Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"Is this some good news?"

Kotona Kujo rolled her eyes at her husband, her gaze carrying a hint of reproach.
"My daughter has suddenly gained so many rivals in love; this is really bad for Shuichi..."

Kujo Yoshiyuki looked utterly helpless; he knew his wife all too well.

In her eyes, her nephew was perfect in every way and the best candidate for son-in-law; anyone who might steal her son-in-law was an enemy.

He understands this protective instinct, but sometimes he feels it's a bit excessive.

“Reiko and Shuichi are still young,” he tried to reassure his wife. “We can talk about marriage when they’re older. Isn’t it too early to be thinking about these things now?”

"Besides, Shuichi is only in high school, and Reiko is even younger. Who can predict what the future holds?"

"Hmph, that's your opinion!" Kotona Kujo said irritably. "Reiko has always liked Shuichi. She's been following him around since she was little, and she'll definitely be even more inseparable from him now that she's grown up."

"Besides, how could we miss out on such a good son-in-law as Xiuyi?"

Kujo Yoshiyuki couldn't help but roll his eyes.

You were the one who said Lin Xiuyi's charm was bad, and now you're the one saying he's a good son-in-law.

You've said both the truth and the sarcasm, what more do you want me to say?
He wisely chose to remain silent, simply putting his arm around his wife's shoulder and patting her gently.

Kotona Kujo leaned on his shoulder, watching the three girls still playing around not far away, a smile appearing on her lips.

Of course she knew it was too early to think about these things, but as a mother, who wouldn't want their daughter to have a good future?
Moreover, Shuichi is indeed a likable kid.

……

Meanwhile, Lin Xiuyi, having escaped from the coffee shop, wandered aimlessly along the commercial street.

He looked back in the direction of the coffee shop to make sure no one was chasing after him before letting out a long sigh of relief.

That was really dangerous. When Lingzi took the bullet for him, he only had one thought in his mind: If I don't run now, when will I?
So, while his little cousin was giving her impassioned speech, he slipped away quietly.

I feel a little bad for Reiko...

Lin Xiuyi silently apologized to Lingzi in his heart, and then continued walking forward, but he didn't know where to go.

Back to the izakaya?

No, those two girls will definitely catch up soon. Once they're trapped at home, they won't be able to escape.

Go somewhere else?
The commercial street is only so big, where can we hide?

For the first time, Lin Xiuyi realized that Beika Town, where he had lived for many years, was actually so small, so small that there was nowhere to escape.

As he walked, he suddenly smelled a faint fragrance of flowers.

Looking up, I saw a flower shop in front of me.

The shop is small, but the entrance is filled with all kinds of flowers: bright roses, fresh lilies, elegant daisies, and various other small flowers whose names I don't know.

The fragrance of flowers mingled together, drifting in the afternoon air and bringing a sense of inexplicable peace.

It's Orikasa's flower shop.

Speaking of which, it was Midori Orikasa who suggested to Inspector Megure that they have Hayashi Shuichi handle the case.

When Hayashi Shuichi arrived at the coffee shop, Orikasa Midori was also standing in the crowd watching the commotion.

Lin Xiuyi still remembers that she was standing at the very front of the crowd. When she saw him coming, she waved to him and then pointed into the coffee shop, signaling him to go in quickly.

However, Midori Orikasa's expression changed slightly after seeing Eri Kisaki and Yukiko beside Hayashi Shuichi.

She didn't come forward to greet us, nor did she rush over enthusiastically as usual. Instead, she turned away somewhat sadly and left the coffee shop without waiting for the outcome of the case.

Lin Xiuyi was busy dealing with the case at the time and didn't think much of it.

Standing at the entrance of the flower shop, he suddenly realized that Orikasa Midori's feelings at that moment might have been somewhat complicated.

At the entrance of the flower shop, a slender figure stood with her back to him, intently trimming the bouquets displayed at the door.

It's Orihime Green.

She wore a light green apron, her long hair loosely tied into a ponytail at the back of her head, with a few stray strands hanging down beside her ears, swaying gently with her movements. Her technique was skillful; the scissors snipped away, and excess flower branches and leaves fell one by one.

The sunlight shone from the side, casting a soft halo around her.

Lin Xiuyi stood behind her, watching quietly.

He didn't know why he stopped.

Perhaps it's the comforting scent of the flowers, or perhaps it's because this place is a safe haven for the time being, or perhaps...

I just didn't want to wander aimlessly by myself.

Midori Orikasa seemed to sense the gaze behind her. She stopped what she was doing and turned around.

"Welcome, sir/madam, our flower shop..."

The girl spoke habitually, with a standard professional smile on her face.

She was halfway through her sentence when she realized who was in front of her.

The smile instantly became genuine, and her eyes brightened.

"Senior!" Her voice was filled with surprise. "What brings you here?"

Lin Xiuyi certainly couldn't say that he had escaped from being "chased" by two girls; that would be too embarrassing.

"Can't I come?"

He asked a question in return, then quickly changed the subject.

Is Lady Orisaki here?

"Mom went out to deliver flowers." Midori Orikasa shook her head, her tone carrying a hint of something unusual.

She looked at Lin Xiuyi, hesitated, and finally couldn't help but ask.

"Are you buying flowers to give to Eri-senpai or Yukiko-senpai?"

Her voice was soft, as if she were testing the waters. Her eyes were fixed on Lin Xiuyi, awaiting his answer.

Lin Xiuyi was taken aback by her question.

Should I buy flowers for Eri and Yukiko?

Sending flowers to those two girls now is practically suicide.
They're both furious right now, and each one of them is more difficult to deal with than the last.

If you send flowers to one of them, the other will definitely be even angrier.

Sending flowers to two people would seem too deliberate.

The best way is to wait until they separate and calm down before talking about it!

Lin Xiuyi silently calculated in his heart, but on the surface, he smiled calmly.
"No, I just wanted to come and see you..."

He was halfway through his sentence when he saw Orikasa Midori's eyes suddenly light up.

Realizing his words might cause a misunderstanding, he quickly added, "...your family's flower shop."

Although the pause was brief, Midori Orikasa still managed to catch it.

Her face flushed slightly, and she lowered her eyes to hide her emotions.

But the barely suppressed smile on her lips betrayed her true feelings.

"Oh, I see." The girl's voice brightened. "Then come in and have a look, senior. We've recently received a lot of new flowers, they're so beautiful."

She stepped aside, gesturing for Lin Xiuyi to go inside.

As Lin Xiuyi entered the flower shop, she was greeted by an even stronger fragrance of flowers.

The shop was larger inside than it appeared from the outside, with flower stands on all four sides, filled with all sorts of fresh flowers… (End of Chapter)