Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

While drinking bitter chrysanthemum tea, Lin Xiuyi chatted idly with Orikasa Midori.

The tea was truly awful; the bitter and astringent taste lingered on the tip of the tongue for a long time. But Lin Xiuyi found that he didn't dislike the feeling.

The flower shop was quiet and cozy, filled with the fragrance of flowers. A girl sat beside him, speaking softly, and the atmosphere made him feel completely relaxed.

Their conversation was indeed quite boring: when do flowers bloom best, how much water do flowers need, and which flowers are suitable to be given to which people.

When Midori Orikasa talked about these things, her eyes sparkled and her face was full of seriousness.

She pointed to the flowers on the flower stand and introduced each one, as if each flower had its own story.

Lin Xiu listened, occasionally nodding and occasionally asking a question.

He didn't actually know much about flowers, but seeing how serious Midori was, he couldn't bear to interrupt her.

Although the topic of conversation was boring, Midori Orikasa clearly still liked it.

She sat next to Lin Xiuyi, holding the same unpalatable chrysanthemum tea, sipping it slowly, a smile always on her face.

Except when customers come to buy flowers, when she has to get up quickly to greet them, she sits by Lin Xiuyi's side the whole time.

Lin Xiuyi felt a surge of warmth as he watched her busy figure.

At first glance, this girl seemed like a delinquent, but in reality, she was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper, and all her emotions were written on her face.

I'm happy when I'm happy, and shy when I'm shy; I don't hide anything.

"By the way, senior."

After seeing off another guest, Orikasa Midori sat down again, then suddenly remembered something and asked curiously,
"You must have solved the case at the coffee shop today, right? How did the killer commit the crime? What methods did they use?"

She rested her chin on her hands, staring intently at Lin Xiuyi, her face full of admiration and anticipation.

In her view, it was only natural for Lin Xiuyi to solve the case.

He solved every case before, and this one will certainly be no exception.

"This……"

Lin Xiuyi looked at the girl's adoring gaze, gave an awkward smile, and shook his head.

"Eri and Yukiko solved today's case."

"Ugh?"

Orikasa Midori was clearly taken aback; her eyes widened.
"Eri-senpai and Yukiko-senpai? They can solve cases too?"

Her tone was filled with disbelief.

In her memory, although Eri Kisaki was good at studying and Yukiko was smart, solving cases should have been the exclusive domain of Hideaki Hayashi.

"Senior, you didn't help them cheat, did you?"

Midori Orikasa looked at him suspiciously, clearly not believing that Eri Kisaki and Yukiko had this ability.

Lin Xiuyi chuckled: "No, they did solve the case today. I didn't do anything from beginning to end, I just watched from the sidelines."

He paused, then continued, "It was Yukiko who first discovered the culprit's flaw..."

Seeing that Midori Orikasa was still somewhat skeptical, Lin Xiuyi briefly recounted what had happened at the coffee shop.

He talked about how Yukiko noticed the abnormality of the skirt, how Eri deduced the truth step by step, and how the two girls worked together seamlessly to expose the murderer's disguise.

Midori Orikasa listened quietly, her expression shifting from disbelief to surprise, and then to a complex mix of emotions. "I never imagined that Eri-senpai and Yukiko-senpai were so amazing."

After hearing this, the girl lowered her head, her voice tinged with disappointment.
"Unlike me, I basically know nothing about kendo except for kendo. Even in kendo, I'm not as good as Sister Jinghua..."

Her voice grew softer and softer until it almost turned into a self-deprecating mutter.

She lacked both Eri Kisaki's calm and clear mind and Yukiko's quick and keen observation skills.

We cannot be like them, standing beside our seniors, facing cases together, and uncovering the truth together.

She only knows how to take care of flowers, and she can only stay quietly to the side. Even when she makes a cup of chrysanthemum tea, she can only make it bitter and astringent.

Looking at her appearance, Lin Xiuyi felt a surge of pity.

He understood Orikasa Midori's feelings. Seeing a girl her age so outstanding while he felt like he couldn't do anything right was a feeling he had experienced in his past life.

"Don't say that. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. No one is perfect."

"Putting everything else aside, no matter how capable Eri and Yukiko are, they can't possibly be as good at taking care of flowers as you are, and they don't understand the meaning and habits of each flower as well."

"Look at all these flowers in the room. You've taken such good care of them, and they're blooming so beautifully. If it were the other two, they probably would have killed them all in three days."

He paused, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes, and continued...

"And can you imagine the two of them sitting here, quietly drinking tea with me?"

He pointed to the spot where he and Midori Orikasa were sitting, and the images of Eri Kisaki and Yukiko flashed through his mind.

Fei Yingli is calm and composed, prefers to read quietly, and usually drinks strong coffee. She would probably never touch this kind of light herbal tea that requires patience.

Yukiko is naturally lively and energetic, like a bird that can't stop. Getting her to sit quietly here drinking tea, without making a fuss or teasing anyone, is harder than solving a case.

Midori Orikasa paused for a moment, then chuckled.

She could also picture her two older sisters sitting there drinking tea.

Eri Kisaki was engrossed in her book with a serious expression, while Yukiko fidgeted and looked around restlessly; the scene was indeed somewhat comical.

"You're right, senior."

The girl smiled, a smile much brighter than before.

"but……"

She smiled gently, looked up at Lin Xiuyi, and her eyes held a hint of embarrassment.
"Unfortunately, I didn't brew chrysanthemum tea very well. I couldn't brew the kind of chrysanthemum tea that my senior liked."

Orikasa Midori paused, then asked,

"By the way, senior, what variety of chrysanthemums are used in the chrysanthemum tea you like to drink? Do you still have any? I'd like to see what they look like."

Lin Xiu was taken aback, not expecting that she was still struggling with this.

"I don't know." He shook his head. "I finished the tea a long time ago. It was a gift from someone to Lingzi's father. I don't know what kind it was, I just know it was chrysanthemum tea."

Orikasa Midori didn't give up and continued to press for answers.

"How about that? Just give me a general idea, and I can look for it based on its appearance. I know a lot of flower growers; maybe I can find it."

Seeing that she persisted, Lin Xiuyi had no choice but to describe what the chrysanthemum tea he had drunk in his previous life looked like.

He recalled the dried chrysanthemums, trying to describe them: "They were yellow flowers with thin, long petals. When steeped, they would float on the surface of the water, and the tea would be pale yellow with a delicate fragrance, not the bitter taste we just had..." (End of Chapter)