Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"This kid..."

As Ogiwara Chisato watched Matsuda Jinpei's figure gradually disappear, she stomped her foot in exasperation, but couldn't help but smile gently as her embarrassment and annoyance gradually faded away.

"Let me help you."

Lin Xiuyi stepped forward, his gaze falling on the half-assembled bicycle on the ground. "This should be Jinpei's birthday present, right?"

"……Um."

Ogiwara Chizuru's cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her head somewhat shyly, her voice soft and tinged with embarrassment.

“Our family’s financial situation hasn’t been good lately, so we don’t have much money to buy Jinpei a new birthday present.”

"I can only pick up some discarded bicycle parts from around the world, clean them, and then assemble a bicycle for him by hand, hoping he will like it."

"Birthday gifts are not about how much money they cost, but about how much thought was put into them."

Lin Xiuyi smiled and shook her head. "The bicycle you assembled for him is more meaningful than any expensive gift. If that kid knew, he would definitely love this birthday present, and he might even show it off everywhere."

"I hope so." Ogiwara Chisato nodded, her unease lessening somewhat.

Seeing that Lin Xiuyi had already reached for the screwdriver beside her, ready to help,
She quickly stepped forward to stop him, saying somewhat awkwardly,

"No need to trouble Brother Xiu, I can manage on my own. You should go and rest."

"Let's all work together. More people means more strength, and we can assemble it faster so that the kid won't find out the secret when he comes back."

Lin Xiuyi did not stop what she was doing.
"I also have some knowledge of mechanics, so I should be able to help."

Seeing this, Ogiwara Chisato knew she couldn't persuade him, so she could only blush and nod, pick up the wrench, and get busy with Hayashi Shuichi.

Although Ogiwara Chisato is a girl, perhaps because she grew up in a car repair shop, she is very skilled in mechanics. She skillfully turns the wrench in her hand, and every movement is practiced and precise.

Lin Xiuyi claimed to be helping, but most of the time he was actually delivering tools to Ogiwara Chi.

The two worked together seamlessly, exchanging few words.

After another half hour of hard work, the bicycle was finally assembled completely with the combined efforts of the two.

Although the car body was somewhat old, it was polished to a shine and looked very sturdy.

Ogiwara Chisato was so busy that she was covered in sweat, and the stray hairs on her forehead were soaked with sweat and stuck to her cheeks.

The girl couldn't help but raise her hand and wipe the sweat from her head with her sleeve, forgetting that her hands were covered in engine oil and mud.

The wiping left two dark marks on her fair cheeks, making her look somewhat disheveled, yet exceptionally cute.

Seeing this, Lin Xiu didn't think much of it. She took out a pack of clean tissues from her pocket, pulled one out, and gently walked up to the girl, reaching out to wipe her face.
"Haha, you've turned into a little kitten."

"...Little kitten."

Ogiwara Chisato froze on the spot, her body stiff, her cheeks flushed red, like a ripe apple.

Her personality is similar to Midori Orikasa's; both are very strong-willed among their peers.

Normally, she, as the boss, is the one who bullies others; she's never been spoken to like that before. If anyone dared to call her a kitten, they'd probably get a good beating from Ogiwara Chisato immediately.

But now, looking at Lin Xiuyi, who was so close and smiling, Ogiwara Chisato didn't feel much anger.

She wanted to get away, but for some reason, her feet seemed to be nailed to the spot, unable to move, and she could only stare blankly at Lin Xiuyi.

In Lin Xiuyi's mind, Ogiwara Chisato was only a little older than Reiko, and was still a half-grown child.

He always treated this resilient and sensible girl like a younger sister.

Seeing the mud on her face, I reached out to wipe it for her. It was just a subconscious act of concern, and I didn't have any ulterior motives at all.

"Uh……"

After carefully wiping with a tissue for a while, Lin Xiuyi's originally gentle smile gradually turned awkward, and her hands involuntarily stopped moving.

He looked down at the tissue in his hand, which was covered in black grease and dust. Then he looked up at Ogiwara Chisato's face and couldn't help but laugh and cry.

He originally intended to help the girl clean her face, but the dust and engine oil mixed with sweat had already stuck firmly to her skin, and a thin tissue could not easily wipe it clean.
His efforts just now not only failed to achieve the desired effect, but the friction from the tissue actually made the stains spread out more evenly.
What were originally just two dark marks on his cheeks were now patchy and white, making him look even more disheveled than before.

Lin Xiuyi could even clearly see a few tiny tissue fibers on the girl's cheeks, which were particularly noticeable against the oil stains.

"Sorry, I think I've made things worse."

Lin Xiuyi withdrew her hand and chuckled dryly twice.
"Not only did it not clean your face, it made it even dirtier."

"...It's okay."

Ogiwara Chisato's face remained flushed, her head bowed even lower, her voice barely audible, like a mosquito buzzing; only by getting very close could one hear it.
"Brother Xiuyi meant well. I'll just rinse it off with water from the tap next to me in a bit. It's nothing."

As she spoke, she subconsciously raised her hand to touch her face, but as soon as she raised her hand, she remembered that there was still oil on her hands, so she quickly pulled it back.

Just as Lin Xiuyi was about to say something more to apologize, he heard hurried footsteps outside the repair shop, along with the chattering of three kids, who had obviously returned from shopping.

"Brother Xiuyi, Sister Qiansu, we're back!"

Matsuda Jinpei's loud voice carried from a great distance.
"We bought orange-flavored popsicles, as well as cola and juice, all of which are your favorites, Qiansu!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the three kids rushed into the repair shop.

Matsuda Jinpei ran in the lead, and as soon as he rushed into the repair shop, his eyes fell on Ogiwara Chisato, and his excited smile instantly froze on his face.

Upon seeing Ogiwara Chizuru's face, which had been completely covered in graffiti, Furuya Rei and Ogiwara Kenji were stunned for a moment. Then, they looked at each other and couldn't help but cover their mouths, suppressing their laughter, their shoulders twitching.

Rei Furuya even deliberately turned his head, pretending to look at the car repair tools on the wall.

Kenji Ogihara lowered his head and stared at his shoes.

Compared to the two of them, Matsuda Jinpei was completely unconcerned.

He paused for two seconds, then, as if he had heard something extremely funny, threw his head back and burst into laughter. (End of Chapter)