Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Lin Xiuyi rambled on for a couple more minutes, then, seeing that new guests had arrived, she quickly said, "I'm going to get busy," and hurriedly went back to the kitchen.

Eri Kisaki watched his retreating figure with annoyance, but there was nothing she could do.

She put down her book, leaned back in her chair, and followed the figure busy in the kitchen with her gaze.

From her angle, she could see Lin Xiuyi's profile, his focused expression as he cooked, and the fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

They've already been intimate, but this bastard stubbornly refuses to acknowledge their relationship.

Every time she tried to say something, he would dodge; every time she tried to take things further, he would run away.

It's as if she's some kind of monster.

Eri bit her lip, feeling both angry and annoyed, yet helpless against him.

She looked away, picked up the book again, but couldn't concentrate on reading a single word.

……

Around eight o'clock, the door of the izakaya was pushed open, and Kogoro Mouri dragged his tired body in. He looked as if all his strength had been drained, and he leaned against the wall as soon as he entered, panting heavily.

"So you finally decided to come back?"

Lin Xiu glanced at his good brother, who was still busy cooking.

"I thought you were with Ruri and had forgotten about the izakaya."

Kogoro Mouri didn't argue as usual, but instead wore a pained expression and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Sweat streamed down his face, his shirt was soaked, and he looked utterly disheveled.

Lin Xiuyi then noticed his good brother's unusual behavior.

He put down the spatula and took a closer look at Kogoro Mouri. He looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes and chapped lips, as if he had just finished running a marathon.

"What's wrong with you...?" Lin Xiuyi frowned. "What happened?"

"Don't even mention it."

Kogoro Mouri waved his hand listlessly, dragged his feet to the freezer, and took out a bottle of oolong tea.

He unscrewed the bottle cap, tilted his head back, and gulped down most of the bottle in one go before he could catch his breath.

Kogoro Mouri wiped his mouth, plopped down on the stool next to him, and began to recount his day's events.

"I was planning to go to the movies with Liuli. We had already bought the tickets; it was the latest one that Liuli had been looking forward to for a long time."

He sighed.
"When we got to Ruri's place, we learned that her neighbor, Mrs. Arai, had disappeared."

"Missing?" Lin Xiu was taken aback, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Correct."

Kogoro Mouri nodded and took another big gulp of oolong tea.
“I have seen photos of Mrs. Arai. She was probably in her thirties and very beautiful. She also had a daughter who was about the same age as Reiko.”

"That little girl is so cute. She has two little braids and speaks in a sweet, childlike voice. She's just as lovable as Reiko."

He paused, then continued,
"Ruri said that Mrs. Arai is usually very kind to Ruri, and often gives her homemade snacks and the like."

"You know that girl Ruri. She doesn't have many friends. Mrs. Arai is one of the few people who are kind to her."

"So when Liuli heard that someone was missing, she was extremely anxious and dragged me along to help her look for them."

Lin Xiuyi frowned, her brain starting to work at lightning speed.

A young housewife in her thirties, with a husband and daughter, her life should be very stable. Why would she suddenly disappear? "Did you call the police?" he asked.

“I reported it.” Kogoro Mouri nodded. “I reported it to the police this afternoon. But as you know, the police won’t file a case if someone has been missing for less than 24 hours; they can only register it first.”

"Liuli was extremely anxious and dragged me around looking for her. We couldn't care less about anything else."

He held up three fingers and counted them one by one.

“We searched everywhere she might have gone: supermarkets, parks, friends’ houses, hospitals… but we couldn’t find her.”

"The people at the supermarket said they hadn't seen her today, and the people I often go to in the park also said they hadn't seen her. I asked all my friends, and they all said they hadn't seen her."

"We also checked with the hospital, and there was no record of her medical treatment there."

Kogoro Mouri took another sip of oolong tea and continued.
"I've been searching until now, it's all dark, and I still haven't found her. Liuli is crying so hard, so I had to take her home first and then rush back. I'm exhausted..."

Lin Xiuyi nodded thoughtfully, then asked a crucial question: "Who discovered the person was missing first?"

“It’s Mrs. Arai’s husband, Mr. Arai,” Kogoro Mori replied. “He came home at noon and found only his daughter at home.”

"After asking, the little girl said that her mother went out to buy groceries in the morning and hasn't come back since."

He recalled the details he had heard from Liuli.

"At that time, six or seven hours had passed since she left home. Grocery shopping obviously wouldn't take that long. Even if she went to a supermarket further away, two or three hours would have been enough for the round trip and shopping."

"Mr. Arai felt something was wrong, so he quickly started looking for the person. He first searched the neighborhood but couldn't find them, then he called the police and contacted his relatives and friends, but there was still no news."

Lin Xiuyi's brows furrowed even more.

I went out to buy groceries this morning, and it's been over twelve hours since then.

A young housewife in her thirties, with a family and children, suddenly vanished without a trace.

This is very abnormal.

unless……

Just as he was about to press further, Yukiko's voice came from beside him.

"Shuichi?"

Yukiko appeared out of nowhere, carrying a plate of freshly sliced ​​sashimi, and asked curiously,
"What's wrong? What happened?"

Behind her, Midori Orikasa followed, her face also full of curiosity.

The two girls had just finished working in the kitchen, their faces still flushed from the exertion, but they didn't have time to rest and gathered around Lin Xiuyi.

"It's nothing." Lin Xiuyi shook her head, temporarily suppressing the thoughts in her mind.

There are too many people around now, it's not the time to discuss this.

He looked at Kogoro Mouri and explained to the two girls, "Something happened to Kogoro's friend's family, and he's helping to find them."

Yukiko looked at Kogoro Mouri, who looked exhausted. His face was weary, his eyes were dark, and his shirt was soaked with sweat. He looked like he had just been pulled out of the water.

She glanced at Lin Xiuyi's thoughtful expression, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes.

She knew Lin Xiuyi's habits; whenever he showed that expression, it meant he was thinking about something important.

Yukiko didn't ask any more questions. She nodded, placed the sashimi on the table next to her, and said softly, "You two chat, I'll go now. Call me anytime if you need any help."

Orikasa Midori followed, but she walked even slower, glancing back at Hayashi Xiuichi every few steps. (End of Chapter)