Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"Oh right, I still have something I forgot to take..."

As Lin Xiuyi uttered this excuse that even he didn't believe, he tried to escape the izakaya.

He had already quietly moved to the side, his eyes darting around, trying to find a route to bypass the two girls.

Before she could even leave the kitchen, she was caught red-handed by Eri and Yukiko.

As if they had planned this all along, the two girls moved one to the left and the other to the right, perfectly blocking all his escape routes.

Eri Kisaki had a stern face and crossed her arms, looking just like a prosecutor interrogating a criminal.

Yukiko stood with her hands on her hips, chin slightly raised, her eyes full of smug satisfaction that said, "You're not getting away this time."

"What do you need?" Eri asked coldly, her glasses reflecting a chilling light. "Shall I get it for you?"

"Don't even think about slipping away like you would in a coffee shop." Yukiko snorted, the threat in her tone unmistakable.

Lin Xiuyi chuckled dryly, glanced at the expressionless Eri Kisaki on his left, and then at the menacing Yukiko on his right, knowing that he couldn't escape today.

He slunk back and stood in the kitchen again.

"...I remember now, I brought it over a while ago, here it is..."

Yukiko raised her chin triumphantly, then her gaze fell on Midori Orikasa, who was still standing next to Hayashi Shuichi.

The girl's face was still red, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone. Her hands were unconsciously twisted together. Anyone who saw her guilty look would have many thoughts.

"What were you doing just now?"

Eri Kisaki's voice grew even colder, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the two of them.

"What else can we do? Of course, we're preparing ingredients for the izakaya's business tonight."

Lin Xiuyi quickly pointed to the ingredients that had already been prepared on the cutting board, trying to let the facts speak for themselves.

The neatly arranged chopped vegetables were indeed the "results" of his and Orikasa Midori's work.

"Do we need to hug each other to handle ingredients?" Yukiko said sarcastically, her eyes fixed on Midori Orikasa, whose face was still flushed.

The sourness in his tone could be smelled even from three meters away.

"...I just can't cut it right no matter what I do."

Orikasa Midori explained in a low voice, so soft it was like a mosquito's buzz.

She looked up at Yukiko, then quickly looked down again.
"That's when my senior took action to correct my chopping posture. It really was just correcting my posture..."

"Hmph, what does the ability to cut vegetables have to do with posture?"

Eri Kisaki clearly didn't believe it. She had never been good at cooking since she was a child, and in her opinion, chopping vegetables was just chopping vegetables, why all the fuss?

All this talk about postures is just an excuse.

"Of course they're related!"

Lin Xiuyi quickly looked at Yukiko, his eyes full of pleading.
"Right, Yukiko? You know, the way you cut vegetables is very important!"

Yukiko naturally wanted to shake her head, to say she didn't understand, and that this was complete nonsense.

However, as a culinary expert, she had to admit that what Midori Orikasa and Hideichi Hayashi said was indeed true.

She gritted her teeth, struggled internally for a fraction of a second, but ultimately succumbed to her professional conscience.

"...The way you cut vegetables does affect your knife skills."

She said in a muffled voice, her tone full of reluctance.

Upon hearing this, Eri Kisaki immediately glared at Yukiko. Her gaze was sharp as a knife, as if to say: Hey, are you deliberately trying to cause trouble?

Yukiko glared back defiantly, her eyes also conveying a powerful message:
I'm not trying to cause trouble, this is the truth!
Of course, you, a complete culinary idiot, obviously wouldn't understand.

Yukiko even slightly raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a disdainful smile, the meaning of which couldn't be clearer.

The two girls' eyes met in mid-air, sparking an invisible flame. Eri Kisaki snorted in annoyance, ignoring the three of them, and turned to walk towards her cashier's seat.

The heels clicked sharply on the floor, each step carrying anger.

Seeing that she had stopped making a fuss, Lin Xiu immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

He wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, feeling as if he had escaped another disaster.

"Hmph, even though what you just said was true."

Yukiko quickly squeezed between Hayashi Shuichi and Orikasa Midori, using her body to separate the two.

“But I’ll take care of correcting her posture. Shuichi, go steam the rice and prepare the other things. Leave Midori to me, I’ll teach her.”

As she spoke, she emphasized the words "I'll teach her," and her eyes swept over Lin Xiuyi with a warning in them.

"Yes."

Lin Xiuyi quickly agreed, wishing she could get as far away from this troublesome place as possible.

He turned around and went about his business without even looking back.

Although Midori Orikasa was somewhat disappointed, she was already embarrassed by what had just happened, so she naturally didn't dare to bring it up again.

She stood obediently beside Yukiko, listening to her explain the techniques of chopping vegetables, occasionally stealing a glance at Hayashi Shuichi's back before quickly looking away.

The kitchen was bustling with activity once again.

The sounds of chopping vegetables, washing vegetables, and clattering pots and pans mingled together, creating a lively atmosphere.

……

After being closed for more than ten days, the izakaya (Japanese pub) reopened and immediately welcomed many of its regular customers.

"Lin Sang, where have you been these past ten days? I thought you had quit!"

"Exactly! I've come several times and come back empty-handed. I thought I'd never be able to eat your food again!"

"You'd better make it up to us today, bring us some of your signature dishes!"

The guests complained all at once, but they all had smiles on their faces.

After all, being able to taste familiar flavors again always makes people happy.

Lin Xiuyi, Yukiko, and Orikasa Midori greeted the guests with smiles. One took the order, one served the dishes, and one was busy in the kitchen. The three of them worked together quite well.

But as more and more customers arrived, the small izakaya quickly filled up, and the three of them were clearly overwhelmed.

"Where's Kogoro? Why isn't he back yet?" Taking advantage of a break, Lin Xiuyi came to Eri Kisaki's side.

The girl sat behind the cashier, holding a book in her hand, looking very relaxed, not at all like she was helping out.

How would I know?

Eri Kisaki rolled her eyes at him, not even looking up.
"He didn't tell me where he went."

"That bastard, he's a heartless man when it comes to women," Lin Xiuyi said angrily. "He's probably out on a date with Liuli again, and forgot the izakaya is opening tonight. Wait till he gets back, I'll teach him a lesson!"

"Hmph, isn't this what a normal couple looks like?"

Eri Kisaki raised her head and glanced at Hideaki Lin. Her gaze was meaningful, clearly implying something more.

Her gaze lingered on Lin Xiuyi for a few seconds, as if she wanted to say it directly: "You should be like Kogoro, more proactive, instead of always dodging and weaving."

Lin Xiuyi dared not respond. He knew Fei Yingli too well; anything she said at this moment would be wrong.

If you say too much, she'll think you're explaining; if you say too little, she'll think you're avoiding the issue.

The best approach is to change the subject. (End of Chapter)