Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

As the saying goes, you can't hit a smiling face, let alone when a beautiful and lovely girl like Yukiko praises you in such a sincere tone.

Matsuzaka Yuuki's expression had improved considerably. Although she was still somewhat reluctant, she was no longer as aloof as before.

"You can look at it," she relented, but remained somewhat wary, "but don't get it dirty. I just bought this dress; the tags are still on."

"Ms. Matsuzaka, don't worry!" Yukiko patted her chest to assure them, then quickly gave Eri a wink.

Eri Kisaki paused for a moment, then understood what Yukiko meant.

Although she was still wondering what this girl was up to, she still cooperated by squatting down and carefully opening the package.

The two girls found themselves in a rare moment of perfect harmony.

Eri was responsible for taking out the dress, while Yukiko assisted her from the side, making sure the dress wouldn't drag on the ground and get dirty.

Upon opening the packaging bag, a light pink dress came into view.

The dress is made of light chiffon, and its color is as gentle as cherry blossoms in spring. The hem is embroidered with delicate patterns, and the overall design is simple yet elegant.

Even before wearing it, you can imagine how it would look; it's a style that would definitely make any girl's heart flutter.

"So beautiful," Yukiko exclaimed sincerely, her eyes filled with amazement.

She reached out and gently touched the fabric of the dress; it felt soft and smooth, definitely a high-quality product.
"This color is so beautiful, I've been looking for a long time but couldn't find a suitable one..."

The girl turned her head and looked at Matsuzaka Yuuki, her face showing just the right amount of envy.
"Ms. Matsuzaka, when did you buy this dress?"

Yuuki Matsuzaka's expression stiffened slightly.

The pause was so short that it was almost imperceptible if you weren't paying attention.

But Eri, who was squatting nearby, noticed it keenly.

Her gaze sharpened slightly, but she remained silent.

“Just an hour ago,” Matsuzaka Yuuki replied, her voice sounding natural, but her speech a little faster than before. “The shops over in the shopping district were having a sale.”

She paused, seemingly not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer, and urged, "Have you looked enough? If you have, put it back quickly. This dress is delicate; it won't look good if it gets wrinkled."

"Let me look again, let me look again," Yukiko said with a grin, carefully examining the skirt once more.

Her gaze swept from the neckline to the hem of the skirt, from the fabric to the stitches, not missing a single detail.

Eri Kisaki maintained a cooperative posture, lifting her skirt to let her see.

Although she didn't understand what Yukiko was doing, she knew that this seemingly carefree girl definitely didn't come here because she really wanted to buy a dress.

"Alright, I've finished reading." Yukiko finally looked away and nodded to Eri.

Eri immediately understood, carefully folded the dress, put it back in the bag, and sealed it in the same way as before.

"Thank you, Ms. Matsuzaka!" Yukiko stood up, gave Matsuzaka Yuki a sweet smile, and then left with Eri Kisaki.

The two walked to a corner of the coffee shop, far enough away from Matsuzaka Yuuki to make sure their conversation wouldn't be overheard.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Eri Kisaki frowned at Yukiko and asked in a low voice.

Her eyes were full of doubt and wariness; this girl couldn't have done such a thing for no reason.

Yukiko didn't answer directly, but instead winked at her with a sly smile. That smile made Eri even more certain that this sly fox must have discovered something.

"Glasses Girl," Yukiko whispered, leaning close to Eri's ear, "Do you want Shuichi to look at us in a new light?"

"What do you mean?" Eri Kisaki still didn't quite understand.

Yukiko glanced around mysteriously, making sure no one was paying attention to them, before whispering, "That Matsuzaka Yuki, she's lying."

Her voice was low, but her tone was unusually firm, as if she had already obtained irrefutable evidence.

The coffee shop remained heavy with tension. The three suspects remained seated, oblivious to the whispers between the two girls in the corner.

Eri Kisaki paused for a moment, her gaze instinctively drifting towards Yuuki Matsuzaka.
The other person was looking down, with her hands clasped tightly on her knees, her shoulders trembling slightly. She looked like a pitiful woman who had been accidentally dragged into a case.

"How did you know?" Eri asked in a low voice.

“That dress,” Yukiko said definitively, “she said she bought it an hour ago, but that’s impossible.”

"How did you know?" Eri Kisaki was even more surprised.

Yukiko took a deep breath and slowly explained the reason: "That dress is from a very famous brand. I've wanted to buy it for a long time, but I've never had enough allowance."

The girl's gaze fell on the dress that no longer belonged to her, and a look of regret appeared on her face.

“After summer vacation started, I would go to the department store every two days to check, just in case someone bought it. The shop assistants all recognized me, and every time I went there they would smile and say to me, ‘Yukiko is here again, the dress is still here.’”

"I was thinking that once I finished filming the commercial and received the agency fee, I would definitely buy it as soon as possible."

Eri listened quietly without interrupting.

She could sense the girl's attachment to her beloved things from Yukiko's tone.

She could completely understand that feeling of "I must get it" even though she wasn't as outwardly expressive as Yukiko.

"yesterday……"

Yukiko continued, her frustration becoming even more pronounced.
"The advertising agency fee I received before finally arrived. I was overjoyed, and I rushed to the mall that afternoon, thinking that I could finally bring that dress home."

"But when I got to the store, the saleswoman told me that the dress had been sold yesterday at noon."

Upon hearing this, Eri's eyes widened slightly.

She glanced at the packaging bag at Matsuzaka Yuki's feet, then at Yukiko.
"Is the skirt by Matsuzaka Yuuki the one you want to buy?"

Eri Kisaki's voice carried a hint of disbelief.

What a coincidence!

It just so happens that this particular dress, this particular crime scene, was the one that Yukiko happened to see.

“Yes.” Yukiko nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with certainty. “I can’t be wrong. That brand, that style, that color, I’ve been looking at it for half a month, I can draw it with my eyes closed. That’s it.”

"But how can you be sure there's only one of these dresses?"

Eri Kisaki frowned and raised this crucial question.

"If there's more than one of these brands, it's possible they sold out yesterday and were restocked..." (End of Chapter)