Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Just then, the call machine in front of the bank counter sounded a clear announcement.
"Please have customer number 156 proceed to window number 3 to complete your transaction."

Hagiwara Chisato stiffened and instinctively clenched the file bag in her hand.

She glanced at Lin Xiuyi quickly, and before Lin Xiuyi could ask any questions, she hurriedly turned around and walked quickly towards window number 3.

Lin Xiuyi watched her hurried departure, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Hagiwara seems to be in trouble; something's not right with her."

Upon hearing this, Matsuda Jotaro's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a somber expression.

He looked around and, seeing that everyone was busy with their own things, lowered his voice and leaned closer to Lin Xiuyi to explain.

"Lin-san, you may not know this, but the Hagiwara family's repair shop has recently run into serious problems."

He paused, his tone full of helplessness.

"I heard that in order to take over that repair shop and expand their business, they borrowed a large sum of money from this bank by mortgaging the house and the repair shop itself."

"But who knew that business would get worse and worse in the past six months, with a sharp decline in customers, and the repair shop could barely support its daily operating costs, so it naturally couldn't pay back the money it owed to the bank."

"They're probably... probably going to lose their repair shop, and the bank might even take their house away."

In the end, Matsuda Jotaro sighed heavily, his eyes filled with regret.

The Matsuda and Hagiwara families had been neighbors for many years and had always maintained a good relationship, helping each other out on a regular basis.

He watched the Hagiwara couple work hard to run their repair shop, watched Chisato and Kenji grow up, and now he feels very sad to see the Hagiwara family in such a predicament.

Despite his distress, he couldn't offer any substantial help when it came to money.

Although Matsuda Jotaro received a considerable amount of prize money for winning the final match, he was able to earn some living expenses by opening a boxing gym after retiring.

But that money was just a drop in the ocean compared to the huge loans the Hagiwara family owed.

Even if he lent all his prize money and savings to the Hagiwara family, it would only be a drop in the ocean and wouldn't solve the fundamental problem.

Perhaps it was because Matsuda Jotaro's voice wasn't low enough, or perhaps it was because Hagiwara Kenji was particularly sensitive to family matters, but he clearly heard their conversation.

Her face, which had been excited to see her friend, instantly dimmed, the smile on her lips vanished without a trace, and she lowered her head, her shoulders slumped slightly, exuding a sense of loss and helplessness.

Matsuda Jinpei noticed something was wrong with his friend and gently nudged Hagiwara Kenji's arm with his elbow.

"Hey, second-year graduate student, is your family's repair shop really going out of business?"

Kenji Hagiwara slowly raised his head, his eyes already reddening.

He nodded vigorously, his voice slightly choked: "Yes, when my sister was secretly crying last night, I heard her talking to Mom and Dad on the phone."

“My sister said that if we still can’t pay back the bank by the end of this month, the bank will seize the repair shop and take away our house…”

"If it's shut down, it's shut down. It's not a big deal." Matsuda Jinpei looked at his friend's sad face and awkwardly tried to comfort him.

"It's perfect that you don't have to go to the repair shop with your parents every day anymore. When you have time, come and learn boxing with me. I'll have my dad teach you too, and we can be boxers together in the future!"

"Hey, what are you talking about! What do you mean by 'it's shut down and then shut down'?"

Rei Furuya frowned and glared at Jinpei Matsuda, clearly annoyed.
"That's the result of my parents' hard work during my second year of graduate school; it's their livelihood!"

"Without the repair shop, how will their family live? How will they go to school after their second year of graduate school? Can't you say something useful?!"

“Of course I know all that!” Matsuda Jinpei immediately retorted. “I’m just comforting Kenji! Do you expect me to watch him cry all the time?”

"You two stop arguing..." Kenji Hagiwara quickly intervened, already overwhelmed by his family's troubles, and he simply didn't have the energy to watch his two friends quarrel.

Just then, Hagiwara Chisato's voice, trembling with sobs and completely out of control, broke the silence of the bank lobby from the counter.
"When we borrowed the money, you clearly said that even if we encountered difficulties, you would try your best to help us coordinate. Why can't you even extend the repayment period for us?"

"Can't you give us another month? We'll definitely find a way to raise the money!"

All eyes turned to window number 3, where Hagiwara Chisato stood in front of the counter, her body trembling slightly, her eyes brimming with tears, yet she stubbornly held them back, refusing to let them fall.

The bank clerk behind the counter wore a formulaic, insincere smile.
"I'm sorry, miss, we are just following the loan agreement."

"The contract clearly states the repayment date and liability for overdue payments, and we cannot change it without authorization."

He paused, then looked Hagiwara Chisato up and down, his tone carrying a hint of disdain.

"Also, judging from your appearance, you're probably not even an adult yet, right? Matters involving huge loans like this are best handled by your parents. Even if you, a child, come to us, you can't solve any problems."

"My parents are busy borrowing money from everyone they know, running around everywhere. They don't have time to come here..."

Hagiwara Chisato bit her lip, her teeth sinking deep into her lower lip, leaving a faint red mark.

She felt incredibly wronged. The bank employee had made all sorts of promises when she applied for the loan, saying they would help her throughout the process.

But now that they've really encountered difficulties, the other party has turned their back on them, their cold attitude is heartbreaking.

"I'm sorry then." The bank clerk shook his head expressionlessly, then pressed the call button. "Next, customer number 157."

Hagiwara Chisato stood there blankly, as if all her strength had been drained away.

The girl's eyes were vacant. The file bag in her hand fell to the ground, scattering the loan agreement, the repair shop's operating report, and other documents all over the floor, but she was completely unaware of it.

After a few seconds, she slowly bent down, numbly picked up the documents from the ground, stuffed them haphazardly into a file bag, and then walked step by step toward the center of the hall.

Upon seeing this, Kenji Hagiwara quickly ran over, looked up at her with his little face, and called out to her several times with concern, "Sister! Sister!"

Hagiwara Chisato slowly came to her senses, looking down at her younger brother's worried eyes.
She fought back tears, reached out, and gently touched her younger brother's head.
"...It's alright, second-year graduate student. My sister's fine. Let's go home first." (End of Chapter)