Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"Ugh?"

Chikage Tomizawa froze in the bathroom, her ear pressed tightly against the door, trying to catch every sound outside.

The tense atmosphere just moments ago suddenly turned into a series of hurried footsteps, followed by a brief conversation at the door, and then... the door closed.
What's going on here?
She was confused about the situation, but at least one thing was clear.

The crisis that had kept her from even daring to breathe seemed to have been temporarily averted.

Regardless of what was happening outside, or what drama was unfolding between Lin Xiuyi and the two girls, the area outside the bathroom door had indeed become quiet.

Tomizawa Chikage let out a long breath, her tense nerves finally relaxing.

She quickly grabbed a towel and dried herself off.

Her hair was still dripping wet, but she didn't care and quickly put on her clothes.

I was still wearing the same T-shirt and shorts I wore this morning, thankfully they didn't get wet when I showered.

Pushing open the bathroom door, I found the living room completely empty.

The sunlight still streamed in through the window, casting quiet patches of light on the floor.

The thrilling "bathroom siege" we just witnessed seemed like an illusion.

Chikage Tomizawa stood in the center of the living room and took a deep breath.

The taste of freedom is wonderful.

Logically, she should have taken advantage of the fact that no one was around and made a quick getaway.

They disappeared without a trace, as if nothing had ever happened.

However, Tomizawa Chikage stood still, without moving.

The fragments of the conversation she had just vaguely heard flashed through her mind.

Yukiko's words, "My sister went to watch the fun first," Eri's words, spoken slowly and deliberately, "Then I'm sorry to have bothered you two," and the sound of Hayashi Shuichi's hurried footsteps chasing after them.

In the end what happened?
At this moment, the girl's gossipy nature completely overwhelmed the phantom thief's rationality.

She hesitated for less than three seconds before making her decision to follow and see.

Before she could even dry her hair, Tomizawa Chikage tiptoed out of Hayashi Hideichi's room and chased after him down the stairs.

Curiosity killed the cat. Of course she knew that saying. But at this moment, she couldn't care less.

……

Below the stairs, outside the Maori family's small house, a "hunt" is underway.

After running out of the small building, Lin Xiuyi finally caught up with Fei Yingli.

The girl walked quickly, her skirt swaying gently in the summer breeze, her stubborn back view heartbreaking.

"Eri, you've really misunderstood." Lin Xiuyi blocked the girl's path, his voice filled with urgency.

Eri Kisaki stopped and looked up at him.

Those usually calm and insightful eyes were now filled with complex emotions: hurt, stubbornness, and a stubborn refusal to easily show weakness.

"What misunderstanding?" Eri Kisaki snorted, her voice colder than usual. "I'm just nearsighted, not blind. I could see your hands clasped together just now!"

"That's because I pulled her to open the door for you," Lin Xiuyi quickly explained. "We were talking in the living room when you knocked..."

"Tsk tsk." Eri Kisaki curled her lip, her tone full of sarcasm, "You two really can't be apart for a moment, you even have to hold hands to open the door."

These words were both sarcastic and cold, but when paired with Eri Kisaki's aloof face, they created a strange contrast.

Lin Xiuyi had known her for so many years and had never seen her speak in such a tone.

Like a little girl who has been wronged but refuses to admit it, she can only use this method to hide her feelings.

"That's not it." Lin Xiu rubbed his temples, looking exasperated. "It's because of the bathroom... I was worried Yukiko would barge into the bathroom while I was gone, so I pulled her to open the door." He had barely finished speaking when Yukiko's surprised voice came from behind him: "Huh? Is that so?"

The two turned around at the same time and found that Yukiko had followed them out at some point and was standing not far away.
The girl leaned against the door frame, her expression shifting from smugness to confusion.

"What's in the bathroom that makes you so afraid I'll go in?"

Yukiko walked over, her eyes fixed on Hayashi Hideichi.

"Isn't that Reiko inside?"

"Reiko?"

At that moment, a glint flashed in Eri Kisaki's glasses.

She immediately turned to look at Yukiko, her voice unusually calm: "Who told you Reiko was in the bathroom?"

“Shuichi,” Yukiko answered matter-of-factly. “When I came to find him, I could hear the shower in the bathroom. At first, I thought it was you, but Shuichi said it was Reiko inside. I wanted to go in and see her, but he wouldn’t let me…”

She paused, seemingly recalling the scene.
"Oh right, he also said that Reiko doesn't like to be disturbed when she takes a bath, and that she has a bad temper... but I just don't feel like something's right."

It’s over.

The two started reconciling the accounts...

Lin Xiuyi immediately felt a sense of foreboding. Cold sweat began to pour uncontrollably from his forehead.

"Well, the izakaya is opening today," Lin Xiuyi coughed lightly, "It's almost time, I need to go prepare the ingredients..."

After saying that, he prepared to make his escape.

She had only taken two steps when Eri Kisaki's cold voice came from behind her: "Stop!"

Although the sound wasn't loud, Lin Xiuyi's steps seemed to be frozen in place as if by magic.

He knows Eri Kisaki too well.

This childhood sweetheart, with whom I grew up, usually appears calm and rational, as if nothing could make her lose her composure.

But once she speaks in this tone, it means she is truly angry.

If you dare to run at this point, the consequences will be even more serious.

Eri Kisaki walked slowly to him, looked at his stiff back, and said, word by word, "I just saw Reiko three minutes ago. She was about to go shopping with her parents. How did she end up in your bathroom?"

These words were like a heavy hammer blow, completely shattering Lin Xiuyi's last glimmer of hope.

Yukiko paused for a moment, then realized what she meant.

The girl's face flushed red at a visible speed, and her bright eyes were filled with anger at being deceived.

"It wasn't Reiko in the bathroom after all!" Yukiko glared angrily at Hayashi Hideichi. "Hayashi Hideichi, who was taking a bath in the bathroom just now?"

"This……"

Lin Xiu opened her mouth, but really didn't know how to explain.

Tell the truth? Say that it was Tomizawa Chikage, who just came to deliver money and then took a shower because she felt hot?

Even he himself felt that saying this sounded like he was making excuses.

Telling lies? The previous "Lingzi" has already been exposed; making up a new lie will only make things worse.

"This...this..."

Lin Xiu opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but the words stuck in her throat, and she really didn't know what to say.

Seeing his incoherent and disheveled appearance, Eri already knew the answer. (End of Chapter)