Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"Hey," Lin Xiuyi nudged Tomizawa Chikage with his elbow, looking puzzled, "I was escorting the Terracotta Warriors last night and was busy all night, so it's normal to be tired. You should be sleeping in the guest room, right? How come you're so tired too?"

Chikage Tomizawa rubbed her eyes and rolled them: "How could I possibly sleep? Eri and the others didn't notice, but I saw you sneak out last night."

"Knowing you're doing something dangerous, how could I possibly sleep? Of course, I'll stay awake and wait for you to come back. Every half hour, I'll look out the window and listen for any sounds..."

"I only breathed a sigh of relief when you came back at dawn. But I couldn't sleep then, so I just got up."

Lin Xiuyi was deeply moved. He was about to say something when Yukiko suddenly said sourly from beside him:
"Hmph, didn't you say this morning that you went to bed early last night? Turns out it was a lie!"

"Sister Chikage knew that Onii-chan went out, but why didn't you tell us?"

Lingzi also joined in questioning him, her little face full of dissatisfaction.

Tomizawa Chikage chuckled dryly, realizing she had let something slip.
"I was just... I was afraid you'd worry. Besides, Shuichi said everything would be alright, and I believe him..."

As she spoke, she quietly backed away, preparing to slip away.

But Liuli seemed to have moved her feet unintentionally, blocking her retreat.

Then Yukiko seized the opportunity and deliberately tickled Tomizawa Chikage: "You knew but didn't tell us... You made us worry for nothing... You deserve to be punished!"

Yukiko's hand was quick, and Chikage Tomizawa was caught off guard and immediately fell victim to her attack.

She was extremely ticklish, and when tickled, she laughed and twisted her body: "Hahaha...stop...stop tickling...I'm sorry, I'm sorry, okay..."

Reiko found it amusing and joined in the "punishment."

Two girls surrounded Tomizawa Chikage, one scratching her left side and the other scratching her right side.

Tomizawa Chikage laughed until tears streamed down her face, and she begged for mercy repeatedly.

Only Eri Kisaki snorted disdainfully, glancing at the girls playing around out of the corner of her eye, with a haughty look that said she "didn't want to mess around with kids."

But the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, clearly also infected by this relaxed scene.

The girls were playfully fighting, their laughter and pleas for mercy echoing throughout, temporarily forgetting the tension of the competition.

However, the two people still competing in the arena dared not be distracted in the slightest.

The fifth game has begun; this is the final game to determine the winner.

Both Ikenami Shizuka and Hattori Heizo understood this.

They were completely absorbed, focusing all their attention on each other, blocking out everything around them—the girls' laughter, the cicadas' chirping, even the temperature of the sunlight.

Their world was reduced to a three-meter square area and their opponent wielding a sword.

Sweat dripped from their foreheads and into their eyes, stinging slightly, but they tried to minimize even blinking.

Breathing is deliberately suppressed to avoid revealing fatigue due to rapid breathing.

Muscles should remain taut at their limit, but not overly tense, to avoid affecting speed and flexibility.

This is the ultimate contest of will, skill, and endurance.

Whoever reveals a weakness first will lose.

The victor will win this exciting match.

In the courtyard, the sun was still blazing, and the cicadas were still chirping noisily.

But in this small kendo dojo, time seemed to stretch out, every second brimming with tension. "I was wrong, I was wrong... I'll never do it again..."

Tomizawa Chikage was being tickled so badly by the two that she couldn't straighten up, and she was almost laughing to tears. She quickly begged for mercy.
"From now on, I'll tell you everything, no matter what happens. I'll never hide anything again. Stop scratching!"

Seeing that she was sincerely apologizing, Yukiko pretended to be magnanimous and stopped.

"That's more like it. If you dare to withhold information again next time, see how we deal with you!"

Reiko also stopped what she was doing, took Tomizawa Chikage's arm, and said with a smile,

"Chikage-neechan is so kind! From now on, you'll worry about Onii-chan with us!"

Chikage Tomizawa was panting heavily, a smile still lingering on her face. She glared at the two of them helplessly, but wasn't really angry.

The girls' playful chatter continued. Lin Xiuyi watched the girls frolicking, a relaxed smile appearing on his face. The fatigue and drowsiness in his heart dissipated considerably.

In the central arena of the courtyard, seeing that the time was almost up, the two started moving at the same time.

Hattori Heizo launched the first attack, his bamboo sword striking towards Ikenami Shizuka's head with lightning speed, leaving only a blur. Ikenami Shizuka reacted swiftly, immediately raising her bamboo sword to defend while simultaneously flicking her wrist, sending the sword counterattack towards Hattori Heizo's abdomen.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sound of bamboo swords clashing rang out continuously as the two figures darted back and forth in the courtyard.

The laughter and chatter under the eaves gradually subsided, and the girls, drawn by the exciting competition, turned to look at the arena, their faces showing tension.

Lin Xiuyi also shook off his drowsiness and focused intently on the competition between the two.

Time passed by, and the final game was drawing to a close.

Both of them had exhausted a lot of energy, their foreheads were covered in sweat, and their breathing had become somewhat rapid, but they were both gritting their teeth and persevering, trying to find the other's weakness and deliver a fatal blow.

The atmosphere in the courtyard grew increasingly tense. The onlookers held their breath, not daring to utter a sound, their eyes fixed on the two people competing on the field.

The sun was still blazing hot. Hattori Heizo watched as Ikenami Shizuka's movements gradually slowed down, and his eyes narrowed. Now was the time!

He suddenly exerted force with his feet, his body rushing forward quickly, while at the same time he flipped his wrist, and the bamboo sword attacked Ikeba Shizuka's shoulder.

This strike concentrated all his strength, and its speed was astonishing.

Upon seeing this, Ikeba Shizuka was startled and immediately raised her bamboo sword to defend herself, while quickly retreating backward.

But just then, she suddenly slipped and staggered slightly.

It turned out that he had accidentally stepped on a pebble during the attack.

Hattori Heizo seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, exerting force with his wrist once more, and his bamboo sword struck Ikenami Shizuka precisely in the shoulder.

"boom!"

A crisp sound of impact rang out, and Ikeba Shizuka subconsciously stopped what she was doing, a look of disappointment on her face.

"In the final round," Orikasa Midori immediately struck the gong and announced loudly, "Hattori Heizo hit a valid target and scores the point! In this match, Hattori Heizo wins with a score of 3 to 2!"

The courtyard fell silent for a moment, then erupted in cheers and applause.

Kawada Yuko jumped up excitedly and shouted, "Hattori, that's amazing!" (End of Chapter)