Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Eri Kisaki didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was already quite clear.

The fact that "I want to buy this dress" alone cannot prove that the one in Matsuzaka Yuki's hand is the only one.

What if there are actually several in the store, but Yukiko just doesn't know it?

Yukiko seemed to have anticipated that she would ask this question.

She took a deep breath and looked at Eri with a look that said, "I knew you'd ask this."

“I asked the shop assistant beforehand, and they said this dress is from a very famous brand, and they only have one store selling it in Tokyo.”

"And because it's a limited edition, there's only one of each size."

She paused, then emphasized again,
"It's the only one, which means that only one person in all of Tokyo could buy this dress, and they bought it yesterday morning."

Eri Kisaki's eyes lit up completely.

If what Yukiko says is true, and this dress is one of a kind in Tokyo,
Therefore, the one that Yuuki Matsuzaka has must be the one that was bought yesterday morning.

When Yukiko went there yesterday afternoon, the dress was already gone, which means that Yuki Matsuzaka did indeed buy it yesterday morning.

There's nothing wrong with that in itself. But the key issue is that Matsuzaka Yuki said she bought it an hour ago.

An hour ago, it was noon today.

“She’s lying,” Eri Kisaki said softly.

This time, her tone contained no doubt, only confirmation.

Yukiko nodded vigorously: "Yes. She didn't buy this dress today; she bought it yesterday."

"But why did she lie? Why did she say she bought something today when she bought it yesterday?"

The two girls looked at each other and saw the same thing in each other's eyes.

There must be something hidden behind this seemingly insignificant lie.

Eri's thoughts raced.

As a future lawyer, she has a natural sensitivity to lies.

Anyone who lies about anything, no matter how small, is more likely to lie about anything important.

If Matsuzaka Yuuki lied about shopping time, what about her other things?

She said she came to the coffee shop by chance, is that true?

She said she has let go of her feelings for Kosuke Iguchi. Is that true?

Is it true that she said she did not get close to the deceased?

“If she bought the dress yesterday,” Eri Kisaki analyzed in a low voice, “then why is she carrying these shopping bags to the coffee shop today? It doesn’t make sense to buy things and still have them with you the next day.”

“Unless…” Yukiko interrupted, her eyes gleaming with reasoning, “unless she didn’t have time to go shopping at all today.”

“These shopping bags, including that dress, were bought yesterday. She brought them to the coffee shop today just to create the illusion that I’m here to go shopping.”

“To prove that I came here by chance,” Eri Kisaki added.

The two girls looked at each other again.

This time, besides their tacit understanding, there was also an indescribable excitement in their eyes; they might have really discovered some important clue.

"Should we tell Shuichi?" Eri asked Yukiko hesitantly.

Her gaze shifted back and forth between Lin Xiuyi in the distance and the packaging bag in front of her, as she went through a small tug-of-war in her heart.

Reason told her that in cases involving death, any clues should be immediately reported to the investigators. But another voice asked, why always rely on Shuichi?

Why can't they find out the truth themselves?

“Tell him, maybe it will be faster…” Eri added, but her tone was no longer as firm.

Yukiko pouted, her expression clearly showing her dissatisfaction.

She crossed her arms and raised her chin slightly, like a proud kitten.

“Why should we tell him?” Yukiko’s voice was stubborn and defiant. “He never tells us anything he finds. He always acts like, ‘You girls shouldn’t get involved.’”

She mimicked Lin Xiuyi's tone, deliberately lowering her voice and making a deep expression.

The imitation was so lifelike that Eri Kisaki almost burst out laughing.

"Hmph," Yukiko snorted, resuming her normal tone, "Now that we've discovered a clue, as long as we continue the investigation, we'll definitely find the culprit!"

Her eyes sparkled, burning with a fierce fighting spirit.

The flames weren't hostile towards Lin Xiuyi, but rather a desire to prove oneself.

This proves that girls are not just objects that need to be protected, and that they can also use their wisdom to solve puzzles.

"Then, let Xiuyi see what girls can do!"

After Yukiko finished speaking, she clenched her little fist and waved it in the air, looking just like the protagonist in a shonen manga.

Upon hearing Yukiko's words, Eri Kisaki hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

She also has a strong personality and has been an excellent student since childhood. Whether it is academics or other aspects, she never gives up easily.

However, when he was with Lin Xiuyi, he was always treated like a child.

Although there were only a few months between them, she always felt like a younger sister who needed to be taken care of in front of Lin Xiuyi.

Yukiko's dissatisfaction was naturally shared by Eri Kisaki as well.

She had experienced that feeling of being treated like a "little girl" far too many times.

But Eri Kisaki is, after all, Eri Kisaki.

Even though she agreed with Yukiko's suggestion in her heart, she still kept a calm mind.

“How about this,” Eri Kisaki pondered for a moment, then pushed up her glasses, a gesture that made her look exceptionally rational. “One hour. If we can find evidence to prove that Yuuki Matsuzaka is the murderer within one hour, that would be the best.”

She paused, her tone becoming serious.
“If we haven’t found enough evidence in an hour, then we’ll tell Shuichi that Matsuzaka Yuuki lied.”

Her gaze was fixed on Yukiko, her eyes filled with an unwavering determination.
"This is, after all, a murder case. It would be bad if we wasted time. We can't joke around with the case just because we want to prove ourselves."

Although Yukiko felt that Eri Kisaki was being too cautious, upon closer reflection, she realized that the condition wasn't entirely unacceptable.

If we can find the murderer within an hour, that's all that matters!

In Yukiko's view, even if she couldn't match Hayashi Hideichi's intelligence, she was more than capable of solving the case at hand.

"Deal!" Yukiko readily agreed, extending her palm.

Eri Kisaki paused for a moment, then reached out her hand and gave her a high five as a pledge.

The two girls' palms clashed in the air, making a crisp sound.

At this moment, they were no longer the bickering rivals they usually were, but partners fighting side by side. (End of Chapter)