Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

The two girls exchanged a glance, then turned around at the same time, ignoring the gloomy gaze behind them.

“Ms. Mayumi,” Eri Kisaki looked at the waitress, “what were you about to say? Matsuzaka Yuuki seems to be something?”

The waitress's lips moved, but her gaze couldn't help but drift behind the two of them.

Yuuki Matsuzaka stood there, and although she didn't say anything, her presence was like a mountain, making it hard to breathe.

"This..." The waitress hesitated, her fingers twisting nervously together, "I..."

Perhaps it was because Matsuzaka Yuuki was staring at her that she dared not speak.

She was just an ordinary college student working part-time, earning a little money for living expenses each month, and never thought she would get involved in any murder case.

Now that she's being stared at like this by a suspect, all she wants to do is hide in the kitchen and ignore everything else.

Yukiko noticed her hesitation and raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Miss Mayumi, if you know something but don’t say it, you’re protecting a criminal.”

Her voice wasn't loud, but the words "protecting criminals" were exceptionally clear.

The waitress's face turned pale instantly.

Eri Kisaki, standing to the side, adjusted her glasses, their cooperation seamless.

“If you refuse to tell us, we’ll have to go to the police. And when the police come and question you, things won’t be so simple.”

The two girls sang in unison, causing the waitress's expression to change repeatedly.

Finally, she gritted her teeth and made up her mind.

“I said,” the waitress said in a low voice, her gaze still occasionally glancing at Matsuzaka Yuuki, “I have a feeling that her back view is similar to that of the lady who talked to the deceased before and then left.”

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples in the hearts of Yukiko and Eri Kisaki.

They exchanged a glance, both seeing shock and excitement in each other's eyes.

Before his death, Kosuke Iguchi sat and chatted with a woman in the store for a while.

The woman was wearing sunglasses, which covered most of her face, making it impossible to see her entire features.

When the police questioned the waiters and customers, no one could accurately describe the woman's appearance, only that she was a young woman, fashionably dressed, and tall.

Because of the lack of key facial features, the police were unable to identify the woman.

Inspector Megure could only send people to investigate the deceased's relationships to see if they could find any clues.

But now, the waitress says that Matsuzaka Yuki's back view looks a lot like that woman!
If that's the case, what does it mean?
This means that Yuuki Matsuzaka might be the woman who had coffee with Kosuke Iguchi.

This means that she did not "accidentally pass by" the coffee shop at all, but deliberately arranged to meet the deceased.

This means that her statements that "I haven't seen him since the breakup" and "This is the first time I've met him today" were all lies!

The waitress continued, her voice even lower: "Also, when she came in, she was carrying several shopping bags, but I noticed that there was a small wet stain on the bottom of one of the bags."

She held out her hand and gestured: "It's that off-white bag, the one that holds the dress. There's a small dark stain on the bottom, like something was dripped on it, and it's not completely dry yet."

"I found it strange at the time, how could my newly bought clothes get wet?"

Yukiko and Eri Kisaki looked at each other again, and this time, the excitement in their eyes was hard to hide.

What does a wet stain indicate?
This means that the bag got wet again.

The bag was clearly placed in a damp place, or some liquid had been spilled on it.

If the previous inference is true, then the woman who left was Matsuzaka Yuuki, and she certainly couldn't have gone very far after leaving the coffee shop.

Where did she go? And how did she end up returning to the coffee shop with all those bags? Is there anywhere damp or waterlogged around here?
Eri suddenly remembered the alley next to the coffee shop.

The alley was very narrow, lined with old buildings, and rarely frequented by people.

There are several drainage outlets in the alley, and the manhole covers for the sewers are also located here. The ground is damp all year round, and moss climbs all over the corners of the walls.

If Matsuzaka Yuuki really is the murderer, and if she returned to the coffee shop after leaving, then she must have had a place to temporarily store her things.

That damp alleyway was the most reasonable choice.

"go!"

Eri quickly pulled Yukiko up and headed out of the coffee shop.

She walked very fast, almost running, and Yukiko was being pulled along, stumbling and falling behind her.

Two girls pushed open the glass door of the coffee shop and rushed into the afternoon sunlight.

……

Inside the coffee shop, Lin Xiuyi naturally noticed the two girls leaving.

His gaze followed their retreating figures, and through the glass door he saw them hurrying deeper into the commercial street, his brows furrowing slightly.

strangeness.

He pondered to himself. These two girls, even if they disliked bloodshed, would always stay at the crime scene when they encountered a case, carefully observing every detail.

Especially Eri Kisaki, who has a natural interest in law and cases, and always watches them from beginning to end, unwilling to miss any learning opportunities.

Although Yukiko is usually carefree, she would never easily leave when faced with something so exciting.

Why can't you stay still after only a short while today?
Did they discover something?
Just as Lin Xiuyi had this thought in his mind and was about to chase after him to ask, a small figure suddenly blocked his way.

"Onii-chan!"

Lingzi tilted her little face up, her expression full of admiration.

"You must already know who the murderer is, right?"

“You always resolved the cases we encountered very quickly.”

Lin Xiu looked down at her little cousin, unsure of what to say.

Moreover, after being distracted by Lingzi, when he looked up again in the direction the two girls had left, he found that because of the few seconds he had lost, the two girls had already disappeared into the crowd in the shopping street.

Even if we chase after them now, we probably won't be able to find them.

This commercial street is a maze of roads, who knows which side street they turned into?

Lin Xiuyi reluctantly withdrew his gaze and looked back at his little cousin in front of him.

"Not yet," he shook his head, answering truthfully.

This case is far more complex than it appears on the surface. There are three suspects, a woman who mysteriously left, and that extremely precise fatal wound. He needs more time to sort things out.

"Onii-chan, you have to be the first to find the culprit!"

Lingzi waved her little fist; her earnest expression was incredibly cute.

"Let Mom and Dad see how powerful you are..." (End of Chapter)