, and I hope to pass on this love to more people!"

"I...I'm the Phantom Thief Lady?"

Miss Suzuki then realized what was happening and hurriedly waved her hands in explanation, her face turning bright red.

"Although I really admire Lady Thief's Robin Hood-like style of robbing the rich to help the poor, I am definitely not her!"

"I'm just an ordinary college student, I'm too busy with my studies, how could I possibly do something like that..."

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost a murmur.

Officer Furukawa was having a headache dealing with three agitated women.

"Please calm down, I didn't mean to blame anyone..."

But his explanation seemed to have little effect.

Ms. Nakamura maintained a stern expression, Ms. Sato's chest heaved violently, and Ms. Suzuki's eyes even reddened slightly.

Only Mr. Takahashi remained calm. He cleared his throat.
“Officer, I understand your duty. But I must also say that the four of us have been serving at the exhibition hall for quite some time, even the shortest term, Ms. Suzuki, has been here for half a year.”

"If any of us were truly malicious, and had many opportunities to take action, why would we choose to place the notice during our shift, in full view of everyone? It doesn't make sense."

In the corner of the room, Hattori Heizo, who had been silently observing, nudged Hayashi Hideichi with his elbow and asked in a low voice, "Do you think it was those three women who left the notice? Or Mr. Takahashi?"

Lin Xiuyi's gaze slowly moved over the four volunteers, and after a moment of contemplation, she replied in a low voice, "It's hard to say."

“Indeed,” Hattori Heizo rubbed his temples, looking exasperated. “None of the four of them said anything useful. The timeline is simple, the testimonies are consistent, there are no contradictions, but there is also no conclusive evidence to rule anyone out.”

"Moreover, the placement of the notice was very clever, behind the right side of the Terracotta Warriors, which is a small blind spot for surveillance."

"Although the main camera covers most of the exhibition area, that corner is partially obscured by the shadow of the general's head. The person who placed it clearly had some knowledge of the surveillance layout."

While the two were talking, Officer Furukawa was still trying to calm the three female volunteers.

Ms. Nakamura insisted that her lawyer be present before she would continue answering questions.

Ms. Sato then requested that Ms. Yamada act as a witness.

Miss Suzuki bit her lip, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

The situation briefly spiraled out of control… (End of Chapter)