Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Eri Kisaki snorted coldly and stopped questioning Hideaki Lin. She turned around and walked towards the stairs of the Mori family's small building, clearly intending to return to the bathroom on the second floor to find out who the person hiding in the bathroom was.

Yukiko glared at Hayashi Hideichi, her anger undiminished.

She ignored Lin Xiuyi's explanation and hurriedly followed behind Fei Yingli towards the stairs, her heart filled with curiosity and anger, eager to find the person hiding in the bathroom.

Lin Xiuyi stood there, watching the two girls' figures disappear around the corner of the stairs, her heart filled with unease.

So much time has passed, Qianying should have slipped away by now, right?
The bathroom should be empty by now.

If Eri and Yukiko ask, he will say that he carelessly forgot to turn off the shower.

Although this excuse is lame, it's better than being exposed.

Thinking this way, Lin Xiuyi felt a little more at ease.

However, this stability lasted for less than three seconds.

Upstairs, Yukiko's surprised voice came: "Chikage? What are you doing here?"

Lin Xiuyi's expression froze instantly.

No way, she's still here!

You're a phantom thief, a professional stealth operator who can come and go freely in countless mansions, why do you have to take the stairs?

It's only a few steps from the second floor to the first floor, you can jump out of the window!

Lin Xiuyi walked quickly to the stairwell with a bitter face.

Then he saw that Eri Kisaki and Yukiko had blocked Chikage Tomizawa at the apartment entrance.

Tomizawa Chikage stood there, her hair still wet and dripping with water, her expression so awkward it was almost frozen.

She had intended to go out and join in the fun and gossip, but unexpectedly, she bumped into the two girls who were returning.

Three pairs of eyes met in the corridor, and an eerie silence filled the air.

"This……"

Tomizawa Chikage stared at the two girls glaring at her menacingly, her mind racing as she tried to find a reasonable explanation.

"I...I'm here to deliver money to Shuichi?"

"Give money?"

Eri's gaze lingered on the girl's still-damp hair, her eyes behind her glasses narrowing slightly.
"I think they're here to take a bath, aren't they?"

She spoke calmly, but the subtle sarcasm in that "ba" made Tomizawa Chikage's embarrassment deepen.

"The person in the bathroom just now was you!"

Yukiko glared angrily, her eyes wide, her expression like that of a cat whose dried fish had been stolen.

"Lin Xiuyi also said it was something called Lingzi..."

"Well, it's a bit hot today."

Tomizawa Chikage gave a dry laugh, trying to defuse the awkward situation with the most relaxed tone possible.

"I was just too hot to stand, so I wanted to take a cold shower! That's all! Don't overthink it!"

After saying that, she finally remembered that she was a nimble phantom thief.

Why is she standing here feeling awkward?

With a push of her feet, Tomizawa Chikage leaped down the stairs and landed lightly on the ground floor. Her movements were swift and clean, showing no trace of the "drenched chicken" who had just been shivering in the bathroom.

She ignored Lin Xiuyi, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor, and slipped away without looking back.

Only three people remained in the corridor: Hayashi Hideichi, Kisaki Eri, and Yukiko.

There was a three-second silence.

Lin Xiuyi silently turned around, trying to slip away like Tomizawa Chikage before the two girls could react.

"stop!"

Two voices rang out simultaneously, in unison, as if they had rehearsed countless times. "Explain clearly!" Again, simultaneously.

The same tone, the same sentence structure, and the same unquestionable authority.

Lin Xiu stood frozen in place, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Why are you two so in sync at a time like this?!

They usually bicker and refuse to give in to each other, so why do they suddenly become so united and speak in unison when I question them?

Lin Xiu turned around and looked at the two girls in front of her, each with a different expression but equally imposing aura. For the first time, she truly understood what it meant to be "caught between a rock and a hard place."

Eri Kisaki crossed her arms, her glasses reflecting a calm light, like a prosecutor preparing to go to court.

Yukiko stood with her hands on her hips, glaring angrily.

The two stood side by side, their eyes fixed on Lin Xiuyi.

Sunlight streamed in through the windows, making the corridor bright and warm.

But Lin Xiuyi felt no warmth at all.

This summer has been so long.

……

The living room on the second floor was still brightly lit.

Eri Kisaki and Yukiko sat side by side on the sofa, while Hideichi Hayashi stood in front of them like a defendant awaiting sentencing.

"Speak," Eri Kisaki said, her voice so calm it betrayed no emotion.

But that calmness itself was a kind of pressure; the more composed she was, the more guilty Lin Xiuyi felt.

"You all know why Chikage went to Osaka before..."

"After those three ancient paintings were sold, most of the money went to the victims of the fire that occurred a thousand days ago."

Lin Xiu paused for a moment and looked at the two girls.

Eri's expression remained unchanged, while Yukiko blinked, seemingly waiting for what would happen next.

"There's still a little money left, and Qianying wanted to split it with me, but it's too hot..."

He recounted the events as concisely as possible—how Tomizawa Chikage suddenly visited, how she complained about the lack of air conditioning on the second floor, how she asked to take a shower, and how he reluctantly agreed.

When the check was mentioned, Lin Xiuyi took out the light green paper from his pocket and placed it on the coffee table as evidence.

The living room was quiet for a few seconds.

Eri Kisaki glanced down at the check, then looked up and her gaze returned to Hideaki Lin's face.

"Hmph, I don't believe she only takes a shower in the bathroom."

Yukiko bit her lip, a gesture that made her look a few years younger than usual, like a sulking child.
"You two, are you planning to do something else...?"

She didn't dare say what came next.

But since everyone was already a high school student, they naturally understood what she meant.

The air in the living room seemed to freeze for a moment.

Lin Xiuyi stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

A girl taking a bath in a boy's house is indeed easy to make suggestive.

Moreover, Chikage Tomizawa usually acts like an older sister, and her words and actions have a touch of flirtatiousness. It's not surprising that Yukiko would have such a guess.

But the problem is, he really didn't do anything!
"You're not saying anything because she hit the nail on the head?" Eri asked, her face dark, enunciating each word clearly.

"I really didn't do anything, and I didn't even intend to do anything!" Lin Xiuyi quickly waved his hand. "I just came back from Kanagawa, I'm exhausted, I just wanted to sleep and rest for a while, how could I possibly have any other thoughts..."

"Hmph, you'd be lucky you didn't have other ideas!" Eri Kisaki pouted.

Of the girls, she was the only one who had ever been intimate with Lin Xiuyi, so she naturally knew how many strange and unusual thoughts and positions were hidden beneath his gentlemanly exterior... (End of Chapter)